Backing Up Your Registry

Oftentimes when you are reading Windows tips or performing tweaks, they begin by telling you to back up your registry before proceeding. Think of the registry as the core of the operating system and, therefore, you want to make sure that you protect it. The most important way of doing this is by using the Perform Registry Backups function.

You have a few different options when it comes to backing up your registry. If you happen to be using a third party backup program, it will more than likely give you the option to back up your registry. Conversely, you can also use the backup program installed with Windows XP. You can find the program under the All Programs / Accessories / System Tools submenu. With these two methods, you’ll be performing a full backup of the registry.

Another option you have is to back up a specific part of the registry. You can do so by opening the registry editor. Right click the portion of the registry you want to back up and click Export as shown here. Type in a name for the registry file and specify where to save it. Finally, click Save. You can import the registry file at any time by clicking Import from the File menu. [Diana Huggins]