Malwarebytes: Registry cleaners are digital snake oil

[Petrovic]

Software that optimizes or cleans the Windows Registry is useless and only misleads users, according to antivirus company MalwareBytes. Users frequently complain about registry cleaners on the forum of the antivirus vendor. Often these applications are distributed with dubious methods and therefore MalwareBytes will mark registry cleaners that are aggressively distributed as malware again. The vendor takes these measures after an increase in complaints.

The Windows Registry is a database with Windows configuration data and settings. When installing and removing software some registry keys are not properly removed. Some users think that deleting these keys or optimizing the Windows Registry will increase their system’s performance. However, according to MalwareBytes, this is a placebo effect. Users are tricked by good looking animations that give the user the impression something special happens on their computer.

MalwareBytes therefore argues registry cleaners are nothing more than the digital equivalent of snake oil.

“The potential performance enhancements resulting in the use of these programs are at best miniscule and unperceivable”, thecompany writes. “At worst, they could damage your computer so badly as to require a re-installation of the operating system.”

The company underlines that also Microsoft does not support the use of registry cleaners. Nevertheless, the antivirus vendor will not mark all registry cleaners as malware.

“We can tell you these programs are snake oil, but we’re not going to try and force you not to use them. We don’t condone forcing stuff onto people, but forcing programs onto users is exactly how a registry cleaner would wind up flagged as a Potential Unwanted Programs (PUP) by Malwarebytes Anti-Malware”, MalwareBytes concludes.
Source

 

[comfortablynumb15]

MBAM is too heavy-handed in their blocking, IMHO. Reg Cleaners are useless, but not because they really cause problems, but more often because the keys will still be there after a "cleaning". And unless you go mucking about in system entries, removing those old entries for that video player you tried one time last year that your friend said was so cool, isn't going to do any kind of harm.

 

[jamescv7]

Well majority of Registry Cleaners are yes to be snake oil, only fewer remains to be very reliable like CCleaner. A none aggressive algorithm registry cleaner is already fine but never for registry defragmentation process*.

* I'm not sure what program has a description of turning the AV off when conduct registry defragmentation which makes it very fishy and suspicious, since that concept should be same like in Disk Defragmentation without sacrificing to turn off any security related products.

 

[Venustus]

Well I agree that they can be considered "snake oil" and the benefits gained are minimal!!
On the flip side it is quite easy with some of the different itterations out there that you may actually corrupt your registry by using them!!
System mechanic is notorious for creating registry problems!!
CCleaner is the safest to use if you must use a cleaner!
Leftover keys in the registry are not a concern anyway!!

Thanks!!

 

[frogboy]

I just stick with CCleaner it is much safer oh and windows cleanmgr.

 

[Exterminator]

Eye pleasing GUI's,one click optimization,aggressive registry cleaning,faster internet speed,faster PC speed are claims many of these programs make.Sounds too good to be true because it is.Free or paid stick with the tried and true which would be CCleaner or Privazer.Although the latter is better for someone with some knowledge and CCleaner is pretty much safe for everyone.You can back up all registry changes and restoring from the back up actually works should there be a problem.
As for optimization of your PC & Browsers,Google works pretty good!!

 

[OokamiCreed]

MBAM is too heavy-handed in their blocking, IMHO.

You must be referring to it's web blocking. I hate their web blocking. Way too damn aggressive. Mind as well block half the net.

More on track to the topic here: I personally either use CCleaner to scan registry and I then manually go one by one to remove old software registry that I don't need (by checking them). No performance increase as the program knows exactly where to go in your registry hives. I also sometimes do it manually with regedit. CCleaner registry cleaner has screwed my system up a while back as I used to use it excessively without even looking at it. My recommendation is to look at them before deteting. No software is perfect. And use CCleaner as it's isn't aggressive enough to show important registry items.

I remember when Wise products use to be utterly terrible. It's registry cleaner would seriously screw your computer up if you just let it do what it wants. As for CCleaner, I haven't let it do it's own thing in 2 years so they probably fixed any issues. I'd still recommend caution regardless. As for me even using them, I just like having a very clean operating system. Also makes it easier to find infections if you don't have a mess of files.

 

[comfortablynumb15]

Yeah, their web blocker is a POS and you can't turn the thing off without being told constantly to "fix the problem". It's almost as annoying as when they won't leave you alone until you install their stupid updates. If it wasn't as good as it is at its actual job, I would have gotten rid of the thing after this last version came out. Hmm, CCleaner seems "safe", but I've found it removes practically nothing it says it will in the registry. In fact, Privazer isn't even good at it, but Privazer is fantastic for everything else.

 

[Tony Cole]

I really like Malwarebytes, and have used their Pro version for a few years, I would agree these products appear on screen stating how they are partners with Microsoft, will speed up that old Vista PC - with all that in mind, which average user (the main ones they target, advanced users would just ignore it) wouldn't be impresses.