This page contains more cool (and useful)
tips on modifying Windows to suit your needs (or whims). Though many of
the tips still go into great detail, it is assumed that by now you are
familiar enough with the terminology (like what a key is, and how
to get to one if given the full path - if not, read Registry
basics). You can also read about DWORD and Binary
Values at the bottom of this page (where the links there will take
you to some examples) When you come across tips that talk of creating/modifying
DWORD and Binary Values, you will need to refer to that section if you
have not already had a look at it.
Below are the links to exercises
on this page, as well as all other Registry PowerTips on other pages (including
those on the introduction page). Updates will be at the top of this list,
so bookmark this page and check the links every so often. Click a link,
then hit your browser's Back button to get back here.
Some of us realgeeks sometimes need to open
a DOS prompt on the folder or drive we are accessing. Here is a way to
have that option when right-clicking directories. Make your way to (and
highlight) the key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell. Right-click
it and choose New/Key, calling it what you want (Prompt
will suffice). The (Default) value in the right pane is the name
you want in the context menu, so double-click it (or right-click and choose
Modify)
and type the name of your choice (for example, Command Line Here).
Now, right-click the Prompt key you have made and
create another off this called command. The path to the command
line interpreter (eg: C:\WIN95\command.com /k cd "%1") is the (Default)
value.
View
DLL & Control Panel Applet Icons
DLL files have their own built-in icons, but are represented
by the same icon in Windows. To force Windows to display the inherent icon
of each DLL file, go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\dllfile\DefaultIcon and
modify the (Default) value to read %1.
Control Panel applets (CPL files) can also
be forced to reveal their icons (which you see in the Control Panel, but
not in Explorer). Just go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\cplfile\DefaultIcon
and change the (Default) value to read %1.
Adding
to Windows 9x Tips
You may remember that when you first installed Windows, a
dialogue box with tips greeted you. There are just over 40 tips in all,
but you can edit these, or even add more if you please. Make your way to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Tips
and you will see them in the right pane. Just double-click any to edit
the tip (or right-click and choose Modify). To create new tips, choose
Edit/New/String
value (or right-click a blank area of the right pane and choose
New/String
value) and name them with unassigned numbers; the text you insert
as values will be the tips.
This can be a great gag, especially if you replace all
the tips with your own prank ones. Of course, you can use it for educational
purposes, offering beginners more sage advice than Microsoft (you can stick
in as many tips as you want). To get it up and going again, open Welcome.exe
in
your Windows folder and choose for it to open each time Windows 95 does.
Changing
Font Names
It is possible to change the listed names of fonts as they
are seen from the 'Fonts' folder - there may not be any change in their
listed names in apps like Word for Windows, etc. Go and have a look at
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Fonts.
Change
Default Backup Program
Have a look at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ explorer\mycomputer\backuppath. The (Default)
value of this is the full path and filename of the app to perform backups
through My Computer Properties.
Tilde
death do us part...
(Here's a power tip that's more to clear up an annoying legacy feature.
But be warned...this tip can be a real killer! I personally spent hours
fixing the errors when something totally unexpected happened! But then,
I'm a nut who finds that kind of stuff fun. But this tip is here to be
of benefit (however trivial) and not a nuisance. I haven't looked back
since that little repair job, as the other alternative drove me nuts! But
like I said...be warned! Anything you do is all YOUR responsibility! Here
goes...)
It may annoy you too see what DOS does to your longfilenames
(ie: the first six characters, a tilde, then a number, as
in C:\PROGRA~1 for the Program Files folder)
when it creates aliases, but it's a Win95 safety function. You can, however,
disable this function by editing the Registry. Open: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem,
choose Edit/New/Binary value, call it NameNumericTail and
give it a value of 00. Now your aliases will be without the customary
tilde and number (except for ones that are already on your disk).
Tildes:
Problems with removing them
After editing the Registry, a few things can go wrong. Though
DOS names created before are usually fine, the unthinkable can happen to
the very folder that doesn't need it: Program Files. The
Progra~1
folder can suddenly rename itself to Programf. The good news
is that this change is recorded in c:\Win95\inf\Applets.inf.
The
bad news is that if you've got a complex setup with lots of programs, things
can suddenly go downhill, resulting in a domino effect.
Assuming you still want to leave the tilde tail off, you
need to open Regedit and search (ctrl+F) for all instances
of Progra~1, then replace them all with Programf.
Then
open Start Menu\Find\Files or Folders to specify a search
from C:\ (including sub-directories) after entering Progra~1in
Containing
text under Advanced. Do not specify a file name under Named,
and don't touch Applets.inf, Mos.inf, and any other file that contains
info relating to old and new DOS names. You'll know the files not to touch
as they will all contain info like this:
; Directory names - note that that short versions
must match the truncated
; 8 char names for the long versions, or else
there will be problems.
; also need to put the short versions in the
[DestinationDirs] section above
; Used by wordpad, hypertrm, backup, paint, &
MSN
Program_Files = "Program Files"
PROGRAMF = "Progra~1" ; first 6 chars of Program_Files,
+ "~1"
OEM_PROGRAMF = "Progra~1" ; first 6 chars of
Program_Files, + "~1" - in OEM codepage (not Ansi)
ResourceKit = "Resource Kit"
RESOURCE = "Resour~1" ; first 6 chars of Resource
Kit, + "~1"
OEM_RESOURCE = "Resour~1" ; first 6 chars of
Resource Kit, + "~1" - in OEM codepage (not Ansi)
All files with Progra~1 will be listed; open each for
editing, search for the word and replace each instance.
This may take an hour or two all up, yet it's worth it
if those DOS tails drive you nuts!!!
DWORD
and Binary Values
Now that you have seen how to edit
String
Values to change a few settings, we will look at DWORD and Binary
values. As you have seen, some settings are easily changed by modifying
a String Value from 0 to 1 (basically "no"
to "yes"). Many DWORD and Binary Values are changed in this
way, yet editing them is not so straight forward. The links below will
take you to a page on altering the Start Menu, where the values
you need to alter are DWORD and Binary.
E-mail Me if you have any cool tips or Registry questions...
