When you understand the purpose of the Registry and howto change entries,you have gained power to customizeWindows than you thought possible.The Registry is a database holding crucial data about your computer'sconfiguration and its simple to access and to change.
The first and most important task you must perform isto backup your registry even before you know how toaccess this file.Changing certain parts of the registryspells disaster and your backup can pull you out ofthe fire.
HOW TO BACKUP YOUR REGISTRY
To backup your registry using the registry checker,clickon Start,Programs,Accessories,System Tools and System Information.Next open the tools menu and clickRegistry Checker.The Registry Checker scans your registry and ask if you want to make a backup and hereyou select yes.
If your registry becomes corrupt and will not allow thecomputer to boot,the registry checker may not run.Its an excellent idea to copy a backup of your registryon a floppy or other removable disk.To do this task,openWindows Explorer,and browse to C:\WINDOWS.Nextcopy System.dat and User.dat to the floppy disk.Copythe files in the C:\WINDOWS\SYSBACKUP as well.Ifyour operating system is Windows Me,copy the fileClasses.dat as well.
If you change your registry and find that windows willnot boot,start the computer with your startup disk andchange the startup disk with the registry disk.Windows98 users click Start,Shut Down,Restart in MSDOS Mode,and click OK.Once you arrive at the Dos Prompt,typescanreg.exe/restore and press Enter.From there yourestore the most recent registry and reboot the PC afteryou remove the disk from the drive.Scanregw /restore isthe command for WinMe users.
THE REGISTRY STRUCTURE
The Registry structure can be confusing to say the least.The registry data resides in the User,and System.datWindows 98 files which are hidden from the user'sview to discourage tampering.Windows Me uses theSystem,Classes,and the User.dat files.The registryconsists of six branches as follows:
The HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTThis branch contains data for user configuration,whichstores changes you make to Windows and when youinstall or uninstall applications.This data is accessedby Windows on a regular basis such as when you clickon an icon or music file.
The HKEY_USERSAs the name indicates,this branch contains data abouteach user with an account on that computer.Each userwill have a separate KEY.Within each branch are folderlike files called Keys and you may even see subkeyswithin each Key.
HKEY_CURRENT_USERThis is the location of settings for the user that is usingthe system now.Desktop and Control Panel settings ofthe current user are among the data present.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEThis branch or subtree contains data about your system'shardware,software, and the operating system.
HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIGThis branch works together with the above branch.It loadsdata from the Hkey_Local_Machine into the Hkey_Current_Config subtree that may be needed for the current user.
HKEY_DYN_DATAHere data is taken from other parts of the registry and places it into memory for quick access by Windows.
Every key in the registry is displayed with an icon of afolder.And these folders are simply nothing more thanstorage areas for data,such as a folder in your file cabinet.And these keys with contain keys within themselves.
The Keys mentioned above are the most important keysin your registry and viewing the associated video clips willshow you the structure of your registry.
Microsoft does not want us playing around in the registry sinceone wrong move and you may disable your computer.Onereason for this is because most of the changes you can makein your registry can easily be made in the Control Panel settings.
So why bother to learn how to make changes in your registry?Knowledge is power and the more you understand everythingabout your computer,the more control you will have over it.It isbest to learn and to tamper with the registry on a second PC inyour home rather than playing around with your business or theonly system at your residence.
Take a minute to view the video on the structure of the registryand how to perform a backup.To take a look at your registry youcan click on Start,Run,and type "Regedit" in the open block.Inour next article we will show you how to make changes to theregistry,what happens when you delete the wrong key or value,and what to do to get your system back on track.
Even though you can make most changes in the Control Panelthat you can make in your registry,you want to master every aspect of your system.Learning about the registry will help youhave the confidence of know all about your system.View thevideos,visit the web sites,and understand the registry completely.