How To Scan the Windows Registry for Errors Safely

A broken Windows Registry is one of the most common causes of computer instability and crashes. This is because it functions like a reference library for all Windows settings, installed software, and hardware devices.

If registry entries are incorrectly modified or deleted, your system can’t find what it needs and can cause programs to crash, hardware to stop working, or the entire computer to shut down.

Even when the registry isn’t damaged, over time junk values can be left behind, taking up space and slowing performance.

How do I scan the Windows Registry for errors?

If you wish to scan the registry to find and fix errors, you have several options.

1. Use the Windows Registry Editor

1. Open the Registry Editor by pressing the Windows key + R, typing regedit in the Run box, and pressing Enter.
2. Navigate to the section of the registry that you want to check for errors.
3. Look for any keys or values that seem out of place or that you don’t recognize. This could be a sign of an error or a malware infection or a corrupt installation.
4. Use the search function (Ctrl+F) to search for specific values or keys that you suspect may be causing errors.
5. Backup the registry before making any changes to it. To do this, click on the File menu and select Export. Choose a location to save the backup file and give it a descriptive name.

You can manually browse and edit the registry if you suspect that there are errors present. However, this method does not have a way to automatically scan and find those errors.

Therefore, you should only do this if you are sure which entries are causing issues. For example, perhaps you just installed a new program that failed and now Windows is crashing. Clearing it out of the registry may help.

Even then, it’s a good idea to Google a step-by-step guide for that particular problem.

Remember, editing the registry is a complex process, and any mistakes can cause even more problems for your computer.

2. Perform Windows scans

Windows has several built-in scan and repair tools, but these do not target the registry itself.

• The System File Checker (SFC) can detect and repair damaged or missing Windows files, which might have some relation to the registry. However, it won’t fix corrupted registry keys or values.
• Check Disk (CHKDSK) will scan the file system and the hard drive that Windows is installed on. It can find any bad sectors, so the registry does not become corrupted. But again, it won’t fix errors within the registry hierarchy.

3. Use a Registry cleaner

The best option to scan the registry directly is to use a third-party registry cleaner.

Fortect is able to scan your system in under 5 minutes, detecting any problems with the registry and other areas of Windows. It also finds junk data left behind from old software and other entries.

All you have to do is:

1. Download and Install Fortect on your PC.
2. Permit the scan when you first open the program.
3. All registry issues can be found under broken registry in the results.
4. Click through to fix the registry section or choose Start Repair to fix all Windows problems.

Fortect uses a repository containing millions of clean Windows components and is able to compare your damaged system with working systems.

By cleaning the registry, you can fix software and system crashes, while speeding up overall performance.

Conclusion

The Windows Registry develops errors over time, so it’s wise to regularly scan for problems to keep your system running smoothly.

While there is a built-in registry editor, most users will have more success with a registry cleaner such as Fortect. Messing with the registry yourself can end up causing even more system instability.