Types Of Information In The Registry
The Windows Registry stores much of the information and settings for software programs, hardware devices, user preferences, and operating-system configurations. This directory-based configuration also makes it possible to use different versions of the same application, since the configuration is done "on the fly". If one wishes to remove the application, it is possible to simply delete the folder belonging to the application.
What Is Windows Registry? [Minitool Wiki]
A fifth subkey, "HARDWARE", is volatile and is created dynamically, and as such is not stored in a file (it exposes a view of all the currently detected Plug-and-Play devices). The registry is a database of configuration settings supporting the Windows OS. Linux uses individual text files to store settings. I want to find the files shown when running regedit.exe (Windows Registry Editor). The SOFTWARE subkey may be the registry key that users access most commonly.
This is usually a less specific approach, but often results in interesting findings that I can incorporate into other, future analysis. There have also been times where I’ve discovered information about other Registry keys and values that were unrelated to the case at hand but may be useful during future analysis. Editing the Windows Registry is easy—so long as you move slowly.
- However, with the data in the registry, you can use a common installer package (WIX, InstallShield, etc.) that will handle the uninstall/reinstall of files without touching application settings.
- So they all use some form of registry, except that in some cases it is distributed.
- The obvious purpose of the Registry is to act as a single repository for all configuration and setting data and remove the reliance on configuration files.
- Raymond Chen enumerates the problems that existed with .INI files that were trying to be solved.
- B) Other operating systems use other methods of storing program settings, for example, Unix’s usually place files in /etc (global files) and in the user folder in various hidden folders (user settings).
If you are using a non-Professional version of Windows, editing the Windows Registry is likely the only way to edit some of these settings. Making changes to these values and keys using Registry Editor change the configuration that a particular value controls.
It also contains a "SAM" subkey which is dynamically linked to the SAM database of the domain onto which the current user is logged on. The key located by HKLM is actually not stored on disk, but maintained in memory by the system kernel in order to map all the other subkeys. On Windows NT, this key contains four subkeys, "SAM", "SECURITY", "SYSTEM", and "SOFTWARE", that are loaded at boot time within their respective files located in the %SystemRoot%\System32\config folder.
This will often not remove configuration settings which are stored independently from the application, usually within the computer’s ! Boot.Choices or potentially anywhere on a network fileserver. The kernel will access it to read and enforce the security policy applicable to the current user and all applications or operations executed by this user.
That means don’t add random registry files without checking, don’t mess with https://wikidll.com/microsoft/msvbvm60-dll registry values you don’t understand, and always take a backup before making registry tweaks. Many of the options exposed in the registry are not available elsewhere in Windows. There is a wide variety of advanced settings that you cannot change without editing the registry. Some of these settings are available through Windows Group Policy—but the Windows Group Policy Editor is only available to Professional versions of Windows.
