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Mastering your system’s registry
When the safe of your cupboard refuses to open, you call a locksmith, because he knows how a safe-lock system works, what your keys can’t achieve, his set of tools can! Similarly, Windows as an operating system doesn’t provide you a key to unlock the elusive world of Windows, known as registry.
What initially seems as a litter of uncanny and incomprehensible junk is, in real, the very heart of how Windows OS sets and keeps its option. Long gone are the good old days of 16bit Win3.1’s *.ini files! Most of us might not even recall the 3.1 desktop, and rightly so, if our Digital Age started in ‘95, the time when programs started to make extensive use of registry to deploy their tricks, not to mention, the umbrella Windows that had set up the pace for things to come.
This article assumes that you are running WindowsXP as an operating system. Most of the tips presented start working just after you edit the registry, the ones that do not, require you to log off and log back in / restart. Also, you can make use of “Favorites” menu of registry editor to avoid repeated expand/collapse operation for frequently used registry paths.
To access the registry, go to Start>Run and type “regedit”. You are presented with a tree-like structure of your computer’s registry. In order to create a new value, one has use the type name to mention the data type and to identify it. Without going into the details of registry values’ data types, one just need to remember that by r-clicking on the right hand side pane, one is presented with a context menu “New” that expands to show what can be created (refer Pic 1). Notice that “DWORD Value” and “String Value” appears in the menu. These are the only two types that can be created at this time.
After a value is created, it is added in the right hand side pane. And to enter data into it (say, setting it as 1 or 0), one can either d-click on it or r-click and select “Modify” and enter the value data. (refer to pic 2).
Hide the desktop: When the icon clutter starts to eat up empty space of your desktop, and your wallpaper has to peep through the wholes left in between it, you usually delete all or most of the shortcuts there. But, some desktop icons seem to have taken aab-e-hayat (drink of eternal life), they are just undeletable! Fret not, you can altogether remove the entire desktop! Go to:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
Create a new DWORD and name it NoDesktop. Set the value data to 1.
Note that now, you can’t even show the wallpaper, neither can you r-click on what seems like “desktop” , it’s really gone now!
Outlook 2002 in System Tray: Majority of the POP3 users out there (and very rarely, POPers of Hotmail!) use MS Outlook as their default email program. You can save some space on your taskbar by having Outlook utilizing system try instead of the usual taskbar. Go to:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\Preferences]. Create a new DWORD and name it MinToTray. Set the value data to 1.
Download directory: Your download manager uses a particular directory to handle all your software (and other) downloads, but your Internet Explorer is unaware of this, it continues to regard your desktop as your default download directory without taking into account that it already is host to your 25 thousand, mostly dead, shortcuts, and same number of incomplete setups! Interested in changing that behavior? Then follow these steps:
[HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\Software\Microsoft\
Internet Explorer].
Modify the existing value data of REG_SZ named Download Directory to the directory of your choice (refer Pic 2).
Force classic menu: They say, “old is gold” — and if you want your golden (I mean “classic”) start menu as the only available option to set in WinXP, go to:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
Create a new DWORD named NoSimpleStartMenu. Set the value data to 1.
Note that the option of utilizing newer version of start menu vanishes off the Start>Settings>Taskbar and Start Menu>Start Menu option and only use “Classic Menu” remains there. This might shock some of your friends thinking you have got a little unwell version of WinXP!
Change the menu delay: Windows menus take a while to appear, you might not notice the difference until you set the menu delay to zero. Go to:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]. Modify the existing value data of REG_SZ named MenuShowDelay from 400 to 0.
Disable password saving: To prevent your PC from gathering other’s dialup networking (DUN) passwords, or, not to let someone else’s PC record yours, go to:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RasMan\Parameters]
Create a new DWORD named DisableSavePassword. Set the value data to 1. Note that this grays out (disables) the option of password saving to render it unusable.
Default wallpapers directory: Fed up of the same old wallpapers popping up in the preview pane each time you go to select a new wallpaper and then you have to click that Browse button to bring up your favourite images folder (having Nichol Kidman, and Shania Twain, etc!)? Don’t worry! You can change this default behaviour. Go to:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion]. Modify the existing value data of REG_EXPAND_SZ named “WallPaperDir” to the directory of your choice.
Disable system properties: Don’t want others to know how much RAM you have got? Or, want to restrict access to plethora of information and options (ex: device drivers) System Properties gives out for free? Go to:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]. Create a new DWORD named “NoPropertiesMyComputer”. Set the value data to 1.
CHEAT FOR HEARTS
Cheating lovers, spouses and now… cheating hearts! To make sure you see all the cards (yes, face up!) of all your opponents, go to:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Applets\Hearts]. Create a new String named “ZB”. Set the value data to 42. Now, during the game, press Shift+Alt+Ctrl+F12 once to expose the opponents’ cards. Press the combo back to hide them. Your PC might think twice (or three times) before challenging you to win its heart! Obviously, because it knows now that you are a cheater!
PRECAUTIONS
While playing with the registry, the warning goes stronger than you elder siblings give to you before taking the pirate ride at Fun Land. We recommend that you know how to backup and restore registry file/s prior to actively go into a habit of altering it. In registry editor, go to File and see that an Export option is there. While backing up all or selected registry keys, make sure that in the file types dropdown box, Registry Hive Files is selected (this is not the default option) and give your backup .reg extension. Reason for creating a hive file (not the other file export types) is that, it creates an exact image of registry that can be imported back as it as. And, knowledge of REG command (at the command prompt) will help you get better understanding of registry maintenance.
The tweaks introduced here do not pose a threat to normal working of your PC, but if you happen to do anything wrong, or by mistake, delete an important registry key, know that you might end up wasting your time reinstalling the OS. Meddle with the registry only if you know what you are doing (and do it right!). Last words of advice, play with the fire, but don’t get burnt! Happy tweaking!
The writer
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