Chapter 2: Getting the Most Out of the Registry

Overview

In this chapter, you’ll learn how to:

• Handle the registry’s structure and content.

• Keep registry data safe and sound.

• Edit, create, rename, and delete registry keys and settings.

• Create, export, edit, and import registration files.

All the chapters in this book are sprinkled liberally with references to the Microsoft Windows XP registry and with registry examples that enable you to modify the Windows XP environment in powerful ways. To use these examples—and, indeed, to get the most from not only this book but from Windows XP itself—you need to know what the registry is and how to use it efficiently and safely. This chapter helps you do that by telling you everything you need to know to become comfortable working with this most important of Windows XP’s configuration tools.