Hey compfags

[Chun Liroy]

Help me out and read my dilemma in the tech random q thread

[Qalbert]

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

[Chun Liroy]

I have.

[Qalbert]

Is your computer plugged in.

[Mizango]

No.

[Chun Liroy]

Yeah.

[Qalbert]

Please hold, your call is very important to us.

[Qalbert]

[tyven]

have you tried fucking a boy?

[Chun Liroy]

Now I have to look up porn from my phone and that's very annoying

[Mizango]

I could fix it you know....

[Mizango]

have you tried fucking a boy?

lol

[Charismatic]

tyven, how gay did you feel after doing that?

[Chun Liroy]

I could fix it you know....

But seriously, what's wrong?

[Mizango]

Let me ask my manager.

[tyven]

perhaps if you fuck a boy?

[Qalbert]

I have edited the Registry hundreds of times over the years and have developed the steps below for safe editing. I have messed things up once or twice but I have always been able to get back to the original system state without trouble because I followed the rules. Here are my five rules for safer Registry editing:

The ironclad rule of Registry editing is that you must first back up the Registry. For many, making a System Restore point is the most convenient backup method. I also use the export facility of Regedit to make a copy of the Registry key that I am working on. Keep in mind that Regedit has no Undo function.
Know how to restore a Registry backup. It can be as simple as running System Restore or merging a backup REG file.
Make only one Registry edit at a time. Wait to see if everything works the way you want before making any more changes to the Registry. Don't forget that many Registry edits require that you log off or reboot before they take effect.
Only use Registry edits recommended by known reliable sources. Many of the common recommendations on the Internet are useless or nearly so. And some are even harmful.
Remember Rule #1.


With the precautions out of the way, we can get down to learning about Regedit.

How to open Regedit

A quick way to access Regedit that applies to Windows XP, Vista, and 7 is the following:

Open the Run box with the keyboard combination Windows key + r
In the Run line, enter “regedit” (without quotes)
Click “OK”
Say “Yes” to Fuck a Boy (Windows Vista/7)

The structure of the Registry as presented in Regedit

Using Regedit requires some knowledge of the basic structure of the Registry. I would go further and say I think it is worthwhile to take a look at the structure of the Registry even if you never intend to change a single comma in it. Total ignorance about what is actually in the Registry allows the imagination to assign mysterious and fearsome properties to something that is actually just a database. You may not remember any details but having once seen what is actually in the Registry, you will be psychologically better prepared to do the type of Registry operations that everybody should know- backing up and restoring.

Types of Information in the Registry

The information that the computer system needs to have is divided into two main categories. One is general information about the computer itself. These are settings that apply system wide and include the hardware on the system. This is named the Local Machine. The other general category consists of settings that are specific to each user account and is labeled Users. The particular user who is logged on is called the Current User.

The Hierarchical Tree Structure

Information in the Registry is presented in a tree-like system akin to folders and files. In the Registry, the containers for information are called "keys". These are analogous to folders. Keys can have subkeys just as folders can have subfolders. The name of data that is contained in a key is called a "value". This is something analogous to a file name. The actual data can have several formats and may be a string, a number, or a series of numbers.

Just as the computer file and folder system has a root (usually a hard drive) the Registry has root keys at the top of the hierarchy of keys and values. I have mentioned the two general categories of information and these constitute two root keys. Unfortunately, we now have to deal with some Microsoft jargon. Table I shows the names that Microsoft uses. The names of root keys have "HKEY" tacked on the front. and these keys are often called "hives". Although five root keys are used, three of them are really just subkeys or combinations of subkeys of the two main keys, HKLM and HKU. The additional root keys make programming easier.The abbreviations that are given are often used in writing scripts and INF files.

Table I. Root keys or Hives
Keys Abbreviation Description
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT HKCR Stores file association and COM object registration
HKEY_CURRENT_USER HKCU Stores data associated with the account currently logged on
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE HKLM Stores system-related information
HKEY_USERS HKU Stores information about all the accounts on the machine
HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG HKCC Stores information about the current machine profile


Using Regedit

Regedit is a two-pane interface with keys in the left pane (key pane) and value names with the corresponding data in the right pane (value pane). The setup is not unlike Windows Explorer with keys analogous to folders and values analogous to files. An example is shown in the figure below. This is from Windows XP but Vista/7 is very similar.

http://www.techsupportalert.com/file.../regedit2a.png

The bottom of the window for Regedit shows the path of the currently highlighted key as can be seen in the figure above. This is an example of typical Registry address although the leading "My Computer" is normally omitted.

Also listed in the right or value pane is the type of data contained in a value. There are a number of formats that data can take and the usual ones that most PC users will encounter are given in Table II. I have omitted the more esoteric types. The three listed in the table constitute the vast majority of all Registry entries. Other data types are described at this Microsoft link.

Table II. Common Registry data types
Data type Description
REG_BINARY Binary data . Usually in hexadecimal notation. An example is 0xA8
REG_DWORD Double word (32 bits). Can be edited in either hexadecimal or decimal
REG_SZ A string. Figure 1 shows examples in the right pane.

[Mizango]

Have you tried deleting your registry and changing random values?

[Qalbert]

Have you tried deleting your registry and changing random values?

oh god, I had a roommate who was like the spergiest most obnoxious motherfucker, and at the end of the semester a friend of mine deleted things from his registry until the delete function broke.

[Mizango]

oh god, I had a roommate who was like the spergiest most obnoxious motherfucker, and at the end of the semester a friend of mine deleted things from his registry until the delete function broke.

lol niiiiice