Windows Registry Tips & Tricks

Registry Tips
BY : Raghav Bisht

TABLE OF CONTENTS
OLD POSTS(windows 95)
NEW POSTS(windows xp & windows 7)

Restrictions
Disabling the F3 Search Key
Preventing Changes to File Associations
Locking File Associations
Prevent Changes to the Start Menu
DOS Restrictions
Networking Restrictions
Control Panel Restrictions
Restricting the Start Menu, Explorer, and the Desktop
Eliminating the Right Click on the Taskbar
Eliminating the Right Click on the Desktop
Hiding Any Combination of Drives
Disabling Drives in My Computer
Not Saving Settings on Exit
Not Displaying the Network Neighborhood
Disabling Run or Find from the Start Menu
Hiding All Icons from the Desktop
Disabling the Right-Click on the Start Button -
Disabling My Computer
Disabling File and Print Sharing
Explorer
Adding Open With to the Right Click in the Explorer
Opening a DOS Window to either the Drive or Directory in Explorer
Adding Explore From Here to Every Folder
Removing Open, Explore & Find from Start Button
Opening Explorer from My Computer
Network
Allowing Network Access with Blank Passwords (XP and Vista)
Re-Enabling DHCP Error Messages
Removing the Hand Icon from Shared Resources
Creating a Network Logon Banner
Disable Password Caching
Changing the MaxMTU and other Network Settings
Changing the Telnet Scroll-Back Buffer Size
Not Displaying the Last User Logged on
Setting the Minimum Password Length

Misc
Turning off System Beeps
Changing the Location Of Special Folders
Deleting Specific Registry Value
Setting the Recycle Bin to Always Delete
Setting the Internet Explorer Home Page
Preparing to Move Hard Drive to Another Computer
Comparing Registries
Setting Excel 2000 High-Contrast Cell Selection
Changing Common Icons
Changing Office 2000's Excel Undo History
Changing the Title on Windows Media Player
Turning Off the Help on Min, Max, Close Icons
Automatically Deleting a Registry Key
Fixing no AutoRun for CDs
Renaming the File System Profiles
Sticky Menus
Automatic Shutdown with Windows NT
Kill Hung Processes When Logging Off in Windows NT
NT Crash Log File
Changing the Location of Outlook Express Data Files
Disabling the Blinking Cursor
Getting Rid of Schemes
Creating a Legal Text Notice Before Logon
Enabling the Middle Mouse Button on Logitech Mouse
Easily Opening a File with Notepad
Displaying Hi-Color Icons without the Plus Pack
Backing Up the Registry
Removing Unwanted Items from the RUN Menu
Compacting the Registry
Changing Exchange's Mailbox Location
Removing Sound Events from Control Panel / Sounds
Changing the Registered Owner
Adding an Application to Every Folder
Saving Desktop Settings
Getting Rid of Tips
Changing the Location of Windows95's Installation Files
Creating a Default File Opener
Deleting Registry Keys from the Command Line
Automatic Screen Refresh
Adding Items to the Start Button
Removing the InBox Icon and Recycle Bin Icons from the Desktop
Removing Items from NEW on the Desktop
Changing the Tips of the Day

Get Your Folders to Open the Way You Want Every Time
Clearing the Documents Menu Automatically
Fixing a Corrupt Registry
Recycle Bin Edits
Removing the Shortcut Arrows
Turn Off Window Animation
To speed up the Start Menu
Changing your Modem's Initialization String
Increasing the Modem Timeout Removing Programs listed from the Control Panel's Add/Remove
Programs Section
Specifying programs to run every time Windows95 starts

Disabling the F3 Search Key
If you want to disable the ability to use the F3 key from either the Windows Explorer or Internet
Explorer
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftInternet ExplorerRestrictions
3. Create a Dword value called NoFindFiles
4. Give it a value of 1
5. Reboot
Preventing Changes to File Associations
You can prevent users from changing associations via Windows Explorer's Tools / Folder
Options / File Types tab.
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Policies
Explore
3. Create REG_DWORD data type NoFileAssociate
Locking File Associations
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
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
3. Scroll to the file association you want to lock.
4. In the right panel, create a new Binary value
5. Call it EditFlags
6. Give it a value of 01 00 00 00
7. Now when you go to the Folder Options / File Types screen, you won't see that file type listed.
Prevent Changes to the Start Menu
To prevent any changes to the Start Menu, even a right click:
1. Start Regedit
Explorer
3. Add a DWORD called NoChangeStartMenu

DOS Restrictions
Updated 1/31/00
There are restrictions you can make to the ability to execute DOS programs
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_Current_User / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Policies
3. Create a new key under Policies called WinOldApp
4. You can then add DWORD values set to 1 in the appropriate keys
5. 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. Start Regedit
3. Create a new key under Policies called Network
 DisablePwdCaching = Password Caching
 HideSharePwds [hex] =Shared Passwords
 NoEntireNetwork =Entire Network
 NoNetSetup =Network applet
 NoNetSetupIDPage =Network Identification tab
 NoNetSetupSecurityPage =Network Access tab
 NoFileSharing =Network File Sharing button
 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. Start Regedit
3. Create a new keys under Policies called System

 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
 NoAdminPage - Hide Remote Administration Page
 NoProfilePage - Hide User Profiles Page
 NoDevMgrPage - Hide Device Manager Page
 NoConfigPage - Hide Hardware Profiles 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. Start Regedit
3. There should already be at least a Explorer section there already
4. Additional keys that can be created under Policies are WinOldApp
 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
 NoInternetIcon = Internet Icon on Desktop
 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
Eliminating the Right Click on the Taskbar
Added 1/10/00
To eliminate the right click on the taskbar:
Start Regedit
1. Start Regedit
Explorer
3. Add a DWORD and give it a name of NoTrayContextMenu
5. Reboot
Eliminating the Right Click on the Desktop
Added 1/10/00
To eliminate the right click on the desktop:
1. Start Regedit
Explorer
3. Add a DWORD and give it a name of NoViewContextMenu
5. Reboot
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_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorer
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
Added 7/24/96
To turn off the display of local or networked drives when you click on My Computer:
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKey_Current_User Software Microsoft Windows Current Version Policies
Explorer
3. Add a New DWORD item and name it NoDrives
4. Give it a value of 3FFFFFF
5. Now when you click on My Computer, none of your drives will show
Not Saving Setting on Exit
Added 7/21/96

1. Start Regedit
Explorer
3. Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD
4. Name it NoSaveSettings
6. Logoff or Reboot the computer
Not Displaying the Network Neighborhood
Added 7/21/96
1. Start Regedit
Explorer
4. Name it NoNetHood
Disabling Run or Find from the Start Menu
Added 7/21/96
1. Start Regedit
Explorer
4. Name it NoFile or NoRun
Hiding All Icons from the Desktop
Added 7/21/96
1. Start Regedit
Explorer
4. Name it NoDesktop
7. Now all icons are hidden on the desktop.

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. Start Regedit
2. Search for Desktop
3. This should bring you to HKey_Classes_Root Directory
4. Expand this section
5. Under Shell is Find
6. Delete Find
7. Move down a little in the Registry to Folder
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.
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. Start Regedit
2. Search for 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D
3. This should bring you to the HKey_Classes_Root CLSID section
4. 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.
Disabling File and Print Sharing
Added 4/29/96

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKLM,SOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesNetwork
3. Add a new DWord Value
4. Rename it to NoPrintSharing or NoFileSharing
5. Assign it a value of 1
Also see the Installation Section on doing this automatically during installation.
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. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Software CLASSES * shell openas command
3. If this key isn't there then just create it
4. Give it the value of C:WINDOWSrundll32.exe shell32.dll,OpenAs_RunDLL %1
Submitted 8/9/97
Add or Edit the following Registry Keys
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryshellopennew]
@="Dos Prompt in that Directory"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryshellopennewcommand]
@="command.com /k cd %1"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDriveshellopennew]
@="Dos Prompt in that Drive"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDriveshellopennewcommand]
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
Added 1/30/97
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Folder shell

3. Add a key rootexplore
4. Give it a default value of E&xplore From Here
5. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Folder shell rootexplore
6. Add a key command
7. 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
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. Start Regedit
2. Search for Directory
3. This should bring you to Hkey_Classes_Root Directory
4. Expand this section by clicking on the "+"
5. Under shell is Find
6. Delete Find
7. Scroll down below Directory to Folder
8. Expand this section under shell
9. 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.
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. Start Regedit
2. Search for My Computer or 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D
3. This should bring you to HKey_Classes_Root CLSID
4. Expand the key {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
5. Right click on Shell
6. Select New / Key and type Open and press the Enter key
7. Right click on Open

8. Select New / Key and type Command and press the Enter key
9. Double click on the Default for Command and type Explorer.exe for the value
10. Now when you click on My Computer, the Explorer will start
11. If you want to return to normal, simply delete the Open key
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
network users to access the computer without a password. Typically you will receive an
Unknown error 31 if this is the case.
To change this setting:
1. Run gpedit.msc
2. Go to Computer Configuration / Windows Settings / Security Settings / Local Policies / Security
Options
3. Double click on Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console login only
4. Disable this option
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
Removing the Hand Icon from Shared Resources
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. Start Regedit.
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / Network
3. Open SharingHandler.
4. Clear it's default value
5. Restart Windows.
6. To restore set Default value "msshrui.dll".

Creating a Network Logon Banner
Submitted 12/7/96
If you want to create a Network Logon Banner:
1. Start Regedit
2. Go To HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionWinlogon
3. Create a new String called LegalNoticeCaption
4. Enter the text for your banner
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.
To disable password caching on the workstation, a one-line addition to the registry needs to be
made.
To make the change, create a ASCII text file called DISABLE.REG with the following lines:
 REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPolicie
sNetwork]
"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. Start REGEDIT
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE System CurrentControlSet Services VxD MSTCP
3. Add a new string DefaultRcvWindow and give it a value of 2144
4. Add a new string DefaultTTL and give it a value of 60-64
Changing the Telnet Scroll-Back Buffer Size
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. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Telnet
3. Double-click on the entry Rows in the right hand panel
4. Increase the decimal value to one that suits your needs.

These are only the basics to help get you started.
Enabling User Profiles
Creating a Policy File
Using Group Polieies
Setting the Registry to use the Policy file
Enabling User Profiles
Before you can use System Profiles, you need to enable User Profiles.
These allow each user to have their own desktop and network configuration.
1. Open the Control Panel
2. Double-click on the Passwords icon
3. Click on the User Profiles tab
4. Check Users can customize their desktop settings as well as the other options you want under this.
5. Reboot the computer 6. To enable during installation, see the section on Installing Windows95
Creating a Policy File
1. Run POLEDIT.EXE
2. This can be found on the CD in the ADMINAPPTOOLSPOLEDIT directory
3. Select File / New File
4. If there are settings you want to change for everyone, double-click on the Default User Icon.
This will open a window with all the settings that can be changed.
5. If you want to create a policy for a user, you first need to create a new user.

Click on Edit / Add User
Type in the name of a user you want to set policies for and double click on that icon.
6. In either case a window will come up with all the restrictions and settings available.
7. To set a restriction, simply click on the box by the one you want to set.
For example, click on the + by Control Panel and the following restrictions can apply.
Note: With Restrict Display Control Panel selected, additional choices are shown at the bottom
of the screen.

Restrictions and Settings are:
Control Panel
 Display, Network, Passwords, Printer, and System Control Panels
Desktop
 Set the Wallpaper and Color Scheme
Network
 Disable File and Printer Sharing
Shell
 Custom Folders
o Custom Program, Desktop, Startup, Network Neighborhood, StartMenu and Hide
StartMenu Subfolders.
Restrictions
o Remove Run Command, Remove "folders" and "settings" from the taskbar, Remove
Find, Hide Drives in "My computer", Hide "Network Neighborhood", No "Entire
Network", No workgroup contents in Network Neighborhood, Hide All items on the
Desktop, Disable Shutdown, Don't save settings on exit.
8. When you are finished, save the file.

Using Group Policies
In addition to assigning policies to a specific user, you can assign them to users that are in an
NT or Netware Group
The advantage of this is that you can assign one policy that will effect many users. This way
you don't need to create as many separate user policies.
Group Policies needs to be installed on each client.
1. Insert the Windows95 CD
2. Open the Control Panel
3. Double-click on the Add/Remove Programs icon
4.. Click on the Windows Setup tab
5. Click on the Have Disk button
6. Browse to the ADMINAPPTOOLSPOLEDIT directory on the CD.
7. Click on the next two OK buttons.
8. Highlight the Groups Policies box and click on the Install button.
9. This will install GROUPPOL.DLL in the WINDOWSSYSTEM directory as well as make a few registry
changes.
10. When you create a policy file, you can now use Add Group. Anyone in that NT or Netware group will
have the policies you set applied.
Setting the Registry to use the Policy File
1. Select File / Open Registry

2. Double-click on the Local Computer Icon
3. Click on the + by Network
4. Check Remote Update
5. In the Update Mode box, select Manual
6. In the Path for manual update: box, type in the path and filename for the policy file you just created
in the previous section.
This can also be a UNC if it is on a server. The syntax would then be
serversharedirectorypolicy_file_name
7. Click on the OK box
8. To enable System Policies automatically during installation, see the section on Installing Windows95

Continued……..
Added 4/29/96
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKLM,SOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesNetwork
3. Add a new Binary Value
4. Rename it to MinPwdLen
5. Assign it a value equal to your minimum password length
Also see the Installation Section on doing this automatically during installation.
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_USERControl PanelSound
3. Edit the key Beep and give it a value of No
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_USERControl PanelSound
3. Edit the key Beep and give it a value of No
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"=-
For example:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun]
"MSConfig"=-
would delete the value MSCONFIG.
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
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
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
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. Start Regedit
2. With the very top level select - My Computer, on the Toolbar select Registry / Export Registry
File
3. I usually save it to the root of the C: drive with the name before (you don't need to add an
extension)
4. Make the change to your system
5. Go back to Regedit
6. Press F5 to update it
7. Export the Registry like step 2
8. Name the file after and have it go in the same directory
9. Open up a DOS window
10. Go to the directory where the two exported files are
11. Enter FC before.reg after.reg > diff.txt
12. 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. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Office 9.0 Excel Options
3. Add a DWORD value call Options6
5. Now when you select cells, they will be white on black.

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:WINDOWSSHELLICONCACHE
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
7 - To change the Removable Disk 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
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. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Office 9.0 Excel Options
3. Add a dword called UndoHistory
4. Give it the value you want for the amount you want.
Changing the Title on Windows Media Player
Added 1/27/00
You can change the title bar for the Windows Media Player
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_USERS .DEFAULT Software Policies Microsoft WindowsMediaPlayer
3. Create a string value of TitleBar
4. Give it a value of whatever you want to appear in the title bar
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:
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER Control Panel Desktop
3. Create a String Value called MinMaxClose
5. Reboot

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_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftOffice8.0CommonAssistants]
This would delete that key and any below it.
Added 11/9/99
If your CDs have stop starting automatically, and you have checked everything else:
1. Go to HKEY_USERS.DefaultSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorer
2. The value for NoDriveTypeAutoRun should be set to 95 00 00 00
Added 11/9/99
If your CDs have stop starting automatically, and you have checked everything else:
1. Go to HKEY_USERS.DefaultSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorer
2. The value for NoDriveTypeAutoRun should be set to 95 00 00 00
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. Start Regedit

2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER Control Panel Desktop
3. If if it not already there, create a string called MenuShowDelay
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_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows
NTCurrentVersionWinlogonPowerdownAfterShutDown 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.
Kill Hung Processes When Logging Off in Windows NT
Submitted 3/28/99
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_USERControlPanelDesktopAutoEndTasks 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.
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_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlCrashControlSendAlert to
1. The next time the system crashes, an administrative alert will be sent that may provide the first
sign of the crash.
You can also make NT log the crash in the event log by changing the value of
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetCrashControlLogEvent to 1 instead
of its default 0. Now, the exact time of the crash will be permanently recorded.
Changing the Location of Outlook Express Data Files
Added 1/16/99
Normally Outlook Express keeps its data files in the C:WindowsApplication
DataMicrosoftOutlook Express directory.
To change this:
1. First copy those files to the new location
2. Start RegEdit
3. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Outlook Express
4. 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:
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktop
3. Add a String Value
4. Name it CursorBlinkRate
5. Give it a value of -1
6. Reboot the computer
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"
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. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKeyLocalMachine SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion WinLogon
3. Create a new string value called LegalNoticeCaption and give it a value you want to see in the
menu bar
4. 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.
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_MACHINESOFTWARELOGITECHMOUSEWARECURRENTVERSIONSERIALV0000
3. Change DoubleClick to equal 001
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. Run 'regedit.exe'
2. Expand "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT"
3. Inside "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT", expand "*"
4. Inside "*", create a key called "shell"

5. Inside "shell" create a key called "open"
6. Inside "open" edit the string "(default)" to say "open (notepad)"
7. Inside "open" create a key called "command"
8. Inside "command" edit the string "(default)" to say C:WINDOWSNOTEPAD.EXE "%1"
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.
4. The default is 8 (bit or 256 colors).
Backing Up the Registry
Submitted 9/13/97
There are many backup programs for the registry but if the computer goes down and you can't
fire off Win95 because of the registry problem.
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.
Removing Unwanted Items from the RUN Menu
Submitted 8/23/97
1. Start the REGEDIT program
2. Search for the word RUNMRU
3. Delete the ones you don't want
4. Rename so they are all in alphabetical order again
5. Close and restart windows

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
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. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft WindowsMessaging Subsystem Profiles
3. Go to the profile you want to change
4. Go to the section that has the file location for your mailbox (*.PST) file in the right hand panel
5. Make the change to file location or name
6. 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.
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. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Folder shell
3. Add a key Name_of_Your_App
4. This can really be any label, just use one that makes sense to you
5. Give it a default value of Name_of_Your_App
6. Putting a & in front of a character will allow you to use the keyboard
7. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Folder shell Name_of_Your_App
8. Add a key command
9. Give it a default value of the application you want to run
10. For example: c:program filesinternet exploreriexplore.exe
11. 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
Saving Desktop Settings
Submitted 1/11/97
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_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorer]
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_USERSbwilSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorer](where
bwil is your password profile) Just thought I'd share this with you all.
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

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
Added 11/29/96
If you have a un-registered file type and want to view it with Explorer's Right-click
you can add your program to the right-click options by:
1. Starting Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASS_ROOT / Unknown
3. Highlight the Shell Folder below it
4. Right click on Shell and create a New Key
5. Name it anything you want (For example NOTEPAD)
6. Create a New Key under that named command
7. Highlight the Command key
8. Double click on the Default value in the right hand panel
9. In Value Data, enter the path and filename of the program you want to use to open the file type
10. For example: C:WINDOWSNOTEPAD.EXE %1
11. Click on OK
In this example, when you right click on a file in Explorer, NOTEPAD will show up as an
option.
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.

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. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / CurrentControlSet / Control / UpdateMode
3. Edit the DWORD value to be between 1 and 7
4. Restart Windows
Added 10/17/96
To add items when you right-click on the Start Button:
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKey_Classes_Root / Directory / Shell
3. Right-click on Shell and select New / Key
4. Type in the name of the key and press the Enter key
5. In the Default name that shows in the right hand panel, you can add a title with a & character in
front of the letter for a shortcut
6. Right-click on the key you just created and create another key under it called command
7. For the value of this command, enter the full path and program you want to execute
8. Now when you right click on the Start Button, your new program will show up. You do not need
to reboot first.
9. 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:MSOFFICEWINWORDWINWORD.EXE
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. Start Regedit
2. Search for the string ShellNew
3. This should bring you to HKey_Classes_Root

4. For the items you want to remove, simply rename the ShellNew command
5. Renaming is safer that deleting it
6. Continue searching for the items you want to remove
7. You do not need to reboot for the change to take effect
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
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. Set up all your folders the way you want (auto arrange, view, etc.),
2. Start RegEdit
3. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorer.
4. Go to NoSaveSettings
5. Modify and change Value to 1
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
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.
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. Go to your Windows directory
2. Un-Attrib your current SYSTEM.DAT file (attrib -r -s -h system.dat)
3. Copy your current SYSTEM.DAT to something like SYSTEM.BAD file (just in case)
4. Move to your root directory
5. Un-Attrib the SYSTEM.1ST file
6. Copy SYSTEM.1ST to WINDOWSSYSTEM.DAT
7. 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:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTCLSID{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-
00AA002F954E}ShellFolder]
"Attributes"=hex:50,01,00,20
Add delete to the menu:

Add rename and delete to the menu:
Restore the recycle bin to win 95 defaults including un-deleting the icon after deletion:
... Restore the icon.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionexplorerDeskt
opNameSpace{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}]
@="Recycle Bin"
... reset win 95 defaults
. [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTCLSID{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-
Other edits to the recycle bin icon:
"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
Removing the Shortcut Icon Arrows
Added 4/21/96
1. Open REGEDIT.EXE
2. Open the Key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
3. Open the Key LNKFILE
4. Delete the value IsShortcut
5. Open the next Key PIFFILE
6. Delete the value IsShortcut
7. Restart the Win95
You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize windows.
Added 4/21/96
1. Open Regedit

2. HKEY_CURRENT_USER
3. Control panel
4. Desktop
5. WindowMetrics
6. Right Mouse Click an empty space in the right pane.
7. Select new string value.
8. Name the new value MinAnimate.
9. Doubleclick on the new string value (MinAnimate) and click on "Modify"
10. Enter a value of 0 for Off or 1 for On then hit Enter
11. Close Regedit and all programs then reboot.
To speed up the Start Menu
Added 4/21/96
1. Start the REGEDIT program
2. Search for the word desktop
3. This should be in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / CLSID / {00021400...
4. Right Click on the right panel
5. Pick NEW / String Value.
6. Name it MenuShowDelay, all one word.
7. Select a value from 1-10, 1 being the fastest.
8. Exit REGEDIT
9. Restart Windows
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.
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.
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
5. Type in any name
6. For the value, enter the path and executable for the program you want to run.

NEW POSTS (windows xp & 7)
1. Empty temporary Internet files on exit (in Internet Explorer)
"HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurr entVersionInternet
SettingsCache"
and
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCur rentVersionInternet
SettingsCache"
Create a new DWORD "Persistent" and change the value to "0" for emptying and "1" to
remove this option.
2. Disable the Windows Key
"HK_L_Msystemcurrentcontrolsetcontrolkeybo ard layout"
Create a new Binary value, or modify the existing value called 'Scancode Map' as
shown below.
Value: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 03 00 00 00 00 00 5B E0 00 00 5C E0 00 00 00 00
3. Disable the Harddisk Lowdiskspace warning in Windows Xp
User Key: "HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurr
entVersionPoliciesExplorer"
and
System Key: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCur
rentVersionPoliciesExplorer"
create a new DWORD 'NoLowDiskSpaceChecks' and change its value to '1'.
4. View System BIOS Information
Open Registry and navigate to
"HK_L_Mhardwaredescriptionsystem"
5. Disable Internet access in Network
Open Registry and make the following changes
"KH_C_Usersoftwaremicrosoftwindowscurrentversi oninternetsettings"
Change the value of "Proxyenabled" to 1 and change the value of "proxyserver" and set
it to an ip address. Change the value of the ip address and port to "10.0.0.1:5555"
6. Change the Title of Windows Media Player
"HK_C_USERsoftwarepoliciesmicrosoftwindowsmedi aplayer"
Create a new string value called ' TitleBar' and change text as your wish.
7. Disable the ability to Right click on the desktop
"HK_C_Usersoftwaremicrosoftwindowscurrentversi onpoliciesexplorer"
Create a DWORD "NoViewContextMenu" and change its value to "0" for disabling and
"1" for enabling.

8. Hide all items on desktop
"HK_C_USERsoftwaremicrosoftwindowscurrentversi onpoliciesexplorer"
and
"HK_L_Msoftwaremicrosoftwindowscurrentversion policiesexplorer"
create a new DWORD "NoDesktop" and change its value to "1"
You can show all the items in the desktop by chaning the value to "0"
9. Disable the "Change Password" button in windows
"HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurr
entVersionPoliciesSystem"
and
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCur rentVersi
onPoliciesSystem"
Create a new DWORD "DisableChangePassword" and change its value to "0" for
disabling and "1" for enabling.
10. Disable the "cancel" button or pressing the "Esc" key while logging on to
Windows"
"HKEY_USERS.DEFAULTSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCu rrentVersionRun"
Create a new string value "NoLogon" and change its value to "RUNDLL32
shell32,SHExitWindowsEx 0"
11. Remove "Log off" from start menu
and
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCur
Create a new DWORD "NoLogOff" and change its value to "1" for disabling and "0" for
enabling.
12. Clear the Recent playlist in Media Player
Navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftMediaPlayer Player"
And clear the "RecentFileList" subkey.
13. Disable the Autorun Option in your CD Rom Drive:
Open your Registry and navigate to "HK_L_Msystemcurrentcontrolsetservicescdro
m"
Change the value of 'Autorun', or create a new DWORD value if it doesn't already exist,
and set the value as '0' for Autorun disabled.
14. Clear the Internet Explorere typed addresses history
"HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerTypedURLs"
And delete the subkeys.

15. Remove recent documents from start menu
and
Create a new DWORD "NoRecentDocsMenu" and change its value to "1".
16. Remove Network connections from start menu
and
Create a new DWORD "NoNetworkConnections" and change its value to "1".
17. Remove My documents from start menu
and
Create a new DWORD "NoSMMyDocs" and change its value to "1".
18. Remove My pictures from start menu
and
rentVersionPoliciesExplorer "
Create a new DWORD "NoSMMyPictures" ad change its value to "1".
19. Remove My music fro start menu
and
Create a new DWORD "NoStartMenuMyMusic" and change its value to "1".
20. Reboot windows after crash
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetContr olCrashControl"
Create a new DWORD "AutoReboot" and change its value to "1".Restart the machine
for the effect to take place.
21. Disable the use of MSDos

entVersionPoliciesWinOldApp"
and
rentVersionPoliciesWinOldApp"
Create a new DWORD "Disabled" and set its value to "1". Change it to "0" for enabling.
22. Enable Directory completion in MSDos prompt
User Key: "HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftCommand Processor"
and
System Key: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftCommand Processor"
Create a new DWORD "PathCompletionChar " and set it to equal the hex value of the
required control character.
23. Quick edit the command prompt
User Key: "HKEY_CURRENT_USERConsole"
and
System Key: "HKEY_USERS.DEFAULTConsole"
Create a new DWORD "QuickEdit" and set its value to "1" for enabling and "0" for
disabling.
24. Disable Registry editing
"HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurr
entVersionPoliciesSystem"
Create a new DWORD "DisableRegistryTools" and change its value to "0" for allowing
Regedit and "1" for disabling it.
25. Disable task scheduler
" HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurr entVersionRunServices"
Delete the value from "SchedulingAgent". Usually its value is set to "'mstask.exe".
26. Remove My computer from desktop and start menu
entVersionPoliciesNonEnum"
and
rentVersionPoliciesNonEnum"
Create "{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}" and change its value to "1" for
removing. Change its value to "0" for showing.
27. Show Windows version on desktop
User Key: "HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktop"
Create a new DWORD " PaintDesktopVersion" and change its value to "1" for showing
and "0" for removing.
28. Remove My documenst from desktop

Windows 95, 98 and Me
"HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClassesCLSID{450D8FB A-AD25-11D0-98A8-
0800361B1103}ShellFolder"
Windows NT, 2000 and XP
entVersionExplorerCLSID{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}ShellFolder"
Modify the value called "Attributes" as "0xf0500174" to hide or "0xf0400174" to show.
29. Disable Scan disk after improper shutdown
" HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetContro lFileSystem"
create a new DWORD "DisableScandiskOnBoot" and change its value to "01" for
disablng and "00" for enabling.
30. Automatically end Hung programs.
" HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktop"
and
"System Key: [HKEY_USERS.DEFAULTControl PanelDesktop"
Modify the value of "AutoEndTasks" to "1".
Backup / Restore the Registry
To Backup/Restore the Windows Registry: Windows 9x For XP 2000 click here
1. If you are in MSDOS, at the C:Windows prompt type
2. Attrib -s -r -h C:WindowsSystem.dat (press Enter)
3. Attrib -s -r -h C:WindowsUser.dat (press Enter)
To make the backup copies type:
1. copy C:WindowsSystem.dat C:WindowsSystem.000 (press Enter)
2. copy C:WindowsUser.dat C:Windowsuser.000 (press Enter)
To Restore the Registry
1. copy C:WindowsSystem.000 C:WindowsSystem.dat (press Enter)
2. copy C:WindowsUser.000 C:Windowsuser.dat (press Enter)
Add Open With to all files
You can add "Open With..." to the Right click context menu of all files.This is great for when
you have several programs you want to open the same file types with. I use three different text
editors so I added it to the ".txt" key.
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT*Shell

3. Add a new Key named "OpenWith" by right clicking the "Shell" Key and selecting new
4. Set the (Default) to "Op&en With..."
5. Add a new Key named "Command" by right clicking the "OpenWith" Key and selecting new
6. Set the (Default) to "C:Windowsrundll32.exe shell32.dll,OpenAs_RunDLL %1", C: being
your Windows drive. You must enter the "OpenAs_RunDLL %1" exactly this way.
Customize the System Tray
You can add your name or anything you like that consists of 8 characters or less. This will
replace the AM or PM next to the system time. But you can corrupt some trial licenses of
software that you may have downloaded.
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelInternational
3. Add two new String values, "s1159" and "s2359"
4. Right click the new value name and modify. Enter anything you like up to 8 characters.
If you enter two different values when modifying, you can have the system tray display the two
different values in the AM and PM.
Lock Out Unwanted Users
Want to keep people from accessing Windows, even as the default user? If you do not have a
domain do not attempt this.
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINENetworkLogon
3. Create a dword value "MustBeValidated"
4. Set the value to 1
This forced logon can be bypassed in Safe Mode on Windows 9x
Disable the Outlook Express Splash Screen
You can make OutLook Express load quicker by disabling the splash screen:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOutLook Express
3. Add a string value "NoSplash"
4. Set the value data to 1 as a Dword value
Multiple Columns For the Start Menu
To make Windows use multiple Start Menu Columns instead of a single scrolling column, like
Windows 9x had, Also if you are using Classic Mode in XP

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to the key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Explorer
Advanced
3. Create a string value "StartMenuScrollPrograms"
4. Right click the new string value and select modify
5. Set the value to "FALSE"
Changing Windows' Icons
You can change the Icons Windows uses for folders, the Start Menu, opened and closed folder in
the Explorer, and many more.
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Explorer Shell
Icons
3. Add a string value for each Icon you wish to change.
Example: "3" ="C:WindowsIconsMyIcon.ico,0" This will change the closed folders in the
Explorer to "MyIcon.ico". Here is a complete list for each value.
0= Unknown file type
1= MSN file types
2= Applications Generic
3= Closed Folder
4= Open Folder
5= 5.25" Drive
6= 3.25" Drive
7= Removable Drive
8= Hard Drive
9= NetWork Drive
10= Network Drive Offline
11= CD-ROM Drive
12= RAM Drive
13= Entire Network
14= Network Hub
15= My Computer
16= Printer
17= Network Neighborhood
18= Network Workgroup
19= Start Menu's Program Folders
20= Start Menu's Documents
21= Start Menu's Setting
22= Start Menu's Find
23= Start Menu's Help
24= Start Menu's Run
25= Start Menu's Suspend
26= Start Menu's PC Undock
27= Start Menu's Shutdown
28= Shared
29= Shortcut Arrow
30= (Unknown Overlay)
31= Recycle Bin Empty
32= Recycle Bin Full
33= Dial-up Network
34= DeskTop
35= Control Panel
36= Start Menu's Programs
37= Printer Folder
38= Fonts Folder
39= Taskbar Icon
40= Audio CD
You need to reboot after making changes. You may need to delete the hidden file
ShellIconCache if after rebooting the desired Icons are not displayed.
Change Default Folder Locations
You can change or delete the Windows mandatory locations of folder like My Documents:

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Explorer
Shell Folders
3. Change the desired folder location, My Documents is normally list as "Personal"
4. Open the Explorer and rename or create the folder you wish.
To change the desired location of the Program Files folder
1. Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersion
2. Change the value of "ProgramFiles", or "ProgramFilesDir"
Now when you install a new program it will default to the new location you have selected.
Change the Registered Change the User Information
You can change the Registered Owner or Registered Organization to anything you want even
after Windows is installed.
1) Open RegEdit
2) Got to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion.
3) Change the value of "RegisteredOrganization" or "RegisteredOwner", to what ever you want
Add the following Registry Keys for a Directory:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryshellopennew
@="Dos Prompt in that Directory"
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryshellopennewcommand
Add or Edit the following Registry Keys for a Drive:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDriveshellopennew
@="Dos Prompt in that Drive"
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDriveshellopennewcommand
These will allow you to right click on either the drive or the directory and the option of starting
the dos prompt will pop up.
Changing Exchange/Outlook Mailbox Location
To change the location of your mailbox for Exchange:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftware MicrosoftWindows Messaging Subsystem Profiles
3. Go to the profile you want to change
4. Go to the value name that has the file location for your mailbox (*.PST) file
5. Make the change to file location or name
To change the location of your mailbox for Outlook
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOutlook (or Outlook Express if Outlook
Express)
3. Go to the section "Store Root"
4. Make the change to file location
Add/Remove Sound Events from Control Panel
You can Add and delete sounds events in the Control Panel. In order to do that:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERAppEventsSchemesApps and
HKEY_CURRENT_USERAppEventsSchemesEventlabels. If this key does not exist you can
create it and add events.
3. You can add/delete any items you want to or delete the ones you no longer want.
Adding an Application to the Right Click on Every Folder
Here is how to add any application to the Context Menu when you right click on any Folder.
This way you do not have to always go to the Start Menu. When you right click on any folder,
you can have access to that application, the same as using Sent To.
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTFoldershell
3. Add a new Key to the "Shell" Key and name it anything you like.
4. Give it a default value that will appear when you right click a folder, i.e. NewKey (use an "&"
without the quotes, in front of any character and it will allow you to use the keyboard)
5. Click on the Key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTFoldershellNewKey
6. Add a New Key named Command
7. Set the (Default) value of the application you want to run
8. For example: c:program filesinternet exploreriexplore.exe (Include the full path and
parameters if you need them)
When you want to right click on any folder and want to open up an Explorer window of that
folder.
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTFoldershell

3. Add a new Key "RootExplore " under the "Shell" Key
4. Set the (Default) value to "E&xplore From Here "
5. Right Click the "RootExplore " Key and add a new Key "Command"to the RootExplore
6. Set the (Default) value of Explorer.exe /e,/root,/idlist,%i
Changing the Location of Windows' Installation Files
If you need to change the drive and or path where Windows looks for its installation files:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Setup
3.Edit the value next to SourcePath
Creating a Logon Banner
If you want to create a Logon Banner: A message box to appear below your logon on.
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go To
For Windows 9x and ME -
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Winlogon
For Windows 2000 XP 2003 Vista -
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Winlogon
3.Create a new String value"LegalNoticeCaption "
4. Enter the Title of the window. What is displayed in the Title Bar.
5. Create a new string value "LegalNoticeText"
6. Enter the text for your message box that will appear even before the Logon window.
If you have a un-registered file type and want to view it instead of having to select Open With.
Use Explorer's Right-click and add your program to the right-click options by:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTUnknownShell
3. Right click on "Shell" and create a New Key and name it "Open "
4. Create a New Key under the "Open" key you just created and name it "Command"
5. Set the (Default) value to the path and filename of the program you want to use to open the
file type
6. For example: C:WindowsNOTEPAD.EXE %1
You must use the "%1" for this to work.and a space between the exe and the %1

There are two ways to delete a key from the Registry from the Command line. At the Windows
Command line:
RegEdit /l location of System.dat /R location of User.dat /D Registry key to delete
You cannot be in Windows at the time you use this switch.
Or you can create a reg file as such:
REGEDIT4
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEthe key you want to delete]
Note the negative sign just behind the[
Then at the Command line type:
1. RegEdit C:Windows(name of the regfile).
Change/Add Restrictions And Features
If you want to make restrictions to what users can do or use on their computer without having to
run Poledit, you can edit the Registry. You can add and delete Windows features in this Key
shown below.
Zero is Off and the value 1 is On. Example: to Save Windows settings add or modify the value
name NoSaveSettings to 0, if set to1 Windows will not save settings. And NoDeletePrinter set to
1 will prevent the user from deleting a printer.
The same key shows up at:
HKEY_USERS(yourprofilename) Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Policies
Explorer so change it there also if you are using different profiles.
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoft CurrentVersion Policies
3.Go to the Explorer Key (Additional keys that can be created under Policies are System,
Explorer, Network and WinOldApp )
4.You can then add DWORD or binary values set to 1 in the appropriate keys for ON and 0 for
off.
NoDeletePrinter - Disables Deletion of Printers
NoAddPrinter - Disables Addition of Printers
NoRun - Disables Run Command
NoSetFolders - Removes Folders from Settings on Start Menu
NoSetTaskbar - Removes Taskbar from Settings on Start Menu
NoFind - Removes the Find Command
NoDrives - Hides Drives in My Computers
NoNetHood - Hides the Network Neighborhood
NoDesktop - Hides all icons on the Desktop
NoClose - Disables Shutdown
NoSaveSettings - Don't save settings on exit

DisableRegistryTools - Disable Registry Editing Tools
NoRecentDocsMenu - Hides the Documents shortcut at the Start button
NoRecentDocsHistory- Clears history of Documents
NoFileMenu _ Hides the Files Menu in Explorer
NoActiveDesktop - No Active Desktop
NoActiveDesktopChanges- No changes allowed
NoInternetIcon - No Internet Explorer Icon on the Desktop
NoFavoritesMenu - Hides the Favorites menu
NoChangeStartMenu _ Disables changes to the Start Menu
NoFolderOptions _ Hides the Folder Options in the Explorer
ClearRecentDocsOnExit - Empty the recent Docs folder on reboot
NoLogoff - Hides the Log Off .... in the Start Menu
And here are a few more you can play with
ShowInfoTip
NoTrayContextMenu
NoStartMenuSubFolders
NoWindowsUpdate
NoViewContextMenu
EnforceShellExtensionSecurity
LinkResolveIgnoreLinkInfo
NoDriveTypeAutoRun
NoStartBanner
NoSetActiveDesktop
EditLevel
NoNetConnectDisconnect
RestrictRun - Disables all exe programs except those listed in the RestrictRun subkey
This key has many other available keys, there is one to even hide the taskbar, one to hide the
control panel and more. I'm not telling you how, as someone may want to play a trick on you.
The policies key has a great deal of control over how and what program can run and how one can
access what feature.
In the System key you can enter:
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
NoAdminPage - Hide Remote Administration Page
NoProfilePage - Hide User Profiles Page
NoDevMgrPage - Hide Device Manager Page
NoConfigPage - Hide Hardware Profiles Page
NoFileSysPage - Hide File System Button
NoVirtMemPage - Hide Virtual Memory Button

In the Network key you can enter:
NoNetSetup - Disable the Network Control Panel
NoNetSetupIDPage - Hide Identification Page
NoNetSetupSecurityPage - Hide Access Control Page
NoFileSharingControl - Disable File Sharing Controls
NoPrintSharing - Disable Print Sharing Controls
In the WinOldApp key you can enter:
Disabled - Disable MS-DOS Prompt
NoRealMode - Disables Single-Mode MS-DOS
When you make changes to your file system and use Explorer, the changes are not usually
displayed until you press the F5 key
To refresh automatically:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetControlUpdate
3. Set the value name "UpdateMode" to 1
To disable password caching, which allows for the single Network login and eliminates the
secondary Windows logon screen. Either use the same password or:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to the key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Policies
Network
3. Add a Dword value "DisablePwdCaching" and set the value to 1
Changing the MaxMTU for faster Downloads
There are four Internet settings that can be configured, you can get greater throughput (faster
Internet downloads) by modifying a few settings.
They are the MaxMTU, MaxMSS and DefaultRcvWindow, and DefaultTTL
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlset Services Class net 000x
(where x is your particular network adapter binding.)
3.Right click on the right panel
4.Select NewString Value and create the value name IPMTU
5.Double click on it and enter then the number you want. The usual change is to 576
6.Similarly, you can add IPMSS and give it a value of 536

(Windows 9X)You can set DefaultRcvWindow, and DefaultTTL by adding these string values to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE System CurrentControlset Services VXD MSTCP
Set the DefaultRcvWindow to"5840"and the DefaultTTL to "128"
Note: These settings will slow down your network access speed slightly, but you will probably
not even see the difference if you are using a network card. If you are using Direct Cable you
should see a sight difference.
To add items when you right-click on the Start Button:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryShell
3.Right-click on Shell and select New Key
4.Type in the name of the key and press the Enter key
5.In the Default name that shows in the right hand panel, you can add a title with a "&" character
in front of the letter for a shortcut
6.Right-click on the key you just created and create another key under it called command
7.For the value of this command, enter the full path and program you want to execute
8.Now when you right click on the Start Button, your new program will be there.
9.For example, if you want Word to be added, you would add that as the first key, the default in
the right panel would be &Word so when you right click on the Start Button, the W would be the
Hot Key on your keyboard. The value of the key would be C:Program
FilesOfficeWinwordWinword.exe
Remove Open, Explore & Find from Start Button
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.Open RegEdit
2.Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryShellFind
3.Delete Find
4.Scroll down below Directory to Folder
5.Expand this section under shell
6.Delete Explore and Open
Caution: - When you remove Open, you cannot open any folders.
Removing Items from NEW Context Menu
When you right-click on the desktop and select New, or use the File Menu item in the Explore
and select New a list of default templates you can open up are listed.
To remove items from that list:
1. Open RegEdit

2. Do a Search for the string ShellNew in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Hive
3. Delete the ShellNew command key for the items you want to remove.
Changing Telnet Window
You can view more data if you increase the line count of Telnet. By Default it has a window size
of 25 lines. To increase this so you can scroll back and look at a larger number on lines:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftTelnet
3. Modify the value data of "Rows"
You can edit the Tips of the day in the Registry by going to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoft Windows CurrentVersion explorer Tips
To turn off the display of local or networked drives when you click on My Computer:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftware Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Policies Explorer
3.Add a New DWORD item and name it NoDrives
4.Give it a value of 3FFFFFF
5.Now when you click on My Computer, none of your drives will show.
Changing the caption on the Title Bar
Change the Caption on the Title Bar for OutLook Express or the Internet Explorer:
For Outlook Express:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOutLook Express
For IE5 and up use:
HKEY_CURRENT_USERIDENTITIES {9DDDACCO-38F2-11D6-93CA-812B1F3493B}
SOFTWARE MICROSOFT OUTLOOK EXPRESS5.0
3. Add a string value "WindowTitle" (no space)
4. Modify the value to what ever you like.
For no splash screen, add a dword value "NoSplash" set to 1
The Key {9DDDACCO-38F2-11D6-93CA-812B1F3493B} can be any key you find here. Each
user has his own Key number.
The Key 5.0 is whatever version of IE you have
For Internet Explorer:
1. Open RegEdit

2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerMain
3. Add a string value "Window Title" (use a space)
4. Modify the value to what ever you like.
Disabling the Right-Click on the Start Button
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.Open RegEdit
2.Search for Desktop
3.This should bring you to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectory
4.Expand this section
5.Under Shell is Find
6.Delete Find
7.Move down a little in the Registry to Folder
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 in the RESKIT to see how to do this automatically during an
install.
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.Open RegEdit
2.Search for 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D
3.This should bring you to the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTCLSID section
4.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. Or you can rename it to 20D0HideMyComputer4FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-
08002B30309D. You can also hide all the Desktop Icons, see Change/Add restrictions.
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. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTCLSID {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D} Shell

3 . Add a new Key named "Open" if it does not exists by right clicking "Shell" and selecting
new.
4. . Add a new Key named "Command" by right clicking "Open" and selecting new
5. Set the (Default) value for the Command Key to "Explorer.exe" or
"C:WindowsExplorer.exe"
Recycle Bin Edits
Fooling with the recycle bin. Why not make the icon context menu act like other icon context
menus.
Add rename to the menu:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTCLSID {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} ShellFolder
Add delete to the menu:
Add rename and delete to the menu:
Restore the recycle bin to Windows defaults including un-deleting the icon after deletion:
Restore the icon.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion explorer
DesktopNameSpace{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
@="Recycle Bin"
Reset Windows defaults.
Other edits to the recycle bin icon:
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,01,20 ... standard shortcut arrow
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,02,20 ... a different shortcut arrow
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,04,20 ... and still another shortcut arrow
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,08,20 ... make it look disabled (like it's been cut)
For Windows XP and 2000 also edit HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft
Windows CurrentVersion Explorer CLSID {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
For Windows ME also edit HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Classes CLSID {645FF040-
5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Policies
Network

3. Now, choose the Edit/New/Binary value command and call the new value MinPwdLen. Press
Enter twice and Assign it a value equal to your minimum password length.
Adddelete programs to run every time Windows starts
You can start or stop programs from executing at boot up by adding or deleting them to/from the
run Keys in the Registry. Windows loads programs to start in the following order; Program listed
in the Local Machine hive, then the Current User hive, then theWin.ini Run= and Load = lines.
then finally programs in your Start Up folder.
To add or remove programs in the Registry
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to the desired Key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows CurrentVersion Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows CurrentVersion RunServices
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows CurrentVersion Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows CurrentVersion RunServices
3. Add a new String Value and name it anything you like
4. For the value data, enter the path and executable for the program you want to run.
By adding the value to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive instead allows the program to start
only when that user is logged on.
If you add the value to the RunOnce key the program will run once and be removed from the key
by Windows.
Removing the Shortcut Icon Arrows
1.Open RegEdit
2.Open the Key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
3.Open the Key LNKFILE
4.Delete the value IsShortcut
5.Open the next Key PIFFILE
6.Delete the value IsShortcut
7.Restart the Windows
You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize Windows.
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl panel Desktop WindowMetrics
3. Create a new string value "MinAnimate".
4. Set the value data of 0 for Off or 1 for On

1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSet Services Class Modem 0000 Init
3.Change the settings to the new values
Increasing the Modem Timeout
If your modem it is timing out during file transfers or loading Web Pages, you might try
increasing the timeout period. To change the Time Out::
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSet Services Class Modem
XXXX Settings Where XXXX is the number of your modem
3. In 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 setting could have S19=<10> to set it to 10 minutes.
Removing Programs from Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs Section
If you uninstalled a program by deleting the files, it may still show up in the Add/Remove
programs list in the Control Panel.
In order to remove it from the list.
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion
Uninstall
3.Delete any programs here.
If you have a problem locating the desired program open each key and view the DisplayName
value
The Fix for Grayed Out Boxes
The File Types tab in Explorer's View / Options menu lets you edit most of your file types, but
certain settings cannot be changed. The default action for a batch file, for instance, runs the batch
file instead of opening it via Notepad or Wordpad. Thus, when you double-click on
AUTOEXEC.BAT, a DOS window opens, and the file executes. If you want to change this
default action and edit a batch file when you double-click on it, however, the File Types tab does
not let you do so; the Set Default button for the file type called MS-DOS Batch File is always
grayed out.
The button is grayed out because HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT's batfile key contains an EditFlag
value entry. Such entries are used throughout the Registry to prevent novice users from altering
certain system settings. The binary data in batfile's EditFlag reads d0 04 00 00. If you change this
value to 00 00 00 00, you can then change any of the batch file settings. Do not, however,
indiscriminately zero out EditFlag; if you do so in a system ProgID such as Drive or AudioCD, it
completely disappears from the File Types list. For ProgIDs that are linked to extensions, set all
EditFlags to 00 00 00 00. For system ProgIDs, replace EditFlag data with 02 00 00 00.

If you wish to have access to some buttons while leaving others grayed out, you must know the
function of each EditFlag bit. The last two bytes of data are always zero, but most bits within the
first two bytes have a specific effect:
 Byte 1, bit 1: Removes the file type from the master list in the File Types tab (select View /
Options under Explorer) if it has an associated extension.
 Byte 1, bit 2: Adds the file type to the File Types tab if it does not have an associated extension.
 Byte 1, bit 3: Identifies a type with no associated extension.
 Byte 1, bit 4: Grays out the Edit button in the File Types tab.
 Byte 1, bit 5: Grays out the Remove button in the File Types tab.
 Byte 1, bit 6: Grays out the New button in the Edit File Type dialog (select the Edit button in the
File Types tab).
 Byte 1, bit 7: Grays out the Edit button in the Edit File Type dialog.
 Byte 1, bit 8: Grays out the Remove button in the Edit File Type dialog.
 Byte 2, bit 1: Prevents you from editing a file type's description in the Edit File Type dialog.
 Byte 2, bit 2: Grays out the Change Icon button in the Edit File Type dialog.
 Byte 2, bit 3: Grays out the SetDefault button in the Edit File Type dialog.
 Byte 2, bit 4: Prevents you from editing an action's description in the Edit Action dialog (select
the Edit button in the Edit File Type dialog).
 Byte 2, bit 5: Prevents you from editing the command line in the Edit Action dialog.
 Byte 2, bit 6: Prevents you from setting DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) fields in the Edit Action
dialog.
The EditFlags value for Drive, for instance, is d2 01 00 00 in Hex (1101 0010 0000 0001 in
binary). Bits 2, 5, 7, and 8 are on in byte 1, and bit 1 is on in byte 2. The EditFlag for batfile is d0
04 00 00 in Hex or 1101 0000 0000 0100 in binary. In this case, bits 5, 7, and 8 are on in byte 1,
and bit 3 is on in byte 2.
Bits 4, 5, and 6 of byte 2 apply only to actions that are protected. EditFlags with action keys
(such as HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTbatfileshellopen) determine protection. If byte 1, bit 1 of
such an EditFlag is 0 (or if there is no EditFlag), then the action is protected. If byte 1, bit 1 is 1,
then the action is unprotected.
Protection on system files
To enable protection on system files such as the KnownDLLs list, add the following value;
1. Open RegEdit
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSet Control SessionManager
3. Create the a Dword value and name it "ProtectionMode "
4. Set the Value to1

The 50 Best Registry Hacks that Make Windows Better
Prevent Windows Update from Forcibly Rebooting Your Computer
We’ve all been at our computer when the Windows Update dialog pops up and tells us to reboot
our computer. I’ve become convinced that this dialog has been designed to detect when we are
most busy and only prompt us at that moment.
The real problem comes into play when Windows gets tired of reminding us and says that the
computer is going to reboot in 5 minutes, and the only way you can prevent the inevitable is to
temporarily disable Windows Update.
There’s a couple of ways that we can disable this behavior, however. You’ll still get the prompt,
but it won’t force you to shut down.
This trick should work for all versions of Windows as far as we know. You can always resort to
the temporary disabling measures instead.
Manual Registry Hack
Open up regedit.exe through the start menu search box or run dialog, and navigate down to the
following key, creating new keys if they don’t exist.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindowsUpdateAU

Create a new 32-bit DWORD value named NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers and give it a
value of 1 to prevent automatic reboot while users are logged on. Delete the value to put things
back to the way they were.
Downloadable Registry Hack
Just download and extract the registry hack files and double-click on WUNoAutoReboot.reg to
disable automatic reboots. The other script will remove the hack.
Download WUNoAutoReboot Registry Hack
Using Auto Reboot Remover Utility
If you’d rather not mess with the registry, you can use a small utility created by the guys at
Intelliadmin which will make the changes for you. Just make sure you right-click and run as
administrator if you are using Vista.
Download Auto Reboot Remover from Intelliadmin
This hack should work for the professional or business editions of XP, Vista, or even Windows
Server. I’d be interested to hear your feedback in the comments.

Stop Windows Update from Hijacking the Sleep/Shutdown Button
As an avid user of the Sleep function on my laptop, I’ve been more than irritated with Windows
7 or Vista’s habit of changing the Sleep/Shutdown button into an ―Install Updates and Shut
Down‖ button whenever there are updates from Windows Update.
After the last time I accidentally clicked this stupid button when I just wanted to enter sleep
mode, I decided to look for a solution.
Update: Windows 7 does the same thing to my Shutdown button, and this same registry hack
fixes the problem.
Manual Registry Hack
If you’d like to manually create this hack, you can open up regedit.exe using the start menu
search box and then browse down to the following key, creating the key if it doesn’t exist.
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindowsUpdateAU

Add a 32-bit DWORD value called NoAUAsDefaultShutdownOption with a value of 1. No
reboot should be necessary.
Now our Sleep button should be back to the way it was, but if you wanted to use the Install
Updates and Shut Down option, it’s still available via the shutdown menu:
Download Registry Hack
Unzip the file and double-click on the StopHijackingMySleepButton.reg file to activate the
registry hack. You shouldn’t have to restart anything, as the changes will happen immediately.
There’s also a registry file to uninstall the hack.
I believe there is a similar option for XP, but I’m guessing the key is located in a different place.

How to Clean Up Your Messy Windows Context Menu
One of the most irritating things about Windows is the context menu clutter that you have to deal
with once you install a bunch of applications. It seems like every application is fighting for a
piece of your context menu, and it’s not like you even use half of them.
Today we’ll explain where these menu items are hiding in your registry, how to disable them the
geeky way, and an easier cleanup method for non-geeks as well.
Either way, your context menu won’t look like this one anymore…
Cleaning the Context Menu by Hacking the Registry
If you want to clean things up the truly geeky way, you can open up regedit.exe through the start
menu search or run box, and then browse down to one of the following keys… sadly the context
menu items are not stored in a single location.
Most of the menu items that used for all files and folders can be found by looking at one of these
keys:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT*shell
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT*shellexContextMenuHandlers
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTAllFileSystemObjectsShellEx
Items that are specific to folders can usually be found in one of these keys instead:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryshell
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryshellexContextMenuHandlers

The context menu items found at these different locations will need to be handled differently,
and we’ll explain how, so keep reading!
Dealing with “shell” Items
Let’s take a look at one item as an example… if you browse down to the shell key under
Directory you’ll see the items for Add to VLC media player and Play with VLC. Items under the
regular ―shell‖ key are usually really easy to spot, and easy to deal with.
If you want to hide one of these items so that you’ll have to Shift+Right-Click, then you can add
a new string value on the right-hand side and name it ―Extended‖ like you can see below:
If you’d like to disable it instead, but don’t want to delete the key, you can add a new string
value and call it ―LegacyDisable‖.

And of course, you could just delete the whole key if you really wanted to… but I’d export a
copy just in case.
Dealing with “shellex” Items
You probably noticed the other registry keys above that have ―shellex‖ (Shell Extension) in the
name instead of just ―shell‖. Those types of keys will need to be handled differently… for an
example, we’ll head down to one of the keys mentioned above:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryshellexContextMenuHandlers
These items will be a little more tough to decipher… but you can usually figure out an item by
the key name on the left, and then just modify the (Default) value by putting a few dashes in
front of it, which will disable the item without actually deleting anything.
In this example, I’ve clicked on 7-ZIP on the left, and by putting dashes in front of the value data
I’ve disabled that menu item.

You’ll want to go through each location in the list at the top of this article until you figure out
where exactly the offending items are located. At that point, you can use one of the tricks we
mentioned in order to disable that item.
Dealing With Specific File Type Items
Sometimes, although not often, the menu items are located on the registry key for a specific file
type. In that case you’ll need to first locate the file extension key by looking under
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT for that extension, which will tell you the name of the key that you
need to look for.
For instance, if I wanted to remove a menu item for Excel documents (.xls) I would look at this
registry key, which gives me the name of the actual key to look under…
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.xls
As you can see above, the actual type of the file is ―Excel.Sheet.8″, so I’ll then browse down to
this registry key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTExcel.Sheet.8shell

And now I can use the same techniques as above to disable items under ―shell‖… remember
LegacyDisable and Extended? Yep, those work here.
Cleaning Up the Context Menu the Easy Way
Instead of hacking the registry, you can use two different NirSoft utilities to clean up the context
menu. Sadly, some of the menu items are implemented as Explorer shell extensions (like the
―shellex‖ keys we explained above), and some are implemented as regular context menu items
(like the regular ―shell‖ keys we explained above).
The first tool we will check out is ShellMenuView, which allows us to manage all of those
―shell‖ key items with an easy to use interface.
Just browse down until you find the offending item, then click the Disable button… which will
actually create a LegacyDisable key just like we explained in the manual section above.
You’ll see that those items are instantly disabled:
Next, we need to disable those ―shellex‖ or Shell Extensions, using another great Nirsoft utility
appropriately called ShellExView. This one works the same exact way as the first utility… just
click on the Disable button to remove the items.

After using both of these utilities for just a few minutes, I was able to get my context menu back
to the pristine ―new install‖ state.
Go forth, and clean your context menu clutter! And yes, this works the same in all versions of
Windows.

Windows Registry Tips & Tricks

Windows Registry Tips & Tricks

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