re: Registry Restore
Friday, October 5, 2007 at 11:19 am
Windows 98 Annoyances Discussion Forum
Posted by Joe Hepperle
(73 messages posted)
>>What are the pro's and con's of using "scanreg /fix" vs "scanreg /restore"? <<
>>Don't they both achieve the same result? Thanx <<
***************************
***************************
Scanreg /fix and Scanreg /restore do two different things to two different things
(no that was not a double typing error).
Scanreg /fix
Works on the current copy of the registry encoded in the two files SYSTEM.DAT and
USER.DAT located in the WINDOWS folder. They both have a 'HIDDEN' attribute so you
may not see them if you have not set your computer to show ALL files.
Like all other files that get changed, modified or moved, those two files get severely
fragmented due to Windows' (and other programs) constant writing to the registry.
(Almost every file you open requires Windows to make an entry in the registry about
what you did to or with that file. -- Unzipped a file? Windows makes an entry. Opened
a WORD, EXCEL, or POWERPOINT document? Windows makes an entry that you opened that
file. Used the search function to find a file? Windows makes an entry in the registry.
Moved your Desktop Icons around a little to pretty things up? Windows makes an entry
in the registry. Adjusted your volume because that music file was too soft or too
loud? A registry entry is made.
Consequently, with all that changing, those two files get very fragmented. SCANREG
/FIX defragments the registry (That is why you have to do it in DOS -- Windows won't
touch the registry files when you do a defrag in Windows). Some people have referred
to this as 'compacting' the registry.
A severely fragmented registry can slow the computer WAY down when in Windows (as
opposed to booting to the DOS prompt only). Not only does every program usually have
to read from, or write to, the registry -- they have to find all the fragments that
make up the registry, every time. The more fragments it has to look for, EVERY time,
the longer it takes to get anything done.
Ostensibly, SCANREG /FIX also supposedly scans for unnecessary entries, but it does
not do anything near any good at removing unneeded or unnecessary entries. So, if
it seems like the 'FIX' is misleading, you're right. It doesn't really 'fix' anything
other than a severely fragmented registry. But I guess you could say it does fix
a computer that is running slow due to a severely fragmented registry.
Final Assessment:
Scanreg /Fix pros: It can help improve your computer's speed.
Scanreg /Fix cons: There are no cons. This does help and does not hurt. But remember,
it is working on the CURRENT copy of the registry located in the two files C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.DAT
and C:\WINDOWS\USER.DAT
Now, on to Scanreg /Restore
Scanreg /Restore basically throws out the current copy of the registry... lock stock
and barrel... gone... caput... completely. Tosses it out in a Delete manner without
even a stop at the Recycle Bin. But not to worry... Windows has been secretly making
a copy of the registry as it existed the last five times you restarted your computer
on at least five different days.
That may be confusing. To state it differently, every time you restart your computer,
Windows WANTS to make a backup copy of your registry. If you are restarting your
computer and Windows sees that it has not yet made a backup copy today, then it will
make a backup copy and store it away in the C:\WINDOWS\SYSBCKUP folder. Now you could
restart your computer 53 more times today, and Windows will WANT to make a backup
copy of the registry. But, when Windows looks and sees that it has already made a
backup for today, it stifles the urge and does not make any more backup copies today.
Tomorrow, when you restart your computer, Windows will again WANT to make a backup
copy of your registry. When it checks and sees that it is a new day, and no backups
have yet been made, then it will make another backup and store it away.
So now you have two different copies of your registry stored, as the registry existed
on two different days.
If you leave your computer on for the next two weeks straight, no new copies of the
registry will be made. Windows gets the urge to copy your registry only when you
restart the computer. (The actual instruction to make a backup copy of your registry
is contained in the file C:\MSDOS.SYS which windows looks at only when you are starting
the computer). So, two weeks later, you finally restart your computer. BAM! Windows
makes another copy of your registry because it is a new (a different) day. This pattern
continues until Windows has five different copies of your registry as it existed
on each of the last five different days that you restarted your computer. When another
new day comes and you restart your computer, Windows throws out the oldest backup
copy and then makes a current backup copy, thereby always having five different copies
of your registry on-hand.
Now, let's say you've grown tired of your display (monitor) or more specifically
either the colors you have chosen or the screen resolution. So, you right click on
the desktop, and choose PROPERTIES from the menu that pops out. On the Display properties
Tab of the properties dialog window (box) that opens, you change it from 800 x 600
pixels x 256 colors to a whopping 1600 x 1200 pixels x 16million colors and you click
the APPLY button. It sure looks a lot different and everything is extremely smaller,
but you welcome the refreshing change. Then you restart your computer and immediately
you know something is wrong. Something about those settings has made your display
seemingly go haywire. You can see a lot of colors on the screen and a lot of lines
but everything is garbled. Nothing is recognizable and everything is so distorted
it looks like a fixture in a 1960's hippy commune. Far out Man! Pretty to look at,
but useless now for a computer. You would go back in and change the settings back
but you can't even make out where to click.
SCANREG /RESTORE to the rescue! Boot to a DOS prompt and then type Scanreg /restore.
The Scanreg program pops up and displays the names and dates of those five different
copies of the registry that it has been making and storing away. You select which
copy you want to be used to replace the current copy that you just screwed up. If
you just now screwed your computer up and you see there is a backup copy from yesterday,
and the other four are from two weeks ago, you would select the one dated yesterday,
click okay, restart your computer, and you are then happy again... vowing never to
try changing your screen resolution again.
Another example is if you installed a new program and it has screwed up your computer.
You uninstall the program, but you suspect there may be entries still in the registry
because the computer still is not like it was before you did that. SCANREG /RESTORE
to the rescue! Scanreg will eliminate any registry entries that might have been left
by that program because Scanreg /restore is going to THROW OUT completely the current
copy of the registry and replace it with a copy from yesterday, or whenever.
Final Assessment:
Scanreg /Restore pros: Very good for when you choose the wrong screen resolution
or install some spyware containing program, or anything else like that.
Scanreg /Restore cons: Only one con... if you installed a GOOD program, and then
you fiddled with (and messed up) your screen resolution, after you do Scanreg /Restore,
you may have to reinstall that good program. This is because all the settings you
chose for that good program AND its serial number that you took special care to type
in correctly are now gone. Small price to pay though for the good that Scanreg /Restore
can do for you.
In the final, final analysis, no - Scanreg /fix and Scanreg /restore do not achieve
the same results. They do two different things to two different things.
Joe Hepperle
- Written in response to:
- Registry Restore (sky42: Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 4:44 am)
There are presently no replies to this message.
|
|
