Everybody knows that the Registry is a vital Windows component. If it becomes corrupt, you are bound to start getting serious problems with your computer. That’s why it’s so important to keep the Windows Registry healthy and optimized.

1. First of all, make regular backups of the Registry. Just like any other backup it will offer you some comfort, because you will be able to restore the Registry in case something bad happens to it.

2. Keep the Registry clean. You don’t want it to get cluttered with empty keys and missing references, because that can cause problems, such as slow and freezing computer. You can use our free Registry Cleaner to do the job.

Also keep the Registry as compact as possible, so that the disk space taken up by the Registry is optimized too.

3. Another thing worth doing is disassociating the .reg file extension from the Registry editor. This will help protect you from malware. By default .reg files are opened by regedit.exe, so it’s quite easy for malware to mess up the Registry. On the other hand, if .reg files are opened with Notepad by default, you are safe.

In Windows XP:

1. Open Windows Explorer and go to Tools
2. Select the File Types tab and  find the .reg file extension
3. Select it and click Change
4. Select Notepad as the default program to open .reg files and click OK

In Windows Vista:

1. Click Start and select Default Programs
2. Select Associate a file type or protocol with a program
3. 
4. Find the .reg file extension and click Change Program
5. Open Other Programs and select Notepad
6. Click OK and then Close

Remember that keeping the Registry well optimized prolongs your computer’s life and makes it run faster and more stable.

Cleaning the Windows Registry in an essential part of computer maintenance because having a clean Registry means having a fast and stable computer. A great way to get rid of Registry junk is to run Auslogics Registry Cleaner – a totally free Registry maintenance tool.

What is the Registry?

Windows Registry is a database that stores Microsoft Windows settings and options. It contains all the information for all hardware, operating system software, other software, and user settings – for example, all user profiles, the applications installed, the type of documents they create and so on.

Why Clean the Registry?

The Registry is one of the most vital and the most vulnerable to errors part of a computer. Programs access the Registry thousands of times per second and new registry entries are created whenever new software or hardware is installed. Most programs delete their entries when they are uninstalled, but some applications leave a lot of their registry keys behind. That’s how invalid entries mount up and the Registry becomes cluttered with unused and corrupted keys and references. As a result the system needs more time to access the Registry and find the entries it needs, which causes dramatic computer slow-downs.

Among other things that can lead to Registry problems are poorly written applications, incorrect program uninstalls, and bloated browser cache. All this can cause system errors, crashes, and failures. That’s why it’s extremely important to keep the Registry in top form by regularly cleaning all the junk and fixing all the errors that accumulate over time.

How to Clean the Registry?

Cleaning the Registry is now as simple as opening a Word document. All you have to do is launch Auslogics Registry Cleaner, select the categories to scan, scan the Registry for errors, and fix them. Of course you could do it the hard way and delete what you think is not needed manually, but that is really dangerous, because you can delete files that are needed by the system to boot and work properly.

Backup First!

Always backup your Registry before cleaning it. That way you will never have to worry about software accidentally deleting a valid entry. Use the Restore changes radio button in Auslogics Registry Cleaner to undo any changes made by the program. Also you can backup your Registry manually. Read this article to learn how to do it on an XP system.

Clean the Registry regularly – for example once a month – and your computer will run fast and stable.

Sydney, Australia – February 13, 2009 - Auslogics releases a new free Windows Registry maintenance tool – Auslogics Registry Cleaner – an essential utility to keep the Registry clean to ensure maximum PC performance. It will meticulously scan the Registry, find and remove invalid and obsolete entries, and fix various registry errors.

The Windows Registry is one of the most vital and the most vulnerable to errors part of a computer. Programs access the Registry thousands of times per second and new registry entries are created whenever new software or hardware is installed. Most programs delete their entries when they are uninstalled, but some applications leave a lot of their registry keys behind. That’s how invalid entries mount up and the Registry becomes cluttered with unused and corrupted keys and references. As a result the system needs more time to access the Registry and find the entries it needs, which causes dramatic computer slow-downs.

Among other things that can lead to Registry problems are poorly written applications, incorrect program uninstalls, and bloated browser cache. All this can cause system errors, crashes, and failures. That’s why it’s extremely important to keep the Registry in top form by regularly cleaning all the junk and fixing all the errors that accumulate over time.

Auslogics Registry Cleaner is designed for fast and safe Registry clean-up and optimization. First the program offers to choose categories to scan, then scans for registry errors, and then provides the list of errors to fix. Each problem comes with a detailed description.

Auslogics Registry Cleaner is very easy to use and has an intuitive user interface, which makes it ideal for novice users. Experienced users will be able to get the most out of the program by choosing the Advanced scan option.

Some registry cleaners can be dangerous and harm the computer because they often treat entries required by the system as invalid and delete them. This can lead to unpredictable results, make the system unstable or even unbootable. Auslogics Registry Cleaner is made in such a way that it finds only safe-to-delete items by default. In a highly unlikely event of any problems occurring, all changes can be undone by selecting the Restore changes radio button. This makes using Auslogics Registry Cleaner absolutely risk-free.

Registry Cleaner is available as a separate free tool or as part of our award-winning computer optimization suite -  Auslogics BoostSpeed.

About Auslogics

Auslogics Software Pty Ltd is a developer and publisher of premium computer optimization software. The company is storming the market with its flagship product, Auslogics BoostSpeed, which enhances computer productivity by keeping PCs running smooth and error-free. This lengthens the lifetime of computers and eliminates the need for constant hardware upgrades.

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More information:
http://auslogics.com/en/software/registry-cleaner