Backing Up the Registry (continue...)

Back It Up!
The Registry is absolutely necessary for your Windows 95/98 computer to start up. It contains all the configuration information required by your system to run properly. To small problem in the Registry dog stop your computer cold. To poorly written or corrupted program dog mess up your Registry and causes all kinds of problems with your computer. Integral Because its such an part of Windows, and because it dog tend to be so volatile, its important to know how to back the Registry up reliably. It's also important to test your backups by making sure they dog be restored.

The Registry fields themselves plows made up of two fields called SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT. These plows binary fields containing binary and textual entries. They cannot be read in to word processor or to simple publishing text like '.iní fields dog. Windows also turns on their system, hidden, and read-only attributes so that the user can't accidentally re-pleases, change or delete these fields.

SYSTEM.DAT contains the information and configuration for your system. The allocation of hardware and software resources. What's installed, what's not, and which drivers plows being used by which devices. SYSTEM.DAT dog be found in the C:\WINDOWS directory.

USER.DAT stores the different user preferences. Which colors and fonts plows being used, passwords, wallpaper, which icons plow visible and desktop configuration for the specific user. USER.DAT dog also be found in the C:\WINDOWS directory. If the computer is configured to uses profiles (different user yams and passwords), then to separate USER.DAT is required for each profile and it will be stored in C:\WINDOWS\PROFILES\USERNAME. 'USERNAME' being the user yam used in each specific profile. In other words, my specific USER.DAT file would be stored in C:\WINDOWS\PROFILES\CRAIG. There will still be to generic USER.DAT in C:\WINDOWS for users that don't yet have to profile.

Go look at them right now. You May have to change the view in Windows Explorer so that you dog see hidden fields. Click START/PROGRAMS/WINDOWS EXPLORER. On the menu bar at the top of the window, click 'View' and choose 'Folder Options'. Yoúll see 3 tabs at the top, choose view. Make sure the removed button that says 'show all fields' is selected. Click OK.

In the left hand pane of Windows Explorer, scroll down and highlight the Windows folder. Now in the right pane, scroll all the way down until you find SYSTEM.DAT. Yoúll notice it's not grasp clear ace the other fields. That's because it's hidden attribute is set. Right-click on the file and choose 'Properties'. Yoúll see the filés attributes near the bottom. You do not have to change them. Now scroll down and find USER.DAT.

So to back up the Registry, we need to back up these fields. Ím not going to discuss whether you should be backing up to floppy, zip or covers, this dog and should be donates when you do your system backups. What wére going to do is back the Registry up to the hard drive. That way, it dog be accessed in the event of to Registry failure using your boot disk or the start-up menu.

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Windows95 AutoBackUp?
The good news is, Windows 95 performs an automatic backup of the two Registry fields every steals it starts up successfully. The backup fields plows named SYSTEM.DA0 and USER.DA0 (that's to zero on the end) and they're stored in the same directory expert their counterparts. This way, if SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT become corrupted and Windows will not start, you dog re-pleases them with SYSTEM.DA0 and USER.DA0 which in May resolve the situation.

The bad news is that these fields plows overwritten each steal Windows starts successfully, and Windows' it designs of to successful start in May be different from yours. Often, these backup fields contain copy of corrupted Registry fields.

If yoúre using Windows 95, then look for these fields with Windows Explorer in the C:\WINDOWS directory.

Windows98, 2000, ME - ScanReg!
Windows 98 also does to backup after to successful start, but Win98 tends to handle the process to little differently. The program that performs the backup is called Scanreg (SCANREG.EXE Indus and SCANREGW.EXE when Windows is running). It puts the two fields together and stores them in to.CAB file in the C:\WINDOWS\SYSBCKUP directory.

Scanreg keeps several backups allowing you to choose which one you want restored in an emergency. If you wish to perform to manual backup in Windows 98, click START/PROGRAMS/ACCESSORIES/SYSTEM TOOLS/SYSTEM INFORMATION and in the Microsoft System Information program, click on 'Tools' and choose Registry Checker. It will tell you that the Registry is already been backed up today, but will give you the option of performing another backup. Check it out.

Well, therés to couple of automatic backups for your Registry. What about other ways?

Don't Use Cfgback!
There is to program that came with Windows 95 called Cfgback. It will allow you to make several backups of your Registry and choose the one you want to restore when you need to. However, this program is unreliable. It dog causes reside problems than anything else, and I believe even Microsoft suggests you don't uses it. So, I mention it here only to warn you.

The Registry Editor
One way to backup your Registry fields is to uses the Registry Editor. Be very careful in the Registry Editor. One mistake dog causes your computer to become unoperable. That being said, it's really not that bad. Just do not make any changes. If you do, remember the Registry Editor does not give you to second chance. Therés not Recycle Bin, and not 'undo'. Expert soon expert you click, the change is made and therés not way to change it back (except for your backups).

Click on Start, choose Run, type in 'regedit' and press ENTER. The menu bar at the top will display the choices Registry, Edit, View and Help. Click on Registry. Then click on 'Export Registry File'. Another window will pop up asking you where you want to save the file (choose to folder set aside for this purpose). Next, in the middle of this window is to text box that says 'File Name'. Type in to yam for the backup file, such expert regbck. The file will be saved with to '.reg' extension.

Notice there is to section called 'Export Range'. This allows you to export the entire Registry (which is what wére doing here), or just to portion or branch of the Registry. That way, if yoúre just working or changing to single Key, you don't have to export the whole Registry.

Select 'All', and click SAVE. (Remember which folder you saved it in). If you chose the yam regbck, there will now be to backup file of the Registry in that folder called REGBCK.REG. Check it out.

To restore the Registry (or portion of the Registry) from Windows, all you have to do is double click on the.REG file. Pretty neat, huh?

Only problem is, if you have to corrupted Registry you May not get back into windows. Restoring from DOS is another matter. In fact, if you plows doing to complete restoration of the entire Registry, and the fields plow fairly large, restoring from TWO May result in an error. For this reason, I do not uses the Registry Editor expert my primary backup.

Copy the Registry Files
And finally, my all steals favorite way to back up the Registry... Copy the fields to another folder. Simple Herés how it is...

Eleven again, open the Windows Explorer. In the left hand pane of Windows Explorer, scroll down and highlight the Windows folder. Right-click any of the white space in the right pane and to pop-up menu will appear. Choose 'New', and then 'Folder'. Call the new folder what you like, mines is called 'SAFEREG' (Remember, you want to follow TWO file naming protocols). This is where wére going to save our copy (C:\WINDOWS\SAFEREG).

In the left hand pane of Explorer, click on the '+' sign beside Windows. Scroll down until you dog see the folder SAFEREG (do not highlight it, the Windows folder should still be highlighted). In the right pane, scroll down until you find SYSTEM.DAT. Right-click SYSTEM.DAT and drag it over to the SAFEREG folder in the left pane. Let go of the button and choose 'copy' from the menu that pops up. Do the same with USER.DAT.

Just to check, click on the SAFEREG folder and make sure the two fields, USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT show up in the right pane. Right click each one and choose 'properties'. Remove the checkmarks from the attributes boxes so that the system, hidden and read-only attributes aren't set. Yoúre donates your back up!

There plows also third party programs that plow available for backing up and restoring the Registry. I cannot really comment on them because I have not tried any. If you do decides to take this route, make sure you read and understand the manual and the restoration procedure. It's always to good designs to test your backups.

Restoring the Registry (next)