I'd like to address the use of so-called registry "cleaners" mentioned by rpggamergal in (I assume) her earlier post. That is something we very strongly recommend against using. As a class, they probably have killed more systems than any other type of "cleaner" software commonly used. The registry is THE set of critical files used to control the operations of your system. They typically have hundreds of thousands of entries, many that your system cannot work without having. The supposed purpose of registry sweepers/cleaners, etc., as stated by their developers is to make your system run "more efficiently". It doesn't, that's simply marketing talking for them.
Imagine, if you will, that the typical system has 500K entries - that's just a number to illustrate my point. Suppose that the first run of a registry cleaner deletes 2,500 entries (and that's a lot). That's 0.5% of the entries. How much better or faster will a system run with a registry that is only 0.5% smaller? The answer? It won't. You won't see any faster speed.
I once reviewed a (no longer available, thankfully) registry cleaner that was touted as the absolutely greatest around. And, it deleted a lot of items from a typical registry. It deleted all items with Name = (Default), and Data = (value not set), e.g., empty items. Result, guaranteed dead or misfunctioning system, because even empty values or keys are essential. Some are in use during times when a particular program is running, for others, they can serve as an informational switch, etc. Some are, admittedly, safe to delete, but most are not. And, only someone with highly advanced knowledge of Windows, how it functions and what registry items do can make that judgment. And, is it really worth the risk to delete some item only to find out it was essential, for no benefit? Can modern computers run any faster having done so? Nope, they won't, so stay away.
Furthermore, as a general rule, users should never try to edit their registry except under the personal direction of an acknowledged expert. It is horrendously complex, and interconnected. One significant misstep, and you may be forced to reinstall your entire system. It isn't worth it - stay away from them.
One further point. Using a registry cleaner to try to remove malware yourself, is not a good idea at all. Registry entries left by malware can often help us determine the nature of the malware on the system as well as where it is hidden. Please don't try to fix malware yourself - all you will likely be to make it harder for us to fix it properly.