Batch Script - Reading from the Registry (2024)

FAQs

Batch Script - Reading from the Registry? ›

Reading from the registry is done via the REG QUERY command. This command can be used to retrieve values of any key from within the registry.

To open Windows registry in the command prompt, press Windows key + R , type cmd, and press Enter . In the Command Prompt, type regedit and press Enter .

Reading of files in a Batch Script is done via using the FOR loop command to go through each line which is defined in the file that needs to be read. Since there is a no direct command to read text from a file into a variable, the 'for' loop needs to be used to serve this purpose.

Use the GetValue method, specifying the path and name) to read a value from registry key. The following example reads the value Name from HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MyApp and displays it in a message box.

You can use the Get-ItemProperty cmdlet to retrieve the value of a registry key, and then use an if statement to check the value. This script retrieves the value of the Connected registry key from the specified path, and then checks if the value is equal to "1". If it is, the script runs the gupdate.exe program.

To use reg, type cmd from the Windows run or search box to open the command prompt. To show all the parameters for the reg command, enter reg /? from the command prompt. Typing reg <parameter> /? shows the switches available for the parameter and examples of how to use them.

To browse through the registry in PowerShell, we can use the Get-ChildItem command. For example to get all keys from the path HKLM:\Hardware we can use the below command. Or you can set the location and use the dir (get-ChildItem or ls) command to browse the path.

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell: Press Windows Key + X to open the Power User menu, then select Command Prompt or PowerShell from the list. Type “regedit”: In the Command Prompt or PowerShell window, simply type “regedit” (without quotes) and press Enter.

What are the 5 registry keys? ›

What are the five registry keys? In most versions of Windows, the following keys are in the registry: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (HKCR), HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU), HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM), HKEY_USERS (HKU), and HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG.

In the Run dialog box, type Regedit and click OK. 3. The Registry Editor dialog box will open. The Reg Keys are located within the folders with names that begin with HKEY_ (as pictured to the right).

Right-click Start , then select Run. Type regedit in the Open: box, and then select OK.