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Read Remote Registry key default values using Powershell

Today I had a need to query the default value of a registry key in remote computer. There are several articles on internet which are talking about reading default value of a registry key from local machine but no one has enough information about reading default value of registry from remote computer. After some research I found the code which works for both local and remote computers.

Here you go.

$txtKey = ".txt"            
$computer = $env:computername            
$HKLM   = [microsoft.win32.registrykey]::OpenRemoteBaseKey('ClassesRoot',$computer)            
$txtref  = $HKLM.OpenSubKey($txtKey)            
$txtvalue = $txtref.GetValue($null).tostring()            
write-host $txtvalue

In this example, I am reading the default value of “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.txt” registry key.  The code is self explanatory. Feel free to write in comment section if you have any questions. Happy to help.

Hope this helps..

{ 2 comments… add one }
  • Emily May 19, 2018, 1:04 am

    All it does is copy the script to the screen. Doesn’t do anything.

    • Wintel Rocks May 29, 2018, 6:08 pm

      You should get output similar to below assuming your computer has some application mapped to open .txt files.
      PS C:\> $txtKey = “.txt”
      PS C:\> $computer = $env:computername
      PS C:\> $HKLM = [microsoft.win32.registrykey]::OpenRemoteBaseKey(‘ClassesRoot’,$computer)
      PS C:\> $txtref = $HKLM.OpenSubKey($txtKey)
      PS C:\> $txtvalue = $txtref.GetValue($null).tostring()
      PS C:\> write-host $txtvalue
      txtfile
      PS C:\>

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