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Restoring Backups from DOS
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In the very unlikely event that you are unable to restart Windows® after deleting registry entries you can also restore the contents of backup files directly from the DOS prompt.

Windows safe mode:

However, before resorting to this method, see if you can start Windows® in "safe mode" first. This is almost always possible, and working in safe mode is much easier than in DOS. To start Windows® in safe mode you hold down a certain key while the system is starting and then select Safe Mode from the startup menu displayed. The key you need to press, usually F8 or Ctrl, varies depending on the version of Windows® you are using - please check your Windows® documentation for details.

When Windows® has started in safe mode you can start Registry Cleaner and follow the procedure described in Backups / Restoring Changes to restore the registry entries.

Restoring from the DOS prompt:

If this fails (and this is a very rare occurrence) then you need access to the DOS command prompt. To do this start the computer with a boot floppy or hold down Ctrl or F8 while starting the computer and select "Command prompt only" from the startup menu (see above). If you are running Windows® Me you can only use the boot floppy method because restarting in DOS mode is not supported in this version of Windows®.

Important:You should always have a boot floppy on hand for emergencies - for example the rescue disk that you made when you installed Windows®. If you don't have a rescue disk please make one now, before you do anything else. You can find the instructions for your version of Windows® by searching for "rescue disk" or "startup disk" in the Windows® help.  

Procedure:

Step 1:

Switch to the Registry Cleaner program folder, which is normally

C:\Program Files\Ashampoo\Ashampoo WinOptimizer Platinum Suite\Registry Cleaner, by typing

CD "C:\Program Files\Ashampoo\Ashampoo WinOptimizer Platinum Suite\Registry Cleaner" <enter>

at the command prompt. Remember to include the quotes around the path, otherwise you'll get an error message because of the spaces in the folder names!

Step 2:

Then switch to the folder containing the undo files by typing:
 
CD Backup <enter>

followed by

DIR <enter>

to display the list of undo files in the folder.

Step 3:

To restore the contents of an undo file to the registry type:

C:\windows\regedit {Undo.reg} <enter>

Where C:\windows is your Windows folder and {Undo.reg} is the name of the undo file you want to restore. For example:

C:\windows\regedit mo102220011105.reg <enter>

The name of the Windows folder can be different depending on the version of Windows® you are using (Windows® 2000 and XP are normally installed in C:\WINNT) and the choices you made when you installed the system. See Backups / Restoring Changes for details on the format of undo files.

Step 4:

Restart your computer. Windows® should now restart normally.

Reminder for users with NTFS drives:

If you are running Windows 2000 or XP from an NTFS drive you should remember that you will not be able to access the drive from a DOS boot floppy without special additional tools. This is a general problem on all Windows® systems with NTFS drives.

If you have NTFS drives on your system we strongly advise that you take immediate steps to ensure that you will still be able to access the data on these drives if you are unable to boot Windows®. This is important for all your data, not just for restoring registry entries deleted by Registry Cleaner!