The Windows Registry

 The Windows registry. You probably don’t even know what that means, so this article will talk all about it. 

WHAT IT IS

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The Windows registry is basically the heart and core of Windows. In the system folder “C:\Windows\System32\config,” there are the registry’s hive files. These files store most of the system-wide registry data.

HOW IT WORKS

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To view the registry, press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog. Type regedit.exe and press Enter. You’ll get a UAC prompt–click Yes. You’ll see a menu with five folders. These are the root keys and they should be:

• HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

• HKEY_USERS

• HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG

Let’s start with HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. This root key contains most of the system-wide settings. The other keys serve different purposes, such as user-specific settings or temporary configuration.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER shows the currently logged-in user’s settings. Technically, this key is a link to a subkey of HKEY_USERS for that account.

A screenshot of the Windows 11 registry editor, showing the root key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE open.

HKEY_USERS contains something called a SID. SID is an acronym for “Security Identifier.” Think of it as a Social Security Number for your Windows user profile. Every Windows account has one, even the SYSTEM account! But that’ll make a whole other story, so moving on! 

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT is the key that manages the filetypes. Basically, it’s where Windows remembers to open PDF files in Adobe Acrobat, just for EVERY filetype that Windows recognizes. It remembers to open text files in Notepad, JPEGs and PNGs in Photos, and more!

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG holds the current hardware profile for your PC. It doesn’t store info like what CPU you have (that would go in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE!) but instead things that can change easily, like display configuration or printer settings. Also, this key’s data is temporary, so it rebuilds it every time Windows starts up. That loading time is used to gather data like that!

CONCLUSION

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The Windows registry is like Windows’s secret diary. It stores all the stuff it needs to know to boot up in it. But just like us, Windows won’t be happy when you go through its diary. You can take a small peek or maybe add something that won’t do anything, and then have some bragging rights and tell your friends that you hacked the registry, but don’t go too far, or you’ll have an unhappy pc on your hands, and you’ll need to reinstall Windows. BYEEEEEE!