Windows Registry Checker and Other Indispensable PC Repair Software
Maintaining a Windows PC optimized for top performance is a task
that many of us balk at. We either put it onto the back burner and
in due course forget about it, or sacrifice a lot of time and energy
by manually accomplishing a task that can be done quickly and
effectively using PC repair software.
Many PC software tools come packaged with your Windows operating system. A few can be purchased from third party vendors for a small price. Let us look at a few of the indispensable tools that must be part of the repository of every Windows user.
The tools that come packaged with Windows are CHKDSK, SCANDISK, Windows Registry Checker, System Restore tool and System File checker tool.
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CHKDSK is a command line tool. It can be accessed by clicking Start >Run and typing in "CHKDSK" in the text box of the run dialog box. This tool checks and displays the file system integrity status of hard disks and floppy disks and can be used to fix file system errors. It is very similar to FSCK in Unix.
In NT based computers, CHKDSK can check the disk surface for physical errors including bad sectors. In earlier versions of Windows, this task was done by SCANDISK. Because of this integration, Scandisk has been removed from Windows XP and Windows Vista.
CHKDSK takes time to complete its task. This is even more true when the /R parameter is used. Further, the results of the application are not visible to the user for different reasons. The results tend to get written to the application log in later operating systems. The file would have the name Wininit or WinLogon if it is run at Windows restart. However, this file can be viewed in the Event viewer that comes with the operating system.
The CHKDSK utility has some known issues. Reboot can still fail after running CHKDSK with the /f or /r option. It will generate an error that says "Cannot open volume for direct access," on startup if an application (such as an antivirus) locks up the partition before CHKDSK can access it. This problem was sorted out with Windows XP Service Pack 2.
SCANDISK is a utility that was available in the earlier versions of the operating system. It has been removed from Windows XP and Vista as its functions have been integrated with that of CHKDSK. This utility checks the file systems and the hard disk for bad sectors and does a surface scan to identify them.
Windows Registry Checker is a tool that was built into the Windows operating system to facilitate checking the registry. This tool can be used to create a backup of the system files and registry configuration information. It can be scheduled to run once a day. This tool will backup System.dat, User.dat, System.ini and Win.ini files. The tool automatically scans the system registry for invalid entries and empty data blocks when it is started. Invalid entries are not corrected; rather the previous backup is restored. If no backups are available, it tries to repair the registry. If there are more than 500 kb of empty data blocks, this tool will optimize the registry by making the entries contiguous and removing the empty space.
Windows Setup automatically runs the Windows Registry checker tool to verify the integrity of the existing registry. This tool can be accessed by typing "scanreg/fix" at the command prompt or in the run dialog box. The configuration of this tool can be changed by making changes to the scanreg.ini file. The tool can be enabled or disabled; the number of backups to be maintained and the location of the backup folder specified and settings tweaked to add additional files to the backup set.
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The System Restore tool is a component that helps Windows users roll back system files, registry keys and installed programs to a previous state. This tool is useful when the system begins to malfunction or there is a failure. This tool was first built into Windows XP and can be installed into Windows Server 2003. The Windows Vista version of this tool is much improved and is based on Shadow Copy technology. The earlier versions operated on a file filter technology.
The System File Checker tool is a utility that checks for damaged or replaced system files. It prompts the user to replace the damaged files with original files from a backup or a CD. The tool can be accessed by navigating to Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Information > System File Checker. This tool was available in the Windows 98 operating system only.
Disk defragmenter is another tool that is useful in defragmenting the hard disk when it has been used for a long time and program files and folders have become non-contiguous due to installation and uninstallation of applications.
Advanced versions of these tools have also been created by several software vendors and can be downloaded and used to one's advantage. These tools can be categorized into four types: file, system, security, and internet tools.
File related PC repair software tools include file recovery tools, file managers, file download managers, file privacy tools and file protection tools. Many of these tools today are available for free download or come integrated with applications like Windows Registry Cleaners.
Other third party tools that fall into the category of system tools for repair and maintenance include all the Windows registry cleaners, start up managers, file managers, Internet Explorer managers, browser helper object managers, driver managers and other system services. A quick survey of the market will reveal that there are a number of vendors marketing tools for a variety of system optimization purposes. There are utilities that allow you to backup live files, backup the whole system, create a universal boot disk, find your installation key, display help for windows error messages, create a boot disk for your operating system or an internet boot disk, clean out your hard disk of all the unnecessary and duplicate files, eliminate old and unused dll's, find a password you have forgotten, and view stored passwords or a utility for configuring and optimizing windows. There are utilities that can help you diagnose your system, backup all your drivers from Windows, find out where all the hard drive space is going, run a diagnostics form the Internet, clear RAM, replace your Windows explorer or access your PC from anywhere.
Security Maintenance PC Tools include the anti-virus software, spyware and malware removal tools, privacy management tools and firewalls.
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The last category of tools would be PC Internet maintenance tools which include Internet and network tools for search, research, reference, look up or translate, ping, trace route, NSLookup, DIG DNS, validate and tidy HTML or check a web server's performance. You can find security tools that will prevent someone from hijacking your browser or stealing your email address. There are tools which will help you anonymously surf the Internet without leaving a trace or giving out your computer or personal information.
Many of these PC repair software tools and PC maintenance utilities have been incorporated into Windows registry cleaners for the optimization of Windows. These registry cleaners have utilities for defragmenting the Windows registry, checking system files and folders for corruption, identifying spyware and malware and a host of other operations. Other utilities come packaged with one or more of the tools in any of the four categories. These tools are available for download free or at a small charge from the Internet, either individually or as a package of one or more tools.
As a Windows user you will find that, at some point in your computing life, you will need at least one of the tools mentioned in this article. Some of these tools will be required for preventive action and others for effective maintenance or repair. A few tools will come in handy when you must repair your PC or tune it up for optimum performance. It is best to download or buy and keep handy the tools that you consider essential for your survival as a PC user and to be aware of (and be quick to download) any updates to these tools. It is also very useful to make a habit of visiting PC user forums to stay up-to-date on current problems and issues that Windows users face, how they solve them and what tools are the most effective for doing so.
Maintaining your PC can be difficult, but you can prevent it from becoming expensive by learning to use a variety of PC repair software tools and maintenance utilities that come with Windows or that are marketed by third party vendors. A little effort will help you get on top of any problem and help you find your ground as a digital handyman.
