Easy Registry Cleaning... Just One Step Away

fair
key review info
application features
  • Clean your system and boost performance
  • (4 more, see all...)

When I have to think about cleaning the house, I get an instant headache. If it would be the same with my computer, I'd surely get an instant brain cancer without knowing that I have the required tools to do this for me. Fortunately, there are a lot of registry cleaners around, most of them free, others priced pretty low... and the good thing is that most of them do their job at least decently.

Today we're going to review the trial version of Registry Booster, a small and handy tool that claims to be the safest and most trusted solution to clean and optimize your system, free it from registry errors and fragmented entries.

After downloading, installing and starting the program for the first time... big surprise! The program started scanning my registry without asking anything before that, and this is one of the things that I don't like at all - the programs that try to be smarter than the user... and in most cases they are not!

Let's leave that bad impression behind and move on... The program finishes scanning my system and finds a number of errors. Usually that number is larger than fifteen, and this may be a "little big" problem...

When I try to repair the errors, I find out that the program will make a backup first, which is a good thing. On the other hand, the user is able to fix only the first fifteen errors found in this trial version.

I forgot to say that the interface graphics are really good, and I really hope they are not the only positive thing of this program...

When starting the program again, things go well this time. We are placed into the System Overview area, and from here we can start the scan, configure program settings and defrag the registry... or at least that's what we see.

Reality is sad, because you can't defrag the registry using this trial version. I understand the reasons behind the release of limited trial versions, but this can't be called that way, it's rather a featureless trial edition...

Let's check the program settings now, as there are only four of them into the Settings area. You can set the startup options (start with Windows and start minimized), the confirmation for creating backups, and whether to start scanning or not when Registry Booster begins.

Now, a few words about the scanning operation... You have the chance to perform a full registry scan or choose the individual sections to be checked, like System Drivers, File Extensions, Uninstall Section areas and more.

The last area that allows you to actually do something is entitled Scan Results. From here, you can select the errors you want to change, create a backup and, of course, repair them.

Now I have to tell you about a really funny thing that I found inside the Help file. What do you think about this system requirement - "Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon processor with 500 Mhz"? Hunting errors inside the programs' Help files is not my goal here, but this struck me and says it all.

When you start a job, do it carefully and the best way you can within a decent time frame. Unfortunately, Registry Booster seems more like a "speed programming contest" product rather than a serious application.

If you have a lot of time to spare, you can try it. If you have little time to spare, write down its name somewhere and check for the version available next year. Finally, if you are busy looking for good, cheap and reliable programs, move on. I know that this is my choice.

The Good

Registry Booster has a nice interface, a well done Help system, and can be used easily by beginners, since it does most of its job without any intervention from the user.

The Bad

This program's trial version is almost useless and it has a lot of nag screens, apart from being so limited and having always the "Trial Version. Please register to enable enhanced program features" text line at the bottom.

The Truth

Maybe if it was free, the full version would have stood a chance. The way things are, paying thirty dollars for a nicely done Help file and a cute interface doesn't make any sense. There are still a lot of features to be added in order to bring this application up to its floating line, because, as I see it for now, this is sinking fast instead of sailing...

Here are some snapshots of the application in action:

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user interface 3
features 1
ease of use 5
pricing / value 1


final rating 2
Editor's review
fair
 
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