A corrupt registry can generate a number of errors on your Windows 2000 system and can even make it unbootable. Chkreg.exe is a command-line Windows 2000 repair utility that helps you recover your Windows 2000 server from a corrupted registry. The utility supports Windows 2000, Windows 2000 SP2, and Windows 2000 SP3. It is recommended that you do not use Chkreg.exe with SBS 2003 because the tool has not been completely tested on it.
One of the other reasons behind registry problems in Windows 2000 is the size of the registry. In Windows NT and Window 2000, only 16 MB of memory is allocated for the boot up process. Therefore, you may start having startup problems as soon as the registry size exceeds 10 MB. Chkreg.exe helps you display the registry size to check if the registry size is creating problems with your 2000 system.
How to Use Chkreg.exe
You can download Chkreg.exe on a genuine Widows 2000 system from Microsoft.
The utility is then downloaded to six floppy disks and run on the system that is encountering registry problems. The utility tries to fix the registry of the faulty 2000 computer to enable it to start again.
Note: Depending on the type of problem, you may have some data loss when the registry is fixed.
Chkreg Command Options
You can use the Chkreg command with the following options:
chkreg /f filename [.log] [/H] [/D [ level ] [/S [ bin ]] [/C] [/L] [/R] [/V]
- filename : Specify the name of the registry hive you want to analyze.
- /H: View Chkreg help.
- /D [ level ]: Use this option to delete all subkeys under the specified level. In case, you do not specify the level the whole hive is deleted. The command will not prompt you before deleting, therefore, you must be very careful before using this option.
- S [ bin ]: Use this option to display the space usage for the specified bin . If you do not specify a specific bin the command will display the space usage for the entire hive.
- /C: Use the option to compact the specified hive. The utility fails to compact a bad or corrupt hive.
- /L: Use this option to detect lost spaces.
- /R: Run the command with this option to repair the hive.
- /V: Enable Verbose mode using this option to get detailed information.
What can I do to prevent registry problems?
Today, a large number of registry maintenance tools are available that help you in regular maintenance of the registry. For instance, the RegServe tool supports all Windows operating systems, including Windows 2000, and helps you perform both proactive and preventive monitoring of your computer. The best thing about these tools is that they are windows-based and you need not make floppy disks and run complicated command-line commands to perform maintenance tasks. With just a few mouse-clicks, you can free the registry of all obsolete and redundant information, defragment the registry by removing vacant spaces and re-indexing it, and create registry backups that can be restored easily in case of a problem.
Generally, Windows 2000 systems face registry problems due to corrupt registry hives or large registry size. To fix these issues, you can download the Windows 2000 Repair Utility, Chckreg.exe, from the Microsoft website. The command enables you to check space usage, compact specific registry hives, and helps you to repair the registry. For preventive registry maintenance, you can download a reliable registry cleaner from the Internet and use it to perform complete and regular maintenance of your registry to prevent the occurrence of frequent registry problems.