In very simple terms, the Windows registry is the database that holds all the settings for your Windows operating system. In even simpler terms: unless you know exactly what you’re doing, and have a fundamental understanding of the Windows registry, keep your hands off!
What is the Windows Registry Used For?
Some people have compared the Windows registry system to the DNA system that is found in humans. It literally holds all the information including software programs, user preferences, hardware configuration, operating system configurations and many other things. It basically stores all the tiny bits of information about your computer.
Any change you make to a program or hardware or system configuration is automatically stored in the registry system. There are different registry editor programs available that you could use if for some reason you need to make changes to the Windows registry. These will help you to back up the entire registry system and to backup, delete or restore registry keys.
How to Restore the Windows Registry?
If you have made a backup of your Windows registry, restoring the registry key is not too difficult to achieve. Firstly, you will need to find the backup you created. If you can’t locate it, run a search on your computer for a file ending in a .reg extension.
Once you have located the file, double click on it and follow the steps that will come up. Finally, it will confirm that your Windows registry has been restored and once you restart your computer, it will be working again.
Registry Cleaners
There are a lot of registry repair programs available on the internet and these work on most browsers. The top 10 browsers on the market today are:
- Firefox
- Google Chrome
- Internet Explorer
- Opera
- Safari
- Maxthon
- Avant Browser
- Phase Out
- Deepnet Explorer
- Space Time
The Common Windows Registry Cleaners
All the main registry cleaner programs are compatible with these browsers. Some of the best registry cleaner programs are:
- Registry Booster
- Registry Mechanic
- PC Speed Maximiser
- ReImage
- Ace Utilities
- Registry First Aid
- Clean My PC
- Registry Repair
- Fix Cleaner
- My Faster PC
It is often advisable to run a registry cleaner if you find your computer is running slowly or crashing often, before deciding to restore windows registry.
Restore or Repair?
The problem with restoring your windows registry is that you will lose every setting that you have changed since your last registry backup. Also, it is normal for the registry to become slightly ‘dirty’ with errors and corruption. Restoring your registry will help with this and solve problems, but so will a repair.
One thing to be very careful about, though, is that there are many programs available on line that claim to be registry cleaners and actually place viruses, malware and spyware on your computer. Many of these are free programs, which makes them more attractive to users. If you do come across a free Windows registry cleaner program, make sure it is from a name you know and can trust and double check it truly comes from this company!
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Tags: Windows, Windows Registry
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on August 27, 2011 at 8:47 am
I cannot lie. I had to dump Windows because of the fact that it uses a registry.
I now use Linux…;)
Mark
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on August 27, 2011 at 5:41 pm
I use Ubuntu on one of my laptops, buy Windows 7 on another laptop and desktop. I have been dabbling with the registry for so many years that I don’t have any issues with it. In fact, I don’t really think about it when using Windows.
on August 29, 2011 at 5:51 am
I really appreciate this great review. I am just curious with something can you please tell, what if i have my own license Operating system, once I touched its registry, does this will make OS void?
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on August 29, 2011 at 8:33 am
It won’t make the OS void. The registry is a place where the OS and applications store their settings. You must, however, be careful when making chances in the registry as changing the wrong key can cause problems with your computer, such as your OS being unable to load.
on August 29, 2011 at 12:16 pm
i just bought a new laptop, and i’m glad i saw this review. it’s a great help.
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on August 30, 2011 at 7:31 am
With the registry cleaner program that you have provided which one is free and not malware infected when use to your computer?
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on August 30, 2011 at 4:55 pm
I have been using Windows XP and Windows 7 for several years now and I am not experiencing any problem regarding the licence thing.
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on August 31, 2011 at 3:14 am
This review helped me a lot in using Windows XP OS. Is it possible to use Windows XP without registration or maybe it will corrupt files?
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on September 1, 2011 at 4:47 am
I use cc cleaner to manage my browser catches and a registry booster to fix broken areas in my system.
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on September 1, 2011 at 8:51 am
I use CCleaner myself. I have it run each time I close the browser, and since then my computer has always run without issues.
on September 2, 2011 at 12:24 am
Hm… I use CCleaner too usually. It’s free, and it’s easy to use.
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on September 6, 2011 at 6:41 am
While Windows 7 does a good job of maintaining the registry, I still like to use a registry cleaner from time to time.
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Twitter: WindowsTalk
on September 6, 2011 at 2:07 pm
I used to use registry cleaners from time to time. I don’t really as much anymore as I didn’t really see any benefit to deleting a few hundred registry entries out of hundreds of thousands.
on September 6, 2011 at 2:36 pm
It only takes ‘one bad apple’ Paul.
It is not as serious as some vendors would suggest, but a good cleaner always makes a backup and lets you restore it easily.
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Twitter: WindowsTalk
on September 6, 2011 at 4:59 pm
The backup is the important point. The last thing you need to do is muck up your registry.
on September 15, 2011 at 11:40 am
I understand that registry is the most important part of any Windows based computer. It is the main configuration database of windows operating system. so the back up and security of the registry system is more important..
Techie Salsan recently posted…What is Windows Registry?
on November 14, 2011 at 1:43 am
this is a great review, i know others still doesn’t know about this. i prefer the one that is easy to use.
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on November 14, 2011 at 8:11 am
Having your own online social community is like chatting at a cocktail party compared to yelling during a stadium concert as with other large social networking sites. It’s a place where like minded guests can have an honest discussion without all the background noise.
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on November 21, 2011 at 11:32 am
Thanks for this very informative post! This is a nice resource of how to fix your Window.. Thanks for the post..
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on November 22, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Hi Paul! I really enjoyed reading your post, I have learned many things regarding the fixing of my windows! Great! Thank you for sharing the info…
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on December 11, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Great! Having your own online social community is like chatting at a cocktail party compared to yelling during a stadium concert as with other large social networking sites.
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on January 27, 2012 at 9:11 am
I was pretty skeptical about using a registry cleaner, so I decided to benchmark the before and after speed of my computer. I was actually pretty surprised that Windows started up over 30% faster after using a registry cleaner. We also noticed that programs were opening faster as well.
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