Chuck's Blog

Backing up the Registry

Backing up the registry before you make any changes is important because some registry modifications take effect immediately and there is no “undo” function. If you make a mistake in editing the registry, it can cause serious problems, up to and including the inability to boot the system.

Backing up the registry means exporting registry data to a file that you save on your hard drive, a network drive or a removable drive or disc. There are a number of different ways to save the exported information. The safest way is to save the key you’re going to modify as a registry hive file. This creates an image of the key. Then if something goes wrong, you can import the key and it will overwrite any changes you made. Read more and how: