EnumKey

Enumerates subkeys.

In some instances, useful configuration information is stored as the names of a set of subkeys. In the following sample script, for instance, the subkey names represent the services on a computer. In a case such as this, simply listing the names of the subkeys provides useful information.

The EnumKey method enables you to return the subkeys of a registry key or subkey. Note that the EnumKey method returns only the immediate subkeys of a key or subkey; it does not return any subkeys that might be contained within those top-level subkeys. To return all subkeys, you need to use a recursive function.

The following PowerShell code example shows how to use the EnumKey method to enumerate the services listed as subkeys in the registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services

Example

Do not run below example code just to see what happens next. Many methods seriously affect your system. Always make sure you actually understand what the method and the code do.

param
(
  [Parameter(Mandatory)]
  [UInt32]
  $hDefKey,

  [Parameter(Mandatory)]
  [String]
  $sSubKeyName
)


Invoke-CimMethod -ClassName StdRegProv -MethodName EnumKey -Arguments $PSBoundParameters

To run this method on one or more remote systems, use New-CimSession:

param
(
  [Parameter(Mandatory)]
  [UInt32]
  $hDefKey,

  [Parameter(Mandatory)]
  [String]
  $sSubKeyName,

  [String[]]
  $ComputerName,

  [PSCredential]
  $Credential
)


$session = New-CimSession -ComputerName $ComputerName -Credential $Credential

Invoke-CimMethod -ClassName StdRegProv -MethodName EnumKey -Arguments $PSBoundParameters -CimSession $session

Remove-CimSession -CimSession $session

Learn more about Invoke-CimMethod and invoking WMI methods.

Syntax

uint32 EnumKey(
  [in]  uint32 hDefKey = HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,
  [in]  string sSubKeyName,
  [out] string sNames[]
);

Parameters

Name Type Description
hDefKey UInt32 Optional parameter that specifies the tree that contains the sSubKeyName path. The default value is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (0x80000002). The following trees are defined in Winreg.h:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (0x80000000)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER (0x80000001)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (0x80000002)
HKEY_USERS (0x80000003)
HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG (0x80000005)
HKEY_DYN_DATA (0x80000006)
Note that HKEY_DYN_DATA is a valid tree for Windows 95 and Windows 98 computers only.
sSubKeyName String Specifies the path that contains the subkeys to be enumerated.

hDefKey

[Flags()]Enum StdRegProvhDefKey
{
  HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT     = 2147483648 # 
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER     = 2147483649 # 
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE    = 2147483650 # 
  HKEY_USERS            = 2147483651 # 
  HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG   = 2147483653 # 
}

Return Value

Returns a value of type UInt32. Typically, a value of 0 indicates success.

See Also

Additional methods implemented by StdRegProv:

CheckAccess()

CheckAccess() verifies that the user has the specified access permissions.

CreateKey()

CreateKey() creates a subkey.

DeleteKey()

DeleteKey() deletes a subkey.

DeleteValue()

DeleteValue() deletes a named value.

EnumValues()

EnumValues() enumerates the named values of a key.

GetBinaryValue()

GetBinaryValue() gets the binary data value of a named value.

GetDWORDValue()

GetDWORDValue() gets the DWORD data value of a named value.

GetExpandedStringValue()

GetExpandedStringValue() gets the expanded string data value of a named value.

GetMultiStringValue()

GetMultiStringValue() gets the multiple string data values of a named value.

GetQWORDValue()

GetQWORDValue() gets the QWORD data values of a named value.

GetSecurityDescriptor()

GetSecurityDescriptor() gets the security descriptor for a key.

GetStringValue()

GetStringValue() gets the string data value of a named value.

SetBinaryValue()

SetBinaryValue() sets the binary data value of a named value.

SetDWORDValue()

SetDWORDValue() sets the DWORD data value of a named value.

SetExpandedStringValue()

SetExpandedStringValue() sets the expanded string data value of a named value.

SetMultiStringValue()

SetMultiStringValue() sets the multiple string values of a named value.

SetQWORDValue()

SetQWORDValue() sets the QWORD data values of a named value.

SetSecurityDescriptor()

SetSecurityDescriptor() sets the security descriptor for a key.

SetStringValue()

SetStringValue() sets the string value of a named value.

Requirements

To use StdRegProv, the following requirements apply:

PowerShell

Get-CimInstance was introduced with PowerShell Version 3.0, which in turn was introduced on clients with Windows 8 and on servers with Windows Server 2012.

If necessary, update Windows PowerShell to Windows PowerShell 5.1, or install PowerShell 7 side-by-side.

Operating System

StdRegProv was introduced on clients with Windows Vista and on servers with Windows Server 2008.

Namespace

StdRegProv lives in the Namespace Root/CIMv2. This is the default namespace. There is no need to use the -Namespace parameter in Get-CimInstance.

Implementation

StdRegProv is implemented in Stdprov.dll and defined in RegEvent.mof. Both files are located in the folder C:\Windows\system32\wbem:

explorer $env:windir\system32\wbem
notepad $env:windir\system32\wbem\RegEvent.mof