Registry backup
Click on the hyperlink for instructions for that step or on for a picture of that step.
Export Registry Keys
You can follow these steps to export a registry key before you
edit it.
Note Do not follow these steps to export a whole
registry hive (for example, the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive).
If you must back up whole
registry hives, back up the whole registry instead.
- Access REGEDIT (The page will open in a separate window)
- Locate and then click the key that contains the value that you want to edit.
- On the File menu, click Export.
- In the Save in box, select a location where you want to save the Registration Entries (.reg) file. (You should save it on a floppy, flash drive or somewhere external from the hard drive)
- In the File name box, type a file name
- Click Save.
Back Up the Whole Registry
To back up the whole registry, use the Backup utility to back up the System State. The System State includes the registry, the COM+ Class Registration Database, and your boot files.
To backup the entire registry click here.
The instructions above are from Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 322756 This is not the entire article. I have the steps listed here, but if you want the entire article then click on the link.