Registry Errors, why they occur
Registry errors start to dampen your pc performance when your computer has been operating for any period of time, installing and removing software and hardware, running many different operations and adding information to the computer’s registry.
Every operation performed by your computer logs information in the registry and, in as little as 3-6 months, the registry can become cluttered with the remains of incomplete uninstalls and other unnecessary bulk.
A lot of extra stuff in your computer’s registry can lead to many kinds of operational hassles and hazards. Common causes of registry corruption, fragmentation and errors include missing, orphaned or bad applications, short cuts and links, obsolete Start Menu items, corrupt applications and residual and unused files and drivers.
PC Performance begins to lull
When your computer registry becomes cluttered or full of errors you will notice signs of poor performance like frequent error messages, slow start up times, slow response times, declining operating speed, system stalls, application errors and crashes, and, in the worst case, an inability to run your operating system.
If you are experiencing registry errors, you have some options. The first is to attempt to edit your registry yourself. This is a tricky operation and should only be attempted by those comfortable with their computers - and who are willing to risk the loss of data, even the entire contents of their computer if something goes wrong. When mistakes are made during registry editing, the only solution is often a reinstallation of the operating system.
Backup your Registry First
If you have decided to attempt a registry edit the first thing to do is back up your registry in case things go awry and you opt to switch back to the previous configuration. The steps to back up your registry differ slightly from system to system and so your particular directions available from Microsoft Support should be followed.
If you are going to proceed with editing or defragging your registry yourself you will click
- Start > Run
- > type regedit
- > click OK
Should you be doing this yourself?
You will need to know where the keys and subkeys are of the value you wish to edit. If you don’t know what this means you should definitely find out prior to running this operation and you should seriously consider not doing this yourself.
If this all seems a little overwhelming or you would prefer a less technical approach you can automatically edit your registry with registry cleaning software such as Regcure.
There are advantages of running frequent and automatic registry scans that allow you the comfort and ease of a well functioning system without needing to remember the details of every operation you run on your system. It can be thought of as the equivalent of hiring an office manager to keep track of the particulars.
A wide array of problems, Fixed
Registry cleaners are able to clean and repair many problems, the most common including Runtime Error, ActiveX Error, DLL Error, .exe Error, Blue Screen of Death, and on and on.
Getting your registry running at its optimal level is a great first step in determining good computer and system performance.
Kate Dubensky | June 9th, 2008
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