Windows Tips And Tricks - Chapter I

136. Task Bar Grouping

2007-09-04T00:21:00.002+05:30

If you want to change the default number of grouping in task bar do this tweak. Go to
START>RUN and enter regedit. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\
Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced. Look for value of the key titled
TaskbarGroupSize. Set it to any value you want. Default is 3.BDV-818057-BDV

135. Killing Tasks from Command Line

2007-09-04T00:20:00.004+05:30

First get the command prompt by following Start>Run>cmd. Find out the tasks and its
process id by typing tasklist in the black window.You can now get rid of tasks on the
computer by using taskkill /pid followed by the process number, or just skill and the
process number.

134. Increase the Maximum Recording Time

2007-09-04T00:20:00.003+05:30

In the Sound Recorder utility the maximum time of recording is 1 minute. You can increase it
to any number of minutes of your choice by applying this trick. First make sure that your
microphone is muted so it will not pick up sound. Click Record, and then let Sound Recorder
run for 60 seconds. This will create a blank wave file of length 1 minute. After 60 seconds,
click Save As on the File menu, and name the file loops.wav

Click Insert File on the Edit menu, and then insert the loops.wav file. This increases the
maximum recording time by 60 seconds. You can repeat this step once for each additional
minute of recording time that you want to add. For example, for a 10-minute recording time,
insert the loops.wav file 10 times.

133. More DNS Tweaks

2007-09-04T00:19:00.000+05:30

Failed DNS lookups get cached and to prevent it from occurring, we have to change
following three registry keys under the hive:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ Dnscache\ Parameters

Now create or modify the DWORD key named NegativeCacheTime and set its value to
0(zero) .The default value is 300 seconds. This key determines how long an entry for a
negative answer remains in DNS cache.

Create or modify the DWORD key NetFailureCacheTime and set the value as 0 (zero). The
default is 30 seconds. It determines for how long the DNS client stops sending queries when
the network is not responding.

Create or modify the DWORD key NegativeSOACacheTime and set the value as 0(zero).
The default value I think is 120 seconds. This key determines how long an entry for a
negative answer to a query for an SOA remains in the Domain Name System (DNS) cache.

132. Clear the Temporary Files Automatically

2007-09-04T00:18:00.002+05:30

You can tell IE 6 to automatically delete temporary files. To do so Start the browser, select
Tools>Internet Options> Advanced. Go to the Security area and check the box to Empty
Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.

131. Security Tip: Clear Page File

2007-09-04T00:18:00.001+05:30

Some programs can temporarily store unencrypted passwords and other sensitive information
in memory. By clearing the Windows paging file (stored in hard disk as Pagefile.sys), we can
prevent any unsecured data from being contained after the shutdown process is complete.
This tip will enhance the security but will slow down the shutdown process by another 5 to 8
seconds. If you do not want to compromise on security, follow the tip.

Open Control PanelSelect Administrative ToolsChoose Local Security PolicyLocal
Policies. Now Click on Security Options. In the right hand menu, right click on Shutdown:
Clear Virtual Memory Pagefile and Select Enable. Reboot the machine. Now for the guys,
who love to edit the registry for this setting, navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\
MemoryManagement. Double click on ClearPageFileAtShutdown and Set Value = 1.Click
OK and Reboot

130. A Tip for the Taskbar

2007-09-04T00:17:00.001+05:30

Navigate to the following registry hive for this small but cute registry hack:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Create or modify a DWORD key named NoToolbarsOnTaskbar and set its value to 1 (hex).

129. Stop Users Changing Desktop Settings

2007-09-04T00:16:00.001+05:30

If you are running a cyber cafe (or a public machine) and do not want users to change desktop
settings,navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Program
Manager\Restrictions.

Create or edit the DWORD NoSaveSettings. Now to disable saving desktop settings, set its

value to 1. Reboot the machine for the settings to take effect.

128. Stop XP from Tracking User Information

2007-09-04T00:15:00.002+05:30

XP tracks user information such as the programs users run, the paths they navigate, and the
documents they open in order to customize Windows menu and other related features. We
can stop XP from doing this so as to free the system resources. To do so, navigate to the key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Create or modify a DWORD key named NoInstrumentation and give it a value of 1 (hex).

127. Shortcut to Lock Your PC

2007-09-04T00:15:00.001+05:30

We have already discussed about shortcuts to shutdown, restart and logoff XP machines. This
time I’ll show you how to lock it with a shortcut. Create a new shortcut on your desktop
using a right mouse click, and enter rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation in the location
field exactly as it is. Give the shortcut a name. Just double click on it and your computer will
be locked. Enter passport to log back in.

126. Need More Disk Space??

2007-09-04T00:14:00.000+05:30

Clean up by going to Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Cleanup. In
'More Options' click the button to remove all but the most recent restore point. Delete the
hidden folder C:\Windows\$NTServicePackUninstall. There may also be a large folder
C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download. That can also be deleted. There will also be a
large folder C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles. Do NOT delete this but compress it to save
about 200MB of disk space. To compress it, Right click on it, Choose Properties, click the
Advanced button, and select 'Compress’.

125. Set CPU Priority

2007-09-04T00:13:00.000+05:30

This setting will boost the priority of foreground applications. The tip will override the
default priority setting given to the programs currently running and hence the reader is
advised to take necessary precaution. Though the trick is found to be working fine so far in
all system that I tried; I strongly recommend creating a system restore point and a
registry backup (to be on a safer side) before attempting this tip.

To do the tweaking, navigate through the following registry hive:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\PriorityControl

Modify (or create) a DWORD key named Win32PrioritySeparation and set its value as

00000026 (hex).

124. Make XP Remember the Folder Settings

2007-09-04T00:12:00.002+05:30

Sometimes you'll customize a folder and upon restarting you will be shocked to see that the
changes haven't been saved. In some cases the settings work for few days and then XP forgets
it. Ever wondered why this happens? Well, This is due to that fact that Windows XP
remembers the settings for only 400 folders, by default. When you customize more folders
the old settings are lost. To prevent Windows XP forgetting the folder customization, we can
increase the limit till 8000 (which is the upper limit).

Set the BagMRU Size to 6000 (Decimal) in the following registry keys:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam

Let me remind you that the value that we set is in Decimal and not hex.

123. Enable Fast Shutdown

2007-09-04T00:12:00.001+05:30

To enable fast shutdown open the registry editor. (StartRunRegedit) and go to the key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Shutdown. Create a string
key called FastReboot and give it a value of 1.

122. Restrict Certain Users From Running An Application

2007-09-04T00:11:00.002+05:30

You can selectively restrict access to few apps and file names. To do this, open registry and
navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Now look for a subkey by the name DisallowRun. Within this key, add many string keys you
like each mapped to an application or file that you want to be restricted.

121. Delete Addresses Stored by AutoDial

2007-09-04T00:11:00.001+05:30

AutoDial recordes a list of names and addresses. To see the list , type the following command
at a command prompt: rasautou -s

Now to delete a name or address entry from the list, open the registry editor and navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\RAS Autodial\Addresses. Delete whatever
you want.

120. Enhance Network Throughput? Try This Out

2007-09-04T00:10:00.001+05:30

Network throughput depends on a variety of factors and as such you never no what could be
the bottleneck. One of things that we can try out is the network redirector reserves.Open
registry editor and navigate to the key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\P
arameters. Click on right window pane and add the following Dwords. Valid values should
be between 0-255. Keep both values same.

MaxCmds 00000068 (hex)

MaxThreads 00000068(hex)

119. Automatic Window Refresh

2007-09-04T00:08:00.000+05:30

Whenever you make a change to your windows you have to press F5 or do a manual refresh.
With this tweak you can tell windows to increase the rate at which it does the refreshing.
Navigate to the key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Update. Create a new
DWORD value, or modify the existing value, named UpdateMode and set it to equal "0" for
faster updates. Restart Windows for the change to take effect.

118. Disabling Last Access feature

2007-09-01T06:18:00.002+05:30

NTFS file system in XP maintains a list of access/update details for each file and directory.
This information is useful but for an average user. To do the tweaking navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem and look
for the key NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate and set its value to 1.

117. Disable Automatic Private IP Addressing

2007-09-01T06:18:00.001+05:30

This registry hack will disable Automatic Private IP Addressing, but not DHCP. If you want
the APIPA feature to be disabled, then navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\
CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\DHCP. Add a new DWORD entry with the name
IPAutoconfigurationEnabled and give it a value of 0 (zero). Now restart the computer.

116. Automatic MTU Size Detection

2007-09-01T06:17:00.000+05:30

If MTU size is not optimized, this job has to be done by a router which would mean a
significant waste of time resulting in poor throughout. We have a solution to this issue. All
you have to do is to enable a key called EnablePMTUDiscovery in the following area.

KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\
ID_for_the_Adapter. Right click on right pane and add a DWORD key by the name
EnablePMTUDiscovery. A value of 1 will enable the TCP to attempt to discover the MTU
size over the specific path to host.

115. Tuning MTU to Boost Internet Speed

2007-09-01T06:16:00.002+05:30

Value of MTU decides the size of Internet data packet. Bigger the size, more is the time take
to transmit the packet over the internet. The maximum that you can put as the value of MTU
is 1500. Note that it may not make sense making it smaller than 68. It is therefore wise to use
a value between 1000 and 1500. Again this is a registry tweak and I STRONGLY recommend
the use of a tweaking utility that can do it for you. If you do not have any utility as such at
least make a system restore point so that in case you have some trouble you can roll back to
the previous system settings through the system restore facility provided by the Microsoft.

Open registry editor and Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Inter
faces\ID_for_the_Adapter.

For this right click on right pane and add a DWORD key by the name MTU. Use a value
from 1000 to 1500. Higher values are recommended.

114. Auto Disconnect Creating Problems?

2007-09-01T06:16:00.001+05:30

If you are having problem setting the auto disconnect feature in Internet explorer 6 , here is a
tip. Open registry editor and enter the following area:

HKY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters

Llook for AutoDisconnect parameter. Change its value to whatever you want. Note that the
value mentioned here are in minutes.

113. Change the Default Download Directory in Internet Explorer

2007-09-01T06:15:00.000+05:30

If you have created a directory and you want all the downloads to happen to that directory
instead of the default IE download directory, do this. Start> Run> Regedit and navigate to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer.

Change the value of the string "Download Directory" to the new path you want to assign as

IE's Default Download directory. I use C:\Sandy\Downloads.

112. Clear Most Recently Used (MRU) List From MS Word

2007-09-01T06:14:00.000+05:30

When you try to save a document in MS Word; Save as window open, and on the file name
text field, if you click the arrow down, you will see the history of saved
documents. Don’t like this idea? You wish to clear that? Ok. Here we go. First open the
registry editor and navigate to the following key and delete accordingly:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\OpenFind\Microsoft
Word\Settings\Save As\File Name MRU.

111. Modify the Internet Auto-Dial Settings

2007-09-01T06:13:00.000+05:30

In Windows there is an option to automatically dial your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to
establish an Internet connection. This option can be controlled using this tweak. Navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\InternetSettings

Create a new binary value named EnableAutodial, and set the new value to equal 01 00 00
00 to enable autodial or 00 00 00 00 to disable it. Please take care while giving the values.

This restriction can be used on a computer wide basis by adding it to keys corresponding to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Micrsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\InternetSettings.

110. Unable to Open Certain Web Sites? Try These Steps

2007-09-01T06:10:00.002+05:30

> From the IE window, go to Tools>Internet Options>Advanced and uncheck the
option Enable third party browsing extensions. Now restart IE.

>Go to Start>Run and type regsvr32 actxprxy.dll (follow next bullet point too)

>Go to Start>Run and type regsvr32 shdocvw.dll and reboot.

>Open Tools>Internet Options>Privacy tab and put one of these web sites in the list
which can be located by clicking the Sites button.

>Try putting the web site in the "Trusted Zone" and if this fixes the problem, you can
begin to diagnose cookie/script problems with that site and your Internet zone
settings.

>If you are a dial-up user and your ISP have more than one local number for dialup,
remove the primary number that is dialing up first and use the secondary dialup
number. Clear the checkbox for Negotiate multilink for single link connections
under the PPP settings.

>A file in your Windows folder called 'hosts' (no extension) may have an incorrect IP
address for the page. To find out, open Windows Explorer, select your C:\Windows
folder, and look in the right pane for a hosts file. If you can't find it in your Windows
folder, this isn't your problem. If you do find a hosts file, open it in Notepad and look
for a line referring to the page that's giving you trouble. If it's there, enter # at the
beginning of the line. Save and exit the file.

> Go to Tools>Internet Options>Connections>Lan Settings. Uncheck Use a proxy
server. Now restart IE.
These steps will definitely solve the issues.

109. Remove “Log Off” from the Start Menu

2007-09-01T06:10:00.001+05:30

To remove the Log Off line on your Start menu do the following registry hack. Navigate to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Create a new DWORD value and name it NoLogOff. Now add the value 1 to the key. You
need to logoff or reboot for the settings to take effect.

108. Where is the Conformation Message?

2007-09-01T06:08:00.000+05:30

When you first choose to download a file in Internet Explorer, you receive a Confirm File
Open dialog box. The "Always ask before opening this type of file" check box in this dialog
box is selected by default. But if you clear that check box, the registry entry for this setting
is changed and you do not see the Confirm File Open dialog box in subsequent download
sessions. Instead, Internet Explorer automatically opens files instead of downloading them.
If you regret the action and you want the message box back, here is a way: go to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile and modify the third octet for the EditFlags value in the
value from 01 to 00.

107. Active Desktop Completely Explained

2007-08-30T02:13:00.000+05:30

This lengthy session is dedicated to fully explain the various registry hacks associated with
active desktop. To remove the ability to disable Active Desktop, navigate to the following
registry key.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Micrsft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Create or modify a dword key called ForceActiveDesktopOn. Give it a value of 1 to enable
the key.

To remove the Active Desktop options from Settings on the Start Menu follow this tweak. Go
to the following key.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Micrsft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Create or modify a dword value called NoSetActiveDesktop give it a value of 1 to enable the
restriction.

To restrict any changes to the already enabled active desktop settings navigate to the
following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Micrsft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Create or modify a dword key called NoActiveDesktopChanges and give it a value of 1 to
enable restriction. To disable it give it a value of 0 (zero).

Other Features of the Windows Active Desktop that you can enforce is explained below. First
go to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Active
Desktop. Now create or modify the following dword keys for the functions explained.

NoChangingWallpaper Disable the ability to change wallpapers.
NoComponents Disable components.
NoAddingComponents Disable the ability to add components.
NoDeletingComponents Disable the ability to delete components.
NoEditingComponents - Disable the ability to edit components.
NoCloseDragDropBands Restrict adjustments to toolbars
NoMovingBands Restrict adjustments to desktop toolbars
NoHTMLWallPaper Only allow bitmaps (BMP) as wallpaper

106. Reduce Modem Timeout

2007-08-30T02:12:00.002+05:30

If you are experiencing a lot of modem timeout with you system, you can change the slownet
value in the Registry. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet
\Services \Class\Net\0000 (0001 etc) Change the slownet value from 01 to 00.

105. Way to Skip the “Open With Web Service”

2007-08-30T02:12:00.001+05:30

To do this open up the registry editor and navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer. Now
create or modify a dword key named InternetOpenWith. Give a value of 0 (zero) to hide the
web services or 1 to display web services.

104. Clean Prefetch Data

2007-08-30T02:11:00.000+05:30

The prefetch directory can get full of junk and obsolete links which can slow down your
computer noticeably. I would suggest that you do this once a month or so to improve the
speed. Do not follow this on a daily basis as prefetching of most commonly used programs
will speed up the execution of those programs. To perform this trick go to
C(SystemDrive):/windows/prefetch, and delete everything and reboot.

103. Improve DNS resolution.

2007-08-30T02:10:00.000+05:30

If you would ask me how XP handles DNS resolution, I would have to admit that it is simply
great. But there is still a room for improvement. This can be done by increasing the DNS
Cache size. To do this you would have to add following entries in registry. Please navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache\Parameters.
Create or modify (if already present) the following four DWORD keys to following values.

CacheHashTableBucketSize 00000001(hex)
CacheHashTableSize 00000180 (hex)
MaxCacheEntryTtlLimit 000fa00a(hex)
MaxSOACacheEntryTtlLimit 0000012d(hex)

102. Fifth zone in Internet Explorer 6.0…?

2007-08-30T02:09:00.001+05:30

Is there a fith zone in Internet Explorer 6? I think so. It is called my computer and is diabled
by default. If you want to enable this, Open registry editor and then navigate to the key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\InternetSettings\
Zones\0 and look for the dword data value called "Flags". Its default value is
0x00000021(hex). Chage its value to 1 and reboot. Now you should see an option called my
computer in Internet Explorer 6 Zone settings.

101. Customize the HTML error pages

2007-08-30T02:08:00.000+05:30

Some times, when you type a webpage address you might see an error page. A very common
error page that we come across is “Page not found” page. These error messages do not come
from any server. They are all stored in a DLL file in our system itself. The name of the dll file
is SHDOCLC.DLL file. If you don’t trust me then copy the following address and paste it in
your IE address bar and see for yourself.

res://c:\\Windows\\System32\\SHDOCLC.DLL/servbusy.htm

Now replace servbusy.htm with other html files given below .

http_400.htm, http_404.htm, http_406.htm, http_410.htm, http_500.htm, http_501.htm,
http_gen.htm, servbusy.htm, syntax.htm, navcancl.htm, offcancl.htm, policyerror.htm,
policylooking.htm, policynone.htm, policysyntaxerror.htm, privacypolicy.dlg, preview.dlg,
printerr.htm, printnf.htm, printnof.htm, printunk.htm, wcee.htm, ietext.bmp, ietext256.bmp,
world.bmp, world256.gif, ie.gif, ie256.gif, orgfav.dlg, about.dlg, analyze.dlg, bidifind.dlg,
docppg.ppg, error.dlg, find.dlg, findic.dlg, ieerror.dlg, imageppg.ppg, orgfav.dlg, and
pstemplate.dlg (Do you trust me now???)

If you need to customize these messages, write an error message and store it somewhere on
your hard disk. We can replace all these HTML error pages with our own. Navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\InternetExplorer\AboutURLs. You
can change entries associated with various keys and provide complete path name to your own
custom html file.

100. Disable Automatic Modem Connections at Startup

2007-08-30T02:07:00.002+05:30

The system may try to initiate an Internet connection at Windows startup or at the start of
many applications. This setting can be disabled by a small registry hack. Navigate to the key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ole.

Create a new String value, or modify the existing value, called EnableRemoteConnect and
edit the value to “Yes” or “No” accordingly. Yes = enable automatic connections and No =
disabled.

99. Disable the Win Key in a Keyboard

2007-08-30T02:07:00.001+05:30

If you do not have a windows enabled keyboard you can disable its use. Navigate to the key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\KeyboardLayout. Look
for value of "Scancode Map". Its binary data. Set its value to "00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 03 00
00 00 00 00 5B E0 00 00 5C E0 00 00 00 00" to disable the win key. Please be cautious while
entering this lengthy key.

98. Change the Default Search Engine from MSN to Any Search Engine of Your Choice ..

2007-08-30T02:04:00.000+05:30

Microsoft has set the default search engine in Internet explorer as MSN. But here is your
chance to set the default according to your wish. The tip is from MS-KB. First close the
Internet Explorer and open the registry editor (Start>Run>Regedit). Then navigate to the
following registry key.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchUrl. Change the
value of the string key named default to any one of the following values:

• To specify Metacrawler as the default search page, change the default value to
"http://www.metacrawler.com/crawler?general=%s" (without quotation marks).

• To specify AltaVista as the default search page, change the default value to
"http://www.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query?q=%s" (without quotation marks).

• To specify HotBot as the default search page, change the default value to
"http://hotbot.com/?MT=%s" (without quotation marks).

• To specify Google as the default search page, change the default value to
"http://www.google.com/keyword/%s" (without quotation marks).

• To specify Infoseek as the default search page, change the default value to
"http://www.infoseek.com/Titles?qt=%s" (without quotation marks).

• To specify Excite as the default search page, change the default value to
"http://search.excite.com/search.gw?search=%s" (without quotation marks).

• To specify Lycos as the default search page, change the default value to
"http://www.lycos.com/cgi-bin/pursuit?query=%s" (without quotation marks).

• To specify Magellan as the default search page, change the default value to
"http://www.mckinley.com/searcher.cgi?query=%s" (without quotation marks).

• To specify Ask Jeeves as the default search page, change the default value to
"http://askjeeves.com/AskJeeves.asp=%s" (without quotation marks).

• To specify Yahoo! as the default search page, change the default value to
"http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=%s" (without quotation marks).

• To specify GOTO.Com as the default search page, change the default value to
"http://www.goto.com/d/search/?type=topbar&Keywords=%s" (without quotation marks).

Quit Registry Editor, and then start Internet Explorer.

98. Alignment of Start Menu panel

2007-08-30T02:03:00.000+05:30

Start menu has all the entries aligned to left by default. But if you insist on aligning it to the
right, then here is the way to achieve it. The objective can be met by a registry tweak. Open
the registry editor and navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop and look for key MenuDropAlignment.
Set its value to 1 to align the menu entry to right. If you have any regrets in future, turn the
value back to 0.

97. Clear Type Fonts Right From the Log-in Window.

2007-08-30T02:02:00.000+05:30

I have already discussed this tip during the last issue. But I realized that the clear type will be
activated only after the user logs in. To activate the clear type right from the windows log-in
screen you have to do a registry hack in two different areas. Let us start with one area. Open
the registry editor and navigate to the following key first.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\Desktop. Now on the right window pane try to
find the string key titled FontSmoothing. Change it’s value to 2. Now find another DWORD
key FontSmoothingType and set its value to 2. This section is over. Now move to the other.

Navigate to the registry key HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop. Find the
string key titled FontSmoothing and set its value to 2 as we did before. Now find the other
DWORD key FontSmoothingType and set its value to 2. Now reboot the computer.

96. Type URL without a Mouse Click

2007-08-30T02:01:00.000+05:30

In IE you can use Alt + D key combination to highlight the address bar. This allows you to
enter a URL without the mouse click. This will be helpful for the laptop users who find it
uneasy to use their touchpad every time they want to type a URL.

95. Closing “about” Window:

2007-08-30T02:00:00.002+05:30

Certain web sites force the opening of a popup window with an advertisement that can not be
minimized or maximized like the other ordinary windows. These windows are a headache as
they do not have any Minimizing or maximizing buttons on them. This happens in MicroSoft
Internet Explorer 4/5/6 (that comes bundled with 98/Me/2000/XP). They do this by using the
"about:" browser built-in command into their HTML/DHTML/XML code. If you want to get
rid of such troubling windows during your surfing, then follow me. I have the fix. As usual
open the registry editor and navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet
Settings\ZoneMap\ProtocolDefaults

Now right click on the right window pane. Create a new Dword entry and name it about. Set
it’s value to “00000004” (hex). Please note that they are zeros and not the letter ‘O’.

Once again right click on the right window pane. This time create another Dword entry and
name it about: (Note the : symbol introduced here). Set it’s value to “00000004” (hex).
Please note that they are all zeros and not letter ‘O’.

This will place all "about:" URLs into the MS IE Restricted Zone (the hex code 00000004
stands for Restricted Zone), and hence will not open anymore while surfing the net.

94. Customize Your Login prompt

2007-08-30T02:00:00.001+05:30

So let us get into some serious business. We shall start with a tip to customize your log in
prompt. Open Registry editor by going to StartRunRegedit and Navigate to the key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Micrsft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon.
In right pane, do a right click to create a new string value and give its name LogonPrompt.
Set its value to whatever text you want to see displayed at login screen. Reboot the machine
and see the log-in prompt for the change. You can see the text you entered above the text
fields that ask for username and password.

93. Backup and Restore Your Registry

2007-08-30T01:53:00.000+05:30

I have been giving lectures on how to edit registry. But I never talked even a single word
about backing up or restoring the registry. Well, it is my honest mistake. I admit it. One
incident prompted me to write this section. I received an mail from “Ajith Kumar" who while
editing his system registry, accidently changed the file associations. Well, thank God, it was
not a major one! But what would have happened if he had done something else?? So this time
I'm not taking any chances. You back it up or not, here is my tip to backup and restore your
system registry settings.

We use the XP Backup utility for backing up the registry. To get this utility go to: START>
PROGRAMS>ACCESSORIES> SYSTEM TOOLS> BACKUP. The wizard will launch,
Then click next. Choose BACKUP FILES AND SETTINGS. Click next. Choose LET ME
CHOOSE WHAT TO BACKUP. Click next. Expand the section for MY COMPUTER (click
the minus sign next to it) and place a check mark in the box next to SYSTEM STATE
DATA. Add the drive containing XP or at least the WINDOWS folder. However this does
add considerable time and size to the backup.Click next. Now choose a place to store the info
and name it. If you are proficcient, you may choose a different type of backup by using the
advanced tab.

Now let us see how to restore the backed up registry in case of an emergency:

Go to START>PROGRAMS>ACCESSORIES>SYSTEM TOOLS>BACKUP. The
wizard will launch, Now click on the ADVANCED button. Click on the RESTORE
WIZARD button. Click next on the following screen. Choose the backup you want. Follow
the remaining screens. Done

Most probably you don’t see the Backup option in XP Home. Put the XP CD in the drive and
exit out of the screen that pops up. Go to My Computer and Right Click on the Drive
containing the XP CD. Please choose Explore. Now click on the following file
VALUEADD> MSFT> NTBACKUP>NTBACKUP Installer.

92. Need More?? –It’s Learning Time Guys

2007-08-29T01:00:00.001+05:30

Last time I mentioned about “gpedit.msc” (StartRungpedit.msc) where you can do a lot
of customization and it does not require any hacking knowledge. This time I am going to
mention about a web site that will give you a better picture of your Windows system. Do not
dream. It is nothing but our very own “support.microsoft.com”. Shocked? You may love
Windows or you may love to hate Windows. No matter to which category you belong, but
never underestimate that site. No other site has such an exclusive coverage of all Windows
related issues.

If you were wondering why I included 2 tips from this site in this PDF, here is my
explanation. It was an effort to make you understand that it is worth paying a visit. You don’t
have to spend too much time looking for your topics. There is a search button. For example,
If you are faced with some CD burning issues, search related topics by using the keyword
“CD Burning”. Thanks to our “COPY-PASTE HACKERS”, I have seen many of those topics
discussed on that site re-appearing on various hacking communities as “hacks”!!!! I pity
them.

Rather than spending time by scraping your e-mail address on the postings (that promise you
to deliver some hacks by e-mail) on Orkut, do something by yourself. Learn the inside out of
your system.

91. Multiple Columns for the Start Menu

2007-08-29T00:59:00.003+05:30

We started with the Start button, right? So, let us end this session with the same ☺ .To make
Windows use multiple Start Menu Columns (like Windows 95), do the following registry
hack. Open Registry Editor (Start Runregedit). Go to the key: HKEY_LOCAL
_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsCurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced. Right click
on the right window pane and create a string value StartMenuScrollPrograms. Set the value
to FALSE. To get the old setting simply change the value to True or delete the key . New
wine in the old bottle, ehh??

90. Solution to Screen Saver Hack

2007-08-29T00:59:00.001+05:30

I remember that my last release quoted 2 exploits (hacks) to get into an XP machine without
an administrator password. One technique was to replace the default “login.scr” with a
command prompt that gives you full fledged admin rights. One of the readers (probably a
system admin) wrote to me (from Orkut) on ways to patch it. The solution is known and it
does not require any sixth sense or any ‘hacking’ sense. As a responsible hacker (I’m not a
cracker, though I do some reverse engineering with hex editors/de-compilers/ dis-assemblers)
, I feel that it’s my responsibility to mention the remedy too. This potential security risk can
be negated with a very simple registry tweak. Open registry and navigate to
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\ControlPanel\Desktop and look for the data key
"ScreenSaveActive". Setting its value to 0 would disable screen saver. You can even clear out
the value for 'SCRNSAVE.EXE' to completely remove the screen saver and replace it with
some thing of your own. Isn’t a safe thing to do?

89. File attributes in Windows Explorer

2007-08-29T00:58:00.000+05:30

In Windows Explorer, when you click on the detailed mode, you do not see the file attributes
any more. If you want to enable this setting, do this:In regedit, navigate to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explor\Advanced
and look for key ShowAttribCol. If you do not find it , then create a new DWORD key
ShowAttribCol and set its value to 1 to enable it.

88. Change default directory of Windows Explorer

2007-08-29T00:57:00.001+05:30

Windows Explorer always opens My Documents folder by default. But it is now possible to
change this default location by a small hack. StartProgramsAccessories Windows
Explorer. Right click on this Windows Explorer and choose properties. Now you can see the
Target text field. It reads like : %SystemRoot%explorer.exe. After this line, leave a space and
type a comma(,) and type in the location of the folder you wish to open by default. For
example you have a folder named MP3 in your C:\ and want this folder to be opened by
default, then the change will be like this:

%SystemRoot%explorer.exe ,C:\MP3 (leave space before you type comma)

87. Hide All Icons in System Tray

2007-08-29T00:56:00.000+05:30

Run the Registry Editor and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/
Windows/CurrentVersion/Policies/Explorer. Create a new DWORD called
NoTrayItemsDisplay. Assign it a value of 1. (0= keep the icons displayed.) Exit the Registry
and reboot.

86. Do not let Regedit remember last change

2007-08-29T00:55:00.002+05:30

You might have noticed that whenever you open up Regedit, you can see the screen opened
up with the key you last changed. This is because regedit remembers the last changed key.
You can make it forget at your wish. You be the master. To do this trick, you'll need admin
privileges.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Regedit
and look for the value LastKey. Double-click it and clear the string. Then right-click the
Regedit key (in the left-hand pane) and select Permissions.Set Permissions to Deny for
any/all users/group.

85. Avoid Reactivation on XP Reinstall

2007-08-29T00:55:00.001+05:30

On activating your copy of Windows XP operating system, a file gets updated in windows
/system32 directory. It is called wpa.dbl. If you need to reinstall, take a backup of this file
and once you have reinstalled the OS, just copy it back to the same directory. This way you
can avoid reactivation hurdles.

84. Faster IE- Remove an Unused Key

2007-08-29T00:54:00.000+05:30

Open registry and navigating to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpace and then look for shared tasks
ClassId key {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}. Simply delete it and get out
of registry. No need to reboot.Launch Internet Explorer and see the difference. This key is
found to search for scheduled tasks on starting up the IE. This is a bug according to
MicroSoft. Don’t laugh please!

83. Text prediction in Windows Command prompt

2007-08-29T00:53:00.002+05:30

Linux and certain UNIX shells has the ability to predict user keystroke. If You are typing a
directory name or a filename and if it exists, using this feature would help you in avoiding
those extra keystrokes. If you think that only these Operating Systems have these features,
then you are wrong. Windows XP command environment has this feature. You have to use
TAB key. Assume you are in C:\drive and want to type autoexec.bat and there is a file that
exists by that name. In such cases you can simply type first few characters and press the TAB
key. You would really be amazed at this finding. Now tell me honestly, do you think that
Windows is not smart enough?

82. Mouse Trick – Better Mouse Acceleration

2007-08-29T00:53:00.001+05:30

Open registry and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Mouse and set
value of "SmoothMouseXCurve" and "SmoothMouseYCurve" as follows:

"SmoothMouseXCurve"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,a0,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,40,01,00,0
0,00,00,00,00,80,02,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,05,00,00,00,00,00

"SmoothMouseYCurve"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,66,a6,02,00,00,00,00,00,cd,4c,05,00,0
0,00,00,00,a0,99,0a,00,00,00,00,00,38,33,15,00,00,00,00,00

81. Solve “Error 1719:The Windows Installer service could not be accessed”(From MS KB) Method 1: Re-register the Windows Installer

2007-08-29T00:46:00.002+05:30

To re-register the Windows Installer, verify the location of the Msiexec.exe file on your hard
disk and in the Windows Registry, and then re-register the Windows Installer. To do so:

1. Verify the location of the Msiexec.exe file on your hard disk. To do so:

Start Search (All files and folders)type msiexec.exe ||Click Search.

In the search results, make a note of the location of the Msiexec.exe file. The location of the
Msiexec.exe file should be similar to the following example, where Drive is the drive where
Windows is installed, and %Windir% is the folder where Windows is installed:
Drive:\%Windir%\System32. An example of this is C:\Windows\System32. In Microsoft
Windows 98-based computers, the Msiexec.exe file is located in the
Drive:\%Windir%\System folder. On the File menu, click Close.

2. Verify the location of the Msiexec.exe file in the Windows Registry. To do so:

Locate, and then click the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSIServer. In the right
pane, double-click ImagePath. In the Edit String dialog box, make sure that the string in the
Value data box contains the correct path of the Msiexec.exe file on your hard disk that you
determined earlier in step 1.

For example, if the Msiexec.exe file is located in the Drive:\Windows\System32 folder on
your hard disk, the correct path of the Msiexec.exe file in the Value data box is the following
path, where Drive is the drive where Windows is installed:

Drive:\Windows\System32\Msiexec.exe /V

Note If you are using Windows 98, the correct path of the Msiexec.exe file is
Drive:\Windows\System\Msiexec.exe /V. If the Value data box does not contain the correct
path, make the appropriate changes to correct the path, and then click OK. Quit Registry
Editor.

3. Start your computer in safe mode, and then register the Msiexec.exe file. To do so:

Press F8 after you receive the following message. On the Windows Advanced Option menu,
use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode, and then press ENTER. If you use a dual-boot or
multiple-boot computer, select the appropriate operating system from the list that is
displayed, and then press ENTER. Log on to the computer. Click Start,, click Run, type the
following line, and then click OK: “msiexec /regserver” {Without quotes}

Note For 64-bit operating systems, you also need to reregister the 64-bit MSI installer. To do
this, click Start, click Run, type the following line, and then click OK:
Drive:\Windows\Syswow64\Msiexec /regserver. On 64-bit editions of a Windows operating
system, 32-bit binaries are located in %systemroot%\SysWow64 folder. 64-bit binaries are
located in the %systemroot%\System32 folder

4. Shut down, and then restart your computer in standard mode

If the issue persists and you still receive the error message that is described earlier in the
"Symptoms" section, follow the steps in Method 2.

Method 2: Reinstall the Windows Installer

To reinstall the Windows Installer, rename the damaged Windows Installer files, and then
reinstall the Windows Installer. To do so:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.

3. At the command prompt, type the following line, and then press ENTER, where Drive is
the drive where Windows is installed and where %Windir% is the folder where Windows is
installed:

attrib -r -s -h drive:\%Windir%\system32\dllcache

For example, type

attrib -r -s -h c:\windows\system32\dllcache

Note If you are using Windows 98, type system instead of system32.

4. At the command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after each line:

ren msi.dll msi.old

ren msiexec.exe msiexec.old

ren msihnd.dll msihnd.old

5. At the command prompt, type exit, and then press ENTER. Restart your computer. Update the Windows Installer files on your hard disk to the latest version. Windows Installer 2.0 is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center.

80. Increase MFT size If You have Lot of Installed Programs

2007-08-29T00:46:00.001+05:30

By default, NTFS would reserve 12.5% of your free diskspace for Master File Table(MFT) .
This table stores the details of file stored like the memory details. MFT fragmentation could
also cause a significant slow down. If you have installed tons of different programs on your
hard disk , my advice is to increase the MFT usage percentage to say 25%. To do so navigate
to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem. In right
pane, Add one more DWord key by the name "NtfsMftZoneReservation". DWORD value of
1 is interpreted as 12.5% ,2 as 25% and so on (multiples of 12.5).

79. change the default letter assignment for drives

2007-08-29T00:45:00.000+05:30

Right click “My Computer”.Click “Manage” to open the Computer Management Console. In
the top or lower right pane, right click the disk you want to change. Fixed drives appear in the
top and bottom pane. Removable drives appear in the bottom pane unless they have media
inserted. Well, in that case they appear in both the upper and lower pane. Select “Change
Drive Letter and Path” and Click “Change”. Select the new letter from the drop down list box
and click OK.

78. Remove Invalid Entries from Operating System Selection Menu

2007-08-29T00:44:00.000+05:30

A common complaint after reinstalling XP is the appearance of a boot screen asking the user
to select the copy of XP that is to be loaded, even when there is only one copy of XP on the
system. XP provides a method that eliminates the danger of manual editing of boot.ini by
using the System Configuration Utility.

Click Start > Run .Type msconfig and click OK to open System Configuration Utility. Select
the tab labeled BOOT.INI. Click the button labeled. Check All Boot Paths. A dialog box will
open detailing the location of any invalid operating system locations. Confirm you want to
remove the entry and reboot the system.

77. Increase Internet Download Connections

2007-08-29T00:43:00.000+05:30

I have already given this trick in my last PDF file (XP Tricks& Tips). I have received many
mails asking me what the keys really meant? Now I’m bound to explain them. Let me explain
the trick once again. This trick increase Simultaneous Internet Download Connections
and increases the number of allowed simultaneous connections to a higher number. The
default value is only five connections.

Navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings.

Right click on the window pane and create a DWord key with the name
“MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server” as it is without quotes. Set the value to a higher number
like 0000000a. Note that they are zeros and not alphabet ‘O’.

Right click on the window pane and create another DWord key with the name
“MaxConnectionsPerServer”. No quotes please. Set the value to a higher number like
0000000a. Note that they are zeros and not alphabet ‘O’.

77. Hidden User Account

2007-08-29T00:39:00.000+05:30

An account that is normally displayed on the Welcome screen can be hidden from view. To
log on using the account it's necessary to use the Log On To Windows dialog box similar to
the one in Windows 2000. Navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogo
n\SpecialAccounts\UserList.

Right Click on the right side window and create a new DWord value. Name the key, the
name of account to be hidden. For example, If I wish to hide an account called “Sandeep”,
then I name the key as “Sandeep”.

Set the value 0 to hide that account. Now exit the registry editor and reboot. To display the
account at a later period, visit the same key and give the value 1. Now you have an account
hidden.

76. Change the Registered User Information

2007-08-29T00:38:00.000+05:30

Tired of tweaking? Well, Let us now do a very very simple registry trick. You can change the
Registered Owner or Registered Organization to anything you want even after Windows is
installed. Open Registry Editor and navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion. Now Change the value of
"RegisteredOrganization" key or “RegisteredOwner", to what ever you want. Close the editor
and restart the computer.

75. Disable the Windows XP Startup Screen

2007-08-29T00:37:00.000+05:30

If you want to see what goes behind the Windows Startup Screen, you have to disable the
Windows boot screen. Right click “My Computer”. Select “Properties”. Select the
“Advanced” tab. In the “Startup and Recovery” section, click “Settings”. In the “System
Startup” section, click Edit to open the boot.ini file in Notepad. You will see a line that looks
similar to the one below:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional"
/fastdetect

To disable the Startup Screen, change the line as below:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional"
/fastdetect /sos. Note that there is a space between 'fastdetect' and '/sos'. Close Notepad, clickYes when Notepad asks if you want to save your changes. Exit System Properties. Rebootcomputer and the Startup Screen will be gone.

74. A shortcut to “Sleep” well

2007-08-29T00:36:00.002+05:30

Create your own Sleep button by creating a shortcut on your desktop. In the previous PDf
release, I discussed about Shutdown and re-start shortcuts. Now it’s time for a sleep. Rightclick
on the desktop. Select New>Shortcut.

Type rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState in the text box as it is. Click Next. Type
Sleep in the text box and click Finish. Now when you click the Sleep icon, Windows XP will
put the computer into either Stand By or Hibernate mode depending on how the “When I
Press The Sleep Button” On My Computer setting is configured on the Advanced tab of the
Power Options Properties dialog box.

73. Enable/Disable Error Reporting in Windows XP

2007-08-29T00:36:00.001+05:30

In an effort to make Windows XP a better and more stable operating system, Microsoft has
included Error Reporting in the latest release. Whenever an application has to close because
of an error, it asks that a report be sent to Microsoft for study and evaluation. Sending the
report is optional, but users can benefit from the error log that is generated if they wish to
study it or print a hard copy. If you find error reporting objectionable and want it disabled:
Open Control Panel. Click on Performance and Maintenance. Click on System. Then click on
the Advanced tab. Click on the error-reporting button on the bottom of the windows. Select
Disable error reporting. Click OK.

72. CD Writer is Not Fast Enough..?

2007-08-29T00:35:00.000+05:30

Open My Computer, right-click the CD Drive icon, and then click Properties. Click the
Recording tab to display the settings. Under "Select a write Speed" Choose the "Fastest". If
still having a problem, then choose a speed like 18x or a medium speed. This will resolve
almost all the issues

71. Enable/Disable CD Burning

2007-08-29T00:31:00.000+05:30

If you choose to use a different CD burning program than the one supplied with Windows XP
this edit will disable the default burner. In most cases this isn't necessary even if you choose
an alternative burning program, but there are a few badly behaved burning programs out there
that insist on this modification.

Open the registry editor and navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
.Create a new Dword with the Name "NoCDBurning". To enable give a value 0. A value of 1
disables Burning.Exit Registry and Reboot

To Enable/Disable CD Burning for the Local Machine navigate to following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer. Create a new Dword with the Name "NoCDBurning". To enable give a value 0. A
value of 1 disables Burning. Exit Registry and Reboot.

70. NO option to send data to the CD-ROM drive…?(Tip Is From MicroSoft KB)

2007-08-26T01:23:00.000+05:30

When you view the properties of the CD-R drive or CD-RW drive, you may notice that the
Recording tab is not displayed in the CD Drive Properties dialog box. To resolve this issue,edit the Microsoft Windows registry to identify the CD-R drive or CD-RW drive as a recordable drive. To do this, follow these steps.

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. Expand the following registry subkey:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CD
Burning\Drives

4. On the File menu, click Export.
5. In the File name box, type backup of drives key, and then click Save.

6. In the left pane of the Registry Editor window, click the Volume{GUID} folder under Drives, where GUID is a 32-character hexadecimal globally unique identifier. If you have more than one CD-ROM drive in the computer, an additional Volume{GUID} folder is listed for each drive.

7. In the right pane of the Registry Editor window, double-click Drive Type.

8. In the Value data box, type 1 or 2, depending on the drive type, and then click OK. The drive type should be 1 if it is a CD-R and 2 if it is a CD-RW.

9. Quit Registry Editor.
10. Click Start, and then click My Computer.

11. Under Devices with Removable Storage, right-click the CD-R drive or CD-RW drive, and then click Properties on the shortcut menu.

12. If the Recording tab is displayed, Windows recognizes the drive as a recordable device.

13. Click Cancel.

If you have more than one CD-ROM drive, DVD-ROM drive, or CD-RW drive in the
computer and the Recording tab is not displayed, an incorrect drive may have been
configured as "recordable" in the Windows registry. To troubleshoot this issue, follow these steps:

Follow steps 1 through 9 to edit the Drive Type value of the Volume{GUID} folder whose value you previously changed. In the Value data box, type 3, and then click OK. The drive type value of 3 indicates that the drive is a standard CD-ROM and is not writable. In the left pane of the Registry Editor window, click the next Volume{GUID} folder. Follow steps 7 and 8 to change the Value data entry to 1 or 2, depending on the drive type. Quit Registry Editor, and then follow steps 10 through 12 to confirm that the Recording tab is displayed in the properties dialog box of the CD-R drive or CD-RW drive.

69. Disable CD Auto Run

2007-08-26T01:22:00.001+05:30

Start regedit and navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet
\Services\Cdrom. Now Create a new registry key of type Dword and name it AutoRun. If the key is already there, just set the value to 0 in order to disable AutoRun. To enable it, change the value to 1. Once it is done, Exit Registry and Reboot.

68. Activate/De-activate Intelligent menu

2007-08-26T01:21:00.000+05:30

When the Intelligent Menu is activated in Internet Explorer, a message pops up that states it can be turned of using the Internet Options, but while using the Classic Windows mode, that option is unavailable.

Create the following keys if necessary. Most probably the keys will be found in those
locations.

For Internet Explorer's Favorites folder:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
change: "FavIntelliMenus"="yes"
to
"FavIntelliMenus"="no"

For the Start Menu, and sub-menus:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanc
ed]
change:
"IntelliMenus"=dword:00000001
to "IntelliMenus"=dword:00000000

67. Activate “ClearType” for Better Display

2007-08-26T01:20:00.000+05:30

Microsoft states, “With Windows XP, ClearType delivers improved font display resolution
over traditional anti-aliasing. It improves readability on color LCD monitors with a digital interface, such as those in laptops and high-quality flat desktop displays. Readability on CRT screens can also be somewhat improved.

Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/ControlPanel/Desktop. Right Click on the right window pane
and create a string value with the name FontSmoothing and set a value to 2.Once again right click and this time create a Dword with the name FontSmoothingType. Set the value to 2. Exit Registry and Reboot. This will enable the ClearType for all users on the computer.

66. Don’t want the “Open With” Option..?

2007-08-26T01:19:00.000+05:30

Each application's subkey in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications controls whether that
particular application will show up on the dialog box. If you want to ban a particular program from the Open With dialog box, look for the application's subkey underneath
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications, add a String value named NoOpenWith, and leave
the value blank. There will be no more “Open With” menu for that item.

65.Command Prompt on Right-Clicking a Folder

2007-08-26T01:18:00.000+05:30

With this tip, you can right-click any folder in your windows and open a command prompt at that folder. It is a very old hack and I am mentioning it here because of compulsion.Run the Registry Editor and navigate to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Classes/Folder/Shell.

Create a new key called Command Prompt. For the default value, enter whatever text you want to appear when you right-click a folder.. Create a new key beneath the Command Prompt key called Command. Set the default value to Cmd.exe /k pushd %L. That value will launch Cmd.exe, which is the XP command prompt. The “/k” switch puts the prompt into interactive mode. That is, it lets you issue commands from the command prompt; the command prompt isn't being used to issue only a single command and then exit. The “pushd” command stores the name of the current directory, and “%L” uses that name to start the command prompt at it. Exit the Registry.

64. Remove Menu Items from Explorer

2007-08-26T01:17:00.000+05:30

Explorer's menus can get messy at times. But you can use a Registry hack to clean it up a bit by removing some items from the Tools menu. Map Network Drive, Disconnect Network
Drive etc can be stopped from displaying. Run the Registry Editor and go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Create the following DWORD entry and set the values correspondingly. If the values are
already there, then just check the values:

NoNetConnectDisconnect. 1
NoAutoUpdate 1
NoNetHood 1
NoOnlinePrintsWizard 1
NoPublishingWizard 1
NoWebServices 1
NoWelcomeScreen 1
NoInternetOpenWith 1
NoWindowsUpdate 1

Restart your computer and see the explorer window with changes. Happy??

63. Clean Up the “Open With” Menu

2007-08-26T01:16:00.002+05:30

When you right-click a file, you see the menu option “Open With”, which provides a list of programs for you to open the file with. You can clean up the Open With list by using a Registry hack. Run the Registry Editor (StartRunRegedit) and go to the key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer \FileExts.
Look for the file extension whose Open With list you want to edit and find its OpenWithList subkey. The subkey will have an alphabetical list of String values. Open each value and examine the value data. It will be the name of one of the programs on the Open With list . Delete any entry you don't want to appear. Don't delete the value data; delete the String value listing. In other words, if the value data for the String value is Winword.exe, delete the entire string rather than just the value data. Exit the Registry.

62. Improved Use of System cache

2007-08-26T01:16:00.001+05:30

Open registry by going to START-RUN and entering regedit. Navigate to the registry key
that is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager
\MemoryManagement . Look for value of "LargeSystemCache". If available, do one of the
following: If the computer is a workstation, set its value to 0. If it is a server set a value of 1.

61. Display Your Own Error Messages

2007-08-26T01:15:00.000+05:30

When you try to delete Microsoft Outlook from the desktop, you get the warning message
"The Outlook Desktop icon provides special functionality and we recommend that you do not remove it." If you like, you can edit that message to display whatever you want. In the CLSID's subkeyfor example, {00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} for Microsoft
Outlook you'll find the value Removal Message. Edit this value to whatever text you want,and your warning message will appear whenever someone tries to delete the icon. This is justan example. Follow the suit for customizing the error messages for other icons too!

60. All About Your Recycle Bin

2007-08-26T01:12:00.002+05:30

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 you have to also edit the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CLSID\{645F
F040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Did I miss anything..?? Ofcourse NOT!

59. Switch to Windows' basic search tool

2007-08-26T01:12:00.001+05:30

Open the Registry Editor. Now Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software
\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer \ Cabinet State. Go to EditNew String
Value. Name the new value. Double-click the new value, type no in the Value Data text box,and click OK. 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.

58. Faster Network Access

2007-08-26T01:11:00.000+05:30

When you use My Network Places to browse for other machines on your network, Windows
XP first checks for the scheduled tasks on the target machine before listing the shared
resources present on the computer. We can do a registry hack to avoid this delay. Invoke the Registry Editor by typing regedit at the command line. Open the following

Registrykey:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpace. Delete the following key {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-
8D87-00AA0060F5BF}. Now close the Registry and reboot.

57. Customize the “Send To” Option

2007-08-26T01:10:00.000+05:30

Adding new locations and programs and taking away existing ones that you never use from
this menu is very simple. It's easy to hack. Go to C:\Documents and Settings\\SendTo, where is your username with which you login to your system. The folder will be filled with shortcuts to all the locations you find on your “Send To” context menu. To remove an item from the Send To menu, delete the shortcut from the folder. To add an item to the menu, add a shortcut to the folder by highlighting the folder, choosing File>New Shortcut, and follow the instructions for creating a shortcut. The new setting will take effect immediately.

56. Tune Your Browsing- Tricks on DNS

2007-08-26T01:08:00.002+05:30

By default, XP caches negative entries for five minutes. Negative entries are those in which no match was found, and you end up getting a "Cannot find server or DNS" error in your browser.After five minutes, they're cleared from your cache. But if you'd like, you can force XP not to cache these negative entries so that you'll never run into this problem. Run the Registry Editor and go to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache\Parameters. Create a new DWORD value with the name NegativeCacheTime and give it a value of 0. The DWORD determines how much time,in seconds, to keep negative entries in the DNS cache. If you like, you can have the entries stay alive for one second by giving the DWORD a value of 1.After you're done editing, exit the Registry. To make the change take effect, restart your computer, or flush your cache by issuing the command ipconfig /flushdns at a command prompt.

You can also use the Registry to control the amount of time positive entries are kept in the DNS cache. By default, they are kept for 24 hours. To change the default, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache\Parameter again
and create a DWORD value called MaxCacheEntryTtlLimit. (If it's already present, just
edit the value.) For the value, enter the amount of time you want the entry to remain, in seconds, making sure to use Decimal as the base.

55. Add “Copy To Folder” and “Move To Folder” in a Right-Click Menu

2007-08-26T01:08:00.001+05:30

Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers.
Shellex. It tells you it's a shell extension key that lets you customize the user shell or the interface. Create a new key called Copy To. Set the value to {C2FBB630-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}. Create another new key called Move To. Set the value to {C2FBB631-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}. Exit the Registry. The changes
should take effect immediately. The Copy To Folder and Move To Folder options will
appear. When you right-click a file and choose one of the options, you'll be able to move or copy the file using a dialog box.

54. Un-install Wordpad, Automatic Update, Messenger, Pinball etc

2007-08-26T01:06:00.000+05:30

Use Notepad or another text editor to open the Setup Information file, sysoc.inf, which is generally found in the C:\WINDOWS\INF folder. For this folder to be visible, you will have to enable hidden folders by going into Windows Explorer and choosing Tools Folder Options ViewShow Hidden Files and Folders. The lines in the file follow the format:

program=program.dll,OcEntry,program.inf,,numeral

The Pinball game entry, as an example, looks like this:

Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7.

Remove the word HIDE from the entry that refers to the component you want to remove.
Save the sysoc.inf file, and run the Windows Components Wizard under Add/Remove
programs. The component will now show up in the wizard. Remove it as you would any other component.

53. Remove the Desktop Item Icons (My Computer, Recycle Bin…)

2007-08-26T01:05:00.000+05:30

Run the Registry Editor and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE \Microsoft
\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace. Here's where you'll find various
special desktop icons. They're not listed by name, but instead by CLSID. Check the tip
number 5 for the CLSIDs of common desktop objects. To remove an icon from the desktop,
simply delete the key and then exit the Registry, go to your desktop, and press F5 to refresh the screen. If it still doesn’t work, system needs a restart.

52. Turn Off Window Animation

2007-08-26T01:03:00.001+05:30

You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize
Windows. Open Registry Editor and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control panel
\Desktop\WindowMetrics. Create a new string value "MinAnimate". Set the value
data of 0 for Off or 1 for On

51.Add a program to the Right Click Menu So as to Use it Everywhere by just doing a Right-Clicking

2007-08-26T01:02:00.000+05:30

When you right click on any folder, you can have access to that application, the same as using Sent To and New. Open Registry Editor. Navigate and choose:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell. Add a new Key to the "Shell" Key and name
it anything you like. Give it a default value that will appear when you right click a
folder, i.e. NewKey (use an "&" without the quotes, in front of any character and it
will allow you to use the keyboard). Navigate and click on the registry key
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\NewKey. Now you have to add a New Key
named Command and Set the (Default) value of the application you want to run. For
example: c:\program files\internet explorer\iexplore.exe (Include the full path)

50. Create a drive menu for My Computer

2007-08-26T01:00:00.000+05:30

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. Right-click the Start button, and select
Properties.Click Customize, which is adjacent to the Start Menu radio button, and select Advanced. Scroll through the Start Menu Items list box until you see My Computer. 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.

49. Change Icons of your Desktop Objects (MyComputer, Recycle bin..)

2007-08-26T00:59:00.000+05:30

Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID, and look for the CLSID subkey from the table above for
the object whose icon you want to change. Open the subkey and then the DefaultIcon
subkey under that. To change the icon for My Computer, open the subkey
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\DefaultIcon.
Change the Default value to the path of the icon that you want displayed. Follow the same for changing the icons of ther items as well. Exit the Registry. You might have to reboot for the new settings to take effect. If you aren't able to change your icons still, then try editing the following: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft \Windows\CurrentVersion \Explorer\ CLSID\, and you will be in.

48. Change Text and Baloon Tip Associated With All Desktop Icons

2007-08-26T00:55:00.000+05:30

You need to know the object's class ID (CLSID), which uniquely identifies each system
object. The following table lists the CLSIDs for common desktop objects.

CLSIDs for desktop objects

Desktop object CLSID

My Computer {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Recycle Bin {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Microsoft Outlook {00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
Internet Explorer {FBF23B42-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}
The Internet {3DC7A020-0ACD-11CF-A9BB-00AA004AE837}
My Network Places {208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
Briefcase {85BBD920-42A0-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D}
Dial-Up Networking {992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48}

Run the Registry Editor, go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID, a key that lets you change
characteristics of system objects, and highlight the CLSID whose name or balloon text you want to change. For example, to change My Computer, highlight the subkey HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}. Keep in mind that HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID has many CLSIDs listed under it, so it might take you a while to find the proper subkey.

Once you find the right subkey, if you want to edit the name of the object, open the Default value and type in the text that you want to appear underneath the object. If you want to edit the balloon text for the object, open the InfoTip value and type in the text that you want to appear as balloon text. Once you're done, exit the Registry and reboot.

47. Change “AM” and “PM” Displayed Near the System Clock to Any Text You want

2007-08-26T00:53:00.000+05:30

You can add your name or anything you like that consists of 8 characters or less. This will replace the AM or PM next to the system time. Do not use this tip if you are using any software during the trial period as it will corrupt the trial license. Open the RegEdit and navigate to the following registry key:

KEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\International.

Add two new String values, "s1159" and "s2359". Most probably those keys will be already present. If it is not there then create them. Right click the value name and modify. Enter anything you like up to 8 characters. If you enter two different values when modifying, you can have the system tray display the two different values in the AM and PM

46. Secrets Behind The Run Registry key

2007-08-26T00:50:00.002+05:30

You can start or stop programs from executing at bootup by adding or deleting them
to/from the run Keys in the Registry. Windows loads programs to start in the
following order; Program listed in the Local Machine hive, then the Current User
hive, then theWin.ini Run= and Load = lines and then finally programs in your Start
Up folder.

To add or remove programs in the Registry.Open RegEdit. .Go to the desired Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Micrsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices

Add a new String Value and name it anything you like. For the value data, enter the
path and executable for the program you want to run.

By adding the value to the KEY_CURRENT_USER hive instead allows the program
to start only when that user is logged on. If you add the value to the RunOnce key
the program will run once and be removed from the key by Windows.

45 .Kill the “Most Frequently Used”(MFU) list instead of Banning

2007-08-26T00:50:00.001+05:30

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Policies\
Explorer. Create a new DWORD called NoStartMenuMFUprogramsList and give it a value
of 1. You'll have to reboot or log off and back on for the setting to take effect. You have now managed to get kick the MFU list out of you menu.

Change the Number of Programs That Appear on the List

2007-08-26T00:47:00.000+05:30

By default, the Most Frequently Used Programs List has room for six programs, but you can change that default and have more or fewer programs appear. Right-click the Start button and choose Properties. Then choose the tab “Start Menu”. Under this tab, choose Start Menu CustomizeGeneral. To customize the number of programs to include on the list, edit the "Number of programs on Start menu" box. You can choose any number between 0 and 30. No matter how high your resolution is, don't expect there to be room for 30 programs

44. Banning Programs from “Most Frequently Used” list

2007-08-25T22:34:00.000+05:30

Take a look at this for it is very interesting. If any of the following words or phrases is included in the program's shortcut name, the program will be excluded from the list: Documentation, Help, Install, More Info, Readme, Read me, Read First, Setup, Support, and What's New. Additionally, the following executables are excluded from the list: Setup.exe,Install.exe, Isuninst.exe, Unwise.exe, Unwise32.exe, St5unst.exe, Rundll32.exe,Explorer.exe, Icwconn1.exe, Inoculan.exe, Mobsync.exe, Navwnt.exe, Realmon.exe, and Sndvol32.exe.

Run the Registry Editor and go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications. Underneath this
key, you'll find a series of subkeys, each representing an application. The primary purpose of these su-keys is to determine whether the program appears on the Open With dialog box that appears whenever you try to open an unknown file type. But you can also add a value to any of the subkeys which will ban programs from appearing on the Most Frequently Used Programs List.

Look for a subkey that is the executable name of the application you want to ban from the list; for example, visio.exe for the Visio business illustration program. Once you find the application's subkey, create a new String value for that subkey, named NoStartPage. Leave the value blank. Exit the Registry. You might have to reboot for the setting to take effect and the program to be banned from the list.

Eg2:Hack XP Password

2007-08-25T04:02:00.000+05:30

If you log into a limited account on your target machine and open up a dos prompt
then enter this set of commands Exactly. Forget about the explanations as it is for the
sake of clarity purpose

Command Expalnation
cd\ *drops to root
cd\windows\system32 *directs to the system32 dir
mkdir temphack *creates the folder temphack
copy logon.scr temphack\logon.scr *backsup logon.scr
copy cmd.exe temphack\cmd.exe *backsup cmd.exe
del logon.scr *deletes original logon.scr
rename cmd.exe logon.scr *renames cmd.exe to logon.scr
exit *quits dos

Now what you have just done is told the computer to backup the command program
and the screen saver file, then edits the settings so when the machine boots the screen saver you will get an unprotected dos prompt with out logging into XP. Once this happens if you enter this command minus the quotes "net user here> password"

If the Administrator Account is called Frank and you want the password blah enter
this "net user Frank blah" and this changes the password on franks machine to blah
and you should be in.

Eg1: Hack the XP Admin Passwords

2007-08-25T04:01:00.000+05:30

When you or anyone installs Windows XP for the first time your asked to put in your
username and up to five others. Now, unknownst to a lot of other people this is the
only place in Windows XP that you can password the default Administrator
Diagnostic Account. This means that to by pass most administrators accounts on
Windows XP all you have to do is boot to safe mode by pressing F8 during boot up
and choosing it. Log into the Administrator Account and create your own or change
the password on the current Account. This only works if the user on setup specified a
password for the Administrator Account.

43. What the heck is a hack then..??

2007-08-25T04:00:00.000+05:30

Hacking is done to expose a security hole in a system. Hacking is done to expose the
holes in the armor so that system designers can patch it in their next release. Hacking
if done with a malicious mind, then its cracking! Crackers are basically hackers with a
malicious mind. They exploit the security holes to gain unauthorized access to a
system. They often steal data like the credit card information from the victim’s
computer and read their mails. Some crackers go beyond and often engage in
destructive actions like creating viruses and worms. So the next time when you say
hacker/cracker, understand what they are. Hackers don’t like being greeted as
crackers for the same reason that hackers are friendly and nice people.

I’m giving you two examples below to understand how hacking differs from
tweaking:

42. Is it a hack by any means…??

2007-08-25T03:57:00.000+05:30

Defenitely Not! What we have discussed so far are not hacks by any means.
They are just ‘tweaks’. Tweaking is done to customize the system according to user
preferences by over riding the default settings. Tweaking will improve the system
performance by many folds, provided that it is done in the right way. Most of the
tweaks and tricks are performed in the following 3 areas.

1.Start> Run > Regedit
2. Start > Run>Msconfig
3. Start > Run>gpedit.msc

It is difficult for a newbie to understand the various keys and sub-keys in the registry and a wrong move can have catastrophic effects. The second one is way too simple and the options are limited. So I recommend the third area ☺. Group Policy Editor or gpedit.msc is a nice place for the newbies to learn and try their own tricks. The main advantage is its simplicity. Just click on the + signs to dive deep into it. Explanations are given along with each entry. Read the explanation and decide on the settings that needs to be set. Nothing much, you just need to enable or disable a setting. Isn’t it a simple thing to do?? And trust me, it can even create wonders!! So go ahead and try it now itself. Good luck.