How to modify registry

To modify the Registry, you will need to run the Registry Editor, a  program called Regedit.exe, located in the Windws 95 folder (default is C:\Windows).
To learn more about the Regestry Stucture in Windows 95, double-click on win95rk.hlp found on your Win 95 system.

To use your installation CD and read all about the registry (a must read is the Registry Hieracrchy part)  
\ ADMIN \ RESKIT \ HELPFILE folder.

If you are new to the idea of changing your PC's deepest code, run Regedit.exe, and click Help. Read all the instructions very carefully.

NOTE: The tips mentioned here have been tried by Windows 95 users, they might not work on your system because each system works differently during installation and configuration of programs. Thought Windows 98 and Windows 95 have the same Registry structure, some tips may not work on Windows 98.

Windws 95 Registry Tree Structure

When you run the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) located in your Windws folder, you will see the following expandable sub tree, each marked with a plus(+) sign, under the My Computer heading.

Documents off!

The Documents Menu is a clever idea - it displays a list of the last dozen or so programs and files open form the Explorer. you can clear the menu temporarily; the only problem is that there is no way to turn it off permanently. This can be seen as a lapse in security, and the absence of any way to turn it 'off' is confusing. However, there is a way around this.

1. To clear the menu temporarilly, right-click on an empty portion of the taskbar. Select Properties from the menu that appears, and click on the startmenu programs tab. Click clear to clean out the menu. Thiss will last till you launch another file.

2. To make the documents menu always empty, right-click on the Recycle bin on the desktop, and select properties form the menu. Under the Global tab, select use one setting for all drives. Turn on the option labelled do not move files to recycle bin.
   Open Regedit and go to :
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\explorer\Shell Folders
   In the reght pane there should be a list containing one or more of your special folders. If any entry named Recent does not already exitst. select New form the edit menu, and then select String Valur. Remane the new item to Recent. Next, double-click on Recent, and under Value Data, type C:\Recycled, press OK and close the Registry. Click on the desktop, and press [F5] to refresh the desktop, so the change takes effect.

Remove unwanted icons

To delete or disable unwanted desktop icons, you could choose to install the system policy editor or opt for simpler method - making changes to registry. Run Regedit, and go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.

Consider an example: If you want to delete the 'Network Neighbourhood' icon form on your desktop, select the key mentioned about, right-click in the Registry field, select New and click DWORD to create a new entry. Name it 's'. Set its value to 1 and then reboot. your 'Network Neighborhood' desktop icon will disappear. If you wish to restore this icon to the desktop, change the value to 0.

A safer though not-so exciting proceduter to eliminate system icons form tyour desktop is to use TweakUI v1.1 (64 KB), which is abalabe for free at www.microsoft.com/windows/download/tweakui.exe

Control the screensaver

To activate and de-activate the screensaver at your will run Regedit and go to :
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ScreenSavers.
Add a new string value and name it Mouse corners. Edit theis new value to -Y-N. Close Regedit and restart your system.

There! Now you can activate your screensaver by simply placing the cursor at the upper right-corner of your screen. Similary, if you position the mouse on the lower left-corner of the screen, the screensaver will notactivate, even after the computer has been inactive for longer than the specified time. This trick is especially helpful to keep your screensaver from activatin when you are in th emiddle of a task that cannot be interrupted, like defagmenting your hard disk(s).

Variations in Wallpaper

If you have MS Plus! pack installed on your system, there are three ways in which you can display a background wallpaper - Tiled. Centered or Streach to fit the desktop (the last one is exclusive to Plus! Pack users.) By editing the Registry, you can add another option to the above - position the wallpaper any where on your screen by specifying values for the X any Y co-ordinates.

Open Regedit and go to :
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop.

Create two new strings and call them Wallpaper OrginX and WallpaperOriginY. Give these subkeys the desire values to position your bitmap off the centre on your desktop.

Er, one more thing: the repositioned wallpaper must be smaller than the size of your desktop.

Relating the look

Fed up with resetting Windows Explorer or Control Panel every time you start a new?   This time, set them for good. Start Regedit and look for:

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

In the right-pane you will see the NoSaveSettings key. This is the culprit - no matter what value is giver this key, the Desktop\Explorer/Control Panel settings will be modified by windows 95 again after opening 29 of those windows (the maximum nomber of window setting will be modified by windws 95 again after opening 29 of those windows (the maximum number of windows setting stored in Windows 95's Registry 'memory').

Delete this key. Close the Registry editor and press [F5] after clicking your mouse on the desktop to refresh it. That will ensure that your applications 'look' the way you want them to.

Reset default browser

Train your PC to launch your favourite browser (apart from Internet Explorer) when you double-click an icon on your Windows 95 Desktop.

Start Regedit and go to :

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{FBF23B42-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}\Shell\Open\Command.

Double- click the Default key in the right-pane and change the value line that points to Internet Explorer, to the browser you want it to be. For example, for Netcape Communicatior: C:\Program~1\Netscape\Program\Netscape.exe. Click Ok. When ready, Close Regedit and press [F5] to refresh the registry. And in case you want to reverr to the default windows 95 startup browser (Internet Explorer), keep a backup copy of your regestry files or note down the path for IE.

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Copyright � 1999 Cyber Technologies
Last modified: March 27, 1999 << Developed & Modified by : Ashwinsinh Parmar >>