The Windows Registry is such an important part of your PC that any problems with it will affect the way you run your entire system. I once read somewhere that experts call the Windows Registry “the heart, brain, mind, or even the soul of Windows. So you will appreciate that the registry is absolutely crucial to the operation of any Windows machine, because a messed up or bloated Registry will lead to a non-functioning computer, no two ways about it. And that is why cleaning Windows Registry is so important, as this do-it-yourself article will discuss.

Why is Windows Registry so important? Well, because it contains information relevant to hardware components, OS parameters, services, protocols, application data, and more. That would seem a lot of cleaning up to do, but the good news is that there are free, and low-priced Windows Registry cleaning tools on the Internet that are user-friendly and effective.

Most of these tools identify and remove unused shortcuts, pointers to non-existent files, and links to missing programs that have not been properly installed or uninstalled. And that is usually sufficient for the ordinary user. For advanced users, there’s always regedit.exe, but that’s another story and not for the faint of heart!

It is recommended that you perform Windows Registry cleaning at least once a month. However, if you regularly install and uninstall software or hardware, you need more frequent clean-ups, because incorrect installing or uninstalling is the prime cause of a bloated Windows Registry. However, be careful to take a backup of the entire Registry before you commence cleaning it, because if you mess up the Windows Registry cleaning, you could make your entire system inoperable. Thankfully, most Windows Registry cleaning tools include built-in backup facilities.

So here’s our do-it-yourself guide to Windows Registry cleaning in a few basic steps:

When the Registry scan is complete, the report page that appears as soon as the scan began is automatically updated. Each Registry item is listed with an option to view details.

Once you ask the tool to fix the problem, it will do so and inform you, but scan the Registry again once the unnecessary items have been deleted.

Uninstall the Registry Cleaner tool.

The entire process of Windows Registry cleaning takes about 10 minutes (could be a litle more or less depending on your computer’s speed and how large your registry has grown), but that’s a small price to pay for a clean, fast PC, don’t you think?