When you first get your computer and install your Windows operating system everything is great. Software starts up fast, there is no real slowdown of starting up or shutting down your computer, and you'll find you don't have fix windows errors so often. This is because when you first install windows the only thing on there is the programs windows is optimized to run. If you never installed anything else on your machine, it would still eventually slow down and error out, however not as fast.
Almost nobody in the world uses a computer with just the basic windows operating system installed. We all add things to the computer and configure it. The moment you configure anything, even the built in programs in Windows you are making changes to the registry. It is at this point that your computer is going to start slowing down, however not always. With general use of your computer you are making all kinds of changes to the registry, but they happen in the background so you don't realize they are happening. Over time the registry entries become corrupt and if the programs are coded correctly it will notice this corrupt entry, delete it, and replace it with a new one, however most programs don't do this which causes problems.
The registry is the software equivalent of “moving parts” in a mechanical device. Over time they wear down and need to be fixed. With software however you can do this with other software and in seconds the components causing problems like dead entries, corrupt entries, and so forth, can be detected and deleted.
Programs like registry mechanic and regcure are designed to not only clean out your registry but to maintain it as well. You can learn a lot at the reviews of Reg cure and reviews of Registry mechanic sites about all the wonderful features these programs have that help you maintain your windows integrity.
A test to try prior to using your registry cleaner on a computer that is running slow and keeps popping up errors, is to run a spyware and malware detection and removal program. Spyware and/or adware can do horrible things to your software and operating system, they can actually stop your registry repair software from doing it's job. Once you run and remove all spyware, then run the registry cleaner to detect and clean up all registry errors and you are on your way to a fast running computer. Maintaining the registry with a registry cleaner program not only speeds it up but it strengthens its integrity, giving it a higher stability.
In the old days before registry cleaners you had to run your windows restore CD to repair all the errors on your PC, and this drastic move would reset everything, making it hard to enjoy your computer because you had to go back and rebuild your programs settings the way you liked it. With the regcure program for example, your registry gets taken care of every time you boot up your computer and no settings are affected. It's a beautiful thing!
