Registry decoded

* HIDING DRIVES

This setting allows you to control which drives are visible in My Computer and Explorer. It is possible to hide all drives or just selected ones. Open your registry (press win+r and type regedit , hit enter )goto [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]and find or create the DWORD "NoDrives" there by right clicking on explorer -> NEW -> DWORD value .The "NoDrives" value uses a 32-bit word to define local and network drive visibility for each logical drive in the computer. The lower 26 bits of the 32-bit word correspond to drive letters A through Z. Drives are visible when set to 0 and hidden when set to 1. If your not happy working in Hex, add these decimal numbers to hide the drive(s): 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: 67108863 For example to hide drive A and drive D, you would add 1 (A) + 8 (D) which means the value should be set to "9". To disable all the drives set the value to "67108863". Restart Windows for the change to take effect. Note: These drives will still appear in File Manager, to remove File Manager, delete or rename winfile.exe.
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/value-defaultcolor-controls-foreground.html'; addthis_title='* CHANGING DOS BACKGROUND'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

* CHANGING DOS BACKGROUND

The value DefaultColor controls the foreground and background colors used in command prompt windows. It has a default value of 0, for standard white text on a black background.CHANGING DOS BACKGROUNDOpen your registry (press win+r and type regedit , hit enter )goto [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor]u'll find "DefaultColor"You can replace it's value with a two-digit hexadecimal number, in which the first digit selects a background color and the second a foreground color. The hexadecimal codes are: Hexadecimal value Color 0 Black 1 Blue 2 Green 3 Aqua 4 Red 5 Purple 6 Yellow 7 White 8 Gray 9 Light Blue A Light Green B Light Aqua C Light Red D Light Purple E Light Yellow F Bright White A value of F0, for example, would give black text on a white background, and 1E would yield yellow text on a blue background. The change should take effect the next time you open a console window.
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/blog-post.html'; addthis_title='* INCLUDING DOS PROMPT IN RIGHT CLICK MENU'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

* INCLUDING DOS PROMPT IN RIGHT CLICK MENU

If you still use the DOS prompt regularly then this setting creates a new right-click menu option to open a command prompt at the selected directory. Open your registry (press win+r and type regedit , hit enter )goto [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell]Create a new sub key called 'Command' under the main key (i.e. [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\Command]). Change the value of '(Default)' within the key to equal the text you would like on the right-click menu, for example 'Command Prompt'. Create another new sub-key under the key created above, named 'command' (i.e. [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\...\Command\command]). Change the value of '(Default)' within this key depending on your operating system to equal either: Windows 95, 98 or Me command.com /k cd "%1" orWindows NT, 2000 or XP cmd.exe /k cd %1 Now right-click on a folder and the new option of 'Command Prompt' should be available.
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/disable-manual-task-control.html'; addthis_title='* DISABLE MANUAL TASK CONTROL'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

* DISABLE MANUAL TASK CONTROL

This restriction disables the ability for users to manually start and stop scheduled tasks. Tasks will continue to run automatically as configured. Open your registry (press win+r and type regedit , hit enter )goto [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Task Scheduler5.0]Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value called 'Execution' using the settings below. (0 = default, 1 = enable restriction)Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/high-memory-for-dos.html'; addthis_title='* HIGH MEMORY FOR DOS'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

* HIGH MEMORY FOR DOS

This setting causes Windows to load the local DOS devices into high memory and freeing up more low memory for DOS applications. Open your SYSTEM.INI and add the line: LocalLoadHigh=1Under the [386Enh] section. Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/run-startup-programs-in-dos.html'; addthis_title='* RUN STARTUP PROGRAMS IN DOS'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

* RUN STARTUP PROGRAMS IN DOS
This setting allows you to specify commands or programs to be automatically executed whenever a command processor is launched. For example, to set environment variables or parameters using a batch file. Open your registry (press win+r and type regedit , hit enter )goto [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor]Create a new string value called "AutoRun" and set the value to equal the commands to be automatically executed. Multiple commands should be seperated by double ampersands e.g. "command1 && command2". The changes will take effect the next time the command processor is used
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/disable-dos-and-batch-file.html'; addthis_title='* DISABLE DOS AND BATCH FILE'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

* DISABLE DOS AND BATCH FILE
This restriction allows you to selectively disable the Command Prompt (CMD) and the ability to execute DOS batch files. Open your registry (press win+r and type regedit , hit enter )goto [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System]Create or modify the DWORD value "DisableCMD" and set it to a number from the list below. 0 - (default) enable command prompt and batch files 1 - disable command prompt and batch files 2 - disable command prompt but allow batch files The change should take effect immediately.
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/copy-paste-in-dos.html'; addthis_title='* COPY PASTE IN DOS'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

* COPY PASTE IN DOS

Quick Edit allows you to easily cut and paste text in the command prompt window using the mouse. The ability to use the Edit menu options is still possible. Open your registry (press win+r and type regedit , hit enter )goto [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console]Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value called 'QuickEdit' using the settings below. Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/this-setting-allows-you-to-change.html'; addthis_title='* CHANGE COMMAND PROMPT'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

* CHANGE COMMAND PROMPT

This setting allows you to change the format of the command prompt to show additional information instead of just the current drive and path ("C:\>"). Open your registry (press win+r and type regedit , hit enter )goto [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment]Create or modify a REG_EXPAND_SZ string called "PROMPT" and set it to the required prompt format including any special codes or variables below. Special Codes $A - & (Ampersand) $B - (pipe) $C - ( (Left parenthesis) $D - Current date $E - Escape code (ASCII code 27) $F - ) (Right parenthesis) $G - > (greater-than sign) $H - Backspace (erases previous character) $L - < (less-than sign) $N - Current drive $P - Current drive and path $Q - = (equal sign) $S - (space) $T - Current time $V - Windows XP version number $_ - Carriage return and linefeed $$ - $ (dollar sign) Variables %USERNAME% - Current Username %COMPUTERNAME% - Local computer name %USERDOMAIN% - Local domain name The default prompt is "$P$G" (e.g. "C:\>"), some alternatives include: [%computername%]$S$P$G to show the computer, drive and path [%username%]$S$P$G to show the current user, drive and path Restart or log-off Windows for the change to take effect. Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/enable-command-completion.html'; addthis_title='* ENABLE COMMAND COMPLETION'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

* ENABLE COMMAND COMPLETION

Command completion allows you to type a portion of a file name, and then have the system complete the rest by pressing the specified key. This is similar to the UNIX shell command completion feature. Open your registry (press win+r and type regedit , hit enter )goto [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor]Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value, called 'CompletionChar' and set it to equal the hex value of the required control character. For example to use the TAB key set the value to '9', to use BackSpace set the value to '8', to use Ctrl-D set the value to '4' and for Ctrl-F set the value to '6'. Exit your registry, you may need to restart Windows for the change to take effect. Now when you type the first part of a filename then press the specified key, Windows will complete the filename for you. Pressing the key multiple times will scroll through all the options.
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/disable-msdos.html'; addthis_title='* DISABLE MSDOS'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

* DISABLE MSDOS

This setting allows you to disable the use of the MS-DOS command prompt in Windows. Open your registry (press win+r and type regedit , hit enter )goto [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\WinOldApp]Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value, named "Disabled" and set it to "1" to disable the command prompt or to re-enable it again later change the value to "0". Restart Windows for the change to take effect.
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/using-notepad-to-open-files.html'; addthis_title='* USING NOTEPAD TO OPEN FILES'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

* USING NOTEPAD TO OPEN FILES

Enabling this setting will allow you to use Notepad to open a file by simply right clicking on the icon. Also the Notepad will be used to open the files by default if no association already exists. Open your registry and find the key "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell", if it doesn't already exist then create it. Under shell create a new key called open, and edit the string "(Default)" to read "Open With Notepad". Under open create a new key called command, and edit the string "(Default)" to read "notepad.exe %1". Now when you right click on a file you should see "Open with Notepad" as one of the options. Note: This tweak may affect the Office 97 toolbar feature and stop it from working correctly. This is because when you click an icon on the Office toolbar it activates the first context menu item, which in this case is the new "Open with Notepad" command, rather than looking for the default item.
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/disabling-taskmanager.html'; addthis_title='* DISABLING TASKMANAGER'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

* DISABLING TASKMANAGER

This setting controls the ability for users to start Task Manager and view processes, running applications and make changes to the priority or state of the individual processes.Open your registry (press win+r and type regedit , hit enter )goto [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]Create a new DWORD valued named "DisableTaskMgr" (right click on system -> new -> DWORD value) and set it to "1" to disable Task Manager. You may need to log off for the changes to take effect.
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/devices-that-are-installed-but-are-not.html'; addthis_title='DETAILED DEVICE MANAGER'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

DETAILED DEVICE MANAGER

Devices that are installed but are not currently connected to the computer (such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device or "ghosted" devices) are not normally displayed in Device Manager. This tweak causes all devices to be shown. Open your registry (press win+r and type regedit , hit enter )goto [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment]Create a new String value(right click on environment -> new -> string value), or modify the existing value called 'DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES' using the settings below. set it's value to 1 Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/detailed-device-manager.html'; addthis_title='* DETAILED DEVICE MANAGER'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

* DETAILED DEVICE MANAGER

If you require additional information about a device that is not typically displayed in Device Manager, you can use this tweak to make Device Manager show detailed device information. Open your registry (press win+r and type regedit , hit enter )goto [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment]Create a new String value, or modify the existing value called 'DEVMGR_SHOW_DETAILS' and set it's value to 1 (to show all info or 0 to not show)Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect. Note: In Device Manager the properties for a device should now provide a Details tab that contains additional information about the device.
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/allowing-system-components-to-uninstall.html'; addthis_title='* ALLOWING SYSTEM COMPONENTS TO UNINSTALL'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

* ALLOWING SYSTEM COMPONENTS TO UNINSTALL

Windows includes a number of system components that are normally not available on the Add/Remove Windows Components list. This tweak allows you to display these items and therefore have the option to uninstall. Open the SYSOC.INF file in the Windows\INF sub-directory (e.g. C:\Windows\INF). Under the [Components] heading are the system components installed on the computer. The items that have the word "HIDE" or "hide" in them are not displayed on the Add/Remove Programs list. e.g. the WordPad program is usally not shown because it contains "HIDE" MSWordPad=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wordpad.inf,HIDE,7To change an item so it is shown remove the "hide" text, leaving the surrounding commas. For example you would change the WordPad entry from: MSWordPad=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wordpad.inf,HIDE,7To: MSWordPad=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wordpad.inf,,7The main hidden Windows components in Windows XP are: Accessibility WizardAccessOpt=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,optional.inf,HIDE,7 Automatic Windows UpdateAutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,au.inf,hide,7 COM+com=comsetup.dll,OcEntry,comnt5.inf,hide,7 Communications components (including Chat, Hyperterminal, and Phone Dialer)CommApps=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,communic.inf,HIDE,7 Distributed Transaction Coordinatordtc=msdtcstp.dll,OcEntry,dtcnt5.inf,hide,7 Windows Messengermsmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7 WordPadMSWordPad=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wordpad.inf,HIDE,7 Multimedia components (including Media Player, Volume Control, and Sound Recorder)MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,multimed.inf,HIDE,7 Pinball gamePinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7 Tablet PCTabletPC=tabletoc.dll,TabletSetupProc,Tabletpc.inf,HIDE,7 Terminal ServerTerminalServer=TsOc.dll, HydraOc, TsOc.inf,hide,2 Windows Management InstrumentationWBEM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wbemoc.inf,hide,7 Save the file and reopen the Add/Remove Windows Components listing for the change to take effect. Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.
addthis_url='http://registrydecoded.blogspot.com/2007/09/this-restriction-prevents-users-from.html'; addthis_title='BLOCK THE DRIVES'; addthis_pub='stupefyyy';

BLOCK THE DRIVES

This restriction prevents users from using My Computer or Explorer to access the content of selected drives. Also, they cannot use Run, Map Network Drive, or the Dir command to view the directories on these drives. Open your registry (press win+r and type regedit , hit enter )goto [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]and find or create the DWORD "NoViewDrives" there by right clicking on explorer -> NEW -> DWORD value .The "NoViewOnDrive" value uses a 32-bit bitmask to define local and network drive access for each logical drive in the computer. The lower 26 bits of the 32-bit word correspond to drive letters A through Z. Drives are visible when set to 0 and hidden when set to 1. If your not happy working in Hex, add these decimal numbers to hide the drive(s): 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: 67108863 For example to hide drive A and drive D, you would add 1 (A) + 8 (D) which means the value should be set to "9". To disable all the drives set the value to "67108863". Restart Windows for the change to take effect.