Is it possible to find out what programs are installed in the start menu?

[voidflux]

Thanks a ton eero_p I think you may have found exactly what I was needing!!

I've never worked with the registery but I am looking at the location you said:
\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
and I see Display Name is exactly what I need to copy to a text file

When I click the Uninstall folder It shows the following:
Name: Default
Type: REG_SZ
Data: Value not Set

but all the folders under the Uninstall folder have more data such as:
Display Name: HP Photosmart
Type: REG_SZ
Data: HP Photosmart

I found this example that emerates the subkeys but i'm not sure if its what i'm looking for:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms724256.aspx

// QueryKey - Enumerates the subkeys of key and its associated values.
//     hKey - Key whose subkeys and values are to be enumerated.

#include <windows.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <tchar.h>

#define MAX_KEY_LENGTH 255
#define MAX_VALUE_NAME 16383
 
void QueryKey(HKEY hKey) 
{ 
    TCHAR    achKey[MAX_KEY_LENGTH];   // buffer for subkey name
    DWORD    cbName;                   // size of name string 
    TCHAR    achClass[MAX_PATH] = TEXT("");  // buffer for class name 
    DWORD    cchClassName = MAX_PATH;  // size of class string 
    DWORD    cSubKeys=0;               // number of subkeys 
    DWORD    cbMaxSubKey;              // longest subkey size 
    DWORD    cchMaxClass;              // longest class string 
    DWORD    cValues;              // number of values for key 
    DWORD    cchMaxValue;          // longest value name 
    DWORD    cbMaxValueData;       // longest value data 
    DWORD    cbSecurityDescriptor; // size of security descriptor 
    FILETIME ftLastWriteTime;      // last write time 
 
    DWORD i, retCode; 
 
    TCHAR  achValue[MAX_VALUE_NAME]; 
    DWORD cchValue = MAX_VALUE_NAME; 
 
    // Get the class name and the value count. 
    retCode = RegQueryInfoKey(
        hKey,                    // key handle 
        achClass,                // buffer for class name 
        &cchClassName,           // size of class string 
        NULL,                    // reserved 
        &cSubKeys,               // number of subkeys 
        &cbMaxSubKey,            // longest subkey size 
        &cchMaxClass,            // longest class string 
        &cValues,                // number of values for this key 
        &cchMaxValue,            // longest value name 
        &cbMaxValueData,         // longest value data 
        &cbSecurityDescriptor,   // security descriptor 
        &ftLastWriteTime);       // last write time 
 
    // Enumerate the subkeys, until RegEnumKeyEx fails.
    
    if (cSubKeys)
    {
        printf( "\nNumber of subkeys: %d\n", cSubKeys);

        for (i=0; i<cSubKeys; i++) 
        { 
            cbName = MAX_KEY_LENGTH;
            retCode = RegEnumKeyEx(hKey, i,
                     achKey, 
                     &cbName, 
                     NULL, 
                     NULL, 
                     NULL, 
                     &ftLastWriteTime); 
            if (retCode == ERROR_SUCCESS) 
            {
                _tprintf(TEXT("(%d) %s\n"), i+1, achKey);
            }
        }
    } 
 
    // Enumerate the key values. 

    if (cValues) 
    {
        printf( "\nNumber of values: %d\n", cValues);

        for (i=0, retCode=ERROR_SUCCESS; i<cValues; i++) 
        { 
            cchValue = MAX_VALUE_NAME; 
            achValue[0] = '\0'; 
            retCode = RegEnumValue(hKey, i, 
                achValue, 
                &cchValue, 
                NULL, 
                NULL,
                NULL,
                NULL);
 
            if (retCode == ERROR_SUCCESS ) 
            { 
                _tprintf(TEXT("(%d) %s\n"), i+1, achValue); 
            } 
        }
    }
}

void _tmain(void)
{
   HKEY hTestKey;

   if( RegOpenKeyEx( HKEY_CURRENT_USER,
        TEXT("SOFTWARE\\Microsoft"),
        0,
        KEY_READ,
        &hTestKey) == ERROR_SUCCESS
      )
   {
      QueryKey(hTestKey);
   }
}

When they say "KEY"
Do they refer to that long string of characters and numbers as the folder name when you look in regedit?

like:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{00010409-78E1-11D2-B60F-006097C998E7}

and the { .... } is the key?

So really I should be looking for functions that can read all the "KEYS" under the directory:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\

and access the KEYS DisplayName if a KEy has it, copy the DisplayName's value to a file;
if the key doesn't have a DisplayName value, skip that key?

Anyone know of any functions for accessing's a key's data if thats what its called?

I think this will direct me to the right directory but i'm not sure
how to go about reading the key's once I get to the directory because I don't know what the key value will be.

void _tmain(void)
{
   HKEY hTestKey;

   if( RegOpenKeyEx( HKEY_CURRENT_USER,
        TEXT("SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Uninstall\\"),
        0,
        KEY_READ,
        &hTestKey) == ERROR_SUCCESS
      )
   {
      QueryKey(hTestKey);
   }

}