Regedit is a tool that allows you to edit the Windows registry.
Regedit is the name of the tool that allows you to edit the registry of the Windows operating system. This registry is the database where the user's preferences for configurations are stored.
Different applications and drivers access the Windows registry , which appeared in version 3.1 of the operating system . At first it was aimed at Component Object Model (COM) type components and then began to focus on INI type files.
How regedit works
What the registry allows is that the different configuration settings are stored in the same place and in a standard format. Previously, each of the applications generated its own file and could store it in different folders.
Through regedit, the user who has certain computer knowledge can manually edit the configurations, which are established from keys and values.
Access to regedit is possible by executing the file called regedit.exe , which is located in the Windows directory. When you run the file , you can see the different registry entries that establish the configurations, and can edit them. It is even allowed to add new entries.
The use of regedit must be careful to avoid problems in the operation of the operating system.
Other information of interest
In addition to everything stated above, it is worth knowing other interesting information about regedit, such as these:
- It is constituted as a hierarchical database.
- It allows you to save all configuration settings related to programs and applications, user services and even kernels or drivers.
- To access it, you must press the "Start" button and in the "Search" tab, type "regedit" and then hit enter. Thus, the "REGEDIT.EXE" command will appear on the screen, which will open and from there it will allow it to be modified as deemed appropriate.
- It has been shaped to replace what were the old Win.ini and System.ini.
- It is located in the c: Windows directory and is made up of two files such as system.dat and user.dat.
- People who wish to carry out a change in what the Windows Registry is, who wish to consult its status or who want to proceed to create a new backup copy, what they have to do is write "scanregw" in the which is the Start>Run line.
- The registry is made up of six different parts that are called HKEYS. Specifically, these are HKEY LOCAL MACHINE, HKEY CLASSES ROOT, HKEY USERS, HKEY CURRENT CONFIG, HKEY DYN DATA AND HKEY CURRENT USERS.
Risks of using regedit
It is important to keep in mind that when using regedit without knowledge of the logic of the Windows registry, errors can be made that lead to computer malfunction. That is why it is recommended to establish a backup copy before making changes. This way, it will be possible to restore the original registry in case something goes wrong.
However, it is always best to put yourself in the hands of computer experts who can solve each and every one of the problems or changes that you want to make with regedit.