Occasionally computers will slow down for no apparent reason, and quite often it is because there is information in your Windows Operating System registry that is no longer relevant and which may conflict with current valid entries.  This happens when you remove programs from your computer, but bits and pieces of them are not completely uninstalled and remain behind the registry.  Sometimes the registry will contain information that is obsolete or even entries that malware has placed there.  When this happens it’s a good idea to run a registry clean-up utility to get rid of these little bits and pieces bogging down the system.

Your registry may contain hundreds or thousands of entries that allow your computer to run and process information properly.  Cleaning up the debris of old programs by hand is not always practical or advisable unless you are extremely familiar with what you are looking at.  If you remove or inadvertently alter the wrong entry, programs could stop functioning or your computer could stop working. Registry clean-up utilities go through the registry and pick out the debris of old programs for you to review.  Once you have reviewed the items, you can tell the program to delete them or to repair the registry for you.

If you are going to use a registry cleaner for your computer, you want to make sure you use one that is as comprehensive as possible and offers you the ability to back up and restore setting when necessary.  By having these features in play, you will be able to restore your computer in the event that a registry entry is removed by accident.  If you add or remove programs from your computer on a regular basis and you notice that your machine is starting to slow down, it may be time to run a registry cleaning program to optimize your computer’s performance.