Microsoft Windows XP Registry Guide

Learn how to take control of the heart and soul of Windows XP!

The Windows XP registry is behind almost every great feature in the operating system. Discover how to customize the registry—and how to take care of it—with this no-nonsense primer. Written for IT professionals and desktop power users, this eye-opening guide reveals little-known registry techniques, tricks, tips, and secrets to make your tasks easier. You’ll learn exactly how the registry works, why it works that way, and how to use it to customize Windows XP so that it runs the way you want—on one PC or on hundreds. You’ll also find best practices for how to hack, back up, restore, and maintain registry settings with confidence. Here’s just some of what you’ll learn to do:

• Diagnose and fix common registry problems, and back up and restore the registry safely
• Use the Registry Editor plus cool hacks to change how PCs look, feel, work, and run
• Use the popular Tweak UI utility, find out where it stores settings, and write your own scripts to customize multiple PCs quickly
• Administer the registry remotely, and use it for tasks such as network-wide inventories
• Customize Group and System policies to manage multiple PCs and users remotely
• Script registry changes with REG and INF files, Windows Installer package files, and the Console Registry tool
• Deploy Windows XP and Microsoft Office XP more effectively
• Make legacy applications run more smoothly
• Troubleshoot Windows Installer, and set up customized, unattended Windows XP installations with scripted registry settings
• Use streamlined disk-imaging techniques
• Build User Profiles that work for everyone in your organization
• Use handy workarounds to ensure better interoperability and easier installation