Microsoft Warns Users Not To Fiddle With Windows 8.1 Preview Registry

It is easy to forget that the recently released preview version of Windows 8.1 is at the end of the day just a test build. A public test build — but still a test version of a very complicated operating system.

And the newly released Windows 8.1 Preview indeed has several bugs and even lacks specific features.

What this means is that some experienced users have turned to tweaking the registry to modify and adjust their operating system. But Microsoft, rightly so, has claimed that this is not the brightest of ideas, as this could have an effect on the overall performance and stability of a system.

And this particularly holds true if a user has installed the Windows 8.1 Preview on his or her main PC, or even a tablet device.

A Microsoft engineer explained on the company’s official forums that registry modifications is not such a good idea, as along with system instability could it even led to important data losses:

“To everyone trying to monkey with the registry. Please, don’t.

If there were a simple fix to reset the folder, we’d have provided it. The last thing we want is for users to lose their data, and there are ways that you can delete your data by doing this. Or if you are going to do so, please take precautions with your data, and know that what you are doing is not merely unsupported, it’s downright discouraged.”

You heard the man — it’s downright discouraged.

Obviously, if you have installed Windows 8.1 Preview on a separate partition or better yet, a separate computer or device, then you are in the clear, relatively speaking of course. Experienced users and professionals can tinker and tweak their heart out, but if you are a novice, it’s best to stay away.

This is after all, a test build, and one that is even less stable than the final retail version of the OS.