Re: RegClean

Possible reading material.

Windows XP Booklist

Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out 2nd ed ISBN 0-7356-2044-X
www.microsoft.com/mspress
Microsoft Windows XP Professional Resource Kit 3rd ed ISBN 0-7356-2167-5
www.microsoft.com/mspress
Microsoft Windows Command-Line ISBN 0-7356-2038-5
www.microsoft.com/mspress
Windows XP Pro 2nd ed The Missing Manual ISBN 0-596-00898-8
www.missingmanuals.com
Windows XP in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition ISBN 0-596-00900-3 www.oreilly.com
Windows XP Annoyances for Geeks, 2nd ed ISBN 0-596-00876-7 www.oreilly.com
Windows XP Hacks, 2nd ed ISBN 0-596-0000918-6 www.oreilly.com
Windows XP Solutions ISBN 0-7645-6773-X www.wiley.com/compbooks/pcmag
Windows XP Speed Solutions ISBN 0-7645-7814-6
www.wiley.com/compbooks/pcmag
Guide to Home Networking ISBN 0-7645-4473-X www.wiley.com/compbooks/pcmag
Hacking Windows XP ISBN 0-7645-6929-5 www.TweakXP.com

Downloadable Guides

XP Tweak Guide (TweakGuides_XPTC.zip) from www.TweakGuides.com
Windows Registry Guide (registryguide2003.exe) from www.winguides.com
Error Message for Windows (MSWinErr.zip) from www.gregorybraun.com

The BIOS

The BIOS Companion ISBN 0-9681928-0-7 www.electrocution.com
Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier ISBN 0-13-145536-2 www.rojakpot.com

PC Hardware in a Nutshell ISBN 0-596-00513-X www.oreilly.com

"Jack ***" <mind-the-gap@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uPanzRzqFHA.3436@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Thanks to all who responded - much as I suspected.
> I guess the time has come for me to learn to understand the windows
> registry. Any freebie resources on the net that will tell me about this?
> Or failing that, a recommendation of what I might have to shell out for?
>
> Windows registry is a black art for me. I remember the good ol' days of
> Windows 3.1, when I could understand the Autoexec.Bat file and the
> Config.sys file, and the high point was installing Quem386 and the 4DOS
> command interpreter to substitute for MSdos. Then came Windows 95 and the
> only improvement that I *noticed* (as an end user) was the recycle bin. No
> doubt it made it easier for the programmers, but for me it was a major
> headache, because I was used to PKZipping up all my programmes to free up
> disk space and only unzipping them as required (of course that was in the
> days when disk space was a rare resource). Trouble with that was that
> this nasty old windows registry could no longer find the programs that I
> zipped up, so keeping tabs on that (and in those days the registry went
> wild like a horseraddish root) was a nightmare because I had to remember
> not to do anything with registry entries that referred to zipped
> programmes (I had a phobia about doublespacing the hard drive). Back then
> I could remove a program by deleting it. Now I have to run an uninstal
> program and still remain unsure whether everything has gone.
>
> I find it strange that I should have to go to the effort of learning about
> the guts of the windows registry. When my car goes wrong I get the garage
> to fix it. When my shower goes wrong I get the plumber in. I don't go to
> the trouble of learning motor mechanics, nor plumbing (although that seems
> to be where the big money is, maybe I should). I choose to spend my time
> in other pursuits that interest me. Sure I PAY for the motor mechanic and
> plumber, and perhaps therein lies the rub. Perhaps I should find a local
> computer whiz and pay him a retainer. But somehow it does not seem quite
> the same, and not sure why not. Letting them at your puter seems a bit
> personal, perhaps, and the irritation that there should be a need for it
> still grates.
>
>


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