How to Restore a Registry Hive

Windows operating systems such as Windows XP store information about the operating system itself, software applications, hardware devices and users in a database called the Registry. The Registry database is composed of smaller subsets called hives. If a Registry hive becomes corrupted or damaged, you can use the Windows XP System Restore utility to undo the damage and restore the registry hive.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Click Start > Run. This opens a Run window. Type %SystemRoot%\System32\Restore\Rstrui.exe in the "Open" text box in the Run window, then click the "OK" button. This opens the Welcome to System Restore page.

2. Click "Restore my computer to an earlier time" on the Welcome to System Restore page, then click the "Next" button.

3. Click to select the most recent, known-good system checkpoint on the "Select a Restore Point" page. Select the restore point area in the "On this" list, then click the "Guided Help (Registry Backup)" link. Click the "Next" button.

4. Click the "Next" button on the "Confirm Restore Point Selection" page. System Restore will restore the previous Windows XP registry hives and then restart the computer.

5. Log on to the computer when it has restarted. Click "OK" in the System Restore confirmation page to complete the process.

Tips & Warnings

• The steps provided apply only to restoring registry hives in Windows XP. Different directions apply when restoring hives in other operating systems.

References

• Restoring Registry Hives In Windows XP