Designed
for Windows 95/98/NT.
(Download all 12Ghosts 1.3
MB, 18-Dec-98)
Introducing ProfileCopy
Things You Should Know Important!!!
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
How are you doing backups?
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280 KB,
18-Dec-98, Self-extracting, with Setup and Uninstall.
Introducing PACT ProfileCopy
With PACT ProfileCopy you can save and restore your user profile. A
profile includes all user defined settings in Windows like your wallpaper, desktop
settings, sound and cursor schemes, desktop icons and layout, start menu items, and so on.
And you can add folders and registry keys yourself!
What's new, it does not only save the registry settings like a normal backup program,
it also copies the files referred to by these settings. The wallpaper bitmap, the
screen saver, the sound files and cursors themselves are copied to a new folder. You then
only need to handle this one folder.
Use PACT ProfileCopy instead of a full backup. No need to backup the complete Windows
folder every time but save your personal settings only.
You can copy user profiles from one user to another, to a new computer, between your PC
and your notebook, from Windows 95 to a fresh installation of Windows 98, and even when
going from Windows 95 to NT!
Things you Should Know
IMPORTANT: Copying profiles is rather
complicated, as far as I can tell. Please read the following paragraphs and the Not Yet Implemented paragraph below before using ProfileCopy!
Also, the FAQ contains a lot of helpful explanations!
General Issues
• Verify the system folder settings before saving
these folders. For example if one of these folders is set to "C:\", your
complete disk would be copied.
• After changing system folder settings it is
required to log off and back on before saving or restoring system folders. Windows must
recognize the new settings.
• This Beta has not been tested with network paths.
• The system folders "Programs" and
"Startup" will be saved twice if they are below the Start Menu folder. However,
this will probably make up less than 50 KB.
• Windows 95: The icons for My Computer, Network,
Recycle, etc. will only be restored in Windows 95 if Microsoft Plus! is installed.
• Shortcuts are not changed. If the target path does
not exist on the restore platform, the shortcut will not work. This is the nature of
shortcuts.
• Sound and Cursor files will always be restored to
%WinDir%\Sounds or %WinDir%\Media. This is by intend because the paths should be
"relative" and exist on every Windows installation (95, 98, NT). - To backup a
folder and restore it at the exact same "absolute" path, add it to the lower
list of "Files, Folders and Registry Keys".
• For certain screen savers additional files might be
necessary. For example, the popular Boogie Baby screen saver would need baby.avi and
baby.mid. You need to add these files in the lower list box to have them copied. That's
also necessary for screen saver settings if you wish to save them. For example, if you use
the Marquee screen saver, you'd have to add the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control
Panel\Screen Saver.Marquee.
• Profile.ini is not a Windows system file. It is
created new and used only by ProfileCopy.
• Don't forget to log off and back on after restoring
for the restored settings to take effect.
Items in the Lower List Box
• You can add your own registry keys to be copied in
the lower list box. However, you should know what you are doing. These
keys will not be checked but just copied/restored.
• Folders and Registry Keys will always be
restored according to the entry in profile.ini, disregarding if they
appear in the list box or not (because they would not on another PC). To
deselect certain entries, delete them manually in the Profile-Path\profile.ini.
• Files referred to by registry keys in the lower
list box will not be copied, only the keys themselves.
• It is not recommended to
save/restore the complete HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry key (nor any of the main hives),
other then for backup purposes for one single machine. See the FAQ for
detailed information.
Different Language Versions
• On language versions other than English,
the [>] buttons for Sound, Mouse, and Keyboard do not work. Please use Start - Settings
- Control Panel to change these settings.
• Save and restore on different language
versions, for example, saving on an English Windows and restoring on a French
Windows:
• The system folders "Programs" and
"Startup" might be restored twice, once with their saved names and once under
the currently set names.
• The desktop icon layout can not be restored since
the file type names are internationally different.
Solved Issues
Missing Shortcuts
v98.5 Beta 2.0 checked for all necessary system folders and tried to set up defaults.
Unfortunately, the routine doing so was not smart enough to respond to every existing
situation. Some beta testers reported missing shortcuts in their Start menu or a cluttered
desktop. That's why we pulled out the routine and now merely provide a warning to the user
if a system folder is not set up correctly.
If you have any problems with your system folders, you might want to look into this
registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ User Shell
Folders
Verify the correct paths for all values you find in there. The default paths are
usually c:\windows\profiles\<your log on name>\<sys folder>. Important:
After changing the paths here, you need to log off and back on for Windows to recognise
the changes.
(...because we want a stable version first, and the multitude of features later.)
Save/Restore:
- Settings for Explorer
- Options - View
- Toolbar on/off
- view details
- Taskbar Properties
- Windows Applets Options:
- Notepad Options
- RegEdit Options
- etc.
- Settings for other applications
- Support for %variable% directories
Log File
- no more MessageBoxes, instead a log file and LED display
- display each single save/restore action in LED
- ProfileCopy should accept the profile path on the command line (right now, it does
accept /s for save and /r for restore).
Usage
- option: copy folders without subfolders
- enabled/disabled check boxes for Folders and Registry Keys list entries
- display during copying files, cancel the process.
- Test on how many data are going to be copied, display
- calculate Time remaining
- Context help, ToolTips
We always enhance our software to give you the most powerful tools available. Please let us know if you encounter any difficulties not
listed here. Thank you!
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
What is a profile?
All user defined settings in Windows are stored in a special database, called the
Registry. Settings included are, for example, your selected wallpaper, current sound and
cursor scheme, desktop colors, mouse and keyboard settings. And also the contents of the
Start and Programs menu, the Desktop and Favorites folder, and more.
"It's tedious
to set up all parameters each time you install Windows..."
It's tedious to set up all parameters and copy all according files each time you
install a fresh version of Windows, either because of updating to a new version, cleaning
up, or beta testing! Transferring all settings for example to a new computer, or between a
PC and a notebook is almost impossible. Your administrator may assign you a new user
account with a fresh profile, so all your settings are gone. With ProfileCopy you can now
save and restore your profile easily.
You may also include several settings for applications, and your documents.
How can I test ProfileCopy?
(1) Save the profile, (2) then create a new test user on your computer. Log on as this
user, start ProfileCopy, (3) and restore the profile. Again, log off and back on
after restoring and check if all settings were copied as expected. Make sure you
have a full backup of your complete system before using ProfileCopy!
What is the difference between a profile and a "Microsoft Plus!"
theme?
You can only install a theme, that is, "put settings in". When you
change settings or add files, these changes will not change the theme, but the profile.
In other words, you can not "get settings out". With ProfileCopy you can.
Why is "ProfileCopy.exe" always copied to the profile path?
You may want to restore your profile on another PC or a fresh installation of Windows.
No need to install ProfileCopy again, it's already in your profile folder, ready to use.
Probably one day there will be a 2.0 version of ProfileCopy. We prefer not to guarantee
backwards compatibility over the next 50 years. The profile.ini format might and indeed
will change. But there, for you, this is no problem because the appropriate version was
copied into the backup path!
Why don't you just backup the whole (nt)user.dat (that is, HKEY_CURRENT_USER)?
You can, however, I don't suggest it:
1. ProfileCopy has been designed to be able to copy settings between
Windows 95 and Windows NT, and different PCs. Many settings are different in Windows 95
and Windows NT. You can not copy the whole (nt)user.dat to another
installation, it may render your system unusable.
2. ProfileCopy also copies files referred to by registry keys, for
example your wallpaper bitmap, sound and cursor files. The keys and files are restored
correctly on another machine, even if the Windows folder has another name.
3. The contents of system folders (Start Menu, Desktop, etc.) are
copied from and restored to their according paths.
4. To transfer settings between PCs, the same applications would
need to be installed on both PCs. You can (and we encourage advanced users to) add
specific registry keys for installed applications if you know that it works.
5. The paths saved/restored and referred to by registry keys are
probably different on different machines and installations of Windows. You would need to
search and replace all paths in the registry after copying.
6. All keys in (nt)user.dat need to be closed to save or restore.
This is hardly ever the case, except before booting or logging on. For example, Windows NT
allows restoring the Last Known Good only before loading the system, a roaming
profile is copied before logon. Restoring HKEY_CURRENT_USER completely may not
work because keys are locked.
7. There are better and quicker utilities to only backup the
complete registry if you feel like doing so: the Windows Backup, REGSAVE and REGREST from
the Windows Resource Kit, and several other backup programs.
Do you recommend to include HKEY_CURRENT_USER completely?
Just for backup purposes, yes. To transfer profiles between PCs, no. To transfer
profiles between users on the same machine, not really, this depends on the applications
installed.
Can I start ProfileCopy per batch file?
You can specify two command line options, /s for save and /r for restore. However, in
this version error messages are displayed as message boxes. We will implement an error log
file in the next version.
What's the difference to a full backup?
Not all Windows settings are saved per default. The main purpose to use ProfileCopy is
to copy profiles from one user or PC to another and between Windows 95, 98 and NT.
Application settings are not saved by default but you can add as many registry settings,
documents and folders as you need. To backup your complete data, please use a full
featured "first" backup program regularly.
Can I backup the whole registry?
You can backup every registry key by adding it to the lower list box. But I wouldn't
say it makes sense, however. For example, keys below HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE are only used by
applications installed on the machine. If those applications are not installed, why would
you need those settings? And different users on the same machine all access the same
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. No need to copy it.
As mentioned above, I would recommend to backup all data and the complete registry
regularly with your preferred backup program. Many backup programs today come free with
Windows or a new hard drive, that's why ProfileCopy was not designed to mimic a full
backup program.
How long has ProfileCopy been tested?
The first version was out in mid May 1998. We use ProfileCopy on our own machines
excessively, while developing ProfileCopy and during our daily work. At no time any
settings were lost. The developers themselves would be quite upset loosing any files or
settings.
ProfileCopy is downloaded by about 30 users per day. The only problem so far occured on
a few machines with version 98.5 Beta 2.0 at the end of May. Although quite disturbing, no
data were lost. The responsible routine had been pulled out since version Beta 2.1
published two days later.
The release candidate 98.6 Beta 3.0 was out on June 9th, with no serious reports
so far. After four weeks and with minmal changes we called this 98.7 Final. This seems to
do it's job as intended for all users.
However, please take all precautions you can, read the FAQ and the Known Issues carefully. Test ProfileCopy on test-user profiles, always save the current profile before you restore a new
one. Backup your data regularly, and make sure you have a recent full
backup before trying new software, including ProfileCopy. Don't risk anything!
License
This program is a test version for evaluation only. You can use the software for
evaluation purposes without charge for a maximum of 30 days. If you use this software
after the 30 day evaluation period a registration fee for a full version is required.
How to Order a License
License Agreement
Support
Should you have any questions please contact support@12Ghosts.com. We stand committed to solving
your issues within hours! We're also running a UBB support forum where other users might
already have asked your question. You're welcome to join the discussion!
And you can take part on the future development of the 12Ghosts family:
Send us your thoughts on features and usage. We really appreciate your feedback!
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