# Registering COM Servers

After you have defined a class in code (ensuring that it implements IClassFactory or IClassFactory2) and assigned it a CLSID, you need to put information in the registry that will allow OLE, on request of a client with the CLSID, to create instances of its objects. This information tells the system, for a given CLSID, where the DLL or EXE code for that class is located, and how it is to be launched. There is more than one way of registering a class in the registry. In addition, there are other ways of “registering” a class with the system when it is running, so the system is aware that a running object is currently in the system. These topics are described in the following sections:

- Registering a Class at Installation

- Registering a Running EXE Server

- Registering Objects in the ROT

- Self-registration

- Installing as a Win32 Service or User Account