View Hardware Detected at Last Boot in Regedit

This guide explains how to locate and view the hardware inventory detected by Windows during the most recent system boot using the Registry Editor (Regedit). You will learn the exact registry path housing this volatile configuration data, understand how Windows populates it upon startup, and see which specific subkeys hold details about your processor, BIOS, and core system components.

The Registry Path for Last Boot Hardware

The complete inventory of hardware recognized during startup is located under the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System

Unlike most registry hives, the entire HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE hive is volatile. It is not saved to the hard drive. Instead, the Windows kernel and the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) recreate this tree in memory each time the computer starts, ensuring it always reflects only the hardware detected during the last boot.

How to Access the Hardware Inventory

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.

2. Type regedit and press Enter (select Yes if prompted by User Account Control).

3. In the address bar at the top, paste the path:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System

4. Press Enter to navigate directly to the key.

Key Hardware Categories in this Path

Within the System branch, you will find several subkeys detailing different aspects of the detected hardware:

• BIOS: Contains strings and values identifying the system manufacturer, motherboard model, BIOS vendor, version, and release date (e.g., SystemBiosDate, SystemManufacturer, SystemProductName).
• CentralProcessor: Contains numbered folders (0, 1, 2, etc.) representing each logical core detected at boot. Inside, values like ProcessorNameString, Identifier, and ~MHz display the CPU model and base speed.
• FloatingPointProcessor: Details the floating-point unit capabilities of the CPU detected during system initialization.
• MultifunctionAdapter: Contains information regarding the system bus interfaces, PCI bridges, and controller configurations identified during the boot scan.