Registry Checker??

Hi to all:

On my 98SE machine there was an option in system tools for checking the registry, getting a report of corrupt system files and ability to replace them from CD.

Any way to do that in XP Home?

 

System File Checker was a feature I found very convenient and missed, however, it was discontinued starting with ME o/s. The file protection and system restore feature added to the o/s (ME, XP) replaced file checker. I preferred some visibility to the problem, however, Admin in C/P provides a chronology of events and services that may distinquish, isolate a problem and whether or not it has been corrected.

 

HUH! Is this for real? I've been running the "sfc /scannow" on a regular basis! Does this mean I've lost all my updates except SP1 (slipstreamed)? Does the SFC command replace files without prompting? I've never been "notified" by SFC that files were being replaced!

Russ

 

I do not know about sfc /scannow in XP ( have not used it ) but SFC in Win98 is ( was ) a disaster waiting to happen if not used correctly and CAREFULLY

If a Restore Point was made before SP1 was added and then used all updates will need to be re-added.

In 98 if a so called corrupt file was replaced it could ( and did a few times ) stop some software from working. The file may only be seen as corrupt because it was a newer ( and needed by software ) version.

I replaced one ( 1 ) file that it ( SFC ) said was corrupt and wound up with re-installing Windows.

Some of the files that SFC said were corrupt needed to come from the latest version of IE and not from the Windows files. ( that is the mistake that I made )

And if some of the files that SFC said were actually corrupt, SFC would not even be running.

The RB00X.CAB file is 98 and the Restore points in ME and XP need old ones deleted and new ones made ASAP after changes are made and found to be OK. Otherwise a lot of good work may be undone.

System Restore in ME and XP are worse yet. As they replace anything on any and all partitions it is set up on.

I learned that one by the " Lets see what happen if I do this method. " LLOOONNNGG BEFORE I got into any actuall trouble in XP.

Yes, SFC and System Restore can get you out of trouble. But they can also UNDO a lot of good work if not used carefeully.

That is why in XP I have SR activated on the C: drive only. And I also see that it has not made a Restore point in days. Oh Well. I prefer to make my own anyway.

Again. This is not all from just thinking or reading. Most of it is from actuall testing. As good as XP is it still needs a bit of HUMAN thinking to keep it on the straight and narrow path.

BillyBob

 

Arie,
Thanks very much for the link! There is more favorable versitility built into the WFP than I had expected. My reference books do not give that detail.

 

Wow: Ask a simple question and.......

It'll take me a couple of hours to sort through all of this and really understand the do's and don'ts.

I was trying to find what was causing a program starting Icon to open an install file for a completely different program. Uninstalls and re installs failed to correct the problem. So I thought I might be able to find a corrupt registry file and replace it and everything would be ok. Wrong approach I guess.

In the meantime I did an in place upgrade from within Windows XP and that solved the problem and, all of my settings and programs were retained and work. I'm not aware of anything being lost, yet.

But, I had to do all the updates over again, what a pain. So, I'm going to find the BBS postings on slipstreaming and see if I can set up in case I need to do anymore upgrade installs. (seems likely)

Many thanks to all who chimed in.

 

I will agree to that happening. I did it too. Not because I needed to but just to see what actually occured.

And the same thing may happen if you use and older ( previous to any updates/upgrades.) restore point.

Using a Restore Point will put the system BACK to the point it was in when the RP was made. Be it good bad or indifferent.

So now I think the the first item of business for martinr121 should be to shut down System restore letting it clear up all previous RPs. Then reacitvate it and let it make a new one ( it will be called System Check Point ) which will reflect the system as it is now.

And then do the same after each and every change once you find that all is going to be OK.

As I mentioned in other post. I beat the heck out of XP Pro to find out what hapened when I did what so that I could learn what was what BEFORE I activated it.

And I sure learned what not to do

I never have and never will trust Microsoft alone to run my machine(s).

Is that anything new ?

I find MS to very consistant about missing, incomplete or mis-leading info. Or that XP will not allow us to make mistakes. HAHAHA !!.

This BBS is a MUCH BETTER place to get much more ACCURATE info.

BillyBob

 

Thanks BillyBob, seems like good information. I do have another question about System Restore.

I have 3 HDD on this machine, about 150 Gigabytes set up in 5 partitions. System Restore is reserving 16 Gigabytes total for its restore points for all partitions.

Seems like an unreasonable amout of drive space to give up. What's the BBS take on this?

 

Worth more than 2 cents. If that be the case, restore on "C" drive only, would you reccomened same if most programs were on "D "?

I have gotten the impression in my reading that only OS on boot partition was best config, programs elsewhere, which is pretty much what I've done here. Even though, recent conversation with MS tech support says no advantage to doing this, may be disadvantage, no further explaination.

So, restore on both "C" and "D" or stay with restore on "C" only?

Got a question on Virtual Memory, but I'll do a separate post on that.

 

Since were on the subject

One HDD, no partitions, running GoBack, SR disabled.
For redundancy(?), can I have SR active, ONLY monitoring the "Wndows Folder" and any other system critical files/folders? If yes, will GoBack, again duplicate the SR output file data, which I prefer NOT happen (reduces how far you can go back into time).

 

System Restore on Drive C (Windows) only .

I will go along with that.

have gotten the impression in my reading that only OS on boot partition was best config, programs elsewhere, which is pretty much what I've done here.

Excellent idea.

Even though, recent conversation with MS tech support says no advantage to doing this, may be disadvantage, no further explaination.

I would like very much to have a SEROUS chat with that Tech. Reads very much like normal Microsoft thinking.

OS and associated software ONLY on the C: drive and that is it.

Everthing else possible on other partitions. There is absolutely no need to lose everything if the C: drive goes bonkers. Some things made need to be re-installed but, they can be reinstall in existing location.

Even thing like My Documents, Favorites, The swap file are good to put on other partitions. ( the swap if debatable )

I have not done it in XP put in 98SE I even had a copy of the Start Menu ( complete ) on another drive. Helped tremendously in case of a clean reinstall.

There is ( in my thinking ) a hugh drawback there too. Just like System restore if is not kept up to date you can replace or remove a lot of things that have been changed. Resulting in a possible startover again.

Any type of backup is only as good as it is kept up to date.

A point to ponder.

Any restore points that may have been made yesterday on this machine were COMPLETELY out of date at 9:00 AM today. I completely changed CDRW and associated software. So yesterdays RP ( if used ) would be nuttin but PROBLEMS. So why keep them around ?

BillyBob

 

can I have SR active, ONLY monitoring the "Wndows Folder

Yes, I guess you could. But a LOT OF STUFF is stored in places other than the Windows or a subfloder of same.

You have Program Files and Documents and Settings.

So if you replaced only the Windows folder things there might not coincide with other places and could create BIG problems.

No version of Windows and/or software runs completely from the Windows or Program Files folder(s) alone.

The only time I have SR activated on anything other then C: is if I am going to install some new software. Then I might set it up on C: & F: That way if the software did not prove satisfactory I could just do a system Restore and it would be gone on both the C: & F: I have done that.

Other wise just the C: ( if it gets done at all ) Right now I have no restore points at all even though it is set up on the C: drive. I think that is because the PC is off at the time is should do it.

BillyBob

 

Are you sure about that ?

I believe it gets EVERTHING on the partition.

If that is not true then how come I lost the two recent installs on the C: driive when I was experiemting with System Restore.

Very EASY way to get rid of a bad install of Norton Software.

And if that is true then what good does System Restore do on other partitions ?

The ain't no System Files on other partitions that I know of.

BillyBob

 

ONLY IF they are contained in the restore point.

you can use to restore your computer to a previous state,

That is 100% correct. And Computer includes any an all partitions if SR is activated on them.

If SR makes a new point at say 6:00 AM. Any additions. ommissions or corrections made after that WOULD NOT be in that RP and would be LOST if that RP was used.

That is another advantage to keeping everything possible on another partiton and keeping SR OFF on the partition.

BillyBob