Backing Up the Registry Page
JohnKalpus.com
The Windows95, 98 and NT Registry contains the settings for almost everything for your operating system (OS). These settings exist in two files: system.dat, and user.dat (ntuser.dat on an NT OS). When your PC is booted up your OS copies the contents of these two files and stores them in memory (RAM).
The Registry consists of hexidecimal and binary data, because that's the type of data PC's find most delicious and easiest to read. Most normal mortals find "hex" and binary data a little hard to digest so we must use a program to translate "hex" and binary data to English.
Enter the program, Regedit. Regedit effectively translates this cryptic data so we can read it, try to understand it, and ultimately, to change it.
Regedit can also be used to back-up the data. Here's how:
1. Click on Start, and then Run.
2. Type regedit in the Run field.
3. When Regedit appears, click on the Registry menu, then Export Registry File, and send a copy of the Registry file to a new location. This file will have a .reg extension.
Note: In Windows95, when you double-click on a .reg file it
will automatically enter it into the current registry. In Windows98 you will be given a
choice, yes or no, of importing the .reg file. Make sure you know what you want to do
before activating the file.
Note: There are actually two registry editing programs by Microsoft called Regedit that can be used to edit the registry.
1. Regedit.exe is demonstrated above and allows for compete
editing and searching of a Win9x or an NT registry.
2. Regedt32.exe opens the registry in a cascaded view. Regedt32.exe only allows for searching of Keys. It does allow for
additional saving techniques not seen in regedit.exe. For more information, see:
admin911; Windows 2000 Registry, by Kathy Ivens, Osborne Publishers, (c) 2001
Regedt32.exe screenshot
