HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office key is missing from Registry

Question

I went to the Registry to make a change to my Powerpoint options (following KB827745).

But there is no Office key under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft - the list jumps from Notepad to PeerNet

Yet I'm using Office 2007 quite normally, Word, Excel, Powerpoint all open find. Where are they getting my settings?!

Answer 1

Hard to see how it works properly without that key, Mystery

What happens if you search keys for RecentAnimationList ?

Answer 2

Yes I searched all the hives, hence the hordes of entries.

I'm fairly certain I'm using the account that Office was installed under. But regardless, I have only 2 accounts on the PC and have checked the registry using both accounts.

Answer 3

Searching for the particular entry in question won't help because it's not there by default; in order to use this trick, you need to add it.  Which doesn't help you much if the place you need to add it TO isn't there, right?  Right.

But you mention "way too many 'Office' ones" ... that sounds odd.  What all do you have, at least in HKEY_CURRENT_USER?  CLASSES_ROOT doesn't count in this case, so we can ignore 'em.

Have you perhaps logged in under a different user account than the one you installed Office under?

Answer 4

Hi Steve; it's my own PC and I'm able to edit other registry settings. The Office key simply isn't there!

I'm baffled. I've searched the registry for every PowerPoint entry (cos there are way too many "Office" ones) to no avail.

Answer 5

Are you using your own PC or is this a computer owned by your employer or some other institution?

If the latter, it may be that there are policies preventing you from changing the registry settings.