Registry Information

Registry :
The Registry is a database used to store settings and options for the 32 bit versions of Microsoft Windows including Windows 95, 98, ME and NT/2000. It contains information and settings for all the hardware, software, users, and preferences of the PC. Whenever a user makes changes to a Control Panel settings, or File Associations, System Policies, or installed software, the changes are reflected and stored in the Registry.

The physical files that make up the registry are stored differently depending on your version of Windows; under Windows 95 & 98 it is contained in two hidden files in your Windows directory, called USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT, for Windows Me there is an additional CLASSES.DAT file, while under Windows NT/2000 the files are contained seperately in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config directory. You can not edit these files directly, you must use a tool commonly known as a "Registry Editor" to make any changes (using registry editors will be discussed later in the article).

HKCR : Typically used to store file extension and registered COM server information.
HKCU : used to store user specific application and operating system settings
HKLM : used to store system wide application and operating system settings.

Working on Registry Data



The main purpose of inspecting registry data is to ensure no irrelavent data is included with the repackaged project.

Data located in HKCR should be left in the project.
Data located in HKLM\Software\VendorName\ProductName can be safely asumed to be part of the product.
Data located in HKLM\Software\Microsoft should be reviewed for relevance to the application being repackaged.
Data Located under HKCU\Software\ Should be reviewed using the same rules as HKLM.
Changes under HKEY_Users\.Default should be moved to HKCU.
Registry keys or entries referencing ProgID strings or GUIDs should be left in the project as long as the referenced string or GUID can be located in the registry data of another component or under a different key of the same component.


More Information

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