If you do a little research on the Internet, you’ll find a cavernous divide among PC experts about the value of registry cleaners. I happen to think they have some value; many technicians do not, in part, I suspect because they have other tools and methods they can use to resurrect a dead, dying or stubborn PC.

Most ordinary users don’t, so their option – sad as it is to say – is to take their PC to a technician for help, sometimes paying a lot of money in the process. Registry cleaners vary in ability and worth, but I’ve always liked, used and recommended RegCure.

Improve Windows Performance

There are other things you can do to keep your PC working well and combat the inevitable slowdown that makes you think your PC is slogging through sludge. If you’re in the mood to do a little spring cleaning on your PC, you may find that your performance improves with a little tidying up.

First, go through your file system and throw out the files you no longer use. This includes temporary files (just empty these… don’t throw out the folder they’re in), old applications you don’t use anymore, etc. If you’re adventurous, try paring down your operating system to eliminate things you don’t use like foreign language support, thousands of fonts, programs that start automatically when the computer is turned on, etc.

If you can’t bear to get rid of old files, archive them and burn them off to a CD. If, after six months or a year, you still don’t use them, then you can feel better about throwing them away.

The big reason for reducing your file system size is that the bigger the file system, the more work your OS has to do to manage it, and the more likely you are to accumulate corrupted files that slow down your computer for no good reason.

After you’ve reduced your file system, defragment your hard disk using the Defragmenter Tool that comes with Windows. That will tidy up your disk and improve performance measurably. Plan to defrag your disk about two or three times per year.

Make sure your anti-virus (A/V) and anti-spyware (A/S) programs are up-to-date. Don’t assume that they are. Check for updates. If your subscription has expired, renew it and keep your virus descriptions updated. Once you have updated A/V software, check your disk for infections. Clean up anything you find.

After the A/V check, run Check Disk, a disk repair tool that comes with Windows. Also run a registry cleaner like RegCure to reduce your registry size and remove any residual virus code.

If you perform this maintenance regularly, you’ll notice improved performance in your PC, and better overall reliability.

Photo Credit: Dale Chumbley