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 perform registry repair when the registry gets filled up with loads of unwanted keys and values that clutter it and cause registry bloating. A bloated registry gets easily damaged and creates many errors on your PC.
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 is crucial if an incorrect method is used to uninstall one or more pieces of software from your 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 several registry repair tools available on the Internet, and you can search for and download a registry repair tool that meets your requirement from the Web. 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.
- The registry repair tool should report errors based on their severity level for better understanding.
- The registry repair software must offer facilities like registry defrag and registry back-up.
- If your registry repair software includes optional features like a Start-up Manager, Temporary files manager and BHO manager, it is an extra advantage.
It is advisable that you first download and utilise the trial version of the registry repair software you want to try out, and then purchase it only when you are satisfied with how it works.
How to use a registry repair tool
Scan and repair is the most essential task performed by a registry repair tool. However, before starting scan and registry repair, use your tool to backup the 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 option to scan the registry. After the scan is complete, all errors will be displayed on the screen. Most of the decent registry repair progams enable you to repair the detected errors automatically. This facility is ideal for newbies who are not well-versed with the registry. Advanced users can go through all the detected errors, and perform registry repair on selected errors only.
