16 Aug 2003, 19:35, Charles Angelich (1:106/2000), wrote to Wayne Chirnside:

Hi Charles.

 WC>> I'll look for additional hidden files but I have copied the
 WC>> registry.dat 

 CA> Would be best to ask about this in the W95 echo because I
 CA> skipped past W9x to W2K from W31 and am not doing backups of
 CA> the registry using regedit on a regular basis. I have seven
 CA> registry files with W2K and must use third-party software to
 CA> make backups of the seven files required. 

 CA> For W9x I think the two hidden files are 'system' and 'user'
 CA> but am not sure about this. You can set Explorer (the W9x
 CA> filenmanager) to show hidden files then do a search using
 CA> Explorer rather than try to do all of this from the command
 CA> line where LFNs can get in the way. 

You are correct.  The 'active registry' consists of the Hidden Read-Only
files SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT located in "C:\WINDOWS".  

Five other files often VERY handy to keep spares of are the Registry Backup
files located in the Hidden directory "C:\WINDOWS\SYSBCKUP". 
Those are rb000.cab, rb001.cab, rb002.cab, rb003.cab and rb004.cab.

The "rb00x.cab" files are backups of the active registry and are
made each time Windows is successfully 'powered down'.  (This is what
Windows is doing when you are waiting for that "It is safe to turn off
your Computer" message).

If anyone running Windows 9x boots, and gets the message "Windows has
caused a General Protection Fault, please re-start your computer", it
will be necessary to force a boot to DOS and run SCANREG.  SCANREG not only
scans the registry (and often says nothing is wrong), but gives the option
of replacing the registry with an earlier known good one, and presents a
listing of the rb00x.cab files.  Select one, cross your fingers, and hope
it works!  You only get those five tries, and it is likely that at least
one of those rb00x.cab files will be a backup of the corrupt registry that
is now preventing you from booting.  If you have saved other older
"rb00x.cab" files, you can copy those into the SYSBCKUP directory
and try again.

Hope Wayne catches this one!


     Good luck...  M.

--- Msged/386 TE 06 (pre)