registry

Registry cleaners can keep your PC humming like new, if used with caution. Used carelessly, they can do more than make existing problems worse; they can create new ones, ranging in severity from nuisance to total catastrophe. Some of the tools we've tested do a better job than others in excluding things that shouldn't be changed, and they're free, too. Take WinMend's Registry Defrag, for example. Its Registry defragmentation and cleanup utilities are designed to be safe and reliable.

Registry cleaners tend to have simple, colorful interfaces that pare the user experience down to the essentials. … Read more

Porn sites may soon be able to tag themselves with a .xxx address now that ICANN has given the new domain name its initial OK.

After denying several requests over the years for a new .xxx top-level domain, ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) finally relented Friday by giving the new domain its conditional approval.

ICM Registry, which would manage and sell the new domain name to porn sites, has waged a long struggle to get .xxx accepted by ICANN as a top-level domain, only to get a thumb's down at each turn. ICM's Chairman … Read more

As software reviewers, we install and uninstall a lot of programs, many of which leave bits and pieces behind. We're always on the lookout for a good tool to help us clean up after ourselves. Registry Trash Keys Finder is a simple program that does just that. This no-frills program identifies and deletes invalid Registry keys that take up space and contribute to poor system performance.

Once Registry Trash Keys Finder is launched, it automatically scans the computer's Registry, which for us took only a few seconds. The interface is pretty bare bones, listing the resulting trash keys … Read more

Just before wrapping up its meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) board voted to postpone any decision about a proposal to create a ".xxx" top level domain for adult Web sites.

The matter is scheduled to be taken up again at its June meeting in Brussels.

The board voted unanimously to direct the organization's CEO and general counsel to write a "report of possible process options" within the next two weeks that will be posted online for a 45-day public comment period.

In 2005, the ICANN board voted … Read more

When it's time to get rid of old computers, many people think erasing and reformatting a hard drive is sufficient to keep private information out of others' hands. But to keep your private data safe from others, you really need a more thorough tool and EAST-Tec's DisposeSecure fits the bill. This hard-disk and network sanitizing utility can completely eliminate data beyond the possibility of recovery. It uses Department of Defense standards for data destruction, but users can configure custom security levels too.

DisposeSecure is a powerful and competent tool, and its interface and features reflect that, once you … Read more

This program, like many others, promises to clean your Registry, make your computer run faster, and, if you're lucky, do your dishes, too. At least when it comes to cleaning your Registry, Advanced Registry Optimizer seems to do a pretty good job.

The scan process was easy to initiate and was done in about 3 minutes, although don't forget that the scan time depends on the computer system. A smart-looking row of five tabs and their labels makes navigating the program options stress-free, and the lack of lag on the system was much appreciated. The user interface has … Read more

Little Registry Cleaner Portable Edition provides a simple tool for eliminating waste files and speeding up your computer. It scans your computer just like a virus scanning program, but this program sniffs out obsolete and unnecessary files instead. Its easy-to-use layout and fast results made this an exciting and helpful utility. It's free and completely portable, too: Install it on a USB flash drive and use it on any PC.

Little Registry Cleaner's interface is surprisingly simple to operate, thanks to its limited command options. The portable edition's simplified menu helps keep the focus on the program'… Read more

A clean, tabbed layout makes Registry Booster easy to use, and its Registry-centric features keep it focused and in fighting trim. The trial version comes burdened by some tight restrictions that will make it hard for average users to evaluate, but the program does a surprisingly good job of showing you precisely what would be fixed.

Annoyingly, after the program installs, if you choose to launch it immediately it will go directly into a scan without asking for user approval. Depending on your system resources and what other programs you have open, this could lead to a temporary but dramatic … Read more

As with any machine, your PC needs regular tune-ups to maintain peak performance. This virtual toolbox can enhance the speed, safety, and power of your computer with a wide range of functions and an extensive help system.

System Mechanic performs cleanup, optimization, and privacy protection with equal agility. As with similar tune-up utilities, it enables you to clean up your registry, remove junk files, and customize hidden settings to improve performance. Novice users can get all of that done at once or automatically taken care of via the software's ActiveCare feature. The app has additional tools for removing spyware … Read more