Additions to Start menu

To add new item to the Start menu, launch Regedit and select HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell.

Right-click on Shell and select New/Key. Type in the name of the program you would like to list under the Start Menu and press Enter. To the default name that shows in the right panel, pre-fix an ampersand (&) and that letter on the keyboard becomes your shortcut for the program.

Right-click on the Registry key you just created and create another key under it called Command. For the command value, enter the full path and program executiable you want. Now when you right-click on Start, a new program will show up. No need to reboot.

Example: If you want to add ScanDisk to the Start menu you need to add its name as the first Key. The default in the right - pannel in would be &ScanDisk, so when you righ-click on the Start Button, the letter S Would be underlined and you could just press [S] to run your porgram. The appropriate ScanDisk command would be: C:\Windows\Scandiskw.exe Assign different letters as hot key to your shortcuts listed in the same folder. Duplicates are not allowled.

Removing entries form the Start menu

When you right-click on Start, you can choose form the open, Explore or find options.

Open shows your programs folder. Explore starts the Explorer and allows access to all drives. Find allows you to search and then run programs. If you do not use the last feature, you can disable it by going to Hkey_Classes_Root\Directory\Shell\Find under Regedit. Delete Find. Scroll down the Directory to folder. Expand this section under shell. Delete Explore and Open.

NOTE : Do not remove Open form the Start menu or you will not be able to open any folder.

To cache password, or not?

When you log on to Windows NT, disable password caching. This allows for the single NT Domin loging and eliminates the secondary Windows logon screen.

To disable passord caching on the workstatin (this trik is also valid for machines running the workstation version of Win NT 4.0), use a plain text editor like Notepad and create an ASCII text file called DISABLE.REG with the following lines:

  REGEDIT4
  [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network]
  "DisablePwdCaching"=dword:00000001]

Save the file. Open the Explorer or file Manager, highlight and double-click DISABLE.REG.

To re-enable password caching, create another plain text file called REENABLE.REG, with:

  REGEDIT4
  [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Winodws\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network]
  "DisablePwdCaching" =dword:00000000

Save it Run Explorer or File Manager and double-click on REENABLE. REG to revert to caching your password when loggiing in to an NT domin (default).

Changing the IE fonts

To change the default font in Windows 95 Internet Explorer, Launch Regedit and to to: 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\InternetExplorer\Styles. All possible combinations are listed there. You need to highlight the 'Style Name' key on the left-pane, folowed by its value on the right. Double-click on the Style Name and Change its font, font size and/or font weitht. Reapet this operation for all the fonts availavle for the style you want to customese. You can modify 13 setting all togather. When you are done, you need to change another Registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet-Explorer\Styles.
Modify the Defaulet_style_Sheet to much the one you just edited.

Now close the Registry Editor and restart INternet Explorer to see if your like your new font.

 Get the latest report

When you make changes to your hard drive and use Explorer, the changes are not usually displayed until you press the [F5] key, or select View > Refresh. To make the updates automatic: Run Regedit and choose:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Update. In the right-pane, right-click on the UpdateMode key (or Update on some machines) and select Modify. Select 01 and change it to 0. Being a 'dword' (double word) key, this will display the value as 00. Exit the Registry Editor and restart Windows 95.

NOTE: This trick refers to potential 'Trojans' (rogue executables) that run in the form of batch files, using 'destructive' internal and/or external DOS commands, such as: FDISK,FORMAT,DELETE,DEL etc.

Vary the blinking rate of cursor

To change the cursor blinking rate to non-blinking - in any text editor word processor or command line in any windows 95 dialog box - open Regedit and go to : HKEY_CURENT_USER\Control-Panel\desktop\CursorBlinkRate in the right pane, click the CursorBlinkRate in the right pane click Modify, change the numeric value to -1 and click OK. close regedit and restart windows 95.

This setting dose not apply to the MS-DOS mode box cursor.

Make it legitimate

If there are certain rules regarding the use of computers that you want all thos who use your machine to follow, create a 'legal' banner that will show up ust before another user logs into your system:

Create a new string value called LegalNoticeCaption and give it a value you want to see in the menu bar.

Trash the bin

Hate the Recycle Bin? Trash it.

Thw recycle bin can be deleted or renamed form its own context menu but only after you have disable its read-only system attributes.

However, if you do not use the Recycle Bin at all, you can get rid of this desktop icon all together.

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Copyright � 1999 Cyber Technologies
Last modified: March 26, 1999 << Developed & Modified by : Ashwinsinh Parmar >>