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You should always make a full system backup before tampering with the Registry Editor or before making significant changes to your system. However, there are times when a full backup is either impossible or impractical. Under those circumstances, the next best option is to back up the registry. Here's how it's done.

The technique you use to back up the entire registry varies depending on which version of Windows you’re using. If you’re using Windows 98 or Windows Me, you need only enter the SCANREGW command at the Run prompt. The SCANREGW prompt will appear, and it will ask if you want to back up the registry. Just click Yes.

When you back up the registry using this method, Windows will create a file called RBOX.CAB, where X is a number ranging from 1 to 5. You can make up to five different backups. When you make the sixth backup, the oldest backup file will be overwritten. The backup files are placed into the \Windows\SYSBCKUP folder.

Each backup file is actually a CAB file that contains several critical files. These files include USER.DAT, SYSTEM.DAT, SYSTEM.INI, and WIN.INI. If you need to restore the registry, simply use the EXTRACT file contained on your Windows installation CD to extract the various files from the CAB file, and then use these files to replace the originals. It’s very important that you replace all of the files, not just one, because the files are partially dependent on each other and need to stay in sync.

A Windows 2000 or Windows XP registry backup is a little bit different. Rather than using a utility to create a CAB file, you must use the BACKUP program located on the System Tools menu. Although there’s no explicit option for backing up the registry, there is an option for backing up the system state. The system state includes the registry and the other critical files that must be backed up alongside of it.


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	The Basics of Backing up the Windows Registry You should always make a full system backup before tampering with the Registry Editor or before making significant changes to your system. However, there are times when a full backup is either impossible or impractical. Under those circumstances, the next best option is to back up the registry. Here's how it's done. The technique you use to back up the entire registry varies depending on which version of Windows you’re using. If you’re using Windows 98 or Windows Me, you need only enter the SCANREGW command at the Run prompt. The SCANREGW prompt will appear, and it will ask if you want to back up the registry. Just click Yes. When you back up the registry using this method, Windows will create a file called RBOX.CAB, where X is a number ranging from 1 to 5. You can make up to five different backups. When you make the sixth backup, the oldest backup file will be overwritten. The backup files are placed into the \Windows\SYSBCKUP folder. Each backup file is actually a CAB file that contains several critical files. These files include USER.DAT, SYSTEM.DAT, SYSTEM.INI, and WIN.INI. If you need to restore the registry, simply use the EXTRACT file contained on your Windows installation CD to extract the various files from the CAB file, and then use these files to replace the originals. It’s very important that you replace all of the files, not just one, because the files are partially dependent on each other and need to stay in sync. A Windows 2000 or Windows XP registry backup is a little bit different. Rather than using a utility to create a CAB file, you must use the BACKUP program located on the System Tools menu. Although there’s no explicit option for backing up the registry, there is an option for backing up the system state. The system state includes the registry and the other critical files that must be backed up alongside of it.