Editing the Registry
As we mentioned earlier, editing the registry is very
dangerous and should only occur when all other resolutions have failed. We
recommend backing up the registry prior to editing it.
Here, I will also say it in BOLD print: we recommend backing up the registry
prior to editing it.
There are two ways to edit the registry. Well, in
actuality, there are several ways to edit the
registry, the two programs you need to know about for registry editing are
regedit.exe and
regedt32.exe. In Windows XP and newer (including Windows Server
2003), regedt32.exe is just a pointer to regedit.exe – they eliminated the
need to have two programs.
In Windows 2000, however, you still had two different
programs to contend with. Here’s a summary (according to Microsoft) of what
each one does:
Regedit.exe
Regedit.exe is included with Windows NT 4.0 and Windows
2000 primarily for its search capability. You can use Regedit.exe to make
changes in the Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 registry, but you cannot use it
to view or edit all functions or data types on Windows NT 4.0 and Windows
2000.
The following limitations exist in the Regedit.exe version
that is included with Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000:
· You cannot set the
security for registry keys.
· You cannot view,
edit, or search the value data types REG_EXPAND_SZ and REG_MULTI_SZ. If you
try to view a REG_EXPAND_SZ value, Regedit.exe displays it as a binary data
type. If you try to edit either of these data types, Regedit.exe saves it as
REG_SZ, and the data type no longer performs its intended function.
· You cannot save or
restore keys as hive files.
Microsoft recommends that you use Regedit.exe only for its
search capabilities on a Windows NT 4.0-based or Windows 2000-based computer.
Regedt32.exe
Regedt32.exe is the configuration editor for Windows NT 4.0
and Windows 2000. Regedt32.exe is used to modify the Windows NT configuration
database, or the Windows NT registry. This editor allows you to view or modify
the Windows NT registry. The editor provides views of windows that represent
sections of the registry, named hives. Each window displays two sections. On
the left side, there are folders that represent registry keys. On the right
side, there are the values associated with the selected registry key. Regedt32
is a powerful tool, and you must use it with extreme caution when you change
registry values. Missing or incorrect values in the registry can make the
Windows installation unusable.
Note Unlike Regedit.exe,
Regedt32.exe does not support importing and exporting registration entries (.reg)
files.
Source:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/141377/
So, silly Microsoft had two separate applications where one
would suffice. Fortunately for us, they moved down to one application,
regedit.exe, for XP and future operating systems.
So, for the A+ certification exam, you should be able to
identify that regedit.exe and regedt32.exe are used for editing the registry.
