I want to load the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive from another installation of Windows (e.g. X:\Windows\System32\config\SYSTEM), but apparently I can't load the hive because the "File -> Load Hive" menu item is disabled:
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2 Answers
You need to load a hive into a specific key, so it's necessary to select a key first:
You can load hives into HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE or into HKEY_USERS.
Once you've clicked HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, the "Load Hive" menu item will immediately become available:
answered Mar 21, 2018 at 15:57
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It may also be greyed out if you don't have sufficient rights. Commented Apr 2, 2020 at 13:58
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@TobiasKnauss Regedit generally needs to be run as Administrator anyway, doesn't it? Commented Apr 7, 2020 at 7:55
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2No, in my business Win 10 computer I can start regedit with my user account (no local admin rights) and no UAC prompt is shown. So I can start regedit, but I cannot do a lot. Commented Apr 8, 2020 at 9:32
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Good answer +1, also just to add here, if you aren't able to Load back the original Key (perhaps getting "File in use" error), you must first Unload the Key from the offline copy of Windows/OS, to do this you have to first select / highlight the Sub-Key then File -> Unload. Note: selecting the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" Key won't allow you to Unload a Sub-Key (e.g. SOFTWARE) therefore you must select the Sub-Key such as SOFTWARE, then do File -> Unload. HTH. Commented Feb 17, 2023 at 13:40
Even if you chose the correct key to load a hive into, this may result from insufficient user rights. If you're running under a user account and open regedit without admin rights, you may not be able to load a hive.
I have seen that on my own business laptop, in which I have a user account without local admin rights.
