Just a few years ago, registry cleaners were practically unheard of and they were not very much needed.
This was back in the days Windows 95 and 98 ruled the computing world.
For certain, viruses were an issue as were malware, but registry corruption was only known to true blue geeks.
Windows XP is huge when compared to OS's such as those now ancient Windows 95 and 98 operating systems.
Vista is even way larger than XP! This is one reason registry corruption causes more trouble than it used to.
Registry Files Tell the OS What to Do Next A computer registry consists of files acting as pointers sending the OS looking for the information it needs to complete a calculation or another type of instruction.
Of course, the larger the operating system, the farther it may have to travel to get to this instruction.
If it finally gets there and finds out it has been sent on a wild goose chase, it has just wasted a substantial amount of time.
It is registry corruption that causes these pointer files to become inaccurate and/or incomplete.
With smaller operating systems, chances are there will be less false pointers and chances also are this "wild goose chase" won't send the OS so far in the wrong direction.
Every program a large operating system uses is much larger than its early version counterparts.
When files are erased or moved, they tend to leave registry corruption behind.
Of course, if these files are large, which they will be if they are Windows XP or Vista-compatible files, they will inevitably leave a fair amount of corruption in their wake.
All Windows File Structures Look the Same As in any Windows files structure, the registry is a hierarchy type.
It consists of folders with files and subfolders contained within them and subfolders and files contained within them.
At the top of the structure is one main folder which contains all the other files and subfolders of the registry are contained within.
This makes a Windows registry look a lot like a My Documents directory.
Of course, no ordinary My Documents directory will have nearly as huge a file system as a Windows registry directory.
However, the point is, the directory structure of a registry has that familiar Windows look.
One registry structure is called a hive.
Windows XP and Vista are composed of 5 registry hives.
Even though older operating systems have 6 registry hives, they are considerably smaller than the super sized XP and Vista.
A Waste of Valuable Time The bottom line is, since registry corruption wastes an operating system's time and a computer's efforts, registry cleaners are a very worthwhile product.
This is because registry corruption, though often overlooked, is also a top computer enemy.
It is, in reality, an operating system's biggest time waster.
To the user, this wasted time makes the computer foot-tappingly slow.
It can also cause the computer to be unable to complete operations at all! I have repaired many computers lately where the problem was, or at least the computer's trouble began, with a corrupted registry.
It is not unusual for a computer to be brought to me for repair and all it needs is good registry scan and clean.
So, it may be ironic I am giving this advice, but why not get a good registry cleaner and take care of these problems yourself!