WinDOwS Tricks - Part 17
"If you are an avid Net user or Sysadmin, you most likely have to deal
with many "asterisked out" login confirmation boxes.
Chances are you end up entering the password several times, because
you can't see what you're typing. The easy and obvious solution is to type in your password in the user name box, and then
cut and paste it into the password boxes. Then just type in your user name and you're set!
Also, if you are setting up a
proxy and don't know the user name and password of your ISP login, simply view it with SnadBoy's Revelation (freeware).
When you drag the program's cross-hairs over a blocked
password, it automatically displays it in a text box. Then just copy the password to the other computers in your proxy or
LAN/WAN/peer-to-peer system."
"Try this if you want to set up a proxy, or are having problems with your current
one.
Run Regedit and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Config\0001\Software\Microsoft\windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings
First, set
"EnableAutodial" to 1 if you use a dialup proxy service. Next, double-click "ProxyEnable" and replace
the Decimal value of 0 with 1.
Your proxy is now fully enabled!"
[Direct3D] debug=0 [DirectDraw] debug=0 nohwblt=0 nohwtrans=0 nohwfill=0 [DirectPlay] BreakOnAssert=0 Debug=0 [DirectPlay8] BreakOnAssert=0 MemoryLeakOutput=0 Debug=0 log=0 [Debug] DMBAND=0 DMCOMPOS=0 DMIME=0 DMLOADER=0 DMUSIC=0 DMSTYLE=0 DMSYNTH=0 dinput=0x00 DMUSIC16=0 DMUSIC32=0 DMSCRIPT=0 DSWAVE=0 DSDMO=0 DInput.06=0x00 DInput.04=0x00 DInput.08=0x00 DInput.17=0x00
Some of these settings can be enabled/disabled also by using the DirectX Diagnostic Tool
(DxDiag.exe, located in C:\Windows\System), bundled with MS DX6 and all newer versions.
Most of these lines are
used (if set to 1) for debugging purposes if DirectX seems to cause GPFs (General Protection Faults), errors, lockups
etc, by creating Debug.txt files, which can be sent to Microsoft support (e.g. via e-mail), together with the user's
hardware/OS specs, for troubleshooting.
In normal conditions it is recommended to set them all to 0, to allow
MAXimum speed with all DirectX 3D apps and games, ONLY IF DirectX works properly on your Win95/98/ME machine.
Most
of them are NOT set to 0 by default [surprise! :)] if NOT present in WIN.INI as listed above, and these default settings
attract DirectX apps/games slowdown, which is unacceptable in my book. :) Therefore it is STRONGLY recommended to turn
them all OFF: make sure all lines under the [Debug] section are set to 0, which disables the DX error logging
("debugging") mode.
Though to create Debug.txt files, one needs also to download the separate DXInfo.exe,
DXBug.exe, DXTool.exe + Directx.cpl tools.
Grab DX9 Control Panel applet (CPL)
[free].
Grab DXInfo.exe + DXTool.exe [free].
One disadvantage is that for example DXBug also
creates the Dxbug.ini (unencoded, plain text) file, which contains personal user info: name, company, address, email
etc. Talk about privacy!
To my knowledge "BreakOnAssert" can be set to 1 to improve gameplay (game
controller response) over the internet/network/LAN in multiplayer environment with 3D intensive games like Quake, Unreal
Tournament etc. I know Quake and UT use OpenGL APIs for graphics rendering, but all newer 3D games (including Quake II and
Quake III Arena) use the DirectPlay component of DX anyway for joysticks, wheels, throttles etc for direct access at hardware
level, and DirectSound for direct hardware access to the sound card.
The only Win9x/ME tweaking tool I know of that
handles most of these DX settings is DirectControl [111 KB, freeware].
[3dfx] SSTH3_RGAMMA=1.5 SSTH3_BGAMMA=1.5 SSTH3_GGAMMA=1.5
These are the recommended values for most users, if the screen appears too dark in 3D (Glide 3dfx) games/apps. Minimum - maximum RGB gamma values = 1.0 - 4.0. Each color can be changed individually, but "normal" (color calibrated) screen output is obtained by synchronizing all sliders (R, G and B) at the same level.
[Display] BlockWrite=1 BusThrottle=1 DDC=1 Five6Five=1 DevBmp=0 VAD=1 OutEngine=1 SwCursor=0 Mmio=1 RefreshRate=xxx
SYSTEM.INI is the other "vital" Windows 3.xx/9x/ME initialization file, found also in
your Windows folder, and can be also edited using Notepad or Sysedit in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS.
Some of these settings
are specific only to ATI and/or 3dfx video chipsets, but some can be also used on most other video accelerator brands to
improve graphics performance. Try to see if they make any difference with your video board:
MEANING:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\Display\0000\DEFAULT
The 0000
subkey can be 0001, 0002 etc, depending of your video driver location.
Together these two settings force
Windows to use a predefined vertical refresh rate (also known as vertical frequency), measured in Hertz (abbreviated as Hz).
This allows fluorescent multi-scan CRT monitors, able to change screen resolutions, color depths and refresh rates on the
fly, to take advantage of higher frequencies built into their cathode tubes, thus avoiding eye strain caused by
flicker.
Brief explanation: most human eyes can perceive [and can get irritated by :(] lower refresh rates (60, 70, and
even 75 Hz) produced by the time interval necessary for each video/TV/monitor/kinescope/oscilloscope/etc electron beam (spot)
to complete an entire horizontal sweep of the screen, from top to bottom.
Windows 95/OSR1 use mainly the SYSTEM.INI line,
and Windows OSR2/98/ME use exclusively the Registry entry.
If you experience video errors/lockups after adding these
lines to your SYSTEM.INI, disable them by replacing 1 with 0, or just remark them by typing a semicolon
(;) in front of them.
Note that ANY SYSTEM.INI changes require a Windows restart to take effect.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Config\0000\Display\Settings
"SwCursor"="1"
Note that 0000 might show as 0001, 0002 etc... in your Registry, depending on the specific key name your video driver is installed under.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Config\0000\Display\Settings
"SwCursor"="1"
"Mmio"="0"
"Program X caused an invalid page fault in module UNKNOWN"
that pop up upon system startup, indicating a problem between the display driver and the Windows software based DIB engine.
FYI:
And of course you can use Dxdiag.exe (see above) to enable the DirectX 3D video Hardware Acceleration Layer (HAL). Though in some situations (i.e. buggy video drivers) you may want to disable HAL for slower but more stable operation, especially if you own an older (i.e. 2D only and/or ISA based) video controller.
BTW: ALWAYS upgrade your video drivers to their current release from your video board vendor or chipset manufacturer web site, and try to avoid using the generic (usually older, and lacking enhanced/custom features) drivers included with your Windows 9x/ME installation disk(s).
"Speed up your Windows 9x modem/LAN transfers via buffer increase:
UPDATE: After a few months of playing around with the settings, I think I've found the
"sweet spot" settings.
In general, higher buffers save data and partially cache data transfers. However, if the buffers
are set too high, too much time will be spent buffering, thus reducing your download speed:
All other settings should remain as they are.
NOTE: While clients should have medium-low buffer values, servers which have error-correction should have all Ethernet buffers at their lowest values to increase speed as much as possible, and the send/receive thresholds should be set to the max."
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\NetTrans
Expand the "NetTrans" key -> look in the left hand pane at the 000n subkeys (where n can be any integer number from 0 up to 50) -> click on each one of them -> create a new DWORD Value -> right-click in the right hand pane -> select New -> DWORD -> name it "PerformRouterDiscovery" (no quotes) -> double-click on it -> check the Decimal box -> type 0 (zero) -> hit OK. Now repeat this under ALL your 000n keys (most likely you'd have more than one). Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows. Done.
"I have found a faster way to start MS Internet Explorer 4/5/6. Create a shortcut with the following switch (quotes are needed):
"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" -nohome
The "-nohome" parameter is used by IE for opening pic
files like .JPG or .GIF. It also starts IE without opening the start page (in my case the famous "about blank").
Note that
opening IE like this disables some features until you start browsing the web."
"This tip concerns the free programs
all over the net which, in exchange for using them, put ads all over the program, especially screen savers, and sometimes all
over your desktop.
What happens: every time you log on to the Internet, any and all of these programs immediately begin to
search pre-programmed sites for ads. This will cause your connection to slow down considerably.
Also, within a few months,
your entire hard drive(s) will be full of ads, annoyingly popping up all over the place. This is all done in the background,
so most people, even hackers, have trouble finding out where the slowdown is coming from.
Some computer bundles (ALL
E-Machines do) have at least one of these. They all create a new directory at C:\Program Files\Timesink. If you expand
it, you will find all sorts of private information about yourself, your preferences, and probably 300+ ads. Deleting the
directory by itself works only until you log on to the Internet again; then, there it is back, in all its glory, only this
time with over 500 ads.
To cure the problem: run Regedit -> click on "My Computer" -> click "Edit" -> "Find" -> type in
"timesink" (without the quotes) -> hit "Find Next". Every time Regedit finds "timesink", right-click and choose
Delete. Hit F3 and delete ALL instances (there should be about 7) until it says "Finished checking the Registry". Go back and
click on "My Computer" again -> "Edit" -> "Find". This time choose "tsadbot.exe" (this file is the real culprit: it
executes the stealth command to search the Internet for the most annoying ads it can find), hit "Find next", and delete all
its instances, until you get the "Finished checking the Registry" message.
Now close Regedit, open Explorer, and go to
C:\Program Files\Timesink. Right-click on Timesink and choose Delete, or drag it to the Recycle bin.
Win 3.1
and 9x/ME sometimes put the reference to the file "tsadbot.exe" in the WIN.INI file under the [windows] section, on
the load= or the run= line, so check there too, and remark this executable with a semicolon (;) in front of it by placing it
on its own line, or delete it altogether.
Reboot, and you will notice an IMMEDIATE improvement upon startup, ALL of your
annoying ads will forever be gone, and your Internet connection will be at least 5% faster, and downloads about 15%. The only
side effect is that whenever you run again the program which caused the ads to appear in first place, it may ask you what
type of connection you have--go ahead and tell it something--the problem is gone, it will only ask once anyway.
Keep these
instructions on hand, because there are quite a few "free" (read "ad-sponsored") programs out there which do this behind your
back.
Example: download Image Carousel II (freeware), and create a
simple screen saver, then log on to the web, and you will see what I mean. Every third picture will be a clickable ad.
:("
UPDATES + LINKS:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software
and delete the "Cydoor" and "Cydoor Services" keys. Then go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
and delete the
"Cydoor"="CD_Load.exe" value.
This is the Cydoor home
page.
You might want to check out what software uses the Cydoor Technology BEFORE installing anything 'free'."
[Thank you Casper!]
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
"IPServer"="c:\windows\system\msipcsv.exe"
to run every time Windows starts. They can be removed by completely uninstalling the program from Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs (deleting only the Registry value and the files above makes CPR unoperable). Letting Msipcsv.exe run longer than 10 minutes, drastically reduces system resources!
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Ratings
Look for the "Key"
Binary (hex) value in the right hand pane, which holds the encrypted password.
By normally uninstalling MS IE 4/5/6 and
then reinstalling it will NOT clear this password box!
But you can (re)set the Content Advisor Password back to none
(blank) by deleting the "Key" value: right-click on it -> select Delete -> click OK -> close the Registry Editor -> done.
:)
If you don't need to use an Advisor Password, you can also delete (or move to another folder) the RATINGS.POL
file from %windir%\SYSTEM (Win9x/ME) or %windir%\SYSTEM32 (WinNT4/2000/XP), by running these commands from any DOS prompt
(Win9x/ME example):
ATTRIB -H %winbootdir%\SYSTEM\RATINGS.POL
DEL
%winbootdir%\SYSTEM\RATINGS.POL
To (re)enable the Content Advisor Password on your computer, either copy RATINGS.POL [if you backed it up :)] back to your Windows System(32) folder, or create a new one: start Control Panel -> Internet Options -> Content tab -> Content Advisor area Enable button -> type your password -> confirm it -> click OK.
More info @ MSKB.
"Speedup Internet logon on next visit:
When you are done using the
Internet or office intranet, visit the fastest server you can find before you disconnect.
Since all operating systems (at
least Windows) do not reset their server queues when you disconnect, they will not logon as fast since they have to reroute
to your ISP's server. This tip is also good for LAN access such as Cox@home, because the same thing happens, just a lot
faster.
Speedup Startup sequence:
UPDATE [Thank you Don Joe!]:
"BatchRun stops running the startup list if you check "Wait until
finished" for all programs.
BatchRun starts 1 program at a time, every 5 seconds, which means the system resources are
available earlier, with small interruptions every 5 seconds, but it comes at the cost of having the startup programs
available LATER than normal."
Speedup program execution:
Select more than 1 file/folder in Windows Explorer:
Option 1: While pressing
SHIFT, select the first and last files in a row. This will select all the files in between.
Option 2: While pressing CTRL,
select the files you want to open. Unlike the first option, you can select only the files you want, not an entire
range."
"Highlight the file C:\WINDOWS\WEB\FOLDER.HTT in Windows Explorer, disable its hidden attribute, then open it in Notepad, and scroll down to this string:
var wantMedia=false; // Cool, but may hinder media file manipulation!
Delete false and type true instead to turn on the hidden preview feature for all multimedia files! Save your work, close Notepad, and finally reenable its hidden attribute."
"I have a 28.8 connection and often have trouble with streaming
media. There is a setting that controls the number of seconds buffered by WMP [free from MS].
Install WMP ->
click the Start button -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Multimedia -> Devices -> Media Control Devices -> Wave Audio Device.
This is a slider that can be moved between 2 and 9 seconds (default is 4). I have changed mine to 2, which allows for more
frequent gaps of much less duration with difficult (slower) connections."
"In Windows 95/98/ME you can put your name or any
other text string in the Taskbar tray next to the Time/Date display.
Run Regedit.exe and go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\International
Right-click in the right hand pane -> choose New ->
String Value -> name it s1159. Then right-click on it -> Modify -> type/paste whatever text you want. Now right-click
again in the right hand pane -> select New -> String Value -> name it s2359. Then double-click on it -> put the same
text here.
Close the Registry Editor, restart Windows, and you'll see your text exactly as you entered it at the right of
the Time in the Taskbar tray."
ADD-ON: The maximum number of allowed characters is 13 (anything beyond that is not displayed), and all ISO8859-1 (Latin-1) characters (even special symbols) are accepted.
This can also be done from Control Panel -> Regional Settings -> Time tab -> AM and PM symbol boxes -> type any letters, but restricted here to a maximum of 8 characters (numbers and certain special symbols are not accepted, especially if entered as the first character) -> click OK/Apply.
"Many have been hit by viruses, trojans or worms. As a result, they can't use program
fixes containing the *.EXE extension anymore, nor can they get into the Registry to make necessary corrections, because the
Registry is really REGEDIT.EXE! Unfortunately, all backed up Registry versions stored by Scanreg [Win98/ME users] can be infected too, so restoring an older version may not be an
option.
But the *.REG file extension is usually unaffected. The solution is to create a REG file in Notepad, name it
EXEFIX.REG [filename doesn't matter, but the REG extension must be kept] with the lines below, and then double-click
on it to merge its info into the Registry to regain access to the Registry.
-----Begin cut & paste here----- REGEDIT4 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.exe] "Content Type"="application/x-msdownload" @="exefile" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile] "EditFlags"=hex:d8,07,00,00 @="Application" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell] @="" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open] @="" "EditFlags"=hex:00,00,00,00 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command] @="\"%1\" %*" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\DefaultIcon] @="%1" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\.exe] "Content Type"="application/x-msdownload" @="exefile" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\exefile] "EditFlags"=hex:d8,07,00,00 @="Application" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\exefile\shell] @="" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\exefile\shell\open] @="" "EditFlags"=hex:00,00,00,00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\exefile\shell\open\command] @="\"%1\" %*" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\exefile\DefaultIcon] @="%1" ------End cut & paste here------
Certain "infections" require also SYSTEM.INI/WIN.INI edits, as well as native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode file deletions/extractions."
UPDATES:
First you MUST install the current release of Microsoft DirectX 9.0 APIs on your
Win98/ME system [32 MB, free].
If using Win95/OSR1/OSR2, get the older DirectX 8.xx APIs.
Then fire up Regedit and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\hardware\DirectDrawDrivers
There you'll see 1 or 2 long 16-bit alphanumeric keys, which may be different on your machine, depending on installed video hardware. This is mine, saved as a REG file (I named it DX2ON.REG):
-----Begin cut & paste here----- REGEDIT4 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\hardware\DirectDrawDrivers\472BEA00-40DF-11D1-A9-DF-00-60-97-C2-ED-B2] "Description"="Voodoo2 DirectX 7 Driver" "DriverName"="3dfxV2" ------End cut & paste here------
If you own a 3dfx 3D only video card manufactured by Diamond Multimedia, your Registry key might look similar to this:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Hardware\DirectDrawDrivers\3A0CFD01-9320-11cf-AC-A1-00-A0-24-13-C2-E2 "Description"="3dfx DirectX 6 Driver" "DriverName"="mm3dfx"
Note that the name of my secondary (3D only) adapter is found under the "Description" String value, and its installed driver name shows under the other two String values (1st key above). This information is usually updated in the Registry every time you update/install different drivers for your add-on 3D only controller, or sometimes when running these DirectX tools provided freely by Microsoft:
Therefore you need to delete those Registry values AGAIN
every time this happens. :(
Note also that sometimes these keys are NOT updated after properly uninstalling the video
drivers, or after physically removing the video card from your computer case.
Now double-click on each of these 3 Strings
under the 1st Registry key above, delete their entire text strings (leave those lines blank), and then click OK to save.
Repeat this operation for all Strings found under the 2nd Registry key above (if any).
Close the Registry Editor and
restart Windows when done so these changes can take effect.
To do this the easy way, all you have to do is save the
"incriminated" key as a plain text REG file (let's call it DX2OFF.REG), and place it in your Startup folder under
C:\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup, to have Windows "adjust" these values automatically every time it loads.
You also
need to apply the hack explained in "UNATTENDED REGISTRATION", also in REGISTRY.TXT
[part of W95-11D.EXE], to eliminate all those annoying prompt dialog boxes Regedit pops up whenever you
try to merge a REG file into the Registry. :)
This is my DX2OFF.REG file (example):
-----Begin cut & paste here----- REGEDIT4 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\hardware\DirectDrawDrivers\472BEA00-40DF-11D1-A9-DF-00-60-97-C2-ED-B2] "Description"="" "DriverName"="" ------End cut & paste here------
Final step: from now on whenever you start your favorite "buggy" game, the primary Direct3D video driver will be selected by default, and if your game allows, you can play it on the 3D accelerator of your choice. :)
On the other hand, the majority of Direct3D games require these Registry
entries to be present, in order to detect your secondary 3D card, if you choose to select it within the game's Options/Video
Menu.
Therefore you can start ONLY your "buggy" DX3D games from a plain DOS batch file, which begins by disabling the
DirectDraw Drivers REG entries (by running DX2OFF.REG above), runs the game executable (with your 3D only card
selected), and finally reenables DirectDraw on the secondary adapter upon exiting, using DX2ON.REG above (Prince Of
Persia 3D used here as example). I named this batch POP3D.BAT, and placed it together with both REG files in the game
directory:
@ECHO OFF
C:\POP3\DX2OFF.REG
START/W
C:\POP3\POP3D.EXE
C:\POP3\DX2ON.REG
You also need to edit the PIF file you created as shortcut to POP3D.BAT (right-click on it and select Properties) to "Close on exit" (the Program tab). Also make sure to uncheck the "Warn if still active" box (the Misc tab). Click Apply/OK when done.
Depending on how many "buggy" Direct3D/3Dfx games you have, you can use similar batch files only for the ones that require these REG entries disabled.
FYI: Here are the 2 video accelerators + drivers I use:
FIRST BACKUP YOUR REGISTRY FILES!
Then start Regedit and go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Defrag\Settings\method
In the
right hand pane -> double-click on the "(Default)" String -> change the "FULL" [file reorder enabled = default]
value to read "FULLNOAPPLOG" [file reorder disabled] -> click OK.
Then go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Defrag\Settings\scandisk
In the
right hand pane -> double-click on the "(Default)" String -> change the "FALSE" [file order enabled = default]
value to read "TRUE" [file order disabled] -> click OK.
Then go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Defrag\AppStartRegions
Delete ALL values found in the right hand pane: highlight each one -> right-click on it -> select Delete -> click OK.
CAUTION: Deleting the drive letter Binary [hex] values under the Registry key above WILL DISABLE the Win98/ME "Rearrange program files so my programs start faster" option!
Win98/ME users: see these topics, also in TIPS98.TXT [part of W95-11D.EXE], to learn how to make Defrag perform at MAXimum speed: "MAP THE CACHE", "FIX DEFRAG" + "CLEAN DEFRAG".
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellNew
The New Shortcut Wizard is handled by the "Command" String [REG_SZ] value (default shown here):
RUNDLL32.EXE APPWIZ.CPL,NewLinkHere %2
Double-click
on "Command" -> highlight and delete the entire text string -> click OK.
Close Regedit when done.
From now on,
when someone else (logged on into your computer with a different account) right-clicks on the Desktop and selects New ->
Shortcut, this will create an empty (blank, useless) icon on the Desktop, followed by a benign error message which can be
safely dismissed. :)
Alternatively you can change the "Command" default string to point to any other program, to start
that particular application instead. But in this case make sure to keep the %2 entry at the end of the command call
(preceded by a space), regardless if your program has or has not any command input abilities, to allow the "New" context menu
wizard to perform correctly.
"Hit Start -> click Run -> type Regedit -> press Enter -> go to:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Desktop\SafeMode\General
The "Wallpaper" String Value should read (standard example):
C:\Windows\Web\SafeMode.htt
But you can
change the page displayed on your Desktop background, useful if your Win9x/ME + MS IE 4/5/6 "combo" crashes a lot, and which
normally canNOT be changed in the user interface.
This requires MS IE 4/5/6 with the "Windows Desktop Update" (Active
Desktop) installed.
The file type must be in .HTM, .HTML or .HTT format."
