Creating and comparing registry snapshots. Command Line Options
How to create a registry snapshot?
Creating and comparing registry snapshots can be implemented different ways. You can use the utility or new program RegistryChangesView, which I will tell you about in detail in this instruction.
Registry snapshot with RegistryChangesView
It's small free program from the famous Israeli programmer Nir Sofer. We present on our website a large number of instructions for his programs (one of them).
The utility is designed to create and compare registry snapshots. It can be useful if you need to track changes during the installation of new software or for analyzing malware.
Download RegistryChangesView
Download RegistryChangesView you can do it for free from the developer's website. On this moment program interface on English language, but like all other NirSoft utilities, it will soon be translated into Russian and will be available for download from the official website.
There are versions for both , and for bits. You can find out the bitness of your computer in the control panel.
If you can’t find out the bit depth, then just try running both files. One of them should work.
Setting RegistryChangesView
This is a portable utility and does not require installation to work. Just unzip the downloaded archive and run the file.
Starting the program Using RegistryChangesView
After launching the utility, the main program window will appear. The first step is to create a snapshot of the Windows registry.
Before creating a snapshot, you can check the required registry branches. By default, the “SAM” branch and the “Security” branch are not checked.
Registry snapshots are saved in the program folder. Each picture is in a separate folder.
You will see changes in the registry in the main program window.
Change in the registry Right-clicking opens a context menu in which you can edit, save entries or view its properties:
Properties Overall it's quite powerful tool to create and compare registry snapshots. Unfortunately, there is no way to perform a restore operation directly from Registry Changes View. This means that you will have to use the registry itself to restore the values or use other third-party programs.
In Windows, all computer configuration information (user profiles, information about system hardware, installed programs and settings) is stored in the system registry. Therefore, how fast and stable the operating system will work (and whether it will work in principle) depends on its condition.
Immediately after reinstallation, the operating system (OS) is stable and performs operations quite quickly (although in some cases it can be configured for faster performance). Over time, the situation changes dramatically. Gradually, the registry becomes full of outdated data (incorrect keys in the registry, links to non-existent files and missing device drivers, broken shortcuts, etc.), entries made by viruses and spy modules, some of the parameters may be corrupted as a result of experiments with OS settings, etc. All this slowly but steadily leads to a deterioration in the operation of the operating system, up to its complete inoperability. Therefore, it is necessary to take certain measures to rid the system registry of such information. Professionals can perform similar registry cleaning in regular program- RegEdit registry editor. But this presupposes the availability of appropriate training and requires extreme care when performing actions (since any wrong step can lead to complete inoperability of the system), so ordinary users It is better not to experiment with editing the registry in RegEdit. However, the point is not only that editing the registry with built-in using Windows requires professional knowledge - this operation also requires a lot of time. But this time can be spent much more usefully if you entrust the execution of at least part of the registry operations specialized utilities. Moreover, some of similar utilities do not require at all vocational training and are designed for a wide range of users. This review is devoted to the most interesting solutions of this plan.
Types of programs for working with the system registry
All programs for working with system registry can be divided into three large groups. The first includes tweaker utilities designed for complex configuration and optimization of the OS and allowing you to clear the registry of outdated information cluttering it. Their main advantage over other solutions is their extended tools for working with the OS: in addition to cleaning the registry, they provide a lot of options for managing system performance and security. The most popular among tweakers with similar functionality are the System Mechanic and Ace Utilities packages.
Second group software products form packages designed to clean and defragment the registry, such as jv16 PowerTools 2006 and Registry Mechanic. Best solutions This group provides much more effective cleaning than tweakers (Table 1), although the latter are comparable to them in terms of the variety of detected defects (Table 2). In addition, specialized cleaning packages can additionally compress the registry (removing empty entries from it that inevitably form when deleting keys) and defragment registry files by writing them to disk sequentially. Both can lead to an increase in the speed of working with the registry, and consequently, the speed of the OS as a whole. As for other capabilities for managing the OS, they are often also present in such solutions, but are implemented relatively poorly.
Table 1. Comparison of registry cleaning packages in terms of number found
errors (testing was carried out on the same OS version)
And finally, the third group of solutions consists of system registry managers. They are convenient tools for comprehensive registry management and can be considered as an advanced alternative to the standard RegEdit registry editor. Unlike applications from the first two groups (of interest to both professionals and ordinary users), registry managers are aimed at professionals - primarily administrators who need more effective tools to maintain performance computer systems, software developers who need to manage the registry registration of the applications they create, and advanced users who want to manually make changes to the registry, for example, to remove entries made by viruses and spyware. Most interesting solutions in this group we are introduced to Registrar Registry Manager, Registry Workshop and Advanced Registry Tracer.
Table 2. Comparison of the breadth of analysis of registry elements to identify defects
jv16 Power Tools |
Registry Mechanic |
|||||
Active X Settings - OLE COM |
||||||
Libraries dynamic linking(DLL) |
||||||
System drivers |
||||||
Drivers virtual devices(VxD Section) |
||||||
File extensions |
||||||
File associations |
||||||
Programs that boot with Windows |
||||||
Uninstalled programs |
||||||
Program paths |
||||||
Section Classes |
||||||
Outdated menu items |
||||||
Outdated software records |
||||||
Startup programs |
||||||
Keys in the registry |
||||||
Registry integrity |
Tweaker utilities
System Mechanic 7
Developer: Iolo Technologies, LLC
Distribution size: 16.61 MB
Work under control: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/Vista
Distribution method: http://www.iolo.com/sm/7/std/download.aspx)
Price:$49.95
System Mechanic - effective tool for comprehensive OS management, allowing you to configure more than a hundred system parameters, which determine the appearance of the interface, performance and security of the system. The program can analyze various system parameters and issue a detailed report on speed, security, the presence of clutter (computer junk, errors in the system registry, etc.) with recommendations for possible correction of the situation. With its help, it is easy to completely clean the system of temporary files and duplicate files, optimize Windows settings and Internet connection, speed up work with RAM, defragment HDD etc.
The Repair Registry Problems and Repair Broken Shortcuts modules are responsible for directly managing the system registry in this utility. The first will help to completely clean the registry of outdated information (incorrect keys in the registry, links to non-existent files, etc.), and the second will get rid of broken shortcuts. There are three modes for scanning the registry for outdated entries: Quick Optimization and Repair, Complete Optimization and Repair (Figure 1), and Custom Optimization and Repair. In the first two modes, scanning is performed completely automatically. During a quick scan, selected branches of the registry are examined (the most important from the point of view of system stability). A comprehensive scan (which can take quite a long time) runs all the tests and allows you to determine what types of data to look for during the scan. In the Custom Optimization and Repair mode, the user can not only set the types of data to be analyzed, but also choose whether to immediately correct the errors found or display a report about them on the screen and wait for the user's reaction. In any scanning mode, it is possible to refuse to restore all or some of the problems found.
Rice. 1. Full scan of the registry by the program
System Mechanic
Ace Utilities 3.2
Developer: AceLogiX
Distribution size: 2.24 MB
Work under control: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/2003/Vista
Distribution method: shareware (30-day demo - http://www.acelogix.com/download.html)
Price:$29.95
Ace Utilities is a popular set of utilities, combined under one shell and designed for system maintenance and optimization. These utilities will help you uninstall unnecessary programs and remove broken links from the Start menu, provide control over applications that load with Windows (unnecessary ones can be removed from startup) and make it easy to get rid of junk files, empty folders and duplicate files. With their help, it is also easy to clear the history of computer activity (Internet browser cache, cookies, a list of recent working documents and the history of more than 200 applications) and ensure guaranteed destruction earlier deleted files and any other file data.
The Clean System Registry and Fix Invalid Shortcuts modules are responsible for working with the system registry in this utility. The first is designed to clean the registry from outdated information (incorrect keys in the registry, links to non-existent files, etc.), and the second is responsible for identifying and removing broken shortcuts. Scanning can be carried out either in Standard (Fig. 2, or in Thorough mode. The first is limited to viewing only those branches of the registry, errors in which are most critical from the point of view of system stability, the second provides analysis of the entire registry. In both cases, the list of detected defects can be adjusted by the user. A detailed list of errors found during scanning is displayed in the form of a report in which you can tell the program which of the problems found should be eliminated. Experienced users have the opportunity to switch to the RegEdit registry editor at any error and carefully view the entire registry branch with the error. It should be noted that Ace Utilities finds more errors in the system registry than other tweakers (second only to solutions specifically designed for cleaning the registry), and is very different high speed scanning.
Rice. 2. Quickly scan the registry using
Ace Utilities
Utilities for cleaning and defragmenting the registry
jv16 PowerTools 2006 (version 1.5)
Developer: Macecraft, Inc.
Distribution size: 1.6 MB
Work under control: Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista
Distribution method: shareware (30-day demo - http://www.macecraft.com/downloads/jv16pt_setup.exe)
Price:$29.95
jv16 PowerTools is a set of utilities that can claim to be one of the best tools for managing the Windows registry. The program is very easy to use and comes with comprehensive guide and has a Russian-language interface. Its capabilities include advanced work with files and folders (deleting junk files and empty folders, searching for files, moving and renaming groups of files, etc.), deleting personal data in accordance with black and white lists, managing installed and running programs and working with the system registry.
Several utilities are responsible for working with the registry at once. The Registry Manager (Fig. 3) allows you to uninstall unnecessary programs, manage extensions, remove unnecessary items from Explorer context menus and Internet programs Explorer, etc. The registry cleaner (Fig. 4) automatically finds all types of outdated data in the registry and deletes them, and before each deletion, a backup copy of the data is created, from which it can be restored if necessary. In this case, scanning can be carried out in normal (when certain types of data are analyzed, the most critical from the point of view of errors in the registry) and thorough (ensuring the analysis of all data) modes. If desired, the list of analyzed data can be easily adjusted manually. The result of the scan is a detailed report on all errors found and the general state of the registry. The system registry compression module allows you to defragment it, which leads to a reduction in the size of the registry by eliminating empty seats that appeared as a result of deleting data from it. It's worth noting that jv16 PowerTools uses a highly efficient algorithm to identify bad registry strings and finds many more registry errors (by covering a wide range of defects) than other competing products, and scans very quickly. Unlike many other solutions, this program has a much more reasonable approach to correcting detected errors. For example, if it finds a reference to a file that doesn't exist, it will try to figure out whether the file has been moved, and if it can determine that it has, it will update the corresponding registry entries rather than deleting them.
Rice. 3. Working with the registry manager in the program
jv16 PowerTools
Rice. 4. Cleaning the registry using jv16 PowerTools
Special search tools provide convenient advanced search (by several words at the same time, by date, etc.) and replacement in the registry by keywords, which may be required for manual data correction, for example, to remove outdated software registration records. For all data deleted in this way, a backup copy is automatically created, which ensures the restoration of those that were deleted accidentally. The monitoring module provides snapshots of the current state of the registry. This allows you to later compare its new state with the one saved in the snapshot (displaying all changed data, which is important for monitoring applications that change settings without the user’s knowledge) and, if necessary, roll back the changes made. And the information module displays information about the size of the registry, the number of keys, entry points and other registry data (Fig. 5).
Rice. 5. Registry information output by the program
jv16 PowerTools
There are cheaper, simplified versions of the jv16 PowerTools program - RegSupreme Pro (http://www.macecraft.com/downloads/RegSupremePro_setup.exe; price - $16.95) and RegSupreme (http://www.macecraft.com/downloads /RegSupreme_setup.exe; price - $12.95). The first allows you to clear the system registry of outdated data and uninstall unnecessary software, while the capabilities of the second are limited to cleaning the registry.
Registry Mechanic 6.0
Developer: PC Tools Software
Distribution size: 4.75 MB
Work under control: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/Vista
Distribution method: shareware (functionally limited demo version - http://www.pctools.com/mirror/rminstall.exe)
Price:$29.95
The Registry Mechanic package is designed to clean and optimize the system registry and allows you to correct incorrect values of keys, keys and other parameters in the registry with just a few mouse clicks and thereby increase the stability and performance of your computer. The program has an extremely clear and attractive interface, does not require complex setup, works quickly and is easy way cleaning the Windows system registry.
Registry Mechanic can perform both a Quick Scan, which excludes analysis of the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT section, and a Full Scan of the system registry (Fig. 6). The program uses a highly effective algorithm for detecting erroneous registry lines, recording a wide range of defects, the list of which can be adjusted, as well as scanning paths. The result of the scan is a detailed list of errors found with a display of their severity level, which, in accordance with the user’s instructions, can be partially or completely corrected; Automatic error correction is also provided. Every time you clean your registry, Registry Mechanic pre-creates it backup copy, from which, if necessary, it can later be restored. The registry, cleared of obsolete data, can be compressed (Fig. 7), which reduces its size and increases the performance of the OS. Results data latest cleaning and registry defragmentation are automatically displayed by the program upon startup. In addition to cleaning and defragmenting the registry, Registry Mechanic can automatically optimize a number of system Windows settings, which reduces the time spent on system startup and shutdown, and also increases the speed of certain operations.
Rice. 6. Result of a full registry scan by the program
Registry Mechanic
Rice. 7. Compress the registry using Registry Mechanic
Reg Organizer 4.0
Developer: ChemTable Software
Distribution size: 1.57 MB
Work under control: Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003
Distribution method: shareware (30-day demo version - http://www.chemtable.com/files/regon.zip, Russification file - http://www.chemtable.com/files/russian.exe)
Price:$39.95, for Russian users - 399 rubles.
Reg Organizer is a multifunctional system registry manager that allows you not only to identify and delete outdated entries (as many competing solutions do), but also to edit the registry manually, thanks to which it can be considered as an alternative to the RegEdit program. The package has a Russian-language interface, is offered to Russian users at a very attractive price and may be of interest both to beginners - automatic methods of working with the registry are designed for them - and to professionals who may be interested in the possibility of manually adjusting registry parameters.
Reg Organizer allows you to edit and clean the registry in automatic (Fig. 8) and manual (Fig. 9) modes. IN automatic mode the program completely scans the system registry, recording erroneous entries in accordance with the user-specified list of defect types, and issues a report on all found problems. You can try to restore identified erroneous records or delete them if recovery is impossible. It’s just as easy to get rid of broken labels. At manual cleaning It’s easy to remove unnecessary applications, adjust the startup list, remove unnecessary types of extensions, edit context menus, change the position in the registry system folders, remove unnecessary libraries, update paths for launching application files, etc. If desired, you can also find keys related to the application of interest and remove them if necessary, which is useful, for example, if unnecessary application was removed manually due to the lack of an uninstallation program. After cleaning the registry, Reg Organizer allows you to optimize the files in which the system registry is stored - this involves two operations: defragmenting the system registry files and compressing the system registry itself. Besides, in this decision expanded capabilities for explicitly editing the system registry have been implemented - Fig. 10. In addition to such basic operations for working with the registry (available in RegEdit), such as creating, deleting and editing registry keys and parameter values, it is possible to export/import a specific key or registry section to a file, as well as search for and work with “Favorites” "
Rice. 8. Automatic cleaning registry in the program
Reg Organizer
Rice. 9. Cleaning the system registry manually using
Reg Organizer
Rice. 10. Changing the key value in the program
Reg Organizer
In addition to the functions of working with the system registry Reg Organizer will help you clean your hard drive from junk files, edit existing ones in the system and import new ones configuration files and change the row system settings Windows.
RegSeeker 1.52
Developer: HoverDesk
Distribution size: 457 KB
Work under control: Windows (all versions)
Distribution method: freeware (http://download.betanews.com/download/1035382760/RegSeeker.zip)
Price: free for non-commercial use
RegSeeker - simple, compact and sufficient effective program for working with the system registry. It allows you to clean the system registry of outdated information (Fig. 11), and in terms of error detection it is much superior to many paid solutions. When scanning, the program either scans all registry branches or does not take into account those that have been excluded by the user. Depending on the settings, errors found are corrected automatically or displayed in the form of a report, and any of the outdated registry entries found can not only be immediately deleted, but also switched to RegEdit to see the corresponding branch more clearly.
Rice. 11. Cleaning the registry in the RegSeeker program
RegSeeker will help you search the registry using keywords and easily identify and display the list remote programs, to which links have been preserved in the registry. It can display applications present in startup and allows you to disable (Fig. 12) or delete the corresponding registry branches. It is just as easy to access those branches of the registry where data about visiting Internet sites, cookies, a list of recent working documents, a list of files found during a search, etc. are stored. Any of the registry branches available when viewing can be deleted, exported to a file, or opened in RegEdit. To make it more convenient to switch to the desired branches, RegSeeker has a bookmark manager, which stores bookmarks for frequently opened registry sections.
Rice. 12. Disabling program downloads
at Windows startup using RegSeeker
Additionally, the program provides the ability to regulate some Windows system settings - you can, for example, adjust the appearance of the Explorer context menu, enable/disable CD-ROM autorun, set the recycle bin to be emptied when the system shuts down, etc.
Registry Managers
Registrar Registry Manager 5.02
Developer: Resplendence Software
Websiteprograms: http://www.resplendence.com/registrar.htm
Distribution size: 2.47 MB
Work under control: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003 Server
Waydistribution: shareware (Registrar Registry Manager Lite - http://www.resplendence.com/download/rrtri.exe)
Price: Registrar Registry Manager Pro - $44.95, Registrar Registry Manager Lite - Free
Registrar Registry Manager - convenient solution for managing the system registry on local and remote computers, which can be considered as an extended alternative staff editor RegEdit. In a package designed for system administrators and trained users, the ability to edit the registry is combined with its monitoring and defragmentation. The solution is presented in two versions: a free, functionally limited version of Registrar Registry Manager Lite (which is quite functional) and a paid version, Registrar Registry Manager Pro.
Registrar Registry Manager allows you to edit the values of registry keys and parameters, create new ones, copy and move existing ones, rename them and delete unnecessary ones. Moreover, multiple rollbacks are supported for all actions performed on the registry, so you can undo changes made at any time. A quick search in the registry implemented in the package, supplemented with support for bookmarks and the ability to combine search with replacement, provides fast access to the required parameters and allows you to make the required changes. A convenient mode for viewing the registry (Fig. 13), which allows you to color keys and variables, as well as add descriptions to them and assign categories, gives a visual representation of all its elements, which become easier to navigate. The ability to backup data and support for import and export will help prevent system crashes as a result of damage to the registry and, if necessary, restore it from a backup copy. The package also has a function for comparing different copies of the registry (Fig. 14) or their individual branches for changes, which will be useful for monitoring the installation/uninstallation of applications and drivers and for removing entries made by virus and spyware programs. The special Registry Activity Monitor module (Fig. 15) will also help you monitor the state of the registry, which monitors all running processes, which records any changes in the system registry and provides information about them detailed information. Additionally, Registrar Registry Manager allows you to defragment the registry by compressing it and block access to changing registry settings by other users.
Rice. 13. View the registry in the Registrar Registry Manager package
Rice. 14. Result of comparing different copies of the registry
using Registrar Registry Manager
Rice. 15. Monitoring changes in the registry in mode
real time using Registrar Registry Manager
Registry Workshop 3.0.1
Developer: TorchSoft
Distribution size: 735 KB
Work under control: Windows (all versions)
Distribution method: shareware (30-day demo - http://www.torchsoft.com/download/RegistryWorkshop.exe)
Price:$29.95
Registry Workshop is an alternative to the RegEdit registry editor with greater functionality that allows you to quickly solve common registry tasks. Therefore, it is aimed primarily at professionals.
Registry Workshop allows you to edit the values of registry keys and parameters (Fig. 16) directly and by cutting, copying and pasting, as well as quick search and replacement of individual parameters (and in a sufficiently safe mode thanks to support for multiple rollbacks). The package allows you to create a backup copy of the entire system registry and its individual branches. These copies can be used to restore the system registry (only for Windows NT 4/2K/XP/2003) and to compare system registries made at different times. Additionally, it allows you to defragment the system registry (Fig. 17) with the ability preview compressed version (only for Windows NT 4/2K/XP/2003). It is worth noting that Registry Workshop is convenient in performing various registry operations. So, multi-window mode allows you to download several different copies of the registry at the same time; the ability to create bookmarks provides faster access to frequently opened branches; extensive use of context menus speeds up access to necessary functions; support for drag-and-drop operation speeds up moving or copying keys and variables, etc.
Rice. 16. Editing the system registry
in the Registry Workshop package
Rice. 17. Defragment the registry using
Registry Workshop
Advanced Registry Tracer 2.11
Developer: ElcomSoft Co Ltd
Distribution size: 1.82 MB
Work under control: Windows (all versions)
Distribution method: shareware (30-day demo - http://www.elcomsoft.com/download/art.zip)
Price:$40 (in Softkey.Ru - 599 rub.)
Advanced Registry Tracer (ART) - handy tool to analyze changes occurring in the system Windows registry. The program can take snapshots of the registry and stores them in its database - in the future, any snapshots (taken at different times) can be viewed (Fig. 18) and compared with each other for differences. If necessary, you can roll back, returning the registry to one of the remembered previous states. Such a comparison is useful for solving problems related to installing programs or drivers or changing their settings as a result of some events. For example, by taking a snapshot of the registry before or after installing a program or driver, it is easy to identify all the changes made during the installation and find out which keys are responsible for certain system or program settings. This information may be required to correctly remove a program or driver or, conversely, to install them on another computer, which is primarily of interest to administrators. In addition, Advanced Registry Tracer will help if problems arise with the operation of programs - for example, if immediately after installation the application functioned normally, and then crashes began later, then you can return its settings to the original state by comparing the corresponding registry snapshots (immediately after installing the program and at the time of the failure ) and setting the changed parameters to their original state. Having registry snapshots provides some security when experimenting with various settings system and may be useful for identifying Trojans.
Rice. 18. View a snapshot of the registry using
Advanced Registry Tracer
Rice. 19. Registry snapshot comparison
in Advanced Registry Tracer
The comparison is carried out across the entire registry or partially (some branches can be excluded from the comparison), including from command line. Its results are displayed in the utility window in the form of a registry, in which different lines are highlighted yellow(identical lines are marked in green) - fig. 19 and all new, deleted or changed keys or other parameters are indicated. An advanced search in the registry is provided, taking into account the date the parameters were changed, and the search parameters can be saved in bookmarks to speed up its execution in the future. Any registry keys can be easily saved in a reg file (as well as imported from a reg file) and opened in the RegEdit registry editor for editing. You can add comments to any photo.
This article will describe the process of creating and comparing snapshots of the registry to see if there are any changes in it. Typically, the function is needed when full program, but can also be used as a regular means of detecting changes when working with a suspicious application. We will also look at the process of comparing images.
The function for creating registry snapshots is located last in the list of the main program window and is of secondary importance. Such a function can only be considered as complementary to “uninstall programs”, because not everyone needs to check the file system when installing a new application (deleting program files is usually done by the program itself), but not everyone will have enough to check the registry for changes. This means that both options are needed for both sharing, and to diversify user tastes.
One way or another, to create a photo you mark required sections to analyze them, specify the name of the image, click "ok":
And wait for the operation to complete:
Then, of course, it’s your choice: install the program, work with it, make changes to the system, manually delete unnecessary directories in the registry or something else, and then in the same way create a second snapshot that records a new “version” of the registry, but, at the same time, only theoretically changes are stored in it. That is, when comparing images, you may not detect changes - it all depends on the operations performed.
Having created 2 images, you can start comparing:
After selecting the images and specifying the file name of the changes being analyzed, Reg Organizer will begin the comparison. To view the latest, the program will move you to the next tab, where changes collected by the " complete removal programs." From there you can perform all the necessary operations on the created or modified keys.
As a result, creating and comparing registry snapshots is useful only in some situations; it’s still better to know for sure what happened in the system using the program removal function, because the option can be used in different situations, like today’s one.
Comments:
Today, glass and metal designs of smartphones are very popular and it is always useful to have protection for...
Yesterday NVIDIA company officially presented GeForce video card GTX 1650, however, tests of this model came...
Recently, it has become more and more difficult for smartphone manufacturers to attract the attention of buyers, because we...
Steelseries has officially unveiled a new gaming headset, which is created specifically for games...
On April 10, Garena received information that the owner, coach and jungler of the team were placing bets and making...
The purpose of the work is to analyze software designed to manage the registry.
The operation of Windows OS depends on the registry settings. To make changes to registry settings, Windows has a built-in editor called regedit, which requires some knowledge to work with. Most users are not familiar with or have the skills to work with the registry. For such purposes, there are software tools that have intuitive interface and are intended for this circle of users.
Analysis of software tools for working with the registry will allow you to compare the functions of the software, as well as determine a narrower direction for working with the registry.
RegOrganizer
The software is mainly aimed at optimizing and cleaning the registry. RegOrganizer has a number of functions:
- disk cleaning;
- uninstalling programs;
- has a built-in registry editor;
- fine-tune the system;
- create registry snapshots.
This program is free for a 30-day period, after which the functions will not be available.
One of the advantages of the programs is the built-in express system check system, which allows you to check the registry for errors and optimize it. RegOrganizer runs under operating systems Windows systems XP, Windows Vista,Windows 7.
Interface of the reg organizer program
The program is mainly aimed at optimizing and cleaning the registry, customizing the registry
XP Tweaker
A utility designed for fine-tuning the system through the registry. In addition, XP Tweaker allows you to:
- view programs recorded in autorun;
- remove programs, configure connections; create virtual disks;
- change the path to system folders;
- call the built-in operating system administration tools;
- optimize the system.
System optimization is carried out by changing parameters in the Windows system registry.
The utility has the following categories, each of which contains subcategories in the form of tabs: system, multimedia, protection, desktop, Internet, files and disks.
xp tweeker program interface
The XP Tweaker program is distributed under the GNU GPL license and runs under Windows Vista and XP.
XPAnti- spy
A utility designed to configure and optimize the registry, the interface is intuitive. Functions can be adjusted only in one mode: enable/disable.
The program has several categories:
MediaPlayer Options, Error Reports, Advanced Options, Network, Internet Explorer, services, Regsvr32 – dll registration, system tweaks.
One of the advantages of the program is the creation and storage of a system settings profile, and the ability to configure the OS using the command line, for example:
xp-AntiSpy.exe [+|-n]
where +/- indicates the activation or deactivation of a particular setting, n is the number of the setting that should be enabled/disabled. Full list settings are available in the help. It is worth saying that when you hover the mouse cursor over one of the functions in the program, a hint is displayed on how to use the highlighted function. This will allow the user to obtain more detailed information on working with the selected function.
xp-antispy program interface
The program is free and runs under control operating systems Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista.
jv16 PowerTools XP
A set of utilities designed to optimize and configure the registry. jv16 PowerTools XP has a number of categories, one of which is dedicated to working with the registry.
This section contains:
—built-in manager registry, which allows you to install/uninstall programs, manage file types registered in the system, manage context menu both OS and Internet Explorer.
- “search and replace” section– designed to search and replace words in the registry.
- registry compression– a section designed to compress selected branches or the registry as a whole. The program indicates the volume that the registry branch occupies.
- registry cleaning– a section designed to clean the registry from erroneous keys, unused keys left over from programs that have been deleted. It has flexible settings scanning and data cleaning. Registry scanning can be performed in four modes: safe, normal, “aggressive”, “most aggressive”.
- information about the registry– a section intended to obtain statistical information about the registry. The program calculates the number of keys in the branch, its volume, the length of the name and parameters of the key, etc.
- registry monitoring – section intended for comparing registries or its individual branches. Allows you to create a snapshot of the registry, both as a separate part, branch and as a whole.
When the program was first launched, the following was noticed: the program step by step warned the user about the consequences associated with incorrect use of registry functions, and provided the opportunity to learn more about the functionality of the program using a subscription.
jv16 powertools program interface
The program runs under Windows Vista, XP, Windows 7. Distributed under a Shareware license, runs on x86/x64 platforms.
conclusions
When analyzing software intended for managing the registry, it was noticed that the analyzed utilities are divided into several areas: for configuration, optimization, and cleaning the registry. During the analysis, it was noticed that the XP Anti-spy utility, which is distributed across GPL licenses, allows you to configure OS functions (via the registry) using the command line or MS-DOS. Using these programs allows the user to change registry settings without resorting to knowledge of working with the regedit editor and registry branches directly.
One of the articles already mentioned that the Reg Organizer program has a function for installing programs with creating a change log, which allows you to track all the changes made to the system when installing an application. This will track all changes made to the registry, as well as to the computer’s drives (which drives will be monitored is determined by the program settings).
But tracking changes made can be useful not only when installing new applications, but also when working with already installed ones. This type of tracking is usually done to see how a program is performing over time. To do this, you can use the function of creating and comparing registry snapshots.
The registry snapshot feature can be accessed from the Application Uninstaller menu. After selecting this section, in the window that opens, select the “Registry Snapshots” tab and start the procedure, having first completed the required settings. The settings allow you to select the root keys that will be included in the created snapshot. After you have worked with the application under study, run the same procedure again. Any created image can be deleted using the third procedure - “Deleting images”.
When you have two or more pictures, you can compare them. On the same “Registry Snapshots” tab there is a comparison procedure. You only need to indicate which images will be compared. The comparison results will be written to a log (similar to what is created when installing applications using Reg programs Organizer).
To view the image comparison log, select the “Change Logs” tab, where in the drop-down list select the required log. After this, the program will output the changes that were written to this file. Changes to the registry are shown in a tree structure (tree of registry keys). The “Expand All” button located below the drop-down list allows you to simultaneously expand all nodes of the change tree. With its help, you can quickly, in one click, make all elements of the tree visible.
The context menu of the “Registry Changes” tab has interesting feature, which allows you to save the registry key selected in the tree to a file. Please note that it will not be the current value of the registry key that will be saved, but what is recorded in the log. In some cases, one saved key will correspond to several changed parameters. When saving as a file, each parameter will be written to a separate reg file, and in order not to get confused with them, these files will be placed in the same folder, the name of which you can assign when saving the key values.