SMARegisTry Version Information:

Version:  1.0.0.5

Released:  11/13/2013

Author:  Eric Arnol-Martin

Updates:

• Enhanced code for Windows 8 and Windows 8.1
• Less permissions are now needed to run SMARegisTry Backup since keys are only opened as read only.
• SMARegisTry Backup no longer crashes when it is unable to open a registry key based on access permissions.  It logs all problems in the log file and will inform you as to which keys it was unable to open.
• GUI Enhancements
• Fixed command line argument logging and enhanced the way arguments work.
• Fixed a critical bug dealing with quotes in directory paths.
• Added new command line arguments to automatically backup a list of registry keys or import all keys from a directory.
• Changed "View Key Contents" to provide better information and ease of adding sub-keys to the list.
• Changed the default registry key naming structure.  For example, registry keys in HKEY_CURRENT_USER are now named HKCU_[NAMEOFKEY].reg rather than [NAMEOFKEY].reg.  This prevents duplicates.

SMARegisTry Backup Documentation:

Creating a Registry Backup List:

Under the green text label that says "Select Keys to Backup", expand each key by clicking on the "+" box next to each main registry key hive.  To see what's in a specific key, click on the "View Key Contents" button.  Once a key is selected for backup in the tree, click on the "Add Key to List" button.  The path to the key is inserted into the text box on the right.  Add as many keys as you want.  Once you're done adding custom keys to the list, click on the "Save List" button.  Name your list and click on save.  Great, now the list is saved for future use.  You can open this saved list later for easy backup of your desired keys.  It is not mandatory to create and save a list, but it is recommended so that you don't have to add your desired registry keys manually later in the future.

Actually Creating Registry Key File Backups:

Your selected keys have not been backed up yet.  To create a backup of the selected keys, click on the "Backup Keys Now" button.  You will be asked where to save these registry key backups.  Once the registry files have been saved, you will receive a success message.

Restoring Registry Keys:

To restore registry keys, you may restore them one at a time or import an entire directory of keys.  To import all key files from a directory, click on the "Restore All Keys From Directory to Registry" button.  Browse to the folder containing the registry keys, and click on "OK" to restore all keys from the directory.  To import one key at a time, click on the "Restore Individual Key to Registry" button.

Command Line Arguments:

As of version 1.0.0.3, SMARegisTry Backup accepts command line arguments which can quickly backup registry keys from a list or restore all registry keys from a directory.  You can use the command line arguments to schedule recurring registry backup or import tasks in Windows' Task Scheduler.

SMARegisTry Commandline Arguments Task Schedule Video Tutorial

To create registry backups from a list, use the following syntax:

{Path_To_Install_Directory}"SMARegisTry Backup.exe" -s "{Path_To_List_File.TXT}" "{Directory_To_Save_Registry_Backups_In}"

The "-s" flag specifies that you want to Save registry key files from a list.  The second parameter is the actual path to the list file itself (that you first created in SMARegisTry Backup).  The third parameter specifies the directory where you want to save the registry backups from the list.  All path parameters must be enclosed within quotes ("") in order to work properly!

To restore keys from a directory, use the following syntax:

{Path_To_Install_Directory}"SMARegisTry Backup.exe" -r "{Directory_To_Restore_Registry_Key_Backups_From}"

The "-r" flag specifies that you want to Restore registry key files from a directory.  The next parameter is the directory which contains registry backups that you want to restore.  All path parameters must be enclosed within quotes ("") in order to work properly!

All operations are logged in the "log.txt" file located within your installation directory.

Generic Information:

When SMARegisTry Backup attempts to restore registry key files, it will import only the keys that are not currently in use by the operating system.

When run using command line arguments, SMARegisTry Backup will overwrite any existing registry files in the specified backup directory.  It will also save task information (success messages) to the "log.txt" file in your installation directory.

SMARegisTry Backup Description:

SMARegisTry Backup is the first program of its kind to offer a viable, stable, and time saving approach to backing up selective registry keys within Windows environments.  SMARegisTry Backup is completely free and is open source software.  SMARegisTry Backup allows you to create, load, and save lists of registry keys you'd like to backup.  SMARegisTry Backup then ties into the regedit.exe API and exports the keys you've selected automatically to a directory of your choice.  SMARegisTry Backup can also restore registry keys one at a time or all at once by scanning a directory for all .reg files and importing them all at once into the Windows registry.  There are several registry backup programs out there, but they do not allow you selectively pick your keys!

Written in C#, the .NET Framework 2.0 or higher is needed to run this program.

I wrote this program because I often have to reformat my computers due to stability issues with my operating system.  These problems naturally occur after years of use thanks to clutter and inefficient handling of resources.  I hate having to browse through the registry editor and manually select the keys I will need to import back into my registry once my new installation of Windows has been installed.  It is essential to backup certain keys, as some programs, such as games, will not work without their registry entries when your operating system is reinstalled.  SMARegisTry Backup simplifies the process and allows you to import and export registry keys on the fly and save lists of keys for future backup.

Download Links:

SMARegisTry Backup Automatic Installation (.exe) - Downloaded 23496 times!

SMARegisTry Backup Manual Installation (.zip) - Downloaded 23496 times!

SMARegisTry Backup Source Code - Downloaded 5969 times!

SMARegisTry Backup Old Versions

System Requirements:

Supports Windows XP, Windows XP x64, Windows Vista x86 / x64, Windows 7 x86 / x64, Windows Server 2003, and all versions of Windows Server 2008.

The Microsoft .NET Framework version 2.0 or higher is required.  You can download the framework via the links below:

.NET Framework 2.0 Redist x86 Download

.NET Framework 2.0 Redist x64 Download

Automatic Installation Instructions:

Run the installation wizard by double clicking on the executable, choose your desired installation directory, and click on "Extract".  Use the desktop shortcut or the start menu programs shortcut to run SMARegisTry Backup.

Manual Installation Instructions:

Extract the executable from the zip archive to any directory on your computer.  Run SMARegisTry Backup by double clicking on the executable.

Donate

SMARegisTry Backup is completely free and will remain free, but donations are welcome.  Or, you could always hire me.

Thanks

SMARegistry Backup would not have been possible without this source code provided by Amgad of CodeHill

About

SMARegisTry Backup is written by Eric Arnol-Martin (earnolmartin@gmail.com)

© Eric Arnol-Martin 2013

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