If you have been looking into possibly fixing, repairing or optimizing your PC, you have probably come across something referred to as a “registry cleaner”, “registry fixer”, “registry repair program, or any number of related terms.  Our goal here is to share with you what role a registry repair program plays in your PCs optimization and maintenance.

Now, before we get started there is something that we must state – not all registry ”fill in the blank“ programs operate in the same way – some offer better cleaning than others and some offer a bigger set of features than their competitors.  However, we will attempt to convey the general purpose of a registry repair program without getting into the specifics of any one application.

What a registry-cleaning program does?

In very easy-to-understand terms, a registry cleaner or repair program does exactly as the name implies; it cleans a registry.  Just so you know – the “registry” that we’re referring to is something that is located on your Windows computer, not at your local department store for a bride-and-groom to be.   Be it out-of-date registry entries, invalid associations or errant information – a registry-cleaning program is designed to clean up and optimize your Windows registry to an optimal state whereby restoring functionality and improving your computer’s efficiency and therefore speed.

A registry-cleaning program offers several sets of features in one program:

1. General registry cleaning – it removes empty and invalid registry entries.
2. PC optimization tool – A clean Windows registry is an integral part of a smooth-running computer.
3. Preventative maintenance program – Many PC errors are caused by errant registry entries and over-sized registries.  By running a registry-cleaning tool at regular intervals, you are essentially preventing future problems that you could experience had you not been using the program.

As we stated – there are different types of registry repair programs, but in general, most offer the above features that we have outlined.  Now that you know what a registry-cleaning tool is used for – it’s a good idea to sit down and decide which program will work best for you.  After all, not only is a clean registry good for your computer, it’s good for you as well.

Your computer is slow, sluggish or just lags tremendously; your programs will not load, startup is slow and computer shutdown is even slower – you just want a cure.  All you want to know is how to speed up your PC – and we have a couple of tips in mind that may just do the trick for you.

Common problems that cause your computer to run slowly

While there are a number of PC problems that can lead to a slow computing experience, many of these problems arise due to one, or both, of these two circumstances:

1. You have spyware, Trojans, viruses or other malware running on your computer
2. Your  hard drive is heavily fragmented

The good news for you today is that all of the above problems have easy solutions, regardless of whether you are a PC expert or a complete computer novice.  Both solutions are free, and all you really need to do is invest a little bit of time on computer maintenance and you may be able to speed up your PC in a few easy steps.

Why defragmenting your hard drive will speed up your computer?

When your computer’s hard drive is fragmented, it means that certain files, which are stored on your hard drive, are saved in various locations on your hard drive instead of in one location.  When your computer has to retrieve these files, it has to work harder in order to pull all of the pieces together, thus it can cause your computer to run more slowly.

Moreover, if you haven’t defragmented your hard drive in a long time (or ever!), chances are your computer is running much slower than it should be simply because you likely have an over-abundance of fragmented files on your computer.  All Windows computers have a built-in defragmentation utility, and by just running this program, you may see an improvement in your PCs speed.

Spyware, viruses and malware – your PCs worst enemy

Spyware and viruses abound online, and it’s about as easy to get an infection on your computer as it is to pick up a cold or the flu from sitting in a hospital waiting room.  Many times, we do not even notice the malware running on our computers until it starts to cause problems, such as error messages, computer crashes, or just sluggish behavior from our PCs.

Any type of malware, whether it is a virus, trojan horse, or spyware, can rob your computer of its resources and can cause the common slow computer startup problem and slow PC performance issues.

AVG Antivirus offers a free virus and spyware-cleaning tool that will help rid your computer of malicious programs that eat away at your computer’s resources.

Taking action to improve your PCs performance

Now that you know how to speed up your PC, all you need to do is take a little bit of time to implement the tips we have outlined above.  These tips are super-easy and best of all – they will not cost you anything but a few minutes of your time to see real improvements in your computer’s performance.