X-Setup Pro 7.0: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Windows Registry Finely Tuned Control Over the Windows Registry Joseph Moran
Extensive knowledge of the expansive and labyrinthine database known as the Windows Registry can give you great power to control your computer's appearance and behavior. Then again, mastering the thousands of obscure and esoteric settings found in the Registry is a lot easier said than done.
X-Setup Pro is a handy tool that aims to make the task of managing the Registry easier by exposing access to nearly 1800 different settings. Compatible with all Windows versions from 95 through XP and Windows Server 2003, X-Setup Pro can be run in two modes – Classic and Wizard. If you're not intimidated by the thought of getting up close and personal with your Registry, then the former is for you.
Classic = Finely Tuned Control
When you run X-Setup Pro in classic mode, you're presented with a seemingly endless array of configurable settings organized into nine categories, including Appearance, Hardware, Internet, and Startup/Shutdown. As you browse the extensive hierarchical list and select individual items, most offer a brief explanation of their purpose, and because the sheer number of settings is so voluminous, you can add specific settings to a Favorites list, making them easier to access upon future use.
The range of modifications you can make in Classic mode is broad — for example, you can perform relatively simple tweaks like removing applet icons from Control Panel, disabling ToolTips, or changing the default folder for desktop wallpaper. You can also make more complex and subtle changes, like adding custom options to Windows' context menus, disabling the operating system's built-in CD/DVD burning capability, or overriding the default NTFS behaviors regarding ACLs (Access Control Lists) so that when you copy a file or folder, the original permissions are retained (normally they take on the permissions of the destination location).
To minimize the possibility of serious system problems, X-Setup provides stark warning dialogs for options where changes might cause system instability or other negative consequences. You can also invoke a Safe Mode feature, which will prompt you to confirm each change you seek to make before it's actually implemented.
Depending on the area of the Registry being modified, a change may apply to the current user, all users, or the system itself, and X-Setup Pro points out when the effects of changing a setting will go beyond the currently logged on user. X-Setup Pro also gives you the ability to load the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key from any user profile located on the system, which lets you modify settings only for a specific user and have the changes take effect once that user logs into the system. This feature can come in handy for those wanting to lock down certain aspects of a system for users other than themselves.
If you're a systems administrator and you want to tweak the Registry of another machine or of multiple systems, X-Setup Pro's Record Mode will record all the changes you make to the local system and save them to a .REG file, which can then easily be imported to one or more machines.
Another useful feature — especially for troubleshooting disabled systems — is the ability to add X-Setup Pro to a bootable system CD or DVD made with BartPE (Pre-installed Environment). This will let you use X-Setup Pro on a system that's been rendered unbootable due to a damaged Registry, even if the utility wasn't previously installed on the system.
Because too many options can often be overwhelming, X-Setup Pro accommodates those who may approach Registry mods with some trepidation by providing a Wizard mode. This mode doesn't really provide any more setting information than Classic mode, but it does let you focus in on a specific category and related group of settings. Somewhat annoying, though, is the fact that the program closes after completing a wizard, forcing you to re-launch it constantly when using multiple wizards.
