Registry Keys
The registry is organized around six major keys.
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT | This key holds file associations and OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) data. |
| HKEY_USERS | This key holds user preferences, including desktop set-up and network connections. |
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER | On a PC with only a single user, this key is a duplicate of the HKEY_USERS key. On a PC with multiple user log-ins, this key contains the preferences of the currently logged-in user. |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE | This key manages the hardware and software that is installed on the PC. |
| HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG | In addition to duplicating the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key when running, this key also contains any configuration changes that were made in the current session and holds information on the printers and fonts that are installed. |
| HKEY_DYN_DATA | This key records system performance information and keeps information on Plug and Play devices. |
The above keys are the highest level of organisation in the Windows directory and are referred to by Microsoft as Hives.
