Modify Values & Data In A
Registry Key
You can restore this information using the Last Known Good Configuration option, which restores the Registry from a backup of its last functional state. This can be used if-and only if-you have not logged in again since a change was made (otherwise, the Last Known Good Configuration option is useless). Windows uses the Registry extensively to store all kinds of information. Indeed, the Registry holds most, if not all mfc140u.dll download, of the configuration information for Windows. Modifying the Registry in Windows is a potentially dangerous task.
You should modify the Registry only when told to do so by an extremely trustworthy source or if you are absolutely certain you have the knowledge to do so without causing havoc in the Registry. If you need to modify the Registry, you can modify the values in the database or create new entries or keys. You will find the options for adding a new element to the Registry under the Edit menu. To edit an existing value, double-click the entry and modify it as needed.
Over the years, Windows 95 and Windows NT further developed on this foundation, introduced centralization as the core feature in the newer version of Windows Registry. In the initial versions of Windows, application developers had to include in a separate .ini file extension along with the executable file. This .ini file contained all the settings, properties and configuration required for the given executable program to function properly. However, this proved very inefficient due to the redundancy of certain information and it also posed a security threat to the executable program. As a result, a new implementation of standardized, centralized as well as secure technology was an apparent necessity.
You need administrative-level access to modify the Registry. In the registry editor search bar, paste the directory of the key you’d wish to edit or navigate to it using the folder structure. We’re going to be using the Activation Broker key as an example in this tutorial. Paste Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ActivationBroker to follow along. If your last restore point had problems — for example a virus or worm, you’ll face the probability that this information will also be restored to your system.
Not to be tampered with lightly, it is a system-defined database used by the Windows operating system to store configuration information. All application and system-related Data is stored in Values assigned to Keys that are again categories as Hives to ensure efficient categorization. To change the system or application config, you can change the data or values using the RegEdit utility.
- There are a number of formats that data can take and the usual ones that most PC users will encounter are given in Table II. I have omitted the more esoteric types.
- Be careful to be sure that you have chosen correctly between hexadecimal and decimal.
- In the example here, the decimal number "96" would have to be "60" if hexadecimal were picked for the base.
- You can enter either but the number that you enter must correspond to the correct value for the chosen base.
How Is The Registry Structured?
It is important to remember that achieving a good system registry restore is dependant on you having taken the proactive steps to creating a good, usable backup to restore from. It is also important to read help files and search the Microsoft online Knowledgebase for registry backup and restore information for the version of windows you are running.
Control Panel and other configuration tools are provided so you have graphical tools for modifying system settings. Directly modifying the Registry can have unforeseen-and unpleasant-results.
Whenever a new program gets installed in the Windows system, an entry is made in the Windows Registry with its attributes such as size, version, location in the storage, etc. Windows stores Registry information in files on the hard drive.
Since the registry needs to be loaded in memory at all times, if the size of the registry is large it won’t leave enough room for all other applications to run smoothly or run at all. This would be detrimental to the performance of the operating system, hence the Windows Registry is designed with a core objective of being highly efficient. In most of the Linux variants, the configuration files are saved in the .txt format, this becomes an issue when we have to work with the text files since all the .txt files are considered as critical system files. So if we try to open the text files in these operating systems, we wouldn’t be able to view it. This tool, however, was very limited, since the applications could only store certain configuration information of an executable.