Do I Need a Registry Cleaner?
"My computer seems to get slower and slower. A friend told me to clean my registry. Will that really help, and how can I do that?"
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Cleaning the Registry
Yes, your computer will run better if you occasionally clean your Windows system registry. But first, let's define exactly what the registry is. The registry is a database in which Windows keeps track of relationships between hardware and software. It stores all the settings and options for the operating system, hardware, software, users, and preferences of the PC. The registry manages your system startup options, and keeps track of all software that's installed.
Prior to the introduction of the Registry in Windows 95, each software package had it's own INI files to store configuration settings. These files tended to be scattered all over the hard drive, which made them difficult to keep track of. The centralized registry does consolidate all that information, but it has its own problems. Since it is a single point of failure, damage to the Registry can render a Windows system unbootable, and in extreme cases can only be fixed by reinstalling the operating system. (That's why backups are important!)
Oh, That Waxy Buildup!
Especially on Windows 95/98 computers, it's common for the registry to grow very large over time, which tends to slow down the computer's startup and can make it unstable. And even on Windows NT, XP or 200x, you can end up with lots of unnecessary registry entries that are created when you install or remove programs on your computer. Sometimes an "orphaned" registry entry can confuse Windows during startup and cause a delay. And in general, slimming down your registry will make Windows run faster.
The REGEDIT command will allow you to view and edit the registry, but if you don't know what you're doing under the hood, just put down that wrench and back away slowly. Specialized programs exist to examine the registry, compare what's in there to what's really on your system, and either correct or delete erroneous entries.
REGCLEAN is a utility program included in Windows 95 and Windows 98. This program is no longer officially supported by Microsoft, but many users report that it works fine on Windows XP systems. You can also try RegSeeker which is a highly rated (and free) registry cleaner that I like. There are dozens of registry cleaners available. If you want to play the field, read some reviews by reputable sources before you install.
Making Windows Faster
I should also mention that there are lots of other things that can cause your computer to bog down. Viruses, spyware, a hard drive that needs defragmenting, and other factors can contribute to the problem. In my article Make Windows XP Run Faster! I share my special recipe to clean the icky goo out of your computer's pipes, so Windows will start quicker, run more reliably, and go faster on the info-superhighway.
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Check out other articles in this category:Posted by Bob Rankin on October 20, 2005 11:44 AM
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Most recent comments on "Do I Need a Registry Cleaner?"
(See all 14 comments for this article.)|
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Yes, you do need a registry cleaner. The problem is finding one that works. Honestly, I've tried more registry cleaners than I care to count and a good number of them are worthless. In fact, a few of the "free" ones just made things worse. I did find one I really like called Registery Repair. It's put out by a company called StompSoft. The link is http://www.stompsoft.com/registry-repair.html. I found it to be a heck of a lot more user friendly than most of the registry fixes out there and it does the job well. |
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Adrian, I have made use of the StompSoft software as well. I can say from experience that you are right about the fact that it is user friendly as well as effective. On the flip-side I have used CCleaner as well and found that I was a bit to aggressive for my tastes. |
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Registry cleaners are fun! So is Russian Roulette! In my experiance the only registry entries that effect Windows overall speed are entries that involve autorun/autostart programs. Registry cleaners don't usually touch valid entries, and a valid entry might be to run malware/spyware. It might be a bad program to run but as long as the entry is valid and points to a program in use the registry cleaner leaves it. |
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To me registry cleaning is a essential part of good computer maintenance. I will say however that not all registry cleaners are made the same. I have used many cleaners that really were too aggressive and have caused more problems than they actually fixed. I have however found that Registry Repair works quite well in cleaning the registry without being too aggressive in its cleaning. |
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Registry cleaning is indeed an important part of system maintenance. Theres a lot of sloppy programming around out there that leaves dregs behind. However, it is a place where you can really mess things up. So first thing before you do ANY cleaning, is backup that registry. If you don't have a backup (tut tut), in RegEdit, you can File, Export. If "My Computer" is selected, it will copy the works. Also, don't forget "Disk Cleanup" in Windows Accessories, System Tools. Run that first to reduce the Registry cleanup needed. Bizarrely, if you use the sageset switch, a bunch more cleanup options (10) become available in Disk Cleanup. Google "sageset" for more. |
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I have to tell you that I am very excited now for my computer's high-speed!In the past I can't understand why my computer was so slow and I always thought it is a virus.But my antivirus wasn't able to find anything wrong.So I turned to my friends for help and then they suggested me to try a registry cleaner.I went to download registry cleaner software to scan my computer for free and found over 200 errors!!! After I corrected them,my computer return to high-speed and run like new again.It is the best I could have ever imagined!Thank you very much for saving me lots of time and money! |
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I've had lots of problems with my registry mainly because i use alot of software to design graphics and theres hidden extras in some of the software that you just dont find out until its installed!! The best bet is always download registry fixign software from trusted download sites.. |
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I find registry cleaners to be very good. My favorites are RegCure and RegistryFix. You can find more information about them here: http://www.regcureguide.com EDITOR'S NOTE: Very nice affiliate link. But I'd still recommend the FREE registry cleaners first. |
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Posted by:
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I think RegCure is a great PC tool that every computer should have - expert or not. Great post, as it serves reference as to why cleaning the registry is important. Thanks for your guide, it helped a lot! EDITOR'S NOTE: Ummm, you posted the same thing a few weeks ago... |
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RegCure and Registry Repair are the ones I recommend to those seeking a much less volatile registry cleaning. I used Registry Repair on my brothers computer and it came up with around 1000 registry errors, all of which I fixed with no problems and his machine ran much smoother. CCleaner is ok, but you have to know what your doing otherwise you could make things worse. And a word of advice for those in search for free cleaners: only download and run them from official or trusted sites - or else expect spyware attempts on your system. |
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