Nigelle
19th November 2006 17:39 UTC
Survival of a program after Windows reinstall
I have a configuration with 3 main partitions : C: for windows, D: for the programs I install, E: for my data.
During reinstallation C: is erased : that gives a clean Windows (I do a cold reinstallation each year for this purpose). The advantage of D: partition is
1) C: is smaller and so its defragmentation is more rapid,
2) few things are frequently written in D: and so it does not fragment too much.
3) 1/3 of my programs (simple freewares without register key) do not need reinstallation but just that I create a shortcut with explorer.
I am not happy to have to reinstall completly all the other (2/3) programs that have survived in good condition in D: just to recreate keys and other entries that have to be in C: according to Windows rules.
So my question is :
Can NSIS built an executable, with an agreed name e.g. ReinstallC.exe, that, when clicked on its name, reinstall in C: all the keys and other entries (in add/remove programs, start programs list, shortcuts, etc.) that have been written at installation time?
This can be faster that complete new install, and save me the need to keep and backup the last version of the installers of all my programs...
JasonFriday13
19th November 2006 21:33 UTC
Well, the easiest way I think of doing this is to reinstall windows, reinstall all your programs, and then use regedit to dump the entire registry to a file. Then, when you reinstall windows, all you have to do is double click on the file you made earlier, which will restore the registry to how it used to be. The add/remove programs, the file extensions, and all your used files will return. This probably isn't the best way, but its the only way I can think of at the moment.
For the start menu shortcuts, I don't think I have a solution right now, but will keep thinking.
zbd
21st November 2006 03:22 UTC
you could do a ghost image, can be handy if you know which programs you will want installed as your base windoze.
it only takes me about 15 mins to completely "format" with a ghost, just back up everything i want, boot up with the disc, it copies over and i'm done
Nigelle
21st November 2006 14:18 UTC
To JasonFriday13 and zbd
Don't forget that that the mean time between 2 Windows (cold or hot) reinstallations is nearly 1 year.
Your proposed solutions have the advantage to be done with 1 action not taking into account the number of programs. The drawback is that I take a snapshot of my programs configuration just after Windows and other programs reinstallation when the system is still clean. When I try to use this snapshot after 1 year the configuration is obsolete : some programs have been uninstalled, new ones installed, versions of others have changed!
If I have not done a big blunder we are here in forum about the NSIS installer. I was asking a new feature in this installer : "an executable ... that, when clicked on its name, reinstall in C: all the keys and other entries (in add/remove programs, start programs list, shortcuts, etc.) that have been written at installation time"
In fact this is a subset of the "installer executable" written by the "installer maker". I hope that it is not too difficult to implement in the "installer maker".
With this new feature I'll have a fast and flexible way to make the programs (still existing unharmed in the D: partition) working again. The programs will be at the state of their last installations (or last updates for antivirus if the date is not written in the keys) and not 1 year old. As I work the programs 1 by 1, I may uninstall them just by erasing their directory.