In Windows 7, which two master keys are present in the registry?

In Windows 7, the two master keys present in the registry, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and HKEY_USERS, play significant roles in the user and system configuration.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE contains settings that are applicable to the entire computer, regardless of the user who is logged in. It includes information about the hardware, installed software, and system policies. This master key is crucial for defining system-level information that all users rely on.

HKEY_USERS, on the other hand, holds the user-specific settings for all users on the system. Inside this key, individual profiles (user configurations) are stored, allowing Windows to tailor the experience to each user based on their personalized settings.

The other options do not represent a combination of the two necessary master keys. For instance, while HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (often considered a subset of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE) and HKEY_CURRENT_USER (which is specific to the currently logged-in user) are important, they do not provide the broader registry coverage that pairs HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE with HKEY_USERS. Thus, the correct identification of these two specific master keys facilitates a deeper understanding of how Windows maintains system and user configurations.