Which of the following registry hives will contain user related settings?

Updated: 02/07/2022 by

The registry or Windows registry is a database of information, settings, options, and other values for software and hardware installed on all versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems. When a program is installed, a new subkey is created in the registry. This subkey contains settings specific to that program, such as its location, version, and primary executable.

When Windows was initially released (e.g., Windows 3.11), it relied heavily on .ini files to store Windows and Windows programs configurations and settings. Although .ini files are still sometimes used, most Windows programs rely on settings made to the Windows registry after being installed.

Information about the Registry Editor

To view and make changes to the Windows registry, the Windows Registry Editor (shown below) may be used. In Windows 3.x, the Registry Editor was known as the Registration Info Editor or Registration Editor. The Registry Editor lets you view all keys and values that are in the registry, and change Windows, program, or driver values you feel are necessary.

Registry root keys (hive name)

When first opening the Windows Registry Editor, it displays root keys that contain all registry values. Below is a brief description about each of the most common root keys and the values contained in each of them.

Windows registry values

Below are the different values you encounter while in the Windows registry and a brief description about what type of data each value can contain.

Icon	Type	Name	Description
		Closed key	Like the folders seen in Windows Explorer. These keys are what contain the registry subkeys mentioned below.
		Open key	When a key is opened, the icon changes to an expanded or open folder and displays all its contents and any additional subkeys.
	REG_SZ	String value	Allows for any string value to be defined on a single line, such as a file path, and is the most commonly found subkey in the registry.
	REG_MULTI_SZ	String array value	Any multi-line string value.
	REG_EXPAND_SZ	Expanded string value	Contains a string with environmental or system variables that need to be expanded. For example, c:\%windir%\example.exe could be the same as C:\windows\example.exe.
	REG_BINARY	Binary value	Allows for attributes to be defined in binary as either on or off (0 or 1).
	REG_DWORD	DWORD value	Similar to the binary value, but capable of values being defined in either 32-bit decimal or hex.
	REG_QWORD	QWORD value	Like the DWORD, but stored as a 64-bit value.

Should I use "registry" or "Registry" in my writing?

According to the Microsoft Manual of Style, "registry" is written entirely in lowercase, except when part of a named system component (e.g., "Registry Editor"), or it's the first word of a sentence.

Database, Hive, Operating system terms, Registry cleaner