Registry Import Problem

L

Les Feinstein

Win 2000 Professional.
As an experiment (in anticipation of a need in the near future), I
exported the registry to a .reg file on my desktop, using Regedit.
Then (again using Regedit), I tried to import the .reg file I had just
created. Near the end of the import (or whatever it was doing), I got
a message to the effect (not exact words) that the import couldn't be
completed because of the inability to access the registry.
So what's the point of exporting the registry to a .reg backup file if
you can't restore the registry from that file?
What am I doing wrong?
 
D

Dave Patrick

Exporting the entire registry to a *.reg file is not an acceptable means of
backup. You can't import the entire registry. If you run
Programs|Accessories|System Tools|Backup, then choose ERD, then if you check
the box for "Also backup....", then the reg will also be backed up to
%windir%\repair\RegBack
leaving the
%windir%\repair\
directory files intact as original installation.

Repair, Recovery, and Restore
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/samplechapters/fndc/fndc_rec_uctu.asp

You can replace registry hives from within the recovery console by copying
the files from
%windir%\repair\regback
to
%windir%\system32\config

To start the Recovery Console, start the computer from the Windows 2000
Setup CD or the Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks. If you do not have Setup
floppy disks and your computer cannot start from the Windows 2000 Setup CD,
use another Windows 2000-based computer to create the Setup floppy disks.
Press ENTER at the "Setup Notification" screen. Press R to repair a Windows
2000 installation, and then press C to use the Recovery Console. The
Recovery Console then prompts you for the administrator password. If you do
not have the correct password, Recovery Console does not allow access to the
computer. If an incorrect password is entered three times, the Recovery
Console quits and restarts the computer. Note If the registry is corrupted
or missing or no valid installations are found, the Recovery Console starts
in the root of the startup volume without requiring a password. You cannot
access any folders, but you can carry out commands such as chkdsk, fixboot,
and fixmbr for limited disk repairs. Once the password has been validated,
you have full access to the Recovery Console, but limited access to the hard
disk. You can only access the following folders on your computer: drive
root, %systemroot% or %windir%

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Win 2000 Professional.
| As an experiment (in anticipation of a need in the near future), I
| exported the registry to a .reg file on my desktop, using Regedit.
| Then (again using Regedit), I tried to import the .reg file I had just
| created. Near the end of the import (or whatever it was doing), I got
| a message to the effect (not exact words) that the import couldn't be
| completed because of the inability to access the registry.
| So what's the point of exporting the registry to a .reg backup file if
| you can't restore the registry from that file?
| What am I doing wrong?
 
L

Les Feinstein

Dave,
Thanks for the detailed explanation. Unfortunately, the link you
provided points to a page that's been removed by MS.m What was on that
page?
 
J

Jim Byrd

Hi Les - For future reference.

Get Erunt here for all NT-based computers including XP:
http://home.t-online.de/home/lars.hederer/erunt/ I've set it up to take a
scheduled backup each night at 12:01AM on a weekly round-robin basis, and a
Monthly on the 1st of each month. See here for how to set that up:
http://home.t-online.de/home/lars.hederer/erunt/erunt.txt, and for some
useful information about this subject

This program is one of the best things around - saved my butt on many
occasions, and will also run very nicely from a DOS prompt (in case you've
done something that won't let you boot any more and need to revert to a
previous Registry) IF you're FAT32 OR have a DOS startup disk with NTFS
write drivers in an NTFS system. (There is also a way using the Recovery
Console to get back to being "bootable" even without separate DOS write NTFS
drivers, after which you can do a normal ERDNT restore. If you make your
backup into a folder inside your Windows or Winnt folder, you can restore at
a Recovery Console boot by copying the files from that ERDNT folder into the
system32\config one. After a good boot, then do another normal ERDNT
restore to also restore the user hives.) (BTW, it also includes a Registry
defragger program). Free, and very, very highly recommended.

FYI, quoting from the above document:

Note: The "Export registry" function in Regedit is USELESS (!) to make a
complete backup of the registry. Neither does it export the whole registry
(for example, no information from the "SECURITY" hive is saved), nor can the
exported file be used later to replace the current registry with the old
one. Instead, if you re-import the file, it is merged with the current
registry, leaving you with an absolute mess of old and new registry keys.

--
Please respond in the same thread.
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP



In
 
L

Les Feinstein

Jim,
I tried the program. While I haven't yet tried to restore a saved
registry, I did save my current registry, and I also used the optimize
program. Both seemed to work perfectly (and quickly!). Also, a very
detailed set of instructions. There was obviously some thought put
into this program. Thanks for recommending it.
Les
 
J

Jim Byrd

YW (again), Les ;) A number of folk hold it in high regard.

--
Please respond in the same thread.
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP



In
 

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