Common Windows Registry Cleanup Methods by Jason Z Bell

The registry is a vital component of the Windows operating system that comprises important system, user, hardware, and software configuration information. Each and every operation on your Windows computer runs through the registry by accessing, modifying, adding and removing information from it. Ideally, the data that is no longer required should be removed from the registry. However, in real life this rarely happens and over a period of time your registry gets filled up with loads of unwanted, obsolete, and invalid data. This eventually results in a bloated registry that may corrupt and fragment the registry files and generate several computer errors. At times, registry problems may get so severe that they cause system failures and render your Windows computer unbootable.

To prevent these problems and maintain a healthy registry you need to perform a registry cleanup. Discussed here are some of the tasks that you can perform to clean the unwanted registry data.

Get Rid of Unwanted Programs

Whenever you install a software program or utility on your computer, some information is added to the registry. As a result, if you frequently install programs on your computer, the Windows registry will grow rather quickly. To prevent this, it's recommended that you uninstall unwanted and unused programs from your computer. This will not only help you maintain a healthy registry, but also enable you to free up valuable disk space.

To uninstall these programs, you can use the Add or Remove Programs that can be launched from the Control Panel.

Use a Third-Party, Windows Uninstaller to Delete Unwanted Orphan Files and Registry Entries

Just removing unwanted programs is not the complete solutions. Quite often uninstalled programs leave behind certain files, folders and registry entries on the system. This unwanted orphaned data not only clutters your disk but also has adverse effects on the Windows registry.

There are several things you can do to get rid of this data. To remove these unwanted files and folders, open the Windows Explorer window, navigate to the Programs Files folder and then check if the folder of the program you uninstalled exists here. If it does, delete it. You may also check the Start menu, Desktop, and the Quick Launch bar for program's shortcuts, and delete them if you find any.

You may also opt for a reliable third-party, Windows uninstaller program to scan and remove all unwanted, orphaned program data and registry entries.

Use Windows Repair Software

Your Windows computer has a Registry Editor (regedit) tool that enables you to perform a registry clean up to some extent. However, this tool does not consist of any automated feature to perform registry maintenance, and the chances of errors in manual registry editing are quite high.

To take care of this problem, and to help you maintain a healthy registry, there are several third-party registry cleaner tools available that enable you to easily perform the following registry maintenance tasks:

* Perform a thorough and automatic scan of the registry and clean up all unwanted data from it. * Repair erroneous registry entries and as a result resolve several computer errors. * Defrag the registry to compress it and to speed up data access. * Back up the registry on regular basis to ensure that you can easily fix it in case of a problem.

The registry is a critical component of your Windows computer. Use the methods explained in this article to maintain a healthy registry and enjoy high-performance, error-free computing experience for a long time.

About the Author

RegistryRepairTips.com has done the research so you don't have to! If you are looking for Registry Cleaner Reviews, including a detailed Registry Cleaner Comparison, of the best registry cleaners for 2008, check out registryrepairtips.com.

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How to kill that narsty virius lurking on your computer. by Sonia

You suspect your computer has a virus. It's slow, it's doing showing some rather odd behaviour, it's giving you the headache. Getting rid of such virus's is not as easy as dosing your computer with a hot cup of lemon tea and rugging it up by the fire, hoping it will run it's course soon enough. Getting rid of those pesky virus's can be rather difficult. You get rid of one, only to find it's spawned a hundred more, all with different names and now living in a hundred different locations.

You tried your best and there is nothing for it, you need help. In this day and age, one simply can not surf the net without coming across some virus or other. No matter what the website, these days having some sort of Anti-virus software is a must. There are hundreds of Anti-Virus software out there and some do a better job then others.

Finding one that does the best job of not just getting rid of your current virus problems but alert you when a virus is pending can solve a lot of problems and save you a fair bit of time and heartache. Yet far too many of available software these days only get rid of some virus's, some even don't do much at all.

While some do a pretty good job but if you want to know which ones work the best then you better visit my site right now and save yourself a whole heap of time and money.

http://sonia147.bezoogle.com/pp/anti-virus/

About the Author

I'm 26, I live in Melbourne, currently single and love nothing better then to curl up by the fire with a good book.

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Spyware Protection - Free Scans, Are They Worth the Effort? by John Rogers

You're proud of yourself. You installed the latest and greatest antivirus software when you bought your last computer, and you've kept it current with the latest virus definitions. You have your operating system set to auto-update and install all the new security patches. You're careful about what you download and have your anti-virus program set to scan files before they're actually saved to your hard drive.

But suddenly your computer seems sluggish. It's slow to boot, and takes a long time to open or save files. You notice the home page in your browser has changed, but you don't remember changing it. You think you spot a new icon in the system tray, but can't remember if it was there or not.

You suspect a virus, but run a scan of your entire system and it shows as clean.

What could be the problem?

Spyware!

Spyware can be installed on your computer without your knowledge, and can result in a number of computer performance issues. Spyware is designed to monitor or control your computer use. It can be used to monitor your web surfing, redirect your browser to particular websites, send pop-up ads, or record your keystrokes, which can ultimately lead to identity theft.

The key to protecting yourself from spyware is to learn how to recognize it, avoid it, and remove it from your computer. All computer users should take the time to implement prevention measures against spyware infection, educate themselves to recognize indicators that their system has been infected, and learn what actions are necessary to eradicate spyware from an infected machine.

Indicators of a spyware infection include:

- An unusually high number of pop-ups

- Your browser goes to sites different than where you tell it to go

- A new toolbar appears on your browser

- New icons appear on your desktop or on the system tray

- Keys suddenly don't work

- The appearance of seemingly random error messages

- Computer boots slower than usual

- Computer seems slow when saving files or starting programs

Fortunately there are steps you can take to drastically reduce your risk of a spyware infection. Those steps include:

Keep your operating system and web browser current. Spyware can exploit security holes in these programs. Software companies issue free "patches" to plug those holes as they're discovered. If there is an auto-update feature for your operating system and browser, make sure you have activated that feature to automatically check for and install those updates. It is also a good idea to check for updates manually, even when you have your system set to auto update.

Use both anti-spyware and anti-virus software, set up a firewall, and keep them current. Most anti-virus software doesn't detect spyware, and if it does it generally doesn't do nearly as good of a job as a standalone anti-spyware program. Make sure you have both types of programs installed on your computer, and that the programs check for and install updates daily.

Be cautious of free downloads. It's fun to download free games, screen savers, file-sharing applications, and toolbars. But it's also important to understand that some of these free software programs may also infect your system with spyware. If children share your computer, make sure you instruct them not to download programs without your permission.

Know exactly what you're installing before you install it. End-user license agreements (EULA) contain important information about programs and what they do. Be sure and read the EULA before installing any software, and if a particular program doesn't have a EULA, or it is hard to find, carefully consider whether you are comfortable risking infection of your system.

Minimize unapproved downloads. If the security settings on your browser are low, you leave yourself succeptible to receiving downloads that you aren't aware of. Ensure your browser security settings are high enough to detect these. Internet Explorer should be set to the "Medium" setting at a minimum.

Don't click on pop-up links. Click the red "X" icon to close pop-ups. Clicking anything within the pop-up window (such as a cancel button) might install spyware on your computer.

Install a firewall. A firewall will block outside access to your system and will alert you in the event spyware already installed on your computer is sending information to unauthorized users.

Back up your data. You have important information stored on your computer. Make a back up copy of everything you would like to have in the event your computer crashes. Do this often.

If you suspect your computer might be infected with spyware, immediately cease any activity that involves credit cards, bank accounts, user names, passwords, or other information that may compromise you personally. Check to ensure your security software is active with the most current updates, and scan your entire system for both spyware and viruses. Remove or quarantine anything detected as malicious.

About the Author

Eradicate spyware from your computer. Author, John Rogers recommends you implement a spyware protection free scan of your computer at http://www.spywareprotectionfree.com

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