What Is the Registry Cleaner in Windows XP?

In Microsoft's Windows XP operating system, the "registry" is a massive database of software configurations and settings that are integral to the way the computer operates. Whenever a piece of software is executed, the registry is consulted for instructions on how to operate the program. If the registry becomes cluttered by code that shouldn't be there, is inoperable, or is doing the same thing another piece of code does, it can cause the system to become unstable. This is where the Registry Cleaner in Windows XP comes into play.

Function

The Registry Cleaner in Windows XP is a utility designed to scan a computer's registry and remove anything that shouldn't be there. Many websites containing links to "free" registry cleaners come bundled with malware, spyware or even viruses. The best types of registry cleaners to get are shareware, where you have to pay an independent software developer money to use the program.

Unwanted Code

Pieces of code that a registry cleaner looks for and removes include anything that is unwanted by the system, is no longer in use, or has been edited to become invalid and non functional. These pieces of data remaining on your system can cause it to become unstable and even inoperative.

Purpose

The Windows XP Registry Cleaner is designed to remove invalid and useless pieces of code from your computer's registry. By doing this, this will result in improved system speed as your computer will now have to go through less lines of code in order to complete processes. The Windows XP Registry Cleaner is also helpful because, due to the massive size of the registry and the huge number of command lines contained therein, cleaning a registry yourself would be entirely impractical.

Criticism

Critics of the Windows XP Registry Cleaner maintain that there is no way for such a program to be able to distinguish between registry keys that are valid, invalid, or that simply no longer serve a purpose and are redundant. Certain critics also maintain that the Windows XP Registry Cleaner can be directly responsible for loss of both system functionality and user data.

Misconceptions

One common misconception about the Registry Cleaner in Windows XP is that it is capable of finding and removing malware, spyware and viruses. In reality, while the Registry Cleaner may inadvertently fix a problem at the registry level of the operating system caused by a malicious piece of software, it was not designed to fight or prevent these programs and cannot be used reliably for that purpose.

References

• Microsoft Windows