Actually, the Windows registry is a modified binary-tree database which uses the Jet database engine to operate, much like just about every other system database: Active Directory, DHCP server, DNS server, etc. With the exception that at boot, ntldr determines the size of the SYSTEM hive and loads it in its entirety into paged pool memory.
Yep this is correct. Large reg files will affect system performance at boot but this is not the only culprit. It will slow your boot up times but after that it is other crap that is running in the background. All the useless loaders and TSR's hogging up resources. Drives that are not defragged or organized well.
One of the things I do at my shop is "Tune Up's" for Windows based machines. Most users that aren't "geeks" just have no clue what it takes for maintenance on thier machines. This is what I do for a TuneUp.
1. Delete all temp files. Windows,Office Internet ect.(Keep Passwords)
2. Empty Recycle Bin.
3. Drive space and partitions permitting, Move My Documents to a different drive or partition. The messier your system drive the longer it takes to load.
4. Reg Backup before cleaning.
4 Clean registry with CCleaner or Regvac. I have an average of about 1000 invalid entries per machine but have seen some in the 10,000.
4. Defrag the drive(s) with a good defrag program. I use PerfectDisk but there are some very good free ones out there.
Don't use the Windows Defrag. All it does is tighten up the drive. If your drive(s) get fragged really bad (45%+)it might be best to start over because you will almost never get it cleaned up.
5. Depending on the amount of Ram and Drive space I adjust the Virtual Memory. Windows does a terrible job at this. This is mostly for machines with a gig or less but it can be beneficial for power users also.
6. Reg Tweaks for a lot of things but this depends on the user. Google is your friend!
Another thing I do is virus/ad/mal scanning as well as duplicate file removal on all machines that I tune.
I have been running the same install of XP on this specific machine for almost 3 years now because I am anal about maintenance. Here are my rules.
1. Defrag after each install or uninstall. Use a second party uninstaller like Revo.
2. Run CCleaner or RegVac weekly.
3. Keep all data files separate from System. I run 3 partitions... System, Programs, Data. System is on a drive by itself.
4. Most important if you can...BACKUP.
5. Defrag at no more than 20%. Defrag sys files on startup also. Some programs defrag constantly if the PC is idle.
6. Do a hard start every day.(If you leave your machine on.)
7. Delete temp files every week.
8. Remove or archive downloads.
There is much more you can do but these are the basics.
