Registry Clean Pro 1.0 $29.95 QSX Software Group www.registry-clean.com Rating: 4 out of 5
Anyone who has suffered through reinstalling Windows knows that the Registry is the glue that holds Windows together. If the Registry becomes corrupted, the system is hosed; it's time to reinstall the OS and your applications.
Registry corruption is inevitable but unpredictable. Registry Clean Pro can stave off these unfortunate errors by verifying and repairing the Registry before little problems become insurmountable ones. Unlike many similar utilities that try to do it all, Registry Clean Pro is a one-trick pony, but it does an admirable job.
The program quickly scans the Registry for problems, letting you choose which entries to repair or just give the go-ahead to fix them all. Our test system had been running WinXP trouble free for more than a year, but the program found and repaired 133 Registry problems.
You can schedule automatic repairs on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, and the online documentation is thorough and informative. You can limit scanning to particular Registry sections--for example, shared DLLs or application info--if desired. If something goes wrong, you can undo the last repair job, reverting the Registry to its previous state. The app doesn't offer an option to back up the Registry to removable media or store more than one old version, however.
If keeping your Windows PC running smoothly is essential but maybe you don't put the time you should into full system backups, Registry Clean Pro is cheap insurance that can keep your PC humming along.
Reprinted with permission from Computer Power User magazine.