How to Fix Registry Errors in Windows 10

The Windows Registry is a huge database of configuration settings for the programs, hardware, and applications running on your computer. Every time you install a program, its values â€‹â€‹and keys are embedded in the registry, from where you can configure or perform troubleshooting steps to repair the damaged program.

If the registry is not properly maintained, errors and registry corruption can occur, causing many system and application problems in the operating system.

This guide will show you how the registry works, what causes registry errors, and will offer you some tried and tested solutions on how to fix registry errors in Windows 10 so that your PC can start working normally again.

How the Windows Registry works

Each time you install a new program on your computer, the registry receives a new set of instructions and file references that are added to a specific location for the program.

The operating system constantly refers to it for additional information, such as file locations, options for use with the program, when installing new software, changing hardware, etc.

However, not all applications on Windows use the registry. Some store their configurations in XML files, while the portable type stores data in executable files.

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To access and configure the registry, you will use Registry Editor, a free utility that comes with every version of Windows starting with Windows 95 by default.

This free registry editing utility is not the registry itself; it’s just a way that you can view and modify it. You can access it via the command line and execute the regedit command.

Or right-click on Start and select Run. Type regedit.exe and click OK or press Enter on your keyboard to open the Registry Editor.

The registry contains registry values, registry keys, and registry hives. Registry values â€‹â€‹are instructions contained in registry keys, which are folders that contain data. They all reside in multiple folders that classify all of the registry data within subfolders, also known as registry hives.

When you make changes to values â€‹â€‹or keys through the editor, you are actually changing the configuration driven by a specific value. This is why changes made to any settings are also made to the appropriate areas of the registry, although some of them won’t take effect until you restart your computer.

With this in mind, it is important to know what you do each time you make any changes to the registry through the editor.

Note. Before making any changes or fixing corrupted registry entries, be sure to back up the registry.

Common causes for Windows 10 registry errors

The Windows registry can get errors in several different ways, and these types are not resolved by a registry cleaner. In fact, registry cleaners do not remove errors per se, but simply find unnecessary entries in the registry.

Some of the “bugs” that registry cleaners can fix include blank or duplicate keys, unused values, and orphaned registry keys left over after removing software from your computer.

True registry errors, which indicate true problems with your computer’s operating system registry, are a serious type that can cause problems such as a missing or corrupted registry, a blue screen of death, an obstacle for Windows to boot properly, or a mention that Windows can ‘t access the registry.

In such situations, a registry cleaner will not be able to fix registry errors in Windows 10. In addition, it will not be able to do anything at all without a working registry. Therefore, if you get such errors on your computer, do not install a registry cleaner; this will not fix registry problems.

As we said before, you shouldn’t worry about some of the causes of registry errors, such as registry fragments, duplicate keys, lost entries, and system shutdown errors.

However, if malware and viruses of any type attack and modify the registry, it is a huge problem that requires immediate attention and action. Viruses, spyware and Trojans install registry entries that cannot be manually removed. They also prevent executable files from opening by changing file associations, so you need to fix this type of registry error immediately.

Problems caused by a corrupted registry

If your registry is corrupted, your computer may not restart. This usually happens when the computer is turned off and you cannot track down the cause because it unloads processes and drivers during shutdown.

A power failure or unexpected shutdown can also damage the registry hives. In such cases, the process may have changed part of the registry hive, and an unexpected shutdown or power failure suddenly stopped the process. This leaves the registry hive in an inconsistent state, and when the computer restarts, the operating system will try to load the hive, but find data that it cannot interpret, leading to error messages.

If your files are corrupted or you have faulty hardware that is involved in writing to disk, such as a processor, cache, RAM, or disk controller, these can damage your registry and other systems and data on your computer too.

Registry corruption can also occur at shutdown, and you may not find it until you try to load it the next time you restart. In this case, the hive is recorded at shutdown, and the process can stop a component on the computer or the computer itself before the recording is complete.

Back up the registry.
Create a system restore point.
Restore the registry from a backup or restore point.
Use the System File Checker tool to scan the registry.

Back up the registry