What is the Windows Registry?
The heart of your computer is the windows registry. Just like a
file system where you store your documents, registry is where Windows system
stores essential facts pertaining to your computer. Your registry contains all
aspects of your system configuration including hardware and software settings.
Similar to a file system registry is organized in a hierarchical tree-like
structure. Windows uses this data
to perform every operation.
When new software is installed (even if you install a small software component
from the Internet) or make any adjustments to the configuration (attach new hardware
or alter your desktop layout) the changes are held in the registry.
Inside a brand new computer your registry will have no errors. But as you use
your pc it accumulates old and incorrect records these can cause errors and
cutback in performance. Also, viruses, spyware, trojan horses and key loggers
use registry to influence the system.
Windows registry is the most important element in your PC. Repairing and cleaning
the registry
requires understanding and expertise. Doing it the incorrect way may result in
worse problems and even fatal system errors. Doing it the right way will lead to
less system errors and improved performance. This is where a good Windows registry
cleaner like Error Smart comes in.
How Often Do I Need To Use A Windows Registry Cleaner
"That depends!" If your Windows PC is
relatively new, less than 6 months old, and you are not a
very active user then you would not need to use a Windows registry cleaner
very often . However, if you are an active PC user who
frequently tries new software, you need to use a registry cleaner regularly. As a general guide consider these
questions:
1. How often do I install and uninstall video, audio, photo, graphics and games
software?
2. How regularly do I install ActiveX or other components when browsing the
Internet?
3. Do I follow the exact software uninstall procedure?
4. How often do I alter my configuration settings in windows programs like
internet explorer ect.?
5. How often do I alter my hardware, hard disk, memory, joysticks, monitor,
printer or scanner, etc?
It depends on how you answered these questions
but you could need to clean your computer registry daily, weekly, monthly, or every 6 months. More frequent changes
require more frequent cleaning.
Are The Windows Registry Cleaners That Find The Most Errors The Best?
"NO Not at all!" The number of errors found is only one point to consider. Its far more important to
know how many problems are fixed the correct way.
In general, there are two different approaches to
Windows registry cleaners use: 1) "Smart"; and 2) "Bulk".
We could compare it to cleaning your office. Many of us end up collecting a lot of
paper on our office desks. You can clean up by inspecting every single piece of paper,
checking each document, newspaper, statement and important notice. As you do
this you file away each needed document in its rightful place and ditch the
junk. However, there are some documents you are not sure about. You spend
additional time checking weather these documents are important. This kind of
cleaning is smart & safe, which results in a clean desk and organized folders.
Also you can rest knowing that you will not have problems in the future because
you did not get rid of those important documents. Similarly, a smart & safe
Windows registry cleaner does the job the proper way - if it is not sure about the
registry record it will not destroy it but will attempt to discover weather the
record is important. This cleaning results in a healthy registry, with less
errors and faster computer performance.
On the other hand, while cleaning your desk you may keep only important
documents and throw away the other documents you are not sure about along with
the junk. This approach does not include additional work to find out if the
documents that you are not sure about are important. With this cleaning method
you will get rid of more documents but you may end up throwing away important
files. This method is called "bulk" cleaning. Similarly, a "bulk"
Windows registry cleaner might show more problems and remove good registry records.
In fact, some registry cleaners report a lot of so-called "false errors".
false errors are falsely identified problems that are, in reality, not a problem
at all. It is
even more dangerous if these products try to fix those falsely identified
errors. Vendors of those products "identify" more problems to make their product
look better. They call this "bulk" cleaning. "Bulk" cleaning
does a mediocre job cleaning your registry and can lead to more problems and
errors later.
Is Full Registry Backup & Restore Enough to Prevent Any Problems?
NO Definitely not! It is important to have full back up and restore as it allows you to bring the
registry back to how it was at a certain point in time. It will not be enough to
stop you having problems though. You need both full registry restore and undo
registry changes.
Let’s say in a day or a week after cleaning the registry on your PC you discover
a problem with one of your applications. A full registry backup will bring the
registry back exactly to the point in time when you created the full backup. The
only trouble is, you will lose all the changes to the computer configuration you
made after that last backup. With "undo registry changes", on the other
hand, you are able to reverse the problematic registry change without affecting
the other registry parts. You can fix the problem without losing all the
configuration adjustments made to your PC.
The general rule is: use "full registry restore" for major disasters and "undo
registry changes" to fix specific problems. The ability to have both a
full restore as well as selective undo is essential to keep you out of trouble.
Is Cleaning And Repairing The Windows Registry All That Is Needed.
"NO not quite!" Windows registry also needs compacting which reduces the registry size and
defragments it by removing the gaps and empty spaces in the registry structure.
Cleaning out your registry makes it better since it removes unused and incorrect
data that causes registry pollution, computer errors and a drop in performance.
However, this is not the only reason you need to always have your registry at
its best. Windows Registry structure is such that when you remove unused and incorrect
data, gaps are created in the registry. Your computer uses registry to perform
every operation. Having gaps or empty spaces in the registry tree slows down
your PCs performance and might create operational errors. Similar to defragmentation of files compacting the windows registry closes the gaps and
fragments helping your PC to run smoother and faster. For this reason as well as cleaning and repairing the registry must also be compacted.
The windows registry is essential to the performance and health of your
computer. Smart registry cleaning, repairing and compacting will prevent
problems and keep your PC fast and healthy.
Important note:
Using a top Windows Registry Cleaner like
Error Smart is just one of the things you need to do to maintain
your Windows PC. It is important to follow other good practices like keeping
your computer updated with the latest Microsoft updates, defragmenting your hard
drive and regular virus scans.
