Wondering how to backup Windows XP registry and restore it? There are basically 3 methods you can adopt.

How To Backup Windows XP Registry With System Restore Tool

You can backup the registry by setting System Restore point. You can do it by launching the System Restore Tool by going to Start >> Run and type in %SystemRoot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe and press Enter. Replace %SystemRoot% with your system file location. Usually, the default location should be c:\windows so the full path to launch the restore tool is normally C:\Windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe. When the tool is launch, select "Create a restore point" and click "Next". Name the restore point and click "Create". The system will then backup the system registry entries as at that point. You can then restore the system back to this point again in future using the restore function of this tool.

How To Backup Windows XP Registry With Registry Editor

If you want to learn how to backup Windows XP registry in specific entries within the registry, it will be easier to use the Registry Editor Tool. Please be warned that this tool allows you to modify entries within the registry which is not recommended and can potentially cause system corruption. However, doing backup with this tool is easy and fast if you know what you are doing. Simply go to Start >> Run and type in regedit and press Enter. The Registry Editor will launch and you will see an item "My Computer" with 5 subfolders:

- HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

- HKEY_CURRENT_USER

- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

- HKEY_USERS

- HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG

If you know the location of the entry you want to backup, simply navigate to the folder, select it and go to File >> Export. The Editor will then allow you to save the entry to a .reg file. To do a restore, go to File >> Import and select the .reg file from Registry Editor or simply double click on the .reg file from Windows Explorer.

One important thing to note is that the backup .reg file may be too big to be viewed from Notepad or even Wordpad if you simply backup the whole registry under one single file. Notepad or Wordpad may just hang on you. Therefore, the better way is to backup the individual Folder or entries when you are using Registry Editor.

How To Backup Windows XP Registry With 3rd Party Software

If you want know how to backup Windows XP registry easily and restore it as and when you want with a few easy clicks and also at the same time scan the registry for errors and invalid/corrupted entries, a Registry Cleaner is what you need. Not only you can do backup, you can also scan for errors within the registry that may or may not cause Windows to have errors or performance issues. The software is easy to use and require no technical skills.