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Do I Really Need To Clean The Windows Registry?By Bill Stafford |
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The registry file in the Windows operating system is a large file or database where the Windows Operating system stores all the parameters it needs to operate properly. Every time a program is accessed or called up, the registry file is read, and from there all the various parameters and components Windows needs to function properly are located loaded to get everything just the way you like it. It consists of 5 basic sections or Root Keys, which are then sub divided into a large number of sub-keys - a structure which resembles the file folder storage on the hard drive, as presented in Windows Explorer.
It was created to combine all the numerous .ini files, which used to be scattered throughout the hard drive in the older Windows systems into one large repository. Due to the immense number of parameters it has to store and maintain, both for hardware and software, to provide all the options and variables most users have become accustomed to, it has now grown into a huge file with structures and entries which are way too complicated for the average Windows user to understand, let alone modify or tweak. Even many savvy Windows users are apprehensive to touch the registry file.
Every time new hardware or a new program is installed on the computer, a host of new entries are added to the registry, which are particular and necessary for the proper operation of this program and to provide seamless integration into the Windows system. When one un-installs a program from the computer, either through the provided uninstall program or via the ‘add/remove programs’ option in the control panel, all the registry entries pertaining to that program are supposed to be removed. However this is usually not the case. Most programs leave numerous traces and entries behind after they have been un-installed.
In cases where people do a lot of installing and un-installing of software for testing purposes, or just finding that the programs do not do what they are expected to do, a lot of unwanted and unnecessary entries my pile up in the registry. This could slow down the system considerably, since the system keeps finding references to certain software, can’t find it in the obvious place, and may start searching for it or trip over it. In the worst cases the system may end up ‘spontaneously’ rebooting, just slow down or run much less smoothly than it used to.
Due to the fact that many of the programs running within Widows use some of the same parameters common to them, cleaning and maintaining this file can become very tricky. Since the entries in the registry are all necessary for the smooth operation of the operating system, inadvertently deleting the wrong entry may end up crippling the system and may cause some real problems for the user.
Professionally designed registry cleaning software can prevent many of these headaches. It can search throughout the entire file and remove all entries, which have no proper references to existing hardware or software in the computer. All this is performed at a small fraction of the time, and at a much higher accuracy than a manual cleanup would provide. The chances of accidentally removing a required component and crippling the system are reduced to practically nil.
Computers and operating systems are very much the same as any other tool one might use. For all such tools the same principle applies: the more intensively you use it, the more maintenance it will require. Keeping the registry lean and clean is certainly one of the maintenance requirements for a long and healthy life of your computer. |
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About the Author |
| Bill Stafford has been operating a computer sales and support company for over 20 years. For more information and tips for your PC or the Internet, visit his site at: http://inforesources.wordpress.com |
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