Windows Registry Cleaning:
To Clean Or Not To Clean
Keeping your computer's registry clean is not an easy task even for experienced
users. Even if you use sophisticated software there's a risk of deleting important
files. Does it worth the trouble? Is it really that important to keep your registry
clean or is it just another way for the software companies to make money by
selling registry cleaners?
There are a lot of people who claim that cleaning your registry will not improve
your system's performance . They say it's ok to use a registry cleaner as part
of a removal process of a program (e.g. when you uninstall a software and want
to clean the entries from the registry). But most users use registry cleaners
as part of a system cleaning routine.
So why not use a registry cleaner? Because most registry cleaners delete some
dll files which are important files for some programs to run. Most registry
cleaners will offer a choice of selecting which files to delete but an inexperienced
user could easily choose to delete important files that are not to be deleted.
Are you ready to risk that the registry cleaner deletes something you really
need, causing a program or a feature to fail?
The windows registry is a really huge database with thousands of entries. If
you run a registry cleaner on a typical machine you will get only a small number
of errors compared to the size of the registry. If you search for performance
tests that somehow prove that registry cleaners are important and should be
used you won't find any real evidence that registry cleaners are important,
apart from tests performed by software companies. So is this registry cleaning
process just for the sake of "cleaning"?
There are people and registry cleaner software companies stating that registry
cleaners are important and should be used at a timely basis. The cleaners will
free some space from your computer's RAM and will make your system more responsive.
If you're encountering unexplained errors or your computer crashes or freezes
often then you need to repair your registry. There are a lot of corrupt files,
paths, registry keys that need to be cleaned in order for your registry and
your system to perform well. There are certain DLL files that need to be repaired.
If you want to avoid runtime errors, windows startup errors and especially
windows explorer errors then you have to make sure that your registry is clean
and stable. That is what the software companies developing registry cleaners
claim.
So what is the truth? Do you really need a registry cleaner? Should you spend
your time and your money and invest on a registry cleaning software? The answer
is Yes and No.
In my opinion you should use a registry cleaner to optimize your system's performance
only if you know what the registry is and how it works. Furthermore you should
know what a registry cleaner is and how it works. You must be aware of the importance
of the registry for your system. Remember, the registry is a database where
all your system's information is stored. It is so important that Windows system
has built in registry tools working on the background to make sure your registry
performs well and protect your system's integrity.
The fact is that because your computer's registry is so massive, problems can
occur as time goes by. These problems can cause strange behaviors, could freeze
up your system or cause unwanted errors. Not to mention the frustration from
the end user's point of view. If your registry is clean then you don't need
to worry. but if you notice your computer is becoming unstable then you need
to make sure your system's registry is clean and optimized.
In my opinion it's a good practice to scan and optimize your registry every
now and then but make sure you know what you're doing when making changes or
when deleting files, especially dll files. Remember that a single dll file can
be important part of more than one application or program. Do not delete anything,
unless you are 100% sure you don't need that file. Also, always perform a registry
backup before proceeding to a registry cleaning or optimizing. Most registry
cleaners offer this option of taking a backup of your registry before making
any changes. If anything goes wrong you can restore the backup.
Do not just clean your registry just because a lot of people are talking about
registry cleaners these days. Know what you're doing when messing with this
really important system's database. And always choose wisely when buying any
registry cleaning software. There are registry cleaners that are sophisticated
and powerful and can optimize your registry without the need to worry about
deleting any needed files. And there registry cleaners that are not so safe
and cannot be trusted. The choice is yours.
Source: http://www.digitalstarproducts.com/star/-detail-39.html
By Mary Markell
| 
