Uniblue Registry Booster 2010

The Registry is a part of the Windows operating system on every computer, which stores information about all the hardware the computer has attached to it, and all the software installed.

Over time, it can become cluttered and out-of-date, which can lead to problems such as crashes and slumps in performance.

Uniblue Registry Booster 2010 is one of many Registry cleaners available. It promises to weed out and fix problems on computers running Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7. Simplicity is the focus and Registry Booster is geared towards novices.

To test, we installed it on a four-year-old Windows XP laptop that has had more than its fair share of software installed. The initial Registry scan took a lengthy eight minutes, but it managed to uncover just over 1,000 potential problems.

Registry Booster splits these into three categories: system-related, user-generated and third-party. A damage level indicator sits next to each and provides a quick guide as to how severe Registry Booster thinks the problems are. If you want to see exactly what each problem means, a more detailed report is available, but it’s full of jargon and not much use to beginners.

The fixes can be applied by pressing a single button, after which you will be prompted to restart the PC. We didn’t notice a huge leap in performance on our test PC and startup times remained almost identical, but a well-kept Registry does help avoid conflicts between programs and therefore minimises the chances of your PC crashing.

On request, Registrybooster will also defragment the Registry, which reorganises entries and can result in a boost in performance.

With the Registry being an integral part of Windows, it’s important to be careful when making changes. With this in mind, the program automatically backs up all settings before applying any fixes. You can return the registry back to how it was in a few clicks.

Registrybooster 2010’s ease of use and effective scanning will appeal to users who are not familiar with the Registry. However, you don’t get a huge amount for your money and it lacks options such as the ability to scan on a schedule. At just under £20 it’s also relatively expensive, especially considering there are free alternatives available such as Ccleaner.