Question 1

How do I open NTUSER.DAT?

Accepted Answer

Drop it here. NTUSER.DAT is the registry hive that holds one user's settings - their desktop, their programs' settings, recent files - and it is in their profile folder, C:\Users
ame, as a hidden file. Windows keeps it locked while that user is signed in, so copy it from another account, from the drive in another computer, or from a backup or disk image.

Question 2

Can I get my Windows product key from a dead computer?

Accepted Answer

Often, if the key was bought separately. Copy the SOFTWARE hive from C:\Windows\System32\config on the old drive and drop it here: the key stored in the registry is shown. Most computers sold with Windows 8 or later keep their key in the firmware instead, and computers activated with a digital licence have it recorded with Microsoft against the hardware or Microsoft account; their registry holds only a generic key, which is shown as it is and will not activate another copy.

Question 3

The page says changes may be in the .LOG files. What does that mean?

Accepted Answer

Windows writes registry changes to the .LOG1 and .LOG2 files next to a hive first, and moves them into the hive later. A hive copied from a computer that was running, or that crashed, may not have its latest changes in it yet. What is shown is the hive as it was last completed, which is usually only a few minutes or hours behind.

Question 4

What is the difference between a hive and a .reg file?

Accepted Answer

A hive is the registry's own storage, in a binary format; a .reg file is text listing changes to make to a registry. To see what a .reg file would change before running it, use the .reg file opener. To bring settings from a hive into a working Windows, save the key you need as a .reg file here, check it, and double-click it on the other computer.

Question 5

Can it change the hive?

Accepted Answer

No. This page only reads. To change settings in an old Windows installation, save the key as a .reg file here, edit it, and import it on that computer once it starts again - or use Regedit's Load Hive on another Windows computer.

Open NTUSER.DAT and other Windows registry hives

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