Getting Started with RegeditHere are simple instructions to help you launch regedit and start
editing your registry. Do remember to select File, Export, Selected Branch, before you make any changes.
- Click on the Vista Start Button
- Click in the Start Search Dialog Box
- Type regedit
- Press enter (or double click Program: regedit)
Note 2: Unlike other Vista executables, if you just type the first few letters, 'reg' or 'reged', this does not reveal the name of the program, you have to type the full name -
regedit. Note 3: Another clue that amateurs are not supposed to open the registry, is that the
special editor, Regedit, does not appear on any Vista menu.
Note 3: The actual executable is called regedit, but for backwards compatibility it also responds to the name of regedt32. See a whole section of Vista's
Registry
The best executable to hack the registry is Regedit. (Rather than
Regedt32)
Click on the 
START (Button), RUN, REGEDIT (Type), Click on the OK (Button).
Note 1: In Windows 2003 and XP Regedit remembers the last place you visited which is
useful.
Key Registry editing skills
- Starting Regedit.exe
- Finding Values
- Changing Values (easy)
- Adding new String Values, DWords or Keys
Structure of the Registry
The registry is made up of two main parts HKEY_USERS and HKEY_LOCAL_Machine
HKEY_USERS
This has a subset called HKEY_CURRENT_USER which is stored in the user's
profile under the Documents and Settings folder.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM)
This has two subsets HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT - this branch contains all of your
file types and HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG which stores the current hardware profile
information. I generally ignore the subsets and deal exclusively with the
HKLM.
The physical files are stored in the %systemroot% (winnt)\system32\config
folder and are called, software, security, and system. These files are
backed up if you select 'System State' during the backup proceedure.
Watch out for the different types of values; REG_SZ (String) and REG_DWORD
are the most common and can be created or edited with Regedit.exe.
Occasionally you need to find the other types Binary, Reg_Expand or Reg_Multi
for these use Regedt32.exe
The two Registry editors
- Regedit - Wonderful FIND easy to use.
Start Run regedit
- REGEDT32 - In Windows 2000 (as opposed to XP and Windows Server 2003) REGEDT32 was useful for checking security settings and editing REG_EXPAND or
REG_MULTI Start
Run Regedt32
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