Repair, Recovery, and Restore

Restoring the Registry

When you back up the system state data, a copy of your registry files is also saved in %SystemRoot%\Repair\Regback. If your registry files become corrupted or are accidentally erased, you can use these files to repair the registry without performing a full restore of the system state data. This method is recommended only for advanced users.

Note

Backup does not allow you to restore only the registry files. If you use Backup to restore lost data to the registry, all system state data is replaced.

You can also use Backup to restore lost data to the registry. The system must be stable enough for you to open Backup. If your computer cannot start, you might be able to repair the operating system using an ERD. The Fast Repair option of the Emergency Repair Process checks and, if necessary, replaces each registry key by copying it from the repair directory to the folder %SystemRoot%\Config.

If you cannot fix the problem with the registry by performing the Emergency Repair Process or by selecting Last Known Good Configuration from the Windows 2000 Advanced Options menu, it might be necessary to reinstall the operating system and device drivers and to reconfigure the system before you can restore the data.