Has your pc started running slowly lately, or your programs have started to crash? Have you started getting error messages popping up unexpectedly? Have you tried all that your anti virus bundle has to offer (including the anti spy ware, anti mal ware and whatever else anti that came with your software bundle) and yet the solution has not emerged?

If so, it's possible that you have a problem with your Windows registry, which is something your anti virus won't fix. To find out if you do have an error in your Windows registry you'll want to use a piece of software called a "registry cleaner".

Right about now you're probably thinking to yourself "OK then, but what exactly is this Windows registry, and why does it need cleaning?" or perhaps more importantly, you may be thinking to yourself "How can I find the best registry cleaners, and be sure that it's the right software for my PC?".

Let us begin answering those questions by briefly looking at what the Windows registry is for.

The registry is a type of database or inventory of all the programs installed on your Windows PC, whether it be 98 or Vista, every program has an entry in the registry. Often programs use the same resources and system files as one another, and this is all recorded in there too. Every time you install a new program, or uninstall a program that is no longer needed, the Windows registry updates itself, letting your system know of any changes in shared files or resources.

Therein lies the potential for system malfunction. When these registry entries are changed, sometimes an error may occur. Perhaps one of the entries has been corrupted, or a change wasn't made, perhaps a system resource wasn't updated after an uninstall. Any number of reasons can cause errors in the Windows registry, and it can be extremely difficult even for a certified Windows engineer to locate and repair such a problem due to the sheer volume of entries within the registry. This is why registry cleaners were created.

A Windows registry cleaner is a piece of software specially designed to scan and read all of your Windows registry entries, spot any discrepancies or potential problems, and identify any errors. The best registry cleaners will actually correct the problems that have been discovered too.

Many basic registry cleaners may simply reset your Windows registry to its original state, as if you have just installed Windows or bought your computer brand new from a shop. Although this may suffice in some cases, quite often it just isn't good enough.

The best registry cleaners on the other hand, come programmed with information on all kinds of different programs and potential registry entries, and some of them even update their databases nearly as often as an anti virus software. The reason this is important is because there are so many different programs, games and software's that any 1 computer may have installed, it is difficult to just try a "one fix for all" type solution. Resetting your Windows registry back to "factory" settings may actually cause a lot of your favourite games or programs to stop working as well.

Some of the best registry cleaners will not only find and correct problems that exist within the Windows registry, but they can also help to speed up your PC by taking care of other little problems too. Things such as too many programs starting when your computer is turned on, invalid or missing .dll files or even duplicate files all can cause a slow down in your computers performance, and a good registry cleaner software will often take care of these problems too.

Many of the sites selling this type of software offer a free on-line scan for you to find out if you have any errors in your registry that need fixing, but you will no doubt have to buy the full product to get any problems that where found fixed. You'll find that with the best registry cleaners on the market, you'll get a free trial download as well as a free on-line scan. Sometimes the download may be time limited, or limited by the amount of errors it will allow you to fix before buying the full version.

The main points to consider when searching for a Windows registry cleaning software to help fix your problematic PC are extra features included and then what others say about it. Often enough, if the software you're thinking about purchasing is in fact one of the best registry cleaners, a Google search for the software products name will yield reviews from various sources, allowing you to make an informed decision before buying anything.