How Do I Fix Registry Errors on My PC?

Submitted By: Julian Bates

On any computer system fitted with Microsoft Windows as its operating system, the registry plays the role of DNA. The registry is principally a database that holds fundamental settings, parameters, and other pertinent and crucial information that dictate your system’s behavior. Every time you have your computer on, the programs you run are invariably referring to the registry to define how to function.

The Windows registry is made up of registry hives, keys and subkeys, and values. Registry hives pertain to groups of keys housed in a major sector of the Windows registry. The keys are locations where values are in storage. These values refer to the definite and actual settings that determine the behavior and operation of both your hardware and software.

Irregularities in your computing experience take place when registry keys or files get corrupted. At certain times you’ll encounter open windows that will not close from the desktop whatever you do. A common, and even more annoying, manifestation of registry corruption is when you suddenly can’t get Windows to startup, and instead you get error messages talking about “missing or corrupt files,” issues with the system hive, or some other unknown errors.

Having a corrupted registry does not necessarily equate to the dilemma and destruction one can get when a system corruption has to do with a virus infection. Simply put, corrupt registry files are files that have been put out of normal order, sort of being disturbed. This most commonly results from improper shut down of your computer.

Faulty powering off of your system during power failure, or simply by users who don’t care, causes a serious interruption in the lines of communication between open programs and their corresponding registry keys. This rather “traumatic” event results in the registry getting shook up, leaving some entries missing in action, so to speak. This makes it difficult on the part of the operating system and programs to regroup and recover for use on another session.

Defective hardware also gets partial blame in having a corrupted registry. This is often the case when you encounter error prompts that talk about incompatibilities, driver conflicts, or even undetected hardware. It usually takes an expert to correctly interpret the error messages and diagnose the real issue. Just keep your receipts or warranty cards handy in the event that you’d need to give your hardware vendor an urgent visit.

Obviously, getting your system’s registry back in perfect shape would require pinpointing which registry files have been corrupted and giving them the fix. The easiest way to do this is through a registry cleaner software. This saves you from the tedious, if not impossible, task of manually going through your registry as the registry cleaner tool does it by itself in just a few pressing of buttons, and also provides options for undoing any changes made in case you find anything unsatisfactory.

But of course, you always have the option to do the repairing manually. However, you would want to first take stock of your technical know-how before you go for it. The registry is a highly critical aspect of your computer to be freely messing around with, and the slightest serious alteration could wreak havoc to your entire system rendering it unusable.

Before you embark on fixing your corrupted registry, it is a must that you provide yourself with some fail-safe measures. First of all, be sure to make use of your Windows’ system restore feature so you’d be able to roll everything back to a previous working state in case something goes wrong with your registry repair. Next, create a back up of your entire registry on an external storage device, also for restoration purposes.

Access to your Windows registry is through the registry editor. You can fire up this feature by clicking your “Start” button, then choosing “Run…” On the blank field, type “regedit” without the quotes and the registry editor program should come up right away. Your system’s most commonly utilized keys reside in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. Once again, you have to be absolutely sure you know what you’re doing and are perfectly certain about which entries to alter. After you’re done making changes for repair, restart your computer for said changes to take effect. If all turns out well, my congratulations. But, as is always the case, problem persists. In fact, things get even worse in most instances. When this happens, you have to consider automating matters, and resort to a trusted registry cleaner software.