Windows Backup Guide
Registry Backup
Microsoft Windows stores its configuration information in a
database called the registry. The registry is the central
storage for all computer configuration data. The Windows system
configuration, the computer hardware configuration, information about
installed programs, the types of documents that each program can
create, and user preferences are all stored in the registry. Windows
continually references this information during its operation. The
registry stores the data in a structured hierarchy of keys, subkeys,
and named values. Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage
your system. Microsoft recommends that you backup the registry before
you edit it.
Although the registry appears to be in one file, it is actually
placed on your computer in several files. Depending on your system
configuration, registry files can be found in any of the following
locations:
C:\Users\User Name\ on Windows Vista, 7.
C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\ on Windows 2000, XP.
C:\Windows\System32\Config\ on Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7.
C:\Windows\ on Windows 95, 98, ME.
C:\Windows\Profiles\ on Windows 95, 98, ME.
Registry data is usually stored in the following files, typically referred to as 'registry hives':
- System.dat, User.dat, and Policy.pol, on Windows 95, 98 and ME.
- Security, System.alt, Default, Sam, Software, System, Ntuser.dat, and other files, on Windows NT, 2000, XP, Vista, and 7.
How to back up Windows registry?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to back up registry files under
Windows NT, 2000, XP, Vista, and 7, while the operating system is running.
Registry files remain fully locked all the time while Windows is
running, so there is no access to those files. You can however use an
integrated Windows' System Restore feature for
registry backup.
Alternatively, the registry editor (regedit.exe) allows you to
export partial or complete copies of the registry, while the Windows
is up, and the exported files can then be backed up with
Argentum™ Backup
or any other traditional file backup utility. If
there is a registry problem, the exported file can be easily imported
to restore all or part of the registry. And the exported file is a
text file that's easily read and manipulated. You can follow these
simple steps to back up the whole registry or any particular registry
subkey:
- Click Start, and then click Run.
- In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
- Locate and then click the root subkey that contains all the child subkeys and values that you want to back up.
- On the File menu, click Export.
- In the Save in box, select a location where you want to save the Registration Entries (.reg) file, type a file name in the File name box, and then click Save.
The exported registry file is about 50-100 MB in size on a typical
Windows XP/Vista/7 installation. The registry exported files are
text files and are usually well-compressed (by up to 75% and more).
You can use
Argentum™ Backup
to automatically compress and save them
in Zip archives. To restore registry subkeys that you exported,
double-click the Registration Entries (.reg) file that you saved.
As opposed to Windows XP, Vista, and 7, registry backup is very
easy when running Windows 95, 98, and ME, and it can be fully automatic.
You can back up registry files either manually, by hand, or fully
automatically, with the help of
Argentum™ Backup
. It will find the
correct locations and back up all of your registry data automatically,
quickly and safely.
Windows Backup Guide
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