registry HELP?

[Guest]

hi I need to know if it possible to replace windows xp reistry files.
I have had my computer 2 yrs and now have regvac to help keep registry clean
but my computer keeps failing and hasd real trouble starting up. this appears
to be due to missing registry files.
Can anyone help please???

also XP was on my computer when i got it so i dont have a back up disk.

 

[Mark F.]

hi I need to know if it possible to replace windows xp reistry files.
I have had my computer 2 yrs and now have regvac to help keep registry
clean
but my computer keeps failing and hasd real trouble starting up. this
appears
to be due to missing registry files.
Can anyone help please???

also XP was on my computer when i got it so i dont have a back up disk.

If any registry hives are missing your system won't even startup. The
registry can however, have damage or erroneous values.

Do you have backups from earlier system restore points?

Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. Check the
radio button "Restore my computer to an earlier time" click "Next" button.
Select restore point from calendar and continue with the wizard. You should
create a current restore point (even though it's troubled) so you can undo
it.

Advanced Windows Care (personal version) is good for cleaning up and
repairing all sorts of problems. It may fix your woes.
http://www.iobit.com/AdvancedWindowsCarePersonal/index.html

Mark

 

[Rock]

hi I need to know if it possible to replace windows xp reistry files.
I have had my computer 2 yrs and now have regvac to help keep registry
clean
but my computer keeps failing and hasd real trouble starting up. this
appears
to be due to missing registry files.
Can anyone help please???

also XP was on my computer when i got it so i dont have a back up disk.

You should not use a registry cleaner. They cause more problems than they
solve. In general unused (orphaned entries) in the registry do not cause a
problem, but removing the wrong one can. When there is a problem that could
be related to a registry entry the way to solve it is to research the issue
and manually edit the registry to change/remove the offending entry. But
the routine use of a registry cleaner to "clean" the registry is of no
benefit, with a good potential for problems.

Here is the standard article for how to repair a registry problem that
prevents XP from starting.
How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry that Prevents Windows XP from
Starting:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=307545

Note this article has a warning that it should not be used on an OEM
installation which is what you have.

But if the system won't start, and you have no other recourse but to
reinstall clean, then you could try this as a last ditch effort.

System restore creates a backup of the registry, so if your system is
bootable, and system restore is turned on and working you can try restoring
to a previous restore point.

For a non bootable system if system restore had been running and there are
restore points you can also restore the registry by booting from a Bart PE
CD and restoring the hives from one of the snapshots created by System
Restore and stored in the System Volume Information folder.

How to access those hives is documented in the article I gave the link for
above.

For a working system, there is an excellent utility called ERUNT which will
make a backup copy of the registry. You could set it up to backup the
registry daily. When set up properly, a backup of the registry can be
restored from the recovery console. See these links:

ERUNT
http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/
http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/erunt.txt

Installing and Using ERUNT
http://www.silentrunners.org/sr_eruntuse.html
http://www.winxptutor.com/regback.htm

To run the recovery console you need to boot from an XP installation CD.
This is a problem since you don't have one, though any version will do, so
you could borrow one if needed to access the recovery console.

Though your system didn't come with an installation CD (or apparently
without a recovery CD), there should be a hidden partition on the hard drive
that contains an image of the drive as received from the manufacturer.
Check the documentation that came with the computer or check with the
computer tech support for how to do a recovery.

Get rid of that registry cleaner.

 

[Newbie Coder]

Kat,

Installing a registry cleaner was a mistake in itself

Are there any warnings then you start your computer? If so, that would be a
starting point

 

[Mark F.]

You should not use a registry cleaner. They cause more problems than they
solve.

Good point! I have used the program I mentioned, but with care. It does
allow you to create a restore point before you run it. Many other don't.

Mark

 

[Rock]

Good point! I have used the program I mentioned, but with care. It does
allow you to create a restore point before you run it. Many other don't.

IMO, the only way to use a registry cleaner is to do the scan but don't fix
anything. Research the suggestions, and then make changes manually based on
that research to resolve a specific operational problem that is occurring.
Using a registry cleaner for routine cleaning purposes gives no benefit, but
has a significant downside to it.

We regularly get posts in here where someone has used a registry cleaner and
now they have issues.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

hi I need to know if it possible to replace windows xp reistry files.
I have had my computer 2 yrs and now have regvac to help keep
registry clean but my computer keeps failing and hasd real trouble
starting up. this appears to be due to missing registry files.
Can anyone help please???

I don't know what you mean by "missing registry files," but if you mean
missing registry entry entries, the first thing to suspect is your registry
cleaner.

I strongly recommend *against* the routine use of registry cleaners. Routine
cleaning of the registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry
alone and don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think,
and what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of,
having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.

The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit it may
have. You have apparently fallen into that situation.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

hi I need to know if it possible to replace windows xp reistry files.
I have had my computer 2 yrs and now have regvac to help keep registry clean
but my computer keeps failing and hasd real trouble starting up. this appears
to be due to missing registry files.
Can anyone help please???

also XP was on my computer when i got it so i dont have a back up disk.

Reinstall the OS and all of your applications, and then refrain from
using Regvac (or any other such snake-oil product) to damage your system.


--

Bruce Chambers

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