everything that you want to do with the registry.
1)Load Applications Faster
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters
The default value for the EnablePrefetcher setting is 3. You can change this value 0 to 3.
0 – Disable Prefetching
1 – Speedup boot process
2 – Speedup applications
3 – Speedup boot process and load application faster.
2)Optimization of Boot files
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOpt imizeFunction
A string value named Enable under this key need to be set to Y. With setting Y, boot file optimization occurs automatically if the system is idle for 10 minutes. It’s recommended to reboot to take effect.
3)Unload Unused DLLs
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer
Create a DWORD value named as AlwaysUnloadDll and set to 1. After this, application – associated DLLs will get unloaded when the application is closed.
4.) Turn off Indexing Services to speed up XP
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\CiSvc
Change the value of Start DWORD value to 4 and reboot your PC to take effect.
5.) Enable automatic reboot on BSOD
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\CrashControl
Change 0 to 1 in AutoReboot DWORD value to enable this setting.
6.) Increase NTFS performance
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\FileSystem
Create a DWORD value (if not exists) named as NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate and set to 1. Restart required.
7.) Automatically close Non-Responding applications
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
And
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop
Change the value of AutoEndTasks String value to 1
8.) Automatic Window Refersh
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Update
Change the value of UpdateMode to 0. The default value is 1
9.) Boost response time of start menu
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop
Create or modify a DWORD value named as MenuShowDelay and set the value to 1. The default value is 400
10.)If you have a lot of RAM, Disable swap paging file
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
Create or modify a DWORD value DisablePagingExecutive and set to 0
11.)boost XP speed by changing Real-Time clock priority
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\PriorityControl
Create or modify a DWORD value IRQ8Priority set it to 1
12.)Reduce IO and increase turnaround which speed-up Windows XP
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
Modify DWORD value IoPageLockLimit. Depending upon how much RAM you have, you can increase your disk-cache size by entering a higher value in IoPageLockLimit. Typically your computer won’t come optimized for disk-cache and you can set to a value which works best for you by trial and error. Rule of thumb is to have a ratio of 1 or 2 for every 64K chuck. But try out various different values as each case would be a little different.
13.)Set your L2 cache and improve performance
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
Modify DWORD value SecondLevelDataCache and set it to L2 cache of your CPU. Eg. AMD Athlon64 3200+ have 512KB of L2 cache, So we have to enter 200 in Hexadecimal and 512 in Decimal format.
14.)MFT (Master File Table) manipulations to improve disk performance
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\FileSystem. In right pane, add one more key by the name NtfsMftZoneReservation with the DWORD value of 2. DWORD value of 1 is interpreted as 12.5%, 2 as 25% and so on.
15.)Improve system performance by disabling DOS 8.3 naming convention
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\FileSystem
In right pane, look for key by the name NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation and sets its value to 1. That’s it. You would see improvement in system performance for sure.
16.)Set the low level hook time-out and stop certain programs from crashing or becoming unstable
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT USER\Control Panel\Desktop and create or modify a DWORD value LowLevelHooksTimeout in the right pane. Now set it to a small number in milliseconds for example a value of 3500 would mean 3.5 seconds.
17.)Disable autoplay function of CD or removable devices.
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\policies\Explorer
Create and modify a DWORD value named as NoDriveTypeAutoRun and set its value to 185 (decimal). This would stop auto play.
18.)Improve shutdown time & close apps quickly at shutdown
You can reduce the time it takes for Windows to issue kill directive to all active/hung applications. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\CONTROL PANEL\DESKTOP and make sure that HungAppTimeout is greater than WaitToKillAppTimeout. Change the values of WaitToKillAppTimeout to say 3500 (since default value for HungAppTimeout 5000 and for WaitToKillAppTimeout is 20000)
19.)Secure your privacy by cleaning page file.
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
Change or modify DWORD value ClearPageFileAtShutdown and set to 1
20.) Lock known dll’s list and make your computer a bit more safer
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager
And look for ProtectionMode parameter. Set it to value of 1.
21.)Remove unnecessary Scheduled Tasks scan by Internet Explorer and make Internet Explorer Load faster
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr ent Version\Explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpace and then looking for shared tasks CLSID 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.
22.)Enable UDMA/66 mode on IDE Channels
Even if DMA is enabled on IDE channels, by default UDMA/66 mode is disabled. You can improve disc performance by enabling it. Open Registry Editor and Navigating to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Class\ {4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}000 in right pane add a DWORD value by the name EnableUDMA66 and set its value to 1.
23.)Run your Windows Desktop in its own process environment
This may take a little more memory but would make your Desktop more stable. So this is more of a security tip. Security from other applications running on your desktop. Open registry editor and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer and look for value of DesktopProcess. If this is the first time, you may not see this key and if so add the DWORD key by the name DesktopProcess. Now sets its value to 1
24.)Clean the history of start menu Run
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\RunMRU. You can choose what you want to delete and simply delete it. Or you can clear all command lines as well.
25.)Open Command Window Here and Open with Notepad context menu to folders and all file types with Shift holding feature to display menu.
Copy all reg code to a text file and save as context.reg or whatever you want n patch it to add Open Command Window Here and Open with Notepad context menu to folders and all file types.
26.)Do your eyes a favor, Use Clear Type Fonts.
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
And
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop
Change the value of FontSmoothing to 2 and FontSmoothingType to 2
27.)How is the Icon color depth and Size information controlled?
Icon color and Icon Size information is controlled by following entries in Registry. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics and look for two keys by the following name:
“Shell Icon BPP”
“Shell Icon Size”
Value of “Shell Icon BPP” determines bits per pixel (color depth) and value of “Shell Icon Size” determines icon size in pixels. You can determine number of colors that Icon have by raising 2 to the power of “Shell Icon BPP” value. If value is 16, total number of colors (or color depth) is 2^16 = 65536
28.)Private information about who is logged on your computer at a time.
XP stores certain information about you as and when you are logged on in following places in registry:
· Logged on User: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\Logon User Name]
· Personal: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\Personnal]
· Default Document folder: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Volatile Environment\HOMEDRIVE]
· .Net email account: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MessengerServ ice\ListCache\.NET Messenger Service\IdentityName]
· Number of Open programs: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SessionInformation\ProgramCount]
29.)IE crashing unexpectedly. Make stable IE via launching separate process
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer and add a new string by the name BrowseNewProcess and set its value to yes.
30.)Num Lock to be switched on at boot time
Navigate to: HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard and look for a string key by the name InitialKeyboardIndicators. If its not there, create it else change its value to 0 to set NUMLOCK OFF or 2 to set NUMLOCK ON.
31.)Secure your computer: Enable Advanced File System Security Options
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Lsa
Create or modify a DWORD value named Forceguest. Set its value to 1. This would enables Windows XP logic for advanced permissions.
32.)Customize taskbar grouping
If you want to change the default number of grouping in task bar do this.
Navigate to: KEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curren tVersion\Explorer\Advanced . Change value of TaskbarGroupSize. You can set it to any value you want. Default is 3.
33.)Disable Registry Editor to remember last access key
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\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.
34.)Create program aliases to run any program via start menu Run
You can use program aliases to run actual program. Well there are ways to hide actual program name. Not sure what’s the good use for this tip but here it is anyway
In Registry Editor, Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\App Paths
To create a new alias, create a sub-key, and call it the name of the alias you wish to create. Then modify the Default value of the sub-key to equal the fully qualified path and filename of the application you want to be launched.
35.)How to disable MSN Messenger from loading up whenever you start Outlook Express
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft. Create a new key by the name Messenger and then within that another key by the name Client. This is equivalent to creating and navigation to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Mes senger\Client. Within this create a DWORD key by the name PreventRun and set its value to 1. Quit registry and even though not a must, it’s a good idea to reboot.
36.)Change alignment of Start Menu panel.
This is a customizing tip. If you have noticed, start menu panel has all the entries aligned to left. Well that’s not a cause of concern but may be you are one of those who want it to be the other way, say you want it to align to right. This can be done by a quick registry tweak. In Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop and look for key MenuDropAlignment. Set its value to 1 to align the menu entry to right or if you did not like the idea of entries aligned to right, set it back to 0 for align back to left which is the Default XP behavior.
37.)Customize windows explorer’s Default search
This is a customizing tip. If you want to customize your windows explorer search here are some tips. In Regstry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer and look for following keys
“CaseSensitive”
“IncludeSubFolders”
“SearchHidden”
“SearchSlowFiles”
“SearchSystemDirs”
Key names are self revealing. If you want a CaseSensitive search set its value to 1 else 0. This is the technique, if you prefer to enable any of the above feature, set its value to 1 else set it back to 0.
38.)Get back to old days, see the file attributes in Windows Explorer
I have noticed that in Windows Explorer, when you click on the detailed mode, you do not see the file attributes any more. This used to be there in previous versions of Windows (Well in office, I still use Windows 95 and Windows Explorer out there shows the file attributes). If you want to enable this setting, follow these steps.
In Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\ Explorer\Advanced and look for key “ShowAttribCol”. You may not find it there if this is your first time. In this case, create a new DWORD key “ShowAttribCol” and set its value to 1 to enable it.
39.)Kill the IE About windows that popup from time to time
There is an Internet Explorer vulnerability to which allows some web sites to open a hidden popup tracking minimized window either upon your first visit or when you leave their web site or even when you close your browser while one of their web pages is still displayed. They do this by using the little known “about:” browser built-in command into their HTML/DHTML/XML code. Sometimes this window Go undetected as these are not resizable as you come to expect of a typical window app. If you do not have anything specific with Welcome to About.com, there could be a registry tweak that you can do.
Run the Registry Editor and navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\ProtocolDefaults
And add two DWORD keys about and about: and set its value to 4.
40.)Stop Windows XP from displaying unread messages count on Welcome Screen?
I received few mails from users requesting How-to on disabling unread message count from Welcome Screen. To stop XP from displaying count of unread messages, Open registry editor and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\UnreadMail and look for the data key “MessageExpiryDays”. If you do not see this key, create one DWORD key by the name “MessageExpiryDays”. Setting its value to 0 would stop Windows XP from displaying the count of unread messages.
41.)Add Empty Recycle Bin context menu to right click any where.
Navigate to: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex\Con textMenuHandlers
Create a key named {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} and press F5 to refresh and enjoy.
42.)Enable Administrator account on Welcome screen.
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\
SpecialAccounts\UserList
Create a DWORD value named as user name and set the value “1” for enable and “0” for disable.
You can also enable Administrator account by naming as “Administrator” and set the value “1”.
43.)Stop Error Messages from Displaying on Startup
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Windows
Create a new DWORD called NoPopupsOnBoot and give it a value of 1. Exit the Registry and reboot for the setting to take effect. To disable it, either delete the DWORD value or give it a value of 0.
44.)Boost your network application performance by changing thread priority
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\AFD\Parameters and set the following key values to the values shown.
“TransmitWorker”=dword:00000010
“PriorityBoost”=dword:0000000a
45.)Change title of Command Prompt
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor
Create a string value named Autorun and set it to “Title” without quote.
46.)Startup programs get loaded in Windows at boot time. Run keys of Windows Registry
Run keys cause programs to automatically run every time computer/XP boots up. The Windows XP registry includes the following four Run keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\RunOnce
Each of these keys has a series of values. The values allow multiple entries to exist without overwriting one another. The data value for a value is a command line. There are some special considerations for the third and fourth keys in the list, the RunOnce keys: By default, Run keys are ignored when the computer starts in Safe mode. Under the RunOnce keys, you can prefix a value name with an asterisk (*) to force the associated program to run even in Safe mode. You can prefix a RunOnce value name with an exclamation point (!) to defer deletion of the value until after the command runs. Without the exclamation point prefix, a RunOnce value is deleted before the command runs. As a result, if a RunOnce operation does not run properly, the associated program is not asked to run the next time you start the computer.
47.)Prevent a Program from Being Displayed in the Most Frequently Used Programs List
Open registry and navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\ Program and look for where Program is the name of the application that you do not want to be displayed in the Most Frequently Used Programs List. Add an empty string value named NoStartPage. That’s it. Reboot your computer.
48.)Control parsing of autoexec.bat
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Here look for value of “ParseAutoexec”. If available, do one of the following:
If you want to disable parsing of autoexec.bat, set its value to 0.
If you want to enable parsing of autoexec.bat, set its value to 1.
49.)Removing Programs listed from the Control Panel’s Add/Remove Programs Section
If you remove an installed program and its files by deleting the files, it may still show up in the Add/Remove programs list through the control panel.
In order to remove it from the list (so you don’t need to re-install in order to just remove it again).
Open Registry and Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Uninstall
Delete any programs here.
50.)Recycle Bin Edits
Playing with Recycle bin context menu. Why not make the icon context menu act like other icon context menu’s.
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 win 95 defaults including un-deleting the icon after deletion:
.. Restore the icon.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\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 … another shortcut arrow
“Attributes”=hex:40,01,04,20 … and another shortcut arrow
“Attributes”=hex:40,01,08,20 … make it look disabled (like it’s been cut)
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).
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters
The default value for the EnablePrefetcher setting is 3. You can change this value 0 to 3.
0 – Disable Prefetching
1 – Speedup boot process
2 – Speedup applications
3 – Speedup boot process and load application faster.
2)Optimization of Boot files
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOpt imizeFunction
A string value named Enable under this key need to be set to Y. With setting Y, boot file optimization occurs automatically if the system is idle for 10 minutes. It’s recommended to reboot to take effect.
3)Unload Unused DLLs
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer
Create a DWORD value named as AlwaysUnloadDll and set to 1. After this, application – associated DLLs will get unloaded when the application is closed.
4.) Turn off Indexing Services to speed up XP
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\CiSvc
Change the value of Start DWORD value to 4 and reboot your PC to take effect.
5.) Enable automatic reboot on BSOD
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\CrashControl
Change 0 to 1 in AutoReboot DWORD value to enable this setting.
6.) Increase NTFS performance
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\FileSystem
Create a DWORD value (if not exists) named as NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate and set to 1. Restart required.
7.) Automatically close Non-Responding applications
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
And
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop
Change the value of AutoEndTasks String value to 1
8.) Automatic Window Refersh
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Update
Change the value of UpdateMode to 0. The default value is 1
9.) Boost response time of start menu
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop
Create or modify a DWORD value named as MenuShowDelay and set the value to 1. The default value is 400
10.)If you have a lot of RAM, Disable swap paging file
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
Create or modify a DWORD value DisablePagingExecutive and set to 0
11.)boost XP speed by changing Real-Time clock priority
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\PriorityControl
Create or modify a DWORD value IRQ8Priority set it to 1
12.)Reduce IO and increase turnaround which speed-up Windows XP
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
Modify DWORD value IoPageLockLimit. Depending upon how much RAM you have, you can increase your disk-cache size by entering a higher value in IoPageLockLimit. Typically your computer won’t come optimized for disk-cache and you can set to a value which works best for you by trial and error. Rule of thumb is to have a ratio of 1 or 2 for every 64K chuck. But try out various different values as each case would be a little different.
13.)Set your L2 cache and improve performance
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
Modify DWORD value SecondLevelDataCache and set it to L2 cache of your CPU. Eg. AMD Athlon64 3200+ have 512KB of L2 cache, So we have to enter 200 in Hexadecimal and 512 in Decimal format.
14.)MFT (Master File Table) manipulations to improve disk performance
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\FileSystem. In right pane, add one more key by the name NtfsMftZoneReservation with the DWORD value of 2. DWORD value of 1 is interpreted as 12.5%, 2 as 25% and so on.
15.)Improve system performance by disabling DOS 8.3 naming convention
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\FileSystem
In right pane, look for key by the name NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation and sets its value to 1. That’s it. You would see improvement in system performance for sure.
16.)Set the low level hook time-out and stop certain programs from crashing or becoming unstable
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT USER\Control Panel\Desktop and create or modify a DWORD value LowLevelHooksTimeout in the right pane. Now set it to a small number in milliseconds for example a value of 3500 would mean 3.5 seconds.
17.)Disable autoplay function of CD or removable devices.
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\policies\Explorer
Create and modify a DWORD value named as NoDriveTypeAutoRun and set its value to 185 (decimal). This would stop auto play.
18.)Improve shutdown time & close apps quickly at shutdown
You can reduce the time it takes for Windows to issue kill directive to all active/hung applications. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\CONTROL PANEL\DESKTOP and make sure that HungAppTimeout is greater than WaitToKillAppTimeout. Change the values of WaitToKillAppTimeout to say 3500 (since default value for HungAppTimeout 5000 and for WaitToKillAppTimeout is 20000)
19.)Secure your privacy by cleaning page file.
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
Change or modify DWORD value ClearPageFileAtShutdown and set to 1
20.) Lock known dll’s list and make your computer a bit more safer
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager
And look for ProtectionMode parameter. Set it to value of 1.
21.)Remove unnecessary Scheduled Tasks scan by Internet Explorer and make Internet Explorer Load faster
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr ent Version\Explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpace and then looking for shared tasks CLSID 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.
22.)Enable UDMA/66 mode on IDE Channels
Even if DMA is enabled on IDE channels, by default UDMA/66 mode is disabled. You can improve disc performance by enabling it. Open Registry Editor and Navigating to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Class\ {4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}000 in right pane add a DWORD value by the name EnableUDMA66 and set its value to 1.
23.)Run your Windows Desktop in its own process environment
This may take a little more memory but would make your Desktop more stable. So this is more of a security tip. Security from other applications running on your desktop. Open registry editor and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer and look for value of DesktopProcess. If this is the first time, you may not see this key and if so add the DWORD key by the name DesktopProcess. Now sets its value to 1
24.)Clean the history of start menu Run
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\RunMRU. You can choose what you want to delete and simply delete it. Or you can clear all command lines as well.
25.)Open Command Window Here and Open with Notepad context menu to folders and all file types with Shift holding feature to display menu.
Copy all reg code to a text file and save as context.reg or whatever you want n patch it to add Open Command Window Here and Open with Notepad context menu to folders and all file types.
Code: Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Open with Notepad]
@=""
"Extended"=""
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Open with Notepad\command]
@="notepad.exe %1"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\cmd]
@="Open Command Window Here"
"Extended"=""
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\cmd\command]
@="cmd.exe /s /k pushd \"%V\""
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\cmd]
@="Open Command Window Here"
"Extended"=""
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\cmd\command]
@="cmd.exe /s /k pushd \"%V\"" |
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
And
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop
Change the value of FontSmoothing to 2 and FontSmoothingType to 2
27.)How is the Icon color depth and Size information controlled?
Icon color and Icon Size information is controlled by following entries in Registry. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics and look for two keys by the following name:
“Shell Icon BPP”
“Shell Icon Size”
Value of “Shell Icon BPP” determines bits per pixel (color depth) and value of “Shell Icon Size” determines icon size in pixels. You can determine number of colors that Icon have by raising 2 to the power of “Shell Icon BPP” value. If value is 16, total number of colors (or color depth) is 2^16 = 65536
28.)Private information about who is logged on your computer at a time.
XP stores certain information about you as and when you are logged on in following places in registry:
· Logged on User: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\Logon User Name]
· Personal: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\Personnal]
· Default Document folder: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Volatile Environment\HOMEDRIVE]
· .Net email account: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MessengerServ ice\ListCache\.NET Messenger Service\IdentityName]
· Number of Open programs: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SessionInformation\ProgramCount]
29.)IE crashing unexpectedly. Make stable IE via launching separate process
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer and add a new string by the name BrowseNewProcess and set its value to yes.
30.)Num Lock to be switched on at boot time
Navigate to: HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard and look for a string key by the name InitialKeyboardIndicators. If its not there, create it else change its value to 0 to set NUMLOCK OFF or 2 to set NUMLOCK ON.
31.)Secure your computer: Enable Advanced File System Security Options
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Lsa
Create or modify a DWORD value named Forceguest. Set its value to 1. This would enables Windows XP logic for advanced permissions.
32.)Customize taskbar grouping
If you want to change the default number of grouping in task bar do this.
Navigate to: KEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curren tVersion\Explorer\Advanced . Change value of TaskbarGroupSize. You can set it to any value you want. Default is 3.
33.)Disable Registry Editor to remember last access key
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\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.
34.)Create program aliases to run any program via start menu Run
You can use program aliases to run actual program. Well there are ways to hide actual program name. Not sure what’s the good use for this tip but here it is anyway
In Registry Editor, Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\App Paths
To create a new alias, create a sub-key, and call it the name of the alias you wish to create. Then modify the Default value of the sub-key to equal the fully qualified path and filename of the application you want to be launched.
35.)How to disable MSN Messenger from loading up whenever you start Outlook Express
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft. Create a new key by the name Messenger and then within that another key by the name Client. This is equivalent to creating and navigation to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Mes senger\Client. Within this create a DWORD key by the name PreventRun and set its value to 1. Quit registry and even though not a must, it’s a good idea to reboot.
36.)Change alignment of Start Menu panel.
This is a customizing tip. If you have noticed, start menu panel has all the entries aligned to left. Well that’s not a cause of concern but may be you are one of those who want it to be the other way, say you want it to align to right. This can be done by a quick registry tweak. In Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop and look for key MenuDropAlignment. Set its value to 1 to align the menu entry to right or if you did not like the idea of entries aligned to right, set it back to 0 for align back to left which is the Default XP behavior.
37.)Customize windows explorer’s Default search
This is a customizing tip. If you want to customize your windows explorer search here are some tips. In Regstry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer and look for following keys
“CaseSensitive”
“IncludeSubFolders”
“SearchHidden”
“SearchSlowFiles”
“SearchSystemDirs”
Key names are self revealing. If you want a CaseSensitive search set its value to 1 else 0. This is the technique, if you prefer to enable any of the above feature, set its value to 1 else set it back to 0.
38.)Get back to old days, see the file attributes in Windows Explorer
I have noticed that in Windows Explorer, when you click on the detailed mode, you do not see the file attributes any more. This used to be there in previous versions of Windows (Well in office, I still use Windows 95 and Windows Explorer out there shows the file attributes). If you want to enable this setting, follow these steps.
In Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\ Explorer\Advanced and look for key “ShowAttribCol”. You may not find it there if this is your first time. In this case, create a new DWORD key “ShowAttribCol” and set its value to 1 to enable it.
39.)Kill the IE About windows that popup from time to time
There is an Internet Explorer vulnerability to which allows some web sites to open a hidden popup tracking minimized window either upon your first visit or when you leave their web site or even when you close your browser while one of their web pages is still displayed. They do this by using the little known “about:” browser built-in command into their HTML/DHTML/XML code. Sometimes this window Go undetected as these are not resizable as you come to expect of a typical window app. If you do not have anything specific with Welcome to About.com, there could be a registry tweak that you can do.
Run the Registry Editor and navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\ProtocolDefaults
And add two DWORD keys about and about: and set its value to 4.
40.)Stop Windows XP from displaying unread messages count on Welcome Screen?
I received few mails from users requesting How-to on disabling unread message count from Welcome Screen. To stop XP from displaying count of unread messages, Open registry editor and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\UnreadMail and look for the data key “MessageExpiryDays”. If you do not see this key, create one DWORD key by the name “MessageExpiryDays”. Setting its value to 0 would stop Windows XP from displaying the count of unread messages.
41.)Add Empty Recycle Bin context menu to right click any where.
Navigate to: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex\Con textMenuHandlers
Create a key named {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} and press F5 to refresh and enjoy.
42.)Enable Administrator account on Welcome screen.
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\
SpecialAccounts\UserList
Create a DWORD value named as user name and set the value “1” for enable and “0” for disable.
You can also enable Administrator account by naming as “Administrator” and set the value “1”.
43.)Stop Error Messages from Displaying on Startup
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Windows
Create a new DWORD called NoPopupsOnBoot and give it a value of 1. Exit the Registry and reboot for the setting to take effect. To disable it, either delete the DWORD value or give it a value of 0.
44.)Boost your network application performance by changing thread priority
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\AFD\Parameters and set the following key values to the values shown.
“TransmitWorker”=dword:00000010
“PriorityBoost”=dword:0000000a
45.)Change title of Command Prompt
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor
Create a string value named Autorun and set it to “Title
46.)Startup programs get loaded in Windows at boot time. Run keys of Windows Registry
Run keys cause programs to automatically run every time computer/XP boots up. The Windows XP registry includes the following four Run keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\RunOnce
Each of these keys has a series of values. The values allow multiple entries to exist without overwriting one another. The data value for a value is a command line. There are some special considerations for the third and fourth keys in the list, the RunOnce keys: By default, Run keys are ignored when the computer starts in Safe mode. Under the RunOnce keys, you can prefix a value name with an asterisk (*) to force the associated program to run even in Safe mode. You can prefix a RunOnce value name with an exclamation point (!) to defer deletion of the value until after the command runs. Without the exclamation point prefix, a RunOnce value is deleted before the command runs. As a result, if a RunOnce operation does not run properly, the associated program is not asked to run the next time you start the computer.
47.)Prevent a Program from Being Displayed in the Most Frequently Used Programs List
Open registry and navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\ Program and look for
48.)Control parsing of autoexec.bat
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Here look for value of “ParseAutoexec”. If available, do one of the following:
If you want to disable parsing of autoexec.bat, set its value to 0.
If you want to enable parsing of autoexec.bat, set its value to 1.
49.)Removing Programs listed from the Control Panel’s Add/Remove Programs Section
If you remove an installed program and its files by deleting the files, it may still show up in the Add/Remove programs list through the control panel.
In order to remove it from the list (so you don’t need to re-install in order to just remove it again).
Open Registry and Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Uninstall
Delete any programs here.
50.)Recycle Bin Edits
Playing with Recycle bin context menu. Why not make the icon context menu act like other icon context menu’s.
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 win 95 defaults including un-deleting the icon after deletion:
.. Restore the icon.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\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 … another shortcut arrow
“Attributes”=hex:40,01,04,20 … and another shortcut arrow
“Attributes”=hex:40,01,08,20 … make it look disabled (like it’s been cut)
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).
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