Okay, so I have a Dell Inspiron 1564 laptop computer with a Windows 7 Operating system. It functions well on the whole, but sometimes when I click on some of these PC Performance Booster ads and get my computer scanned, about 150-200 errors are detected and get recommendations to buy these registry cleaners and disc cleaners after free scans are performed. A couple of days ago, I tried Wise Registry Cleaner and Wise Disc Cleaner(they’re both free). However, I noticed that Wise Registry Cleaner kept detecting almost the same number of errors approximately three to four hours after each scan. My CCleaner detects registry errors(presumably different errors) even after Wise Registry Cleaner performs a clean. The errors are not viruses because I have antivirus protection and furthermore, those PC boosters report that my computer is devoid of viruses, malware, adware etc. On the whole, do you find registry cleaners and disc cleaners good or bad? If they’re good, which ones would you recommend? Please give a good, detailed answer and only answer the question if you’re knowledgeable on PC cleaners.
The reason why clicking on these ads tells you you have loads of errors is because they want you to buy their software to "fix" these problems, which are likely non existent.
You should NEVER click on these ads and allow them access to scan your system as that is a sure fire way to get a virus or some other form of malware.
Cleaning out the registry, reducing unecessary start up items and services as well as deleting temporary files and internet caches can help speed up your system and increase perfomance, reduce errors and decrease start up times, but only use software from a trusted source.
The reason why scanning with program says it finds different registry errors than another program is that they tend to look in different areas and the registry is massive and contains thousands of entries. I have not found a single program [in twenty years of looking] that will find and delete EVERY corrupt or unnecessary registry entry. I have found that using both Registry Mechanic & CCLeaner [both discussed below] picks up over 95% of registry entires that are not required or corrupt and that is good enough.
The free and very popular CCLeaner tool is a good download as it cleans corrupt and redundant entries from the registry as well as internet caches and temporary files. It is totally safe and i have used it for 10 years without a single problem. Get it here: http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download
If you want a program to control what starts automatically when you boot up then try free AutoRuns from sysinternals [part of microsoft]: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902
Also startup delayer is very good for delaying certain programs when you first boot up so you can get to your desktop more quickly and then quietly load them in the background once your up an running. It is free too from here: http://www.r2.com.au/page/news/article/Startup-Delayer-3-0-Editions
You should defragment your hard drive regularly, particularly if you often modify and move large files like video. This will help performance but the built in defragment tool in windows is not very good. Use the free DeFraggler [from the same company that makes CCLenaer] from here: http://www.piriform.com/defraggler.
So you don’t need to spend a cent on any commercial software to maintain your system in top condition. all the programs above are free and trusted and very popular with tech savvy people. I have personally used all of them over my twenty plus years working with and building my own systems.
You do not want to bog your system down with loads of maintenance software. I have spent several years experimenting with different combinations of software for maintenance and optimisation and now I use Autoruns, CCLeaner, Registry Mechanic and Defraggler and find they do just about all the maintenance i need.
I never get problems with my system either
If you don’t mind spending some money on programs that do "One-click" optimisations and more extensive system performance tools [although personally I don't think they are necessary, the free tools are good enough] then good reliable and safe programs to consider are:
TuneUp Utilities: http://www.tune-up.com/
WinOptimizer: http://www.ashampoo.com/en/usd/pin/3206/System_Utilities/Ashampoo-WinOptimizer-8 [If you like the look of this then wait a few weeks as version 9 is due out in a few weeks]
Iolo system Mechanic: http://www.iolo.com/
PC Tools Registry Mechanic: http://www.pctools.com/registry-mechanic/index/d/8/