Element ntuser.dat: what is this file

Today we will tell you what ntuser.dat is for, what kind of file it is and how to work with it. Also we will understand the features of removing this material. It can meet in different versions of the Windows operating system.

Element ntuser dat: what is this file

For starters, let's say a few words about the possibility of removing it. Excluding ntuser.dat is not always possible. In the case where the Windows system has only one user, deleting this material can lead to a number of problems. There are times when there is not one ntuser.dat on the computer. Many files of this type indicate that several people use this PC. The fact is that each user name in Windows corresponds to a separate element with the name and extension already known to us.

What for

On one question about ntuser.dat (what is this file) we already answered briefly, and now we will try to classify it. To begin with, this is a component of the registry. Each of these files corresponds to one of the user profiles. If you already have an idea of the Windows registry, you probably know its branch with the following data: HKEY_CURRENT_USER, its values and stores this element. We do not recommend making any changes to the registry without sufficient experience.

User Settings

We continue to understand the question of what the ntuser.dat file is for and what to do with it. This item is located on the main disk in the USERS directory. By default this file is hidden. To see it, we need to activate a special parameter. It's about displaying hidden files in Windows. You can perform the necessary operation by going to the "Control Panel" and from there going to the "Folder Options" section. In the long and detailed list of settings, we find and mark the item that is responsible for displaying hidden files and folders.

Disconnecting

Are you wondering how to delete the ntuser.dat file? We strongly advise against this. Such actions will entail a distortion of the user's parameters, which irretrievably will damage the profile. If you created multiple accounts in Windows, you can delete unnecessary ones by going to the "Control Panel". Do not directly interact with the ntuser file. If you need to delete this element for some reason, you must have Administrator rights. Also in this case, you can not log in using the profile, ntuser.dat which is to be excluded.

File in Explorer

This is not the only element that should be discussed. A file called ntuser.dat log is located in the same directory. It contains the information necessary to restore the dat-profile in Windows. If there are any errors with the account, the system uses ntuser.dat to fix them. If you change the extension of the ntuser file to .man, a profile is created, in the parameters of which you can not make any changes. In this situation, each time you log on to Windows, the settings are reset to zero, returning to the state that is current at the time of renaming. Among other things, you can find ntuser files that have the extension .blf and .regtrans-ms. In this case we are talking about the materials of the journal. They appear when you create a new backup. If you do not need it anymore, and there are too many materials of this type, you can try to delete them. Such actions should not cause failures and malfunctions in the system.

Database

As mentioned above, ntuser.dat is an integral part of the Windows registry. Therefore, if you plan to interact with this element, you need to know about Windows Registry as much as possible and navigate in it. This will eliminate possible errors. So, at the mention of the system registry it is a question of a hierarchically constructed database of settings and parameters. It is available on most Microsoft Windows operating systems. In this case, the registry contains settings and information for user profiles, as well as preset software and hardware.

Most of the changes in the list of installed software, system policy, file association and "Control Panel" are fixed by the registry. This element was introduced to organize the information that was stored before in a variety of files. Thus, a single mechanism for writing and reading settings was created. It was possible to solve the problem of short names and to differentiate access rights. The register is formed from a variety of data.

During the installation, as well as when setting up the operating system on the disk, files are created that store individual data about the Windows configuration. After that, the REGISTRY object is formed at each boot of the OS, as well as during the entry and exit of users into their profiles. Data to fill the registry come from a variety of sources. Some of them are stored in the files themselves.

Editing, viewing and examining the registry in Windows is performed by accessing its branches. All changes made to this system are instantly recorded in special files. To work with the registry, you can use both the basic tools of the operating system, and programs created by third-party developers.

Applications for optimization, as well as installers, directly interact with the individual functions of this component of the system. The register stores and backup copies of information about the operations performed. They are created at midnight every ten days by the "Task Scheduler". In 64-bit systems, the registry has 2 partitions, one of which works with 32-bit data. A special branch stores all the parameters of the active user who entered the system last. It contains the folders of the owner of the PC, the specified screen color, and also the settings of the "Control Panel".

So we sorted out the main features of ntuser.dat, what kind of file is it and what it is used for, you now know.