Tài liệu Examining the Regedit User inferface phần 1 docx

The right pane displays value entries contained within a selected registry key.. Table 3.1: Keyboard Shortcuts Used in Regedit.exe Key Description Expands the selected registry key by

Examining the Regedit User Interface

This section can be used as a brief reference when working with Regedit It provides a description of all the functions of the registry editor The following sections contain instructions and tips on using Regedit, as well as directions for modifying the registry

The Registry Editor window contains four main regions (Fig 3.1):

ƒ The menu bar The menu bar contains the following menu items: Registry, Edit,

View, Favorites (this menu item was first introduced with Windows 2000), and Help

ƒ Left pane The left pane displays the registry hierarchy organized in keys and

subkeys

ƒ Right pane The right pane displays value entries contained within a selected

registry key Each value entry is identified by its name, which is displayed in the

Name column; data type, which is displayed in the Type column (a small icon to

the left of the name helps to identify the data type); and the value, which is

displayed in the Data column

ƒ Status bar The status bar indicates the path to the selected registry entry It is

helpful when you need to view the full path to the registry key containing the selected registry entry

Figure 3.1: The Registry Editor window

When you start Regedit, the Registry Editor window displays only the top-level registry keys below the My Computer icon These are the root keys described in Chapter 1

If you click [+] to the left of the folder, this will expand the respective registry key

displaying its subkey hierarchical structure This operation expands the key tree to the next nesting level and resembles similar methods of opening folders in Windows

Explorer

If the subkeys contain other nested keys, they'll also have the [+] sign to the left of the folder The subkeys, in turn, can also be expanded to view the next level of the registry

hierarchy This method of organizing the registry information is known as nesting Any number of nesting levels is possible This hierarchical organization is the main difference between the registry and the initialization files It provides a significant advantage over

the methods for storing the initialization information used in Windows 3.x

When you reach the lowest level of nesting, the [−] sign will appear to the left of the folder icon This means that the key can't be expanded further and you can only go back

up the hierarchical tree

If neither the [+] nor [−] icons are present, this means that the key doesn't contain any subkeys

Table 3.1 provides a list of keyboard shortcuts used for viewing and navigating the registry using Regedit.exe

Table 3.1: Keyboard Shortcuts Used in Regedit.exe

Key Description

<+> Expands the selected registry key by one level to show its subkeys

<−> Collapses the selected registry key by one level

<↑> Moves you up to the next key

<↓> Moves you down to the next key

<→> Expands the selected key by one level to show subkeys; if there are no subkeys,

moves you down to the next key

<←> Collapses the selected key if it was open; otherwise, moves you up to the next key

<Tab> Moves you to the next pane of the Registry Editor window

Registry value entries are displayed in the right pane of the Registry Editor window

Each value entry contains three parts: name, data type, and value data

Like any parameter, each registry value entry has a name Many value entries provided

by Microsoft use a "Default" name (as you'll see later when you begin intense work with

Regedit) All of the names of the value entries are displayed in the Name column in the right pane of the Registry Editor window These names are assigned to the value entries

by the software and hardware developers

Data types that describe the registry value entries are displayed in the Type column

Definitions of all of the registry data types defined and used in Windows NT/2000/XP as well as in Windows Server 2003 are provided in Chapter 1

For the sake of convenience, the Regedit.exe utility uses special icons, which are

displayed to the left of the value names These icons allow the user to quickly distinguish

between binary and text data A brief description of the icons displayed in the Registry

Editor window is provided in Table 3.2

Table 3.2: Icons Used for Designating Registry Data Types in Regedit.exe

Data

type

Description

Designates binary data (including REG_BINARY, REG_DWORD,

REG_RESOURCE_LIST, REG_FULL_RESOURCE_DESCRIPTOR, and

REG_RESOURCE_REQUIREMENTS_LIST)

Designates text data and readable characters For example: "On The

Microsoft Network" (string data types, such as REG_EXPAND_SZ,

REG_MULTI_SZ, and REG_SZ)

The Data column contains text or binary data that correspond to the value of the selected

registry entry You can edit, create, or delete this data to optimize software functionality

or troubleshoot

A brief description of the Registry Editor menu items is shown below

The File Menu Commands

The File menu contains the following commands:

ƒ Import…

ƒ Export…

ƒ Load Hive…

ƒ Unload Hive…

ƒ Connect Network Registry…

ƒ Disconnect Network Registry…

ƒ Print…

ƒ Exit

The Import… command allows you to import previously exported registry files in ASCII

or REG format

The Export… command exports either the whole registry, or only a part of it, as a REG

file or an ASCII file

To export the registry branch, proceed as follows:

1 Select the registry branch you wish to export Then select the Export… command from the File menu

2 The Export Registry File window (Fig 3.2) will open Enter the file name in the File name field By default, this file will be given the REG filename extension If

you need to save the exported file in another format, select the option you need

from the Save as type list below the File name field Despite all of the apparent

similarities between the Regedit.exe versions supplied with Windows 9x,

Windows NT 4.0/Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003, these are different versions of the same application The Regedit.exe version included in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 allows you to save exported registry files

in various formats, including both the newer format used in Windows 2000/XP

and Windows Server 2003 (use the Registration files (*.reg) option for this

purpose) and the registry file format used by Windows 9x and Windows NT 4.0

(use the Win9x/NT 4 Registration files (*.reg) option for this purpose)

Furthermore, now you can save the exported registry file as a hive (select the

Registry Hive Files option) and in text format (use the Text Files (*.txt) option)

Figure 3.2: The Export Registry File window

3 If you need to export only the branch that you have selected previously, set the

Selected branch radio button in the Export range option group However, if you

frequently modify the system registry, exporting the whole registry would be better Exported registry files will provide you with additional options if you need

to troubleshoot a damaged system

4 Click the Save button

You can view the saved file using any text editor to make sure that everything was saved correctly Exported registry files contain unformatted ASCII text

Be very careful when working with exported registry files, especially when you export registry files for experimental purposes For example, experienced administrators can solve problems by editing the exported registry file, and then importing this file back into the system However, before you start introducing changes, take all necessary

precautions:

1 Create a backup copy of the exported registry file that you need to edit If you make an error during the editing session, you can correct the problem by importing the backup copy of the REG file

2 If you're going to experiment with the registries of various operating systems

(including Windows 9x/ME, Windows NT/2000, Windows XP and Windows

Server 2003), store the exported registry files for each operating system in folders dedicated specifically to this purpose This will help you avoid problems caused

by importing incompatible registry files

3 By default, REG files are associated with the Regedit.exe application (Fig 3.3)

The Regedit.exe application merges these files into the registry (Merge is the

operation performed by default) In contrast to its predecessors, Regedit.exe

versions supplied with Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 prompt you to confirm if you really want to add the contents of an exported file to the registry (Fig 3.4) Be very careful at this stage, in order to avoid accidentally importing incompatible or incorrect registry settings

Figure 3.3: By default, REG files are associated with the Regedit.exe application

Figure 3.4: Registry Editor prompts you to confirm that you really want to add the contents of the exported REG file to the registry