Fix your Computer Registry for Free

The registry is a huge database in the Windows system, containing all sorts of program data, system settings, etc. After long time usage, the registry gets messy and a lot of useless entries can slow down your computer.

Steps

Automated Cleaning

  1. Research registry cleaner programs. There are a lot of different programs available online; read up on tech review sites to find one that will work for you and that has good reviews from other users.
    • Many of these programs cost a fee, so if you are trying to fix your registry for free, make sure that you find one that does not cost money.
  2. Download a registry scanner program. Some of the many are listed below in the sources and citations.
  3. Go through the program you chose and see if there is an option to automatically scan and fix the registry on a schedule.
    • If you can't find any such option see this article on creating a task in windows: [1]
  4. Close down all open programs other than the registry cleaner you have downloaded.
  5. Run your registry cleaner program.
    • You should still use extreme caution even when using an automatic registry-cleaning program. Many programs will give you the option of approving the deletions that they want to make; it is recommended that you use one of these programs, rather than one that deletes automatically. Only delete those files that the program thinks are absolutely safe to delete; if you delete recklessly, you could remove files that impair the ability of your other programs to function. Make sure that you follow all directions provided by the program, and if you are unsure whether a file is OK to be deleted, it is best to leave it.
  6. Upon completion, close the registry cleaner program. Hopefully, you will notice an improvement in the speed of your computer.
  7. This method is recommended for the average Windows user, since the registry is difficult to understand and fiddling with it can have very bad results for your computer.

Manual Cleaning

  1. Go to the start menu.
  2. Click "Run."
  3. Type in the name of the registry editing program, regedit.exe.
  4. Once you have run the regedit.exe program, you will have access to your registry's files. From there, you can look through your registry and select files for deletion.
    • Keep in mind that the registry can be very hard to navigate. The names of files do not always give you a clear idea of what they actually are. Deleting registry files without knowing what they are can be extremely harmful to your computer.
  5. This method is probably not the right choice for the average computer user, as the registry is very large and complex.

Restoring Regedit to Default

  1. Download a program from the manufacturer of your hard disk. Zero out your drives.
  2. Once that is done, go to the bios. Start your Windows installation disk from there.
  3. Expect a fresh install. Everything is cleaned and reinstalled, instead of repaired.

Tips

  • Always err on the side of caution. A small deletion could be catastrophic, so only delete the files that you are absolutely sure will not harm your computer.
  • Run scans frequently to ensure you have a clean registry. Having a clean registry will help speed up your computer and it will save some space too!

Warnings

  • Be aware that some free registry scanners may potentially hack a computer. It is advisable to use paid registry scanners to avoid such issues.
  • If you are going to manually delete files from the registry, use extreme caution. Keep in mind that there are free programs that know what can be deleted and what not.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

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