[Rel] Reg File Merger

[XPero]

Here is my first try in C# 2.0:

Reg File Merger merges multiple registry files into one single file. I think there isn't any app out there which does this job. Anyway, here it is.

.NET Framework 2.0 required

Download

Edited November 25, 2005 by XPero

[Martin L]

let me try this tool

[SiMoNsAyS]

will merge a few files with this... thanks

[Zoofield]

Tried your prog the other night and this is my opinion. (Don't know where to post this.)

1. Great been looking for this for a while.

2. Instead of…

[HKLM\key\path1\here]
“keyname1”=”value1” 

[HKLM\key\path1\here]
“keyname2”=”value2”

[HKLM\key\path1\here]
“keyname3”=”value3”

This…

[HKLM\key\path1\here]
“keyname1”=”value1”
“keyname2”=”value2”
“keyname3”=”value3”

3. There are some extra spaces and lines but not worried about this at the moment.

I'm to drunk right now to check but would be nice if key were put in order, example:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MicroSuck\Internet Explorer\TypedURLs]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MicroSuck\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MenuOrder]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Open With]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\batfile\shell\print]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\cmdfile\shell\print]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\DocShortcut]

[Shark007]

The download links seem to be broken?

shark

[spidercop]

is there e easy way tho check for double reg intries in the reg file like if u have same reg tweak twice

[XPero]

I'm plannig a complete rewrite of this app, but not soon (busy lately). Any bugs/feature request are welcome. Thanks

[Jeremy]

Hey, XPero, I have two suggestions for registry programs.

1. A tool that can "capture" all registry keys by any given process/program and record just those registry keys to a .REG file.

2. A tool that can "redirect" registry calls to backed-up hives stored, for example, on a USB stick. This idea occurred to me when I was thinking about the possibility of installing software on USB sticks which require Services to be entered into the reg. I mentioned this to Zxian a few days ago. I realize the backed-up hives would need some way of connecting to the host system's OS in order for the Services to work correctly and allow the program to function normally as if it were installed on the host system's registry hives. Is such an idea totally unfeasible, or what?

Cheers,

Jeremy

[XPero]

@Jeremy:

Both ideas sound nice. The first one seem to require lot of work, but I think it can be done with som effort and time. The second one...I just can say "Wow, how the hell do I do that?" I'm just a beginner programmer, so I want to start making usefull-silly-small apps and with time, plunge me into larger projects.

Anyway, for now I will stick with Reg File Merger and its main use: merging reg files.

Offtopic: I love to hear again and again that "MMM-M-M-MONSTERKILL-KiLL-kiLL-kill..." too.

[DigeratiPrime]

Jeremy keep an eye on the Lapwing project over at liberta-project.net and PortableApps.com

There is an RC2 you can grab @ SourceForge.

"Wrap" built on "Reg Rapper" also works.

And in Sandboxie you can view the contents of registry.dat with the following command:

regdump.exe registry.dat > registry.txt

[LLXX]

Reg File Merger merges multiple registry files into one single file. I think there isn't any app out there which does this job.

ren first.reg first.re_
for %a in ( *.reg ) do find /v "REGEDIT4" %a >> remainder.reg
copy first.re_ + remainder.reg everything.reg

.NET Framework 2.0 required

[CoffeeFiend]

ren first.reg first.re_
for %a in ( *.reg ) do find /v "REGEDIT4" %a >> remainder.reg
copy first.re_ + remainder.reg everything.reg

Yes, it's a simple thing to do, but why even bother with that fugly batchfile (which only works for older headers i.e. REGEDIT4 and not "Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00")? It does take far less time to just do copy/paste in 2 notepad sessions regardless (just changing the filenames in your batchfile would take as long even if it already existed)

.NET Framework 2.0 required

Big f'n deal... Pretty much everything I make requires it too (application has dependancies: news at 11!) Better get used to installing it, more and more apps require it (and it's going to increase exponentially soon). If it's too much work to install it by hand (manually or from windows update or whatever), then it's trivial to add to any unattended install (there's even some switchless installers). It doesn't take long to install, and it doesn't take that much space (especially when you think a GB of storage nowadays is worth like 30 whole cents) and is shared by tons of useful programs.

[LLXX]

If there are non-.NET alternatives available, and there definitely are I will use those instead.

Hard Disk Space

Scenario Minimum

32-bit

280 MB

That's more bytes than my entire Windows install. If .NET was a whole OS I wouldn't mind, but for just a bunch of runtimes it's rediculous. Even Java takes less space.

I'm not the only one hating .NET. Really, I don't understand how "native" code is that much harder to write.

...and BTW, the headers needn't be stripped from merged reg files, so

copy file1.reg + file2.reg + file3.reg etc... all.reg

Works well.

Edited September 1, 2006 by LLXX

[CoffeeFiend]

Hard Disk Space

Scenario Minimum

32-bit

280 MB

That's more bytes than my entire Windows install. If .NET was a whole OS I wouldn't mind, but for just a bunch of runtimes it's rediculous. Even Java takes less space.

280MB? You're worried about a quarter GB of storage when storage is that cheap? That's got to be about 8 cents worth of HD space or so - not something I'm losing much sleep over (unless you got a P2 with a 8.4GB HD, then perhaps it is). For what it does, it's MORE than justified.

I'm not the only one hating .NET. Really, I don't understand how "native" code is that much harder to write.

Irrational hating - already had that much figured out (much like the java haters out there). I don't think you really had to mention it, it was obvious enough...

If you don't understand how native code isn't harder to write (and that's only a small part of the idea), then either you're not a programmer, or you've never used anything else.

Windows Forms vs MFC et al? The new ASP.Net page model (vs ASP classic a.k.a crap - perhaps the ONLY and single worst tech than PHP)? Not requiring hundreds of inconsistently named cryptic API calls for every little trivial thing and tons of headers? No DLL hell? Extremely powerful, nice, coherent frameworks with tons of very useful features (and lots of other very good frameworks for specific purposes)? Memory management and garbage collection? Better dev tools? Entirely OO design? Choice of several great languages (all running on same CLR - you can even mix 'em)? Not requiring nearly as much code for same job *and* being FAR faster to write - directly influencing costs, complexity and project timeline? The real/biggest point is productivity. Far better interoperability - something that's vital nowadays (via use of things like XML and web services or remoting and such). Smart Client apps (very nice) and lots of new great stuff. Newer and better deployment ways. Code security built in (even than java).

Coding most of the apps we do in native code would FAR more than double the costs (often making it too expensive altogether). That one alone is a huge thing. Perhaps it means nothing to you, but for companies, that's a difference between spending hundreds of thousands or millions more in software development costs, or wasting that 8 cents worth of storage on the client PCs. Tough call, I know.

Regardless, like all irrational haters, it doesn't matter if I listed a billion valid reasons to switch as logic doesn't have a whole lot to do with it. But personally, I wouldn't EVER go back (heck, I'd switch fields before).

But don't worry. Soon you won't even have a choice. It'll come pre-installed with Vista. And you won't have the choice to use it if you want to use anything WPF related in any way. Most coders have or are making the switch. You know everything's going that way, no matter if you like it or not (well, you can switch to Linux just to avoid it or keep using WinXP forever - and to be honest, it wouldn't even surprise me one bit if you did just that)

[Jeremy]

Guys... guys... this has been done before. Please, give it up. Another decent and informative thread does NOT need to end in childish war. LLXX, you've complained about Net2.0 in other threads and go out of your way to make others quite aware of your dislike for it. This is unnecessary.

Look, it's 50 MBs, so what. Do you have only 2 GBs of storage? I know, I know, I used to be really picky about it, but I think it's time we all let go of these trivial things. I think we should have a higher sense of appreciation for these things also. XPero, Jcarle and others are coding us some very useful tools that not many people out there know about, and would love to have. If it takes 50 MBs of "runtime" code to run some unique software, let it be.

I'm telling you what to do, merely suggestions, wise ones. Cheers.