Why You Should Clean Your Windows Registry

Email This! | Digg This!

Aug 7, 2007 - 9:48:40 AM -

Windows Registry: Introduction

The Windows registry is a fundamental component of all Windows operating system releases after Windows 95. It is a central hierarchal database repository that stores hardware, software, and user profiles configuration information of your Windows system. To view the registry of your Windows system, run the Regedit command from Start > Run to open the Registry Editor. You will see a folder structure that is quite similar to the folder structure displayed in Windows Explorer.

The registry is comprised of five root keys: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY-CURRENT_USER, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, HKEY_USERS, and HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG. All information related to user settings and preferences, hardware, software, operating system configuration, and file associations are stored in these keys. Any activity that you perform on your Windows system, either makes an entry in the registry or accesses information from it. If you monitor your registry using a registry monitor tool, you will see that the registry provides hundreds of values to your system in just a few seconds.

Due to its extensive use and need in operating your computer, there are a large number of reasons why errors occur in the registry. Let’s now have a look at what causes registry errors and the methods to repair registry errors.

Registry Damage: Causes

Registry errors usually occur due to the accumulation of unwanted, obsolete, redundant, and invalid information within it. Frequent install and uninstall of applications is one of the major causes of registry errors. Whenever you install an application certain entries are added to the registry. These entries are required for the application to function properly on your PC. When you uninstall this application the entries are removed. However, the uninstallers of many applications fail to remove all the entries from the registry. The situation is worse if you do not follow correct program uninstall steps and just delete the application folders from your PC. These left over registry keys clog it and cause it to grow at an uncontrollable rate. Many times, when a registry entry is removed, it leaves behind vacant spaces or registry holes. These registry holes fragment the registry and make it unstable.

Viruses and spyware are also a major cause of concern because the malicious entries added by them affect the file associations within the registry and damage it.

A damaged registry generates frequent system errors and may even render the system unusable. To prevent this situation it is very important for you to perform a regular registry clean up in order to keep your system error-free.

Registry Repair: Methods

Although you can perform a certain amount of registry maintenance using the Registry Editor, it is not a very easy method. Even the most experienced technicians are uncomfortable when using the Registry Editor to perform a clean-up. The main reason behind this is that all changes done using the Registry Editor are permanent and cannot be undone. And, if you forgot to make a backup before proceeding with the changes, then any mistake could make your PC unbootable.

To overcome this problem, it is recommended that you opt for a registry cleaner software. You can search for a registry cleaner over the Internet and download the one that best suits your requirements.

A reliable, efficient, and advanced registry cleaner software provides you with the following benefits.

• Enables you to scan and clean up registry errors in just a few mouse clicks.
• Makes both a complete and selective backup of your registry that helps you restore the entire registry or just rollback certain changes.
• Helps you defragment the registry to make it compact by removing registry holes, and reindex registry files to increase the data access speed.
• Enables you to perform a deep scan and remove any malicious entries added by malware.
• Provides you with an easy to use graphical user interface that even a novice user can easily use to perform regular registry maintenance.
• Includes many other system management utilities, such as startup program manager, BHO manager, and orphans files manager to keep your system at its best working condition.

To sum up, we can say that if you want to keep your PC in a good operational condition, perform regular registry scans to remove all unwanted information and errors from it. To perform the activity, you may opt to use a reliable registry cleaner software. Registry cleaners provide you with a safe, easy, and efficient method to get rid of accumulated junk in the registry and keep your PC at its best performance.

Related Content Related Articles:
Make Your Vista Computer Faster - Nov 12, 2008 - 10:49:20 AM
Benefits Of Using A Registry Cleaner - Jan 18, 2008 - 3:34:08 PM
5 Reasons to Keep a Clean Windows Registry - Sep 5, 2007 - 11:27:45 AM
The Benefits of Registry Cleaners - Aug 15, 2007 - 10:11:59 PM
Why You Should Clean Your Windows Registry - Aug 7, 2007 - 9:48:40 AM
How to Speed Up Your PC for Free - Jul 13, 2007 - 2:43:00 PM

All Burning News
© Copyright 2007 by BurnWorld.com