Click the “Start” button on your screen then click on “Run” and type “regedit” to be able to view the Windows Registry Editor. Observe that the organization of the Windows registry is in a ranked order. The main classes are called Hives and the subcategories are either keys or values.

The Hives, also known as Root Keys, are as follows:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT – as the name implies, contains the “root” source of your Windows interface.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER – contains data depending on the user presently logged into the computer. Remember that the Windows Operating System makes it possible to add more users aside from the computer administrator to the computer through the Control Panel.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE – if you explore this further, you will find information regarding your computer system’s hardware, software and security just to mention a few.

HKEY_USERS – as mentioned above, your system can support multiple users, which means that multiple preferences are also available to showcase their individuality.

And last but not the least,

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG – relies on the “current configuration of hardware” so as to be connected to a certain area in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

Click on the plus (+) sign before any of the Hives mentioned above in order to view the subcategories listed under each. To collapse the hierarchy, simply click on the minus (-) sign.

Simply put, you may even refer to the Windows Registry as the “know-it-all” part of your Windows Operating System.

Because of this, it is definitely not a really good idea to experiment with the Registry Editor to alter the contents of the Windows Registry if you are not skilled enough to do so. This is due to the fact that if you happen to modify it erroneously, then chances are, your system might fail tremendously! Actually, even the Help and Support Center of Windows warns against manual Windows Registry editing for amateurs.

The good news, however, is that you can always use the “Last Known Good Configuration” option upon restarting your computer to restore the Windows Registry. If this doesn’t work, then you might have to install your Windows Operating System again which will take time.

With constant use, your system might get cluttered, cramped and confused. Improper installations and deletions of software, applications and programs from you or even from various web sites in the Internet without your knowing can feed on the speed of your computer. Sometimes, the slow response is even better compared to your system crashing down!

In order to avoid improper installations and deletions from you, always utilize the “Add or Remove Programs” command located at the Control Panel. As for the Internet web sites adding uninvited bulk to your system, always make sure to arm your computer with the right virus, spyware, adware and malware protection.

The Windows Registry is like a bottomless cup. Whenever information is fed into it, it keeps it safely cradled in the Windows Registry database. Even irrelevant and obsolete entries do not get flushed out of the Windows Registry if not for outside intervention from the computer user. The Windows Registry does not clean itself up. Rather, it signals to the computer user that it is time for its regular check-up and cleaning once unusual delays, recurring error messages and system crashes are apparent.

Of course, cleaning up the Windows Registry is not that easy. It is not like simply putting a file in the Recycle Bin just because it looks like junk. It is not even like a Word Editor wherein you can hit the edit button and alter the contents whenever and wherever you want to.

If you want to have your system corrupted, then you can simply go play with the Registry Editor. But if you care about your computer, then you have to do some research first before doing anything drastic and regretting it in the future.

Also, if you do plan to clean up your registry, it is wise to backup what you need and what is important to you.

To be able to view the contents of the Registry Editor and edit it afterwards, then follow the simple steps below:

1. Click on the “Start” button and select “Run”.
2. Type in the words, “regedit” to be able to open the Registry Editor.
3. After typing, click on “OK”. The Registry Editor window should now be open. As a reminder, be sure to have a backup copy of the files you need before performing anything on the Registry Editor. This way, if everything does not go smoothly as planned then at least your files are safe and sound. Another emergency measure is to keep your Windows installer ready just in case worse comes to worst. To back-up Registration files, click on “File” then “Export”. Set the “Export Range” located at the bottom part of the opened window to “All” then “Save” them as registration files (*reg).
4. Browse the Registry Editor. Look for HKEY_CURRENT_USER and click on the plus (+) sign right beside it. You should be able to see the subcategories. If you want to go back to its collapsed view, use the minus (-) sign.
5. Look for the word, “software” and expand the collection to view the software files. If you come across software which you know you have already deleted at some point but it still is recorded in the Windows Registry, then select it for deletion by using the right click of your mouse and highlighting “Delete”. If it asks for confirmation, press “Yes”.
6. Continue inspecting after deleting. If you believe a software has been installed into your system without permission, do not delete it right away. Instead, try knowing at least something about it by searching online for more information. Sometimes, a software’s name is actually not what it seems to be, so it is better do the research first before doing the dumping. If you are a hundred percent sure that it’s unwanted software, though, then you can immediately delete it anyway.
7. After making the necessary check-up and inspection, then close the Registry Editor window and check out the performance of your newly-cleaned-up system.

It is therefore an easier way to get rid of extra weight on your system, so to speak. It is a more practical way, too, since the database is a vast compilation of data contained in your computer, its operations have no bounds and it would take a lot of work and effort for you to be able to know which file to delete and which file to keep, especially when you are still an amateur starting out with the manual Windows Registry deleting hobby. Actually, this is not even considered as a safe hobby. Manual deletion in the Windows Registry is very risky, because if done incorrectly, will result to serious system failure, loss of important information and more delay time because you would have to troubleshoot your computer for a longer period if you would not be able to get it to work properly anymore or at all.

However, it is said that the use of Registry Cleaners is a subject of speculation and debate. Some argue that spyware, malware and other types of adware are often incorporated into the Registry Cleaners being advertised online thus, favoring manual Registry Cleaning over automated Registry Cleaners. Others even consider the possibility of damage to the Windows Registry with continued use of automated registry Cleaners. If you install it in your system, then the Registry Cleaner would pretty much be in charge of inspecting and discharging unwanted information. But never forget that just as humans are not perfect, automation is not exactly perfect either.

This is not to say that Registry Cleaners are bad for the computer’s health in general. As a matter of fact, there are still lots of positive feedbacks regarding certain Registry Cleaners which can be availed for free. Some even use a combination of cleaners to keep their systems in tip-top shape. Again, a little research on Registry Cleaners will go a long way.

The exact words derived from CCleaner’s Web Site:

“CCleaner is a freeware (in bold letters) system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system – allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it’s fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware!”

They go on to saying that their Registry Cleaner has:

“Advanced features to remove unused and old entries, including File Extensions, ActiveX Controls, ClassIDs, ProgIDs, Uninstallers, Shared DLLs, Fonts, Help Files, Application Paths, Icons, Invalid Shortcuts and more… also comes with a comprehensive backup feature.”

Another advantage of this software is that it is not just a Registry Cleaner. It also cleans Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari and of course, Windows as well as Third Party Applications!

Just as expected from reliable applications out in the Internet today, CCleaner has Help and Support Pages dedicated for users of their software. Users can view latest announcements by the administrators, post, reply and read topics related to the software in the Community Forums.

In addition to that, it has also been reviewed by various entities from all over the world namely,

* Web User Magazine – UK
* BBC (Click Online) – UK
* Internet.com
* Daily Telegraph – UK
* Download.com – US
* ZDNet.de – Germany
* DinSide.no – Norway
* Clarin.com – Argentina
* ViePrivee.com – France

Awards have also been bagged by CCleaner from CNET and Chip Online just to cite some examples.

The best part of this is that besides having satisfied software users, it is also being offered to the public at absolutely no cost, thus making it very popular in the market.

Internationally acclaimed, it is also available in the following languages:

English, Albanian, Arabic, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech/Slovak, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Romanian, Russian, Serbian Cyrillic, Serbian Latin, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

Now, if this free product is not the best, then what else is out there?

These routine and gradual error messages slow down the performance and speed, which is a common problem with the Windows, based computer systems and this can be attributed to registry errors. The foremost reason for this issue is that the computer is actually aging from more than clutter.

A user requires the Windows to work dynamically, but these errors occur in between causing most of the problems. The most popular and frequent area for building up of the temporary and obsolete folders and files is the computer registry. This causes the windows to bog down as it tries to resolve all the way through the Computer Registry to execute the actions the user may need to perform. When the user figures out such messages and errors, it is a time to consider the registry cleanup.

The Computer Registry is a complete, comprehensive and through categorization system where it stores all the settings and preferences files for hardware and software drivers. Every time when a user installs a program, a new computer registry entry, is created. Whenever the user performs any action like opening a file, saving it, the registry entry becomes filled and then it takes the user a little longer to find and search through for what they are looking for. When the registry gets messy and cluttered with the obsolete, temporary and orphaned files, such registry errors occur, which slow down the performance of the operating system.

When the user deletes or removes any of the driver or a program, all of the registry entries related to hat driver of the program should also be removed, but this does not happen normally. In mostly cases, quite a few folders and files will be left to clutter up and orphaned the computer registry. The buildup of unnecessary and avoidable files contributes to the clutter. Therefore, you need to have a registry cleaner to clean up the computer, making it run more dynamically or just learn to live with a slow speed computer.

Regular and periodic use of a Registry Cleaner will help the user undoubtedly get rid of all the junk and clog from the computer, which causes the computer to slow down. The computer does require the registry cleaner to improve the speed and rapidity of the machine.

Once the user is able to find the best available registry cleaner, they are required to install and run it over the machine. It helps to enhance rapid improvement in the performance of the computer.