Backing Up The Registry

It is critical that you keep a backup of the registry before you make any changes. Why? Well, if you do the wrong thing, you could make your system act strangely, applications could fail to operate and crashes could result.

There are many ways to back up your registry. Many systems come pre-loaded with a program called ConfigSafe. This creates restore points so you can put the system back to the way it was before the change if necessary. Personally, I haven't had much luck with this program, as I've found it's interface cumbersome and difficult to use.

What I like to do is simple and easy. Just before I make changes to a registry key, I export the contents to a .REG file. I've created a special folder under "My Documents" called "My Registry Backups". In this folder, I place all of the "before" copies of the parameters (the exported values), beginning each file name with a date and time (along with a description of the change) for easy identification.

Just navigate to the key and select "Export..." from the "File" menu. Name the exported file properly and place in your folder.

If I need to back out the change for some reason, it's simply a matter of double-clicking the file. This will cause all of the values in the .REG file to be restored to their previous values.