WINDOWS 2000 SERVER

BACK UP THE REGISTRY WITH THE BACKUP UTILITY

Some Windows administrators don't think very highly of the Backup utility included with Windows 2000 Server and prefer to use third-party solutions for their backup needs. However, while Windows Backup doesn't have all the bells and whistles that other backup solutions offer, it does offer one feature that makes it easy to back up the registry.

The Windows registry comprises several files, the majority of which reside in the \%systemroot%\System32\Config folder. Windows 2000 Server also maintains a backup copy of the registry hive files in the folder \%systemroot%\Repair.

Windows doesn't back up the registry here automatically. It places a copy in the repair folder at Setup, but it doesn't update these files on its own.

However, you can use Windows Backup to quickly back up the registry. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Backup utility by going to Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Backup.

2. Choose Tools | Create An Emergency Repair Disk.

3. In the Emergency Repair Diskette dialog box, select the Also Back Up The Registry To The Repair Directory option, and click OK.

4. After the backup is complete, Backup displays an error that there is no diskette available for the backup. Click OK at this error message.

This backs up the registry files to the Repair folder. If your server experiences a corrupted registry or you need to revert to the previous configuration, boot the server with the Recovery Console, copy the registry files from the Repair folder to the Config folder, and reboot.