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Registry Things:

Also see my Back-Up page about more Registry back-ups.

(For Y2K Date Issues, go to Microsoft's Knowledge Base Article nr. q182967).

A neat recovery utility from Microsoft:

And it's right on your W-95 CD: Look on the CD in Other\Misc for ERU folder and copy it to your Windows folder and then it's just a matter of running ERU.exe to a floppy and then when you need a recovery, boot to the Windows DOS prompt,

A:\> and type ERU and just follow the menu--done deal.

NOW, when you crash--just insert the ERU floppy and re-boot, with your arrow--go down the menu for recovery and your done.

Shaazam--your back to where you last ran ERU.

NOTE: This article will not be for the faint of heart. If your un-comfortable about going into your windows 95 registry, then this isn't for you and you shouldn't play around in there you know what your doing and back-up the system files--ok.

If your wondering about REGEDIT for DOS: Boot to DOS and type REGEDIT /? to get all the switches that relate to same.

REGISTRY:

It's your central database created by Windows 95 during installation. It's database contents has your hardware, software, users and preferences data for your PC or PC on a network. Your changes in control panel, files, system policies or software---well, it changes the Registry. The Registry displays it's contents in six sub-trees called Keys, each Key starts with HKEY_ and lets programs access it's resources.
REGEDIT.EXE replaces the dreaded .INI files of windows 3.1 that wouldn't support the network
environment. It's a windows explorer that ventures into your uncharted waters of your system. So i say, first---back-up or copy anything your going to change (PERIOD). It's hard to know where to start when your trying to explain the Registry. If for any reason you don't understand anything---back out and E-Mail me. Also, look at my Hard-Drive Page to get prepped for the next pages.

Remember, I'm not responsible for Nothing SO go back to my Disclaimer Page.

You can print the HKEY's layout but your going to get from 50 to 1000 pages, so if you have to look at the structure, I would suggest the print/screen button--(For anyone that thinks it doesn't know, it does work)--it just goes to the clipboard so then all you have to do is paste it to your favorite Paint program and print it.

First of all, you'll learn how to restore your Registry. Windows 95 makes a copy of your registry every time it boots up in the hidden back-up files. You may never need them, BUT if something unfortunate happens.

Do the normal crtl-alt-del and end-tasks & go to the start button to shut-down in the DOS
mode. We need to delete the current/corrupted Registry files and replace them with copies from
your DAO hidden backups and re-boot to reopen w-95 in the last known valid configuration. So
how do I perform this task???

The DOS Commands:

attrib -s -h -r *.da? ----this will clear attributes from the Registry

erase SYSTEM.DAT ---this erases bad system.dat

erase USER.DAT ---this erases bad user.dat

copy SYSTEM.DAO SYSTEM.DAT ---this will create a new one from back-up

copy USER.DAO USER.DAT ---this will create a new one from back-up

attrib +s +h +r SYSTEM.DA? ---this will reset system dat and dao attributes

attrib +s +h +r USER.DA? ---this will reset user dat and dao attributes

Reboot and you'll get the last known good configuration--YOUR DONE.

SUBJECT MATTER:

Backing up/Copying your REGISTRY with it's Utility ---also see my Back-Up Pages.

Copy The Whole Registry:

In the RUN Command type ( regedit ) hit ok, then Open Registry menu, select
Export Registry File, in the box that pops up--type in a name and click save.

So you want to compare the Registry:

A Comparison Technique:

Open a Windows DOS prompt and type,

fc /B BEFORE.REG AFTER.REG

This executes a binary display of all differences and if the file is too large then
refer to the MS-DOS Debug Utility.

If anyone finds more, please e-mail me.

Get ride of Those Deleted Program Left-Overs:

When you double-click Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel, you get a list of all the
programs that Windows 95 can automatically remove. Normally, windows removes these but at times doesn't remove an item from this Install/Uninstall list--an item that Windows 95 won't remove and you don't have the Microsoft powerToy ( TweakUI ) then,

Open the Registry Editor (choose Run in the Start menu, type 'regedit,' and click OK) and navigate your way to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall.
In the left pane, with the right mouse button, click the folder (under Uninstall) that represents the item you want to get rid of,

Choose Delete and close the Registry Editor,

Reopen that Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box, and that item is a Goner.

Download the (2) REGISTRY Cleaners (1) PowerToys from Microsoft:

REGCLN at:
http://premium.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q147/7/69.asp?PR=CHS&FR=0&M=S&

REGMAID at:
http://premium.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q156/0/78.asp

Create A Batch File To Restore Registry:

Be sure when you copy the files, you use an ASCII editor. A batch file won't work if it not in
ASCII format. Oh, and be sure the only files in C:\protect that end in dat are the registry files;
otherwise you'll copy more than you want to with that command.
Make restoring the registry a very simply job by writing a batch file to do the restoration for you.
For purely safety reasons.

TYPE exactly,

@echo off
c:
cd\
cd\windows
attrib user.dat -r -s -h
attrib system.dat -s -h -r
Copy user.dat c:\protect
Copy system.dat c:\protect
attrib user.dat +s +h +r
attrib system.dat +s +h +r
cd\

Call that file regsave.bat and I keep it in a directory on the PATH. If you do not use batch files often enough to keep a directory called BATCH, put it in the DOS directory. It won't hurt anything and
that's on the PATH. Make a directory called protect to keep the files in, then copy it when the registry has been changed.

Copy it when you know the registry is not corrupt and after changes.

Here's a batch file to restore the registry.
Copy this and call it restore.bat

@echo off
c:
cd\
cd\windows
attrib user.dat -r -s -h
attrib system.dat -s -h -r
xcopy c:\protect\*.dat
attrib user.dat +s +h +r
attrib system.dat +s +h +r
cd\

Next time you have a corrupt registry, go to a DOS prompt and type restore.bat and the registry will be restored in a jiffy.

FINDING AND RETRIEVING CAB FILES:

TO FIND go to:

Start/ Find/ Files or Folders,

Enter *.cab in "Named" box, then click the Advanced tab and enter the filename you're searching for in the "Containing text" box. Direct the search on the first tab to your . CAB files location like,
Windows\Options\Cabs, or CD Rom.

RETRIEVE: DOS: Windows\Options\Cabs> extract /L C:\[where you want it to go] [cab file found above] [filename].
Example: Windows\Options\Cabs> extract /L C:\windows\system Win95_08.cab msjava.dll . (This would extract the msjava.dll file into the Windows\System directory.)

OPTIONS:
Extract [/Y] [/A] [/D] [/E] [/L DIR] [cab file] [filename]
Extract [/Y] Source [newname]
Extract [/Y] /C Source Destination cab file - cabinet file - contains 2 or more files filename - filename to extract; wildcards & multiple names O.K. source - compressed file (a cabinet with only 1 file)
newname - new filename for extracted file (none = original name)
/A - process all cabinets from 1st cabinet listed
/C - copy source file to destination (copy from DMF disks)
/D - display cabinet directory
/E - extract (use instead of *.* to extract all files)
/L DIR - location to place extracted file(s), default is current directory
/Y - do not prompt to overwrite existing files

The BEST way I've found to FIND or TOTALLY delete things is by using REGEDIT Find Command:

Type REGEDIT and enter,

In the registry go to EDIT and choose FIND. Type the file name in the box like, (cpqidecd.VxD ). Let the regedit find all instances of the file and when you find them delete them. After the first instance choose find next (F3) and continue until your finished with the registry.

Your problems DONE after these steps.

Some REGISTRY url's, these sites where OK at this posting BUT you never know --- so E-Mail me if you find one that doesn't work---Thanks:

REGISTRY TIP SITES other than mine:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~mato/linktips.html

http://www.download.com/PC/Result/Download/0,21,0-19184,00.html

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1565921704/andrewschulmanswA/

http://esn.softseek.com/Utilities/Tips_Tricks_and_Help/Review_6788_index.html

http://md.simplenet.com/win-faq/12/95FAQ/95regeditcus.html

http://www.halcyon.com/cerelli/regedit.htm

http://wilkes1.wilkes.edu/~acd/tip1j.htm

http://www.win95mag.com/12_96/html/tipreg.shtml

http://www.webspan.net/~pmills/tech/w95reg.html

http://www.windowscentral.com/tips/windows95/registry.html

Have A Happy Registry

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