Is it necessary to backup the registry?


  1. Posts : 23
    Windows 10 Home x64
       #1

    Is it necessary to backup the registry?


    When I used Windows 7, I used a program called RegBak to backup the registry. You could even restore the registry with it if the system didn't boot.

    I also found this article, How to restore Registry from its secret backup on Windows 10, but my "secret backup" is empty.

    I thought I would ask if backing up the registry is even necessary. I looked and can't find any Tenforums tutorials on backing up the registry. Maybe it isn't necessary because we have system restore points.

    I look forward to your advice. I just installed Windows 10 last week for the first time.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 26,406
    Windows 11 Pro 22631.3296
       #2

    If you ever edit the registry, you should back it up first. System Restore Points are not releasable and I have never used them.. I use Macrium Reflect to backup/restore my system and it has never failed me.

    Macrium Software | Your Image is Everything
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 42,634
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #3

    Agreed restoring system restore points is very unreliable. If that works, great.

    The situations when a registry backup is actually useful are few and far between. Why? Consistency. If you restore a backup, you may create inconsistencies with many other things.

    Sometimes restoring the registry from Regbackup can help recover an otherwise unbootable PC.

    For what it's worth, Tweaking.com offers a registry backup tool, for example.

    ** If your Regback folder is empty, please check the scheduled task here:
    Is it necessary to backup the registry?-1.jpg

    I found I needed to create a trigger as none was defined.
    (Microsoft\Windows\Registry in the left column)
    Last edited by dalchina; 16 Sep 2018 at 13:29.
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 42,634
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #4

    Note: you can then test the scheduled task immediately by rt click, run, and check the date the Regback folder was updated.
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 15,426
    Windows10
       #5

    I have never found backing up registry on its own to be of any real value. I know we are always warned about registry changes can brick pc, but then you cannot reverse it anyway!

    Nearly all regedits we see here are easily reversed.

    Like most regulars here say, image backups are the best idea.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 23
    Windows 10 Home x64
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Thank you for the replies, everyone.

    dalchina, my Regback folder was empty like yours. Thanks to your help, I see how to change it, but what do you have the trigger set for where the choice is One time/Daily/Weekly/Monthly? I see the "On Startup" part.

    Thanks.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 42,634
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #7

    Well, it was a surprise to me the schedule was not in place- I had thought it was a feature and had never investigated it.

    The choice is yours. You could have it set to startup rather than logon - logon would be too frequent. Obviously it will slow the startup a little as a copy is made. I don't know the intended default, but as you know, that there was expected to be a backup is reflected in the recovery posts using it.

    (As I said, and @Cerberus reflected, the value is very limited -perhaps MS removed this task at some point... Might be interesting to know what others see).
      My Computers


 

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 10 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 10" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:11.
Find Us




Windows 10 Forums