he registry is a directory system-defined database in which applications and system components store and retrieve configuration data for the operating system for Microsoft Windows 32-bit versions, 64-bit versions and Windows Mobile. It contains information and settings for all the operating system software, hardware, users, most non-operating system sosftware, preferences of the PC, etc. The data stored in the registry varies according to the version of Microsoft Windows. Applications use the registry API to retrieve, modify, or delete registry data.
The Windows registry was introduced to tidy up the profusion of per-program INI files that had previously been used to store configuration settings for Windows programs. These files tended to be scattered all over the system, which made them difficult to track.
STRUCTURE OF THE REGISTRY
The registry contains two basic elements: keys and values.
The data is structured in a tree format. Each node in the tree is called a key. Registry Keysare similar to folders – in addition to values, each key can contain subkeys, which may contain further subkeys, and so on. Sometimes, the presence of a key is all the data that an application requires; other times, an application opens a key and uses the values associated with the key.
Registry Values are name/data pairs stored within keys. Values are referenced separately from keys. Value names can contain backslashes but doing so makes them difficult to distinguish from their key paths. The Windows API functions that query and manipulate registry values take value names separately from the key path and/or handle that identifies the parent key.
Each of the trees under My Computer is a key. The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key has the following subkeys: HARDWARE, SAM, SECURITY, SOFTWARE, and SYSTEM. Each of these keys in turn has subkeys. For example, the HARDWARE key has the subkeysDESCRIPTION, DEVICEMAP, and RESOURCEMAP; the DEVICEMAP key has several subkeys including VIDEO.
WHEN REGISTRY’S GO BAD
Douglas Adams once wrote: “The Universe is big. I mean, really big…” Well, the registry’s big too – REALLY BIG. And that’s kind of it’s problem. Like a janitor who’s getting a bit long in the tooth, and having trouble with his rounds, Windows just can’t seem to keep it’s registry clean.
Modifying your Windows registry can be a daunting task. If you delete the wrong entry your computer can become unusable. Your PC can very easily become cluttered with unnecessary files, invalid directories and damaging data. This results in poor performance, hampered by slow internet connections, frequent error messages and system crashes.
Every version of Windows – including Vista – has a weakness: All it takes is one mistake, overlap or “omission” within the registry to damage the entire database or processes & programs. And this can often happen from something as small as simply uninstalling a game, or updating an existing program. Sometimes – you can literally do nothing, and the basic daily operations of computer-use will somehow create errors in the registry, which leads to freezes, crashes, error messages, programs not working, and so on…
While a bloated, chubby registry isn’t the worst thing that can happen in life, it’s still a serious problem that’s worth getting under control. A broken registry means more of those annoying computer errors: crashes, computer slowdown, error messages and loads of other really irritating problems.
WHAT MUST I DO?
There’s no getting around it. If you want to restore your PC’s speed, functionality and reliability to the way it first was, then you need to fix the bad values & other errors that have been compiling in the Registry.
What’s the easiest way to get it back in shape? The best form of that is to scan and repair the registry. Scanning the registry is not a difficult task. All you need to do is download a bit of software, click on the ‘Scan’ button. Wait a bit. Wait a bit more. And then click on the ‘Clean’ button. It’s safe. It’s fast. And it really does work. Anyone can – and should – be doing it.
Whether you use your PC for work, gaming, or both – you’ll find you get a juicy performance boost when you scan and repair your registry. Some tools even include extra gadgets to get your PC running on top form again – like memory tweakers, startup optimizers and registry compactors.