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i'm putting together some directions for beginners on how to check something in the registry. The first step is to get them to run regedit.

For a Windows Vista or Windows 7 machine, what would be your directions on how to run regedit.

i'll get us started:

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If in the end your goal is to change (or delete) things in the registry, then I assume you know that double-clicking some .reg file might be easier? (Or, to dump some settings, reg.exe might be saver than regedit.exe, especially if you provide some batch file to do it.) – Arjan Oct 29 '09 at 19:27
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How do you access regedit? – Stevoni Oct 29 '09 at 19:39
@Arjan: You can suggest that, now you have to come up with instructions on how to run the batch file. But be warned that anything "runnable" will have to be vetted by their IT department first. (and their IT department are the people i'm writing the instructions for) – Ian Boyd Oct 29 '09 at 19:48
Are you asking me, Stevoni? i do Ctrl+Esc, regedit, Enter. – Ian Boyd Oct 29 '09 at 19:48
So you are saying the people in the IT department are numbnuts? (Still then, double-clicking a batch file seems easier than searching something in the registry, but it's your call.) – Arjan Oct 29 '09 at 19:51
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2 Answers

up vote 10 down vote accepted

Hold The Windows Key and hit R

Now type "regedit"

Now hit Return.

Bam, it's open. Take care.

This has worked since Windows 95 (maybe earlier, can't recall), and will almost certainly continue to work until the registry is abandoned.

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How did you make those keys? :) – Emthigious Oct 29 '09 at 19:27
(And how do those keys look on Windows...? On my Mac they're too ugly to tell Emthigious the secret...) – Arjan Oct 29 '09 at 19:29
Like this: <kbd>The Windows Key</kbd> – Ivo Flipse♦ Oct 29 '09 at 19:30
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It looks equally ugly on Windows, Arjan. – Ian Boyd Oct 29 '09 at 19:58
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I've never seen a keyboard that has "The Windows Key" printed on the spacebar. But if I hold down the spacebar and hit R, I get " r" ;-) – Arjan Oct 29 '09 at 20:24
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up vote 0 down vote

Start->Run->regedit.exe or Start->Run->regedt32.exe

'Numb nuts' shouldn't be given this command. The registry tools don't have any Save or Cancel buttons. Any change, accidentally or not, is immediate. There is no Undo. This is very dangerous.

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Windows Vista and 7 do not have a Start, nor do they have a Run. – Ian Boyd Nov 3 '09 at 15:37

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