Creating a System Restore point is not quite the same thing as creating a registry
backup.
In a System Restore point not only do you get a backup of the registry, but certain
files also in order to undo changes made to system settings as they occur.
The part of the registry saved in a System Restore point is the "System" part (hive)
only and changes made to your personal profile are not backed up.
In order to make a complete backup of the entire NT registry, you will need a
3rd-party application called "ERUNT.exe" available for download by clicking on the
link below :
http://www.aumha.org/downloads/erunt-setup.exe
The ERUNT program, and it's "readme.txt" file, teaches you all about what files make
up the NT registry and the difficulties and solutions to backing it up.
All in all, it's a brilliant (and free) program that could save you having to
re-install XP one day.
One other way to backup the NT registry is to use XPs included software
"NTBACKUP.EXE" and just choose a backup that includes the registry but no data files.
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Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.