Many times, the Windows registry can become cluttered and damaged after your computer has been used for an extended period of time. This can lead to poor performance, compromised disk health, and even fatal errors.

When the Registry has been severely damaged, it's access to files, programs, and even hardware can be limited or even suspended. Even in the event of a minor registry error, programs effected can malfunction or perform erratically, causing system crashes and often the loss of valuable information or work.

When your system is new, the registry is 'fresh' and more then likely contains a minimum amount of entries. As you use your computer more and more, adding software programs as well as hardware devices, your registry begins to become cluttered with more and more additions. Things go from bad to worse as you uninstall some of the programs and they leave behind registry entries that are not only taking up space, but can also confuse your operating system when they instruct it to load a program or path upon startup that does no longer exist. The more erroneous entries that pile into the registry, the worse the problem gets-and the harder it becomes to repair it.

The Windows Registry is protected while running, so programs cannot copy, delete, or change its contents while that version of Windows is currently running. Due to this protection, the Registry is pretty secure although it does contain loopholes. Programs that are considered 'safe' to update the registry are allowed to pass through its backdoor. These programs contain security certificates that are recognized by Windows and are the exception rather then the rule. Other programs that are not allowed to update the registry immediately wait until you restart or reboot the system to update the file settings. Because all of the software and hardware on your computer must have a registry entry, and some even contain multiples, you can imagine the problems that can present themselves.

• Your computer worked fine, until you turned it off.
• You recently added a new software program or hardware device and then immediately began experiencing difficulties.
• The computer beeps intermittently when shutting down or rebooting.
• The terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad BLUE SCREEN.

• A non-compatible version of a piece of software or hardware driver is added to the system.
• Frequent installation and then uninstallation of programs/software.
• Erroneous changes are made to the registry directly by one of the users.

The frequent addition and removal of programs accounts for a majority of errors found in the Registry. This can include large software programs which are installed from a cd, smaller programs downloaded from the internet, and drivers which are installed along side hardware additions to your setup.

Poorly written applications account for the majority of these type of causes. There aren't any applications that do not contain bugs or errors in them somewhere. Hopefully, these errors are minor problems that you will never even notice. However in the worst case scenario, bugs can affect the registry entries and crash your computer to the point that it will not even boot.

Another software problem that can cause registry issues is driver incompatibility. This presents a unique problem that many developers struggle with because it is virtually impossible to test out every combination of every driver with every other software and driver application. Because of this, many incompatibilities are allowed to pass through the filter of 'compliance' and are passed along to consumers.

Errors created during the uninstall process pose problems to the registry as well. Using the install/uninstall wizard provided by Windows does not always remove all of the Registry entries that are associated with that program. Neither does the uninstaller included in the software package. Even worse, these processes can actually delete unrelated Registry entries, causing other programs to crash or fail. Restoring these files can present a particular challenge because of the similarity of the Registry entries.

There are many other potential problems that can present themselves from within the Registry however, these are the most frequent and commonly known. If and when you become aware of any of these problems and choose to correct them, unfortunately, it might already be too late.

The problem with repairing these types of problems is that first of all, normally, unless you are specifically looking for such errors or running software that does it for you, you are unlikely to find them until a problem arises. Additionally, many people do not have

Fortunately, there is a solution. There are software programs out there that are able to successfully scan the Registry and find and repair problems such as irrelevant entries, corrupted data, and other issues. Even more fortunately, most of these programs offer a 'Registry backup option' that offers you the possibility to EASILY backup and restore Registry entries and edits. Your computer can do this itself although the process is generally much more complicated and for even a novice user can prove a bit difficult or risky.

The ideal situation is to take preventative measures and run Registry checker software before any problems arise. By doing this, you save yourself that added time loss and aggravation of having to restore (if possible) a corrupted Registry. Plus, you have the additional benefit of your computer and software programs working harmoniously to create the best computing environment possible for your use. Don't wait until it is too late, by acting now to protect your Registry, you will not only save your data, you will also save piece of mind.