RegCreateKeyTransacted is a function in the Windows API that allows for the creation of registry keys within a transaction. This is particularly useful for ensuring that a series of changes to the registry can be committed or rolled back as a single unit, enhancing reliability and consistency. This function is essential for developers and system administrators who need to make multiple registry changes atomically, ensuring that either all changes are applied, or none are, avoiding partial updates that could lead to system instability.

Examples:

1. Using RegCreateKeyTransacted in C++

Below is a simple example of how to use RegCreateKeyTransacted in a C++ application.

   #include <windows.h>

   #include <stdio.h>



   int main() {

       HKEY hKey;

       HANDLE hTransaction;

       LONG lResult;



       // Create a new transaction

       hTransaction = CreateTransaction(NULL, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, NULL);

       if (hTransaction == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) {

           printf("CreateTransaction failed (%d)\n", GetLastError());

           return 1;

       }



       // Create a new registry key within the transaction

       lResult = RegCreateKeyTransacted(

           HKEY_CURRENT_USER,

           L"SOFTWARE\\Example",

           0,

           NULL,

           REG_OPTION_NON_VOLATILE,

           KEY_ALL_ACCESS,

           NULL,

           &hKey,

           NULL,

           hTransaction,

           NULL

       );



       if (lResult != ERROR_SUCCESS) {

           printf("RegCreateKeyTransacted failed (%d)\n", lResult);

           CloseHandle(hTransaction);

           return 1;

       }



       // Commit the transaction

       if (!CommitTransaction(hTransaction)) {

           printf("CommitTransaction failed (%d)\n", GetLastError());

           RegCloseKey(hKey);

           CloseHandle(hTransaction);

           return 1;

       }



       printf("Registry key created successfully within a transaction.\n");



       // Clean up

       RegCloseKey(hKey);

       CloseHandle(hTransaction);



       return 0;

   }

2. Using PowerShell with Transactions

While PowerShell does not natively support transactional registry operations, you can use the New-Item cmdlet to create registry keys. However, for transactional support, you would need to use a script or a compiled language like C++ as shown above.

   # This script does not support transactions but shows how to create a registry key

   New-Item -Path "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Example" -Force

   Write-Output "Registry key created successfully."

3. Command Line Alternative

If you need to perform registry operations via the command line, you can use reg.exe, but note that it does not support transactions.

   reg add "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Example" /f

   echo Registry key created successfully.