All programs you install modify your registry in some way. Unfortunately most programs don’t fully clean up after themselves when you uninstall them. This causes your registry to get bigger which in turn makes your system run slower. It’s rare but some applications will not even remove themselves from your programs list. I want to start this chapter out by showing you a cool trick that will wipe old entries in your add remove programs list for good.
First off export a copy of your registryBefore I start….. I want to teach you how to search through your registry. In the registry editor highlight computer. Select the edit menu option then find. Type in Microsoft and press find next. You should see a value highlighted. Go ahead and press f3 on your keyboard. Notice how it found another Microsoft value? The function 3 button will keep repeating the search until it is completely through your registry. This is why it is very important to have the computer key highlighted when you search otherwise your search maybe confined to one hive key.
Ok…Lets get rid of those old entries in add/remove programs Find the key hkey_local_machine\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\uninstallYou will see a list of hexadecimal values. Now double check to make sure uninstall is highlighted and Search for the program you want to remove. It is very important that you do not delete the folder just its contents. After a reboot that entry will be gone.
You are starting to learn what a powerful tool the registry editor is. I am sure you want to learn some more cool tricks but I want to hold off on that for now. I will be addressing this issue in chapter 5 Registry Hacks
I recommend doing an inventory of applications and programs you use. Uninstall all programs you aren’t using and reboot. Once that is complete pull up your list of installed applications and make sure they are all gone? Use the above hack to get those programs off the list.
Next step is to scan the registry for keys related to these applications you recognize and you know you don’t use. Start by highlighting the computer icon and keep pressing f3 while deleting all references to the program. Do this for all your uninstalled programs. This will decrease the size of your registry and as a result your computer will run faster. I sure by now you’re starting to realize how tedious this process is. Personally I let a registry cleaner program do all the dirty work for me. I own registry easy so I can say with confidence that it gets the job done. But I have heard goods things about Regcure and Registry Mechanic. Actually this is a perfect time to learning about these registry cleaners and how they work.