How to Disable Access to the Registry in Windows 7

20 Jun, 2010 | Written by Kaiser | under Security, Windows 7

If you do not know what you do in the registry, you can damage your computer pretty good.Today we show you how to prevent users from accessing the registry and make changes to it.

Using Policy Editor Local Group

Note: This method uses Group Policy Editor which is not available in versions of Windows Home.

first type gpedit.msc in the Search box on the Start menu.

gpedit_start

When Group Policy Editor opens, navigate to User Configuration \ Administrative Templates and select System. Under Setting in the right pane double-click Prevent access to registry editing tools.

1reg

Select the radio button next to Enabled, click OK, then close out of Group Policy Editor.

2reg

Now if a user tries to access the Registry…

regedit_Start

They will get the following message advising they cannot access it.

3reg

Using Registry Enabler & Disabler 3

If you’re using Home or Starter version of Windows 7, you can use a neat utility called Registry Enabler & Disabler (link below). This app works on XP and Vista as well.

4reg

There is no installation involved so you can run it from a flash drive, disable the registry, then take the flash drive with you while a the user is on the machine.

5reg

Again, if the user tries to access the Registry they will get the following error…

3reg

Using one of these options will stop users from gaining access to the Registry or running any registry hacks. Of course if you have a shared computer, you may want to set up other users with a Standard Account, as they won’t be able to make changes to the Registry anyway.

Download Registry Enabler & Disabler 3

Go to Source Article at How to Geek

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