CNET Editors' review
Registry cleaners are fine when used with care but can cause problems when used carelessly. Unfortunately, those users who most need a reliable registry cleaner are often unable to tell vital entries from junk, with predictable consequences. Registry cleaners now emphasize doing no harm; none more so than freeware registry cleaners such as Wise Registry Cleaner Free from WiseCleaner. It's touted as thorough but especially safe and easy to use, which we found an appealing combination. By and large, it lives up to the claim.
Wise Registry Cleaner Free's installer persuades users to download and install the Ask toolbar via a cleverly worded "combined" EULA. It also recommends, and offers to download, a companion disk-cleaning utility. We opted out of these extras. Too many free registry tools of recent memory would scan your system and identify "problems" that you had to buy a full version to fix. However, Wise Registry Cleaner Free did a good job of scanning our system for errors and fixing only those that it considered safe to fix. The program first offered to create a restore point or full registry backup before scanning our registry; we chose the full backup. The interface is typical of the class, with scan categories listed in the left-hand panel and a series of large, colorful icons for major functions. A scan identified more than 500 invalid entries, including 63 it considered unsafe to remove, though it was possible to select them for removal against the program's recommendation. Since our usual registry scanner had found far fewer problems and the new scan seemed to show entries for our pen tablet, we ran the Fix function with some trepidation. However, even after a reboot, our pen tablet and system functioned fine. We reran our other scanner and found a handful of minor issues, none of which were on Wise Registry Cleaner Free's naughty list, emphasizing the different approaches similar freeware utilities often take, even on the same job.
Wise Registry Cleaner Free lived up to its promise of being thorough and easy to use without causing any problems. Whether or not you choose to download and install its associated programs, it certainly did the job as a standalone tool.
Publisher's Description
From WiseCleaner:
Wise Registry Cleaner is one of the safest Registry cleaning tools available in the market today. Its scanning engine is thorough, safe and fast. It is so easy to use,even the least experienced user can easily repair registry with this tool.It scans the Windows registry and finds incorrect or obsolete information in the registry. By fixing these obsolete information in Windows registry, your system will can work better and more quickly. After Wise Registry Cleaner analyzes your system for problems, you can individually view each of the problems found and call up a detailed description. If you wish, you can also have all problems corrected automatically. All changes to your system are monitored by Wise Registry Cleaner and can be undone with a few mouse clicks, so you can use Wise Registry Cleaner feel relieved.
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All versions:
3.9 starsout of 728 votes
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Current version:
3.2 starsout of 8 votes
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My rating:
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Results 1-8 of 8
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"BAIT AND SWITCH PROMO"
Version: Wise Registry Cleaner Free 6.21
Pros
Gee let's see, it removed 100 errors!?
Cons
Just a come on to make you buy their whole product. After finding 600 errors and then on the second scan 2,000 errors I pushed the "fix" button and it saye the typical, we can only fix 100 of these and if you want to fix more you need to buy the complete package. JUST ANOTHER COME ON TO BAIT AND SWITCH YOU INTO BUYING THEIR PRODUCT.
Summary
I am seriously dissapointed in CNET that they would allow these kind of crap to go on. I searched for FREE Registry fix and even had to refine my search more to FREE from other choices that you pay for and what do I get but another CHEESY, SNEAKY download that is nothing more than a bait and switch scam to get your money that I am tired of getting.
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"EXTREMELY THOROUGH, FAST AND FREE"
Version: Wise Registry Cleaner Free 6.21
Pros
I have been using WRC in combination with Kingsoft PC Doctor (free too) for 3 months now on any machine I come across. AWESOME. I threw out a lot of paid programs (no offense, good stuff too) an run WRC once every 15 days or so. I love the Registry Defrag option. All is well. Strongly recommend !
Cons
scary when you see all the crap in the registry and hit CLEAN...
But extremely effective.Summary
DEFINITELY GO FOR IT !!!
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"A good product, and the price is right"
Version: Wise Registry Cleaner Free 6.21
Pros
Its Free and it works
Cons
No Cons at all
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"Works VERY well."
Version: Wise Registry Cleaner Free 6.21
Pros
Removes a lot of junk.
Cons
Can be very harse, hard on computer.
Summary
Use winaso daily, Wise reg weekly. But the Optimizer messed up my Win 7 laptop. Used restore point and did not use Optimizer. Worked well then. So be carefull. Win 7 is not as good as XP and can be messed up easily. My XP got super fast after a full clean.
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"Its a very good little tool"
Version: Wise Registry Cleaner Free 6.21
Pros
Light, easy to understand interface, free.
Cons
None worth mentioning.
Summary
This is a useful little tool that can optimize enough for you to notice a performance gain.
There are tons of these programs around and more do harm than good but this one ticks the right boxes.
Its small and very light and scans are quick.
I think the interface may fool you into thinking its a toy program but it does some serious work.
Be careful what you are checking, it describes what all the tweaks are but some may be tempted to tick all boxes and damage their OS.
The tweaks on the windows gui are pretty efficient at speeding up programs load time, it also speeds up shutdown by closing programs quicker.
It also reduces menu delay time making Windows feel more snappy and responsive.
This and the cleaner are handy wee utilities.. -
"Deletes necessary Full Image backup reg from slave drv."
Version: Wise Registry Cleaner Free 6.21
Pros
It's free, but that's about it!
Cons
I went ahead & let it delete "Safe" entries from my slave HD, where I keep my Acronis Full Image backups. DUH!
The next time I went to do my monthly backups, they had "disappeared" from Recovery.Summary
Many Reg/file cleaners also mess with Image Backups, so I allow cleanups... on my System drive only (automatic with safer CCleaner/safer wait 24hr old on temp files too(especially Windows Updates!).
FYI- The only agressive reg cleaner that has ever fixed a corrupted system for me (many times) was free Vit Registry Fix Pro, and I've used it safely "on my system drive only" for years. Only $6 to avoid the nag screen, and actually speeds up my system! -
"Redirected to Brothersoft?"
Version: Wise Registry Cleaner Free 6.21
Pros
The program works great if I could upgrade.
Cons
No 6.21 version available.
Summary
CNET what's up with this? I get redirected to Brothersoft where there is no 6.21 version. Nor is there a new version at Wise's home page for the reg and disk cleaners. Holy confusion Bat Man!
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"It does a marvelous cleanup."
Version: Wise Registry Cleaner Free 6.21
Pros
It works right every time.
Cons
I have found none.
Results 1-8 of 8
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