The Windows registry is a database of all the information about the computer and the software installed on the computer. The main purpose of the Windows registry is to store the configuration of the different software programs installed on the computer, the hardware installed or attached to the computer, and any other special settings the user has implemented. A computer's registry is an efficient way of monitoring the different software and hardware components. For example, all the software programs are organized based on user profiles. It is also a delicate place to fiddle around without proper knowledge. One needs to be well equipped with registry handling information in order to configure/modify the computer’s registry.
The computer's registry can become corrupted by spyware and viruses. In addition, with continually installing and removing software, not all programs will remove themselves cleanly and completely from the registry.
There are two main ways to clean up a computer's registry – cleaning manually using the Windows Registry Editor, or using registry cleaning software. Manually cleaning your computer registry should only be attempted by someone who understands what the registry entries mean. Software programs can cease to function correctly if essential registry entries are removed.
The computer's registry can become corrupted by spyware and viruses. In addition, with continually installing and removing software, not all programs will remove themselves cleanly and completely from the registry.
There are two main ways to clean up a computer's registry – cleaning manually using the Windows Registry Editor, or using registry cleaning software. Manually cleaning your computer registry should only be attempted by someone who understands what the registry entries mean. Software programs can cease to function correctly if essential registry entries are removed.
The Windows Registry Editor
To manually clean your registry using the Windows Registry Editor, first create a backup of the registry, and then remove unnecessary files:
1. On the desktop, click the Start button on the left bottom corner of the taskbar
2. Click Run
3. Type regedit in the new Run window. Click OK
4. At the top of the window, click File on the menu toolbar
5. Go down and select Export
6. Type a name for the backup file, and click Save
After creating a backup of your registry, you can go to the left side of the registry editor window and view how your computer is configured.
7. Access the many different entries in your Windows registry. It is separated into primary sections: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_CURRENT_USER, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, HKEY_USERS and HKEY_CURRENT CONFIG. Each section contains a different set of entries related to different aspects of Windows operation.
8. Click on one of the plus-signs (+) next to one of the root directories, opening a more detailed list. This second level will have more directories to choose from, and will make it easier for you to find entries you need to clean the registry.
9. Delete entries in the registry that you know are either causing conflicts or are no longer necessary. Do this by pressing the "Delete" key, or by right-clicking on your mouse and choosing "Delete entry."
10. Invest in a third-party registry application to help you clean your Windows registry. Several programs are available that do the dirty work for you. Some even include backup capabilities to retrace their steps in the event of a critical error.
11. Clean your boot records by changing which programs load themselves at startup. Click through both the LOCAL_MACHINE and CURRENT_USER directories until you reach Software/Microsoft/Windows/Run and RunOnce. From here, you can clean out registry entries that are causing certain programs to run on startup.
After creating a backup of your registry, you can go to the left side of the registry editor window and view how your computer is configured.
7. Access the many different entries in your Windows registry. It is separated into primary sections: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_CURRENT_USER, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, HKEY_USERS and HKEY_CURRENT CONFIG. Each section contains a different set of entries related to different aspects of Windows operation.
8. Click on one of the plus-signs (+) next to one of the root directories, opening a more detailed list. This second level will have more directories to choose from, and will make it easier for you to find entries you need to clean the registry.
9. Delete entries in the registry that you know are either causing conflicts or are no longer necessary. Do this by pressing the "Delete" key, or by right-clicking on your mouse and choosing "Delete entry."
10. Invest in a third-party registry application to help you clean your Windows registry. Several programs are available that do the dirty work for you. Some even include backup capabilities to retrace their steps in the event of a critical error.
11. Clean your boot records by changing which programs load themselves at startup. Click through both the LOCAL_MACHINE and CURRENT_USER directories until you reach Software/Microsoft/Windows/Run and RunOnce. From here, you can clean out registry entries that are causing certain programs to run on startup.
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