How to Clean Up a Registry

Before you get started cleaning your registry, we recommend that you do not attempt to manually clean up the registry unless you are familiar with its unique and sometimes complicated language. If this is the first time you have conducted an operation like this on your computer, you will need to be extremely careful. Misreading a “user profile” could lead you accidentally to erase important information from your computer. So before even thinking about engaging in the process, ask yourself honestly if you possess the requisite knowledge. Then, if you do, make sure the first thing you do is to create a back up.

The following are instructions for manually backing up the registry using the Windows Registry Editor.

Registry Clean Up Steps

Go to the START button on your desktop, then go to RUN, enter the word “Regedit” (without quotes), in the run window, then click OK. Next, click: File. Move down and click Export. Create a new name for this back up and SAVE it. After you have successfully done this you can go to the registry editor window (on the left) and see how everything in your computer is configured. The location commonly used for deleting registry files and changing software and/or hardware in the registry is: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

Similarly, the way to create a back up in Windows XP is to make a Restore Point.
To do this go to Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>System Restore. Click: Create A Restore Point, select: Next, then simply follow the wizard.

When in Vista, hit Start, type “sysdm.cpl” (without quotes), then hit ENTER. Click System Protection and, finally, the Create button.

For those who are (justifiably) prejudiced against using System Restore, an alternative is the free Emergency Recovery Utility NT (ERUNT). However, you can only use this option if you are not using Vista. Either way, always make sure to use your cleaner’s back up provisions.

Once your computer registry is backed up, be certain to close all your other programs. Then, take a deep breath, open the cleaner, and let it do its job. The way this process works is that the cleaner will scan your registry looking for incomplete or missing file references. When it is finished doing this, it will show you a list of entries it thinks you ought to delete. Chances are, if you are like most people, you will not recognize all the file names on this list. Speaking from my own experience, I have never had a registry cleaner delete an important file. Even so, it has happened to many people. This is precisely why you must make backups before you do anything else.

Choosing the right registry cleaner for your machine is something only you can do. I myself have had luck with XP Medic, Registry Patrol, and EasyCleaner, but that does not mean they are the right choices for you. Browse your options on the internet, check out reputable chat rooms and websites; in short, do the right research before you take the plunge to clean up your computer registry.