Once upon a time, the various settings and user specific information that a program needed while running on a Windows system were stored in .ini files. This worked for a while, but eventually became cumbersome. Microsoft responded by creating the Windows Registry.
The registry is a labyrinth of "keys" and values which allows programs to store whatever information they need, as well as a central repository for them to look at when they need information such as the location of certain programs or values stored by other programs. The problem is that if every program on your system is using the registry and programs
get more complicated every day, it doesn't take long before your registry is filled with keys and values that may overlap or may even no longer be used. A full registry with hanging keys, tweaked values, and entire sections that are no longer used will slow your computer to a crawl, not to mention hamper its stability.
The answer is to clean the registry. Much like disk defragmentation, cleaning the registry has a huge impact on your system's performance and stability, because it is used constantly by almost every program on your computer. This one choke point can mean that every application you own runs slower than it could. But, the catch is that the registry isn't user friendly. In fact, Microsoft tries to keep people out of the registry by placing a strong warning on any document they produce which mentions the registry. So, what is a user to do?
Glary Utilities is a software package that comes with several useful utilities. The one that is absolute magic is its registry cleaner.
I'm an advanced user. I used to be a systems administrator back when I worked for The Man. I've been poking around inside the registry since Windows95 and my computers have been better for it. But, the Windows XP registry is more complicated than ever. It is a bit like the mechanic who looks at today's computerized cars and knows that there are places he just shouldn't be sticking a screwdriver anymore.
Still, I've been using registry cleaning tools for years and I have always had to babysit them by reviewing what they were going to do before I let them, in order to avoid problems on a system. With Glary Utilities, I don't have to watch the registry cleaner anymore.
Glary Utilities is free for personal use. Download and install the program and when you run it you get a clean small interface. There are a lot of tools to use here and you can't go wrong with any of them, but click over to the Modules Tab and under Clean Up & Repair, you will find Registry Cleaner. Click it, leave everything checked (scan all the items) and click Scan Registry for problems at the top and let it go. It can take a while, especially if you have never cleaned your registry before. When it is done, click the button to repair everything it found. I don't even
bother looking to see what it is going to do. It is that good.
I run the Registry Cleaner at least once a week. If my system seems to be acting funny, my first troubleshooting step is to run the Registry Cleaner. Do that, and your system will be faster and more stable.