Understanding Registry Repair

January 28, 2009 · Filed Under Software · Comment 

Registry repair is a crucial Windows maintenance process because all hardware, software and user preference information is stored within the registry. Data in your registry is stored in a tree-like, hierarchal structure made up of keys, subkeys and their values.

You need to carry out registry repair when the registry gets clogged up with lots of un-needed keys and values that clutter it up and cause registry bloating. A bloated registry gets damaged easily and generates several errors on your computer.

Registry repair is essential in the following contexts:

  • You need to regularly perform registry repair if you frequently install and uninstall programs from your system.
  • Registry repair becomes essential if an incorrect method is used to uninstall one or more programs from the PC.
  • If a virus or some spyware is located on your PC, carry out registry repair to weed out any infected entries from it.
  • You need to perform registry repair if your system crashes, to repair any corrupt entries as a result of the crash.
  • It is good to perform registry repair soon after you repair or remove faulty software, a faulty device or device driver from your system because faulty software and hardware tend to cause damage to the registry.

A registry repair method for beginners

Windows computers are equipped with the Registry Editor (regedit) utility that enables users to perform a certain level of registry repair. However, this utility is not simple to use and any user error can cause severe problems with your system.

This is why most industry gurus recommend using efficient and reliable registry repair tools. There are many registry repair tools available on the Web, and you can search for and download a registry repair program that meets your needs from the Internet. Some of the essential features that you must look for in your registry repair tool are:

  • The registry repair tool you choose must be compatible with your Windows operating system.
  • The registry repair tool should use smart and intelligent scanning techniques to report genuine problems as errors.
  • For better understanding, the registry repair software should report errors based on their severity level.
  • The registry repair software must offer facilities like registry defrag and registry back-up.
  • If the registry repair tool includes optional features such as a Start-up Manager, BHO manager, and Temporary files manager, it is an added advantage.

It is recommended that you first download and use the trial version of the registry repair tool you want to choose, and then buy it only when you are satisfied with its efficiency.

How to use a registry repair tool

Scan and repair is the most essential task performed by a registry repair tool. However, before beginning scan and registry repair, use the tool to back-up your registry. A registry repair program will carry this out automatically before repairing your registry. If your registry repair tool does not automatically back up the registry, perform a manual backup using the backup and repair option of your registry repair tool.

Next, use the scan facility to scan your registry. After the scan is finished, all errors will be flagged up on your screen. Most of the decent registry repair progams enable you to repair the detected errors automatically. This feature is great for beginners who are not very well-acquainted with the registry. Advanced users can go through all the detected errors, and perform registry repair on selected errors only.