Does a registry full of old things slow down Windows?

Question

I know that this is not just a programming issue, but what I always hear from pseudo-technicians is that having a large number of entries in your registry slows down your Windows PC. I think this concept comes from people who are trying to fix problems on their PC and why they work so slowly, and at some point they open the registry and see the remaining entries from programs that they removed many years ago.

But is there any truth to this idea? I would not have thought, since the registry is essentially just a database, and drilling before writing does not take much more time in a larger registry. But does?

EDIT: To be clear, I’m not looking for advice on how to make my computer run faster or ask why my computer in particular is slow (it’s not), I’m just curious that people who say that “a larger registry means a slow PC "exact or not.

Answer 1

In short, not really.

In the old days, when cars were slower, the answer was yes; but having modern processors to copy even 60 MB of the registry is not a problem.

As a rule, the real reason why a modern machine starts to work slowly is connected with everything: from malware to antivirus scanners: Mcafee, Norton's, etc. are the main goals in my mind.

In addition, the WinSXS folder tends to increase as service packs and applications are installed. This seems to have a negative effect on system performance. In this scenario, there are only two possible solutions. First, if possible, reinstall the OS with the latest service pack that is already inserted into the installation. Secondly, if this is not possible. And you are using Vista with Service Pack 1 (SP1), you can run the vsp1cln.exe tool (see technet ) which will clear many older versions of the components. Please note that this tool can only be executed once, and it does not allow you to roll back.

Answer 2

I consider it a symptom, not a cause, since fever is a symptom of an infection.

When you install Windows updates, at least in xp and above, the SXS folder is supported to return them. These rollback points are also stored in reg keys.

The size of the sxs folder (side by side) is growing exponentially and is definitely related to why, when some people just reinstall from sp3 instead of installing sp1 and minimize to sp3, they get better performance, even with the same programs installed.

Answer 3

1) Start → Run → msconfig
2) Check the launch tab
3) If you do not know what it is, uncheck 4) Restart

This is not a registry, its shit is running in the background.

Answer 4

Any problems that appear in the registry can also slow down your computer. To fix problems with the registry, you must install the registry cleaner , as this will fix the errors and return the computer to its normal state.