Windows Registry Internals — A Beginner-Friendly Deep Dive

What We’ll Cover ## Windows Registry Internals ## Unit 1: Architecture & Anatomy ## 1. The Concept of “Hives” ## 2. Physical Location of Registry Hives ## Critical Hives ## The User Hive (Exception) ## Unit 2: The Logical Structure (Root Keys) ## The Big Two ## HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM) ## HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU) ## Derived Root Keys ## Unit 3: Keys, Values & Data Types ## Common Data Types ## REG_SZ ## REG_DWORD ## REG_BINARY ## REG_EXPAND_SZ ## REG_MULTI_SZ ## Unit 4: Tools & Manipulation ## Registry Editor ## Backup & Restore ## Automation with .reg Files ## Command Line (REG) ## Final Thoughts The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores low-level configuration settings for the operating system and applications. Almost every serious Windows component talks to the registry in some form. A Hive is a logical group of registry keys backed by physical files on disk. At boot time, Windows loads these hive files and assembles the registry tree. Most system hives are stored at: Each user has a personal hive: This contains user-specific settings like wallpaper, mouse speed, and application preferences. Windows presents registry data using logical Root Keys. Human-readable string 32-bit integer (often used as on/off flags) Expandable string with variables like %SystemRoot% Multiple strings stored as a list ⚠️ Always export a key before editing. If you want to make changes to registry, you can simply create a .reg file, double click it and make changes. Here as an example we are creating a .reg file for creating a game setting of FULLSCREEN. Since fullscreen settings have boolean value of On/Off we have used the REG_DWORD value here to set it to 1 ie true,. Command-Line can also be used to make changes to Windows Registry. Here is a simple example. The Windows Registry is foundational for Windows internals, malware analysis, forensics, and Active Directory security. Once you understand its structure, it becomes a powerful ally instead of a black box. Templates let you quickly answer FAQs or store snippets for re-use. Are you sure you want to hide this comment? It will become hidden in your post, but will still be visible via the comment's permalink. Hide child comments as well For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse CODE_BLOCK: C:\Windows\System32\config Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: C:\Windows\System32\config CODE_BLOCK: C:\Windows\System32\config CODE_BLOCK: C:\Users\<Username>\NTUSER.DAT Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: C:\Users\<Username>\NTUSER.DAT CODE_BLOCK: C:\Users\<Username>\NTUSER.DAT CODE_BLOCK: Win + R → regedit Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: Win + R → regedit CODE_BLOCK: Win + R → regedit CODE_BLOCK: Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MyGame] "PlayerName"="itsmegsg" "FullScreen"=dword:00000001 Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MyGame] "PlayerName"="itsmegsg" "FullScreen"=dword:00000001 CODE_BLOCK: Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MyGame] "PlayerName"="itsmegsg" "FullScreen"=dword:00000001 CODE_BLOCK: REG ADD HKCU\Software\MyGame /v PlayerName /t REG_SZ /d "itsmegsg" Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: REG ADD HKCU\Software\MyGame /v PlayerName /t REG_SZ /d "itsmegsg" CODE_BLOCK: REG ADD HKCU\Software\MyGame /v PlayerName /t REG_SZ /d "itsmegsg" - Unit 1: Architecture & Anatomy - Unit 2: The Logical Structure - Unit 3: Data Types & Values - Unit 4: Tools & Manipulation - Applies to the entire system - Shared by all users - Backed by SYSTEM, SOFTWARE, SAM, SECURITY hives - Applies only to the logged-in user - Backed by NTUSER.DAT - HKEY_USERS (HKU) – All loaded user profiles - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (HKCR) – File associations - HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG (HKCC) – Hardware profile at boot - Keys act like folders - Values act like files - Export: Right-click key → Export - Restore: Double-click .reg file