Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general (
More info?)
Hi Jim and thanks for your response.
Oddly enough,one of the first programs I saw recommended in these posts was
ERUNT. So I have had it on my machine,(and use it),almost since day one.
I also check Jim Eshelmans site,aumha.org ,every day for updates to it and
other programs that I have so I always have the latest versions.
--
Thanks for any and all suggestions.
D.B.
"Jim Byrd" wrote:
> Hi D. B. - Well, if you're really planning to "royally screw things up"
> you might want to consider the following:
>
>
> There are some third party Registry Editors which can be of great help with
> both incorrect uninstall issues and with certain malware problems,
> especially some of theCoolWebSearch types such as the AppInit_DLLs variant
> of the about:blank version of CWS, for example. I can highly recommend
> Registrar Lite, here:
http://www.resplendence.com/reglite
>
> If you must screw around with your Registry, then at least get Erunt/Erdnt,
> and run it before you do a Reg clean or otherwise "mess around" with it.
> You'll then have a true restore available to you. Read below to see why you
> might not just using a Reg cleaner's restore or Regedit's Export function:
>
> Get Erunt here for all NT-based computers including XP:
>
http://home.t-online.de/home/lars.hederer/erunt/index.htm I've set it up to
> take a scheduled backup each night at 12:01AM on a weekly round-robin basis,
> and a Monthly on the 1st of each month. See here for how to set that up:
> http://home.t-online.de/home/lars.hederer/erunt/erunt.txt, and for some
> useful information about this subject.
>
> This program is one of the best things around - saved my butt on many
> occasions, and will also run very nicely from a DOS prompt (in case you've
> done something that won't let you boot any more and need to revert to a
> previous Registry) IF you're FAT32 OR have a DOS startup disk with NTFS
> write drivers in an NTFS system. (There is also a way using the Recovery
> Console to get back to being "bootable" even without separate DOS write NTFS
> drivers, after which you can do a "normal" Erdnt restore.) (BTW, it also
> includes a Registry defragger program). Free, and very, very highly
> recommended.
>
> FYI, quoting from the above document:
>
> "Note: The "Export registry" function in Regedit is USELESS (!) to make a
> complete backup of the registry. Neither does it export the whole registry
> (for example, no information from the "SECURITY" hive is saved), nor can the
> exported file be used later to replace the current registry with the old
> one. Instead, if you re-import the file, it is merged with the current
> registry, leaving you with an absolute mess of old and new registry keys.
>
> --
> Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP
> My Blog, Defending Your Machine, here:
> http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/
>
> "D.B." <DB@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:321ADD9C-4E97-45F2-883E-81A405E66048@microsoft.com
> > Thank you so much Bruce.
> > I agree,sometimes the only way to learn is to royally screw things up
> > and dig your way back out. My feeling is the best way to learn is
> > through experience and that includes mistakes and all.
> > Thanks again for taking the time to answer my post.
> >
> >> D.B. wrote:
> >>> I have been reading the newsgroups everyday for the last 5 years or
> >>> so and frequently write in for guidance and advice.
> >>> I have been following the recent discussions about registry
> >>> cleaners and your answer intrigues me. I would love to be able to
> >>> edit the registry for no other reason than to acquaint my self with
> >>> it. I have been scared off by the constant warnings about editing
> >>> the registry with out knowing what you are doing.
> >>
> >>
> >> Caution is necessary, but sometimes the only way to learn is to
> >> royally screw something up, and then have to dig one's self out.
> >> ;-} Start with small, simple changes, making backups as you go.
> >> Build your skills and confidence gradually, and never, ever let
> >> yourself get too cocky, and you'll be alright.
> >>
> >>
> >>> In the past, I have used just about every freeware registry
> >>> cleaner/optimizer etc. available and have been lucky so far but now
> >>> I would like to gain the knowledge to be able to do it my self as
> >>> your answer suggests.(I am not having any particular problem at the
> >>> moment, I just want to learn and gain experience).
> >>> What resources do you recommend for learning about the registry and
> >>> safely editing it ? Books,programs,apps.,web sites etc.
> >>> I have read just about every book at my local library on windows xp
> >>> but I really respect the answers and opinions given by those such
> >>> as you on these groups.
> >>
> >>
> >> The books (they were about the Win95 and WinNT registries) that I
> >> started with don't seem to be in print any longer, but some
> >> (particularly those concerning Win2K and WinXP) of these should be
> >> very helpful:
> >>
> >>
http://www.xs4all.nl/~laar2002/windows_registry_books.html
> >>
> >> As for web sites, there are two upon which I rely most heavily are:
> >>
> >> JSI, Inc's Reghacks - WinNT - Win2K - WinXP
> >>
http://www.jsiinc.com/reghack.htm
> >>
> >> Microsoft Support Knowledge Base
> >>
http://search.support.microsoft.com/kb/c.asp?FR=0&SD=tech&LN=EN-US
> >>
> >> There are even useful tips and tricks here, provided you ignore the
> >> advertising for their own registry cleaner:
> >>
> >> Windows Registry Guide (formerly RegEdit.com)
> >> http://www.winguides.com/registry/
> >>
> >>
> >>> One other question.
> >>> I would like to get into scripting but don't know where to start.
> >>> Can you point me in the right direction ?
> >>
> >>
> >> Scripting is not my strong suit, but when I need something relatively
> >> simple I first look at:
> >>
> >> JSI, Inc's Reghacks - WinNT - Win2K - WinXP
> >>
http://www.jsiinc.com/reghack.htm
> >>
> >> .... or for more in depth chores:
> >>
> >> Welcome to Script Center
> >>
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/default.mspx
> >>
> >>
> >>> Thanks to you and all other
> >>> responders on these groups I have learned so much since I bought
> >>> this, my first computer, 5 years ago.
> >>
> >>
> >> You're very welcome.
> >>
> >> --
> >>
> >> Bruce Chambers
> >>
> >> Help us help you:
> >>
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
> >>
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
> >>
> >> You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
> >> having both at once. - RAH
>
>
>