Registry Help Free

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on April 30, 2012

There are numerous Registry cleaners out there, and many of them are problematic; some of them don't create backups before fixing errors, some claim to clean your Registry without giving you any information about what they're doing, and some will locate hundreds of errors but only fix one or two at a time until you upgrade to a paid version of the software. We're happy to report that Registry Help Free has none of those problems. This free program is packed with features, and while it will likely befuddle novices, more-advanced users will find plenty to like.

Registry Help Free comes with multiple tools, though it is true that some are only available in the Pro version; this version lets you scan and repair the Registry, defragment the Registry, browse the Registry, search the Registry, tweak the Registry, and access history and backups. The Pro version also lets you create Registry snapshots and compare them with one another. A Registry editor makes it easy to go mucking around in your Registry, which is great for people who know what they're doing, but ill advised for those who don't. The program's scan feature is highly customizable, letting you select the drives and categories you want to scan; we went with the default settings and the program identified more than 500 problems, which it quickly corrected with no ill effects. A built-in Help file explains the basics of the program's operation, though it's not in-depth enough to teach you how to competently tinker with your Registry if you don't already know. Overall, we think Registry Help Free is a good choice for anyone who's interested in Registry maintenance and has the skills to handle some advanced features.

Registry Help Free installs and uninstalls without issues.