Where is the hidden metadata in the Windows registry, how to view it, how to edit it?

I’m going to spare you the gory details of my troubleshooting. I am digging in to more detail about why the problem and solution described here actually works: “The operating system is not presently configured to run this application.” The suggestion, in essence, is to delete the reg key: HKCUSoftwareClassesVirtualStoreMACHINE. This solution works. I determined that HKCUSoftwareClassesVirtualStoreMACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoft is the actual key that needs to be deleted.

However, the key can be completely emptied of any keys and values, and the app still fails. But, if I rename the original key and create a new key with the same name, the app works. All permissions and ownership are the same.

The sample registry tree looks like this:

VirtualStore
|-MACHINE
  |-SOFTWARE
    |-Microsoft
    |-Microsoft.working

As I swap the two key names between Microsoft and Microsoft.working the application will start or stop working as well. If I export the original, non-working Microsoft key, delete it, then import it back, the application will work now.

Now, obviously there is metadata on the original key I am not privy to. What is it? Where is it? How do I view and edit it? I am positive the key has a unique identifier that is linking it somewhere else, like a primary key in a database. This key is part of the Registry Virtualization in the operating system.