Thank you for downloading REG-ULATE, which is a set of functions to backup
and restore the vital system files to hard disk or floppy. Also included are
backup and restore of LFN's (Windows Long File Names) and condensing the
registry files. These functions work with all versions of Windows 95 
and FAT32.

Some VERY important points before we start. All of the files in the zip file
should be placed in a directory that is in the DOS path. Otherwise, you will
manually have add it to the path in your Autoexec.bat file. So, if you don't
want to mess with paths, simply place it in the \WINDOWS\COMMAND directory,
which by default is always a path. Next, and I can't stress this enough, the
program, REGULATE, must be run from DOS - NOT in Windows and not from a DOS
prompt from within Windows, but pure native DOS. (such as what you get when 
you shut down Windows to a DOS session or by pressing F8 at boot time and
selecting Command prompt only (NOT Safe prompt). Since the programs work with
the registry, etc. which are being used by Windows as well, running it from
Windows will surely mess things up. Also included in this package, is
DOSLFNBK, with the author's permission (of course), in it's entirety, which
includes DOSLFNBK.EXE, DOSLFNBK.TXT and XCOPY.TXT. Please read and review
this, since they can be used stand-alone to backup and restore LFN's when
necessary. REGULATE only uses this program when backing up to floppy. If the
need arises to restore (or backup) LFN's, you must do so by running DOSLFNBK
directly. 

That aside, listed here are the vital files REGULATE works with and the
functions it performs.

SYSTEM.DAT (registry file)
USER.DAT   (registry file)
WIN.INI
SYSTEM.INI
CONTROL.INI
MSDOS.SYS
AUTOEXEC.BAT
CONFIG.SYS
BACKUP.LFN (LFN's -- created by DOSLFNBK)

When REGULATE is run, you are presented with 7 options.

Save/Restore to Hard Disk (1,2) -- This is useful when you want to try or
install something on your system. It is a one time deal, i.e. only one copy
is saved and once restored, the copy is deleted. Note Function 1 (Save to
hard disk is the only one that's safe to run from Windows directly).

Restore previous Windows registry (3) -- Windows saves it's own backup copy
of the registry every time it starts. Use this option to restore it, making
the current registry the same as the old one.

Restore/Save to floppy (4,5) -- This is much like Functions 1 and 2, except
it is more secure since it is saved to floppy. Also, prior to saving, the
LFN's on the system are retrieved and backed up on the hard disk (located 
in root) as well as to the floppy. When restoring, the files are NOT removed
from the floppy as when restoring from hard disk. You may use the same floppy
for saving, since the files will just be overwritten. Note that in order to 
fit the files on a single floppy, the files are stored in self-extracting 
ZIP files. If they still don't fit on one floppy see 

Condensing the Registry (6) -- This function does not merely remove gaps in
the registry but actually shrinks the size of the files (loads faster, they
say). It is also, however not foolproof, because if there is an error in
your registry files, it simply stops, with some undecipherable message. It
does however restore your previous registry. It is wise to save you registry
files anyway, using function 1, prior to condensing. Better safe than sorry!
It is recommended, but not necessary, to run a "cleanup" program on the 
registry (several available) to remove erroneous entries. This function uses 
REGEDIT, which ships with Windows. However, there is a bug in the OSR1 
original version), which probably won't let you to condense the registry. 
OSR2 works fine. In fact, if you are running OSR1 and can get a hold of
REGEDIT from OSR2 (I can help you with this), it is compatible with the OSR1
version of Windows and will work here as well. You can tell which version you
have by going to the Control Panel and selecting System. Under the General
tab, you should see your version number below "Microsoft Windows 95". If
this number ends with the letter B, you have OSR2, otherwise you have OSR1.
Please use the form on my web site (see below) to request additional
information on this issue.

Remove saved files from hard disk (7) -- This function is merely a house-
keeping function. It is used to simply delete the files saved with function 1
and are not needed for a restore.

If you prefer, you can bypass the menu, by entering the function number on
the command line. For example, Regulate 5 will backup to floppy. This may be
useful if running from a batch file.

REG-ULATE is Freeware. The author accepts no responsibilty for its' use or
misuse. Test it, try it, make sure you follow all instructions and know what
you're doing.

Happy Surfing!
mazel@easyliving.com

For more exciting, unique software (all freeware), or just plain fun, visit
my web site at http://www.erols.com/mazel-18/