X-Setup Pro 7.0: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Windows Registry Undoing Changes via the Restore Log Joseph Moran
Undoing Changes
As powerful as X-Setup Pro is, there are a few things it could do a bit better, and one example concerns undoing changes. In most cases, the configuration changes made by X-Setup Pro take effect instantly,
which lets you immediately see whether a modification had the intended effect. (Or any effect at all — in a few cases, changing a setting didn't seem to have a discernable effect in the relevant area.) If the new setting proves to be undesired, it can easily be reversed — in most cases, at least.
Undoing a change can be a simple matter, because many settings modifications involve selecting or unselecting a single item. But some settings have multiple items and free text fields (for example, when you edit a file path) to be modified, and in these cases the burden is on the user to remember (or write down) what the original setting was. An actual undo function would come in handy here.
Fortunately, X-Setup Pro does automatically maintain a Restore Log that records all the changes by the utility to the system (it's independent of the System Restore feature built into Windows Me and later). However, it needs to be launched separately and is somewhat inconvenient to access when you simply want to undo the last change you made.
More concerning is the fact that the Restore Log also can't be used to roll back individual modifications; when you select a setting to revert, all the changes made since then will also be undone.
Another drawback results from registry settings occasionally differing depending on the generation of Windows. Unfortunately, X-Setup Pro doesn't display only those options that are relevant for your OS version. When you select a particular setting, the utility usually – but not always – indicates which specific Windows versions systems it applies to.
Licensing/Pricing
You can download a fully functional version of X-Setup Pro to try for 30 days. (To its credit, the software refrains from bombarding you with the annoying purchase "reminders" so common with shareware.) After the trial period, the software will stop working and must be registered. The registration fee is a mere $8 (purchasing more than 4 licenses gets you a 10% discount), a price that doesn't entitle you to updates or upgrades of the software.
For that, you'll need to ante up some additional scratch for "Update Protection" in the amount of $6 per year. Update Protection entitles you not only to new versions of the utility, but since each individual configuration option takes the form of a small XML plug-in, new and updated configuration options as well.
A word to the wise: If you install X-Setup Pro and decide to bail on it without buying, if you want to undo any changes you made with the utility you'll have to do so before removing the program, since uninstalling won't revert your system back to its previous configuration.
Overall, whether you're a network administrator looking for an easy and efficient way to modify multiple systems or a tech geek who simply likes to fiddle with your system's settings, X-Setup Pro will almost certainly satisfy your needs.
Pros: Quick and helpful access to more than 1800 registry entries, inexpensive ($8), works on all Windows platforms
Cons: Simplistic Undo function could be much more useful, Rollback Log function must be launched separately and does not offer the ability to undo individual changes, lacks the ability to filter OS-specific entries, updates require yearly subscription ($6/year)
