Windows uses a huge collection of files to decide how it both operates and also uses any programs on your computer. This area of the operating system is called the Registry. After some time, as programs are loaded and unloaded from the computer, the Registry can get a significant number of errors. This is similar to a car being out of tune and it can seriously interrupt the decision processes of Windows. At best, the errors can just slow the computer down, but at worst, they can cause severe crashes.

For some time now, I have used a program which is aptly called "Registry Mechanic" to repair errors in the Registry of my own computer.

In actual fact, this program doesn't need to be run very often, but it is amazing how things get out of tune over time. There are other software packages that promise to fix the Registry, but this is the only one that I would trust near such a vital piece of the Windows operating system.