Did you hear that fixing your registry would speed upwardly your computer? Or did you read somewhere that 'fixing' your registry will remedy any Windows malaise on your car, that a quick registry make clean-upward will solve your computing problems for good?

Many of these articles are not just wrong, but some can be downright harmful to your motorcar in the long run.

Here's how to identify, isolate, and set up registry problems—and when to only non carp at all.

What Is the Windows Registry?

microsoft windows registry editor 2021

The Windows Registry is essentially a massive internal database containing important, auto-specific information regarding nigh everything in your automobile:

  • Organisation Hardware
  • Installed Software and Drivers
  • Organization Settings
  • Contour Information

Opening a plan, installing new software, and altering your hardware all require Windows to refer to the data contained in the registry. It's no wonder that when things first to become incorrect, 'experts' determine to meddle with the registry without understanding the implications.

In reality, fragments of deleted software registries or orphaned registries are minuscule in size and shouldn't cause your machine any problems at all.

All the same, when the time comes to fix a real problem with your registry, it is of import to know what y'all are doing, and the all-time way is often the easiest.

What Causes a Registry Error?

In that location are several common causes of registry errors, some worth worrying about, others not:

  1. Orphaned Entries: Non an issue. Orphaned entries occur when you uninstall programs, and small-scale fragments of registry entries are left behind. Many registry prepare software will proclaim these are an immediate issue, merely in reality, they amount to zip more than a few kilobytes of data in your machine.
  2. Duplicate Keys: Non an issue. Duplicate keys are fabricated when yous reinstall, upgrade, or update software on your machine, including the operating organisation. Registry fix software volition suggest that your software volition be 'confused' by the duplicate entries, slowing your car, but in reality, this is unlikely.
  3. Fragmented Registry: Non an effect. Similar to duplicate keys, the registry fragments when software is uninstalled, upgraded, or updated.
  4. System Shutdown Errors: Unlikely to crusade bug. Each fourth dimension your computer shuts downwardly, a copy of the registry is saved to the arrangement retentiveness. If your calculator is suddenly turned off, or crashes, or dies for another reason, it could crusade an issue in the future—but this is unlikely.
  5. Malware and Viruses: Massive issue. Malware and viruses of all types regularly attack and modify the registry and will require firsthand attention.

Registry cleaner software will commonly place issues one-iv as seriously important, device destroying issues. Realistically, simply event five should cause yous to take firsthand activeness. If you suspect you have a malware effect, cheque out our complete malware removal guide.

How to Create a Windows Registry Backup

You should only set and repair the Windows Registry when necessary. If you accept ever encountered a particularly irksome piece of malware or virus, you will know the farthermost lengths some of these infections go to disguising their activity on your machine.

windows registry editor export backup 2021

First of all, before attempting to change, ready, or delete registry fields, y'all should ever back up the Windows Registry to a secure location.

  1. Input regedit in the Beginning Bill of fare search box, and select the Best Match
  2. Head to File > Consign
  3. In the dialogue box, enter a useful name such as regbackup, select a useful location—Documents is the default—and click Save

You should too notation that the time to support the Windows Registry is when you accept a clean computer. If you try to create a backup when you suspect there is malware on your system, you lot'll support the malicious entries, besides.

How to Restore a Windows Registry Backup

Once you take a Windows Registry backup, you need to know how to restore it. At that place are several ways you can restore a Windows Registry backup, depending on the condition of the automobile.

ane. Basic Windows Registry Restore

The basic method works when your reckoner is healthy or in a low-level country of repair.

  1. Input regedit in the Beginning Bill of fare search box, and select the Best Match
  2. Head to File > Import
  3. Browse to the location of your Windows Registry backup and select Open

Barring whatsoever outrageous, unaccountable errors to your system, you should at present exist able to back up and restore the Windows Registry.

Another, slightly quicker method for registry restoration is to only browse to the backup location, right-click the registry file, and select merge. The .REG file volition be automatically imported to your registry.

2. Restore the Registry from Rubber Mode

If the Windows Registry does non restore from your standard Windows account, you can boot into Windows Safe Mode and try again.

Advanced startup repair Windows 10
  1. Type advanced start-up in your Starting time Carte du jour search bar and select the All-time Match. Now, nether Advanced commencement-upward, select Restart At present. Clicking Restart At present will restart your system in recovery mode, where you lot will run across three options: Continue, Troubleshoot, or Turn Off Your PC.
  2. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options. You lot now have a new range of options to cull from.
  3. Select Start-upwardly Settings > Restart. Your system will restart. The Commencement-upward Settings screen will load subsequently you reboot. From here, choose the requisite pick for Safe Mode.

From here, you lot can follow the steps in the starting time department to restore your Windows Registry.

Employ System Restore to Fix the Windows Registry

Before using more advanced Windows Registry restore options, such every bit via the Command Prompt, you can effort to use a system restore point. Microsoft advocates using a organisation restore indicate rather than a manual Windows Registry restoration, simply because using a system restore signal is much easier.

Windows will set automated system restore points so long equally the feature is switched on—or something else hasn't switched it off.

  1. Press Windows central + Southward and search for restore.
  2. Select the create a restore bespeak outcome.
  3. This volition open System Properties > System Protection, where you can check whether protection is on, configure settings, and create a restore signal right now.
  4. If yous want to use a organization restore point, select System Restore and the restore signal you want to employ. Then follow the instructions.
windows system restore and system properties

One overnice Windows System Restore characteristic is the power to Scan for affected programs. If you select your organization restore point, browse to see a listing of the programs the system restore signal volition bear on or delete.

Malware and viruses tin disable System Restore and delete restore points. Moreover, your ain anti-virus may resist any attempts to re-create or modify core Windows settings, negating the effects of System Restore. However, as shown above, your arrangement should automatically ready a system restore betoken at each disquisitional Windows Update.

Nonetheless, cheque that y'all accept this feature turned on and create a fresh restore indicate for your peace of mind.

Manually Restore the Windows Registry

You lot tin manually restore the Windows Registry using the Control Prompt. On some occasions, Windows will not boot into Safe Style, or other issues stop the restoration of the Windows Registry. In those cases, you can utilize the manual restore selection.

This process is a little more circuitous than the previous sections. Unfortunately, information technology also requires a little prior planning.

Since Windows 10 version 1803, there is no automatic Windows Registry fill-in. Prior to 1803, Windows would accept a Registry backup every ten-days via the RegIdleBackup service.

Microsoft stopped the automated backup to reduce the size of Windows 10 footprint with devices defective removable storage options in mind. Also, Microsoft recommends using a system restore point to repair a corrupt registry.

Learning how to employ system restore is invaluable. Here's how to use a mill reset or a arrangement restore point to fix your Windows ten machine.

Switch Automatic Registry Backups On

Reinstating automatic Windows Registry backups is a elementary process involving a registry tweak.

Get-go, Input regedit in the Start Card search bar, and select the Best Match. And so, press CTRL + F, then copy and paste the following:

                      
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Command\Session Director\Configuration Director

Correct-click in the right panel and select New > DWORD (32-Scrap) Value. Alter the name to EnablePeriodicBackup. Then double-click the DWORD and alter the value to 1. Press OK. Yous'll have to restart your system for the change to take identify.

windows registry enable period automatic backup

1. Enter Avant-garde Startup Options

If you do have an automatic backup, you tin can attempt to restore the registry manually. First, you need to boot into the advanced showtime-upwards options.

  1. Caput to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery
  2. Select Restart Now

Alternatively, open your Start Carte du jour, then hold the Shift cardinal and press Restart.

Once the menu options, press Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Control Prompt

2. Change the Directory

When the Command Prompt opens, it volition default to X:\Windows\System32. This isn't the actual location of your Windows installation, and so we demand to movement to the right drive letter of the alphabet earlier proceeding.

Past and big, your Windows installation is plant on the C:\ drive, unless yous motility it somewhere else. However, recovery mode tends to kick your Windows installation under a different bulldoze letter of the alphabet, usually D:\. To find the correct drive, input the following:

                      
dir D:\Win*

The Command Prompt volition listing the directory contents, so yous'll know it is the correct drive.

Now, enter the following commands, in order:

                      
            cd            d:\windows
ystem32\config
xcopy *.* C:\RegBack\
            cd            RegBack
dir

Check the dates of the files in the RegBack directory. If they are from before your issue began, you can enter the post-obit commands:

                      
copy /y software ..
copy /y organisation ..
copy /y sam ..

And yeah, the two periods are part of the command.

Following this, reboot your reckoner normally.

Apply a Windows PE Recovery Disc

If yous cannot enter the Windows recovery mode, Safe Manner, or otherwise, at that place is a terminal option. You can use a Windows PE recovery drive to attempt to ready or restore your Windows Registry.

A Windows PE recovery CD or USB is a Windows environment that you boot from the disc or USB, before your operating system loads. Booting from a USB allows you lot to fix issues with the host car, especially handy if the host has malware or other problems.

hirens boot cd windows 10 pe version

In that location are several bootable Windows PE-based recovery discs available. One time you kick into the Windows PE environs, yous can attempt to restore the Windows Registry using one of the previous methods.

When Not to Bother Fixing Windows Registry Errors

And then, when should you not bother fixing the Windows Registry? The answer is that most of the time, you should steer clear of the registry unless you know what you're doing, or a technician advises you to make specific edits.

Some malware removal guides will suggest you lot to remove specific registry entries. In some cases, they are right. Merely in many cases purported quick registry fixes to speed your estimator are virtually always snake oil solutions.

Not every person who advises registry fixes is a charlatan, and those that know what they are doing can eek a lilliputian more performance out of your device. Plus, several prissy piffling tweaks can alter Windows appearance: removing the irritating shortcut symbol for is 1 case.

Merely as we said, equally presently every bit you dive into the registry, make a backup!

What Happens If I Delete the Entire Registry?

Thankfully, Windows is full of fail-safes. Unless you lot actually try and too empathise how to execute advanced commands, yous cannot merely CTRL+A, DELETE your entire registry. That would cause your system to implode, bringing the very cloth of the universe down with it.

Seriously though, Windows doesn't want you to delete the entire registry, considering your computer will non work.

Only Repair the Windows 10 Registry When You Have To

Errors, corruption, bug, viruses, ransomware, scamware, and malware do happen. Protect yourself and the Windows Registry by:

  • Making a arrangement restore point
  • Taking a organization epitome
  • Making a registry fill-in

And save them all to external drives for actress protection!

As y'all have read, you lot should but prepare the Windows Registry if you have a specific issue with it. If you practice delve into the registry, make sure to have a backup earlier editing or deleting any values.

Image Credits: Blueish Vista Design/Shutterstock