What files make up the registry, and where are they?
John Savill
March 4, 1999
1 Min Read
A. The files that make up the registry are stored in %systemroot%/system32/config directory and consist of
SAM - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESAM
SECURITY - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESecurity
software - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftware
system - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystem & HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
default - HKEY_USERS.DEFAULT
Ntuser.dat - HKEY_CURRENT_USER (this file is stored in %SystemRoot%Profiles%username%)
There are also other files with different extensions for some of them
.alt - Contains a backup copy of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystem hive. Only System has a .alt file
.log - A log of changes to the keys and values for the hive
.sav - A copy of the hive as it looks at the end of the text mode stage in setup
About the Author
Sign up for the ITPro Today newsletter
Stay on top of the IT universe with commentary, news analysis, how-to's, and tips delivered to your inbox daily.
You May Also Like