Platinum Edition Using® Microsoft® Windows® XP

Editing the Registry

CAUTION Editing the Registry can change the configuration of your system. Therefore, by nature, it is a potentially destructive task. Do not directly manipulate the Registry when using the GUI will suffice, and never blindly fiddle with the Registry unless you are willing to accept the potential consequences.

Occasionally, you might need to manually edit data in the Registry. As mentioned earlier in this chapter, Windows XP includes a Registry Editor, REGEDIT.EXE, which you can use to view and edit the Registry.

CAUTION I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Before you make changes to your Registry, make a backup. Refer to the section “Registry Backup and Recovery with Windows Backup,” earlier in this chapter, to make ...