How do you restore an older version of the registry in XP?

In message ,
Lostgallifreyan writes:
"J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote in
:

I fear '98 is where '95 and 3 was/were - just too
much software, and in particular hardware, won't run with it.


As a lot of high end hardware, like studio sound interfaces that used to cost
a grand Sterling, perform almost as well as the best new stuff, and are
beyond the wildest dreams of George Martin when he mixed the Beatles, and are
built to last, have openly released driver code in many cases, and can be
frequently found on eBay for about FIFTY QUID, this particular issue doesn't
bother me at all. Not only are these awesome older devices sorely
underestimated and rejected, a lot of tham won't run on WXP. This is clearly
not their fault, and if it makes peopel reject them for a pittance, it just
makes me that much happier.

I know what you mean about built to last; I have in my junkroom a
Laserjet 4 printer. (I haven't even checked whether there is an XP
driver for it, though there probably is, since there is for most impact
["dot matrix", though all printers except daisywheels/golfballs are dot
matrix] models, even obscure ones like Star LC-10, as well as the
ubiquitous EPSONs.) The trouble is it's huge - and lots of kit of that
vintage is.

People in S.E.D and other electronics discussion groups and forums are saying
there has NEVER been a better time to buy used test gear either. Stuff that
used to cost 50 grand going at prices a novice can afford. Stuff built so
well that it will work longer than most people will live if cared for.

IKWYM; again, it tends to be on the large size (if it has a screen, it's
likely to be a tube one, for example), but if you have the space ...

As to software, W98 had a great run, I bet more software was written for that
than any other OS before or since. The idea that there isn't enough software
that runs on W98 is odd, code doesn't die. I think the question is whether we
choose to reject it or not.

Hmm. as a later poster has said, there's not a _lot_ of video stuff -
especially CoDecs for the latest compressions. (Fair enough if you are
willing to limit yourself to old material as well as old hardware and
software.)

And some new hardware, of types that weren't imagined then, _does_ need
XP (I wouldn't be surprised if a few even need 7): I very much doubt
that there's an HD digital TV receiver around with '98 drivers, for
example. Or a 3D printer.

I was most impressed with soporific's "tenth anniversary" build of
Windows 98: basically he took 98, drivers for pretty much all the
hardware that had come out since, and a few other things like a
universal USB driver, and made an installation disc (that was full to
the 700M brim). Unfortunately, probably because the "few other things"
included hacked versions of some commercial software (such as the _full_
version of 98lite), it seems to have disappeared.

Got to love that this thread is going out to WXP-land too, no?

That _might_ have been me. But I think the principle - that XP is now
entering the area '98 held for a long time, basically it's well
understood and there are lots of people who know how to get round its
foibles (and, Microsoft wish it would Go Away) - is sound, and beginning
to be shared by (some) XP people. I think we're at a point where a truce
can be declared and XP and 98 enthusiasts can start to work together.

(I still like software that will run on both though!)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"We're Americans - with a capital `A'! And do you know what that means? Do you?
It means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the
world." - Bill Murray

"Bill in Co" wrote in
m:

I don't think there is enough really good audio and video editing software
out there for W98.

I think we've done this one before. Ò^O I can't comment much on video having
only used Gordian Knot and got into AviSynth a tad, for restoring some DVD's
I bought to a better state to watch. (Minder, a UK show, was salvaged from
off-air broadcasts, some not so high quality).

I've done plenty of audio though, and this time I won't go into all the
details of programs used, What matters to me is that the abilities of a lot
of easily available software can totally outdo the best software or hardware
available for every sound recording made since the discovery of fire, and the
start of this millennium. Most of the releases since then have likely
underused the capability, given an examination of the kinds of crude
compression and other tools available.

Never mind word processors, spreadsheets, dowload managers, the number of
different useful audio programs that run on W98 outweigh them by at least two
orders of decimal magnitude! (I include things useful for making audio, not
just editing, and I'm not including all the dodgy VST plugins that barely
work or do much of use). Some of it isn't easy to find without already
knowing what to look for, or at least have good leads, but the problem, even
IN 1998, probably, isn't that there's not enough, but too much, so people
find it hard to choose what's best, and often judge the best poorly because
of experiences with the rest.

Audio editing software alone for W98 includes quality and ability that I'll
never afford in any studio. It outranks ANY studio existing up to around the
90's. A bank of cheap older computers can outclass a Fairlight, a Synclavier,
a 48 track recording system... The Fairlight used to cost 25 grand Sterling,
minus shipping from Australia. The Synclavier cost a quarter of a MILLION.
Some of the mixers and recorders likely cost even more.

Nope, I have NO complaints about the power and ability of audio software for
W98, and never will.

On 11/5/2011 6:13 AM, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , Bob CP
writes:
[]
If things haven't progressed too far, sometimes it helps to put the
failing drive in the freezer, then quickly attach it to the USB
adapter for reading while it's still cold. Worked for me a couple of
(desperate) times.

Yes, I've heard of that one. There's a document called something like
100 ways to rescue a failing hard drive out there, and it seems to be
thoughtfully written - certainly includes the freezer one.

(I've just thought - given suitable physical arrangement of freezer
compartment and laptop, it might be possible to actually use it _in_ the
freezer, with the cable going through the door seal [and the drive and
USB adapter inside a bag]. Probably the heat it generates itself while
operating would still raise the temp., but if the fault is something
that cooling helps, might give you longer. But I think you'd need to be
pretty desperate!)
In my case, the (internal desktop) drive took several freezes to remove
all the relevant data. Your idea to keep the usb station in the freezer
would have helped, but I didn't think of using a laptop to transfer the
files. ;D Might not have owned one at the time.

That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it...

wrote in :

The only complaints I have about 98 is the USB
support/drivers hassle

Add NUSB to a new install. It's a huge improvement.

"Bill in Co" wrote in
m:

frequency space editing) - a
must for restorers

Interesting, but not vital. First, ears must make this call, not eyes.
Visualisation helps, but so does a good imagination and understanding of
filters. I've figured out restoration methods that exceed many professional
results, partly the NR+HR thing (noise reduction on HF followed by harmonic
regeneration. You wouldn't beleive the number of modern releases of older
movies and sudio that could easily benefit from this. Filtering out loud bass
like rumble or bad use of a pop shield can leave heavily clipped durations of
several hundred ms and often more, so how useful IS frequency space editing,
if it lets people forget that the moment you filter anything in the low end,
you shouldn't be watching the frequency domain, but the time domain. In other
words, FSE helps with visualisation, but it will not make anyone better at
filtering unless they cannot visualise the process without it.

"J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote in
news
I know what you mean about built to last; I have in my junkroom a
Laserjet 4 printer.

Hell yes, a guy called Robin Bowden who does a bit of laser and electronic
engineering told me about those. He got four PCB tracks under an 8 pin SOIC
(the small standard surface mount package for IC's with small pin counts). On
the strength of his advice, I bought two used Laserjet 5N machines, and three
new toner cartridges. With these, and a few bits of draughting film and a few
bottles of chemicals, and a UV lightbox built out of an old flatbed scanner,
I have made a PCB making lab that is a lot less complex than any
photgrapher's darkroom, yet allows me to do the entire thing from design to
manufacture in one room.

Again, there really IS a hell of a lot we can do with 'old and obsolete'
stuff. WHile peopel can say that WXP is needed to do it 'better' I
continunally find ways to do things with gear twenty years older, and still
come up with stuff that professionals today aren't doing. I mean, half the
reason I am doing it is because I can't just go out and buy it, because it's
not there to buy.

Maybe a few years of world financial crisis will prompt people into better
evaluations of stuff they already have! (If they weren't daft enough to chuck
it out, that is).

People in S.E.D and other electronics discussion groups and forums are
saying there has NEVER been a better time to buy used test gear either.
Stuff that used to cost 50 grand going at prices a novice can afford.
Stuff built so well that it will work longer than most people will live
if cared for.

IKWYM; again, it tends to be on the large size (if it has a screen, it's
likely to be a tube one, for example), but if you have the space ...


Some of it is smaller. Also, I recently bought a new thing, a cheap Chinese
signal generator. Maybe people dismiss them as toys, I don't know, there's no
discussion on forums I could find for this thing, never mind serious talk.
It's tiny, and does better than most larger generators costing 10 times as
much from any year or nation. So some things can be smaller, making the space
we need. My scope is a bit big, but I like it. HP/Agilent 1740A. I dread to
think what that would have cost if I had to buy it new..

On Fri, 04 Nov 2011 21:56:53 -0400, Bob CP
wrote:


If things haven't progressed too far, sometimes it helps to put the
failing drive in the freezer, then quickly attach it to the USB adapter
for reading while it's still cold. Worked for me a couple of
(desperate) times.

I had an old IDE drive that was acting flaky. I noticed that if I
applied some pressure to the circuit board on the drive, it would
sometimes run better. I discovered that those boards plug into a
multi-pin plug on the drive body. Taking out a few screws, the whole
board comes off the drive. I removed it, cleaned all the pins with a
pencil erasor, then with rubbing alcohol. let the alcohol dry, and put
it back together. It worked fine again. I copied all the data off of
it, and stashed it away, with a note that read: Do not trust, for
temporary use only. I think it's still in one of my spare parts
boxes, but is small, like 6 gigs or something like that.

"J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote in
news
As to software, W98 had a great run, I bet more software was written for
that than any other OS before or since. The idea that there isn't enough
software that runs on W98 is odd, code doesn't die. I think the question
is whether we choose to reject it or not.

Hmm. as a later poster has said, there's not a _lot_ of video stuff -
especially CoDecs for the latest compressions. (Fair enough if you are
willing to limit yourself to old material as well as old hardware and
software.)

And some new hardware, of types that weren't imagined then, _does_ need
XP (I wouldn't be surprised if a few even need 7): I very much doubt
that there's an HD digital TV receiver around with '98 drivers, for
example. Or a 3D printer.


It will be true mainly for commercial and domestic use, I think. A lot of
industry persists in using serial ports for control, or other long
established methods. USB is important now, for sure, lots of small embedded
boards like Arduinos use it, etc... NUSB added to W98 more than makes up for
the original lack.

I think the final limiting condition on important parallel buss hardware will
be the slots they plug into, which is clearly not a software problem. As
the slot type count is growing faster, people will likely soon have better
cause to moan about the hardware, than the software, and start looking
enviously at those who kept older high-end hardware, because it didn't have
that kind of incompatibility to worry about. They could argue that older is
worse, but not really, there has been a magical decade or so where the
frantic IRQ struggles were largely over, before types of PCI and AGP started
proliferating like orphaned bunnies.

When it comes to the sorts of things that need specialised drivers, it's
often better to use simple data pipes between them, and give them their own
dedicated MPU's to control their innards, so in the end any old machine might
talk to any new one, through USB ro even serial ports. This method works for
indistry, the only reason the commercial world won't catch up is if firms get
greedy and try to collar the market with proprietary incompatibility. Which
is basically a deliberate sabotage of interoperability, NOT something we can
blame on W98.

I was most impressed with soporific's "tenth anniversary" build of
Windows 98: basically he took 98, drivers for pretty much all the
hardware that had come out since, and a few other things like a
universal USB driver, and made an installation disc (that was full to
the 700M brim). Unfortunately, probably because the "few other things"
included hacked versions of some commercial software (such as the _full_
version of 98lite), it seems to have disappeared.



This is partly why my X98 will be built bottom up, to avoid any need to
distribute files I shouldn't. Hopefully all will be easily found in
future, somehow.

A really good driver repository would be nice. Same applies to older codecs!
I hate stuff like modern codec packs, so many good separate codecs started
vanishing because so many people had trouble with them, that a few groups of
the more successful users and coders dominated with packs that won't install
on W98 anymore! Again, this is more of a proprietary interest thing, not
W98's fault at all. Most of them DID run there, till their makers
deliberately chose to 'deprecate' it. So yet again, the ONLY real reason for
W98 to become obsolete is deliberate action. I have one word to describe
that: waste.

That _might_ have been me. But I think the principle - that XP is now
entering the area '98 held for a long time, basically it's well
understood and there are lots of people who know how to get round its
foibles (and, Microsoft wish it would Go Away) - is sound, and beginning
to be shared by (some) XP people. I think we're at a point where a truce
can be declared and XP and 98 enthusiasts can start to work together.

(I still like software that will run on both though!)


Now THAT is wisdom. What we have now is a vast mix of stuff, all generally
called Win32, running on i386. IF we all stick together and amit properly,
the weakness and strengths of all of it, in various forms, we can avoid being
divided and ruled. Not only does that make a coherent market for these
platforms, allowing us to avoid spending every year to keep the ability we
assumed we'd bought for life, it will compel makers of new stuff to honour
their buyers, not act like we're cattle they found in the back of a truck
they bought. Right now Apple and Microsoft and others are battling it out for
World Supremacy, but it has little to do with what people want. If it were
they would be co-operating to provide it fast, instead of bickering over
patents. The sooner we find out what we want, based on what we already HAVE,
understanding it that much better, the sooner the big firms will take us all
seriously. They did once, and they will again if we take control of our
machines instead of giving it to them thoughtlessly.


/rant.

Lostgallifreyan wrote in
:

I know what you mean about built to last; I have in my junkroom a
Laserjet 4 printer.

Hell yes, a guy called Robin Bowden who does a bit of laser and
electronic engineering told me about those. He got four PCB tracks under
an 8 pin SOIC (the small standard surface mount package for IC's with
small pin counts).

Correction, he got three (maybe four) tracks between two PINS on a standard
DIL IC. It's a hell of a feat with any hardware not owned by IC and PCB
factories.

On Fri, 4 Nov 2011 22:07:40 -0600, "Bill in Co"
wrote:


As to software, W98 had a great run, I bet more software was written for
that
than any other OS before or since. The idea that there isn't enough
software
that runs on W98 is odd, code doesn't die. I think the question is whether
we
choose to reject it or not.

I don't think there is enough really good audio and video editing software
out there for W98. Heck, even something as old as Adobe Audition 1.5
(which replaced CoolEditPro, but added FSE (frequency space editing) - a
must for restorers - won't even install on W98. And with SoundForge,
you're stuck at version 6.

And as far as video editing goes, is there anything good and reliable (and
fully capable) that will run on W98? (VirtualDub does not qualify :-)

I'm running Win98se right now. While I have an XP computer, I just
prefer my old Win98 machine, and dont have all the bloat of XP. Plus,
I still use Dos software quite often. There is good audio editing
sotware for 98, called Goldwave. I probably have an older version of
this, but it works well.

As for video editing, I have not seen anything made for 98, but this
is not something I am not really needing.
Since I have Kernal-Ex, i as, able to run newer versions of Firefox
whick work with sites that complain about older browsers, such as
youtube. I also have a few of the "good" files from Windows ME
installed in 98, such as the much improved DEFRAG.

I like 98 because it's simple and dont bug the user with stupid
questions and popup nags. Better yet, when something screws up, I can
boot to dos to fix it. The only complaints I have about 98 is the USB
support/drivers hassle, and the fact that the newer browsers are no
longer making them 98 compatible. (Not that I really want the newer
browsers anyhow, but the web authors seem to thing I need their
bloated newer browsers, so they can dump more Adobe flash ads on my
screen).