How to fix error error-cannot-load-registry-file in Windows 11

Solution Steps

1. 1 First, try restarting your PC. Sometimes a temporary glitch causes this error. If it persists, boot into Safe Mode. Restart your PC and press F8 (or Shift + F8) before Windows loads. In Safe Mode, Windows loads with minimal drivers and might bypass the corrupted registry hive.
2. 2 If you can boot into Safe Mode, open Command Prompt as administrator (Win+X → Command Prompt (Admin)). Run 'sfc /scannow' to repair system files. Also, run 'chkdsk C: /f' to check for disk errors. This might fix the registry file if it's corrupted due to disk issues.
3. 3 If you can't boot into Safe Mode, use the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). Boot from a Windows installation USB, select 'Repair your computer', then 'Troubleshoot' → 'Advanced options' → 'Command Prompt'. From there, you can run 'sfc /scannow' and 'chkdsk C: /f'.
4. 4 If the registry hive is severely corrupted, you can restore it from a backup. In the Command Prompt, navigate to C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack (if it exists). Copy the files from there to C:\Windows\System32\config. This restores a previous version of the registry. Use the command: 'copy C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack\* C:\Windows\System32\config'.
5. 5 If none of the above works, you may need to perform a system restore or reset. In WinRE, choose 'System Restore' and pick a restore point before the error occurred. If that fails, you can do a 'Reset this PC' but choose 'Keep my files' to preserve your data.