Here is how to fix broken registry items in Windows 10 by resetting Windows system. You should backup your registry before making any major changes to your computer, like trying to modify or fix the registry. So it is best to backup your Windows registry before you start fixing or deleting the broken registry item. Also, the best time to backup your registry is when you have a clean system or right after installing your OS.
Conversely, you can restore a restore point by returning to the System Protection tab, clicking the System Restore button, and following the steps to restore a selected restore point. You usually don’t have to do anything about them, but sometimes they start causing problems, such as error messages, a slower PC, and even crashes.
The application may be a dependency for one or more other applications on the computer. Now suppose that you update or uninstall the application, and the system experiences unexpected stability or performance problems as a consequence. Since the registry is a database and Windows relies on the completeness and integrity of that database for proper operations, erroneous edits could cause major problems. Mistakes can cause serious system problems that require registry repair, and the benefits of successful cleaning are essentially insignificant.
Preparing to Clean the Registry
While Microsoft is actively improving Windows 11 and adding new features, we appreciate that Windows 11 is only getting major new updates every year instead of every six months. That every-six-month release cycle caused major problems in the first few years of Windows 10’s life. There aren’t as many huge, wait-for-updates reboots with Windows 11 as there were in the first years of Windows 10’s life. Windows 10 has now seen several feature updates since its initial release in 2015, all of which, like those for macOS, cost nothing. Once you get Windows 10, you’ll never need to pay for upgrades again. Some updates have even improved the updating process itself, with more control over when they take place.
- In a nutshell, this will create a snapshot of the current state of Windows, including the Registry as well.
- In fact, while you might want to do this on at least one home machine as a test, you probably shouldn’t do so if you only have one computer.
- We’ve also seen mixed reports of success from people following these tricks.
- Now, your computer will boot into Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).
- The short answer is no – don’t attempt to clean the Windows Registry.
Now, the Startup Repair tool will diagnose your system and fix the registry errors. Once the process is done, restart your computer, and the unnecessary registry items will be removed. And this will probably fix your problems and speed up your PC. And the backup registry file will replace the broken or damaged entries in your system. The Steam, Epic Games, Origin, EA Desktop, COG Galaxy, Battle.net, and Ubisoft software packages all include options for verifying (repairing) game files. Our guide on how to repair game files tells you how to select the verification options in those launchers.
Top 10 registry dos (and don’ts)
In the new Windows PowerShell window, type sfc /scannow and press enter to run the command. As you can see in our example, several corrupt files were found and repaired, even on a Windows 11 PC that had not been crashing or exhibiting other signs of poor performance or unreliability. Another indication of the importance of regular and routine system maintenance. As a safety precaution, the backup system files are stored separately from the system files Windows 11 uses on a day-to-day basis. Using DISM, we will update to the latest Windows 11 system files directly from Microsoft servers libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll. Follow the on-screen instructions from here, and your PC will get formatted in no time.