Little Registry Cleaner is a free program for Microsoft Windows devices to remove obsolete entries from the operating system’s Registry.
A Registry Cleaner scans the Registry for invalid and outdated entries so that you can delete or repair the entries. While it is disputed that cleaning the Registry increases stability or performance of the system, doing so may speed up the loading of the operating system.
Since deleting entries reduces the size of the Registry as a whole, it speeds up the loading of the Registry hives on Windows start.
Little Registry Cleaner
Little Registry Cleaner is an Open Source software program to scan the Registry in Windows and clean it up afterwards. The application suggests to create a System Restore Point on first run which is recommended as it enables you to restore the Registry should things go wrong.
Since you are removing entries from the Registry by using the program, it could happen that items get deleted that are still required.
The Registry cleaner displays a list of Registry entry types that it supports in the left sidebar. Among those options are program locations, shared dlls, help files, history, application information, startup entries or system drivers. It is possible to block sections by removing their check-mark before running a scan.
The program scans the local Registry using the selection, and displays obsolete entries in its interface afterwards. It furthermore creates a log file that is opened automatically as well after a scan.
The problems that it found during the scan can be fixed with a click on the fix problems button. While you may be tempted to fix all issues at once, it is better to go through each listed item individually as it gives you more control over the process.
Little Registry Cleaner options
The options provide settings to add Registry keys to an ignore list so that they will not be scanned. You find options to change the Registry backup location there as well, and to configure the program to automatically repair Registry items and configure various other preferences.
If you are using a firewall, you may have noticed that Little Registry Cleaner attempts to connect to the Internet at times. You may disable the sending of anonymous statistics and the update check in the options to block that from happening.
It is a good idea to run a Registry defragmenter like Quicksys Defragmenter afterwards to reduce the size of the Windows Registry. The program is also freely available and will decrease the computer’s boot time by reducing the size of the Windows Registry (the more the better).
Little Registry Cleaner is available for download on Sourceforge. It requires the Microsoft .net Framework 3.5.