If you’ve been running your Windows computer for a while, it probably needs some registry fixes.  The registry is a part of Windows that helps your system to run and errors can creep into it over time.  While it may not always be essential to clean your registry, it is often a good idea.  Particularly if you are getting strange errors that claim Windows can’t find a file.  Keeping your registry clean can prevent those errors and speed up your system.

The Windows Registry Defined

The Windows registry is a core part of your computer.  It is a database that keeps track of all the pieces of your computer, including all the programs you have installed.  Windows uses the registry to find files it needs to run your software or communicate with your hardware.  Problems in the registry can affect your entire system.

Registry entries are called keys.  Each program you install will add multiple keys to your registry.  The main keys will tell Windows how to find the program. Other keys will give details on how to use the files.  The registry was designed to be arranged in a hierarchy, with all the entries for a single program grouped under the main keys.  But, in typical computer developer fashion some programs put entries in other areas, often for shared files.  This can make it hard to determine what keys belong to what programs.

Don’t Try This At Home!

Because the registry is a vital piece of Windows, it can be dangerous to edit it if you are not absolutely, certain what you are doing.  If you mistakenly edit a key that controls some piece of Windows itself, it is possible to disable your computer.  Fixing a computer that won’t boot up is far more difficult than fixing one with a few minor errors in the registry.

Fixing the registry is a matter of going through the entries looking for problems and setting them right.  Because of the size and nature of the registry and the information it stores, this isn’t a task that can be done manually.  Even if you understand every registry key, checking each one on a single computer would take a person several hours.  That’s why registry cleaners were developed.

Registry Cleaners to the Rescue

Registry cleaners are programs that are specifically designed to check through the keys in a registry looking for problems.  These cleaners compare what is on your hard drive to the data in the registry.  They will find and fix minor errors, like keys that point to programs that no longer exist, and major errors, like the ones that prevent your programs from running.  If you are getting registry errors, running a cleaner will usually solve it.  However, you should not reserve cleaning for when your computer breaks!

Cleaning your registry regularly can increase the speed of your system and improve the performance of many programs.  So, if you get a registry cleaner, plan on using it on a regular basis to keep your system clean.

Most registry cleaners offer a trial scan that shows you the errors the cleaner finds in your system.  Try the software before you purchase it.  Look for solid guarantees backed by a good reputation.  Registry fixes don’t have to be difficult if you have the right software for the job.

Making sure your computer has the registry fixes it needs will keep your system working fast and prevent errors.  Every Windows computer has errors in the registry, but some of those errors can slow your system down and a few will break the software you need.  Even if you don’t see any obvious signs of problems, cleaning the registry can benefit your computer by preventing future errors.  Keeping your registry clean and error-free will speed up your computer and make Windows work at its best.

So, What’s a Registry?

The registry is a complicated database that works as the information desk for Windows.  When you run a program on your computer, Windows checks with the registry to find out what files are needed for the program and how to use them.  Every program has at least one entry in the registry, including Windows itself.  Whenever Windows does anything at all, the action starts in the registry.  The registry is a crucial part of Windows.

Clean the Registry Regularly or When You See an Error

Because the registry is so crucial, there is a certain amount of redundancy built into it.  Windows can recover from very minor mistakes in the registry because most information can be found in more than one spot.  However, too many mistakes will overwhelm the ability of Windows to work around them.  This is why it is important to regularly clean the registry even when you are not seeing obvious problems.

The most common error you will see that indicates a registry fix is needed is a “file not found” error involving some strange file that ends with .dll.  The files are dynamic link libraries, chunks of code used by lots of programs. Windows must have the right information about them in order to use them.  When you get this sort of error, it generally means that there is a mistake in the registry entry for either that file, or the program that needs to use that file.  In most cases, cleaning the registry fixes the problem.

How to Clean Your Registry

Because the registry is large and complex, cleaning it manually isn’t really possible.  It would take a highly trained expert many hours, if not days, to completely clean a registry alone.  Instead, you will want to use a registry cleaner for your registry fixes.  Registry cleaners are programs designed to compare the reality of your hard drive with the information in the registry and fix any discrepancies.  A good registry cleaner will repair your registry in a matter of minutes, and should be run regularly to keep your system in top health.

Finding A Good Registry Cleaner

Finding a registry cleaner is not difficult.  Look for a legitimate company that has been around for a while.  Check that the company has a good record with a consumer protection agency, like the Better Business Bureau.  Run the free trial scan that is provided to see what errors the cleaner will find.  Do your research and you’ll get a good product that will help your computer last longer and run faster.

Registry fixes are a fact of life for Windows computers.  The registry will gather errors during normal usage. Cleaning the registry on a regular basis is one of the maintenance tasks needed to keep a Windows computer in top condition.  If you’ve never cleaned the registry on your Windows computer, the odds are good that you will find some errors in the registry even if the computer has no symptoms.  Getting rid of those registry errors will help your computer run better and prevent future errors from stopping your system cold.

Introduction to the Windows Registry

The registry is a database used by Windows to track all the information about what is installed on your computer.  All the programs and hardware that are part of your system have entries in the registry.  Windows uses this information whenever you run a program to find all the files needed and how to use them.  In a way, the registry is the information booth of Windows.  Windows consults the registry constantly, and it is a vital part of your system.

Clean Regularly to Prevent Serious Problems

Because the registry is a large system that is updated frequently, it is easy for mistakes to creep into registry entries.  Windows is capable of working around some registry errors, but the more mistakes there are in the registry, the less likely it is for Windows to be able to run your programs correctly.  Eventually, a registry problem is likely to stop you from running a program.  Some of those cases could have been prevented by regular registry fixes.

How to Clean Your Registry

Since the registry is a large database written partially in computer code, it is nearly impossible for a human to manually find and fix every error in it.  Instead, use software designed to hunt down and repair registry mistakes.  Registry cleaners are available across the Internet, and cleaning your registry is just a matter of running a good one and letting it do the job.

Finding a Registry Cleaner

Not all registry cleaners are created equal.  Most of them will do a passable job, finding the obvious problems and fixing them.  However, do a little research before you pick a cleaner.  You need to be sure the company that created the cleaner has a good reputation and keeps their word.  

Check out the company name with a consumer protection agency to make sure they are not installing something nasty on your computer.  If they have a solid reputation, check to see if they have a guarantee.  Most registry cleaners offer a free scan that will tell you the problems they find without actually fixing them.  Run the scan to see what errors they come up with.  Virtually every registry has errors if you’ve used your computer for any amount of time, so look at the types of errors as well as the quantity.  Once you have a good registry cleaner, remember to run it regularly, not just if you see registry errors.  Regularly registry fixes will speed up your computer and keep your system in better overall health.

Who doesn’t experience that situation?, you have a new Personal computer, it functions fine for a couple of months and after a while you start getting these problems, you start getting these unexplained and irritating error messages, slow internet problems and maybe even program functionality problems. Luckily, well designed XP Home Registry Fix Software can quickly repair most of these problems. By reading this review you’ll know how you can easily get rid of most of these errors and problems.

Do you know what win registry is? Well, Windows reg. is a Windows inner database which stores various information and configurations about your computer’s software and hardware installations. This info is being used by your PC’s Windows operating system. After a while that you’ve been using your pc, a wide range software and hardware installations and other files that are being used can harm your registry, causing your pc to start popping up alerts and error messages, reducing your PC’s speed and even affecting your Internet connection speed.

By now you probably already understand how crucial it is to preserve your Win registry settings undamaged. It’ll save you time and frustration in the future. How can this be done? If you know how to access and maintain your win-registry, then that can be easily done manually, it is no big deal, but when you have dozens and even hundreds of hardware & software configurations on your Personal computer you may find this task quite frustrating since it would require much of your effort. Most pc users don’t even know where to start or what to do, so it is recommended to either let a professional ‘cure’ and maintain your windows reg. (Can be quite expensive…) or try a professional win-registry repair application.

Very quickly – XP Home Registry Fix Software is a software solution which is designed to easily scan, detect and ‘cure’/eliminate unwanted settings from your Pc’s registry. By doing so it easily enables you to eliminate many unwanted system errors, activex problems, dll errors, Computer & application shutdown errors and many other irritating Pc problems that many of us probably experience almost daily.

There are countless of XP Home Registry Fix Software solutions on the Internet, so it is highly important to conduct a quick comparison between these solutions and find out which ones are truly effective on helping you to easily improve your Win performance.

Most of us encounter this situation at some point, you purchase a new Pc, it works fine for several months and by that time your pc isn’t performing the same, you start getting these unexplained and irritating error messages, ‘blue screens’ and maybe even program functionality problems. Luckily, top Registry Fixes Software can effectively ‘cure’ many of these issues. If you follow this review you’ll learn how it works and how it can help you.

What is registry anyway? Well, Registry is a Windows db which stores various data and configurations about software & hardware installed on your computer. This data is being used by your PC’s Win system. It is known that by time, many software installations and other files that are being used can harm your win-registry, causing your operating system to start popping up a wide range of errors, reducing your PC’s performance and even affecting your Internet connection speed.

It is vital then to keep your Pc’s registry database clean and undamaged. It’ll guarantee better performance for a long time. Do you already have an idea how to maintain a windows registry system? If you know how to handle your win-registry, then that can be easily done manually, technically it shouldn’t be a problem for you, but when you need to deal with hundreds of software and hardware installations on your Pc you may find it almost impossible since it would require much of your time & effort. Many people haven’t got a clue where to start or what to do, so it is necessary to either let a professional fix and maintain your win-registry (Can be very expensive…) or download a professional registry maintenance application.

Anyway – Registry Fixes Software is a tool which enables you to quickly scan, find and repair/delete problematic settings from your Pc’s registry. By doing so it easily enables you to eliminate many unwanted system errors, windows crashes, chkdsk issues, Windows explorer errors and a wide range of other popular Computer errors that most of us probably experience almost everyday.

There are countless of Registry Fixes Software solutions on the Internet, so it is highly important to make a little research and compare between the web’s top solutions and identify which solutions are truly effective on assisting you to easily improve your Pc’s performance.

Photoshop is a wonderful tool. Expensive, but wonderful. With it you can smooth out Gran’s chin, hide your ex or bring shame upon a local politician. Photoshop’s forte however is fixing photos.

As a generation of photographers, we’ve accepted Photoshop as an “always there” resource for salvaging shaky shots but to really improve as a photographer, it’s important to look at mistakes and learn how to take good photos.

Try and cut down on your Photoshop habit with these Adobe-busting tips on what to look out for.

Read Your Histogram

The histogram is a graph-like visual representation of light within an image, and an important aspect of digital photography to master. Digital SLRs, bridge cameras and some compacts will offer a histogram view after an image has been taken. A nicely balanced histogram will look something like this:

All the colours within the image are correctly exposed, there is no clipping (loss of detail) and the histogram resembles a centralised curve. If I had overexposed the same image then the histogram would read:

Much of the recorded data has been blown out of exposure and now appears on the right (light side) of the histogram. Underexposed images follow the opposite pattern:

Reading your histogram in the field will give you a much better idea of whether your exposure is correctly balanced, and whether you have lost any detail. Unfortunately reviewing your images on the small LCD just isn’t enough – especially in bright conditions.

Use Filters

There are an array of filters that come in all shapes and sizes to help your camera capture that perfect image. A simple UV filter will not only protect the lens, but will help cut through hazy conditions for shots with greater clarity.

Graduated neutral density filters are perfect for landscapes, and are used to reduce the brightness of the sky within the photo. This provides balanced exposures, with a high range of detail that Photoshop’s Graduated Filter tool can struggle with (especially if the sky is badly overexposed). For deep blue skies and reflection-free waterways then a circular polarising filter is a must.

Watch The Horizon

Don’t forget to check that horizon before pressing the shutter. A slightly wobbly horizon can ruin a good shot, and if you’re not prepared to mess about in Photoshop then it’s probably worth investing in a tripod. Many come with spirit levels built into the head to indicate whether the camera support is straight or not, allowing you to tweak and fiddle to your heart’s content before hitting the shutter.

Delaying the exposure with the camera’s timer (or using a remote trigger) will ensure there’s no wobble when the shutter opens, giving you a blur-free shot.

Use A Custom White Balance

Using a piece of white or grey card it is possible to take a custom white balance, meaning your whites will be white for as long as you’re shooting in those conditions. This is key to nailing skin tones first time, a fine-tuning process that can be very time consuming if you’re using Photoshop.

If your camera supports it, then you’ll need to consult the manual to find out exactly how to do this. Generally, the process involves positioning your chosen card beneath a well-lit area, selecting a custom white balance and photographing the card. The camera will use your sample as a base for all other shades.

Preventing Red-Eye

Red-eye is the bane of many photos, and despite being a quick fix is still a problem many of us would rather avoid altogether.

When shooting with a flash, first ask yourself if you really need it. Many compact cameras default to an “auto” mode which is all-too-happy to fill the room with strobes, so try turning it off. If the room is fairly light or you are outside then it may be worth asking your subject to remain still and practicing your steadiest hand.

Digital SLR users with bounce flashes should use them to their full potential and bounce light onto their subject, which will deliver a softer overall exposure as well as reducing the likelihood of red-eye.

If all else fails, there’s a great online alternative to Photoshop for fixing red eye.

Know Your Lenses

I’ve got a couple of zoom lenses I find will always provide a pesky black ring around the edges of my photos at their widest angles, known as a vignette. Taking note of what your equipment can realistically achieve will reduce your processing time and avoid disappointment. So if you discover that trusty old 18-55mm vignettes at its widest point (as mine does), stop short of the mark.

Don’t forget having filters and lens hoods on your glass may cause this to happen more frequently, so removing these extras will reduce your need for Photoshop’s vignette fixer.

Conclusion

Don’t be content with the few shots you’ve already got, if you spot something worth the effort then keep that trigger finger itchy. It sounds like an obvious point to make, but digital photography (once you’ve bought your camera) is essentially free. Therefore use every byte on your memory card, you’ll be amazed how sometimes you get about 10 good shots from the 200 on your card.

Remember Photoshop isn’t a sin, it’s just time consuming. Hopefully by paying a little more attention to the very basics of how to take good photos you will be able to spend more time on the web reading articles like these and less time cursing the straighten tool for crashing Camera Raw yet again.

Be sure to check out our downloadable ultimate guide to Photoshop if you’ve not already, it’s all you need to become a Photoshop guru. Also, take a look at our Essential Guide to Digital Photography for some great photography tips. And of course, any other tips you can offer us in the comments section below would be greatly appreciated.

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Back in May, MakeUseOf published 10 Tips to Take Better Digital Pictures With Your Phone’s Camera.

In this article, I will address some particular common cell phone problems that users run into when taking photos with a cell phone camera; and we all know, there are plenty.

The problems addressed in these article will apply to most any cell phone camera, though I use the iPhone 3G camera for illustration.

Blurry Images

The easiest and probably most common cell phone problem with cell phone photos is they end up blurry. This occurs for a couple of reasons.

• Cell phone cameras need to be properly held. You always want to hold the camera steady with both hands. The tricky part is clicking the shutter button after holding and composing a shot. So one thing to remember is that typically the shutter of the camera does not activate until the button is released. That means you can first push and hold down the button, frame your shot, and then release the button to release the shutter. Avoid trying to frame the shot while you push down the button.

  

  Also try to rest part of your phone on one of your fingers or in the palm of your hand to get a firm grip.

• You might also try bracing your camera against a wall or on a table to help you steady a shot. Even setting up a tripod for your cell phone camera is a useful idea for portrait and group shots.
• The less ambient light you’re shooting in, the more likely you’re going to get blurry photos. Because you can’t increase the shutter speed or open the aperture wider on a cell phone camera, you need to shoot in the brightest area possible, or use a flash if your camera has one.
• If the shot is not blurry but still not as sharp as it needs to be, you can try using an image editor to sharpen the images — but this is less than ideal.

Shooting Moving Subjects

Because cell phone cameras have slow shutter speeds, it’s nearly impossible to capture moving subjects. To address this problem, you might try using an iPhone camera application that delivers multiple shots (or what is called burst mode) after the shutter is pressed. Check out this article for a couple of great iPhone photography apps: The Best Free Alternatives To Top Commercial iPhone Photography Apps

Furthermore, to shoot moving subjects like children you definitely want to shoot in the brightest possible light to compensate for the slower shutter speed. The photo below is an example of the type of moving subjects that are nearly impossible to freeze capture using a cell phone camera.

Photos Lack Contrast

As with most digital photography, photos typically lack good contrast especially when shot in low light settings. The best solution for this is using an image editor and processing photos after they are taken.

Image editors such as the free iPhone app, Photoshop Mobile, have automatic brightness/contrast tools that can make the colors in your photos pop.

Subject Looks Too Small

There’s an easy solution to this one. Shoot close. You need to zoom in with your feet, even if you camera has a digital zoom. Fill the frame with the subject of the image. This is something that you do no matter what you’re using. In an image editor, you can also crop your images to make the subjects closer; however, because cell phone cameras have lower resolution than many point-and-shoot cameras, cropping too much may result in increased pixilation, especially when photos are printed. So zoom with your feet, instead of the lens, to get the best close-up you can. Experiment with shooting from different angles to get a better shot.

Images Are Dark

The obvious problem with dark photos is that there was not enough light when you took the shot. If your camera does not have a flash and you’re shooting in a low light area without a flash, there’s really nothing you can do to address this problem except get more light on the subject. Indoor lights at night are typically not enough light for cell phone cameras. You will need a flash.

Backlight

Also, watch for what is called backlighting. That is, when there’s more light in the back of the subject than there is facing the subject. So make sure the light is coming from behind you and is facing the subject.

In my experience, camera apps like the free and pro version of Camera Plus for the iPhone address some the problems described above. While cell phone cameras may never be a good replacement for point-and-shoot cameras, the portability of mobile cameras make learning how to use them more effectively worth the effort.

Let us know how you fix particular common cell phone camera problems. Have you found an application or two that is helpful for your camera photography?

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