Registry Cleaner Geeks

Even with Windows Vista released, Windows XP remains to be a true favorite by plenty of desktop and business users. Windows XP however is a bit more vulnerable to hacks, spyware, and all kinds of malware that may possibly damage the registry. Even the most careful users can encounter these problems so preventative measures are quite difficult and the registry can crumble overtime if these problems aren’t solved, which is why we recommend the use of an XP Registry Cleaner to check your system on a regular basis.

There are plenty of good registry scanners and cleaners out there, but they can take some time depending on the size of your registry and how long you had the operating system installed without a format. Also, the fixes can be a tad risky sometimes because they are prone to errors and do not necessarily make your registry structure flawless.

But making a habit in backing up the registry regularly when the system is performing is okay could make solve damaged registry problems much faster and guaranteed. Guaranteed because you know exactly what is being applied because you are literally restoring an old configuration that works properly.

The good news in backing up a windows registry in Windows XP is that no 3rd party tools are needed. In fact, there are 2 built in Windows tools that can do the backup and restoration jobs pretty smoothly.

1. Microsoft Registry Editor

Windows XP has a program that isn’t located in your Start menu called the Microsoft Registry Editor. It is a program for advanced users to edit entries in the registry when problems arise. What most people don’t know is that there is a hidden feature in the program that can back up the full registry or back up selected areas. Before backing up the registry, make sure you have available hard disk space as the file may consume much.

Here are the steps on how to perform a full registry backup in 10 easy steps:

1. Bring up the “Start” menu.
2. Go to “Run”.
3. Type “regedit” in the textbox there.
4. When the Registry Editor loads, click the “File” menu item.
5. Select the “Export” menu item.
6. When the dialog appears, click the “Desktop” button on the sidebar so the backup saves on the desktop.
7. On the filename field, type something descriptive (preferably the date).
8. On the “Export Range” option group found below, select the “All” option.
9. Click “Save”
10. The file should appear on your desktop where you can then put it in a storage device, burn it on CD, or place it in another folder.

2. System Restore

Windows XP’s System Restore tool can also perform a full backup along with other settings outside the registry so choose this option if you wish to have a more solid backup. It is important to have these scheduled so that the restoration process won’t cause many problems. Keep in mind that System Restore must be turned on first and if your System Restore is disabled, enabling it will consume a portion of your hard disk space so if you don’t like this method, stick to the Windows Registry method.

Backing up the system using System Restore is pretty easy and can be performed by doing these 5 steps:

1. Bring up the “Start” menu.
2. Go to “Run”.
3. Type “%SystemRoot%system32restorerstrui.exe” in the textbox there. If it asks you to turn on system restore, click “Yes”. Remember that enabling System Restore eats up some hard disk space.
4. When the System Restore loads, click the “Create a restore point” and then click “Next”.
5. On the next page, give the restore point an appropriate name and then click “Create”.

In most cases, the Windows Registry method should do the job. Whenever you install or remove new software, try performing additional backups to give you a more recent recovery path in case the Windows Registry gets corrupted. For even more secure measures, you can try performing both methods in backing up the registry since both are fairly easy to do anyway. The registry is the heart of your system and keeping backups on the side can save you much time and even avoid the need in reinstalling Windows if a problem arises.

Related Articles:

> XP Registry Repair – How to Repair Your Windows XP Registry

> XP Registry Backup – How To Perform An XP Registry Backup

> XP Registry Scan – Why You Need An Xp Registry Scan

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