Friday, September 4, 2009

How Registry Repair Software Really Works

All the Windows operating systems that have been introduced to the mainstream were all advertised as complete packages that can handle a plethora of tasks ranging from productivity to maintenance. However, all of the Windows versions including the upcoming Windows 7 lack a feature that can scan the Windows registry for problems. The reason behind this is still unknown, but the fact remains clear that in order to solve any registry problems, a registry repair software is required if you do not want to go through the hassle of trying out registry tweaks or go as far as formatting your computer and then reinstalling Windows.

One of the major concerns that people point out is that all of the Windows registry repair utilities are made by different 3rd party developers and often times these developers aren’t well known. Some do not know how registry repair software fully work and are afraid that these 3rd party applications may make the problem worse. To shed some light to this concern, here is some information that will give you the ins and outs of registry repair software.

The Scanning Process

The Windows registry is divided into several major areas that contain different settings. It is organized in a tree structure that composes of keys and entries. Each registry key can contain several registry entries that are usually linked to settings of a particular application. The registry repair software works by going into each key and check every registry entry for validity as some registry entries point to certain files or other keys within the registry. It then performs simple decision making based on certain algorithms to determine if the registry entry or key should be marked as bad or left alone. The process repeats until all of the registry entries are scanned.

Most Windows registry repair software offer multiple options as to the way the registry should be scanned. If the “Quick Scan” option is chosen, only certain areas of the registry are scanned. The specific areas that are scanned depend on how the program was written, but usually they are areas where most of the problems are found. Full registry scans analyze every single entry and obviously take longer to complete.

The Cleaning Process

Quick scans usually clean the detected errors immediately after scanning unless specific options are set. Other registry scanners display a report highlighting how many errors were detected and a link that breaks down the errors in list format where the user can review which errors should be fixed. After the user’s confirmation, the cleaning process begins where these registry entries are usually deleted. Some of the smarter registry scanners out there are capable of correcting the values of certain entries. Even better Windows registry repair utilities backup the affected entries before they are cleansed to allow the user to restore or undo a change if it causes unwanted results.

Now that all the details are revealed, it is safe to say that registry cleaners are safe to use as long as it contains the recommended features including custom scan and backup support. It is highly likely that a registry repair software will fix your system more than damage it as long as it has support of the operating system that you are using.

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