9.8. Using the Resource Kit Registry Utilities

Microsoft offers a separate package of tools, documentation, and utilities called for each of its operating systems. There are different resource kits for Windows NT Server and Workstation, Windows 2000 Server and Professional,^[5] 98, and 95 (not to mention separate kits for other products, including Exchange and IIS). The resource kits offer a wealth of useful tools and documentation; even though some of the tools are only partly functional, and most are poorly documented, the resource kit for whichever OS you're running is well worth the US$150 or so it costs, since many of its tools are unavailable from any other source.^[6]

^[5] The Server kit includes everything in the Professional kit, so you don't need to buy both.

^[6] Of course, you could argue that these tools should be included with the OS itself. I'd agree with that, but then Microsoft would have to clean up, document, and test the tools, most of which are only of interest to support professionals, system administrators, and the like.

9.8.1. The Windows 2000 Resource Kit

The Windows 2000 resource kit contains only a few Registry-related tools; the primary tool is reg.exe. However, this version of reg.exe does everything that its NT predecessor did, plus what all the other Windows NT resource kit registry tools did. If the old version was like a Swiss Army knife, the Windows 2000 version is more like one of those nifty Leatherman Wave tools that has everything except a hammer in it. There are some other useful items in the Windows 2000 kit, too: