registry

  • Thread starter Thread starter JustMe
  • Start date Start date
J

JustMe

HI ! Is there a tool that will tell what changes have taken place in the
registry after an installation
Thanking you
With Kind Regards From WillofAustralia.
 
JustMe said:
HI ! Is there a tool that will tell what changes have taken place in the
registry after an installation
Click to expand...

Regshot or RegSnap.....Textual reports
InstallWatch...........Reports in .reg format (or .csv)
Total Uninstall........Logs for Uninstall functionality
Its txt exports are not natively aesthetic

If you know which you want, I'll look up URLs (or someone else might have
them handy)
 
Total uninstall is down ___cannot contact @ this time______Looks very good 2
me

With Kind Regards From WillofAustralia.
 
I wonder Karen, have you checked this out? (Now at version 2.0)
Click to expand...
</snip>

I've looked at it and personally, I can't see what all the fuss is
about...... it's not even as good as TU IMHO, and I didn't like that one
either.

--

Regards

Steven Burn
Ur I.T. Mate Group
www.it-mate.co.uk

Keeping it FREE!

Disclaimer:
I know I'm probably wrong, I just like taking part ;o)
 
Sietse Fliege said:
I wonder Karen, have you checked this out? (Now at version 2.0)
Click to expand...

Hi, Sietse. Yes, I took a look. Regarding its logs, those are .html.
Each time it finishes a monitoring session, it tracks down Internet
Explorer and forcibly launches it. If you've got a net connection,
it connects to Paypal at that time, to download an image from there.

The whole monitoring process takes it a great deal of time. Far cry
from Installwatch, from whom I can get a registry report in less than
60 seconds. I did turn off drives tracking for InstallSpy, which
normally makes a notable difference for this kind of thing. Despite
that, it's five minutes or more, of intensive, grinding processing.
The prog runs like a tractor through mud.

The aspect about this program that looked to have potential was the
notification feature. Choose which registry keys to be watched, types
of file changes, and so on. The suggested registry keys, they were of
course the run keys. I also noticed something in its interface for
notify on changes to file associations. Customizable notification
like it offers, I'd think that would get interest...

I can't comment about that much, as I couldn't manage to uncover how
to get the feature to work. Not when I tested for notification on folder
creation/deletion, nor on file association change. Not that I would use
this program in such a TSR sort to way. It is far too heavy and clunky
for my system, and for my tastes. I tried testing that part mainly to
see if its manner of notification was to do the same as with an install
session: The forcible launch of Internet Explorer, and the download of
the Paypal graphic.
 
I didn't see anyone making a fuss.

Thanks,
Michael Leaver,
Yes, the useless developer of InstallSpy
 
As with all my programs, I am completely open to suggestions on
improvements, changes, enhancements, etc. The many people who email with
those suggestions will tell you the same. I write these programs originally
for myself, but make them available to anyone who wants to use or try them.

From what I can tell, you are concerned about:

- Forcibly (?) opening IE and displaying a PayPal graphic. Yes, it opens
your default web browser because the log file is in HTML. The PayPal graphic
will be removed (as it already has from the help file) in the next version.
Having an always-on Internet connection, I do forget that some people do
not.

- I've not had any issues with performance, but that may be just because I
have a faster computer. I'm always looking to improve the speed, but for the
registry change tracking, it does compare tens of thousands of keys if you
are looking for changes both in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
I'll try and buy a new tractor, or remove the mud.

- The help file describes the changes to make regarding notification of
registry key changes. It's not rocket science, although this can be made
more user friendly, and again, this is something I want to improve on in the
next version.

- I'm not sure why you think it's heavy and clunky, but of course personal
opinions are exactly those.

I sensed a somewhat hostile opinion of the program from you, although I
don't see why. I'm just one developer, not a company, wasting my free time
writing software. Developing software is an iterative process, and
InstallSpy is only on stage 2. Ask Microsoft, they always get their early
versions badly wrong :)

Thanks for your comments,
Michael Leaver
 
Yes, the useless developer of InstallSpy
Click to expand...
</snip>

There's no such thing as a "useless developer" ;o). Just because I don't
personally like something, doesn't make it, or you, "useless" :o)

--

Regards

Steven Burn
Ur I.T. Mate Group
www.it-mate.co.uk

Keeping it FREE!

Disclaimer:
I know I'm probably wrong, I just like taking part ;o)
 
- I've not had any issues with performance, but that may be just because I
have a faster computer. I'm always looking to improve the speed, but for the
registry change tracking, it does compare tens of thousands of keys if you
are looking for changes both in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
I'll try and buy a new tractor, or remove the mud.
Click to expand...
</snip>

Can I be blunt, and ask which API your using to access the registry? (some
are faster than others.... in my experience)

I sensed a somewhat hostile opinion of the program from you, although I
don't see why. I'm just one developer, not a company, wasting my free time
writing software. Developing software is an iterative process, and
InstallSpy is only on stage 2. Ask Microsoft, they always get their early
versions badly wrong :)
Click to expand...
</snip>

I'm sure Karen didn't mean her comments to come accross as "hostile". Some
of us just aren't as good at wording/phrasing things, so they tend to come
accross wrong ;o)

--

Regards

Steven Burn
Ur I.T. Mate Group
www.it-mate.co.uk

Keeping it FREE!

Disclaimer:
I know I'm probably wrong, I just like taking part ;o)
 
Michael J. Leaver said:
- Forcibly (?) opening IE and displaying a PayPal graphic. Yes, it opens
your default web browser because the log file is in HTML.
Click to expand...

Internet Explorer is not my default web browser, and I don't like to use
it. My default handler for .htm\.html is OB1.

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\htmlfile\shell]
@="ob1"

Your program is reading the incorrect area of the registry. It should look
in that location above for default handler, not for the arbitrary key name,
"open."

Better might be asking for an affirmative action, "view with browser."
Or perhaps you might look into hosting mshtml in your app, to display
the file internally, not as a separate program. And at that time, to
please not connect to any external servers (eg Paypal).
 
Michael J. Leaver said:
I sensed a somewhat hostile opinion of the program from you, although I
don't see why.
Click to expand...

Public product, public critics.

If I were not honest, and just blandly said, "that's nice," about this
and that, indiscriminately, one of the undesirable consequences would be
that my comments about those programs and features I do admire would be
rendered essentially meaningless.
I'm just one developer, not a company, wasting my free time writing
software.
Click to expand...

I also considered that it did not feel like true freeware, being busy
about about soliciting donations. But even with true freeware, it is
important for comments to be genuinely felt, whether for the software
development, or for sharing of experience with others.


.. . .
Developing software is an iterative process, and InstallSpy is only
on stage 2.
Click to expand...

I think I am on the right track, that the value of your program will come,
not from being an installation logger, but instead from being a realtime
notifier, where the users sets which file actions and which registry keys
for it to watch. If you could lighten its weight, as well as make the
interface more direct for that, then I believe it would generate a good
amount of interest.
 
The easiest way to do it from an app actually, is with the ShellExecute API
as it will use the default browser, regardless of what the browser is (IE,
Mozilla, Avant, AOHELL, Net "please let me e" scape etc etc etc etc).

--

Regards

Steven Burn
Ur I.T. Mate Group
www.it-mate.co.uk

Keeping it FREE!

Disclaimer:
I know I'm probably wrong, I just like taking part ;o)


omega said:
Michael J. Leaver said:
- Forcibly (?) opening IE and displaying a PayPal graphic. Yes, it opens
your default web browser because the log file is in HTML.
Click to expand...

Internet Explorer is not my default web browser, and I don't like to use
it. My default handler for .htm\.html is OB1.

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\htmlfile\shell]
@="ob1"

Your program is reading the incorrect area of the registry. It should look
in that location above for default handler, not for the arbitrary key name,
"open."

Better might be asking for an affirmative action, "view with browser."
Or perhaps you might look into hosting mshtml in your app, to display
the file internally, not as a separate program. And at that time, to
please not connect to any external servers (eg Paypal).
Click to expand...
 
<snipped>..... But even with true freeware, it is
important for comments to be genuinely felt, whether for the software
development, or for sharing of experience with others.
Click to expand...
</snip>

Couldn't have put it better myself

--

Regards

Steven Burn
Ur I.T. Mate Group
www.it-mate.co.uk

Keeping it FREE!

Disclaimer:
I know I'm probably wrong, I just like taking part ;o)
 
Steven Burn said:
omega said:
Michael J. Leaver said:
- Forcibly (?) opening IE and displaying a PayPal graphic. Yes, it opens
your default web browser because the log file is in HTML.
Click to expand...

Internet Explorer is not my default web browser, and I don't like to use
it. My default handler for .htm\.html is OB1.

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\htmlfile\shell]
@="ob1"

Your program is reading the incorrect area of the registry. It should look
in that location above for default handler, not for the arbitrary key
name, "open."
Click to expand...

The easiest way to do it from an app actually, is with the ShellExecute API
as it will use the default browser, regardless of what the browser is (IE,
Mozilla, Avant, AOHELL, Net "please let me e" scape etc etc etc etc).
Click to expand...

Thanks, Steven. All I knew is that other programs figure out my default
handler; as an end-user, I didn't know what is programmatically involved for
them to accomplish that.
 
Thanks, Steven. All I knew is that other programs figure out my default
handler; as an end-user, I didn't know what is programmatically involved for
them to accomplish that.
Click to expand...
</snip>

No problem :o)

--

Regards

Steven Burn
Ur I.T. Mate Group
www.it-mate.co.uk

Keeping it FREE!

Disclaimer:
I know I'm probably wrong, I just like taking part ;o)
 
It doesn't read anything from the registry to open your default browser.
Firebird, not IE, is my default browser and InstallSpy correctly opens that
to use view the log file, or any HTML file.

InstallSpy asks the *shell* (i.e. explorer, not internet explorer) to open
the log file (using the Windows function ShellExecute). It is Windows itself
that decides what program to use to open the log file, not InstallSpy. If
Windows is opening IE and not OB1 then it appears you have either got
something setup wrongly, or there is a bug in Windows itself.

When you double-click on an HTML file does Windows open IE or OB1?
---
To email replace the username spam with mjleaver
http://www.mjleaver.com/

omega said:
Michael J. Leaver said:
- Forcibly (?) opening IE and displaying a PayPal graphic. Yes, it opens
your default web browser because the log file is in HTML.
Click to expand...

Internet Explorer is not my default web browser, and I don't like to use
it. My default handler for .htm\.html is OB1.

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\htmlfile\shell]
@="ob1"

Your program is reading the incorrect area of the registry. It should look
in that location above for default handler, not for the arbitrary key name,
"open."

Better might be asking for an affirmative action, "view with browser."
Or perhaps you might look into hosting mshtml in your app, to display
the file internally, not as a separate program. And at that time, to
please not connect to any external servers (eg Paypal).
Click to expand...
 
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