Making changes to the Windows Registry in Windows Vista can be very intimidating considering how important the registry is to Windows.
Before you make any change to any registry key, you should backup the registry subkeys that contain values that you're going to make changes to.
Once exported, you should feel comfortable that nearly any minor change you make can be undone quickly.
Follow these easy steps to backup subkeys in the Windows Vista Registry.
Note: The steps below require working with the Windows Registry. Making changes other than the ones described below could cause system problems.
Here's How:
Click on Start.
In the search box, type regedit and hit your Enter key. The Registry Editor program will open.
Using the > icon, navigate down through the registry key branches until you reach the subkey (the folder on the left) that contains the value (on the right) you're wanting to modify.
Make sure the subkey you navigated to in the previous step is selected on the left.
From the Registry Editor menu, choose File and then Export....
In the Export Registry File window that appears, choose a location to save the file in.
Note: I recommend choosing your desktop or the C:\ drive. Both are very easy to access if you run into problems later and need to use the file.
Locate the File name: text field and enter a name for the backup file.
Note: This name is for you to remember what the exported registry file is for. This name has no effect on anything and doesn't have to be named something technical. If you're backing up a registry subkey named {0633EE93-D776-472f-A0FF-E1416B8B2E3A}, feel free to call it My Reg Backup or whatever makes sense to you.
Click the Save button.
A Registration File with an REG file extension will be created in the location you chose in Step 6 and with the file name you chose in Step 7. Continuing the example from the last step, the file would be named My Reg Backup.reg.
You can now make changes to the registry keys inside the subkey that you just exported.
If at any point in the future you'd like to undo any changes you've made to these registry keys, simply restore the registry keys back into the Windows Vista Registry.
