any useful tools for merging lots of *.reg files into one master reg file?

antspants · Mar 13, 2025

pseymour said:
Makes me sleepy just pondering on the undertaking of it.

x509 · Mar 13, 2025

Tester said:
He has dementia so he forgot wich language was the most difficult.

Not really. Trust me on that. I still have all my marbles. After all, I've been customizing Windows 11. If you think that Windows 11 out of the box is Ok, then that's a warning sign for dementia. :lmao:

x509 · Mar 13, 2025

nuspieds said:
No smart filtering necessary: For example, I have UltraCompare; feed it two or more text files and it will simply highlight the lines--and text on those lines--that are different.

I already tried that using regshot. I ended up with a difference file of 158 MB. It was explained to me that there are a lot of background processes that also change the registry.

nuspieds · Mar 14, 2025

x509 said:
I already tried that using regshot. I ended up with a difference file of 158 MB. It was explained to me that there are a lot of background processes that also change the registry.

So let me be clear: If I had to wait until someone wrote an app that would scan the registry and output what an app changed and the explanations of those changes, then I would be reincarnated numerous times before that app would be built.

If I wanted something in my lifetime, however, then it's more realistic for me to travel down the road of comparing pre- and post-registry update files, whether it is the entire thing or specific nodes. Having said that, though, I wouldn't do this, either!

My point, per the original challenge of getting an app written, was that other options were more realistic to meet the stated objective.

In the larger picture, however, the issue is Developer discipline with the registry. That is, it's 2025 and apps are still uninstalling and leaving crap behind in the registry! Moreover, from a Windows perspective, I believe that for any given app, I should be able to do a one-click export of all its config from the registry, install that app on a new PC, then import the config on my new PC; it should be that simple by now, instead of re-doing some/most/all of the customizations.

x509 · Mar 15, 2025

nuspieds said:
So let me be clear: If I had to wait until someone wrote an app that would scan the registry and output what an app changed and the explanations of those changes, then I would be reincarnated numerous times before that app would be built.

Understood. I did say in post # 8 that this idea came out of a "fever dream." Of course, 10 shots of slivoviz could do anything to your head.

nuspieds said:
If I wanted something in my lifetime, however, then it's more realistic for me to travel down the road of comparing pre- and post-registry update files, whether it is the entire thing or specific nodes. Having said that, though, I wouldn't do this, either! My point, per the original challenge of getting an app written, was that other options were more realistic to meet the stated objective.

Well, would you have any suggestions for a way to record all your reg changes, once you have determiend them? I thought I could use an Excel spreadsheet, and maybe experiment a bit with pivot tables.

nuspieds said:
In the larger picture, however, the issue is Developer discipline with the registry.

Yes. And the check is in the mail. 100% guaranteed warranty.

nuspieds said:
That is, it's 2025 and apps are still uninstalling and leaving crap behind in the registry!

Which is why I pay for Revo Uninstaller Pro, so I try to keep my registry as clean as possible. I wish Microsoft would impose that requirement on developers.

nuspieds said:
Moreover, from a Windows perspective, I believe that for any given app, I should be able to do a one-click export of all its config from the registry, install that app on a new PC, then import the config on my new PC; it should be that simple by now, instead of re-doing some/most/all of the customizations.

Yes, that's a worthy goal.

garlin · Mar 15, 2025

nuspieds said:
Moreover, from a Windows perspective, I believe that for any given app, I should be able to do a one-click export of all its config from the registry, install that app on a new PC, then import the config on my new PC; it should be that simple by now, instead of re-doing some/most/all of the customizations.

Technically, something close to that already exists. MS provides the unwieldy User State Migration Tool (USMT) to IT pro's. USMT and other paid 3rd-party migration tools perform these tasks:

- Copy over non-MS folders from \Program Files

- Copy over personal folders from \Users

- Export application-specific reg settings

- Export user's registry hives

- Repackage everything in one bundle

- Extract folders and reg changes on the target system

Basically, the "secret sauce" is figuring which sets of Windows folders and reg sub-trees to safely ignore when pulling data. USMT is a particularly obtuse app to learn, which is why a lucrative market for 3rd-party migration tools exist. Unfortunately, very little of this has trickled down to normal users.

One of the half-finished Windows Backup ideas was to remember which UWP (Store) Apps are present on your PC, and copy the local data folders into OneDrive and then happily re-install the same apps (from Store), before restoring your cloud-backed folders. Because UWP apps don't store their metadata in the registry, but inside the local data folders, they wouldn't need to muck with the registry.

But this idea fails because normal people are more interested in their non-UWP apps. And you're back to USMT again.

x509 · Mar 16, 2025

garlin said:
Technically, something close to that already exists. MS provides the unwieldy User State Migration Tool (USMT) to IT pro's. USMT and other paid 3rd-party migration tools perform these tasks:

- Copy over non-MS folders from \Program Files
- Copy over personal folders from \Users
- Export application-specific reg settings
- Export user's registry hives
- Repackage everything in one bundle
- Extract folders and reg changes on the target system

Basically, the "secret sauce" is figuring which sets of Windows folders and reg sub-trees to safely ignore when pulling data. USMT is a particularly obtuse app to learn,

Agree, having just read the main USMT article and the technical reference. It's telling that even MS recommends PC Mover if only a few systems need to be migrated. And for us guys who are the "admins" in their home network, that is our use case.

garlin said:
which is why a lucrative market for 3rd-party migration tools exist. Unfortunately, very little of this has trickled down to normal users.

I once used a Laplink product, and it sort of/kind of worked. It did not migrate MS Office nor Norton Security.

garlin said:
One of the half-finished Windows Backup ideas was to remember which UWP (Store) Apps are present on your PC, and copy the local data folders into OneDrive and then happily re-install the same apps (from Store), before restoring your cloud-backed folders. Because UWP apps don't store their metadata in the registry, but inside the local data folders, they wouldn't need to muck with the registry.

Nice in theory. In practice ???

garlin said:
But this idea fails because normal people are more interested in their non-UWP apps. And you're back to USMT again.

^^ this.

nuspieds · Mar 16, 2025

x509 said:
Understood. I did say in post # 8 that this idea came out of a "fever dream." Of course, 10 slots of slivoviz could do anything to your head...

Sure and absolutely no worries at all!

x509 said:
...Well, would you have any suggestions for a way to record all your reg changes, once you have determiend them? I thought I could use an Excel spreadsheet, and maybe experiment a bit with pivot tables...

To be honest, I treated your app development challenge lightheartedly, like a fever dream.

Meaning, I don't believe such an app is ever going to be built in our or our grandchildren's or great grandchildren's lifetimes, so you're better off doing <x> instead of waiting for such an app to be developed.

However, your challenge request is more than valid and legitimate. In all seriousness and honesty, I don't have a suggestion because my belief is that this is something the OS should natively provide, thereby invalidating the need for your challenge request. That is, it is of my opinion that for any given installed app, Windows, the OS, should be able to spit out all the registry updates the app made; there should be no need for a third-party app to provide this basic functionality. Note that I'm not saying that it should be a detailed log/tracking of, for example, value "01" was changed to "02" (although, in certain circumstances, this would be valuable and something that a User could enable or it could be functionality provided by a third-party app); rather, at the very minimum, Windows should be able to provide a list of all the registry entries an app touches.

x509 said:
...Which is why I pay for Revo Uninstaller Pro, so I try to keep my registry as clean as possible. I wish Microsoft would impose that requirement on developers...

Ditto, ditto, ditto!!!

I own and use Revo, too, and it is the only app I trust to do any sort of registry cleanup. All my uninstalls are initiated from Revo Uninstaller.

nuspieds · Mar 16, 2025

garlin said:
Technically, something close to that already exists. MS provides the unwieldy User State Migration Tool (USMT) to IT pro's. USMT and other paid 3rd-party migration tools perform these tasks:

- Copy over non-MS folders from \Program Files
- Copy over personal folders from \Users
- Export application-specific reg settings
- Export user's registry hives
- Repackage everything in one bundle
- Extract folders and reg changes on the target system

Basically, the "secret sauce" is figuring which sets of Windows folders and reg sub-trees to safely ignore when pulling data. USMT is a particularly obtuse app to learn, which is why a lucrative market for 3rd-party migration tools exist. Unfortunately, very little of this has trickled down to normal users.

One of the half-finished Windows Backup ideas was to remember which UWP (Store) Apps are present on your PC, and copy the local data folders into OneDrive and then happily re-install the same apps (from Store), before restoring your cloud-backed folders. Because UWP apps don't store their metadata in the registry, but inside the local data folders, they wouldn't need to muck with the registry.

But this idea fails because normal people are more interested in their non-UWP apps. And you're back to USMT again.

Ahh, yes, I am very much aware of what USMT does and I have performed a limited test of it.

If you're strictly and just trying to figure out what are all the registry entries an app touches, however, USMT is not the right/most effective solution.

Even as I mentioned the need for a universal export/import of an app's settings, USMT is not what comes to mind; that is, similar to how there's the universal "File" menu, there should be, for example, a universal "Settings" menu provided by Windows that allows for the viewing, exporting, and importing of an app's settings.

Don't get me wrong: USMT is complex, detailed, and definitely serves the need of Enterprise IT Admins; however, standard Users deserve a simple, seamless, and native functionality to migrate their app settings to a new computer.

x509 · Mar 16, 2025

nuspieds said:
Ahh, yes, I am very much aware of what USMT does and I have performed a limited test of it.

Are you an IT professional?

nuspieds said:
definitely serves the need of Enterprise IT Admins;

Which is not what/who I am. I'm just Joe Average old enough to have a driver's license.

nuspieds said:
however, standard Users deserve a simple, seamless, and native functionality to migrate their app settings to a new computer.

Yes we do. But I'm afraid that Satya Nadella doesn't see that as a priority.

nuspieds · Mar 16, 2025

x509 said:
Agree, having just read the main USMT article and the technical reference. It's telling that even MS recommends PC Mover if only a few systems need to be migrated. And for us guys who are the "admins" in their home network, that is our use case.

I once used a Laplink product, and it sort of/kind of worked. It did not migrate MS Office nor Norton Security.

Nice in theory. In practice ???

^^ this.

I tried PCmover, then EaseUS Todo PC Trans, and then USMT.

I'm not looking to move files to my new PC (as I have my Backup program that will restore them) nor am I looking to move/reinstall programs to my new PC (because, for me, the issue isn't the effort to reinstall apps; rather, it is the effort to replicate the configurations for those apps).

Although not tested by me, I am betting that PCmover, EaseUS Todo PC Trans, and similar apps are great at moving files to your new PC. I did, however, test Windows and app User settings migration and I can tell you that PCmover and EaseUS Todo PC Trans are garbage! Recommended by Microsoft or not, I'm sure all such similar apps are useless when it comes to Windows and app settings migration.

For PCmover, the one recommended by Microsoft, I didn't even get my Desktop background colors migrated. For EaseUS, yes, my Desktop background image and setting were transferred. However, in both cases, my complete User customizations were not migrated to my new PC and the end result was somewhat a merger of my User customizations from my old PC and the default customizations on the new PC; again, somewhat, because the end result was truly a mess such that it made me abandon the software and request a refund!

So, in the end, I reinstalled and reconfigured all my apps from scratch on the new PC.

Then I started looking into USMT. Although I'm not an Enterprise IT Admin, I'm not just looking for the migration of "Windows Settings" that you can configure in the Windows 11 Settings app. That is, I also have network drive mappings, moved standard folder locations, created symbolic links, etc., that I have setup and I need to have replicated in a new Windows install. These are not part of "Windows Settings" but I need for them to be migrated and USMT seems to be the one and only tool that will satisfy this requirement.

There's no doubt that USMT is a much more complex, detailed, and robust tool to migrate the complete User settings to a new PC; however, after viewing this How-To video, it is not that much of an intimidating tool and you can easily test it yourself for your needs.

nuspieds · Mar 16, 2025

x509 said:
Are you an IT professional?

Which is not what/who I am. I'm just Joe Average old enough to have a driver's license.

Yes we do. But I'm afraid that Satya Nadella doesn't see that as a priority.

Yes, I'm an IT professional, but not on the Windows side.

For Windows, I would consider myself as a Joe Advanced; I have enough skills and expertise to delve into advanced/expert tools such as USMT. For my next new PC, for example, I am going to fully use/test it to see how it works out. Judging on what I've seen in my limited tests thus far, I will not be disappointed.

pseymour · Mar 16, 2025

nuspieds said:
Windows, the OS, should be able to spit out all the registry updates the app made

Windows should be able to provide a list of all the registry entries an app touches.

That's actually possible with tools that already exist, ProcMon or tools like it. The issue then would be figuring out what those registry entries control, which only the developer knows.

nuspieds said:
...similar to how there's the universal "File" menu, there should be, for example, a universal "Settings" menu provided by Windows...

The File menu isn't universal, and it isn't provided by Windows. It's up to the developer. The fact that it's usually there and usually the first item on the left is just convention.

I think we could probably achieve app portability with some standard, or even some Windows-only standard, using a packaging framework like the older App-V format or the newer MSIX format. Maybe even have one package that the developer provides, with the app itself in it. Then another layer on top of that that has your customizations. Windows would sort of "merge" them together, and that would be your "installed" app. Then you could just copy those two layers to a new machine. A system like that would be a huge undertaking also. Simple things like Notepad++ would be relatively easy to do, or anything that already has a portable version. But then think of something like, oh, I dunno, anything from Autodesk. Good luck containerizing those behemoths.

One thing I keep thinking of in this thread is the number of people who would even care about the registry entries. Those of us who post answers here are a small fraction of the folks who are members who are here to get help, and that's leaving out the folks who browse these threads without logging in. And we're all an even tinier fraction of the folks who use Windows. What I'm babbling toward is that with that tiny number of people who care about this, no sane dev shop is going to bother spending money and time on this.

garlin · Mar 16, 2025

One of the driving goals for UWP apps was to create a self-contained framework outside of the normal Windows registry. App resources are stored in a per-app local "hive" inside each app's AppData\Local\Packages folders. When uninstalling those apps, you're presented with the option to preserve the AppData corresponding to the app in case you want to re-install it again later.

The obvious problems with UWP is the programming model isn't compatible with Win32, and includes a highly restrictive security model. It has obviously failed to gain traction outside of MS. Had they been more successful, you would have containerized apps as the Windows standard.

pseymour · Mar 16, 2025

That's right, but I'm thinking about the problem of moving them to a new PC, settings and licenses and all.

garlin · Mar 16, 2025

I think MS gave up on that idea and moved to Cloud PC's. Then your physical PC is merely a low-cost "terminal" and you never have to migrate or re-license apps ever again. Or until the cloud service shuts down.

x509 · Mar 16, 2025

pseymour said:
That's actually possible with tools that already exist, ProcMon or tools like it. The issue then would be figuring out what those registry entries control, which only the developer knows.

One thing I keep thinking of in this thread is the number of people who would even care about the registry entries. Those of us who post answers here are a small fraction of the folks who are members who are here to get help, and that's leaving out the folks who browse these threads without logging in. And we're all an even tinier fraction of the folks who use Windows. What I'm babbling toward is that with that tiny number of people who care about this, no sane dev shop is going to bother spending money and time on this.

What he said.

Hate to say this, but +1 to @pseymour for this post. I have been knocking around Windows since the days of Windows/286, used to launch Excel. Got deep into Windows with Windows 3.1 and Windows for Networks. But my interest in registry entries and reg file is maybe 6 months old. And I'm one of those "old guys" who insists that he needs a desktop and builds his desktop from parts, then installs Windows, and goes from there. Showing my "roots" the other day I was talking with someone and referred to my "mainframe." :lmao:

Fortunately I don't need to remember JCL statements.

x509 · Mar 16, 2025

pseymour said:
That's right, but I'm thinking about the problem of moving them

What is the "them" here?

any useful tools for merging lots of *.reg files into one master reg file?

Like a rolling drone.

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