Just like the older Windows operating systems, there are three main causes of Widows Vista errors:

• Registry damage
• Malware infection
• Hard disk problems

In this article, we will have a lot look at each one and study the methods that we can use to prevent problems associated with them.

Almost 80% percent of all computer errors are associated with the Windows Vista registry. This is because the registry is the heart of the operating system and controls each and every activity occurring on it. Therefore, every time you open an application, browse a Web site, or type in a Word processor, there is some information added to or accessed from the registry. In the same way, when you add/remove applications, change system configuration or modify user preferences, data is altered, modified, added, or removed from the registry.

The problems start occurring when the registry starts getting filled up with unwanted junk data comprising empty, obsolete, redundant, corrupt, and invalid registry keys. There are several reasons for this junk infiltrating the registry, out of which, incorrect program uninstall, system crash, faulty programs, and malfunctioning hardware and device drivers are some of the most common. A damaged registry can cause several errors in your Vista computer, such as Windows Media Player problems, Internet Explorer problems, and other errors such as DLL errors, OCX errors, and driver errors.

To keep your registry healthy and free of this debris, it is important for you to perform regular registry cleanup and repair. Many experts and computer technicians recommend that you use a reliable and Vista-compatible registry cleaner tool to do this. By using a good registry cleaner tool, you can perform several tasks, such as:

• Scan and remove unwanted information from the registry.
• Repair several Windows Vista errors.
• Remove malicious information from the registry.
• Defrag the registry to compress and reindex its files, and as a result speed up your PC.
• Maintain regular registry backups that you can restore whenever an unwarranted errors occurs on the system and your registry fails.

Due to the ever increasing number of security threats, anti-malware tools such as antivirus and antispyware have become a necessity for all PC users—including Windows Vista users. This is the reason why, as soon as you buy a Windows Vista PC, it is recommend that you buy and install a reliable and Vista-compatible anti-malware tool on your system. Additionally, you must perform the following tasks, to keep your PC free from malicious data:

• Keep both antivirus and antispyware tools updated with the latest definitions released by their manufacturers to ensure that your Vista system is well protected against the latest malware.
• Turn on the real-time protection to block any malware infiltration to the PC.
• Schedule regular full system scans to detect and remove any malicious files that would have gained access to the PC.

Finally, to prevent hard disk damage and speed it up, use the Disk Cleanup tool to remove all unwanted information from the hard disk. Additionally, use the Disk Defragmenter tool to consolidate all files stored on the system to not only reduce stress on the head of the hard disk but also speed up data access time and as a result enhance the performance of your PC.

Note: Windows Vista includes the option to schedule Disk Defrag. You can use this tool to setup regular defragging of the disk and ensure that it stays at an optimal performance level.