Windows 7: how do i backup as many system settings as possible before reinstall

hi all,
i pretty much have backed up and reinstalled all versions of windows since the beginning, and have done it some pretty technical ways as well doing system restores using sysvol information, easy transfer, FAST, Windows Backup, ghost, nero, copy and paste, rebuild, etc....



what im looking for this time around is the easiest way to backup as many system settings as possible but dump the registry, codecs and drivers so that when i reinstall i have a clean start with hardware and system both. I would prefer a fresh install and will be going onto a freshly formatted drive. I would like to backup the apps as well if theres a program that will do that and let me have a new registry that it can place the backed up apps individually.

This PC has Win7x64Ult, and the new install will be on my other PC where ill want to apply these settings to after im done.

Im switching roles on an arch linux box with a win7x64ult machine so one will get the other and vice versa. Of course the one with the newer faster components will be the one thats getting the new windows.

wolffdogg,

Despite all of the wonder programs out there:

Do NOT use them.

Stick to that which works. Reinstall all of those programs dear to your heart.

Some programs make a move or reinstall easy and some don't.

With Firefox, you save your profile and then copy the profile over the fresh profile.

Microsoft Office has never come up with an easy scheme for moving all settings from all office products from one computer to another.

Glad to hear that you plan to do a clean install.

There are several tutorials here in the tutorial section on various install/reinstall/update scenarios.

Well this might work, i guess this is sort of what i was looking for, but i was hoping to find something a little bit more mainstream, and highly assumed several would exist.
Althought i partially agree, i probably need a good reason, lol. im assuming to nto cause any potential problems? whoosh, i know what you mean if so. windows reg is so variable that its unlikely even the same thing done twice would come out the same, lol.

I agree with karlsnooks on one principle...a clean OS install followed by attempts to restore backed-up applications and/or settings isn't really a clean install. There are ways but none of them are foolproof, and you're likely to "pollute" your fresh install in the end and cause new problems, even if you're careful.

That said, if you still want to go this route I think Total Uninstall will do the best job of backing up installed applications (including their registry settings etc.) and restoring them to a new system.

Uninstall program | Uninstaller software, alternative to Windows Add Remove Programs

the problem is once i install, i go on a hunt and peck right click fest, so-to-speak, and have to ford through hundreds of custom settings to check over them to make sure they are like i like them. i was trying to avoid that atleast in part. for instance, setting up the start menu customizations, backup policies, 5 network adapters that do various things, usb tether for cell phone, registration for that, network shares, look and feel, msconfig, update config, firewall config, and note, i didnt even mention applications yet :-)

yes, i know everybody has to do this. I think im getting my frustrations from windows XP days, when it wasnt quite as easy to get things like you like them, fact of the matter is, with windows 7, you just dont need to change quite as much settings as on win xp, and its easier to do so.

I have installed scores of copies of windows, and i know nothing runs better than a fresh install, and the fresh install stops running like a fresh install about a couple days after you get all your apps on there and windows gets updates, lol.