Windows 10: How to edit registry from recovery options

There is an admin account on the computer I have, but the problem is, that account is inaccessible, and that it has been linked to a Microsoft account that I do not have access to. Due to an accident, I revoked admin from myself, and I cannot retrieve it, because there is already an admin account on the computer, and that account is inaccessible, I cannot do anything to get the permissions back. I want to install programs and delete the no longer used account, but I cannot, as I don't have administrator.Luckily, I have the bitlocker key, so I should be able to fix the problems if I can load th

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Can i edit multi-string values of the Registry from Windows Recovery?

Hi

Welcome to Microsoft community.

Editing multi-string values in the Registry from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) is possible, but it comes with its challenges, especially when dealing with permission issues and the limitations of the recovery environment.

If you're unable to boot into Windows and can't import your backed-up Registry due to insufficient privileges, here are some steps you can try to manually edit the Registry from WinRE:

Accessing the Registry from WinRE

1. Boot into WinRE: Enter the Advanced Boot Options menu. Select "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced options" > "Command Prompt".
   
2. Identify your Windows installation: Once in the Command Prompt, you might need to identify which drive letter your Windows installation is on. This can be done by typing diskpart then list volume and exiting diskpart by typing exit . Usually, Windows is installed on the C: drive, but in WinRE, it might be mounted under a different letter.
   
3. Load the SYSTEM hive: You'll need to load the hive from your Windows installation into the Registry Editor in the recovery environment. Use the following commands, replacing "C:" with the correct drive letter if necessary:
   
   
4. Navigate to the loaded hive: Now, you can open the Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Command Prompt. Navigate to
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\TempSystem
   
   to access the loaded SYSTEM hive.
   

Editing the Registry

1. Find the key you need to edit: Navigate through the Registry Editor to find the multi-string value you want to edit.
   
2. Edit the multi-string value: Right-click on the value, select "Modify", and make your changes. If you're trying to insert a word into a multi-string value, you can do so here.
   
   Disclaimer: Generally, modifying registry subkeys or work group is intended for advanced users, administrators, and IT Professionals. It can help fix some problems, however, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For further protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support to view the article.
   

Saving Changes and Unloading the Hive

1. Close the Registry Editor: After making the necessary changes, close the Registry Editor.
   
2. Unload the hive: Go back to the Command Prompt and unload the hive to ensure the changes are saved:
   
   
3. Restart your computer: Type exit to close the Command Prompt and choose to restart your computer. Hopefully, the changes you've made will allow you to boot into Windows.
   

Creating a New User

Creating a new user with the required privileges from WinRE is not straightforward because user accounts are managed within Windows. If editing the Registry does not resolve your issue, you might need to consider system restore options, such as resetting Windows while preserving your files, if that option is available to you.

Note

Editing the Registry, especially from WinRE, is risky and can lead to system instability or make your operating system unbootable if done incorrectly. Always proceed with caution and ensure you have backups of your data wherever possible.

If these steps do not resolve your issue, it might be time to consult with a professional technician or consider more drastic measures like reinstalling Windows, assuming you have backed up all important data.

Let me know if you need further assistance.

Best regards

Derrick Qian | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

 

Registry editing

Hello,

This issue may have occurred after one of the following situations:

• You upgrade the Windows operating system.
• You install or uninstall CD or DVD recording programs.
• You uninstall Microsoft Digital Image.

Given that, we suggest performing the methods in this article:
Your CD or DVD drive is not recognized by Windows or other programs.
The resolutions that are listed in that article may help solve some instances but not all instances of this problem.

Important:This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow
these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, refer to the following Microsoft Knowledge Base
article.

Feel free to update us with the results.

 

How does Windows boot to advanced recovery option e.g. command prompt?

- that gives me a 454 'Unexpected error' This tells me that the BCD is partially corrupted.

The commands: shutdown.exe /r /o /f /t 00
or: %SystemRoot%\System32\Cmd.exe /c reagentc /boottore&shutdown /r /f /t 00
should boot into Recovery if everything is configured correctly.
FYI, If Windows is configured correctly:

1. If Reagentc is disabled, you still can get into Recovery but with limited options.
2. If Reagentc is enabled, you'll get all options.
3. If you boot Windows using Recovery USB stick, You'll get into Recovery with couple of options missing.

Here's my suggestion if you want to try:
OPTION 1: Will save the trouble of re-install Windows.

1. Download the image of my first 3 partitions (450MB Recovery, 100 MB EFI partition, and 16MB unformatted primary)
   EFI_Boot-00-00.7z - Google Drive
2. Run Macrium and restore the image from step 1, overwriting your existing 1st three partitions, leaving C alone.
3. Delete the 490MB Recovery partition.
4. From Macrium, run fix boot problems.
5. Reboot. Open Admin command prompt then run Reagentc /info to make sure that it is enabled. If not, enable it.
   if failed to enable, reboot and try again.

OPTION 2: Assuming you've already had Windows backup with Macrium.

1. Wipe out the first 5 parttiions. (450MB, 100MB, 16MB, C Drive, 480MB)
2. Fresh install Windows 10
3. Restore C drive from backup image, run fix boot problems
4. repeat step 5 from OPTION 1 above.