Windows XP Registry Cleaners

Almost every computer with Windows XP eventually suffers from an error to the registry. Repairing a Windows XP registry can be a very intimidating task if you are unprepared for it. Although you can attempt to repair the registry on your own, I would not recommend it. Here are some things you need to know:

First and foremost, attempting to edit your registry manually can seriously backfire. Even skilled technicians sometimes have difficulty repairing a Windows XP registry. If you accidentally delete or modify an important file, your computer may not work anymore. In such an instance, you may end up paying hundreds of dollars for a professional to fix your computer.

Second, you must determine if the error you are encountering is related to the registry. Typical symptoms of a corrupt registry include: very slow booting, sluggish performance, or a blue error screen. The best way to assess (and fix) your registry is by investing in some registry repair software. They are equipped to scan and fix any problems with your registry.

Third, your computer is constantly modifying the registry. Every time that you install or uninstall software, incorrectly reboot your computer, modify settings, or your computer crashes, modifications (for better or worse) are applied to the registry. Furthermore, viruses and spyware also modify your registry. Over time, your registry will become bloated with unneeded and invalid modifications. The only way to fix this is by performing regular (daily or weekly) registry scans.

Regularly scanning and fixing your computer's registry is like taking it for a tuneup. After your first 'tuneup', you may be shocked at your computer's drastically improved performance. To do this though, you will have to fork over money for some quality registry repair software. Although free registry repair software is available on the Internet, I highly advise against using them. They typically do more harm than good.
Here is a list of my personal favorites:

CleanMyPC
CleanMyPC retails at $29.95 for a one-year subscription, and $47.50 for a lifetime subscription. Lifetime subscription comes with unlimited software updates. CleanMyPC backs up your registry, removes corrupted files and reorganizes the registry. It also includes a built-in scheduler.

Registry Mechanic
For just $29.95, you can purchase a lifetime subscription to Registry Mechanic that includes licenses for three computers. Registry Mechanic scans for invalid registry entries, fine-tunes Windows performance, and creates a registry backup.

Before you purchase a registry cleaner, first download the trial versions and run a scan. I typically stick with the cleaner that locates the most corrupted files. I figure that the more files it can locate, the better it can fix my registry.