Every time I crash, the system sucks up an old, outdated copy of my registry files. All my settings regress months, and strange icons reappear on my desktop that I erased the last ten times I’ve crashed.
How do I tell the system that NOW is the time to save, that everything is just like I like it? It only seems to save the crappy versions, and not the ones I work so hard to get just right.
What OS are you running? I’m currently using Windows ME (hey, it came pre-installed) and it has a “Restore” function. You can set up restore points whenever you like (ie. right before installing new software). It has saved my bacon more than once! There are commercial programs like “Go Back” that can do the same.
win9x has a program cfgback which allows you to save several copies of the configuration (register) and restore them. That should do what you want. Once you have the register where you want it, save it and you can restore it any time to that configuration. I just checked and I last did it a year ago. That is a good sign indicating I have hardly had any problems lately. It did not use to be that way at first. Of course, now I try to not make changes.
Another way to do it (though I don’t recommend it):
Go to Start --> Run: Type in “Regedit”
Then under Registry, click Export Registry File, which will create a .reg file that you can then Import.
Got any pals around with a Gateway?
Gateways came with a CD-ROM called “The Help Spot”, which is a total piece of junk with one redeeming exception: a sub-program called “Back Track”. It’s a fairly sophisticated registry backup system (also records changes to win.ini and a bunch of other start-up files). It installs onto any W98 system. It is not idiot-proofed like ME apparently is. Do a full install and you’ll never need the disc again.
You’ll have a minor crash every time you close the program on a non-Gateway, but when you use it to restore an older registry setting, it works just fine. Had Windows 98 come with anything nearly akin to this remarkable little program I would have rated it a decent OS, instead of right shite.