NoteHKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Hardware Profiles\
A <Profile-number> subkey stores the configuration data for a particular hardware profile that you create for your system.
A hardware profile consists of specified changes to the original hardware profile configured in the SOFTWARE and SYSTEM keys of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. To allow hardware profiles to be easily applied and removed, the original value in the SOFTWARE or SYSTEM key is not changed; instead that change is stored in a <Profile-number> subkey of Hardware Profiles.
The content of each <Profile-number> subkey looks like a miniature version of the SOFTWARE and SYSTEM keys. It contains all and only those subkeys in the path to the entry changed by the hardware profile. When a hardware profile is selected, the values in the numbered subkeys override the corresponding values in SOFTWARE and SYSTEM.
Your system can store several hardware profiles, although not all are appropriate to every hardware configuration of your computer. (For example, a particular hardware profile might apply to a portable computer only when it is docked.) If the computer does not have any hardware profiles or any appropriate to the current hardware configuration, the system creates one for you. You can also use System in Control Panel to create hardware profiles.
Note
The <Profile-number> subkey is a variable representing the numbered subkeys under the Hardware Profiles subkey. It doesn't actually appear in the registry. This subkey is used to describe features common to all numbered hardware profile subkeys in the registry.
Tip
To determine which numbered subkey under Hardware Profiles represents the current hardware profile, see CurrentConfig in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\IDConfigDB. The value of CurrentConfig corresponds to the number of the subkey that contains the current hardware profile.
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