Registry errors can cause your PC to act sluggish, freeze, lock up, reboot unexpectedly, have program errors, lose data, and crash. What is a windows registry? How did it get corrupted and what can I do to fix it?

Your computer has a file, which contains information and settings for all your hardware, operating and non-operating system software, users, and preferences. This directory is called the registry. When you make changes to your computer, anything from changes to the Control Panel to changes to most installed software; these changes are reflected and stored in the registry. If this registry gets overloaded with errors it can cause your PC to act sluggish, freeze, lock up, reboot unexpectedly, have program errors, lose data, and crash.

I wondered, “How can this happen?” Those of us who are amateur computer operators tend to think our computers are invincible. This registry is constantly changing along with the use of the system. Sometimes there are references left behind after we uninstall programs. Some of us remove software incorrectly and leave fragments in the registry. Occasionally we have missing or corrupt hardware drivers. When downloading programs or files from the Internet the registry gets filled with redundant information such as ActiveX controls. Some hardware such as plug and play peripherals also have to be registered in the registry; then, when uninstalled references remain in the registery. As these discrepancies build up you may experience the problems listed above. Your registry is like the nerve center of your computer, and not maintaining your registry is like driving your car with no engine oil. If you are having problems and a virus is not detected and you are sure it is not a problem with your hardware then there is a good chance your problem is with your Windows registry. By using a registry cleaner regularly and fixing registry errors your system should be more stable.

Now we have an idea of what is wrong, where do we go for help? There are numerous products available to scan and repair your registry. I purchased RegSweep and a complete scan of my file system and registry detected over 800 errors. I had never done this before and was amazed at what was found. The program repaired all my errors and my computer is running smooth again. RegSweep can do a complete scan of your entire file system and registry in under 2 minutes. All corrupt files, paths, and registry keys will be analyzed and automatically repaired so that your PC functions just as when you first purchased it.