diff --git a/windows/registry/key.go b/windows/registry/key.go
index d0beb195..c2564834 100644
--- a/windows/registry/key.go
+++ b/windows/registry/key.go
@@ -113,12 +113,10 @@ func OpenRemoteKey(pcname string, k Key) (Key, error) {
 // The parameter n controls the number of returned names,
 // analogous to the way os.File.Readdirnames works.
 func (k Key) ReadSubKeyNames(n int) ([]string, error) {
-	ki, err := k.Stat()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	names := make([]string, 0, ki.SubKeyCount)
-	buf := make([]uint16, ki.MaxSubKeyLen+1) // extra room for terminating zero byte
+	names := make([]string, 0)
+	// Registry key size limit is 255 bytes and described there:
+	// https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/windows/desktop/ms724872.aspx
+	buf := make([]uint16, 256) //plus extra room for terminating zero byte
 loopItems:
 	for i := uint32(0); ; i++ {
 		if n > 0 {
diff --git a/windows/registry/registry_test.go b/windows/registry/registry_test.go
index 3cb9771c..2f4dd69e 100644
--- a/windows/registry/registry_test.go
+++ b/windows/registry/registry_test.go
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ func randKeyName(prefix string) string {
 }
 
 func TestReadSubKeyNames(t *testing.T) {
-	k, err := registry.OpenKey(registry.CLASSES_ROOT, "TypeLib", registry.ENUMERATE_SUB_KEYS|registry.QUERY_VALUE)
+	k, err := registry.OpenKey(registry.CLASSES_ROOT, "TypeLib", registry.ENUMERATE_SUB_KEYS)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}