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Using any program - commercial or free - I want to have every change to the registry recorded and reversable. Even if I use regedit and (usually) mess it up myself. I want this to be automatic and even suggest what to rollback or replace. Not just for programs but for the operating system also.

I am not a superuser but surely do need your help. Process monitor is not what I need. System restore was not on. I am about to reinstall my os because I destroyed all my communications controlled by windows. I did it myself and sure as heck do not want to have to ever do this again, as I have about a hundred programs installed.

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"Total Uninstall" is a small program that does compares of before and after installs. it determines what changed in both the file system and in the registry. While the program itself is simple, it has to be used correctaly understanding what is going on.
The simplicity of the program makes it easy to understand, but that same simplicity means the user has to push all the buttons right at the right time.

When it comes to removal, a higher level of understanding what is going on is also nessisary. I find the progam is everything that has ever been needed to break the re-install cycles, on the other hand if you do not understand what is happening, you will be re-installing :-)
It is capable of uninstalling things that the system does not allow. Even if everything cannot be uninstalled and changed back, It still provides a List of what it could not do to finish up.
When it comes to expecting it to fully change everything back the way it was, there are just some things that are not going to work that way. So it is never a total solution by itself, but with it and a human you can probably get an 89% solution.
It can also be used for other needs to trace what is going on , or what is being mulched in your system, not just installs. It is NOT locking down the systems image, like some software that might be used on Public computers, to keep changes from occuring. It is not going to be much assistance when a virus hits. While it could be used on a more continuous basis to track system changes, it is not for that either.
It is mostly usefull for more fully removing something you installed and traced and understand somewhat.

RegShot, can do a compare of only the registry items that changed.

If your just deleting registry entries, in XP use RegSeeker, or any other registry utility that makes a backup of the removed items.

Resco uninstaller does some of that too.

In XP you can do a quick backup of the entire registry with Erunt. registry backups are not to large in size, so making backup after backup of the whole registry, can be easier than the whole images.

any of this stuff only works in conjunction with a full image backup of the system. other usefull things to have, a full backup of the registry.

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  • I was not clear as to what I need. Mostly the problem is not with programs and the debrie they leave behind, I mess things up with the Windows enviroment. So I need to follow all changes to the registry whenever they are made. If there are 15 times where changes are made in say one day, I want to be able to pick the disaster and restore that one. Feb 5, 2012 at 5:38
  • Then use regshot, or just write down changes before you make them :-) I sometimes use the "change a day" method , have a full backup, then make just minor changes, instead of so many things changed, that way all the things get tested, before I forget which item it was I changed. Nothing can help that situation where a change made way back in time,and it is effecting things, and you cant figure out what has gone wrong.
    – Psycogeek
    Feb 5, 2012 at 6:25
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You are really asking for something that wouldn't be particularly useful. Most apps modify a large number of registry keys. Also, if the OS is un-bootable, having a tools that recorded them wouldn't be of much help.

You really want to learn how to use system restore points for this since Windows already has a mechanism for restoring them when there are issues. You can create a system restore point on demand by following these instructions

Restore process is here
And more info here

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Even if I had a program like you've described, I (a "self-described superuser") would have a difficult time using it to roll back specific changes to the registry. Using system restore or a backup is really the safest and most reliable approach.

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