Almost all users know that there is a registry in any Windows system. But far from everyone knows how to handle it. Consider the Windows 7 registry as an example. The main emphasis will be placed on one of the main branches, abbreviated as HKLM.
What is the Windows 7 registry or another system?
The Windows registry itself is an extensive database with a hierarchical structure, which contains the basic parameters and settings of the hardware and software complex.
It includes keys that are responsible for the drivers of hardware devices, system settings, and everything related to installed standard or user applications. One of the largest and most important components is the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE section.
Standard editor access
The editor can be called in several ways. An uninitiated user can use the main Start menu, which contains a link to this applet in the standard system utilities section.
But this process is too long, so it is better to use the direct input of the regedit command in the Run menu (Win + R), which is responsible for opening the application executable file. You need to run it to edit keys and parameters exclusively on behalf of the administrator.
After entering the main window on the left, the main sections will be displayed in which the records are combined according to some criteria. There is also a branch HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. She is what interests us.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE branch: main sections and keys
This folder contains information about the system, drivers and programs for all users of the system. In other words, keys represent global global settings.
There are only six main subfolders in this thread. And they already have their own subdirectories, in which certain parameters and settings are saved. For example, the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE section describes software installed on a computer and used by all users without exception.
Here are subdirectories whose names correspond to the developer or type of software. A closer look reveals a subfolder located at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft. It is easy to guess that it contains information only about software products and system modules of this corporation.
There is so much information that absolutely everything is simply impossible to list. But the main ones are DirectX settings, the .NET Framework and ASP.NET platforms, port and cryptographic system descriptions, keys related to multimedia and mobile technologies, network parameters, OEM and ODBC object data, and everything that is necessary for the correct functioning of Windows and related applications (standard, installed in the system by default, and additional ones like office suites or something else).
Should I edit the registry?
Now a few words regarding the change of parameters in any subsection of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE branch. In some cases, for security reasons, access to key editing may be blocked by the system administrator. But if the need for manual adjustment of the keys is still ripe, you must obtain the appropriate access rights or run the editor on behalf of the administrator with all the ensuing privileges.
In addition, it is initially advisable to back up the registry using the export function. What is it for? Yes, only so that in case of unsuccessful actions, you can restore the system. The main problem of the editor is that it does not provide requests for confirmation of user actions. This means that all changes made are saved automatically, and messages with buttons like “OK”, “Apply” or “Save” are not displayed at all.
Thus, changing any key parameters in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE branch or creating new ones, you can easily cause Windows to cause the system to refuse to work. When you exit the editor, this may not appear in any way, but upon rebooting, serious problems may arise that can be resolved by restoring the system, and if this function also turns out to be inoperative, you will have to use a previously created export file with the extension .reg. Recovery from its contents takes only a few minutes.
Conclusion
Of course, it is not possible to describe all the keys and the tasks assigned to them in the above section. But to summarize, we can say that the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE branch is responsible for the general unified settings related to the computer system as a whole and the users registered in it. But the main emphasis is made precisely on the parameters of the system and installed software.
If we talk about issues of system security and registry editing, it is better not to do this without special knowledge, since the functioning of not only programs, but also Windows, can be disrupted due to critical failures. There are even cases when, in the absence of a registry backup, you had to reinstall the entire system, and this takes a fairly long time. So it’s better not to take a chance and think a hundred times before changing a key or the corresponding parameter.