What’s the truth about Windows registry cleaners?  Can they do more harm then good?  Are they Safe?  Do they do any good?  What about this ad I found?

Not everybody realizes that every action which you perform on your own PC is stored in the computer’s registry. This can be a huge database that files away all the details in what exactly is often known as “keys”. Windows refers back to this database where information is stored whenever it performs an action. After a while as you install new programs, remove others, browse the ‘net and do the other stuff you should with your computer, the registry gets clogged up with old information and causes the computer to halt. Registry repair software can help you to restore your computer function to its best. Stop messing around and get the best registry cleaning software at

A faulty registry cleaning, can cause a huge nightmare:

• Programs not launching or certain options disabled
• Errors popping up during startup
• Desktop elements corrupt, disabled, or not present
• Common Windows Explorer tasks not working
• Unstable system
• Inability to boot into desktop environment
• BSOD – blue screen of death

Please note, many of these symptoms can have other causes, including incorrectly installed or buggy drivers, or spyware and viruses.  Why?  Because they (Bad drivers, or spyware/viruses) may damage the registry, or cause corruption in memory that can be eventually saved into the registry.

First, what is the registry?

The Windows Registry is an essential system file that houses a massive collection of details about your computer–where programs are stored, which helper programs (known as DLLs) are shared among your various applications, listings of all your Start-menu shortcuts, and pointers to the programs that fire up when you click on an icon. And that’s just the beginning.

Practically everything you do in Windows is recorded somewhere in the Registry. For instance, the link to this article probably has an entry now. The paths to the last dozen or so images or documents you opened are there, too, as are the details of the programs you most recently installed or uninstalled.

Windows was never designed to age the registry entries, or have any formal way to clean out unused entries.  So what does that mean?  “Applications check in… but they don’t check out!“, to paraphrase a old slogan.  The registry just gets bigger, and bigger, and bigger…

Sure Windows installers, and Uninstallers attempt to be smart, and remove all the debri.  But seriously, they never get every little registry entry.  So, the registry eventually gets cluttered with data that isn’t being used.

So what does this mean to you?

First, backup your system.  Registry cleaners can do as much harm as good, depending on your system’s state, and the quality of the application.

Two, be careful.  Take a look at reviews of the product, and be intelligent.

Three, pay attention!  With most applications you can safely just click next, but with Registry cleaners, you’ll be risking damage to your system if you don’t read the dialogs.

Check out this PCWorld (Aug 20, 2008) article, which discusses Registry clean up, and compares a few applications.

Before doing a registry cleaning, try running CCLeaner.  It cleans out alot of garage from Windows systems, including cleaning the system:

CCleaner is our system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system – allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it’s fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware!

If that doesn’t speed your system up or resolve your issue, then it maybe time to consider cleaning the registry..  But try the most non-invasive methods first…