Hello everybody. One very simple question... How do I backup the whole windows registry (on Windows 2000 = Professional), but under certain sircumstances. The Windows registry - i think - is stored in these files: C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\*.* (HKLM) C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\ADMINISTRATOR\NTUSER.* and also to every user's profile directory C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\$USER\NTUSER.* where $USER a local user. while being logged in as an Administrator I try to copy=20 COPY C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\*.* C:\BACKUP=20 I get the following errors: C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\AppEvent.Evt C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\default The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another = process. C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\default.sav C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\IExplore.evt C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SAM The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another = process. C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SecEvent.Evt C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SECURITY The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another = process. C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\software The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another = process. C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\software.sav C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SysEvent.Evt C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\system The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another = process. C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM.ALT The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another = process. C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\system.sav C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\userdiff 8 file(s) copied. (The next step is useless because while copying from C:\DOCUMENTS AND = SETTINGS\ADMINISTRATOR\NTUSER.* I get similar errors. I understand that while I am logged-in as Administrator and/or when the = system is running windows is using the registry. But I just want to copy = these files NOT MODIFY THEM (if i want to modify them I use = regedit/regedit32. What's that process that is using these files... I get these errors even = if I close all the applications running on the system, = ending/terminating all the possible tasks I can terminate and stopping = all the services. I still get the same error It MUST BE a way to be able to copy the whole registry files somewhere = else without logging-off from the system and using the recovery console = to copy them somewhere else (i.e on another directory or drive)! Please help me! Thank you in advance for your answers/recommendations! -- George Goundras Athens, Greece ----- To unsubscribe, send a message to win2kforum-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx and put "unsubscribe" in the subject of the message. To reach the administrator(s), send a message to win2kforum-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx