What is the BEST Registry Cleaner for Win 7 Ultimate or Pro 64 Bit version OS ?

BS The registry is a mess after a year and the computer slows to a crawl after you install and uninstall programs. No matter what amount of ram you have and what processor.

Why do you need a registry cleaner to do deal with that situation. Learn how to remove software correctly and use Autoruns to tidy up any redundant start up entries.

To identify what loads when you boot use Autoruns (freeware from Microsoft).

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902

With Autoruns you can uncheck an item, which disables it from starting, or you can right click an item and then delete it. If you uncheck you can recheck to re-enable the item. It is a much safer approach than editing the Registry and better than using msconfig.

A useful feature of the programme is that you can right click an item and select Search Online to get information about the item selected.

A useful guide:

http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/analyze\_all\_autorun\_auto-start\_programs\_in\_windows.cfm

BS The registry is a mess after a year and the computer slows to a crawl after you install and uninstall programs. No matter what amount of ram you have and what processor.

No the article does not say, but isn't the argument that XP and up no longer needs registry cleaned? XP was out then. Sure the registry is getting better at handling things. Everything improves as it matures. The fact still remains that the statement was made that removing the keys leaves gaps and will cause the system to slow down when searching through keys. Did Microsoft rewrite the way registry works for 7 and up? Again I say show me where it states that the registry does not have to look for the key, and then you might change my mind. As far as why a program would have to search for its key, well the registry is a database. Database reads through each candidate record and matches the expression to the field. I would have to assume that windows searches through the hives it creates. Why use the registry if you have to hard-code it in the code? Why not just skip that step? One last time show me where I can read on how windows actually uses the registry. There is no concrete proof that it does not search through the registry.

The document referenced in that link was posted five years ago - possibly before the release of Windows 7.

Windows 7 and up has a far better method of registry control than the previous versions of Windows, so I suspect that the registry being talked about is possibly Vista or even XP. (The article doesn't say).

And why would a program have to search through the registry for its individual keys? If the program contains a hard-coded line as to where in the Registry the keys are, it doesn't have to search - it goes straight there.

Sorry the filing cabinet analogy is wrong, When you start a program, it does NOT sort through the registry (aka filing cabinets) to find the appropriate keys - it goes directly to them because it knows where they are, so it doesn't matter whether you have 2 "filing cabinets" or sixty, the seek time is exactly the same. That's why orphaned entries have little or no effect on performance. The only time it might have some effect is on boot up, but the average user won't normally notice.

So if this is true then the link that groucho43 provided where the so called expert says 

"There are a few misunderstandings about the registry. People seem to think that “cleaning” the registry will make it smaller and easier to manage. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. What you are doing is creating mini gaps in the registry’s file. These gaps will be reused by new data that inserts itself into your registry. The end result is that the registry becomes fragmented. Searching the data in a fragmented file is way slower than it is within an optimized file. In short, the only way to speed up the handling of the registry is by completely rewriting the file(s)… and even that is marginal at best."

she is incorrect in the above statement? Come on now... you expect me to swallow that windows does not have to search the registry, but if you remove the orphaned keys that it will leave registry fragmented and will perform slower? If what you say is true then if a orphaned key is removed then the gap that is created will not matter either. I do not buy it. It can't be both ways. I have never seen any proof that windows doesn't search the registry. I have been looking with no luck. You point me into a direction that is a credible source then I might change my mind. If Kat, the expert, makes statements like

To be quite frank, if you “clean” your registry often enough, it will become fragmented. That will result in slower system performance…

I have to believe that windows searches through the registry, and in return the orphaned keys will make a difference. I would love nothing more than for you to prove me wrong so there is one less thing I have to do to maintain a healthy system.

Every cleaner I have tested always ask me to make backup first. Most are set to do this as default option. It would be easy to help someone restore there registry and save them from having to do a system restore if you knew what cleaner they used and was able to tell them how to restore the backup the program made.