How to identify a restored registry entry?

syncopator

I have had Lux-Aeterna's "Speaking Clock" installed for a few years. It is included in the programs which start at switch-on.

It normally displays the clock on the desktop and an icon in the task bar alongside the Windows time display.

Some months ago it started putting an icon in the other (central) section of the task bar too, as if I had started a program manually.

To get rid of the second icon, which was simply annoying, I had to right click on it, and then click Minimize. It would then just disappear, leaving the other icon alongside the system clock.

I reported this to Lux-Aerterna who had never heard of this behaviour before and, after exchange of some correspondence, couldn't find a solution.

After recently re-installing XP the annoying "cuckoo" icon no longer appeared. However, this evening, after using jv16's registry cleaner, which I leave on the default setting, I noticed the extra icon again after I rebooted.

I restored the backup file but the cuckoo remained. Thinking that it may have been there unnoticed after a previous registry clean two days ago, I restored that backup too.

That seems to have cleared the problem.

Question is, how can I identify the reigistry entry/ies which caused it?

The two backup files are still present (is this normal?). How can I read them and home in on what the problem was?

tullik

syncopator wrote
...The two backup files are still present (is this normal?). ...

Yes.

... How can I read them ... ?

1. Start the Backup Tool.

2. Right click on the line of a backup you want to examine.

3. Select the "Show backed up registry entries" option.

4. The backup file will show in a notepad window.

... and home in on what the problem was?

You have to examine the backup, using your knowledge about the application, to see if there are any likely suspects.

I assume the backup is for a Registry Cleaner run. If you find likely suspects, you can use ignore words so they won't be in the results list in future runs.