CloneApp - Backup All Your App Settings

I came across this yesterday and tried it out on my new Windows 8.1 system. It does what it says - backs up all the settings folders and registry keys for your installed apps/applications.

It should be useful for generating a list of what you have installed (at a minimum) and saving off the folders and registry entries for your current system in case you want to blow it away and do a clean install. For Windows 10, you probably can't import the registry keys, but the restoring folders should work if that is where you have the ".ini" files or other settings.

It has plugins for 186 programs, and you can select them individually, or just the ones it detects. You can see what they are from this link, "allapps.txt" http://www.mirinsoft.com/downloads/c...rt/allapps.txt .


[edit] This also runs on Windows 10.
If you've ever done a refresh, you know that you get an HTML file called "Removed Apps" that has the names, and maybe links, to stuff that was removed. Fine for getting rid of new system junk, not so fine if you have loaded in stuff like 8gadgetspack, 7-zip, IrfanView, MPC-HC, etc. and have set the options you like.


From the site, annotated:

"CloneApp enables easy backup of all your app settings from Windows directories and Registry.
A fresh re-install always makes Windows much faster but that means you lose all your program settings.
CloneApp will Backup all your App settings from Windows directories and the Registry and only those you really need.

The Idea behind is a bit different from the 'classic' Backup tool. The Main purpose is ONLY to backup all the Configurations files leaved in Windows Programm directories and the Registry."

NOTE: Run as Administrator

Site:
New Project on the Run

From the Readme file:

Links and Resources to CloneApp
===============================
Website: Downloads - CloneApp - Portable - CloneApp
Download: http://dl.cloneapp.mirinsoft.com
Changelog: http://changes.cloneapp.mirinsoft.com
Online Documentation: http://docs.cloneapp.mirinsoft.com
Official Plug-ins: Downloads - CloneApp - Plug-ins
External Plug-ins (e.g. for backing up Windows Product keys etc.): Downloads - CloneApp - External Plug-ins
Community Plug-ins: CloneApp :: Topics in CloneApp - Community Plug-ins (1/1)
Support Forum: CloneApp :: Category Index
License: http://legal.cloneapp.mirinsoft.com ("The software is being licensed to you free of charge for your private personal use.")

jimbo45 said:

Hi there

Why not just image your system with something like Acronis or Free Macrium -- reliable software that's been working for Donkeys years -- and you can restore from a bootable media too if your computer fails to boot.

I'm all in favour of developers creating new software - but offering something that is functionally less good than what already exists seems in my book a total waste of time.

Cheers
jimbo

I agree with using something like Macrium to clone your system, but this is oriented more toward when you want to blow off your current system, doing a clean install, then put some, but maybe not all, apps back in.

In addition, a Macrium clone isn't going to help when you move from 7/8 to 10, but this might let you restore your settings (the non-registry ones at least) like navigation panes, colors, options, etc. after you put the applications in instead of having to go through and re-set stuff to the way you like it.