What Does "Register Renaming" Mean?

Register renaming involves changing the way a computer's operating system executes applications. A computer's registry contains the values and codes that control how software drivers and software applications function on an individual computer, as well as under individual user logins. The registry is sometimes referred to as a computer's architecture or design. The process involves re-mapping the folders, values, and instructions that various programs point to.

A computer's main structure is contained within the operating system's registry. Computer users who have intermediate to advanced skills and knowledge may feel comfortable making edits to the registry. From the operating system's graphical user interface (GUI), it appears as a group of folders and binary values or parameters. A register renaming is usually done to increase the efficiency of the computer's internal processor.

When a computer's main structure is renamed, it simply means that the path that the processor uses to execute applications is changed or rerouted. In some cases, changing a computer's architecture can resolve conflicts or damaged instructions that cause error messages within a software program. Several methods of register renaming exist, including separating the register files, merging the computer's architecture into a brand new mapping structure, and renaming instructions within parts of the registry. When renaming occurs within the registry, a reorder buffer redirects the operating system's execution instructions from one value to another.

Since a computer's operating system controls and executes its own functions, as well as the functions of other software applications, register renaming changes the instructions the hardware and software receive. When a register file's value and parameters are changed, it may expand the amount of information the processor is capable of handling at once. This can increase the speed of software applications and the computer's operating system. Stalls and freezes experienced during common processes, such as sending data, opening files, saving files, and importing data into applications may be eliminated.

Within the registry of some operating systems, file permissions can be changed to give all users full control of software folders on the hard drive, including write and read access. This is commonly used in the business and education environments where more than one user signs into the computer with a unique name and password. Changing or renaming permissions in the registry allows users who do not have administrator privileges to save and change files within the application's folder. Register renaming can also format or erase the files stored on the computer's local hard drive if there is a problem transferring them to a network drive.