Reptiles Leopard Geckos

It's started already.

It just hasn't been that long since you jumped on the Vista bandwagon, eager to experience that cool new graphic interface, when lo and behold, something bad happened. Maybe it was a blue screen of death, perhaps it was a more civil error message, but whatever the specifics, you've come to realize that this move to Vista was going to be just more of the same.

The Windows Vista registry closely resembles earlier versions on Windows in that it is still a place to store all the OS and individual programs' settings and options. It has gone a little further than its predecessors by using the registry to replace .ini files, and by serving as a repository for Group Policy settings (previously unknown in earlier non-networking Windows operating systems).

You can still go into the system and edit the registry (accessing it via "regedit" in the command line), but as Vista is more complicated than XP, so the registry is more complex as well. The Windows Vista registry is a storehouse for information about computer and application configurations. Like a reptile, the registry simply keeps growing for as long as you use Windows. During this unfortunate growth (some call it "bloat"), it attracts obsolete and unnecessary information, and over enough time, becomes cluttered and fragmented. This bloat can be the cause of a large number of software difficulties.

Once you encounter one of these software problems (like any number of .dll errors, or even an explorer.exe error), you may be tempted to run to the registry and start deleting the keys of whichever file is named in the error message. This of course is an amazingly bad idea as the files you could be deleting may be of vital importance to the operating system.

So instead of indulging in DIY (do-it-yourself) Windows Vista registry repair, you might be better off looking for a software solution to fix your registry difficulties.

Use some caution when shopping because many software products out there are designed for earlier versions of Windows and designers might not be completely forthcoming about this, shrugging off concerns because the program should "mostly work" on Vista. Hunt around for established companies that have designed registry repair software before and then see if they are offering new software that works specifically with Vista. One such tool is Paretologic's RegCure.

Remember that the Vista OS is markedly different from the older versions in its control of Group Policy settings and .ini files. A registry repair tool may operate on Windows Vista, but if it was designed for XP, its scans are going to be at least somewhat (if not very) inaccurate. Looking for a legitimate Windows Vista registry repair tool (like RegCure) when you need to fix those registry errors is well worth the time and expense.

Mike Lath is a self-professed geek who actually enjoys fixing his family member's computers! His site, http://InstantFixPC.Com, is geared at helping the novice computer fix their computer problems in no time at all...