What is missing from the Windows registry?
We’ve got the backups (in WindowsSysbckupRBxxx.cab), we’ve got the System.Dat, the User.Dat, the
system.ini and win.ini files. I’ll tell you what’s missing. The
SOFTWARE.DAT file.
Why, oh why, didn’t Microsoft in all their wisdom, not
include a file like SOFTWARE.DAT, in which all the software programs
registry entries are put, rather than putting them in the system.dat or
user.dat files?
Why would this be better?
Well, for one thing, if I
wished to reinstall Windows (which I do a lot since that is my
business), I could delete or move the above named files and reinstall
(which would give a clean registry) and my software programs would still
work without having to reinstall all of them.
Another plus would be an
easy way to secure passwords, registration numbers, etc of installed
software and the file could be copied off to a floppy for safekeeping.
How can this help?
This weekend, I had a customer of mine, who lives 2 hrs away, bring her computer to me.
The Windows registry was corrupt, causing the system to quit during bootup
and go to the C: prompt.
I used Laplink in DOS to look at her hard drive
and made a new dir in C: called REGBAKUP. I then moved all the above
named file to it and reinstalled Windows.
I got most of her software up
and running without having to reinstall, but her QuickBooks (which is
her Bread & Butter) would not run. Incorrect numbers, no registry
entries, etc. So she had to reinstall it when she got home.
Now that’s not a serious problem, but that’s just a small part of it. Reloading
takes time and can cause other problems. I feel that a file like
SOFTWARE.DAT could have alleviated this problem quite easily.
Why not, Microsoft?
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