How to use Windows Registry Cleaners safely

Looking for a good Windows Registry Cleaner? Yeah, there are literally thousands of free registry cleaners for Windows XP and Vista to keep your computer running at high speed. Here are some of my favorite registry cleaner programs, i generally use. Every app has its own (+)s and (-)s. I'll try to share my experience using my best three FREE registry cleaners: Comodo System Cleaner, CCleaner, and EasyCleaner.

About Windows Registry:

The Windows Registry is a database that stores settings and options for Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains information and settings for hardware, operating system software, most non-operating system software, and per-user settings. The registry also provides a window into the operation of the kernel, exposing runtime information such as performance counters and currently active hardware. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Registry)

Most computer experts find that occasional use of a registry cleaner will help your system run better and faster. The more you use your computer, the more you install and remove software over time, your registry will grow larger and more complex. A lot of unwanted and unnecessary information is written into the registry. This can result in error messages during startup, and can even slow down the computer or make it less reliable. Specialized programs called registry cleaners will examine the registry, compare what's in there to what's really on your system, and either correct or delete erroneous entries.

However, any registry cleaners can be dangerous and provide a solution to a known problem. Some experts also say that since the introduction of Windows XP, registry cleaning is no longer a crucial issue for the stability, security and performance of your system.

In case you really need a registry cleaner which is free, Here’s my ranking from best to good, and how i use them:

(+++++++) Comodo System Cleaner (i use the registry cleaner)
(+++++) CCleaner (i usually use the browser cleaner)
(++++) EasyCleaner (if i'm not satisfied with the two above :) )

Why do i prefer Comodo's Registry Cleaner a.k.a. Comodo System Cleaner!?
It’s a very good product from a very reputable company. When i heard Comodo released a registry cleaner, i was interested in using it, because I've been using the Firewall (Comodo Internet Security), and i feel very satisfied with the great product. I’m glad they have ventured into registry cleaning also.

Comodo System Cleaner 2.0.107697.4

(+) without any Toolbar offers!
(+) Fast scanning
(+) very easy to use and to Install
(+) Has a portable version (without install). it can be deployed on any kind of removable storage media (for example, a USB key fob). You do not have to install the software on each computer. Instead, the application runs straight from the removable storage device.
(+) very nice user interface. It is very similar to the Comodo firewall. I really really love it! simple, looks modern with a lot of cool icons!
(+) very safe, Automatically backs up the registry before cleaning, then the app will ask to restart and let me discover whether any errors occur. If no errors were found, i simply "Finalize" it.
(+) Privacy Cleaner is complete: browsers, media players, also antivirus logs, etc.
(+) Many advanced features like File wiper, Pend Delete, and more.
(o) Autoruns manager
(o) Disk Cleaner along with Registry Cleaner
(o) Has a startup manager as well as many settings including scheduled scans.
(o) option to Uninstall programs
(-) it's heavy (File-size 14-19MB)

Comodo System Cleaner 2.0.107697.4 System Requirements :
Windows Server 2003/XP/Vista/7.0
License: Freeware
File Size: 19MB (standard version)/ 14.2MB (portable version)
Download Comodo System Cleaner from the official website.

CCleaner 2.23.999

(+) easy to install and to use (great for a novice/non-expert user because it's less aggressive)
(+) nice user interface (i like the tabs).
(+) complete cleaning features for some popular web browsers' history: IE,firefox,safari,chrome,opera;and other popular applications media players, antivirus logs, etc.
(+) It also makes a registry backup.
(+) many advanced features such as old prefecth data, Wipe free space, etc.
(+) it's light (File-size 3MB)
(o) Cleaner along with Registry Cleaner
(o) Has a startup manager as well as many settings including scheduled scans.
(o) option to include/exclude entries
(o) option to Uninstall programs
(-) it offers to install the Yahoo Toolbar, i avoid that because Google Toolbar is more than enough :). You can uncheck that box unless you really want that toolbar.

CCleaner 2.23.999 System Requirements :
Windows (All Versions)
License: Freeware
File Size: 3.14MB
Download CCleaner from the official website.

In case the two above are not enough, you might want to try this:

EasyCleaner 2.0
Before using Comodo System Cleaner and CCleaner, i used to use EasyCleaner to clean the registry. It's safe.

Most of the (+) EasyCleaner has, are already included in the two apps above (Comodo and CCleaner). Here are some notable features:

(+) it's the lightest (File-size 2.81MB)
(+) easy to use and install
(+) no toolbars offered
(+) UI simple
(+) Huge Offline Help file which gives you every little detail about EasyCleaner
(o) Cleaner along with Registry Cleaner
(o) other similar features with Comodo SC and CCleaner
(-) no longer actively updated

This is kind of like CCleaner in that it has other features such as cleaning up temp files, duplicate files, and unnecessary backup files. It had a frequently-updated database that tells EasyCleaner what registry entries should not be deleted, or can be safely ignored. Unfortunately,  it seems the developer is no longer actively updating his software.

However, DO NOT USE THE DUPLICATE FILE TOOL, EVER. It is too easy to inadvertantly remove a duplicate file that the computer requires in order to work properly. Neither you nor I know which duplicate files are safe to remove and which are not.

EasyCleaner 2.0 System Requirements :
Windows All/95/98/Me/NT/2000/2003/XP/Vista
License : Freeware
File Size : 2.81 MB
Download EasyCleaner from the official website.

How To Use Windows Registry Cleaners safely:
1. Before using any registry cleaner, I highly recommend that you use System Restore to create a restore point. Also keep in mind that once you run any software designed to clean the Windows registry, System Restore will probably be unable to restore your computer to restore points created prior to the "cleaning."

2. You can also play it safe by making sure your cleaner backs up your registry before "cleaning" anything. Then, if you need to restore your computer to an earlier time but System Restore informs you that it is unable to do so, restore the old registry first.

3. It’s Enough to use a registry cleaner “once every week” to clean all the junk out of the registry.

4. As usual, it is suggested that you backup all your data before cleaning.

5. Last but not least, that's my ranking from best to good, and how i use them. Yours may be different. If You have other recommendations, the comments area follows after the jump :)