The Windows registry can become a tangled spider web of invalid keys on an epic proportion. Manually cleaning it is a lesson in patience as only the most hardened amongst us would even indulge in such a task. Fortunately, we have some excellent registry cleaning software that does all the dirty work for us. RegCure gets our nod as top registry cleaning software, so make sure to check it out. Despite all the issues that the windows registry inflicts upon us, it's a savior compared to its predecessor. We often forget (or don't know) that .INI files pre-dated the registry. .INI files were a nightmare to maintain as they could be scattered in literally hundreds of directories. At least the registry tries to bring some unity to the table. Let's take a look at why the oft ridiculed Windows registry has its advantages over .INI files.

Standardization
Perhaps the biggest gain of them all, the registry forces standardization across all applications that read from it and writes to it.

Strongly typed data
Legacy INI files only allow textual data to be stored.

Separation of machine and user configuration information
Users are able to share a machine with their user-specific settings thanks to the Windows registry.

Remote access
The registry can be accessed via a remote system when the Remote Registry service is running. This allows for remote management of the computer system.

Registry backup
The entire registry can be backed up and stored to a single backup file. Contrast this to INI files that could be scattered across hundreds of directories.

Faster access
The text-based nature of INI files required they be parsed to read values from. The key-value structure of the registry allows for fast access to settings without parsing.

Database structure
The registry is similar to a database in structure and offers database-type features, such as atomic updates.

So, we've taken a look at what makes the registry superior to the old INI files. Now, let's take a look at where the registry has its share of shortcomings.

Backuping up specific keys difficulty
Since everything is centralized, it can be difficult to locate and backup individual application settings.

Difficult structure to navigate
The structure is extremely difficult to traverse, manipulate, and search. Manual editing is only for those who are completely comfortable with the settings.

Change danger
Manipulation of the wrong keys or fat-fingering values can result in a complete system crash and cripple the operating system.

Binary files
The registry data is stored in binary files, making them difficult to repair.

Overhead
Increases memory consumption and overhead.

Install / Un-install difficulty
Software installers and uninstallers gain complexity, requiring multiple writes to various locations in the registry.

Orphaned references
The removal of software applications can result in hundreds of orphaned registry keys. Over time the system performance will decrease (commonly known as [Software Rot]).

Direct copy difficulty
Direct copying of applications from one system to the next (hard drive to hard drive) can be near impossible as registry settings would need to be found and copied manually.

So, there you have it. The Windows registry is what we have and what we need to live with. Although it's arguable whether the registry is better or worse than the INI system, one can state "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know." This doesn't hold any truer than with the Windows registry!