Many people can use a computer, however few people actually understand how it works. In particular people don't really understand the windows registry which causes many people to ask What is the windows registry?
The windows registry is a very important part of your computer and it controls almost every aspect of how it runs. The registry is consulted every time your computer does something, no matter how simple the task is. Something such as your wallpaper settings are stored in the registry, but also much more complicated things like personalized user settings.
Windows cannot exist without the registry, the windows registry is a core component of the operating system. If the registry is missing or corrupt then this will cause major problems. Everything on your computer is controlled using the registry in varying degrees.
So you're probably thinking that as long as you never mess around with the registry then everything will continue to work as normal. However that's not always the case, there are actually some very good reasons why you might want to adjust your windows registry. A fairly simple change in the registry can dramatically improve the speed of your computer and get rid of lots of different errors.
The windows registry is out of the understanding of many computer users, however it is where you need to look to find hidden settings which you may wish to adjust. Windows comes with a built in registry editor, it's just hidden by default. All you need to do is open the run dialog (Windows Key + R) and then type in Regedit? This will load the windows registry editor which can be used to look at and make changes to the windows registry with ease.
At first you might feel at home because it looks just like a normal windows registry cleaner program, however you must be careful as this could be very damaging to your computer. Before attempting any changes in registry editor you must first back your registry up, this can be done in regedit itself by going to File? and then clicking on export
It can actually be very dangerous to make changes to the registry by hand and so you should consider using specialist registry cleaner software such as Regcure which can be downloaded from here. This is a completely automated piece of software which makes it much safer and much easier to make changes to your systems registry.
This registry fix software will be able to automatically scan your computer to find corrupt entries and offer you advice about what to do, simply removing the entry is often enough to solve the problem. Of course Regcure will also offer the chance to make a backup just in case any of the changes to have damaging effects on your computer.
You should never just edit the registry to have a bit of fun, it never works like that and it will cause you much more harm than good!
It is always a good idea to create a system restore point before doing any form of registry editing so that you can roll your system back to a state where it actually worked should you have any problems. This is very easy in windows XP, all you need to do is click on start, help and support and then click the button marked “Create a new system restore point?
Then the rest of the process is really easy, you will be asked to give a name to the restore point, which you should be sensible over you need to remember this name if you need to revert back to it in the future. Of course if your registry repair software has a built in backup function then you can go ahead and use that.
When you have completed the repairs on your computer then you have done everything required to get your windows xp computer back up to speed, now all that's left to do is restart your computer and cross your fingers that you didn't do anything wrong! If it boots up ok then all should be fine, if not then you may have to use your backup. During the boot process be on the lookout for any messages that might appear, this could be something that you deleted and windows is still looking for.
If you do encounter errors then it's up to you whether you decide to try and find a solution, or use your backup to start again. Either way should get the same result, it's just which method will be quicker in your situation.
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