Scribd
Upload
120 views

Windows Registry

The Windows Registry contains settings and configuration information used by Windows and programs. It is organized in a hierarchical structure with hives at the top level containing keys that can have subkeys and values. The Registry stores information like desktop customizations, recently opened files lists, and program-specific settings. All settings and configurations are stored in the Registry through a path of hives, keys, subkeys, and values to allow Windows and programs to access computer resources and user customizations.

Uploaded by

Mudassir Naz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
120 views

Windows Registry

The Windows Registry contains settings and configuration information used by Windows and programs. It is organized in a hierarchical structure with hives at the top level containing keys that can have subkeys and values. The Registry stores information like desktop customizations, recently opened files lists, and program-specific settings. All settings and configurations are stored in the Registry through a path of hives, keys, subkeys, and values to allow Windows and programs to access computer resources and user customizations.

Uploaded by

Mudassir Naz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Understand How the Windows Registry Works

By Dan Gookin from Troubleshooting Your PC For Dummies, 3rd Edition


The Registry contains information used by Windows and your programs. The Registry helps the operating system manage
the computer, it helps programs use the computers resources, and it provides a location for keeping custom settings you
make in both Windows and your programs.
For example, when you change the Windows desktop, the changes are stored in the Registry. When you see a list of
recently opened files, that list is stored in the Registry. And, changes you make to the status bar in Word yep, theyre kept
in the Registry, too.
The Registry is essentially a database. Its information is stored on disk for the most part, though dynamic information also
exists in the computers memory. (That dynamic information concerns the computers hardware and operating state.) All the
information is organized by using a structure similar to folders in the file storage system.
The top level of the Registry contains hives, each of which starts with the curious word HKEY.

Registry Hives
Name

Abbreviatio
n

Contents

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

HKCR

Information used by programs for file


association and for sharing information.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

HKCU

Settings and configuration for the current user.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

HKLM

Settings and configuration for all users.

HKEY_USERS

HKU

Settings and configuration for all users on the


computer; the information in HKCU is copied
from this hive when the user logs in.

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFI
G

N/A

Hardware information about the PCs


resources and configuration.

Beneath the hives are folders, or keys. Keys can also have subkeys, just as folders have subfolders. The name of the game
is organization.
Keys contain values. Every value has a name and data. Unlike the old inifiles, the data can be something other than text,
including numeric values and binary information. You can find several values in a single key, or a key can be empty or
contain only subkeys.
As with files and folders, values stored in the Registry are found by following apathname that gives the location of a specific
key or value. For example, the following pathname to the key gives the location where Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.0 is installed
on the computer:
HKCU\Software\Adobe\AcrobatReader\8.0\InstallPath
The abbreviation HKCU for HKEY_CURRENT_USER is used in the preceding line. Its followed by the subkeys Software,
Adobe, Acrobat Reader, 8.0, and, finally, InstallPath. In the InstallPath key is a value that holds data in the form of text. The
text is the pathname for the storage system location where Acrobat Reader 8.0 is installed.
Keys, like pathnames to files, can get long. Sometimes, a key name thats too long to fit on a single line must be wrapped,
such as
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\CursorShadow
This key contains a binary value that determines whether Windows displays a shadow on the mouse pointer. The line is too
long to fit on the page, so it wraps.

Incidentally, the CursorShadow key helps demonstrate a point that deserves emphasis: You can easily turn the mouse
pointer shadow on or off by using the Pointers tab in the Mouse Properties dialog box. You dont have to delve into the
Registry, nor is there any benefit to doing so.

To view or modify the Registry, the Registry Editor program is used.


Some keys may be empty, though they still contain a Default value. Thats because all keys must contain a value
or a subkey.

You might also like