Book news and Registry research

I've recently exchanged a number of emails with my editor at Syngress, and opted to put of working on a book on Registry analysis until next year.

Well, more accurately, I won't be submitting a manuscript until after the summer of 2010. One reason for this is because I want to have the time to really dig into the Windows 7 Registry and do some in-depth analysis (and thoroughly document it) to be included in the book. I also need to refine some of the updates I have planned for RegRipper and that set of tools.

However, there were other reasons for putting this project off, as well. I submitted my proposal for the book, and got back almost a dozen reviews...all anonymous. Many of the comments were interesting, but one of the common threads throughout the reviews was a need to compare commercial tools. Sadly, this isn't something I have access to...while some vendors have offered me trial versions of tools, this hasn't been the case with tools that deal with the Registry. I simply don't have access to such tools. Further, these tools are largely just Registry viewers, and don't offer the same sort of functionality or flexibility as RegRipper. I'm not sure, but this may end up being the biggest obstacle to the book.

Finally, I have to come up with a way to present the information I have and develop in the book without making it just a big, long, boring list of Registry keys and values. That'll take some time to develop...