Backing up the Registry

[Guest]

I do not have access to a backup program. How, then, do I go about copying
the Registry to provide a backup?

 

[Detlev Dreyer]

I do not have access to a backup program. How, then, do I go about
copying the Registry to provide a backup?

"ERUNT": http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/

You may want to create a System Restore point instead since this takes a
snapshot of the Registry as well.

 

[Phisherman]

I do not have access to a backup program. How, then, do I go about copying
the Registry to provide a backup?

regedit | File | Export

 

[John John]

regedit | File | Export

That is not a proper method for backing up the registry.

John

 

[Tony Meloche]

That is not a proper method for backing up the registry.

John

An easy, very safe, and free way to do it is ERUNT, available here:

http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt

Tony

 

[Guest]

John: If that is not a proper back up and it was done via instructions
from Nuance. Then how do I go about using this saved backup file to restore
my registry because their fix did not work anyway. I am so stuck!! Thank you

 

[frodo]

John: If that is not a proper back up and it was done via instructions
from Nuance. Then how do I go about using this saved backup file to restore
my registry because their fix did not work anyway. I am so stuck!! Thank you

basically, you can't. When you "export" the reg via regedit, you get a
snapshot of the current registry - just fine. However, when you go to
import that snapshot back into the reg what regedit does is MERGE the
imported file into the existing reg, it does not replace the existing with
the import, which is what you really want.

ERUNT is the best solution, and it's free.

You can also use ntbackup.exe, doing what it calls a "system state"
backup; this backs up the reg as well as all "system files"; you can turn
off the "system files" part by going into the advanced dialog, then you
get just a reg backup - this is quick and pretty small.

And, System Restore also snap-shots the reg, along with certain system
files. As a basic rule, always manually create a System Restore point
before doing a program install (note many setup.exe's do it for you
now-a-days). Then if the program turns out to be junk you can uninstall
it and then revert to the restore point (always uninstall, then revert;
don't count on the revert alone to do it all, just use the revert to clean
up what the uninstaller inevitably leaves behind). And remember, it's not
a good idea to do a restore to a restore-point that's more than 4 or 5
reboots ago, going back too far can have it's own problems.

Good Luck

 

[Guest]

Thank you very much John. I am in such a mess. I did a restore but suspect
that there were more than 4 or 5 reboots. Can I post to you my issue on this
thread? My issue relates to Dragon Speaking and the speech files and Office
2007 with XP-Media OS. Please advise and I will post the steps that Nuance
(Dragon Speaking) had me go through via knowledge base which included the
above described method to back up the registry. I hate 3rd party support
because their goal is to make their program work not so much protecting your
computer. I am always hesitant to follow their knowledge base pages and
worse I dread a call to tech support b/c of language barriers. Thanks

 

[John John]

Hi Romeo,

Frodo is the one who answered your question. When you say that you "did
a restore" do you mean that you did a restore "Point" and that you have
since rebooted 4 or 5 times? Or do you mean that you have done a
"System Restore" to an earlier "Restore Point"?

If you made a "Restore Point" and then rebooted, even many, many times.
it doesn't matter, just use "System Restore" and rollback the machine to
your restore point. Rebooting doesn't matter to "Restore Points", the
thing that matters most is the age of the restore points, you don't want
to go back too far when you restore the system. If you did a System
Restore and if it failed to fix your problem then maybe you should start
a new thread and fully explain your problems and the steps that you have
already taken to attempt to fix things. Your issue appears to be more
Office related than operating system related, for the best help and
advice with Office problems you should post to one of the Office groups.
The Office groups are very active and there are people there who know
Office inside out, they will be able to give you the best help and
advice. Make sure that you tell them which Office version that you are
using. You can find an Office group in the list here:

http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/list/en-us/default.aspx

John

 

[Guest]

I noticed I had posted to you and it wasn't you. I actually did a System
Restore. I had no choice. It was a point I had created prior to loading
DragonSpeaking. As far as posting the whole problem I did so. My problem
involves DragonSpeaking and the speech I believe. I don't know if it is an
issue with OS and Office 2007. I did post the entire sob story on this
thread. If you are interested search for DragonSpeaking. Thanks John.

Sorry to Frodo and I thank you both.

 

[John John]

No need to be sorry, other readers often pickup where others leave, or
where others run out of ideas and suggestions, for most parts that makes
the newsgroup more helpful. After I posted I saw and read your other
post, unfortunately other than telling you that Zune is a Microsoft MP3
player designed to compete with the I-Pod and I-Tunes I can't help
further with your problem.

John

 

[Guest]

Thank you anyway. I have done a very long message to Nuance and will take it
up with them. I always am hesitant because of the obvious inappropriate
instructions the software people pass out. I often wonder if they really
care about a persons computer or just making their program work. As in,
because of all this something has now happened to Zune and obviously was not
corrected via my System Restore. Thanks again.

 

[frodo]

And remember, it's not
a good idea to do a restore to a restore-point that's more than 4 or 5
reboots ago, going back too far can have it's own problems.

FWIW, that statement from me (frodo) is a tad misleading, let me qualify
it: if you are troubleshooting and you do 10 reboots in an hour, then
sure, you can restore back to where you started. But restoring to a point
that was many days or even weeks ago may not be such a great idea. But
then again if it's your only option it may be worth a try.

I gave that advice because I've dealt with systems that were restored to
"a month ago" and of course they lost all the updates that had been done
in that month. For the average Joe it's not a big deal, but for the
"internet savy" teen who installed 5 versions of Kazaa, Limewire, and
BitTorrent, along with the last 6 updates to iTunes, it can be a real
nightmare. Remember that a restore doesn't do an uninstall, it just rolls
CERTAIN files and the reg back, sometimes leaving a real mess.

So, when I said "4 or 5 reboots", I really (sort-of) meant 4 or 5 days.
Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Guest]

Frodo:

Thanks for taking the time to post this. Good information. If I learned
one thing from this thread it is about restore. I am no teen and won't run
into the problems you highlight but I did learn that I should uninstall a
program before doing a Restore and I think that is pretty valuable infor. I
don't like to use Restore at all because I do know it puts back stuff like
virsus. I have never had one but it boggles the mind to think what all has
gone on in between when you do a restore because everything is not logged in
the Restore feature. Thanks again.