Editing the Registry

NetInstall Registry Files (NIR Files)

Files of type *.REG are normally used to extend or modify the registry. REG files are automatically transferred to the registry when you e.g. double-click the file in the Explorer.

The registry files created by the NetInstall Spy almost always contain DSM variables that can only be resolved at runtime. If such a file was accidentally transferred to the registry, variables instead of real values would be written into the registry and could produce undesirable effects. For this reason, the registry files used by DSM have the extension NIR. The syntax of REG and NIR files is identical, however, the NIR extension is simply a security measure.

Registry Editor Window

The registry editor provides a structured view of REG and NIR files, and permits convenient and secure editing.

The registry file view is similar to the regedit.exe. As a special feature, the registry editor marks all the branches containing a DSM variable with a red bullet. This enables you to quickly find variables in registry files.

The Registry Editor displays the changes made to the Registry in the respective package only. To see all registry entries start the Windows Registry Editor.

 

To open the Registry Editor, choose one the following methods:

• Open the Packaging Workbench and select the Registry view.
• Double-click the RegLoad command in the eScript view.
• Drag the RegLoad command into the script window in the eScript view.

The following commands are available in the menu:

	New key	Inserts a new key into the current registry file
	New string	Inserts a new string type value into the current key
	New DWORD value	Inserts a new DWORD type value into the current key
	Insert from registry	Inserts a key from the local registry into the NIR or REG file
	Delete	Deletes the current object
	Search/Replace	Searches and replaces content in the registry. The shortcuts Ctrl + F and F3 (Find next) can be used.
	Help topics	Opens a list of help topics