Installing programs on Windows XP and Vista leaves entries on the registry. Occasionally, I've found program removal instructions that tell you to delete the program files, and then go to the registry and delete the entries for the program. I've done it, but it's a tricky operation and I wouldn't want to do it without exact instructions. I understand that cleaning up the registry does make the computer run better, but just deleting the program files usually works.

Do registry cleaners like "Norton System Works" clean up these registry entries for programs that have been deleted? When I ran System Works the first time, it said it corrected 187 errors. The computer ran notably better after that.

-Joe-