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Posts Tagged ‘Windows Registry’

Since I’m going to talk about the Windows registry, it’s better to give you a big picture of what it is before delving into the details. Let me put it this way, the registry is a hierarchical database in the Windows operating system, where configuration settings related to hardware, user preferences, memory setup, and applications are stored. You probably won’t notice a need to fix any registry problems when your system is new, but as you use Windows for a period of time, your registry will become larger and larger, clustered with unnecessary and obsolete registry entries after software and drivers are removed from your computer.

To most PC users, the Windows registry is a mysterious and dark part of the operating system. Only experienced users would try to tweak it for enhanced system performance. It is widely agreed that invalid registry keys or entries are often the culprit of the majority of weird system errors and application installation/uninstallation problems. For instance, when a software package is removed, it is very likely that its remnants are still lurking in the registry. Without cleaning invalid registry entries, your system will be left with seeds for imminent trouble. In view of this, I’ll cover the basic steps that average users can use to keep the registry clean and healthy with a few mouse clicks.

1. Back up the registry:

Be sure to back up your registry first before editing it. Making an incorrect registry modification could destroy any applications running on your system, even rendering Windows unable to boot in the worst scenario.

For Windows XP users: The best way to back up the registry is to use the System Restore tool. Click ‘Start’, point to ‘All Programs’, ‘Accessories’, ‘System Tools’, and then select ‘System Restore’. Choose ‘Create a Restore Point’. Click ‘Next’ and follow the directions.

For Windows 2000 users: The best option is to use the export capability in Windows’ Registry Editor to create a full backup of the registry. Click ‘Start’, point to ‘Run’, type ‘regedit’, and press ‘Enter’. Select ‘My Computer’ in the folder tree, select ‘File’, ‘Export’, and identify a file name and destination. Save the file on a CD disc or other removable media.

2. Clean the registry:

As I mentioned earlier, the longer you use Windows, the more cluttered the registry can grow because some applications don’t remove all traces of themselves when they are uninstalled. Orphaned registry entries may cause such problems as slower performance, system lockups, and strange installation error messages. The more common result is a bloated registry that takes longer to be loaded.

Windows 95 comes with a built-in registry cleaning utility called RegClean, but Microsoft does not include it in their operating systems after Windows 95. You’ll have to use third-party utilities. For the most comprehensive Registry scanning and cleaning, you may want to buy a utility like Error Doctor or Registry Fix. These utility suites provide advanced features that fully scan, optimize, and maintain the registry, and they all work with all versions of Windows from 95 through XP.

3. Fix a damaged registry:

For Windows XP users: Restore to a past restore point by clicking ‘Start’, pointing to ‘All Programs’, ‘Accessories’, ‘System Tools’, and then selecting ‘System Restore’. Choose ‘Restore my computer to an earlier time’. Click ‘Next’ and select a restore point from the calendar by clicking a bold date and then selecting a restore point. Click ‘Next’ and confirm the restore date by clicking ‘Next’ again.

For Windows 2000 users: There are two options available. The first one is to import a registry backup into the registry by using the ‘Import’ command on the Registry Editor’s ‘File’ menu. The second one is to use ‘Last known good configuration’. Here are the steps to do it – Restart the computer. Hold down the ‘F8v key while your system is booting up. Select ‘Last known good configuration’ from the Startup menu with the arrow keys on your keyboard. Press ‘Enter’ on the keyboard to confirm your selection.

Conclusion

Knowing how to back up, maintain, and restore the registry is an important part of keeping your computer running smoothly. I want to stress that modifying the registry should be done with care in that incorrect registry entries made could destroy the Windows operating system.

About the Author
Weishengw Wu has been a freelance technical writer for several years. For more information on Registry Cleaner Software, check out http://www.businessinfo.tw/LP/fixregistry

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3 Steps for Proper Windows Registry Maintenance

Your Windows registry is a tool that is on every computer. The registry is a database that is consistently used by Windows every time you are using your computer. Your operating system must tap into the store of hardware and software configuration that is stored on your registry every time you call for a function. The registry is a key part of your computer and every time that you want your computer to perform an action, it will need to go to the registry information to make sure that happens.

Of course, we should note that just about anyone can access their Windows registry at regedit.exe and play around in there. You can do this if you have Administrator privileges on your computer. You can go in and edit your registry to help yourself to fix those problems. But, before you go doing that, you should realize that this can also cause you a wide range of problems as well. If you punch in the wrong thing or you edit the wrong way, you could end up with this metal box sitting in front of you that barely is working. This is anything but the scenario you are looking for. In other words, unless you really have been educated in how to edit and keep your Windows registry working well, it is better to leave it to the experts.

Unless you are planning to invest in a new computer whenever mistakes are made to your current unit, then it is quite important for you to venture into the world of registry cleaning software. The good news is that there are plenty of tools that you can invest in that will provide the highest quality results. In addition, you will find that they are not too expensive. This is especially true when you take into consideration the value of keeping your current system running for a longer period of time.

Your Windows registry is very important to the running of the daily functions of your computer. In short, your operating system must tap into that registry dozens of times each second that you are using it. Thats a lot of work and therefore you need to insure that your registry is working at its optimum level. To do this, use registry cleaning software.

The software works with complexity, but it works quickly and efficiently from the human perspective. The registry cleaning software will go into your computer, scan it and then repair the registry anytime that it is necessary to do so. Most of the time, this type of cleaner will look for all types of errors that may be lurking in your computer. In most cases, though, you can customize the settings in the registry cleaning software to look for just specific types of errors such as DLL errors or invalid startup entries or even missing fonts. All of these things will be dedicated even if you do not customize for it though.

But, these software tools can do more than that. They can help by finding incorrect information on your registry, they can help in storing or backing up the Windows registry so that in case there is a problem later the system can be restored and some may even let you customize start up programs and other settings within your computer. The value of the registry cleaning software tool is large. Even those that take good care of what is going on when they are on their computer can benefit from having these tools to use. They are easy to gain value from.

Here are some of the features that many registry cleaning software programs can provide to you.

– The basic function is that of scanning and repairing any errors that your computer may have on its Windows registry. This is the basic function it should perform for you.

– Some allow for the user to select which type of files and errors for the scan to look for. Customizing your scan can help to pull out the DLL errors, font errors or other specific types of errors that you may have.

– Back up is another added bonus to the registry program. It many cases, you should be able to back up your Windows registry onto the program. That way, should something go wrong down the road, you can restore all of your function to that point of back up.

– Removing incorrect and even obsolete information from your computer is another function that should be provided for.

– In addition, most registry cleaning software programs will be able to pick up and remove even some of the worst viruses, spyware programs, adware, and even Trojans as these programs often make marks into your registry to cause their problems.

Most of the registry cleaning software programs that you will find will offer what is called an automatic scan. If you are the average to better computer user then this is the best tool for you to use. Here, your program will perform a simple run through of your computer. It will scan for any and all types of errors that may be causing a problem for you. This automatic scan is designed to pull up all types of errors, big and small. Some of them may not be as important as others, but nevertheless, it is important to remove them from your registry. Most registry cleaning software tools are set up to run automatic scans right out of the box.

If you have a basic computer knowledge set and have a bit of techie in you, then you can customize your registry cleaning software if you would like to. In this case, you can have the software scan for a particular type of error or problem. Perhaps you know what type of errors you are looking for or you are looking to fix one certain problem that you know is lurking in your registry. In any case, by customizing your registry cleaning software, you can pull out the specific errors that are causing a problem for you. For example, if you have invalid start up entries that need to be removed.

One way in which your computer can be benefited with registry cleaning software is that of back up your registry. Lets say that your system is working well and you use your cleaning software as often as recommended. But, what would happen if something went wrong either while doing another cleaning scan or possibly if something drastic happened to your computer? Would you lose all of the entries on your Windows registry? It is quite possible. Yet, some of the better registry cleaning software tools on the market will effectively allow you to pull off those problems and then allow you to back up the entire registry right onto the software program itself. In this way, should something go wrong, you can go back and access it and then repair the damage without losing any of your entries.

While purchasing registry cleaning software is mainly done to help in aiding the function of your computer by cleaning up your Windows registry, you can also use it as an extra source of protection for viruses, spyware, adware and more. As you probably know, these things get into your computer causing all sorts of damage and slow downs for you. They pile up and they slow down the way in which your computer works. Viruses are specifically problematic as they can wreak havoc and even begin to control certain aspects of your computer. In short, they are pesky problems that can ruin your day and your computers operating system.

You may or may not have up and running virus and spyware protection programs. It is a good bet that you need them though. There are plenty of great programs out there, both free and for a subscription price that can help in protecting your computer from virus problems. Yet, sometimes they get through these as well. Spyware can get through when you are downloading something that you really did want to use. Viruses can come in the form of emails. SO, having as much protection against them is quite important. Registry cleaning software can help to provide this protection for you.

In many ways, registry cleaning software allows you to remove even the worst of viruses and spyware programs from your computer. It can detect even those that are well hidden. Therefore, it is quite wise to purchase and use these programs as an added back up to your current protection program.

About the Author
Dennis J. Cole is founder of DJ & H Unlimited a family owned business formed to provide a network of helpful and interesting web sites like WWW Blog Links a link directory located at http://bloglinks.djhunlimited.com ,so submit your blogs today.

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Tame Your Windows Registry With Registry Cleaning Software