Situation:
You need to create a backup of the Windows 95/98/Me registry before editing it. If the changes you make to the registry do not produce the desired result, then you can restore the registry from the backup.

Solution:
Please be sure to pay attention to all "NOTE:" and "CAUTION:" statements.

NOTE: These instructions are covered under our Terms of Use.  We STRONGLY advise that you back up files before altering them in case you make a mistake or something goes wrong.  If you have any questions, ask them first!  Drop us an email and let us know how we can help you.

To back up the registry:

• 1. Click Start, then click Run. The Run dialog box appears.
• 2. Type regedit and click OK. The Registry Editor opens.
• 3. Click the Registry menu and click Export Registry File.
• 4. Verify the following items in the Export Registry File dialog box:
  • Save in: Desktop
  • File name: Registry Backup
  • Save as type: Registration Files
  • Export range: All
• 5. Click Save.
• 6. Exit the Registry Editor.
• 7. Verify that an icon labeled "Registry Backup.reg" is on the desktop.

CAUTION: Do not double-click the "Registry Backup.reg" file on the desktop unless you intend to undo the changes you are making to the registry.

NOTE:This method for Windows 95/98/Me will not work for Windows NT/2000. Windows NT/2000 has additional security protection that prevents this backup from being restored.

After making changes to the registry
After you make the changes you want to the registry, immediately verify that the results are what you expected.

If the results are what you want, delete the "Registry Backup.reg" file after you are finished troubleshooting the initial problem. Do not allow the file to remain on the desktop beyond the test period. Since double-clicking a .REG file imports the file's contents into the registry, deleting "Registry Backup.reg" prevents you from inadvertently restoring this version of the registry in the future when it may be out of date.

If the results were not what you expected, and you want to restore the registry to its previous state, double-click the "Registry Backup.reg" file.

Windows 98/Me - Scanreg
Windows 98 provides an additional means of backing up the registry not available in Windows 95. This involves running the Scanreg command from MS-DOS mode.

To run Scanreg:

• 1. Click Start and click Shut Down. The Shut Down Windows screen appears.
• 2. Click "Restart in MS-DOS Mode" and click OK. Windows shuts down and restarts to a DOS prompt.
• 3. At the DOS prompt, type the following command and press Enter:

  scanreg /backup

  Scanreg will back up your registry and then return a DOS prompt.

After you make the changes you want to the registry, immediately verify that the results are what you expected. If the results are not what you expected, you can use Scanreg to restore the previous registry.

To restore a backup copy of the registry with Scanreg:

• 1. Click Start and click Shut Down. The Shut Down Windows screen appears.
• 2. Click "Restart in MS-DOS Mode" and click OK. Windows shuts down and restarts to a DOS prompt.
• 3. At the DOS prompt, type the following command and press Enter:

  scanreg /restore

  Scanreg will check your registry and display the list of available backups.

• 4. Select the backup at the top of your list. This is the backup you made earlier.
• 5. Press R to restore the backup.
• 6. When the restoration is complete, type win and press Enter to start Windows.