There is much confusion about the need to clean Windows XP registry, this article provides an overview of the reasons and remedial actions

Rapid overview of Windows XP registry -Windows XP registry one of your PC’s key component. PC user should clean Windows XP registry regularly. The registry is often referred to as the brain, heart soul and mind of Windows by computer Experts. The registry is used by Windows XP to store the devices and file associations of the computer. Registry is also used to store critical information on directories, drivers, Windows applications and much more. You should use a registry cleaner software instead of cleaning the registry manually, unless you are very familiar with Windows XP operating system.

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Are you already Very familiar with Windows XP operating system? – If so, continue to read
 
Backup your files – When cleaning Windows XP registry, it is possible to make mistakes and disable your system. Therefore, you should always take a backup of your files. Fortunately, there are many registry tools available. These tools can find the potentially questionable or unused references, and they prompt the user to review any entry that may cause a problem once removed.
 
Start menu - To begin cleaning Windows XP Registry manually, go to the start menu, and click on run. Type “regedit” in the text field, and press enter.
 
HKEY sections - Windows XP registry has many different entries separated in sections namely HKEY_CURRENT_USER, HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_USERS, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, and HKEY_CURRENT CONFIG. There are different entries in each section, which are related to various aspects of Windows XP operation. Expand the plus sign to clean Windows XP Registry. You will notice a + sign alongside the root directory. This operation will expand a more detailed list, additional directories to select from in this section will appear and this will make it easier, for you to find the entries needed to clean up the registry.
 
Entries causing conflicts - Next step to clean Windows XP registry is to erase the entries which are causing conflicts or are no longer required, such as redundant ActiveX components for example (click on repair activex for more information)
 
Clean boot records - It is also advisable to clean the boot records. This can be done easily by changing the list of programs that load when the system starts up. Look into the CURRENT_USER and LOCAL_MACHINE directories until you find the “Run|” and “Run Once” option. Redundant entries, such as those which trigger computer programs at start-up can then be removed.
 
Clean twice a year – Ideally you should clean windows XP registry once every six months. This clears items which are redundant. Machines which are extremely slow usually have a large number of software, or those where drivers are constantly being installed and uninstalled, require more frequent cleanups (click on computer extremely slow for more information).
 
However tempting a manual clean or repair may be, remember that, using the appropriate registry cleaner to repair windows XP registry is usually a superior solution than attempting this manually . Many programs also prevent data loss by automating backup and also offer optimisation functionality which will greatly improve computer performance.