A clean Windows registry can not only prevent a host of problems, it can help your system run faster. The registry is like the brains of your computer. It’s technically a database of information put there by every program, which the system refers to repeatedly. It was designed to make Windows run faster. But if you don’t have a clean Windows registry, it can actually slow your computer down.
Every time you install or uninstall a program, your registry changes. This is true on any Windows system, like Windows XP or Vista, and older versions of Windows, too. The registry even changes as you use your computer in other ways.
Registry keys are like file folders full of vital program information. These change and sometimes become obsolete. Sometimes when you uninstall a program, one or more keys are left behind that you no longer need. These extra keys just take up space in the registry and make the database much less efficient than a clean Windows registry.
Compare it to an actual filing cabinet. If every file has a purpose, then you’ll have fewer files that are easier to get to. But start adding and leaving in files that you no longer need on a regular basis. Soon, the cabinet is packed full and it’s harder to find what you really need. The registry operates in much the same way.
When the system has a harder time finding those files, it takes longer for programs to open. It can even take much longer for the entire computer to boot up when you turn it on. This happens when you don’t have a clean Windows registry, and programs that run when the computer turns on, sometimes vital system programs, have trouble starting because of the problem.
Programs can freeze and crash, and system wide problems can become a huge hassle when there are unnecessary or corrupted files in the registry. One of the easiest ways to fix these problems is to download or purchase software that will clean and repair the Windows registry.
These programs can be downloaded for free in some cases, or a download or CD can be purchased. If you’re serious about fixing your Windows registry, you might opt to purchase high-quality registry repair software to avoid some of the pitfalls of some free software, like spyware and adware.
Some free software remains available indefinitely but it’s no longer supported or debugged by the developers. The best software won’t just clean your registry, it can repair corrupted files and compact the size of the large registry database.
You could also opt to read up on the Windows registry and learn how to make manual repairs and how to remove obsolete keys. But since the registry is vital to your computer’s operation, if you make a mistake it can actually damage your computer.
The best solution is to go ahead and buy trusted registry cleaner software. It’s a small price to pay to avoid the problems caused by not having a clean Windows registry.