Windows Registry Editing Tool for Linux
 

Is there a such thing as a Linux tool to edit the Windows registry? I've got a trashed Windows installation, and I don't have all my CDs to reinstall everything. So I was trying to salvage if I can.

I saw some registry viewing tools listed in the Synaptic Pkg Mgr, but I want something I can search through, edit, replace, delete, etc. Thanks

gentisle

There is a text only (not GUI) Windows registry editor for Linux available from this site
www.pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/

I can't look there from where I am now (to give you better details) because that site is blocked by some providers (because it offers tools that might be misused).

As I recall from looking there before, at the top level it just offers CD images to get its tools effectively in bootable form. I would find that less convenient.

But if you browse into the source area it also has a "static linked" copy of the binary programs available somewhere. That is what you want if you would like to use the programs from within your own Linux system.

I keep meaning to recreate the bootable Linux CDs I normally use, so those binaries would be included. Instead, on the rare occasions I need those programs, I have always booted a Linux CD, then searched the net to rediscover those binaries, then downloaded to the ram filesystem of my booted Linux CD, used the programs and then lost them again. When you need them last minute without being able to prepare, that is the easiest way to use them.

Thanks so much johnsfine. I've downloaded it, and will look at it in a few days when I have some time. It would be nice to have a gui regedit for Linux, but maybe I'm asking too much. Wish I had learned programming when I was younger and had the time.

According to this, you can run regedit in Wine. Since you use Mint, you should be able to get chntpw (a native Linux regedit tool) via apt-get

XavierP, Well if that's true, then perhaps I can also run regedit from Windows inside of VirtualBox. Why didn't I think of that? "Wow! I coulda had a V-8!" Thanks. I'll give the VirtualBox Windows a chance first. I saw chntpw listed, but it's not passwords that are the problem. It's a dreaded STOP error that keeps BSODing me. I couldn't even read the dumps before the BSOD struck again. Then I remembered NirSoft's BlueScreen utility and read the dump files from my HDD, but that doesn't allow me to fix the problem -- just read the dump files.

This crashing all started shortly after I tried to disable the hidden GoogleUpdate service. This is exactly why I hate hidden programs in Windows. But then what else can I expect from Windoze? Thanks again.

gentisle

It sure does seem to say that. But I can't see enough details to figure out how to get Wine to work on the actual Windows registry.

1) I don't know how to get regedit to work on a "hive" that exists as a set of files. That is probably the important detail I'm missing. IIUC, regedit accesses the registry through the OS's registry system calls, not by direct I/O against the actual files containing the registry.

Please explain or post a link, if you have info that will correct or improve the above partial understanding.

2) IIUC, Wine emulates the Windows OS system calls for registry operations, but does so against an emulated registry, not against a set of files that are in the same format as the Windows registry. So IIUC, you can't use Wine with an actual Windows registry.

Please explain or post a link, if you have info that will correct or improve the above partial understanding.

3) I don't know of any program that will build a Wine emulated registry from a Windows registry, nor the reverse. Both such programs would seem to be needed in order to use regedit in Wine to fix a Windows problem.

IIUC, chntpw is based on the same registry access method and distributed together with the related program that allows text mode editing of the Windows registry.

I hope that "distributed together with" also applies when you get the package from your Linux distribution, rather than just when you get chntpw from whatever link near the link I posted. But I don't actually know what is included in the chntpw package from Mint etc.

There's a pretty explicit warning in Wine NOT to use it on the real Windows registry. So I agree with the above. Some computers have a CDless recovery partition activated at boot time with F11 or some other keystroke, is that a possibility?

Well, that's nice to know. Unfortunately, there is no F11 or anything else on this one. The PC came w/Vista, and I put XP Pro on it, and so I'm totally on my own.

Since this installation of Windows is probably trashed beyond repair (expect for possibly someone who does that to Windows PCs all day, every day, I think I'll try to do it in VirtualBox just to see what happens. I've got all the data backed up, so what the heck? Thanks again.

gentisle

Don't worry thats the way Windows is supposed to be :)

Yes, I know. When Bill Gates talks about Microsoft spawning all kinds on innovation, what he really means is: Windows is such a low quality product, you need all kinds of extra security and utility software added on to keep it running.

Well, I tried editing the registry from inside of my VirtualBox Windows, and no luck, so Guess it's a reformat, reinstall, etc.
:scratch:

chntpw is the same tool as ntpasswd
 

Freshmeat points right to the same website. The tool does work for registry editing but it will be of great use to know the key(s) you need to edit. Not the most intuitive tool but it works.

AVG anti-virus live cd also includes a text based editor.

Also one can consider a BartPE disk but personally I like the VBox Windows solution as easiest.

I would be interested in knowing just what caused it and the outcome. Google products can wreak havoc sometimes.

Thanks, I've given up trying to fix that. I think it may be drivers that are incompatible, but I just don't have time to fiddle w/Windows. Thanks everyone.

gentisle

Good Information
 

Now, off to spend the time from when you gave up and make it happen.

My HP CQ-60 came with native mode sata Vista, and the owner gave up and gave me this piece of Windows only crap when she realized a new computer was cheaper than suffering with Vista and the path back to W-XP was more expensive than a new computer (June 2010).

I have days invested in getting W-XP to work and Debian 6.0.4 to wireless. I'm confident I can make both work. The W-XP is my running production on a desktop. It needs the native mode sata driver in order to boot on the cq-60 and I have documentation on someone else who hacked the registry and got it to work. I can regedit while in my biostar P4M enviornment, then run on the cq-60 which is what that person did when he switched from sata ide emulator to native sata.

If you figured out how to do this, let me know, else I will just keep playing with it. I need to give most of my time to music so this project (evolving from my degree in Electrical Engineering) will take a back seat.

liunx Gui Windows registry editor
 

the Kaspersky rescue disk downloadable from here (https://support.kaspersky.com/4162) includes a gui registry tool which is very useful for all sort of situations including removing things from startup.

Hey thanks, very helpful.
gentisle

Although you asked for a Linux registry repairer for Windows, and this is a Linux Forum, go to tweaking.com and download their freeware. It is excellent. For scannow you will however need your Win XP install disk. Later versions of Windows do not. Go through the processes, and you have a good chance of repairing Windows.

Thanks moshebagelfresser

My pleasure gentisle

Another way...
 

This is way late reply I know but you can also just:

1) Download and burn an iso of a Windows CD from Microsofts Website.

2) Boot off the CD.

3) Press Shift+F10 to bring up a command prompt when it asks you what keyboard layout and language etc.

4) Type regedit and press Enter to open regedit.

5) Select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key and click File->Load Hive

6) Browse to the Windows folder of target, then into system32, then into config

7) In there is the SOFTWARE (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software), SYSTEM (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System), SAM, DEFAULT, SECURITY files. Open the one you need.

8) Give it a temporary name, ie "temp_software"

9) Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and you should see "temp_software" there.

10) Do you viewing/editing

11) After that make sure you select the "temp_software" hive and click File->Unload Hive.


Hope that helps anyone.

--Michael

Nice to know good advice. Thumbs up!

Ophcrack is the tool i am using currently. You can reset windows password very quickly with this tool. And i have tested it on my Windows 7.

Hey thanks, X00btine

Ophcrack
 

Great suggestion, downloading it now, worth burning a CD for.

Ophcrack !

you are aware that a PASWORD cracker is not a tool to edit the windows system registry

and is mostly against the forum rules

mind you this is a 5 year old thread

tools for XP will be of almost no use on win10