Is your PC getting slower?

You bought a fast new PC last year, and it seems to be running slower and slower all the time. Sound familiar? It's not your imagination: It's a flaw in the way Windows works.

The problem lies in the Windows system of using numerous DLL files - little chunks of programming code - organized with the Windows registry file to execute applications.

An accumulation of "orphaned DLLs" tend to clutter up the system's registry over time, triggering a performance decline. The problem increases as more programs are added.

An executive of Microsoft's consumer Windows division has acknowledged the problem in an e-mail message, but noted that other developers' practices can make things worse.

The best solution is a third-party program - system registry editor - that automatically checks and edits the registry file, according to the story published at www.washingtonpost.com .