Introduction

Manually editing the Windows Registry can be a daunting task, especially if you've not done it before. Fortunately, most vendors provide reasonably decent instructions on doing so. They also commonly tell you to backup your Registry--just in case "something" goes wrong. However, very few provide specific instructions on how to do this. This article describes how to backup and restore your Registry--just in case "something" does indeed go wrong.

Backup Up the Registry

To back up your Windows Registry:

1. Close all applications currently running on your Windows Desktop.

2. From the Start menu, choose Run.

3. When the Run dialog appears type:

   regedit

   and then choose OK. This displays the Registry Editor.

4. From the main menu of the Registry Editor, choose the Registry | Export Registry File command. This displays a dialog called Export Registry File.

5. Use the Save In drop-down list to select the hard drive on your computer (typically called C:). When you do this, the folder list shows the directories in your root directory of your hard drive.

6. Either choose an existing folder or create one using the New Folder button to the right of the Save-In drop-down list. (We recommend creating a folder called Backup.)

7. If the Save In drop down doesn't show the folder where you want to save your backup, choose it from the folder list by double-clicking its name.

8. In the File Name edit box, type a name for your backup file. We typically use something along the lines of RegBackup.

9. Locate the Export Range panel on the dialog and then verify that the All button is selected. If it isn't, then select it.

10. Choose the Save button and wait for the dialog to disappear and your mouse pointer to return to normal.

11. Close the Registry Editor.

If that seems like a lot of work, it is. However, once you've gotten the hang of it, it goes quickly.

Restoring your Registry from a Previous Backup

The main reason to back up your Registry is to have something to use when "something" goes wrong. This can be something as simple as making a simple mistake during a manual edit or as catastrophic as repairing your system after a particularly difficult crash.

The key, however, is to have a backup available. While it's possible to manually repair a corrupted Registry, it's far easier to restore a valid one from a previous backup.

The following steps assume you a) have a previous backup, b) know where that's stored on your computer, and c) know the specific name of the backup file itself. With that in mind, use the following steps to restore your Registry:

1. Close all applications currently running on your windows Desktop.

2. From the Start menu, choose Run.

3. When the Run dialog appears type:

   regedit

   and then choose OK. This displays the Registry Editor.

4. From the main menu of the Registry Editor, choose the Registry | Import Registry File command. This displays a dialog called Import Registry File.

5. Use the Look In drop-down list to select the drive containing your backup. This refreshes the folder list to show the folders in that drive's root directory.

6. Use the folder list to locate the directory containing your backup. Double-click each directory until you see the name of your backup file appear in the folder list.

7. Select your backup file by clicking it once with the mouse. This places the name of your backup file in the File name edit box.

8. Choose the Open button and wait for the dialog to disappear and your mouse pointer to return to normal.

9. Close the Registry Editor.

Summary

While we can't completely prevent things from going wrong with our computers, we can minimize the impact of things that do go wrong. Backing up the Registry is an important part of that process. Naturally, you should also back up your hard drive(s) on a regular basis for even more security.