Many of the articles, tutorials and tips on this website require users to edit the Windows Registry (sometimes known as ‘Hacking the Registry’, don’t panic though, this refers to the traditional use of the word Hacking, there’s nothing illegal in editing the Registry).
However, because the a wrongly ‘hacked’ registry can cause your system to become unstable, or not even boot at all, we recommend that you observe the following guidelines before embarking on ‘Hacking the Registry’
- You are 100% sure that there is no other method of doing what you want other than the ‘Hack’.
- You definately want to achieve the result of the ‘Hack’.
- You have backed up the Registry in case things go wrong.
Whilst there is nothing we can do to help with the first two items in the list, we can show you how to backup the Registry using System Restore just in case anything goes wrong
What is System Restore?
System restore is a feature of Windows XP that allows the user (and the system) to take ‘snapshots’ of the system and it’s settings etc before you make any important changes. Windows will usually take system restore points every day by default (unless it’s been changed) and when major system changes occur, such as before installing new software etc. However it’s also possible to manually create a restore point before you make any changes yourself.
Creating a System Restore Point
- Click Start
- Select All Programs –> Accessories –> System Tools –> System Restore
- Click ‘Create a restore point‘, and then click Next.
- In the description box, type a meaningful name to identify the restore point for future reference. The date and time will be automatically added to the Restore Point.
- To create the Restore Point, click Create.