The Back to Basics series looks at common tasks and problems that Windows users might encounter on a daily basis and explains solutions and ways to do those “things”. To kickoff this new article series I’m going to look at ways to backup the Windows Registry.
The Windows Registry is the core of the Windows system and malware likes to use it to spread its disease throughout the whole system. A good way to be on the safe side is to backup the Windows Registry regularly so that it can be restored when needed.
Most of the time there is a Microsoft way to do things and an easier one provided by third party developers and their applications.
The Microsoft way to backup the Windows Registry:
Microsoft suggests to create system restore points which automatically include the Windows Registry. System Restore has to be turned on in Windows Services as a requirement.
Windows Vista users type systempropertiesprotection in the search box and press enter. Windows XP users on the other hand run %SystemRoot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe from the Run box (Windows R). The menus are easy to follow through, it is just a matter of selecting Create A New Restore Point, assigning a descriptive name to it and clicking on Create. Windows Vista users might have to overcome the User Account Control before they reach System Restore. They find the Create button in the System Properties dialog box, on the System Protection tab.
The third party way to backup the Windows Registry:
Download ERUNT, a free software to backup and restore the Windows Registry that runs on most editions and versions of Windows including Windows XP and Windows Vista.
ERUNT requires minimal user input to backup the Registry. A click on OK on the welcome screen loads the program interface. It is usually not required to make any changes in this menu but to change the location of the Registry backup. It would be ideal to store it on another hard drive.
A click on OK creates a backup of the Windows Registry which can be restored by executing the program from the backup folder.
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Can’t you just export using Regedit?
tDawg yes you can backup the full Registry if you select My Computer and click on File > Export. This will result in a huge *.reg file on your computer. I’m on the other hand not sure if it is possible to import the file again without problems. Anyone who tried that?