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 system’s 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

THE REGISTRY

HKEY_USERS