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Re: Windows registry cleanup tools

The obvious solution to data and OS backups, including backing up the reg
is this: make an IMAGE of the whole kit and caboodle, OS, apps,
data--regardless whether they are on the same or different partitions.
Once you have a clean-running system, deposit the image on an external HD.

Was doing just that using Power Quest's Drive Image 7.0. But then someone
on this list said that that wouldn't really work to restore a drive of a
different manufacturer, size, or what have you (wouldn't match the
external drive). That is, I couldn't a) image drive C:, b) wipe C: clean or
install a fresh C:, c) use Drive Image to copy external drive's image over
to C:, d) drive away as if nothing had happened.

So the next best thing is just to XCOPY everything from C: to the external.
No point in using Drive Image if it's not going to accomplish more
"recovery" than XCOPY.


So I have a .BAT file I run from DOS, the essence of which is the line:

xcopy c:\*.* /c /e /f /d /y %backup_drive:\
The variable, %backup_drive, holds the (changeable) drive letter of the
external drive; it is user input earlier in the .BAT file. The switches
back up only files with a newer date--and, via the /e switch, keep the copy
going past errors (uncopyable files that Windows' Copy facility stops at).

External HDs are getting cheaper by the minute. Where I am, they are down
to one Swiss franc per GB. Shucks, a 250 GB HD can even be purchased with
a fastethernet link now, and you can daisy-chain multiple 250s, so every
pc and Mac in the LAN can access it/them. Image software is readily
available. This is a cheap and practical solution for the home user, and
not overburdened with documenting what you do. If your system crashes or
the reg gets cluttered beyond repair, just copy the image from the
external HD and overwite the partiitons affected. Image software has the
necessary GUI to do this, usually including a bootable CD-ROM which gets
you underneath the corrupted Windows OS so you can communicate with the
image source (viz the external HD) and locate the image(s) to be copied.


PowerQuest? What imaging software can do this?


Harry Binswanger
hb@xxxxxxxx