>> OK. But that still doesn't detract from the actual problem: whether you
>> track every individual access, or just the before and after images, the
>> problem is that you can't just grab a bunch of registry changes, apply
>> them to another machine, and expect it to do the same thing. It's not
>> that simple.
>
> Perhaps you're unaware that there are software distribution tools that
> employ just this sort of mechanism?  I worked for a company where about
> 6,000 desktops had applications delivered to them using this type of
> application management technology, in fact.
>
> It does require testing and knowledge to do right.  It's far from
> impossible.

6,000 *identical* desktops, I would imagine.

In that case, yeah, it might work. Just like if you have 6,000 
*identical* desktops, you can apply the same Ghost image to all of them, 
and this actually works correctly.

What *I* was trying to do is construct a script which will work on *any* 
Windows XP installation. That is a much harder task.

> I feel I must repeat something I've said to you over and over and over
> and over and OVER again:  Just because YOU can't do something does NOT
> mean it is "impossible".

If you want to split hairs, it is technically "possible" to unscramble 
an egg. According to the laws of physics, scrambling an egg ought to be 
a completely reversible operation. (Time invariance, and all that.) But 
to date, nobody has ever succeeded in actually doing this.

There are things which are truly *impossible*. (E.g., travel faster than 
light.) And then there are things which are theoretically possible, but 
so absurdly hard that nobody would bother trying. (E.g., unscrambling an 
egg.)

Some things are easy, some things are hard. Some things are hard enough 
that for all /practical/ purposes, it's impossible. Somebody with access 
to insider knowledge about how the Windows Explorer shell works 
internally might be able to put together a registry hack that changes 
the theme. Somebody with access to thousands of test systems and with 
the time and motivation to reverse-engineer this stuff might be able to 
figure it out. One lone guy with a registry monitor? Not a chance.

And that is really all I was trying to say.

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