How To Repair Your Registry The Hard Way

[Brandy Green]

To repair the Windows registry manually is a very complicated process
that even computer technicians dare not do unless it is the last thing
they can possibly do to save a computer. However, in order to repair
the Windows registry manually, one must have a thorough understanding
of what the Windows registry is, how it is structured and how it
works.
Understanding the Windows Registry
The Windows registry feature is a relatively new addition to the
Microsoft Windows system. This means that it was not included in the
earliest versions of Windows, namely Windows 3x and older. Instead of
the registry feature, these earlier versions of Windows have an .ini
file and a .dat file stored in each folder and subfolder. These .ini
files and .dat files contain the settings and configuration data for
the files in the folder or subfolder they are linked with.
Storing settings and configuration data in this manner is very tricky.
The .ini files and .dat files can be deleted by accident if the user
of the computer is careless, and this action can cripple the entire
system.
Upon the development of the Windows NT system, these settings and
configuration data came to be consolidated in what became the Windows
registry feature. At first, the Windows registry was just a database
where these settings and configuration data may be viewed by typing in
the command regedit.exe, but cannot be edited.
Later versions of Windows - Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows 2000 -
saw changes in the Windows registry feature, and the command used
became regedt32.exe rather than regedit.exe. The main difference
between regedit.exe and regedt32.exe is that while regedit.exe
interface allows the computer's user to view more information about
the registry keys, regedt32.exe allows the user to do more with the
registry keys using additional functions.
The first version of Microsoft Windows to integrate the best of
regedit.exe with regedt32.exe is Windows XP. In Windows XP, the
command name regedit.exe is used, as well as the interface of the
older version of regedit.exe. These are then combined with the
functionality of regedt32.exe. This version of the Windows registry
became the staple in later versions of Windows such as Windows Server
and Windows Vista.
The Components of the Windows Registry
The Windows registry as we know it now has two basic components: the
key and the value. The key is similar to the folders that we can find
in Windows Explorer, and each key can have subkeys within it, just
like a folder in Windows Explorer would have subfolders. The value, on
the other hand, is the name/data pair that is contained within these
keys and subkeys. They are the little pieces of data where the
information about how our computer should be running is stored.
Keys are organized into hives. The hives found in a Windows registry
are:
? HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (HKCR) - the hive where the keys and values
pertaining to the myriad of applications we use on our computer are
stored.
? HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU) - contains information on the settings used
by whoever is using the computer at the given moment that the computer
is being used.
? HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM) - pertains to the general settings used by
all the registered users of the computer.
? HKEY_USERS (HKU) - keeps information corresponding to those in HKCU,
for all registered users of the computer.
? HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG (HKCC) - temporary information that the computer
gathers when it is booted up.
Editing and Repairing the Registry
There are a number of ways that a person can use to edit and repair
the registry. Among these methods are:
? Manual editing. Manual editing means opening the registry using the
regedit.exe command and sorting through the registry keys and values
by yourself, deleting values and keys that you find invalid or
suspicious.
? Windows Registry Editor. The Windows Registry Editor is a support
tool released by Windows as a companion to the Windows registry. It
can be used to locate keys and values, rename them, change them, add
to them or delete them.
? Microsoft Management Console (MMC). Also referred to as Group
Policy, MMC is used by system administrators to manage networks and
computer system components, including registry editing in various
computers included in the network.
? Registration Entries (.reg). In this method, registry changes are
put into a registration entries file and then run using a script.
? Windows Script Host. Alterations to the registry can also be done by
scripting using Visual Basic or JScript. The basic methods that can be
used under the Windows Script Host are: RegDelete, which deletes
values from the registry; RegRead, which restores a key's value or the
name of a value in a key; and RegWrite, where new values are created
or existing values are changed or written over.
? Windows Management Instrumentation. The automated process of
performing administrative tasks in Windows, including Windows registry
repair and editing.
? Console Registry Tool for Windows. This method makes use of the
reg.exe tool and of various codes and scripts typed in at the Command
Prompt of the Windows OS.
As thorough as Windows registry repair can be when done manually, it
is very time consuming and extremely risky. Even expert computer
technicians avoid having to touch the Windows registry unless there is
nothing else that can be done about the registry's problems. If errors
are committed when trying to repair the Windows registry using one of
these methods, it can result in destabilization of the system. If this
happens, the user would need to reformat the computer and reinstall
the operating system completely.
The Easier Way to Repair the Windows Registry
As mentioned, to repair the Windows registry using the methods listed
above is highly risky, tedious and time-consuming. A superior way of
addressing problems with a computer's Windows registry is by using
third-party registry cleaner software. Using such software will
greatly reduce the time and effort that is necessary for otherwise
repairing the Windows registry manually. Most of all, third-party
registry cleaners are much, much safer and risk-free.
One particular registry cleaner that stands out among the rest is
RegCure. It is quick - it can do all the scanning and repairing that
needs to be done in as little as a minute. It is thorough - it seeks
all the invalid entries and malicious code hiding in the dark corners
of the computer's registry. And most importantly, it is safe - it has
a backup and restore feature that allows the user to go back in case
that a mistake is done during the scanning process. Using RegCure is
the best way to do a Windows registry repair. Download a free scan of
RegCure from the link here.