HiveLoader

HiveLoader is a lightweight Windows program whose purpose is to help you load and unload registry hives, as well as view and edit them.
A hive is created each time a new user logs on to a computer and may store registry information related to applications’ settings, desktop, network connections and printers.
Loading a new registry hive can be done in case you want to activate additional hives at Windows startup or enable offline hives embedded in virtual machines or disk images.

Simple looks

HiveLoader adopts a clean and intuitive layout that gives you the possibility to monitor the currently loaded registry hives. It is able to automatically identify the loaded hives and reveals information about the registry name and location.

Back up your data

Before proceeding with loading and unloading registry hives, you should back up your data so you can easily restore it in case something goes wrong. On the downside, the application doesn’t implement a backup feature so you need to appeal to third-party programs for exporting registry settings.

How it works

Loading a new registry hive can be done by providing the path where the hive is saved, picking the registry type (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, HKEY_USERS), as well as adding registry subkey name. What’s more, you are allowed to unload the selected registry hive, refresh the current list with just one click, and edit hives using Registry Editor.

Bottom line

All things considered, HiveLoader offers a straightforward software solution for helping you load new registry hives at Windows startup. However, rookies are bound to easily make disastrous changes to their system without the aid of backup function.