Re: "..navigate down the path.."

["Richard G. Combs" <richard -dot- combs -at- voyanttech -dot- com>]

"Becca Price" <becca_price -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote in message
news:104455 -at- techwr-l -dot-  -dot-  -dot- 
>
> I need to give instructions for opening a folder in Windows
> REGEDIT to locate a key that is burried many folders (like 7)
> deep. For those not familiar with it, REGEDIT is set up in a
> tree structure, with little +s and -s next to folders.  You
> click on the + to open the folder.
>
> Do I have to have a step for each layer the user has to click
> on? (Click on the HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder to open it.  Click on
> the Software folder to open it... etc.) Or would it be
> reasonable to say something like "Locate the
> path\path\path\...\DBSetup folder"?
>
Several people have expressed some variation of "it depends on your users,"
an answer with which I usually agree.

However, in this case I'd retort that any user who _can't find_ a specified
key in the Registry shouldn't be _editing_ the Registry. You can screw up
your system to the point where you have to wipe the disk and reinstall
everything!

Precede the procedure with a _strong_ caution: "Don't attempt this unless
you're familiar with the Windows Registry and the Regedit utility, and you
know what you're doing." Then assume that those who continue are and do;
just point them to the key (it's not a folder) and value that they need to
add/change/delete.

This has the added advantage of further reinforcing the caution. The tyros
who're tempted to ignore it are further discouraged by finding that your
procedure is "over their heads."

My 0.02.
Richard

------
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Voyant Technologies, Inc.
richard -dot- combs -at- voyanttech -dot- com
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs -at- free-market -dot- net
303-777-0436
------







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