Since Windows 95 came on the scene, the term registry has become part of the computer owner's lexicon. The registry is actually what the entire Windows operating system is made of. Each of the five main registry files consists of thousands of smaller registry files. Everything that happens within the realm of an operating system alternates or changes the condition of a registry file.

Because of today's super powered computers, it is very important to keep the registry functioning perfectly. So, as you might imagine, the Internet is full of advertisements claiming to have the best registry repair program in the world. This article will show you how to detect which type of registry cleaner advertisement is on the level and which one is giving you false information.

A corrupted registry

When a registry becomes unclean, or in need of repair, the computer's performance will suffer. This suffering performance can range from a mild slowdown to a situation where the computer will freeze up totally and become absolutely unresponsive. You can see where it is very important to keep your operating system's registry in tiptop shape.

A registry will become unclean when debris from removed programs is left behind. Every time a program is removed some remnants of it stay within the registry. This extra information confuses the operating system and becomes a stumbling block the computer's resources have to work around.

The Spyware is gone but...

It is important to note any type of program being removed will leave behind a corrupted registry and spyware, malware and viruses, though they are destructive programs, are programs nonetheless, and will affect a registry even after they have been discovered and removed. With spyware, malware and viruses, your damned if you do and damned if you don't remove them.

The point is, though a spyware removal program may have done its job by removing spyware, a registry cleaner will still be needed to get your computer back to running at peak performance.

My computer's still slow

There are also other reasons a computer's performance can become slow and/or unstable. Sometimes a computer will be performing badly and no virus or unclean registry can be found. This may be an indication of some internal malfunction in the computer.

It could also be the computer has too many background operations running and stealing the computer's resources. You should always check your systems tray. Your systems tray is located in the lower right hand corner of your computer screen. If you see several icons, which are lighting up upon starting your computer you may have too many background operations running.

If this is the case, it doesn't mean you never have to run a spyware removal program, but it does mean you should consider controlling how many background operations are going on in your computer.

To shut off these background operations, try right clicking them and then un-checking the option that says, "Automatically turn on at startup" Doing this to a few of these icons could put your computer back to its old speedy self. Also remember, a computer needs other regular maintenance such as defragmentation to keep it from running slowly.

In closing, remember that using a good registry cleaner is a very important part of a regiment to keep your computer running smoothly. However, any advertisement that tries to lead you to believe a registry cleaner is an end-all to computer maintenance would be a misleading one. I would recommend keeping away from a registry cleaner that is promoted in such a manner unless the product is actually a spyware remover, as well.