Description of Registry Hives in Windows

Registry Hive                                   Description
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT                       Stores information about
                                                       applications' file associations and Object Linking
                                                       and Embedding(OLE).

HKEY_CURRENT_USER                      Stores settings that concern the currently logged on 
                                                       user.It is common to make changes in this hive.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE                    Stores hardware and software settings that are 
                                                      specific to the computer.This is where the bulk of a
                                                      PC technician's Registry edits are made.

HKEY_USERS                                    Stores data corresponding to all users who have
                                                       ever logged on to the computer.

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG                   Contains information that is gathered every time the
                                                       computer starts up.