windows 7 registry tweaks

8/12/2019 Windows 7 Registry Tweaks

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Add new menus to Windows Explorer.

If drag-and-drop has never really been your thing, you can manage files more effectively by

editing the Registry to add new 'Copy to' and 'Move to' options within the standard WindowsExplorer right-click context menu. Clicking either new menu item will pull up a fresh listing of

your drives and folders, and you need only choose the folder to which you want the selected files

to go.

In the Registry Editor, navigate down to the following key:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers. Once there, right-click the ContextMenuHandlerskey and selectNew, Key; call the key Copy to. Double-click the

(Default)value in the window on the right and enter {C2FBB630-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}for its data.

To create the 'Move to' command, perform the same steps (but call the key Move to) and use

{C2FBB631-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}for the value data.


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Turn Off Aero Snap

Turn off Aero Snap with this Registry tweak.

In Windows' Aero environment, windows snap to the sides of the screen by default. But what ifyou just want to drag windows nearthe edge of the screen without letting the operating system

take control of their size and placement? Don't turn off Aero entirely: Just turn off theAero Snap

function via the Windows Registry.

Navigate to the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\Control Panel\Desktop. Once there,

look for the value called WindowArrangementActive. By default, the value data is set to 1.Double-click the value and change it to 0, and your windows will Aero Snap no more.

Tweak Thumbnail Preview on Mouse-Over
http://www.pcworld.com/article/182887/use_aero_snap_to_simplify_file_management.htmlhttp://www.pcworld.com/article/182887/use_aero_snap_to_simplify_file_management.htmlhttp://www.pcworld.com/article/182887/use_aero_snap_to_simplify_file_management.htmlhttp://www.pcworld.com/article/182887/use_aero_snap_to_simplify_file_management.html


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Roll your mouse over an icon on the

taskbar and wait a few fractions of a second, and you'll see a thumbnail preview of the exactcontents of the corresponding window. Neat, huh? But you're impatient: You want your

thumbnail to pop up the second you hover the pointer over the icon. As luck might have it, the

Windows Registry offers a way to tweak this delay time.

In the Registry Editor, look for the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced.

Right-click anywhere within the sidebar on the right, and selectNew, DWORD. EnterExtendedUIHoverTimeas the name. Double-click on your new value and replace the 0 with a

1, and change the Base toDecimal.

Change Your Name in Windows


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Change your (Windows) name.

Here's a fun one. When you first install Windows, it asks you to tell Microsoft your name, yourorganization's name (if one exists), and the name you want to give your system. The problem?

You can change the system's name all you want via Control Panel, but you can't easily change

the name that you gave at installation time--or, for that matter, the registered name of someone

who might have owned the system previously.

To fix this, navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion. You'll see avariety of values on the right side of the screen. Double-click the one calledRegisteredOwnerto

change it to whatever witty name you can think of.

Disable Windows Update's Automatic Restart


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This Registry tweak lets you turn off Windows Update's automatic restart.

Windows Update is one of the best tools your system has. It's also one of the most annoying

tools, as it can frequently download and install updates on your behalf. Although that's great forsecurity, the problem is that the installation routine sometimes pushes an automatic computer

restart once it's done. If you aren't paying attention (or if you're busy goofing off with your

friends in a game, for example), there goes your session.

Disable Windows' post-update automatic restart by navigating to the following key in the

Registry:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows. Once there, right-click the Windowskey and select the option to create a new key. Enter WindowsUpdatefor the

name. Repeat the process for the WindowsUpdate key, but create a new key called AU. Your

hierarchy should now look like this:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU.

Click theAUkey, and then right-click in the sidebar window on the right and create a newDWORD. Enter NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsersas the name for the DWORD, and then

double-click it and change its value from 0 to 1.


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Blue-Screen Your PC at Will

Not sure why you'd want to, but you can configure your PC to blue-screen at will.

What's that? You actually wantto crash your Windows 7 system and send it to a Blue Screen of

Death? It's your call whether this neat little trick is a useful party gimmick or a great way to fakecomputer disaster if you're trying to procrastinate on your work. Either way, after you've applied

this little tweak, holding down the right Ctrlkey and pressing Scroll Locktwice will send your

system spiraling.

Navigate over to the following Registry key (if you're using a USB keyboard):

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\kbdhid\Parameters. Right-click

the sidebar on the right and create a new DWORD with CrashOnCtrlScrollas the name.Double-click the value and change the 0 to a 1. And then put on your crash helmet.

Hide Unused Control Panel Items


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Don't you think that Windows' Control Panel offers a lot of options that you'll probably never,

you know, control? When was the last time you needed to update your settings in Credential

Manager? Or Phone and Modem? Or Windows CardSpace? Unfortunately, the Control Panelisn't like a Windows Explorer window--you can't just move and delete items. Once again, turn to

the Windows Registry for help.

Navigate over to the following key:

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

you dont see anExplorerkey in thePolicieskey, create it. Within theExplorerkey, right-clickwithin the right-most window and create a new DWORD calledDisallowCpl, and set its value to

1 instead of 0 by double-clicking on it and changing the digit.

Next, right-click on the Explorer key and create a new key calledDisallowCpl. As usual, ignore

the period. Select your new key and right-click on the right-most window once again. This time,

youll be using your right-click menu to create string values. For every Control Panel icon you

want to hide, youll need to create a series of string values in numerical order: e.g. hiding two

icons means that youll need to create a 1 and a 2 string value. Your numbers must besequential for this to work.

Each string values data (which you set by double-clicking on the value itself) should be

identical to the Control Panel element you want to hide (e.g.Programs and Features orAction

Center).

Hide the Web Search Prompt

Double-click a file that Windows doesn'trecognize, and you'll be treated to Old Reliable: the annoying window that asks whether you

want to search the Web to find a program that can open the file in question. Seriously, doesanybody use this feature? We sure don't, and we're quite happy to see that a simple Registry

tweak can forever eliminate this screen. In its place comes the second option on the now-

removed window, a list of programs that you can use to try to open the mysterious file.


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Go find this key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.

Once there, create a new DWORD by right-clicking the rightmost window. Name this DWORD

NoInternetOpenWithand double-click it to assign it a value of 1.

Play a Prank on Your Fellow PC Users

Share your laptop or desktop with other people? Want to give your friends and loved ones a

polite little message about how they should use your system, whenever they fire it up? Feel like

pulling an awesome prank on someone else's PC? A little Registry tweak will add a pop-upmessage that a user must click through before he or she can log on to your machine.

Navigate over to the following key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\System.

From there, double-click the legalnoticecaptionvalue. Whatever you enter as data will serve as

the header for your message. Any data you enter after double-clicking the legalnoticetextvalue

will show up in your pop-up message. Make it good!

windows 7 registry tweaks

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