Registry scanner software will scan through all the files and folders of a Windows operating system registry and locate missing files, corrupted files or leftover files that no longer belong in the registry at all. These leftover files are sometimes referred to as orphaned files.
Orphaned files usually are the result of having removed a software program from the computer. When software is installed, the the installer program will write entries into the registry to let the operating system know where the next needed file can be found. However, the un-installer program most times leaves these types of entries in the registry because the program writers don’t believe removing them is important. They may be right but the problem is orphaned files accumulate over time and can slow the computer’s speed significantly.
Spyware are truly software programs and when removed, spyware removers leave orphaned files frm them behind, too. This is because spyware cleaners are simply not very good registry scanners. Another thing that leaves orphaned files behind is removing hardware. Files become orphaned when hardware is removed because their device drivers are removed along with the hardware and of course hardware un- installers also do a sloppy job of removing registry entries.
To complicate things further, upgrading drivers, a process that happens automatically and often, leaves orphaned files in the registry because a driver upgrade is really a driver removal and then the installation of another driver.
Just a few years ago, the software removal and upgrade process would leave a few orphaned files behind. In today’s huge operating systems, namely Windows XP and Windows Vista, such files are left behind by the thousands. This of course, takes its toll on your computer’s speed.
Nowadays, registry scanners are contained within registry cleaners. So, whereas in the old days of scanning the registry for errors, you would locate the errors and the orphaned files and such with a registry scanner and then find a way to actually remove, repair and replace the problem files. Today, you just run a registry cleaner and it takes care of the whole process in one operation.
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