What to Do When Encountering Runtime Error 52

Runtime error 52 is just one of the errors that you can encounter while using Microsoft Windows. This is down to the Visual Basics engine that Windows utilises to run many programs and some programs like Microsoft Word or any other multimedia application hinging on it to run optimally. Shortly after launching these programs, you might get the message 'Runtime error 52: Bad file name or number' displayed in angry letters on your desktop. This is usually preceded with the program that you are trying to load crashing fatally and maybe, just maybe you will get the pleasure of your desktop freezing up and your screen going black.

Another reason for this crash could be that the program was trying to follow a command line in the registry to load a system or driver file and unable to find it. This is called a malformed data pathway and this is usually found within the registry. Many of these runtime errors actually are caused, 75% of the time, by problems in the registry. You see, there are plenty of ways that your registry can be damaged, with one of the chief culprits being time. People who use computers over a long period of time do a lot of program installs and uninstalls as well as installing drivers and systems files for the whole host of applications that they will be utilising.

What happens within the registry is that every time this happens, a line of code is recorded within its matrix, which symbolises a sort of 'instructions' for Windows to follow. Over time, bad program uninstalls will leave blanks spaces in the registry, orphan data keys that don't belong and bad registry command lines - combining together to choke the system and cause a host of problems, from runtime errors and active X crashes. Let's not forget the damaging effects of Trojans, viruses and worms which when they enter the system, infiltrate the registry and write damaging code within it. This is also the same when it comes to things like adware and malware, programs written specifically to damage critical Windows components like the registry.

Add to the fact that Windows cannot function normally without a relatively healthy registry, and you can understand why it is so important for anyone to protect their registry either by keeping a close watch on their daily PC activities or by downloading a registry cleaner. A registry cleaner is a life saver, in a sense that it does everything that is needed, cleaning all the bad and blank codes that are rife within your systems brain. You must understand that antivirus and firewall programs are not enough; they can only do so much to protect your system. Once a virus or Trojan bypasses their defence (and it is more than likely since more and newer viruses are written everyday), these programs are helpless to stop them doing damage to your registry. Do yourself a favour and when you come across Runtime Error 52 - or any other sort of problems, get a registry cleaner and save yourself a lot of time and heartache.