This is part 1 of a series of cleaning your system registry to increase computer speed. This is just a quick introduction to the system registry and how to back it up.

Slow computer performance can be the result of poorly uninstalled programs. Even if you used the Add or Remove Programs feature in Windows, some programs may still leave behind their settings in your system registry. The system registry is a database that stores settings for Windows and the various programs installed on your system. Increase computer speed by finding unneeded settings in your registry and clean them up.

The system registry is not something that is recommended to be edited manually if you are a novice user. One wrong change could make your computer worse. If you will be working on your registry manually, it is strongly recommended to make a backup of it before you make any changes. To make a backup of your registry, follow these steps:

Click the Start button then choose the Run… option.

Type in regedit then click OK.

You should now see the Registry Editor window.

Click on File, then choose Export from the menu.

Type in a filename, such as registry-backup.

Choose All from the Selected Range option.

Choose a folder where you would like this backup to be saved, then click Save.

You should now have a saved .reg file as a backup in case any changes that are made to the registry result in adverse effects.

Since manual editing of the registry is not recommended unless you know what you are doing, part 2 of this series will highlight some registry cleaner software products that can help you remove unnecessary registry entries to increase computer speed.

Technorati Tags: clean your registry, increase computer speed, registry cleaner, registry editor, registry software, speed up xp