The Windows Registry is a directory which stores settings and options for the operating system for Microsoft Windows. It contains information and settings for all the hardware, operating system software, most non-operating system software, users, preferences of the PC, etc. Whenever a user makes changes to Control Panel settings, file associations, system policies, or most installed software, the changes are reflected and stored in the registry. The registry also provides a window into the operation of the kernel, exposing runtime information such as performance counters and currently active hardware. The Windows registry was introduced to tidy up the profusion of per-program INI files that had previously been used to store configuration settings for Windows programs. These files tended to be scattered all over the system, which made them difficult to track.
This Article explains the basics of Windows Vista & 7 Registry.
The Registry consists of the following 5 Root Keys:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
HKEY_USERS
HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG.
Root Keys contain SubKeys. Subkeys, may contain subkeys of their own too, and contain at least one value, called as its Default Value. A key with all its subkeys and values is called as a Hive.
The Registry is stored on the Disk as several separate Hive files. These Hive files are then read into memory every time Vista starts or when the User logs on. To see where the Hives are physically stored, see:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\HiveLi