Special Edition Using® Microsoft® Office Outlook® 2003

Backing Up the Windows Registry

The first thing you should do whenever you plan to modify the Registry is to make a complete backup of it. The operation of your computer depends on the Registry remaining intact. Deleting the wrong Registry key or changing a value to an invalid entry can cause your computer to become unusable—Windows might not even start.

You can make a manual copy of the Registry, or rely on Windows to do the backups for you. Windows backs up the Registry every time you boot your computer. If you modify the Registry and your computer becomes unstable or will not boot, you can use the Recovery Console to restore a previous copy of the Registry. It's a good idea to learn how to use the Recovery Console before making any changes ...