Registry editor

[NSchandler]

I'm looking to speed up the performance of my computer - I do the basics to try to keep it running smoothly... run spyware blockers, run anti-virus, defrag the hard drive, etc...

I asked a friend who knows more about computers than me about my problem, and he said if I've installed and uninstalled a lot of programs, my registry can get cluttered and to run a registry editor. The thing is, I know just enough about computers to know that I would probably [censored] something up real well if I tried messing with the registry.

Is my friend right? Could a cluttered registry be causing my problems? For reference, I have a 2.6 GhZ processor, 1.25 Gig of RAM, and my computer starts running really choppy when I have more than 5 tables of Empire/Eurobet open. Typically, I'm running Pokertracker, GT+, AIM, Weatherbug, and UltraMon in the background.

Thanks.