Getting Started with Registry Editor

To get the most out of the material in this chapter, you will want to run Registry Editor while you are reading so that you can see the contents of the Registry on your computer. By default, Registry Editor does not appear in any menu or on the desktop. Notice, also, that Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE) is copied to the Windows directory automatically when Windows 95 is installed from a compact disc. Registry Editor is not available with the Windows 95 floppy disks.

Tip

You can add the Registry Editor icon to your desktop by using the right mouse button to drag REGEDIT.EXE from Windows Explorer to the desktop.

To run Registry Editor

• Double-click the Registry Editor icon (from your desktop, or from the Windows directory in Windows Explorer or in My Computer).

  – Or –

  From the Start menu, click Run and type regedit

To find specific data in the Registry

• In the Registry Editor window, double-click any folder icon for a Registry key to display the contents of that key.

  – Or –

  From the Edit menu, click Find. Then type all or part of the text string you want to find, and click options to specify whether you want to find a key name, an entry name, or data.

  After Registry Editor finds the first instance of the text string, you can press F3 to search for the next instance.

Registry Editor can be used to view or modify a Registry on a local computer or on another computer over a network. Both the administrator's computer and the remote computer require the Microsoft Remote Registry service to allow remote Registry access. For more information about installing and taking advantage of the Microsoft Remote Registry service, see Chapter 16, "Remote Administration."

Tip for Disabling Direct Editing of the Registry

The network administrator can restrict users from being able to use Registry Editor to modify the Registry by setting a system policy named Disable Registry Editing Tools. Notice, however, that this policy does not prevent the administrator or another user from modifying the Registry by using System Policy Editor. For more information about this restriction and about using System Policy Editor to modify the Registry on individual or multiple computers, see Chapter 15, "User Profiles and System Policies."