We need to clean the registry. Is it worth cleaning the Windows registry

To state unequivocally that the registry cannot be cleaned at all, I would not.
However, I use the time-tested RegOrganizer program for this. It allows you to fine-tune individual registry segments. RegOrganizer is safest to use if you have a brain. You can screw up the system with any cleaning utility if you do it thoughtlessly.
From myself I will say that I never clean the registry just like that, because there is nothing to do. The need may arise if there really are some problems, something does not work, the program is not installed, the trial period is not reset. I believe that the regular cleaning of the registry, which is so promoted by the software manufacturers, is sheer handicap, which comes from the desire to experiment. This is especially true for newbies when they want to explore the possibilities of a new car up and down.
In addition, use the cleaners with extreme caution. They analyze the registry and give out a list of keys that you need to view and uncheck those that are not directly related to the program. Unfortunately, very many people do not view the results, but immediately click "Delete".
RegOrganizer is configured to clean not the entire registry, but certain branches, the purpose of which is clear. By understanding what you are doing and why you are doing it, you can avoid problems with the system.
Following these simple considerations, in 11 years of using the computer, I have never had a problem after cleaning.

Regarding the effect of cleaning the registry on performance, it certainly is. Firstly, because the fewer entries in the registry, the less time windows access to the required keys. Finding the required key among 10 or among 10 thousand records - is there a difference? Reduces the number of calculations, energy consumption and heat generated by the processor. The speed of work increases, albeit not dramatically, but this acceleration, accumulating from day to day, leads to the fact that you have time to do more. Secondly, incorrect registry entries lead to system and program failures, slow down the work.

There are entire software packages for Windows maintenance and optimization. But they are needed not only for "purity". There is, for example, a thin tweaker that allows you to configure system parameters that cannot be changed by standard means (except, of course, regedit and cmd.exe). There are utilities for deleting files, evaluating performance, and much more. Unfortunately, in the pursuit of users, manufacturers of such software began to add more and more automatic one-button solutions to their products, which are capable of causing irreparable harm. How many yells have I seen on varezniki after a person presses this button (like "You have 125 problems. Fix it now!") And he starts having glitches in the system. The latest version of Ashampoo WinOptimizer does not ask the user about the changes that are being made, but immediately after pressing the "Scan" button, it immediately "fixes" what seems problematic.

I believe that there is a certain range of operations that should be performed regularly:
- Deleting the browser cache (although in Opera the cache can be limited in the settings);
- Removing temporary files that remain after preliminary unpacking by many installers. This operation sometimes freed me up just gigabytes of space;
- Cleaning Temp folders
- Defragmenting the disk and registry (for those who still use HDD)
— Backup important data
- automatic cleaning of the registry by RegOrganizer is a relatively safe operation, since the authors of the program have configured the necessary branches for analysis. Allows you to find invalid extensions, invalid links to files and folders, empty uninstall keys, invalid DLL links, fonts, outdated program requests and much more.
- Full scan of the system with antivirus.

Almost all actions performed by the user are recorded in the registry (database windows data). With prolonged use of the PC, the size of the database increases, many garbage records are created in it and a lot of errors occur. To optimize and speed up computer performance, you need to clean the Windows 7, 8, 10 registry.

Most likely, you will not feel a strong performance increase, but there will be no unnecessary optimization, although it all depends on the degree of neglect. In addition, I recommend doing more. Standard OS tools do not provide the ability to clean the Windows registry, so consider special programs and manual way cleaning.

Registry cleaning programs

There are many applications that clean the registry, but there are some that do not perform their functions or can harm your computer. Damage to important registry keys is accompanied by windows errors or causes the OS to not start, which requires the use of a system recovery tool. Reliable programs that perform the stated tasks include:

1. CCleaner
2. Comodo System Utilities
3. Windows Cleaner
4. Wise Registry Cleaner

For example, let's take a closer look at cleaning the registry. Windows application number 1. Download and install CCleaner. Start CCleaner, go to the "registry" section. All elements are checked by default, I recommend leaving this way. Click the "search for problems" button, wait for the process to finish, then click the "fix" button.

In the message that appears, click "yes", this will allow you to do backup registry just in case. Specify the folder for saving the reg file and its name, click "save". In order not to fix problems one by one, click "fix marked" and wait until the end of the process.




Close application windows. In the program, in addition to the action to clean the Windows registry, you can clean the system as a whole and use services to optimize the OS. Perform the process once a month or more.

Manual registry cleaning

If you don't trust the programs, then you can manually clean the registry. The process will take longer, and you will not be able to fix all the errors. The process is to remove the remaining software entries from the registry, and clean up the startup.

Note: This manual is for advanced users. Damage to the registry can be accompanied by critical problems and errors.

Create a system restore point or make a backup described below. Produce, 8, 10. Click "file", then "export".




Select the "Entire Registry" range. Specify the name (in Latin letters) and the storage folder, click "save". If you encounter unwanted problems, you can restore the previous state from the reg file.




On the left side of the registry is a tree-like structure of the keys. Expand the HKEY_CURRENT_USER section, then the Software subsection. Software stores data about installed (once removed) software. Now look for the name of the programs you removed. Click right click on the partition to be deleted, select "delete" from the menu, click "yes".




Now press Ctrl + F to bring up the search bar. Write the name of the program you are looking for, set the parameters as in the screenshot. Click "find next", wait for the end of the search. If you find associated registry keys with the search phrase, delete them. Then press F3 to find the next result, manually remove all links and repeat the process.




Tip: install for real required programs... If you are going to remove applications, then read,. When properly uninstalled, adequate applications clean up their traces in your registry.

Here's how to properly clean the registry in Windows 7, 8, 10. Using the programs listed in the recommendations will be much more relevant than manual cleaning. The programs will save a lot of time and will perform the task more thoroughly.

Very often the computer, having worked for a sufficient amount of time without failures, starts to slow down, load for a long time and freeze while working with any application.

Many users start looking for an answer to this question, most of them are inclined to believe that a virus is present on the computer, but antivirus check proves the opposite. In this case, the reason lies, most likely, in the need to clean the registry.

Why clean

First, let's figure out what the registry is. It is an operating system database that stores parameters and settings.

While the computer is running, it makes new entries in the registry regarding the installation and removal of software, connection of devices (for example, a USB flash drive, printer, modem, and others).

Over time, the registry fills up, making the OS harder to find required files... In addition, it may not work correctly if, after uninstalling the program, some of its components remain. Because of this, a key conflict occurs, which leads to unstable operation of the computer.

Cleaning the registry helps to optimize the system and thus speed up your PC. For cleaning, you can use special software such as "Ccleaner" or clean the registry with your own pens.

Video: Cleaning your computer

We clean with Ccleaner

Many users are familiar with Ccleaner, a small utility that allows you to quickly clean up the registry, delete temporary files, set up autorun and not damage windows.

Ccleaner has an intuitive interface, making it easy for any novice user to understand. Presently latest version the utility has the number 4.19.4867. You can download it from the website software... It also comes in several editions: standard, portable and lightweight.

Cleaning tab

During the first launch, the user will see the main window, where several items will be presented on the left side: cleaning, registry, service and settings. At the top of the main window of the utility, information about the version of the program and system information about the computer.

"Cleanup" allows you to remove temporary files from the system, browsers, utilities, multimedia and many others. The user can, at will, mark those items in the lists where it is necessary to perform cleaning.

It is necessary to draw your attention to the paragraph "Cookies". If you check this box, the program will delete saved passwords in browsers, since they are stored in so-called cookies.

Registry tab

The list is displayed here possible problems with the registry. Ccleaner will analyze its integrity (find old keys that were left behind due to incorrect uninstallation of programs).

It should be noted that any error in the registry will slow down the computer, the system starts to work less stable (arbitrary restart of the computer, slowdown of applications, relatively long loading of the operating system at startup and many other problems).

Working with a tab is quite simple:

• first you need to click on the "Registry" tab. The user will be taken to the main window, where the list "Integrity ..." will be presented on the left side. By default, each item is ticked. It is recommended not to remove the marks;

  
  

• then you need to click on the tab "Search for problems", and the program will start analyzing the registry;

  
  

  
  

• after the analysis, click on the "Fix ..." tab;

  
  

• after clicking on the item "Fix ..." the user will be prompted to make a backup copy of all changes. This makes it possible, if necessary, to make a restoration to its original state. You just need to click on the saved copy;

  
  

• after a decision has been made to save (or not) a backup copy of the registry, a small window will appear where its problem and the possibility of fixing it will be described;

  
  

• after fixing the current problems, the troubleshooting procedure must be repeated several times.

  
  

Tools and Remove Programs tab

Using the "Service" function, the user can remove applications and components, configure startup, find the files he needs, perform a system restore and erase the disk.

Now let's deal with each item presented:

1. item "Uninstall programs" - an alternative method of uninstalling applications instead of the standard one, through the control panel. The "Uninstall programs" section provides information about each application (publisher, installation date, size and version).

To remove you need:

Settings tab

The settings contain the main parameters of the program:

• "Settings". In this tab, you can configure the language, select additional options, such as "Clean up on computer startup", add the "Run Ccleaner" item to the context menu of the Recycle Bin, and others. You can also choose the cleaning mode and disks to clean up free space;

  
  

• "Cookies" allow certain cookies to be stored for Internet browsers. To do this, right-click on the desired site and select "Save" in the drop-down menu;

  
  

• "Inclusion" allows you to select specific folders that the program will always delete;

  
  

• "Exclusion" allows you to select folders and files, as well as certain registry branches that will not be deleted;

  
  

• "Tracking" allows you to automatically monitor programs for auto-cleaning;

  
  

• "Advanced" prompts advanced users to use advanced settings.

  
  

How to manually clean the registry on a computer

The registry is cleaned not only with the help of software, but also manually:

Pay attention to the warning.

Making a system backup

An OS backup is required as a preventive measure. In the event of a failure, using a backup copy, you can restore a fully functional system in a matter of minutes, with all earlier installed applications and drivers.

To make a backup, you need to do the following:

• first, go to the "Control Panel", select the "System and Security" tab, then select "Backup and Restore";

  
  

• then in the "Backup and Restore" window on the left side, select "Create a system image";

  
  

• after that the window "Create an image" will appear. Here you need to choose where the backup will be stored. It may be ordinary DVD disc (you may need a lot of them, since the copy can be up to 100 gigabytes) or external hard disk;

  
  

• then a window will appear, "Which disks need to be included in the backup", in which you need to select the disk where the operating system is located;
• then a window for confirming the archiving parameters will appear and in the lower part of the window, click on the “Archive” tab;
• then you can see the process of creating a system image.

  
  

Freeing the registry

You can work with the registry through command lineallowing you to add, delete, view, copy and compare its elements. Considering that the correct operation of the operating system directly depends on the registry, you need to make any changes to it very carefully.

Before starting work, be sure to make a system backup.

The registry can be controlled from under the command line using the "REG" command.

This subcommand also supports several additional subcommands:

• "REG add" - using this subcommand you can add a new subsection or a new element to the registry;
• "REG delete" - this subcommand can be used to delete a subkey or element from the registry;

Example: REG DELETE \\ (ComputerName) \\ HKLM \\ Software \\ Intel \\

After entering this command, a warning about the deletion of a specific registry key should appear. Then you must select "Y" ("Yes") or "N" ("No").

• "REG query" - this subcommand displays a list of elements, as well as the names of subsections;
• "REG compare" - the subcommand compares registry subkeys and entries;
• "REG save" - \u200b\u200bwith the help of "REG save" you can save subsections, elements and parameters of the registry to a file.

This article covered how to clean the registry. Cleaning the registry is necessary to ensure stable operation of the operating system.

Windows or Windows Registry is a database that is used to store operating system settings and installed programs... The registry was created as a replacement for the INI files that were previously used to store settings. The Windows Registry first appeared in operating system Windows 3.1, which came out in 1992. Since that time, the registry has been used in every version of the Windows operating system, including the most.

In this article, we will tell you about why and what the registry gets clogged with, as well as how to clean the Windows 7 or Windows 8 registry.

Why and how the Windows registry gets clogged

In the process of working with the operating system, many new entries are made to the registry. Especially a lot of new entries appear during the installation and the first launch of programs. In such cases, all settings of installed programs are included in the registry. And during the uninstallation of installed programs, not all entries are deleted. Most of them continue to remain in the Windows registry.

Now imagine that this process of installing and removing programs continues for months or even years while the operating system is running. Naturally, over time, the number of irrelevant and outdated entries in the registry begins to reach gigantic proportions.

And all these accumulated for for a long time entries slow down the operation of the operating system with the registry and, accordingly, slow down the operation of the operating system itself and installed programs.

How to clean the Windows registry

At the moment, there are a huge variety of programs designed to clean the registry. However, in this article we will look at the process of cleaning the registry with an example. The CCleaner program has been developed since 2003 since that time has managed to establish itself as a reliable and secure solution to problems with the registry. You can download the program from, it is completely free.

To clean the registry, run the CCleaner program and go to the "Registry" tab.

Here you will see a list of problems with the registry that CCleaner will solve during its work. By default, checking for all possible problems is enabled, but if you wish, you can disable unnecessary checks.

To start searching for problems in the Windows registry, click on the "Find problems" button.

After the search is over, you will see a list of problems that CCleaner can fix. In order to clean the registry from these problems, click on the "Fix" button.

In addition to cleaning the registry using the CCleaner program, you can also clean other irrelevant data that has accumulated in the operating room windows system... To do this, go to the "Cleaning" tab. Here you can delete unnecessary temporary files, cookies, browser caches, etc.

There are two more tabs on the Cleanup tab. This is the "Windows" tab, here you can delete irrelevant data that is related to the operating system itself, as well as the "Applications" tab, here you can delete irrelevant data from other programs.

To delete this data, just click on the "Analysis" button, and then on the "Clear" button.