Do You Need A Registry Cleaner?

Does your PC run more slowly than it used to? Does it often crash or produce mysterious error messages?

If it does one or both of these, welcome to the wonderful world of Microsoft Windows™! The chances are that your Windows registry has become clogged up or even corrupted as a result of all the software and programs that you have installed then later de-installed. This happens because de-installing software more often than not leaves behind numerous files and registry entries which together result in a bloated system which cannot run at the full speed it was designed for.

An intricate repository...

The Windows registry is an exeedingly complex entity. It contains all sorts of information about your computer’s settings and software installations. This complexity, however, makes it hard to keep it free of errors. It is possible to edit the registry manually, but this is not a job for the inexperienced or faint-hearted, due to the vastness of its structure and the danger of wrecking your PC’s system completely if you get it wrong. Even very experienced and technically-minded computer users approach editing the registry with apprehension.

...replete with data settings

In addition to installation information, changes you make to software settings are usually stored in your computer’s registry. Imperfectly-written software will leave behind redundant registry entries when you make these changes (most software - especially freeware - if substantial, is imperfect: a look at bug fixes described in software history documents will confirm this). And if you’ve ever had to clean out a virus or spyware, it’s always possible that the registry is still affected to some extent by the settings they changed without your permission. On that topic, of course, it’s important to recognize that not all PC system problems are caused by an unhealthy registry. If you have a virus or a spyware infection, you are best to be clear of that before applying any registry cures.

The solution

Formatting your hard drive and reinstalling Windows and all of your software is one way to get back to a reliable error-free system working at full speed, and in cases of extreme corruption you may have no alternative but to carry out this rather huge and daunting task with all of its associated pitfalls and possible data loss. However, if your system still works reasonably well most of the time, but just not as well as you know it can, then it is possible that a registry cleaner could rejuvenate your system for you. This would allow you to avoid any such drastic action as wiping everything and starting again.

New isn't always better

Another advantage of using a good registry cleaner over the wipe-everything-and-start-again strategy is that the software can keep the system in good shape if used regularly. And even with a new clean system a registry cleaner can help once you start changing settings and software installations. Moreover, it can sometimes be hard to get new installations of software packages you have had for some time properly licensed: the original code may no longer work (or you may have lost it) and you will be dependent on the software supplier to help out if this is the case.

You have a choice

Over the last few years a great deal of development work has gone into producing several examples of this breed of software. Some of these registry cleaners have become extremely popular and respected. They typically examine the structure and content of all registry entries, looking for inconsistencies and redundancies. The producers usually also allow you to download their software and carry out a free scan of your computer’s registry, the results of which you can review at your leisure before deciding whether or not to purchase. Payment would usually be required before the software would be able to carry out any cleaning up, of course. On other pages we present factual reviews of some of the better-known examples.