Backing Up and Restoring the Windows Registry
The Windows Registry is an essential component of the Windows operating system, storing information about the programs and devices installed on your computer. It can become corrupt or damaged in a variety of ways, so backups are essential to maintain the integrity of the Windows operating system. There are several different ways to back up, restore and edit the registry. Here we discuss the various methods to ensure that your registry files remain safe and secure.
Backing Up the Registry
The most important step when it comes to backing up and restoring the Windows registry is to create a backup. This is easily done by using the Windows built-in registry editor, Regedit. To back up your registry files:
1. Open the Run command by pressing the Windows key + R, or searching for “Run” in the Start Menu.
2. Type “regedit” into the box and press enter. This will open the registry editor.
3. From the registry editor, select File > Export.
4. Set the Export Range to All and give the file a name (e.g. “Registry_Backup”).
5. Select a location to save the backup file, then click Save.
Restoring the Registry
Restoring the registry to a previous point in time is usually done as part of troubleshooting a corrupted Windows installation. It is also possible to restore individual registry keys if you know which ones may have been modified or deleted. To do this:
1. Launch Regedit from the Run command.
2. Select File > Import.
3. Navigate to the backup file that you created earlier, select it and click Open.
4. Your computer will now attempt to restore the registry from your backupfile.
Editing the Registry
When editing the registry, you need to be extremely careful as incorrect modifications can lead to serious problems with your computer. It is strongly recommended that you create a backup of your registry before making any changes.
To edit the registry:
1. Launch Regedit from the Run command.
2. Browse for the registry key (or keys) that you wish to modify.
3. Right-click on the key, select Permissions > Advanced.
4. Marking the checkbox next to “Replace all existing inheritable permissions on all descendants…”.
5. Click OK to save your changes.
It is also possible to use third-party tools such as ERUNT or RegCleaner to back up and restore your registry. These programs provide extra features such as scheduling backups and restoring registry keys to their default values, making them a useful addition to the Windows registry editor.