The expandStringValue property should be true if you want to expand a string value to its actual value when it is retrieved. This property should be false if you want to retrieve the value literally.

An example of an expandable string is the "windir" value in the "SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment" key within the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive. If this bean is set up to retrieve that value, and expandStringValue is true, then the retrieved value will be something like "c:\winnt". However, if expandStringValue is false, the retrieved value will be "%SystemRoot%".