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Tweaking.com Registry Backup

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MilesAhead:
I have used ERUNT to back up my Registry since NT server 4.0.  But it is time to take advantage of a program that utilizes Shadow Copy Services to make complete Registry Backups.

Tweaking.com Registry Backup is a freeware that does just that.  So far I have made 2 backups.  I haven't done a Registry Restore yet.  Maybe I'll take the plunge later today.  :)

There is a good explanation on the site why using Shadow Copy is superior to the individual key backup API approach used by ERUNT.  So far the only "inconvenience" of using the program is that it takes a minute or so for the shadow service to make a snapshop.

If anyone has any experience using the utility I'd be curious to read it.  :)

Edit: The program uses manual mode by default.  But it has a mechanism for using Task Scheduler.  Generally I try to keep my distance from scheduled tasks as my experience has not been care free in the past.  For this reason I have only tried the manual mode.

eleman:
Why backing up just the registry instead of taking an image of the boot partition?

Registry backup won't save much, and a restore will likely cause more problems than it may fix. The DLLs etc. on the system would have changed by the time you restored an old registry backup, so you would get problems which do not present any intelligible symptoms. I guess it would just be asking for trouble.

MilesAhead:
Why backing up just the registry instead of taking an image of the boot partition?

Registry backup won't save much, and a restore will likely cause more problems than it may fix. The DLLs etc. on the system would have changed by the time you restored an old registry backup, so you would get problems which do not present any intelligible symptoms. I guess it would just be asking for trouble.
-eleman (April 28, 2015, 07:26 AM)
--- End quote ---

I don't see them as mutually exclusive options.  Restoring a backup image doesn't always work.  Also it's overkill if you corrupted a registry setting and could just restore it by running a registry restore.  Typically Registry backup is done every day as it only takes about 250 MB of space.  So I don't know why the "Dlls would change" in that time.

Also some uninstallers, notably those that come with Anti-Virus programs, and other software like Nero don't take out all the Registry stuff their installers put in.  One way to right the ship, especially with these things being sneaky installed piggy backed on other software, is to do a Registry Restore.  Then you can install the wanted software taking care to disallow all the PUPs.

Giampy:
It seems there are little programs using VSS. Another one is RegBackup:

http://www.foolishit.com/vb6-projects/regbackup

Giampy:
I copy the registry even by Regedit of Windows.
What about this method? Is it reliable? Does it export the whole registry just like the VSS method?

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