Looking for a good, free, Registry cleaning program.

[VL Executive]

Hi everyone,

My PC of late has been operating really slow. Somtimes taking minites to load a webpage or other functions.

Have run a couple of registry cleaning programs, one was called RegAce which found about 500 errors. Problem is it only fixes 20 errors and it then wants you to register and buy the program for $30.00 Im not being tight, but I dont like doing credit card transactions over the internet.

I have another program called PC ultra speed, but again it needs product registration before its useable. It asks for email addy, but reluctant to give it incase I get swamped with spam.

Is there a free program out there that will do the job and does not require registration?

[Smitty]

...best FREE PC cleaner (registry, temp files, uninstalling etc etc ) is CCLEANER
get it from ccleaner.com.

Our IT guys use it for all the PCs and notebooks at work plus I use it at home on the desktop and our laptops
..very good product imo

[[TWIGGA]]

The best free registry cleaner is to backup what you need and to format the OS Partition and reinstall your OS!

[Smitty]

....or - http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download

[FrangaFry]

The best free registry cleaner is to backup what you need and to format the OS Partition and reinstall your OS!

Yep agree 100% back it up and start again. Don't waste your time trying to 'clean' it

[empower]

run CCleaner and Malwarebytes - also cleanout unnecessary items with MSCONFIG that should sort you out.

Those programs you installed - get rid of them, they are junk!

[macca_779]

http://www.apple.com/au/osx/

Sorry couldn't help myself. True though.

[[TWIGGA]]

http://www.apple.com/au/osx/

Sorry couldn't help myself. True though.

Haha, Java exploits are changing that landscape Quick-smart!

As market share shifts, so do virus/malware targets!

Although, couldn't recommend a MacBook higher, great machines.

[VX2VESS]

Yep agree 100% back it up and start again. Don't waste your time trying to 'clean' it

even with a backup its a PIA have to reload most programs again to et them going.

[Stewge]

Format C:

CCleaner is probably your best bet. Couple with a virus scan and go on an uninstall spree, getting rid of any crap which might've snuck in with other software.
Most registry cleaners and "speedup" tools are just vehicles for more malware.

However I would suggest reinstalling. Do a clean installation and install all of your "required" programs with some basic configurations. Then use something like Acronis or Clonezilla to backup the entire thing as a "snapshot" of a clean OS to keep for later. Attempting to clean up an existing system often breaks more than it fixes.

Either way, the best defense is simply awareness. Check everything you download for "sneakware" (e.g. Java attempts to install the ask toolbar...bastards...), only download applications which are well known and trusted by others (Open source if you can) and a decent virus scanner just in case.

To make a clean reinstall go quicker, check out "www.ninite.com". Check the boxes for any software you want and it'll create a 1-click installer which cleanly installs everything you need with 0 input. They also remove any unwanted crap from the installers (case-in-point = Java/ask toolbar crap).

[Wonky]

Something I got an email about from a friend and in my experience it's true is if you can get rid of any Apple programs on a Windows based PC!! My PC used to sometimes slow to a crawl and when I checked with Task Manager invariably it would be an Apple program chewing 90+% of CPU. That was one of the reasons I changed from iPhone to Galaxy S3. Uninstalled all Apple programs and no problems since. Only slight drawback is eBay uses QuickTime.

[VL Executive]

Thanks everyone. I ended up getting CCleaner, and went on an uninstall spree. Heap of old programs still there that where not uninstalled properly, and startup items that I did not need. Its made an improvement to performance. Lot better than what it was anyway.

[kevin101]

...best FREE PC cleaner (registry, temp files, uninstalling etc etc ) is CCLEANER
get it from ccleaner.com.

Our IT guys use it for all the PCs and notebooks at work plus I use it at home on the desktop and our laptops
..very good product imo

Have to agree with this one used it yesterday on my pc, then ran it on my wifes laptop today.

[Plenty]

Although, couldn't recommend a MacBook higher, great machines.

That's because they now use the same internal components as those that they tried to rubbish!

[Plenty]

Hi everyone,

My PC of late has been operating really slow. Somtimes taking minites to load a webpage or other functions.

Have run a couple of registry cleaning programs, one was called RegAce which found about 500 errors. Problem is it only fixes 20 errors and it then wants you to register and buy the program for $30.00 Im not being tight, but I dont like doing credit card transactions over the internet.

I have another program called PC ultra speed, but again it needs product registration before its useable. It asks for email addy, but reluctant to give it incase I get swamped with spam.

Is there a free program out there that will do the job and does not require registration?

Other that a clean re-install or a reg cleaner, what sort of computer is it? Is it a brand name machine? If so they generally have a "secret" partition with an image saved there of it's factory state, a factory reset if you like, takes half the time but everything is installed ready to go.