How to delete registry keys?
Master's response:
Despite the fact that the Windows interface provides users with a fairly wide range of system management functions, there will still be more options for changing settings using the registry editor. This is possible if this action has no restrictions for your account to perform.
Run the regedit command by typing it in the Run utility, which is available from the Start menu. In new versions of Windows operating systems, the command is written simply in the search bar. The Registry Editor window should appear on your screen. In the edit menu, select the search item and write the name of the key you want to delete. Also set additional parameters to search for the records you need. In the found positions, select unnecessary keys. Through the "File" menu, perform the "Export" operation and write down the file name. Specify a directory to save it and press Enter. This is necessary in cases where you need to restore a registry key, for this reason you must enter the appropriate name.
In the edit menu, delete the keys you selected and confirm the operation by clicking on the "OK" button. Please note that many entries may contain identical keys, in this case try to delete the entry from HKEY_CURRENT_USER, if after that the rest are not deleted, delete them manually. After that, you must close the Windows Registry Editor and restart your computer. If suddenly you have problems with resolution, this option is also configured in the edit menu. In the window that opens, go to the advanced options tab and change the permission for yourself.
To remove operating system registry keys, there are many different third-party utilities that work better than the standard editor due to the presence of additional functions. Also, such utilities can be found in operating system optimization programs.
From time to time, to speed up the system and to troubleshoot, it is recommended to manually or with the help of additional programs clean the registry of unnecessary entries, this will significantly save your computer's resources, freeing them up to perform much more important tasks. By doing this, you will also remove unused registry components that can cause problems later on.
One of the ways to tune the system is the tuning performed directly in the system registry. The regular tool for such settings is the RegEdit registry editor. However, this editor is in many ways not very convenient and very clumsy. Therefore, many programmers are developing new shells that make working with the registry more convenient and productive. It is to such products that the RegSeeker program belongs, which we will consider in detail today.Description of RegSeeker
About- This tab provides information about the developers of the program, as well as a warning that incorrect work with the registry can lead to system failure. This warning is well founded and timely.
Find in registry- This command starts a search in the registry. You select the registry keys to search for, as well as the items to view:
Keys - the name of the registry keys.
Values - parameter names.
Data - parameter values.
Search results- The search result is a table of found registry keys, and each one can be opened with the RegEdit editor, in addition, from the context menu, you can perform the following operations with the selected registry key:
Export selected items. Copy this key to the Backup folder located in the RegSeeker program folder.
Add to favorites. Add this key to the Favorites list, or in other words - bookmark this key.
Delete selected items. Delete this key. If the Backup before deletion option is enabled (in this case, it is enabled, see the picture), then the key will be saved to the Backup folder before deletion.
installed application- This command displays a list of applications installed on the computer that matches the list of the corresponding Windows tab. Here you can uninstall the selected application.
Startup entries- List of Applications loaded automatically at Windows startup. Contains both the Run keys and the contents of the Startup folder. In the context menu for each application, the autoload mode can be disabled (deactivated).
color schemes- Here is a list of parameters (the content of one key) that determine the setting of the computer's color scheme. The specialist can carry out the correction of individual parameters here.
histories- The corresponding sections open lists of registry keys that have traces of previous activity in the form of URL, Cache and other elements (search keywords, executable files, etc.). This data can be used, for example, when cleaning the registry manually.
Favorites- Favorites list, which stores links (bookmarks) to various registry keys.
Tweaks- Here is a list of settings that RegSeeker undertakes to perform in automatic mode using the Apply Changes command. Convenient additions to the context menu that take effect without restarting the computer.
Clean the Registry- This searches for keys and settings that can be removed from the registry. These are empty parameters, empty keys, and links to non-existent files and folders. Found elements are supplied with comments of the following content:
Open with entry unused - the option is not used.
Obsolete entry is an unnecessary element.
File or Path does not exist - File or Path does not exist.
Extension not used - the extension is not used.
Filetype not used - file type is not used.
Invalid application Path - invalid application path.
I didn't get any other comments. The registry cleaning mode is very convenient for manual work, when there is a desire to personally check each item and decide on removal. With this, you can delete one or more items at a time, open in the registry editor and follow the grand total, which adequately tracks your actions. Elements with the comment "Obsolete entry" or "Extension not used", as I have seen, can be deleted without fear, but with other comments - it is better to make a thorough check. I note that the program performs registry scanning quite quickly and efficiently. The results of comparative testing conducted on two computers are shown in the following tables:
Registry scan. Windows 2000 Celeron 1.7GHz
| Program | Time, sec | Number of elements |
|---|---|---|
| RegSeeker | 89 | 425 |
| Work with Registry | 24 | 351 |
| EasyCleaner | 45 | 189 |
| RegVac | 95 | 276 |
| Ultra Wincleaner | 25 | 142 |
Registry scan. Windows 98, Pentium-166MMX
| Program | Time, sec | Number of elements |
|---|---|---|
| RegSeeker | 320 | 910 |
| Work with Registry | 185 | 432 |
| EasyCleaner | 170 | 17 |
| RegVac | 1735 | 88 |
| Ultra WinCleaner | 185 | 572 |
The tables show that in terms of the thoroughness of searching for errors in the registry, the RegSeeker program occupies a leading position among programs of a similar purpose. But, it should be noted that the program looks for not only incorrect and erroneous elements, but also unnecessary and empty ones. It is possible that not all registry scanners are configured this way.
From what I haven't found, the first thing I'll note is the lack of a decent help file or user manual. In programs of this type, it is desirable to know the author's interpretation of the main functions that his program can perform.
Conclusion
RegSeeker is a very intelligent utility that makes working with the system registry more comfortable and productive. The utility allows you to bookmark and rollback fixes, as well as some system settings in automatic mode. The program is free and does not require installation. Recommended as an auxiliary tool for users working with the registry.Program Information
Developer: Hover Inc.
Version: 1.06 beta for Windows
Status: Freeware
Homepage: http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm
Download link (file size: 270 KB): link
Programs for removing trial keys are not "cracks", but only supplement other utilities for cleaning the registry. Many programs with hinged protections leave the keys they created in the registry, which are not deleted even during regular uninstallation. Thus, garbage accumulates in the registry of your system, which adversely affects the operation of Windows. A side effect of cleaning the registry from such "junk" keys is to extend the period of trial use of some programs that have restrictions on the time of work or the number of launches.
Trial Reset- a program for cleaning the registry and system from keys and files created by commercial and free protection systems. After cleaning, as a rule, trial counters are reset and protected programs can be used again, as if they had just been installed. The latest version is 4.0 Final, despite the author's previous statements that the program will no longer be developed, a new version has been released. Now even with sources! The Trial-Reset functionality can be expanded, the kit already has additional plugins for resetting the trial of the Alcohol 120% program of all versions and deleting empty registry keys. Supports the following protectors: ACProtect, ActiveMark, Armadillo, ASProtect, DBPE, EncryptPE, Enigma, ExeCryptor, ExeShield, eXPressor, ICE License, License Protector, NoCopy, NTkrnl Protector, Obsidium, OneWay, Orien, PCGuard, ProActivate, ProtectionPlus, ProtectShareware, SafeSerial , SDProtector, Sheriff, SGLicense, ShareGuard, SoftLocx, SoftSentry, SoftWrap, STProtector, SVKP, Thinstall, VBOLock, VBox, VisualProtect, WinLicense, Xheo Licensing, XProtector, and ZipWorx.
During its operation, Trial-Reset writes to disk and launches an auxiliary utility to remove protected registry keys, some antiviruses may regard this action as dangerous. I personally checked the file, it does not contain malicious code. If the limitations of your brain do not allow you to realize this, then I repeat: the archive does NOT contain any malicious code.
EVACleaner.2.7.zip (385,147 bytes)
Found another such software Trial Doctor, offsite has ceased to exist, the latest version is 1.31. According to the author, it cleans the system from Armadillo and ASProtect trial keys, but in practice it somehow does not catch the eye. If it comes in handy for someone, that's fine.
It has already been said earlier that the system registry is a hierarchical database, the information in which is distributed over several levels (there can be up to six). On the first level there are branches (Hive Keys). There are five of them, the name of each of which begins with the English abbreviation HKEY_. The underscore is followed by the name of the branch:
There is also a sixth branch - HKEY_DYN_DATA. It contains dynamic information about the status of the devices installed on the computer. The data in this section is formed and modified by the operating system during the boot process and is not saved as files.
At the second level are sections or registry keys (Registry Keys), at the third - subkeys (Subkeys) and at the fourth and further - parameters (Values). If we take the hierarchical file structure as an analogy, then the registry levels can be displayed as follows:
System registry keys can be functionally divided into two conditional categories: system-defined, that is, those whose names are assigned by the operating system, and changing these names can lead to failure or malfunction of Windows, and user-defined - the names of these keys can be changed by the computer administrator , and such changes will not lead to any fatal consequences.
Just like key names, subkey names can be defined by the system or by the user, and in the first case, changing them can lead to failures in Windows, and in the second case, not.
The structure of the system registry of the 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows is somewhat different from the architecture of the registry of 32-bit versions of Windows. It has two independent sections: one contains data related to 32-bit operating system components, the other contains all information on 64-bit components, and the keys and branches of both sections have almost the same names and designations.
Let's take a closer look at what data is in a particular section.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (HKCR)
This section includes a number of subsections that contain information about the extensions of all file types registered in the system and information about the COM servers registered on the computer. The data in this section is needed when opening files by double-clicking or drag-and-drop operations. In addition, the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT key provides aggregated data to programs written for earlier versions of Windows.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU)
This branch of the registry stores the settings for the personal shell of the user who logs into the operating system (Start menu, desktop, etc.). Its subsections contain information about environment variables, program groups for a given user, desktop settings, screen colors, network connections, printers, and advanced application settings. This information is taken from the Security ID (SID) subkey of the HKEY_USERS branch for the current user. In fact, this branch contains all the information related to the profile of the user currently working with Windows.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM)
The section contains information about the installed software, its settings, and drivers. It also contains information related to the operating system and hardware, such as the computer's bus type, total available memory, a list of currently loaded device drivers, and Windows boot information. This branch includes the largest amount of information in the system registry and is often used to fine-tune the hardware configuration of a computer. The data stored in this branch is valid for all profiles registered in the system of users.
HKEY_USERS (HKU)
If the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key contains the current user's settings, then this key stores the Windows settings for all users. Its subkeys contain information about all user profiles, and one of the subkeys is always mapped to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key (via the user's Security ID (SID) parameter). Another subkey, HKEY_USERS\DEFAULT, contains information about system settings at a point in time prior to the start of the current user's session.
HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG (HKCC)
This branch contains information about the hardware profile used by the local computer when the system starts. Hardware profiles allow you to select supported device drivers for a given session.
Instruction
Edit registry is carried out using the regedit.exe program (located in the /windows/ folder) or regedit32.exe (located in the /windows/system32/ folder). For convenience, create a shortcut to this program on the "Desktop" by right-clicking on it and selecting the "Desktop (create shortcut)" option. You can also run Regedit.exe by typing regedit in the Run form on the Start menu.
Run the program. In the window that opens, in the "Edit" menu, select the "Find" option or press Ctrl + F. In the form that appears, enter the name of the key that you are going to delete, and click "Find Next". Depending on the search parameters that are set in this window, the program will search for the required key.
Highlight the found key. From the "File" menu, select the "Export" option. In the dialog box that appears, set the file name (as an option, the name of the key you are deleting) and specify the folder where you want to save the file with the .reg extension. Click Save. Saving this file will allow you to restore the deleted key at any time if its deletion adversely affects the operation of the operating system. To do this, it will be enough to double-click on the saved file and confirm the operation by clicking OK. As a result, the deleted registry entry will be restored.
Highlight the key, select the Delete option from the Edit menu and confirm your decision by clicking OK. Or right-click on the key and select the "Delete" option from the context menu. Close the editor and restart your computer. The latter is not always required, it depends on the parameter being removed, but it still does not hurt to do this for a guarantee.
It should be borne in mind that the registry may contain several identical keys stored in different sections - HKEY_CURRENT_USER, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and others. In some cases, it is enough to make a change in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key so that it is automatically made in other keys as well. However, this does not always happen, for a full guarantee you need to remove keys in all sections.
edit registry can be done using numerous third-party programs. Most of them save the registry settings until the correction is made, which eliminates the need to export (save) the remote key file yourself. In addition, the programs clean up registry and search for keys, displaying them all at once, while when searching in regedit.exe, after finding one key, each time you confirm the search for the next one.
Ingoda, the system refuses to delete the key, saying that you do not have permission to do so. In this case, select the subsection in which the key is located, and select the "Permission" option from the "Edit" menu. In the window that appears, go to the "Advanced" tab and give yourself full access to edit this subsection.
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Very often, personal computer users use trial versions of various . After reinstalling some of them, the trial period is available again, however, records of the expiration of the trial period of some are stored in the registry of the operating system, after which a license key is required for their correct operation.
You will need
- - Trial-Reset program.
Instruction
Open your web browser and type Trial-Reset in the search bar. This is a program for cleaning the registry of records about the use of trial keys of various programs, after using which the trial period of validity will be available to you again. Of course, you can use any other program for the same purpose. These programs use the usual technique of deleting the registry entries of the operating system about your use of the software product during the trial period, they also delete information about the keys used and have other advanced functionality. Before downloading, make sure that the complete removal programs with the removal of folders from the system directories did not bring the desired results.
