Editing the registry

[Jack Isaacs]

Hello All

It would appear that I am going to have to edit the registry on my PC,
because somehow Outlook won't give up being the default mail handler (after
setting the relevant options in OE Tools and in IE Tools - and even after
uninstalling Outlook!).

According to some guidance I have received via the OE6 newsgroup,
(http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=306098), my final effort to do this
involves editing the registry, and this makes me VERY nervous.

Before I do anything, can I assume that if I use Programs>Accesories>System
Tools>Backup and select the 'Only back up the System State data' option,
then if all goes wrong I willbe able to get back towhere I was pretty
quickly by restoring from that backup? If so, should I back up the 'System
State data' to some media not on the C drive(e.g. flash memory stick)?

Finally, is there anything else I need to be aware of before editing the
registry?

Many thanks for the help.
Leslie Isaacs

 

[Dave Patrick]

You can run Programs|Accessories|System Tools|Backup, then choose ERD, then
if you check the box for "Also backup....", then the reg will also be backed
up to
%windir%\repair\RegBack
leaving the
%windir%\repair\
directory files intact as original installation.

Then archive the files in
%windir%\repair\RegBack
These would, in effect, be registry restore points.

You can replace registry hives from within the recovery console by copying
the files from your archive to;
%windir%\system32\config

To start the Recovery Console, start the computer from the Windows 2000
Setup CD or the Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks. If you do not have Setup
floppy disks and your computer cannot start from the Windows 2000 Setup CD,
use another Windows 2000-based computer to create the Setup floppy disks.
Press ENTER at the "Setup Notification" screen. Press R to repair a Windows
2000 installation, and then press C to use the Recovery Console. The
Recovery Console then prompts you for the administrator password. If you do
not have the correct password, Recovery Console does not allow access to the
computer. If an incorrect password is entered three times, the Recovery
Console quits and restarts the computer. Note If the registry is corrupted
or missing or no valid installations are found, the Recovery Console starts
in the root of the startup volume without requiring a password. You cannot
access any folders, but you can carry out commands such as chkdsk, fixboot,
and fixmbr for limited disk repairs. Once the password has been validated,
you have full access to the Recovery Console, but limited access to the hard
disk. You can only access the following folders on your computer:
%systemroot% and %windir%

Since you're editing the key;
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Outlook Express

You can navigate to the key then from the menu File|Export and give it some
meaningful name. This will save a *.reg file of the key before the edits. If
necessary you can merge this file (by double-clicking) back into the
registry. This procedure is OK for backing up specific keys but is not
acceptable for the entire registry. Recent full registry backups should be a
part of your normal backup plan.

(FYI this key is harmless as far as killing the operating system goes)

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Hello All
|
| It would appear that I am going to have to edit the registry on my PC,
| because somehow Outlook won't give up being the default mail handler
(after
| setting the relevant options in OE Tools and in IE Tools - and even after
| uninstalling Outlook!).
|
| According to some guidance I have received via the OE6 newsgroup,
| (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=306098), my final effort to do this
| involves editing the registry, and this makes me VERY nervous.
|
| Before I do anything, can I assume that if I use
Programs>Accesories>System
| Tools>Backup and select the 'Only back up the System State data' option,
| then if all goes wrong I willbe able to get back towhere I was pretty
| quickly by restoring from that backup? If so, should I back up the 'System
| State data' to some media not on the C drive(e.g. flash memory stick)?
|
| Finally, is there anything else I need to be aware of before editing the
| registry?
|
| Many thanks for the help.
| Leslie Isaacs
|
|

 

[Gary Smith]

Before you start hacking at the registry, have you tried using "Set
Program Access and Defaults"? Many people have found that it clears up
problems like this. Access it from the Start menu or from the left panel
of Add/Remove Programs.

It would appear that I am going to have to edit the registry on my PC,
because somehow Outlook won't give up being the default mail handler (after
setting the relevant options in OE Tools and in IE Tools - and even after
uninstalling Outlook!).

According to some guidance I have received via the OE6 newsgroup,
(http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=306098), my final effort to do this
involves editing the registry, and this makes me VERY nervous.

Before I do anything, can I assume that if I use Programs>Accesories>System
Tools>Backup and select the 'Only back up the System State data' option,
then if all goes wrong I willbe able to get back towhere I was pretty
quickly by restoring from that backup? If so, should I back up the 'System
State data' to some media not on the C drive(e.g. flash memory stick)?

 

[Leslie Isaacs]

Hello Gary

Thank you for your reply.

I had never noticed that option!

Now that I have, though, it doesn't allow me to do anything about the "Use
my current email program" option, which is selected.
Presumably there's nothing further to do on that score?

Many thanks anyway - I'll remember that for the future.

Les

 

[Gary Smith]

It should have the option to explicitly select Outlook Express. If it
doesn't, it's likely that whatever is causing your current problem has
deliberately or accidentally disabled that option. Editing the registry
seems to be the only viable choice.

Hello Gary

Thank you for your reply.

I had never noticed that option!