Windows 98 Tips #12



*1. HOW TO CHANGE YOUR NAME         
     
D. Brubacher writes, "Is there any way to change the name of the computer
 owner that appears on the System Properties dialog box?" 

There is, as long as you don't mind editing the Registry. (Note: As always,
 we recommend backing up your Registry files--User.dat and System.dat,
 hidden files on the root of your hard drive--first.) 

Open the Registry Editor--select Start, Run, type 

regedit 

and click OK--and navigate your way to
 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion. In the right
 pane, right-click RegisteredOwner and select Modify. Type the correct
 information on the Value data line of the Edit String dialog box, and then
 click OK. Close the Registry Editor, and the new information will now
 appear in the System Properties dialog box.


*2. NEW LOOKS FOR SHORTCUTS         
     
In a previous tip, we told you how to change the icon used to represent
 specific desktop icons, such as the Recycle Bin or Network Neighborhood:
 Right-click the desktop, select Properties, click the Effects tab, select
 the icon you'd like to change, click the Change Icon button, and so on.
 You can also change the appearance of any shortcut icon (any icon with a
 little arrow in the lower-left corner). 

Right-click the shortcut you want to change and select Properties. Click
 the Shortcut tab, then click the Change Icon button. In the Change Icon
 dialog box, select a new icon and click OK. (Tip: If you don't see one you
 like, click the Browse button, select another icon file--for example,
 Windows\System\Shell32.dll or Windows\System\Pifmgr.dll--and click Open to
 display its contents in the Change Icon dialog box.) Click OK one more
 time, and that shortcut has a brand new look!


*3. MIX AND MATCH FOLDERS         
     
H. Moyet writes, "I would like to know how I can change the icons of the
 yellow folders on my desktop." 

Unfortunately, this technique isn't as straightforward as the one for
 changing shortcut icons described in our last tip (right-click a shortcut,
 select Properties, click the Shortcut tab, click the Change Icon button,
 and so on). To change your folder icons, you'll need a shareware program,
 such as AnyFolder. 

Point your Web browser to 

http://www.pcworld.com/r/tw/1%2C2061%2Ctw-0504msw98%2C00.html 

After downloading afolderx.zip, extract its contents to your hard drive
 using an unzipping utility (the result is a folder named 'afolderx').
 Then, to install this program, open this new folder, right-click
 Folders.inf and select Install. 

Now to change those folder icons. Right-click the folder you want to change
 and select Properties. You'll notice a brand new Icon tab inside the
 Properties dialog box. Select this tab, select Closed or Open (you can use
 a different icon for each), and click the Change Icon button. From here,
 the technique is identical to changing a shortcut icon: Select a new icon
 and click OK twice (or click Browse, select another icon file--such as one
 of the new *.ico files in the afolderx\AFIcons folder--click Open,
 and so on).


*4. SNEAK PREVIEWS         
     
Want a demonstration of your system's multimedia capabilities? If you don't
 mind a lot of Microsoft hype, take a look at the software previews on your
 installation CD. If you're looking to purchase some new software anyway,
 these previews may help you make a decision. 

Insert your Windows 98 installation CD in your CD-ROM drive and in the
 resulting blue window, click Cool Video Clips. (If your CD-ROM drive
 doesn't support auto-play, open My Computer and double-click your CD-ROM
 drive to display the blue screen.) Double-click any of the *.mgp or *.avi
 files in the resulting Videos window. (Try Intro.mpg for a spunky video
 display that's sure to get you in the Microsoft mood.)


*5. WE STAND CORRECTED         
     
In a previous tip, we mistakenly said that you can't change the spacing of
 your desktop icons using a simple Display Properties setting. We then went
 on to discuss the Registry-based technique for making this change. While
 the Registry technique does work, there is a much simpler way to adjust
 your icon spacing. (We apologize for the oversight, and a special thanks
 to everyone who pointed out this error--your comments keep us
 on our toes!) 

To change your icon spacing--the easy way--right-click the desktop and
 select Properties. In the Display Properties dialog box, click the
 Appearance tab, then click the down arrow under Item and select Icon
 Spacing (Vertical). Click the up or down arrows next to Size to change the
 current spacing, then click Apply to see your change right on the desktop.
 Too far apart? Decrease that number a bit, then click Apply again.
 However, if the icons are so close together that they're overlapping,
 you'll want to increase the Size setting. (Tip: We were able to fit nine
 desktop icons in each row by changing the vertical spacing to 30.) 

If you want, follow these same steps to adjust the horizontal icon spacing
 (also in the Item list). Then, to save these changes as part of a color
 scheme, click Save As, name the scheme (or type the name of the current
 scheme), then click OK. Otherwise, simply click OK to close the Display
 Properties dialog box.


*6. WITH A TWEAK, TWEAK HERE....         
     
Despite the frequency with which we mention the Tweak UI PowerToy as the
 easiest way to perform various setting changes, we can't tell you the
 number of requests we get for information on where to find and how to
 install Tweak UI for Windows 98. (The online documentation for the
 previous, Windows 95 version warns that it works only with Windows
 95--although we've never had trouble running any of the Windows 95
 PowerToys on a Windows 98 system.) 

Unlike its predecessor, Tweak UI for Windows 98 is included right on the
 installation CD. Pop the CD in your CD-ROM drive, click Browse This CD,
 and navigate your way to the tools\reskit\powertoy folder. To install
 Tweak UI, right-click tweakui.inf and select Install. (When the About
 Tweak UI help window appears, close it to proceed with the installation.
 Don't worry--you can access this same information from inside Tweak UI
 later.) To launch Tweak UI, open Control Panel and double-click the new
 Tweak UI item inside.


*7. UP, UP, AND AWAY WITH THE QUICK LAUNCH TOOLBAR         
     
Do you have so many shortcuts on your Quick Launch toolbar that they aren't
 all visible at once? Tired of scrolling left or right to get to them all?
 For one-click access to all Quick Launch shortcuts, turn this toolbar into
 a floating palette. 

See the vertical bar on the left edge of the Quick Launch toolbar? Click
 it, drag the entire toolbar to a new location on your desktop, and let go.
 And no, you aren't stuck with that huge resulting window. Resize it as you
 would any window--hold your mouse pointer over any corner and when it
 changes to a double-pointed arrow, click and drag in either direction.
 Move the palette to any location on screen, and you have one-click access
 to all shortcuts inside. 

(Tip-in-a-tip: If you want to make sure your Quick Launch palette doesn't
 get buried by other windows, right-click its title bar and select
 Always On Top.) 

Want your toolbar back? We'll show you how to return it to the Taskbar in
 our next tip....


*8. QUICK LAUNCH LANDINGS         
     
In our last tip, we showed you how to change your Quick Launch toolbar into
 a floating palette: Click the vertical bar on its left edge, drag the
 entire toolbar bar to a new location on your desktop, and let go.

-From there, you can size or move the palette, just as you would any
 other window. 

Have you decided that you like the toolbar better? In two quick steps, you
 can put it right back where it started (we're assuming to the right of the
 Start button, with your Taskbar across the bottom of the screen). Click
 the palette's title bar and drag it downward until it expands to the full
 width of the screen (across the top of the Taskbar). Let go, and the
 toolbar jumps down to its original form, but on the right side of
 the Taskbar. 

Now just move the toolbar next to the Start button. Hold your mouse pointer
 over the bar's left edge, and when it changes to a double-pointed arrow,
 click and drag the bar to the left. When your mouse pointer is just to the
 right of the Start button, the Quick Launch toolbar will jump into place
 there. Let go of the mouse. 

(Tip: You'll need to resize the other toolbars on the Taskbar to get
 everything back in perfect order. As a quick review, hold your mouse
 pointer over a toolbar's left edge, then click and drag in
 either direction.)


*9. BYE-BYE, DOCUMENTS LIST         
     
We can't even begin to count the number of requests we receive for tips on
 removing the Documents and Favorites lists from the Start menu. So
 although we've discussed these techniques before, over the next three
 tips, we show you how to remove both of these lists by editing the
 Registry (in case you don't have, and don't care to use, Tweak UI), and
 also how to accomplish either removal with a simple Tweak UI setting. In
 today's tip, we discuss the Registry-based technique for disabling the
 Documents list entirely. (Note: As always, back up your Registry
 files--System.dat and User.dat, hidden files on the root of your hard
 drive--before proceeding.) 

Open the Registry Editor--select Start, Run, type 

regedit 

and click OK--and navigate your way to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\
 Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. In the right pane,
 right-click a blank area and select New, Binary Value. Type the name 

NoRecentDocsHistory 

and press Enter. Right-click the new value, select Modify, and in the
 Value Data text box, type exactly 

01 00 00 00 

(Don't worry about the four zeros that are there already. Just type the
 above eight numbers in sequence, without the spaces.) Click OK. 

Repeat the above steps to add a NoRecentDocsMenu value: Right-click a blank
 area in the right pane; select New, Binary Value; name the value
 NoRecentDocsMenu; right-click the new value and select Modify; in the
 Value Data box, type the above numbers; then click OK. 

Close the Registry Editor, restart Windows 98, and check out your Start
 menu. That Documents list is gone! Now open the Windows folder, and you'll
 see that the Windows\Recent folder (the one that used to hold the contents
 of the Documents menu) is gone too! 

(Note: If you change your mind and want your Documents list back, you have
 two options. You can delete the NoRecentDocsHistory and NoRecentDocsMenu
 values you just created, or change the data in each to 00 00 00 00.)


*10. BON VOYAGE, FAVORITES LIST         
     
We can't even begin to count the number of requests we receive for tips on
 removing the Documents and Favorites lists from the Start menu. In our
 last tip, we showed you how to disable the Documents list. (In case you
 missed this one, stay tuned for our next tip, where we show you how to
 accomplish the same thing with a simple Tweak UI setting.) In today's tip,
 we discuss the Registry-based technique for removing the Favorites list
 from your Start menu. (Note: As always, back up your Registry
 files--System.dat and User.dat, hidden files on the root of your hard
 drive--before proceeding.) 

Open the Registry Editor--select Start, Run, type 

regedit 

and click OK--and navigate your way to KEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\
 Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. In the right pane,
 right-click a blank area and select New, Binary Value. Type the name 

NoFavoritesMenu 

and press Enter. Right-click the new value, select Modify, and in the
 Value Data box, type exactly 

01 00 00 00 

(Don't worry about the four zeros that are there already. Just type the
 above eight numbers in sequence, without the spaces.) Click OK. 

Close the Registry Editor, restart Windows 98, and check out your Start
 menu. That Favorites list is gone! (Note: If you change your mind and want
 your Favorites folder back, you have two options. You can delete the
 NoFavoritesMenu value you just created, or change its data
 to 00 00 00 00.)
