Advanced WindowsCare

Advanced WindowsCare is a free software application that comes with other tools besides a Registry cleaner.

For instance, Advanced WindowsCare claims to deter and remove spyware, optimise your PC, manage your Startup items, and remove junk files. I focused only on the tool's Registry skills, and didn't try any of those other components.

Though Advanced WindowsCare found 323 Registry issues, about the same number as jv16 PowerTools picked up, its presentation of the scanning results was pitiful. Unlike other tools that supplied detailed information about each problem, a choice of fixes, or a way to open the Registry to see the actual entry, Advanced WindowsCare just showed me a list.

Advanced WindowsCare uses a minimalist approach: each item sports a cautionary orange or red symbol (with no legend), the Registry key location and value, and an error description (obsolete software key or missing MUI reference, for instance). And rather than providing a built-in backup module, Advanced WindowsCare simply offered a menu item that brought me to Windows System Restore.

One more issue: you'll need to pay attention when you install Advanced WindowsCare's free scanner, unless you clear the check boxes, it will add the Yahoo Toolbar to your system and make Yahoo your web browser's home page.