how to backup and restore the registry in windows

Backup and restore the registry in Windows XP

To backup the registry on a Windows XP computer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start
2. Click Run
3. Type regedit in the search box and click OK to open the Registry Editor
4. On the left pane, click Computer to select it
5. From File, in the menu, click Export
6. In the Export Registry File window, type a filename for this backup
7. Then choose All under the Export range section and select a location on your system where you want to save the backup registry file, then click Save.
8. You can save the file to Desktop.
The registry backup files are saved with this extension: .reg
To restore the registry in Windows XP, follow these steps:
1. Open the Registry Editor: type regedit at Run and click OK
2. Go to the File menu and click Import
3. At the Import Registry File window, browse to locate the backup file (on the Desktop, if you saved it there)
4. Select the file and click Open
5. Once the import process is complete, restart your computer and log in back on your Windows XP computer

Windows XP regedit screen

Backup and restore the registry in Windows Vista

To backup the Registry in Windows Vista, follow these steps:
1. Click Start
2. Type regedit in the search box
3. Click the regedit item from the search results list
4. Click Continue, if you’re prompted by the UAC (User Account Control) warning message
5. Select Computer from the left side. Make sure it’s selected.
6. Go to File and then click Export
7. At the Export Registry File, type a filename for the backup file and then choose All under the Export range section
8. Select a location where you want to save the backup file
9. Click Save
Backup files of the Registry are saved with this extension: .reg
To restore a previously created .reg file on a Windows Vista, follow these instructions:
1. Open the Registry Editor: type regedit at the search box and click on the regedit item when it appears in the search results list
2. At File, click Import
3. At the Import Registry File screen, browse and select the backup .reg file that needs to be restored
4. Click Open
5. When the process is complete, restart your Windows Vista system

Windows Vista regedit screen

Backup and restore the registry in Windows 7

To backup the Registry on a Windows 7 system, follow these steps:
1. Click Start
2. Type regedit in the search box
3. Click the regedit item appearing in the list
4. Click Continue, if you’re prompted by User Account Control
5. Select Computer from the left side. Make sure it’s selected.
6. Go to File and then Export
7. At the Export Registry File, type a name for the backup file
8. Choose All under the Export range section
9. Select a location where you want to save the backup file
10. Click Save
The backup files are saved with this extension: .reg
=To restore a previously created backup file of the Registry in Windows 7, follow these instructions:
1. Open the Registry Editor: type regedit at the search box and click on the regedit item when it appears in the search results list
2. At File, click Import
3. At the Import Registry File screen, browse and select the backup .reg file to be restored from your Desktop or from where you saved it
4. Click Open
5. Once completed, restart the computer to login back on your Windows 7 computer

Windows 7 regedit screen

Backup and restore the registry in Windows 8 or 8.1

To create a backup of the current Registry in a Windows 8 or 8.1 system, follow these steps:
1. Go to Search or press the Windows and C key to open the Charm Bar
2. Type regedit in the search box
3. Click regedit from the search results list
4. Click Yes, if you’re prompted by User Account Control
5. Select Computer from the left side. Make sure it’s selected before you proceed to the next step.
6. Go to File and then click on Export
7. At the Export Registry File, type a name for the backup file
8. Choose All under the Export range section
9. Select a location where you want to save the backup file
10. Click Save
Note: Any backup files of the Registry are saved with this extension: .reg
To restore the registry using a previously created .reg file on a Windows 8 or 8.10 system, follow these steps:
1. Open the Registry Editor: type regedit at the search box and click on the regedit item when it appears in the search results list.To open the Search Bar, press the Windows and C keys.
2. At File, click the Import option
3. At the Import Registry File screen, browse and select the backup file you want to restore
4. Click Open
5. Once the process is complete, restart your computer and log back in on your Windows 8/8.1 computer

Windows 8 regedit screen

Backup and restore the registry in Windows 10

To create a backup of the current Registry in a Windows 10 system, follow these steps:
1. Type regedit in the search box
2. Click regedit from the search results list
3. Click Yes, if you’re prompted by User Account Control
4. Select Computer from the left side. Make sure it’s selected before you proceed to the next step.
5. Go to File and then click on Export
6. At the Export Registry File, type a name for the backup file
7. Choose All under the Export range section
8. Select a location where you want to save the backup file
9. Click Save
Note: Any backup files of the Registry are saved with this extension: .reg
To restore the registry using a previously created .reg file on a Windows 8 or 8.10 system, follow these steps:
1. Open the Registry Editor: type regedit at the search box and click on the regedit item when it appears in the search results list.
2. At File, click the Import option
3. At the Import Registry File screen, browse and select the backup file you want to restore
4. Click Open
5. Once the process is complete, restart your computer and log back in on your Windows 10 computer

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Top 10 Registry tweaks

Windows Registry holds all the tweaks to customize your Windows experience and deal with little nuisances that Microsoft thinks every user will love. From changing Windows’ design to unlocking hidden features, there are tweaks for everything. To help you improve your Windows 10 experience, here are five Windows 10 registry hacks worth trying.

Warning: Messing with the registry could corrupt your Windows. It is recommended that you follow the instructions precisely and don’t mess around if you don’t know what you are doing. Just to be safe, create a backup of your registry before making any changes.

Accessing the Windows Registry

As all the tweaks require a trip to the Windows Registry, it is important to know how to access the Registry. Press the “Win + R” keys and type regedit in the “Run” dialog that opens. Now click on “OK,” and the WindowsRegistry will open up.

1. Remove the Windows 10 Action Center Sidebar

Windows 10 Action Center Sidebar offers handy quick access buttons and notifications. However, if you find these buttons to be unnecessary, and your are not comfortable with the Sidebar taking up half the screen when you open it, you can simply disable it.

In the Registry go to the below-mentioned location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell

Here, double-click on “UseActionCenterExperience” in the right panel and then change its value to “0.” Afterwards, restart the PC, and you will see that the Action Center Sidebar will be gone, and the notification panel will be much cleaner and smaller in size.

2. Remove the OneDrive Button from the File Explorer

If you don’t use OneDrive or shifted to another cloud storage service after Microsoft decided to downgrade its storage packages, then there is no point of its icon hanging around in the File Explorer. Here is how to get rid of it.

Move to the below-mentioned location:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}

I know it will be very hard to find the {018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6} entry between so many similar entries. To quickly find it when you reach the “CLSID” folder, click on “Edit” in the top menu, and then click on “Find.” In the “Find” dialog type {018D5C66-4533 and hit Enter. You should be at the required entry.

Double-click on “System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree” in the right panel and change its value to “0.” This will immediately remove the OneDrive icon. If not, restart the PC. Additionally, you can also completely uninstall OneDrive or move OneDrive to another local drive if its is taking space.

3. Automatically Delete Pagefile.sys at Shutdown

Pagefile.sys acts as a virtual RAM which Windows uses as RAM to store programs that are not in use, thus it puts less pressure on the actual RAM. Although it is not recommended to disable it, you can delete it to save space and also avoid any vulnerabilities. The page file size is mostly near the size of your actual RAM, so it can take a lot of space depending on your RAM. When it is set to delete with shutdown, you will save space but at the expense of prolonging shutdown time.

Move to the below Registry location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

Click on “Memory Management,” and then double-click on “ClearPageFileAtShutDown” in the right panel. Now set its value to “1,” and restart the PC. Every time you shut down your PC, the pagefile will be deleted. Don’t worry – it will be created again when needed.

4. Adjust Menu Animations

You can also adjust menu animations to make them look snappier. If you have a slower PC, then faster animations should make it easier to navigate. I have written a detailed article on how to adjust and disable menu animations; you can refer to it to learn how to pull off that registry tweak.

5. Disable Windows Startup Delay

Windows puts a tiny delay on startup to help apps starting up with Windows smoothly go through the process, and you start with a smooth desktop without lags. However, if you don’t have many startup apps, like if you have disabled startup apps, then this delay could be unnecessary. You can disable this delay to speed up the Windows startup.

Go to the below-mentioned Registry location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer

Right-click on “Explorer,” and then select “Key” from the “New” option. Once the new key is created, rename it “Serialize.”

If the “Serialize” key is already created under the “Explorer” key, then there is no need to go through the above process.

After that, right-click on “Serialize” and select “DWORD Value” from the “New” option. The DWORD Value key will be created in the right panel. Rename this key to “StartupDelayInMSec,” and make sure its value is set to “0.” Now you should notice a tiny boost in Windows startup time.

Conclusion

Above we have listed some handy Windows 10 registry tweaks to optimize your Windows 10 experience. There are also many other Windows 10 tweaks that you can make to further improve your Windows 10 experience. So keep exploring ,and you should find many ways to customize your Windows 10 PC according to your needs. If you know of any other cool Windows 10 registry hacks, do share with us in the comments section.

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