Registry Cleaners and Spyware Removers: comparing Brand X vs Brand Y

Registry Cleaners and Spyware Removers: comparing Brand X vs Brand Y

Dennis Faas's picture
Submitted by Dennis Faas on Thu, 12/09/2004 - 08:00

Infopackets Reader Dirk J. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I'm a bit confused about the outcome of scans performed by 'Registry Mechanic' and 'RegSeeker'. RegSeeker always finds more than 50 'problems' even if Registry Mechanic has done it's job and corrected the 'problems' it found. Does this mean that a program like RegSeeker is more thorough than Registry Mechanic -- or does it just work in a different way? It reminds me of identical differences in the outcome of spy scans by Spybot and AdAware. Thank you for being a such a beacon in the IT jungle. "

My response:

I get asked similar questions like this all the time.

Unfortunately, there isn't a cut-and-dry answer to your question, but consider the following:

  • Computer programs are created by different people / different companies (example: Registry Mechanic is made by WinGuides, and Regseeker is made by folks over at RoverDesk.com).
     
  • The end-result of a program is achieved using an algorithm. An algorithm is a series of steps used to complete a task (example: "registry cleaning"). Algorithms can produce similar results, but the algorithms themselves can be dis-similar. For example: the steps I use to create a peanut butter and jelly (PBJ) sandwhich may be different than the steps you might use to make a PBJ, but the results are similar.
     
  • Some programs will report more errors than others when it comes to cleaning the registry; the same can be said about Spyware removal. And that's simply catch-22. As a smart consumer, what you need to differentiate is: what method did the program use to find the errors? Does it say? What 'critical' errors are being reported by the program? Are these errors necessarily something you need to be concerned with? What has the program done to fix these errors?

    • Understandably, most folks don't know the answers to these questions.

    As I've mentioned a few times before -- in this case, what you should do is review the reputation of the company / program in question through research on the Internet. And having said that: consider the source of the reviews that you read (example: is it no-name web site with a skewed review designed to make visitors lean favorably toward a certain product?).

    As for RegSeeker vs. Registry Mechanic: Registry Mechanic has an outstanding reputation and is highly regarded among the Internet community -- and there are plenty of users and reputable web states that agree. Something else you might want to consider is the fact that RegSeeker is freeware, while Registry Mechanic is shareware. That doesn't necessarily imply that RegSeeker is inferior to Registry Mechanic; however, Registry Mechanic is developed by a company that pays its employees to improve the product on a regular basis so that it can compete with other (similar) products in the marketplace.

    On a side note: you can read an in-depth review on Registry Mechanic online our site.

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    Dennis Faas

    My name is Dennis Faas and I am a senior systems administrator and IT technical analyst specializing in cyber crimes (sextortion / blackmail / tech support scams) with over 30 years experience; I also run this website! If you need technical assistance , I can help. Click here to email me now; optionally, you can review my resume here. You can also read how I can fix your computer over the Internet (also includes user reviews).

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