Export all Windows settings to a text file?

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  1. Posts : 21
    WINDOWS 10
    Thread Starter
       #11

    RickC said:
    One problem is that 'settings' are not solely confined to the Settings app (some can still only be viewed easily from within the Control Panel) and aren't all stored in the Registry.

    For example, say you had a network access issue reaching a NAS and wanted to compare whether or not the SMB1 protocol (a deprecated Windows feature that remains important for people who still have older storage devices on their home networks) was activated on each of 2 PCs. You can drill down all you want in the Settings app but this settings info is not to be found in Settings\Network nor even in Settings\Apps\Apps & features\Manage optional features. (My Win 10 Pro 1809 install actually shows 'No features installed.' even thought I DO have the SMB1 protocol added back in as an optional Windows feature.)

    Instead you have to use Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features\Turn Windows features on or off to see the info. As a result it's usually easier to use a PowerShell query (e.g. Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online) to display the Windows Features info or dump it to a text file.

    Exactly what sort of Windows Settings/Options info are you looking to dump to text?
    I wanted to check settings on several machines due to this thread; How to load systray apps and programs BEFORE Windows Sign In?

    I have now solved that issue.

    I have decided that trying to dump all settings to a file seems to be more trouble than it is worth but it would be awfully useful if there had been a easy way to do it.

    Anyway, thanks for you help and to everybody that responded. Will mark this thread as closed.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 197
    Windows 11 Home
       #12

    W130SN said:
    I have decided that trying to dump all settings to a file seems to be more trouble than it is worth but it would be awfully useful if there had been a easy way to do it.
    The problem with 10 is every new update would break it if the program was possible or done. They move stuff in settings all the time, slowly removing things from control panel to settings panel.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 2,176
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2
       #13

    Andrew129260 said:
    They move stuff in settings all the time, slowly removing things from control panel to settings panel.
    True... but don't forget that these are just the GUI elements, i.e. the visual front-ends to effect changes to settings, not the actual settings themselves. I suspect many (most?) actual settings and their locations (registry, etc.) would require considerable effort to change, hence why many .REG files from the days of Windows 7 (or even XP) still work today.
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 197
    Windows 11 Home
       #14

    RickC said:
    True... but don't forget that these are just the GUI elements, i.e. the visual front-ends to effect changes to settings, not the actual settings themselves. I suspect Many (most?) actual settings and their locations (registry, etc.) would require considerable effort to change, hence why many .REG files from the days of Windows 7 (or even XP) still work today.
    For the most part that is true, although sometimes the permissions get wonky and need higher rights to be changed when it wasn't needed before. Bat files have been a nightmare for me on 10. Perhaps it's me being the issue but I recall classic shell stating the biggest hurdle was windows 10 constant changes which made everything really hard to keep up with which ended up him stopping work on it.

    And removing stuff from control panel and bringing it into settings has changed some stuff where it was located so some of the older commands no longer work.

    Just my experience. I just want the old control panel to be gone away with and just focus on settings entirely. But its a long process.
      My Computer


 

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