sary. It cannot be merged back into the registry like a Registration File.
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      Win9x/NT4 Registration Files: This option creates a .reg file in the same manner used by the Registration Files option. It's used by previous Windows versions and serves no purpose in XP unless you want to merge a key from XP into a previous version of Windows.

Considering the four choices above, the most effective and safest method of backing up the registry is to use the Registry Hive Files option. No matter what goes wrong in your editing, importing the image of the key will eliminate all changes, additions, or other things that might have occurred.

If you want to edit outside the confines of regedit, or if you are sure you want your additions to the registry to remain even if you have to merge, use Registration Files for your backup.

If you just want a copy of the key that can be referenced using a text editor, but want to eliminate any chance of the file being accidentally merged back into the registry, use Text Files.
The Actual Backup Process

The actual process of backing up the registry is quite simple once you've decided the file type for the backup and whether you want to back up an individual key or the entire registry. In the left hand pane of regedit, select the key to be backed up, right click and select [Export] to open the Export Registry File Property Sheet. From there, it's merely a matter of assigning the backup a descriptive filename and selecting the type of  backup file you want based on the discussion above. T