Did you ever receive an error while deleting a Registry key or value? “Error deleting key” is a common Registry error that you might face on your Windows computer. It can be caused due to various reasons. You might not be able to delete a locked Registry key because Access is denied or it has been locked down by any other application or even malware.
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In this post, we’ve reviewed a tool from NoVirusThanks called Registry DeleteEx that lets you work around locked Registry keys and values and allows you to delete them.
CAUTION: You need to take utmost precaution while using this tool to delete undeletable registry keys as deleting the wrong one could make your system unstable.
Delete any Registry Key with Registry DeleteEx
It is a rather simple tool that is meant for only one operation, and that is deleting Registry keys. How come Registry DeleteEx can delete the keys while Registry Editor and other tools fail to do so? The tool deletes locked keys and values using a kernel-mode driver. Which means any Registry value can be deleted even if it has been locked by an application or a malware.
It is common for malware to lock Registry values and introduce malicious values inside the Registry. This tool not only helps you remove such values but also plays a key role in identifying the malware. Deleting Registry keys does involve some risk. So we advise you to make sure you delete the right key and do not forget to take a Registry backup beforehand.
The tool itself is very simple to use. It does come with a few advanced options, but you can stick to basic features and get your work done. To start deleting a locked key or value, go to the appropriate tab. If you want to delete a key, then go to Delete Key tab else you can go to Delete Value tab.
Now you need to enter the path to your key. Have a look at the given example for reference. The program supports HKCR, HKCU, HKLM and HKCC aliases and you can easily use them in the path to your Registry key or value.
Now the last option that you have to configure is the recursive behavior of the tool. Registry DeleteEx can recursively delete all subkeys inside the entered path. This can be toggled using the checkbox just below the textbox. All set, now you can hit the Delete button to completely remove a locked Registry key from your computer. A similar set of steps can be followed for Registry values.
There is one more tab available that reads Expert Only. This tab includes some extra advanced options in case you need them. The Expert only tab lets you delete registry keys or values by entering their raw name.
Registry DeleteEx is a great remedy against malware that can block your computer’s Registry and cause serious problems. The tool is free, simple to use and gets the job done quickly. The tool involves removing Registry keys and values, so we advise you to take a full backup of the registry in case anything goes wrong. Click here to download Registry DeleteEx.