Designed
for Windows 95/98 and Windows NT (Tested with Windows 98 RC1, and
NT 5.0 Beta 1).
Bugs Read before using this beta!!!
Known Issues
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Screen Shot of PACT ProfileCopy 98
Write an E-mail to PACT Software
Order License
Beta 3, 228 KB, 6-June-1998,
Self-extracting, with Setup and Uninstall.
Description of PACT ProfileCopy 98
You can save and restore your user profile. A profile includes all user
defined settings in Windows like your wallpaper, desktop settings, sound and cursor
schemes, desktop icons and layout, start menu tree, and so on. And you can add folders and
registry keys yourself!
What's new, it does not only save the registry settings like a normal backup program,
it also copies the files referred to by these settings. The wallpaper bitmap, the
screen saver, the sound files and cursors themselves are copied to a new folder. You can
then simply backup and restore this one folder.
Use PACT ProfileCopy 98 instead of a full backup. No need to backup the complete
Windows folder every time but save your personal settings only.
You can copy user profiles from one user to another, to a new computer, between your PC
and your notebook, from Windows 95 to a fresh installation of Windows 98, and even when
going from Windows 95 to Windows NT!
Solved Issues in Beta 3
98.5 Beta 3: Beta 2.0 checked for all necessary system folders and
tried to set up defaults. Unfortunatelly, the routine doing so was not smart enough to
respond to every existing situation. Some beta testers reported missing shortcuts in their
Start menu or a cluttered desktop. That's why we pulled out the routine and now merely
provide a warning to the user if a system folder is not set up correctly.
If you have any problems with your system folders, you might want to look into this
key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ User Shell
Folders
Verify the correct paths for all values you find in there. The default paths are
usually c:\windows\profiles\<your log on name>\<sys folder>. Important: After
changing the paths here, you need to log off and back on for the changes to take effect.
!!! BETA !!! BETA !!! BETA !!!
!!! Read on before using ProfileCopy !!!
• Many thanks to all beta testers for your great
reports! Your work alone has brought us to this Beta! We encourage you to go on testing
the new features and verify that the issues you have reported are solved. Your help is
essential for the further development of ProfileCopy! We appreciate every feedback, pro or
con, bugs or suggestions. Thank you for your continued support!
• This is still a beta version. We do not recommend
to use this Beta on your every day profile. Instead, create two new users and test copying
profiles between them, or test ProfileCopy on a dedicated beta testing computer. Make sure
to have a recent backup, don't take any risks!
• IMPORTANT: Please read the Known Issues" and the Not
Yet Implemented chapters below before using ProfileCopy! The FAQ
contains a lot of helpful explanations!
Things you Should Know
• The system folders "Programs" and
"Startup" are saved twice if they are below the Start Menu folder. However, this
will probably make up less than 50 KB.
• Windows 95: The icons for My Computer, Network,
Recycle, etc. will only be restored in Windows 95 if Microsoft Plus! is installed.
• Shortcuts are not changed. If the target path does
not exist on the restore platform, the shortcut will not work. This is the nature of
shortcuts.
• Sound and Cursor files will always be restored to
%WinDir%\Sounds or %WinDir%\Media. This is by intend because the paths should be
"relative" and exist on every Windows installation (95, 98, NT). - To backup a
folder and restore it at the exact same "absolute" path, add it to the lower
list of "Folders and Registry Keys".
• For certain screen savers additional files might be
necessary. For example, the popular Boogie Baby screen saver would need baby.avi and
baby.mid. You need to add these files in the lower list box to have them copied. That's
also necessary for screen saver settings if you wish to save them. For example, if you use
the Marquee screen saver, you'd have to add the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control
Panel\Screen Saver.Marquee.
• This Beta has not been tested with network paths.
• Profile.ini is not a Windows system file. It is
created new and used only by ProfileCopy.
• Verify the system folder settings before saving
these folders. For example if one of the folders is set to "C:\", your complete
disk would be copied.
• After changing system folder settings it is
necessary to log off and back on before saving or restoring system folders. Windows must
recognize the new settings.
• Don't forget to log off and back on after restoring
for the restored settings to take effect.
Items in the Lower List Box:
• You can add your own registry keys to be copied in
the lower list box. However, you should know what you are doing. These keys will not be
checked but just copied/restored.
• Files referred to by registry keys in the lower
list box will not be copied, only the keys themselves.
• It is not recommended to
save/restore the complete HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry key (nor any of the main hives),
other then for backup purposes on one machine only. See the FAQ for
more information.
• Folders and Registry Keys will always be restored
according to the entry in profile.ini, disregarding if they are still
displayed the list box (because they would not on another PC). To deselect certain
entries, delete them manually in the Profile-Path\profile.ini.
Different Language Versions:
• On language versions other than English,
the [>] buttons for Sound, Mouse, and Keyboard do not work. Please use Start - Settings
- Control Panel to change these settings.
• Save and restore on different language
versions, for example, saving on an English Windows and restoring on a French
Windows:
• The system folders "Programs" and
"Startup" might be restored twice, once with their saved names and once under
the currently set names.
• The desktop icon layout can not be restored since
the file types are internationally different.
Save/Restore:
- Logon Settings and tweak logon
- Settings for Explorer
- Options - View
- Toolbar on/off
- view details
- Taskbar Properties
- Windows Applets Options:
- Notepad Options
- RegEdit Options
- etc.
- Settings for other applications
Log File
- no more MessageBoxes, instead a log file and LED display
- display each single save/restore action in LED
- ProfileCopy should accept the profile path on the command line (right now, it does
accept /s for save and /r for restore).
Usage
- option: copy folders without subfolders
- enabled/disabled check boxes for Folders and Registry Keys list entries
- display during copying files, cancel the process.
- Test on how many data there are going to be copied, display
- calculate Time remaining
- Context help, ToolTips
We always enhance our software to give you the most powerful tools available. Please let us know if you encounter any difficulties not
listed here. Thank you!
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
What is a profile?
All user defined settings in Windows are stored in a special database, called the
Registry. Settings included are, for example, your selected wallpaper, current sound and
cursor scheme, desktop colors, mouse and keyboard settings. And also the contents of the
Start and Programs menu, the Desktop and Favorites folder, and more.
It's
tedious to set up all parameters each time you install Windows!
It's
tedious to set up all parameters and copy all according files each time you install a
fresh version of Windows, either because of updating to a new version, cleaning up, or
beta testing! Transferring all settings for example to a new computer, or between a PC and
a notebook is almost impossible. Your administrator may assign you a new user account with
a fresh profile, so all your settings are gone. With ProfileCopy you can now save and
restore your profile easily.
You may also include several settings for applications, and your documents.
How to test ProfileCopy?
Save the profile, then create a new user on your computer. Log on as
this user, start ProfileCopy, and restore the profile. Again, log off and
back on after restoring and check if all settings were copied as expected. It is
very important for the future development of ProfileCopy that you send a report to
profile@pact1.com, if your tests were successful or not. Thank you for your support!
What is the difference between a profile and a Microsoft Plus! Theme?
You can only install a Theme, that is, "put settings in". When you change
settings or add files, these changes will be stored in the profile, not the
Theme. In other words, you can not change the Theme, or "get settings out". With
ProfileCopy you can.
Why is "ProfileCopy.exe" always copied to the profile path?
You may want to restore your profile on another PC or a fresh installation of Windows.
No need to install ProfileCopy again, it's already in your profile folder with all files
needed.
Why don't you just backup the whole (nt)user.dat (that is, HKEY_CURRENT_USER)?
You can, however:
1. ProfileCopy has been designed to be able to copy settings between
Windows 95 and Windows NT, and different PCs. Many settings are different in Windows 95
and Windows NT. You can not copy the whole (nt)user.dat to another
installation, it may render your system unusable.
2. ProfileCopy also copies files referred to by registry keys, for
example your wallpaper bitmap, sound and cursor files. The keys and files are restored
correctly on another machine, even if the Windows folder has another name.
3. The contents of system folders (Start Menu, Desktop, etc.) are
copied from and restored to their according paths.
4. To transfer settings between PCs, the same applications would
need to be installed on both PCs. You can (and we encourage advanced users to) add
registry keys for the installed applications if you know that it works.
5. The paths saved/restored and referred to by registry keys are
probably different on different machines and installations of Windows. You would need to
search and replace all paths in the registry after copying.
6. All keys in (nt)user.dat need to be closed to save or restore.
This is hardly the case except before booting or logging on. For example, Windows NT
allows restores the Last Known Good only before loading the system, a roaming
profile is copied before logon. Restoring HKEY_CURRENT_USER completely may not
work because keys are locked.
7. There are better and quicker utilities to only backup the
complete registry if you feel like doing so: the Windows Backup, REGSAVE and REGREST from
the Windows Resource Kit, and several other backup programs.
Do you recommend to include HKEY_CURRENT_USER completely?
Just for backup purposes, yes. To transfer profiles between PCs, no. To transfer
profiles between users on the same machine, not really, this depends on the applications
installed.
Can I start ProfileCopy per batch file?
You can specify two command line options, /s for save and /r for restore. However, in
this version error messages are displayed as message boxes. We will implement an error log
file in the next version.
What's the difference to a full backup?
Not all Windows settings are saved per default. The main purpose to use ProfileCopy is
to copy profiles from one user or PC to another and between Windows 95, 98 and NT.
Application settings are not saved by default but you can add as many registry settings,
documents and folders as you need. To backup your complete data, please use a full
featured "first" backup program regularly.
Can I backup the whole registry?
You can backup all keys in the registry by adding them to the lower list box. I can't
say if it makes sense, however. For example, keys below HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE are only used
by applications installed on the machine. If those applications are not installed, why
would you need those settings? And different users on the same machine all access the same
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. No need to copy it.
As mentioned above, I would recommend to backup all data and the complete registry
regularly with your preferred backup program. Many backup programs today come free with
Windows or a new hard drive, that's why ProfileCopy was not designed to mimic a full
backup program.
How long has ProfileCopy been tested?
The first version was out in mid May 1998. We use ProfileCopy on our own machines
excessively while developing ProfileCopy and during our daily work. At no time any
settings were lost. The developers themselves would be quite upset loosing any files or
settings.
ProfileCopy is downloaded by about 30 beta testers per day. Some reported problems with
mixed up system folder settings. Although very frustrating for those testers, no data were
lost. In the current version Beta 3.0 the according routine has been pulled out.
Other than that, we have yet to receive a report of a serious problem.
However, please take all precautions you can, read the FAQ
and the Known Issues carefully. Test ProfileCopy on
test-user profiles, always save the profile before you restore a new
one. Backup your data regularly, and make sure you have a recent full backup before trying
new software, including ProfileCopy. Don't risk anything!
Support
Should you have any questions then our software is not perfect. Tell us, we'll make it better.
