I was told to get one by my sister-in-law.
someone please explain what it does
do I need it
what one is best

i asked someone from microsoft about this. dont get one.
if u mess around in ur regestry u can mess up ur computer.
best thing to get is a anti virus and a fire wall program

sorry .. what i am saying is dont use any reg cleaner.

What they are referring to is a program to clean out trash in the registry. This is safe as long as you always make a backup before cleaning. Actually it is necessary to do as over time the registry accumulates a lost of junk and if it gets excessive it can interfere with performance. Do a Google search for "Lexun RegScrubXP 3.25". This is a safe freeware program which will do the job. If you choose to buy one, be careful as there are several rouge programs out there that may have malware bundled with them.

However I will say this. DO NOT GO INTO THE REGISTRY YOUR SELF AND TOUCH ANYTHING UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING. I can't emphisise that enough cause you could end up with a useless machine if you mess up. That's the fear people talk about.

Thanks cajun and Shadow

so I don't really need it unless my computer starts to have problems right?

If you really need to fix any Registry errors that your pc might have then your best bet is to buy a program like this.

http://www.pctools.com/registry-mechanic/

It's called Registry Mechanic and it works to fixs errors on your pc and what not.

I'm unsure why your sister in law told you, you need this type of program unless you where complainting about something happening or going on and wrong with your pc.

its a good idea to clean it on a regular basis so you don't start having problems, say like once a month. If the registry gets to corrupted you may not be able to clean it properly. Cajuns advice about making sure you have a firewall and antivirus program is very important to. Also, you should make sure your security is equipped to monitor for spyware/malware too or run a additional program for that. I run AVG antivirus, spy-ware terminator, and a comodo firewall. I also run maintenance functions like regscrub once a month and def rag. I hope this helps

If you want to pay for a cleaner/repair program the one that John posted is one of the better ones but you will pay about 30 bucks. The regscub program is free but don't come with some of the bells and whistles, its a basic program.

I use RegClean have for years but never on vista I don't want vista....

RegClean is free, simple and works great.

Vista will be good in a couple years. I stay away from it too. Too many bugs still and a lot of the industry hasn't kept up with updates for it.

i had registry problems but i ran the reg cleaner and avg and spybot and now my dinosaur gateway which is 6 years old runs quicker than my friend new one

Its amazing what a little general maintenance can do for performance.

John she was having problems with hers and it was recommended. I have 3 computers, handme downs that are slow as molasses and older windows 95, 98, and a ME thought maybe I could get them working better
I bought my new one a year ago the one i am on now. don't have any problems...knock on wood yet

my computer was here when the mayflower landed, an 89 IBM have a firewall nnd norton. about twice a month clean out cookies run scan disc and de frag. it is slow but just the age still runs about like it did ehen it was new. yes I am afraid of the prpgrams you have mentioned.

Playing with the registry is never a real good idea unless it is a last resort to fix a problem, just my oppinion.

i use reg cleaner 4.3 it s free and easy to use.