Restore of registry backups can be unreliable

tullik

Backup/Restore tool run on an x64 Windows 7 desktop PC

Please read this item first: http://www.macecraft.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=24803#p24803

Restoring the backup shown in Exhibit 1 below does NOT restore everything that was removed! The bug is easily reproducible, and happens every time.

In this particular case, doing the restore THREE times restores everything that was removed.

If the Entries.reg is manually reordered to look like Exhibit 2, this issue does not happen.

If you manually invoke a merge with the Exhibit 1 file (instead of using the Backup tool), this issue does not happen.

A "Bug Tracking system" report will be made for this issue.

I don't know at this time if this issue also exists with an x86 system.

Edit: I copied the backup structure to the Desktop of an x86 Windows 7 notebook. Then I copied it into the PowerTools Backups folder. The Entries.reg content was unchanged until I used the Backup tool to address the file. The tool stripped out the WOW6432Node part of the keys. A restore using the tool worked properly. However, on an x64 system, it is likely a bug exists in code examining the details of the Entries.reg content.

Exhibit 1

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00



; File created by TBackupManager
; Component version: 1.4.2
; Component used by: jv16 PowerTools 2010
; Program version: 2.0.0.961
; File Description: Clean and fix my computer - Selected: 1, total: 572
; Date: 14.07.2010
; Time: 06

Exhibit 2

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00



; File created by TBackupManager
; Component version: 1.4.2
; Component used by: jv16 PowerTools 2010
; Program version: 2.0.0.961
; File Description: Clean and fix my computer - Selected: 1, total: 572 (reordered)
; Date: 14.07.2010
; Time: 06

Edit: I reproduced this issue on 7/16/2010 to get a debug log and some RegEdit screenshots. Besides the three restores it took to restore the keys under the WOW6432Node, I then also noticed another phenomenon. The restore created the full structure in a NEW WOW6432Node UNDER the normal WOW6432Node!!! It only took one restore to do this.

*Messy restores.zip

tullik

Regarding the registry item restore bugs described in the above post:

As far as I can tell (so far), the Entries.reg backups are correct. The restore bugs raise serious concerns about using the Backup tool to recover from any problems that might arise from using any PT2010 tool that changes the registry.

IMHO, this is a CRITICAL issue for 64 bit systems!

There is a possible workaround until the problem is fixed. If the Entries.reg backups indeed are correct, the user can manually locate the desired ones, and then invoke the merges manually.

tullik

Here is another type of Entries.reg WOW6432Node detail line that the Backup tool fails to restore as expected:

(nothing at all restores unless the manual workaround is used)

Here are some Entries.reg WOW6432Node detail lines that the Backup tool DOES restore as expected:

"JITSetupPage"="file://C:\\Windows\\web\\iejit.htm"

"JITSetupPage"="file://C:\\Windows\\web\\iejit.htm" (this duplicate line in the backup is a harmless bug, assuming it's just a duplicate ...)

"SourceDir"="C:\\Users\\Owner\\AppData\\Local\\Adobe\\Updater6\\Install\\reader9rdr-en_US\\"

"test_elevation"="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Google\\Google Toolbar\\Component\\GoogleToolbarManager_E85CDE7661A53A6A.exe /check_elevation"

"Setup"="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Gateway\\KB0817 Keyboard Driver\\SSConfig.exe"

Perhaps the bug is not in play when Name and Data are restored under existing keys?

tullik

These Names and Data were removed from a non-WOW6432Node key, but the Backup tool restored them under the WOW6432Node key: :(

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; File created by TBackupManager

; Component version: 1.4.2

; Component used by: jv16 PowerTools 2010

; Program version: 2.0.0.961

; File Description: Obsolete software entry Registry Cleaner - Selected: 12, total: 47

; Date: 16.07.2010

; Time: 10

"install"="success"

"OemInf"="C:\\Windows\\INF\\oem11.inf"

"version"="6.0.6000.20096"

The restore goes to the correct place if the manual workaround is used.

Perhaps the bug is not in play when Name and Data are restored under existing keys?

It looks like some aspects of the bug are in play even then. :

tullik

The Backup tool restored the items below where expected. The duplicate lines in the backup file do no harm. They are likely just the result of a trivial bug.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; File created by TBackupManager

; Component version: 1.4.2

; Component used by: jv16 PowerTools 2010

; Program version: 2.0.0.961

; File Description: Obsolete software entry Registry Cleaner - Selected: 12, total: 47

; Date: 16.07.2010

; Time: 10

"Whaty"="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\NoSuchApplication\\Whaty.exe"

"Whaty"="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\NoSuchApplication\\Whaty.exe"

"Whatb"="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\NoSuchApplication\\Whatb.exe"

"Whatb"="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\NoSuchApplication\\Whatb.exe"

"Whereb"="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\NoSuchApplication\\Whereb.exe"

"Whereb"="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\NoSuchApplication\\Whereb.exe"

"Whenb"="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\NoSuchApplication\\Whenb.exe"

"Wheny"="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\NoSuchApplication\\Wheny.exe"

"Whena"="C:\\Program Files\\NoSuchApplication\\Whena.exe"

"Whena"="C:\\Program Files\\NoSuchApplication\\Whena.exe"

jv16

Would you be interested in testing a private build to verify whether we have got the problem fixed?

tullik

OK.