Windows 2000 Quick Fixes

Take a snapshot of the current settings for safekeeping

Installing Windows 2000 and your applications and then configuring everything just the way you want it takes a lot of time. One hardware problem or failed software installation could force you to redo much of that work. It’s therefore a good idea to make a backup of your system’s configuration information after you have the system set up and configured, and prior to making any system changes, such as adding or removing hardware or software.

Windows 2000 stores its configuration data in the registry, a group of several files stored in the systemroot \System32\Config folder. The registry stores settings that define the way Windows 2000 looks and functions and also stores application settings. If you experience a problem with the registry, having a backup copy of it can make it relatively simple to recover the system.

Backing up the registry is just one task you should perform on a regular basis. Consider the following tasks as a good guideline to follow to ensure that you can recover your system quickly in the event of a hardware failure or other problem that causes your system configuration to become corrupted or lost.

Tip

Backing up the registry and system state data is no substitute for a complete backup of the filesystem. Having the registry and system state data backed up can help you recover the system, but it doesn’t address problems such as new drivers being replaced by older ones, lost data files, or hardware failures. ...