How to Clean the Registry in Windows Vista?

The registry in Microsoft Windows Vista is a database that stores application settings, system information and other operational data within your operating system. Any time you install a program or make a change to the Windows Vista settings, the operating system will have to modify the registry. Because your computer constantly changes the information in the Windows Vista registry, the registry can become filled with unnecessary information. Some programs do not fully remove their registry entries when they are uninstalled, and malware can intentionally add useless information to the registry. If this happens to your computer, you will need to clean the registry in Microsoft Windows Vista.

Step 1

Back up your Windows Vista registry. Click on the Start button, then type "regedit" in the search box on the Start menu. When Windows asks for permission to run this command, click "Continue." From within the Registry Editor, click "File," then "Export." Save this file in a safe place on your hard drive.

Step 2

Research registry maintenance software. Cleaning the registry by hand is difficult and time-consuming. A number of programs are available that can scan and clean the registry for you. Two free options are Hoverdesk's RegSeeker and IObit's Advanced System Care Free. (See Resources.)

Step 3

Download and install the software that you want to use.

Step 4

Close all currently running programs, including those in the system tray. Run the registry scanning software you installed in Step 3 and perform a full system scan.

Step 5

Allow the software to remove or repair any errors in the registry. According to "PC World" magazine, you should allow the registry cleaner to, "remove errors only at the safest and least-intrusive level." This is because removing important information from the registry can cause your computer to stop working.

Step 6

Continue to scan and clean the Windows Vista registry to keep it free of errors. "PC World" recommends scanning about once a month.

Warnings

Be careful when removing entries from the Windows Vista registry. Making incorrect changes to the registry can cause programs or the entire system to stop functioning.


Resource Taken From:- http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Clean-the-Registry-in-Windows-Vista