Newsletter Archives
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Registry backups: Yea or nay?
LANGALIST
By Fred Langa
Windows has had the ability to separately back up and restore its Registry — the essential internal database of software settings — since Windows 98. But do Registry backups still make sense in the era of Windows 10/11?
Plus: A subscriber seeks clarification of the difference between a Windows Recovery Disk and the Windows Recovery Environment.
And: A subscriber asks for help tracking down a long-forgotten family photo that was unexpectedly displayed by the Windows lock screen slideshow!
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.13.0, 2022-03-28).
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Five tiny tweaks — with Registry files!
FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT
By Deanna McElveen
Registry (.reg) files are an easy way to do a little Windows hacking.
I don’t mean hacking as in eating Hot Pockets and breaking into NORAD. I mean hacking as in using technical, and perhaps complex, means to make useful changes to Windows.
Basically, a .reg file is a backup of a Windows Registry key or value. In Windows, if you run a .reg file by double-clicking it, changes or additions will be made to the Registry to match what is in the .reg file. There are thousands of pre-made .reg files out there on the Internet. They’ve been created by individuals, companies, and even Microsoft itself to change a whole host of Windows’ capabilities.
Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 19.09.0 (2022-02-28).
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A single Registry line enables Windows 11 without TPM 2.0
ISSUE 18.40 • 2021-10-18 PUBLIC DEFENDER
By Brian Livingston
Microsoft has published a new support document revealing a one-line entry anyone can add to the Registry allowing Windows 11 to install on devices that do not have the so-called TPM 2.0 chip installed on the motherboard.
The Trusted Platform Module, as I explained in the September 6 AskWoody Newsletter, is a small hardware component that generates and stores cryptographic keys, among other things. Until the release of the recent support document, Microsoft had repeatedly stated that the 2.0 version of TPM would be a requirement before Windows 11 would install. In addition, Win11 has CPU and other hardware requirements above those of Win10, as set forth in Microsoft’s Win11 specifications.
Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.40.0 (2021-10-18).
This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.40.F (2021-10-18). -
Freeware Spotlight — Windows Registry Recovery
BEST UTILITIES
By Deanna McElveen
So your computer died, and you want to build a new one. With the right tools, moving your data to the new machine can be relatively easy.
But what about your settings and Windows ID? In some settings, retrieving that information can be helpful for both setting up a new system and diagnosing a machine that simply won’t boot. There’s a ton of configuration data stored in the Windows registry. One handy utility for digging deep into the registry on an inactive system drive is MiTeC’s Windows Registry Recovery (WRR).
Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 16.37.0 (2019-10-14).