It is a well-known fact (or at least it should be) that Windows Registry is the core area of any Windows operating system. It's the place where system and installed application settings are saved as well as information and hardware settings. To make a long story short, mess the registry up and you can start preparing a Windows disc for a fresh installation.

Working with plenty of software frequently (install/uninstall operations) will also lead to this effect, if you don't weed out unnecessary data stored in the registry. But at least you will have a good indicator that this area needs to lose clutter, and that is system performance. The moment it starts going downhill, the most probable cause is an overcrowded with invalid entries, fragmented registry.

The Internet provides both free and paid products cut off for improving registry health on your system. But, we have to admit that, with a few exceptions, freebies do not rise to the standards of the paid programs. RegistryBooster from Uniblue has recently moved on to a new version, ready to resolve registry issues that may occur while working with your computer. It comes packed with registry cleaning options and a registry defragmenter, two tools that are rarely encountered in a single application.

Compared to the 2009 version the improved issue of the application comes with an enhanced interface that contracts the scanned areas to three, instead of 15. It is just a visual enhancement, as RegistryBooster 2010 will still look in all registry areas for invalid entries. The three main areas are “System related errors” (includes application paths, system software settings, activeX, OLE and COM sections, invalid file association, system drivers, startup section, shared DLLs, fonts and help sections, and shared folders), “User related errors” (covers invalid shortcuts, user software settings, file extensions and sound and app events) and “Third party related errors” (checks the uninstall section).

Another improvement carried by the latest version of the application is the damage meter, which shows you just how messed up the current state of the registry is, before cleaning it. There are three main levels, low, medium and high, and two in-between notches, to mark the regression (or progress) from high to medium and medium to low. As for the main menu structure, it remained the same, providing an easy to use interface ready to give you access to any option and section of the program.

Registry Scan menu of the app is the most important of all, as it allows you to start verifying the registry, set up an “Ignore List,” view the repair logs, or start defragmentation. “Overview” menu may be viewed as equally important because it displays the current amount of errors and lets you start scanning, but “Registry Scan” is where all the action takes place.

Depending on what kind of errors you're looking to fix, you get to select the registry section you want to be assessed. However, I would leave everything on. RegistryBooster 2010's scan times are not the fastest, but nowhere near the slowest, either. During testing the speed of the scan engine proved to be moderate and accuracy was not top notch. However, it detected plenty of important errors in the registry and eliminated almost all of them.

During our tests it happened more than once for the application to detect a number of errors and upon cleaning report that the registry had been cleaned of invalids and yet still show under the number of items eliminated a smaller amount than what had been detected. This is not an interface bug because upon an ulterior scan it would show the issues that had not been previously fixed.

When working with RegistryBooster 2010 you have to keep in mind that no cleaning session will take full effect unless you restart your computer. This also goes for the defrag option included in the application. In reference to the above presented bug, the items were still detected by the program after system restart. However, a couple of scans and repair sessions (ergo computer restarts) later the application came to its senses and removed the invalid entries.

“Registry repair logs” section displays all the modifications it has made to the changes. You get a detailed view of the entries that have been eliminated, their location, date and time of the repair. When opened, the logs can be viewed in RegistryBooster or in the web browser. Strangely enough, and contrary to any expectation, the app does not open the logs in the default browser, but straight in Internet Explorer, which definitely comes as a downside, for any user.

Defragmenting the registry is a healthy operation for your operating system, as it ensures quicker readings and contributes to the betterment of the overall performance. RegistryBooster 2010 provides such function, which is at all complicated to use. You simply start the procedure, sit back, and let everything in the hands of the program. After all is complete, you will have to restart the machine for the results to become effective. You can postpone this procedure, but RegistryBooster cannot be used in this case, until system restart.

The efficiency of this procedure in RegistryBooster is not jaw-breaking, but done regularly, the effects are notable. After running it, there will still be some fragments left behind, but that's perfectly normal as I can't say that I've heard of a defrag tool capable of doing the perfect defrag. On the downside, most of the users aware of the benefits of registry defragmentation would like to have a comparison report of the before and after fragmentation state.

In case of trouble after cleaning the registry and restarting the system, you can revert it to its prior state effortlessly, from the “Restore” menu. The application automatically snaps a backup of the registry before cleaning, so all there's left for you to do is clean the backups you no longer need.

Configuration panel of the program contains easy to understand and set options that require a minimum of computer knowledge. You can assign different functions for the default minimize and close buttons of the interface, set the app to start with Windows and launch a scan automatically.

Overall, RegistryBooster 2010 is a good and reliable product that deserves a look. Its regular €33.28 price may be a bit too much for the average user, but by October 21st this has been reduced to €24.95. It did not stand out in scan speed or thoroughness with deleting invalid entries, but it did a good job defragmenting and repairing performance affecting issues. Also, the overall state of the machine improved notably.

The Good

RegistryBooster 2010 provides a fantastically simple to use interface that is self explanatory, though the application covers a field of activity that is not exactly for beginner users. It cleans the registry of the detected errors and, more than this, it can also defragment it so that system access is swifter and computer performance improved.

It automatically backs up the registry before any cleaning sessions, making it extremely safe to use, despite the fact that it handles sensitive data.

The Bad

Restarting the computer after each cleaning is a bit too much in a time when even antivirus software has eliminated this procedure as the final step of the installation process. Also, there are freebies that do not have this demand after eliminating invalid entries.

The included defragger should have an analysis tool and graphical representation of the fragmentation level. Thus the user would have a comparison chart for the before and after state of the registry.

Price is not exactly working to RegistryBooster 2010's advantage as there are freeware solutions on the market that can detect more invalid entries (although they do not include a defrag tool).

The Truth

All in all, RegistryBooster 2010 makes for a good product that does have a real effect on the system's performance. Due to the interface, working with it is very easy and safe at the same time, because it automatically records all the changes and provides the possibility to revert registry's state.

It is not yet the most comfortable solution on the market, and cannot supersede the efficiency of all registry cleaners out there, but acts in a reliable fashion. However, as there is no such tool to put all your trust in, the use of several such maintenance instruments is always a good way to ensure high detection of even the most unimportant data in the registry. Some free tools you can use RegistryBooster 2010 with are CCleaner and EasyCleaner, both of which come in portable form.

Check out the application in action: