What is Registry Hive?

Registry hive in Windows Registry is the name given to a main part of the registry that contains the registry key, registry subkey (registry subkey) and registry value (registry value).

All keys are considered hive starting with "HKEY" and located in the root directory or at the top of the hierarchy in the registry, which is why they are sometimes called root keys or system hives. Core system.

Where is the hive registry located?

In Registry Editor, hive is a collection of registry keys that appear as folders on the left side of the screen, when all other keys have been minimized.

Below is a list of common registry hives in Windows:

1. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
2. HKEY_CURRENT_USER
3. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
4. HKEY_USERS
5. HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG

What is Registry Hive? Picture 1

HKEY_DYN_DATA is a registry hive used in Windows ME, 98 and 95. Most of the information stored in that hive is stored in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEHARDWARE in later versions of Windows.

Why can't I see any registry hive?

Sometimes, when you open the Registry Editor, you will see a lot of folders on the left and may even have registry values ​​on the right, but without any registry hive. This means that the registry hive is not in the normal viewing area.

To view all registry hives at once, scroll to the top left of Registry Editor and collapse all hives, by clicking or clicking the down arrow or selecting Collapse from the right-click menu.

Either way, this will collapse all the keys and subkeys (keys and subkeys) so you only need to see some hive registry listed above.

Tip : Another reason some hive registry entries are not displayed is when you are viewing the registry remotely on another computer. Refer to the article: How to connect to the remote registry for more information on why the Windows Registry is not the same as usual in that situation.

How is the registry hive and registry key different?

The Registry hive is a folder in the Windows Registry, and so does the registry key. So what exactly is the difference between the registry hive and the registry key?

The only difference between these two concepts is: Registry hive is the first directory in the registry and it contains the registry keys, and the registry keys are folders inside the hive, containing registry values ​​and other registry keys. .

Naming a folder in the registry is a "registry hive" that is only done to categorize what we are talking about. Instead of calling every folder in the registry as a registry hive or registry key, we call the main directory, first hive, but use the key as the name for every other folder inside the hive and use the registry subkey to do the wizard. language to indicate the key exists in other keys.

What is Registry Hive? Picture 2

Registry hive in context

Here is an easy way to understand where the registry hive belongs in the Windows Registry:

 HIVEKEYSUBKEYSUBKEY.VALUE 

As you can see in the example below, while it is possible to have multiple registry subkeys in a hive, there is always only one registry hive in each location.

 HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktopColorsMenu 

1. HIVE: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
2. KEY: Control Panel
3. SUBKEY: Desktop
4. SUBKEY: Colors
5. VALUE: Menu

Edit and delete registry hive

Registry hive, unlike registry keys and registry value, cannot be created, deleted or renamed. Registry Editor will not allow you to do that (ie you cannot even accidentally edit the registry).

Not being able to delete the registry hive is not because Microsoft wants to prevent you from doing something great with your computer, but simply there is no reason for you to do it. Key and value, including all hive registry, is the place to set the real value of the Windows Registry.

Back up registry hive

However, you can back up the registry hive, just like you do with the registry key. Backing up all hive saves all keys and values ​​in that hive as a REG file, which can then be imported back into the Windows Registry.

Refer to the article: Backup and restore Windows Registry is simple for more details.