Windows Registry Keep it clean

By Tony Angiola
Field Technician

Windows Registry is taking over the world!

The Windows Registry is a centralized database of configuration settings in Microsoft Windows operating systems.  Every component in the Windows operating system uses the registry in one way or another.  In the old days of Windows 3.1 the registry was basically used to store information about COM based components but when Windows 95 arrived it was used to store information about INI files (each program uses INI files as information files related to that specific program).    Keeping your registry well tuned will save you time, money and data.  A corrupt registry can crash your computer to the point where it will no longer boot, so I recommend you learn at least enough to maintain it and it will keep you and your PC productive for a long time to come.

Windows Registry Info

With regular use, most PCs develop large numbers of registry errors that degrade performance and cause crashes.   Cleaning the registry will fix Windows errors and crashes.  Defragging the registry is great for optimizing your PC for better performance.  So if your PC is crashing, your system is running slow or you are receiving regular error messages, chances are that your registry needs attention.

The Windows registry is a database repository of information about a computer's configuration. Installing and uninstalling software will make your registry a mess, leading to decreased PC performance and causing computer crashes.  You would think that by now the Windows operating system would do a better job at maintaining itself but it does not.  I am glad there are programmers out there designing programs to keep our PCs running smoothly.  Learning to use these programs is very easy and gives you satisfaction in knowing that you cleaned something up…like vacuuming the rug.

The Registry is made up of the SYSTEM DAT and USER DAT files.  Editing the registry can be dangerous.  If you delete the wrong thing you may prevent your computer from working properly or at all.  It is highly recommended that you use a program that will automatically back up your registry before cleaning or modifying it.  Since the registry is used as a single place to store much of the information and settings for software programs, hardware devices, user preferences, operating system configurations, and much more… In many ways, the registry can be thought of as a kind of DNA for the Windows operating system. A good registry cleaner will scan, clean, and repair errors in your system registry.

 Check out System mechanic