Keeping Your Windows Registry Clean

What is the Windows Registry? The Windows Registry is a large database that can be found in any Windows-based PC. Its purpose is to store information of the various aspects your computer, from software and hardware, to users, preferences and system settings. It is a crucial component of your computer and over time, it can become the cause of many problems.

As the computer ages, and from day-to-day usage, the Windows Registry, which is normally quite organised, becomes cluttered, and left in a state of disarray. This is due to missing or invalid file references, as well as redundant information. This means that your PC’s operating system takes longer to get to the information it needs to, leading to a drop in efficiency and speed as a result.

It is therefore very important for your registry to be cleaned every now and then to maintain your computer’s optimum efficiency. This can be done in a number of ways. The tech-savvy computer users can attempt to clean the registry themselves by running regedit.exe or regedt32.exe, which comes as part of the operating system, depending on which version of Windows you have.

This however, is only advisable if you know exactly what you’re doing. Too much tinkering in the wrong place could have you reaching for your Windows reinstallation disk. If you do choose to make changes to your registry manually, then it is highly recommended you make a back-up of your registry first.

An easier way to keep your registry clean is with the use of a good third-party registry repair tool. These tools are designed to be easy to use and will perform an in-depth scan of your registry for redundant and corrupt entries. Many registry cleaners will simply remove these automatically, while others will prompt you before doing so.

All good registry tools should come with a fill back-up and restore utility, allowing you to undo any of the changes the software makes to your registry, as well as scheduling features, to allow the software to scan your registry regularly and automatically, to keep your computer running at it’s best.

Many will also come with extra features such as a start-up program manager, allowing you to pick and choose which important programs you want to load at start-up, leaving the unwanted ones behind. This will ensure you computer is able to start-up much quicker; loading only the things you want it to, such as the all-important anti-virus and firewall tools.