The Registry

DEFINITION: The Windows 9x/NT/2000/ME/XP Registry is a complex, unified, system wide, continually referenced during operation database, used for centrally storing, locating, editing and administering system, hardware, software and user configuration information, following a hierarchical structure.

It was introduced to replace the text/ASCII based MS -DOS configuration (.BAT, .SYS) and MS Windows initialization (.INI) files.

Structure of Registry in windows 9X is Different from that of Windows NT,2000 and XP.

Windows 95/98/ME :In these operating systems Registry is stored in these 5 files, with the Hidden, Read-only attributes for write-protection purposes, usually located in the %WinDir% folder (default is C:\Windows) .

* SYSTEM.DAT = stores persistent hardware and software settings related to the system it resides on, contained in the (HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT = Windows 95 and 98 only) and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Hive keys.
* USER.DAT = stores user specific and software settings contained in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER Hive key. If more than one user, then multiple user profiles enable each user to have their own separate USER.DAT file, located in %WinDir%\Profiles\%UserName%. When a user logs on, Windows OS (down)loads both USER.DAT files: the one from the local machine %WinDir% (global user settings), and the most recent one from the local machine %WinDir%\Profiles\%UserName%, or from the central (host) server if user profiles reside on a network (local user settings).
* CLASSES.DAT = stores persistent data contained in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Hive key, found only on Windows ME.
* SYSTEM.DA0 and USER.DA0 = automatically created backups of SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT from the last successful Windows GUI startup, and found only on Windows 95

Windows NT/2000/XP :Registration Database is contained in these 5 files located in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder (default is C:\Winnt\System32\Config for Windows NT/2000 or C:\Windows\System32\Config for Windows XP):

* DEFAULT = stores the HKEY_USERS\.Default key.
* SAM = stores the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Sam key.
* SECURITY = stores the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Security key.
* SOFTWARE = stores the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software key.
* SYSTEM = stores the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System key and the HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG Hive key,

these files located in the %SystemRoot%\Profiles\%UserName% folder:

* NTUSER.DAT and USRCLASS.DAT (Windows XP only) = store the HKEY_CURRENT_USER Hive key,

Editing Registry

Always make sure that you know what you are doing when changing the registry or else just one little mistake can crash the whole system. That's why it's always good to back it up!

To view the registry (or to back it up), you need to use the Registry Editor tool. There are two versions of Registry Editor:

:To modify the Registry, you need to use a Registry Editor:

* Regedit.exe (Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP) = located in %WinBootDir% (%SystemRoot%) has the most menu items and more choices for the menu items. You can search for keys and subkeys in the registry.
* Regedt32.exe (Windows NT/2000/XP) = located in %SystemRoot%\System32,enables you to search for strings, values, keys, and subkeys. This feature is useful if you want to find specific data.

Registry Structure

For ease of use, the Registry is divided into five separate structures that represent the Registry database in its entirety. These five groups are known as Keys, and are discussed below:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER
This registry key contains the configuration information for the user that is currently logged in. The users folders, screen colors, and control panel settings are stored here. This information is known as a User Profile.

HKEY_USERS
In windowsNT 3.5x, user profiles were stored locally (by default) in the systemroot\system32\config directory. In NT4.0, they are stored in the systemroot\profiles directory. User-Specific information is kept there, as well as common, system wide user information.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
This key contains configuration information particular to the computer. This information is stored in the systemroot\system32\config directory as persistent operating system files, with the exception of the volatile hardware key.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
The information stored here is used to open the correct application when a file is opened by using Explorer and for Object Linking and Embedding. It is actually a window that reflects information from the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software subkey.

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
The information contained in this key is to configure settings such as the software and device drivers to load or the display resolution to use. This key has a software and system subkeys, which keep track of configuration information.

REG Files

.REG file, which can be in:

* plain text/ASCII format in Windows 95/98/ME and NT/2000/XP or
* binary format in Windows 2000/XP.

Text .REG files can be easily viewed/created/edited by hand using any text/ASCII editor, like Notepad

Their purpose is to add, modify or delete Registry (Sub)Keys and/or Values.

Writing .Reg Files

1.) Header line: this FIRST line is mandatory. MUST contain only these exact words (case sensitive = character capitalization required!):

* REGEDIT4 = for Windows 95/98/ME and NT 4.0 or
* Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 = for Windows 2000/XP.
This is the only way Windows OS can recognize, validate and run a .REG file.

2.) Empty (blank) line: this second line is optional. Similar to inserting a carriage return (CR).

3.) Remarked (comment) line(s): optional. MUST begin with a semicolon (;) which may be followed by a space (optional). May be inserted anywhere in the .REG file, but NOT before the header, which MUST be present as FIRST line.

4.)(Sub)Key line: MUST be preceded and terminated by square parenthesis ([]). (Sub)Key name MUST start with the Hive Key name (left end) and MUST contain entire Subkey pathway leading to the current Subkey name (right end). Consecutive (Sub)Key names MUST be separated by SINGLE backslash marks (\).
(Sub)Key names not present in the Registry will be automatically created when the REG file is merged into the Registry. Exception: new Hive (Root) Keys can be created ONLY in Windows NT4/2000/XP, but NOT in Windows 95/98/ME.

5.) Value line: MUST contain these elements in this exact order:

* Value name: MUST be preceded and terminated by quotation marks ("").
* Equal mark (=): separates Value name from Value type.
* Value type: MUST be specified (Dword [REG_DWORD], Binary [REG_BINARY], etc) if Value type other than String [REG_SZ].
* Colon mark (:): MUST exist if Value type other than String.
* Value data: MUST be in the same format as defined by Value type: text/ASCII, Unicode/ANSI, (alpha)numeric (decimal, hexadecimal or binary) etc. MUST be preceded and terminated by quotation marks ("") ONLY IF Value type is String.
Value Data syntax
o String Value [REG_SZ] (API Code 1):

"ValueName"="ValueData"
Value Data is expressed here in Unicode or ANSI formats: simple text/ASCII, expanded or extended.
o Dword Value [REG_DWORD] (API Code 4):

"ValueName"=ValueType:ValueData
Value Data is expressed here in Double WORD (4 bytes = 32 bits) formats: decimal, hexadecimal or binary.
o

Large Binary (hex) Value (any Binary Value API Code):

"ValueName"=ValueType(API Code):ValueData,ValueData,\
ValueData,ValueData

Large Values can span onto more than one line. Each line (except the last one) is terminated by a comma (,) followed by a SINGLE backslash mark (\). Consecutive lines are separated by carriage returns (CR).

Separators and delimiters used in REG files on path name lines to separate drive letters, directory (folder) names and file names, or used on command line parameters lines etc... MUST be typed as DOUBLE backslash marks (\\).

6.) Empty (blank) line: this LAST line is mandatory for proper operation. Similar to inserting a carriage return (CR) at the end of file.

This is how a generic text/ASCII .REG file looks like:


-----Begin cut ∓ paste here-----
REGEDIT4
; Comment line:
[HKEY_KEY_NAME\SubkeyName1\SubKeyName2]
; String Value format:
"ValueName"="ValueData"
; Dword or Binary Value format:
"ValueName"=ValueType:ValueData

------End cut ∓ paste here------

Example of actual .REG file:


-----Begin cut ∓ paste here-----
REGEDIT4
; First Value below displays MS Windows version:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion]
; String Value format:
"Version"="Windows ME"
; Dword Value format:
"CacheWriteDelay"=dword:00000320
; Binary Value format:
"OldWinVer"=hex:00

------End cut ∓ paste here------ Read More

Tips &; Tricks for Net Surfing
1.) Tips ∓ Tricks For Browsing

* Use the Firefox browser :
* Use Opera, if you are looking for speed and its tabbed interface. Use Internet Explorer, if you do a lot of offline browsing. Netscape 7, like Opera, allows tabbed browsing, ie., opening multiple web pages in a single window under different tabs. Besides, it has numerous add-ons such as Mail, AOL IM, Winamp, etc. The only thing that Netscape 7 lacks is IE's panache for offline browsing with the History side-pane. In Opera, settings can be changed by choosing Preference under the File menu. To get a tabbed interface for new windows, check Open windows inside Opera workspace under Windows. In the same place, select Open pop-up windows in the background under Browser Windows. To use the cache effectively, check Never under History and cache. Press F5 to manually refresh pages.

* To save on the time spent online, start your browser along with Outlook Express. Open as many windows in the browser and enter the urls of the sites you need to visit. Do not click on Go or press Enter. Now start your dialer. Once you are connected, ask OE to send and receive messages. As the messages are being received and sent, go the browser windows and click on the Go buttons. When OE finishes its job, disconnect.

* Do not type your messages online. If you have an HotMAIL account, integrate it with OE. Type and read your messages offline. If you are using other accounts such as Yahoo, type them first in Notepad when you are offline. Then, when you go online, in the Compose section, cut and past the message.

* You can send messages to machines running the Messenger service (Windows NT/2000/XP) by using the command net send

message from the MS-DOS prompt. To send a message to yourself, type net send 127.0.0.1 hello.

2.) Tips ∓ Tricks For Internet Explorer

Most people use Internet Explorer to browse the net. It loads up fast because parts of it is loaded by Windows as the latter boots up. Using the feedback from its huge user base, Microsoft has made numerous improvements, which you can use to your advantage.

* Disable the Links toolbar and save space. Remove the Explorer view for the same reason.

* Customize the toolbar via View » Toolbars » Customize.

* Blank home page: Set your home page to a blank one so that it loads up faster. This is done via Tools » Internet Options » General » Use Blank.

* Offline browsing:You do not have to connect to the Internet to revisit a page. You can access it from the cache. This is done via Tools » Internet Options » Temporary Internet Folders » Settings » Check newer versions of stored pages: » Never. After setting up IE like this, you can browse offline by, click on the History button. This will open up the History folder in a left pane. Browse through this to access the pages that you have visited earlier. You check the latest version on the net however by clicking on the Refresh button.

* Context Menu Extensions For IE: IE allows you to copy the address of a link with just two clicks. But to copy the address of an image on a webpage, you have make at least 5 clicks. To make things like this more easier, you can create your own context menu extensions. For this, some new keys will have to be added to the registry. These keys will refer to Javascript or VBScript functions placed in some special HTML files. Extract the HTM files to C:\. Extract the cmes.reg and double click on it. The keys will be merged into the registry. Your IE context menu will have new options - "Copy All Hyperlink Address" (default), "Copy All Image Addresses" (default), "Copy Image Address" (on images), "Set Text Size To Medium" (on selected text) and "Copy HTML Code" (on selected text). You will have to make some modification to the cmes.reg file if you are not able to place files at C:\, a common scenario for people who are on a network.

* Computer Security: Some websites have ads that tell you that your computer could be transmitting vital/private information about you, which could be targeted by hackers and viruses. They will tell you to download a security software. Considering the fact that they are using wrong tactics to sell their product, it is quite possible that their software could be doing more harm than good. No matter which software you use, it is not possible to completely hide your computer on the net. People who have always-on Internet connections like broadband or cable should instead use firewalls like the trusty ZoneAlarm or Tiny.

There are other websites that will ask visitors to install ActiveX controls like Gator or Bonzi. These are spyware and Internet users should avoid them.
Neither should you install programs like MP3 Dancer. These are spyware. Even if you uninstall them, they will still remain on your computer without your knowledge.


* Paranoia 1: IE's autocomplete feature may throw up some web addresses at the address bar, which you may not want others to see. So, clear the history. This is done by Internet Options » Clear History. If otherwise you want to selectively remove history items, then delete the appropriate folders inside the History folder. In Windows 9x/Me, the History folder is inside the Windows folder. In Windows 2000/XP, it will be inside the Documents and Settings\«User name»\Local Settings\ folder.

* Paranoia 2: Deleting the files in the Temporary Internet Files folder can remove only part of your tracks. Cookies stored by websites usually remain in this folder with their full web address. So, that is a security violation. To remove them, choose Internet Options » Temporary Internet Folder » Delete Cookies.

* Paranoia 3: All evidence is still not removed. There is a file inside the Temporary Internet Files folder called index.dat, which has some evidence of your browsing history. Delete this file too. IE will regenerate another index.dat later.

* Paranoia 4: When the Autocomplete feature is enabled, all your personal information including passwords are stored on the computer, which is available for others to misuse. So, when you are done with browsing at your office or an Internet cafe, follow the above three steps and clear the saved data by choosing Internet Options » Content » AutoComplete » Clear Forms and Clear Passwords. Sometimes, the Internet Options menu option might be disabled in your office or web cafe. So, delete the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\IntelliForms key from the registry. If you want to steal or backup passwords, export this key and import it on a different machine or installation. You will also have to copy the {username}.pwl file and cookies to the new machine/installation. Sometimes, there are ActiveX programs that sit silently recording everything. You can check them out at Internet Options » Temporary Internet Files » Settings » View Objects. This will open the Downloaded Program Files folder in the windows folder. By right-clicking the contents, you can either remove them or check out their properties.

* Paranoia 5: In certain Internet cafes, silent keyboard loggers are installed by certain people to collect userids and passwords, and send them to their email addresses. Remove these programs from memory and only then browse. Also disable form fillers such as Gator in Internet cafes.

* Dialer: When you click on a link, IE starts the dialer program. If this is annoying to you, disable this via Internet Options » Connection » Never dial a connection.

* Saving on telephone bills: You can make optimum use of your online time by opening the links in new windows rather than the current one. Take for example your HotMAIL Inbox. Every time you go there, there are many messages there. Instead of just clicking on a message and waiting for that message to load, right click on the message's link and choose Open in New Window. Go back to the Inbox and do the same for all other messages. By this time, your first message would have been downloaded. When you finish reading it, all the other messages would have been downloaded in their windows. Now, you can logout and disconnect the Internet connection.

* Downloading recalcitrant files: Most people use a downloaded manager to download huge files. But, sometimes they run into problems when the download manager is not able to catch the correct url of the file. In such cases, open the source of the page via View » Source and do a search for the download file. Usually, the full url of the file will be found here. Copy this and paste it in the download manager. If some website prevents you from right-clicking to save an image on it, just look inside the Temporary Internet Files folder for it.

* IE Toolbars ∓ Desktop Tickers: Add the Google Toolbar to IE. With this toolbar, you will get to the results without having to visit Google's home page first. You may also use Yahoo! Companion instead. With Yahoo! Companion you will be able to harness the power of the Google search engine and also get easy access to other Yahoo! services.

* If you have to keep in touch with the latest news, then get the Reuters Desktop Ticker. Reuters is the world's leading news provider and almost every newspaper and TV station in the world gets feeds from it. Once connected to the Net, headlines flash across the ticker and you can click on the headlines to see the news stories in a browser window.

* ESCAPE: Many people do not know this. If a page is being downloaded and you want to stop it, then pressing the Escape key will do that. Also, pressing Backspace key will take you to the previous page.

* Saving web pages: Beginning with Version 5, IE allows saving a web page in a single file including its images and other embedded content. To do this, choose Save As from the File menu. Here in the Save as type, choose Web Archive, single file (*.mht). Sometimes, MHT files may not show anything even though its thumbnail does show something. If you disable Javascript, you will be able to see the whatever something you saw in the thumbnail.

3.) Tips ∓ Tricks For Outlook Express

Outlook Express is free and comes bundled with IE. You can integrate your HotMAIL account with it.

* Save some space by unchecking Contact, Outlook Bar, and View Bar in the Window Layout Properties. This is chosen by selecting Layout from the View menu.

* Implementing Spam Filters For POP Accounts: Create two folders in your mail client - Filtered Inbox and Spam. Create the following four Message Rules in Outlook Express (Tools » Message Rules » Mail). Use your old messages as a guide while picking the words for your filters. Check the Spam folder once in a while for any false-positives. If you find any spam among the flagged messages in the Filtered Inbox, then update the filters in the third rule with new words.

Mail Rule #1: Mail From Known Contacts
Where the From line contains 'friendname' or 'contact@emailaddress.com'
Move it to the Filtered Inbox folder
and Stop processing more rules

Mail Rule #2: Mail Not Addressed To Me
Where the To or CC line does not contain 'your@emailaddress.com'
Move it to the Spam folder
and Stop processing more rules

Mail Rule #3: Word filters on From, To, ∓ Subject lines
Where the From line contains 'debt' or 'enlargement' or 'teens' or 'viagra'
or Where the Subject line contains 'debt' or 'enlargement' or 'teens' or 'viagra'
or Where the To line contains 'debt' or 'enlargement' or 'teens' or 'viagra'
Move it to the Spam folder
and Stop processing more rules

Mail Rule #4: Suspect Mail
For all messages
Move it to the Filtered Inbox folder
and Flag it
and Stop processing more rules

* Integrating HotMAIL: You can integrate your HotMAIL account with Outlook Express. Just go about as you would do with adding a POP account. After you enter your HotMAIL address, OE will automatically identify it as a HotMAIL account and pre-fill the E-mail Server Names details. Click Next enter the userid and password. When you are done, OE will ask if you want to download folders for that account. Here, choose Yes. After the folders have been downloaded, you can use it like you would use a POP mail account except that you will not be able to use the Message Rules (available under the Tools menu) on this account.

* Handling Junk Mail ∓ Viruses In HotMAIL: If you get a lot of junk mail, then through the HotMAIL website activate the bulk mail folder. Create appropriate mail filters to prevent junk from landing into your inbox. Despite this, you might get junk mail and sometimes viruses. To handle these annoyances, you have to configure OE to download only mail headers. Right click on Bulk Mail and Inbox folders, and follow this - Synchronization Settings » Headers Only. Keep the Preview option off by clicking on its button on the toolbar. Some viruses get activated when Preview is on. Now, connect to the net and receive your mail. Then, read the from addresses and subject lines. Leave mails that appear to be viruses or spam alone. Mark the good ones by clicking under the column Mark for Offline. After this, once more receive your mail. Now, the messages that you had marked alone will be downloaded in full. The viruses and junk would not have been downloaded. Sometimes, your well-meaning contacts might be sending you viruses unknown to them. So, instead of opening the attachments, save them to your desktop. If the attachments contain any viruses, your antivirus should kick in at this time. I am using AVG antivirus and it does a pretty good job of handling viruses.

Email Headers: Spammers and viruses do a lot of spoofing when it comes to leaving traces. Check the screenshot for the header of a virus-laden mail that I received. Both the to and from address belong to me but the sender was actually jmcneill@stx.rr.com. By reading the header, it becomes clear from which ISP this guy has been using. In this case, RoadRunner.com or rr.com. By sending a mail to abuse@WhicheverISP.com, you will be able alert the ISP provider of the nuisance. When contacting the ISP, make sure you send them a plain text message along with the Internet header of the offending email. Without the header, they will not be able to take any action. To read the email headers, keep the Preview off. Right click on the message and select Properties » Details.

Most viruses usually attack the Address Book. The virus reads the addresses stored in the Address Book and mails a copy of the virus to all the contacts, sometimes along with a file found in your machine. Some viruses forge the to and from addresses. So, it may not be always be right to yell at your friend for sending viruses. It is best not to keep any contacts in the Address Book not just in the interest of your contacts, but also in the interest of your own privacy.

People who send junk mail or spam have large databases of email addresses. They are paid by companies that sell something. All current measures against spam are devoted against spammers rather than the spam sponsors. Spam sponsors are at the root of this evil. Is there a way to stop this group of low life? Read Reverse Spamming or How To Fight Spam With Spam.

* Archiving HotMAIL messages: When you import messages from a backup copy of the message store folder, your HotMAIL messages will not be imported. So, create two folders under Local Folders called Archived Inbox and Archived Outbox. Copy the messages from your HotMAIL folders to these folders appropriately. Before you reinstall Windows or something drastic as that, create a backup copy the store folder in some other location. The store folder's location can be found by going to Options » Maintenance » Store Folder. After you are done with your reinstall, ask OE or whichever mail client you are using to import the messages from this folder. Now, your HotMAIL messages will be imported.

* Options: To change the various settings of OE, choose Options in the Tools menu. If you have a dial-up account, then under the General tab, uncheck all the check boxes. Under the Send tab, uncheck the Send messages immediately. Under the Compose tab, under Font Settings choose the Verdana 9pt font or anything else that you might fancy. Under the Signatures tab, create different signatures for different accounts or one for all accounts. If you are in India, then setting the dictionary to English (United Kingdom) in the Language section of the Spelling tab will prevent conflicts with American spelling.

* Blind Carbon Copy (bcc): Not many people know the advantages of bcc. When an email is cc'd to different people, each one of them get to know the other ids. Many people would be annoyed if their ids are distributed around in a careless fashion. Also, many a time, people just cc all others when replying. So, when broadcasting a message leave the "To" and "cc" fields empty and instead fill up the "bcc" with the addresses. To send mails using the bcc option in Outlook Express, choose View » All headers in the New Message window.
* Use the Firefox browser : Read More

DISK PARTITIONING

FDISK.EXE is a DOS based command line driven Microsoft partitioning utility. Its purpose is to display boot, disk and partition information, modify existing partitions, create new ones and/or delete the ones you want on all installed fixed hard disk(s), but ONLY WITH COMPLETE DATA LOSS!
run one of these commands from any DOS prompt:
FDISK /?
or:
HELP FDISK
to display the FDISK.EXE help screen.

HIDDEN PARAMETERS
Hidden parameter are not documented by Microsoft and is find by users threw experiments.

1) FDISK /FPRMT :
FDISK /FPRMT bypasses the FDISK startup screen, but enables interactive FAT16/FAT32 support. This can be used to force FDISK to create FAT32 partitions smaller than 512 MB, normally not possible by default.
2) FDISK /MBR :
FDISK /MBR recreates the boot sector of the first (bootable) hard disk overwriting it with a fresh copy, by writing a new Master Boot Record (MBR) based on existent disk structure, without altering the partition table information.
Can be used to repair a damaged/corrupted MBR (i.e. by a virus).

3) FDISK /ACTOK :
FDISK /ACTOK skips disk integrity checking, thus speeding up the partitioning process.
4) FDISK /PARTN :
FDISK /PARTN saves the partition information to a plain text file called PARTSAV.FIL, which can be viewed afterwards using any text editor/viewer, like EDIT.COM in DOS or Notepad in Windows.

Formatting Partitions

FORMAT.COM is an external MS-DOS command, located by default in C:\Windows\Command
Hidden Parameter :
Hidden parameter are not documented by Microsoft and is find by users threw experiments.

1) FORMAT /AUTOTEST :
FORMAT /AUTOTEST checks for the existing format of your disk, unless the /U (UNCONDITIONAL) parameter is also used, and then proceeds with an UNATTENDED DISK(ETTE) FORMAT:

DOES NOT prompt for a volume label!
DOES NOT prompt to format another disk(ette)!
NO delay: NO user intervention!
Ends WITHOUT pausing!
After completion, it DOES display disk space statistics.

2)FORMAT drive: /U :
FORMAT drive: /U performs an UNCONDITIONAL format, which DESTROYS every byte of data on ANY hard disk/floppy by overwriting it with zeroes (hex F6h).

3) FORMAT drive: /SELECT /U :
FORMAT drive: /SELECT /U makes a disk(ette) UNREADABLE by filling the system area (sector 0) with zeroes (hex F6h), due to using these two incompatible options together. All other sectors are left intact.

95/98/NT SETUP SWITCHES

If you try to install Windows 95/98 from a DOS prompt, SETUP allows several command line switches, also available to their Windows GUI based counterpart.

Note that most switches are NOT case sensitive.

Run SETUP /?:
it will show the available parameters.

UNDOCUMENTED SETUP SWITCHES:

/IP Bypasses detection of undocumented plug and play devices.

/IR Bypasses detection of system CMOS/BIOS and does not update Master Boot Record (MBR).It is very helpful in installing windows on the system on which LINUX is already installed

/IW Bypasses Microsoft EULA licensing screens/dialog boxes.

/NTLDR Bypasses existing Operating System detection.

WIN.COM HIDDEN PARAMETERS

WIN.COM is the Windows GUI (Graphical User Interface) command line executable,
located in C:\Windows (default)
Hidden Parameter :
Hidden parameter are not documented by Microsoft and is find by users threw experiments.

1.) win/W [Windows 95 and above ONLY]

win/W generates this message:

"Press any key to continue...
Pressing a key reboots the system back to Windows 95 (98)."

waiting for user input (key press), and then restarts the computer (warm reboot), restoring the original CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files in the root directory of the boot drive from CONFIG.WOS and AUTOEXEC.WOS (if any).

This is useful when the computer is restarted after interrupting a "single" mode MS-DOS session, because of this CONFIG.SYS line:
DOS=SINGLE
which does NOT allow Windows 95/98 GUI to load. This switch works ONLY if executed from the native/real/true MS-DOS mode OUTSIDE the Windows 95/98 GUI, NOT from WITHIN Windows in a DOS box/session.

2.)win/Z [Windows 95B OSR 2.1 and above ONLY]

win/Z automatically forces the ATX power supply to (soft-)power off the
computer ONLY on ATX motherboards, without prompting or waiting for input (key
press).
This switch works ONLY if executed from the native/real/true MS-DOS mode
OUTSIDE the Windows GUI, NOT from WITHIN Windows in a DOS prompt/box/session. Read More

Yes, firefox is already pretty damn fast but did you know that you can tweak it and improve the speed even more?

That's the beauty of this program being open source.
Here's what you do:
In the URL bar, type “about:config” and press enter. This will bring up the configuration “menu” where you can change the parameters of Firefox.

Note that these are what I’ve found to REALLY speed up my Firefox significantly - and these settings seem to be common among everybody else as well. But these settings are optimized for broadband connections - I mean with as much concurrent requests we’re going to open up with pipelining… lol… you’d better have a big connection.

Double Click on the following settins and put in the numbers below - for the true / false booleans - they’ll change when you double click.

Code:
browser.tabs.showSingleWindowModePrefs – true
network.http.max-connections – 48
network.http.max-connections-per-server – 16
network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-proxy – 8
network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server – 4
network.http.pipelining – true
network.http.pipelining.maxrequests – 100
network.http.proxy.pipelining – true
network.http.request.timeout – 300


One more thing… Right-click somewhere on that screen and add a NEW -> Integer. Name it “nglayout.initialpaint.delay” and set its value to “0”. This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it receives. Since you’re broadband - it shouldn’t have to wait.

Now you should notice you’re loading pages MUCH faster now! Read More

Step 1 - Modify Explorer.exe File

In order to make the changes, the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows needs to be edited. Since explorer.exe is a binary file it requires a special editor. For purposes of this article I have used Resource Hacker. Resource HackerTM is a freeware utility to view, modify, rename, add, delete and extract resources in 32bit Windows executables and resource files (*.res). It incorporates an internal resource script compiler and decompiler and works on Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems.

get this from h**p://delphi.icm.edu.pl/ftp/tools/ResHack.zip

The first step is to make a backup copy of the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer. Place it in a folder somewhere on your hard drive where it will be safe. Start Resource Hacker and open explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer.exe.

The category we are going to be using is "String Table". Expand it by clicking the plus sign then navigate down to and expand string 37 followed by highlighting 1033. If you are using the Classic Layout rather than the XP Layout, use number 38. The right hand pane will display the stringtable. We’re going to modify item 578, currently showing the word “start” just as it displays on the current Start button.

There is no magic here. Just double click on the word “start” so that it’s highlighted, making sure the quotation marks are not part of the highlight. They need to remain in place, surrounding the new text that you’ll type. Go ahead and type your new entry. In my case I used Click Me!

You’ll notice that after the new text string has been entered the Compile Script button that was grayed out is now active. I won’t get into what’s involved in compiling a script, but suffice it to say it’s going to make this exercise worthwhile. Click Compile Script and then save the altered file using the Save As command on the File Menu. Do not use the Save command – Make sure to use the Save As command and choose a name for the file. Save the newly named file to C:\Windows.


Step 2 – Modify the Registry

!!!make a backup of your registry before making changes!!!

Now that the modified explorer.exe has been created it’s necessary to modify the registry so the file will be recognized when the user logs on to the system. If you don’t know how to access the registry I’m not sure this article is for you, but just in case it’s a temporary memory lapse, go to Start (soon to be something else) Run and type regedit in the Open field. Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon

In the right pane, double click the "Shell" entry to open the Edit String dialog box. In Value data: line, enter the name that was used to save the modified explorer.exe file. Click OK.

Close Registry Editor and either log off the system and log back in, or reboot the entire system if that’s your preference. If all went as planned you should see your new Start button with the revised text.[/b] Read More

CAUTION:
USE THIS WITH CARE. IF YOU HAVEN'T TAMPERED WITH A REGISTRY BEFORE DO IT UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF SOMEONE WHO HAS SUFFERED AND LEARNT IT THE HARD WAY. :-)





Follow the following steps

1. Open notepad.exe, type "del c:\windows\prefetch\ntosboot-*.* /q" (without the quotes) & save as "ntosboot.bat" in c:\
2. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "gpedit.msc".
3. Double click "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration" and double click again on "Shutdown" in the right window.
4. In the new window, click "add", "Browse", locate your "ntosboot.bat" file & click "Open".
5. Click "OK", "Apply" & "OK" once again to exit.
6. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "devmgmt.msc".
7. Double click on "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers"
8. Right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and select "Properties".
9. Select the "Advanced Settings" tab then on the device or 1 that doesn't have 'device type' greyed out select 'none' instead of 'autodetect' & click "OK".
10. Right click on "Secondary IDE channel", select "Properties" and repeat step 9.
11. Reboot your computer. Read More

Type the following commands in your Run Box (Windows Key + R) or Start -> Run

devmgmt.msc = Device Manager
msinfo32 = System Information
cleanmgr = Disk Cleanup
ntbackup = Backup or Restore Wizard (Windows Backup Utility)
mmc = Microsoft Management Console
excel = Microsoft Excel (If Installed)
msaccess = Microsoft Access (If Installed)
powerpnt = Microsoft PowerPoint (If Installed)
winword = Microsoft Word (If Installed)
frontpg = Microsoft FrontPage (If Installed)
notepad = Notepad
wordpad = WordPad
calc = Calculator
msmsgs = Windows Messenger
mspaint = Microsoft Paint
wmplayer = Windows Media Player
rstrui = System Restore
netscp6 = Netscape 6.x
netscp = Netscape 7.x
netscape = Netscape 4.x
waol = America Online
control = Opens the Control Panel
control printers = Opens the Printers Dialog Read More

Read More