The registry is a database in Windows that contains important information about system hardware, installed programs and settings, and profiles of each of the user accounts on your computer. Windows continually refers to the information in the registry.
You shouldn't need to make manual changes to the registry because programs and applications typically make all the necessary changes automatically. An incorrect change to your computer's registry could render your computer inoperable. However, if a corrupt file appears in the registry, you might be required to make changes.
Registry Editor is a tool intended for advanced users. It's used to view and change settings in the system registry, which contains information about how your computer runs. Windows refers to this information and updates it when you make changes to your computer, such as installing a new program, creating a user profile, or adding new hardware. Registry Editor lets you view registry folders, files, and the settings for each registry file.
Ordinarily, you don't need to make changes to the registry. The registry contains complex system information that's vital to your computer, and an incorrect change to your computer's registry could render your computer inoperable. However, a corrupt registry file might require changes. We strongly recommended that you back up the registry before making any changes and that you only change values in the registry that you understand or have been instructed to change. For more information, see Back up the registry.
You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps. If you aren't logged in as an administrator, you can only change settings that apply to your user account.
Before you make changes to a registry key or subkey, we recommend that you export, or make a backup copy, of the key or subkey. You can save the backup copy to a location you specify, such as a folder on your hard disk or a removable storage device (highly recommend). If you make changes that you want to undo, you can import the backup copy.
To open Registry Editor Click START->Run and type regedit. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Locate and click the key or subkey that you want to back up or click the "Computer" key to backup the entire registry.
Click the File menu, and then click Export.
In the Save in box, select the location where you want to save the backup copy to, and then type a name for the backup file in the File name box.
Click Save.
For advanced information about editing the registry, go to the Microsoft website for IT professionals.
Although you can back up more than just the registry key or subkey that you are modifying, doing so adds to the size of the backup file.
Before editing the registry, it's a good idea to create a restore point using System Restore. The restore point contains information about the registry, and you can use the restore point to undo changes to your system. For more information, search Help and Support for "System Restore."
The Windows registry is a database that lists all of the configuration settings that determine how Windows looks and behaves. Sometimes, settings that are no longer needed will remain in the registry in case they're ever needed again. There's nothing unusual about this, and this data is small in size.
Some products available for free on the Internet suggest regular Computer registry maintenance or cleaning. Although a registry setting can become corrupt on occasion, in general, the registry is self-sufficient. If you decide to install a registry cleaner, be sure to research the product and only download and install programs from software publishers that you trust.
The only product we recommend is Registry Easy Computer Registry Maintenance Tool
Warnings
Some programs available for free on the Internet might contain spyware, adware, or viruses. Only download and install programs from software publishers that you trust. Even if you trust the website you download the program from, you need to also trust the publisher of the program. For more information, see When to trust a software publisher.
We strongly recommend that you only change values in the registry that you understand or have been instructed to change by a source you trust. Be sure to back up the registry before making any changes.
No comments:
Post a Comment