REGISTER EDIT

(STRUCTURE OF THE
REGISTRY)

TERMS TO UNLOCK:
CONFIGURATION: Refers to the way a computer system

or program is prepared for a particular use. The manner in

which the software and the hardware components of a
computer system are arranged and interconnected, so
that the system functions correctly.
DATABASE: Abbreviated as DB; a collection of
information organized in such a way that a computer
program can quickly select desired pieces of data.
REGISTRY: A database used by the Windows operating
system to store configuration information; the location
within the processor used to store process information.
STRING: Refers to any series of characters

Continuation:
BINARY: Refers to any type of file that contains

formatted text, non-text characters, or other data not

interpreted as text such as computer programs,
image files, & other program data files, which
converts into Binary Language the 0 & 1
DWORD: Double Word (Internet Slang)
OLE: (Object Linking & Embedding) is a compound
document standard developed by Microsoft
Corporation. It enables you to create objects with one
application and then link or embed them in a second
application. Embedded objects retain their original
format and links to the application that created them.

REGISTER EDIT:
This application allows you to edit the registry.
WINDOWS REGISTRY/SYSTEM REGISTRY: It

is usually referred to as the registry which is a

collection of databases of configuration settings
in Microsoft Windows operating systems. Usually
it stores all the settings for Windows including:
: Hardware Information & Settings
: Software Information & Settings
: User Account settings
: Security Settings

NOTE:
In Windows 2000 & XP, the Registry is stored in

several Hives/Branches, located in the following

path:
\windows\system32\config and
\Documents and Settings\ {username} folders.
The Registry replaces the old flat or text files
of yesteryear:
*INI,AUTOEXEC.BAT,CONFIG.SYS

WINDOWS REGISTRY HIVES:

The Registry has a hierarchical structure,

like the directories on your hard disk. Each

branch is called a KEY. Each KEY can
contain other keys, as well as Values. Each
VALUE contains the actual information
stored in the Registry.
3 TYPES OF VALUES
STRING
BINARY
DWORD

Six main branches/hive (Windows

2000 & XP)

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT this branch contains

all of your file types as well as OLE information

for all your OLE-aware applications.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER - this branch points to
the part of HKEY_USERS appropriate for the
current user.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE - this branch contains
information about all of the hardware and
software installed in your computer. Since you
can specify multiple hardware configurations, the
current hardware configuration is specified in
HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG.

 HKEY_USERS - this branch contains certain preferences

(such as colors and control panel settings) for each of the

users of the computer. In Windows 95/98/Me, the default
branch here contains the currently-logged in user. In
Windows 2000/XP, the default branch here contains a
template to be used for newly-added users.
HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG - this branch points to the

part of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE appropriate for the

current hardware configuration.
HKEY_DYN_DATA

(Windows 95/98/Me only) - this

branch points to the part of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, for
use with Windows' Plug-&-Play subsystem.

REGISTRY PROS & CONS:

PROS:

- Centralized. If there is a settings in windows,

chances are it is referenced in the registry.
- Keeps configuration details largely transparent
from users
- Standardized method for how program storm
data in the registry
- Easy to backup
- Read in faster than a text file*

CONS:
- Hard to backup individual application

settings
- If it gets too big, it will slow down boot
times and increase a systems
memory needs
- Complex to navigate
- Hard to keep clean, easy to corrupt,
hard to repair

REGISTRY CORRUPTION CAUSES:

Invalid references/entries in the

registry
Including, but not limited to:
- Added/removed programs
(Uninstaller References)
- Temporary file references
- Deleted files
- Invalid file formats

Choices for the QUIZ:

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG

CONFIGURATION
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

HKEY_DYN_DATA
HKEY_CURRENT_USER

HIVES/BRANCHES