From Wikipedia (licensed under the FDL):
In Windows computers, the registry is a database used to store settings and options for the operating system, specially for Windows 32 bit versions. It contains information and settings for all the hardware, software, users, and preferences of the computer. Whenever a user makes changes to Control Panel settings, or file associations, system policies, or installed software, the changes are reflected and stored in the registry.
Many optimization and “hacking” tools are available to modify this portion of the Windows operating system.
On Windows 9x computers, an older installation can have a very large registry that slows down the computer’s startup and can make the computer unstable.
Related
- DNS (Domain Name Service) – a type of Registry (see Wikipedia – DNS)
- Regedit – a tool that comes with Windows to modify one’s registry (select “run” from the Start Menu and type “regedit”)
- Regclean – an unsupported, downloadable tool from Microsoft for Windows to clear out old Registry entries.
TakeDown.NET -> “Registry”