Edit the Registry Safely

Some of the tips in our collection require editing the Registry. Before making any such changes, you should back up the current Registry data. This doesn't mean using the Windows XP Backup applet or even saving a system restore point. Rather, use the Registry Editor itself to back up the Registry keys that will be changed.

To begin, select Run from the Start menu and enter regedit to launch the Registry Editor. Navigate to the key you're going to edit and select Export from the File menu. Don't set the Export Range to All—that would back up the entire Registry, and restoring such a backup would wipe out all later changes. Instead, choose the Selected Branch option, which will back up just the selected key, with its subkeys and values. Save it to a REG file with a name that will remind you of the purpose of the change. Open the REG file in Notepad and insert a few comment lines that describe the tip (to create a comment line, put a semicolon at the start of the line). Now go ahead and make all changes to the Registry keys and values specified by the tip you're applying. Any time you add a new key or value, make a note of it with another comment line in the REG file. When you're done, save the REG file and close Notepad.

If it's necessary to undo the Registry tweak, start by double-clicking the REG file and confirming that you want to merge it into the Registry. This will restore any deleted keys or values, and will restore the original data for any changed values. Note, however, that it will not remove any keys or values that you added. To take care of those, refer to the comments you inserted in the REG file. Right-click the REG file and choose Edit, which will open the file in Notepad. Check for comments about added keys or values and, if found, use the Registry Editor to delete them. You can delete the REG file itself once you've completed the restore process.