Free Windows Help Tutorials sponsored by inkjet printer cartridges dot org /title> <META HTTP-EQUIV="imagetoolbar" CONTENT="no"> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; CHARSET=ISO 8859-1"> <META name="description" Content="Hundreds of downloadable Windows help tutorials, articles and how-to guides sponsored by inkjet printer cartridges dot org."><style type="text/css">  </style> </head> <body bgcolor=#999999 vlink=blue link=blue> <span name = "INTRA" class="pg" style="top:0px; left:5px; width:714px; height:1010px"></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:0px; left:5px; height:1010px; width:714px' class='img'> <img src="pg0001im.png" height = "1010 width = "714" border="0"> </span> <span class='nav' style='left: 10px; top: 10px'><pre></pre></span><span name = "INTRA" style='top:51px; left:494px' class="ft5"><pre><font face='Helvetica'>End User Support:Operating Systems</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:104px; left:182px' class="ft3"><pre><font face='Arial'><b>Understanding</b></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:154px; left:215px' class="ft3"><pre><font face='Arial'><b>The</b> <b>Registry</b></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:248px; left:124px' class="ft2"><pre><font face='Arial'><i><b>Editing</b></i> <i><b>the</b></i> <i><b>registry</b></i> <i><b>is</b></i> <i><b>not</b></i> <i><b>as</b></i> <i><b>hard</b></i> <i><b>as</b></i> <i><b>you</b></i> <i><b>might</b></i> <i><b>think,</b></i> <i><b>but</b></i> <i><b>you</b></i> <i><b>need</b></i> <i><b>to</b></i> <i><b>understand</b></i></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:268px; left:145px' class="ft2"><pre><font face='Arial'><i><b>what</b></i> <i><b>you're</b></i> <i><b>doing,</b></i> <i><b>and</b></i> <i><b>it's</b></i> <i><b>essential</b></i> <i><b>to</b></i> <i><b>make</b></i> <i><b>a</b></i> <i><b>backup</b></i> <i><b>before</b></i> <i><b>you</b></i> <i><b>make</b></i> <i><b>any</b></i></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:289px; left:215px' class="ft2"><pre><font face='Arial'><i><b>changes</b></i> <i><b>so</b></i> <i><b>that</b></i> <i><b>you</b></i> <i><b>can</b></i> <i><b>back</b></i> <i><b>them</b></i> <i><b>out</b></i> <i><b>if</b></i> <i><b>necessary.</b></i></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:321px; left:579px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>By Mike Lewis</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:389px; left:77px' class="ft0"><pre><font face='Arial'><b>P</b></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:393px; left:107px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>ut simply, the Windows registry</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:393px; left:286px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>The registry has several advantages</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:393px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>registry is spread over a series of files,</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:405px; left:107px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>is a central repository of infor </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:405px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>over INI files. Because the information</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:405px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>sometimes called hives.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:417px; left:107px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>mation about all aspects of the</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:417px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>is centralised, it is easier for applica </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:417px; left:480px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT are</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:429px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>computer in particular, its hardware,</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:429px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>tions to access it. It is more hierarchical</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:429px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>usually held in the Windows directory.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:441px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>operating system, applications and us </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:441px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>than INI files, and so better suited for</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:441px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>However, it is also possible to place</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:453px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>ers. It can be accessed and updated</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:453px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>storing large amounts of structured</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:453px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>USER.DAT in the user's login direc </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:465px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>under software control and also di </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:465px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>data. It is also free of the size limita </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:465px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>tory on a network, thus allowing the</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:477px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>rectly by users.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:477px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>tions which affect INI files (although</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:477px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>user to log in at other workstations. In</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:489px; left:91px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>The registry first appeared in Win </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:489px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>there is still a maximum total registry</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:489px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>NT, the hive files are located in the</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:501px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>dows 3.1. In that system it was a single</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:501px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>size limit).</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:501px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>SYSTEM32\CONFIG directory, which</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:513px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>file, called REG.DAT, and was mainly</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:513px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>is off the Windows directory.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:525px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>used to store information about OLE</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:527px; left:272px' class="ft2"><pre><font face='Arial'><i><b>Storage</b></i></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:537px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>objects. Most other configuration data</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:539px; left:466px' class="ft2"><pre><font face='Arial'><i><b>Architecture</b></i></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:549px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>was held in various INI files, of which</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:549px; left:286px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Although the registry is usually</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:561px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI were the</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:561px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>considered to be a single entity, its con </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:561px; left:480px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>When you view the registry in the</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:573px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>most important.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:573px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>tents are in fact stored in more than one</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:573px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Microsoft Registry Editor its hierarchi </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:585px; left:91px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>The modern registry, as found in</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:585px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>physical file. In Windows 9x, there are</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:585px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>cal nature becomes obvious. (To</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:597px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Windows 9x and NT, brings together</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:597px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>two such files: SYSTEM.DAT and</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:597px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>launch the editor, run REGEDIT.EXE</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:609px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>all the information that was previously</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:609px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>USER.DAT. These hold computer spe </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:609px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>from the Start/Run menu. I'll describe</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:621px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>held in REG.DAT and the separate INI</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:621px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>cific and user specific information re </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:621px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>it in more detail later in the article.) The</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:633px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>files.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:633px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>spectively. In Windows NT, the</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:633px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>editor presents an Explorer like view</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:645px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>of the registry, with a tree in the left</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:657px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>pane and data in the right (see Figure</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:669px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>1).</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:681px; left:480px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>The registry tree is divided into six</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:693px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>broad sections (five in NT). These sec </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:705px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>tions, which all have names beginning</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:717px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>with HKEY_, are called root keys or</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:729px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>top level keys (see Figure 2). Each root</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:741px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>key contains sub keys, which might in</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:753px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>turn contain further sub keys and so</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:765px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>on. The lowest level keys along a given</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:777px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>branch are called values.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:789px; left:480px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Taking a hard disk as an analogy,</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:801px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>keys are like directories and values are</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:813px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>like files. Keys and values both hold</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:825px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>data, which can either be binary values</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:837px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>or ASCII strings.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:850px; left:480px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Each item of data has an associated</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:862px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>name. As a minimum, each key and</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:874px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>value holds a single data item, named</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:886px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Default. The data and names are dis </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:888px; left:121px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Figure 1 The Microsoft Registry Editor shows the registry's</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:898px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>played in the right pane of the editor,</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:901px; left:216px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>hierarchical structure.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:946px; left:52px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Update 127 (May 1999) page 5</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:946px; left:617px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>File: E1209.1</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:944px; left:264px' class="ft4"><pre><font face='Arial'><b>PC</b> <b>Support</b> <b>Advisor</b></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" class='nav' style='left: 357px; top: 1010px'><pre>Next page <a href='page0002.htm'>></a></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:1050px; left:50px' class="ft4"><pre><b><font color="#FF0000" size="3" face="Arial">New!</font><font color="#FF0000" size="3" face="Arial Narrow"> </font><font size="2" face="Arial">The best sites for quality <a href="http://www.inkjet-printer-cartridges.org">inkjet printer cartridges</a> and the best sites for <a href="http://www.cheap-inkjet-cartridges.com">cheap inkjet cartridges</a></font></b></pre></span></body> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:1100px; left:300px' class="ft4"><pre><b><font color="#FF0000" size="3" face="Arial"><a href="../index.html">Windows Help Desk Home</a> </font></b></pre></span></body></html>