Which registry path stores startup entries for the current machine in Windows?

Which registry path stores startup entries for the current machine in Windows?

• A. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
• B. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
• C. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
• D. HKEY_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Answer: (C)

Startup items that apply to the entire machine are stored in the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, Software, Microsoft, Windows, CurrentVersion, Run. This key is read at user logon and launches each program listed, making it global for the system rather than tied to a specific user account. If you wanted per-user startup entries, you’d look under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, and RunOnce keys are for one-time launches, not regular startup. So the machine-wide startup path is the Run key under HKLM.

Startup items that apply to the entire machine are stored in the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, Software, Microsoft, Windows, CurrentVersion, Run. This key is read at user logon and launches each program listed, making it global for the system rather than tied to a specific user account. If you wanted per-user startup entries, you’d look under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, and RunOnce keys are for one-time launches, not regular startup. So the machine-wide startup path is the Run key under HKLM.