From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz AT is DOT elta DOT co DOT il>
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp,comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Re: Detecting Windows and Windows directory from DOS
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2000 10:41:14 +0200
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To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
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Damian Yerrick wrote:
> 
> >All right. How do I read the Windows registry from a DOS program (if it's
> >possible)?
> 
> That's what I've been wondering.

The way to access the registry from DOS programs is known and well
documented.
There's a book called "Inside the Windows 95 Registry" which tells the story
and shows code.

There's a library compatible with DJGPP (called regdos or something) which
can do that.  Look it up.

> Why doesn't it just store its registry as text like GNU/Linux does?

Because Microsoft never meant for applications to access this information. 
They wanted to make it harder than the venerable *.ini files in older Windows
versions (which *was* text files, btw).  The above book explains this as
well.