Editing the Registry
As we mentioned earlier, editing the registry is very dangerous and should only occur when all other resolutions have failed. We recommend backing up the registry prior to editing it. Here, I will also say it in BOLD print: we recommend backing up the registry prior to editing it.
There are two ways to edit the registry. Well, in actuality, there are several ways to edit the registry, the two programs you need to know about for registry editing are regedit.exe and regedt32.exe. In Windows XP and newer (including Windows Server 2003), regedt32.exe is just a pointer to regedit.exe – they eliminated the need to have two programs.
In Windows 2000, however, you still had two different programs to contend with. Here’s a summary (according to Microsoft) of what each one does:
Regedit.exe
Regedit.exe is included with Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 primarily for its search capability. You can use Regedit.exe to make changes in the Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 registry, but you cannot use it to view or edit all functions or data types on Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000.
The following limitations exist in the Regedit.exe version that is included with Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000:
· You cannot set the security for registry keys.
· You cannot view, edit, or search the value data types REG_EXPAND_SZ and REG_MULTI_SZ. If you try to view a REG_EXPAND_SZ value, Regedit.exe displays it as a binary data type. If you try to edit either of these data types, Regedit.exe saves it as REG_SZ, and the data type no longer performs its intended function.
· You cannot save or restore keys as hive files.
Microsoft recommends that you use Regedit.exe only for its search capabilities on a Windows NT 4.0-based or Windows 2000-based computer.
Regedt32.exe
Regedt32.exe is the configuration editor for Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000. Regedt32.exe is used to modify the Windows NT configuration database, or the Windows NT registry. This editor allows you to view or modify the Windows NT registry. The editor provides views of windows that represent sections of the registry, named hives. Each window displays two sections. On the left side, there are folders that represent registry keys. On the right side, there are the values associated with the selected registry key. Regedt32 is a powerful tool, and you must use it with extreme caution when you change registry values. Missing or incorrect values in the registry can make the Windows installation unusable.
Note Unlike Regedit.exe, Regedt32.exe does not support importing and exporting registration entries (.reg) files.
Source: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/141377/
So, silly Microsoft had two separate applications where one would suffice. Fortunately for us, they moved down to one application, regedit.exe, for XP and future operating systems.
So, for the A+ certification exam, you should be able to identify that regedit.exe and regedt32.exe are used for editing the registry.
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