From the day we first start up our new computers, we have a job on our hands trying to keep it running fast and smoothly. Something we all know will slow down the computer and maybe even disable it are the parasites we know as viruses and spyware.

Spyware’s dirty deeds are even more egregious as it can hijack bank account numbers, passwords and other highly personal information from you! Because of this, most people have some type of spyware cleaner installed on their computer right from the start.

Virus/spyware scans are your first defense against the permanent damage these horrible things can do to both your PC and your financial life. You do scan for viruses and spyware often; don’t you?

A Corrupt Registry

It isn’t bad enough we have to defend ourselves against virus/spyware attacks all the time, but these days, we often have to be on the look out for another villain that can literally ruin a computer without our knowing it is happening and without our provoking it in any way.

It is registry corruption and though a lot of folks are not yet familiar with it, it can be very damaging to a computer’s capability to function. Registry corruption is known for making a once speedy computer about as functional as a doorstop. So, a computer that is virus and spyware free and is still operating somewhere between sluggish and brain dead, probably has corruption present in its registry.

Stopping Registry Corruption

It is not practical to operate or care for a computer in such a way as to keep corruption out of its registry. In the case of an older operating system, probably not deleting any programs or upgrading any drivers would do the trick. However, Windows XP and Vista don’t work exactly the same way as their predecessors and though they are a huge advancement over yesterday’s OS’s, their registries corrupt very easily.

Their enormous files systems and the of amount information being taken in and giving back instantaneously by the new operating systems, make registry corruption a normal bi-product of them. In other words it doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong if it turns out you do have a corrupt registry.

So, How Do We Deal With Registry Corruption?

There are free registry scans available so it is easy to find out if it is registry corruption that is taking the spring out of your computer’s step. Of course, you will have to purchase a registry cleaner if it turns out there is a lot of corruption present. This is a small price to pay to get the old computer speed and performance back again.

Once again, don’t overlook the importance of checking your computer for registry corruption. It is true corruption in the registry does not have the capability of causing your identity to be stolen like spyware does. However, enough corruption in the registry can make it so one day your computer may suffer a crash it will not be able to recover from. I have seen this happen on more than one occasion!