Hive-based Registry

The system hive contains system settings that do not pertain to any one user. The OEM selects the system hive file name and location. The system hive file is typically named System.hv, but the location may vary.

By default, the system and user hives are separated into two locations. When the system boots, it reads the ROM-based version of the hives. Any change to the registry data is written to the hive that exists in the file system. On a cold boot, the portion of the registry that is stored in a file system is essential empty until a write operation occurs.

If access to the ROM is slow for the read-only data, the .hv files can be compressed in the FILES section so that they are demand paged into RAM when used.

See Also

User Profile Hives | Hive-based Registry Setup | Troubleshooting the Hive-based Registry | Persisting Data with the Hive-based Registry | Upgrading the Hive-based Registry

Last updated on Wednesday, April 13, 2005

© 2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.