How to back up and restore the registry in Windows XP?

A registry is a central hierarchical database that stores the necessary information required to maintain the system configuration, user profile information, ports information, applications, hardware devices, and related settings etc.

Any incorrect modification to the registry can turn your system unusable. So, before going to make any registry change it’s a good practice to backup the registry. So that if something goes wrong, then you can restore the previous settings from the backup of the registry.  

There can be two ways to backup the registry in windows XP:

• With the Help of  Guided Help(applicable only for windows versions: English version of Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Media Center Edition, or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition )
• Manually backup by using  System Restore

Steps to use this Guided help to backup the registry:

• Log on to the  Windows  system as an administrator
• Download the Guided Help from the link: http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=aw;en-us;322756&eula=1
• Install and to use this Guided Help.
• The guided help will automatically perform the stesp for exporting registry keys and creating backup of the registry.

Note: you cannot undo any change done by the Guided Help, once it finishes the process.

Steps to back up the Windows XP registry manually:

1. First Turn on the  System Restore

• Go to System Properties
• Uncheck the  Turn off System Restore check box
  
  
  
• Click OK

2. Go to Start>Run
3. Type %System Root%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe

4. After clicking OK,  “Welcome to System Restore page” will open

5. Click the option “Create a restore point” 

6. Click Next. You will be directed to the “Create a Restore Point page”
7. Give a  desired name for the restore point 

8. Click Create
It will create a restore point with the name specified by you.
9. Once the process is completed, click Close.

Note:  In case the System Restore is turned off, you will be prompted to ask whether you want to turn on System Restore now. 

Click Yes and then follow the above given steps to turn on System Restore and then repeat this step.

Steps to restore the registry in Windows XP:
1. Click Start

2. Click Run

3. Type %System Root%\System32\Restore\Rstrui.exe
4. After clicking OK, "Welcome to System Restore page" will open.
5. Click "Restore my computer to an earlier time"
6. Click Next,  "Select a Restore Point page" will open
7. Then click the system checkpoint. 

8. Click  "Guided Help (Registry Backup)" from  the options in the On this list select the restore point area
9. Click Next. It will open A list of configuration changes that will be made by System Restore
10. Click OK to proceed.
11. Click ‘Next’ on the Confirm Restore Point Selection page to proceed further.

It will restore Windows XP to the previous configuration state and then restarts the system.
12. When you will Log on to the computer again you will be asked for System restore confirmation. 

Click OK on System Restore confirmation page to finish the restore process.

I hope this article will be useful for those who are looking for who are looking for registry back up and restore procedure. Your comments are welcome.