Only if you're willing to keep your computer well-maintained. Most users don't. The Registry is an outdated piece of junk, but thankfully Microsoft has made it

Only if you're willing to keep your computer well-maintained. Most users don't. The Registry is an outdated piece of junk, but thankfully Microsoft has made it less intrusive in Windows 7, and is making moves away from it with 8/8.1. It gets so clogged and filthy over time – like a vacuum cleaner's air filter - that loading application defaults takes ages. This is, however, less of a problem on newer operating systems.