Just backed up a copy of my registry

Now can someone tell me why I needed to do it?

Seriously, what benefits, in the event of a reinstallation of XP, would it give me, simply to import this backup into a fresh registry? Does this contain my start menu settings? I realize that it doesn't have my drivers or programs... And I do have System REstore enabled. Wouldn't importing an old registry into a fresh installation bring back the same corruptions?

 

The short answer is, the older the Registry Backup, the less useful it is likely to be.

Taken too far out of its normal setting, the registry can cause more problems than it can handle. The chief purpose for the backup would be to restore a system to bootability that has a corrupt registry. That would allow gaining access to your personal files for backup purposes.

That's the short answer. I'll leave the long version to others.

Personally, I would recommend backing up an image of your system drive. There are several good disk imaging programs that are freeware. That way you will revert the entire system to a previously health state. Anything less is likely to be disappointing.

 

I've been tinkering around with a freeware version of True Image, but it turns out that to verify the image, I'll have to spend a lot of time reformatting another drive (to install it), which pretty much defeats the purpose of making an image of the OS and the programs I have (I already have a quick system to back up my docs).

EDIT: I keep my OS/programs, and documents on separate partitions, so I really only want to image the OS itself.

 

I use True Image and it allows for exploring stored images and plucking files from them. You may have a limited edition for trial only.

I see in another thread here that Ghost 7.5 is offered as a freeware so you may want to consider getting it.

Check this out.

 

Surferdude that link is insane.

I would love to get a chance to run Windows 3.1 on a livecd just for the heck of it. Takes me back to the days of AOL, when I thought that everyone got kicked offline if they were inactive for 20 minutes.

Yes I'll look at Ghost 7.5. BTW--the free copy of TI I have is 8.0, so that might explain the discrepancy.

 

Don't bother with that Ghost 7.5 download. I just tested it and it's not for NTFS at all.

The other download in that first link fot the Ghost 2003 boot disk is workable. I tested it and it offers all that Ghost ever does from a boot disk. That doesn't let you explore images since it would require the full GUI version for that.

Try also doing a web search for Acronis True image 7. I got it for free some time back. May yet be available somewhere. It was offered by Acronis for some reason.

 

Well I've got True Image 8 up and running, and I've got a backup file (.tib) on a DVD disk. Only problem is that I'd have to spend a bit of time repartitioning a backup hdd, which very well might mean simply reformatting and then reinstalling XP on that backup disk, and its a question at that point of whether its cost-effective in terms of time, to do all that just to avoid reinstalling XP on my laptop (which is what I want to backup to True Image).

So I might just keep my backup strategy limited to making DVD copies of my files, and then reinstalling XP on my C partition if a System Restore doesn't do any good. I was thinking of using True Image to back up not my files (which I do easily enough on DVDs) but of the OS/programs themselves (my C partition only). But like I said, if it would involve reformatting/reinstallling anyways, what would be the point?

Anyways, thanks for the link again. Man some time I'm gonna play around with some of those programs at that site.

 

You are missing the point. True Image can deploy an image if you boot from the rescue media it makes, be it floppy or CD. That will deploy a full image of your system that was made when it was hopefully healthy. No reinstall of XP or anything else is required.

Look for the option in the program to create the rescue media.

 

Yes I realize that about True Image. My earlier posts about reinstalling XP were mental shorthand for work I'd need to do with another external hard drive, because I've already got it "cloned" to work with my desktop (not the one I've used TI with) in case my desktop hdd goes south.