Customization Tricks For Windows XP

Use registry shortcuts to disable and enable screensavers in Win XP:

The steps in this tip will show you how to edit the registry for a time-saving shortcut for enabling and disabling your screensaver.
When you perform maintenance operations such as defragmenting or backing up the hard disk, you probably disable your screensaver before you begin to prevent it from interfering with the maintenance operation. However, disabling your screensaver manually is a multistep operation that involves accessing the Display Properties dialog box, navigating to the Screen Saver tab, and setting the screen saver to None. Then, you need to re-enable the screen saver after you complete the maintenance operation.
Fortunately, you can automate the disabling and enabling screen saver procedures with a couple of registry shortcuts. Note: Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup before making any changes.
Here's how.

1. Launch Notepad and type the following four lines. (Note: The second line must be blank.)
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"ScreenSaveActive"="0"
2. Save the file to your desktop with the name Disable Screen Saver.reg.
3. Change the 0 to a 1 in the fourth line.
4. Save the file to your desktop with the name Enable Screen Saver.reg.

Now, when you need to disable the screen saver, just double-click the Disable Screen Saver.reg shortcut. To enable the screen saver, double-click the Enable Screen Saver.reg shortcut.
When you run either of these files, the Registry Editor will display two confirmation prompts—one before making the change and one after making the change.






Create a drive menu for My Computer:

Set My Computer to work like a menu for easier access to the drives you need.
By default, the My Computer item on the Start menu is configured to work like a standard folder window. If you need to access a specific drive, select My Computer from the Start menu, wait a moment for the window to appear, and then double-click the icon for the drive you need to access.
When you're in a hurry, this two-step procedure can be time-consuming and frustrating—especially if My Computer contains a large number of drive icons. However, Windows XP makes it easy for you to configure My Computer so it works like a menu, with each drive listed as a menu item.
Here's how.
1. Right-click the Start button, and select Properties.
2. Click Customize, which is adjacent to the Start Menu radio button, and select Advanced.
3. Scroll through the Start Menu Items list box until you see My Computer.
4. Select Display As A Menu, and click OK twice.
Now, when you select My Computer from the Start menu, you'll see a menu of individual drives. To access the contents of that drive, just select the drive letter from the menu.





Add UNC information to the command prompt in XP:

Here’s a trick for configuring the command prompt to display the full UNC of a mapped drive letter.
If you're like most system administrators, you more than likely prefer to perform common tasks using Windows XP's vast array of command-line tools. If so, here's another trick to add to your toolbox.
Did you know that you can configure the command prompt to display the full UNC of a mapped drive letter? The ability to tell at a glance which server a particular driver letter maps to can save you both time and frustration when working at the command line. All you have to do is add a special character to the Prompt command.
Here's how.

1. Press [Windows][Break] to open the System Properties dialog box.
2. On the Advanced tab, click the Environment Variables button.
3. In the System Variables section, click the New button.
4. Enter PROMPT in the Variable Name text box.
5. Enter $m$p$g in the Variable Value text box.
6. Click OK three times to close all open dialog boxes.
Now, when you open a command prompt and access a mapped drive letter, you'll see the UNC path in the prompt.






Switch to Windows' basic search tool in XP:

Learn how to switch from the Windows XP Search Companion to the basic search tool.
As you probably know, the Windows XP Search Companion provides users with a lot of bells and whistles designed to make searching for files on hard drives much easier. But sometimes all of these extra features just get in the way.
If you're longing for Windows 2000's basic search tool, it doesn't have to be in vain. The basic search tool is still available in Windows XP, and you can activate it with a quick registry edit. Note: Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup before making any changes.
Here's how.

1. Open the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState.
3. Go to Edit | New | String Value.
4. Name the new value Use Search Asst.
5. Double-click the new value, type no in the Value Data text box, and click OK.
6. Close the Registry Editor, and restart the system.
To switch back to the Search Companion, just go back to the Registry Editor, and change the Value Data to yes.





Add a Safe Mode option to the Boot menu in Windows XP:

Follow these steps to add a Safe Mode option to the Boot menu.
When you're experiencing a problem with Windows XP, you may need to boot the system into Safe Mode more than once. However, doing so can be a tiresome process. When the Boot menu appears, you must press [F8], and then you must select Safe Mode from yet another menu.
Wouldn't it be nice if Safe Mode were available from the Boot menu? In fact, it's relatively easy to add a Safe Mode option to the Boot menu.
Here's how.

1. Press [Windows][Break] to open the System Properties dialog box.
2. On the Advanced tab, click the Settings button in the Startup And Recovery section.
3. In the System Startup section, click the Edit button.
4. When the Boot.ini file opens in Notepad, locate the line that ends with the /fastdetect switch.
5. Highlight and copy that line and paste it in the line below.
6. Change the section on the line that reads WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" to WINDOWS="Safe Mode."
7. Add the following to the end of the line:
/safeboot:minimal /sos /bootlog






Make the Windows XP Favorites menu more useful in Windows Explorer:

Your favorite menu just got better at dealing with your Favorites. This shortcut will let you cut through the maze of folders on your Windows XP machine running Windows Explorer. Note: This tip applies to both Windows XP Professional and Home.
Similar to Internet Explorer, the Favorites menu in Windows XP appears in Windows Explorer. This makes it easy for you to access the Internet from within Windows Explorer. However, it really serves no other purpose in Windows Explorer—even though it has the potential to do so much more.
You can make hard disk and network navigation much easier and more efficient if you use the Favorites menu as a place to keep shortcuts to deeply nested folders on your hard disk, as well as to network drives you access frequently. Doing so just takes a bit of rethinking about how you use and organize the Favorites menu.

Here's how.
1. Press [Windows]R to access the Run dialog box, type Favorites in the Open text box, and click OK to open the Favorites folder in Windows Explorer.
2. Use the Make A New Folder command in the File And Folder Tasks pane to create three new folders, naming them Internet, Local Folders, and Network Folders.
3. Move all of your Internet links, except the folder titled Links, into the newly created Internet folder.
4. Navigate to some of the deeply nested folders on your hard disk that you access frequently and use the Add To Favorites command on the Favorites menu to create links in the Local Folders folder.
5. Navigate to some of the network shares that you access frequently and use the Add To Favorites command to create links in the Network Folders folder.
Now, when you're in Windows Explorer you can use the Local Folders and Network Folders shortcuts on the Favorites menu to make quick work of your regular hard disk and network navigation.





Simplify copy and paste operations in Windows XP:

Copying and pasting in Windows XP is simple enough—but how would you like to make it even easier? Teach some old keys new tricks and simplify the copy and paste process in both Professional and Home versions.
Do you spend a lot of time on your Windows XP machine researching IT-related topics on the Internet? If so, chances are that you probably spend time copying text from interesting Web sites and then pasting that text into word processing documents for later reference. That's four separate keyboard strokes—[Ctrl]C to copy and [Ctrl]V to paste—each time you want to save snippets of text. Wouldn't it be nice if you could reduce each operation to a single keystroke? Well, you can!
If you have a Microsoft keyboard that provides a special set of buttons across the top, you can use the IntelliType software to reassign any of the special buttons to perform the copy and paste operations.
Here's how.
1. Download and install the most current version of the IntelliType software for your keyboard from the Microsoft Hardware site. (This step is optional because the IntelliType software you have installed will allow you to reassign the special buttons.)
2. Access the Control Panel and double-click the Keyboard icon to display the Keyboard Properties dialog box.
3. Select the Key Settings tab, choose a key in the list, and click the Edit button to launch the Reassign A Key wizard.
4. Select the Choose From A List Of Commands option button in the Custom section and click Next.
5. In the Select A Command From The List scrolling list box, select the Copy command and click Finish.
6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 and assign another key to the Paste command.
7. When you return to the Keyboard Properties dialog box, click OK.
Now, anytime you want to perform a copy or paste operation, all you have to do is press the buttons that you reassigned. Likewise for a paste-only operation.

Tips And Tricks, Windows XP - Part9

Protection on system files:

To enable protection on system files such as the KnownDLLs list, add the following value;
1. Open RegEdit
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\
Control\SessionManager
3. Create the a Dword value and name it "ProtectionMode "
4. Set the Value to 1





The Fix For Grayed Out Boxes:

The File Types tab in Explorer's View / Options menu lets you edit most of your file types, but certain settings cannot be changed. The default action for a batch file, for instance, runs the batch file instead of opening it via Notepad or Wordpad. Thus, when you double-click on AUTOEXEC.BAT, a DOS window opens, and the file executes. If you want to change this default action and edit a batch file when you double-click on it, however, the File Types tab does not let you do so; the Set Default button for the file type called MS-DOS Batch File is always grayed out.

The button is grayed out because HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT's batfile key contains an EditFlag value entry. Such entries are used throughout the Registry to prevent novice users from altering certain system settings. The binary data in batfile's EditFlag reads d0 04 00 00. If you change this value to 00 00 00 00, you can then change any of the batch file settings. Do not, however, indiscriminately zero out EditFlag; if you do so in a system ProgID such as Drive or AudioCD, it completely disappears from the File Types list. For ProgIDs that are linked to extensions, set all EditFlags to 00 00 00 00. For system ProgIDs, replace EditFlag data with 02 00 00 00.

If you wish to have access to some buttons while leaving others grayed out, you must know the function of each EditFlag bit. The last two bytes of data are always zero, but most bits within the first two bytes have a specific effect:

• Byte 1, bit 1: Removes the file type from the master list in the File Types tab (select View / Options under Explorer) if it has an associated extension.
• Byte 1, bit 2: Adds the file type to the File Types tab if it does not have an associated extension.
• Byte 1, bit 3: Identifies a type with no associated extension.
• Byte 1, bit 4: Grays out the Edit button in the File Types tab.
• Byte 1, bit 5: Grays out the Remove button in the File Types tab.
• Byte 1, bit 6: Grays out the New button in the Edit File Type dialog (select the Edit button in the File Types tab).
• Byte 1, bit 7: Grays out the Edit button in the Edit File Type dialog.
• Byte 1, bit 8: Grays out the Remove button in the Edit File Type dialog.
• Byte 2, bit 1: Prevents you from editing a file type's description in the Edit File Type dialog.
• Byte 2, bit 2: Grays out the Change Icon button in the Edit File Type dialog.
• Byte 2, bit 3: Grays out the SetDefault button in the Edit File Type dialog.
• Byte 2, bit 4: Prevents you from editing an action's description in the Edit Action dialog (select the Edit button in the Edit File Type dialog).
• Byte 2, bit 5: Prevents you from editing the command line in the Edit Action dialog.
• Byte 2, bit 6: Prevents you from setting DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) fields in the Edit Action dialog.

The EditFlags value for Drive, for instance, is d2 01 00 00 in Hex (1101 0010 0000 0001 in binary). Bits 2, 5, 7, and 8 are on in byte 1, and bit 1 is on in byte 2. The EditFlag for batfile is d0 04 00 00 in Hex or 1101 0000 0000 0100 in binary. In this case, bits 5, 7, and 8 are on in byte 1, and bit 3 is on in byte 2.

Bits 4, 5, and 6 of byte 2 apply only to actions that are protected. EditFlags with action keys (such as HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open) determine protection. If byte 1, bit 1 of such an EditFlag is 0 (or if there is no EditFlag), then the action is protected. If byte 1, bit 1 is 1, then the action is unprotected.






Increasing the Modem Timeout:

If your modem it is timing out during file transfers or loading Web Pages, you might try increasing the timeout period. To change the Time Out::
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\
Services\Class\Modem\XXXX\Settings Where XXXX is the number of your modem
3. In the right panel and double click on Inactivity Timeout
4.The number of minutes for a timeout should be entered between the brackets.
5.For example, a setting could have S19=<10> to set it to 10 minutes






Recycle Bin Edits:

Playing with the recycle bin. Why not make the icon context menu act like other icon context menus.
Add rename to the menu:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder
"Attributes"=hex:50,01,00,20
Add delete to the menu:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder
"Attributes"=hex:60,01,00,20
Add rename and delete to the menu:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder
"Attributes"=hex:70,01,00,20
Restore the recycle bin to Windows defaults including un-deleting the icon after deletion:
Restore the icon.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer
\Desktop\NameSpace\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
@="Recycle Bin"
Reset Windows defaults.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,00,20
Other edits to the recycle bin icon:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,01,20 ... standard shortcut arrow
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,02,20 ... a different shortcut arrow
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,04,20 ... and still another shortcut arrow
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,08,20 ... make it look disabled (like it's been cut)

For Windows XP and 2000 also edit HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Explorer\CLSID\
{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}

For Windows ME also edit HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\
CLSID{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}






Changing the caption on the Title Bar:

Change the Caption on the Title Bar for OutLook Express or the Internet Explorer:

For Outlook Express:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\OutLook Express
3. Add a string value "WindowTitle" (no space)
4. Modify the value to what ever you like.
For no splash screen, add a dword value "NoSplash" set to 1
For IE5 and up use: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\IDENTITIES\
{9DDDACCO-38F2-11D6-93CA-812B1F3493B}\ SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\OUTLOOK EXPRESS\5.0
The Key {9DDDACCO-38F2-11D6-93CA-812B1F3493B} can be any key you find here. Each user has his own Key number.
The Key 5.0 is whatever version of IE you have

For Internet Explorer:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
3. Add a string value "Window Title" (use a space)
4. Modify the value to what ever you like.







WISE WORDS:Distance lends enchantment to the view.