Thread: Battling with the registry

When trying to download a online TV viewing software, my Windows Vista computer flashed up warnings that,loading such software would involve "important changes" to
the registry.

I'm always worried about. any tinkering with the registry, so decided not to proceed any further. Can you tell me if such downloads would, in fact, have a harmful effect or is it safe to ignore the warnings?

Generally, it's fairly safe to install software as long as it comes from a reputable source. Both Channel 4 and the BBC can certainly be considered reputable in this context.
It's true that manually changing the registry can be dangerous, but it's something almost every program does when it's installed or uninstalled - in fact, that's what the registry is there for.

Tt sounds as if you have a security program installed that's being a little overzealous with its warnings, and in this case we think it's safe to ignore them. For extra peace of mind you might want to set a System Restore point - you can find the System Restore tool in the Start menu under Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools.

Tn Vista, click Start, then type system restore and press Enter. The tool will copy your settings and programs so that if something does go wrong you can go back to how it was before.