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.

Even worse is the fact spyware has the ability, in many cases, to steal private information about a computer operator and this stolen information can result in identity theft! The result of these facts becoming well known is that most people scan for viruses and spyware everyday.

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?

Take Care Of The 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.

Prevention

There is literally no way to prevent registry corruption. The old adage is corruption comes from deleted programs. Though this may have been true a couple of years ago, it isn’t true of the enormous operating systems we all now use. It take a lot more effort to keep corruption from forming in Windows XP and Vista registries than it did in older registries.

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.

In short, we know we must keep our computers virus and spyware free. However, registry corruption is a less well-known problem, that while it can’t ruin us financially, it does have the ability to put a computer flat on its back for the count of ten! For those of us who are not ready to go out and purchase a new computer right now, that’s a good enough reason to scan our registries on a regular basis and clean out any corruption that is found.