Reinstalling Windows

I did it again. Me and my tests of shareware!! One step beyond, and
blue screen at the ok corral (no, registry backups were not helpful in this
case).

But .... "it's an ill wind that blows no good". Got a clean system
(again), and besides that, I learned the hard way how to get back my OE mail
and news rules. A bit of a pain in the butt, but it was worth it. I
think.....

(Updated with more info below...)

Bill in Co. wrote:
I did it again. Me and my tests of shareware!! One step beyond, and
blue screen at the ok corral (no, registry backups were not helpful in
this
case).

But .... "it's an ill wind that blows no good". Got a clean system
(again), and besides that, I learned the hard way how to get back my OE
mail
and news rules. A bit of a pain in the butt, but it was worth it. I
think.....

Well, on rereading this again, this was not very informative, so let me add
in some corrections and notes:

It wasn't shareware - it was a freeware utility program that was *supposed
to* give you some nice system info on your system. The program name was:
Info Bag Pro. DON'T try it!

It used a MSI file to install itself. What it then did was install some
OCX and VXD files that rendered my system next to useless, viz, "Explorer
has caused a page fault..." (etc, etc, etc) anytime you used Windows
Explorer (which made it next to impossible to uninstall it).

But. as I said, I learned something else in the process: how to use regedit
in DOS mode to export the (previously saved) good registry as a reg (text)
file. That allowed me to find my old OE Mail and News Rules key info,
which I then reregistered (after first updating the CLSID user key name) in
my current registry.

Note: to whom it may concern: if you ever have to do this, be damn sure you
first run SMARTDRV before attempting to export your old registry system and
user data files (from a previously saved cabinet) into a new reg (text)
file, to find the desired key info. Otherwise you'll be there at the DOS
prompt for hours.

Bill in Co. wrote:

It used a MSI file to install itself. What it then did was install
some OCX and VXD files that rendered my system next to useless, viz,
"Explorer has caused a page fault..." (etc, etc, etc) anytime you
used Windows Explorer (which made it next to impossible to uninstall
it).

But. as I said, I learned something else in the process: how to use
regedit in DOS mode to export the (previously saved) good registry as
a reg (text) file. That allowed me to find my old OE Mail and News
Rules key info, which I then reregistered (after first updating the
CLSID user key name) in my current registry.

Lots easier to just use Total Uninstall.

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Bill in Co. wrote:
I did it again. Me and my tests of shareware!! One step
beyond, and blue screen at the ok corral (no, registry backups were
not helpful in this case).

But .... "it's an ill wind that blows no good". Got a clean
system (again), and besides that, I learned the hard way how to get
back my OE mail and news rules. A bit of a pain in the butt, but it
was worth it. I think.....

GoBack. Speaking from experience: an Inept Power User's dream, .

That's one of the main purposes I use Ghost. I always create an image before
any new installation, if something goes bang or I find I don't like the app I
then restore the pre-install image. I use TotalUninstall to monitor all app
installs which also creates an uninstall file should I wish to remove the app.
If the app is installed for a number of days before I decide I don't like/want
it, then I uninstall it with either Add/Remove, the apps uninstaller or
TotalUninstall. After uninstalling the app I then use any number of registry
editors to seek/remove any errant left-behinds.

Two apps I use aside from/along with regedit, which NO ONE THAT IS NOT
FAMILIARIZED OR EXPERIENCED with registry editing should ever use or even
attempt to edit the registry.

Reg Commander
Registrar Lite

--

Brian A. Sesko
{ MS MVP_Shell/User }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm




"Bill in Co." wrote in message
...
I did it again. Me and my tests of shareware!! One step beyond, and
blue screen at the ok corral (no, registry backups were not helpful in this
case).

But .... "it's an ill wind that blows no good". Got a clean system
(again), and besides that, I learned the hard way how to get back my OE mail
and news rules. A bit of a pain in the butt, but it was worth it. I
think.....

Interesting. I just looked it up. Two versions: one free, the newer one
is shareware.

How effective is Total Uninstall in all cases? Surely it's not as
effective as Go Back or Ghost? Probably wouldn't save you if you were
stuck at the Blue Screen level, I'd guess.

dadiOH wrote:
Bill in Co. wrote:

It used a MSI file to install itself. What it then did was install
some OCX and VXD files that rendered my system next to useless, viz,
"Explorer has caused a page fault..." (etc, etc, etc) anytime you
used Windows Explorer (which made it next to impossible to uninstall
it).

But. as I said, I learned something else in the process: how to use
regedit in DOS mode to export the (previously saved) good registry as
a reg (text) file. That allowed me to find my old OE Mail and News
Rules key info, which I then reregistered (after first updating the
CLSID user key name) in my current registry.

Lots easier to just use Total Uninstall.

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Definitely not as effective as an image. However, AFAIK it works well in
removing folders/files in Windows. It may not remove all registry keys for some
particular purpose when uninstalling some apps, but not to worry, TU creates a
log containing any reg keys not removed and why. You then make the choice on if
you should remove them or not.

The one thing to keep an eye on is anything done after the monitoring is
finished will not be included in the uninstall or the log, in which case it
becomes a manual search and delete.

--

Brian A. Sesko
{ MS MVP_Shell/User }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm




"Bill in Co." wrote in message
...
Interesting. I just looked it up. Two versions: one free, the newer one
is shareware.

How effective is Total Uninstall in all cases? Surely it's not as
effective as Go Back or Ghost? Probably wouldn't save you if you were
stuck at the Blue Screen level, I'd guess.

dadiOH wrote:
Bill in Co. wrote:

It used a MSI file to install itself. What it then did was install
some OCX and VXD files that rendered my system next to useless, viz,
"Explorer has caused a page fault..." (etc, etc, etc) anytime you
used Windows Explorer (which made it next to impossible to uninstall
it).

But. as I said, I learned something else in the process: how to use
regedit in DOS mode to export the (previously saved) good registry as
a reg (text) file. That allowed me to find my old OE Mail and News
Rules key info, which I then reregistered (after first updating the
CLSID user key name) in my current registry.

Lots easier to just use Total Uninstall.

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

What about if some app (like that bad one I mentioned) had installed some
bad OCX and VxD files - could it also fix those errors? To do so, it
would have to "unregister" them in the registry AND any and all screwed up
associations with those files. That might be a tall order for this
program, right?

Brian A. wrote:
Definitely not as effective as an image. However, AFAIK it works well in
removing folders/files in Windows. It may not remove all registry keys for
some particular purpose when uninstalling some apps, but not to worry, TU
creates a log containing any reg keys not removed and why. You then make
the
choice on if you should remove them or not.

The one thing to keep an eye on is anything done after the monitoring is
finished will not be included in the uninstall or the log, in which case
it
becomes a manual search and delete.

--

Brian A. Sesko
{ MS MVP_Shell/User }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm




"Bill in Co." wrote in message
...
Interesting. I just looked it up. Two versions: one free, the newer
one
is shareware.

How effective is Total Uninstall in all cases? Surely it's not as
effective as Go Back or Ghost? Probably wouldn't save you if you were
stuck at the Blue Screen level, I'd guess.

dadiOH wrote:
Bill in Co. wrote:

It used a MSI file to install itself. What it then did was install
some OCX and VXD files that rendered my system next to useless, viz,
"Explorer has caused a page fault..." (etc, etc, etc) anytime you
used Windows Explorer (which made it next to impossible to uninstall
it).

But. as I said, I learned something else in the process: how to use
regedit in DOS mode to export the (previously saved) good registry as
a reg (text) file. That allowed me to find my old OE Mail and News
Rules key info, which I then reregistered (after first updating the
CLSID user key name) in my current registry.

Lots easier to just use Total Uninstall.

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Bill in Co. wrote:
What about if some app (like that bad one I mentioned) had installed
some bad OCX and VxD files - could it also fix those errors?

They would be deleted. What it can't do is replace previously existing
files that were overwritten.

What it does...

Registry
created keys will be deleted
deleted keys will be created
created values will be deleted
deleted values will be created
modified values will be restored

File System
created folders will be deleted
created files will be deleted
_______________________

You asked in another post how it compares to GoBack & Ghost. Ghost is
an imager, different thing. The "change fle" that TUN produces is
generally smallish...most are well under 100KB. Most. The one for
dotNET is 1,904KB, VB is 964KB.

It is good for more than monitoring installs. You can use it while
browsing suspect sites, for monitoring whatever sort of change is made
to your system by whatever, to find where some program is stashing
files...anything.

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

OK, so let me go out on a limb here, and play devil's advocate. As long as
we aren't missing the proper files on the HD, TUN *will* be able to recover
from just about any software malignancy we throw at it (due to some freeware
or shareware being poorly designed)?

I guess that would be true even if we were stuck in Safe Mode. If we
couldn't even get to Safe Mode, we're probably hosed (assuming a registry
restore doesn't cut it).

dadiOH wrote:
Bill in Co. wrote:
What about if some app (like that bad one I mentioned) had installed
some bad OCX and VxD files - could it also fix those errors?

They would be deleted. What it can't do is replace previously existing
files that were overwritten.

What it does...

Registry
created keys will be deleted
deleted keys will be created
created values will be deleted
deleted values will be created
modified values will be restored

File System
created folders will be deleted
created files will be deleted
_______________________

You asked in another post how it compares to GoBack & Ghost. Ghost is
an imager, different thing. The "change fle" that TUN produces is
generally smallish...most are well under 100KB. Most. The one for
dotNET is 1,904KB, VB is 964KB.

It is good for more than monitoring installs. You can use it while
browsing suspect sites, for monitoring whatever sort of change is made
to your system by whatever, to find where some program is stashing
files...anything.

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico