All About Windows Registry

All About Windows Registry

 

What is the Windows Registry?

The Windows Registry, usually referred to as "the registry," is a collection of databases of configuration settings in Microsoft Windows operating systems. 

What is the Windows Registry Used For?:

The Windows Registry is used to store much of the information and settings for software programs, hardware devices, user preferences, operating system configurations, and much more. The registry is constantly being referenced by Windows and other programs. When you make changes to nearly any setting, changes are also made to the appropriate areas in the registry. In many ways, the registry can be thought of as a kind of DNA for the Windows operating system.

How To Access the Windows Registry:

The Windows Registry is accessed and configured using the Registry Editor program, a free registry editing utility included with every version of Microsoft Windows. Registry Editor can be accessed by executing regedit from the Command Prompt or from the search or run box from the Start menu.

Registry Editor is the face of the registry, and is the way to view and make changes to the registry, but it's not the registry itself. Technically, the registry is the collective name for various database files located within the Windows installation directory.

 

How To Use the Windows Registry:

The registry contains registry values, located within registry keys, all within one of several registry hives. Making changes to these values and keys using Registry Editor will change the configuration that a particular value controls.

Registry Key:  

A key in the Windows Registry can be thought of like a file folder. A key that sits within another key is called a "subkey". Registry keys may contain additional registry subkeys and registry values and will always exist under the highest key in the hierarchy called a registry hive. In Registry Editor, keys and subkeys are shown as the folders on the left hand of the screen.

Registry Value:

A value in the Windows Registry contains specific instructions for your Windows installation. Many kinds of registry values exist including string values, binary values, DWORD (32-bit) values, QWORD (64-bit) values, multi-string values, and expandable string values. In Registry Editor, a value is located on the right hand side of the screen. Registry values are located under registry keys or subkeys, and ultimately within a registry hive.

 Registry Hive:

A hive in the Windows Registry is the name given to a major section of the registry that contains registry keys, registry subkeys, and registry values. All keys that are considered hives begin with HKEY and are at the top of the hierarchy in the registry. In Registry Editor, the hives are the set of registry keys that appear as folders on the left hand side of the screen when all other keys have been minimized.

Here is a list of the common registry hives in Windows:

• HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
• HKEY_USERS
• HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG

HKEY_DYN_DATA is a registry hive that was used in Windows ME, 98, and 95. Most of the information stored in that hive is stored in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE in later versions of Windows.

 

Windows Registry Availability:

The Windows Registry and the Microsoft Registry Editor program are available in nearly every Microsoft Windows version including Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 95, and more.

Note: Even though the registry is available in almost every Windows version, some very small differences do exist between them.