Question: are registry backups necessary?

Hello, I am not a techie, more of a tweakie with a growing interest in all things Windows, and was catapulted into the Win11-era (from Win7) a few months ago (new laptop).

My system creates system restore points automatically (seemingly in relation to windows updates), and manually if forced. The registry is - apparently by default (Task manager) - not backed up automatically, so I made one manually through regedit. Then I figured, bi-monthly or so would be a nice rhythm, and a good exercise for me to create a task.

However, are there any advantages to having registry backups, if Windows already creates system restore points anyway? Maybe someone has a real-world scenario where the answer is "yes" (except for those cases where I tested/made some change in the registry, and it didn't work out well)?

Also, if my compu boots, but windows is a mess un-expectedly (not because I just made a manual change in the reg.), I would probably think of setting back to a recent SRP, and not to first setting back the registry? So why backing up the reg.? My - complete - registry back up is a single file of ~ 402 MB.

Hello @Chestnut and welcome to Eleven Forum.

IF... you're just doing a minor registry tweak, and aren't sure of the outcome, then by all means, export the registry key you are messing around with.

The best solution is 3rd party backup software. That will backup the registry and Windows.
It's much more reliable than either System Restore, or a registry backup.

Here's some links that may help...











REVO Uninstaller (free), is a great little program for uninstalling things.
It has a "scan" tool that you can run, after uninstalling something.
It gets all the bits (in the registry and in Windows), that the uninstaller misses.
Best of all... REVO doesn't make mistakes.

Hello @Ghot and @glasskuter, thank you for your advice. Yes, I'll update my specs and work my way through the recommended infos. This may take a few days

It's best to have multiple options to recover from unexpected problems.


a) system restore



b) regback



c) registry




c) backed up files



d) backed up images



etc.

I like Ghot's suggestion of creating an image backup of the system.

The thing about the registry is that it is highly active with changes being made frequently. If something changed in the registry, there is a good likelihood that something else changed as well, which is what triggered the change in the registry. As a result, having a backup that is a snapshot of a point in time is extremely helpful because you will then capture not only the registry but any other system changes that may have led to the current state of the registry.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-says-disabled-registry-backups-is-a-windows-10-feature/

Click to expand...

MS disabled registry backup in 10 and sort of deprecated system restore and system image.
MS even recommends to use 3rd party system imaging, since Windows one is not updated.
MS leans toward a cloud backup, Windows Backup backups some user settings, apps, files.

The best thing to do with Windows is not be a tweaker.

This will cause you unnecessary problems.

By all means use the options in Windows to change things to your benefit.

You use Applications, not Windows which is an OS, between your Apps and the hardware.

Restore points - 20+ years ago I used to use them, but not now, they never seemed to work when you needed them.

Registry Backups - again 20+ years ago I used to do that but not now, very rarely exporting/restoring branches, creating keys and so forth.

That brings me to The specific spam advertised app in bold text above. I never use as it can be damaging to the registry/system. You have been warned.

"Also, if my compu boots, but windows is a mess un-expectedly "
Depends on the exact scenario, e.g. sabotage style tweaks, minor disc sector damage with a power cut, etc.

The answer to these things and far more important are Images and File backups.
The image is of everything including Restore points and Registry.
It took me months to learn how to do this and choosing the App.