Will a System Reinstall Clean Up the Registry?

Will a System Reinstall Clean Up the Registry?

Reinstalling a system is normally done when a computer's stability is so far gone that nothing can be done about it. Before reinstalling the operating system, a person has either exhausted every known option or she is completely sick of the way the computer is running. When the operating system is reinstalled, you're starting from scratch. Once you start the computer up, everything will look the way it did when you first got it.

What a Reinstallation Does

1. When you reinstall your operating system, the first thing that happens before the contents of the installation disc are put back on your hard drive is the old operating system is completely wiped out. This deletion is called formatting. After formatting, the hard drive is a clean slate, and not a bit of debris from the old operating system will be left behind, because the old information could contaminate the new information. The information on the installation disc then loads itself on your hard drive per your specifications. The installation wizard will prompt you for certain preferences, and your answers will determine how the operating system appears on your computer. You'll be asked about partitions and keyboard layouts and time zones--things that will synchronize your computer with your intended use, language, and location. Once all your preferences have been used to set up the operating system, you can then restart your computer and everything will be like new.

The Registry

2. Your System Registry, upon a reinstallation, will be completely new. The only registry values will be the ones that were just put on the computer during the reinstallation. All the entries from malicious software and old programs will be gone and the new entries that correspond to the operating system that was just installed will be the only entries.

Now, if you've created a back-up disc that contains Dynamic Link Library files (.dll's) or other programs and items that you didn't want to lose, you could, if you're not careful, mess up the System Registry again when you reinstall those items. If the back-up disc has malicious software embedded on it, your operating system will have the malicious software as soon as you insert the disc and begin to install the things on it. The best bet for you would be to install anti-virus software and scan the disc before using it. That way, you're certain that everything is clean and your System Registry stays new.

The Answer is "Yes"

3. Reinstalling the operating system will certainly clean your System Registry. If you're cautious with installing software--"cautious" means scanning everything before downloading and installing with anti-virus software, enabling your firewall, and completing defragmentations and disk clean-ups often--your System Registry will stay clean.

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