Removing Malicious Registry Entries
The Registry
Registry is a vital part of the Windows Operating System. It records and collects the information about every change that’s been made to your computer’s hardware and software. You may sometimes need to edit specific Registry entries in order to change some application’s functions and performances.
Malicious Registry Entries
Modifying or removing any registry file may cause system deviations or even damage your computer. Therefore most of the malicious programs change or replace your Windows registry entries. They usually use it to change your web browser’s homepage or to stop your legitimate security software from working properly.
Removing malicious files from your system may not always solve the problem as they are able to recreate themselves using the entries saved at the registry. So in order to get rid of a certain malware once and for all you may need to remove some of the registry entries that it had created and to restore the original ones.
Although the genuine security programs are usually able to detect and remove the false registry files, not all of them are aware of the latest threats and parasites. Therefore you should always check your registry entries before removing the malware.
Please note, editing the registry is risky!
It is strongly advised to use a legitimate system security software before editing the registry manually. Registry modification should be avoided unless it is an essential part of the process of removing the parasites from your computer. Therefore, if such interference is necessary, you should be aware of the risks that it involves. Changes made to the registry have the direct effect upon the functioning of system. To avoid loosing important data you should set a system restore point before you make any modifications on the registry.
How to Remove Malicious Registry Entries
Open Registry Editor
Go to the Start menu and choose Run. Then type in regedit and click OK.
Choose the required registry key and value
The Registry Editor has two sides. The left side is used to navigate through the registry entries as the right one displays the values of the selected keys.
Find the needed value and delete it
Select the value you want to remove, click it with the right mouse button and press Delete. Be certain that you only delete the malicious entries!
There are more ways of editing the Registry files apart from just deleting them. If the instructions on how to remove a certain malicious program state that you should modify, add, export or import the values in the registry, please follow the steps bellow.
1. Choose the value to modify it
Choose the value you want to modify, click it with the right mouse button and select Modify.
Enter the needed value data
2. To add a new key or a new value to the registry, follow these instructions
Click Edit on the top menu, choose New and pick the type of your entry.
3. Export a certain key or a value from the registry
Select the object, click it with the right mouse button and choose Export.
Type in the name of the exported file and save it as a reg file.
4. Import the missing or the new values and keys
Click File at the top menu, choose Import and select a file you want to import to the Registry.
Close the Registry and restart your computer so that the changes would take effect
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