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Introduction
Note 1: These notes are also available as a TreePad (*.hjt) file, which you can read with the TreePad Viewer. The format is somewhat nicer.
Note 2: These notes are much more extensive than what you'll be able to take away from this 2-day class. They're a good place to start expanding your understanding though.
Description:
The Windows Registry is a central place to store pointers, parameters and preferrences for hardware, Windows and other software.
The Windows Registry is the single most ill-advised abomination ever foisted on the world of computing. Now that you know how I feel about it, let's see how you work with it. Windows XP actually does a good job protecting its Registry from erratic software. :-)
Purpose of this introduction:
Warning: Even though this is an introduction, it is geeky by necessity. However, there's a little geek in all of us. :-)
Editing the Registry is not for the faint of heart. It's not really hard, but there is no recycle bin for the Registry. :-( There is backup. :-)
Some edits are more dangerous than others. Adding a key, even if you make a mistake is rarely fatal. Deleting or modifying the wrong one can be.
Windows is so complex that no single human, let alone a neophyte can understand, let alone remember how it all works. The only way to understand it is conceptually, not by mastering the details. The primary purpose of this introduction is to explain what's going on behind the scenes in Windows. That can give you a basis for understanding how to use Windows more confidently and effectively.