How to Clean the Microsoft Windows Registry

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By Nicolas Poague
eHow Contributing Writer

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The registry contains information about the system's users

The Microsoft Windows Registry contains vital information about your computer system, its users, applications, and more. According to the Microsoft Computer Dictionary, the registry is referred to by your system continuously to get information about users, applications, folders, and hardware. After a while the registry may accumulate unused and erroneous files that could even cause damage to one's system. There are now many free tools you can use to clean your registry.

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Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

CCleaner cleanup tool (see Resources)

Step 1

Go to http://www.ccleaner.com. Click "Download CCleaner now..." on the home page. Click the link for "Download from FileHippo.com"
Step 2

Click "Download Latest Version" from the FileHippo web page. Download the installation file to your desktop. Double-click the installation file after the download completes.
Step 3

Accept the defaults during installation to install CCleaner. Launch CCleaner after installation is complete.
Step 4

Click the "Registry" icon on the left-side menu. Click "Scan for issues" to check your system for potential registry errors that can be fixed.
Step 5

Click "Fix selected issues" after the scan is complete. This will perform an operation, usually deletion, to the entries that are deemed by CCleaner to be unused or damaged.

Tips & Warnings

Be sure to click "Yes" when prompted by CCleaner to create a backup copy of your registry. This is useful in the case of accidentally deleting an important registry file.
Making changes to the system registry is not recommended for inexperienced users. Deleting files you are unsure about could cause irreparable damage to your system.