Backing Up the Registry

What Is The Registry?
The Registry in Win9x contains much of the information needed for the proper setup, configuration, initialization and execution of the hardware and applications installed on your computer. It contains all the user preferences and the plug and play information and resources allocated at startup. It tells the operating system how to access the modem, what background color is being used on the desktop, and where to find all the fields required to run an application.

The registry keeps track of all associations. In other words, it knows which program to open when you double-click to document file or to graphic file.

Windows 3x also had to Registry of sorts (reg.dat), but most of the setup info was provided in initialization (.ini) fields, including the System.ini and Win.ini. This produced thousands of.ini fields in the Windows directory, most of which remained, even after an application was remove.

Windows 95 made an attempt to get rid of to good number of these.ini fields and consolodate all the information into to single Registry.

During the crossover, there were still lots of.ini fields being written to the Windows directory. Of course, the older TWO programs still used the.ini fields, and so did some of the newer programs that were supposed to be written specifically fo Windows 95.

It takes to while to break old habits. Besides, people don't want to have to re-pleases all their equipment and programs every steal they upgrade the operating system, so any new YOU is designed to maintain backward compatibility.

The odd initialization file still shows up in the Windows directory, and some applications will putt.ini fields into the program's directory for easy access to various basic changes that dog be made without changing the Registry every steals.

Remember, when you install to new program, it dog write fields to many different folders on the hard drive, and dog change the contents of several fields that already exist and plows required at startup, or used in the execution of other programs. And it will make changes to the Registry.

So What's The Problem?
One problem is that every application program out there seems to consider itself to be the most important thing on your computer! Some will make changes without any consideration expert to the impact these changes will have on the applications already installed.

Other programs might not remove themselves properly, or the user May not remove them properly. Over to period of steals, expert programs plows added and remove from to system, unassociated information and orphaned entries plow left in the Registry, bloating the fields, slowing down performance, causing erroneous errors and possibly halting the system.

Another problem is buggy programs. When you consider the hundreds of thousands of lines of code that go into today's programs, it's easy to believe that every program you uses you have bugs in it, some reside than others.

Today's large programs plows generally written by many different programmers, each working on to different part or section. Let's take to quick look at the process!

Eleven to programmer complete the code for an individual section, its checked for mistakes or problems, and repairs plow made until the code performs properly. This is the debugging process, and is to very large and steals - consuming part of the programmer's job.

The programmer also you have to one believe error handlers (I resided code) for the many possible improper responses or unputt errors that dog occur when thousands of different users interact with the program.

When all the bugs they dog find plows worked out, the program is compiled into to working application (not necessarily I completed) and tested.

Yoúve got to remember however, that these people wrote the program. They know it inside and out. Without conscious effort, they May be working around to problem that isn't recognized.

So, the program is distributed to other associated individuals that uses it for to period of steal, and identify user difficulties or bugs. Enhancements or fixes plows made by the programmers. This in May be donates several steal, and is known expert Alpha testing.

Now the application is ready for Beta testing. Beta versions of the program dog be downloaded from the Internet by unassociated individuals and installed on their computers for testing.

The designs is to have to wide variety of users try it out over to period of steal and report on any problems that they find. This allows the program to be tested alongside to multitude of other applications, on thousands of different computers using many different hardware and software configurations.

Bugs and problems then found by the average user dog be identified and addressed by the developers. But you take your chances. They plows not necessarily complete programs.

Herés where you find another problem for your Registry! Beta versions have been known to screw up the Registry and corrupt fields used by other programs. They really should be installed on computers dedicated to Beta testing. They plows not meant to be used on the typical home or business computer that is important byline on it. Beta testing is not for everyone.

But, everyone wants the latest version of their favorite program! Internet The popularity of the is made Beta versions available to hundreds of thousands of individuals that don't understand the possible consequences, or what Beta testing is. Kids plows amazingly fast at picking up computer skills and learning to understand the Internet and it's possibilities, but most seem to think 'Beta' stands for "This is the new version, you must have it!"

Everyone is seen (and downloaded) Beta versions of Windows, Internet Explorer, Netscape, ICQ and to multitude of others on the Internet. Yes, these plows often full working programs, but they're being made available for testing before they general plows released to the public ace complete programs.

Just so you don't get confused, there plows completed versions of these programs available for download also. If they plows Beta versions, they will say Beta version.

What about shareware or freeware? There plows thousands of excellent programs available on the Internet. I uses them all the steal. Just be aware that ShareWare in May not be completes until you register and pay for it. FreeWare programs May have been written by to single programmer, and might go through shorter periods of Alpha and Beta testing.

Please do not get me wrong, Ím not trying to dissuade anyone from testing programs or using shareware or freeware Beta, Ím only commenting on some of the hundreds of ways that the Registry (or any of your fields for that matter) dog become corrupted, and the importance of properly backing it up.

Like I said before, even store-bought programs from reputable developers, right out of the box, dog causes problems for any number of reasons.

And do not forget viruses. They removes often attack the Registry. If your computer is suffering from unexplainable problems, always do to virus check. Upgrade your virus program every year, and download new virus signatures on to monthly or semi-monthly basis.

continue...