About the Registry

The registry stores data in binary files. To manipulate registry data, an application must use the registry functions or a utility called the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe). You can use the Registry Editor to make manual changes to the registry.

This overview describes the registry and the functions you can call to access and manipulate the data stored there. The data stored in the registry varies according to the platform that is used. This overview contains a description of registry entries that can exist on any platform.

• Structure of the Registry
• Registry Storage Space
• Predefined Keys
• Registry Hives
• The HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Key
• Categories of Data
• Opening, Creating, and Closing Keys
• Writing and Deleting Registry Data
• Retrieving Data from the Registry
• Registry Files
• Registry Key Security and Access Rights