Each of the following tweaks points to a Registry path, and then describes the value (or values) that need to be modified. If any of the keys or values specified don't exist on your system, simply create them as directed. The topics covered include Files, Folders, and File Types (next), Performance Tweaks, and User Account and Network Settings.
These next few settings deal with file types, which affect files, folders, Desktop icons, and other objects.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT{some file type key}
Set the EditFlags
value as specified in Table 5-1 to change which aspects of a file type can be
modified in the File Types window (Control Panel →
Folder Options → File Types tab). Note that
EditFlags
values can be added to combine several
restrictions (01 00 00 00
+ 02 00 00
00
= 03 00 00 00
).
Table 5-1. Some of the possible EditFlags values, and what they mean
EditFlags bit |
Meaning |
---|---|
|
No restrictions |
|
Not shown in the File Types window at all |
|
Change button disabled in File Types window |
|
Advanced button disabled in File Types window |
|
Can't change file type description in Edit File Type window |
|
Change Icon button disabled in Edit File Type window |
|
Edit button disabled in Edit File Type window |
|
Remove button disabled in Edit File Type window |
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTFolderDefaultIcon
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDriveDefaultIcon
Set the (Default)
value to the full path and
filename of the file containing the icon to use, followed by a comma,
and then a number specifying the index of the icon to use
(0
being the first icon, 1
being the second, and so on). The file you use can be an icon file
(*.ico), a bitmap (*.bmp),
a .dll file, an application executable
(*.exe), or any other valid icon file. The
default for folders is
%SystemRoot%System32shell32.dll,3
, and the
default for drives is
%SystemRoot%System32shell32.dll,8
.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows CurrentVersionExplorerAdvanced
Create a new DWORD value called
EncryptionContextMenu
, and set it to 1. Then,
right-click any file (or group of files) and select Encrypt to turn
on NTFS encryption for the file(s) or Decrypt to turn it off.
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindows CurrentVersionExplorerShell Folders
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindows CurrentVersionExplorerUser Shell Folders
Double-click any value and type the full path of the folder you wish to be the new location of the corresponding system folder. Note that you'll have to manually move any existing files from the old location to the new one.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryshell
Create a new key named cmd
, and then set its
(Default
) to:
Open Command &Prompt Here
Next, create a new key under cmd
named
command
, and set its (Default)
value to:
cmd.exe /k "cd %L && ver"
Finally, right-click any folder and select Open Command Prompt Here to open a command prompt window rooted in the selected folder.
These next few settings affect the performance of your system.
HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktop
Set the MenuShowDelay
string value to the number
of milliseconds (thousanths of a second) Windows will wait before
opening a menu. The default is 400
(a little less
than half-a-second); enter 0
(zero) here to
eliminate the delay completely or a very large value
(65534
is the maximum) to disable the automatic
opening of menus.
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows CurrentVersionRun
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows CurrentVersionRunOnce
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows CurrentVersionRun
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows CurrentVersionRunOnce
Each value in these four keys represents a different program; simply
delete the entry corresponding to the startup program you wish to
disable. Note that values stored in the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
branch are for the currently
logged-in user, while entries in the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
apply to all users.
These next few settings deal with user accounts, security, logging in, and sharing resources over a network.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows CurrentVersionExplorerRemoteComputerNameSpace
Delete the {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}
key to stop sharing the Scheduled Tasks folder with other computers
on your network, which will dramatically improve network browsing
performance.