Each NT workstation for server has its own Registry, and each one contains information on the hardware and software of the computer it resides on. For example, com port definitions, Ethernet card settings, desktop setting and profiles, and what a particular user can and cannot do are stored in the Registry.

One of the main disadvantages to the older .INI (Windows 95 ) files is that those files are flat text files, which are unable to support nested headings or contain data other than pure text. Registry keys can contain nested headings in the form of subkeys. These subkeys provide finer details and a greater range to the possible configuration information for a particular operating system. Registry values can also have executable code, as well as provide individual preferences for multiple users of the same computer. The ability to store executable code within the Registry extends its usage to operating system and application developers. Always make sure that you know what you are doing when changing, cleaning or maintenance the registry or else just one little mistake can crash the whole system.
To view the registry of an NT server (or to back it up), you need to use the Registry Editor tool. There are two versions of Registry Editor:

1. Regedt32.exe has the most menu items and more choices for the menu items. You can search for keys and subkeys in the registry.

2. Regedit.exe enables you to search for strings, values, keys, and subkeys. This feature is useful if you want to find specific data.
Even with Windows 98, and Windows 95 you can not just backup the registry when you back up files. What you would need to do is run either: regedit32.exe (for NT) or regedit.exe and then click the registry menu, then click export registry. The next step is to click all, then pick the drive to back up onto (usually a removable drive like tape, floppy, cd, zip drive, jazz drive etc.) and then hit "ok". To restore a registry from a backed up version, enter the registry program the same way, click import registry and click the drive and path where the backup is and hit "ok". It will restore it back to the previous backed up settings and may require a reboot.

Note: registry backups are saved as .reg files, and they are associated with regedit as default. This means that once you double-click a .reg file, it's contents will be inserted into your own registry.