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Windows has become flaky again and it's time to reinstall.
On C:, which the re-install with format, I have only Windows and a few programs, such as Google Chrome browser, which don't think I can be trusted to decide where they are installed.
The vast majority of my programs are on E: (with data on F:).
Normally, a re-install of Windows means a re-install of my programs. Which seems like overkill, when they are still there on E:. In fact, all that I am "re-installing" are registry entries.
So, perhaps before a re-installing, I can export certain parts of the registry and then import them again afterwards, to effectively "a re-install" my programs.
The question is which hives to export. I am guessing HK_CURRENT_USER and software, however, I think that I ought to exclude software/microsoft as that probably contains some of the problems which are causing me to a re-install in the first place.
- am I correct in my assumption?
- are there any more hives which I should export? (e.g.
HK_LOCAL_MACHINE/software?) - is there anything else that I should avoid?
- how can I do this? I.e. If I export all of
software, how can I remove themicrosoftentry from it - any other advice?
Mawg says reinstate Monica
Posted 2015-03-12T08:19:54.220
Reputation: 2 744
1The question really is: Do you want a clean system? In that case, don’t do this. you’ll just invite problems. – Daniel B – 2015-03-12T08:21:25.910
I want a system clean of Windows gunk. I want to have may coding tools, which are on E:, back as they were, without losing settings & without having to spend hours reinstalling. I don't see problems, so long as I have the Chinese wall of partitioning between Windows on C and the rest on E:, F:, etc. However, if you know of concrete problems, then please let me know. Thanks – Mawg says reinstate Monica – 2015-03-12T10:02:54.723
Coding tools as in...? Visual Studio? Eclipse? – Daniel B – 2015-03-12T10:12:34.677
Does it matter? Eclipse, NetBeans, Delphi (plus Gexperts, plus a dozen+ TMS components), PyCharm, Brackets, PhpStorm - those are the IDEs which I use regularly, there are others. Plus database access tools, static code analyzers, version control, hex editor, Xampp, code formatter, etc, etc, etc. Office suite, anti-virus, Thunderbird, backup program, utility programs, a few games ... It can take days to a week to reinstall it all, and then I have to configure those programs. I could just image Widows on a regular basis, but that could be imaging the problems. Clean Windows, rest unchanged – Mawg says reinstate Monica – 2015-03-12T10:22:24.973
Of course it matters. Visual Studio, for example, cannot be restored because it depends on hundreds of thousands of registry entries. Same goes for MS Office, by the way. – Daniel B – 2015-03-12T10:27:57.233
You can export it sure. The problem is once you uninstall it even if you import it that new installation wouldn't have access to the imported data. Of course I am suspect of any solution to "windows is slow problem" that results in the reinstallation of Windows. I have had the same installation of Windows for 7 years and its still as fast as the day I installed it, I event transferred that installation, to an entirely different machine, and plan to do that again in the near future. – Ramhound – 2015-03-12T11:14:58.713
Thanks for the feedback. 1) why would the new installation wouldn't have access to the imported data? Export, then import. Where else are the config data stored? 2) please don't assume that I have a "windows is slow problem". Your point may be valid, but I have the Windows explorer restarts every minute or so problem & none of the many solutions which I found helped. – Mawg says reinstate Monica – 2015-03-12T12:34:04.023
@DanielB - one of us is missing something. I am proposing to export then re-import those thousands of registry entries, so I can't see your point. What am I overlooking? – Mawg says reinstate Monica – 2015-03-12T12:45:47.253