In older versions of Windows, the Task Scheduler would run a task called RegIdleBackup which periodically created compressed copies of the registry hives into the RegBack folder. Users could simply navigate to C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack , copy the files, and replace the live hives in the config folder to restore a previous registry state.
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| Cause | Explanation | |-------|-------------| | | Starting Windows 10 version 1803, Microsoft changed RegBack: hives are no longer backed up to RegBack by default (Task Scheduler disabled). Existing files may be placeholders or empty. | | Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) misuse | If you copy directly while registry is in use, you get locked files. Copying via reg save command is required, not file copy. | | NTFS permissions | SYSTEM has full control; even Administrators may not have read access by default to copy live hives. | | Corrupt registry backup task | The RegIdleBackup task fails silently; last write times on RegBack files show months/years old. | | Antivirus / real-time protection | Some security software blocks read access to registry hives as anti-tampering. |
If the current active registry hives (e.g., SOFTWARE, SYSTEM) have minor corruption, the backup process may fail silently. Windows will not back up a hive it deems unhealthy. regback copy not working
In legacy Windows versions, the command copy regback or copying files from C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack was a standard disaster-recovery procedure.
Open the Command Prompt from the Advanced Startup Options menu.
Boot your PC into the (usually by interrupting the boot process three times consecutively). Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > System Restore . In older versions of Windows, the Task Scheduler
: HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Configuration Manager .
These backups were meant as a last-resort recovery option if the main registry became corrupted.
If you navigate to C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack today, you will likely see files of 0KB or 64KB (placeholder files). This is —it is the new default. This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted
If your machine is currently working and you want to prevent this issue from happening in the future, you can manually force Windows to start backing up your registry again using the Windows Registry Editor. Press , type regedit , and hit Enter .
Are you attempting to recover a right now because of a 3rd-party software update or driver conflict?
copy C:\shadowcopy\Windows\System32\config\RegBack\* C:\Windows\System32\config\