Before you make any changes to the
registry,
"MAKE A BACKUP"
of your registry.
When
dealing with the registry, BE CAREFULL TO
THE EXTREME! Write down every change and
click you make so that you can go back and change the
registry to the way you found it in the first place. I
will accept no responsibility for any thing you do with
your registry. I hope you understood that part.
The registry is where your computer goes to get
information on how to behave. If your computer is in good
working order and all programs are behaving, then you are
ready to make a backup file. A backup file can sometimes
get you out of hot water as well. If you play around and
screw up a program or you know that you can crash at any
given minute, you can find the registry backup that you
know you have and double click on it. This will bring
back the old information that you had in your registry
the last time you made a backup. Every time you add a new
program the registry information will change so you have
to make a current backup after you know that your new
program is working right. If you delete a program, you
have to make a new registry backup. Why? Because the
removal of a program will be not be added to the
information of the old program and the backup will add
the removed program information back into the registry
and upon boot up you will receive a message that a certain
programs .EXE or application files can not be found. Of
course not. You removed that program a while ago and
forgot to backup the registry with a new backup file and
entered the old information back into the registry.
Enough said. I know, On with it already!
How
To Create A Registry Backup
| 1. |
Left click on Start |
| 2. |
Left click on run |
| 3. |
Type "regedit"
into the "Open" slot (without
the quotes) |
| 4. |
In the top left hand
corner you will see "Registry". Left
click on "Registry" and left click on
"Export Registry File" |
| 5. |
A window appears titled,
"Export Registry File" |
| 6. |
In the "Save
In" slot at the top You want to have (C:).
Use the drop down arrow if this is not what you
see and left click on (C:) |
| 7. |
Below the window that has
all the contents of (C:), you will find a slot
called "File Name". Type
"regbak" into this slot. (Yes with a
"k" and no "c") |
| 8. |
Left click on Save |
You
have now created a backup of the information stored in
your registry.
And now you ask, "Where is the proof?"
| 1. |
Left click on Start and
left click on Explore |
| 2. |
Push your elevator bar to
the top and left click on C: |
| 3. |
Look on the right hand
side of the desktop, (the workspace) for a file
that is named "regbak" |
| 4. |
Told Ya So! |
What Do I Do With It Now ?
If
you double click on this "regbak" file, you
will get a dialog box that asks if you want to enter the
information that you have stored in this file back into
your registry.
This is a call "you" have to make. Here are
some questions that you can ask yourself.
| A. |
Have
I removed any programs that I didn't make a
current registry backup of after I removed them? |
| B. |
If
no, and you want to have your programs and
configurations of these programs revert back to a
state when you made the backup, go ahead and
double click. Upgrades to programs will not be
altered. |
| C. |
If
yes, then you have to way the benefits of what
you are about to do to your registry. If you have
an old backup and you forgot to backup the
registry after you removed a program or 2 then
you will be manually editing the registry to
delete the old, missing program(s) and its files.
Not an easy thing to do for a beginner) |
| D. |
Are
the problems that I am experiencing because of a
configuration problem with a particular program? |
| E. |
The
only way to find this out is to go over your
Preferences for the problem program. |
| F. |
If
no, and you have a current backup of your
registry, and the problems you are experiencing
can not be fixed by re-configuring your problem
program preferences, then go ahead and double
click and the old configurations and setup
information will be re-introduced to your
registry. |
For
more information on the Regedit please follow the
links below:
Beemer's
Tutorials...
|
