Windows Registry, what's that ???

I'll assume that most of you already know what the registry is, or at the least you know of it. I'll also assume that there are some people who have never heard the term before. Well I prefer the people who have never heard of it before, they are less of a danger to their system. We here at The Chip Merchant offer service and repair. About 70% of the services we provide end up being software related, and more than half of the software problems that come through the door are related to the registry somehow.

Generally the registry problems stem from a spyware or adware infection. But even worse is when someone thinks they can solve their Windows problem by deleting things from the registry. DO NOT DO THAT, EVER! Stay out of the registry unless you know 100% what you are trying to do. This does not mean that because you found a cool website that tells you how to make your "Start" button change to "Go Red Sox", you know 100% what you are trying to do. Even small changes in the registry can vastly affect the operation of Windows.

If you do decide to venture into the registry, please be armed with this, Microsoft Windows XP Registry Guide. This book is the official guide to the registry, released by Microsoft Press. It features articles on cleaning, backing up, and restoring the registry files. It's not that expensive and it may save you a trip to your local computer store for repair. But if you do go that route, The Chip Merchant.