Whether you simply move around an icon, or change your screen resolution, or add a printer, Windows stores all of this information in the registry. We're going to show you how to edit it, but be VERY careful, and make lots of backups. Nothing's worse than a corrupt registry.
The first step is to run REGEDIT. Click Start, then Run, then type REGEDIT.
You'll see a screen similar to Figure 1:
The Windows Registry is split up into keys, which are like folders. Upon opening REGEDIT, you should see the 5 major keys:
- HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
- HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
- HKEY_USERS
Within the keys are... more keys! By clicking the + sign next to the folder icons, you can navigate your way into the deep recesses of your registry.
Backing up your Registry
Before making any changes, you should ALWAYS make a backup copy of your registry, so you can restore it later on if something goes horribly wrong. To do this, click on the Registry menu in REGEDIT and choose Export Registry File. Make sure the All button is checked near the bottom of the dialog box. Then, just type in a name for your registry file, choose a folder to save it in, and click Save. Make sure you remember where you saved your registry backups, just in case!
Backing up selected keys
Usually when you edit your own registry, you'll be making changes just to a particular key. Each key controls something within Windows, whether it be a program or a Windows function. Each key (folder) contains values. The values are what you'll be changing when you tweak your registry.
Before you change the values, however, you should backup the key in which those values live. By backing up just the selected key (folder), you can have more control over what you can restore, rather than just blindly restoring the entire registry.
To backup a key, click on that key (folder) to select it. Then click on the Registry menu and choose Export Registry File. Now, make sure that button next to Selected Branch is checked, and that the selected branch contains the full key name. Then type a name for your backup file and click Save.
Let's Practice
We're going to make a test backup. Navigate your way to
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun
To do this, click on the + sign next to HKEY_CURRENT_USER, then click on the + sign next to Software, then click on the + sign next to Microsoft, etc., until you reach the Run key. When you click on the Run key, you'll see a set of values in the right side of the screen. This particular key holds information on what programs to start automatically when Windows boots up.
Let's try making a backup of this key. Make sure the Run key is selected, and then click on the Registry menu and choose Export Registry File. Now, make sure that button next to Selected Branch is checked, and that the selected branch contains the full key name listed above. Then type a name for your backup file and click Save.
That's all there is to it! In the future, Help2Go will publish helpful, proven registry tweaks that will allow you to customize Windows just the way you want.
Got a specific tweak that you're interested in? Post a comment below and we'll find it for you. If you need help with REGEDIT, head on over to the Q&A forums!