Where is the Windows XP registry? The registry is divided into sections called “hives”, which have different names and can be found in different locations on the “local machine”. You can edit the registry by hand, however, you can do irreversible damage to the computer if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing. If you would like to clean the registry yourself, it may be a better idea to use one of the Windows XP registry cleaners. These programs will scan, diagnose, and repair errors in your registry for you. They are easy to use, effective, and many offer strong customer support just in case you do need help using one of the programs.