learn more...Before diving into Registry modifications, I'll talk about backing them up. Every computer book I've seen stresses these facts:
In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to tell you that items 1 and 2 are completely true, and I've never followed the advice of item 3 myself. Maybe I'm an idiot, maybe the warnings are a bit too strident, or maybe it's something in between. But, especially with Windows XP's System Restore feature to do all of the work for you, there's really no harm in taking a few extra moments to protect yourself against a preventable bad outcome. You can back up the Registry in Windows XP in five ways: You can back it up as part of a regular disk backup; you can selectively back up portions of the Registry by exporting the keys with the Registry Editor; you can create a System Restore Point; you can use the command-line application REG.EXE; or you can use a special-purpose Registry backup program. Registry Backup and Recovery with Windows BackupWindows XP includes a simple, straightforward backup and restore utility called NTBackup that you can use to back up your entire system, including data files, system files, and Registry files. To back up only the Registry, follow these steps:
To restore the Registry from a backup made with NTBackup, follow these steps:
Caution Do not test this procedure out on a properly functioning system. This is a drastic procedure meant only for recovering from Registry-related disasters and should not be attempted unless absolutely necessary, or if you are working on a lab machine specifically set up to test this process Exporting and Importing Registry Files with the Registry EditorThe Registry Editor that is included with Windows XP allows you to selectively export anything from a single subkey to an entire Registry key. If you're performing significant modifications, this is a good way to ensure that you can figure out what the original values were if you need to roll back your changes. To back up a key including all subkeys and values, follow these steps:
Because this is a plain-text file, you can open it in Notepad to see the contents. I often use this method to deploy changes to several computers: I make limited Registry changes on a single system, export the change as a .REG file, edit the file down to just the modified entries, move the file to a network folder, and import the file on other machines. Importing a Registry file exported through the Registry Editor is just as straightforward as exporting:
Importing a Registry setting through the Registry Editor overwrites existing keys or values and adds missing keys or values, but it does not delete extra keys or values that are not contained in the Registry file. However, you can use a Registry file to explicitly specify subkeys or values to delete. Note Remember when I suggested changing the extension of the previous Registry file from .REG to .TXT so you wouldn't accidentally import the settings? You can use the inverse to enable a two-step, REGEDIT-free Registry file import. Simply rename the Registry file you want to import with a .REG extension. Then double-click the Registry file to quickly import the contents of the file into your Registry. You can't back out of the import after you've confirmed it exists, so ensure you know what you're importing before you run the REG file. Backing Up with System RestoreA System Restore Point allows you to restore your computer to a previous state, rolling back changes to device drivers, system files, and the Registry. By manually requesting that Windows create a Restore Point before you forage into the Registry, you can make changes and easily roll them back if something doesn't work. Command-Line Backup and Restore Using reg.exeA command-line Registry manipulation tool called reg.exe is included with Windows XP. This tool is useful for selectively backing up or restoring specific Registry subkeys. Numerous functions are available in reg.exe, including Registry exporting and importing. Note You can do quite a few things with reg. Use the command reg /? for a complete usage syntax of the command. To back up a Registry key using reg.exe, use the following syntax: reg export rootkey\subkey filenameFor rootkey, you can use the abbreviations HKLM, HKCU, HKCR, HKU, or HKCC. Subkey must be the full name of a Registry key under the selected root. Filename is the name of the file to which you want to save the exported data. To restore a Registry key using reg, use the following syntax: reg import filenameWhen importing, filename can be any file created by reg export, from the regedit Registry Editor's Export command, or created manually with a text editor. |
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