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Tech support tells me to type ‘regedt32′ as opposed to ‘regedit’ to access the registry from the command line (Start > Run). I question the use of ‘regedt32,’ but he says to do it anyway. Whenever I use the registry editor, I recall this incident and never look up the tale of the two regs… until now.

Regedt32.exe is an alternative registry editor available with Windows NT/2000 with features of its own. Regedt32.exe does not support importing and exporting registration entries (.reg) files. Regedit has limitations of its own as quoted here:

“You cannot set the security for registry keys. You cannot view, edit, or search the value data types <>REG_EXPAND_SZ and <>REG_MULTI_SZ. If you try to view a <>REG_EXPAND_SZ value, Regedit.exe displays it as a binary data type. If you try to edit either of these data types, Regedit.exe saves it as <>REG_SZ, and the data type no longer performs its intended function. You cannot save or restore keys as hive files.”

Research indicates regedit has:

• a better search tool
• bookmarking of subkeys
• opens to last edited subtree, export and import capabilities
• all keys are visible from a window similar to Windows Explorer

Regedt32 (pre-WinXP) can:

• run in read-only mode
• allows you to edit values longer than 256 characters (who wants to do that???)
• displays subtrees in their own windows
• modify access permissions to subtrees, keys, and subkeys

In WinXP and Server 2003, the two have been replaced by a new version of regedit that has features from both. Try typing ‘regedit’ and ‘regedt32′ to see what happens. They’re the same. To prove it, while in ‘regedit,’ select ‘edit’ and you’ll see ‘permissions.’ This is a feature that was only available in the old ‘regedt32′ and not ‘regedit.’

Technically, regedt32 is a small program that runs regedit. So when typing ‘regedt32,’ it takes you to ‘regedit.’ The destination is the same either way. So type whichever is easier for you to remember. Regedit is easier for me – I had to play with the spelling of the other version until I got it right.

Now I remember that tech support was checking to see if the permissions were properly set and that was why we used ‘regedt32.’ However, someone forgot to update the script or tell him that it didn’t matter anymore when a user had WinXP. Tech support always asks what operating system at the beginning of the call, so he knew.

More registry editor resources: Microsoft has a knowledgebase article on the differences between the two. Windows IT Library has a feature comparison chart dated 2000, so it’s way old, but it will satisfy curiosity. Here’s a list of registry editor alternatives for those who wish to try something different. For tweaks, tricks, and hacks, check out WinGuides’ Registry Guide for Windows.

Page Rank is Googles way of showing the user a basic ranking of a webpage. The ranking is from 0 to 10 with 10 being the highest. To calculate page rank there are numerous variables involved but the most important in link popularity. So the more incoming links you have to that webpage the higher Page Rank you will have.

Page Rank is updated all the time but not visible to users. The visible Page Rank on the Google toolbar is only updated a few times a year. Normally every 3 months. There are a few ways that you can get a general idea of your Page Rank at all times. One way requires the site to be listed in the Google directory. It has become known that the directory lists in order of Page Rank. The directory uses current Page Rank data and not the visible one that only updates every 3 months. So if you have a site in the Google directory you can always get a general idea on what your current Page Rank is.

There are also Page Rank predictor tools out there. Now these tools used to be somewhat accurate but they have been shutdown with Google changing the PK parameters to all 0s. This may change again in the future but as of right now it simply does not work.

One thing that gets me is how Page Rank consumes people that are new to the SEO world. To get a few things straight here is what Page Rank does for your. NOTHING! You do not rank higher in the SERPs, make more money, get more traffic, or look cooler. This number is just a basic guideline of how many incoming links you have to your site.

But Page Rank is good for a few things at the same time. Most webmasters base link exchanges primarily based off of Page Rank. So the higher Page Rank you have the better chance of getting a good link exchange. Also it is good for selling links on your site. The price pretty much always reflects what the Page Rank is on the page.