| Forum Home | ||||
| PC World Chat | ||||
| Thread ID: 128570 | 2012-12-30 04:35:00 | Explaining the registry | Nick G (16709) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1320653 | 2012-12-30 04:35:00 | Well, I've been researching the windows registry, just trying to figure our what is what (which parts are keys, hives, values, what are said keys, hives, and values etc) but I haven't found anything good or comprehensive. Could any of our resident geeks try and explain registry entries to me? Cheers (Note - this is learning to answer a quiz, but I will be taking information on board, not copying and pasting any answers I am given here into my answer. Also, I will be referencing this thread) |
Nick G (16709) | ||
| 1320654 | 2012-12-30 06:44:00 | Could any of our resident geeks try and explain registry entries to me? It's an abortion.:D |
mikebartnz (21) | ||
| 1320655 | 2012-12-30 07:27:00 | What you need is Jerry Honeycutt's book 'Windows XP Registry Guide', and there is also an updated version: www.amazon.co.uk I don't think he has written one for Win7, but the registry is the same in principle, it hasn't really changed substantially since Win 95. |
Terry Porritt (14) | ||
| 1320656 | 2012-12-30 08:34:00 | My amatuerish take on the Registry is that it is simply a database. The data within the database contains specific settings that may be unique to each installation of Windows, and each piece of hardware, at a level that I'm unable to elaborate on. On a less complex level, it typically contains startup and shutdown settings for various apps (like an ini file has for startup). Stuff like Window size and position, most recently used files for the app (MRU list), user settings / preferences etc. It's also used as a cryptic and tangled hiding place for many keys that are soley for countering piracy. I still don't know why such vast stretches of the Registry seem to be duplicated over and over. Arguably it saves on wasted space and fragmentation of startup files, as each ini file is typically a byte or two, but is allocated many kb on the HDD. Maybe that was part of the primary motivation behind it, to reduce wasted space, and to work like the PreFetch function, giving Windows one place to find heaps of stuff, rather than heaps of places to find odd bits and pieces. It also reduces the burden of how many ini / config files that need to be protected from hacking, by puting most of them within the one place, the Registry. |
Paul.Cov (425) | ||
| 1320657 | 2012-12-31 22:36:00 | Thanks for all the replies, definitely gives me something to think about. Before I go off buying a book etc, does anyone know which parts of a registry entry is the hive, which part is the key, and which part is the value? That's mainly what I need to know. |
Nick G (16709) | ||
| 1320658 | 2012-12-31 23:07:00 | My amatuerish take on the Registry is that it is simply a database. A database is exactly what it is. Thanks for all the replies, definitely gives me something to think about. Before I go off buying a book etc, does anyone know which parts of a registry entry is the hive, which part is the key, and which part is the value? That's mainly what I need to know. en.wikipedia.org Read that |
Agent_24 (57) | ||
| 1320659 | 2012-12-31 23:24:00 | en.wikipedia.org Read that Doh! Why didn't I think of wikipedia. Thanks :) |
Nick G (16709) | ||
| 1320660 | 2012-12-31 23:31:00 | Doh! Why didn't I think of wikipedia. Thanks :) Hangover ?? ... :D |
SP8's (9836) | ||
| 1320661 | 2012-12-31 23:45:00 | I'm not sure whether Wiki gives this info, but the actual locations of the hives (which are the keys and all its subkeys and values) are given at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\HiveList | Terry Porritt (14) | ||
| 1320662 | 2013-01-01 02:42:00 | Hangover ?? ... :D Trust you:rolleyes: ... no Just been generally busy, getting ready to go down to Southland this Friday, and I've just taken over as chairperson at a group. Hadn't really thought about it too much, in part why I posted here. Agent_24 - that Wiki article had everything I needed, really useful. |
Nick G (16709) | ||
| 1 2 | |||||