Hkey_Local_Machine contains the configuration data for the local computer. The information in this database is used by applications, device drivers, and Windows 95 to determine configuration data for the local computer, regardless of which user is logged on and what software is in use.
Hardware devices can place information in the Registry automatically using the Plug and Play interface. Software for installing device drivers can place information in the Registry by writing to standard APIs. Users can place information about hardware in the Registry by using the Add New Hardware option and other options in Control Panel, or by using Device Manager, as described in Chapter 19, "Devices."
Hkey_Local_Machine contains several subkeys, as listed briefly in the following table. The rest of this section provides details about some of these keys.
Subkey name | Contents |
Config | A collection of configurations for the local computer |
Enum | Information about hardware devices on the system |
Hardware | Information about serial ports and modems used with the Terminal program |
Network | Network information created when a user logs on to a networked computer, including the user name, primary network provider, whether the logon was validated by a server, and information about the system policies processor |
Security | Information about the network security provider and remote administration capabilities |
Software | The computer-specific information about software installed on the local computer, along with miscellaneous configuration data |
System | The database that controls system startup, device driver loading, Windows 95 services, and operating system behavior |