Registry Tips And Tricks

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

Bob Cerelli's Windows Page

Web

Registry Tips For an excellent range of Windows security and utility products, I highly recommend PC Tools Software

www.manashosting.com

1 of 34

Feedback - Ads by Google

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

Restrictions Disabling the F3 Search Key - Added 1/20/03 Preventing Changes to File Associations - Added 9/18/02 Locking File Associations - Added 9/18/02 Prevent Changes to the Start Menu - Added 1/31/00 DOS Restrictions - Updated 1/31/00 Networking Restrictions - Updated 1/31/00 Control Panel Restrictions - Updated 1/31/00 Restricting the Start Menu, Explorer, and the Desktop - Updated 1/30/00 Eliminating the Right Click on the Taskbar - Added 1/10/00 Eliminating the Right Click on the Desktop - Added 1/10/00 Hiding Any Combination of Drives - Submitted 2/15/98 Disabling Drives in My Computer - Added 7/24/96 Not Saving Settings on Exit - Added 7/21/96 Not Displaying the Network Neighborhood - Added 7/21/96 Disabling Run or Find from the Start Menu - Added 7/21/96 Hiding All Icons from the Desktop - Added 7/21/96 Disabling the Right-Click on the Start Button - Added 6/29/96 Disabling My Computer - Added 6/29/96 Disabling File and Print Sharing - Added 4/29/96

Explorer Adding Open With to the Right Click in the Explorer - Added 12/28/99 Opening a DOS Window to either the Drive or Directory in Explorer - Submitted 8/9/97 Adding Explore From Here to Every Folder - Added 1/30/97 Removing Open, Explore & Find from Start Button - Added 9/15/96 Opening Explorer from My Computer - Added 5/28/96

Network

www.manashosting.com Ads by Google

Allowing Network Access with Blank Passwords (XP and Vista) - Added 2/10/07 Re-Enabling DHCP Error Messages - Added 9/20/98 Removing the Hand Icon from Shared Resources - Submitted 2/11/98 Creating a Network Logon Banner - Submitted 12/7/96 Disable Password Caching - Added 10/19/96 Changing the MaxMTU and other Network Settings - Added 10/19/96 Changing the Telnet Scroll-Back Buffer Size Added 7/27/96 Not Displaying the Last User Logged on - Added 4/29/96 Setting the Minimum Password Length - Added 4/29/96

2 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

Misc Turning off System Beeps - Added 9/10/02 Changing the Location Of Special Folders - Added 9/10/2 Deleting Specific Registry Value - Submitted 12/22/01 Setting the Recycle Bin to Always Delete - Added 11/17/01 Setting the Internet Explorer Home Page - Submitted 9/4/01 Preparing to Move Hard Drive to Another Computer - Submitted 12/20/00 Comparing Registries - Added 2/21/00 Setting Excel 2000 High-Contrast Cell Selection - Added 2/2/00 Changing Common Icons - Updated 1/31/00 Changing Office 2000's Excel Undo History - Added 1/27/00 Changing the Title on Windows Media Player - Added 1/27/00> Turning Off the Help on Min, Max, Close Icons - Added 1/8/00 Automatically Deleting a Registry Key - Added 12/20/99 Fixing no AutoRun for CDs - Added 11/9/99 Renaming the File System Profiles - Added 4/20/99 Sticky Menus - Added 4/20/99 Automatic Shutdown with Windows NT - Submitted 3/28/99 Kill Hung Processes When Logging Off in Windows NT - Submitted 3/28/99 NT Crash Log File - Submitted 3/28/99 Changing the Location of Outlook Express Data Files - Added 1/16/99 Disabling the Blinking Cursor - Added 10/17/98 Getting Rid of Schemes - Updated 6/7/98 Creating a Legal Text Notice Before Logon - Added 2/15/98 Enabling the Middle Mouse Button on Logitech Mouse - Submitted 12/7/97 Easily Opening a File with Notepad - Submitted 10/25/97 Displaying Hi-Color Icons without the Plus Pack - Submitted 10/19/97 Backing Up the Registry - Submitted 9/13/97 Removing Unwanted Items from the RUN Menu - Submitted 8/23/97 Compacting the Registry - Submitted 4/5/97 Changing Exchange's Mailbox Location - Added 3/29/97 Removing Sound Events from Control Panel / Sounds - Added 3/16/97 Changing the Registered Owner - Added 2/6/97 Adding an Application to Every Folder - Added 1/30/97 Saving Desktop Settings - Submitted 1/11/97 Getting Rid of Tips - Submitted 1/2/97 Changing the Location of Windows95's Installation Files - Added 12/18/96 Creating a Default File Opener - Added 11/29/96 Deleting Registry Keys from the Command Line - Added 11/3/96 Automatic Screen Refresh - Added 10/24/96 Adding Items to the Start Button - Added 10/17/96 Removing the InBox Icon and Recycle Bin Icons from the Desktop - Added 9/8/96 Removing Items from NEW on the Desktop - Added 7/28/96 Changing the Tips of the Day - Submitted 7/27/96 Get Your Folders to Open the Way You Want Every Time - Submitted 7/7/96 Clearing the Documents Menu Automatically - Added 6/2/96 Fixing a Corrupt Registry - Added 5/12/96 Recycle Bin Edits - Submitted 5/2/96 Removing the Shortcut Arrows - Added 4/21/96 Turn Off Window Animation - Added 4/21/96

3 of 34

Which Registry Cleaner? Don't Download Any Registry Cleaner Until You See This Article. BestRegCleaners.com

Windows Vista Activation Changes to Windows Vista may require activation. Learn more. microsoft.com/genuine

Top 5 Registry Cleaners Download the award winning Registry Cleaner for Free > > >

www.registry-cleaners-reviews.net

Xp Registry Solve Your Problems. Get 100% Free Expert Advice.

www.FixYa.com/Xp+Registry

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

Allowing Network Access with Blank Passwords (XP and Vista) Added 2/10/07 Although you can log in locally without a password, by default, WindowsXP Pro does not allow Unknown error 31 if this is the case. To change this setting: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Run gpedit.msc Go to Computer Configuration / Windows Settings / Security Settings / Local Policies / Security Options Double click on Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console login only Disable this option

Disabling the F3 Search Key Added 1/20/03 If you want to disable the ability to use the F3 key from either the Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions Create a Dword value called NoFindFiles Give it a value of 1 Reboot

Preventing Changes to File Associations Submitted 9/18/02 You can prevent users from changing associations via Windows Explorer's Tools / Folder Options / File Types tab. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Create REG_DWORD data type NoFileAssociate Give it a value of 1

Submitted by Paul Barker

Locking File Associations Submitted 9/18.02 If you have your file associations the way you want for a particular file type, you can remove it from the list that gets displayed in the Folder Options / File Types screen 1. Start Regedit

4 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Scroll to the file association you want to lock. In the right panel, create a new Binary value Call it EditFlags Give it a value of 01 00 00 00 Now when you go to the Folder Options / File Types screen, you won't see that file type listed.

Submitted by Paul Barker

Turning off System Beeps Added 9/10/01 If you want to turn off all system beeps (like the ones that go through your computers' internal speaker): 1. Start Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Sound 3. Edit the key Beep and give it a value of No Download reg file

Changing the Location Of Special Folders Added 9/10/02 You can modify the registry to change the location of special folders like: My Documents Favorites My Pictures Personal 1. Start Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders 3. Double click on any locations you want to change and alter the path 4. Logoff or restart for the changes to go into effect Note: TweakUI from Microsoft will allow you to make these changes from a dialog box as well

Deleting Specific Registry Value Submitted 12/22/01 In a previous tip, Automatically Deleting a Registry Key, it was mentioned how to remove an entire registry key. If you want to simply remove a specific value within a key, use the syntax below: [Registry Key] "value"=-

5 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

For example: REGEDIT4 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] "MSConfig"=would delete the value MSCONFIG. Submitted by Brent Towsley

Setting the Recycle Bin to Always Delete Added 11/17/01 You can set the recycle bin to always delete items (like holding down the shift key when dragging files to the recycle bin) 1. Start Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ BitBucket 3. Set the key NukeOnDelete to 1 Download reg file

Setting the Internet Explorer Home Page Submitted 9/4/01 If you want to set the home page used by Internet Explorer through the registry 1. Start Regedit 2. Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software \ Microsoft \ Internet Explorer \ Main 3. Give the Start Page key the string value you wish set as homepage Submitted by Austin Henderson

Preparing to Move Hard Drive to Another Computer Submitted 12/20/00 To remove the devices from device manager when taking a HD from one computer to another, simply: 1. Run Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ and delete the Enum section 3. This removes all of the hardware specific settings Submitted by Lee Berry

6 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

Comparing Registries Added 2/21/00 While working with changes to your system, you might want to see what is changing in your Registry. Since you can export it to a text file, the steps are fairly easy 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Start Regedit With the very top level select - My Computer, on the Toolbar select Registry / Export Registry File I usually save it to the root of the C: drive with the name before (you don't need to add an extension) Make the change to your system Go back to Regedit Press F5 to update it Export the Registry like step 2 Name the file after and have it go in the same directory Open up a DOS window Go to the directory where the two exported files are Enter FC before.reg after.reg > diff.txt Then you can edit diff.txt with your favorite text editor.

Note: I do the last steps so often I have a simple batch file already set up.

Setting Excel 2000 High-Contrast Cell Selection Added 2/2/00 If you want to increase the contrast in selected cells: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Office \ 9.0 \ Excel \ Options Add a DWORD value call Options6 Give it a value of 16 Now when you select cells, they will be white on black.

Changing Common Icons Updated 1/31/00 You can change many of the common Windows icons. 1. Start Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ explorer \ Shell Icons 3. The default icons are numbered in the right panel from 0-40 4. Double click on the number of the particular icon you want to change. See the chart below. 5. Enter the name of the icon file you want to use followed by the number of the icon in that file. Note: The numbering starts with zero. 6. If you use a single .ICO file, it should be followed by a 0. 7. e.g. - filename.dll,4 - This would actually be the 5th icon since it starts with 0. 8. Make sure you delete the hidden file C:\WINDOWS\SHELLICONCACHE

7 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

0-13 Are the Drive and Application Icons 0 - To change the Unknown Application Icon 2 - To change the Default Application Icon 3 - To change the Closed Folder Icon 4 - To change the Open Folder Icon 5 - To change the 5 1/4" Floppy Icon 6 - To change the 3 1/2" Floppy Icon 8 - To change the Hard Drive Icon 9 - To change the Network Drive Online Icon 10 - To change the Network Drive Offline Icon 11 - To change the CD Drive Icon 12 - To change the Ramdrive Icon 13 - To change the Entire Network Icon 19-27 Are the Start Menu Icons 19 - To change the Programs Icon 20 - To change the Documents Icon 21 - To change the Settings Icon 22 - To change the Find Icon 23 - To change the Help Icon 24 - To change the Run Icon 27 - To change the Shutdown Icon Other Icons 33 - To change the DUN Folder Icon 34 - To change the Desktop Icon 35 - To change the Control Panel Icon 37 - To change the Printer Folder Icon 40 - To change the Audio CD Icon 43 - To change the Favorites Icon 44 - To change the Logoff Icon

Prevent Changes to the Start Menu Added 1/31/00 To prevent any changes to the Start Menu, even a right click: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer Add a DWORD called NoChangeStartMenu Give it a value of 1

Download reg file

DOS Restrictions Updated 1/31/00 There are restrictions you can make to the ability to execute DOS programs 8 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_Current_User / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Policies Create a new key under Policies called WinOldApp You can then add DWORD values set to 1 in the appropriate keys To re-enable them, either delete the key or set the value to 0 Disabled - Disable MS-DOS Prompt NoRealMode - Disables Single-Mode MS-DOS

Networking Restrictions Updated 1/31/00 There are general restrictions you can make in Networking 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_Current_User / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Policies Create a new key under Policies called Network You can then add DWORD values set to 1 in the appropriate keys To re-enable them, either delete the key or set the value to 0 DisablePwdCaching = Password Caching HideSharePwds [hex] =Shared Passwords NoEntireNetwork =Entire Network NoNetSetup =Network applet NoNetSetupIDPage =Network Identification tab NoNetSetupSecurityPage =Network Access tab MinPwdLen = set Minimum Password Length (integer number: 0 - 99) NoPrintSharing =Network Print Sharing button NoWorkgroupContents =Network Workgroup

Control Panel Restrictions Updated 1/31/00 There are many general restrictions you can make to the Control Panel 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_Current_User / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Policies Create a new keys under Policies called System You can then add DWORD values set to 1 in the appropriate keys To re-enable them, either delete the key or set the value to 0 NoDispCPL - Disable Display Control Panel NoDispBackgroundPage - Hide Background Page NoDispScrSavPage - Hide Screen Saver Page NoDispAppearancePage - Hide Appearance Page NoDispSettingsPage - Hide Settings Page NoSecCPL - Disable Password Control Panel NoPwdPage - Hide Password Change Page

9 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

NoAdminPage - Hide Remote Administration Page NoProfilePage - Hide User Profiles Page NoDevMgrPage - Hide Device Manager Page NoFileSysPage - Hide File System Button NoVirtMemPage - Hide Virtual Memory Button

Restricting the Start Menu, Explorer and the Desktop Updated 1/30/00 There are many general restrictions you can make to the Start Menu, the Explorer and to the Desktop itself. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_Current_User / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Policies There should already be at least a Explorer section there already Additional keys that can be created under Policies are WinOldApp You can then add DWORD values set to 1 in the appropriate keys To re-enable them, either delete the key or set the value to 0 ClearRecentDocsOnExit = Clear of Recent Documents on Exit NoAddPrinter = Adding new printers NoClose = Computer Shutdown NoDeletePrinter = Delete Installed Printers NoDesktop = Doesn't show Desktop items as well as and Desktop right-click menu NoDevMgrUpdate = Windows 98/ME web Update Manager NoDrives [hex] = Hides Drives in my computer NoFind = Find command NoNetHood = Network Neighborhood NoRecentDocsHistory = Recent Documents in Start Menu NoRun = Run command NoSaveSettings = Save Settings on exit NoSetFolders = Folders in Start Menu -> Settings NoSetTaskbar = Taskbar in Start Menu -> Settings NoSMMyDocs = My Documents folder in Start Menu NoSMMyPictures = My Pictures folder in Start Menu NoWindowsUpdate = Windows web Update

Changing Office 2000's Excel Undo History Added 1/27/00 By default, Excel has only approximately 16 undo's you can perform. To increase that number: 1. 2. 3. 4. 10 of 34

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Office \ 9.0 \ Excel \ Options Add a dword called UndoHistory Give it the value you want for the amount you want. 5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

Changing the Title on Windows Media Player Added 1/27/00 You can change the title bar for the Windows Media Player 1. 2. 3. 4.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_USERS \ .DEFAULT \ Software \ Policies \ Microsoft \ WindowsMediaPlayer Create a string value of TitleBar Give it a value of whatever you want to appear in the title bar

Eliminating the Right Click on the Taskbar Added 1/10/00 To eliminate the right click on the taskbar: Start Regedit 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer Add a DWORD and give it a name of NoTrayContextMenu Give it a value of 1 Reboot

Download reg file

Eliminating the Right Click on the Desktop Added 1/10/00 To eliminate the right click on the desktop: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer Add a DWORD and give it a name of NoViewContextMenu Give it a value of 1 Reboot

Download reg file

Turning Off the Help on Min, Max, Close Icons Added 1/8/00 When the mouse goes over the minimize, maximize and close icons on the upper right hand side of a window, you normally get a display telling you want those are for. To disable that display:

11 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop Create a String Value called MinMaxClose Give it a value of 1 Reboot

Download reg file

Adding Open With to the Right Click in the Explorer Added 12/28/99 To add the option Open With when you right click on a file in the Explorer: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ CLASSES \* \ shell \ openas \ command If this key isn't there then just create it Give it the value of C:\WINDOWS\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,OpenAs_RunDLL %1

Automatically Deleting a Registry Key Added 12/20/99 Normally you cannot automatically delete registry keys from reg file. But there is a way... Simply include a minus sign inside the left bracket before the main key. For example. If you want to delete the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Office \ 8.0 \ Common \ Assistants, your regfile would simply look like: REGEDIT4 [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Common\Assistants] This would delete that key and any below it.

Fixing no AutoRun for CDs Added 11/9/99 If your CDs have stop starting automatically, and you have checked everything else: 1. Go to HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer 2. The value for NoDriveTypeAutoRun should be set to 95 00 00 00 Download reg file

12 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

Renaming the File System Profiles Added 4/20/99 In the Control Panel / System / Performance / File System, you can select either Desktop Computer, Mobile or docking system, or Network Server. You can change these labels to something more descriptive: 1. Start Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / Software / Microsoft / Windows / Current Version / FS Templates 3. You can change the text that appears under each key

Sticky Menus Added 4/20/99 Normally when you move the mouse over the Start Menu / Programs, it will automatically cascade and show the submenus. If you want them to open only when you actually click on them: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop If if it not already there, create a string called MenuShowDelay Give it a value of 65534

Download reg file

Automatic Shutdown with Windows NT Submitted 3/28/99 Most laptops allow the operating system to turn off the hardware after shutdown, instead of displaying the message telling you it's now safe to turn off your system. You can take advantage of this capability by enabling the Power Down After Shutdown feature. To enable this feature, simply add a REG_SZ value named HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\PowerdownAfterShutDown and set it to 1. Next, tell NT to shut down and see if the machine turns itself off after shutting down. If it doesn't, change the value back to 0 to restore normal operation. Download reg file Submitted by D Puffer

Kill Hung Processes When Logging Off in Windows NT Submitted 3/28/99

13 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

When you tell NT to shut down, it first sends shutdown requests to any running processes. Most 32-bit applications honor these requests and shut down, but older 16-bit apps running in the Virtual DOS Machine often won't. When this occurs, the operating system prompts you with a dialog box asking if you want to kill the task, wait for the task to die on its own, or cancel the shutdown. By modifying the Registry, you can automate this process. You can force NT to kill all running processes on shutdown by adding a REG_SZ value named HKEY_USER\\ControlPanel\Desktop\AutoEndTasks and set the value to 1. You can also add this value to HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT so that all new accounts will shut down the same way. Submitted by D Puffer

NT Crash Log File Submitted 3/28/99 In addition to the crash log file, you can also enable two other methods of crash notification and logging. You can enable an administrative alert by changing the value of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl\SendAlert to 1. The next time the system crashes, an administrative alert will be sent that may provide the first sign of the crash.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\CrashControl\LogEvent to 1 instead of its default 0. Now, the exact time of the crash will be permanently recorded. Submitted by D Puffer

Changing the Location of Outlook Express Data Files Added 1/16/99 Normally Outlook Express keeps its data files in the C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook Express directory. To change this: 1. 2. 3. 4.

First copy those files to the new location Start RegEdit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Outlook Express Change the Store Root key to the directory where you moved the files

Disabling the Blinking Cursor Added 10/17/98 To stop the cursor from blinking in applications such as Word:

14 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop Add a String Value Name it CursorBlinkRate Give it a value of -1 Reboot the computer

Download reg file

Re-Enabling DHCP Error Messages Added 9/20/98 If you got a DHCP error message, selected to not see DHCP errors, and now want to see them again; 1. Start Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ VxD \ DHCP 3. Change the value of PopupFlag from 00 to 01

Getting Rid of Schemes Updated 6/7/98 1. A safer way would be is to go to the Control Panel / Display / Appearance tab 2. Go to the Scheme drop down box 3. Select the one you don't want and click on the delete button Submitted by obs When you right click on your desktop and pick properties your Display Properties screen appears. Under Appearance tab / Schemes, determine if you want all those wild schemes. If not they can be deleted and clear approximately 45K. Before you delete them, choose or create at least 1 Scheme and "Save As" (in my case Bud 1). 1. Open Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Appearance \ Schemes 3. Highlight every String and Value on the right side and delete. DO NOT DELETE "Default" Submitted by Bud Allen [email protected]

Hiding Any Combination of Drives Submitted 2/15/98 If you want to stop a drive or any combination of drives appearing in Explorer/My Computer Add the Binary Value of 'NoDrives' in the registry at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

15 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

Give it a value from a combination of the table below: A 1 00 00 00 B 2 00 00 00 C 4 00 00 00 D 8 00 00 00 E 16 00 00 00 F 32 00 00 00 G 64 00 00 00 H 128 00 00 00 I 00 1 00 00 J 00 2 00 00 K 00 4 00 00 L 00 8 00 00 M 00 16 00 00 N 00 32 00 00 O 00 64 00 00 P 00 128 00 00 Q 00 00 1 00 R 00 00 2 00 S 00 00 4 00 T 00 00 8 00 U 00 00 16 00 V 00 00 32 00 W 00 00 64 00 X 00 00 128 00 Y 00 00 00 1 Z 00 00 00 2 Where (for eg) you want to hide Drives {C,E,J,O,R,U,Y,Z} you would give 'NoDrives' the value 14 42 12 03 Where C+E = 14, J+O = 42, R+U=12 and Y+Z = 03 Please NOTE: The Numbers are to be added in HEXadecimal ie: ABCD = 0F, not 15 All Drives Visible is 00 00 00 00 All Drives Hidden is FF FF FF 03 Submitted by Ramon Buckland

Creating a Legal Text Notice Before Logon Added 2/15/98 You can create a banner that will come up just before you logon to the computer: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Start Regedit Go to HKeyLocalMachine \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ WinLogon Create a new string value called LegalNoticeCaption and give it a value you want to see in the menu bar Create a new string value called LegalNoticeText and give it a value you want to see in the dialog box

Now before anyone logs into that computer, this banner will come up on the screen. This can be useful for any legal warnings you want to give regarding the use of the computer.

Removing the Hand Icon from Shared Resources 16 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

Submitted 2/11/98 When you share a local resource, Windows95 normally puts a hand in from of that resources icon. To remove hand icon from your shared resources: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Start Regedit. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / Network Open SharingHandler. Clear it's default value Restart Windows. To restore set Default value "msshrui.dll".

Submitted by Guntars Revelins

Enabling the Middle Mouse Button on Logitech Mouse To enable the middle mouse button on Logitech Mouses to act as a double-click button by only pressing it once: 1. Run Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\LOGITECH\MOUSEWARE\CURRENTVERSION\SERIALV\0000 3. Change DoubleClick to equal 001 Submitted by Jason Maruniak

Easily Opening a File with Notepad Submitted 10/25/97 This will enable you to right click on any file and have the option to open it with notepad. Also if a file has no association and you try to open it it will open with notepad 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Run 'regedit.exe' Expand "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT" Inside "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT", expand "*" Inside "*", create a key called "shell" Inside "shell" create a key called "open" Inside "open" edit the string "(default)" to say "open (notepad)" Inside "open" create a key called "command" Inside "command" edit the string "(default)" to say C:\WINDOWS\NOTEPAD.EXE "%1"

Submitted by EIBON

Displaying Hi-Color Icons without the Plus Pack Submitted 10/19/97 1. Start Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ desktop \ WindowMetrics 3. Add or edit Shell Icon BPP=16 where the number is the color depth.

17 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

4. The default is 8 (bit or 256 colors). Submitted by Frank Lolli

Backing Up the Registry Submitted 9/13/97 There are many Backup to a directory the following files: SYSTEM.DATA SYSTEM.DA0 (Yes seem to be the same size) USER.DAT USER.DA0 (Same size likely) WIN.INI CONTROL.INI SYSTEM.INI These files can be copied to the windows directory from Win95 or DOS to help correct problems. Submitted by George Harper

Removing Unwanted Items from the RUN Menu Submitted 8/23/97 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Start the REGEDIT program Search for the word RUNMRU Delete the ones you don't want Rename so they are all in alphabetical order again Close and restart windows

Submitted by Graham Orchard

Opening a DOS Window to either the Drive or Directory in Explorer Submitted 8/9/97 Add or Edit the following Registry Keys [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\opennew] @="Dos Prompt in that Directory" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\opennew\command] @="command.com /k cd %1" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\opennew]

18 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

@="Dos Prompt in that Drive" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\opennew\command] @="command.com /k cd %1" These will allow you to right click on either the drive or the directory and the option of starting the dos prompt there will pop up Submitted by James Doss

Compacting the Registry Submitted 4/5/97 How to compact the registry? 1. Got to true DOS, not a DOS window 2. Run Regedit and then export the entire Registry to COMPACT.REG. 3. Then exit regedit and run it again with the following switch. REGEDIT /C COMPACT.REG Submitted by Ian Buda

Changing Exchange's Mailbox Location Added 3/29/97 When you create a mailbox in Exchange for e-mail, you specify the file where you want to mail to go. You cannot change this in Exchange afterwards. If you want to change the file name or location:: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ WindowsMessaging Subsystem \ Profiles Go to the profile you want to change Go to the section that has the file location for your mailbox (*.PST) file in the right hand panel Make the change to file location or name Restart Exchange

Removing Sound Events from Control Panel / Sounds Added 3/16/97 When you view what events you can assign sounds to from Control Panel / Sounds, you cannot delete the events themselves. In order to do that: 1. Start Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER / AppEvents / Schemes / Apps 3. From here you can delete any items you don't want to show or no longer need.

19 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

Changing the Registered Owner Added 2/6/97 1. Starting Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion 3. From there you can edit the name in the Registered Owner key

Adding an Application to the Right Click on Every Folder Added 1/30/97 Here is how to add any application to the menu when you right click on any Folder. This could be useful if there is an app you always want available and don't want to go through the Start menu 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ Folder \ shell Add a key Name_of_Your_App This can really be any label, just use one that makes sense to you Give it a default value of Name_of_Your_App Putting a & in front of a character will allow you to use the keyboard Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ Folder \ shell \ Name_of_Your_App Add a key command Give it a default value of the application you want to run For example: c:\program files\internet explorer\iexplore.exe Include the full path

Now when you right click on any folder, you can have access to that application This will work for both Windows95 and NT 4.0

Adding Explore From Here to Every Folder Added 1/30/97 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ Folder \ shell Add a key rootexplore Give it a default value of E&xplore From Here Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ Folder \ shell \ rootexplore Add a key command Give it a default value of Explorer.exe /e,/root,/idlist,%i

Now when you right click on any folder, you can open up an Explorer window of that folder. This will work for both Windows95 and NT 4.0

Saving Desktop Settings Submitted 1/11/97

20 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

When I would go to Control Panel or Start Menu Programs, or any other Desktop window setting; meaning size, position, icon arrangement, they would never be as I set them. I found an answer: At [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer] There is a "NoSaveSettings" key. I deleted it and now my all my stuff stays where I tell it. The same key shows up at: [HKEY_USERS\bwil\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer](where bwil is your password profile) Just thought I'd share this with you all. Submitted by Bud Allen [email protected]

Getting Rid of Tips Remember those "Tips of the day" that appeared when you first install Win95? If you don't want them any longer and want to clear yet more Clutter, approximately 5K, you can delete them at: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ explorer \ Tips Submitted by Bud Allen [email protected]

Changing the Location of Windows95's Installation Files Added 12/18/96 If you need to change the drive and or path where Windows95 will look for it's installation files: 1. Start Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Setup \ SourcePath 3. Change the location from there

Creating a Network Logon Banner Submitted 12/7/96 If you want to create a Network Logon Banner: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Start Regedit Go To HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Winlogon Create a new String called LegalNoticeCaption Enter the text for your banner

Submitted by Frank Tanner

Creating a Default File Opener Added 11/29/96 If you have a un-registered file type and want to view it with Explorer's Right-click 21 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

you can add your program to the right-click options by: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Starting Regedit Go to HKEY_CLASS_ROOT / Unknown Highlight the Shell Folder below it Right click on Shell and create a New Key Name it anything you want (For example NOTEPAD) Create a New Key under that named command Highlight the Command key Double click on the Default value in the right hand panel In Value Data, enter the path and filename of the program you want to use to open the file type For example: C:\WINDOWS\NOTEPAD.EXE %1 Click on OK

In this example, when you right click on a file in Explorer, NOTEPAD will show up as an option.

Deleting Registry Keys from the Command Line Added 11/3/96 With the OEM Version of Windows95, a new switch, /D, is added to Regedit. This enables you to delete items from Registry. The syntax is: REGEDIT /L:system.dat_location /R:user.dat_location /D Reg_Key where Reg_Key is the key you want to delete There are two requirements: 1. That you have to boot to the same OEM version of Windows95 as the REGEDIT.EXE file. 2. You cannot be in Win95 at the time you use this switch.

Automatic Screen Refresh Added 10/24/96 When you make changes to your hard drive and use Explorer, the changes are not usually displayed until you press the F5 key To make the updates automatic: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / CurrentControlSet / Control / UpdateMode Edit the DWORD value to be between 1 and 7 Restart Windows

Disable Password Caching Added 10/19/96 As in Windows for Workgroups, when logging on to an NT Domain, it is preferable to disable password caching. This allows for the single NT Domain login and eliminates the secondary Windows logon screen. It also eliminates the possibility of the respective passwords to get out of sync. 22 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

To disable password caching on the To make the change, create a ASCII text file called DISABLE.REG with the following lines: REGEDIT4 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network] "DisablePwdCaching"=dword:00000001 Open up a DOS box and type REGEDIT DISABLE.REG You can also download the DISABLE.REG file. If you need to re-enable password caching, download ENABLE.REG and repeat the process just with the different file name

Changing the MaxMTU and other Network Settings Added 10/19/96 There are four network settings that can be configured so when dialing to an ISP, you should get somewhat greater throughput. They are the MaxMTU, MaxMSS and DefaultRcvWindow, and DefaultTTL MaxMTU and MaxMSS 1. Start REGEDIT 2. Go to Hkey_Local_Machine / System / CurrentControlset / Services / Class / netTrans / 000n (where n is your particular network adapter binding.) 3. Right click on the right panel 4. Select New / String Value 5. Type in MaxMTU 6. Double click on it and enter then the number you want. The usual change is to 576 7. Similarly, you can add MaxMSS and give it a value of 536 DefaultRcvWindows and DefaultTTL 1. 2. 3. 4.

Start REGEDIT Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ VxD \ MSTCP Add a new string DefaultRcvWindow and give it a value of 2144 Add a new string DefaultTTL and give it a value of 60-64

Adding Items to the Start Button Added 10/17/96 To add items when you right-click on the Start Button: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 23 of 34

Start Regedit Go to HKey_Classes_Root / Directory / Shell Right-click on Shell and select New / Key Type in the name of the key and press the Enter key In the Default name that shows in the right hand panel, you can add a title with a & character in front of 5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

6. 7. 8. 9.

the letter for a shortcut Right-click on the key you just created and create another key under it called command For the value of this command, enter the full path and program you want to execute Now when you right click on the Start Button, your new program will show up. You do not need to reboot first. For example, if you wanted WinWord, you would add that as the first key, the default in the right panel would be &WinWord so when you right click on the Start Button, the W would be underlined and you could just press that key. The command would be something like C:\MSOFFICE\WINWORD\WINWORD.EXE

Removing Open, Explore & Find from Start Button Added 9/15/96 When you right click on the Start Button, you can select Open, Explore or Find. Open shows your Programs folder. Explore starts the Explorer and allows access to all drives. Find allows you to search and then run programs. In certain situations you might want to disable this feature. To remove them: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Start Regedit Search for Directory This should bring you to Hkey_Classes_Root \ Directory Expand this section by clicking on the "+" Under shell is Find Delete Find Scroll down below Directory to Folder Expand this section under shell Delete Explore and Open

Note: - When you remove Open, you cannot open any folders. If you need to undo any of the changes, you can download the registry settings before the changes.

Removing Items from NEW Added 7/27/96 When you right-click on the desktop and select New, a list of default templates you can open up are listed. To remove items from that list: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Start Regedit Search for the string ShellNew This should bring you to HKey_Classes_Root For the items you want to remove, simply rename the ShellNew command Renaming is safer that deleting it Continue searching for the items you want to remove You do not need to reboot for the change to take effect

Changing the Telnet Scroll-Back Buffer Size

24 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

Added 7/27/96 By default, the Telnet session has a window size of 25 lines. To increase this so you can scroll back and look at a larger number on lines: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Telnet Double-click on the entry Rows in the right hand panel Increase the decimal value to one that suits your needs.

Changing the Tips of the Day Submitted 7/27/96 You can edit the Tips of the day in the Registry by going to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ explorer \ Tips Submitted by Jayme Johnston [email protected]

Disabling Drives in My Computer Added 7/24/96 To turn off the display of local or networked drives when you click on My Computer: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Start Regedit Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer Add a New DWORD item and name it NoDrives Give it a value of 3FFFFFF Now when you click on My Computer, none of your drives will show

Not Saving Setting on Exit Added 7/21/96 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Start Regedit Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD Name it NoSaveSettings Give it a value of 1 Logoff or Reboot the computer

Download reg file

Not Displaying the Network Neighborhood Added 7/21/96

25 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Start Regedit Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD Name it NoNetHood Give it a value of 1 Logoff or Reboot the computer

Download reg file

Disabling Run or Find from the Start Menu Added 7/21/96 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Start Regedit Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD Name it NoFile or NoRun Give it a value of 1 Logoff or Reboot the computer

Download reg for no_file Download reg for no_run

Hiding All Icons from the Desktop Added 7/21/96 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Start Regedit Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD Name it NoDesktop Give it a value of 1 Logoff or Reboot the computer Now all icons are hidden on the desktop.

Download reg file

Get Your Folders to Open the Way You Want Every Time Submitted 7/7/96 To get your folders to open the way you want every time: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

26 of 34

Set up all your folders the way you want (auto arrange, view, etc.), Start RegEdit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. Go to NoSaveSettings Modify and change Value to 1

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

Submitted by Dan Poplawski [email protected]

Modifying Default Desktop Icons Added 7/1/96 1. Start Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ explorer \ Shell Icons 3. The default icons are numbered in the right panel from 0-40 4. Double click on the number of the particular icon you want to change. See the chart below. 5. Enter the name of the icon file you want to use followed by the number of the icon in that file. Note: The numbering starts with zero. 6. If you use a single .ICO file, it should be followed by a 0. 7. e.g. - filename.dll,4 - This would actually be the 5th icon since it starts with 0. 8. Make sure you delete the hidden file C:\WINDOWS\SHELLICONCACHE Below is a reference for the icons I've been able to figure out: 0 - Default Icon 1 - Default Document 2 - Application 3 - Closed Folder 4 - Open Folder 5 - 5 1/4 Drive 6 - 3 1/4 Drive 7 - Removable Drive 8 - Hard Drive 9 - Network Folder 10 - Network Offline 11 - CD 12 - RAM Drive 13 - Entire Nertwork 15 - My Computer 16 - Printer 17 - Network Neighborhood 18 - Network Workgroup 19-27 are the Start Menu icons 19 - Programs 20 - Desktop 21 - Settings 22 - Find 23 - Help 24 - Run 25 - Suspend 27 - Shutdown 28 - Share 29 - Shortcut 31 - Recycle Bin (Empty) 32 - Recycle Bin (Full) 27 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

33 - Folder, Dial-Up Networking 34 - Desktop 36 - Program Group 40 - Audio Card In addition, you can change: My Computer - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D} Network Neighborhood - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D} InBox - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ CLSID\{00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} Recycle Bin - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}

Clearing the Documents Menu Automatically Added 6/2/96 The Documents Menu displays the last file and programs you used. You can clear item manually but only through editing the Registry can you turn this off automatically. This can be useful on computers that are used by multiple people. The same settings can be also used in NT 4.0 1. Set the properties on the Recycle Bin to delete files immediately. 2. Start Regedit 3. Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ User Shell Folders 4. Right click on the right panel 5. Select New / String Value 6. Rename it to Recent - Only if it is not already there 7. Give it the value of C:\RECYCLED 8. Set your Recycle bin to Automatically delete files 9. Log off and back on again. Your Documents Menu should now be blank. This will be for all subsequent users who logon as well.

Disabling the Right-Click on the Start Button Added 6/29/96 Normally, when you right button click on the Start button, it allows you to open your programs folder, the Explorer and run Find. In situations where you don't want to allow users to be able to do this in order to secure your computer. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 28 of 34

Start Regedit Search for Desktop This should bring you to HKey_Classes_Root \ Directory Expand this section Under Shell is Find Delete Find Move down a little in the Registry to Folder 5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

8. Expand this section and remove Explore and Open Now when you right click on the Start button, nothing should happen. You can delete only those items that you need. Note: - On Microsoft keyboards, this also disables the Window-E (for Explorer) and Window-F (for Find) keys. See the section on Installation to see how to do this automatically during an install.

Disabling My Computer Added 6/29/96 In areas where you are trying to restrict what users can do on the computer, it might be beneficial to disable the ability to click on My Computer and have access to the drives, control panel etc. To disable this: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Start Regedit Search for 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D This should bring you to the HKey_Classes_Root \ CLSID section Delete the entire section.

Now when you click on My Computer, nothing will happen. You might want to export this section to a registry file before deleting it just in case you want to enable it again.. See the section on Installation to see how to do this automatically during an install.

Changing Desktop Icons Added 5/28/96 You can change many of the icons that are located on your desktop. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Start Regedit Search for My Computer or 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D Expand that key Highlight Default Icon Double click on the Default in the right panel Enter the name of the program with the icon you want to use followed by and command and then the number of the icon (starting with 0)

Some of the additional items that can be searched for are: Network Neighborhood - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D} InBox - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ CLSID\{00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} Recycle Bin - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} Additional icons can be found in: \WINDOWS\MORICONS.DLL \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\PIFMGR.DLL \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SHELL32.DLL

29 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

Opening Explorer from My Computer Added 5/28/96 By default, when you click on the My Computer icon, you get a display of all your drives, the Control Panel etc. If you would like to have this open the Explorer: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Start Regedit Search for My Computer or 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D This should bring you to HKey_Classes_Root \ CLSID Expand the key {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D} Right click on Shell Select New / Key and type Open and press the Enter key Right click on Open Select New / Key and type Command and press the Enter key Double click on the Default for Command and type Explorer.exe for the value Now when you click on My Computer, the Explorer will start If you want to return to normal, simply delete the Open key

Fixing Corrupt Registry Added 5/12/96 If your registry has gotten corrupted, and re-installing Windows95 over your existing version does not fix the problem, there is a hidden, read-only, system file on the root of your boot drive called SYSTEM.1ST. This is the initial system registry created when you first installed Windows95. To use this file: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Go to your Windows directory Un-Attrib your current SYSTEM.DAT file (attrib -r -s -h system.dat) Copy your current SYSTEM.DAT to something like SYSTEM.BAD file (just in case) Move to your root directory Un-Attrib the SYSTEM.1ST file Copy SYSTEM.1ST to \WINDOWS\SYSTEM.DAT Re-start your system

You will need to install your 32-bit apps and any other programs or changes that modified your system registry but you will not need to go through a new again. Your 16-bit apps should not need to be re-installed since they do not modify the registry. You will also retain your current desktop configuration.

Recycle Bin Edits Submitted 5/2/96 Fooling with the recycle bin. Why not make the icon context menu act like other icon context menu's. Add rename to the menu: 30 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder] "Attributes"=hex:50,01,00,20 Add delete to the menu: [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder] "Attributes"=hex:60,01,00,20 Add rename and delete to the menu: [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder] "Attributes"=hex:70,01,00,20

Restore the recycle bin to win 95 defaults including un-deleting the icon after deletion: ... Restore the icon. [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{645FF04 @="Recycle Bin" ... reset win 95 defaults . [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder] "Attributes"=hex:40,01,00,20 Other edits to the recycle bin icon: [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder] "Attributes"=hex:40,01,01,20 ... standard shortcut arrow "Attributes"=hex:40,01,02,20 ... another shortcut arrow "Attributes"=hex:40,01,04,20 ... and another shortcut arrow "Attributes"=hex:40,01,08,20 ... make it look disabled (like it's been cut) I added the above edits for fun. But it gets you thinking. Note: Adding rename and delete to the context menu takes effect instantly. To restore the icon after deletion requires screen refresh (F5). Have fun.... Tom Submitted by Tom Temple [email protected]

Setting the Minimum Password Length Added 4/29/96 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Start Regedit Go to HKLM,SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network Add a new Binary Value Rename it to MinPwdLen Assign it a value equal to your minimum password length

Also see the Installation Section on doing this automatically during installation.

Disabling File and Print Sharing Added 4/29/96 1. Start Regedit

31 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

2. 3. 4. 5.

Go to HKLM,SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network Add a new DWord Value Rename it to NoPrintSharing or NoFileSharing Assign it a value of 1

Also see the Installation Section on doing this automatically during installation.

Specifying programs to run every time Windows95 starts Added 4/21/96 If you want to start programs every time Windows95 runs, but would like to hide them from users by not having the listed in the Startup folder or the WIN.INI file, you can have them load through the registry. 1. Start Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Run or RunOnce 3. Right click on the right panel 4. Select New / String Value 5. Type in any name 6. For the value, enter the path and executable for the program you want to run.

Removing the Shortcut Icon Arrows Added 4/21/96 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Open REGEDIT.EXE Open the Key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Open the Key LNKFILE Delete the value IsShortcut Open the next Key PIFFILE Delete the value IsShortcut Restart the Win95

Turn Off Window Animation You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize windows. Added 4/21/96 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

32 of 34

Open Regedit HKEY_CURRENT_USER Control panel Desktop WindowMetrics Right Mouse Click an empty space in the right pane. Select new string value. Name the new value MinAnimate. Doubleclick on the new string value (MinAnimate) and click on "Modify" Enter a value of 0 for Off or 1 for On then hit Enter

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

11. Close Regedit and all programs then reboot. Download reg file

To speed up the Start Menu Added 4/21/96 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Start the REGEDIT program Search for the word desktop This should be in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / CLSID / {00021400... Right Click on the right panel Pick NEW / String Value. Name it MenuShowDelay, all one word. Select a value from 1-10, 1 being the fastest. Exit REGEDIT Restart Windows

Changing your Modem's Initialization String Added 4/21/96 1. Start REGEDIT 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ Class \ Modem \ 0000 \ Init 3. Change the settings to the new values

Increasing the Modem Timeout Added 4/21/96 If your modem it timing out during file transfers or loading Web Pages, you might try increasing the timeout period. To change it: 1. Start Regedit 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / CurrentControlSet / Services / Class / Modem / XXXX / Settings Where XXXX is the number of your modem 3. Move to the right panel and double click on Inactivity Timeout 4. The number of minutes for a timeout should be entered between the brackets. 5. For example, a US Robotics Sportster could have S19=<30> to set it to 30 minutes.

Removing Programs listed from the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs Section Added 4/21/96 If you remove an installed program and its files by deleting the files, it may still show up in the Add/Remove programs list through the control panel. 33 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP

Registry Tips

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm

In order to remove it from the list (so you don't need to re-install in order to just remove it again). 1. Start the Registry Editor 2. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Uninstall 3. Delete any programs here. This will only delete them from the list, not delete the actual programs. Only programs designed for Windows95 will show up here in the first place. This site is copyrighted. No portion may be reproduced without my written permission.

34 of 34

5/16/2008 5:30 MP