If you have been looking into possibly fixing, repairing or optimizing your PC, you have probably come across something referred to as a “registry cleaner”, “registry fixer”, “registry repair program, or any number of related terms.  Our goal here is to share with you what role a registry repair program plays in your PCs optimization and maintenance.

Now, before we get started there is something that we must state – not all registry ”fill in the blank“ programs operate in the same way – some offer better cleaning than others and some offer a bigger set of features than their competitors.  However, we will attempt to convey the general purpose of a registry repair program without getting into the specifics of any one application.

What a registry-cleaning program does?

In very easy-to-understand terms, a registry cleaner or repair program does exactly as the name implies; it cleans a registry.  Just so you know – the “registry” that we’re referring to is something that is located on your Windows computer, not at your local department store for a bride-and-groom to be.   Be it out-of-date registry entries, invalid associations or errant information – a registry-cleaning program is designed to clean up and optimize your Windows registry to an optimal state whereby restoring functionality and improving your computer’s efficiency and therefore speed.

A registry-cleaning program offers several sets of features in one program:

1. General registry cleaning – it removes empty and invalid registry entries.
2. PC optimization tool – A clean Windows registry is an integral part of a smooth-running computer.
3. Preventative maintenance program – Many PC errors are caused by errant registry entries and over-sized registries.  By running a registry-cleaning tool at regular intervals, you are essentially preventing future problems that you could experience had you not been using the program.

As we stated – there are different types of registry repair programs, but in general, most offer the above features that we have outlined.  Now that you know what a registry-cleaning tool is used for – it’s a good idea to sit down and decide which program will work best for you.  After all, not only is a clean registry good for your computer, it’s good for you as well.

As a PC user, you’ll inevitably run into errors on your computer; error messages, failed programs and even intermittent system crashes that can occur due to any number of problems with your computer’s delicate inner network.  Fortunately, there are a couple of DIY (do-it-yourself) solutions available for PC users of any experience level that may be able to help you repair your computer’s errors.

Method 1 – Registry Repair

Your Windows registry is the head of operations when it comes to your PCs functionality.  It stores information on all of the backend processes needed to run your computer as well as settings and other information that many of your programs rely upon.  Sometimes your registry becomes corrupted due to invalid references and this can cause errors on your PC.

We recommend RegCure’s registry cleaner because it is easy to use and it’s been proven to remove invalid entries that cause error messages and intermittent computer crashes.  While it is true that some computer errors cannot be fixed with a registry repair tool, many can be.  Plus, using a registry cleaner on a regular basis is a recommended part of your computer’s maintenance –  using this PC cleaning tool will not only help to prevent future errors, it will help to keep your computer running efficiently.

Method 2 – Run Chkdsk

Built into your computer is a program called Chkdsk – this program can help you with your computer error repair by fixing problems with your operating system such as cross-linked files and directory errors.  Now, if your computer errors are serious enough, you may have noticed that your PC has run this application on its own, without your input.  However, you may be able to fix your PC errors by running this application.

To run a Chkdsk session:

Double-click on My Computer

Right click on Local Disk (usually C:)

Choose Properties at the bottom of the menu

In the new window, choose the Tools tab

Under Error Checking, press the Check Now button

A new window will pop up – check the “Automatically fix file system errors” box

Press Start

Chances are that Chkdsk will not run automatically as it needs exclusive access to your computer.  If this is true in your case, you will have to reboot your computer in order for Chkdsk to run its course.

Two things that you should be aware of before running Chkdsk for the first time:

Chkdsk can take a long time to run – especially if your hard drive is heavily fragmented or you have a large hard drive.  It is common that Chkdsk will need to run for 20-45 minutes, but we have heard of cases where it takes a few hours.  Just be prepared to wait, though, as you will not be able to use your computer while this program is running.

Always have a backup of your important files before running Chkdsk.  While Chkdsk is not an inherently dangerous application, anytime you run this type of computer repair program you should have a recent backup of all of your important files.

These two methods outlined here can help you to fix your PC errors in a large number of cases.   Even though certain aspects of computer repair requires specialized training, these two DIY computer repair tips may be able to help you repair your computer’s errors  regardless of your experience level.