Windows Registry

Abstract

The Registry is logically stored as a single entity, but it physically consists of two different files. These are:

• USER.DAT. Contains user-specific information for different user profiles.

• SYSTEM.DAT. Contains hardware-specific and computer-specific settings.

By default, USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT are stored in the Windows home directory or the SYSTEM subdirectory, but both these files can be located in physically different locations. For example, a typical set-up might be to store USER.DAT on a user’s network login directory and the SYSTEM.DAT on the local hard disk. This will allow the user to see the same user interface no matter which machine the user is logged into.