Microsoft Software Registry Cleaner
The Microsoft software
registry cleaner is actually a Windows tool known as the Windows
Registry Checker Tool. It can be run on the Windows operating system
by typing in scanreg.exe in the run dialog box. This tool was only
available for the
Windows 98 and Millennium edition of the Windows.
This tool kicks in whenever the user starts his or her Windows 98 or Millennium operating system The Registry checker automatically creates a backup of the registry in the \Windows\Sysbackup folder. It maintains about five backup copies of the registry in a compressed format. Manual backup of the Registry is also made possible. Users can load the System Information utility that is found under Program>Accessories>System Tools by selecting Registry checker. The utility will immediately scan the registry and make a backup of it in the Sysbackup folder as described above.
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The backup of your registry can be restored by rebooting the system to an MS DOS prompt and typing in Scanreg/RESTORE on the command line. Thereafter you will need to merely follow the screen instructions to restore your backup. The different switches and functions that can be performed by the Registry Checker are as under:
1. scanreg /restore: You can select from a list of
registry backups based on date and time, and restore the registry to
the selected backup.
2. scanreg /fix: Repairs damage to the registry's internal data structures and compacts it.
3. scanreg
/opt: Removes excess free space from the registry. Performed
automatically during startup, when more than 500 KB of excess free
space is detected in the registry files.
These options are available in the command line prompt on Windows 98 and in real mode in Windows ME.
Scanregw.exe is a command line command without switches. This is a protected mode version that scans the registry for invalid entries and creates a backup of system files. If invalid entries are detected, a real mode version of the Registry checker will kick in for a resolution.
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The Windows Registry Checker also defragments the registry and removes any empty spaces to optimize Windows performance. It tries to make repairs to the registry by replacing the registry itself or replacing the system files from backed up copies of these files if the user enters the scanreg/fix command from the command prompt. This tool is also run by the Windows Setup to check the integrity of the Registry before performing upgrades.
The Registry checker tool can be configured with the scanreg.ini file. The registry checker can be enabled or disabled using this file. Other settings can also be changed.
However, using the Windows Registry Checker tool is very cumbersome and requires much technical knowledge and expertise. Novice and newbie users will be perplexed and overwhelmed by the methodology for use of the utility. Third party Windows registry cleaners are more user-friendly and come with intuitive interfaces that are accessible and easy to use for even computing novices.
Microsoft itself does not seem to attach much value to the tool from the user perspective and has not made much effort to improve the interface or make it more user-friendly. It is largely meant to function at a system level to ensure that the integrity of the registry is not compromised and backups are available for restore operations.
