Help Center

The Help Center provides links to PC Tools web pages that can help you use the product (see Figure 33).

Figure 33: The Help Center Menu

 

Click a menu item to view the information in a browser window within the product.

Click Home to return to the Help Center menu.

PC Tools Labs

The Labs option provides information about new products in development or ready for market that can help with computer performance problems (see Figure 34).

Figure 34: Help Center, Labs Information

 

Windows Registry Guide

The Windows Registry Guide provides tips and tricks for managing the Windows registry and other aspects of PC performance (see Figure 35). Sign up for the newsletter to receive regular updates via e-mail.

Figure 35: Help Center, Registry Guide

 

Options

The Options menu proves access to functions that configure Registry Mechanic settings, restore the registry to a previous working state and update the Registry Mechanic software (see

Figure 36).

Figure 36: Options Menu

Settings

Use the Settings function to configure how Registry Mechanic functions. You may configure general program settings, custom scan options, scanning paths, the ignore list and the registry monitor (see Figure 37).

Figure 37: Managing Settings

 

Click Start Scan at any time to start a scan using the current settings.

Click Cancel to return to the Options menu.

General Settings

To configure general scan and repair options:

1. Click Options or use the arrows to access the Options menu.

2. Click Settings. The General settings window displays (see Figure 37).

3. Click the check boxes to configure scan and repair options:

• Create a system restore point before repair
• Remove all problems automatically
• Create a log for each scan

4. Click Open Log Folder to view the log files for a scan. The text files in the folder can be opened with any text editor and viewed.

5. Use the Automatic Startup drop-down list to configure how Registry Mechanic works when you start your computer.

6. Select the default language from the Language drop-down list.

7. Click Save to save the settings.

Custom Scan

To configure general scan and repair options:

1. Click Options or use the arrows to access the Options menu.

2. Click Settings and click Custom Scan. The Custom Scan settings window displays (see Figure 38).

Figure 38: Managing Custom Scan Settings

 

3. Use the checkboxes to select the areas to scan:

• Software Locations
• Registry Integrity
• Windows Fonts
• Help and Resources
• Shared DLLs
• Startup Programs
• Add/Remove Programs
• Virtual Devices
• File Extensions
• Temp Files/Shortcuts
• Custom Controls
• Deep Scan

4. Click Save to save the settings.

Scanning Paths

To configure the drives and folders to scan:

1. Click Options or use the arrows to access the Options menu.

2. Click Settings and click Scanning Paths. The Scanning Paths settings window displays (see Figure 39).

Figure 39: Managing Scanning Path Settings

 

3. Click the checkboxes to include a drive or prevent it from being scanned.

4. To add a drive or folder to the list, click Add.

5. Navigate to the drive or folder and click OK.

6. To delete a file from the list, select it and click Delete.

7. Click Save to save the settings.

Ignore Lists

To configure the ignore list:

1. Click Options or use the arrows to access the Options menu.

2. Click Settings and click Ignore Lists. The Ignore List window displays (see Figure 40).

Figure 40: Managing the Ignore List

 

3. Click the Values tab and click Add to add values.

4. Select a value and click Remove to remove it from the list.

5. Click the Keys tab and click Add to add keys.

6. Select a key and click Remove to remove it from the list.

7. Click Save to save the settings.

Monitor

Use the Monitor settings to configure the “Monitor Your Registry” item on the Monitor menu.

1. Click Options or use the arrows to access the Options menu.

2. Click Settings and click Monitor. The Monitor Settings window displays (see

Figure 41).

Figure 41: Managing Monitor Settings

 

3. Enter the number of events to capture before a notification is displayed on the computer screen in the Popup notification will appear after field.

4. Click Enable Registry Monitor to toggle the monitor off and on when the program is minimized. This option is checked by default.

5. Click Save to save the settings.

About

The About option displays program version information.

1. Click Options or use the arrows to access the Options menu.

2. Click About. The program version displays (see Figure 42).

Figure 42: Registry Mechanic Version Information

 

3. Click Close to return to the Options menu.

Restore

The Restore option displays the backups of registry that were made when registry errors were fixed.

1. Click Options or use the arrows to access the Options menu.

2. Click Restore. The Restore window displays (see Figure 43).

Figure 43: Restoring the Registry to a Previous Working State

 

3. To restore the registry to an earlier working state, click an item and click Restore.

4. To remove an item from the list, click it and click Delete.

5. Click Refresh to refresh the list.

6. To view more details about a backup, select it and click Open (see Figure 44).

Figure 44: Viewing Registry Backup Details

 

7. Select the items to restore and click Restore.

8. Click Finished to return to the Restore window.

9. Click Finished to return to the Options menu.

Smart Update

The Smart Update option manages Registry Mechanic program versions.

1. Click Options or use the arrows to access the Options menu.

2. Click Smart Update. Registry Mechanic checks for updates

Note: Your computer must be connected to the Internet for this option to work properly.

3. Follow the instructions to download updates, if needed.