Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 Inside Out

Backing Up and Restoring the Registry

By now it should be pretty clear how important the Registry is and that it should be protected. I'll go so far as to say that part of every backup and recovery plan should include the Registry. Backing up and restoring the Registry isn't done from within Registry Editor, however. It is handled through the Windows Backup utility or through your preferred third-party backup software. Either way, you have an effective means to minimize downtime and ensure that the system can be recovered if the Registry becomes corrupted.

Choosing a Backup Method for the Registry

You can make a backup of the entire Registry very easily at the command line. Simply type regedit /e SaveFile, where SaveFile is the complete file path ...