Registry Values

"As I mentioned previously, Registry values can be of several different data types, which define the type of data that can be stored in that Registry value. If you are familiar with programming concepts, you recognize that the Registry data type is equivalent to a declared variable type, such as character string, integer, or long. In Figure 2, you saw a value type of REG_EXPAND_SZ. The Win2K Registry supports seven different data types, which are listed in Table 1, with descriptions of the kinds of data they accommodate.

"The last two value types, REG_FULL_RESOURCE_DESCRIPTOR and REG_FULL_ RESOURCE_LIST, are found only in the Hardware key of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. Rarely would you ever encounter or have the need to change either of these data types in your day-to-day Win2K administration.

"You may encounter other types of values. For example, you may see the value types REG_NONE and REG_UNKNOWN, which relate to data held in the SAM and Security subtrees. You may also see a value of type REG_LINK, which represents a symbolic link, rather than a real value. Such value types are normally created and accessed via Registry APIs. That is, the WIN32 APIs associated with the Registry let you create and modify values of these types, but programs like Regedt32 do not expose them when you manually create new values. It is unlikely that you would need to manipulate them, but they are there. The other five types can be manipulated with varying degrees of ease."