What Is The Registry?

Importance of Windows Registry

The Windows registry is an important Windows component that is often referred to as the central nervous system of Windows. This is because the registry is a repository of all hardware and software configuration, user preferences and system setup information for your Windows computer. Since it contains all this information, there is not a single task that can occur on your PC without accessing the registry. So, whenever you open an application on your system, browse the Internet, install/uninstall applications or make changes to your system through the Control Panel, information is added, removed or modified in the registry.

Structure of the Registry

The registry database has a tree-like hierarchal structure, comprising of keys, subkeys, and their values. All the system configuration information is stored within these keys and values.

To view the registry tree on your Windows computer, open Start menu, select Run, type regedit, and then click OK.This will display the Registry Editor window.

On the left pane of the Registry Editor window, you will see five root keys— HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM), HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG (HKCC), HKEY_USERS (HKU), HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (HKCR), and HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU). Expanding these root keys will display the subkeys, sub-subkeys within these root keys. To view the value(s) of a key, select it and the value(s) will be displayed in the right pane.

The following configuration information is contained in each root key:

	HKLM: Consists of configuration information related to hardware drivers, software, services, and the Windows setup
	HKCC: Extracts the software and hardware information for the current logged on user from the HKLM key
	HKU: Stores configuration information for all users currently configured on your Windows computer
	HKCR: Extracts its information from the HKLM\Software key and contains configuration information that controls file associations and application registrations on your computer
	HKCU: Extracts its information from the HKU subkey and comprises system configuration information, such as display settings, user folders, and Control Panel settings for the currently logged on user

Causes of Registry Problem

Because the registry contains important information that is required to keep your Windows computer running, it is quite prone to problems. These problems usually occur due to an accumulation of large amounts of digital junk consisting of unnecessary, outdated, and invalid entries. This unwanted information makes its way into the registry through:

	Frequent program install and uninstall, especially unsolicited free ware software programs, games, and tools
	Incorrect application install and uninstall processes
	Faulty applications
	Damaged device drivers and malfunctioning hardware
	Virus and spyware infections
	System crashes

It is the accumulation of these files and activities that cause registry bloating. A bloated registry easily gets damaged, and as a result slows down your computer, generates several computer errors, and causes frequents system freezes and crashes.

In order to prevent all of the computer problems that are generated through registry errors, it is recommended that you use computer repair software on regular basis to scan and weed out all unwanted files from the registry. Registry cleaners also help you defrag the registry, than reindex and compress its files to reduce its size and speed up computer files. This in turn will dramatically increase the speed and reliability of your PC.

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