Genuine techmarks

Setting the Minimum Password Length :
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Network
3. Now, choose the Edit/New/Binary value command and call the new value MinPwdLen. Press Enter twice and Assign it a value equal to your minimum password length.


Add\delete programs to run every time Windows starts :
You can start or stop programs from executing at boot up 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. then finally programs in your Start Up folder.

To add or remove programs in the Registry :
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to the desired Key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \RunServices
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \RunServices
3. Add a new String Value and name it anything you like
4. For the value data, enter the path and executable for the program you want to run.

By adding the value to the HKEY_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.

Removing the Shortcut Icon Arrows
1.Open RegEdit
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 Windows


Turn Off Window Animation
You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize Windows.
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control panel \Desktop\ WindowMetrics
3. Create a new string value "MinAnimate".
4. Set the value data of 0 for Off or 1 for On.


Changing your Modem's Initialization String :
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet \Services \Class \Modem \0000 \Init
3.Change the settings to the new values.


Removing Programs from Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs Section :
If you uninstalled a program by deleting the files, it may still show up in the Add/Remove programs list in the Control Panel.
In order to remove it from the list.
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Uninstall
3.Delete any programs here.
If you have a problem locating the desired program open each key and view the DisplayName value.


The Fix for Grayed Out Boxes :
The File Types tab in Explorer's View / Options menu lets you edit most of your file types, but certain settings cannot be changed. The default action for a batch file, for instance, runs the batch file instead of opening it via Notepad or Wordpad. Thus, when you double-click on AUTOEXEC.BAT, a DOS window opens, and the file executes. If you want to change this default action and edit a batch file when you double-click on it, however, the File Types tab does not let you do so; the Set Default button for the file type called MS-DOS Batch File is always grayed out.

The button is grayed out because HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT's batfile key contains an EditFlag value entry. Such entries are used throughout the Registry to prevent novice users from altering certain system settings. The binary data in batfile's EditFlag reads d0 04 00 00. If you change this value to 00 00 00 00, you can then change any of the batch file settings. Do not, however, indiscriminately zero out EditFlag; if you do so in a system ProgID such as Drive or AudioCD, it completely disappears from the File Types list. For ProgIDs that are linked to extensions, set all EditFlags to 00 00 00 00. For system ProgIDs, replace EditFlag data with 02 00 00 00.

If you wish to have access to some buttons while leaving others grayed out, you must know the function of each EditFlag bit. The last two bytes of data are always zero, but most bits within the first two bytes have a specific effect:

* Byte 1, bit 1: Removes the file type from the master list in the File Types tab (select View / Options under Explorer) if it has an associated extension.
* Byte 1, bit 2: Adds the file type to the File Types tab if it does not have an associated extension.
* Byte 1, bit 3: Identifies a type with no associated extension.
* Byte 1, bit 4: Grays out the Edit button in the File Types tab.
* Byte 1, bit 5: Grays out the Remove button in the File Types tab.
* Byte 1, bit 6: Grays out the New button in the Edit File Type dialog (select the Edit button in the File Types tab).
* Byte 1, bit 7: Grays out the Edit button in the Edit File Type dialog.
* Byte 1, bit 8: Grays out the Remove button in the Edit File Type dialog.
* Byte 2, bit 1: Prevents you from editing a file type's description in the Edit File Type dialog.
* Byte 2, bit 2: Grays out the Change Icon button in the Edit File Type dialog.
* Byte 2, bit 3: Grays out the SetDefault button in the Edit File Type dialog.
* Byte 2, bit 4: Prevents you from editing an action's description in the Edit Action dialog (select the Edit button in the Edit File Type dialog).
* Byte 2, bit 5: Prevents you from editing the command line in the Edit Action dialog.
* Byte 2, bit 6: Prevents you from setting DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) fields in the Edit Action dialog.

The EditFlags value for Drive, for instance, is d2 01 00 00 in Hex (1101 0010 0000 0001 in binary). Bits 2, 5, 7, and 8 are on in byte 1, and bit 1 is on in byte 2. The EditFlag for batfile is d0 04 00 00 in Hex or 1101 0000 0000 0100 in binary. In this case, bits 5, 7, and 8 are on in byte 1, and bit 3 is on in byte 2.

Bits 4, 5, and 6 of byte 2 apply only to actions that are protected. EditFlags with action keys (such as HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open) determine protection. If byte 1, bit 1 of such an EditFlag is 0 (or if there is no EditFlag), then the action is protected. If byte 1, bit 1 is 1, then the action is unprotected.

Protection on system files :
To enable protection on system files such as the KnownDLLs list, add the following value :
1. Open RegEdit
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\ Control\ SessionManager
3. Create the a Dword value and name it "ProtectionMode "
4. Set the Value to1

When a user shuts down Windows XP, first the system has to kill all services currently running. Every once in a while the service does not shut down instantly and windows gives it a change to shut down on its own before it kills it.This amount of time that windows waits is stored in the system registry.If you modify this setting, then windows will kill the service earlier.

To perform this, follow the steps :

- Start -> run -> regedit
- Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control.
- Click on the "Control" Folder.
- Select "WaitToKillServiceTimeout"
- Right click on it and select Modify.
- Set it a value lower than 2000 ( Eg : 250).

Google talk :

- Create a shortcut of GTalk on your desktop .
- Right click on the Google Talk messenger icon and select properties.
- Modify target location text from

“c:\program files\google\google talk\googletalk.exe” /startmenu
to
“c:\program files\google\google talk\googletalk.exe” /nomutex

- Click OK.
- Now u can open GTalk any number of instances.

Yahoo messenger :

- Go to Start -> Run -> Type regedit and press Enter
- Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER->> Software ->> Yahoo ->> pager ->>Test
- Right click on test -> choose new Dword value and rename it as Plural.
- Double click it -> assign a decimal value of 1.
- Close registry and restart yahoo messenger.
- Now u can open yahoo messenger any number of instances.

Disabling Drives in My Computer :
To turn off the display of local or networked drives when you click on My Computer:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ 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.

Changing the caption on the Title Bar :
Change the Caption on the Title Bar for OutLook Express or the Internet Explorer:
For Outlook Express:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\OutLook Express
For IE5 and up use:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\IDENTITIES \{9DDDACCO-38F2-11D6-93CA-812B1F3493B}\ SOFTWARE\ MICROSOFT\ OUTLOOK EXPRESS\5.0
3. Add a string value "WindowTitle" (no space)
4. Modify the value to what ever you like.

For no splash screen, add a dword value "NoSplash" set to 1
The Key {9DDDACCO-38F2-11D6-93CA-812B1F3493B} can be any key you find here. Each user has his own Key number.
The Key 5.0 is whatever version of IE you have

For Internet Explorer:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
3. Add a string value "Window Title" (use a space)
4. Modify the value to what ever you like.

Disabling the Right-Click on the Start Button :
Normally, when you right button click on the Start button, it allows you to open your programs folder, the Explorer and run Find.
In situations where you don't want to allow users to be able to do this in order to secure your computer.
1.Open 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.
See the section on Installation in the RESKIT to see how to do this automatically during an install.

Disabling My Computer :
In areas where you are trying to restrict what users can do on the computer, it might be beneficial to disable the ability to click on My Computer and have access to the drives, control panel etc.
To disable this:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Search for 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D
3.This should bring you to the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID section
4.Delete the entire section.
Now when you click on My Computer, nothing will happen.
You might want to export this section to a Registry file before deleting it just in case you want to enable it again. Or you can rename it to 20D0HideMyComputer4FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D. You can also hide all the Desktop Icons, see Change/Add restrictions.

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. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\ Shell
3 . Add a new Key named "Open" if it does not exists by right clicking "Shell" and selecting new.
4. . Add a new Key named "Command" by right clicking "Open" and selecting new
5. Set the (Default) value for the Command Key to "Explorer.exe" or "C:\Windows\Explorer.exe"

Recycle Bin Edits :
Fooling with the recycle bin. Why not make the icon context menu act like other icon context menus.
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 also edit HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
For Windows ME also edit HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software\ Classes\ CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}

Display legal notice on startup:
Wanna tell your friends about the do's and dont's in your computer when they login in your absence. Well you can do it pretty easily by displaying a legal notice at system start up.
REGEDIT
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system]
"legalnoticecaption"="enter your notice caption"
"legalnoticetext"="enter your legal notice text"

Automatic Administrator Login:
Well here's the trick which you can use to prove that Windows XP is not at all secure as multi-user operating system. Hacking the system registry from any account having access to system registry puts you in to the administrator account.
REGEDIT 4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
"AutoAdminLogon"="1"

No Shutdown:
Wanna play with your friends by removing the shutdown option from start menu in their computer.
Just hack it down !!!
Regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
"NoClose"="DWORD:1"

Menu Delays:
Another minor and easy tweak to remove any delay from menus sliding out. For this you will need to use regedit (open regedit by going to Start -> Run..., then typing 'regedit' and pressing enter). The key you need to change is located in HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktop. The actual key is called MenuShowDelay - all you have to do is change the value to 0. Remember, you will have to re-boot your computer for this tweak to take effect.

GPEDIT.MSC And Autoplay
A great tweaking file that comes with XP is gpedit.msc. Go to Start -> Run... and then type in 'gpedit.msc' and press enter. This is effectively the Policies Editor, and it comes in handy often. For example, if you hate CD autoplay like I do and want to permanently disable it, you can use this tool to do so. Just run gpedit.msc, then go to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System. In here you can see the value 'Turn Off Autoplay'. Right-click on it and then click 'Properties'.

Increasing options in add/remove programs:
Not a fan of MSN Messenger? don't want Windows Media Player on your system? Fair enough, but if you go to Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel, by default none of Windows XP's 'built in' programs are visible. it's fairly easy to change, though... just open the file X:\Windows\inf\sysoc.inf (where X: is the drive letter where Windows XP is installed) in Notepad. You should see a section of the file something like this:

[Components]
NtComponents=ntoc.dll,NtOcSetupProc,,4
WBEM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wbemoc.inf,hide,7
Display=desk.cpl,DisplayOcSetupProc,,7
Fax=fxsocm.dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,,7
NetOC=netoc.dll,NetOcSetupProc,netoc.inf,,7
iis=iis.dll,OcEntry,iis.inf,,7
com=comsetup.dll,OcEntry,comnt5.inf,hide,7
dtc=msdtcstp.dll,OcEntry,dtcnt5.inf,hide,7
IndexSrv_System = setupqry.dll,IndexSrv,setupqry.inf,,7
TerminalServer=TsOc.dll, HydraOc, TsOc.inf,hide,2
msmq=msmqocm.dll,MsmqOcm,msmqocm.inf,,6
ims=imsinsnt.dll,OcEntry,ims.inf,,7
fp_extensions=fp40ext.dll,FrontPage4Extensions,fp40ext.inf,,7
AutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,au.inf,hide,7
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
RootAutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,rootau.inf,,7
IEAccess=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,ieaccess.inf,,7

This is a list of all components installed at the moment. I've taken the example of MSN Messenger - the program entry called 'msmsgs', third-last line. You can see the word 'hide' highlighted - this is the string which tells Windows not to display the component in the Add/Remove Programs list. Fix this up by simply deleting the word 'hide' like so:

msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7

To this:

msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,,7

Now, after restarting, you should be able to see MSN Messenger in the Add/Remove Programs list. If you want to be able to quickly view and remove all components, simply open the sysoc.inf file and do a global find and replace for the word ",hide" and replace it with a single comma ",".

Automatically Kill Programs At Shutdown:
don't you hate it when, while trying to shut down, you get message boxes telling you that a program is still running? Making it so that Windows automatically kills applications running is a snap. Simply navigate to the HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktop directory in the Registry, then alter the key AutoEndTasks to the value 1.

Speeding Up Share Viewing:
This is a great tweak. Before I found it, I was always smashing my head against the table waiting to view shares on other computers. Basically, when you connect to another computer with Windows XP, it checks for any Scheduled tasks on that computer - a fairly useless task, but one that can add up to 30 seconds of waiting on the other end - not good! Fortunately, it's fairly easy to disable this process. First, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/RemoteComputer/NameSpace in the Registry. Below that, there should be a key called {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}. Just delete this, and after a restart, Windows will no longer check for scheduled tasks - mucho performance improvement!

Create a Shortcut to Lock Your Computer
Leaving your computer in a hurry but you don’t want to log off? You can double-click a shortcut on your desktop to quickly lock the keyboard and display without using CTRL+ALT+DEL or a screen saver. To create a shortcut on your desktop to lock your computer: Right-click the desktop. Point to New, and then click Shortcut. The Create Shortcut Wizard opens. In the text box, type the following: rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation Click Next. Enter a name for the shortcut. You can call it "Lock Workstation" or choose any name you like. Click Finish. You can also change the shortcut's icon (my personal favorite is the padlock icon in shell32.dll). To change the icon: Right click the shortcut and then select Properties. Click the Shortcut tab, and then click the Change Icon button. In the Look for icons in this file text box, type: Shell32.dll. Click OK. Select one of the icons from the list and then click OK You could also give it a shortcut keystroke such CTRL+ALT+L. This would save you only one keystroke from the normal command, but it could be more convenient.

Speed up Internet Explorer 6 Favorites
For some reason, the Favorites menu in IE 6 seems to slow down dramatically sometimes--I've noticed this happens when you install Tweak UI 1.33, for example, and when you use the preview tip to speed up the Start menu. But here's a fix for the problem that does work, though it's unclear why: Just open a command line window (Start button -> Run -> cmd) and type sfc, then hit ENTER. This command line runs the System File Checker, which performs a number of services, all of which are completely unrelated to IE 6. But there you go: It works.

Aspi
WinXP does not come with an Aspi layer. So far almost 90% of the problems with WinXP and CD burning software are Aspi layer problems. After installing WinXP, before installing any CD burning software do a few things first: 1. Open up "My computer" and right click on the CD Recorder. If your CD recorder was detected as a CD recorder there will be a tab called "Recording". On this tab uncheck ALL of the boxes. apply or OK out of it and close my computer. 2. Next install the standard Aspi layer for NT. Reboot when asked. That's is. after the reboot you can install any of the currently working CD recording applications with no problems. If using CD Creator do not install direct CD or Take two as they are currently incompatible but Roxio has promised a fix as soon as XP is released.

You can edit most settings of GTalk by opening regedit (start -> regedit), and navigating to the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Google/Google Talk.

1.) HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk\Options\show_pin
If 1, shows a "pin" next to the minimize button that keeps the windows on top of all the other open windows when clicked.

2.)HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk\Options\view_show_taskbutton
If 0, hides the taskbar button, and leaves the tray icon only, when the window is shown

3.)HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk\Options\away_inactive
If 1, status will be set as Away after the specified number of minutes.

4.)HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk\Options\away_screensaver
If 1, status will be set as Away after the specified number of minutes.

5.)HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Talk\Options\inactive_minutes
Number of inactive minutes to become away if auto-away is on.
Use multiple identities on Google Talk:
Want to run Google Talk with multiple Gmail identities? If you have several Google Gmail accounts you also may want to run multiple instances of Google Talk This is especially important for families that share a single PC. Nothing worse than a family member signing you out so they can sign in under their own account!Basically, to have "Google Polygamy" you need to run Google Talk with the following switch: /nomutex

1: Right-click on the desktopStep
2: Select NewStep
3: Select ShortcutStep
4: Paste this into the text box:
"c:program filesgooglegoogle talkgoogletalk.exe" /nomutex
5: Click Next and choose a shortcut name such as Google Talk1, Google Talk2, or something related to your Gmail account for easy remembering which account is which.Step
6: Click OK a few times.

There are a few secret parameters you can add to Google Talk and make it function differently.

/nomutex, which allows you to run more than one instance of GT.
/autostart, when Google Talk is run with this parameter, it will check the registry settings to see if it needs to be started or not. If the "Start automatically with Windows" option is unchecked, it won't start.
/forcestart, same as /autostart, but forces it to start no matter what option was set.
/S upgrade, Used when upgrading Google Talk
/register: registers Google Talk in the registry, includig the GMail Compose method.
/checkupdate: check for newer versions
/plaintextauth: uses plain authentication mechanism instead then Google's GAIA mechanism. Used for testing the plain method on Google's servers.
/nogaiaauth: disables GAIA authentication method. The same as above.
/factoryreset: set settings back to default.
/gaiaserver servername.com: uses a different GAIA server to connect to Google Talk. Used for debug purposes only, there are no other known GAIA servers.
/mailto email@host.com: send an email with Gmail
/diag: start Google Talk in diagnostic mode
/log: probably has something to do with the diagnostic logging

- Go to Start > Run and type regedit then press Enter.

- In the Registry Editor window, find the path like this,
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\don’t load

- Right click on ” don’t load ” folder and select New > String Value.

- Name the created String Value related to the Control Panel icon you want it to be hidden. For eg : to hide the icon, Accessibility Option,u must name the String Value access.cpl . Each String Value name is specific and varies with the Control Panel icon.
For the other icons, The names are given below,



- Double click on access.cpl and type Yes to hide the Accessibility Option icon and then click OK button.

- Open Control Panel, the Accessibility Option icon is now hidden.

- In case you want the icon to display again, just type No instead of Yes in Value Data dialog.

If you do not want others to search files or else in your computer, you can hide the Search

Icon which is in the Start menu by editing the Registry. This can be done by following steps..

- Go to Start > Run and type regedit then press Enter.
- Go to the path like below,

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

- Right click on Explorer folder and select New > DWORD Value.
- Name the Registry NoFind and double click on NoFind.
- Change the Value data to 1 and click OK button then close the Registry Editor program.
- Restart ur system and see that search option does not appears in the start menu. DONE!!

You can hide or show as you want both drives in your computer and drives in the computer network. This way can be safe for data in your computer and prevent others from accessing to your drives that may contain important information.
To hide the drive..follow the steps..

- Go to RUN and type regedit and click OK.

- Find the path :
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

- Right click on the Explorer folder and select New > DWORD Value.Name the registry NoDrives.

- Double click on NoDrives which is in the right page.In the DWORD Value window, select Decimal.

- In this case if we want to hide drive D,fill 8 in Value data. The number you filled varies with drive you want it to be hidden. If you want to hide the other drives, you must put the drive-related number.The numbers for the particular drives is given below..

A=1, B=2, C=4, D=8, E=16, F=32, G=64, H=128, I=256, J=512, K=1024, L=2048, M=4096, N=8192, O=16384, P=32768, Q=65536, R=131072, S=262144, T=524288, U=1048576, V=2097152, W=4194304, X=8388608, Y=16777216, Z=33554432, All drive=67108863

- If we want to hide only selected number of drives..we can hide it.For eg : If we want to hide the drives C and E put the result number of 4 + 16 that is 20.

- Click OK button and close the Registry Editor program.Restart ur system. DONE!!!..

In Windows, in the contextual right-click menu there is a "Send To" option but no option for "Copy To". The "Copy To" option exists, but it is disabled by default so that it doesn't show up when you right-click. If you want to add the "Copy To" menu back, you can do so with a registry hack.

To enable the "Copy To" option, run the regedit program by going to Start -> Run, and entering regedit and hitting Enter. Once the registry editor is open, navigate to the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT + AllFilesystemObjects + shellex + ContextMenuHandlers section. You'll see the "Send To" entry there as an entry under this. Right-click on the ContextMenuHandlers entry and select New > Key from the list.

Name the new key Copy To. In the right pane, you will see an entry called Default, double click on thus entyr and enter a value of {C2FBB630-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13} (yeah, the braces and everything). Once done editing, close the registry editor.

If you hate always having to adjust your Num Lock, Scroll Lock and Caps Lock buttons when you boot your computer, there is a registry edit that allows you to define the default state of these locks when you computer boots up. To edit this value do the following.

1 - Open the Registry Editor (go to Start -> Run, type regedit then hit Enter).

2 - In the left pane, navigate to HKEY_USERS -> .DEFAULT -> Control Panel -> Keyboard

3 - You'll see an entry on the right called InitialKeyboardIndicators. The "usual" default value is 0. Double click on this entry and change the value to something between 0 and 7 where each value has the following behavior:

0 = All Locks unset
1 = Caps Lock on
2 = Num Lock on
3 = Caps Lock and Num Lock on
4 = Scroll Lock on
5 = Caps Lock and Scroll Lock on
6 = Num Lock and Scroll Lock on
7 = All Locks on

Once you are done editing, close the editor and reboot. Then be amazed at how when your computer comes on, the Lock keys will be set to your liking.

If you’re an AMD processor users, you must have been effected by the Blue Screen of Death, after installing Windows XP SP3 on rebooting their computer. The error begins with something like this: STOP: 0×0000007E (0xC0000005 and contains the error text SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED. And after this, the computers reboots again and keeps repeating this.

Windows XP SP3 apparently copies an Intel power management driver to the computer that was not there before the installation of SP3 and that is said to be the cause for the restart bug. But thanks to HP, a fix has been given for this bug.

The following fix can only be used if you use a non-Intel processor and encounter the restart bug after installing Windows XP Service Pack 3. Below are the fixes given by HP and Microsoft:

NOTE: Make sure you make a quick backup of your system using System Restore. And also backup your Registry entries.

HP’s Fix For XP SP3 Restart Bug:

* Boot Computer in Safe Mode
* Use Windows Explorer to browse to C:\Windows\System32\Drivers
* Right-click intelppm.sys and rename it to XXXintelppm.syx
* Restart Windows

If the computer is unable to boot into safe mode do the following:

* Press F8 during startup and load the Microsoft Windows Recovery Console
* Type the number that corresponds to your Windows installation
* Log in as an administrator
* Type cd c:\windows\system32\drivers at the command prompt
* Type rename intelppm.sys XXXintelppm.syx
* Restart Windows

Microsoft’s Fix For XP SP3 Restart Bug:

* Boot the Computer into Safe Mode
* Press Windows R, type regedit, hit enter
* Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Intelppm
* right-click the Start entry in the right pane and select modify
* Enter 4 in the Value Data box
* Close regedit, restart the computer.

This trick permits an account that is normally displayed on the Welcome screen to be hidden from view. To hide the specific user account from the welcome screen, you need to create a special value under windows registry key.

Follow the steps...

- Click Start button and type regedit in Run option then press Enter for next.

- Here locate the location to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList


- Here in right side panel, right click to create a new DWORD Value with the name of account to be hidden - the name matches the users name exactly.



- To modify the "Value data" information as DWORD Value 0 to hide the account and 1 to display the user then click on Ok button.


- Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

But next time, if you want to enable specific user account on welcome then simply change the value of data box to 1 or delete the DWORD Value item.

The Recycle Bin is the special folders of windows on the hard disk to store deleted files and folders. These files or folders can be restored from the Recycle Bin to their original location if required for use. But you can set the Recycle Bin setting that the files and folders are deleted from hard disk are not placed in the Recycle Bin. So with the help of windows registry editor you can set the Recycle Bin to always delete items.

Follow the given steps to edit computer registry for Recycle Bin:

- First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.

- Here locate the location to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\BitBucket

- Here in right side panel, double click on NukeOnDelete and set its value 1.

- Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

Today tip is very useful particularly for home users who want to protect their system default settings against unwanted changes that other users can make. For example changes in system desktop appearance, themes, and screen saver as well as other display settings. Using registry editor, you can disable the right click functionality on desktop to access the "Display Properties" dialog box and this will also prevent users to access windows explorer.

Follow the given steps to disable the right click functionality on desktop:

To use this feature, you will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.

- Click Start button and type regedit in Run option then press Enter for next.

- Here locate the location to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer


- Here in right side panel, right click to create a new DWORD value with the name NoViewContextMenu (it is case sensitive), then assign number 1 in value data box.


- Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.
But next time, if you want to enable right click functionality on desktop then simply change the value of data box or delete the NoViewContextMenu DWORD item.

Today USB drive also known as keychain drive is becoming the most popular removable storage device to move data to different locations. USB drives are available in the market with different features, for example password protected, compatible with all windows versions and extra storage capacity (up to 65 GB).

A common security issue at organizations is how to prevent their workers to write data onto USB drives using their PCs, because a user can easily move confidential data for other location.

If you have windows XP with SP2, then you can disable the writing option to USB drives.

Follow the given steps to disable the USB writing option:

- To edit the computer registry, first you should log onto your computer with administrative rights.

- First click on Start button and type "Regedit" in Run option.

- Here locate the location to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control

- Here in right side panel, click right to create a key with the name "StorageDevicePolicies".



Now in left side panel, select "StorageDevicePolicies" key, again right click to create new DWORD value then label it "WriteProtect".



Set its value to "1". But again enable this option set its values "0".


Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

You can change the title bar for the Windows Media Player....

- Start Regedit

- Go to HKEY_USERS \ .DEFAULT \ Software \ Policies \ Microsoft \ WindowsMediaPlayer

- Create a string value of TitleBar

- Give it a value of whatever you want to appear in the title bar

Normally you end tasks the non-responsive programs manually using windows task manager with (CTRL + ALT +DELETE) keys. Sometimes these non-responsive programs creates problem to run windows and others programs properly. You can configure your computer to manage these non-responsive programs automatically. Windows has a feature that will close all non responding program automatically. If you have little knowledge about editing windows registry then you can configure your computer for this purpose.

Follow the given steps to configure windows registry for auto end task:

- First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option. Here locate the location to:

- Go to Hkey_Current_User\Control Panel\Desktop

- Here in right side panel, double click on AutoEndTasks and here its default value is 0. Now change it to 1. Now windows will close your all non-responsive programs automatically.

- Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

When you are working on your local computer and want to refresh any changes in your system automatically. For example some times you are watching sports results, online Stock Exchange rates and any changes to your hard drive but these changes are not usually refreshed until you press the F5 key on your keyboard.

To refresh your screen automatically you should edit your system Registry. But the best technique to edit the windows registry keys, always export or backup the whole windows registry keys on backup drive before editing. Because any mistake in Registry can cause serious problem in your computer to run properly.

Follow the given steps to change the updates automatically.

- First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.

- In Registry Editor panel go to the path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / CurrentControlSet / Control / UpdateMode

- Here in right hand side panel edit the DWORD value to be between 1 and 5.

- Now restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

Generally we use Add/Remove programs option in Control Panel to remove any unwanted program from our computer. Normally this may be due to poorly designed uninstaller with this program. That is why some programs may not be removed properly and a reference to this program remains in the computer registry. This reference in registry may be creating problems to run your computer smoothly. Here you need to delete this reference to edit your computer registry using RegEdit editor.

- First go to Start button and open Run dialog box. Type here RegEdit and press Enter.

- Now in editor Navigate to the given path
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall.

- Here locate the entry created by your program with its name and select that entry from
the list on the left panel and delete its key.

- Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer, the program will be removed from
your computer permanently.