How and why is the registry defragmented. Useful programs Fig.6. Registry defragmentation results
Sooner or later, each user comes to the stage when he has a desire to speed up the computer. At this stage, he gets acquainted with the main methods that can help him achieve what he wants. One of the easiest and most effective ways to do this is to clean and defragment the registry. Knowing how to use this tool is especially important if Windows has been running for a long time without reinstalling.
What is a registry and what actions can be performed with it? The system registry is a large one that stores all the basic data used in the operation of the system. This includes the installed settings, a complete list of programs, their components, and much more. In the course of its activities, Windows queries this database many times per second. Naturally, as well as other elements of the life of the operating system, increase the amount of data contained and contribute to the accumulation of various "software garbage". These "leftovers" begin to interfere with the normal functioning of the computer.
In order to correct this state of affairs, it is necessary to periodically carry out procedures such as cleaning and defragmenting the registry. Cleaning can be carried out independently, or you can use specialized software. As for programs for removing various unnecessary elements of the system, there are quite a few of them. A simple search on the Internet will help you choose a free assistant to perform this function.
To clear it manually, you should write the "regedit" command in the line that is called through "Start", "Run". As a result, the "Registry Editor" will open, where you need to select the section containing the word "user" at the end of its name. This is usually the second folder from the top. In the list that opens, you need to find the "Software" directory. It is there that many unnecessary elements of existing and removed programs remain. After searching, you can delete any of these components by pressing the "Delete" key.
Defragmenting the Windows 7 registry, however, like other versions, is a very important optimization point. It is impossible to carry out this process manually, so software should be called for help. Most modern programs allow you to schedule this action, performing it every time before the system boots or after certain intervals.
In order for this important process to be successful, you need to know and take into account several points.
1. While the registry defragmenter performs its main function, all other programs should be closed.
2. The procedure may be accompanied by discoloration of the picture on the monitor, etc. In such situations, you should simply continue waiting. In no case should you resort to any action, as this may adversely affect the final result.
It is very important that you clean and defragment your registry regularly. This will help keep your system clean and speed up your computer.
Despite the specificity of this procedure, defragmenting the Windows 8 registry is a frequent topic for searching the net. Why it is needed, as well as how to do it, will be discussed further.
Purpose of the registry
Like any other operating system, Windows has its own work structure, which, for the most part, is the property of this particular OS. And if the same Linux works on the principle of assembling a system from modules every time you start a personal computer, then Windows is based precisely on the registry.
By and large, the registry is the entire database, which is responsible for the stable performance of the entire system. Absolutely all parameters are set in it and any interaction that can be performed is prescribed. Starting from the startup protocol and the principle of operation of the bootmgr boot file and ending with the banal creation of a folder or text document.
The registry is not just a necessary or indispensable part of the operating system. Without it, it won't work at all.
It is built on the basis of a model of a tree or neural connections of the brain, where there are several main parts-trunks, and large ropes or axons come from them, from which, in turn, smaller ones go, and so on. The most obvious model in the computer itself is the work of Explorer or any other file manager. There is one hard disk, which is divided into local ones, and folders with different contents or other subdirectories are already created in those.
Over time, during the operation of a personal computer with any degree of load, various “dead” registry branches remain in it, which slow down the entire system. Errors, violations, or simply incorrect reading of branches also occur, and given that access to the registry is constant and uninterrupted, this can significantly affect the speed and quality of Windows as a whole. That is why after some time the computer starts to run longer and “think” more about the tasks.
The user has a built-in service for working with the registry, but it is highly undesirable for users who have no idea about the principle of operation and do not have the appropriate knowledge to use it. It is enough just to change one digit in any cell and it may happen that you have to reinstall the OS.
defragmentation
In general, defragmentation is the process of arranging the disparate components of a common whole into an order that is most understandable for the logic of the system. For example, for a disk, it is the process of lining up data fragments in a continuous part of a sector of a circle so that the hard drive performs fewer actions, but at the same time file access is faster. For the registry, this process is a special case of the above, since all its branches are put in order.
To solve this problem, there are two options:
- Manual.
- Auto.
The first is to enter the phrase "regedit" in the system search box, followed by pressing "Enter".
The service itself will start, where you will need to manually work with all the records.
Nota Bene: This method is only suitable for very experienced users!
Auto
Such a function is simply absent in the system, but there are third-party applications that specialize in performing both this particular job and solving a whole range of similar tasks. Most practical:
- CCleaner
- Auslogics Registry Defrag.
- Defraggler.
The procedure will be discussed using the Auslogics Registry Defrag utility as an example.
After launch, a window will appear prompting you to start the procedure by pressing the "Analysis" button. It is also possible to optionally create a restore point.
After the operation is completed, you will be given the opportunity to select the defragmentation method:
- Now.
- On next boot.
Further actions are determined by the choice of method:
- Or there will be an immediate reboot and defragmentation.
- Or the system will schedule the execution, and the user will be able to continue using the personal computer at his own discretion.
Windows 8 Registry Defragmentation: Video
Step five:
Improve the stability of Windows 7 by gently cleaning, optimizing and defragmenting the system registry.
Software used: CCleaner, Defraggler
The Windows registry is a database for storing information about a computer's configuration, operating system settings, and program settings. The registry contains data that Windows and installed programs access hundreds of times per second during system startup and operation. A littered and fragmented registry can cause a serious slowdown in your computer.
Fragment of the system registry in the program RegEdit
OS Settings Windows 8, Windows 7 And Vista
During the installation and removal of various programs, in system registry a variety of "garbage" may remain: program settings, links to shortcuts, incorrect file extensions, and much more.
Over time, a large number of such outdated registry settings can significantly slow down the operating system, lead to crashes and various problems, interfering with the normal functioning of Windows.
To launch the RegEdit utility, open the Start menu and type the word "regedit" in the search box 
Select the "RegEdit" link in the search results.
For Windows 8: open search bar with keyboard shortcut + (Win+Q) 
Enter "Regedit", and select the item of the same name in the search results. To tweak and clean the registry you can manually edit its parameters using the built-in RegEdit program, but this option is only suitable for very experienced users, because the risk of deleting or changing important system parameters is extremely high.
Especially for those who do not have time to get acquainted with all the registry settings, many programs have been written that automatically find and correct erroneous and obsolete entries. We recommend using the systems already familiar to you from previous articles on system optimization, reliable and time-tested free programs CCleaner and Defraggler.
Cleaning the registry
The first stage of registry optimization is cleaning of various garbage. For these purposes, we use the best in our opinion program for cleaning the registry - CCleaner, which has proven itself in this field (read about where to download and how to install CCleaner and Defraggler in the first step of the guide: Cleaning and defragmenting the hard drive or just download c the official website of the program or from our website in one click). Then run the application with administrator rights, select the "Registry" tab and click on the "Scan for problems" button, as shown in the image:
After the search is complete, click on "Fix". The program will offer to save backup copies of the changes made, it is not necessary to do this, but, on the first use, we recommend, just in case, to save a copy of the registry. In the window that appears, click on "Fix marked" and confirm the selection. The program will automatically clean the registry from a variety of garbage that violates the integrity of the registry.
In order to prevent the occurrence of various problems in the future, We recommend that you clean your registry regularly.. Repeat this operation at least once a month and immediately after removing any software from the personal computer. After cleaning the registry, you can safely proceed to its defragmentation.
Registry defragmentation
Windows XP owners can use the free PageDefrag program to defragment the registry. You can download it on the official Microsoft Technet website: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897426.aspx .Windows 7/8 and Vista registry is prone to fragmentation, due to which access to it is gradually slowing down. Over time, this leads to a slowdown in the system as a whole. Conventional defragmenters, unfortunately, cannot access registry files while the operating system is running, so you need to use specialized software for these purposes.
Fortunately, the Defraggler program, the capabilities of which we already used in the section Cleaning and defragmenting a hard drive, has the functionality we need. You can also download Defraggler on the official developer resource. Since the registry can only be defragmented before the operating system boots, the program will do its work just before Windows starts. To do this, run Defraggler and enable the " Defragmenting System Files at Boot". We recommend that you install the program every time you start your PC, because after the first defragmentation, this process will take a few seconds and the registry will never be fragmented in the future.
After restarting the computer, just before starting the desktop, the following information will be displayed on the screen:
The duration of the program depends on the degree of fragmentation of the registry. As a rule, the first time the process can last quite a long time, but all subsequent ones - no more than one or two seconds. To disable registry defragmentation, simply run Defraggler and disable the option.
Most users find out about the existence of the registry for a reason, quite often the reason for this is various problems in the operating system. The registry is a repository of all parameters, settings and various additional information that the operating system and all applications installed on the computer use. Moreover, the system and programs access the registry hundreds of times per second. Therefore, it is very important that everything is fine with the registry.
While it is in a relatively clean and “not littered” state, all this interaction within the system is especially imperceptible to us. But gradually, over time, various useless fragments of programs begin to accumulate there (especially after they are deleted), incorrect extensions, links to non-existent files, and a lot of other rubbish. So if you have problems reinstalling a program, then it is quite possible that the reasons should be looked for in the registry.
At the same time, all this software trash begins to accumulate more and more. This, in turn, begins to slow down the work of both individual programs and the entire system. Everything starts to freeze, incomprehensible errors constantly pop up, and various viruses tend to leave their entries in the registry. The normal operation of both Windows and all the programs that are in it very much depends on the registry. To prevent it from becoming clogged with “garbage” and various errors, it is necessary to constantly clean and registry defragmentation . These operations can be carried out both manually and with the help of special utilities. But be careful and careful! And with manual cleaning - doubly careful. If you delete something, make sure that this file really needs to be deleted and its absence will not disrupt the normal operation of the computer.
Manual cleaning of the contents of the registry should be resorted to only in extreme cases. It is usually used to delete the files of a particular program after it has been uninstalled. And so, we launch the registry editor. Open the Start menu and type "regedit" in the search box. In the list of search results, open regedit as an administrator. In the next window, or rather in its left part, expand the "Computer" section and then go to the directory HKEY_CURRENT_USER. In it we need to open the folder Software. This section will contain folders associated with installed programs. The most interesting thing is that among them there will be directories of programs that have been deleted a long time ago. That's exactly what we need.
We select folders and files, long non-existent programs, and delete them. The main thing is to be sure that this program has long been gone and deleting the partition will not cause trouble with the computer.
Using CCleaner to Clean the Registry
This utility is quite deservedly popular and is able, without any extra effort, to clean the system of everything unnecessary. Including, it can optimize the registry. To get started, run the program as an administrator. Next, open the "Registry" section. Here, click on "Find problems" and then select "Fix". 
Normally, a backup is not needed, so you can opt out of this feature by clicking the "No" button. Next, click "Fix marked" and when everything is completed, you can safely click on the "Close" button. If there are still any errors, then you can try to fix them by restarting this procedure.
This program has many more useful features that you will definitely need, many of which have already been discussed in previous articles on this site. Among other utilities of this kind that can also be useful in this matter, they have shown themselves well: Auslogics Registry Cleaner, Tweak Now RegCleaner and CleanAfterMe.
It is best to clean the registry more often, especially after removing any programs. In addition to cleaning the registry, there is another way to optimize it -.
Defragmenting the registry using specialized software
In the Windows 7 operating system, the registry is subject to another, unpleasant misfortune - fragmentation. Gradually, this starts to seriously slow down your computer, everything starts to load much longer and work more slowly. In order for this phenomenon not to make itself felt, sometimes it is necessary to defragment using special utilities.
Defraggler is a free utility from British developers
The registry constantly interacts in the system, so you can start the defragmentation process only at the Windows boot stage. To do this, when you run this program, enable the "Defragment at boot" option. You can even set this option to Always. 
Then the defragmentation process will be carried out at each system startup and you will not have to worry about it in the future. Now, at the time of the next system boot, something like this will appear on the screen. 
It will indicate the progress of defragmentation. The very first time, defragmentation may take some time, but with regular defragmentation, all subsequent defragmentation will take only a couple of seconds. To disable defragmentation at every system startup, simply run the Defraggler program again and turn off the "Always" option.
Wise Registry Cleaner
System cleaner utilities that have an additional feature that allows you to defragment the registry. This is where the excellent (and most importantly free) registry cleaning program Wise Registry Cleaner can help us, which can be downloaded from this link. Starting with the fourth version of this utility, it became possible to perform defragmentation as well. Let's take a closer look at this application. Run the program and click on the "Compress" button. 
It is worth noting that before starting this process, it is recommended to close all other applications and programs. When you click the "Compress" button, a small window with registry data will appear. At the top there will be a button "Registry Analysis", click it. 
When the analysis is completed, the table will display the current state of the registry and its possible state after defragmentation. If you see that there is such a need, for example, there is a significant difference in the "New" and "Current" columns, then feel free to click on the "Registry Defragmentation" button. 
After defragmentation, you will need to restart your computer.
Auslogics Registry Defrag
A good utility (whose full review can be read) is designed specifically for defragmentation - Auslogics Registry Defrag. It is quite simple to use and has a clear, Russified interface. It is small in size and can work on both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.
This program is updated quite often and is being improved very quickly. It is possible that after writing this article, a new version of the utility has already been released. Therefore, some actions in new releases may differ slightly from those suggested. After you have installed the program, run it and click the "Analysis" button - to start the analysis of the current state of the registry. 
The analysis process and its results are constantly displayed in the program window. 
When the process is completed, you can observe the state of the registry. If areas with fragmentation are found, then it is possible to start the defragmentation process. Additionally, the program can launch a quick search for file "junk" in the system. But unfortunately, the utility cannot remove it and you will be offered another, paid BoostSpeed application. It is designed to clean and optimize the entire system. However, in this case, we only needed defragmentation of the registry, and the program did an excellent job with it. 
In general, the tools listed in this article are enough to put your registry in order and speed up its work. If you have any questions, you can always ask them in the comments.
Problem: Your computer freezes from time to time, applications do not immediately respond to commands, and the system is unstable. Together with high memory consumption, all this degrades the performance of your computer.
Solution: Registry Defrag defragments and shrinks the Windows registry, reducing the amount of memory it uses and restoring system stability. You can enjoy the quality of your PC again.
Why Registry Defrag?
Absolutely free
This program is absolutely free with no time limit for home or commercial use. Free regular updates included.
Very easy to use
The program explains every action it will take to defragment the registry. You don't have to guess what exactly will happen.
Absolutely safe
If you do not disable the option manually, a restore point is created by default, which makes it easier to roll back changes later.
Quality recognized by industry experts
Auslogics' exclusive designs have been repeatedly tested and proven to be safe and effective, used by leading PC manufacturers and recommended by industry experts.
Is it enough to use Registry Defrag to get the most out of your computer?
Registry Defrag is a great tool to defrag your registry and stabilize your computer. However, you may encounter other problems caused by factors such as garbage accumulation, incorrectly configured system and Internet connection settings, and the like.
Auslogics BoostSpeed- a powerful optimizer that allows you to remove junk files, solve registry problems, eliminate the causes of slowdowns, remove traces of private data to protect confidential information and much more.
Did you know?
Registry defragmentation has nothing to do with hard drive defragmentation.
Registry Defrag defragments the data in the registry files, eliminating gaps and reducing file size. This can significantly reduce the time it takes to access registry entries.
Awards and Reviews
"At startup, the program warns you to analyze the registry, after which a report on its status will be provided. After that, you can optimize the registry. You will need to restart the system to defragment and reduce the registry."
"This easy-to-use program defrags the registry and frees up hard drive space. More importantly, you get a compact registry, which means faster access to it and therefore faster PC performance."
"A registry cleaner keeps your system at its peak, and defragmenting it is another way to improve your computer's performance. This program shows the degree of registry fragmentation, defragments it, and restarts your computer."
