Computers make our lives better, but sometimes they make us crazy. Why is it that computers choose to run slow just when you really need them for something important? I don’t know what that is, but one way to make sure your computer keeps running fast like it should is by using a registry cleaner on a regular basis.

The slow computer is the most-often reported problem for most compute pros. While most experts first check the anti-virus and anti-spyware features on the PC for problems, normally it comes down to getting the Windows registry cleaned up. How to clean my registry files is a question that I get quite a bit, but I don’t normally advise average users to try messing with the registry files by themselves.

These programs, like your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs keep your computer running in top shape. The Windows registry is the most important, yet the most vulnerable part of your operating system. If your registry gets corrupted, it’s like your computer has lost its road map on a very long trip. Registry files can get corrupted in any number of ways; poor quality software, power glitches, viruses and spyware and even removing software programs can cause registry errors.

What is a registry file? It’s simply the nerve center of the PC - it is where all the computer’s settings are stored. If you mess up your registry, you are going to have problems - bank on that. There are many detailed instructions on the web on how to clean registry entries by hand - but it’s much better to do it using software. A good registry cleaning utility is simply a must-have tool for any computer user that depends on their machine.

These utilities scour your computer for registry errors, corrupt files and other things that slow your PC down and make it freeze up and crash. When it finds those errors, it can automatically correct them for the user without having to do the dangerous work of modifying registry files manually. You need anti-virus, anti-spyware and now you need a good registry utility.

Don’t neglect the regular maintenance of your computer - a virus scanner, anti-spyware program and a clean computer registry is a must-have in your PC security arsenal.

That’s the experience with the Inspiron 910 Mini not the mini-experience! Well I am in web development and have been toying with the idea of getting a more portable laptop as my old Dell Inspiron from 2003 is as heavy as a brick. My step dad just bought a top of the range Toshiba Portege at around £1,200, but he’s at that time in life where 1,200 quid is affordable, where as I’m still in financial recovery from my last divorce (yes there was more than one!)! So I happened across the Dell Inspiron 910 Mini on the Dell website whilst looking at specs of normal laptops to use when out and about demonstrating our CMS system to potential clients, wow £299 inc VAT and delivery that is a bargain!

There I was credit card at the ready, wrist twitching, hang on I thought, why am I buying this, do I really need it? No, I don’t NEED it I just HAVE TO HAVE ONE . [Puts credit card away]

The next day I happen to have to work on my step Dads’ ultra lightweight new laptop, wow this is lush, so light, I wish I could afford one.

The next day I had to go to a clients with my laptop, and about put my back out trying to put it in the car passenger foot well whilst sitting in the drivers’ seat, hmm decided I do have a NEED for the new dell Inspiron mini after all! It only weights around 1kg. So as I had a management meeting that afternoon I informed my finance manager I would be ordering one and that was that. So Friday October 3rd I placed the order on the Dell website, and on the 8th I got back from a client meeting at Softcat the Mimecast resellers to find a Dell cardboard box on my desk, I thought it couldn’t possibly be the new mini as the confirmation email I got said it would arrive on or around the 20th October, but sure enough it really had arrived.

Well I was ecstatic and got it out and started setting it up straight away, you know remove McAfee Security Centre and install Avast Anti Virus, that kind of thing. As it has an integrated web cam I also downloaded Windows Live Messenger and had a quick video chat with my girlfriend whilst she was doing her ironing, fantastic!

So I googled ‘mobile broadband suppliers’ and toyed with ordering the USB dongle from Three, as their 5GB monthly allowance is only 15 quid a month so the best looking deal, providing those coverage stories you hear about Three Mobile are not really true!

Anyway, it was soon time to go and get my daughter from school so I thought yeah I’ll take it with me and even though I don’t have the mobile broadband USB Modem yet I can continue configuring it in car park if I’m early. I was early, so I turned it on, it said:

Windows could not start because of an error in the software.
Please report this problem as :
load needed DLLs for kernel.
Please contact your support person to report this problem

As we say in England “Computer says no…”

Ah dear, it was great fun whilst it lasted, then followed a 2 and a half hour telethon with Dell support in India Apparently they were so quick to ship it to me that my service tag isn’t on their system yet. They suggested I called back in 24-48 hours, well I told them exactly what I thought of their suggestion as I’m sure you can image, but to no avail. I did indeed have to call back today and they have agreed to send me a replacement unit as it is within 7 days of delivery.

I hope the replacement arrives as quickly as the original unit did…

So conclusion? Apart from the fact it doesn’t work (a faulty drive in my opinion) and for the life of me I can’t get it to boot from an external drive or USB key (it doesn’t have a CD or DVD drive you know) it feels really solid, looks lovely, and is nice to handle (sounds a bit like the ideal partner to an i-phone 2.0 doesn’t it!).

Like most reviewers have stated , the keys are small (but blackberry users manage and they are larger than those keys) and the right shift key is tiny and means you can’t type an @ in the usual fashion and I wonder how it’s going to cope with all the complicated keyboard stuff I have to do whilst running my cms content management system company when I’m out on the road. The screen is nice though, 3 USB slots, a monitor connector, Ethernet and earphones and mic connectors although it has both speakers and mic internally so you can video conference and both speak and listen through the inbuilt hardware without having to plug anything in.

On the whole, I would recommend it, providing you get one that isn’t broken ! I am also yet to try it with LogMeIn which is my preferred way of dealing with how to access emails, lots of passwords, specialist software and all that kind of thing when you are out and about. Possibly the screen is going to be too small to be able to work with for extended periods of time, but I’ll let you know when the replacement arrives and I have had chance to give it a proper testing, assuming that one doesn’t break on me as soon as I start urm ‘configuring’ it!