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Back Up and Restore Registry Entries

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 with SP1

Some COM objects, COM+ objects, Internet Server API (ISAPI) extensions, and other components save configuration information in the Windows registry. If no setup program or provisioning script exists to make the appropriate registry updates during migration, you must manually identify the registry entries and then recreate them on the target server. To accomplish this, once you have identified the registry entries required by the applications currently running on the source server, back up the registry entries on the source server by using the registry editor Regedit.exe. Modify the registry entries in the backup files created by the registry editor to reflect changes in disk volume drive letters or paths to directories, and then restore the updated registry backups to the target server. Restoring the registry entries is accomplished by merging the backup files into the registry on the target server.

Warning

The registry editor bypasses standard safeguards, allowing settings that can damage your system, or even require you to reinstall Windows. If you must edit the registry, back it up first and see the registry reference.

Procedures

To back up registry entries by using the registry editor

  1. In the Run dialog box, type regedit, and then click OK.

  2. In the registry editor, right-click the registry key or subkey that contains the registry entries that you want to back up, and then click Export.

  3. In the Export Registry File dialog box, select a location for the backup registry file. Click Save to save the registry file to that location.

  4. Close the Registry Editor.

To restore registry entries

  1. Copy the backup registry file to any location on the target server.

  2. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the backup registry file on the target server, and right-click the file name.

  3. Click Merge. In the Registry Editor message box, click Yes to add the information in the file to the registry.

  4. Click OK to finish.

For more information about the registry, see the Registry Reference in the Windows Server 2003 Deployment Kit.