Registry Cleaners
Do you need a Registry Cleaner?
Simply put, you should get a registry cleaner if you have an older computer and you are experiencing system errors, slow performance, crashes and freezes. It is difficult to generalize, but all these signs point to registry issues.
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Registry – what about it?
Let’s start from the beginning. What is registry? Why should you care about it? Windows registry is a central component of your system. It manages your software and hardware. Data contained in the registry is what guides your computer when dealing with specific applications and devices. In an ideal situation registry operates without a hitch – smoothly and efficiently it works in the background. When you purchase a new computer, the registry is in this “ideal situation”; in other words, it is in its optimal condition.
But as most PC users have experienced firsthand, that “new computer feeling” doesn’t last too long. Using computer means installing application and devices, deleting/un-installing software/hardware, upgrading applications to the latest versions, upgrading peripherals, and etcetera. All these actions are processed by registry, and each of these tasks requires registry to be updated.
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Invalid and Corrupted Entries
Take for an example an action of removing a program from your computer. It is not sufficient to just delete a software application from your hard drive – you need to properly uninstall it. By doing this the corresponding registry entry will be removed. If you just delete program’s folder, registry entry (or entries) of this software will remain and your computer will still think that this application is present on your system. As a result, you will get an error message whenever this application’s command is called (like during the Windows start-up). Too many of these dead-end entries will negatively affect your PC’s performance.
Besides these “ghost” or invalid entries, your registry can also become corrupted. This means that existing registry keys and values are not corresponding to the actual programs. How can this occur? There might be a problem during the version update or a conflict between two applications or devices. In the worst case scenario this might result in crashes, freezing, fatal system errors. Other times your computer performance will suffer and you might notice a considerable decrease in the speed of your computer.
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Registry Cleaners
Registry cleaner is the solution to registry problems. There are many registry cleaner tools but in essence they all have many things in common. Their function is to clean registry of dead-end entries and repair registry keys, paths and values that are corrupted. On our site we offer two Top 10 lists of registry cleaners. Top 10 Free registry tools and top 10 registry tools you have to pay in order to use them. Is there a difference between paid and free registry cleaners? Paid cleaners are typically more powerful but if you don’t feel like spending money try the free ones first.
Some registry utilities have a “free scan” option. It’s a no obligation feature which allows you to scan your registry for errors and receive a full report. You pay only if you want to perform an actual repair or cleaning.
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An alternative to registry cleaners is to take a DIY approach. You can manually fix and clean the registry, but the process is tedious and time-consuming. It is a risky procedure since deleting valid registry keys and/or making incorrect modifications can have disastrous consequences. Regardless of what you decide to do we highly suggest you read more about registry, learning even the basics can be of great help in resolving registry-related issues. For detailed information on Windows registry consult Microsoft’s website: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986