How Important Is It to Clean Your PC's Registry?

Common advice is that you do not need to run a registry cleaner with the newer Microsoft operating programs such as XP and Vista.  Because these operating systems are based on Windows NT instead of the registry, invalid or broken registry keys should not slow your PC down.

On a practical level, however, if you have removed adware, spyware or other malware from your computer system, there may be bad registry keys that are messing up your PC performance despite the fact that the computer's operating system is XP or Vista.

If your software is not running correctly or takes forever to load, it's worth your time to check out the registry.

Microsoft's operating systems include a program that is called "regedit" that you can access from the "start/run" command.  When you access regedit, you'll see the entire contents of your registry folder.  Without having to rely on third party software, the regedit program will enable you to identify any bad keys in your registry and remove them directly.

The non-technical PC user does not understand the meanings of the registry keys.  Fortunately, there are some software programs available for free or for a small price that will identify any bad keys.  These programs will give you a choice of either allowing the software to automatically delete the bad registry keys or letting you choose which invalid keys should be deleted.

Be cautious about downloading free registry cleaners or antivirus programs.  Some of these programs include adware or other forms of malicious code that will create a lot of trouble for you down the road.  If you prefer not to spend money on a registry cleaner, download from a trusted service like cNet that verifies that your freeware is free of malware.

If your software programs are not running efficiently, visit the NotGuru blog's computer tips section, where you will find a step-by-step tutorial on how to clean your registry.  The tutorial includes written instructions and screen shots that can be printed out for future reference.  It also recommends trusted registry cleaner software.