The First Thing You Should Do to Troubleshoot A Slow Computer by Michael Torc
Every computer that runs on Windows has a Registry. The Registry is an obscure database that keeps track of all the activities that affect the OS like those that are done through the Control Panel. The installation of a new software for example will add new entries into the Registry. These new records contain all the information needed by the OS about the installation. If the software was installed with the aid of the Windows Installer when that software is removed with everything else being equal those records will be removed also. But since not all installations are supervised by the Windows Installer not all other Registry write delete operations are perfect records tend to build up over time causing the Registry to inflate.
Since the OS short for Operating System often consults the Registry before organizing sets of tasks it easy to see how a more complex Registry would result in a slowing down of the system leading a user to troubleshoot a slow computer. The residual data in the Registry can does produce lowered PC performance. As can be imagined the slowing down is gradual increases over time. It is not uncommon for Windows users who are unaware of the Registry its role to ascribe the lowered performance to the aging of the computer or to a virus. to troubleshoot a slow computer the user might send it to its manufacturer take it to a computer repair shop or even replace it with a newer model a move that is costly in both time money.
The organization of the Registry resembles that of a directory system. There are Five to Seven main directories depending on the version of Windows. These main directories are logical regions of the OS are commonly called hives. They have names such as HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT HKCR HKEY_CURRENT_USER HKCU HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE HKLM etc. Like a file directory a hive can be expanded down to several levels of sub folders until the ultimate elements are reached. The final elements of the Registry are not files but Keys Values. Each Key Value is holder for a numerical or string value that represents data is meaningful to the OS.
A Windows operator is able to access the Registry by means of a Windows program known as the Registry Editor or the Regedit Utility. We will call it Regedit. Regedit has a similar user interface to Windows Explorer the well known utility used to manipulate folders files. For example the right pane facilitates navigation of the hives sub hives. The left pane allows interaction with the Keys Values. Remember what those are A menu bar at the top provides similar functionality to that on Windows Explorer. Here a note of warning. Messing with the Keys Values is highly unsafe activity should not be done unless maybe you are an experienced System Admin or Programmer. Tampering with the Registry can render your computer unbootable salvageable only by costly data recovery techniques. So to implement the following tutorial use Regedit only to inspect the Registry not to modify it.
First launch Regedit. Just click Start Run then type "regedit" in the command box. Next do a backup of the Registry. Never skip this step. It is done by clicking "File" at the top left scrolling down selecting "Export". Now type a name for the Registry backup file save it in a convenient location like your Desktop. As you can see the Registry is file with the extension . REG. Now you are free to explore the Registry more or less risk free. Investigate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE HKLM which stores the hardware software configurations. Inspect the rest of the hives. Now that you've seen how complex obscure it you can appreciate the fact that cleaning the Registry manually to troubleshoot a slow computer simply makes no sense.
That is why there exist software tools known as Registry Cleaners. They are the Second most popular tool after anti virus software. Like their name suggests their job is to clean up the Registry of unwanted data restore the database of Windows into its present state. Although all Registry Cleaners have the same intended purpose not all of them do the same thorough job.
The most highly recommended tool is Registry Fix. It corrects DLL issues installer issues ActiveX controls errors due to Windows Internet Explorer Windows installer issues System32 errors Runtime errors email client Errors Svchost errors EXE errors more. to troubleshoot a slow computer just visit Registry Fix troubleshootslowcomputer. info press the Start FREE Scan button to save install the program on your PC. After you run it it will display a report with all the Registry problems their severity. to fix those problems you will need to purchase a license for the product but luckily it not pricey by all means well worth the price as it will bring back your Computer to its original performance level.
Michael Torc is former Programmer a successful Online Marketer a member of Mensa. He enjoys writing articles on techie topics highly recommends Registry Cleaner troubleshootslowcomputer. info to troubleshoot a slow computer restore it to its newly out of the box speeds. Don't reprint this exact article. Instead reprint a free unique content version of this same article. The First Thing You Should Do to Troubleshoot A Slow Computer
