How do I Choose the Best Open Source Registry Cleaner?

Choosing the right open source registry cleaner is important because good registry-repair software can vastly improve a computer’s performance and stability. Of the various administrative tools, clean-up software applications and optimization programs, registry clean-up software is one of the most important yet least-used tools that are available to everyday computer users. Even those individuals with the skills and capacity to understand the importance of registry clean-up fail to use the software that is at their disposal. When attempting to find the best open source registry cleaner, users should consider reliability, ease of use and support materials.

Although there are many registry repair applications available for purchase, it is important to find a quality program that will truly repair the registry instead of doing further damage. The registry is the command center of a computer, where it stores all of the data and information needed to boot and properly run the operating system and all of the software applications on the machine. Many registry-repair programs find errors in the registry that are not actually errors. Attempting to fix these "errors" often results in additional problems. Many people think that a program that finds more errors is doing a better job of fixing the registry. As a result, users may trust software that is unreliable, of a lesser quality, and likely to do damage to the registry instead of repairing it.

In addition to determining if the registry-repair software is reliable, the user should determine whether the program is easy to use. Users should ask themselves if they find the software’s interface to be well designed. Even a very simple graphical user interface (GUI) will have a well-thought-out design that naturally guides users to the tools and features they seek. Many people are familiar with basic software operations, but a good registry repair program will help even a novice user clean up their Windows&reg registry without requiring them to understand the technical details of the process.

After evaluating the reliability and ease of use of a particular open source registry cleaner, always review the support materials available. Most quality registry-repair applications come bundled with helpful reference guides, procedures and answers to frequently asked questions. Many companies post help forums on their websites, where a large community of the program’s users post questions and answers that supplement the official help products. A sign of a high-quality open source registry cleaner is a supportive online community of users willing to guide others through the process of using the software.