Tricks of the Microsoft® Office Gurus

Appendix A. Working with the Windows Registry

IN THIS APPENDIX

• Understanding the Registry

• Taking a Tour of the Registry

• Keeping the Registry Safe

• Working with Registry Keys and Settings

• Finding Registry Entries

In some parts of this book, you learn tricks that involve changing a setting or two in the Windows Registry. To use these examples—and, indeed, to get the most out of this book and Windows XP itself—you need to know what the Registry is and how to use it efficiently and safely. This appendix helps you do that by telling you everything you need to know to become comfortable working with this most important of Windows configuration tools.

Understanding the Registry

When you change the desktop wallpaper using Control Panel’s Display icon, the next ...