HP PCs - Backing Up, Editing, and Restoring the Windows Registry (Windows 10, 8)

This document applies to HP computers with Windows 10 and 8.

The registry is a database in Windows that contains important information about system hardware, installed programs and settings, and profiles of each of the user accounts on the computer. Windows often reads and updates the information in the registry.

Normally, software programs make registry changes automatically. You should not make unnecessary changes to the registry. Changing registry files incorrectly can cause Windows to stop working or make Windows report the wrong information.

Make changes only when they come from trusted sources and always back up the registry before making changes.

  caution:

An incorrect registry entry can cause serious system problems or prevent the computer from starting. If you must edit the registry to resolve issues, you should always make a backup by following the directions below in Step 1: Backing up the Windows registry. If the registry is damaged due to editing but has not been backed up, the only resolution may be a system recovery.

This document describes how to create a backup of the Windows registry, how to edit the registry, and how to restore the registry if something goes wrong.

note:

For business PCs, if changes revert after rebooting or items are unavailable or greyed out, measures could have been put in place to manage the PCs security policies. Check with your company's IT department or your local IT service for clarification.

You must sign in as an administrator to perform these steps. When not signed in as an administrator, changes can be applied only to the user account that is currently opened.

Before making changes to a registry key or subkey, create a backup of the registry. You can save the backup copy to a location you specify, such as a folder on the hard disk drive or a removable storage device. If you make changes that you want to undo, import the backup copy.

note:

Depending on your version of Windows, the graphics in this document might vary slightly from what you see on your computer. The information and content of each window is the same, but the border might look slightly different.

Use the following steps to back up the entire Windows registry:

1. In Windows, search for and open regedit.
2. If you are prompted for an Administrator password or asked to confirm changes to your computer, type the password or provide confirmation.
   The Registry Editor opens.
3. To back up the entire registry, click Computer.
   To back up a particular key or subkey, click the key or subkey that you want to back up.
   Figure : Registry Editor

   
4. Click File, and then click Export.
5. Type a name for the backup file and save the backup copy to the location of your choice.
6. Click Save.

The Registry Editor is used to view and change settings in the system registry, which contains information about how your computer runs. Windows refers to this information and updates it when you make changes to your computer, such as installing a new program, creating a user profile, or adding new hardware. Registry Editor lets you view registry folders, files, and settings for each registry file.

Editing the registry is very similar to working with files in File Explorer. You can browse to a location in the registry and add, rename, and change data, or delete keys and values.

The following steps provide an example of how to add, modify, find, and delete registry items. Use similar steps to edit the registry.

If the system becomes unstable, hardware stops working, or software stops working after editing the registry, use the following steps to restore the registry from a saved backup.

1. In Windows, search for and open regedit.
2. If you are prompted for an Administrator password or asked to confirm changes to your computer, type the password or provide confirmation.
   The Registry Editor opens.
3. Select Computer.
4. Click File, and then click Import.
5. Browse to the saved registry file.
6. Select the file, and then click Open.
7. Once the registry has finished importing, restart the computer.