Digeus Inc. have offered 10 free licences for (1st ten) reviews of their Registry Cleaner to the readers of mad.madrasi monkeyshines. Be one of the first to grab a licence by reviewing it in 100 words or more in any blog/forum. If you do, please send me the review link to forward to Digeus for follow up.
A little background:
A Windows PC over a period of time, even within a month of use, accumulates a lot of junk files - temporary files, left over files from software that have been uninstalled and unwanted files, user MRU lists (Most Recently Used file lists) and others. However use and claimed performance of a registry cleaner is a controversial subject; but personally I believe in them.
The two reliable ones till now have been the versatile CCleaner (CC) and Wise Registry Cleaner Free (WRC). But CCleaner is primarily not a registry cleaner and its registry cleaning function is minimal. Wise Registry Cleaner is far more tuned as a registry cleaner, but being a Chinese product, have to be taken with a pinch of salt. Thus the Digeus (a NY based company) offer is too good to resist, though delayed a couple of weeks due to the holidays.
To the review:
Getting and installing the Digeus Registry Cleaner is easy; At just 1.51 MB it is small enough for a quick download and installation is a breeze. No nag screens, newsletter, alter-home-page requests or additional toolbar installation is involved. The Defense+ component of the Comodo Internet Security free only protested once - saying that ‘reg_cleaner_5-5.exe is safe, but digeous registry cleaner.msi is unknown’.
(update: The file has been submitted to Comodo for analysis and hopefully this warning should disappear soon) :-D
Even better, the Digeus Registry Cleaner (DRC) didn’t run to DNS/RPC to try and connect to internet once fired up - a definite plus.
Next action was to fire up CCleaner (CC) and install Wise Registry Cleaner (WRC). The purpose was to check whether all the three cover all the registry sections. CC has the registry divided into 13 sections while the WRC has 4 more in addition. The Digeus Registry Cleaner doesn’t show 3 of the WRC extras - IE Url History, Image File Exe Opt and Empty Keys. However, it has 3 other - Codec Driver, Windows Themes and Mouse Appearance.
(update: on scanning DRC does catch empty keys - only it calls it Null Values ?!?)
Now the UI (User Interface). CC’s buttons by tradition, are not intuitively placed on the top (ribbon) but down at the bottom. With WRC it is below the menu bar (ribbon) and prominent. In Digeus, they are at the right place and the UI is ‘functional’.
When scanned with all the three, simultaneously, the CC finished first with WRC in second place while the Digeus Registry Cleaner took more time; But scan speed or time taken were not the criteria when the results came up.
The CC showed up 8 inconsistencies, 6 of them in the MRU list.
The WRC showed up 57 of them with 53 on the MRU list.
With DRC, there were a total of 453 inconsistencies and unfortunately it doesn’t give out an individual count - counting them by hand is something left for next Xmas holidays :-D
Then to evaluate whether everyone caught each other. The WRC didn’t catch the ‘file type’ .php error reported by CC. But it caught the ‘file type’ .cav reported by CC, another ‘file type’ blank.htm and 2 new ‘empty keys’ - TrendMicro and Windows 3.1 Migration Status.
The Digeus Registry Cleaner caught .cav and the blank.htm, but didn’t get either the ,php reported by CC or the 2 empty keys by WRC.
The next step is to clean/fix the inconsistencies; not by CC or WRC but by the Digeus Registry Cleaner. Unfortunately, DRC is a trial version and since Digeus didn’t offer a trial key or some such, the DRC refused to clean any more than 5 inconsistencies at one go. Grr >:/
When attempted any more, it required a purchase of a key or else to restart the program again. Fortunately, the DRC does clean up further errors (5 at a time) once restarted and rescanned.
Lo and behold! After some 90 or so restarting the DRC and cleaning, the DRC declared the PC as without any errors.
A further scan by CC showed up only the .php error mentioned above, which the DRC didn’t catch the first or other times around the block.
The WRC continued to show the 2 inconsistencies and some more in the MRU list - guess the DRC isn’t so much oriented towards cleaning MRU lists.
(update: By running the CC on cleaner mode the MRU lists (which showed up on WRC & not on Digeus) were removed; they didn’t show up the next time around in WRC, while Digeus remained blank about them the whole time)
That said, DRC doesn’t auto backup the registry or offer to do so before attempting to clean it; although the registry for safety was repeatedly backed up (not 90 times, but 10 times). Which posed a problem of its own - since Digeus doesn’t backup registry with time, but only with date -
Why bother going the whole way by using DRC for 90 times? Going the whole way is the mad.madrasi way! No way that a just-for-fun-run of program is done and a review stating that it is good will be put out. It has to pass the mad.madrasi due diligence. Either that way or no way!
Back to Topic:
Thus reassured, it was time to take the bold step to reboot. It is a ‘bold’ step because often enough a tool (during a requested review/trial), after a ‘thorough’ cleaning or optimising has crashed the system and the only option was to reinstall Windows. Major Grr time >:/
The DRC was uninstalled (with Revo Uninstaller Free). The purpose was to check whether DRC would again show up with some 400 odd errors, in which case this review would never have been written.
The bold step was taken and the PC was rebooted - not just restarted - but rebooted after cutting off power for a couple of minutes. The first boot was into the Linux partition, not that DRC or any other Win-tool should have disturbed that. Then onto Windows - and all the installed programmes were tried out, which, thankfully worked without a hitch. Good work Digeus!
(update: Google Chrome refused once to display the google.com home page (only once), perhaps it was a connection error at that time)
Even though there are doubts whether such tools actually speed up the PC, a definite quickening the boot time and application up-time was ‘sensed’ - especially in FeedDemon Lite, where response time when clicking on individual subscriptions was instantaneous vis-a-vis a second or so earlier. :-D
It was time to fire up all the 3 tools once again to check whether the DRC has actually cleaned errors as claimed and whether the DRC would again scream about 400 odd errors. The CC and WRC reported only those 3 inconsistencies (& MRU lists in WRC as stated above) and nothing more. The Digeus Registry Cleaner also kept true and did not report any errors.
Once again hats off Digeus! It really has performed as stated, proving that DRC is NOT a Scareware.
The conclusion:
Wish list: (separated from ‘cons’ 05 Dec, 2011)
Disclosure: As stated in 1st paragraph, this review if picked up further would earn me and 9 other reviewers (1st come 1st served basis) a chance to own a free licence from Digeus Inc. Apart from it, there is no relationship between Digeus and me.
Warning: As enumerated here, a true test of the software has been done. However,I is not liable for any damage or anything else that happens to your PC or to you, if you follow (or not follow) the advice, suggestions or recommendations herein - please read the Licence page.
A little background:
A Windows PC over a period of time, even within a month of use, accumulates a lot of junk files - temporary files, left over files from software that have been uninstalled and unwanted files, user MRU lists (Most Recently Used file lists) and others. However use and claimed performance of a registry cleaner is a controversial subject; but personally I believe in them.
The two reliable ones till now have been the versatile CCleaner (CC) and Wise Registry Cleaner Free (WRC). But CCleaner is primarily not a registry cleaner and its registry cleaning function is minimal. Wise Registry Cleaner is far more tuned as a registry cleaner, but being a Chinese product, have to be taken with a pinch of salt. Thus the Digeus (a NY based company) offer is too good to resist, though delayed a couple of weeks due to the holidays.
To the review:
Getting and installing the Digeus Registry Cleaner is easy; At just 1.51 MB it is small enough for a quick download and installation is a breeze. No nag screens, newsletter, alter-home-page requests or additional toolbar installation is involved. The Defense+ component of the Comodo Internet Security free only protested once - saying that ‘reg_cleaner_5-5.exe is safe, but digeous registry cleaner.msi is unknown’.
(update: The file has been submitted to Comodo for analysis and hopefully this warning should disappear soon) :-D
Even better, the Digeus Registry Cleaner (DRC) didn’t run to DNS/RPC to try and connect to internet once fired up - a definite plus.
Next action was to fire up CCleaner (CC) and install Wise Registry Cleaner (WRC). The purpose was to check whether all the three cover all the registry sections. CC has the registry divided into 13 sections while the WRC has 4 more in addition. The Digeus Registry Cleaner doesn’t show 3 of the WRC extras - IE Url History, Image File Exe Opt and Empty Keys. However, it has 3 other - Codec Driver, Windows Themes and Mouse Appearance.
(update: on scanning DRC does catch empty keys - only it calls it Null Values ?!?)
Now the UI (User Interface). CC’s buttons by tradition, are not intuitively placed on the top (ribbon) but down at the bottom. With WRC it is below the menu bar (ribbon) and prominent. In Digeus, they are at the right place and the UI is ‘functional’.
When scanned with all the three, simultaneously, the CC finished first with WRC in second place while the Digeus Registry Cleaner took more time; But scan speed or time taken were not the criteria when the results came up.
The CC showed up 8 inconsistencies, 6 of them in the MRU list.
The WRC showed up 57 of them with 53 on the MRU list.
With DRC, there were a total of 453 inconsistencies and unfortunately it doesn’t give out an individual count - counting them by hand is something left for next Xmas holidays :-D
Then to evaluate whether everyone caught each other. The WRC didn’t catch the ‘file type’ .php error reported by CC. But it caught the ‘file type’ .cav reported by CC, another ‘file type’ blank.htm and 2 new ‘empty keys’ - TrendMicro and Windows 3.1 Migration Status.
The Digeus Registry Cleaner caught .cav and the blank.htm, but didn’t get either the ,php reported by CC or the 2 empty keys by WRC.
The next step is to clean/fix the inconsistencies; not by CC or WRC but by the Digeus Registry Cleaner. Unfortunately, DRC is a trial version and since Digeus didn’t offer a trial key or some such, the DRC refused to clean any more than 5 inconsistencies at one go. Grr >:/
When attempted any more, it required a purchase of a key or else to restart the program again. Fortunately, the DRC does clean up further errors (5 at a time) once restarted and rescanned.
Lo and behold! After some 90 or so restarting the DRC and cleaning, the DRC declared the PC as without any errors.
A further scan by CC showed up only the .php error mentioned above, which the DRC didn’t catch the first or other times around the block.
The WRC continued to show the 2 inconsistencies and some more in the MRU list - guess the DRC isn’t so much oriented towards cleaning MRU lists.
(update: By running the CC on cleaner mode the MRU lists (which showed up on WRC & not on Digeus) were removed; they didn’t show up the next time around in WRC, while Digeus remained blank about them the whole time)
That said, DRC doesn’t auto backup the registry or offer to do so before attempting to clean it; although the registry for safety was repeatedly backed up (not 90 times, but 10 times). Which posed a problem of its own - since Digeus doesn’t backup registry with time, but only with date -
- like ‘RegistryBackup (04_01_2011).reg’, it involves modifying the name
- like RegistryBackup (04_01_2011)a.reg, etc. - a real pain.
Why bother going the whole way by using DRC for 90 times? Going the whole way is the mad.madrasi way! No way that a just-for-fun-run of program is done and a review stating that it is good will be put out. It has to pass the mad.madrasi due diligence. Either that way or no way!
Back to Topic:
Thus reassured, it was time to take the bold step to reboot. It is a ‘bold’ step because often enough a tool (during a requested review/trial), after a ‘thorough’ cleaning or optimising has crashed the system and the only option was to reinstall Windows. Major Grr time >:/
The DRC was uninstalled (with Revo Uninstaller Free). The purpose was to check whether DRC would again show up with some 400 odd errors, in which case this review would never have been written.
The bold step was taken and the PC was rebooted - not just restarted - but rebooted after cutting off power for a couple of minutes. The first boot was into the Linux partition, not that DRC or any other Win-tool should have disturbed that. Then onto Windows - and all the installed programmes were tried out, which, thankfully worked without a hitch. Good work Digeus!
(update: Google Chrome refused once to display the google.com home page (only once), perhaps it was a connection error at that time)
Even though there are doubts whether such tools actually speed up the PC, a definite quickening the boot time and application up-time was ‘sensed’ - especially in FeedDemon Lite, where response time when clicking on individual subscriptions was instantaneous vis-a-vis a second or so earlier. :-D
It was time to fire up all the 3 tools once again to check whether the DRC has actually cleaned errors as claimed and whether the DRC would again scream about 400 odd errors. The CC and WRC reported only those 3 inconsistencies (& MRU lists in WRC as stated above) and nothing more. The Digeus Registry Cleaner also kept true and did not report any errors.
Once again hats off Digeus! It really has performed as stated, proving that DRC is NOT a Scareware.
The conclusion:
Wish list: (separated from ‘cons’ 05 Dec, 2011)
- The UI of DRC itself might be made more pleasant - a more WRC type prominent ribbon, or lacking that, more prominent buttons.
- At the end of a scan, a count of errors for each individual sections of the registry (like WRC) would be welcome
- A filter setting to view the errors on each section (when clicked on) would also be welcome
- Modification to add time element to registry back up is a top requirement.
- Digeus Registry Cleaner goes into the must-have tools pack - even if it cleans only 5 inconsistencies at a time.
- It sure trumps CC and WRC.
- Doesn’t mess up the registry or creates unnecessary additions to Win OS. Both HiJackThis and AutoRuns scan after installation and a few runs of the Digeus Registry Cleaner detect no anomalies, which is a big plus. (added 05 Dec, 2011)
- It has removed all extra/additional/modified ‘themes’ from Desktop (Desktop -> Properties -> Themes), leaving only ‘windows classic’ (which of course is this PC’s default theme). If you use eye-candy themes, be warned (update: you can always leave this option unchecked)
- Not much difference could be spotted in Mouse Appearance, but this PC is configured as a work-horse without any eye candy; be warned again (update: you can always leave this option unchecked)
- An auto-backup of registry before every cleaning (not that it would be of much use if the system crashes) would be essential.
Disclosure: As stated in 1st paragraph, this review if picked up further would earn me and 9 other reviewers (1st come 1st served basis) a chance to own a free licence from Digeus Inc. Apart from it, there is no relationship between Digeus and me.
Warning: As enumerated here, a true test of the software has been done. However,I is not liable for any damage or anything else that happens to your PC or to you, if you follow (or not follow) the advice, suggestions or recommendations herein - please read the Licence page.
Sounds interesting. Will try it out.
ReplyDeleteBut be careful. Tweaking registry is always risky.
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteIf you still have a licence then one for me please
hi ha14,
ReplyDeleteI believe licences are still being given. Digeus asks you to write a few lines in your facebook, twitter or any forum and email the link (url) or snapshot of your post (if you cannot share the link) to isabella.white@digeus.com - Within a few days, you should get your own licence.
thanx
This is a great article, and a great topic to explore. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete