Copyright: Copyright © 1994-1996 Symantec Corp.
Citation: Copyright © 1994-1996 Symantec Corp.


To take a manual snapshot
To take a manual snapshot:

1	Choose New Snapshot from the File menu.

2	Type in a name for the new snapshot, or use the default, “Manual Snapshot.”

If none of the tracked files and folders have changed since the last snapshot, the latest snapshot in the snapshot log is simply renamed to the name you specified in the New Snapshot dialog box ("Manual Snapshot" is the default name).

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To undo the most recent changes (Quick Fix)
To undo the most recent changes (Quick Fix):

Choose Quick Fix from the File menu.
The Quick Fix dialog box lists the files and registry keys whose changes will be reversed.

After Norton Registry Tracker reverses the changed items, it takes another snapshot and labels it "Snapshot After Restore." Since files and/or registry keys have been restored, the changes may not take effect until the system is restarted. Norton Registry Tracker gives you the option of restarting your system or continuing with your work.

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To restore files and registry keys
To restore files and registry keys:

1	From the Snapshot Log, click the snapshot from which you want to restore files or keys.

2	Choose Restore from the File menu.

3	Click the list in the Restore dialog box to highlight the files and keys from that snapshot you want to restore. Only the items selected on the list will be changed.

3	Click OK.

Registry Tracker restores the selected items and takes a new snapshot labeled Snapshot After Restore.

Depending on the files and keys that are restored, some changes may not take effect until the system is restarted. Norton Registry Tracker asks you if you want to restart or continue working.

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To compare versions of tracked items
To compare versions of tracked items:

1	Click a tracked item in the Snapshot Log.

2	Choose Compare from the File menu.

Norton Registry Tracker runs Norton File Compare to compare versions of the item.

If the most recent version of the item is selected in the Snapshot Log, the item will be compared to the version in the previous snapshot. If an older version of the item is selected in the Snapshot Log, Norton Registry Tracker gives you the option of comparing it with the previous or current version.

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To exclude items from tracking
To exclude items from tracking:

1	Right click the item in the Snapshot Log that you want excluded from further tracking.

2	Choose Exclude from the context menu.

You can exclude registry keys, but not specific registry values, from tracking.

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To remove tracking exclusions
To remove tracking exclusions:

1	Choose Settings from the Options menu.

2	Click the Text Files, Folders, or Registry Keys tab, as appropriate.

3	Check the Show Exclusions check box (Text files and Folders tabs only).

4	If necessary, click the plus signs to show the exclusion you want to cancel.

5	Click the exclusion to select it.

6	Click Remove.

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To specify items to be tracked
To specify items to be tracked:

1	Choose Settings from the Options menu.

2	Click the tab for the type of item you want to track. INI files are Text Files, binary files are Data Files.

3	Click Add.

4	Select the specific item you want Norton Registry Tracker to start monitoring.

5	Click Open.

Although Registry Tracker can track folders for changes, Registry Tracker cannot Quick Fix or Restore folders from snapshots.

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To remove items from tracking
To remove items from tracking:

1	Choose Settings from the Options menu.

2	Click the tab for the type of item you want to remove. INI files are Text Files, binary files are Data Files.

3	Click Remove.

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To reset the Snapshot Log
To reset the Snapshot Log:

Choose Reset Snapshot Log from the Options menu.

Resetting the Snapshot Log erases any existing snapshots, then takes a new snapshot. After resetting the Snapshot Log you will not be able to restore tracked items to the state they were in prior to the reset. Reset the Snapshot Log only if you are certain you will not need to restore information from the currently existing snapshots.

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To hide Registry Tracker
To hide Norton Registry Tracker:

Choose Hide from the File Menu.

To redisplay Norton Registry Tracker, click the camera icon in the notification area of the Windows taskbar (the area at the right side of the taskbar). The Norton Registry Tracker Snapshot Log will reappear.

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To start Norton Registry Tracker
To start Norton Registry Tracker:

Click here [image] to start Norton Registry Tracker.

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To start Norton Registry Tracker automatically
To start Norton Registry Tracker automatically with Windows:

1	Click here [image] to start Norton Registry Tracker, if it is not already running.

2	Choose Settings from the Options menu.

3	Check Start Automatically With Windows.

To have Norton Registry Tracker run hidden, choose Hide from the File menu. Subsequently, Norton Registry Tracker will start automatically and run hidden whenever you start Windows. To redisplay Norton Registry Tracker, click the camera icon in the notification area of the Windows taskbar (the area at the right side of the taskbar).

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Enter a description for the new snapshot.


Clears the Norton Registry Tracker snapshot data files.

Resetting the Snapshot Log erases any existing snapshots, then takes a new snapshot. After resetting the Snapshot Log you will not be able to restore tracked items to the state they were in prior to the reset. Reset the Snapshot Log only if you are certain you will not need to restore information from the currently existing snapshots.


Cancels this operation without resetting Norton Registry Tracker.


Lists the tracked files and registry keys that changed in the last snapshot. These files will be returned to the state they were in prior to the last snapshot.


Lists the tracked files and registry keys that had changes recorded in the selected snapshot. The items you select from this list will be restored to the state they were in immediately following the selected snapshot.

Click items in the list to select (highlight) and deselect them. Only the selected items will be restored.


Compares the selected snapshot with the version previous to it.


Compares the selected snapshot with the current snapshot.


Loads Norton Registry Tracker automatically whenever Windows is started.


Automatically removes old snapshots after a specified number of days. Use the up and down buttons on the box at the right or type in a new number to change the number of days between purges.


Sets the maximum number of snapshots that will be stored by Norton Registry Tracker. As new snapshots beyond this number are taken, the oldest snapshots will be automatically deleted from your system. Use the up and down buttons on the box at the right or type in a new number to change the number of snapshots.


Shows only those items in the Snapshot Log that have changed between snapshots. If this box is unchecked, each snapshot will list all tracked items, regardless of whether there have been changes to the items.


Determines whether change details are shown in the Snapshot Log.


Determines whether the Snapshot Log legend is displayed. The legend is displayed at the bottom, in the status bar.

This option is only available when Show Details is checked.


Shows all currently tracked text files, for example, INI files.


Lets you specify a new text file to be tracked.


Removes the selected text file from the list of tracked files, and prevents the file from being tracked in the future.


Shows INI file entries that have been excluded from tracking.


Shows all currently tracked data (binary format) files.


Lets you specify a new data (binary format) file to be tracked.


Removes the selected data (binary format) file from the list of tracked files, and prevents the file from being tracked in the future.


Shows all currently tracked folders.


Lets you specify a new folder to be tracked.


Removes the selected folder from the list of tracked folders, and prevents the folder from being tracked in the future.


Shows files that have been excluded from tracking. Norton Registry Tracker will ignore changes to these files when determining what folders have changed.


Shows the Windows registry hierarchy. Registry keys marked with a camera icon are being tracked; those marked with a camera-and-tree icon will also have their subkeys tracked, and the tracked subkeys will have checkmarks on their folder icons. Subkeys that have been excluded from tracking will lack checkmarks on their folders.


Click to track the currently selected key.


Click to track the currently selected key and all subkeys it contains.


Click to exclude the currently selected key from tracking.


Click to exclude the currently selected key and its subkeys from tracking.


Click to clear selected key of track. Subsequently, the key will be tracked or excluded only if its parent key is marked for subtree tracking or exclusion.


Displays only those branches of the registry that are currently being tracked.


Hides Norton Registry Tracker. Norton Registry Tracker continues to operate in the background, tracking changes to the specified files and folders.

A camera icon will appear in the notification area (right side) of the Windows taskbar when Norton Registry Tracker is hidden.


Closes Norton Registry Tracker.

Closing Norton Registry Tracker prevents it from automatically tracking changes to your system.


Prevents this confirmation dialog box from appearing in the future. Check this box to exit Norton Registry Tracker without showing the Exit or Hide Norton Registry Tracker dialog box in the future.


About Norton Registry Tracker

Norton Registry Tracker helps you keep track of changes made to critical data and files on your computer. It can show you the changes that were made, and restore tracked items to the state they were in prior to those changes.

Norton Registry Tracker lets you specify folders, files, and registry keys to be monitored. It automatically takes "snapshots" of tracked items whenever the information they contain changes, thus alerting you when changes have been made. In addition to showing you what items have changed, Norton Registry Tracker usually can show you the nature of those changes. If a change causes your computer to malfunction, or if you modify a tracked item and later change your mind, you can use the Quick Fix and Restore features of Norton Registry Tracker to return the tracked item to its former state.

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Why you should use Registry Tracker
Why you should use Norton Registry Tracker

Under Microsoft Windows, much of your computer's vital operational information, such as hardware, software, and user preference settings, are stored in a large centralized database called the registry. Windows and other application programs can freely read and change the data stored in the registry.

Most newer applications make changes to the registry when they are installed, and store configuration data there while they run. In some cases, these changes can result in unexpected and undesired changes in the way your computer works. Norton Registry Tracker lets you see and reverse those changes, to return your system to the way it functioned prior to installing the new programs.

Text-based initialization (INI) files serve the same function for older programs as the registry does for newer programs. Windows itself has preserved its WIN.INI file to maintain compatibility with older applications. Some older programs write data to their own INI file, others write directly to WIN.INI, and still others use a combination of both. For these programs, changes to the INI files can affect program behavior. Norton Registry Tracker can track changes to text files just as it tracks changes to the registry. Used in conjunction with Norton File Compare, Norton Registry Tracker provides an easy way to compare different file versions and see precisely what changes have been made to tracked files.

In addition to registry keys and text files, Norton Registry Tracker lets you track changes to data files and folders on your system. Data files store information in binary (non-text) form; they frequently have a DAT file extension. While Norton Registry Tracker can't show you the exact changes made to these types of files, it does allow you to restore earlier versions of these data files, should the data become corrupted. Whenever a change is made to a tracked folder, Norton Registry Tracker takes a snapshot to show you what files were added or deleted.

Use Norton Registry Tracker as system "insurance;" it can help you recover from unwanted changes to your system. You can also use it to see how programs (including Windows itself) change your system behind the scenes.

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When you should use Norton Registry Tracker

Use Norton Registry Tracker whenever you want to track changes to critical registry data and system files.

Installing and configuring hardware and software has been largely automated under Windows, but the unexpected can still happen, as programs change configuration settings behind the scenes. When it does, it can leave you baffled about why your system is suddenly acting differently. In some cases, you may not be happy with the unintended changes. Building and maintaining an "audit trail" of system snapshots with Norton Registry Tracker can save hours of frustrating trial and error to restore your system to the behavior you've come to expect. Having a snapshot of your system files prior to installing new hardware or software will let you view the modifications made during the setup and installation, and will allow you to reverse those changes.

You can configure Norton Registry Tracker to start automatically and run in the background whenever you start Windows. The camera icon in the notification area (right side) of the Windows taskbar tells you Norton Registry Tracker is running and continually monitoring changes to the items you have specified for tracking.

If you choose not to run Norton Registry Tracker continuously in the background, we recommend that you run it at the very least whenever you add, modify, or remove any hardware or software on your system. Norton Registry Tracker will take a new snapshot when it starts, thus keeping a log of the tracked items on your system through the most critical periods of change.

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About tracked items

By default, Norton Registry Tracker tracks the following items on your computer:

The Windows folder (usually C:\WINDOWS)

The Windows System folder (usually C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM)

The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE registry key and the subkeys it contains

WIN.INI

SYSTEM.INI

CONFIG.SYS

AUTOEXEC.BAT

You can specify additional items to track, and remove tracking from any of the default items if you wish. Choose Settings from the Options menu to specify items for tracking. From the Registry Keys tab you can specify whether Norton Registry Tracker should track a key alone (Track Key) or the key together with all subkeys it contains (Track Subtree).

Whenever Norton Registry Tracker detects a change to one of the tracked items, it takes a new snapshot. Thus, each new snapshot records the changes made since the previous snapshot was taken. Taken together, the Norton Registry Tracker snapshots provide a log of modifications made to tracked items. Norton Registry Tracker can use these snapshots to restore any tracked item to its state at the time of any snapshot.

Tracking items that change continually, like dynamic registry keys or the Windows swap file, will trigger frequent snapshots. You should avoid tracking these types of items, or mark them as tracking exclusions. On the other hand, you may want to track a database or word processing file as you work on it, to have a record of changes you can undo if need be.

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Excluding items from tracking

In some cases, you may not want to track a particular item:

Windows automatically maintains a set of registry keys that record performance statistics for various system functions. These values are continually being updated, yet have no effect on your system. Were you to track these registry keys, Norton Registry Tracker would take frequent, unnecessary snapshots.

The size of the Windows swap file changes dynamically with the needs of the system. If you track the folder that contains this file, Norton Registry Tracker would take a new snapshot with every change in swap file size. For this reason, the Windows swap file is excluded from tracking automatically.

Some initialization (INI) files include sections whose contents are updated frequently by their associated application programs. Because this data is not critical to the functioning of your system, you may not want these sections tracked.

Normally you would simply choose not to track these types of registry keys and files. But if you choose to track the registry key or folder that contains them, these items would normally be included in the tracking automatically. You can prevent this by explicitly excluding these types of items.

It's easy to exclude specific registry keys, files, folders, or INI file sections from tracking with Norton Registry Tracker. Simply right-click the item in the Snapshot Log you want to exclude from future tracking, and choose Exclude from the context menu.

You cannot exclude registry values from tracking; only the keys that contain them.

You can also remove exclusions easily from the Settings dialog box tabs. Just check the Show Exclusions checkbox, select the excluded item you wish to include in future tracking, and click Remove to remove that exclusion. From the Registry Keys tab you can specify whether a key alone is to be excluded (Exclude Key) or the key together with any subkeys it contains (Exclude Subtree).

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Editing EXCLUDE.INI

Norton Registry Tracker uses its own INI file to keep track of two types of exclusions:

Files that are excluded from their containing folder's tracking

Specific INI file entries that are excluded from their parent INI file's tracking

These types of exclusions are specified in the file EXCLUDE.INI, which is stored in the REGTRK folder under Norton Utilities. Normally, this file is updated automatically whenever you add or remove these types of exclusions, but you may freely edit this file if you wish. Simply use your favorite text editor, such as Windows Notepad.

EXCLUDE.INI is broken down into sections, each of which represents a tracked folder or INI file. Entries under folder sections represent files; entries under INI file sections represent entries in those INI files. If an entry is set equal to one, the file or INI entry it represents will be excluded from tracking. Changes to these files or INI entries will be ignored by Norton Registry Tracker.

If you delete entries in EXCLUDE.INI, the corresponding files or INI file entries can again be tracked by Norton Registry Tracker.

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About Norton Registry Tracker snapshots

Whenever Norton Registry Tracker detects a change to a tracked item, it takes a new snapshot. Each snapshot captures the state of the tracked items on your system. There are three main types of events that trigger Norton Registry Tracker to take a snapshot:

Whenever Norton Registry Tracker starts, it takes a snapshot to serve as a baseline record of the initial state of tracked items. If this snapshot differs from the last snapshot stored for your system, or if it is the first time you have run Norton Registry Tracker, the snapshot is labeled an "Activation Snapshot".

Whenever Norton Registry Tracker detects a change to a tracked item it takes a new snapshot. This allows you to compare the snapshot with previous snapshots to see what changes were made. Having a series of snapshots also lets you restore your system to the state it was in prior to any changes recorded in the snapshots.

You can also "force" Norton Registry Tracker to take a snapshot (a "manual snapshot") at any time. It is a good idea to take a manual snapshot prior to making major changes in your system, such as installing new hardware or software. Taking a manual snapshot allows you to name the snapshot anything you like.

To help you locate changes quickly, Norton Registry Tracker snapshots can display only those items that have changed since the previous snapshot.

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About the Snapshot Log

The Snapshot Log is where Norton Registry Tracker displays a list of snapshots it has taken.

Whenever Norton Registry Tracker starts, it takes a snapshot of your system. If this snapshot differs from the final snapshot from the last Norton Registry Tracker session, (or if this is the first time you have run Norton Registry Tracker) this snapshot is labeled an "Activation Snapshot," and functions as a baseline to record an initial state for tracked items.

If there is a previously stored snapshot, and Norton Registry Tracker detects no changes between it and the new snapshot, the new snapshot is not saved. In this case, Norton Registry Tracker updates the Last Checked time displayed at the top of the Snapshot Log.

Any time Norton Registry Tracker detects a change to a tracked item, it takes a new snapshot to record the changes. Automatic snapshots are tagged with the date and time of the snapshot, and the program that effected the change. You can also force Norton Registry Tracker to take a snapshot at any time, whether or not there have been changes made to tracked items. These "manual snapshots" are also tagged with the date and time. By default, they are labeled "Manual Snapshot," but they can be labeled anything you like.

You can display the Snapshot Log sorted either "By File" (by tracked items) or "By Snapshot." The log is displayed in an expandable browser format similar to that used by the Windows Explorer—items with plus signs to their left can be "expanded" by clicking on the plus sign to reveal more details. At the finest level of detail (items fully expanded), the Snapshot Log shows changes made to the tracked items. Specific changes are not displayed for binary files.

By default, the Snapshot Log displays full details of the snapshot contents, and the changes that occurred between snapshots. Use the View menu to change the level of detail displayed.

You can reset the snapshot log by choosing Reset Snapshot Log from the Options menu. After the Snapshot Log is reset, Norton Registry Tracker automatically takes a new snapshot to record baseline conditions of tracked items.

Resetting the Snapshot Log erases any existing snapshots, then takes a new snapshot. After resetting the Snapshot Log you will not be able to restore tracked items to the state they were in prior to the reset. Reset the Snapshot Log only if you are certain you will not need to restore information from the currently existing snapshots.

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How changes to tracked items are displayed

Norton Registry Tracker lets you select which registry keys and INI file sections should be tracked. Whenever a change is made to a tracked item, the change is recorded in the Snapshot Log.

Changes to tracked items are indicated by the icons to the left of the items:

Indicates something that has been added.

Indicates something that has been removed.

Indicates a line in a text file that has been moved within a file.
The moved text is preceded by the line number from which the text was moved.

Indicates a line in a text file that has been moved within a file.
The moved text is preceded by the line number to which the text was moved.

For an on-screen reminder of these symbols, choose Legend from the View menu.

A line moved in a text file will generally be shown in the Snapshot Log as a paired change with the first line indicating where the line was moved to, and below that a line indicating where the line was moved from. You'll also frequently see paired add/delete change lines. These indicate an existing value that has been changed, since a change involves essentially deleting the old value and adding the new value.

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Recovering previous versions of tracked items

The latest Norton Registry Tracker snapshot captures the current state of your tracked items. If you ever need to recover earlier versions of your tracked items, Norton Registry Tracker gives you two ways of doing so:

Quick Fix reinstates all tracked items from the snapshot immediately preceding the current snapshot. It returns these items to the state they were in just prior to the last snapshot. Choose Quick Fix from the file menu.

Restore reinstates selected tracked items from a specific snapshot. Just select a snapshot from the Snapshot Log, then choose Restore from the File menu. A dialog box lets you designate which of the tracked items from the snapshot should be restored. You can also right-click a registry key in the snapshot log and choose Restore from the context menu.

Norton Registry Tracker cannot reverse changes that have been made to tracked folders.

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