Should I download a Registry Scanner? I was told it would help.

[millsumt]

My ram goes from in the 100 to like 40 as soon as I get online I was told by a friend to download a registry scanner and clean my registry but I have looked and it looks like it could mess stuff up not fix it? Just thought I would get a 2nd opinion. I just had my silent runner and hijack this looked at yesterday an all was ok. So I was looking for other reason for a slow computer and this is when the friend told me about the registry scanner and cleaner.

Thanks for any and all help.

[photolady]

How much ram/memory do you have installed? And what is your computer?

Using registry cleaners, especially if you don't know what is safe to delete, can be hazardous to your computer. Cleaning out temporary internet files, cookies and temp folders, resetting your system restore to not use a lot of harddrive space will also help. Make sure you're not running a lot of stuff at start up on your computer, most software can be started after the computer is up and running and all IM software can be started after you're online, not when windows starts.

[oracle128]

Cleaning the registry won't affect your RAM usage. At best, you'll increase performance - maybe even enough to be noticeable. At worst, you'll mess up your PC and need a format.

[kpetree10]

I would suggest you do not use a registry cleaner. It does not help your performance noticeably and can cause damage. What I suggest is to re-install windows every 6-months to a year to keep a clean system.

[millsumt]

Not sure I no I have the ram it came with and then I bought more to add to it. And it is old so I guess I need to get a new one but cant buy one now so this is all I got. I need to get rid of alot of stuff. Thanks for the help I will not get the registry cleaner because I dont want to mess anything up.

[photolady]

Do the cleanup I mentioned above, then uninstall any programs you don't use, though make sure you don't uninstall any drivers.