ARCHIVED: In Windows, how do I back up the registry?
Under certain circumstances, you may need to restore the Windows registry from a backup file. For best results, UITS recommends that you create this backup file, as well as backups of other important documents, at a time when your computer is problem-free.
There are three methods for backing up your registry:
On this page:
Using Regedit
- In Windows 8, press Win
-c
; from the Charms menu, choose , and then click .In Windows 7 and Vista, from the
menu, click the "Search programs and files" or "Start Search" field.In Windows XP, from the
menu, select . - In the "Apps", "Start Search", or "Open:" field, enter
regedit
. - Under the menu, select .
- In the
Export Registry File
dialog box, in the "File name:" field, enter a name for your registry file (e.g.,regbackup
orregistry
). - To select a destination folder other than the default, from the drop-down menu next to "Save in:", select your preferred destination.
- Click .
Using System Restore
Although the System Restore feature does not mention the registry by that name, it does create a backup of the registry.
Windows 8 and 7
- In Windows 8, press Win-
e
to open theComputer
window. In the list of locations on the left, right-click , and then select .In Windows 7, from the
menu, right-click , and then choose . - On the left, click
System Properties
window. to open the
- Under "Protection Settings", click . This will set a new restore point.
Windows Vista and XP
See Restore your Windows computer to a previous configuration
Using the Backup tool
Note: In Windows 8 and 7, you cannot save the registry using the Backup utility.
In Windows Vista and XP, you can use the Backup tool to create backup copies of the registry. Since the Backup tool is designed to save all the data on your computer, in order to make a backup file of only the registry, you will need to restrict the backup to what Microsoft calls the "System State". To run this tool:
- From the
Note: If this doesn't match what you see, refer to ARCHIVED: Get around in Windows.
menu, select , then
, and then click . Select
.
- If the
Backup
window appears, click . - When the
Backup Wizard
dialog box appears, click . - Select , and then click .
- In the "Choose a place to save your backup:" field, enter a
location in which to save the backup file. In the "Type a name for
this backup:" field, type a name for the backup file.
Note: Since the file will be fairly large, you may want to choose an option other than the default, such as a flash drive, a blank CD, or a Zip disk. If you choose to save the backup to your hard drive, you may lose this file if you reformat your computer without saving it onto removable storage media first.
- Click .
- The next window will display a summary of your choices. If there are any mistakes, click to make corrections. Otherwise, click .
This is document akts in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2018-01-18 13:19:11.