Clean Windows XP Registry and Have it Running Like New Again
One of the most crucial elements of your computer is the Windows XP registry. Many people refer to this as being the intelligence and soul of the Windows operating system. The Windows XP registry is where all of the files, devices and critical information about your computer are kept. This registry holds the keys that unlock all of the applications, drivers, programs and directories.
How You Should Clean Windows XP Registry
In order to correctly clean your Windows XP registry you need to pull up the Start menu and then click on the word Run. Now you can Type “regedit” into the text box and press the Enter key.
The various entries in a Windows XP registry are kept in different sections and these can be found under the headings; HKEY_CURRENT_USER; HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT; HKEY_USERS; HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE; and HKEY_CURRENT CONFIG. In each of these separate areas there are listings for different entries that all have some type of connection to some part of the operations in the Windows XP system.
When you need to clean Windows XP registry you should pull up the root directory and then click your mouse on the (+) sign that you see next to it. Now you will be given an even more detailed list and more directories to select from. This gives you an easy way to find the particular entries that will help you in your registry clean up task.
Now you can delete any of the entries that you suspect may be creating problems, and you can also dump old entries that are no longer needed. Choose the entry that you want to remove and by hitting the Delete key on your keyboard or just right click with your mouse and choose the Delete entry that appears.
You can also use a third-party registry software application that will help you as you clean your Windows XP registry. Some programs may slow your system down, but these applications often have backup features included and this will let you access your data if a critical error or system failure should occur.
When you are ready to do some serious computer “housecleaning” you should also tidy up the boot records. You can do this by going through and modifying the list of programs that load automatically when your computer system is started. Use the mouse and right click on CURRENT_USER and LOCAL_MACHINE directories until you come to the Run and Run Once options. This is where you can delete and modify the entries in the registry that are responsible for making those unwanted programs spring into action as soon as you boot up your computer.
Once every 6 months is the recommended time frame that you can use to set up your clean windows XP registry tasks. This will let you remove the unwanted or unnecessary commands and programs from your computer. If you have computers with a great deal of software applications or ones that have frequent driver installations occurring you may need to perform the cleaning process every 3 months.
In order to properly clean windows XP registry entries the computer system has to be rendered inoperable for a short time. Your registry is very important and any wrong move or inadvertent deletion could create enormous problems. This is why you should always have your back up drives in place, just in case you run into some unexpected system issues. Registry tools are readily available and they can help you locate unused or unwanted reference entries and remove them properly.