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Remove XP's Built-in CD Burning Capabilities!
This registry hack will remove Windows XP's built-in CD Burning
capabilities, and let you remove all features in Windows Explorer that
allows you to use a CD writer.
1. Start the Registry Editor
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \
CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer
3. From the menu select Edit > New > DWORD Value
4. Name the new value NoCDBurning
5. Right-click the NoCDBurning value and choose Modify
6. In the Value Data: box enter 1
7. Exit the registry editor
8. Log off, or restart Windows for the changes to take effect
To reverse, just delete the new NoCDBurning value.
Note: This setting does not prevent users from using third-party
applications to create or modify CDs using a CD writer.
To Start the Registry Editor:
Click on Start > Run, type Regedit and press OK
Note:
Be very careful while you are running the registry editor.
You can easily render your machine unable to boot if you play with
settings you aren't familiar with!
Top!
Add A Warning Message To Be Displayed When A User Logs
On To Your Windows XP Computer!
Some users might interpret the "Welcome" logon dialog box as an
invitation to breach system security. Although you cannot change the
"Welcome" caption in the box, you can display a warning message box.
To enable display of a warning message, make the following changes in
the registry:
1. Start Registry Editor (Regedit).
2. Locate the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subtree, and then go to the following
key:
SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
3. Add or modify the following values:
Name
Data Type
Value
-------------------------------------------------------------------
LegalNoticeCaption
REG_SZ Dialog
Caption
LegalNoticeText
REG SZ
Dialog Message
For example, the "LegalNoticeCaption" can be "Important Notice:" and the
"LegalNoticeText" can be "No unauthorized access is allowed".
The user sees this dialog box after the user presses CTRL+ALT+DEL and
before the user sees the logon dialog box. The user can click OK in the
message box and log on normally.
Quit Registry Editor.
WARNING:
If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems
that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Use Registry
Editor at your own risk.
Top!
Learn How To Disable Windows Messenger!
Windows Messenger is a simple yet useful application for instant
messaging (IM). However, if you use a different IM application, such as
ICQ, you may want to prevent Windows Messenger from automatically
running.
There are several ways you can disable Windows Messenger. For Windows XP
Professional computers that run Windows Messenger versions 4.0 and up,
use the Group Policy Editor. Here's how:
1. Run Gpedit.msc.
2. Drill down to Local Computer Policy | Computer Configuration |
Administrative Templates | Windows Components | Windows Messenger.
3. Select Do Not Allow Windows Messenger To Run.
4. Within the dialog box, choose Enabled.
5. Click OK and close all the remaining windows.
To disable Windows Messenger, versions 4.5 and up, for Windows XP
Professional and Home Edition computers, you can edit the registry.
Follow these steps:
1. Run Regedit.exe.
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft.
3. On the Edit menu, highlight New and click Key. Type Messenger in the
dialog box.
4. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Messenger.
5. Create another key with the name Client.
6. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Messenger\Client.
7. On the Edit menu, highlight New and select DWORD Value. Type
PreventRun for the DWORD Value name. Double-click this newly created
value and type 1 in the Value data box.
8. Click OK.
9. Exit the Registry Editor and close Windows Messenger.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before making any changes.
Top!
Disable The Prefetcher Component When Troubleshooting
Startup Problems In XP!
As you may know, Windows XP has a memory management component called the
Prefetcher. By design, this component shortens the amount of time that
it takes Windows and the most often used applications to start up.
In order to accomplish this feat, the Prefetcher goes to work during the
startup routine. However, this component can get in the way when you're
troubleshooting startup problems.
If this happens, you may want to disable the Prefetcher. Follow these
steps:
1. Open the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\
Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters.
3. Double-click the EnablePrefetcher value.
4. In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, change the Value Data setting
from 3 to 0.
5. Close the Registry Editor, and restart Windows XP for the change to
take effect.
When you've finished troubleshooting the startup problem, be sure to go
back to the Registry Editor, and change the value of EnablePrefetcher
back to 3.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Disable The Log Off And Turn Off Computer Buttons In
XP!
Do you support users who, regardless of what you tell them, insist on
logging off or shutting down public computers in common areas? If so,
you'll be glad to know that you can disable the Log Off and Turn Off
Computer buttons on the Start menu.
Follow these steps:
1. Open the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.
3. Right-click the Explorer key, and select New | DWORD value.
4. Name the value StartMenuLogoff, and press [Enter] twice to access the
Edit DWORD Value dialog box.
5. Type 1 in the Value Data text box, and click OK.
6. Right-click the Explorer key, and select New | DWORD value.
7. Name the value NoClose, and press [Enter] twice to access the Edit
DWORD Value dialog box.
8. Type 1 in the Value Data text box, and click OK.
9. Close the Registry Editor.
At this point, both the Log Off and Turn Off Computer buttons are still
on the Start menu, so click the Log Off button and then log back on.
When you need to shut down the computer, launch the Registry Editor, and
change the values to 0.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified
backup before making any changes.
Top!
Increase The Priority Of The Print Spooler In Windows
XP!
By default, the print spooler runs at the same priority as other
services. However, if you have a system that you use primarily for
printing, you can increase the print spooler's priority by performing
the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print registry
subkey.
3. From the Edit menu, select New, DWORD Value.
4. Enter the name SpoolerPriority, then press Enter.
5. Double-click the new value, then set it to 1 (0 is the default
value).
6. Click OK.
7. Reboot the machine for the change to take effect.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified
backup before making any changes.
Top!
Change Explorer's Hot Tracking Color In Windows XP!
When you hover over an object in Windows Explorer, Windows XP underlines
it and changes its color. If you select an object, XP highlights it with
the same color. This is called the Hot Tracking Color, and it's designed
to help you keep track of the objects you're working with.
If the default color is too subtle, you can change the shade of the Hot
Tracking Color by tweaking a registry setting. Here's how:
1. Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Colors.
3. Double-click the HotTrackingColor string value.
4. Type a new red green blue (RGB) code in the Value Data text box.
An RGB code is a standard that computers use to display different
colors. The value of each number in the code varies from 0 to 255, and
the code specifies how much red, green, and blue is used to create the
color. To set the Hot Tracking Color to red, specify an RGB code of 255
0 0. For dark orange, change the RGB code to 255 140 0.
You can find numerous RGB codes by using Paint's Edit Colors tool.
Follow these steps:
1. From the Start menu, open Paint.
2. From the Colors menu, select Edit Colors.
3. Click the Define Custom Colors button.
4. Select a box in the palette, and take note of the values in the Red,
Green, and Blue boxes.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Altering The Windows XP Registration Information!
When you install Windows XP, the installation procedure prompts you to
enter your user name and a company name. Then, this information displays
on the General tab of the System Properties dialog box under the
Registered To heading.
Unfortunately, Windows XP doesn't provide you with a tool for changing
this registration information. However, you can alter the registration
information by editing the registry. Follow these seven steps to alter
the information:
1. Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current
Version.
3. Locate and double-click the RegisteredOwner value.
4. When you see the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, change the Value Data
setting to whatever user name you want, and click OK.
5. Locate and double-click the RegisteredOrganization value.
6. When you see the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, change the Value Data
setting to whatever company name you want, and click OK.
7. Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows XP in order for the
changes to take effect.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified
backup before saving any changes.
Top!
Change The Logon Screen Saver In Windows XP!
After the Windows XP system boots up, it will prompt you to select a
user account from the Logon screen. If you don't log on within 10
minutes, the OS automatically runs the logon screen saver, which
consists of the XP logo floating around on a black background.
To configure your XP system to use a different screen saver, perform
this simple registry edit:
1 Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2 Go to HK_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop
3 Double-click the SCRNSAVE.EXE string value.
4 In the Edit String dialog box, type the name of the replacement screen
saver in the Value Data text box and click OK.
5 Close the Registry Editor.
6 Restart Windows XP.
Now, when your system boots, the new screen saver will appear after the
system is idle for 10 minutes.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Automatically Clean Up Roaming Profiles In XP!
User profiles are downloaded from the server to the local machine when a
roaming user logs on to a system. When the roaming user logs off, the
system saves a copy of the user's roaming profile in a special cache on
the local hard drive.
This cache helps the user log on to the system in the event that the
server that stores the roaming profile is slow to respond or unavailable
when the user logs on again. However, when many roaming users access the
same system, the roaming profile cache on the local hard drive can
become quite large.
Here's how to automatically delete the roaming profile when the roaming
user logs off:
1. Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon.
3. Right-click the Winlogon key, and select New | DWORD value.
4. Name the value DeleteRoamingCache, and press [Enter] twice to access
the Edit DWORD Value dialog box.
5. Type 1 in the Value Data text box, and click OK.
6. Close the Registry Editor.
You may need to restart the system or log out of Windows XP for the
change to take effect.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Restoring The Open Command In Windows XP!
Normally, the default action for any file type is Open, unless another
action is specified. In some Windows XP and Windows 2000 installations,
this is apparently not the case. If you add a new action and it
unexpectedly becomes the default, you can usually repair the problem by
explicitly setting the default on the File Types tab of Explorer's
Folder Options dialog.
This particular case is more difficult, because a folder on disk gets
its context-menu commands from two file types, Folder and File Folder.
The Open action resides under the Folder file type, and that's why you
don't see it under File Folder.
You can fix the problem with a Registry tweak.
Launch REGEDIT and navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell.
Double-click on the (Default) value in the right-hand pane and set its
data to open.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Enable Advanced File-system And Sharing Security
For A Windows XP Machine In A Workgroup!
When an XP machine belongs to a domain with shared resources, a Security
tab appears on the Properties dialog box for the file, folder, or share.
You can use this tab to assign advanced sharing permissions. However,
this tab is missing for XP machines that belong to a workgroup.
A new feature in XP effectively logs all remote logons in a workgroup as
Guest, regardless of the account and password credentials that the
remote computer passes. (This approach avoids the need for different
machines in a workgroup to replicate local accounts, which is the method
Windows 2000 uses to enable transparent sharing.) XP locks down the
Everyone group (of which Guest belongs) permissions, which cuts down on
the security problems that existed in Win2K as a result of enabling the
Guest account. Because all machines in a workgroup are effectively Guest
connections, the advanced security features aren't very useful, which is
why Microsoft disabled them in XP.
If you want to enable advanced file-system and sharing security, you
must disable the ForceGuest registry setting by performing the following
steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa registry subkey.
3. Double-click "forceguest," set it to 0, then click OK.
4. Restart the computer for the change to take effect.
If you disable the Guest account but enable the ForceGuest setting,
remote connections will fail, regardless of what username and password
the user passes in--even if these credentials are valid.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
To Prevent Windows XP From Reminding You To Enter
Microsoft NET Passport Details!
After you install XP, the OS prompts you to enter a .NET Passport
account to enable access to certain Internet communication features.
To turn off this reminder, perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MessengerService registry subkey.
3. If the PassportBalloon registry value doesn't already exist, go to
the Edit menu; select New, Binary Value; enter a name of PassportBalloon;
then press Enter.
4. Double-click the PassportBalloon value, set it to 0A 00 00 00, then
click OK.
5. Close the registry editor.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Modify The Date Format On A Windows Machine For
New Users!
New users inherit the date format values that were established for the
default user when Windows was installed on the machine. To modify the
date format (e.g., so that the date appears as day/month/year instead of
month/day/year), perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\International
registry subkey.
3. Double-click sShortDate.
4. Set the value to the date format desired (e.g., dd/mm/yyyy),
then click OK. You can also modify the sLongDate value to change the
long date format (e.g., dd/mmmm/yyyy), then click OK.
5. Close the registry editor.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Keep The Core System In RAM With Windows XP!
Windows XP takes portions of the operating system, applications, and
data files that aren't currently needed in RAM and temporarily stores
the data on the hard disk in the paging file. During a normal computing
session, Windows regularly moves data back and forth from RAM and the
paging file.
If you have a considerable amount of RAM in your system--512 MB or
more--you can improve system performance by preventing the OS from
sending user-mode and kernel-mode drivers, as well as kernel-mode system
code, to the paging file.
You can do so by changing a setting in the registry. Here's how:
1. Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\
Session Manager\Memory Management.
3. Double-click DisablePagingExecutive DWORD value.
4. Change the value in the Value Data text box from 0 to 1, and click
OK.
5. Close the Registry Editor.
You may need to restart the system or log out of Windows XP for the
change to take effect.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before making any changes.
Top!
Disable The 8.3 Filename Creation Process!
Are you using the NTFS file system on your hard disk? If you've ever
used the DIR command along with the /x parameter in a command prompt
window, you've seen firsthand that Windows XP creates an 8.3 filename
for each long filename that you create. The OS does this to maintain
backwards compatibility with older 16-bit applications.
However, the process of creating and maintaining 8.3 filenames adds a
lot of overhead that can significantly degrade the overall performance
of the NTFS file system. Chances are good that you're not using any of
these older 16-bit applications, so why suffer the performance hit?
Here's how to disable the 8.3 filename creation process:
1. Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\
Control\FileSystem.
3. Double-click the NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation value.
4. Type 1 in the Value Data text box, and click OK.
5. Close the Registry Editor, and restart the computer.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before making any changes.
Top!
Turn Off the "Low Disk Space" Warning!
Windows XP will warn you when one of your hard drives has less than
200MB of free space. It will continue to warn you at predefined
intervals, and the balloons will remain open for 30 seconds when you
have less than 80MB of space.
If you're well aware that you're low on space and don't want to be
repeatedly reminded, click on Start | Run, type Regedit, and click on
OK. Browse to HKEY_CURRENT _USER\ Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. If there's no DWORD value there,
create a new one called NoLowDiskSpaceChecks.
Once you are in the Explorer folder, select Edit from the menu, select
New, and choose DWORD value. Now double-click on the new DWORD and
assign it the value 1. Log off and log on once more, and you won't
receive the warning again. Note that the warning will be turned off for
all your hard drives.
Top!
Disable XP Tool Tips!
This is a Registry hack. Don't make any changes to the Windows Registry
unless you know what you're doing and feel comfortable making the
changes.
Click Start, Run, and type "regedit" (without quotation marks).
Navigate to this path:
HKEY_USERSDEFAULTControl PanelDesktop
Double-click the User Preference Mask and change the data value to 3E 00
00 00
Make sure the numbers are typed correctly and click OK.
Exit the Registry Editor and restart your computer.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Hide Drive Letters In My Computer!
Have you ever needed to hide a drive on a system? For example, suppose
you manage a system shared by multiple users in a public area, and you
keep diagnostic and management applications on a separate drive.
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to hide that drive from users to prevent
any mischievous exploration? You can do so with a simple registry edit.
Follow these steps:
1. Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.
3. Right-click the Servers key, and select New | DWORD value.
4. Name the value NoDrives.
5. Press [Enter] twice to open the Edit DWORD Value dialog box.
6. Using the list below, type a number that corresponds to the drive you
want to hide in the Value Data text box, and click OK.
A: 1
B: 2
C: 4
D: 8
E: 16
F: 32
Close the Registry Editor.
You must restart the system or log out of Windows XP in order for the
change to take effect.
To hide other drive letters that we didn't list, follow the pattern of
doubling the number for each successive drive. For example, drive G:
would have a value of 64.
To hide multiple drives, add the values together. For example, to hide
drives A: and B:, use a value of 3. If you want to hide all drive
letters, use a value of 67108864.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before making any changes.
Top!
Remove The Content Advisor Password In Internet
Explorer!
The following steps will remove any password set in the Internet
Explorer Content Advisor and allow you to reset the program to its
original state.
1. Click on Start and choose Run.
2. Type in RegEdit and select OK.
3. Now click on the little plus sign to the left of H_KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
4. Continue to drill down, always clicking on the plus sign at the left
of the named key, through Software, Microsoft, Windows, Current Version
and Policies.
5. Now click on the Ratings folder.
6. In the right pane of the RegEdit window, you'll see an icon called
Key. Click on it and press Delete.
7. Next, choose Registry and then Exit to exit RegEdit. You've just
deleted your original Content Advisor password.
8. Restart the computer and run Internet Explorer again.
9. Choose View and then Internet Options (or Options for version 3.x).
For IE 5 or greater, Click on Tools, Internet Options.
10. Click on the Content tab and click on Disable. When asked for a
password, don't enter anything; just click on OK. This will disable
Content Advisor because there's no longer a password.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before making any changes.
Top!
Remove The Recycle Bin's Properties Context Menu
Item!
To remove the Recycle Bin's Properties context menu item and restrict
users from changing the configuration, perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
registry subkey.
3. From the Edit menu, select New, DWORD Value.
4. Enter the name NoPropertiesRecycleBin, then press Enter.
5. Double-click the new value, set it to 1, then click OK.
6. Close the registry editor.
7. Log off and log on for the change to take effect.
You can set this registry entry for all users of a machine by navigating
to the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
registry subkey and following Steps 3 through 7.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before making any changes.
Top!
When You Attempt To Install A Program On A
Windows XP System You May Receive An Error!
When you attempt to install a program on a Windows XP system that you
upgraded from Windows Me or Windows 98 Second Edition (Win98SE), You may
receive an error.
The full error that I am referring to is Error 1606. Could not access
network location <Common Administrative Tools>.All users\.
To resolve this error, perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders registry subkey.
3. Double-click the Common Administrative Tools registry entry.
4. Change the value to %USERPROFILE%\StartMenu\Programs\Administrative
Tools.
5. Click OK.
6. Close the registry editor.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before making any changes.
Top!
Disable The Windows XP Tour Prompt!
As you may know, when you install Windows XP on a computer, it prompts
you to take the Windows XP Tour. This prompt appears as a balloon that
pops up from the Windows XP Tour icon in the notification area of the
taskbar. By default, the prompt appears the first three times that
someone logs on to the system.
If you've been using Windows XP for a while but have recently
reinstalled the operating system, you may find this prompt annoying. If
so, you can prevent it from appearing.
Follow these steps:
1. Open the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Applets\Tour.
3. Double-click the RunCount DWORD value.
4. Enter 0 in the Value Data text box, and click OK.
5. Close the Registry Editor, and restart Windows XP.
If you're installing Windows XP on a computer for a novice user and you
want to increase the likelihood that he or she will take the Windows XP
Tour, you can enter a higher number in the RunCount Value Data text box.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Disable The Log Off And Turn Off Computer
Buttons!
Do you support users who, regardless of what you tell them, insist on
logging off or shutting down public computers in common areas? If so,
you'll be glad to know that you can disable the Log Off and Turn Off
Computer buttons on the Start menu.
Follow these steps:
1. Open the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.
3. Right-click the Explorer key, and select New | DWORD value.
4. Name the value StartMenuLogoff, and press [Enter] twice to access the
Edit DWORD Value dialog box.
5. Type 1 in the Value Data text box, and click OK.
6. Right-click the Explorer key, and select New | DWORD value.
7. Name the value NoClose, and press [Enter] twice to access the Edit
DWORD Value dialog box.
8. Type 1 in the Value Data text box, and click OK.
9. Close the Registry Editor.
At this point, both the Log Off and Turn Off Computer buttons are still
on the Start menu, so click the Log Off button and then log back on.
When you need to shut down the computer, launch the Registry Editor, and
change the values to 0.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Track Down Default Registry Values In Windows
XP!
As you know, dealing with the Windows registry can be a harrowing
experience. Not only is editing the registry potentially dangerous, but
it can also be confusing.
For example, have you ever been on a registry editing expedition in the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER branch and forgot the default values for the section
you were changing? The next time you have a similar experience, try
this: You can find the default values for most of the settings in the
HKEY_CURRENT
_USER branch in the HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT branch of the registry. This is
the part of the registry that Windows XP uses as a template when you
create new user accounts.
For example, suppose you've customized Windows Explorer's Hot Tracking
Color by altering the RGB value stored in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control
Panel\Colors\HotTrackingColor subkey. But now you want to revert back to
the default color.
You can track down the RGB values for the default color by navigating to
the HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Colors\HotTrackingColor value. You
can then copy the default value from this subkey and paste it into the
key that you've altered. Doing this will return the settings to their
original configuration.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Saving Desktop Settings In Windows XP!
If you desktop or folders on your desktop do not retain their settings:
Start Regedit
1. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Program
Manager\Restrictions
2. Create or edit the DWORD value NoSaveSettings
3. Give it a value of 0
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Speed Up Your Network Places in Windows XP!
Advanced User's Please!
When using Windows XP's My Network Places to access shared resources on
computers running older versions of the Windows operating system, you
may have noticed that the process can be excruciatingly slow. What's the
reason for this slowdown? By default, Windows XP scans all remote
computers for scheduled tasks--a neat, but seldom used, feature.
However, you can override this configuration with a simple registry
edit. Follow these steps:
1. Open the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/ Current
Version/Explorer/RemoteComputer/NameSpace.
3. Under the NameSpace branch, locate the subkey named
{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}.
4. To make a backup copy of this key, right-click the key, and select
Export.
5. In the Export Registry File dialog box, select a folder, and give the
file a descriptive name.
6. Right-click the key, and select Delete.
7. Close the Registry Editor, and restart Windows XP for the change to
take effect.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Bind More Than One IP Address To A
Single NIC In Windows 98!
In unusual circumstances, you may need to bind more than one statically
assigned IP address to a single network interface card (NIC) in a
Windows 9x computer. The graphical user interface (GUI) of the Networks
applet in Control Panel accepts only one IP address and associated
subnet mask, but you can enter more addresses directly into the
registry.
Follow these steps to assign more than one IP address via the registry:
1. Open the registry (Regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\NetTrans\.
3. If the PC has only one network card, the active key should be 0000.
This key should have values of IPAddress and IPMask set to the PC's
current address and mask.
Add to the values in the IPaddress key by placing a comma with no extra
spaces between each IP address, such as "192.168.0.122,10.10.10.5."
Enter a subnet mask for each IP address in the IPMask key, so that pairs
can be built.
Separate each value with a comma and no additional spaces, such as
"255.255.255.0,255.0.0.0."
4. Close the registry and restart the computer.
To switch between and view the IP addresses, use the builder button in
Winipcfg.exe.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Encrypt Or Decrypt A File Or Folder
Using The Shortcut Menu!
If your drives are formatted with NTFS, you have the option of using
encryption. Windows XP uses the Encrypting File System (EFS) which lets
you encrypt your folders and files for increased security. Normally to
encrypt a folder or file, you would have to do so from the folder or
file's properties window and access the advanced attributes.
This tip adds the encrypt and decrypt options to the shortcut menu for a
folder or file.
Of Course, A Word Of Caution: the following steps do require you to
modify the registry, so proceed carefully: I recommend that you backup
the Registry anytime you are making changes.
1. Click Start, point to run, and type regedit.
2. Within the Registry Editor, navigate to the following subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced.
3. Click the Edit menu, point to New, and select Dword value.
4. Type in EncryptionContextMenu. Configure the value as 1.
You should now be able to encrypt or decrypt any of your folders and
files using the shortcut menu.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Disable Shared Documents In Windows XP!
To disable the Shared Documents folder that shows up on the network
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \
CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer \
3. Create a new DWORD Value
4. Give it the name NoSharedDocuments
5. Give it a value of 1
6. Log off or reboot
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Disable The Remote Desktop Sharing (RDS) Icon's
Menu!
To Disable the Remote Desktop Sharing (RDS) icon's menu:
1. Start regedit.exe
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Conferencing\Mcpt
3. Create a new string value (Click on Edit > New > String Value).
4. Name the value Nx
5. Double-click on it and set it's value to 1
6. Close the registry
Now the menu options will be grayed out.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Enable Or Disable the Task Manager In Windows
XP!
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
3. Create the Dword value DisableTaskMgr
4. Give it a value of 0 to enable it
5. Give it a value of 1 to disable it
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Configure The Logon Screensaver In Windows
2000!
By default, Windows 2000 uses a logon screensaver that prompts you to
press [Ctrl][Alt][Delete] to log on after 15 minutes. You can configure
options for the logon screensaver, including which screensaver Windows
uses and its timeout interval, by modifying the registry.
To specify the screensaver, open the Registry Editor and change the
following value to the screensaver executable file:
HKEY_USERS\DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop\SCRNSAVE.EXE
By default, Windows looks for the screensaver file in the %systemroot%\System32
folder. If the file is located elsewhere, specify an explicit path.
To change the screensaver's timeout value, modify the following registry
value. The default value is 900 seconds (15 minutes).
HKEY_USERS\DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop\ScreenSaveTimeOut
You can also use this value to disable the screensaver. Simply set the
ScreenSaveActive value to 0. Set the value of ScreenSaverIsSecure to 1
to require a password to turn off the screensaver and log on.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Hiding The Windows Version On The Desktop In
XP!
If your version of Windows XP is displaying on the desktop and you would
like to remove it:
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop
3. Edit or Create the DWORD entry PaintDesktopVersion
4. A value of 0 will hide the version from the desktop
5. Logoff or reboot
To make this change for all future users, edit
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop in the same manner.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Restoring Access To CD ROMs
If after you remove CD Burning software, you can no longer access your
CD ROM's, the following registry keys need to be deleted:
Locate and delete the UpperFilters and LowerFilters values under the
following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Print To A DOS Print Device Or LPTs In
Windows 98!
You may be familiar with printing to a DOS LPT device by using the
standard PRINT command from the MS-DOS command prompt. But if you're
having problems with the print job being cut short or not completing
correctly, try this solution. At the command prompt, swap your print
command for:
copy c:\path\filename.ext lptn /B
Using this method, here's how you can print Test.txt to LPT2:
copy c:\printdocs\test.txt lpt2 /B
This copies the file to the LPT port you specify, and the /B switch
identifies it as a binary file. As a result, the control codes do not
interrupt the print job. For example, a Ctrl+Z, which may appear before
the end of the file, will not prematurely end the print job.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Getting Rid Of Unread Email Messages In XP
Home!
To remove the Unread Email message by user's login names:
1. Start Regedit
2. For a single user: Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail
3. For all users: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail
4. Create a DWORD key called MessageExpiryDays
5. Give it a value of 0
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
UNC Paths In Windows 98!
A number of applications, such as accounting and planning systems,
simply dump text files to line printers. These often just pick up LPT
devices and direct the printing to that device. You can standardize the
LPTs across the network by using the Net.exe command.
In addition, you can map LPT ports to Universal Naming Convention (UNC)
paths from the command line. This means that by using a script--at NT
login, in the Startup Group in Windows, or a batch file that starts the
application--a standard set of LPTs can be maintained.
Here are some examples:
Net use lpt2 \\printserver1\internetfixes1170
Net use lpt3 \\printserver2\internetfixes591
Net use lpt4 \\printserver2\internetfixes2170
It's also worth remembering the following switch from the Net.exe
command:
Net use devicename /d
This deletes the LPT port that's specified. When it's placed before a
command that maps the LPT port to a UNC path, the command will force any
currently mapped UNC path to be deleted from that LPT port. For example:
Net use lpt2 /d
Net use lpt2 \\printserver2\internetfixes591
This stops the second line from displaying an error if LPT2 is already
mapped to a printer's UNC path.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Windows Key And Typing L Will Switch Users!
If you're good at memorizing shortcut keys, you'll know right off the
top of your head that holding down the Windows key and typing L will
switch users. More accurately, it'll bring up the Windows XP logon
screen. Some folks think of that as "locking the workstation". I tend to
think of it as "clicking Start | Log Off | Switch Users". Which is
precisely what I click, because I can never remember Win key + L.
The Win key + L combination has one big advantage over the Start | Log
Off | Switch Users approach: it's much, much faster. (Actually, Win key
+ L has two more, aesthetic advantages over Start | Log Off | Switch
Users.
There's an easy way to create an icon that will switch users (er, "lock
the workstation") every bit as quickly as Win key + L:
1. Right-click on a blank part of the Desktop
2. Pick New | Shortcut
3. In the top box of the Create Shortcut Wizard, type this weird line:
%windir%\system32\rundll32.exe user32.dll
LockWorkStation
4. Click Next, and type in a creative name like, oh, Switch Users.
5. Click Finish and you'll have a shortcut that quickly pops you back
out to the WinXP logon screen.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Automatically End Unresponsive Tasks In Windows XP
Have you ever been frustrated by system freezes that occur when a
particular program stops responding? If so, you can end the wait and get
back to working faster simply by having Windows XP end the programs
automatically after a certain amount of time has passed.
All you need to do is open the Registry Editor by clicking the Start
button, choosing Run, and typing Regedit in the Open text box. Navigate
to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop and double-click on the
AutoEndTasks value. Change the Value Data to 1, and then click OK. Next,
open the WaitToKillAppTimeout value and change the Value Data to the
number of milliseconds you want XP to wait before terminating the
unresponsive application.
Then, click OK.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup
before saving any changes.
Top!
Clear The Windows Page File For Security In
Windows 2000!
Notebook computers pose many of the same security risks as desktop
computers and servers, but they pose some unique risks as well. For
example, it's much more likely for a notebook computer to be stolen than
a desktop PC.
If a notebook is stolen, the thief can often easily gain access to the
notebook's files, even without having user credentials for the system.
Systems using a FAT file system are particularly at risk. You can
minimize the risk to these systems by using NTFS and encryption for
sensitive files.
The Windows page file, which Windows uses for virtual memory, is another
potential source of sensitive data. Some applications store user
credentials in memory as plain text, and it's possible that those
credentials could end up in the page file. As a result, these
credentials can be hacked from the page file on a stolen notebook.
If you need to ensure the highest possible security for your systems,
whether notebook or desktop, consider configuring the systems to clear
the page file at shutdown. Set the following registry value to 1 to
cause Windows to clear the page file during shutdown:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session
Manager\Memory Management\ClearPageFileAtShutdown
After changing this value, you must restart the computer for the change
to take effect. Shutting down or restarting the computer a second time
will clear the page file.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Learn A Quick Solution For An
Installation Error In Windows 98 Or 98 SE!
Windows installation errors can be extremely time-consuming to fix
unless you know some quick solutions. For instance, when starting
Windows 98 or 98 SE installations, or even when trying to start in safe
mode, you may see the message, "Error loading User.exe. You must
re-install Windows."
The problem is not with User.exe but with the Ddeml.dll file, which is
either missing or corrupt. Here's the solution:
1. Start the computer with the system disk and select Start Windows 98
With CD-ROM Support.
2. At the command line, type: extract
<drive>:\win98\win98_<xx>.cab ddeml.dll /l c:\windows\system where
<drive> is the letter assigned to your CD-ROM drive, and <xx> is 31 for
Windows 98 and 28 for Windows 98 SE.
3. Restart the computer after removing the Windows Startup disk.
The computer should now start correctly.
Top!
Disable Hidden Administrative Shares In Windows
XP!
Even if you haven’t shared any of your files or folders, an
administrator (or anyone who knows a valid username and password for an
account you’ve given administrative privileges) can remotely access your
data by using the hidden administrative shares that XP creates by
default. There is an administrative share for every drive on your
system, but it doesn’t show up in the network browse list (My Network
Places) because it has been marked as hidden by appending a dollar sign
($) to the end of the drive letter. You can delete these shares, but XP
will just grow them back the next time you reboot.
To prevent this, disable administrative shares by performing the
following registry edit:
1. In your registry editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\lanmanager\parameters.
2. In an empty portion of the right details pane, right-click and select
New | DWORD Value.
3. Rename the new value AutoShareWks.
4. Double-click the new value and enter 0 in the Value Data field.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Remove The Manage Context-menu Option For My
Computer In Windows 2000!
By default, when you right-click My Computer, you'll see a Manage option
on the context menu. Selecting this option starts the Microsoft
Management Console (MMC) Computer Management snap-in.
If you don't want the OS to display this option, perform the following
steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
registry subkey.
3. From the Edit menu, select New, DWORD Value.
4. Enter the name NoManageMyComputerVerb, then press Enter.
5. Double-click the new value, then set it to 1.
6. Log off and log back on for the change to take effect.
Even after you remove the Manage option from the My Computer context
menu, you can still use the Administrative Tools folder under the Start
menu to access the Computer Management snap-in.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Make A Used Computer Your Own! (Change Owner
Registration)
To change the owner registration:
-Click Start>>Run
-Enter "regedit" (without the quotes) in the box and click OK
-In Windows XP and 2000, drill down to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows
NT/CurrentVersion
-In Windows 98 and ME, drill down to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion
-In the right-hand pane, double-click RegisteredOwner
-Change the Value Data to the proper name, then click OK
-Next, double-click RegisteredOrganization
-Change the Value Data. Click OK
-Close Registry Editor.
The correct name should now show. To check, go to Control Panel
(Start>>Control Panel or Start>>Settings>>Control Panel). Double-click
System. On the General tab, look under Registered To.
Windows XP also shows the user's name on the Start menu. This is simply
the name on the user account. Access the user accounts by clicking
Start>>Control Panel. Double-click User Accounts.
You can cancel old accounts here. First, create an administrator account
for yourself. Then, cancel all other accounts. Close out all windows and
reboot. When the computer comes up, your name should be on the Start
menu.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Don’t Show The Last Logon Name!
If you’ve elected to use the standard logon dialog box instead of the
Welcome screen, or if the XP computer is joined to a domain, XP tries to
be helpful by displaying the account name of the last user who logged
onto the computer; you only have to type in the password. However, this
is a security issue because it gives a hacker half of the information
needed to log on. Why make it easier? Of course, you should already have
renamed the administrator account and disabled the guest account so a
hacker won’t have those account names to use. The next step is to
disable the display of the last logged-on user.
Here’s how:
1. In your registry editor, navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System.
2. In an empty portion of the right details pane, right-click and select
New | DWORD Value.
3. Rename the new value dontdisplaylastusername.
4. Double-click the new value and enter 1 in the Value Data field.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Control What Applications A User Can Run!
If you’re sharing an XP computer with someone else and you’re the
administrator, you can restrict the other user(s) to running only
applications you specify. This can be particularly useful when sharing
the computer with a young family member or if your computer must be used
by guests.
Here’s the procedure:
1. In your registry editor, logged on with the account you want to
restrict, navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.
2. In an empty portion of the right details pane, right-click and select
New | DWORD Value.
3. Rename the new value to RestrictRun.
4. Double-click the new value and enter 1 in the Value Data field. (You
can modify this to allow all applications to run by changing the value
to 0).
5. Create a new subkey named RestrictRun.
6. Create a new string value for each application you want to allow.
Name each string value as a consecutive number.
7. Set the Value Data for each string value as the name of an
application you want to allow (this should be the executable program
name, such as explore.exe for Windows Explorer).
8. Reboot the computer to apply the change.
Warning
Don’t apply this policy to yourself or you may not be able to run the
programs you need to in order to administer the computer—and if you
can’t run the registry editor, you won’t be able to change the policy.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Disable Saved Password For Dialup Networking!
It’s handy for users not to have to enter their passwords each time they
start a dialup networking session, but it can also be a security risk to
have Windows save the password, since anyone else can start a session,
too. To disable the saved password function for DUN, do the following:
1. In your registry editor, navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RasMan\Parameters.
2. If the entry DisableSavePassword doesn’t already exist, right-click
in an empty portion of the right details pane and select New | DWORD
Value.
3. Rename the new value to DisableSavePassword.
4. Double-click the new value (or if it already existed, just
double-click it now) and enter 1 in the Value Data field to prevent
Windows from saving the DUN password. If you want to enable saving of
passwords later, you can do so by setting the value to 0.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Prevent Access To Specific Drives!
You can prevent users from viewing and accessing the files and folders
on specific drives using Windows Explorer, My Computer, or the Run
command. They will not be able to map a network drive or use the DIR
command to get a list of directories on the drive. This is a good way to
add a layer of protection to a drive on which you store sensitive data.
(You should also use access controls/permissions and encrypt the data if
it’s extremely sensitive.)
1. In your registry editor, logged on with the user account you want to
restrict, navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.
2. Right-click in an empty portion of the right details pane and select
New | DWORD Value.
3. Rename the new value NoViewOnDrive.
4. Double-click the value and set the view to Decimal. In the Value Data
field, add the following number(s) to hide the corresponding drive(s):
A: 1, B: 2, C: 4, D:8, E:16, F: 32, G: 64, H:128, I: 256, J: 512, K:
1024, L: 2048, and so on, multiplying by 2 to get the next numbers for
the rest of the alphabet.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Delete Contents Of The Page File When You Shut Down!
The XP page file contains information written from memory to the hard
disk. If sensitive data is contained there, someone may be able to
retrieve it. For better security, you can force XP to delete all the
data from the page file each time you shut down the computer. (Note that
this may cause shutdown to take longer if you have a large page file.)
1. In your registry editor, navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session
Manager\Memory Management.
2. If the entry ClearPageFileAtShutdown doesn’t exist, right-click in an
empty portion of the right details pane and select New | DWORD Value.
3. Rename the new value to ClearPageFileAtShutdown.
4. Double-click the new value (or if it already existed, just
double-click it now) and enter 1 in the Value Data field.
5. Restart the computer to make the change take effect.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Disable Access To System Properties!
Using the System properties applet in Control Panel, a user can change
the name and/or domain membership of the computer, create hardware
profiles, manage devices, and specify performance parameters such as
memory usage, virtual memory settings, and visual effects. This registry
edit allows you to disable access to System properties, both from
Control Panel and My Computer/Computer Management.
1. In your registry editor, logged on as the user for whom you want to
restrict access, navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.
2. Right-click in an empty portion of the right details pane and select
New | DWORD Value.
3. Rename the new value to NoPropertiesMyComputer.
4. Double-click the new value and enter 1 in the Data Value field to
hide the properties. If you want to make the properties accessible
later, change the value to 0.
5. Restart the computer to make the change take effect.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Prevent Windows From Storing An LM Hash Of Your
Password!
Windows stores your password in the local Security Accounts Manager
(SAM) database as a “hash value,” which is generated from the password
using a hash algorithm. This is more secure than storing the password in
plain text. However, by default, Windows creates two different hashes,
an LM (Lan Manager) hash and an NT hash. The LM hash is not as strong
and can be cracked. Early versions of Windows need the LM hash because
they don’t use Kerberos. If you won’t be connecting to computers running
operating systems prior to Windows 2000, you can disable the creation of
the LM hash for better security.
1. In your registry editor, navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa.
2. Right-click in an empty portion of the right details pane and select
New | DWORD Value.
3. Rename the new value NoLMHash.
4. Double-click the new value and enter 1 in the Data Value field.
5. Restart the computer to make the change take effect.
6. Change your password. (The old one will still have an LM hash for it
stored in the SAM.)
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Edit The Registry To Remove
Applications In Windows 98!
Windows 9x-compatible programs should have an Uninstall executable that
removes the program from the Windows installation. Uninstall should also
remove the program from the list of programs registered as installed in
the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs list. Sometimes, however, it
isn't removed properly.
In these cases, you may wish to manually remove the program from the
list. Here's how:
1 Open the Registry Editor (Regedt.exe).
2 Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
3 CurrentVersion\Uninstall.
4 Highlight the key below this one that relates to the application you
want to remove.
5 Press [Delete].
6 Exit the Registry Editor.
7 Restart the computer.
If you need more information to determine which key to eliminate, look
for the DisplayName value in the keys to match up the value to the entry
in the Add/Remove Programs list.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Prevent Null Sessions!
Null sessions allow connection of an anonymous user and no password on
the NetBIOS port. This can be exploited by a hacker. NetBIOS is used for
file and print sharing. If you need the NetBIOS service but don’t want
to allow Null sessions, you can edit the registry.
1. In your registry editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa.
2. Double-click the value RestrictAnonymous. (If it does not exist,
create it as a DWORD Value.)
3. In the Data Value field, enter 2 to block all null sessions or 1 to
allow null sessions but block sensitive data from being sent via the
null session.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Hide The Security Tab!
When simple file sharing is disabled on Windows XP, you can use the
Security tab on a folder or file’s properties sheet to set permissions
to control who can access the folder or file and what level of access
each user or group has. If you don’t want other users to be able to
change permissions, you can edit the registry to hide the Security tab
so they can't access this dialog box. Here’s how:
1. In your registry editor, logged on with the user account from which
you want to hide the Security tab, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Polices\Explorer.
2. Double-click the value NoSecurityTab. (If it doesn't exist, create it
as a DWORD value.) In the Data Value field, enter 1 to hide the tab. If
you want to give the user access to it later, you can change the value
to 0.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Change The Default Windows 95/98 Install
Path!
For long-term support of your Windows 9x installations, you can save
yourself a great deal of time by simply copying the Windows installation
files from the CD to your computer's hard drive. These files--mainly
.cab files--will take up some disk space, but having them available on
your hard drive can save you a lot of time and pain later.
You may also want to change the path where Windows looks for the files
you've copied. If you don't, Windows will ask you for the path each time
you use the files to add new components to the installation. Here's how:
1. Start the Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Run dialog box.
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Setup.
3. In the right-hand pane, you'll find the SourcePath value.
Double-click this entry and enter the path to the files you copied.
4. Click OK to save your changes.
5. Exit the Registry Editor.
6. Restart the computer.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Getting An Annoying Little Yellow
Message When You Click The Start Button!
Right-click on the taskbar, choose Properties, and click on the Start
Menu tab. Make sure that Start menu is selected rather than Classic
Start menu; click on the Customize button next to Start menu. Click on
the Advanced tab, locate the box near the top titled Highlight newly
installed programs, and uncheck it. Click on OK to accept the change.
For those who like to know such things, this feature is controlled by a
value in the Registry, specifically the DWORD value Start_ NotifyNewApps
in the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced.
If it's set to 1 (the default), new applications will be highlighted in
the Programs menu and the message balloon will appear. If it's set to 0,
neither will happen.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Enable Quick Startup And Disable Fast
Shutdown In Windows 98!
There may be occasions when you're assigned an urgent job but have to
wait until Windows boots. Unfortunately, the applications in the StartUp
folder often take a long time to load. If this happens to you, learn how
to stop them from loading on a one-off basis.
As Windows starts, wait for the Windows logo screen to appear. Then
press and hold [Shift] until Windows stops loading. The programs in the
StartUp folder will be omitted from the startup procedure, and Windows
will consequently load quicker this particular time.
Disable Fast Shutdown
By default, Windows 98 doesn't uninitialize device drivers when it shuts
down. This is called the Fast Shutdown feature. However, if your Windows
98 installations are experiencing problems shutting down correctly, you
may want to disable Fast Shutdown as a step in your troubleshooting
procedures. Here's how:
1. Open the Registry Editor.
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Shutdown
3. Change the FastReboot value from 1 to 0.
4. Exit the Registry Editor.
5. Restart the computer.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
To Prevent Windows XP From Reminding You To
Enter Microsoft NET Passport Details!
After you install XP, the OS prompts you to enter a .NET Passport
account to enable access to certain Internet communication features.
To turn off this reminder, perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MessengerService registry subkey.
3. If the PassportBalloon registry value doesn't already exist, go
to the Edit menu; select New, Binary Value; enter a name of
PassportBalloon; then press Enter.
4. Double-click the PassportBalloon value, set it to 0A 00 00 00,
then click OK.
5. Close the registry editor.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Logical Block Addressing (LBA), Which Lets You
Access Hard Disks Larger Than 137GB!
Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Windows 2000 SP3 add support for
48-bit Logical Block Addressing (LBA), which lets you access hard disks
larger than 137GB. To enable 48-bit LBA, perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\atapi\Parameters
registry subkey.
3. From the Edit menu, select New, DWORD Value.
4. Enter the name EnableBigLba, then press Enter.
5. Double-click the new value, set it to 1, then click OK.
6. Close the registry editor.
7. Restart the machine for the change to take effect.
Be aware that if you multiboot your system with OSs that don't support
48-bit LBA, editing this registry setting might cause data corruption.
If you still can't access hard disk space beyond the 137GB limit after
you restart your system, your system BIOS might not be 48-bit LBA
compatible, in which case you need to talk to your computer
manufacturer.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Increase Logon Timeout For Slow Networks In
Windows 2000!
When you log on to a domain, the computer attempts to contact the logon
server to authenticate your logon credentials. If the server is
unavailable because it's offline, busy, or located on a saturated
network segment, your computer might log on with cached credentials.
Although this enables you to use your computer, some capabilities will
be limited because your credentials haven't been authenticated.
You can take a couple of steps to ensure that a logon doesn't use cached
credentials. You can set the following registry key to 0 to disable
cached logon:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\CachedLogonsCount
However, you might prefer to simply lengthen the logon timeout period to
accommodate a slow connection. To configure the logon timeout, open the
Registry Editor and expand the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Netlogon\
Parameters
Add the DWORD value ExpectedDialupDelay to the key, and set it to the
number of seconds you want Windows 2000 to wait for a response from the
server. You can set the value at anywhere between 0 and 600 seconds.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Modify The Date Format On A Windows Machine For
New Users!
New users inherit the date format values that were established for the
default user when Windows was installed on the machine. To modify the
date format (e.g., so that the date appears as day/month/year instead of
month/day/year), perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\International
registry subkey.
3. Double-click sShortDate.
4. Set the value to the date format desired (e.g., dd/mm/yyyy),
then click OK. You can also modify the sLongDate value to change the
long date format (e.g., dd/mmmm/yyyy), then click OK.
5. Close the registry editor.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Disable The Automatic Dial-up On Startup In
Windows 98!
Some Windows installations try to make a dial-up connection each time
Windows is booted. The EnableAutoDial key in the registry is a common
culprit, so you must check this setting to eliminate the problem. Here's
how:
1. The EnableAutoDial key can appear more than once in the registry, so
open the Regedit.exe program and press [F3] to start a find.
2. Enter EnableAutoDial as the search string.
3. When the search stops at an instance of the EnableAutoDial key, check
whether the value is set to something other than 00 00 00 00. If a
different value appears, that's what's likely triggering Auto Dial.
Double-click the value and enter 0000, which will appear as 00 00 00 00
in the value field.
4. Click OK and press [F3] again to continue searching the rest of the
registry.
5. After all the EnableAutoDial values have been set to 00 00 00 00,
reboot the PC and verify that the PC doesn't try to dial up.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Tell Outlook 2002 Not To Block Specific
Attachments!
Outlook 2002 normally keeps you from opening attachments with extensions
like .exe or .bat—files that can potentially be viruses. If you're
confident that you (or your antivirus software) can spot suspicious
files and ignore them—and you're comfortable editing the system
Registry—you can tell Outlook to stop blocking file types.
Make sure Outlook isn't running, and choose Start | Run. Enter Regedit,
choose OK, and in Regedit, navigate to HKEY_ CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\Security.
Then choose Edit | New | String Value and name it Level1Remove.
Right-click on Level1Remove, choose Modify, and for its value enter the
list of extensions you want to allow, using semicolons to separate the
items. Close Regedit and you're done. Outlook will stop blocking files
with the extensions on the list.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Run Commands Automatically When A Console Opens
In Windows 2000!
Windows provides a handful of means to control the way console sessions
start and function. For example, you can click a console's Control menu,
select Properties, and configure properties such as cursor size, display
options, font, and layout.
Besides configuring properties, you might also want to execute commands
automatically when you open a console. For example, you might want to
load a device driver, switch to a particular directory, set the command
prompt, or execute a batch file.
Adding a command string to the registry is one simple solution. Open the
Registry Editor to the following key and enter a command string as its
value:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\Autorun
Cmd.exe executes this command string at startup for all command console
sessions.
You can include a command string for a specific console session by
starting the session with the /K switch. For example, the following
example would start a console session and change to the \Documents and
Settings folder:
Cmd.exe /K "CD \Documents and Settings"
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Retrieve Core Windows 2000 Files That Have Been
Deleted!
Although you can manually copy the files from the Windows installation
media, you're probably better off using the System File Checker utility
that ships with Windows 2000 and later. If you’ve changed your
configuration since you installed Windows and your installation media is
now available at another location, you'll need to perform the following
steps before you run System File Checker:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
registry subkey.
3. Change the Sourcepath value to point to the installation media's new
location (e.g., D:\i386).
4. Navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Setup
registry subkey.
5. If the Sourcepath value is listed, change the value here also to
point to the installation media's new location.
To use System File Checker, perform the following steps:
1. Insert the Windows CD-ROM installation media.
2. From the Start menu, select Run.
3. Enter
sfc /scannow
to start the System File Checker process and check all core files. The
utility will replace any missing core files and make sure all the files
are up-to-date.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Repair A Windows 2000 Installation!
In addition to performing new installations and updating an existing
operating system, Windows 2000 Setup also provides the capability to
repair an existing installation. The repair process can perform a
handful of tasks, depending on the repair option you select.
To start the repair process, boot from the Windows 2000 Professional CD,
press R to select Repair, and press R again to start the Emergency
Repair process. Setup offers two repair options: Manual Repair and Fast
Repair.
The Manual Repair option provides three choices. The first choice,
Inspect Startup Environment, uses the Setup.log file to check and, if
necessary, fix the path to the Windows boot partition and system folder.
The second choice, Verify Windows System Files, checks the Windows boot
files against the CRC information for the files in the Setup.log file.
Setup gives you the option of replacing the files from the CD or OEM
driver disk if the files are missing or corrupted. The third choice,
Inspect Boot Sector, repairs the boot sector.
A Fast Repair performs the same tasks as a Manual Repair, but it doesn't
allow you to choose which tasks to perform. Fast Repair checks the
registry files and copies the backup file from the %systemroot%\Repair
folder if a registry file is missing or corrupted. Unless you've updated
these backup files, using Fast Repair essentially resets any replaced
registry files to the post-installation state. After using Fast Repair,
you must restore the system state data from a recent backup.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Prevent Users From Disabling The Remote Desktop
Sharing Settings In Microsoft Windows NetMeeting In Windows 2000!
NetMeeting's Remote Desktop Sharing feature lets you gain control of
another person's desktop, which is useful for Help desk personnel who
need to see what's happening on a user's computer. However, users can
easily turn off this feature. To prevent users from turning off Remote
Desktop Sharing, perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Conferencing\Mcpt
registry subkey.
3. From the Edit menu, select New, String Value.
4. Enter the name Nx, then press Enter.
5. Double-click the new value, set it to 1, then click OK.
Users with typical access privileges will no longer be able to access
the Remote Desktop Sharing option under the NetMeeting Tools menu. This
setting doesn't affect an administrator's ability to turn off Remote
Desktop Sharing.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Make AutoPlay Work With Network Drives In
Windows 98!
AutoPlay enables a CD to start automatically when you place it in the
drive, and it usually kicks off a setup program. This works by way of a
file called Autorun.inf, which sits in the root directory of the
drive--commonly the CD drive.
The AutoPlay function provides a novel method of distributing programs
to users over a network. The basic format simply points to an executable
program. For example:
[Autorun]
OPEN=Setup.exe
You can also configure AutoPlay to work with network drives by editing
the registry. Here's how:
1. On the Windows 9x computers that will access the network drive, start
the Registry Editor by typing Regedit.exe in the Run dialog box.
2. Browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
WindowsCurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\"NoDriveTypeAutoRun."
3. Change the first byte of this value from 95 to 85, and leave the
other three bytes as 0. This allows network drives to recognize the
Autorun.inf files.
4. Map a drive letter to a network share, perhaps through the login
script. This technique will only work with the root of mapped drives.
5. Exit the registry.
Once you've edited the registry and mapped a drive letter to a network
share, you're ready to finish the task. Follow these steps:
1. Copy your application to the shared folder that's been mapped to from
the Windows 9x computers. There should be an executable file in this
folder that either sets up an application or starts one and doesn't need
an installation program.
2. Create the following Autorun.inf file in Notepad or other text
editor:
[Autorun]
OPEN=executable.xxx
where executable.xxx is the name of the file to be run.
3. Save this file in the root of the mapped drive and open My Computer.
4. Right-click the drive icon. If you don't see an AutoPlay option,
press [F5] to refresh the drive list, which will force the Autorun.inf
file to be reread--provided you've set the registry entry correctly.
5. Double-click the drive, and the application will start automatically,
instead of opening an Explorer window into that drive.
This is an inexpensive way to distribute simple software that's
periodically updated. Where disk space is plentiful, it may also provide
you with a cost-effective alternative to a CD jukebox. But perhaps the
biggest benefit is that users won't become frustrated searching for
setup icons on drives--simply instruct them to "double-click drive X" to
run the application.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Prevent Users From Running Cmd.exe In Windows
2000!
The command console, Cmd.exe, provides a command-line interface for
running console applications and built-in commands. Unfortunately,
Cmd.exe is also available to users who can use it to launch Windows
applications and accomplish tasks you might not want them performing.
You can prevent users from running Cmd.exe--and thus prevent them from
starting and using a command console--with a simple registry change.
Open the Registry Editor and set the value of the following key to 1 to
disallow Cmd.exe but allow batch files, or to a value of 2 to disallow
both Cmd.exe and batch files:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System\DisableCMD
If this key doesn't exist on a given Windows 2000 computer, create the
Windows\System key, create a DWORD value named DisableCMD in that key,
and set its value as needed.
If a user attempts to open a console session with an account for which
the value has been set, the console session opens and displays the
message The Command Prompt Has Been Disabled By Your Administrator. The
console closes when the user presses a key.
Another approach for restricting user access to Cmd.exe is to set NTFS
permissions on the Cmd.exe file itself. This method allows you to
restrict access on a user or group basis and can be easier to accomplish
than setting registry values for multiple users. If you choose the
registry route, export the key to a registry file, then apply that file
through the users' logon script or other means.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Repair The Master Boot Record In
Windows 98!
Has a hard disk crash caused you to lose everything on your drive?
There's still a chance that your data may have survived. A corrupted or
missing Windows 98 master boot record (MBR) is typically the cause of
this problem. If you know how to repair the MBR, there's a good chance
you can recover your data.
Before We Begin!
It's important to point out that the MBR isn't something that you should
just play around with for kicks. Tampering with the MBR on a functional
machine can often render the machine unusable.
Remember that as you make a change to the MBR or to another area of the
hard disk, the change replaces the existing data. Doing so can make it
much more difficult--if not impossible--to recover your hard disk if it
turns out that the MBR isn't the problem.
In order to make sure the pathways don't change in a newsletter this
article is posted in the Feature Articles Section of my Customer Support
Website. Just Click Here!
Anatomy of a master boot record
The MBR consists of the code that's located on the first physical sector
of a hard disk. It tells the computer how to work with the hard disk.
For example, it tells the computer which partition is active, the type
of partition, and the starting location on the hard disk.
The MBR is divided into five basic sections. Each of these sections
contains specific information.
The first 139 bytes are the jump code. The code loads the MBR into
memory. This section also performs such tasks as enabling the necessary
interrupts, locating the C drive, and loading the boot sector from the C
drive.
The next section contains some error messages. These error messages are
crammed into the next 80 bytes and indicate such conditions as an
invalid partition table or a bad (or missing) operating system.
The next 227 bytes are empty. The 64 bytes that follow outline the
physical characteristics of the drive. This area is known as the
partition table. The partition table defines such characteristics as
the:
Active partition
Starting head
Starting sector
Starting cylinder
Partition type
Ending head
Ending sector
Ending cylinder
Total number of sectors on the partition
The partition table varies widely among different size drives,
partitions, and file systems. For example, a FAT16 partition table is
much different from a FAT32 partition table.
The last two bytes of the MBR indicate the MBR's boundaries. They are
nothing more than an end-of-file marker.
Some basic repair information!
Don't try any of these techniques if you're using sector-mapping
software. Sector-mapping software makes larger capacity hard drives
accessible to older systems. Since this technique requires the
sector-mapping software to control the MBR, you'll make the drive
totally inaccessible if you overwrite the MBR. Many of the
sector-mapping programs come with special repair utilities that you can
use to fix the MBR if necessary.
Keep in mind that MBRs are unique. If you're rewriting one manually, you
should copy the information from a computer running the same operating
system on the same size hard disk, with the same partition structure and
file system.
Repairing a Windows 98 MBR!
One way of making the repair is to find a disk editor program that runs
from a bootable floppy disk and manually rewrite the MBR. You can use
the MBR description in the previous section to get the job done if
you're using a FAT partition, or you can look up one of the many MBR
charts that are floating around on the Internet.
The easy way has more steps, but the steps are much simpler. Begin by
going to a functional computer that's running Windows 98 and open an
MS-DOS prompt window. Next, insert a blank floppy disk in drive A and
enter the following commands in the MS-DOS prompt window:
C:
CD\
FORMAT A: /Q /U /S
CD\WINDOWS\COMMAND
COPY FDISK.* A:
COPY FORMAT.* A:
COPY SYS.* A:
EXIT
Once you've entered all the commands, remove the floppy disk from the
drive and place it in the drive of the computer that's not functioning.
Now, reboot the computer. The computer should boot off the floppy and
take you to an MS-DOS prompt. Now, enter this command:
FDISK /MBR
The command will execute the FDISK command in a special access mode. As
you may know, FDISK normally creates or deletes hard disk partitions.
However, when run with the /MBR switch, the FDISK command merely updates
the MBR. In this particular case, the MBR is updated based on the
contents of the floppy disk.
Keep in mind that this technique is not guaranteed to work. If your hard
disk contains extremely critical data, take the drive to a qualified
data recovery specialist rather than attempting to salvage the data
yourself.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Add Error Information To The Status Dialog Box
In Windows 2000!
You can view a network connection's status, connection duration, speed,
and packets sent and received for the connection by double-clicking the
status icon on the system tray. You can also display the Status dialog
box by double-clicking the connection's icon in the Network And Dial-Up
Networking folder.
The Status dialog box by default doesn't display errors for the
connection. With a quick registry change, however, you can add that
information to the dialog box. Error information can be an important
first step in troubleshooting a connection.
To add the error information to the Status dialog box, open the Registry
Editor and open the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\
Network\Connections\StatMon. If the key doesn't exist, create it. Then,
create the value ShowLanErrors in the StatMon key as a DWORD. Set the
value to 1 to display the errors. (If you decide you want to hide the
errors again, set the value to 0.) If you choose to display the errors,
they'll appear between the Activity group and the Properties button.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Get And Use The Microsoft Management Console
3.0 for Windows XP!
The Microsoft Management Console (MMC) application provides you with an
interface shell into which you can insert various tools called snap-ins
to create custom consoles. While custom consoles can come in handy for
performing any number of tasks, Windows XP's MMC 2.0 convoluted console
creation process often seems counterintuitive.
Fortunately, Microsoft has made the new MMC interface developed for
Windows Vista available for Windows XP. Version 3.0 of the MMC
application provides more functionality for snap-ins than prior versions
and sports a smoother looking user interface that makes it much easier
to create and use consoles.
One of the biggest changes in MMC 3.0 for Windows XP is the new Add or
Remove Snap-ins interface. Instead of having to use a tedious procedure
that involves two separate dialog boxes to build a custom console, the
new MMC 3.0 provides a single dialog box that makes it much easier to
create custom consoles.
Downloading and installing the MMC 3.0 for Windows XP is a breeze.
However, you must manually enable the new user interface by adding a key
to the registry. Here's how:
1. Download the Microsoft Management Console 3.0 for Windows XP from the
Microsoft Download Center.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=61FC1C66-06F2-463C-82A2-CF20902FFAE0&displaylang=en
2. Locate and run the WindowsXP-KB907265-x86-ENU.exe executable file to
launch the MMC 3.0 installation wizard.
3. Once the installation is complete, launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
4. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MMC.
5. Right-click the MMC subkey and select New | Key.
6. Name the key UseNewUI and press [Enter].
7. Close the Registry Editor.
Now when you launch MMC.exe from the Run dialog box, you'll be able to
take advantage of the new Add or Remove Snap-ins interface. You simply
scroll through the available snap-ins in the left panel and click the
Add button to build your custom console in the right panel.
Notes: This tip applies to both Windows XP Home and Professional, but
requires that Service Pack 2 is installed.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Create Date-based Folder Names In Windows XP!
If you create files on your hard disk on a daily basis, consider using
date-based folder names to help you keep your data organized. While
manually creating folders with the current date as the name really isn't
much of a hassle, wouldn't it be cool if you could automate the
procedure? Well you can by changing the short date format and adding a
special command to Windows XP's context menu.
Here's how to change the date format:
1. Open the Control Panel and double-click Regional And Language
Options. and access the Regional And Language dialog box.
2. In the Regional And Language Options dialog box, click the Customize
button on the Regional Options tab.
3. In the Customize Regional Options dialog box, select the Date tab.
4. In the Short Date panel, take note of the current Short Date Format
setting in case you want to change it back.
5. Select the Date Separator drop-down field and select a dash (-)
because Windows doesn't allow slashes in file and folder names.
6. Click the Apply button.
7. Click OK twice to close both the Customize Regional Options and
Regional And Language Options dialog boxes.
You can actually use any of the settings on the Short Date Format
drop-down menu or a custom format as long as you use a dash as the
separator. Keep in mind that any change you make to the Short Date
Format setting will affect the way the date is displayed throughout the
entire operating system.
Here's how to create the special command on the context menu:
1. Launch Windows Explorer and select Tools | Folder Options.
2. In the Folder Options dialog box, select the File Types tab.
3. In the Registered File Types list, select Folder, and click the
Advanced button.
4. In the Edit File Type dialog box, click the New button.
5. In the New Action dialog box, type New Date-Based Folder in the
Action text box and CMD.EXE /C MD "%1\%%DATE%%" in the Application Used
To Perform Action text box.
6. Click OK twice. Click Close to close the three dialog boxes.
Now, whenever you want to create a new date-based folder name in Windows
Explorer, simply right-click on the folder in which you want to create
the folder and select the New Date-Based Folder command from the context
menu. Keep in mind that on any given day you won't be able to create two
identical date-based folder names within the same folder.
Note: This tip applies to both Windows XP Home and Windows XP
Professional.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Chop Down The Windows XP Start Menu's Most
Frequently Used Programs List!
One of the features of Windows XP's Start menu is the most frequently
used programs list. When it comes to configuring this feature, Windows
XP only provides you with two controls: the ability to completely clear
the list, and the ability to specify the maximum number of programs that
can appear on this list at any one time. However, there is one other
thing that would be nice to be able to control and that is preventing
certain applications from appearing on that list.
For example, you probably don't need to have often-used but
inconsequential applications such as Calculator or Notepad showing up in
that space. You probably would rather not have games that you
occasionally play show up in that space, either.
Fortunately, you can prevent an application from appearing in the Start
menu's most frequently used programs list by adding a special key to the
registry. Follow these steps:
1. Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications.
3. Right-click the Applications key and select New | Key.
4. Name the key the same as the application's executable file.
5. Right-click your new key and select New | String Value.
6. Name the string value NoStartPage.
7. Close the Registry Editor.
You'll need to reboot, or at least log off and then back on again, in
order for this change to become effective.
Notes: Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified
backup before making any changes.
This tip applies to both Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Clearing The Windows XP Run Command's Most
Recently Used List!
If you regularly use the Run command to launch applications, you know
that Windows XP keeps a record in the registry, called the MRU (most
recently used) list, of all the applications you recently launched. When
you have the Run dialog box open, you can access the MRU list by
clicking the drop-down arrow adjacent to the Open text box.
The MRU list is designed to make it easier for you to re-launch the same
applications at a later date. However, this list can grow quite long,
making it difficult to find what you want.
Fortunately, you can create a registry shortcut that clears the Run
command's MRU list. To do so, follow these steps:
1. Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU.
3. Right-click the RunMRU key and select Export.
4. Name the REG file Clear Run MRU, click the Save button, and close the
Registry Editor.
5. Open the Clear Run MRU.reg file in Notepad.
6. Add a minus sign to the beginning of the key name just inside the
square brackets.
7. Delete all lines that follow the line containing the key path.
8. Save the file and close Notepad.
9. Reboot Windows (or at least log off and then log back on) in order
for this change to become effective. Now, any time you want to clear the
Run command's MRU list, simply locate and double-click the Clear Run
MRU.reg file. When you do so, the Registry Editor will display two
dialog boxes: one that prompts you to confirm the operation, and the
other to let you know the operation was successful.
Notes: Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified
backup before saving any changes.
This tip applies to both Windows XP Home and Professional Editions.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
To Install Or Reinstall Microsoft Windows You
Must Have Access To A Product Key!
In order to install or reinstall Microsoft Windows you must have access
to a Product Key for that version of the operating system. The product
key can typically be found on a yellow sticker on the CD case of the
installation CD, or on a small Microsoft sticker on the outside of the
PC's case (if the OS came preinstalled on the machine). If you no longer
have access to the product key then you will effectively "lose" a
Windows license if you ever have to reinstall the operating system.
There are several methods you can use to uncover a lost product key for
a version of Windows that you currently have installed.
For older versions of Windows you can extract the product key from the
Windows Registry. Click Start | Run and then type regedit and click OK.
For Windows 95 and Windows 98, browse to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ProductID
For Windows NT 4.0, browse to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProductID
Alternatively, there are also some free scripts and freeware software
programs that can help you:
- Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder: This is probably the best tool for this
task. In addition to finding and identifying product keys for Windows
95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP, it can also uncover product keys for installed
versions of Microsoft Office.
http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml
- Windows Key Finders: This is actually a group of tools that can be
used for unearthing product keys for different versions of Windows.
http://www.angelfire.com/va3/vic3/winkeys.htm
- Belarc Advisor: This free utility builds a detailed profile of your
installed software and hardware.
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html
Whichever method you use, make sure you write down the product key and
put it in a safe place for future reference.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Distribute Registry Changes With Windows 98!
Registry changes, while potentially dangerous, are sometimes necessary.
As an administrator, you can place registry tweaks in .reg files for
distribution. Here's an example of the .reg file syntax:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_USERS\,DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet
Settings]
"GlobalUserOffline"=1
By default, there's a file association created in Windows that lets
users double-click a .reg file and then confirm the action, thereby
merging the contents of the file into the local registry. It's your job
to get that .reg file out to all your users.
If your users don't run login scripts or are geographically remote, this
might seem problematic, but there's a simple solution. Distribute the .reg
file as an e-mail attachment. In addition, send an accompanying note
that explains the change and reminds users to confirm the action once
they've double-clicked the file open.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Windows XP Changes
Filename Sorting But You Can Change It Back!
There are actually two distinct points here. First, Windows XP has a new
sorting algorithm for filenames. Second, this algorithm may break down
when filenames contain ten or more consecutive digits. The problem with
long strings of digits has been fixed in the latest Windows XP service
pack, but the change to the sort algorithm remains.
In previous versions of Windows, filenames are sorted text-wise,
character by character. File1.txt, File10.txt, and File100.txt are all
placed before File2.txt, because the digit 1 comes before the digit 2.
Most users have grown accustomed to zero-padding sequential numbers in
filenames—File010.txt correctly comes after File002.txt. Under Windows
XP, though, each block of consecutive digits is treated as a number and
sorted as such. Even without zero-padding, File10.txt comes after
File2.txt.
For most users, this will be a benefit, not a problem. If you're one of
the few who have developed solutions that rely on the old order, you can
make the Registry tweak mentioned below.
Launch REGEDIT from the Start menu's Run dialog and navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ Currentversion\Policies\Explorer.
In the right-hand pane, find or create a DWORD value named
NoStrCmpLogical. Double-click it and set its data to 1 (no matter
whether it's hex or decimal). Now Win XP will sort filenames the old
way.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Make Shift Turn Off Caps
Lock In XP!
Windows 2000 offers this option during installation, but most people
never notice it. With Windows XP, the feature is available from the
Control Panel, but only when you install another keyboard layout during
installation. I have tracked down a way to control this setting after
the fact by manipulating the Registry.
In the Registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Keyboard Layout, create a DWORD
value named Attributes, if it isn't already present. Double-click on it,
then choose Hexadecimal, and set its value to 00010000. Now, when you
press and release the Shift key while the Caps Lock is active, Caps Lock
will turn off.
This tip applies to both Windows 2000 and XP. But it won't take effect
until you restart the computer. After you make this change, the Caps
Lock key always turns Caps Lock on; you can no longer use it to turn
Caps Lock off. You must turn Caps Lock off by tapping either Shift key.
This tip reduces the chances of looking up at your screen only to find
that you've typed a whole paragraph in uppercase.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Delete Stubborn AVI Files
Occasionally you won't be able to delete or even move an AVI file, because as
soon as you click on the file, Explorer hangs while trying to offer a preview
of it. This usually happens when the AVI file is incomplete or corrupt. A
quick Registry fix will unlock your AVIs so you can move or delete them.
Click on Start | Run; now type Regedit and click on OK. Browse to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\System FileAssociations\.avi\shellex\PropertyHandler and
delete the Default key contained in this folder.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Remove The Recycle Bin's
Properties Context Menu Item.
To remove the Recycle Bin's Properties context menu item and restrict
users from changing the configuration, perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
registry subkey.
3. From the Edit menu, select New, DWORD Value.
4. Enter the name NoPropertiesRecycleBin, then press Enter.
5. Double-click the new value, set it to 1, then click OK.
6. Close the registry editor.
7. Log off and log on for the change to take effect.
You can set this registry entry for all users of a machine by navigating
to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
registry subkey and following Steps 3 through 7.
Note:
Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure
to back up the registry so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Top!
Internet Fixes Disclaimer:
This information
is being provided to you as a service from the Technical Support
Department of Internet Fixes. It is intended to assist you in the
resolution of your technical problems or questions. If you feel
uncomfortable implementing any of the information or suggestions
contained herein then you should e-mail the Internet Fixes Technical
Support Department. Internet Fixes will not be held responsible for any
loss of information, data or programming as a result of the use of this
Information.
    
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