Windows XP Hacks [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Hack 72 Track and Restore Registry Changes with RegSpy

Protect your Registry and track changes to it
made by programs with this downloadable goodie.

An excellent way to keep your
Registry safe is with
RegSpy, which watches the changes programs make to the Registry,
tracks and reports on those changes, and then lets you restore your
Registry or use your knowledge about the changes the program makes to
fine-tune the way the program runs. One of the
program's more useful features is the way it lets
you undo changes on a program-by-program basis by building a
RollBack script for that program. When you roll
back the Registry, you'll roll back only changes
made by that one program, not by any others. This is far superior to
XP's System Restore, because System Restore makes
changes en masse; there's no way to use it to save
some changes and delete others.

My favorite RegSpy feature is its SnapShots, which
creates files in JavaScript or Visual Basic format and lets you
review all the Registry changes and repeat all the Registry changes
that took place, step by step. That way, you can get a better
understanding of the changes programs make during the installation
process, and you can better undo or customize any changes made.
It's also a great way to learn more about the
Registry; watching the changes made by several different programs
gives you insight into its inner workings.

RegSpy is shareware and free to try, but it costs $19.95 if you
continue to use it. It's available from http://www.utils32.com/regspy.

7.6.1 See Also

RegCleaner and Registry First Aid (shareware from http://www.rosecitysoftware.com), both will
clean up your Registry by deleting old and unneeded Registry entries
that clog up your system.

Registry Commander is a free utility that gives you a host of
features that the Windows Registry Editor leaves out, such as a
history list that lets you jump to recently edited keys, the ability
to copy and paste entire keys and bookmark keys, and advanced search
tools. Get it from http://www.aezay.dk/aezay/regcmd.

Resplendent Registrar is shareware that includes even more tools that
the Registry Editor leaves out, such as search-and-replace, a
Registry defragmenter to reclaim wasted disk space, an activity
monitor that tracks all Registry activity, and a tool that lets you
compare the contents of two Registry keys, among other features. Get
it from http://www.resplendence.com.