Most of us like to tinker with our PCs to customize it to our taste and requirements. However, there is one aspect of a computer that we rarely tamper with. It is the registry of our PC. The registry of any computer is a database that details all the software applications installed on your PC. It also details the settings you specified for the operating system and other software applications installed on your PC. Most of this information is stored in a series of keys that aren’t apparent at first glance.
Why do you need to restore Windows XP registry
However, there may be times when you need to restore your Windows XP Registry. Some of these situations are when a software application installed by you crashes or becomes corrupt or when your PC suddenly crashes. Other instances include the damage done to the registry by viruses and other malware programs. Of course, if you’ve tried to scan and restore the registry or have manually tried to edit the registry, you might have to undo the damage.
How to repair Windows XP registry
But this restoration could easily cause worse damage for your PC. Therefore, it is a good idea to create a backup of your registry. Creating a backup of your Windows XP Registry is a simple task that involves opening the Windows Registry Editor and exporting the entire registry as a .reg file. What’s more, if you’ve already created a backup of your Windows XP Registry, you can simply use it to restore your registry. That can simply be done by double-clicking the appropriate .reg file.
Using System Restore feature of Windows XP
However, if you haven’t created a backup of your Windows XP Registry, you can always use the System Restore feature. This Windows XP feature regularly creates images of your system files, configuration settings, and even the registry. This feature is very useful when your PC has crashed because it can restore it to its previous working order.
Using the System Restore feature can be done using the System Restore command from the System Tools submenu of the Accessories menu, and selecting the Restore my computer to an earlier time option from the Select a Restore Point page. Next, you need to follow the instructions to confirm your selection. This will restore your PC to the point you selected. Of course, any changes you made after that point in time will be lost and will need to be made again.
Using a third-party registry maintenance software
If you aren’t comfortable using the System Restore feature, you can always fall back on various registry maintenance software applications available over the Internet. Unlike the actual registry, these software applications are quite user friendly. Most of them have an option to create a backup of your existing Windows XP Registry before attempting to restore it. What’s more all these tasks are available at the click of a button, conveniently named so that you don’t need to know Windows XP Registry details to perform the task. Some software applications provided by these companies also enable you select a portion of the Windows XP Registry to back up. You can restore this portion after you’ve recovered the Windows XP Registry.
