Frequently asked questions

• Every time I start the program, the tweaker window shows up. How do I get rid of that?
  
• How secure is the loading hives to registry? How should I properly use it?
  
• How can I view / edit inactive (not loaded) system registry?
  
• Why the reg-files cannot be used for saving / restoring entire registry?
  
• What should I use then?
  
• Can all keys and values that were found during search be deleted all at once?
  
• How can I undo accidental modifications made to registry?
  
• Can the program be configured so that it would open some specific registry key on startup?
  
• When I change tweaks's data, the program always prompts for confirmation and sometimes even prompts for reboot. How can I get rid of that?
  
• How can I see, which registry key does the tweak corresponds with?
  
• What can saving the monitor log to XML-file be useful for?
  
• But where is the registry monitor?

Question: Every time I start the program, the tweaker window shows up. How do I get rid of that?
Answer: In the program's settings, in the section "Tweaker", deselect the option "Open tweaker at startup".

Question: How secure is the loading hives to registry? How should I properly use it?
Answer: When a hive is loaded, link to the hive's file is created in the registry. The file's data is not copied to the registry. It is somewhat similar to creating shortcuts on your computer desktop: files and folders related to the shortcut are not actually copied to the desktop. Once you have completed working with loaded file, you should unload it (not delete!): highlight the key that was created when you loaded the hive, and then select the item Unload hive on the File menu.

Question: How can I view / edit inactive (not loaded) system registry?
Answer: You should load that system's registry hives (files): select the menu "Registry | Load key". User profiles (HKCU) are usually stored in the files "Documents and Settings\<user name>\user.dat". For other keys you can use the following table:

Key	File name
HKLM\SOFTWARE	System32\config\software
HKLM\SAM	System32\config\sam
HKLM\SECURITY	System32\config\security
HKLM\SYSTEM	System32\config\system
HKU\.DEFAULT	System32\config\default

Question: Why the reg-files cannot be used for saving / restoring entire registry?
Answer: First, the reg-files do not store information on access rights. Second, it is usually impossible to export / import protected keys (SAM, SECURITY). Third, with reg-files (if it was created automatically) you can only add keys and values or modify existing values' data. That means, it is generally impossible to delete keys or values using reg-files.

Question: What should I use then?
Answer: With RegWorks you can create registry backups and restore registry from backups. See the item Backup and restore... on the File menu and the corresponding section in the manual. Make backup copy of your registry now!

Question: Can all keys and values that were found during search be deleted all at once?
Answer: Yes, they can: select the item Delete on the Edit menu or press the <Del> key on the keyboard. You are recommended to save found keys and values to reg-file (select the Save results item on the context menu; the file type should be set to "Registry files"). Even if you forget to save the keys and values, you can undo deletion using the Undo history dialog (the item Undo history on the Tools menu).

Question: How can I undo accidental modifications made to registry?
Answer: By default, any action can be undone. Use the undo history dialog for this purpose. In order to prevent accidental (and any other) modifications, you can select the option "Read only" in the program's settings.

Question: Can the program be configured so that it would open some specific registry key on startup?
Answer: Yes, it can: simply enter the key name as the command line argument. For example, to open the key HKCU\Software you should use the command: "RegWorks HKCU\Software". If you want the key to open in the running instance of RegWorks, use the same command with the additional parameter /s, e.g.: "RegWorks HKCU\Software /s".

Question: When I change tweak's data, the program always prompts for confirmation and sometimes even prompts for reboot. How can I get rid of that?
Answer: In the Tweaker section of the program's settings, deselect the options: "Require confirmation for tweak modification" and "Suggest rebooting computer".

Question: How can I see, which registry key does the tweak corresponds with?
Answer: First, you can find registry key and value name in the tweak properties dialog (Tweaks | Tweak | Properties). Second, in the program properties dialog (the tab Tweaker | List) you can add the column "Registry" to the visible list, and information on registry values will always be available. Finally, you can try opening the value in the registry: select the item Open in registry editor on the value list context menu.

Question: What can saving the monitor log to XML-file be useful for?
Answer: The xml-file is easy to view; you can do that with your browser. Besides that, you can write your own xsl-conversion and thus convert the file to html-page as you wish.

Question: But where is the registry monitor?
Answer: If you asked this question, you must be still using Windows 9x/ME. Under these operating systems RegWorks monitor is not available.