Editing the Windows Registry III: When do Registry Programs Occur?

The latest statistics show that about 94% of computers have corrupt and possibly harmful files. On average, almost each PC will have about 150+ errors on them due to corrupt or missing registry entries.

If your system is new, you usually will not notice the need to effect any changes to your registry. However, over time, your registry will grow as you add and remove software and hardware on your computer. These additions and deletions will cause your Windows registry to become fragmented, corrupted or full of errors.

Common errors include:

* Missing, orphaned, broken or bad application/Windows paths, shortcuts and links,
* Unwanted browser objects,
* Unused, obsolete Start Menu items,
* Missing or corrupt application IDs,
* Corrupt Active X/COM Objects,
* Residual and unused file and drivers,
* Unnecessary recent files list…
* …the list is endless.

When you remove software from your system, for example, it is highly probable that residuals are still littering your hard drive and your regsitry.The result? Frequent error messages, slow start-ups, sluggishness, declining performance, system stalls, severe degradation in operating speed, unstable and frequent application errors and crashes, and, at times, even an inability to start Windows.

Editing the Windows Registry II: What is the Windows Registry and why do you need it?

The registry is a centralised hierarchical database used by various Windows operating systems to store computer configuration information.

This information is necessary for Windows to run your computer system including all your installed applications and hardware devices. Not only does the windows registry save the path and location of these items, it also retains other details which help the processor to locate applications and hardware devices quickly and efficiently thereby reduce decreasing processing time.

Records are kept of each and every item present. Windows registry entries include details on:

* User profiles, settings, options and preferences
* Applications installed on the computer
* Property settings for folders and applications
* Hardware devices installed on the system
* Ports being used
* System Policies
* File Associations

Whenever you make any changes in your preferences or settings, installed software or hardware, these changes are stored in the Windows registry.

The third article in this series is Editing the Windows Registry III: When do Registry Programs Occur?

Editing the Windows Registry I

The Windows Registry is an integral and fundamental part of your computer system that ensures the smooth running of your operating system, your hardware, any installed application and your connection to the Internet. Making sure that the Windows Registry is kept clean and free of errors becomes critical if you do not want to experience OS and application seizures and crashes.

However, editing the Windows Registry is not a task for the faint hearted. It is complex and requires thorough knowledge of the way the registry works. This series of articles explains the complexity of Editing the Windows Registry and suggests a way to keep your registry clean without getting your hands dirty - think of it like changing a punctured tire of your car without the hassle of talking it in to a shop or changing it yourself!

Check out the second part Editing the Windows Registry II: What is the Windows Registry and why do you need it?

Registry Cleaners

If your system is new, usually you will not notice the need to effect any changes to your registry.

In time, however, your Windows registry will grow exponetially as you add and remove software and hardware to your computer. For example, even creating new documents requires Windows to store entires within the registry including the path of the document, the file name, the file extension with which the document is to be opened, etc..

All these additions and deletions will cause your Windows registry to become fragmented, corrupted or full of errors.

Common errors include:

• Missing, orphaned, broken or bad application/Windows paths, shortcuts and links,
  
• Unwanted browser objects,
  
• Unused, obsolete Start Menu items,
  
• Missing or corrupt application IDs,
  
• Corrupt Active X/COM Objects,
  
• Residual and unused file and drivers,
  
• Unnecessary recent files list.
  
• Highly fragmented registry - this occurs because certain processes continually and incrementally modify the same values within the registry. This fragmentation, in certain cases, be excessive and eventually registry file sizes may exceed the Registry Size Limits imposed by Windows. This will cause any subsequent modifications to the registry to fail.

None of these problems are visible unless you access the registry directly. And even there the problems are rarely obvious. Registry fragmentation and errors will effect the performance of your computer and its stability and smooth operation.

The more frequent symptoms of registry problems include:

• Frequent error messages,
  
• Slow start-ups,
  
• Sluggishness,
  
• Declining performance,
  
• System stalls,
  
• Severe degradation in operating speed,
  
• Unstable and frequent application errors and crashes, and,
  
• At times, even an inability to start Windows.

Editing the Windows registry is a nightmare. I will post an article about how you can do this soon. At this stage suffice it to say even the most experienced of users find it extremely difficult to edit the Windows registry directly. And even they rely on registry cleaning tools.

Of course, not all tools are the same and some are better than others, while others still should be forceably removed from circulation since they wreak havoc to computer systems. One comment I read on a website only yesterday states that even HP technicians recommend their clients not to use certain products.

What is the Windows Registry?

In pure layman's terms, the Windows registry is a central repository or database of information needed by your computer to store important bits of information relating to your computer system. Windows needs to 'remember' stuff about your operating system, hardware and software including configurations, general settings, preferences, the locations of files, documents, photos, spreadsheets and even your browser bookmarks.

Without the Windows registry, you wouldn't be able to read this article, you wouldn't be able to see your screen saver or desktop or print or scan your favourite photos. In fact, Windows needs all this information to keep your computer running smoothly and at peak efficiency.

As you continue changing preferences, installing and uninstalling software and hardware, the registry grows and becomes more complex. As such, what you need to know is that any changes in your computer are recorded within your Registry. In addition, the chances of errors and missing, obsolete or corrupt entries increases exponentially.

Keeping your registry in a good state of repair and conducting regular scans maintenance is imperative because the registry contains important data that is used all the time during system operation.

This is where registry cleaning software comes along.

This blog is dedicated to looking at and reviewing registry cleaning products that are found on the market today.

Have a look at Editing Windows Registry Series of Articles