Windows 7 how do I import old registry hive without overwriting

[hbjngf]

I recently moved all of my hardware to a new motherboard, and windows7 was unable to adapt to the changes, so I did a reintall. I moved all the program filesto the same place they were etc. but now im having trouble brining back the registry entreies. I have to keep the new SOFTWARE hive or else no programs will work, and I need all the missing ones for my programs to work. is there a way to import the old registry hive without overwriting the new registry keys? thx in advance

P.S. reinstalling all of my prgrams is not and option, I have way too many

 

[Silverhazesurfer]

you would need to create a .reg file with the entries you wish to add or modify. Unless you only have a few changes, doing so would be quite a task. Perhaps you add your old registry and then reinstall the programs you just installed. That would replace whatever entries you lost.

Why can't you just reinstall the software? Even with properly downloaded hacks, they are simple to install. *please note that this does not condone pirating software. it merely states the simplicity of the situation*

Unfortunately, sometimes your computer goes down and reinstallation is the only option. In any case, if you had the proper executables and supporting files, running the program should be no issue. I have seen many a program operate without the need to interact with the registry.

Bear in mind that the old registry is going to reference hardware and drivers from the old system. Hardware addresses may be similar and cause current hardware to fail. Unless this is a similar board to the one that failed, you may end up with conflicts on a scale that could cause you to have to reinstall everything again anyway.

TL;DR: Try copying over the folder structure of the programs you have currently installed. They should work that way. Unless they change Windows themes and the like, it should work regardless.


*edit: You many not need to copy everything into the registry. Logically processing what you may need or want can save you lots of head ache and loss of time.

 

[muckshifter]

standard procedure in replacing the MB is to clean install the OS, just as with replacing the hard drive. This is to ensure you have an uncluttered hive.

Saving your original data is imperative. However, as you are now aware, one WILL need to reinstall the original software.

P.S. reinstalling all of my prgrams is not and option, I have way too many

Sorry, but that should be what you will need to do. Reinstall on a "as needed" bases may help. I wouldn't count on a stable system any other way.

You could have done an 'in-place re-install' which would have kept all your files, settings, and programs in place on your computer.

 

[hbjngf]

In place reinstall was impossible, I couldn't boot

 

[muckshifter]

... and windows7 was unable to adapt to the changes, so I did a reintall.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features/startup-repair

If your computer's system is severely damaged and you can't access the System Recovery Options menu on your computer, you can access it using the Windows 7 installation disc or a USB flash drive, or using a system repair disc if you created one earlier.

To use this method, you need to restart (boot) your computer using the disc or USB flash drive.

Insert the Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive, or a system repair disc, and then shut down your computer.

Restart your computer using the computer's power button.

When prompted, press any key, and then follow the instructions that appear.

On the Install Windows page, or on the System Recovery Options page, choose your language and other preferences, and then click Next.

If neither the Install Windows page nor the System Recovery Options page appear, and you're not asked to press any key, you might need to change some system settings. To learn how to do this, see Start your computer from a Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive.

If you are using the Windows installation disc or USB flash drive, click Repair your computer.

Select the Windows installation you want to repair, and then click Next.

On the System Recovery Options menu, click a tool to open it.

 

[hbjngf]

thanks for trying guys but the reason I had to reinstall windows was that I also was moving a raid 0 array so there was no way to boot (i'm lucky my data was there after) I really didn't want to go redownload all the little programs that I've collected over the years, nor all 400GB of games/downloads etc. and bookmarks... you get the point. anyway, just so that if you need to do this I found the solution,

FIRST make sure you have moved ALL of the files from windows.old to where there were before the re-installation

1) open regedit

2) load old hive as "hive" -> export to .reg file

3) unload "hive"

4) load new hive as "hive" -> export to another .reg file

5) use a program called "reg file merger" (free) to merge the two .reg's together

6) export your software hive (or any hive for that matter)

7) unload "hive"

8) load the software hive you just exported as "hive"

9) delete all the directories (two of them were undeleteable for me, didn't stop me) in "hive"

10) close regedit

11) open the merged .reg and add it to the registry, it will say it couldn't do all of them, thats ok

12) open regedit

13) export "hive" as SOFTWARE to anywhere

14) unload "hive"

15) select "software" and import the SOFTWARE you just exported

16) exit regedit

17) reboot

profit



no applause, just throw money

 

[hbjngf]

If your computer's system is severely damaged and you can't access the System Recovery Options menu on your computer, you can access it using the Windows 7 installation disc or a USB flash drive, or using a system repair disc if you created one earlier.

I already tried that, I wouldn't ask for help unless I had already tried the obvious things