Difference between revisions of "Windows XP Backup"

Revision as of 20:02, 23 January 2010

Choosing What to Back Up

Do you need a 100% bit by bit backup of your system? That depends on your goals and financial resources. Lets take a look at practical, inexpensive, conventional backup solutions first.

Practical and Conventional Backup

Close all running software that you can before doing a backup. The less running the better. This will ensure data files are in a closed state and not locked.

storage medium

You can save your backup data to a USB Thumb Drive, now offering affordable capacity of around 16GB for under $100, or a DVDr drive. If you have less data, a CDr disc may also suffice.

what to back up

The Operating System and your applications do not need to be backed up. They can be reinstalled if necessary when recovering from a catastrophic system failure, such as failure of your primary hard drive.

Back up your personal data! All documents, images, and other types of files that you create!

Common places where personal data exists that should be backed up. This is simplified to make the process quick and easy. Just backup the entire folder.

C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Desktop
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data

Backing up your Desktop folder is a good idea because many people save personal data to their desktop. Also, the desktop shortcuts sometimes paint a picture of how the system was configured and what applications were available, aiding in reinstallation.

Since the My Documents is where most people save their personal data files, such as Word Documents, because those software defaults to that location, it is a good idea to back up this folder. If you use a custom destination for your personal data rather than the My Documents folder, then back it up instead.

Backing up the Application Data folder will save the preferences and default settings of many popular software you have installed. For example, your Firefox web browser bookmarks are here. After reinstalling software, restoring the Application Data folder will bring back many custom settings, bookmarks, and preferences.

The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains settings for low-level operating system components as well as the applications running on the platform: the kernel, device drivers, services, SAM, user interface and third party applications all make use of the Registry. The registry also provides a means to access counters for profiling system performance.

The Registry is split into a number of logical sections, or "hives" (the reason the word hive was used is an in-joke). Hives are generally named by their Windows API definitions, which all begin "HKEY". They are abbreviated to a three- or four-letter short name starting with "HK" (e.g. HKCU and HKLM).

The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (local machine-specific configuration data) and HKEY_CURRENT_USER (user-specific configuration data) nodes have a similar structure to each other; user applications typically look up their settings by first checking for them in "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Vendor's name\Application's name\Version\Setting name", and if the setting is not found, look instead in the same location under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key[citation needed]. However, the converse may apply for administrator-enforced policy settings where HKLM may take precedence over HKCU. The Windows Logo Program has specific requirements for where different types of user data may be stored, and that the concept of least privilege be followed so that administrator-level access is not required to use an application.

Backing up the Windows Registry is exporting information from the registry into a file that is saved on your system. When you invoke the export function you are given a choice of different file types that can be saved. Each one of the different file types plays an important role in how the data you export is saved. Choosing the wrong type can give you unexpected results. Understanding each type and when to use it is essential.

Registration Files: The Registration Files option creates a .reg file. This is probably the most well known file format used for backing up the registry. The Registration File can be used in two ways. As a text file it can be read and edited using Notepad outside of Registry Editor. Once the changes have been made and saved, right clicking the file and using the [Merge] command adds the changed file back into the registry. If you make additions to the registry using regedit and then merge the previously saved Registration File, anything that you've added via regedit will not be removed, but changes you make to data using regedit that previously existed in the saved Registration File will be overwritten when it is merged.

Registry Hive Files: Unlike the Registration Files option above, the Registry Hive Files option creates a binary image of the selected registry key. The image file is not editable via Notepad nor can you view its contents using a text editor. However, what the Registry Hive Files format does is create an image perfect view of the selected key and allow you to import it back into the registry to ensure any problematic changes you made are eliminated.

Text Files: This option does just as the name suggests. It creates a text file containing the information in the selected key. It's most useful purpose is creating a record or snapshot of a key at a particular point in time that you can refer back to if necessary. It cannot be merged back into the registry like a Registration File.

Win9x/NT4 Registration Files: This option creates a .reg file in the same manner used by the Registration Files option. It's used by previous Windows versions and serves no purpose in XP unless you want to merge a key from XP into a previous version of Windows.

Considering the four choices above, the most effective and safest method of backing up the registry is to use the Registry Hive Files option. No matter what goes wrong in your editing, importing the image of the key will eliminate all changes, additions, or other things that might have occurred.

If you want to edit outside the confines of regedit, or if you are sure you want your additions to the registry to remain even if you have to merge, use Registration Files for your backup.

If you just want a copy of the key that can be referenced using a text editor, but want to eliminate any chance of the file being accidentally merged back into the registry, use Text Files.

Reference [1] for a more detailed tutorial.

Backup Processes Using Windows XP Tools

Make a Restore Point

1. Go to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools - System Restore
2. Select "Create A Restore Point." MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT SELECT RESTORE!
3. Enter a restore point description. Example (using date code+): 2008072901
4. done!

Export Copy of the Registry

1. Go to Start, Run - the "Run" dialog box will appear
2. Type in "regedit" and click OK
3. Make sure you are at the root of the registry hive list. Do this by pressing the HOME key so that you see "My Computer" highlighted in the list.
4. With "My Computer" highlighted in the registry hive, press the left arrow key once to close the tree.
5. From the Registry Editor menu choose File, Export
6. Navigate to the place were you wish to save your registry backup
7. Enter a filename for your registry backup. Example (using date code+): 2008072901
8. Be patient, this may take 30 seconds to a minute.
9. done! close registry editor

Typical registry file backup size 50mb to 100mb