Win7 registry vs. XP registry

[drpepper]

I am finding the ongoing dialogs to be very interesting and enlightening. The point/counterpoint debates are creating a picture in my mind which I can relate to real life situations I can envision becoming involved in. Bits and pieces of the picture are creating a rough game plan to learn something practical for me. Please feel free to critique my rationale as explained below.

I know several people who are determined to are determined to keep XP despite the fact that they know that Microsoft support is destined cease (April, 2014 - if I am not mistaken). They have been warned that there will be no security patches and sooner or later new programs will not run on XP. One of these XP diehards recently purchased a used XP machine to replace his dead one rather than graduate to Win7.

I find books much easier for me to use than online articles, tutorials, etc. For this reason I have already purchased Windows Registry Guide, which I intended to use to learn the registry. The debates in this thread prompted me to research other books to guide me. I found Windows 7 and Vista Guide to Scripting, Automation, and Command Line Tools. Scroll down to book description for details. This looks promising to learn power shell and other tools beyond limiting myself to the registry.

How do I envision a practical twofold learning strategy? Learn registry to obtain an understanding of what happens under the hood of the XP machines which it looks like I am destined to become increasingly involved in as time unfolds. Learn power shell and other tools for repairs and/or changes on both XP and newer machines.

At present I prefer to use a test machine as opposed to a VM on one of the normal daily use machines here at home. I wish to keep this laptop machine lean and mean and and more or less ready to pick up and go at a moment's notice. Any repairs or ongoing changes performed in the learning process would not inhibit my intended uses of this machine. The other machines are for other users at home. I purchased this machine to stop sharing with the other users.

Is this game plan practical?

drpepper

 

[kado897]

Take an early image of the machine in case you bork it (and it is inevitable that you will) then you have something to go back to without re-installing.