What is the difference between a “repair” and a “restore” when it comes to the Windows Registry?

The Windows Registry is an essential component of the Windows operating system. It is a hierarchical database that stores settings and options for Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains information such as configuration settings and user preferences, device driver information, profiles for individual users, installed software and much more.

A repair of the Windows Registry is a process done when the registry becomes corrupted or damaged and no longer functions correctly. During a repair, the registry is scanned for any errors, and if found, the entries are corrected or removed. A repair will not address any issues with missing or incorrect registry entries. The repair process is intended to fix problems caused by errors in the registry and will not add new features or restore any changes made before the error occurred.

A restore of the Windows Registry is a process done when the registry needs to be returned to a previous state. A restore is typically used to undo changes or repair damage that was done to the registry by malicious software or some other kind of failure. When restoring the registry, all system settings, including those that may not have been available at the time of the backup, are returned to their original values. This includes any changes to the registry made after the backup was taken, as well as any manual changes made.

In summary, a repair of the Windows Registry is a process done when the registry becomes corrupted or damaged and no longer functions correctly. The objective of this process is simply to fix problems caused by registry errors. A restore of the Windows Registry is a process done when the registry needs to be returned to a previous state. During a restore, all system settings are returned to their original values, including any changes made after the last backup was taken.