Cleaning out your computer is a task that is best left to either the true professionals out there, or to specialized software that can automate the process. There are several different kinds of computer software programs on the market that can help you to get rid of all the junk in your computer that has built up over time. Every computer is prone to the effects of clutter, and the older a computer gets the more pronounced the effect.

Some types of cleaners are called registry cleaners. These programs have been designed from the ground up in order to help the average computer user clean out their registry. The registry is simply a database of hardware and software preference and settings files, however it is complex in nature, and the entries contained therein are important for the proper functioning of your computer. If you remove certain entries that are important you could end up crippling your computer so that it can't run anymore.

There has been some controversy over the alleged claims of some software publishers of the true effects of registry cleaners. The thing is, there have been certain advertisers who have exaggerated the benefits of a registry cleaner to include things like fixing lines on your monitor, all the way down to fixing errors that have nothing to do with the registry at all. The thing to remember is that a registry cleaner will help in certain situations. However, a registry cleaner is not a cure all for every computer problem out there.

The best thing you can do is to download a free trial of a registry cleaner so that you can see how many excess registry entries you have sitting on your computer. If you use a good registry cleaner then it's generally going to be pretty safe to clean out your registry. Even Microsoft suggests to users that they clean up the registry on a regular basis in order to preserve the functionality of your computer and to keep it running smoothly without errors or other problems.

I suggest that you clean out your computer in this order: First, run a virus and malware scan program to ensure that you don't have any bad things residing in your PC. Then, once you've removed any bad software, you should remove any legitimate software programs that you just don't use anymore. Update your drivers, and then clean out the registry after all of this to remove any registry entries that might have been left behind by all these changes.