3 Steps to Proper Windows Registry Maintenance

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

For most PC users, the Windows registry is a mysterious and obscure part of the operating system. Only experienced users would try to modify it to improve system performance. It is widely accepted that invalid registry keys or entries are often the culprit for most weird system errors and application install/uninstall problems. For example, when a software package is removed, its remnants are most likely still lurking in the registry. Without cleaning up invalid registry entries, your system will be left with seeds of imminent trouble. In view of this, I will cover the basic steps that average users can use to keep their registry clean and healthy with just a few mouse clicks.

1. Back up the registry:

Be sure to back up your registry before editing it. Doing a wrong registry tweak could destroy any application running on your system, even rendering Windows unbootable in the worst case.

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

For Windows 2000 users: The best option is to use the export function of the Windows Registry Editor to create a full backup of the registry. Click ‘Start’, select ‘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 to a CD or other removable media.

2. Clean the registry:

As I mentioned earlier, the longer you use Windows, the messier the registry can grow because some apps don’t remove all traces of themselves when uninstalled. Orphaned registry entries can cause issues like slower performance, system crashes, and weird installation error messages. The most common result is a bloated record that takes longer to load.

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

3. Repair a damaged registry:

For Windows XP users: Restore to a previous 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 on 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 is to import a registry backup into the registry using the ‘Import’ command in the ‘File’ menu of the Registry Editor. The second 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 Start menu using the arrow keys on your keyboard. Press ‘Enter’ on the keyboard to confirm your selection.

Conclution:

Knowing how to back up, maintain, and restore the registry is an important part of keeping your computer running smoothly. I want to emphasize that registry modification should be done carefully, as incorrect registry entries could destroy the Windows operating system.