How many hives are in the Windows Registry?

• A. 3
• B. 4
• C. 5
• D. 6

Answer: (C)

Windows Registry is organized around five main root hives, each serving a distinct scope of configuration data. One hive stores machine-wide settings that apply to every user and hardware in the system. Another hive holds settings specific to the currently logged-in user, reflecting that user's preferences and paths. A third hive contains all user profiles, with per-user subkeys for each account. The fourth hive provides a merged view of class registrations and file associations used by the system and applications. The fifth hive represents the current hardware profile, capturing settings related to the hardware configuration in use.

Together, these five hives cover the essential configuration areas Windows relies on during boot, login, and operation. Hence, the Windows Registry comprises five hives.