How *do* you back up the registry

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Newbie

I often see in magazines the throwaway phrase: "make sure you backup the
registry first", but how do you actually do that?

The microsoft help file is typically useless, it just says you should back it
up, and you can use a program such as backup: well backup WHAT for ****'s sake!

And shouldn't the editor make backups automatically?

It's all very well having a nice working backup if you screw 'doze up so badly
that it won't load - how are you gonna restore.
 
When windows is installed a backup hive is created for you (and I think
there is one on the XP disk). This allows you to restore the registry in
case of corruption (which can happen without you messing with the registry,
like a faulty shutdown ect.). So I wouldn't worry too much about that side
of things (although it wiped out all my driver settings which was
annoying...).

As for backup up the registry...good point. See Symantics site (this site,
and many others was found by typing "registry backup" into Google):
http://tinyurl.com/ttbn

It appears quite good.
 
Use the regedit option export part of XP

ensure you are at the top of the registry when you use the function.
save the copy to CD or a hard drive.
It may be a big file 50 mb or so.

HTH

Hemlock
 
NTREGOPT NT Registry Optimizer
ERUNT The Emergency Recovery Utility NT
http://home.t-online.de/home/lars.hederer/erunt/

ERUNT [[Note: The "Export registry" function in Regedit is USELESS (!) to
make
a complete backup of the registry. Neither does it export the whole
registry (for example, no information from the "SECURITY" hive is
saved), nor can the exported file be used later to replace the current
registry with the old one. Instead, if you re-import the file, it is
merged with the current registry, leaving you with an absolute mess of
old and new registry keys.]]

NTREGOPT [The program works by recreating each registry hive "from
scratch",
thus removing any slack space that may be left from previously modified or
deleted keys.]
 
/Newbie/ said:
I often see in magazines the throwaway phrase: "make sure you backup the
registry first", but how do you actually do that?

The microsoft help file is typically useless, it just says you should back it
up, and you can use a program such as backup: well backup WHAT for ****'s sake!

And shouldn't the editor make backups automatically?

It's all very well having a nice working backup if you screw 'doze up so badly
that it won't load - how are you gonna restore.
Click to expand...

An imaging utility can be a Godsend. It will restore your system to
exactly the same state as it was when the image was made. ALL files, ALL
settings, not just the registry. If enabled, there is a method to
reinstate the image from a floppy - in case XP cannot be loaded.

Create an image, then install and play with new programs/software to your
heart's content. If you do not want the new software, forget about
UNinstall routines, which often leave debris. If the system dies, no need
to reinstall XP. Simply reload the image, and all will be as before.

http://WWW.TERABYTEUNLIMITED.COM/
http://WWW.POWERQUEST.COM/driveimage
http://GHOST.com

Be careful with these tools when restoring, and understand what you are
doing. Restoration wipes out all data. So instructing the progrma to
restorate to the wrong partition could prove nasty.
 
Thank you!


Hemlock
/Newbie/ said:


An imaging utility can be a Godsend. It will restore your system to
exactly the same state as it was when the image was made. ALL files, ALL
settings, not just the registry. If enabled, there is a method to
reinstate the image from a floppy - in case XP cannot be loaded.

Create an image, then install and play with new programs/software to your
heart's content. If you do not want the new software, forget about
UNinstall routines, which often leave debris. If the system dies, no need
to reinstall XP. Simply reload the image, and all will be as before.

http://WWW.TERABYTEUNLIMITED.COM/
http://WWW.POWERQUEST.COM/driveimage
http://GHOST.com

Be careful with these tools when restoring, and understand what you are
doing. Restoration wipes out all data. So instructing the progrma to
restorate to the wrong partition could prove nasty.
Click to expand...
 
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