After some time I have decided to try the new version of Registry Mechanic. I was a little bit suspicious because there are already some good utilities on the market like "TuneUp Utilities", "Windows Optimizer - Registry Cleaner and Fixer", "PC Repair", "WinASO Registry Optimizer" and "Registry Repair". But in the end I realized that I have to try because of the popularity that this utility won in a short time.
I think that the key to success of any application should be the simplicity and efficiency of the interface, which I think this is the first step that the people from PC Tools Software started. Alll the major commands are visible from the first glance and are implemented in some kind of wizard. I mean for every command there are enough explanations for what it means.
The utility is based on three macros which consists in several basic processes:
1 Scan Your Registry: it will deeply scan your registry for problems;
2 Optimize Your System: improve your system performance (includes also a backup option if your system won't work properly after the operation);
3 Compact Registry: the biggest macro which analyzes your registry, preview the results and backup or optimize the registry (for any inconveniences, create a system restore point for the backup);
All these macros can be modified from the options menu, but for most users it's enough just to let the utility do its job. Unfortunately this is the point where the problems come.
If you are not an all-day user of a PC, you might get 100% good results after you use this utility, but if you have a PC full of different application, you might get the chance to lose important informations that actually allow important applications to run. Maybe a deeply access to the utility features will allow us to control it better.
Anyway Registry Mechanic is doing its job in a middle to low level comparing to other utilities. It finds a wide range of errors, including references to already uninstalled programs, missing help files, broken shortcuts, virtual devices, start-up programs, fonts, and configuration files. It also can automatically repair invalid entries at Windows start-up.
Pluses: easy to use and intuitive; fast scanning;
Drawbacks / flaws: not rich in features; not a deep level of controlling; the shareware version won't clean all the registry errors;
In conclusion: Good for home users.
version reviewed: 5.2
Publisher:
PC Tools
License:
Shareware; $29.95
Size:
4.1 MB
OS:
Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP/2003
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