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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Desktop Tips


Desktop
Restoring a Lost Desktop
Making Desktop Changes Permanent
Easy Shortcuts on the Desktop
Unable to Create Shortcuts on the Desktop
Repositioning a Background Bitmap
Adding Shortcuts to Desktop Without "Shortcut To" text
Adding the Device Manager to your Desktop
Changing Desktop Folders - With No Registry Changes
Updating the Desktop
Minimizing all windows
Turning on AutoArrange
Quick access to your Desktop
Turning off Desktop Icons
Removing the Network Neighborhood icon
Changing the Startup and Logoff Bitmap screens

Icons
Creating Shutdown, Restart and Logoff Icons
Increasing the Icon Cache
Make Icons 256 Color 16-Bit
Removing Shortcut Arrows
Changing a Folder's Icon
Fixing Corrupted Desktop Icons
Removing the InBox from the Desktop
Customizing Individual Folder Icons
Removing the Recycle Bin
Having Icons with No Name
Changing Drive Icons
Removing the InBox and Recycle Bin Icons from the Desktop
More Removing Shortcut Arrows
Changing Application Icons
Removing the shortcut arrows (potential problem)
Removing the shortcut icon arrows
Restoring corrupted icons
Renaming the Recycle Bin

Start Menu
Organizing the Start / Programs Listing
Having your Favorites and Start Menus Sort Alphabetically
Adding the Control Panel to the Start Menu
Moving the Start Button
Aligning Drop-Down Menus to the Right
Removing the Start Button
Customizing the Start Button's Name and Icon
Adding Options to the Right-Click of the Start Menu
Adding the Desktop to your Start Menu
Getting rid of Click here to continue
Changing or Removing the Start Menu Icons
Adding the Control Panel icons to the Desktop
Adding the Control Panel to the Start Menu
Speeding up the Start Menu

Misc
Easy Access to Folders from the Toolbar
Creating a New E-Mail Shortcut
Creating 3D Window Effect
Full Window Drag ( Without Plus! )
Getting Screen Shots
Increasing the Size of the Scroll Bar
Adding Send To the Recycle Bin
Adding AnyFolder and Mail to SendTo
Easier User Interface
Changing the clock to 24-Hour Time
Adding Drives to the SendTo List
Adding a Protected Briefcase
How to make the task bar autohide
Closing Nested Folders
Moving and Resizing the Taskbar
Correcting Corrupted Fonts
Creating document scraps
Turing off Windows Animation
Using old Window's Groups
Changing the My Computer or Recycle Bin icons
Removing the Tildes in filenames

Easy Access to Folders from the Toolbar

You can quickly access commonly used folders from your Toolbar
  1. Right click on an open area of the Toolbar
  2. Select Toolbars / New Toolbar
  3. Browse to the directory you want to add
  4. Now on the toolbar you will see the name of that folder displayed.
  5. Click on the >> to open any sub-folders as well.

Organizing the Start / Programs Listing

As you add more and more programs, the listing of them in Start / Programs can get fairly long.
One solution is to categorize your programs into several groups, create a folder for those groups, and move the shortcuts to those folders.

For example:
  1. Start the Explorer
  2. Go to Windows / Start Menu / Programs
  3. Create new folders with the categories you want (e.g. Graphics, Utilities, Internet etc.)
  4. Now move the shortcuts to those programs in Windows / Start Menu / Programs to whichever category you decide.
This can greatly reduce clutter and make it a lot easier to find your programs.
Note: Windows2000 and WindowsXP Users will need to go to the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs directory

Restoring a Lost Desktop

If you ever lose the Desktop but Explorer is still running with the Start Button,
you can do this to bring back your Desktop in a Windows box.
  1. Click Start
  2. Click Run
  3. Type a period " . "
  4. Then press Enter

Creating a New E-Mail Shortcut

To create a shortcut that will open your default e-mail program starting a new e-mail,
  1. Right click on an open area of the desktop
  2. Select New / Shortcut
  3. For the Command Line, enter mailto:
  4. For the title enter something like New E-Mail
  5. When you click on this your default e-mail program should start with a new e-mail form.

Creating 3D Window Effect

You can create a nice 3D effect for your windows
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Colors
  3. Make sure the following setting are there:
  4. ButtonHilight=128 128 128
  5. ButtonShadow=255 255 255

Creating Shutdown, Restart and Logoff Icons

To create the icons, create a shortcut on the desktop.
For Shutdown, the command is C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE user.exe,exitwindows
For Restart, the command is C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE user.exe,exitwindowsexec
For Logoff, the command is C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE shell32.dll,SHExitWindowsEx 0

Having your Favorites and Start Menus Sort Alphabetically

If your Start Menu Program or Favorites are not sorting alphabetically, it is easy to fix this:
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/MenuOrder
  3. Under here is are Favorites and Start Menu folders
  4. In each there is a value called Order
  5. Simply delete (or rename this) and restart Winodws
  6. Your Favorites or Start Menus should now sort alphabetically

Increasing the Icon Cache
  1. Run Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer
  3. Create a new string called Max Cached Icons
  4. Give it a value of 10000
  5. This will increase response time in windows and give the Shellicon cache file more elbow room.

Make Icons 256 Color 16-Bit
  1. Open the Registry
  2. Hit Ctrl+F
  3. Type Shell Icon BPP
  4. When found, right click the Shell Icon BPP icon
  5. Click Modify
  6. Change the value from 4 to 16
  7. Click Ok
  8. Close the registry
  9. Restart your computer

Removing Shortcut Arrows

An easy way to remove those irritating arrows from your desktop shortcut icons and not change their properties
  1. Right click the Desktop / Properties / Appearance tab
  2. Select Item
  3. Scroll for Icon
  4. The default size is 32
  5. Change this to 30
  6. Clicking Apply

Adding the Control Panel to the Start Menu
  1. Open up the Explorer
  2. Go to \WINDOWS\Start Menu
  3. Right click in the right-hand panel
  4. Add a new folder
  5. Name it Control Panel.{21ec2020-3aea-1069-a2dd-08002b30309d}
  6. This makes getting to the Control Panel items a little easier

Making Desktop Changes Permanent

To make changes to the Desktop like window size, positon after rebooting:
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
  3. Create a New Binary Value
  4. Name it NoSaveSettings
  5. Give it a value of 01 00 00 00

Easy Shortcuts on the Desktop

Here is an easy way to put shortcuts on the Desktop where they can easily be moved to other group icons.
  1. Using the Explorer, create a SHORTCUT to the \Windows\Desktop directory in your \Windows\SEND TO directory.
  2. Now whenever you want to make a shortcut and move it to the desktop:
  3. Just make the shortcut you want using Explorer
  4. Right click on that shortcut
  5. In the pop up menu select the Send To and Desktop shortcut.

Changing a Folder's Icon

To change the icon of a Folder on desktop:
  1. Using the Explorer, move the folder from the Desktop directory to another directory on the hard drive
  2. Right click on the new folder and select "Create Shortcut"
  3. Move the shortcut to the Desktop
  4. Right click and select a new icon

Full Window Drag ( Without Plus! )
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER /ControlPanel /Desktop /DragFullWindows
  3. On "DragFullWindows" properties change 0 to 1

Fixing Corrupted Desktop Icons

Easier way to reset icons then deleting SHELLICONCACHE.
There's no need to exit Win95 and delete the SHELLICONCACHE file in order to reset icons that you may have changed (like Network Neighborhood).
  1. Go to Control Panel, Display, Appearance Tab.
  2. Select Icon from the Item drop down list.
  3. Change the Size up or down one and apply.
  4. Change the Size back to your original and apply.
If your Start Menu is slow or your icons are black for some reason, it means your Shelliconcache file is corrupt and should be deleted.
Delete the hidden file C:\WINDOWS\SHELLICONCACHE
It will be recreated the next time you start Win95

Getting Screen Shots

If you need to get a screen shot, and you do not have a screen capture program, try this:
  • Hit the Print Screen key. This copies a bitmap of the full screen into the Windows clipboard. Start up a graphics editor and paste it in.
  • Alt + Print Screen will capture only the active window.

Increasing the Size of the Scroll Bar

How to adjust the width of the scroll bar:
  1. Select Properties
  2. Select the Appearance tab
  3. Go to the item list and find scrollbar.
  4. Increasing the value in the Size field will increase the scrollbar width.

Unable to Create Shortcuts on the Desktop

If you can't create shortcuts on your Desktop, you might have a corrupted registry.
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellNew\Command
  3. Make sure it has a value of:
  4. RunDLL32 AppWiz.Cpl,NewLinkHere %1 if you don't have IE 4
  5. or RunDLL32 AppWiz.Cpl,NewLinkHere %2 if you have IE 4.0 or IE 4.01

Removing the InBox from the Desktop

A faster way to remove "Inbox" from the Deskop is to
  1. Right mouse click on "Inbox"
  2. Select delete
  3. It will then tell you "you cannot store the inbox in the recycle bin. . .etc"
  4. Click "Yes"
  5. Wait 2 secs and it's gone.

Customizing Individual Folder Icons

To change a folder's icon:
  1. Open Notepad and enter two lines,[.ShellClassInfo]
    IconFile=file name,number
    (e.g. IconFile=C:\Icon\CustomFolder.ico,0)
  2. Save the file as DESKTOP.INI in the folder you wish to change.
  3. Click Start -> Run, type in the command line,
    ATTRIB +S "folder name"
    (e.g. ATTRIB +S "C:\Custom Folder")
  4. Open Explorer or My Computer and refresh (press F5 key).
This tip only work Windows 95/NT 4.0 + IE 4.0 with shell integration, or Windows 98/NT 5.0.

Removing the Recycle Bin

To remove Recycle Bin from the desktop:
  1. Run REGEDIT.
  2. Find NAMESPACE key in left pane (HKEY_Local_Macine \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Current Version \ Explorer \ Desktop \ Namespace)
  3. Expand NAMESPACE (click '+' box)
  4. Delete the value RECYCLE BIN in right pane

Adding Send To the Recycle Bin

Add a SHORTCUT TO THE RECYCLE BIN in your SEND TO folder.
That way you can just right click on a file you want to delete, and send it to the recycle bin without having to confirm each time.

Having Icons with No Name

Normally you have to have a name for an icon, just spaces are not allowed.
To create an icon with no name attached:
  1. Make sure NumLock is on
  2. Highlight the Icon you want to change
  3. Right-Mouse click and select Rename
  4. While holding down the Alt key, type 0160
  5. Now the icon will have no name below it.
To Create Multiple Icons with No Name - From John R.
  1. Follow directions detailed above
  2. With the second icon simply add one space-bar character AFTER the 0160 number.
  3. Each successive icon gets an additional space-bar character at the end (to prevent a duplicate naming error).

Moving the Start Button

How to move or close the start button!
  1. Click on the Start button
  2. Press the Esc key
  3. Press the Alt and the - keys together
  4. This will give you a menu, you can move or close
  5. But if you move it you need to use the arrow keys and not the mouse.

Aligning Drop-Down Menus to the Right

All dropdown menus can be aligned to the right.
This features becomes useful when trying to access
menus with submenus that appear directly to the right.
  1. Open the Registory editor (e.g. regedit.exe)
  2. Goto \\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
  3. Create a string entry called "MenuDropAlignment"
  4. Set its value to 1
  5. Reboot
Note: Will not work under NT 4.0.

Repositioning a Background Bitmap

Normally, you only options for displaying a background bitmap are tiled, centered, or stretch to fit (with the Plus Pack).
You can edit the registry and have a third option which is to place the bitmap anywhere on your screen by specifying the X and Y coordinates.
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER / Control Panel / Desktop
  3. Create new Strings called WallpaperOriginX and WallpaperOriginY
  4. Give them values to position them around your desktop
  5. The bitmap must be smaller than your desktop size

Changing Drive Icons

To change a drive's icon when you open My Computer
  1. Create a file called AUTORUN.INF on the root of your hard drive
  2. Enter the lines
[autorun]
ICON=Name of the ICON file
For the name of the icon file you can either specify the path and name (e.g. ICON=C:\WINDOWS\ICONS\MY_ICON.ICO) or
a specific icon in a library (e.g. ICON=ICONFILE.DLL,2)

Adding AnyFolder and Mail to SendTo

Previous examples of adding items to the SendTo usually require editing the Registry.
An easy way around this is to use the following methods.

To add ANYFOLDER:
  1. Open the Explorer
  2. Go to \Windows\SendTo
  3. Right click in the right hand panel
  4. Select New / Text Document
  5. Name it anything with a .otherfolder extension
When you want to send files to another folder:
  1. Select the files with Explorer
  2. Right Click
  3. Select Send to and the name you just created
  4. You them have the option of copying or moving the file to a folder of your choice
To add Mail:
  1. Open the Explorer
  2. Go to \Windows\SendTo
  3. Right click in the right hand panel
  4. Select New / Text Document
  5. Name it anything with a .MapiMail extension (ignore any warnings about the file extension)
When you want to Mail files as attachments:
  1. Select the files with Explorer
  2. Right Click
  3. Select Send to and the Mail name you just created
  4. This allows you to easily mail multiple files

Adding Shortcuts to Desktop Without "Shortcut To" text
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to:HKEY_USERS \ .Default \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer
  3. Add binary value to Explorer:link="00,00,00,00"
  4. Now You can make Shortcuts to desktop without Shortcut To" text.

Easier User Interface

Add a menu item named "Open THIS folder!" to each of your cascading menus off of the Start menu.
This makes it easier to put items wherever you want them!
  1. Go to Windows \ Start Menu \ Programs \ (etc.) in the Explorer
  2. Start right click/dragging folders to the desktop, one by one.
  3. Rename them and left click/drag them back to the same folder.
It takes a little while, but when you are finished you have a much easier interface to work with.

Removing the Start Button
  1. Click on the start menu button twice, so there is a dashed line around the button
  2. Press Alt and the minus sign
  3. Choose Close to make the start button disappear, or move to move it to the right!
Note : - You have to re-boot to get it back again, or:
  1. Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete
  2. Highlight Explorer
  3. Click on the End Task button
  4. Select No to doing a full shutdown
  5. Wait a few seconds and the click on the End Task button

Changing the clock to 24-Hour Time
  1. To change the display of the clock on the taskbar to 24-hour format:
  2. Open the Control Panel
  3. Double-click on the Regional Settings icon
  4. Click on the Time tab
  5. In the Time style section select H:mm:ss

Removing the InBox and Recycle Bin Icons from the Desktop

To remove the InBox from your desktop, without needing to run the Policy Editor:
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ explorer \ Desktop \ NameSpace
  3. Below that should be a few keys
  4. Rename the key {00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}. I usually put another character before or after the curly braces.
  5. Restart Windows and the InBox icon should be gone
  6. You can do the same for any other items you don't to show such as the Recycle Bin or The Internet icons

Changing or Removing the Start Menu Icons
  1. Download Microangelo and install it.
  2. Create a blank.ico file.
  3. Put it in a directory (C:\Windows. Then double click on the Microangelo Engineer to run it.
  4. When you get it up on the screen click on the "start" tab. You will see a list of all the icons in the start menu.
  5. Highlight the first one (programs) and select "Change". It will bring up a dialog box - select "browse".
  6. Go to the directory that contains the blank icon and select it. Hit OK until you get back to the main
  7. Engineer window and do all the rest exactly the same way.
  8. When you have finished changing them all to the blank icon, Hit "Apply".
  9. Hit your start button and look to see if all the icons are invisible. (They should be.)
  10. Close out Micro Engineer and you're finished.

Adding Drive to the SendTo List
  • I have recently found that if you want to send something from A: drive or from any where to any drive, you can just make a short cut of that drive in subdirectory SENDTO.
  • For example I have two hard drives, a Floppy Drive, and a CDROM
  • After I have make a copy of each of my drive I will be able to send a whole directory of E:\XXX from the CDROM drive to A: drive or any other drive that i have had made the short c t in the SENDTO subdir of WINDOWS.

Adding a Protected Briefcase

You can make your briefcase a shortcut on the on desktop so if you have multiple users on your PC and you don't want to have a password for your briefcase, you can at least protect it from inadvertent deletion by just making the briefcase a hidden file or in a different location other than \Windows\Desktop\My Briefcase, then send a copy or shortcut to the desktop.

Customizing the Start Button's Name and Icon

To change the name of the Start button:
  1. Copy EXPLORER.EXE in your Windows directory to another directory
  2. Start a hex editor (I've been using Diskedit from Norton)
  3. Edit EXPLORER.EXE
  4. Search for the string 53 00 74 00 61 00 72 00 74
  5. This is the word Start with the letters separated by a null character
  6. The section you are in should also have the words "There was an internal error..." also separated with the null character immediately following
  7. Now just replace the Start letters with any of your choice (up to 5 characters only)
  8. Exit Windows
  9. Boot to DOS
  10. Copy your new Explorer file over the original
To change the Start button icon:
  1. Copy USER.EXE in your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory to another directory
  2. Use an icon editor that can replace icons in executable files
  3. Edit USER.EXE and replace the flag icons with the icon of your choice
  4. Boot to DOS
  5. Copy the new USER.EXE
The same can be done with NT 4.0, just the offset will be different but the location to just before "There was an internal error..." is the same.

Adding the Device Manager to your Desktop

This allows you to quickly see all the devices attached to your computer.
I use it a lot to select Refresh when I add new external SCSI devices that were not
powered up at startup. This way you do not need to restart the computer. To add the Device Manager Icon:
  1. Right click on an open area of your desktop
  2. Select New / Shortcut
  3. Type in C:\WINDOWS\CONTROL SYSDM.CPL, SYSTEM, 1
  4. Replace C:\WINDOWS with whatever directory you installed Windows95
  5. Click on the Next box
  6. At the next dialog box type in Device Manager
  7. Click on the Finish when you are done
Note: Replacing the 1 with a 3 will bring up the Performance Status

Adding Options to the Right-Click of the Start Menu

To add an option to the Right-Click of the Start button:
  1. Go to Control Panel, View, Options
  2. Click on the File Types Tab
  3. Scroll down until you see File Folder
  4. Click on Edit
  5. Click on New
  6. Type in the Name you want to in the Action box
  7. Type in the Application you want to use
A good option to add is an MS-DOS Prompt:

Try this c:\command.com /k cd %1
It also puts the shortcut on a regular folder.
This command will open a DOS window with that folder as the current directory.

How to make the task bar autohide
  1. Click the right button on a blank area of the task bar
  2. Select Properties
  3. Select Autohide
  4. Click OK
This will make the task bar slide off the screen when the cursor moves away from it,
and it will slide back on when the cursor is moved near it again.

The same can be done for the MS Office task bar. The "sliding" effect is nice, and can free up some desktop space.

More Removing Shortcut Arrows

'lnkfile', 'piffle' and 'internetshortcut' are the three places
that I have seen the isshortcut arrow.
The best way to deal with this is to rename the 'isshortcut' to
'isshortcutbak' by right clicking on the 'isshortcut' then
select rename and add 'bak' to the end.

Closing Nested Folders

If you have several nested folders (folders within folders) and want to close them all,
simply, hold the Shift key while closing the last folder
This will close all previous ones as well.

Changing Application Icons

To have a wider choice of application icons:
  1. Right click on the icon shortcut
  2. Chose Properties
  3. Click on the Program tab
  4. Chose Change icon
  5. Click on Browse
  6. Select Files of type All Files
  7. Browse to the directory where your icon files are kept
  8. You can even use some bitmap files for you icons

Moving and Resizing the Taskbar

You can move the taskbar by pointing on a corner panel and dragging it
It is easier to move if you close all your windows first
You can also resize it by moving the mouse to the edge and dragging it larger or smaller.

Correcting Corrupted Fonts

If you have a problem with your non-true type fonts, here's what you do:
  1. Open the Control Panel
  2. Double click on Fonts
  3. Search for the "Monotype Sorts" font
  4. Delete this Font

Changing Desktop Folders - With No Registry Changes
  1. From the Explorer, create a folder somewhere OTHER than the desktop, and call it something like "Desktop Folders."
  2. Move all your desktop folders into that folder.
  3. Create shortcuts to all of those folders on your desktop.
  4. Now, you are free to change the icons of each shortcut individually, to anything you like!

Updating the Desktop

If you want to update the desktop, for example after you've been changing the registry.
  1. Right-Click anywhere on the desktop
  2. Press F5

Adding the Desktop to your Start Menu

Create a shortcut to the Explorer on your Desktop
  1. Right click on the Start button
  2. Choose Open
  3. Go into the Programs Folder
  4. Drag the Windows Explorer Icon on your Desktop using the RIGHT Mouse button
  5. Choose copy here
Change the command line switch
  1. Right click on the Shortcut you created
  2. Choose Properties
  3. Choose Shortcut
  4. Type in following command line as target:
    • C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE /n, /root,
    • The last "," is vital!
  5. If you want the two pane Explorer view ad the switch ,/e
  6. Then rename the Shortcut to "Desktop" or whatever you choose and drag the icon onto the start button.

Removing shortcut arrows

One problem when removing shortcut arrows is that
if you delete a desktop item, it will remove it.
If it is a shortcut it will just remove the icon.
If it is not a shortcut, then it will remove the program.
Having the little icon arrow is one way to tell the difference

Getting rid of Click Here to Continue
  1. Start the Registry Editor
  2. Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Policies / Explorer
  3. Create a binary value and call it NoStartBanner
  4. Double-click on it and give it a value of 01 00 00 00
  5. You will need to repeat the same steps for HKEY_USERS / .Default / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Policies / Explorer

Changing the Desktop and Explorer Folder Icons

The following steps will change the icon that is displayed as the default Folder icon.
  1. Start the Registry Editor.
  2. Search for "Shell Icons".
  3. This will bring you to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / explorer / Shell Icons.
  4. Double-click on the one has the value name of "3" in the right pane.
  5. Type in the new icon you want to use.
  6. If you have a DLL file specified, you need to count for the location of the particular icon you want to use, starting at 0.
  7. To reset the icon cache, use a program such as Tweak with comes with the PowerToys from Microsoft.
Note: I haven't experimented with too many of the other icon changes possible.

Adding Control Panel Icons to the Desktop

This is an easy one..
  1. Simply open up the Control Panel.
  2. Right Click and Drag the icon you want to your desktop or folder.
  3. This will create a shortcut for that icon.
  4. It could come in handy if there are always certain items you need to get to quickly.

Create a Control Panel menu directly below the Start Button
  1. Click the Start Button once with your right mouse button. You should see a right-button menu (called a context menu because it offers different choices in different contexts).
  2. You should see the items Open, Explore, and Find on the context menu. Click Explore with your left mouse button.
  3. An Explorer file management window should open. A directory tree should appear in the left pane, with the right pane displaying the contents of the Start Menu folder.
  4. Right-click any empty space within the right pane. A context menu should appear. Click New and then Folder.
  5. The Explorer will create a highlighted icon called New Folder. Type in the following string, all on one line, replacing the words New Folder with this new line. You must type the period, the curly braces, all four hyphens, and the hexadecimal numbers exactly as shown. After the closing curly brace, press Enter.
    Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
Other Folders can be added following the same instructions.
  • Dial-Up Networking.{992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48}
  • Printers.{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
  • Inbox.{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
  • My Computer.{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
  • Recycle Bin.{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
  • Network Neighborhood.{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
  • Desktop.{00021400-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
  • Briefcase.{85BBD920-42A0-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D}
  • Fonts.{BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948F534}

Minimizing All Windows

To minimize all windows:
  1. Press Ctrl-ESC ESC to bring up the Task Bar
  2. Right Mouse Click on an open area of the Task Bar
  3. Select Minimize all Windows
This makes it a lot easier to minimize windows when all your open applications are full screen.
With the Microsoft Keyboard, you can accomplish the same thing by pressing the Window-M key.

Removing the Shortcut Icon Arrows
  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

Turning on AutoArrange for Folders

To make all folders keep AutoArrange turned on:
  1. Open up an existing folder
  2. Select View / Arrange
  3. Arrange the Icons the way you would like, (e.g. Name, Size,etc.)
  4. Select View / Arrange again
  5. Select AutoArrange
  6. Press the Ctrl-key while you close the window.
  7. This folder should now have AutoArrange always selected.
This should allow you to create new folders that have AutoArrange selected by default.
You only need to specify by Name, Size, etc. if you want to change it from the default you set above.
Note: I have only tested this on a few computers. Please give me feedback regarding any problems.

Creating Document Scraps

If you are using Microsoft Word 7.0,
you can highlight a section of the document then drag and drop the highlighted area to
your desktop. Windows will create a file for you with a name something like
"Document Scrap From..." followed by the first few words you selected

Quick Access to Your Desktop

How do you access your darn desktop when you have a ton of applications open?
Well you could right click on the taskbar and do a minimize all, but that can be slow.
Instead:
  1. Open a browser window (double-click on "My Computer")
  2. If there is no toolbar, select View from the menu and select Toolbar.
  3. Then from the dropdown list-box in the toolbar select desktop.
  4. Now minimize it and forget about it.
  5. The next time you want to access your desktop just click the desktop window on the taskbar.
  6. As long as you don't close the window when you shutdown, it will reopen when you start windows again.
Note : You can also drag the Desktop folder to the start menu.
Then you just press Ctrl-ESC and click on Desktop

Restoring Corrupted Icons
  • If you use a graphic Card and you change the resolution, sometimes the icons are bad.
  • End Win95 and restart. When you see the starting message press F8 then type standard.
  • After this start of Win95 exit and restart.
  • Change back to your Resolution and restart.
  • The icons should be corrected.

Turn Off Window Animation

You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize windows.
This tip makes navigating Windows 95 a lot faster especially for those that don't have
super fast video cards.
  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
  11. Close Regedit and all programs then reboot.

Renaming the Recycle Bin
  1. Start the Registry Editor
  2. Type Ctrl-F to bring up the Find Menu
  3. In the Find What box type Recycle
  4. Double click on the Recycle Bin in the right pane
  5. Type in the new name under Value Data
  6. Restart Win95

Turning off Desktop Icons

If you want to turn off all the icons on your desktop:
  1. Start the System Policy Editor
  2. Select File / Open Registry
  3. Select Local User
  4. Select Shell / Restrictions
  5. Select Hide all items on Desktop
All Icons will now be hidden.
Note: One side effect is the your CD will no longer automatically play when it is inserted.

Adding in Old Windows Groups

If you are setup to dual boot between your old Win 3.x and want to add in the old groups, just click on the *.GRP file in your old windows directory. The programs will be added to your list under Programs in the task bar.
Note: Any DLL's the programs require will need to be copied.

To speed up the Start Menu
  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

To change the My Computer or Recycle Bin icon
  1. Open Regedit
  2. Find My Computer or Recycle Bin
  3. Tab to the left panel
  4. Double click on the highlighted line
  5. Double click on DefaultIcon in the left panel
  6. Double click on DefaultIcon right panel
  7. Type in the value for the new icon
  8. Note: DLL files can be used. Specify the location of the new icon with the filename,#

Remove the tildes in short filenames
  1. Open Regedit
  2. Go to Hkey_Local_Machine\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem
  3. Right Click on the Right pane
  4. Select New / Hex
  5. Add the value NameNumericTail= 0

To remove the Network Neighborhood Icon
  1. Start POLEDIT. It is on the CD in \Admin\Apptools\Poledit
  2. Open Registry
  3. Select LocalUser
  4. Select Shell
  5. Select Restrictions
  6. Select Hide Network Neighborhood

To change the Startup and Logoff screens

Startup Screen
  • Create a 320x400 bitmap in the root directory and name it LOGO.SYS
  • You can use LOGOW.SYS file in the Windows directory as a starter
Logoff Screens
  1. There are several files called LOGOX.SYS
  2. They are actually bitmaps 320x400 that just have a different extension
  3. The hidden one in the root directory LOGO.SYS is the startup logo.
  4. There are two files in the Windows directory.
  5. LOGOW.SYS is the Wait while Shutting down ... screen
  6. LOGOS.SYS is the You may now shut-off or Reboot screen
  7. To edit them, rename them with a BMP extension and use your favorite graphic editor
  8. You can edit these files or create you own
  9. They just need to be the same size

Read more>>

Monday, February 25, 2008

Registry Tips


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
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 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

Allowing Network Access with Blank Passwords (XP and Vista)

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

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_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions
  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
  4. Give it a value of 1

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.

Turning off System Beeps

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

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

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_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
"MSConfig"=-

would delete the value MSCONFIG.

Setting the Recycle Bin to Always Delete

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

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

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

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

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
  4. Give it a value of 16
  5. Now when you select cells, they will be white on black.

Changing Common Icons

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
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

Prevent Changes to the Start Menu

To prevent any changes to the Start Menu, even a right click:
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer
  3. Add a DWORD called NoChangeStartMenu
  4. Give it a value of 1
Download reg file

DOS Restrictions

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

There are general restrictions you can make in Networking
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_Current_User / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Policies
  3. Create a new key under Policies called Network
  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
  • 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

There are many general restrictions you can make to the Control Panel
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_Current_User / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Policies
  3. Create a new keys under Policies called System
  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
  • 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

There are many general restrictions you can make to the Start Menu, the Explorer and to the Desktop itself.
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_Current_User / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Policies
  3. There should already be at least a Explorer section there already
  4. Additional keys that can be created under Policies are WinOldApp
  5. You can then add DWORD values set to 1 in the appropriate keys
  6. 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
  • 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

Changing Office 2000's Excel Undo History

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

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

Eliminating the Right Click on the Taskbar

To eliminate the right click on the taskbar:
Start Regedit
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer
  3. Add a DWORD and give it a name of NoTrayContextMenu
  4. Give it a value of 1
  5. Reboot
Download reg file

Eliminating the Right Click on the Desktop

To eliminate the right click on the desktop:
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer
  3. Add a DWORD and give it a name of NoViewContextMenu
  4. Give it a value of 1
  5. Reboot
Download reg file

Turning Off the Help on Min, Max, Close Icons

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
  4. Give it a value of 1
  5. Reboot
Download reg file

Adding Open With to the Right Click in the Explorer

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:\WINDOWS\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,OpenAs_RunDLL %1

Automatically Deleting a Registry Key

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

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

Renaming the File System Profiles

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

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
  4. Give it a value of 65534
Download reg file

Automatic Shutdown with Windows NT

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

Kill Hung Processes When Logging Off in Windows NT

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.

NT Crash Log File

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.

You can also make NT log the crash in the event log by changing the value of

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.

Changing the Location of Outlook Express Data Files

Normally Outlook Express keeps its data files in the C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook 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

To stop the cursor from blinking in applications such as Word:
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
  3. Add a String Value
  4. Name it CursorBlinkRate
  5. Give it a value of -1
  6. Reboot the computer
Download reg file

Re-Enabling DHCP Error Messages

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
  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
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"

Hiding Any Combination of Drives

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

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

Creating a Legal Text Notice Before Logon

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.

Removing the Hand Icon from Shared Resources

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".

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\SERIALV000
  3. Change DoubleClick to equal 001

Easily Opening a File with Notepad

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:\WINDOWS\NOTEPAD.EXE "%1"

Displaying Hi-Color Icons without the Plus Pack
  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

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
  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

Opening a DOS Window to either the Drive or Directory in Explorer

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]
@="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

Compacting the Registry

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

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

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
  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

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 files\internet explorer\iexplore.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

Adding Explore From Here to Every Folder
  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

Saving Desktop Settings

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.

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

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

If you want to create a Network Logon Banner:
  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go To HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
  3. Create a new String called LegalNoticeCaption
  4. Enter the text for your banner

Creating a Default File Opener

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:\WINDOWS\NOTEPAD.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.

Deleting Registry Keys from the Command Line

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

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

Disable Password Caching

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_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

    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

    Adding Items to the Start Button

    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:\MSOFFICE\WINWORD\WINWORD.EXE

    Removing 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. 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.

    Removing Items from NEW

    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

    Changing the Telnet Scroll-Back Buffer Size

    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.

    Changing the Tips of the Day

    You can edit the Tips of the day in the Registry by going to:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ explorer \ Tips

    Disabling Drives in My Computer

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

    Not Displaying the Network Neighborhood
    1. Start Regedit
    2. Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer
    3. Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD
    4. Name it NoNetHood
    5. Give it a value of 1
    6. Logoff or Reboot the computer
    Download reg file

    Disabling Run or Find from the Start Menu
    1. Start Regedit
    2. Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer
    3. Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD
    4. Name it NoFile or NoRun
    5. Give it a value of 1
    6. Logoff or Reboot the computer
    Download reg for no_file
    Download reg for no_run

    Hiding All Icons from the Desktop
    1. Start Regedit
    2. Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer
    3. Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD
    4. Name it NoDesktop
    5. Give it a value of 1
    6. Logoff or Reboot the computer
    7. Now all icons are hidden on the desktop.
    Download reg file

    Get Your Folders to Open the Way You Want Every Time

    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_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.
    4. Go to NoSaveSettings
    5. Modify and change Value to 1

    Modifying Default Desktop 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
    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)
    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

    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

    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.

    Disabling My Computer

    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.

    Changing Desktop Icons

    You can change many of the icons that are located on your desktop.
    1. Start Regedit
    2. Search for My Computer or 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D
    3. Expand that key
    4. Highlight Default Icon
    5. Double click on the Default in the right panel
    6. 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

    Opening Explorer from My Computer

    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

    Fixing Corrupt Registry

    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 \WINDOWS\SYSTEM.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

    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_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\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}]
    @="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

    Setting the Minimum Password Length
    1. Start Regedit
    2. Go to HKLM,SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network
    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.

    Disabling File and Print Sharing
    1. Start Regedit
    2. Go to HKLM,SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network
    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.

    Specifying programs to run every time Windows95 starts

    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
    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

    Turn Off Window Animation

    You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize windows.
    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.
    Download reg file

    To speed up the Start Menu
    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

    Changing your Modem's Initialization String
    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

    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

    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.

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