Re: faster than you can via parsing a flat file -
The only reason you need the speed of a Btrieve database to update the Registry is because it is a monolithic flat file in the first place. Put the program configuration in text files in the individual program directories where they belong and it's not a problem any more. Yes, Windows would keep a ini file of the installed programs so you'd know where to look for them at install. But the only time the configuration files should be accessed is during install anyway.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
