Windows tweaks 3

101. Stop Win2K/XP From Fixing Broken Shortcuts
HKEY_Current_User\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\ NoResolveTrack This DWORD set to 1 will stop Windows 2000 and XP from trying to automatically fix shortcuts. 0 will enable it.
102. Setting the Cache Write Delay
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CacheWriteDelay (Windows 2000)
This DWORD value (in milliseconds) controls the time that Windows waits before it tries to shut down. This will allow time for the cache to be written permanently to the disk.
103. Verify CD-ROM/CD-R/CD-RW Drive Types
(Windows XP)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CD Burning\Drives
Each CD drive will have its own Volume key. Double-click the "Drive Type" value to change its properties. CD-Rs should be set to 1; CD-RWs should be set to 2; non-writables should be set to 3.
104. Disable New Features of the Windows XP and Windows 2000 Shell
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\ClassicShell This DWORD value set to 1 will disable many of the newer features of the Windows Shell
105. Change Taskbar Background Flashing Settings
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\ForegroundFlashCount
This REG_DWORD value sets the number of times that a background application flashes letting you know that it wants to take control
106. Disable Office 2000 Clipboard
HKey_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\General\AcbControl
Setting this DWORD value to 1 (Decimal) will stop the Office 2000 clipboard from popping up.
107. Remove Help Option From Start Menu
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\ NoSMHelp (Windows 2000)
This REG_DWORD set to 1 will remove the Start Menu Help menu. You must log off and back on for this change to take effect. Setting this to 0 will show the Help menu.
108. Modify the Number of Recent Documents Stored in the Documents Menu
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ Explorer\MaxRecentDocs
Set this DWORD value to the number of documents that you would like on the Documents menu of the Start Menu. The Windows default is 15. The number you choose must be in multiples of 15.
109. Resize Windows Minimize and Maximize Buttons
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics\CaptionWidth
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics\CaptionHeight
Change these 2 registry values to change the size of the Minimize and Maximize buttons.
110. Hide the Documents Menu on the Start Menu
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer\NoRecentDocsMenu
Set this DWORD value to 1 to hide the Documents menu. Shortcuts will still be added to the Documents, but since you don’t see the menu, you don’t see the shortcuts.
111. Disable Documents Menu on the Start Menu
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer\NoRecentDocsHistory
Set this DWORD value to 1 to stop Windows from even keeping track of document history
112. Change Your Default Html Editor
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Default HTML\Editor\Description
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Default HTML\Editor\shell\edit\command
In the first registry key, change the description to the name of your HTML Editor.
In the second key, change the default REG_SZ data to the fully qualified pathname for your editor.
113. Track WindowsUpdate Processes
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\SteppingMode
Set this string value to Y in order to track the process. Change it to N to ignore the process.
114. Set The Default Domain In Windows NT
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\DefaultDomainName
This string value should be set to the value to the preferred domain.
115. Set The Alternate Default Domain In Windows NT
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\AltDefaultDomainName
This string value should be set to the value to the alternative preferred domain.
116. Do Not Display The Username Of The Last User
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Network\Logon\DontShowLastUser
(Windows 95/98/ME)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\WinLogon\DontDisplayLastUserName
(Windows 2000/XP)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\
CurrentVersion\WinLogon\DontDisplayLastUserName
(Windows NT)
This value should be set to 1 to stop the last user name from appearing in the Logon window
117. Disable Dragging To The Start Menu
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoChangeStartMenu this REG_DWORD should be set to 1
118. Clear Windows Media Player Most Recently Used (MRU) List
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player\RecentFileList
Delete this key to clear the Windows Media Player most recently played file list.
119. Enable services through the registry
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
To enable (or change the startup options for) services on the local computer, locate the
Service, and set Start value to:
0 -boot
1 -system
2 -automatic
3 -manual
120. Disable Automatic Update Checking in Windows Media Player
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Policies\WindowsMediaPlayer\DisableAutoUpdate (WMP 7)
This REG_DWORD value should be set to 1. A value of 0 enables automatic updates.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\EnableAutoUpgrade (WMP 6.4)
This REG_SZ value should be set to No. A value of Yes enables automatic updates.
121. Internet Explorer DNS Cache Timeout
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\DnsCacheTimeout
Since Internet Explorer 4.0, the DNS cache has been resetting itself every thirty minutes. Change this DWORD to the number of seconds between Cache purges.
122. Adding the My Computer Security Zone
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\0\Flags
By default, there are four zones in IE that you may customize: Internet, Local intranet, Trusted Sites, and Restricted Sites. Change the value above from 33 to 1. You’ll now have a new My Computer zone.
123. Increase Icon Cache Size
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ Max Cached Icons
Have you ever seen your icons change from the proper icon to one for another program? This happens because the icon cache is full. You can change the number of icons that are cached in this registry key. This REG_SZ value represents the number of icons that will be cached. The default is 500. If you find that your icons are changing often, increase this number to a maximum of 2000.
124. Disable IE’s Clicking Sound When You Click On A Link
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\Explorer\Navigating\.current
Delete this key to stop IE from playing the clicking sound every time you click on a link.
125. Change Default Wallpaper Folder
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WallPaperDir
Set this to the location where your desktop wallpaper will be found on this computer.
126. Hide Windows 2000/XP Places Bar
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\co
mdlg32\NoPlacesBar
This DWORD value should be set to 1 to hide the places bar in the Open/Save dialog box.
127. Edit Windows 2000/XP Default Places Bar
This comes from a Windows FAQ newsletter:
You can modify the five default quick links in the Open and Save common dialog boxes by performing the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\comdlg32 subkey. (If this subkey doesn't exist, select New, Key from the Edit menu to create it.)
3. From the Edit menu, select New, Key.
4. Enter a name of Placesbar and press Enter.
5. Navigate to the new registry subkey. You can create five entries (i.e., Place0, Place1, Place2, Place3, and Place4). Make each entry either a string value (REG_SZ) entry (for a named folder) or a DWORD value (REG_DWORD) entry (for a special folder, such as My Documents or My Network Places).
6. To create a new entry, go to the Edit menu, select New, DWORD value or New, String Value (as appropriate), enter a name of Placen (e.g., Place0, Place4), and press Enter.
7. Double-click the entry and set its REG_SZ "Value data" to a path and folder name or its REG_DWORD "Value data" to a numeric ID (the table below shows a partial list of these numeric IDs--the shlobj.h file, which is part of the platform software development kit (SDK), defines the full list of special numeric IDs).
8. Close the registry editor.
This change will not affect applications within the Microsoft Office suite but will affect applications, such as Notepad and Microsoft Paint, that use the Open and Save common dialog boxes. Each new entry you add will replace one of the default quick links.
ID Pathway
0 Desktop
1 Internet Explorer
2 Start Menu\Programs
3 My Computer\Control Panel
4 My Computer\Printers
5 My Documents
6 \Favorites
7 Start Menu\Programs\Startup
8 \Recent
9 \SendTo
a \Recycle Bin
b \Start Menu
c Logical "My Documents" desktop icon
d "My Music" folder
e "My Videos" folder
10 \Desktop
11 My Computer
12 Network Neighborhood (My Network Places)
13 \Nethood
14 Windows\Fonts
16 All Users\Start Menu
17 All Users\Start Menu\Programs
18 All Users\Startup
19 All Users\Desktop
1a \Application Data
1b \PrintHood
1c \Local Settings\Application Data
(nonroaming) 0x001d // nonlocalized startup
1e Nonlocalized common startup
1f Common favorites
20 Internet cache
21 Cookies
22 History
23 All Users\Application Data
24 GetWindowsDirectory()
25 GetSystemDirectory()
26 C:\Program Files
27 C:\Program Files\My Pictures
28 USERPROFILE
29 x86 system directory on RISC
2a x86 C:\Program Files on RISC
2b C:\Program Files\Common
2c x86 Program Files\Common on RISC
2d All Users\Templates
2e All Users\Documents
2f All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools
30 \Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools
31 Network and Dial-up Connections
35 All Users\My Music
36 All Users\My Pictures
37 All Users\My Video
38 Resource Directory
39 Localized Resource Directory
3a All Users OEM-specific applications
3b USERPROFILE\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\CD Burning
128. Reinstalling Internet Explorer 6.0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{89820200-ECBD-11cf-8B85-00AA005B4383}\IsInstalled.
This DWORD should be set to 0 to trick Windows into thinking that IE 6 isn’t installed
129. Reinstall Outlook Express 6.0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{44BBA840-CC51-11CF-AAFA-00AA00B6015C}\IsInstalled.
This DWORD should be set to 0 to trick Windows into thinking that OE 6 isn’t installed
130. Show Which Domain a PC Is Logging In To
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Network\Logon\DomainLogonMessage
This DWORD value should be set to 1 to show which domain a computer is logging in to. Setting the value to 0 will disable the message.
131. Find BIOS Information in the Registry
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\SystemBiosDate
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\SystemBiosVersion
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\VideoBiosDate
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\VideoBiosVersion
Some information about your BIOS may be in the keys above. Do not change these values. They are for reference only.
132. Disable Internet Explorer Advanced Tab
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel\AdvancedTab
Setting this to 1 will stop this tab from appearing. Change it to 0 or delete it to have the tab reappear.
133. Display the local Administrator account on the Windows XP Welcome screen?
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList\Administrator
This DWORD value should be set to 1 to show the account. Set it to 0 to hide the account
134. Tweak the registry to disable the Shut Down button
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\ShutdownWithoutLogon
This value should be set to 0 to force users to logon before they shut down the computer.
135. Disable Low Disk Warnings in Windows XP
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\NoLowDiskSpaceChecks Settings this to 1 will stop the OS from checking for disk space, which will also turn of the Low Disk Space balloons.
136. Disable 8.3 characters names on NTFS partitions
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem\NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation Set this DWORD value to 1 to stop NTFS systems from creating 8.3 character filenames.
137. Disable multi-user editing in Microsoft Word 2002
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word\Options\NoPromptToForkDocuments Set this DWORD value to 1 to disable multi-user editing
138. Disable the search assistant in Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 6.0
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Use Search Asst
Settings this to NO will disable the search assistant
139. Disable the Windows Explorer search assistant in Windows XP
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState\Use Search Asst
Setting this String value to NO will disable the search assistant
140. Edit registry to read all e-mail as plain text
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\Options\Mail\ReadAsPlain Set this DWORD value to 1 will force Outlook XP SP1 to read all email as Plain Text.
141. Overwrite Deleted Information in Microsoft Outlook 2000/2002
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\PST (subkey for Outlook 2002)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Outlook\PST (subkey for Outlook 2000)
Set the DWORD value PSTNullFreeOnClose to 1 to instruct Outlook to remove the deleted data every time you close the application, then click OK
142. Stop unwanted user access by turning off cached logins
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\CachedLogonsCount
Set this to 0 to disable cached logins. This means that you must authenticate with a domain controller.
143. Change location of Print Spooler
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers\DefaultSpoolDirectory (Windows NT/2000/XP)
Change this to any location you want
144. Increase the priority of the print spooler
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\SpoolerPriority
Set this DWORD value to 1
145. Right-click to encrypt
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Explorer\Advanced\EncryptionContextMenu
Setting this DWORD value to 1 will allow you to encrypt a file when you right-click on it.
146. Shut Down Your Computer When Event Log is Full
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\
Control\Lsa\CrashOnAuditFail
Setting the value to 1 will cause the computer to crash when the log is full. Setting it to 0 will disable this feature.
147. Force NT Kernel to stay resident in Memory
HKEY_Local_Machine\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\
Memory Management\DisablePagingExecutive
Setting this value to 1 will cause the NT Kernel to stay resident in memory. This might speed up the performance of your operating system.
148. Disable EFS in Windows XP
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\
EFS\EfsConfiguration
Set this DWORD value to 1 to disable EFS.
149. Reset Unread Email Counter on the Windows XP Welcome Screen
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail\ Message Count
Set this value to 0 will reset the unread-email counter on the Windows XP Welcome screen.
150. Remove Unread Email Counter from the Windows XP Welcome Screen
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail\ MessageExpiryDays
Setting this DWORD value to 0 will stop the XP Welcome screen from showing the number of unread messages.