Rules For Working With The Windows Registry
The Windows registry is an important part of your Windows operating system because it is used to store information related to software, hardware, and user configurations. The registry also comprises information related to any changes that you would have made to the system since you installed it.
Configuration information is stored in the registry in the form of keys and subkeys. Each key may have zero or more values. These keys and subkeys are arranged in a hierarchal structure that form the registry tree. You can view the registry tree by running the regedit command to open the Registry Editor.
Whenever a change is made on your system, certain entries in the registry are modified, new entries are added, or existing entries are removed. Some of the common actions that may bring about a change in the registry are: new program installation, removal of an existing program, changes to system settings and user configuration, and changes to program configuration. You may also use the Registry Editor tool to manually edit the registry entries. You may need to perform manual registry edits if you want to change a registry key to repair a particular error, or implement registry tweaks to customize and speed up your computer.
Windows registry error messages and other related registry problems start occurring when several unwanted entries make their way into the registry and cause it to grow at an uncontrollable rate. A large bloated registry gets damaged easily and starts causing slow computer problems and generating computer errors. If you fail to clean up these unwanted registry entries, a time might come that your registry will crash and your system will fail to even boot up.
To prevent this situation and to ensure that your system stays up at all times, there are certain rules that you need to follow.
- Backup your registry before making any major changes to your system configuration and installing a large software. Making a registry backup will ensure that if your changes harm the registry, you can easily restore it from the backup taken earlier. You can make registry backups either by using the File >Export command in the Registry Editor or by using a user-friendly, third-party registry cleaner Vista or XP tool. You may also create a system restore point by using the System Restore tool. A system restore point will contain several other essential system configuration related data in addition to the registry. So, if you revert to a restore point taken earlier, your system settings will be rolled back to the time this restore point was taken. You can launch System Restore tool from the System Tools folder available within the Accessories folder on the Start menu.
- Clean up the Registry on a regular basis to keep it free from all unwanted entries that cause registry bloating. Although, you may use the Registry Editor tool to perform some amount of registry clean up, it is a difficult tool to use and the chances of errors are quite high. This is the reason why experts recommend that you use a reliable, third-party registry tool to do the job.
Posted by nabcomputers