Registry Virtualization in Windows 10

Question

Where does Windows 10 keep its virtual registry keys?

I'm writing my first C# Project in Visual Studio and found out that when I write a key inside HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, Windows 10 actually writes the key elsewhere as part a virtualization process. I need to know where that elsewhere is.

It's not in the virtual store as someone notes in the background article https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/2125a783-12bb-4fce-8005-0c4b5d1edbad/hidden-registry-keys?forum=w7itproappcompat.

Mark Willis · Answer

OK! I think the situation is hopless. For example let's write the Oyster Key under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software: RegistryKey key = Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey(Software true); RegistryKey newkey = key.CreateSubKey(Oyster); You will not find the Oyster key in regedit but the key still exists. I did a C# search of the registry and could not find the key anywhere else except at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Oyster where it was originally written. So finding the key under the virtual store at HKCU\Softwate\Classes\VirtualStore is a thing that happens only in older versions of Windows.