Automatic registry backup at first boot not working

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As a final note on this, each time you failed to backup in your chosen folder the system put the backup in the Windows folder so you did actually get a backup created. Have a look.

If you stick to the DOS 8.3 format then an alternative location will work.

 

Billy Bob

I take your point regarding the backup directory. This morning the system still did not produce an automatic backup cab file. I have changed back to the dafault Sysbckup directory and put a space into the Registry line "scanregw.exe /autorun. Lets see what happens tomorrow morning.

 

After having made the changes scanreg finally produced the automatic backup cab in the dafault directory this morning, but ....... not without a little surprise: firstly it produced a file rbbad.cab stamped 11/10/03 09:30 2,346KB. A minute later it made another copy - this time the correct one rb000.cab 2,114KB.
What do you make of the difference in the file size?
On a final note to this subject I would like to thank everyone involved helping me with this problem.
Cheers until next time

 

Glad to read you got it working

What do you make of the difference in the file size?

Scanregistry probably did some compacting.

I have seen it do that too when I had it turned off and forgot to turn it back on.

BillyBob

 

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What you now can do after making sure that it is going to make a RB000.cab file every day.

If you are going to add, remove software or modify hardware settings ( drivers ) and you find all is going to be OK.

Go into the proper folder and delete all rb00x.cab files. Then restart windows and it will make a new one. I do this in SE everytime I do major cleanup on the reg.

This stops not only you but also Windows from undoing everything.

And you will have a backup that reflects the system as it is and not as it was.

BillyBob

 

Both Scanregs default to 5 backups - this number can be changed in the scanreg.ini file.

You can also have it back up other key files such as autoexec.bat and/or config.sys or a whole bunch of stuff.

I have added scanreg to W95B and love it.

Lastly "scanreg /restore" does run within windows in WME only.

 

This is a first for me. I usually see this file created when doing a 'scanreg /opt' command, where it just optimizes the user.dat and system.dat files.

 

markp62

With Optimize=1 in scanreg.ini when there is an excess of 500Kb wasted space 'scanreg.exe /autorun' sets a flag in the registry. At the next boot the registry is optimised using the same routine you use manually ie that invoked by /opt. As a BTW if an error is found another flag is set to arrange an automatic restore at the next restart.

I have yet to establish where these flags are in the registry otherwise I'd include an option in Folder Options which on checking would see an /opt at the next restart without having to go into DOS specifically to do it.

Unless MS are using an obscure valuename I assume it and it's data are deleted, as opposed to being reset, after being acknowledged explaining why I cannot find it.

If anyone can tell me where the optimise flag is, or is placed, then I'll post the Folder Options code - it's ready and waiting!

 

Scrub my last post - I've just found something that wasn't there at my last Google search. The flag is in the header of the System.dat file. I've deciphered the header of the rbnnn.cab files finding the 'Started' and 'Not Started' flag in particular but I hadn't thought of looking at the System.dat header. I will now!

 

Throughout this post I had not seen any mention of two other inportant files.

How about looking at the System.ini and the Win.ini also.

In 98 scanregw which runs at bootup they are also included in the rb00x.cab files.

If they are not then something is wrong.

95 only backed up System.dat and user.dat but 98 backs up all four. MS finally smartened up.

I know that many help sites ( including MS ) when speaking of the registry only mention System and user .dat. But there are things in the System.ini and/or Win.ini that do get into the registry.

Errors in the system.ini WILL stop Windows from booting or cause so called registry errors at boot up.

If you get reg error at boot up and can't find it with regedit try editing the System.ini.

There are also programs that get run from the run= or load= line in the Win.ini.

I know that there may be questions here so I will add here that I will be away for most of the day but will get back as soon as I can this evening.

BillyBob

 

The point may have been missed. The operative word in the above quote is 'header' not System.dat.

 

As far as missed points go I have no Idea what you are refering about " Header " anyway. I do not get into ut that deep.

The above by markp62 is what I am refering to.

It only mentions the two ( 2 ) files when there are four (4 ) involved.

Quite a few times any error about missing files at boot up is because the System.ini is looking for it.

Symantec used to be great about leaving files there.

You would be surprised at the number of users that I talk with ( not just there ) that do not think the System.ini and Win.ini play any part in 98.

I just want to be sure that users are aware that they are used.

If you look at them you may be surprised at what you find.

On my machine even the ScreenSaver selection is in the System.ini.

Yup. It does. And that is the cause of some problems in ME. Open/inuse files do not get overwritten properly. And also Win ME does not have a good solid DOS like 98 does either. I found that out within two days of installing ME. and dumped it on the 3rd day.

BillyBob

 

"I do not get into it that deep." Very few folk do and I'll not pursue it in this tome. We are drifting well off topic now so I'm 'outa' here.

 

When dealing with something as important to the operation of Windows 98 such as the registry I do not consider it to be off topic to make sure that users are aware that four files are involved not just two.

And to make sure that they are aware that four files should be contained in the RB00x.cab files.

If you condsider that off topic then so be it.

BillyBob

 

So, start a new thread entitled 'My understanding of the use of System.ini and Win.ini'. This thread is entitled 'Automatic registry backup at first boot not working'.

 

You are absolutely correct.

BUT you do not seem to understand what I am saying. There ARE FOUR FILES that are supposed to be INCLUDED in that automatic backup. Not just two.

And if the four files are not include in the RB00x.cab files that is made then Automatic backup is not working correctly.

It is all part of automatic backup function. It is NOT a separate issue.

I am not talking about the use of anything other than the Autobackup.

It is not just my understanding. It is a factual function of the Scanregistry at boot up that the backup includes the four files.

And the four files MUST BE kept syncronized with each other. And that is why MS Finally woke up and included them in the autobackup.

BillyBob

 

"BUT you do not seem to understand what I am saying. "

Of course I do. What I cannot figure out is why you are saying it. The auto backup will either work or it won't; as seen above. If it does then the four files will be included in the cabinet since it is a 'hard wired' feature, so to speak.

This thread's topic is about zilch being backed up and that is what we all considered initially, and then you introduced the two ini files which has nothing to do with the problem at hand. This is a forum not a platform for writing tutorials.

If folks want a tutorial on scanreg they only have to ask. I have researched scanreg for years and can supply links to keep them happy until Christmas. I suspect that I will not be inundated with requests because most folks have better things to do. My excuse is that I enjoy writing code to enhance systems and to do that you have to have a fair idea of what is being enhanced.

 

Dream on Pal.

It is a case of NEED TO KNOW

Just knowing that something does run at boot up IS NOT ENOUGH

We need to know if it doing the proper job when it does run. And how to check on same.

Just because it may be as you say " hardwired " does not mean dam am thing.

Some of Mr. Gates and Company hardwired stuff does on occasion have a NASTY HABIT of getting crosswired and not do what it is supposed.

Sometimes we as users do something that efffects the hardwired stuff and we may not even realize it.

Sometimes 3rd party software may effect the hardwired stuff.

So I myself see no reason why mentioning what something is supposed to do and/or how check to make sure it is doing it after getting it to run a startup again is in anyway off topic or out of place.

If you think so then that is up to you.

BillyBob

 

There are only 24 hours in the day. I've just written some code to work out how long it would take, on my machine, to check that everything is doing what it is supposed to do. It would take 26 hours 18 minutes and 33 seconds. I must get a faster machine so that I can get some time to use it.

Of course, I can introduce some statistics and restrict the code to likely events only.

Now, where is the stats on scanreg not backing up System.ini and Win.ini but only System.dat and User.dat? Ah, there we are. It's never been recorded. That's handy isn't it?

Yes, there's always a first time. If we planned everthing on that basis this planet would come to a grinding halt.

Now, if we aren't off topic now we never will be. I'm leaving this thread and will only come back if it returns to the starter's problem otherwise PeteC will call by and say "Enough is enough, gentlemen" and rightly so.

 

The stats come from right here on my own personal machine when Scanregistry got s/c/r/e/w/e/d up along with several other things when a bad power fluctuation hit while I was either scandisking or defraging a drive. I forget which.

And when something like Scanregistry is reported to be not working correctly and is then repaired and seems to be working it is a necessity that it be checked out to besure it is working correctly. And that is more than just knowing that it does run at startup.

Windows never has been. Is not. And never will be 100% dependable 100% of the time. 95% maybe. But 100% never.

And further more you are going way too far about checking other stuff as I am only refering to ONE program and that is it. And that is the one that was originally reported as not working correctly.

BillyBob