The Registry

Fixing The Registry

While early registry cleaners solved the problem of needing to re-install Windows every time a corruption occurred, it still didn't fix the problem of system degradation caused by registries full of junk.

Every release since Microsoft Windows 3.11 has had a database called the "registry" which stores operating system options and settings, along with settings for all hardware, software, users and preferences unique to each user.

For an example, any changes made to system policies, installed software settings, file extension associations, or any of the Control Panel settings will be reflected in the registry.

Common problems associated with the registry can often lead to system performance degradation and a large increase in the size of the registry files. In addition, the fact that most programs leave junk in the registry due to ineffective uninstall programs can also make this stuff build up over time, using up lots of space, and significantly slowing down your computer over time.

While the Microsoft Windows registry concept was a complete success in providing IT departments with the ability to centrally control and remotely administrate corporate computers, it also created a big problem for computer users. That is, it became a single point of failure.

That used to mean that if an error ever occurred in the registry, the only solution was to re-format the hard drive and re-install Windows from scratch.

The first attempt at attacking this problem of having to re-install Windows every time was the creation of a class of software called "Registry Cleaners".

The first registry cleaner was unofficially released by Microsoft, who named the software "regclean.exe". Microsoft no longer supports it, nor distributes it. However, it still works and does a good job of cleaning the registry for all versions except Windows ME or XP.

Today, there are more up-to-date and effective registry cleaners that work with all versions of Windows, such as these free ones:

• RegSeeker

• EasyCleaner

• RegCleaner

While registry cleaners do correct errors, and can remove some unassociated classes and file references, etc. they really have no way of knowing if an unrecognized entry is necessarily a good or a bad entry. So it usually errs on the side of safety and leaves it alone.

This is especially true of third-party application registry entries, which are usually not documented..

So, while early registry cleaners solved the problem of needing to re-install Windows every time a corruption occurred, it still didn't fix the problem of system degradation caused by registries full of junk.

The second attempt to finally fix "the registry problem" required not only cleaning the registry, but also rebuilding it from scratch. This process is called "defragmenting" the registry.

Most third-party software applications leave junk in the Windows registry that can be recovered later by malicious software, which can lead to identity theft. And, if any of the junk entries ever become corrupted, it can even lead to Windows refusing to start. To get rid of this junk, sometimes the registry needs to be defragmented.

Defragmenting your registry re-builds your Windows registry from scratch. All the entries that correspond to existing operating system settings and application settings are restored. But any unnecessary streams of unassociated data, however, are simply discarded. This completely reorganizes your registry for optimum performance and compacts it to the least size which makes your computer run quite a bit faster and be much more stable.

Evidence Eliminator will run your favorite registry cleaner for you, and then will defragment your registry as part of it's computer cleaning process. Your registry will be also be backed up first before anything is done, just in case your computer loses power or something else unexpected happens.

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