and...
though i have no knowledge of any other registry cleaner/wiper other than ccleaner, with ccleaner you can save a backup of all of the cleaned/wiped registy keys so that if cleaning/wiping them causes any problems, simply restore the backup.
Thank you to all who replied to help me. It sounds like CCleaner is a popular favorite. So, I will definitely check that out. What I was also talking about, however, was a program that not only cleaned out the Registry, but also the WIN.INI, other.INI files, and other such places. When Windows first came out, I could clean the SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI files manually. However, I now believe that they are too complicated to do that with. Does CCleaner work on these as well, or is there something else that does?
Registry Patol ended up making my system unstable. So, it became easier to just reinstall Windows 7, and the software I use. The hard part is customizing everything over. Is there any way to save settings such as Windows login customizations, desktop configuration, and Internet Explorer setup? It would be a great help if I knew how to do this!
Thanks again,
-Juan
You could set-up everything the way you want, get all the latest Windows updates and then make a disc image.
Windows 7 has a built-in imager (I haven't tried it though).
I use Macrium Reflect (Free Edition) to make my disc images.
It takes about 2 minutes/GB to image a partition (on my PC).
It takes a similar amount of time to restore an image (much faster than re-installing).
It also allows you to create a rescue CD, so that you can re-image your System partition if required.
Remember to store your backup images on a different drive (preferably an external one), so that if your HDD dies, you can put your image on a new HDD.
Macrium converted my Windows 7 Ultimate x86 initial install (plus updates and drivers, no programs) to a 3.2 GB image which is small enough to put on a DVD (or USB stick).
Your Desktop theme is stored here:
C:\Users\[YOUR ACCOUNT NAME]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes
I copy this file to my backup files (on another partition) and then copy it back to the location above (if required).
Once it has been copied back, I open "Personalise" and choose it from the available themes.
I don't know about IE8 (I use Firefox). It should get saved with your System image though.
Registry programs do nothing - absolutely nothing. 7 doesn't search the registry in a way that would make cleaning or defragging it worthwhile. Paying for these apps is senseless.
I should have made it clear, that if you make a disc/partition image, you don't need to make a separate backup of your theme.
The programs I mentioned are all free, although they have "pay for" versions as well (except CCleaner).
Last edited by lehnerus2000; 06 Mar 2010 at 00:34. Reason: clarification
Thanks for the info on disc imaging. I love that idea, as I almost have my system to back the way I like it. Is there an imager which can create images to DVD, and span them over multiple DVDs if necessary?
Thank you for any advice!
Juan
No Problems. Re-imaging sure beats reinstalling.
Sorry, I am not sure if Macrium Reflect Free Edition (or Windows 7 Backup) allow you to store your image split across multiple DVDs.
I have 2 HDD in my PC and an external HDD and I use them to store my backups (also I have some copies on my friend's PC, via our network connection). Currently my Windows XP & 7 images are small enough to burn onto a single DVD (single layer).
As a rough guide (using Macrium with compression set to Medium (recommended)):
The Macrium System image is about 50% of the size of the actual System partition on my PC.
Images of Music, Picture and Video partitions are about 80% of the size of the originals (ie they don't compress as much).
Here is a link to the Sevenforums tutorial about Windows 7 Backup:
Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup[2]=Backup%20Restore
Here is a link to a page, with links to free programs (including CCleaner & Macrium Reflect):
FREE Great Programs for Windows 7
Someone else might be able to supply the answer to your question.
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