What is the Windows Registry?
The Registry is a database used to store settings and options for the 32 bit versions of Microsoft Windows including Windows 95, 98, ME and NT/2000. It contains information and settings for all the hardware, software, users, and preferences of the PC. Whenever a user makes changes to a Control Panel settings, or File Associations, System Policies, or installed software, the changes are reflected and stored in the Registry.
The physical files that make up the registry are stored differently depending on your version of Windows; under Windows 95 & 98 it is contained in two hidden files in your Windows directory, called USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT, for Windows Me there is an additional CLASSES.DAT file, while under Windows NT/2000 the files are contained seperately in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config directory. You can not edit these files directly, you must use a tool commonly known as a "Registry Editor" to make any changes
Keep your Windows Drivers Up to date!
These days, we use so many different kinds of software on our computer that it can be difficult to know when our drivers are out of date. Driver scanners use a database to scan your computer and find and fix outdated and improperly-installed ones for you. They don't usually take much time to work, and they can make your computer run better. The average computer may have hundreds of drivers installed on it, and it can be difficult to keep track of all your driver discs that have come with your hardware and software programs. Keeping your drivers up to date will improve your computer's performance and stability. Driver scan programs will alert you to which drivers need updated, and give you options to download and install the necessary drivers. Outdated or corrupted drivers can make your software and hardware quit working, or they can cause your computer to slow down or freeze up frequently. A driver scanner will help keep your computer running properly and keep your software working as it should.
2 Windows 7 Registry Tweaks for Performance
Faster Thumbnail Previews
The taskbar shows thumbnail previews of opened windows when you hover the mouse over the program icon. By default, it takes a little time for the preview to appear. Make the previews appear faster with this registry tweak:
Go to Start, enter and run regedit. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Mouse. On the right, open the MouseHoverTime key and reduce its value from the default 400 to around 150.
Be careful, as decreasing it further may cause problems.
Faster Shutdown
Start regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control. Find the WaitToKillServiceTimeout key on the right, double-click to edit and change it from the default 12000 (12 seconds) to 2000 (2 seconds) or above.
This setting tells Windows how long to wait before prompting you that a service is not responding to the shut down request. This may help speed up your shutdown if you have any such services running.
Registry Cleaners Revealed - Sort the Best From the Rest!
There are so many registry cleaners out there on the internet these days that it is hard to know which one is the best for your computer. Many claim to be the best out there, but few can live up to the claim. The windows registry is the place within your computer where the most important operating files are stored, these files are very important and they must be kept clean at all times. Other files are also saved into the registry, for example; every action that you perform on your computer is logged, and then saved, all of these entries add up over time and will lead to your registry becoming overloaded.
When looking at registry cleaner software, you should keep in mind that some of the lower quality registry cleaners will only do superficial scans, and are only able to remove insignificant problems, things like "empty registry keys" which usually do not cause any notable problems. Where as the higher quality registry programs can scan through your entire registry and remove all registry problems quickly and easily.
A good way to find out how thorough the scan is going to be is to look at how many different categories the registry program will scan through. High quality ones have the ability to scan through up to 15 different types of registry categories, this is practically the whole registry, by doing this you can be assured that all the problem areas will be scanned and repaired.
One further thing you should look for when buying a registry cleaner is, does it have a "back-up function". By backing up your windows registry you can be certain that if there ever is a problem with your registry system state, then it can easily be restored at the click of a button. I have come across many stories online about people who have used lower quality registry cleaners and having major malfunctions on their computer afterward.
I have used a lot of registry cleaners over the years and have come across a lot of duds, which is a common story. The best way to find out which registry cleaner is considered to be the best, is to find out what other people are saying in the forums, then try it out for your self. You are always offered a 'free scan', and once the scan has been completed you are then prompted to purchase, this is very handy because it gives you the opportunity to try before you buy.
After testing out many myself I came across ' RegistryWizard', it scanned through my Windows XP system in a little over 4 minutes and picked up more than 1300 errors, far more than the rest, and much quicker too, so I decided to buy and finish the cleaning process. After everything had been cleaned my computer ran much quicker, and I never seem to get those mysterious error messages any more, all in all I would definitely recommend using RegistryWizard if you are experiencing computer problems.