Help me stop noncritical regisry archiving ?

Anoni · 30 Apr 2012

This is my first post on your forums :) *using Win 7-home prem 64 bit*
[If you wish to see the baseline question see the last sentence]
Because I have sought (and mostly succeeded) in keeping a very regimented OS, the pursuit of options has often let me to this forum. Now I have a question specific enough that I am not finding where the issue has been addressed already.
[Else it is getting lost in a sea of loosely related search results]

I made a good earnest attempt a few weeks back to really, really go through
my system registry to locate and stomp out old and irrelevant references.
As expected, I am going to be told at least once to 'be careful' doing this.
[Perhaps I should keep count of the actual 'be careful's I get for amusement?]
Not to worry, once I was into if far and long enough to realized (according to
my actual use of the system) how very very many useless references are
kept in the registry, the sheer number of it all convinced me a system restore
might save me entire days of nit-picking... so I stopped my search & eliminate
strategy.

---- Here is what I hope to achieve. ----
I do not have my IE to keep history of sites viewed or downloads performed.
I want to have Win7 do the same except with applications executed
and probably other things in addition to downloads that I really do not wish
it to keep track or.

I do not have any password saving or automatic suggestions (typing in fields)
enabled and a great many other things that I believe relay on some manner of
archiving. I use installation monitoring so that I can 99.999% uninstall without
need of extensive OS archiving. I'm fairly confident that I have things set up
so that I can begin keeping my registry clutter free (and I am very prepared
for keeping system backups in case I am wrong). Now- how do I stop Win7
keeping so many freaking historical and impractical entries in the registry?

Anoni · 30 Apr 2012

Moderators, is there a better category to have asked this? I intend to do 100% system restore and was hoping to incorporate what I would learn here as part of the new setup. Maybe there is not a known way to do what I am asking?
[I believe that someone out there has also noticed all the excessive registry entries and of those probably some]
[of them were educated enough to have made a solution for the madness]

Anoni · 07 May 2012

Well, the shortage of advise is pretty depressing considering I had thought this forum to be brimming with win7 gurus that had skills and methods I could never hope to match... what better a place to go to for help when I need a professional guideline for this stuff. I had hoped for a way to 'write protect' registry locations and then a listing of
what locations are used for what kind of information.. then just 'lock down' the locations that are used for junk.

In the off chance that someone else out there is looking for a similar solution and is equally getting tired of finding
forum inquiries that have no answer/solution for the question. I will make my final resolution available and then cease to check on this forum for guidance on my quest.

Download a program called Driver Max- it is freeware.
http://www.download.ba/drivermax-free-download-16807.html
You will have to supply them with an email + quick registration upon install- so far it has been very worth it.

Use DriverMax to make a backup of the drivers on the system.
This is for those that for one reason of another cannot use a proper driver installation cd
(EeePC stopped supplying them and I deleted the special partition)

IF you don't have a cd drive or need to use an ISO for the system restore, use a program called UnetBootin.
unetbootin.sourceforge.net/
It does require a USB drive (size?> 8gig was far more than sufficient) no matter what install method you use.
Be sure to read the instructions that are available before you go and wipe your system.
This will require total use of the USB flash drive, so clear out the USB for best results.

There are placed to secure/download Win7 ISO, however all probably require authentication.
I won't help there, it is forbidden and I won't share my LEGIT authentication serial#.

Be sure to keep your driverbackups from DriverMax kept safe somewhere other than on the computer you
are going to restore!
Also have all your files that you want returned copied and safe somewhere other than the computer 2b
restored !

There is a freeware program I have not yet used that says it will totally copy all your data to an external source and will allow you to selectively port your data back into use from the backup file. I am going to use it soon myself, however since I am now going to stop watching this forum for responces, I am making a link to it here/now.
Download DriveImage XML. dixmlsetup.exe

This way you can make estra sure when you are setting back up that IF something was missed form being coppied, you can still go back and get it (or be at peace with the second guessing before wiping your system).

Now, use all this stuff appropriately, follow the program instructions, and your legit win7 ISO + authentications.
Fresh system! Reapply your drivers and file backups. Install your programs using a free software that monitors installations for a nearly perfect uninstall every time "advanced uninstaller free":
Software Free Download - Soft32
The downside is monitored installations are very lengthy! it copies your registry and harddrive before and after the install, then checks and records the differences! quite thorough! good news is the uninstall itself, should you uninstall a program you monitored, is very quick!

When you have everything installed and configured to a point your system can stay the way you are going to want it... make a system back up and also a registry back up. My solution at long last to stop the unnecissary archiving is to regularly 'reinstate' the registry back up of a system that is pretty much exactly configured the way it needs to stay without a lot of activity that the system is keeping record of. After a few downloads and a few uninstalls, the registry is going to have a few unnecessary entries- go ahead an eliminate them by 'reinstating' the registry backup. IF you want to make big changes- do a reinstatement of the registry, make the changes, and them make a new registry backup that contains the changes you wish to keep in effect for long term and us the new backup for overwriting and eliminating the bloated registry you will being to accumulate shortly. I should hope there is an easier way- however the suggestions are not forthcoming... am I working offline or something guys?
To any I might have helped- do something helpful for someone that deserves it ok?

ignatzatsonic · 07 May 2012

I'm wondering why you feel the need to "locate and stomp out old and irrelevant references" in the registry. Even assuming it is 100% safe, why would you bother?

I can't recall the last time I heard anything good about Driver Max.

There are several good imaging programs out there. DriveImage XML might be one of them.