Situation:
You want to make a backup of the Windows registry.
Solution:
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Before you begin: The Windows registry is not a Symantec product. This information about the registry is for your convenience, and does not take the place of information from Microsoft. This page links to Microsoft documents that have more detailed and up to date information about Microsoft tools and processes for editing, backing up, and restoring the registry.
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Should I back up the entire registry, or just one key?
For the greatest safety, Symantec recommends that if you edit the registry, you back up the entire registry. This is fairly easy in Windows 98 and Me. It is more work with Windows NT/2000/XP and Windows 95. To do a complete back up, follow the steps in "How to back up the entire registry" below.
Instead of backing up the entire registry, you can back up a specific key before changing it. There is, however, some risk in doing this. You must know exactly which key or keys to back up. And, for Windows NT/2000/XP, you must be certain that none of the keys contain encrypted values. To back up one key, follow the steps in "How to back up a single registry key" below.
If you back up only the key that a Symantec article or technician says you should change or delete, make sure to pick the correct key. If you choose single-key backup (the first kind discussed below) and if you are not comfortable with editing the registry, get the help of a qualified computer technician.
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Tutorial: This document has tutorials that can help you with some of its steps. If you are having trouble with the steps in a section, you can start the tutorial for that section by clicking the "show me these steps" button.
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How to back up (and restore) a single registry key
This section provides instructions on how to back up and restore a single registry value. If you need to back up the entire registry, close this section and see "How to back up the entire registry."
This section has two different sets of steps. One is for Windows 95/98/Me/XP, and the other is for Windows NT/2000. Find your version of Windows, and follow the steps for it. At the end of this section, there is information on using the backup to undo changes in the registry.
Windows 95/98/Me/XP
The process that is used to back up a Windows 95/98/Me/XP registry key is known as an "Export."
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WARNING: Do not use this method to export the entire registry or an entire registry "hive" (what the highest level "folders" is called). If you want to back up either part of the registry shown in red in the following graphic, close this this part of the page, and open "How to back up the entire registry."
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Do not export from these levels:
To back up a 95/98/Me/XP registry key
Visual Tutorial
Click Start > Run.
In the Run dialog box, type:
regedit
and then click OK.
In the Registry Editor, in the left pane, select the registry key that you were told to modify. (Registry keys use yellow folders for icons.)
You must back up the parent key (not the value that is displayed in the right pane) for any value that you are modifying or deleting.
For example:
You are removing a Trojan horse and must delete a particular value from the registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
In this case, browse down to the \Run key and select it (see below):
Once you select the registry key in step 3, do one of the following:
In Windows 95/98/Me, click Registry, and then click Export Registry File.
In Windows XP, click File, and then click Export.
Follow the instructions for your operating system (the dialog box that you see may vary slightly from what is shown here):
Windows 95/98
In Export Registry File dialog box, in Save in, select Desktop.
In File name, enter a name that you will remember, such as registrybackup.
Click Save. The file is saved to your Windows desktop.
Windows Me/XP
Click the Desktop icon.
In the File name box, enter a name that you will remember, such as registrybackup.
Click Save. The file is saved to your Windows desktop.
Continue editing the registry as instructed.
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WARNING: Do not double-click the backup file that was placed on the Windows desktop except to undo the changes that you made to the registry. We suggest that you keep the backup file for a week or so, until you are sure that the changes that you made have not caused any problems.
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To restore a backed up Windows 95/98/Me/XP registry key
If, after you make changes to the registry, you find that the changes were in error, or that something no longer works correctly, you can undo the changes that you made by merging the backup file into the registry.
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WARNINGS:
This will undo all deletions or changes that you made within the part of the registry that is within the backup file.
It will not remove additions that you made--for example, if you created a new key or value.
If you installed new software or made other changes to the computer since you created the backup file, it is possible that merging the backup file into the registry could affect some of these changes.
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Visual Tutorial 2
Locate the registry backup file that you created. It will have an icon similar to this:
Double-click the icon. A message similar to the following displays:
Click Yes. A confirmation displays.
Click OK.
Windows NT/2000
As of this writing, Microsoft recommends that if you are using Windows NT or 2000, that you use the older version of the Registry Editor, Regedt32.exe, to back up (save) the registry keys.
Read the instructions in the section "How to Export Registry Keys" in one of the following documents:
HOW TO: Backup, Edit, and Restore the Registry in Windows NT 4.0 (Q323170).
HOW TO: Backup, Edit, and Restore the Registry in Windows 2000 (Q322755).
How to back up (and restore) the entire registry
Making a backup of the entire Windows registry lets you restore the registry if you want to reverse changes that you make while editing it.
This is the recommended and safest method. However, backing up (and restoring) the registry is somewhat more complicated, particularly in Windows 95/98/Me/NT, so for these we provide links to Microsoft articles.
Find your version of Windows, and follow the steps for it.
Windows 95
Follow the instructions in the Microsoft article How to Back Up the Registry in Microsoft Windows 95, I.D. 132332
Windows 98/Me
Follow the instructions in the Microsoft article How to Back Up the Registry in Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition, I.D. 265419
Windows NT
Follow the instructions in the Microsoft article HOWTO: How to Back Up the Windows NT Registry, I.D. 128731
Windows XP
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Before you begin:
In both Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition, you must be logged on with Administrator privileges. (If you are not, even if you can start the Backup Wizard, the "Only back up the System State data" option will not be available. If you do not know how to log on with Administrator privileges, contact your computer manufacturer or the person who set up your computer.)
The Backup utility is not included in a default installation of Windows XP Home Edition. If you do not see it when you follow step 1, read the Microsoft Knowledge Base article HOW TO: Install Backup from the CD-ROM in Windows XP Home Edition, 302894.
To back up the entire registry
Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Backup.
Click Advanced Mode.
Do one of the following:
If you see the Backup or Restore Wizard as shown below, make sure that "Always start in wizard mode" is not checked, and then click Advanced Mode.
If you see the Backup Utility window as shown below, go on to step 4.
On the Welcome tab, click the Backup Wizard (Advanced) button.
Click Next.
Select Only back up the System State data, and click Next.
Click the Browse button.
If the Insert Disk warning message displays, click Cancel.
In the left pane, click the Desktop button.
Click Save.
Click Next.
Click Finish.
When you see the message "The backup is complete" -- this could take a few minutes--click Close.
Close the Backup Utility window.
To restore the registry from a saved system state
Double-click the backup file that you want to restore from.
Click the Restore Wizard (Advanced) button.
Click Next.
In the left pane, click the plus sign next to File.
In the left pane, click the plus sign next to the saved state that you want to restore.
Check System State.
Click Next.
Click Finish.
Click OK at the warning message.
When the restore process is complete, click Close.
Your registry is now restored. Click Yes to restart your computer.
Help from Microsoft
If you have any problems following these steps, see these Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:
How to Use the Backup Utility to Back Up Files and Folders in Windows XP Home Edition, I.D. 320820
How to back up, edit, and restore the registry in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, I.D. 322756
Windows 2000
To back up the entire registry
Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Backup.
On the Welcome tab click the Backup Wizard button.
Click Next.
Select "Only back up the System State data" and click Next.
Click the Browse button.
If the "Insert Disk" warning message is displayed, click Cancel.
In the "Look in" drop-down box, choose Desktop.
In the "File name" box, enter a file name, for example, Reg Backup.
Click Open.
Click Next.
Click Finish.
When you see the message "The backup is complete" -- this could take a few minutes--click Close.
Close the Backup Utility window.
To restore the registry from a saved system state
Double-click the backup file that you want to restore from.
Click the Restore Wizard button.
Click Next.
In the left pane, click the plus sign next to File.
In the left pane, click the plus sign next to the saved state that you want to restore.
Check System State.
Click Next.
Click Finish.
Click OK at the warning message.
When the restore process is complete, click Close.
Your registry is now restored. Click Yes to restart your computer.
Help from Microsoft
If you have any problems following these steps, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article How To Use the Backup Program to Back Up and Restore the System State in Windows 2000, I.D. 240363
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