It’s not a Threat-Level Indicator, and it isn’t a Scheduler (though both have immense value to users). And it’s certainly not a Free Scan (if you haven’t noticed yet, they’re ALL free to scan, at first). What then is the most important feature to look for in choosing which registry repair software to buy?
Two words: Backup and Restore.
Registry repair isn’t a task to be taken lightly. If you accidentally delete, edit, or move one wrong item, you could cause irretrievable data loss, program failure, or even worse, a full system crash.
Responsible registry repair programs therefore include a Backup and Restore feature that backs up all the data in your Windows registry before making any changes to it whatsoever, and enables you to restore your registry to that former state should the need ever arise (for example, if the outcome of a registry cleaning wind up causing you more problems than you’d originally started with).
It isn’t difficult to find registry cleaners with Backup and Restore features, nowadays most of them have it. (Of course, if a registry cleaner you’re considering doesn’t have it, stop considering it.) What is sometimes difficult is to remember to use it. Oftentimes we fail to recognize the value of such a safety net until it’s too late. Don’t let that happen to you.
Before you run any registry cleaner, be sure you know where the Backup button is and remember to use it before you let the program begin fixing errors, deleting duplicate entries, defragmenting files, and so forth. Of course, sometimes our own haste and distractions make this harder to do in practice than in theory it seems it should be.
In light of that, many of the savvier registry cleaners now protect you even further by building in automated backups. Here, your registry repair software automatically backs up your registry on its own before making any changes, whether you remember to command it to or not, protecting you from your greatest saboteur – yourself.
Now, you can’t put a price on that kind of protection.