How do I undo a deletion or modification made in RegEdit?

Question

I followed http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/5hs4b7a6.aspx to diasble Just-In-Time-Debugging.

I deleted the following registry key in:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AeDebug\Debugger

Is it possible to undo it? If yes, then how?

Because now when I try to install a new Windows Service, it opens a Set Service Login dialog box and asks for a user name and password. I can't get any of the combinations to work!

Solution

The "undo" function is RegEdit is importing a previous backup that you've made of the registry.

As you know, you're supposed to back up the registry each time before you make modifications. The simplest way is to right-click on the root subkey you're about to modify, and click "Export". To replace things to the way they were, navigate to where you saved that file on disk, and use the "Import" option in the "File" menu.

What?! You didn't make a backup, you say?

Well then, your only option is to manually recreate the keys using the RegEdit application. Set the values exactly as they were before and you should be good to go.

Remember that when it says (value not set) or (Default), that just means that the value is not set. You should not type that literal string in the key.

Comments

[surfasb]

I think we get these "I deleted X registry key and I have no backup" like twice a day. . .