Solve : Fiddling with My Registry?

1.	Solve : Fiddling with My Registry?
Answer» OK, trying to solve the problem in this thread, I had some thoughts. I was thinking, IF I could find out specifically where Adobe Reader bangs in and out of my registry, I could set the recently-used file list to ONE, make a copy of the registry, set it to FIVE, make another copy of the registry, and then set it to NINE, and make a THIRD copy of the registry... Then, I just compare copies, see where the values change, and then set it to ZERO... and see what happens. So, the questions are: Is there a way to narrow down WHERE a program goes in and out of the registry? I mean, I looked around and there were THOUSANDS of things that COULD be what I want! Is there a way to make a copy of the Registry that I can then open in MS Word? (Because in Word, I can do a "Compare Documents") Am I just flippin' nuts for even thinking such a thing? THANKS for the help, direction, pointers, advice, etc...Just curious: Why do you want to do this in your Registry?Uninstall Adobe Reader completely Delete all related files and folders if any remain Reboot and run CCleaner committing to the "Issues" scan several times until no further issues are found Download RegMon and FileMon from [highlight]SysInternals[/highlight] Fire up both, set them monitoring and reinstall the Adobe Reader. Once AR is installed, turn off the monitors and export the log files. You now have a complete file and registry activity map of the AR installation routine.Holy smokes, Backdated, that's more work than it's worth! I hope you knew that off the top of your head and didn't do a lot of research on my (now ungrateful) account... I am presuming there's a registry tweak somewhere. In the Adobe Reader preferences menu, you can change the Recently Used Docs list to show as few as ONE recently used doc.... But I would like to disable that feature entirely. I was thinking that there is probably something in the reg somewhere where I could, for lack of a better word, comment it out, and would be over and done with. So I changed my Reader prefs, exported my Registry, changed 'em again, exported my Registry, and changed 'em again, and exported my Registry... (which is a 25,000 page Word document!!!)... and Find and Compare Docs didn't find any changes between any of them... So I will just have to live with this annoyance. (Here's part of the problem... A manager may read a bunch of resumes on the computer, and then another manager may come and read a bunch of disciplinary files... Now, they don't have "access" per se to the individual files, but I don't want folks to even SEE the names of the files others have looked at... And I SURE don't want to come in and see that folks have been reading "Countdown to Infinite Crisis" when they were supposed to be working!!! So it benefits everyone)Simple trick: take one PDF file rename said file to something obscure and unique (eg 'a_thousand_pounds_of_cabbages.pdf') open file in Adobe Reader search registry for the obscure and unique filename, and you will find the MRU registry entry Having done all that, you can relatively easily create a VBSCRIPT to clear out the MRU list whenever you want.Thanks, that sounds like a great starting point. I ALSO have CRAP Cleaner, and I can also always set it to "one" and make sure I load an innocuous document before leaving the work station, but I was hopin' for something automatic, for the people.

Answer»

OK, trying to solve the problem in this thread, I had some thoughts.

I was thinking, IF I could find out specifically where Adobe Reader bangs in and out of my registry, I could set the recently-used file list to ONE, make a copy of the registry, set it to FIVE, make another copy of the registry, and then set it to NINE, and make a THIRD copy of the registry...

Then, I just compare copies, see where the values change, and then set it to ZERO... and see what happens.

So, the questions are:

Is there a way to narrow down WHERE a program goes in and out of the registry? I mean, I looked around and there were THOUSANDS of things that COULD be what I want!
Is there a way to make a copy of the Registry that I can then open in MS Word? (Because in Word, I can do a "Compare Documents")
Am I just flippin' nuts for even thinking such a thing?

THANKS for the help, direction, pointers, advice, etc...Just curious: Why do you want to do this in your Registry?Uninstall Adobe Reader completely
Delete all related files and folders if any remain
Reboot and run CCleaner committing to the "Issues" scan several times until no further issues are found
Download RegMon and FileMon from [highlight]SysInternals[/highlight]
Fire up both, set them monitoring and reinstall the Adobe Reader.
Once AR is installed, turn off the monitors and export the log files.

You now have a complete file and registry activity map of the AR installation routine.Holy smokes, Backdated, that's more work than it's worth! I hope you knew that off the top of your head and didn't do a lot of research on my (now ungrateful) account...

I am presuming there's a registry tweak somewhere.

In the Adobe Reader preferences menu, you can change the Recently Used Docs list to show as few as ONE recently used doc.... But I would like to disable that feature entirely. I was thinking that there is probably something in the reg somewhere where I could, for lack of a better word, comment it out, and would be over and done with.

So I changed my Reader prefs, exported my Registry, changed 'em again, exported my Registry, and changed 'em again, and exported my Registry... (which is a 25,000 page Word document!!!)... and Find and Compare Docs didn't find any changes between any of them...

So I will just have to live with this annoyance.

(Here's part of the problem... A manager may read a bunch of resumes on the computer, and then another manager may come and read a bunch of disciplinary files... Now, they don't have "access" per se to the individual files, but I don't want folks to even SEE the names of the files others have looked at... And I SURE don't want to come in and see that folks have been reading "Countdown to Infinite Crisis" when they were supposed to be working!!! So it benefits everyone)Simple trick:

take one PDF file
rename said file to something obscure and unique (eg 'a_thousand_pounds_of_cabbages.pdf')
open file in Adobe Reader
search registry for the obscure and unique filename, and you will find the MRU registry entry

Having done all that, you can relatively easily create a VBSCRIPT to clear out the MRU list whenever you want.Thanks, that sounds like a great starting point.

I ALSO have CRAP Cleaner, and I can also always set it to "one" and make sure I load an innocuous document before leaving the work station, but I was hopin' for something automatic, for the people.

Solve : Fiddling with My Registry?

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