Registry

o hide all Desktop Icons from Explorer, use the following Windows NT / Windows 2000 / Windows XP registry hack : Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER Key: Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer Name: NoDesktop Type: REG_DWORD Value: 1 With this key enabled, in addition, you cannot right click on the desktop to get a context menu. This is a lockdown option. Almost all Windows NT registry hacks work for Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Windows NT and Windows XP have the Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer key by default. Windows 2000 does not. But if you create the key with the NoDesktop value set to 1, the hack works for Windows 2000 also. When you create the Explorer key under Policies, you will be prompted for a class. Leave it blank. To hide all Desktop Icons from Explorer but still enable right-clicking on the desktop there is the following registry hack : Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER Key: Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced Name: HideIcons Type: REG_DWORD Value: 1 Thanks to Zoran Stojanovic for updating the tip for us.

This little trick will disable all autoplay features, eg. CDs, USB-memories etc. Open Regedit and configure the following registry value: Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Key: SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer Value Name: NoDriveTypeAutoRun Type: REG_DWORD Value: 255 (hex: 0x0ff)

Microsoft Windows XP will generate an alert when disk space gets low on a partition. When you click on the message, Disk Cleanup Wizard starts. When XP free disk space reaches 200MB, the following alert displays for 10 seconds, once per session: You are running out of disk space on [drive]. To free space on this drive by deleting old or unnecessary files, click here. When XP free disk space reaches 80MB, the following alert displays for 30 seconds, every four hours, twice per session: You are running very low on disk space on [drive]. To free space on this drive by deleting old or unnecessary files, click here. When XP free disk reaches 50MB, you receive the following message for 30 seconds, every five minutes, until free space is above 50 MB: You are running very low on disk space on [drive]. To free space on this drive by deleting old or unnecessary files, click here. You can disable these alerts using the following Windows XP registry hack: Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER Key: Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer Name: NoLowDiskSpaceChecks Type: REG_DWORD Value: 1 disables alerts

Windows XP comes with built in support for uncompressing zip'd files. If you prefer to continue using a dedicated utility like pkzip or winzip which has more functionality, you probably need to disable the limited capability of XP to prevent interactions and problems, run the following command: regsvr32 /u %windir%\system32\zipfldr.dll Want to re-enable the built in zip capability, run the following command: regsvr32 %windir%\system32\zipfldr.dll Additionally Windows XP by default, opens EVERY compressed file to search through because it treats them as directories. This can extend the time taken for a drive-level search for up hours and sometimes hangs (the search windows) before it

can complete. Another reason to disable the builtin zip server - if you keep lots of zip files on your HD and you use XP search capabilities. Chris comments: found that the way windowsXP treats zips like folders was the stupidest thing ever, so of course I wanted it gone right away. I ran regsvr32 /u %windir%\system32\zipfldr.dll and It worked, but now winzip wasn't associated with zip files, I ran winzip to re-associate and the zip/folder 'bug' was back. The fix is: - Rename zipfldr.dll and say OK when Windows complains. - Don't worry about the scary message that says stability will be affected. - Then double-click on a zip file and reassociate when WinZip asks you to. Then your WinZip functionality will be back and Windows Search won't search within zip files. Thanks to James Wiebe for the clarification. There is a registry hack to enable or disable Windows NT TaskManager. The same registry hack applies to Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER Key: Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System Name: DisableTaskMgr Type: REG_DWORD Value: 1=Enablethis key, that is DISABLE TaskManager Value: 0=Disablethis key, that is Don't Disable, Enable TaskManager As part of the enhanced management available in Windows 2000 and Windows XP, rather than risking a registry change, as an administrator you can enable or disable Windows 2000 Pro or Windows XP Pro's TaskManager using Group Policy Editor. This can be applied to the local policy. Note: if you are trying to override your organizations group policy, you can't. As soon as you re-authenticate to the domain, the domain or OU Group Policy will rewrite the registry setting. But if the TaskManager was accidently disabled or you need to control this item for a set of standalone boxes this is for you: Click Start Click Run Enter gpedit.msc in the Open box and click OK In the Group Policy settings window Select User Configuration Select Administrative Templates Select System Select Ctrl+Alt+Delete options Select Remove Task Manager Double-click the Remove Task Manager option

And as I mentioned above, since the policy is Remove Task Manager, by disabling the policy, you are enabling the Task Manager. Got XP Home - use the registry edit.

If the Windows 2000 / Windows XP Command Extensions are enabled the PROMPT command supports the following additional formatting characters: $+ zero or more plus sign (+) characters depending upon the depth of the PUSHD directory stack, one character for each level pushed. $M Displays the remote name associated with the current drive letter or the empty string if current drive is not a network drive. To enable or disable the command prompt extension in Windows 2000 or Windows XP, use the following registry hack: Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER Key: Software\Microsoft\Command Processor Name: EnableExtensions Type: REG_DWORD Value: 1 enable Value: 0 disable You can enable/disable the extensions for the command shell you are in by issuing the following commands: cmd /y disables command extensions for this cmd session cmd /x enables command extensions for this cmd session

You can disable those annoying balloon tips that keep popping up in Windows XP with the following Windows XP registry hack: Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER Key: Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced Name: EnableBalloonTips Type: REG_DWORD Value: 0 disables tips

NT/W2K/XP's default directory for installing applications is the \Program Files folder (at least for English language version of NT/Windows 2000/XP). To change the default application installation folder: Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Key: Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version Name: ProgramFilesDir Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ Value: C:\Program Files default Please note that some programs ignore this registry setting. nternet Explorer ( IE ) displays the title of the page you are viewing followed by Microsoft Internet Explorer if its a standard version of IE. If you have a custom version created with the IEAK (IE admin kit) of IE it will probably have your company name. If you downloaded your IE from an ISP, the IE title will be branded, for example, -Provided by America Online. You want to change the fixed brand of IE, you can use the following registry hack in Windows NT, Windows 2000 or Windows XP: Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER Key: Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main Name: Window Title Type: REG_SZ Value: your choice of text, Wayne's IE, or blank You have to restart IE for this to take effect.