Basic Registry Information
A brief description of the Registry
The Registry is like a database and it is the
place where all of the system settings are stored. This includes everything from
the way your desktop appears, the folder views, application and program configurations
to user settings, account details and passwords and much more. Hardware settings
and information is also stored here, as are Port settings and Boot files.
The general
user does not need to make changes in the Registry. To do so, without expert guidance,
can cause many other problems and, in the worst case scenario, could stop the computer
from working altogether. If you ever have the need to edit the Registry it is wise
to make a backup of the entire Registry structure before proceeding.
Backup the Registry
There
are three methods of backing up the Registry.
Use System Restore
Backup a single Key
Backup
the entire Registry
Using System Restore to backup the Registry (System Settings)
System
Restore maintains regular "snapshots" of your system and its settings and these are
saved as System Restore Points. These snapshots can be used to roll back to a time
and/or date when the computer was working properly. The trouble with this method
is that, as more snapshots are taken, older Restore Points can be deleted to make
room for the latest snapshots. Therefore, it is sometimes impossible to restore the
system to a date that is many weeks (or months) ago, depending on how System Restore
is configured.
There are also occasions when a Restore Point cannot be restored due
to corruption of the file. However, System Restore works in the background, taking
snapshots at regular intervals and, especially, upon installation of a new program
or application.
Although this is a less reliable method of backing up system settings,
it is the easiest backup method to employ.
In the event that the computer behaves
erratically and you think that the settings have been changed somehow, you can try
to restore the computer to a previous state. Using System restore in this way will
not cause you to lose any documents, files or folders.
Windows XP
Go to Start/All Programs/Accessories/System
Tools/System Restore -
Leave the
Click the Next button
In the next window, you
should see two boxes
A Calendar, on the left, and a box, on the right, showing details
of any Restore Points saved on the selected date
Click on a date in the left hand
box to select
Click on a Restore Point, in the right hand box to choose which point
to restore to
Note: Only dates shown in Bold can be restored to. You should choose
a date and a Restore Point when you know your computer was working ok. Try not to
go too far back as the likelihood of file corruption can be greater the further back
in time you go.
The confirmation appears in the following window and shows you which
date and Restore Point you have selected
If you are happy with the selection, close
down any running programs and applications and click the Next button
If you want to
select another Restore Point, click the Back button
When the Next button is clicked,
System Restore will shut down the computer and restore system settings to the way
they were when the snapshot was taken on the selected date
Any changes made to the
View settings (Desktop and/or files and folders) will revert to the way they were
on that date
Windows Vista and Windows 7
Go to Start
Start typing System Restore in
the Search box
When you see System Restore in the main area of the results window,
click on that -
Follow the same guide as per
Windows XP (above)
Start the Registry Editor
Windows XP
Start
Run
Type regedit in the box
Press the Enter key or click Ok
The Registry
Editor opens
Registry editor window
You must know what you are doing and where to find the key
you wish to edit. Do nothing while in your Registry, except for what is contained
within this guide. If something looks technical or important, it probably is, so
don't touch! There is NO UNDO function in the Registry Editor!
The Registry is setup
like a folder directory, or "tree" structure. In the left hand pane, we see five
main areas:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
HKEY_USERS
HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
As an example, we will show how to backup the Registry key that controls the text
you see in the very top of Internet Explorer. This key is stored at:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet
Explorer\Main
The Reg Key is called Window Title (you may not see the Window title
key in your Regsitry -
So;
Click on the little
Then click the little + in front of Software
Then click the little
+ in front of Microsoft
Then click the little + in front of Internet Explorer
Then
click the Main folder so that it is highlighted like this:
Editing example
In the right-
Click once
on the Window Title Registry Key
Go up to the File menu
Select Export
Use the Export
Registry File to navigate to a safe folder and name the .reg file
Click Save
Once a
.reg file has been saved, it is simple to restore that Registry Key Value. Locate
the saved .reg file and double click the file. The Key will automatically be re-
The
best method of backing up the entire Registry is to Use the NTBackup utility (Backup)
that is installed in Windows XP. Users of Windows XP Home Edition will not have Backup
installed by default. There are two methods that you can use to install Backup in
Windows XP Home Edition:
Method 1
Install NTBackup from the OS Installation Disc
Insert
your XP Home Edition installation disc (hold down Shift to stop it from trying to
autorun)
Use Windows Explorer (Start/Run and type explorer.exe)
or
My Computer to
navigate to the drive that holds the XP installation disc
Then, right click on the
drive that has your XP OS disc inserted and select Explore
Look in D:/VALUEADD/MSFT and double-
When complete, click Finish
Method 2
Download the ntbackup.msi file here
Save to disc
Double click the file to begin
the installation
Once you have Backup installed, you can find it from:
Start
All Programs
Accessories
System
Tools
Double click on Backup
Windows Vista and Windows 7 users
Start
Type Backup in the
Search box
Double click the word 'Backup' in the results window
For a detailed explanation
of how to use Backup to save the System State, including the Registry settings, COM+
Class Registration Database and the Boot files, visit the Microsoft Knowledge base
at:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308422/
You will also find a short instructional
video at that web page.
This has been a short guide on what the Registry is and how
to back it up safely. Remember, any changes made in the Registry cannot be undone!
End of tutorial