Saving and Restoring the Desktop Taskbars

[eidenk]

Taskbars data is dumped from memory to the registry only at normal shutdown or logoff.

Set up a taskbar environment and make sure to shut down or logoff before Explorer crashes (Unregister webcheck.dll if you don't want explorer to always crash before you have finished setting up a complex taskbar layout) so that the relevant data gets written to the registry.

After restart or Login, export the following registry keys :

HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams

HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StuckRects2

Restoring the taskbar layout is now just a matter of merging the saved keys to the registry and then kill and restart explorer.exe.

They can be exported on another computer as well and will exist even if the folders they point to do not exist on that system. They just will be unusable but as soon as the folder they point to exist they will be fully functional.

Loads of fun and possibilities starting from there.

[nitebat]

eidenk:

To build on that idea, there are a lot of setting in the registry worth exporting. I use 2 methods. For the Shell (Explorer), every time I find a setup I like get 'squashed' or altered, I track down and export the keys (after fixing things up) and append them to a master file called 'MyDefaults.reg'. When my PCs need a 'tune up' I just merge the one file (a differant one for each). For installed programs, I track down and export that programs keys to the programs folder. It takes a bit of detective work because programs sometime install context menu helpers and such way off the beaten track in CLASSES_ROOT. But if it's just general settings, of the shell and installed programs, you can usually find what you want in 'Software'. Of course, always when dealing with the Registry, back 'er up often (and especialy before you do the 'tune up' trick I mention above.

On a couple of PCs, I've experimented with 'Complete Registry Backup'. Once I get a PC 'just right', I backup the registry files & the six files that come up in 'sysedit'. On the next boot, those eight files are copied overtop of the 'originals'. What this means is that the PC now boots thinking it just woke up after the 'just right' boot. The registry doesn't grow, 'streams (MRUs) remain intact. The downside is that you must 'unlock' the system to install software or update the system. I use batch files to handle that. I used that method to 'lock down' a PC going to a family with two young boys & even I'm amazed at how stable it's been.

true tales from the Danger Zone...

nitebat