Windows IT Pro is the leading independent community for IT professionals deploying Microsoft Windows server and client applications and technologies.
  
  
  Advanced Search 



What files make up the registry, and where are they?

RSS
Subscribe to Windows IT Pro | See More Registry Articles Here | Reprints | Or get the Monthly Online Pass—only $5.95 a month!

A. The files that make up the registry are stored in %systemroot%/system32/config directory and consist of

  • SAM - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SAM
  • SECURITY - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Security
  • software - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software
  • system - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System & HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
  • default - HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT
  • Ntuser.dat - HKEY_CURRENT_USER (this file is stored in %SystemRoot%\Profiles\%username%)

There are also other files with different extensions for some of them

  • .alt - Contains a backup copy of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System hive. Only System has a .alt file
  • .log - A log of changes to the keys and values for the hive
  • .sav - A copy of the hive as it looks at the end of the text mode stage in setup

End of Article



Reader Comments

You must be a registered user or online subscriber to comment on this article. Please log on before posting a comment. Are you a new visitor? Register now




Top Viewed ArticlesView all articles
Confirmed: Battery Life Issues Not Windows 7's Fault

Microsoft on Monday issued a lengthy statement about the recent Windows 7 battery controversy, echoing my assessment from earlier in the day, but backing it up with hard, cold evidence. ...

Microsoft Warns of Windows Version Expirations

Microsoft warned that this year will see three out-of-date Windows versions slip into retirement. ...

Battery Life Issues Almost Certainly Not Windows 7's Fault

While Microsoft is still investigating a notebook battery life issue that was supposedly caused by Windows 7, some interesting trends have emerged. ...


Storage Whitepapers Turn to a Proven Server and Storage Migration Solution

The Impact of Disk Fragmentation on Servers

Take Control of Your Email: Understand the Business Reasons for Email Storage Management

Related Events Disk-to-Disk Grows Up

Deep Dive into Windows Server 2008 R2 presented by John Savill

Think That Intelligent Data Storage Systems Exceed Your IT budget? Think Again!

Check out our list of Free Email Newsletters!

Storage eBooks A Guide to Windows Certification and Public Keys

SQL Server Administration for Oracle DBAs

Keeping Your Business Safe from Attack: Encryption and Certificate Services

Related Storage Resources Introducing Left-Brain.com, the online IT bookstore
Looking for books, CDs, toolkits, eBooks? Prime your mind at Left-Brain.com

Discover Windows IT Pro eLearning Series!
Clear & detailed technical information and helpful how-to's, all in our trademark no-nonsense format


Windows IT Pro Home Register FAQ for Windows WinInfo News
Europe Edition About Us Contact Us/Customer Service Media Kit Affiliates / Licensing  
SQL Server Magazine Office & SharePoint Pro DevProConnections IT Job Hound
Left-Brain.com Technology Resource Directory asp.netPRO ITTV Windows SuperSite 
 
 Windows IT Pro is a Division of Penton Media Inc.
 © 2010 Penton Media, Inc. Terms of Use | Privacy Statement