NOTE: To use the Windows Registry Checker tool with the /restore parameter, you must run the tool from a command prompt running outside of Windows. To start the Windows Registry Checker tool, click Start, click Run, type scanregw.exe in the Open box, and then click OK.

Settings to add additional files to the backup setįor additional information about the Scanreg.ini file, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:ġ83603 How to Customize Registry Checker Tool Settings The number of backups maintained (no more than five is recommended) You can configure Windows Registry Checker with a Scanreg.ini file. If invalid entries are detected, it refers to the real-mode version of the Windows Registry Checker tool (Scanreg.exe) for a resolution. The protected-mode version of the Windows Registry Checker tool (Scanregw.exe) can create a backup of the system files and scan the registry for invalid entries. If it detects registry damage, it tries to fix it automatically. Windows Setup runs the Windows Registry Checker tool to verify the integrity of the existing registry before it performs an upgrade. If the registry contains more than 500 KB of empty data blocks, Windows Registry Checker automatically optimizes it. This is equivalent to running the scanreg /fix command from a command prompt. If no backups are available, Windows Registry Checker tries to make repairs to the registry.

This is equivalent to running the scanreg /autorun command from a command prompt. If invalid registry entries are detected, Windows Registry Checker automatically restores a previous day's backup. Windows Registry Checker automatically scans the system registry for invalid entries and empty data blocks when it is started. This article describes the Windows Registry Checker tool. Files that Windows Registry Checker backs up include System.dat, User.dat, System.ini, and Win.ini.

When you start your computer successfully, the Windows Registry Checker tool (Scanreg.exe) creates a backup of system files and registry configuration information (including user account information, protocol bindings, software program settings, and user preferences) once daily.

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