Registry Editor and Registry Administration

You can use the Registry Editor to view Registry entries for the various components in Windows NT. You can also use Registry Editor to modify or add Registry entries. This chapter describes what Registry Editor is and how to use it, with an emphasis on protecting the Registry contents and using Registry Editor to monitor and maintain the system configuration on remote computers. The following topics are included in this chapter:

• Using Registry Editor and Windows NT Diagnostics (WINMSD.EXE)
• Viewing the Registry for a remote computer
• Editing Registry value entries
• Maintaining the Registry

For more information about the commands and dialog box options that appear in Registry Editor, press F1 to view the online Help.

It is recommended that, wherever possible, you make changes to the system configuration by using Control Panel or the applications in the Administrative Tools group in Program Manager.

Caution

You can impair or disable Windows NT with incorrect changes or accidental deletions if you (or other users) use Registry Editor to change the system configuration. Wherever possible, you should use the graphical tools in Windows NT to make changes, and use Registry Editor only as a last resort.

To protect the system configuration, administrators can restrict users' access to the Registry, as described in "Maintaining Registry Security," later in this chapter.