Is it possible to 'apply' a registry change without rebooting?

windows-registry wsh

30,990

Changing registry values does NOT require a reboot, they are "applied" immediately. Unless some program is reading these values at boot, there's no reason to reboot just for changing a registry value.

30,990

MrVimes

Updated on September 17, 2022

Comments

MrVimes almost 2 years

I have a new mouse - roccat kova. It's good but one problem is that mouse settings get reset to default whenever I turn my computer off.

I am able to find out how to actually make the registry changes using the windows scripting host so that I can set it as a startup task each time windows loads, but this leaves an obvious problem - as far as I'm aware registry changes usually need a reboot.

Well a reboot is just going to undo the changes so I'm back to square one.

Is there a way (preferably in script, so I can automate it) to change registry settings and have them be applied to the device they correspond to in the current session? I want to set mouse sensitivity to 6 (from the default 10) and swapleftrightbuttons to 1*

(I know the roccat has a built-in swap buttons feature, but that also swaps the side buttons - I don't want that)
- Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams almost 14 years
  
  Wouldn't you rather find out why the settings keep getting reset?
- MrVimes almost 14 years
  
  Apparently it's a known fault with this brand of mouse. so rather than waste my time with their support I decided to try and 'solve' it myself.
- MrVimes almost 14 years
  
  having said that, I have just emailed them.
MrVimes almost 14 years

Are you sure about that? Why does every website that documents changing a value say reboot when the change is made? I know that changes are applied to the registry itself, but the changes are useless unless the thing they refer to actually changes. When I change the settings I refer to in the question nothing happens. The mouse keeps its incorrect settings. The 'reason to reboot' is to have the changes to the registry apply to the device they correspond to.
Jarvin almost 14 years

@MrVimes: Bob is absolutely correct. This means Mouse settings must be reading the registry at boot. You could try plugging the mouse into a different port to force it to recognize the mouse again which may read the settings. You could also try disabling and re-enabling the mouse. There is no reason for the mouse to regularly read the registry settings... it just reads the settings once when it is first loaded, so your only option is to do something that might get the mouse to re-read those settings.
MrVimes almost 14 years

I know bob is correct. I am implying that he is missing the point. The point is I want to force windows to 're-initialize'. changing the settings manually in cp is easier than unplugging the mouse and plugging it back in. That also misses the point. I am looking for a way to solve this problem in code so that I can forget about it and not have to 'fix' the settings every time I turn my computer on.