Windows Registry

Windows registry features and advantages are as follows:

• All low-level and third-party OS components and applications, like device drivers and kernels, can access the registry.
• To profile system performance, it facilitates access to the necessary counters.
• It stores and reflects user changes to configurations, preferences, policies and applications.
• Depending on the Windows version, it stores physical registry files in different locations.
• It contains two elements: keys, which are similar in concept to Windows folders, and values, which are similar to files.
• Registry files must be edited with the registry editor or another third-party application, as file modifications cannot be directly applied.
• Although it is possible to physically delete registry values and keys, Microsoft provides the RegClean tool to automate this process.

Windows registry disadvantages are as follows:

• Transferring per-program user settings between Windows machines is tedious, as the Windows registry is largely dependent on the local machine.
• Although versions as old as Windows NT use transaction log files based on two levels to protect registry entries, any registry corruption can be resolved by reinstalling the OS.
• It needs a dedicated uninstaller to remove registry entries for applications based on a .NET framework.