Back up system registry

Issue

Registry edit warnings often contain text similar to the following:

Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

You want to know how to back up the registry for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Solution

To back up the registry:

Warning!
Problems caused by improperly editing the Windows registry could render your computer operating system unusable. Microsoft provides a wealth of critical information that you need to know about the registry in the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://support.microsoft.com/support.

Additional information about the registry is also available in the Help topics in the Microsoft Registry Editor.

1. On the Start menu (Windows), click Run.
2. In the Open box, enter regedit, and then click OK.
3. In the Registry Editor, on the Registry menu, click Export Registry File.
4. From the Save As Type drop-down list, select Registration Files (*.reg).
5. Under Export Range, click All.
6. In the File Name box, enter Backup Registry.
7. In the Save In box, select Desktop.
8. In the upper right corner of the Export Registry File dialog box, click Create New Folder, and then enter My Backup Files.
9. Click Save.
   
   Note: You have just saved the Backup Registry file to the My Backup Files folder on the desktop. In each of the following back-up procedures, you will be instructed to save your files to the same folder.
   
   
10. On the Registry menu, click Exit.
11. Verify that the Registry Backup.reg file is located in the My Backup Files folder. To do this, double-click the My Backup Files folder on the desktop and note the contents. If the file is there, close the My Backup Files folder. If the file is not there, repeat steps 1 through 9, but in step 8, do not create a new folder; instead, select the My Backup Files folder.

Important: Do not double-click the Registry Backup.reg file on your desktop unless you intend to undo the changes that you are making to the registry.

See also

How to remove all Autodesk products from a Windows system