| There is no magic bullet when it comes to "cleaning" | | | | a valid setting (relates to installed software, hardware, |
| your registry. I've been in the desktop computer repair | | | | or user setting) and if it can't find a reason for it to |
| business for longer than I care to admit (or can | | | | exist, usually erases it. Can you see the tremendous |
| remember). I get at least 5 to 8 calls a month from | | | | opportunity for a screw up here? It's inconceivable that |
| some poor individual that bought a registry cleaner and | | | | any single company can track all the possible changes |
| when they installed and ran it all heck broke loose. At | | | | (sometimes in multiple areas). |
| best it screwed up some settings and at worst it left | | | | The registry is not designed to be altered by hand |
| them with a computer that won't boot. | | | | except for knowledgeable technicians due to the |
| The short definition of your registry is that it contains | | | | complexity and thousands of settings that are pretty |
| information about hardware, software, and user | | | | much unlimited. Software and hardware vendors |
| settings. Every time you add, remove, or change a | | | | create 100s of changes when they create an install |
| piece of software, or hardware, or a user setting it is | | | | routine for their product. I don't care how good the |
| recorded in the registry. The registry is setup as a | | | | registry cleaner developers are; they can't possible |
| database that holds all these settings for access when | | | | keep track of those types of changes with so many |
| needed. | | | | variables. |
| There are as many settings as you need for all the | | | | If the registry cleaner is aggressive in their changes, |
| software, hardware, and users installed. This is a huge | | | | chance are very good that you will suffer some |
| amount of information and it continues to grow as you | | | | necessary entries being removed. Depending on what |
| use your computer. In fact this database is so big it is | | | | settings are changed, you may not have access to |
| stored in five different files and locations based on the | | | | some software or hardware, and of course the worst |
| type if information. These files are often called the | | | | case is if the setting is necessary for your desktop |
| "hive". | | | | computer to boot. |
| So every time you install something new or make a | | | | The best policy is to back up your registry before you |
| change to a user setting you are adding information, | | | | make any changes. You can find out how by just |
| sometimes in multiple places, to this registry database. | | | | going to the Windows Help on your version and it will |
| Over a period of time with lots of installs, a few | | | | give you a step-by-step method. But restoring a |
| uninstalls that don't remove all of the settings, and | | | | registry is no simple task if your computer won't boot |
| changes to the operating system, you end up with a | | | | and may overwhelm most everyday users. Like I |
| bloated registry. | | | | mentioned earlier, there are five separate files that all |
| When you desktop computer boots up, it runs through | | | | go to very specific locations. If you have your |
| this database to check for settings. As you use your | | | | Windows Install CD, you can go into the Recovery |
| computer everyday, each software or hardware | | | | Console and that does make it easier but it's still not a |
| device may access those settings too. The bigger the | | | | lot of fun typing in all those directory paths. |
| registry, the slower it gets to access and boot. Throw | | | | The bottom line is if you do try out a registry cleaner, |
| in a few hundred thousand extra settings and it can | | | | always make a backup of your registry first and have |
| really get sluggish going through settings that don't | | | | some kind of restore plan. Then if the worst case |
| even matter. | | | | scenario does occur (unbootable desktop computer), |
| So enter the registry cleaners. The registry cleaners | | | | you will still be able to recover with a minimum of time |
| go in a look at each setting and try to determine if it's | | | | and trouble. |