As a PC user, you’ve experienced the frustration. A program takes an eternity to open, windows seem to take much longer to expand, and even minimizing your browser gives you a headache. However, it’s not time to buy a new computer yet! Instead, these are all symptoms of a Windows registry needing to be checked and fixed. Since the introduction of Windows 98, any computer running on the Windows operating system has a registry. Monitoring and cleaning this registry is essential to ensuring your computer runs smoothly and efficiently.

What is the Registry?

Very basically, the Windows registry stores all the settings and options for the operating system within a database. Any time you add or remove hardware, install or uninstall software and even when you add a new user, all the information and settings information is saved in this database.

Additionally, the registry is what allows you, the user, to see inside the operation of the system kernel. Over the course of time, all this installation and removal of hardware, software and user accounts will have an impact on the registry. In turn, these changes cause your computer not to work as efficiently as it should.

How to Fix the Registry

If you purchased your computer with Windows 98 or higher installed, it is equipped with regedit – a basic registry editing tool. If you are very computer savvy, this tool should be more than sufficient for fixing any registry errors. However, while most of us are capable of managing the everyday tasks of our computers, few are at the technical level required by the regedit program. In addition, regedit has its own share of bugs and is notorious for causing more problems than it corrects.

Fortunately, there are a vast number of programs to clean your registry available on the web. The best types are ones that are graphic user interfaced, making them easy to use. You may also want to choose one that runs regular checks on your computer to ensure that your registry stays up to par consistently.

How Does a Registry Cleaner Work?

Every registry cleaning program uses specific algorithms that are designed to scan the Windows registry. Once an error is found, it is stored in a list. Some programs will allow you to opt whether or not you would choose to repair the error, while other programs are set to scan automatically and then immediately repair the errors. Depending on how confident you are in your computer skills, you can choose the software accordingly. In addition, most of the available programs have a built in scheduler, allowing you can set your registry checks on a regular basis and ensure your computer is working at its peak at all times.

The Importance of Backup

No matter which program or style you choose, you should always ensure a backup is made of your Windows registry. There are always chances for mistakes to be made, and being able to reinstall a previously saved registry will prevent serious stress if something goes wrong.

Our top three registry cleaner programs that are proven to fix Windows registry errors:

• Registry Easy - Click to read our review.

• Registry Fix - Click to read our review.

• Registry Genius - Click to read our review.