By George Norman
Added on 06 Nov 2009(522 Views)



The Windows 7 operating system may be a properly good piece of software, but it alone cannot satisfy all your needs. Sure, you don’t need 3rd party software to burn data onto CDs or DVDs and you don’t need 3rd party software to increase or decrease the size of a partition. But you will need 3rd party software applications for other things.

Before you install a new software application, you might want to backup the Windows registry. Before you start playing with settings within the Windows Registry, you might want to back it up. Here are the steps you must follow:

Step 1. Minimize all open windows and applications. Better still, close them all down.

Step 2. Press the Start button from the bottom left hand corner of the screen (the Windows orb, with the Microsoft logo on it).

Step 3. In the search box type in regedit -> then press Enter.

Step 4. The Registry Editor window will appear. You must now export the Windows Registry settings. There are two ways you can do this:
Right click Computer (upper left hand corner) -> from the dropdown menu that appears select Export.
Click File -> from the menu that appears click Export.

Step 5. Select the location where the Windows Registry backup will be saved -> click Save.

Step 6. Close the Registry Editor window and you’re done.

Tips and warnings
  • Be careful not to lose that Windows Registry backup. It might come in handy.
  • Before installing a new software application it might prove wise to create a System Restore point. A detailed tutorial on how to do this is available here. If you want to manage the amount of disk space System Restore uses check out this tutorial; and if you want to remove old System Restore points, check out this tutorial.




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Tags: Microsoft, Windows 7, Windows Registry, Backup, Export

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