Necessity of Cleaning the Windows Registry
What is the Registry?
The registry is a database that contains information about all the hardware, software as well as user preferences of your computer.
It stores the various software and hardware configuration data that allows Windows to perform the tasks as per your needs. All details regarding the installed hardware and its related device drivers are stored in the Registry.
Software details like file extension associations are also stored. All of the information is stored in a file in the \Windows directory named SYSTEM.DAT.
The other part of the Registry contains information regarding user customization like Desktop wallpaper, color schemes, sound events and others.
As and when you install, uninstall, or just use software programs, registry entries are either created, changed, or erased. If you uninstall any application incorrectly, or some kind of error occurs during the process, the registry entries related to that application stay in the registry.
Also there are certain programs that do not remove their entries from the registry even after it is uninstalled. Thus the registry overflows with corrupt and invalid entries that not only slows down the performance but also creates errors in other installed programs. To speed up the computer and to avoid errors of any kind, these entries need to be cleaned up regularly.
How To Clean Your Registry
Cleaning your machine’s registry is not an easy task, no matter how experienced you are. Even if you use modern software, there are chances of you deleting important files. Many users feel that cleaning the registry is not worth the risk. They believe that it is perfectly alright to use a registry cleaner as part of the removal process of any program. But there are many others who use registry cleaners as elements of a system-cleaning schedule.
The problem here is that registry cleaners at times delete important files. So what should you do? You must use registry cleaners to optimize your machine’s performance only if you are sure that you know how the registry works. You can also take the help of a professional if required.
A cluttered up registry can cause you tremendous frustration. So cleaning it up now and then will keep your system problem free. Just be careful about the files you delete. Do not remove them unless you are hundred percent sure that the file is useless.
Make sure you have a back up
Always make sure that you have a registry back up before venturing on the cleaning process. Most registry cleaners proffer this choice of taking a backup of your registry before making any alterations. If anything goes wrong, you can easily save the situation by restoring the backup. Also just like Microsoft Word, your PC too has an option to undo your action.
This is called System Restore. Once it finishes scanning, the Windows Live Safety scanner creates a System Restore point on your machine. This allows you to go back to the original state, that is, before you performed the scan, and correct your error in case you unintentionally removed any valid registry items.
You do not need to clean your registry just because everyone is telling you to do so. Registry is an important database and you must not mess with it unless absolutely necessary.
Registry repair software
Also you must choose your registry cleaning software very carefully. All said and done, you must not ignore registry problems. If you do not take care at an early stage, you might face severe problems later. There the computer can face a crash, system stalls or can slow down immensely. As they say then, ‘a stitch in time saves nine’. You must follow the maxim and prevent any maintenance-related trouble from bugging your computer.
