The Windows registry is a dark and foreboding place; a maze of twisty passages, all alike. Fortunately, we do not have to tread this quagmire ourselves -- we have software to do that for us.
RegBackup is a program that will save all or part of the registry, or perform an incremental backup to save only those items that have changed since the last backup operation was performed. It can also restore all or part of the registry from a saved backup file, or compare a backup save file to the current (live) registry and highlight those items that have changed.
RegBackup may be configured to automatically perform periodic backup operations: once a day, once a week, or once a month. Using this option, you can always perform a "disaster recovery" if the registry becomes mangeled due to accidental or malicious misuse.
RegBackup may be registered at either ShareIt!
or at RegSoft. However, RegBackup is fully functional,
and will only show the "nag screen" until a registration code is entered.
Once the registration code is acquired, it may be entered from the main
menu
File > Enter
Registration Code
The main menu has several options available:
Use BACKUP
to save all or part of the registry to a file.
Then RESTORE
to replace part of the registry with the data stored in a backup save file.
Or try COMPARE
to find out what changed since a backup save was performed.
You can FIND
to search for text or changes in the registry.
Use PERIODIC
to configure automatic backups.
When you have a problem, use CANCEL
to break out of a lengthy operation.
Learn how to REGISTER
here.
There are also some miscellaneous notes
and information that should be read before starting a backup or restore
operation.
You can email
me with questions or comments, or visit my website
for new news.
As always, you should read the legal
notice before using any software.
Backup > Save
Selected Items
This will save only those keys (and sub-keys)
selected by the user. Multiple items may be selected by using the
control-key with the mouse click. Depending upon the number of keys selected,
and the depth of the registry tree, this operation may take several minutes
to complete and generate a backup file of several megabytes in size.
Backup > Save
Incrementally
This is the best option for normal use.
This option will request a date and time from the user, then save
only those keys and value that have been created or modified since that
time. It also remembers the date and time of the last backup operation,
so that it becomes easy to create a sequence of incremental backup files
that may be used in step-wise fashion to restore the registry when needed.
The backup save files created with this option are generally much smaller than the "Save Selected Items" and very much smaller than the "Save All Items" options. However, since each and every key and value needs to be checked and compared to the specified date and time, this option may take several minutes to complete.
Backup > Save
All Items
This performs a complete backup of the
entire Windows registry. You may expect a backup save file of between
30 MByte and 50 MByte in size. It will also take several minutes
to perform this action, since each and every key and value in the registry
will be saved. In general, it is a good idea to perform a complete
backup before any major change to your system (for example, adding
new hardware or installing a major software package), then perform incremental
backups after that to keep a running update of the contents of the registry.
Restore > Restore
Selected Items
From the main window, select the keys
and values you wish to have restored in the registry. Multiple items
may be selected by using the control-key with the mouse click. Note
that (similar to the backup operation) when a key is selected, all sub-keys
and values under that key are also restored to the registry.
Restore > Restore
All Items
This option will cause all the items in
the file to be written to the registry. Each and every key and value
previously stored in the backup save file will be restored. Use this
option with care: if you have selected a save file that contains a complete
backup, you may over-write some very important items in the registry.
Items in black | Found in both the registry and the file, with no changes |
Items in red | Found only in the registry (i.e., a new item added to the registry since the file was created) |
Items in blue | Found only in the file (i.e., deleted from the registry since the file was created) |
Items in magenta | Found in both the file and the registry, but with different values |
Use the FIND menu selections to find items that differ between the file and the registry.
Find > Find First
By Date
Find > Find Next
By Date
Asks the user for a date and time, then
searches for keys or values that have been created or modified since that
time. This search option is only valid when the live registry is
loaded (since date and time information is not stored in the backup save
file).
Find > Find First
Difference
Find > Find Next
Difference
This option is only available when a backup
save file is opened for a compare operation. This will find keys
and values that do not match exactly with items currently stored in the
live registry. The color coding will indicate how an item stored
in the backup save file differs from that in the registry:
Items in black | Found in both the registry and the file, with no changes |
Items in red | Found only in the registry (i.e., a new item added to the registry since the file was created) |
Items in blue | Found only in the file (i.e., deleted from the registry since the file was created) |
Items in magenta | Found in both the file and the registry, but with different values |
Backup save files created automatically
are created with the name "Byymmddhhnn.RBK" where
yy | = year |
mm | = month |
dd | = day |
hh | = hour |
nn | = minute |
These backup save files are then stored in the directory specified on the configuration screen.
Periodic > Perform
Periodic Backup Now
If you can't wait for the next automatic
backup, you can force one using this option. An incremental backup
is performed, the file named in the usual way, and stored in the usual
directory.
If at any time you think the program is "hung up", watch the status bar at the bottom of the main window. If it appears that text is scrolling by, then the program is working (the text may be going by too fast to read it, but at least it should be changing). Most backup and restore operations are very time-consuming, due to the sheer numbers of entries in the Windows registry.
Some of the backup save files can get quite large. For a full backup, the average desktop computer may create a backup save file of 30 MByte to 50 MByte. However, these save files are flat text, so they can normally be compressed to 10% of their original size. A typical full backup generated a save file of 37 MByte; it was ZIPped to about 3 MByte.
Most backup, restore, and compare operations have to "look at" each and every key and value in the registry. Since there are literally thousands and thousands of entries, these operations may take several minutes to complete. If you feel that RegBackup has become "hung up", please watch the status bar at the bottom of the main view window. During each operation, status text will scroll by on that status bar (perhaps too fast to be read). If the text is changing, then the program is working. Clicking on the top bar of the window (the Windows "move bar") will temporarily pause the program, and give you a chance to read the text in the status bar. If it is changing from one click to the next, then the program is working. If all else fails, click on CANCEL to abort the current operation.
During the backup and restore operations,
the value names and value data are shown in bold type. Under
the value name is shown the size of the data in bytes, the type of the
data (REG_SZ, REG_DWORD, etc), and the actual data (converted to a text
display).
This software is provided "as-is". This software comes without warranty or guarantee, explicit or implied. Use this software at your own risk. The author will not be liable for any damage to equipment, data, or information that may result while using this software.
By using this software, you agree to the conditions stated above.
This software is sold as a registered product
to the user; however, the source code is protected by applicable intellectual
property rights and treaties.