C# Winform Registry Changes appear to work, but don't actually

Question

I'm trying to use this registry hack I found online:

;Disables F1 key - Help and Support - in Windows 10
;Ramesh Srinivasan, Winhelponline.com

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Typelib\{8cec5860-07a1-11d9-b15e-000d56bfe6ee}\1.0\0\win32]
@=""

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Typelib\{8cec5860-07a1-11d9-b15e-000d56bfe6ee}\1.0\0\win64]
@=""

When I run it as a .reg command via Windows Explorer and watch the registry with regedit, it works as intended. Removing it is another registry file that simply removes the \0 subkey (and win32 and 64 with it). I'm trying to emulate this function with C# in a Winform using .net CORE:


        private void CheckF1()
        {
            // Registry data from ;Ramesh Srinivasan, Winhelponline.com
            RegistryKey F1key = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey(@"SOFTWARE\Classes\TypeLib\{8cec5860-07a1-11d9-b15e-000d56bfe6ee}\1.0\0");

            // EGADS! It's active!
            if (F1key == null)
            {
                fckF1RestoreBtn.Enabled = false;
                fckF1KillBtn.Enabled = true;
                fckF1Status.Text = "That creepy bugger is waiting and watching.";
            }
            else
            {
                fckF1RestoreBtn.Enabled = true;
                fckF1KillBtn.Enabled = false;
                fckF1Status.Text = "The F1-Help function had been put in it's place.";
            }
        }

        private void fckF1KillBtn_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            Registry.CurrentUser.CreateSubKey(@"SOFTWARE\Classes\Typelib\{8cec5860-07a1-11d9-b15e-000d56bfe6ee}\1.0\0\win32");
            Registry.CurrentUser.CreateSubKey(@"SOFTWARE\Classes\Typelib\{8cec5860-07a1-11d9-b15e-000d56bfe6ee}\1.0\0\win64");
            CheckF1();
        }

        private void fckF1RestoreBtn_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            Registry.CurrentUser.DeleteSubKeyTree(@"SOFTWARE\Classes\Typelib\{8cec5860-07a1-11d9-b15e-000d56bfe6ee}\1.0\0");
            CheckF1();
        }

Weirdly the code "sees" a setting and responds like it should. Even to the point that whichever toggle position it was in on close it remembers when I load the file again. It's almost like it's playing along to screw with me. Regardless, when I watch the registry, none of my code has any actual effect though by all appearances it seems to work otherwise (it doesn't actually of course because the registry change isn't happening).

NOTE: I have already updated my manifest file for the project to include elevated permissions:

        <requestedExecutionLevel level="highestAvailable" uiAccess="false" />

Almost every question asked like this turns out to be that you're hitting the 32-bit registry when you thought you were hitting the 64-bit one, or vice versa. — Damien_The_Unbeliever, Sep 10 '21 at 14:19

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Sep 10 '21 at 14:18

0

You can use RegistryKey.OpenBaseKey to solve this problem:

var baseReg = RegistryKey.OpenBaseKey(RegistryHive.LocalMachine, RegistryView.Registry64);

var reg = baseReg.CreateSubKey("Software\\Test");

answered Sep 10 '21 at 14:18

Hernando Abella

286
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C# Winform Registry Changes appear to work, but don't actually

1 Answers1