BACKUP & RESTORE WINDOWS APPS AND TOOLS DATA WITHOUT USING ANY THIRD PARTY BACKUP TOOL

The best way to protect your data is to take back up of your work in a secured location. It can be cloud, or external device. Backing up data is not only taking backup of your documents, photos and videos, but there is a lot more to it.Apps such as Registry Editor and sticky notes contain settings and customization data, which should not be lost at any cost. So, the data created must be saved and protected as well. Always remember, never use a single drive to store your data and backup. It’s always good to keep multiple copies of your data. Try using cloud as one of the backup options.In this post, we have enlisted steps on how to backup and restore the Windows apps and tools data without using any third party tool.

Start Menu

Windows 10 Start Menu comes up with a lot of customization options. You can take a backup of your customized Start menu in case you reset or reinstall Windows.

How To Backup Layout Of Start Menu?

• Type regedit in the run window to open Registry Editor & click on OK.
• From the menu toolbar, click View. Make sure that the Address Bar option is check marked.
• Copy and paste the below path in the address bar and hit Enter: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CloudStore\Store\Cache\DefaultAccount
• Once you reach the path, locate DefaultAccount and right-click it. From the context menu, click Export.
• A dialog box will open. Choose the desired location & click Save. Once done, exit Registry Editor.
• Open Run window & type in %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Shell, click OK.
• Windows Explorer will open up with a file called DefaultLayouts.xml. Copy this file and save it to the same folder where you saved .reg file.

How To Restore Layout Of Start Menu?

• Open Registry Editor & click OK.
• Go to the same location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CloudStore\Store\Cache\DefaultAccount
• Locate Default Account and right click on it. From the context menu, choose Delete. Click Yes and exit the registry editor.
• Locate .reg file & double-click on it. A prompt will come up asking you whether you wish to proceed. Click Yes to confirm and then click OK.
• Copy the backup DefaultLayouts.xml file. Launch Run box. Type %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Shell, & click OK. A window will open. Paste the copied file.
• Click “Replace the file in destination.”

Windows Apps

Below are listed some of the folder paths for some apps:

• Open Run Window and go to any of the folder’s path. Copy and then paste the files in the folder where you wish to save to create a backup.
• To restore the files, copy the backup file and navigate to the folder’s path. Paste the backup file, replacing the file in the destination.

Registry Backup

Registry Editor comprises Windows settings, apps, users, its hardware and others. So, before doing anything in Registry Editor, make sure you have taken its backup.

How To Backup Registry Editor Files?

• Open Registry Editor.
• Locate Computer from the left-hand side pane. Choose Export.
• Go to the folder where you wish to create a backup and name the file & click Save
• You can create a backup of a particular folder in Registry as well. You can follow the same steps, just substitute Computer with the other folder.

How To Restore Your Registry Settings?

• To restore the registry settings, launch Registry Editor.
• Click on File, then choose Import.
• Locate the backup file and double-click it get the old settings.

Printers

Backing up the printer settings will capture the drivers, queues, ports, and other settings.

How To Create Backup Of Printer Settings?

• Open Run window and type exe, then click OK. Printer Migration application will come up.
• Click on 'Export printer queues and printer drivers into a file'.
• Now choose This Print server and click Next on the upcoming two windows.
• Click Browse and choose the location to save .printerExport.
• Click Next and finish.

How To Restore The Settings Of Printer?

To restore the settings of a printer, follow these steps:

• Open Run window and type PrintBrmUi.exe, then click OK. This will open the Printer Migration application.
• Click on 'Import printer queues and printer drivers from a file'.
• Click Browse, then navigate to the backup file you created, then click Next.
• Choose this printer server and click Next.
• Select Import mode drop down. Choose between Overwrite existing printers option or Keep existing printers.
• Click Next and then Finish.