PC Tools software is well-known for the reliable programs they build and that includes Registry Mechanic, their acclaimed registry cleaner for Windows. PC Tools knows that when you are looking for a registry cleaner, you have numerous options. So they have added some features that you may not be able to find on other programs and they have improved upon some older features. These tools not only work to keep your registry clean, but they allow you to optimize your computer to run faster and more efficiently.

Microsoft Certified Partner
In my opinion, this is where Registry Mechanic shines and is heads and shoulders above all other registry cleaners on the market today. As a Microsoft Certified Partner, the people behind PC Tools software possess a high degree of competence and expertise with Microsoft technologies. Furthermore, they must have a minimum number of Microsoft Certified Professionals (called MCPs) with the proven ability to deliver solutions featuring Microsoft products.

So why is this so important? The registry is a delicate part of the Windows operating system. It is the “brain” of your computer. If something goes wrong with your registry, you could have some serious problems! Whenever you’re dealing with software that interacts with it, you want to be absolutely sure that the people who developed the software know what they’re doing. As a Microsoft Certified Partner, Registry Mechanic has been certified to be a safe and effective Microsoft solution. In this case, the solution is to repair and optimize your registry and Windows operating system.

What The Expert Reviews Say about Registry Mechanic

“It’s fast – It found and fixed 402 problems on our PC in seconds”
- TOP GEAR Award, PC Format Magazine

“Powerful yet simple; customizable error checking; automatic registry backups”
- Editors’ Choice, APC Magazine

“It’s intuitive and it speeds up your PC, What’s not to like?”
- TOP GEAR Award, PC Format Magazine

“Registry Mechanic optimizes and compacts your registry for the best system performance”
- PC Pro

Registry Mechanic Reviews from Consumers

“PCTools got rid of that damn pop-up that comes up every time I start my computer.
- Consumer Review from CNET download.com

“A real life saver here. Recovered a dysfunctional PC for myself and one of a friend who was about to trash his perfectly good machine and buy a new one. After running Register Mechanic they ran like new PC’s again.”
- Consumer Review from CNET download.com

“I have been using this utility for some time now and it has proven its worth on many occasions. I would recommend it to anyone.”
- Consumer Review from CNET download.com

Moving on with this Registry Mechanic review, let’s take a look at the main screen you see when you fire it up…

Main Screen

As you can see, this tool is a lot more than just a registry cleaner. In addition to the tool’s main purpose (cleaning the registry), there is an option to defragment your registry for optimal performance. You can also optimize various components of your computer system and monitor your system’s performance. You’ll also note the Restore feature. This is important because your registry is the “brains” of your computer. If you delete a registry entry that shouldn’t be deleted, you could have serious headaches. Thankfully, Registry Mechanic has a backup utility in case the repair should cause any issues that require you to restore to a previous version of your registry.

Another great feature you’ll notice is the tuneup service that optimizes your Windows boot log. This helps your computer load only the programs you need and not frivolous ones that do nothing but slow down your computer. With Windows, it can be tricky to control your startup programs since many add themselves to your startup list whenever you run them, regardless of how infrequently.

Scan Results

Instead of offering a quick scan, which is fast but hardly comprehensive enough to fix the issues you have with your registry, Registry Mechanic uses a Deep Scan as well to uncover all errors in your registry. It then prioritizes those errors (low, medium, and high) so you can choose which ones you want to delete. By default, all the results are selected so that you can simply click on the “Repair” button to delete everything found during the scan.

Registry Mechanic is one of the more conservative registry cleaners out there. Unlike most cleaners, you won’t find hundreds upon hundreds of errors that need to be repaired. Some computer experts say this is a negative. I disagree. Given the importance of the registry, I don’t want an overly aggressive cleaner. Given the Microsoft Certified Partner status Registry Mechanic has, I trust the software fully to repair any and all errors it finds during its scan. I know it won’t delete anything that shouldn’t be deleted!

Monitor Screen

If you click on the “Monitor” option in the left nav, you are taken to the screen shown above. Here you can monitor a variety of Windows Services and operating system resources. These options actually link to resources available on any Windows machine. The nice thing about this, however, is that most computer users aren’t even aware of these resources let alone where to find them. Registry Mechanic makes it easy for the average user to find and utilize these resources.

Windows Tools Screen

Moving on to the next option in the left nav is the Windows Tools. These are all options that launch tools found on any Windows computer. Some of these tools most computer users are aware of but the majority of the tools found on this screen probably aren’t known. Registry Mechanic consolidates all these tools in one easy-to-find screen. You have all the Windows tools at your fingertips to quickly and easily optimize your computer for peak performance.

Help Center

Would you like to learn more about what PC Tools software is developing? Or maybe you’d like to learn more about the registry. Either way, you’ll find these resources on this screen. Let’s be honest though, this is a screen that most of us will rarely use. Pretty boring stuff…yawn;)

Options

Finally, you come to the Options screen. This is where you will customize your Registry Mechanic settings, scans, and other features. From here you can also view and restore previous backups and undo repairs. You can also see what version of Registry Mechanic you have and you can update it to the latest version if necessary.

Registry Mechanic Review: The Negatives

While Registry Mechanic is given high marks so far in this review, it isn’t perfect. If there is anything bad to be said of Registry Mechanic, it would be that this PC Tools software does not offer a decent trial version. While it’s free without any time limits and allows you to browse through the tool to see what it’s about, it is extremely restrictive. It only allows for a handful of repairs to the registry – only six sections of the registry to be exact. With so few repairs possible during the trial, you likely won’t see any noticeable changes in your computer’s performance.

The other negative is that some computer experts claim this utility tool is too conservative when scanning for registry errors. As I already mentioned previously, this is a good thing. You don’t want an overly aggressive registry cleaner as you’re more likely to repair entries that shouldn’t be repaired. There are those that like aggressive cleaners to get every possible error identified and repaired so if that is what you’re looking for, then you might not be happy with this tool.

Finally, the interface of the tool is clean and easy to navigate through but not all the options are obvious as to what they do. There are brief descriptions but there are no detailed explanations nor is there any help as to what changes (if any) you should make under all the various options. As an example, in the Manage Your Services option, you can select which programs you don’t want to run when you turn your computer on. The fewer programs that run at startup, the quicker the computer will boot up and the faster the machine will operate. That’s great but how do I know which programs I don’t need at startup?

These are minor negatives and certainly haven’t prevented me from using it on a daily basis, but they need to be addressed in this Registry Mechanic review to be fair!

Registry Mechanic Specifications

Supports: Microsoft Windows 7 (32bit, 64bit), Windows Vista SP1+ (32bit, 64bit), Windows XP SP2+ (32bit)
Current Version: 9.0.0.120
File Size: 9,505 KB
Release Date: October 15, 2009
Versions Available: Offers a FREE unlimited trial version but only removes problems found in 6 sections of the registry. To repair all problems found, a full version must be purchased for $29.95.