# Recommendation for XP System/Registry Installation Monitor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 6, 2007, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendation-for-xp-system-registry-installation-monitor/425361 "2007-11-06T00:29:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ambushed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@ambushed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ambushed)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendation-for-xp-system-registry-installation-monitor/425361/1 "2007-11-06T00:29:56Z")
What I’m looking for are recommendations for highly regarded utilities that monitor all system / registry / file creations and modifications resulting from a software installation. Then I’d like to be able to use that recorded information to **completely** back out of the installation at some later date, leaving the entire system exactly as it was. One current reason for wanting to do this is so that I can move a legally owned and licensed but copy-protected piece of software off one computer to another (while still retaining only one copy with one license on one machine at a time). I’ve tried a few in years past but haven’t been happy with them. Anyone have any good experiences doing this and can recommend such a tool for me? ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendation-for-xp-system-registry-installation-monitor/425361/2 "2007-11-06T00:57:47Z")
There is one called InCtrl that seems to work. I’ve only used it once though (and it doesn’t have a very good users rating at PC Magazine - for whatever that’s worth). Here’s a link: [http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,25475,00.asp](http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,25475,00.asp) Process Monitor from Microsoft’s SysInternals can also be useful for this purpose (it will monitor file and registry access by process).