Registry Cleaner Geeks

Ever since the early versions of Windows, the Windows Registry remains to be a component of Windows and Windows Vista is no exception. Any possible damage to the Windows Vista registry can cause a decrease in performance, application errors, and system instability. Windows Vista doesn’t have any registry repair tool making it important for users to take good care of their system and avoid actions that may corrupt the registry such as improper shutdowns, malware infections, and rogue software installations.

While there are several registry repair tools that can get your Windows Vista system back and running, many of the registry settings are personal settings and once they are gone, you’ll need to manually set them again, which can be quite a hassle if the damage is wide. The only way to make things easier is to have spare backups of the registry keeping your personal settings safe.

Backing up the Windows Registry in Windows Vista can be done in different and easy ways.

Method 1: Using the Microsoft Registry Editor

You can back up a complete copy of your current registry just by launching the Microsoft Registry Editor that is built into the operating system. Follow these steps to back up the Windows Registry using the built-in Registry Editor.

1. Launch the Microsoft Registry Editor

The easiest way to fire up the Registry Editor is by heading to your “Start Menu” and going to the search bar and typing “regedit”. If you are using the classic start menu, all you need to do is click “Start” and going to “Run” and then typing “regedit” there.

2. Perform the Backup

The Registry Editor should launch and you should see a side panel, main window containing values, and the menu bar. Do not focus or play with the values in the side panel and main window unless you know exactly what you are doing. Instead, head to the menu bar and click “File” and then select the “Export” item. A new dialog should appear asking where you wish to save it. Place it on your Windows desktop so you can immediately see it and find out where to put it from there.

Before clicking “Save”, set a filename (preferably the current date for easy reference) and make sure you click the “All” option under the “Export range” group found on the bottom of the Export dialog box. Depending on the size of your registry, you may experience some hanging because of the backup process. Simply wait awhile until it is finished.

Full registry backups are usually more than 100 MB so make sure you have some space in your target location.

3. Store the Backup

If you followed the second step and saved it to your Windows desktop, you should see a new file appear there with a file icon and some blocks. That is a REG file and it stores the entire backup of your registry. You can now safely store this backup by copying it to your flash drive, secondary storage, or partition, back it up to a CD or DVD, or uploading it to an online storage site. The more places you can back up to, the safer you are in case of a registry disaster.

Method 2: Using System Restore

You can use system restore in backing up not only the registry, but also other settings as well. System restore takes a snapshot of your system so you can easily rollback to the last saved state in case you experience current problems including registry troubles. Follow these simple steps in creating a restore point to successfully backup the registry.

1. Launch System Restore

Click “Start” and type “systempropertiesprotection” in the search box or going to “Run” then typing “systempropertiesprotection” for classic start menu users.

2. Create a Restore Point

After Windows finished searching for the available disks and recent restore points, Click the “System Protection” tab found in the “System Properties” dialog box and then click “Create”.

3. Name the Restore Point

Simply name the restore point a descriptive name for easy reference and then click “Create”. Click “Ok” two more times and your restore point is created along with your registry backup.

The first method should be the most effective way in backing up your registry. It is important to make weekly or monthly backups of the registry so that you can rollback to a recent state if ever your registry comes down crashing.

Related Articles:

> Vista Registry Repair – A Surefire Way To Windows Vista Registry Repair

> Vista Registry Backup – How to Perform a Vista Registry Backup

> Vista Registry Scan – Why You Should Scan Your Vista Registry

< Back to Vista Registry Cleaner