What Is The Registry?

Date First Published: 13th October 2023

Topic: Computer Systems

Subtopic: Computer Software

Article Type: Computer Questions & Answers

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 6/10

CONTENTS

Registry Categories
What Is Regedit?
Registry Maintenance

Learn about what the registry is in this article.

The registry is a hierarchical database of settings, user preferences, operating system configurations, information, options, and software and hardware values used by Microsoft Windows. The registry contains values located within registry keys, all within folders that categorise all the data in the registry (registry hives).

The Windows registry has replaced autoexec.bat, config.sys, and most of the INI files that contained configuration information in very early versions of Windows, such as MS-DOS. It provides a centralised method of storing custom preferences for each Windows user instead of storing them as separate .INI files. In Windows XP onwards, all the registry files are located in the System32 %SystemRoot%\System32\Config\ folder.

The registry is also constantly referenced by Windows and other programs. Changes are made to the registry when making changes to nearly any setting of a program, but these changes might not fully take effect until the computer is rebooted.

Registry Categories

The Windows registry is structured as a hierarchy and contains several top-level categories. Each begins with 'HKEY', which is short for "Handle To Registry Key". The top-level categories include:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT - Stores file type, file extension, and configurations for COM (Component Object Model) objects, such as Microsoft OLE documents and ActiveX components.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER - Stores user-level preferences selected using the Control Panel and user-level network and printer settings.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE - Contains information about the hardware installed, software settings, and other information that apply to all users. It is one of the most commonly viewed and edited areas of the registry.
HKEY_USERS - Stores temporary information for active users who are logged into the computer.
HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG - Stores information about the current configuration of hardware attached to the computer.

What Is Regedit?

Regedit is a built-in program on Microsoft Windows used to view and make changes to the registry that does not need to be installed. It can be accessed by running 'regedit' in the Run box. When opened, it will display a hierarchical view of the registry, allowing users to browse by folders and subfolders. The registry editor is visually similar to Windows Explorer, and it is very similar to the Microsoft File Manager in terms of operation.

Registry Maintenance

The Windows registry can be maintained using a registry cleaner. A registry cleaner is a type of third-party utility software used to scan and remove any unneeded or outdated registry entries that the computer no longer uses. Registry cleaners are useful for keeping the Windows registry clean, which will optimise the system performance.

However, some registry cleaners may be poorly written and improperly remove or change registry entries, which can cause issues with other programs, like crashes and freezes. At worst, it can cause Windows to stop working and require you to reinstall the operating system due to instability. This is why it is important to be careful when using registry cleaners and not edit the registry unless you understand what you are doing. Before making any changes to the registry, it is important to back it up in case it goes wrong.

Fortunately, the Windows registry rarely needs any edits, but administrators may occasionally adjust it to import or export .REG files, or create, delete, or edit corrupt or invalid registry keys. It can also be used to change configuration settings, like automatic startup programs.