How to add, modify, or delete registry subkeys and values by using a registration entries (.reg) file

How to add, modify, or delete registry subkeys and values by using a registration entries (.reg) file

Deleting Registry Keys and Values


To delete a registry key with a .reg file, put a hyphen (-) in front of the RegistryPath in the .reg file. For example, to delete the Test subkey from the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Softwareput a hyphen in front of the following registry key in the .reg file:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\TestThe following example has a .reg file that can perform this task.
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Test]To delete a registry value with a .reg file, put a hyphen (-) after the equals sign following the DataItemName in the .reg file. For example, to delete the TestValue registry value from the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Testput a hyphen after the "TestValue"= in the .reg file. The following example has a .reg file that can perform this task.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Test"TestValue"=- To create the .reg file, use Regedit.exe to export the registry key that you want to delete, and then use Notepad to edit the .reg file and insert the hyphen.
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Renaming Registry Keys and Values

To rename a key or value, delete the key or value, and then create a new key or value with the new name.
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Distributing Registry Changes


You can send a .reg file to users in an e-mail message, put a .reg file on a network share and direct users to the network share to run it, or you can add a command to the users' logon scripts to automatically import the .reg file when they log on. When users run the .reg file, they receive the following messages:
Registry EditorAre you sure you want to add the information in path of .reg file to the registry? If the user clicks Yes, the user receives the following message:
Registry EditorInformation in path of .reg file has been successfully entered into the registry.Regedit.exe supports a /s command-line switch to not display these messages. For example, to silently run the .reg file (with the /s switch) from a login script batch file, use the following syntax:
regedit.exe /s path of .reg fileYou can also use Group Policy or System Policy to distribute registry changes across your network. For additional information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms954395.aspx (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms954395.aspx) Note If the changes work, you can send the registration file to the appropriate users on the network.