Difficulty of backing up XP's registry.

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers (More info?)

For maximum safety, Symantec recommends that any time that you edit the
registry, you back up the entire registry. This is fairly easy in Windows 98
and Me. However, because Windows NT/2000/XP encrypts some registry keys and
Windows 95 does not have a utility for easy registry backups, *backing up
the entire registry is more difficult* under these operating systems. Follow
the instructions in the section "How to back up the entire registry" below
to create a backup of your registry for your operating system.
As an alternative to backing up the entire registry, you can back up a
specific key before modifying it. There is, however, some risk in doing
this. You must know exactly which key or keys to back up. And, on Windows
NT/2000/XP, you must be certain that none of the keys contain encrypted
values. To back up a single registry key, follow the instructions in the
section "How to back up a single registry key" below.

If you back up only the key that a Symantec article or technician recommends
that you modify or delete, make sure to select the correct key. If you
choose single-key backup (described immediately following) and if you are
not comfortable editing the registry, obtain the services of a qualified
computer consultant.

Note: These consultants can run anywhere from $40 to $75 an hour.

FS......