- 1). ALWAYS BACK UP
Windows allows you to create a restore point on your hard drive. A restore point is nothing more than a bookmark on your hard drive that states if you mess things up really bad you can restore it to the state you found it before you starting making changes. ALWAYS CREATE A RESTORE POINT! and back up files before you engage in any type of PC cleanup.
I've got a few links at the bottom of the article to show you how to create a restore point. - 2). DON'T MESS WITH THE REGISTRY YOURSELF
Unless you understand how registry hives and cab files are orchestrated, do not tinker with registry files by hand unless you know exactly what you are doing.
Instead choose a registry cleaner and let it do the job for you. There is almost and endless array of registry cleaning software out there to choose from. Pick one and go for it. - 3). ALWAYS DELETE APPLICATIONS AND FILES PERMANENTLY
Once you've cleaned your Windows registry, think about investing in an Uninstall application that completely wipes all files when you delete and application or file.
The purpose for this is that it helps you maintain the Windows registry and keep it clean, so that legacy keys don't accumulate in the the Windows registry and cause future PC performance issues down the road.
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