Regedit.exe and Reged32.exe are the registry editors for the Windows NT platform. Regedit.exe is the editor for the 16-bit Windows, while the Regedit32 is compatible with the newer 32-bit Windows systems.
These programs are the configuration and search tools for the registry of Windows NT and Windows 2000. Windows NT is the group of operating systems created by Microsoft and first released 15 years ago in 1993. NT was first designed as a high-powered high-level language based operating system that didn’t need processors, and were multiprocessing and multi-user systems that compared to UNIX. Windows NT was planned to complement MS-DOS based Windows versions. And was the first fully 32-bit version of Windows The goal of NT was to provide hardware and software portability for consumers.
Regedit is used to modify the database of Windows. The operating system’s file manager uses the information about 16-bit applications in the database to open and print files. The executable version is a 16-bit application that is included in the NT database in order to be compatible with 16-bit programs, while the 32 version is compatible with newer 32-bit programs.
Rededit32 is the configuration utility for NT and is used to make changes to the registry. It can be used to view or to modify the registry. The views of the registry files are called hives and they stand for different sections of the registry. It is important to understand the Regedit is extremely powerful and when used incorrectly it can cause major instability in the operating system.
Regedit.exe should be considered primarily as a search utility. It has limited function and can’t be used to set the security for the registry keys. Microsoft strongly recommends that you don’t use Regedit.exe for anything other than its search capabilities.
Registry changes to any computers operating system can be tricky. If you aren’t exactly sure what you’re doing, it is best to leave the registry alone and only use a high quality registry cleaner to remove faulty entries. Faulty entries are made to the registry all the time through things like adding and removing programs, accessing the Internet and downloading programs. These entries can cause your computer to slow down and quit operating correctly, causing you to lose precious work time.
Your system can even crash because of invalid registry entries or by removing the wrong entries. You should always research a registry editor before purchasing it to make sure it has the ability to edit the registry properly without doing more harm than good. There are several excellent registry editors, and it is definitely recommended that you use one monthly rather than trying to use the Regedit function to adjust and correct your registry entries.
