MDGx
WinDOwS Tricks - Part 16

Go to ALL WinDOwS ©Tricks + Secrets Contents

• 1-31-01 Updated Win9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


CPU PRIORITY
[UPDATED 1-31-2001]


Courtesy of Thomas Tompkins (ICQ# 3001681).

  1. Windows 95/98/ME users ONLY:

    "Run Regedit and go to:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\BIOS

    In the right hand pane create a new DWORD Value called "CPUPriority" (no quotes) -> double-click on it -> check the Decimal box -> type 1 -> click OK to save.
    This will speed things up by using the fastest priority to the CPU when opening any program, and works on 99% of the PCs I've tried it on.
    To reset to Windows 9x/ME default type 3 or delete this Value altogether.
    To see your system's real time performance type 0 (NOT recommended by Microsoft!).
    In some cases this Registry BIOS key is absent, because enabling the BIOS power management feature (APM) and the Win9x/ME ACPI BIOS extentions may disable it!
    Make sure there is a Plug and Play BIOS item listed in Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager -> System devices.

    Here are other DWORD Values (Decimal) you can use to tweak your CPU Priority even further (under the same Registry key above):

    • PCIConcur = 1 (enabled)
    • FastDRAM = 1 (enabled)
    • AGPConcur = 1 (enabled) [if your video controller is AGP based].

    These settings speed up hardware specific operations by allowing installed devices to use extra CPU cycles: PCI, AGP and/or DRAM based I/O transfers from the motherboard interface/bus/bridge (PCI, AGP, DRAM) [-> to the motherboard chipset/bus/bridge where applicable] -> to the CPU, and the other way around."

    MEANING:

    "CPUPriority" DWORD valid Decimal values:

      0 = The foreground (active) app/game is assigned exclusive CPU cycles (real time priority). WARNING: Use with caution!
      1 = All open apps/games (foreground and background) benefit from a few more CPU cycles than loaded Win32 TSRs/DLLs/Runtimes/APIs.
      2 = All open apps/games (foreground and background) benefit from even more CPU cycles than loaded Win32 TSRs/DLLs/Runtimes/APIs.
      3 = All apps/games/TSRs/DLLs/Runtimes/APIs share same CPU cycles (default, same as "CPUPriority" absent from Registry).

  2. Windows NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 users ONLY:

    "This Registry hack might fix your CPU Priority if you don't have a PnP BIOS.
    Recently I got a new motherboard and CPU: a P3 1 GHz with 512 MB RAM and an AX34 Pro II black PCB mobo.
    When I loaded Windows I noticed I now have ACPI BIOS, and I found out that this new Registry setting overrides the first one (see "CPUPriority" above), increasing CPU priority by 50 to 100%.
    Run Regedit and go to:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\PriorityControl

    or create it if not present: right-click on an empty spot -> select New -> Key -> paste "PriorityControl" (no quotes) into the type-in box -> click OK to save.
    Now highlight this key, and in the right hand pane create a new DWORD [REG_DWORD] Value called "Win32PrioritySeparation" (no quotes) -> double-click on it -> check the Decimal box -> type 1 -> click OK to save.
    When this baby is set to 1, the foreground (active) application has more CPU power than the background (inactive) apps (if any), and if you set the value to 2, you get even more power to the foreground app:

      0 = Foreground and background applications equally responsive.
      1 = Foreground application more responsive than background.
      2 = Best foreground application response time.

    The maximum value allowed is 26 (Hex) or 38 (Decimal).
    Play around with these values till you find your own "sweet spot".
    BEWARE: Higher settings will drag down system resources considerably, especially when doing something big, like saving a huge Photoshop file, but hey, it saved it pretty darn quick. :)"

    More info:

UPDATES:

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• 2-2-00 Win9x/IE4 Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


RESTORE IE4 NEW WINDOW


This is a BUG in some Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0x releases: when you try to right-click on a link, and then select Open in New Window, nothing happens. :(
But it can be easily fixed by copying the lines below (using Notepad) into a REG file, I called OPENNEW.REG [the name doesn't matter, as long as you keep the .REG extension :)]:

-----Begin cut & paste here-----
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{79eac9c2-baf9-11ce-8c82-00aa004ba90b}\ProxyStubClsid32]
@="{B8DA6310-E19B-11D0-933C-00A0C90DCAA9}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{79eac9c3-baf9-11ce-8c82-00aa004ba90b}\ProxyStubClsid32]
@="{B8DA6310-E19B-11D0-933C-00A0C90DCAA9}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{79eac9c4-baf9-11ce-8c82-00aa004ba90b}]
@="IHlinkTarget"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{79eac9c4-baf9-11ce-8c82-00aa004ba90b}\ProxyStubClsid32]
@="{B8DA6310-E19B-11D0-933C-00A0C90DCAA9}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{79eac9c5-baf9-11ce-8c82-00aa004ba90b}\ProxyStubClsid32]
@="{B8DA6310-E19B-11D0-933C-00A0C90DCAA9}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{7BF80981-BF32-101A-8BBB-00AA00300CAB}]
@="Picture"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{7BF80981-BF32-101A-8BBB-00AA00300CAB}\ProxyStubClsid32]
@="{00020420-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

------End cut & paste here------

When done, close ALL IE instances, and (double)-click on OPENNEW.REG in Windows Explorer or File Manager (FM = %windir%\WINFILE.EXE), to merge this information into your Registry.
Now (re)start IE and test the "new" right-click function. :)

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• 1-20-00 Win9x ©Trick in TIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


WININIT BUG


Surfaced courtesy of Daniel.

"All Microsoft Windows 95/98 installation packages using WININIT.EXE have a BUG which occurs during the uninstall procedure: these uninstallers do NOT remove directories (folders). This happens because they add this line to WININIT.INI (example):

[rename]
NUL=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\~SETUP

instead of (CORRECT entry!):

[rename]
DIRNUL=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\~SETUP

NUL can be used ONLY for deleting files, NOT folders.
WARNING: This deletes the respective folder together with all its files and subfolders!
WININIT.INI is created and used by installers with the help of the built-in Win9x/ME WININIT.EXE tool, to add/replace/move/rename/delete system files that do not allow these operations while being used by the OS.
After the install process is completed (which in most cases require restarting Windows), WININIT.INI is renamed to WININIT.BAK.
All 3 WININIT.* files reside in the main Windows folder.
You can see this BUG in "action" by opening WININIT.BAK with Notepad (after installation is over), and then checking if the listed directories are still present. Then you can manually remove them."

FYI: More info on how to use WININIT.EXE + WININIT.INI @ MSKB.

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• 1-20-00 Win9x ©Trick in TIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


INF UNINSTALL


You too can do this at home thanks to Donovan:

"I found a way to delete Registry values using .INF files.
For example UNDOIT.INF:

-----Begin cut & paste here-----
[Version]
Signature=$CHICAGO$
[DefaultInstall]
DelReg=Del.Reg
[Del.Reg]
HKLM,%Location%,CPUPriority,,
[Strings]
Location="System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\BIOS"
[SourceDisksNames]
1=,,0
------End cut & paste here------

removes the CPUPriority entry from this Registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\BIOS

You can run an .INF file by right-clicking on it and selecting "Install" from within Windows Explorer, or by using this command line:

RUNDLL SETUPX.DLL,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 C:\UNDOIT.INF

or this one:

RUNDLL32 SETUPAPI.DLL,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 C:\UNDOIT.INF

or this one:

RUNDLL32 ADVPACK.DLL,LaunchINFSection C:\UNDOIT.INF,DefaultInstall

Note that the FULL path is needed to locate the .INF file!"

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• 1-12-00 Win98/ME Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


WIN2000 COLOR SCHEME


Courtesy of Casper.

WARNING: This REG tweak works ONLY with Windows 98/98 SP1/98 SE(U)/ME, NOT with Windows 95/95a OSR1/95B OSR 2.0/95B OSR 2.1/95C OSR 2.5!

"Windows Display Properties won't let you change the colors of all Desktop elements. However, you can easily customize the appearance of ALL Windows 9x Desktop elements from Regedit, under this Registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Colors

Here all elements are represented by a String value and corresponding RGB color codes. Simply use the Color option in Display Properties -> Appearance to find the RGB value of a given color. When you're done you can save your new customized color scheme from within Display Properties. If you want to export a scheme, you'll find it in the Registry as a Binary value under this key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Appearance\Schemes

Highlight the Binary scheme name you want, and export it as a REG file.
As always, BACKUP your Registry BEFORE changing anything!
Below is one of my own customized color schemes - Windows 2000 - as example:

-----Begin cut & paste here-----
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Appearance\Schemes]
"Windows 2000"=hex:04,00,00,00,77,2f,2c,c3,01,00,00,00,10,00,00,00,10,00,00,00,\
  12,00,00,00,12,00,00,00,f5,ff,ff,ff,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,bc,\
  02,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,4d,53,20,53,61,6e,73,20,53,65,72,69,66,00,\
  00,00,28,2f,00,00,1f,04,5f,01,bf,00,00,00,00,58,9e,b7,0f,00,00,00,0f,00,00,\
  00,fb,ff,ff,ff,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,90,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,\
  00,00,00,00,4d,53,20,53,61,6e,73,20,53,65,72,69,66,00,00,00,28,2f,00,00,1f,\
  04,5f,01,bf,00,00,00,00,58,9e,b7,12,00,00,00,12,00,00,00,f5,ff,ff,ff,00,00,\
  00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,90,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,4d,53,20,\
  53,61,6e,73,20,53,65,72,69,66,00,00,00,28,2f,00,00,1f,04,5f,01,bf,00,00,00,\
  00,58,9e,b7,f5,ff,ff,ff,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,90,01,00,00,00,\
  00,00,00,00,00,00,00,4d,53,20,53,61,6e,73,20,53,65,72,69,66,00,00,00,28,2f,\
  00,00,1f,04,5f,01,bf,00,00,00,00,58,9e,b7,f5,ff,ff,ff,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\
  00,00,00,00,00,90,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,4d,53,20,53,61,6e,73,20,\
  53,65,72,69,66,00,00,00,28,2f,00,00,1f,04,5f,01,bf,00,00,00,00,58,9e,b7,f8,\
  ff,ff,ff,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,90,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\
  00,00,4d,53,20,53,61,6e,73,20,53,65,72,69,66,00,63,00,6f,01,14,88,d7,2d,00,\
  00,00,10,04,00,d7,2d,00,00,d4,d0,c8,00,3a,6e,a5,00,0a,24,6a,00,80,80,80,00,\
  d4,d0,c8,00,ff,ff,ff,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,ff,ff,ff,00,d4,\
  d0,c8,00,c0,c0,c0,00,80,80,80,00,00,00,80,00,ff,ff,ff,00,d4,d0,c8,00,80,80,\
  80,00,80,80,80,00,00,00,00,00,c0,c0,c0,00,ff,ff,ff,00,00,00,00,00,d4,d0,c8,\
  00,00,00,00,00,ff,ff,e1,00,d4,d0,c8,00,00,00,ff,00,a6,ca,f0,00,c0,c0,c0,00

------End cut & paste here------"

NOTE: The blank (empty) line at the end of the REG file is necessary for proper operation!

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• 1-12-00 Win9x/ME Original ©Trick in MYTIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


WINBOOT.INI


WINBOOT.INI is a temporary file created by the Windows 9x/ME installation process, and by default should be deleted from your system at the end of a successful Windows Setup. In some cases (buggy/unfinished installations), WINBOOT.INI can still be found in the root folder of your boot drive (C:\).
WINBOOT.INI is the equivalent of MSDOS.SYS (Win9x/ME C:\ root system file), is not necessary for proper operation, and usually contains the same sections and settings as its sibling.
The nice part is that Windows 95/98/ME bootup routine looks FIRST for (and processes ONLY) WINBOOT.INI in the root folder of your boot drive/partition (default is C:\), BEFORE searching for MSDOS.SYS, which is NOT processed anymore IF WINBOOT.INI is found.
Therefore to speed up the OS boot routine by a second or more (depending on your CPU clock speed), create a new WINBOOT.INI file in C:\ root, and you will notice a shorter delay next time you boot up.
To make this happen, run these commands from any DOS prompt (the 3rd line is optional):

ATTRIB -H -R -S C:\MSDOS.SYS
COPY C:\MSDOS.SYS C:\WINBOOT.INI
ATTRIB +H +R +S C:\MSDOS.SYS

Now reboot.
Once WINBOOT.INI is created you can even delete MSDOS.SYS, but BACK IT UP FIRST!

Better, use SYS95.BAT [part of W95-11D.EXE], which takes care of all necessary MSDOS.SYS and WINBOOT.INI editing chores with a simple mouse (double)-click [:)]: opens MSDOS.SYS with Notepad in Windows (you only need to make desired changes), and then copies MSDOS.SYS as WINBOOT.INI, in order to maintain all boot settings "synchronized" in both these files. SYS95.BAT can do the same from native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode, using EDIT.COM for editing.

Thus the mere presence of WINBOOT.INI in C:\ root can "shave off" 1-2 seconds from your bootup sequence. :)
WINBOOT.INI, unlike the other Win9x/ME system files from the root folder of the boot drive/partition, is not renamed if you also dual-boot using your old MS-DOS 6.xx (using the "Previous version of MS-DOS" option from the Windows 95/98 Startup Menu), because it does NOT have a correspondent into the MS-DOS 6.xx system files.
Also, certain 3rd party programs may "choke" [and eventually issue error messages :(] if MSDOS.SYS is NOT found in C:\ root. That's why you need to keep MSDOS.SYS, even if also using WINBOOT.INI.
And from now on, if you want to tweak the Win9x/ME bootup process, you can edit WINBOOT.INI in the same manner you would MSDOS.SYS.
See "COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE", also in MYTIPS95.TXT [part of W95-11D.EXE], for details.

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• 12-29-99 Win9x/ME Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


LEGAL NOTICE


If you work/play in a multiuser computing environment, and own the Windows 9x/ME computer, you might like to "scare away" casual users by adding a text caption notice which will pop up just before the logon screen.
To do this run Regedit and go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Right-click in the right hand pane -> select New -> String -> call it "LegalNoticeCaption" -> click OK. Right-click again -> New -> String -> create another value called "LegalNoticeText" -> click OK. Just don't type the quotes. Then double-click on "LegalNoticeCaption" -> type in the title you wish for your logon box -> click OK. Double-click on "LegalNoticeText" -> type in the text that will appear in the logon dialog box -> click OK.
From now on, the next time someone boots into Windows, a new dialog box with a (legal) warning message will show up before anyone can logon into your computer. The user will be required to enter the correct login password to proceed, if system access is password protected.

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• 12-22-99 OSR2/Win98/2000/ME/XP/2003 Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


DELETE REGISTRY KEY/VALUE


This works with ALL Windows 95B/95C OSR 2.x, 98, ME, 2000, XP and 2003 releases, but does NOT work with Windows 95 retail or 95a OSR1.
You don't need to use Regedit's Windows GUI or its native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode (available only in Win95/98/ME) counterpart:

REGEDIT /D [regkeyname]

to manually delete a Registry key/subkey/value.
All you need is create a plain text/ASCII registration file with the .REG extension (file name doesn't matter):

  1. Delete an entire Registry key/subkey:

    1. By using Notepad (generic):

      -----Begin cut & paste here-----
      REGEDIT4

      [-HKEY_KEY_NAME\SubKeyName0\SubKeyName1\SubKeyName2\etc...]

      ------End cut & paste here------

    2. Or by running Regedit and exporting the desired (sub)key to a REG file: Highlight a (sub)key name -> click "Registry" from the menu -> select "Export Registry File..." -> Type the filename you wish in the "File name" field -> browse to the destination of your choice -> click the Save button.

    Then open the saved REG file in Notepad and add a minus (-) mark in front of the respective key name (right after the left square parenthesis) you want erased from your Registry (example):

    -----Begin cut & paste here-----
    REGEDIT4

    [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Config\0000\Display\Settings]

    ------End cut & paste here------

  2. Delete a Registry value:

    1. By using Notepad (generic):

      -----Begin cut & paste here-----
      REGEDIT4

      [HKEY_KEY_NAME\SubKeyName0\SubKeyName1\SubKeyName2\etc...]
      "ValueName"=      -

      ------End cut & paste here------

    2. Or by running Regedit and exporting the desired (sub)key to a REG file: Highlight a (sub)key name -> click "Registry" from the menu -> select "Export Registry File..." -> Type the filename you wish in the "File name" field -> browse to the destination of your choice -> click the Save button.

    Then open the saved REG file in Notepad and add a minus (-) mark after the respective value name [right after the equal (=) sign] you want erased from your Registry (example):

    -----Begin cut & paste here-----
    REGEDIT4

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Config\0000\Display\Settings]
    "DesktopPos"=    -

    ------End cut & paste here------

Finally run (merge) this REG file from Windows Explorer or File Manager (FM = %windir%\WINFILE.EXE) to delete the "marked" (sub)key/value.

CAUTION:

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• 12-15-99 Win9x/ME Original Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


MAX CACHE SPEED


Another Windows 95/98/ME limitation squashed! 1 down, 1 zillion to go... Ouch! ;)
Forget what I told you about setting your Windows 9x/ME File System cache to "Network Server", detailed in "NETWORK SERVER", also in REGISTRY.TXT [part of W95-11D.EXE]. Those are only the maximum ALLOWED values from: Control Panel -> (double)-click System applet -> Performance tab -> File System button -> Hard Disk tab -> "Typical role of this computer" box -> "Network Server", and respectively "Read-ahead optimization" slider -> Full -> click OK twice -> reboot. This setting (highest available) allocates about 40 KB of RAM to cache the last 64 accessed directory paths and the last 2729 accessed files.
But you can further increase these settings BEYOND the Win9x/ME GUI limit, to the next level, otherwise unavailable from the System applet, to have your computer cache up to 3 (THREE) times more files and directories, and speed up hard disk performance substantially.
The only disadvantage is that this way Windows will allocate up to 3 times more physical RAM to the file cache, which is taken from the available memory pool, normally used by applications/games. Therefore I recommend doing this ONLY IF your system has at least 32 MB of installed RAM. This works best on computers with 64 MB and up... and who cares about RAM "shortage" if you happen to have 128 MB or more? :-)
And now let's see the "goodies". :)
Copy & paste the text below in Notepad to create a REG file, and save it for example as MAXCACHE.REG:

-----Begin cut & paste here-----
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\FS Templates]
@="Max Cache"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\FS Templates\Super Cache]
@="Super Cache"
"NameCache"=hex:00,ff,00,00
"PathCache"=hex:ff,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\FS Templates\Max Cache]
@="Max Cache"
"NameCache"=hex:00,18,00,00
"PathCache"=hex:c8,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\FS Templates\Huge Cache]
@="Huge Cache"
"NameCache"=hex:80,13,00,00
"PathCache"=hex:90,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\FS Templates\Large Cache]
@="Large Cache"
"NameCache"=hex:a0,0f,00,00
"PathCache"=hex:80,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\FS Templates\Medium Cache]
@="Medium Cache"
"NameCache"=hex:20,0f,00,00
"PathCache"=hex:50,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\control\FileSystem]
"NameCache"=hex:00,18,00,00
"PathCache"=hex:c8,00,00,00

------End cut & paste here------

CREDITS:

  1. "Super Cache" settings appear courtesy of Thomas, and THESE ARE THE MAXimum values accepted by Windows 9x/ME!
  2. "Large Cache" settings appear courtesy of Dave.

Now all you have to do is (double)-click on MAXCACHE.REG in Windows Explorer or File Manager (FM = %windir%\WINFILE.EXE) to merge this information into your Registry, and then restart Windows so the changes can take effect.
From now on you can select among 5 (FIVE) new options ("Max Cache" setting is used here), besides the 3 "classic" Win9x/ME choices: "Network Server", "Desktop Computer" and "Mobile or Docking System", when you decide the "Typical role of this computer", as explained at the top of this article: [... life in the fast lane, baby! :)]

REG File Above  "NameCache"     "PathCache"             Memory (RAM) Used
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW Setting      Cached Files   Cached Directories      KiloBytes [KB]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Super Cache     65280           255                     2170 KB (2.1 MB)
Max Cache        6144           200                      150 KB
Huge Cache       4992           144                      108 KB
Large Cache      4000           128                       80 KB
Medium Cache     3872            80                       64 KB

MEANING ["Max Cache" used as example]: this allocates about 150 KB of RAM to cache the last 200 accessed directory paths and the last 6144 accessed files.
Compare to: [... join the slow moving crowd! :)]

Default         "NameCache"     "PathCache"             Memory (RAM) Used
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
OLD Setting      Cached Files   Cached Directories      KiloBytes [KB]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Network Server   2729           64                      40 KB
Desktop Computer  677           32                      16 KB
Mobile/Docking    160           16                       4 KB

Experiment with each setting, see which one suits your purpose better, depending on what you use your machine for: business, graphics rendering, CAD, animation/video editing, software development, desktop publishing, 3D gaming, Internet, CD burning etc.
Just remember to restart Windows after each change. :)

FYI:

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• 12-15-99 Win9x/ME Original Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


UNATTENDED REGISTRATION


Are you annoyed by the two nagging prompt dialog boxes that require you to click the OK button or hit Enter each time you register (merge) a REG file into your Registry?
I know I am, so I found the workaround, which can be achieved 2 ways:
  1. Open Windows Explorer -> click View -> click Folder Options [Win98/ME] or Options [Win95/OSR2] -> select the File Types tab -> scroll down to the "Registration Entries" item -> double-click on it -> double-click on Merge, which should be the default action (marked in bold) -> type:

    REGEDIT.EXE /S "%1"

    in the "Application used to perform action" box (quotes must be included, all characters are case insensitive) -> click OK or press Enter 3 times.
    Change the Windows folder name if different on your computer.
    Note that you only need to add the /S parameter to the command line, and you can skip the path altogether, because Regedit.exe resides in the Windows folder, therefore in the system path.

  2. Run Regedit and go to:

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\open\command

    Double-click on the "(Default)" String in the right hand pane -> type the same REGEDIT.EXE command line above -> click OK -> close Regedit.

WARNING: From now on when you (double)-click on a REG file in Windows Explorer or File Manager (FM = %windir%\WINFILE.EXE), the information it contains will be merged (registered) directly into your Registry WITHOUT ANY CONFIRMATION!

TIP: If you ever need to disable the merging of Registration (REG) files into your Registry altogether, especially useful in multiuser environments as a security measure, open Regedit and go to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\open\command

There double-click on the "(Default)" String in the right hand pane -> change the command line to read:

NOTEPAD.EXE /P "%1"

-> click OK.
From now on when someone double-clicks on a REG file, it will open in Notepad for printing. :)

BACK 2 CONTENTS
• 12-9-99 Win9x/ME ©Trick in TIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


RENAME START BUTTON


Here are 4 ways of changing/deleting your Windows 9x/ME Start button title (the word "Start"):

  1. The 1st one involves altering your Explorer.exe executable [Thank you Michael!]:
    "Make a backup of Explorer.exe BEFORE doing this.
    Boot into native DOS mode and type:
    EDIT.COM /70 %winbootdir%\EXPLORER.EXE
    Now search for the "S t a r t" string. The spaces there MUST be NUL values [double zeroes (00) in hex] NOT spaces!
    Replace each instance of that text with the new Start button title you want.
    The number of characters typed MUST equal the original string length!
    Also make sure the size of your new Explorer.exe file does NOT change!
    Exit EDIT.COM and start Windows (type WIN and hit Enter) when done."

  2. The 2nd one makes use of Resource Hacker (RH), the best freeware Windows resource editor, for this purpose.
    Run RH -> load Explorer.exe -> double-click on String Table -> scroll down to 37 -> double-click on it -> click on 1033 -> replace the "Start" string (on the 578 line) with whatever floats your boat (or delete it if you wish) -> save your file -> exit RH -> exit/reboot Windows to native MS-DOS -> BACKUP (or rename) your original file FIRST -> move the "hexed" EXPLORER.EXE to %winbootdir% (usually C:\WINDOWS) by running (example):
    CD\TEMP
    MOVE EXPLORER.EXE %winbootdir%
    Then start Windows GUI by running WIN or reboot in "Normal" mode.
    Done. :)

  3. The 3rd one involves using TClock [freeware], which besides placing a "funky" colored (highly customizable) calendar/clock in your Taskbar Tray, can also replace your Start button title AND icon with whatever name/icon you wish.

  4. The 4th one makes use of a freeware Hex Editor (FrHed): follow Starman's Hacking Start Button guidelines.

BACK 2 CONTENTS
• 12-9-99 Win9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/IE ©Trick in TIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


DELETE MS IE UNINSTALL


This one appears courtesy of Spud.

"Delete Microsoft Internet Explorer 4/5/6 uninstall folders and files to save about 9 MB of disk space and a hefty chunk of Registry size: run C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Msinfo\Msinfo32.exe -> go to Tools -> click Internet Explorer Repair Tool -> click Advanced -> click Remove previous versions of Internet Explorer -> click OK.
That's it!"

ADD-ONS:

  1. The MS IE 4/5/6 Repair Tool can also be accessed from: Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs -> double-click "Microsoft Internet Explorer (your version number here)" -> select Advanced -> click "Remove previous versions of Internet Explorer" -> hit OK.
    If this option is not available, you can still do this manually, by running this command in the Start button -> Run... box (default locations used here):

    rundll32 setupwbv.dll,IE5Maintenance "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Setup\setup.exe" /g "%windir%\IE Uninstall Log.Txt"  

  2. Depending on the MS IE 4/5/6 built, you can also get rid of all its backup files/folders, by selecting "Delete the backup information", but this won't allow you to revert back to a previously installed IE release (if any).
  3. To reduce your Registry size after doing this, you may need to manually shrink (compact) it, as described in "SHRINK THE REGISTRY!", also in MYTIPS95.TXT [part of W95-11D.EXE].

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• 12-2-99 Win9x/NT4/2000/ME Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


FREE DVD PLAYER


This tip applies ONLY to Microsoft Windows Media Player2 v6.4 (WMP6)!
Do you have a DVD-ROM/DVD-R(W)/DVD-RAM drive properly installed and properly configured in your Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/ME computer?
If you do, here is a little Registry hack which allows you to play your DVD movies (DAT, VOB) using WMP6 32-bit for Windows 9x/NT4 [3.5 MB, free].
If you are using Microsoft Windows Media Player2 v7.0/7.1 (WMP7) 32-bit for Windows 98/2000/ME [10 MB, free], note that the DVD play feature has been DISABLED. :(
You need to get Windows Media Player2 v9.0 (WMP9) 32-bit for Windows 98/2000/ME/XP or the freeware Media Player Classic (MPC) 32-bit for Windows 98/2000/ME/XP/2003 to be able to play DVDs without modifying your Registry. :)

After installing WMP6 run Regedit and go to (all users):

HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player\Settings

and to (current user):

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player\Settings

Right-click in the right hand pane -> select New -> String Value -> name it EnableDVDUI. Double-click on it -> type yes (case insensitive) in the Value data box -> click OK.
Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows when done.
From now on you can open WMP -> click File -> Open -> select DVD -> finally hit the Play button.
You'll also notice a new DVD icon which pops up a DVD menu when left-clicked.

UPDATES:

  1. "This is true, you do get a DVD player, but it's very restricted. The DVD is totally hardware oriented, not software bound like PowerDVD, WinDVD or CineMaster."
    [Thank you Andreas!]

  2. You can also use the Microsoft free dedicated DVD Player included on the Windows 98/98 SE(U) Setup CD-ROM. Pop in your Setup CD (replace the CD/DVD drive letter if different on your system) and then run:

    EXTRACT /A /L %TEMP% D:\WIN98\BASE4.CAB DVD*.*

    Now you should see these 5 files extracted into your TEMP directory (default is C:\WINDOWS\TEMP): DVDPLAY.CHM, DVDPLAY.CNT, DVDPLAY.EXE, DVDRGN.EXE + DVDPLAY.HLP. Move the .CHM, .CNT and .HLP files to C:\WINDOWS\HELP and the 2 executables (.EXE) to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM (if you installed Windows 98/98 SE into C:\WINDOWS, otherwise sustitute the folder names to match yours).
    Create a shortcut to DVDPLAY.EXE, eventually on your Desktop, especially if you watch a lot of DVD movies. :)
    Note that you also need to install the 32-bit DVD Drivers/Codecs, i.e. Microsoft DirectX Media 6 [4.46 MB, free] or CineMaster, to be able to use ANY DVD player.
    DVDPlay is a primitive (lacks custom controls like brightness, color etc), but software based DVD player, and requires a fast CPU (Intel Pentium Pro/II/III/IV/Celeron/Xeon or AMD K6/K7/Athlon/Duron/Thunderbird) for optimal performance.
    [Thank you Terry!]

FYI:

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• 12-2-99 Win9x Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


METAL BRIEFCASE


  1. As sent by Jon.

    "I got tired of that ugly brown Briefcase icon. This Registry tweak allows you to change it to a nice metal briefcase icon, for your viewing pleasure.
    Start Regedit and go to:

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{85BBD920-42A0-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D}\DefaultIcon

    Double-click on the right hand pane "Default" value -> it should show "syncui.dll,0" -> change it to "syncui.dll,1" (don't type the quotes).
    Syncui.dll (located in C:\Windows\System) stores several icons but only 2 of them are briefcases: icon 0 represents the brown briefcase (default) and icon 1 represents the metal (aluminum) briefcase.
    Close Regedit and press F5 on the Desktop to refresh when done."

  2. As sent by TowerJack.

    "Start Regedit -> Edit -> Find -> type "syncui.dll,0" without the quotes -> click Find next button -> change 0 to 1 -> hit F3 to search further until last match found and modified as above.
    Close Regedit and press F5 on the Desktop to refresh when done."

BACK 2 CONTENTS
• 11-24-99 Win9x Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


UNCHECK OPEN WITH


... Brought to you thanks to Debash.

"This tweak permanently unchecks the "Always use this program to open this file type" checkbox on the "Open With" dialog box, when opening a non-associated file type. Run Regedit and go to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Unknown\shell\openas\command

Modify the "(Default)" String value as shown here:

Rundll32.exe Shell32.dll,OpenAs_RunDLL %1 %2

Close Regedit when done and press F5 to refresh the Desktop."

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• 11-24-99 Win9x/ME Original AOL ©Trick in AOLTIPS.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


KILL AOL 4.0
[UPDATED 10-16-2001]


Have you ever had AOL 4.0, 5.0 or 6.0 (32-bit for Win9x/ME) freeze on you, especially while trying to access AOL areas? If you just answered yes, read on, there's still hope for ye. :)
I know of 3 ways to "kill" a frozen AOL 4.0/5.0/6.0 session:

  1. Hit the "three finger salute combo": the Ctrl, Alt and Del keys the same time -> highlight "America Online [Not responding]" -> click the "End Task" button.
    But sometimes, under certain system configs, after doing this, your entire machine (OS) may freeze, and you may have to punch that dreaded Reset button on your computer case. :(

  2. But fear no more, there is a way to close AOL 4.0/5.0/6.0 WITHOUT locking up your "beloved" Operating System. Get TaskMan for Windows 9x/ME [16 KB], a great freeware tool that can "kill" ANY (in)visible running/locked app or process.
    Copy TaskMan.exe over the one included with your Windows copy (which you should BACKUP FIRST!) to your Windows folder. Now instead of using Ctrl+Alt+Del, just run the new TaskMan (create a shortcut for it in the Start menu) -> browse to "America Online [Whatever...]" -> double-click on it -> poof, gone!

  3. The above are only temporary measures though. :) The "radical" method is to "ditch" (uninstall) AOL 4.0, 5.0 or 6.0 completely and get the new AOL 9.0 32-bit for Win98/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 from AOL keyword UPGRADE [36 MB download!].
    But do NOT forget to keep your custom settings [account info, screen name(s), saved password(s), favorite links, saved e-mail, address book, buddies list etc], by making a backup copy of these AOL 3.0/4.0/5.0/6.0 folders and their contents beforehand (I used C:\AOL4 in this example but you can change that if different): C:\AOL4\IDB and C:\AOL4\ORGANIZE, and of these files (if present) from the C:\AOL4 main directory: AOL.INI, AOLPP.INI, AOLPP2.INI, GOTO.INI and VIEWERS.INI.
    Now you're ready to uninstall AOL by running: Start button -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs -> America Online -> hit the Add/Remove button.
    Finally install AOL9, and let it pick up your custom settings from your ol' AOL 3/4/5/6 which you need to restore to their original folder names (listed above), and you're all set. Just make sure to answer NO to this question (or similar), while installing AOL9:

    "Do you want to make AOL your default browser?"

    AOL9 adds some nice bonuses for ya: up to 7 screen names per account (and if you have/create your own AOL based web site you'll get 2Mb of disk space for each screen name, which amounts up to a total of 14Mb if using all 7 screen names), access to new/improved AOL areas, better compatibility with external web browsers (like MS Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator), and [cross your fingers ;)] more stability.

    After installing AOL 9.0 software, you MUST also upgrade your MS Internet Explorer copy to the NEWEST version, which includes all current security patches and fixes for safer browsing.

    ... And from now on you'll experience (hopefully) fewer AOL lockups...

    BTW: Yule need a serious dose of good luck too! :)

BACK 2 CONTENTS
• 11-18-99 Win3.1x/9x Original ©Trick in MYTIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE, and in MYTIPS31.TXT, part of W31-11D.ZIP:


REPLACE SYSTEM FONT


There is a way to replace the default MS Sans Serif system font that appears in text dialog boxes, popup windows, shortcuts, Windows apps etc, and that canNOT normally be changed. This is how to do it, step by step:

  1. Shell out (or reboot) to the native MS-DOS mode -> run the command below to move the two MS Sans Serif font files (SSERIFE.FON + SSERIFF.FON) to another folder (NOT in your path: I suggest C:\Windows\Config):

    MOVE C:\WINDOWS\FONTS\SSERIF*.FON C:\WINDOWS\CONFIG

    I used here the default Win9x drive letter and folder name: C:\Windows. Substitute them if different on your computer.

  2. (Re)start Windows by typing WIN and pressing Enter.

  3. Edit your WIN.INI file (located in your Windows directory) with Notepad or Sysedit, but BACK IT UP FIRST!
    Scroll down to the [FontSubstitutes] header, and add a new line right below this section name (example):

    MS Sans Serif=Arial

    You can replace the Arial font here with ANY other font installed on your system. There are two types of fonts you can use:

    • .FON = raster/display/printer/Terminal/DOS box font (not scalable)
    • .TTF = True Type Font (scalable)
    To see the complete list of installed fonts: open Control Panel -> (double)-click on Fonts -> (double)-click on the one you want -> remember its name as shown in the window title -> type its name into the new WIN.INI line you just created above after the equal sign -> save your file.

  4. Restart Windows so the change can take effect.

  5. Have fun.

UPDATE:
"Replacing the system font can cause problems for versions of Windows using Double Byte Character Sets. Whenever the End User Defined Character feature is used, the replacement system font can cause corrupted text to appear.
[Thank you JP!]

BACK 2 CONTENTS
• 11-18-99 Win9x/ME/IE Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


TOGGLE MENUS


This Registry hack is reproduced from PCForrest's Tips + Help site, and applies to all Windows 98/ME releases and to Windows 95/OSR1/OSR2, but ONLY with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4/5/6 or newer installed.

BACKUP YOUR REGISTRY FIRST!

To merge (register) MENUCOLS.REG into your Registry: open Windows Explorer or File Manager (FM = %windir%\WINFILE.EXE) and (double)-click on it.

"MENUCOLS.REG adds a toggle option to Explorer's View -> Folder Options -> View menu, to switch between multi-column Windows 95 style menus, and scrollable Windows 98/ME style menus."

Copy + Paste lines below in Notepad and save the file as MENUCOLS.REG:

-----Begin cut & paste here-----
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Advanced\StartMenu\MCSM]
"Type"="checkbox"
"Text"="Multi-Column Start Menu [Win98/ME or Win95/OSR1/OSR2 + MS IE 4/5/6 ONLY]"
"HKeyRoot"=dword:80000001
"RegPath"="Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Explorer\\Advanced"
"ValueName"="StartMenuScrollPrograms"
"CheckedValue"=dword:0
"UncheckedValue"=dword:1
"DefaultValue"=dword:0
"HelpID"="IEXPLORE.HLP#50107"

------End cut & paste here------

FYI: See also "START MENU COLUMNS" [also in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE].

BACK 2 CONTENTS
• 11-12-99 Win9x/ME Original Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


FORCE ICON VIEW


It has been brought to my attention, time and again, that Windows 9x/ME can sometimes get "weary" about "remembering" the Windows Explorer icon view after changing it: open Windows Explorer -> click View -> select one of these items: Large Icons, Small Icons, List or Details. The display will always show the one you select, but in some cases [Win9x/IE buggy installations or beta releases?] will revert back to the previous (or default) setting next time you restart Windows Explorer. :(
To "cure" this BUG you need to "hack" the Registry.
But first let's see the Binary values you need to use for each setting (referenced further below):

Now run Regedit and go to:

  1. Windows Explorer icon view Registry key:

    • only for current user:

      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ExpView

    • or for all users:

      HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ExpView

    In the right hand pane you'll notice the "Settings" Binary value. Double-click on it. On the 6th row from the top start at the left and go to the 5th group of 2 digit numbers, ignoring the 1st group of 4 digits. Place the cursor to the left of the 45th Byte (5th double digit group) and hit Delete. Now type in one of the values above (example: 04 for Details) to force Windows Explorer to display its icons the way you want. Click OK.
    [Thank you Kermit for sending the correct Byte group!]
    More info.

  2. Control Panel icon view Registry key:

    • only for current user:

      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams

    • or for all users:

      HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams

    In the right hand pane you'll notice the "Settings" Binary value. Double-click on it. On the 1st row from the top start at the left and go to the 5th group of 2 digit numbers, ignoring the 1st group of 4 digits. Place the cursor to the left of this group (between the 4th and the 5th) and hit Delete. Now type in one of the values above (example: 01 for Large Icons) to force Control Panel to display its icons the way you want. Click OK.

Close the Registry Editor when done.

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©1996-2008 AXCEL216 / MDGx: Everything here is FREEware. I have created [August 1996], maintain and update these web pages entirely by hand using Programmer's File Editor [replaced Notepad]. I do not promote, speak in the behalf of, advertise or work for any computing, news or internet profit business. All ®registered ©copyrights and ™trademarks referred herein retain the property of their respective owners.

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