The Windows registry is the backbone to any Microsoft based operating system and of this registry, you will find several registry keys. Registry keys are used to divide the various data entries in to specific categories that can be accessed by the user, or more readily by other software.
The HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT key is one of many crucial holding pods in the Windows registry, and this particular key looks after all of the file extensions that we have in Windows. The HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT controls what programs are associated with each file type, the extension descriptions and the application specific variables that affect how the computer should deal with each type of file.
It may sound a little complicated, that’s because it is. The HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT is one of the most complex keys that you’ll find in the Windows registry, and editing it can take a lot of time and caution. You don’t want to make a mistake here as lending a wrong file type to the wrong application can cause all kinds of system crashes, as well as the application ceasing to function. Things aren’t always as dramatic as this, but be in no doubt, the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT should be left to qualified professionals to edit – unless you have very specific instructions.
To give a simple broken down example, when we decide to open an MP3 file, our computer has to make the decision for which program to open that particular file in. You will be aware that in some cases, it’s possible to select manually, but that doesn’t apply here. If you’re a Windows novice and you try to open an MP3 in to Microsoft Word, you can expect things to function a little different to how you had in mind.
It’s the responsibility of the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT key and its corresponding classes to call upon the registry entries and select the relevant application to work with that particular MP3 extension. In this case, we’d probably go for Microsoft Windows Media Player.
It is also the responsibility of the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT to take care of information related to OLE objects and various documents. This is all gathered together inside the CLSID subkey which is absolutely full of class references and can be quite daunting on the human eye, especially considering there are some references written in hexadecimal language – that is, designed for computers rather than you or I.
It goes without saying that you should make a full backup of the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT key before you even think about performing manual edits. And if you are going to change the entries in this particular key, you should try to grab a registry specific updater which will handle the chore for you with less chance of a mistake being committed to the registry.
You may have noticed that the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT key is actually a duplicate of a similar set of registry entries that can be found in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes. Stop before you get too confused with the differences. The data stored at these two reference points is exactly the same! In spite of being a “duplicate”, if you were to go in and make an edit to the registry entries at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes, the very same changes would automatically apply in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT main key.
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