95 Registry     Tips & Tricks    Troubleshooting      Networking/Communications Tips
Windows 95 Performance Tips     Windows NT Registry    Windows NT Tips

Tips & Tricks

Explorer Tips

Removing Items from NEW

When you right-click on the desktop and select New, a list of default templates you can open up are listed. To remove items from that list:

1. Start Regedit
2. Search for the string ShellNew
3. This should bring you to HKey_Classes_Root
4. For the items you want to remove, simply rename the ShellNew command
5. Renaming is safer that deleting it
6. Continue searching for the items you want to remove
7. You do not need to reboot for the change to take effect

Disabling Drives in My Computer

To turn off the display of local or networked drives when you click on My Computer:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer
3. Add a New DWORD item and name it NoDrives
4. Give it a value of 3FFFFFF
5. Now when you click on My Computer, none of your drives will show

Opening Explorer from My Computer

By default, when you click on the My Computer icon, you get a display of all your drives, the Control Panel etc. If you would like to have this open the Explorer:

1. Start Regedit
2. Search for My Computer or 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D
3. This should bring you to HKey_Classes_Root \ CLSID
4. Expand the key {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
5. Right click on Shell
6. Select New / Key and type Open and press the Enter key
7. Right click on Open
8. Select New / Key and type Command and press the Enter key
9. Double click on the Default for Command and type Explorer.exe for the value
10. Now when you click on My Computer, the Explorer will start
11. If you want to return to normal, simply delete the Open key

Not Saving Setting on Exit

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer
3. Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD
4. Name it NoSaveSettings
5. Give it a value of 1
6. Logoff or Reboot the computer

Setting the Default Receive Window (RWIN)

1. Start REGEDIT
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ VxD \ MSTCP\
3. Select New from the Edit menu
4. Select String Value
5. Type DefaultRcvWindow for the name of the new value.
6. Double-click on the new value, and type in the desired number - 2144 is the default.

Setting Refresh rate for windows

NOTE: F5 will refresh your screen on demand.

1. Start REGEDIT
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ Update
3. In the right pane, right-click on UpdateMode and select Modify
4. Select the 01 and change it to 00.
5. Exit the REGEDIT and restart.

Display BMP's as Icons

Windows 95 is capable of displaying the contents of any ".BMP" files in Explorer as icons, but you must have Microsoft's Paint program installed. Try the following tip:

1. Select "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Paint.Picture"
2. Right click on Paint.Picture and select "New" and "Key"
3. Enter "DefaultIcon" as the name
4. Left click on "DefaultIcon"
5. Double-click on "(default)" in the right pane
6. Enter "%1" as the value data
7. After Windows is rebooted all ".BMP" files will display their contents as icons.

Start Menu Tips

To speed up the Start Menu

Windows95 has a small delay on the Start Menu between the time your pointer hovers over an expanding menu option and the time that it displays it’s contents. You can set the delay to be lower (to speed up the menu) or higher (to slow it down):

1. Start the REGEDIT program
2. Search for the word desktop
3. This should be in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / CLSID / {00021400...
4. Right Click on the right panel
5. Pick NEW / String Value.
6. Name it MenuShowDelay, all one word.
7. Select a value from 1-10, 1 being the fastest.
8. Exit REGEDIT
9. Restart Windows

Disabling Run or Find from the Start Menu

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer
3. Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD
4. Name it NoFile or NoRun
5. Give it a value of 1
6. Logoff or Reboot the computer

Clearing the Documents Menu Automatically

1. Set the properties on the Recycle Bin to delete files immediately.
2. Start Regedit
3. Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ User Shell Folders
4. Right click on the right panel
5. Select New / String Value
6. Rename it to Recent - Only if it is not already there
7. Give it the value of C:\RECYCLE
8. Set your Recycle bin to Automatically delete files
9. Log off and back on again.

Your Documents Menu should now be blank. This will be for all subsequent users who logon as well.

Disabling the Right-Click on the Start Button

1. Start Regedit
2. Search for Desktop
3. This should bring you to HKey_Classes_Root \ Directory
4. Expand this section
5. Under Shell is Find
6. Delete Find
7. Move down a little in the Registry to Folder
8. Expand this section and remove Explore and Open

Now when you right click on the Start button, nothing should happen.
You can delete only those items that you need. Note: - On Microsoft keyboards, this also disables the Window-E (for Explorer) and Window-F (for Find) keys.

Removing Programs listed from the Control Panel’s Add/Remove Programs Section

1. Start the Registry Editor
2. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Wiondows / CurrentVersion / Uninstall
3. Delete any programs here.

This will only delete them from the list, not delete the actual programs. Only programs designed for Windows95 will show up here in the first place.

Specifying programs to run every time Windows95 starts

If you want to start programs every time Windows95 runs, but would like to hide them from usersby not having the listed in the Startup folder or the WIN.INI file, you can have them load through the registry.

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Run or RunOnce
3. Right click on the right panel
4. Select New / String Value
5. Type in any name
6. For the value, enter the path and executable for the program you want to run.

Recycle Bin Tips

Changing Recycle Bin Icons:

• (Default) - Is the bin at system startup which should be empty from step 1.
• Full - Is the bin when it contains files
• Empty - Is the bin when it does not contain files

1. After Windows is rebooted your icon will change to the one selected above

Renaming The Recycle Bin:

1. Start Regedit
2. Do a FIND on "Recycle Bin"
3. Double-click "(Default)" in the right pane
4. Change the value data to be whatever you like
5. After Windows is rebooted the Recycle Bin will be labelled with the name you gave it

Get rid of the Recycle Bin

1. Start Regedit
2. Go To HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ explorer \ Desktop \ NameSpace.
3. Click on each of the strings of characters in this folder until you see "Recycle Bin" in the right pane. Press the Delete key, then say good-bye to the Recycle Bin.

Change the context menu

Fooling with the recycle bin. Why not make the icon context menu act like other icon context menu’s.

I added the above edits for fun. But it gets you thinking. Note: Adding rename and delete to the context menu takes effect instantly. To restore the icon after deletion requires screen refresh (F5).

Icons Management

Removing the Shortcut Icon Arrows

1. Open REGEDIT.EXE
2. Open the Key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
3. Open the Key LNKFILE
4. Delete the value IsShortcut
5. Open the next Key PIFFILE
6. Delete the value IsShortcut
7. Restart the Win95

Hiding All Icons from the Destkop

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer
3. Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD
4. Name it NoDesktop
5. Give it a value of 1
6. Logoff or Reboot the computer
7. Now all icons are hidden on the desktop.

Lock icons in their place

1. Set up everything the way you want it.
2. Start Regedit
3. Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer
4. Right-click in the right pane and select New/DWORD.
5. Rename the value NoSaveSettings and press the Enter key.
6. Right-click on the new NoSaveSettings item and select Modify.
7. Enter the number 1 in the Value data box. Click on OK and Exit.

Now, whenever you restart Windows, your settings will return to their current state.

Modifying Default Desktop Icons

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ explorer \ Shell Icons
3. The default icons are numbered in the right panel from 0-40
4. Double click on the number of the particular icon you want to change. See the chart below.
5. Enter the name of the icon file you want to use followed by the number of the icon in that file.
   Note: The numbering starts with zero.
6. If you use a single .ICO file, it should be followed by a 0.
7. e.g. - filename.dll,4 - This would actually be the 5^th icon since it starts with 0.

In addition, you can change:

• My Computer - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
• Network Neighborhood - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
• InBox - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ CLSID\{00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
• Recycle Bin - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}

Deleting Icons From The Desktop

Windows 95 comes with "undeletable" icons on the desktop that may not pertain to you (ie. Inbox, Network Neighborhood, etc.) To remove any unwanted icons from the desktop, try the following tip:

1. Select "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace"
2. Select the key that you want to delete, then press the delete key.
3. After Windows is rebooted the icons will no longer show on the desktop.

Changing Desktop Icons

Additional icons can be found in:

• \WINDOWS\MORICONS.DLL
• \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\PIFMGR.DLL
• \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SHELL32.DLL

My Computer Tips

Disabling My Computer

1. Start Regedit
2. Search for 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D
3. This should bring you to the HKey_Classes_Root \ CLSID section
4. Expand this section
5. Under Shell is Find
6. Delete Find

No when you click on My Computer, nothing will happen. See the section on Installation to see how to do this automatically during an install.

Changing Icon:

1. Do a FIND on "My Computer" (or whatever you have it re-named to)
2. Press the "TAB" key to select the hex name of the open folder in the left pane
3. Double-click on the hex value
4. Left click on "DefaultIcon"
5. Double-click on "(default)" in the right pane
6. Enter you icon file name as the value data. (For files with more than one image, also specify the number of the icon counting from 0)
7. After Windows is rebooted your icon will change to the one selected above

Changing To Explorer (Double-Paned View):

1. Do a FIND on "My Computer" (or whatever you have it re-named to)
2. Press the "TAB" key to select the hex name of the open folder in the left pane
3. Double-click on the hex value
4. Right click on "shell" and select "New" and "Key"
5. Enter "open" as the name of the new key
6. Right click on "open" and select "New" and "Key"
7. Enter "command" as the name of the new key
8. Left click on "command"
9. Double-click "(default)" in the right pane
10. Enter "explorer.exe /e,c:\" as the value data. (the "c:\" refers to the root directory, it may be anything you choose)
11. After Windows is rebooted My Computer will act like Explorer using a double-paned view

Renaming My Computer:

1. Do a FIND on "My Computer"
2. Double-click "(Default)" in the right pane
3. Change the value data to be whatever you like
4. After Windows is rebooted My Computer will be labelled with the name you gave it

Internet Explorer Tips

Re-Setting Internet Explorer to Save rather than Open Files Downloaded

When you try and download a .EXE file with Internet Explorer, you are prompted to "Always ask before opening this type of file". If you uncheck this box, the next time a EXE file is about to be downloaded, you will not be prompted and the file will automatically be opened. You also do not see the "Always ask..." box again so you can uncheck it. To reset Internet Explorer back again:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to Hkey_Classes_Root \ exefile
3. Change the EditFlags value from d8 07 01 00 to d8 07 00 00

Modifying the Default Font in Internet Explorer 3.0

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_Current_User \ Software \ Microsoft \ Internet Explorer \ International \ 1252
3. There are the two types of fonts you can change - Fixed and Proportional
4. Double click on the the right panel for the one you want to change
5. Type in the new Value Data - e.g. Arial instead of Times Roman
6. Restart the Internet Explorer 3.0

Starting the Internet Explorer with no initial Start Page

By default, the Internet Explorer always loads a startup page. This can add time starting the program, especially with a modem. To start with no Startup Page:

1. Open the Registry Editor
2. Search for The Internet
3. This should bring you to {FBF23B42 ...
4. Click on the + signs until you get to Shell / Open / Command
5. Double-Click on the (Default) in the right panel.
6. Add -nohome after the IEXPLORE.EXE.
7. For Example: C:\Program Files\Plus!\Microsoft Internet\IEXPLORE.EXE -nohome
8. Restart the Internet Explorer and it will come up to a blank URL.

Tricks

Finding the CD KEY

1. Open REGEDIT
2. Go to HKEY-LOCAL-MACHINE / Software / Microsoft /

and then look for the product you want to reinstall, e.g. Word. Under your selection look for ProductID and double c lick. You will see four strings or numbers separated with a dash. Copy down the middle two numbers, this is your CD-ROM key. Copy them somewhere safe like a Word Document called Product Keys for example.

1. Open REGEDIT
2. Go to HKEY-LOCAL-MACHINE / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion

There are two entries that interest us here: the Registered Organization and Registered Owner. Double click on these and type in your changes, exit and restart Windows. Now your name will appear in the appropriate panels, unless of course you changed your name to someone else’s because you were ashamed that you registered under your name and are about to leave and go to Greenland.

Adding Sounds to applications

• Close
• Open
• Maximize
• Minimize

1. After Windows is rebooted the events will now be available in the CONTROL PANEL

Reference

Control Panel to Registry Roadmap

• HKCU - Hkey_Current_User
• HKLM - Hkey_Local_Machine
  

Created by Dieter M. Durant

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page