Monday, January 2, 2012

Windows Registry: What it’s for and how to take care of it

By Barber Paul


A registry is the database for Windows operating systems, and it is fundamentally where your computer's crucial data is stored. Among the things stored in the Microsoft Windows Registry are individual user profile data system hardware, device drivers, and installed programs and settings.



What does it do?

The Windows registry keeps info regarding what hardware you have on your P. C, what your system preferences are (on a shared computer, individual user profile preferences), what applications are fired up at start up, and how your computer's memory is set up. Windows consults this database frequently, so screw ups in the registry can be pretty catastrophic for your PC.



You can make changes to your computer's registry files indirectly thru Control Panel tools, though most applications do the changes for you. When you install an application, a registry entry is created mechanically. When you uninstall, updating the registry is done for you also. By hand changing the entries on your computer's registry is not advisable since as mentioned, the registry is updated immediately. In the event that you get a damaged file in the registry, you could need to edit it manually , though of course, you'd need to back up your registry first in case something goes badly wrong.



How do I take care of my registry?

Over the passage of time the registry can become cluttered with outmoded info, and this will cause your computer to operate inefficiently. Corrupt data can cause more snags as those could cause your PC to freeze or crash completely. Registry cleaners are available that are made specifically to keep your registry in tiptop shape, and optimizing your PC's performance in the procedure. When you choose an authentic registry cleaner though, you will need to find one from sources you can have trust in. Checking out cleaners from trusted web sites and potential vendors should keep you away from getting malignant software.



Some registry cleaners come as a standalone program, while others come bundled in with other P.C optimizing tools in a standard utility suite. Selecting between the two depends upon your preferences, naturally, but either way, getting a registry cleaner and using it frequently should keep your personal computer running at its perfect performance.




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