The Windows XP Registry is an enormous database that keeps track of how a computer is configured. It holds information about defaults and properties for folders, files, users, preferences, applications, protocols, and hardware devices. A thorough understanding of the Registry enables users to make tweaks that can enhance system performance, adjust the Windows UI for a particular need, and recover files and data after a disaster. In addition, system administrators use the Registry to manage and administer Windows networks. Working with the Registry is a serious endeavor. One wrong move can render a system completely useless. Enter Mastering Windows XP Registry.. an indispensable, comprehensive resource that provides all the conceptual and practical information a user needs to work with the Registry with complete confidence.

Table of Contents

Introduction. Part I: Registry Basics. Chapter 1: What Is a Registry and Why? Chapter 2: Readme.1st: Preventing Disaster! Chapter 3: Anatomy of the Registry: The Blood, Gore, and Guts. Chapter 4: Registry Tools and Tips: Getting the Work Done. Chapter 5: Policies: Good for One, Good for All. Part II: Advanced Registry Stuff. Chapter 6: Associations, Linkages, and OLE: How Confusing Can This Get? Chapter 7: Why, Oh Why, Are There system.ini and win.ini Files? Chapter 8: Getting Rid of the Unwanted. Chapter 9: Recovering from Disaster, or Making the Best of a Bad Situation. Chapter 10: Programming and the Registry: A Developer's Paradise? Chapter 11: The Performance Monitor Meets the Registry. Part III: Windows and Office Registry Entries. Chapter 12: The Windows XP User Interface: Changing How It Looks. Chapter 13: Networking and Registry System Entries. Chapter 14: Microsoft Office Entries. Part IV: The Registry Reference. Chapter 15: Introduction to HKEY-CLASSES-ROOT. Chapter 16: Introduction to HKEY-CURRENT-USER and HKEY-USERS. Chapter 17: Introduction to HKEY-LOCAL-MACHINE. Chapter 18: Introduction to HKEY-LOCAL-MACHINE\Software. Chapter 19: Introduction to HKEY-LOCAL-MACHINE\System and HKEY-CURRENT-CONFIG. Part V: Appendices. Appendix A: Common Hives and Keys. Appendix B: Registry Data Types. Appendix C: Where Can I Get More Help? Appendix D: Performance Counters. Appendix E: Plug and Play Identifiers. Appendix F: Microsoft Office CLSIDs. Index.

Author Biography

Peter D. Hipson is an author, consultant, and teacher. When not writing computer books, he can often be found teaching computer science at the local college, where he says he "ruins the lives of hundreds of unsuspecting college students every year."