Understanding the Basics of the Windows Registry
The Windows Vista registry is a large, complex, and tree–like database built up of keys, subkeys, and their individual values. These keys and values are used to store onfiguration data linked with user preferences, hardware and software setup, and system settings.
Similar to older Windows operating systems, the Windows Vista registry consists of the following five root keys:
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM): Contains configuration information related to all hardware devices and software programs that are installed on your system.
• HKEY_USERS (HKU): Contains information related to all user profiles configured on the system. HKEY_USERS key has a template, which is used by your system to generate new user profiles with default configuration.
• HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (HKCR): Stores information about file types and extensions, protocols, and classes registered on your computer. This key is user-specific and extracts user-specific data from the HKLM key. The information displayed in the HKCR subtree is obtained from the HKLMSOFTWAREClasses and HKCUSOFTWAREClasses keys.
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU): HKEY_CURRENT_USER key contains information related to desktop settings, variables, variables, environment user folders, and other user-specific settings for the current user. Like HKCR, this key extracts user-specific information from the HKU key. The information displayed by this key is pulled out from the HKUSecurity ID key of the user logged in on the system.
• HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG (HKCC): This key contains information about hardware configuration for the current user. This key extracts relevant information from the HKLMSYSTEM CurrentControlSet CurrentControlSetHardware Profiles key.
Causes of Vista Registry Problems
Registry problems occur due to the accumulation of a large amount of unwanted data within it that cause the registry to inflate to a very large size. The registry of a PC may inflate, if you:
• Install new programs on regular basis
When you install a new program, many entries are added to the system’s registry. Therefore, if you install multiple programs on your system, the data in the registry will also grow, which is likely to inflate the registry.
• Leave orphan keys on the system
Even when you uninstall large applications from your system, they may leave behind many orphan keys in the registry increasing the number of obsolete and unwanted keys in the Windows registry.
• Perform registry cleaning
When you perform registry cleaning and uninstall programs, registry holes or empty placeholders of the removed key may be left behind. These keys may keep adding up, slowing down the registry and thus deteriorating the performance of your system.
• Use Internet, e-mails
Many malicious and corrupt entries are added to the registry by malware programs, such as virus, worms, spyware, Trojans, and adware with regular usage of the Internet or e-mails.
• System-breakdowns
When a system breakdown occurs, it may corrupt many registry entries. It also damages various faulty applications, DLLs, ActiveX components, device drivers, and other files.
A system’s registry is likely to bloat due to the above-listed factors, and hence may get damaged. This may make your system unstable and cause frequent system crashes.
Registry Tips: Fixes and Maintenance
Although it is possible to manually fix registry problems by using the “regedit” tool to some extent, it is not easy and foolproof. Therefore, if you are looking for a less tedious and simple registry cleaning procedure, you are recommended to use a reliable registry cleaner tool.
It is possible to perform several registry maintenance tasks by using a registry cleaner tool. The tool enables you to thoroughly scan the entire registry of your system to identify and delete undesired information. There are many benefits of a clean registry. If you scan and repair your registry regularly, you can fix DLL errors, runtime errors, driver errors, and several other computer-related errors. In addition, you can also enhance the performance your computer by maintaining a healthy registry.
You can also defrag your registry by using a registry cleaning tool. A defragged registry offers you quick access and enhances your computing experience. You can also make regular registry backups by using this tool as well as restore the files if your system’s registry crashes.
