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Windowsregistryguide: Hom E: Enh Ancem Ent S
Windowsregistryguide: Hom E: Enh Ancem Ent S
Windowsregistryguide: Hom E: Enh Ancem Ent S
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Tips, t r icks & t w eaks for opt im izing, enhancing and secur ing Window s syst em s.
Soft w a re Enhancem ent s for Specific Windows Applicat ions Cha n ge t h e St a r t Bu t t on Te x t ( 95, 98, ME & NT/ 2000) Popular Would you lik e t o change t he St art but t on t o say som et hing else, perhaps your nam e, com pany or any ot her 5 or less let t er w ord? This art icle ex plains t he procedure t o m anually m odify t he t ex t of t he Windows St art but t on. Con t r ol t h e Au t o Com ple t e M ode ( Windows 9x and NT) This set t ing cont rols w het her t he aut om at ic t ex t com plet ion ( Aut oCom plet e) feat ure of Window s explorer appends t he suggest ed t ext t o t he w ords as you are t y ping as well as show ing a drop- down list of available values. En a ble Font Sm oot h in g ( Windows 9x and NT) This set t ing cont rols w het her font s are ant i- aliased t o appear sm oot her w hen displayed w it hin Window s. Cha n ge t h e Lin k Color of Act iv e File s a n d Folde r s ( Windows 9x and NT) This set t ing cont rols t he color of t he act ive f ile or folder w hen using t he w eb view ( single- click) display m et hod. Act ive W in dow Tra ck in g U sing Your M ou se Cu rsor ( Windows 9x and NT) This t w eak allow s y ou t o cont rol t he Window focus using t he m ouse cursor, by m aking an applicat ion act ive sim ply by m oving y our m ouse cursor over it . This sim ilar behavior t o X- Windows on Unix. D ispla y a Ba ck gr ou n d Bit m a p on Ex plore r Toolba r s ( Windows 9x and NT) This t w eak allow s y ou t o choose a a bit m ap im age t o display as t he back ground for t he ex plorer t oolbars. Con t r ol Ap plica t ion Focu s Se t t in gs ( Windows 9x and NT) When Windows applicat ions require user input or f ocus, t hey w ill eit her pop- up over t he exist ing window , or t heir icon will f lash on t he t ask bar wait ing f or user act ion. This t w eak cont rols t hat behavior. Re m ov in g t h e 'Shor t cu t t o...' Te x t on Shor t cu t s ( Windows 9x and NT) Don't lik e hav ing 'Short cut t o...' appended t o every Short cut ? You're not alone. Wit h t his t ip you can st op Window s for adding t his t ex t w hen creat ing links. Cha n ge t h e Alig nm e n t of D r op - D ow n M e n u s ( Windows 9x and NT) By default , Window s drop - down m enus are aligned t o t he left , wit h t his t w eak y ou can change t he default behavior t o align t he m enus t o t he right inst ead. Adj u st t h e M ouse D ou ble - Click Se n sit ivit y Ar e a ( Windows 9x and NT)
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This set t ing cont rols t he am ount of m ouse m ovem ent allow ed bet w een click s, for t w o consecut ive clicks t o be regist ered as a double- click. Cha n ge t h e Posit ion of t he D e sk t op W a llpa pe r ( Windows 9x and NT) Unfort unat ely Window s only gives you t he lim it ed opt ions of cent er or t ile for t he placem ent of t he deskt op w allpaper. Wit h t his set t ing you can m ove t he im age anyw ay on your deskt op. Add a n Ex pa n din g Con t rol Pa n e l t o St a rt M e n u ( Windows 9x and NT) Want easy access t o t he Cont rol Panel opt ions? Wit h t his t ip you can add an expanding Cont rol Panel folder t o t he st art m enu. This t rick w ill w ork wit h m ost special folders t oo. Add Ex plor e Fr om H e r e t o Eve r y Folde r ( Windows 9x and NT) When you right click on any folder t his will give you an opt ion t o Explore From Here, w hich w ill open up an explorer w indow of t hat folder. Add Com m a n d Pr om p t H e r e t o Eve ry Folde r ( Windows 9x and NT) I f you st ill use t he DOS prom pt regularly , t hen t his t ip is f or y ou. I t creat es a new right - click opt ion t o open a com m and prom pt window at t he direct ory you are current ly w ork ing from . Cha n ge t h e Size of D e sk t op I con s ( Windows 9x and NT) Are your icons t oo sm all? Or t oo big? This set t ing w ill let you resize t hem t o suit your deskt op preference. Cre a t in g Pr ogr a m Alia se s in W ind ow s ( Windows 9x and NT) A hidden f eat ure in t he Window s regist ry allow s you t o creat e program aliases. Allow ing you t o creat e, for exam ple, an alias called JBLOGGS.EXE t hat w hen execut ed act ually runs anot her program , e.g. NOTEPAD.EXE Ea sily U se N ot e pa d t o Ope n a File ( Windows 9x and NT) Enabling t his set t ing w ill allow you t o use Not epad t o open a file by sim ply right clicking on t he icon. Also t he Not epad w ill be used t o open t he files by default if no associat ion already exist s. D ispla yin g H i - Color I cons w it h out t h e Plu s Pa ck ( Windows 9x and NT) I f you like a bit m ore color and det ail in your icons, t hen st ep up t o hi - color m ode. Wit h t his set t ing y our Windows icons are show n in all t heir hi- resolut ion glory . Re m ov e t h e Fa v or it e s Folde r fr om t h e St a r t M e n u ( Windows 9x and NT)
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Ou t look Ex pr e ss Tweaks for Out look Express D isa ble t he N ort on Ant iV iru s Spla sh Scr e e n ( Windows 9x and NT) This set t ing w ill st op t he Nort on Ant iVirus Scanner st art up logo from being shown.
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Con figu re Sym a n t e c Live U pda t e t o Use Pa ssive FTP ( Windows 9x and NT) Nort on LiveUpdat e 1.3 and higher default s t o using act ive FTP. This t w eak allow s you t o configure it t o use passive FTP inst ead. D isa ble t he N ort on Ut ilit ie s Spla sh Scre e n ( Windows 9x and NT) This set t ing w ill disable t he Nort on Ut ilit ies splash screen f rom being show n w henever t he applicat ions are run. Con t r ol t h e Be h a vior of t h e Office Assist a n t s ( Windows 9x and NT) These set t ings cont rol t he behavior of t he office assist ant s. En a ble Four D igit Ye a r D ispla y in M icr osoft Ex ce l ( Windows 9x and NT) When Excel form at s a dat e, it uses one of sev eral default form at s, t he m ost com m on is t he syst em short dat e ( yy) . Therefore w hen a user t ypes a 4 - digit year ( yyy y) dat e in Excel, it m ay be displayed in a 2digit year ( yy) form at . This t weak changes t o default t he 4- digit form at . En a ble D VD Fe a t ur e s in M e dia Pla y er ( Windows 9x and NT) This set t ing allow s you t o use Microsoft Media Play er t o Play and Open DVDs. Con t r ol Act iv e Se r ve r Pa ge s Brow se r Bu ffe r ing This set t ing cont rols w het her Act ive Server Pages ( ASP) buff ers out put t o a brow ser. I f t his set t ing is enabled t hen all out put is collect ed before any is sent t o t he browser. This fix es som e problem s w it h incom plet e and random dat a being sent t o a brow ser using I nt ernet I nform at ion Server ( I I S) . En a ble t he GSM Aud io Code c in N e t m e et in g 2 .1 By default Net m eet ing does not include t he GSM audio codec, t his t weak enables t he GSM codec t o enhance int eroperabilit y w it h ot her GSM capable applicat ions. Use Sm oot h Scr ollin g in Teln e t ( Windows 9x and NT) This t w eak enables t he sm oot h scrolling funct ion in Window s Telnet . Cha n ge t h e D e fa u lt Ga t e k ee p er D iscove r y TTL ( Windows 9x and NT) This set t ing cont rols t he TTL ( Tim e To Live) for t he gat ekeeper m ult icast packet s in Net m eet ing. Con t r ol M icrosoft Office 2 0 0 0 Pe rson a lize d M e nu s ( Windows 9x and NT) Microsoft Office 2000 int roduced personalized m enus ( a.k.a. adapt ive m enus) t hat rem em bers w hich it em s you use regularly and hides it em s you don't . This t weaks allow s you t o enable or disable t his funct ionalit y. Cha n gin g t h e Re gist e r ed Com pa n y in M icr osoft Office ( Windows 9x and NT) Wit h previous versions of Microsoft Office it was necessary t o re- inst all Office t o change t he regist ered com pany as shown on t he splash screen and in t he About dialog box. Wit h Office 2000 it can be changed in t he regist ry. D e le t in g t h e Office Assist a n t s ( Windows 9x and NT) Are you annoyed by t hose off ice assist ant s always popping- up when y ou least expect it ? This t w eak w ill let you rem ove t hem for good! Cha n ge t h e I CQ Em a il Ta g lin e ( Windows 9x and NT) New er versions of I CQ com e wit h a handy em ail client . Unfort unat ely t hey add " Dow nload I CQ at ..." t o t he end of every out going m essage. You can rem ove or change t his in t he regist ry t o w hat ever you lik e.
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Cha n ge t h e I n t e rn e t Ex plor e r Se a r ch En gine ( Windows 9x and NT) Norm ally w hen you t ype 'go keyword' in t he I nt ernet Ex plorer address bar I E w ill search t he web using a Microsoft select ed search engine. By m odify ing t his key you can select which search engine t o use. Pr ox y Se r ve r Con figu ra t ion ( Windows 9x and NT) I f you need t o configure a proxy server on m ult iple com put ers, or w ould j ust like t o aut om at e t he procedure t hrough t he regist ry t hen t his t ip w ill explain how . M odifyin g t he I nt e r n e t Ex plor e r Pa rt ia l Addr e ss Fea t ur e ( Windows 9x and NT) The I nt ernet Explorer part ial address feat ure, scans com m on dom ains for a m at ch t o a keyw ord ent ered in t he Address bar. The feat ure is lim it ed by default t o searching only . COM, . EDU and .ORG dom ains. This t ip allow s you t o add new dom ains and m odify t heir priorit ies. H ide t he I nt e r n e t Ex plor e r I con ( Windows 9x and NT) This opt ion hides t he I nt ernet Explorer icon from t he Windows deskt op. Cha n ge t h e Loca t ion of t h e Ou t look Ex pr e ss M a il a n d N e w s File s ( Windows 9x and NT) I f you have inst alled Window s on a separat e part it ion and w ant t o keep it free of any unnecessary f iles, you can change t he locat ion of t he m ail and new s files st ored by Out look Express t o anot her part it ion. Cha n gin g t h e I n t e rn e t Ex p lor e r W in dow Tit le ( Windows 9x and NT) This set t ing allow s you t o cust om ize I nt ernet Explorer by using your ow n w indow t it le. For exam ple y ou could renam e I E t o 'My Brow ser' or anyt hing else you like!
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Tips, t r icks & t w eaks for opt im izing, enhancing and secur ing Window s syst em s.
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Tips, t r icks & t w eaks for opt im izing, enhancing and secur ing Window s syst em s.
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Spe cify H ost M ode TCP/ I P Addr e ss ( p cAny w he r e ) ( Windows 9x and NT) This regist ry it em allow s y ou t o specify which TCP/ I P address index t he host w ill w ait on. M u lt ica st Pa ck e t D e la y ( pcAn yw h e re ) ( Windows 9x and NT) This set s t he delay in m illiseconds bet w een each send. This is useful if m ult icast error correct ion is disabled. Con figu re t h e M u lt ica st D a t a Por t ( pcAn y w h e r e) ( Windows 9x and NT) This set t ing select s t he port t hat t he m ult icast dat a is sent t o. M u lt ica st Er r or Corr e ct ion ( pcAn yw he r e ) ( Windows 9x and NT) This set s t he lev el of error correct ion used on t he host . The host specifies w hich level of error correct ion t he rem ot es w ill use. M u lt ica st Ada pt e r Se le ct ion ( pcAn yw h e re ) ( Windows 9x and NT) Use t his regist ry it em for a m ult ihom ed, m ult icast host t hat is not binding t o t he correct net work card. This can be w hy none of t he rem ot es receive t he m ult icast packet s. Con figu re M ult ica st Se n d a nd Re ce iv e Bu ffe r s ( p cAn yw he r e ) ( Windows 9x and NT) These regist ry it em s set t he num ber of receiv e and send buffers when using an error correct ion m ult icast session. For slow rem ot es, a larger value m ay lead t o less dat a loss. M u lt ica st M a x im u m Tra n sm ission U n it ( pcAn yw h e re ) ( Windows 9x and NT) This regist ry it em set s t he Maxim um Transm ission Unit ( MTU) in byt es. The MTU is t he m ax im um byt es t hat m ay be sent as one I P m ult icast packet . M u lt ica st W in sock Re ce ive Bu ffe r ( p cAn yw he r e ) ( Windows 9x and NT) This regist ry it em set s t he size in byt es of t he Winsock receive buffer. I gn ore D SR on Se ria l D e vice s ( pcAn yw he r e ) ( Windows 9x and NT) Use t his it em for m odem s or ot her serial dev ices t hat do not init ialize correct ly because t heir DSR is not init ially set . I t is also useful if t he m odem connect ion does not hav e a DSR line. Cha n ge Se ria l 5 6 K Conn e ct ion Spe e d ( p cAny w he r e ) ( Windows 9x and NT) Use t his it em when a serial connect ion can be m ade at 38,400 bps and 115,000 bps, but not at 57,600 bps. TAPI M ode m Er r or s ( pcAn yw h er e ) ( Windows 9x and NT) Each t im e you add a TAPI m odem , it generat es a unique TAPI Perm anent Line I D which is st ored in pcANYWHERE32's connect ion it em s. I f you no longer have a m odem wit h t his unique I D, pcANYWHERE32 displays an error m essage. This regist ry key t ells pcANYWHERE32 how t o handle t his sit uat ion. Con figu re I PX Se a r ch M ode ( pcAn yw h e re ) ( Windows 9x and NT) This regist ry it em enables t he SAP m et hod of net w ork search inst ead of using t he bindery w hen m aking I PX connect ions. H ide t he Recor d Session But t on ( pcAny w h e r e ) ( Windows 9x and NT) Use t his regist ry key t o hide t he Record Session icon from t he rem ot e session t oolbar. Re m ot e Pr in t e r I na ct iv it y Tim e - ou t ( pcAny w h e r e ) ( Windows 9x and NT) Use t his set t ing if a print j ob is being separ at ed int o m ult iple j obs during rem ot e print ing. This it em set s t he inact ivit y t im e- out for t he rem ot e print ing facilit y. Con figu re Le ga cy Re m ot e Pr in t M ode ( pcAn y w h e r e) ( Windows 9x and NT) This set t ing specifies t he default print dest inat ion w hen connect ing t o a pcAny where 2.0 or 5.0 host .
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Sh ow Full Scr e e n Re m in de r M e ssa g e ( pcAn yw h e re ) ( Windows 9x and NT) This set t ing t urns t he Full Screen Rem inder Message on or off. H ost Conn e ct ion Tim e - Ou t ( p cAny w he r e ) ( Windows 9x and NT) I f pcAnyw here host does not respond, hang up. This is useful for script s t hat call syst em s w here a m odem w ill answer, but t he pcAnyw here host m ay not be running. Ru n Sm a r t Se t up ( pcAn yw h e re ) ( Windows 9x and NT) This set t ing cont rols w het her Sm art Set up is run w hen pcAnyw here is loaded for t he first t im e. Ru n t h e pcAn yw h er e Se r vice in St e a lt h M ode ( pcAn y w h e r e) ( Windows 9x and NT) Use t his set t ing t o hide t he Host Wait ing icon and Wait ing dialog. Use Com p ut e r N a m e I nst ea d of Ca lle r N a m e ( pcAn yw h e re ) ( Windows 9x and NT) When t his key is set , if a host has t he " Prom pt t o confirm connect ion" opt ion checked, t he host com put er' s prom pt dialog w ill display t he r em ot e's com put er nam e inst ead of t he caller's nam e w hen a connect ion is m ade. W a it for Ca ll Aft e r D isconn e ct ( p cAny w he r e ) ( Windows 9x and NT) I f enabled, t he host w ill not wait for a call when t he rem ot e disconnect s. Con figu re Per sist e n t Ca ch e ( pcAn y w h e r e) ( Windows 9x and NT) This set t ing t urns pcAnywhere's persist ent cache f eat ure on or off. M u lt i- Pr oce ssor Opt ions ( pcAn yw h e re ) ( Windows 9x and NT) This regist ry it em specifies which processors pcANYWHERE32 8.0 w ill run on. Pr om pt I f Logge d Ou t ( pcAny w h e r e ) ( Windows 9x and NT) This regist ry key allows you t o specify how pcANYWHERE32 w ill handle a rem ot e connect ion w hen t he pcANYWHERE32 host is wait ing at t he Window s NT login screen and t he " Prom pt On Connect ion" and " Disconnect On Tim eout " opt ions have been checked. Spe e d Se nd File Size Lim it s ( pcAn yw h er e ) ( Windows 9x and NT) The m inim um size a file m ust be for SpeedSend t o w ork is 10K. You can change t his value. Con firm File Se n d ( p cAny w he r e ) ( Windows 9x and NT) When t his set t ing is disabled, t he rem ot e does not display t he confirm prom pt w hen sending a file. Con firm File D e le t e ( pcAn yw h er e ) ( Windows 9x and NT) When t his set t ing is disabled, t he rem ot e does not display t he confirm prom pt w hen delet ing a f ile.
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program w it h an AMD At hlon processor. This is due t o t he m em ory allocat ed by t he v ideo adapt er driver becom ing corrupt ed. This regist ry t weak w ill fix t he problem . Re ve r se t he M ou se But t on s ( Windows 9x and NT) By default t he left m ouse but t on is t he prim ary m ouse but t on and t he right is t he secondary. This t w eak let s you sw ap t hose but t ons ar ound t o m ake t he right t he prim ary, which m ay be useful for left handed users. En a bling U D M A6 6 M ode on I n t e l Ch ipse t s ( Windows 2000) I f you have a com put er w it h an I nt el chipset t hat support s UDMA66, you will st ill find t hat UDMA66 m ode is disabled by default on Window s 2000 com put ers. This t w eak enables it . M odify t h e Ke y boa rd Bu ffe r Size ( Windows 9x and NT) Occasionally Windows m ay report an error relat ing t o an overflow in t he key board buffer. This t w eak can be used t o increase t he size of t he buffer, and avoid t his problem . M odify t h e M ouse Bu ffe r Siz e ( Windows 9x and NT) Occasionally Windows m ay report an error relat ing t o an overflow in t he m ouse buffer. This t w eak can be used t o increase t he size of t he buffer, and avoid t his problem . PC Spe a k e r Be e ping on Er r or s ( Windows 9x and NT) I f you get annoyed by t he beeps and noises com ing f rom your PC speaker but can't find a way t o t urn it off , t hen use t his t ip t o disable it . Adj u st I n t e lliM ouse Scr oll Fu n ct ion ( Windows 9x and NT) This ent ry det erm ines t he num ber of lines scrolled for each rot at ion of t he m ouse w heel on a Microsoft I nt elliMouse w hen no m odifier k eys ( such as [ Ct rl] or [ Shift ] ) are pressed. Con t r ol t h e CD - ROM Au t oru n Fu nct ion ( Windows 9x and NT) Norm ally w hen you insert a disc int o your CD- ROM drive, t he cont ent s are aut om at ically launched. This t w eak allow s y ou t o disable t his behav ior.
Copy right 2001. All Right s Reser ved. License
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serv ers. D e fin e t he Sch ed ule r Pr ior it y ( Windows NT) This set t ing cont rols t he overall priorit y of t he print er scheduler. D isa ble Pr in t Job N ot ifica t ion in Eve n t Vie w e r ( Windows NT) By default Window s NT server adds an ent ry in t he event log for every print j ob occurring on t he spooler. This can quickly fill up t he event log wit h redundant inform at ion.
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En a ble W I N S Pr ox y Age n t ( Windows 9x) This set t ing cont rols w het her t he current com put er should act as a WI NS proxy agent and forw ard WI NS nam e queries. Spe cify t h e Confor m a n ce Le ve l for I P M u lt ica st ( Windows 9x) This set t ing specifies t he level of conform ance t o t he I P m ult icast specificat ion, RFC 1112. Con t r ol t h e W I N S Re fre sh Per iod ( Windows 9x) This set t ing cont rol t he init ial WI NS refresh t im eout value. Con t r ol Ke e p Alive Pa r a m e t e rs ( Windows 9x) These set t ings cont rol how Window s m anages connect ion k eep alive t ransm issions. I ncluding t he t im eout before keepaliv es are sent , t he int erval bet ween keepalive t ransm issions and how oft en t o send session k eepalive packet s on act ive sessions. Con t r ol t h e Tim e ou t for LM H OST N a m e Re solu t ion ( Windows 9x) This set t ing cont rols t he period of t im e t he syst em will w ait before t im ing out w hen seek ing LMHOSTS for nam e resolut ion. Spe cify t h e N u m be r of Sim u lt a ne ou s Conn e ct ions ( Windows 9x) This set t ing specifies t he m axim um num ber of concurrent connect ions accept ed. Con t r ol t h e N u m be r of TCP/ I P Conn e ct ion At t e m pt s ( Windows 9x) This set t ing cont rols t he num ber of TCP/ I P connect ion at t em pt s ( SYN packet s) t o be t ransm it t ed befor e t im ing out . Con t r ol t h e N u m be r of TCP/ I P Tr a n sm ission Re t r ie s ( Windows 9x) This set t ing defines t he num ber of t ransm ission ret ries w ill be t ransm it t ed before t he connect ion is abort ed. Spe cify t h e W I N S Por t N u m be r ( Windows 9x) This set t ing allow s you t o specify an alt ernat e port num ber t o use w it h all WI NS nam e queries and regist rat ion request s. Con t r ol W I N S Qu e ry Se t t in gs ( Windows 9x) These set t ings cont rol t he WI NS query param et ers including t he num ber of query at t em pt s and query t im eout . Spe cify t h e N u m be r of N e t BI OS Ent r ie s t o St or e ( Windows 9x) These set t ings cont rol t he m ax im um num ber of Net BI OS ent ries t o st ore in t he nam e and session t ables. Spe cify t h e N e t BI OS N a m e Re solu t ion M ode ( Windows 9x) There are several m odes used in t he resolut ion of Net BI OS, including WI NS and LMHOSTS look ups and broadcast queries. This set t ing cont rols w hich m ode is used. En a ble M TU Bla ck H ole D e t e ct ion ( Windows 9x) Specifies w het her t he st ack will at t em pt t o det ect Maxim um Transm ission Unit ( MTU) rout ers t hat do not send back I CMP fragm ent at ion- needed m essages. En a ble M TU D iscove r y ( Windows 9x) This set t ing specifies w het her t he TCP/ I P st ack w ill at t em pt t o perform pat h MTU discov ery as specified in RFC 1191. En a ble Ra n dom Ad a pt e r Response s ( Windows 9x) For a com put er w it h m ult iple net w ork adapt ers, t his set t ing specifies w het her t o respond w it h an I P
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address select ed random ly from t he range of addresses on t he com put er or w het her t o ret urn t he I P address of t he adapt er t hat t he request cam e in upon. Con t r ol TCP/ I P Rou t ing Pa r a m e t e r s ( Windows 9x) These set t ings cont rol I P rout ing feat ures including t he t ot al am ount of buffer space t o allocat e for rout ing packet s and t he m axim um num ber of pack et s t hat can be rout ed sim ult aneously . Spe cify Response M ode for M u lt i- Ada pt e r Com pu t e r s ( Windows 9x) For a com put er w it h m ult iple net w ork adapt ers, t his set t ing specifies w het her t o send all I P addresses on a nam e query request from WI NS. Con t r ols RFC 1 3 2 3 Tim e St a m p a n d W in dow Sca lin g Opt ion s ( Windows 9x) This set t ing cont rols RFC 1323 t im e st am ps and window scaling opt ions for TCP/ I P pack et s. Ov e rr ide t he D e fa u lt Br oa dca st Add re ss ( Windows 9x) This set t ing overrides t he default broadcast address t hat is derived from t he I P address and subnet m ask. Prim arily t he broadcast address is used for Net BI OS nam e queries. Su ppr e ss t h e D om a in Cont r olle r Ca n not Be Rea che d M e ssa ge ( Windows NT/ 2000) When Windows is unable t o cont act a dom ain cont roller during a users login a popup error m essage is displayed, t his m essage can be rem oved by m odifying t his set t ing. M odify t h e I n t e rn e t Au t o - D ia l Se t t ing s ( Windows 9x and NT) Windows has t he opt ion t o aut om at ically dial your I nt ernet Service Provider ( I SP) t o est ablish an I nt ernet connect ion. This opt ion can be cont rolled using t his t w eak . M odifyin g LAN Ba se d Au t o - disconn e ct Tim e - Ou t ( Windows NT) Windows NT can be configured t o aut om at ically disconnect idle LAN sessions are a set num ber of m inut es. Re m ov in g or Ad ding I t e m s t o Your Pe r sist e n t Conn e ct ions List ( Windows NT) Windows st ores t he nam es of previously m apped driv es in t he regist ry, t his can be a securit y t hreat if vulnerable hidden shares are list ed. An advant age is t hat t his k ey can also be used t o set default it em s for list , if for ex am ple inexperienced users w ere requir ed t o m ap com m on drives, your could st ore t hem here. Su ppor t Lon g File n a m e s on N e t w a r e Se r ve r s ( Windows 9x) This set t ing cont rols w het her long filenam es ( LFN) are support ed on Net w are servers, and if support ed which versions. Spe cifyin g a Pr e fe rr e d N et w a r e Se r ve r ( Windows 9x) This set t ing allow s you t o specify a default Net w are. D isa ble Aut om a t ic N e t w a r e Logon ( Windows 9x) This set t ing disables t he aut om at ic logon t o Net w are servers. D isa ble SAP a dve r t ising for N e t w a r e N e t w ork s ( Windows 9x) By default Window s will send SAP packet s t o advert ise available file and print shares w hen 'File and Print Sharing for Net w are Net w orks' is enabled, t his set t ing disables t hose packet s. D ispla y D om a in Logon Con fir m a t ion ( Windows 9x and NT) When t his opt ion is enabled, a dialog box is shown w hen successful validat ion by a Windows dom ain occurs. Aut om a t ica lly D e t e ct Slow N e t w ork Con n e ct ion s ( Windows NT) By default , Window s NT will at t em pt t o det ect t he t im e- out on net w ork links t o det erm ine t heir speed
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( high or low ) . This funct ionalit y can be disabled if Window s is having problem s det erm ining t he speed of your link. D e fin e t he Slow Link Tim e - Ou t ( Windows NT) Windows uses t his value t o define w hat should be classified as low speed and w hat is a high speed connect ion. The default t im e- out is 2000 m illiseconds, any connect ion slow er is considered a low speed link. D ia l - Up N e t w or k in g Pa ssw or d Box Gr a ye d Ou t ( Windows 9x) I f you are having problem s t rying t o get DUN t o rem em ber your passw ord and you find t he opt ion gray ed out t hen t here are a few t hings you can t ry .
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Tips, t r icks & t w eaks for opt im izing, enhancing and secur ing Window s syst em s.
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Sh ow Com pr esse d File s in a n Alt e rn a t e Color ( Windows NT/ 2000) This set t ing cont rols w het her com pressed files and folders are shown in explorer using a different color t o m ake t hem easily dist inguishable. D ispla y t h e At t ribu t e s Colu m n in Ex plore r ( Windows 2000) I f you like t o view your files using t he det ailed view opt ion you m ay hav e not iced t hat t he at t ribut es colum n has disappeared. Wit h t he int roduct ion of Window s 98 it w as rem ov ed by default , t his t weak adds it back. Con t r ol N e t w or k Brow se r Ele ct ion s ( Windows NT) A brow ser elect ion is a norm al net w ork occurrence and prov ides a m eans t o guarant ee t here is never m ore t han one m ast er brow ser present in a dom ain or w orkgroup. Force t h e Use of Aut om a t ic Logon ( Windows 2000) Norm ally w hen a Window s m achine is configured t o aut om at ically logon t o a specified account users can bypass t his and ent er alt ernat e account inform at ion. This t w eak forces t he m achine t o aut o logon and t o ignore any bypass at t em pt s. Cha n ge t h e D ispla y Color of Com pr e sse d File s a n d Folde r s ( Windows NT/ 2000) When a file is com pressed in Window s NT, t here is an opt ion in Ex plorer t o display it in a different color t o easily dist inguish t hem . This set t ing defines w hat color t o use, t he default is blue. Cha n ge s t h e I RP St a ck Siz e ( Windows NT) When you access shares on a com put er running Window s NT Server f rom a Window s NT client and t he I RPst ack Size param et er is set t oo low on t he server, y ou m ay receive t he follow ing error m essage: " Not enough server st orage is available t o process t his com m and." This t w eak should r esolv e t he problem . Cre a t e a Usefu l N a m e for M y Com pu t e r ( Windows NT/ 2000) This t w eak w ill renam e " My Com put er" t o " Usernam e on Com put ernam e" m aking it sim ple t o det erm ine which com put er you are logged on t o and which usernam e you are logged on as. W ind ow s N T Sh or t File Ex t e n sion s ( Windows NT/ 2000) Windows NT evaluat es file ext ensions on t he f irst t hree charact ers, t herefore 'filenam e.ht m l' is act ually t reat ed as 'filenam e.ht m '. Therefore if y ou use a com m and such as 'del * .ht m ' t o delet e all t he ' .ht m ' files, you w ill also delet e all '.ht m l' files as w ell. This f unct ionalit y can be disabled by m odifying t he regist ry. Con figu rin g t h e Re gist r y Siz e Lim it ( Windows NT/ 2000) The Regist ry Size Lim it , or RSL, cont rols t he t ot al am ount of space t he m ay be consum ed in paged pool m em ory and disk space by regist ry dat a. The RSL is a kind of " global quot a" for regist ry space. Aut om a t ica lly Re boot on t h e ' Blu e Scr e e n of D e a t h ' ( Windows NT/ 2000) Windows NT w orkst at ion will usually freeze w hen get t ing a dreaded 'Blue Screen of Deat h' ( BSOD) . Changing t his set t ing w ill force Window s NT t o aut om at ically reboot when it crashes inst ead. Sh ow Ca sca ding Con t r ol Pa ne l I t em s ( Windows 2000) This t w eak cont rols whet her t he Cont rol Panel is show n as a cascading m enu or as a sim ple folder link on t he St art Menu. Sh ow Ca sca ding N e t w ork Con n e ct ion s ( Windows 2000) This t w eak m akes t he 'Net work and Dial- up Connect ions' f older on t he St art Menu int o a cascading m enu inst ead of a sim ple folder link . Sh ow Ca sca ding M y D ocu m en t s Fold er ( Windows 2000) This t w eak m akes t he 'My Docum ent s' f older on t he St art Menu int o a cascading folder, which t hen give you direct access t o sub- folders w it hout hav ing t o open t he m ain ' My Docum ent s' direct ory first .
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Con t r ol Sm a rt M e nu s ( Windows 2000) Windows 2000 included a new feat ure called 'Personalized Menus' , w hich rem em bers which it em s y ou use regularly and hides it em s you don't . This t w eaks allow s you t o enable or disable t his funct ionalit y. H ide or D ispla y Ad m in ist r a t ive Tools M e n u ( Windows 2000) As w it h Windows NT, Window s 2000 has an 'Adm inist rat iv e Tools' folder on t he St art Menu. This folder cont ains powerful adm inist rat ion ut ilit ies and t herefore can be hidden t o av oid accident al use. En a ble St a r t M e n u Scr ollin g ( Windows 2000) When t here are m ore it em s on t he St art Menu t han can f it on t he screen, Window s can eit her creat e a second colum n of it em s or it can creat e a scrolling m enu. This t weak cont rols t hat funct ionalit y. Ca sca de t h e Pr in t e r Folde r ( Windows 2000) This t w eak cont rols when t he 'Print ers' sub- folder under 'Set t ings' on t he St art Menu, is shown as a cascading folder. Sh ow Log Off [ Use r n a m e ] on t he St a r t M e n u ( Windows 2000) This set t ing cont rols w het her t he 'Log Off [ Usernam e] ' opt ion is shown on t he St art Menu. Sh ow Fa vorit e s on t he St a rt M e nu ( Windows 2000) This set t ing cont rols w het her t he Favorit es folder is show n on t he St art Menu. Con figu re t h e TCP/ I P Se t t in gs of a N e t w or k Ada p t e r ( Windows NT/ 2000) These values cont rol t he TCP/ I P param et ers of t he net w ork int erface cards. Configurable param et ers include I P Address, Subnet Mask and Default Gat ew ay. Con figu re t h e D H CP Se t t in gs of a N e t w ork Ada pt e r ( Windows NT/ 2000) This set t ing cont rols w het her TCP/ I P should use DHCP t o aut om at ically assign an I P address, or if it should use t he st at ically defined address. I m pr ov e Cor e Sy st e m Pe rfor m a n ce in W in dow s N T ( Windows NT/ 2000) On sy st em s wit h large am ount of RAM t his t w eak can be enabled t o force t he core Windows NT syst em t o be kept in m em ory and not paged t o disk. Cha n ge t h e Ve r t ica l I con Spa cin g ( Windows NT/ 2000) This set t ing specifies t he num ber of pixels t hat appear v ert ically bet ween icons. Windows det erm ines t he default based on t he icon t it le font and t he display you are using. En a ble Plu g - a nd - Pla y on W in dow s N T ( Windows NT 4.0) Windows NT4 doesn't support plug- and- play devices out of t he box, but it can be configured t o a least part ially support som e PnP feat ures wit h a lit t le help. Pow e r t h e Com pu t e r Off Aft e r Shu t dow n ( Windows NT/ 2000) Enabling t his set t ing w ill cause Window s t o aut om at ically pow er dow n your com put er once it has finished t he shut dow n process. Con t r ol t h e D e fa ult V irt u a l M a ch in e Opt ion ( Windows NT/ 2000) When st art ing a 16bit applicat ion y ou hav e t he opt ion of running each in a separat e virt ual m achine ( VDM) . Wit h t his set t ing you can change t he default value. Aut om a t ica lly Close N on - Re spon ding Applica t ion s ( Windows NT/ 2000) Occasionally w hen Window s NT shut s down, a t ask w ill ret urn as 'Not Responding' and you are given t he opt ion t o end t he t ask. This t w eak aut om at ically closes any non - responding applicat ions. Ru n Logon Scr ip t s Sy n chr onou sly ( Windows NT/ 2000) This set t ing defines w het her t he syst em should wait for t he logon script s t o com plet e before st art ing t he
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user's shell or w het her t he script s should run asynchronously. D e le t e Ca ch e d Copie s of Roa m in g Pr ofile s ( Windows NT/ 2000) I f t his set t ing is enabled, w hen users w it h roam ing profiles log off , t he syst em will delet e t he cached copy of t heir roam ing profile. This w ill help t o save disk space w here t hat are lot s of roam ing users. Tim e - ou t for Use r Pr ofile D ia log Box e s ( Windows NT/ 2000) When t he user is present ed w it h a dialog box request ing User Profile inform at ion, t his specifies t he am ount of t im e in seconds before t he dialog box is closed and t he default is accept ed. The default value is 30 seconds. Allow ex t e nde d ch a r a ct e r s in 8 .3 file n a m es ( Windows NT/ 2000) This set t ing allow s ext ended charact ers t o be used in 8.3 f ilenam es. Short file nam es w it h ext ended charact ers m ay not be viewable on com put ers t hat do not hav e t he sam e charact er code page. H a r d D isk Fr e e Spa ce W a rn ing ( Windows NT/ 2000) By default , Window s NT post s an alert w hen t he am ount of free space rem aining on y our hard disk falls below 10 percent . En a ble Com m a n d Lin e Com p le t ion ( Windows NT/ 2000) Com m and com plet ion allows you t o t y pe only a port ion of a file nam e, and t hen have t he syst em com plet e t he rest by pressing t he specified key. This is sim ilar t o t he UNI X shell com m and com plet ion feat ure. Cha n gin g D e fa u lt Colors for Com m a nd Pr om pt ( Windows NT/ 2000) The value Default Color cont rols t he foreground and background colors used in com m and prom pt window s. I t has a default value of 0, for st andard w hit e t ext on a black background.
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Home : Files
AUTOEXEC.BAT MS-DOS Startup Configuration File MSDOS.SYS Windows & DOS Configuration File
Tips, tricks & tweaks for optimizing, enhancing and securing Windows systems.
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This explains how to create an a safe VGA video mode start-up option, especially useful when your video adapter or driver is causing problems. Boot Windows NT in Safe Mode (Windows NT) Windows NT can be very temperamental sometimes are you add new software or install a new driver. The option allows you the create a Windows NT alternative to the Windows 9x Safe Mode. In this mode extra checks are performed and not all third party drivers are loaded. Disable Detection of Devices on Serial Ports (Windows NT) Windows NT attempts to probe the serial ports on boot-up to detect any serial mice. This can cause problems with other serial devices such as UPS's. Enable the 4GT RAM Tuning Feature of NT Enterprise Edition (Windows NT) With standard Windows NT Server, the per-process address limit is 2 gigabytes (GB) of random access memory (RAM). The 4GT feature of Windows NT Server/E increases this limit to 3 GB without introducing new APIs. 4GT does this by reducing the potential RAM allocated to the Windows NT kernel from 2 GB to 1 GB.
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Tips, tricks & tweaks for optimizing, enhancing and securing Windows systems.
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Originally EMM386 was required to provide EMS memory, an alternate form of extended memory. Now with the sparse use of EMS, it's primary purpose is to provide support for loading real-mode device drivers in the upper memory area.
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Showing the Windows Boot Menu (Windows 9x) By default Windows 9x does not show the boot menu unless you press F8. The boot menu allows you to boot Windows in different modes, including Safe Mode and Command Prompt Mode. You can configure the boot menu to be shown automatically on every boot.
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Tips, tricks & tweaks for optimizing, enhancing and securing Windows systems.
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Home : Performance
File System File System Performance Settings Network & Internet Internet and Network Performance Settings
Control the Windows Animation Function (Windows 9x and NT) Although the animation function can make animated Windows look good, it can also slow down your PC if you have a slower graphics card. This setting allows you to control whether the function is enabled or disabled. Control Whether Windows Performs Smooth Scrolling (Windows 9x and NT) This setting allow you to disable the Windows smooth scrolling function, which on an low-powered system can cause performance degradation. Optimizing L2 Caches Over 256K (Windows NT) Popular Windows NT by default is optimized for a 256K size L2 cache. With most computers now having L2 caches larger than 256K it pays to take the time to change the SecondLevelDataCache setting to correspond to the size of the L2 cache installed.
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Home : Security
Control Panel Control Panel Security Restrictions Software Security Settings for Windows Applications
Remote Access Remote Access Security Settings Remove the Documents Folder from the Start Menu (Windows 9x and NT) This key will remove the recent Documents folder from the Start Menu. Don't Save Settings at Exit (Windows 9x and NT) Normally when Windows exits it saves the desktop configuration, including icon location, appearance etc. This setting disables these changes from being saved, this is useful in both a secure environment and when you don't want people to change the appearance of your desktop once you have it setup the way you like it. Restrict Changes to Active Desktop Settings (Windows 9x and NT) This tweak allows you to have Active Desktop enabled, but to restrict any changes to the settings. Don't Add Recent Files to Documents on the Start Menu (Windows 9x and NT) Normally when you open or access a document or file it is added to the list of recent documents on the Start Menu. This tweak will stop files from being added to the list. Clear Recent Documents When Windows Exits (Windows 9x and NT) This tweak will clear the list of recent documents on the Start Menu when Windows exits. Remove the Help Option from the Start Menu (Windows 2000) This tweak hides the Help option on the Start Menu. Remove My Documents from Documents on the Start Menu (Windows 2000) This tweak hides 'My Documents' which is shown under the Documents folder on the Start Menu. Disable Active Desktop (Windows 9x and NT) This tweak will disable the use of the Active Desktop feature. Active Desktop Restrictions (Windows 9x and NT) Features of the Windows Active Desktop can be selectively controlled by modifying options in the Windows registry. Following the instructions in this tweak. Remove Active Desktop Options from the Settings Menu (Windows 9x and NT) The tweak will remove the Active Desktop options from Settings on the Start Menu. Disable the Ability to Modify the Start Menu (Windows 98) Normally users are able to right-click on the Start Menu and modify it using the context menu. This
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option give you the ability to disable this function. Disable the Shut Down Command (Windows 9x and NT) This option allows you to stop users from being able to shutdown the computer by disabling the shut down command. Hide All Items on the Desktop (Windows 9x and NT) Enabling this options hides all the items and programs on the Windows desktop. Hide Drives in My Computer (Windows 9x and NT) This setting controls which drives are visible in 'My Computer', it is possible to hide all drives or just selected ones. Remove the Find Command From the Start Menu (Windows 9x and NT) When enabled this setting removes the 'Find' command from the Start Menu. Hide the Network Neighborhood Icon (Windows 9x and NT) The Network Neighborhood icon is shown on the Windows desktop whenever Windows networking is installed, by enabling this setting the icon will be hidden. Remove the Run Command from the Start Menu (Windows 9x and NT) Removes the user's ability to start applications or processes from the Start menu by removing the option completely. Remove Folders from Settings on the Start Menu (Windows 9x and NT) Removes the Control Panel and Printers folders from the Settings menu. Note: Removing the Taskbar, Control Panel, and Printer folders causes the Settings menu to be removed completely. Remove the Taskbar from Settings on the Start Menu (Windows 9x and NT) Enabling this option removes the Taskbar option from Settings on the Start Menu, therefore stopping users from changing the taskbar properties. Note: Removing the Taskbar, Control Panel, and Printer folders causes the Settings menu to be removed completely. Remove File menu from Explorer (Windows NT) Removes the File option from Explorer's toolbar. (This option was added in Service Pack 2.) Remove common program groups from Start menu (Windows 9x and NT) Disables the display of common groups when the user selects Programs from the Start menu. Disable context menus for the Taskbar (Windows NT) Removes the context menus for the tray, including the Start button, Tab control, and Clock. (This option was added in Service Pack 2.) Disable Explorer's default context menu (Windows NT) Removes the context menu that would normally appear when the user right clicks on the desktop or in the Explorer right results pane. (This option was added in Service Pack 2.) Restricting Applications Users Can Run (Windows 9x and NT) Windows gives the ability to restrict the applications that can be run by users on a workstation.
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Manage Attachment Security in Outlook (Windows 9x and NT) New security measures that improve the dialog box warnings for attachments were included in Microsoft Outlook beginning with Outlook 2000 (SR-1). The file extensions that trigger the more secure warnings can be managed through the registry. Microsoft Netmeeting Policies (Windows 9x and NT) These restrictions and policies can be used to disable or restrict access to certain features of Microsoft Netmeeting 3.
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Tips, tricks & tweaks for optimizing, enhancing and securing Windows systems.
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change which are displayed. Remove IE Instrumentation Features (Windows 9x and NT) This tweak disables the Internet Explorer instrumentation functions. Internet Explorer Control Panel Restrictions (Windows 9x and NT) This tweak allows you to control access to the Internet Explorer setup and control panel functions, found under Tools / Internet Options. Remove the Content Advisor and Ratings Password (Windows 9x and NT) If you've forgotten the Internet Explorer content advisor password and want to change the ratings settings then follow these instructions to change the settings back to their defaults.
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Passwords Password Properties Restrictions Hide Control Panel on Start Menu (Windows 9x and NT) This setting allows you to hide the Control Panel options from the Start Menu. Hiding Control Panel Applets (Windows 9x and NT) This tweak allows you to show or hide any of the applets found in the Windows Control Panel. Deny Access to the Display Settings (Windows 9x and NT) This option disables the display settings control panel icon, and stops users from accessing any display settings. Disable Network Control Panel (Windows 9x) Enabling this option disables access to the Network Control Panel icon. Disable Printers Control Panel Icon (Windows 9x) This option disables access to the Printers icon in control panel, therefore stopping users from changing Printer settings. Restrict Access to the Passwords Control Panel (Windows 9x) This options disables access to the Passwords icon on the control panel, therefore stopping users from changing security related settings.
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Tips, tricks & tweaks for optimizing, enhancing and securing Windows systems.
Tips, tricks & tweaks for optimizing, enhancing and securing Windows systems.
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Disable the Ability to Remotely Shutdown the Computer Browser Service (Windows NT/2000) It is possible for a malicious user to shut down a computer browser, or all computer browsers, on the same subnet. If all of the computers on the same subnet are shut down, they can then declare their own computer the new master browser. Hiding Servers from the Browser List (Windows NT/2000) If you have a secure server or workstation you wish to hide from the general browser list, add this registry setting. Require Validation by Network for Windows Access (Windows 9x) By default Windows 9x doesn't require a valid network username and password combination for a user to bypass the logon and gain access to the local machine. This functionality can be changed to require validation by the network before allowing access. Fix DHCP Security Flaw (Windows 9x) The ICMP Router Discovery Protocol (IRDP) comes enabled by default on DHCP clients that are running Microsoft Windows 9x/2000 machines. By spoofing IRDP Router Advertisements, an attacker can remotely add default route entries on a remote system. Hide Computers Near Me in Network Places (Windows 2000) This setting allows you to show or hide the computers listed Near Me in My Network Places. Hide Network and Dial-up Connections on Start Menu (Windows 2000) This tweak allows you to hide the Network and Dial-up Connections option on the Start Menu. Disable the Automatic Creation of a Default Network Route (Windows NT) This tweak controls the default behavior of Windows to add a network route to 0.0.0.0 on multi-homed machines (e.g. proxy or firewall). Disable TCP/IP Source Routing (Windows NT 4.0) Normally, on a computer running Windows NT 4.0, you cannot disable the source routing feature for the TCP/IP protocol. By using this tweak it is possible to disable it. Changing LAN Manager Authentication on Windows NT (Windows NT) Windows NT supports two kinds of challenge/response authentication: LanManager (LM) and Windows NT (NTLM). LM authentication is not as strong as Windows NT authentication so some customers may want to disable its use, because an attacker sniffing the network traffic could possibly attack the weaker protocol. Changing the Password Expiry Warning Period (Windows NT) This entry specifies the number of days before a user's password expires that a warning message is displayed. Hide Share Passwords with Asterisks (Windows 9x and NT) This setting controls whether the password typed when accessing a file share is shown in clear text or as asterisks. Disable File and Printer Sharing (Windows 9x and NT) When file and printer sharing is installed it allows users to make services available to other users on a network, this functionality can be disabled by changing this setting. Disable Caching of Domain Password (Windows 9x and NT) Enabling this setting disables the caching of the domain passwords, and therefore passwords are required to be re-entered to access any additional domain resources. Remove the Map and Disconnect Network Drive Options (Windows NT) Prevents users from making additional network connections by removing the Map Network Drive and
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Disconnect Network Drive buttons from the toolbar in Explorer and also removing the menu items from the Context menu of My Computer and the Tools menu of Explorer. (This option was added in Service Pack 2.) Remove Entire Network from Network Neighborhood (Windows 9x and NT) Entire Network is an option under Network Neighborhood that allows users to see all the Workgroups and Domains on the network. Entire Network can be disabled, so users are confined to their own Workgroup or Domain. Hide Workgroup Content from Network Neighborhood (Windows 9x and NT) Enabling this option hides all Workgroup contents from being displayed in Network Neighborhood. Setting a Minimum Password Length (Windows 9x and NT) You can force Windows to reject passwords that do not meet a minimum password length. Useful to help stop people from using trivial passwords where security is an issue. Restricting Information Available to Anonymous Logon Users (Windows NT) Windows NT has a feature where anonymous logon users can list domain user names and enumerate share names. Customers who want enhanced security have requested the ability to optionally restrict this functionality. Sending Unencrypted Passwords (Windows NT) Connecting to SMB servers (such as Samba and LAN Manager for UNIX) with an unencrypted (plain text) password fails after upgrading to Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3. This is because the SMB redirector in Service Pack 3 handles unencrypted passwords differently than previous versions of Windows NT. Beginning with Service Pack 3, the SMB redirector will not send an unencrypted password unless you add a registry entry to enable unencrypted passwords. Don't Display Last User Name (Windows NT) Enabling this key will blank the username box on the logon screen. Preventing people that are logging on from knowing the last user on the system. Remove 'Log Off Username' from the Start Menu (Windows 9x and NT) This tweak allows you to remove the 'Log Off Username' option from the Start menu. Defining Local and Remote Drive Visibility Under WinNT (Windows NT) Administrators may use the NODRIVES entry to disable access to floppy drives on a per-user basis. The NODRIVES entry 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. Disabling Save Password option in Dial-Up Networking (Windows NT) When you dial a phonebook entry in Dial-Up Networking (DUN), you can use the 'Save Password' option so that your DUN password is cached and you will not need to enter it on successive dial attempts. This key disables that option.
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Automatically Use Dial-Up Networking to Logon (Windows NT) There is an option that is available on the logon dialog box and allows you to dial into your logon server for authentication of your user account, this can be enabled by default. Disable Dial-In Access (Windows 9x and NT) It's possible for users to setup a modem on a Windows machine, and by using Dial-up Networking allow callers to connect to the internal network. Especially in a corporate environment this can cause a major security risk. Maximum Number of Remote Access Authentication Attempts (Windows NT) This setting controls the number of authentication retries before a remote access connection is terminated. Maximum Time Limit for Authentication (Windows NT) A time limit can be enforced on the period available to logon via remote access before the connection is terminated. Automatically Disconnect Remote Access Callers (Windows NT) Specifies the amount of idle time in minutes to wait before disconnecting the remote access client. Specify the Callback Pause Period (Windows NT) When callback is required or requested this setting defines how long to wait before initiating the callback connection.
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Tips, tricks & tweaks for optimizing, enhancing and securing Windows systems.
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Display Hidden File Extensions (Windows 9x and NT) Even when you have configured Windows to display all file extensions, there are still some which remain hidden. This potentially allows dangerous files to be masked as safe files, fooling the user into executing them. This tweak helps expose those file extensions. Disable Folder Options Menu This tweak allows you to hide the Folder Options function from the folder Tools menu. Allowing you to restrict access to numerous advanced folder features. Determines which drives the Autorun feature is enabled on (Windows 9x and NT) Determines whether the Autorun feature is enabled on each drive connected to the system. When Autorun is enabled, media is started automatically when it is inserted in the drive. Disable Windows Hotkeys (Windows 9x and NT) This tweak disables the use of Windows hotkeys. Restrict Access to the Windows Update Feature (Windows 9x and NT) Windows 98 and later Windows versions contain a feature known as Windows Update, which allows users to update Windows specific software. With this modification you can remove access to this feature from the settings sub-menu. Restricting Access to the Event Logs (Windows NT/2000) The Windows NT event log contains records documenting application, security and system events taking place on the machine. These logs can contain sensitive data, and by default, the Guest account has access to view them. This tweak allows you to restrict access to administrators and system accounts only. Stopping the KnownDLLs Vulnerability (Windows NT) In Windows NT the core operating system DLLs are kept in virtual memory and shared between the programs running on the system. This has exposed a vulnerability that could allow a user to gain administrative privileges on the computer the user is interactively logged onto. Disable the Lock Workstation Button (Windows NT) Add this setting to the registry to stop unauthorized users from locking machines from the Windows NT Security dialog box. Disable the Change Password Button (Windows NT) This setting disables the 'Change Password' button on the Windows NT Security dialog box. Enabling this setting stops casual users from being able to change the password. Clear the Page File at System Shutdown (Windows NT) Windows normally does not clear or recreate the page file. On a heavy used system this can be both a security threat and performance drop. Enabling this setting will cause Windows to clear the page file whenever the system is shutdown. Secure Network Access to the Windows NT Registry (Windows NT) Windows supports accessing a remote registry via the Registry Editor across a network. The default setting allows for users to connected and modify data within the remote registry. Securing Network Access to CD-ROM Drives (Windows NT) This setting determines whether data in the CD-ROM drive is accessible to other users. This value entry satisfies, in part, the C2 security requirement that you must be able to secure removable media. Securing Network Access to Floppy Drives (Windows NT) This setting determines whether data in the floppy disk drive is accessible to other users. This value entry satisfies, in part, the C2 security requirement that you must be able to secure removable media.
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Control the Automatic Restarting of the Shell (Windows NT) By default if the Windows user interface or one of its components fails, the interface is restarted automatically, the can be changed so that you must restart the interface by logging off and logging on again manually. Specify executable files to be run by Winlogon (Windows NT) This setting Specifies executable files to be run by Winlogon in the system context, and can be modified by simply editing the value. Require Alphanumeric Windows Password (Windows 9x and NT) Windows by default will accept anything as a password, including nothing. This setting controls whether Windows will require a alphanumeric password, i.e. a password made from a combination of alpha (A, B, C...) and numeric (1, 2 ,3 ...) characters. Disabled Password Caching (Windows 9x and NT) Normally Windows caches a copy of the users password on the local system to allow for additional automation, this leads to a possible security threat on some systems. Disabling caching means the users passwords are not cached locally. This setting also removes the second Windows password screen and also remove the possibility of networks passwords to get out of sync. Enable Shutdown from Authentication Dialog Box (Windows NT) When this setting is enabled a [Shutdown] button is displayed in authentication dialog box when the system first starts. This allows you to shutdown a system without logging in. The button is shown by default on a workstation and removed on a server installation. Disable Task Manager (Windows NT) Enables or disables the user's ability to start Task Manager to view processes, applications running, and make changes to the priority or state of the individual processes. (This option was added in Service Pack 2.) Preventing the Logon Screen Saver from Launching (Windows NT) Windows NT has a default screen saver called login.scr, which runs even if no screen saver has been selected. This can present a security risk, as it can allow a local user to replace login.scr with another program and have it launched with system privileges. Legal Notice Dialog Box Before Logon (Windows 9x and NT) Use these fields to create a dialog box that will be presented to any user before logging onto the system. This is useful where you are required by law to warn people that it is illegal to attempt to logon without being an authorized user.
Return to Index Copyright 2001. All Rights Reserved. License
25/05/2008
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Re-Initialize Your Registry Without Rebooting (Windows 9x and NT) Popular Some registry changes require you to restart Windows before they are enabled. This tip lets you reinitialize your registry and refresh your desktop without having to leave Windows. Remove the Start Banner on the Taskbar (Windows 9x and NT) Hide the bouncing arrow and the "Click Here to Begin" caption that appear on the taskbar when you start Windows. Remove or Change the Shortcut Arrow (Windows 9x and NT) Would you prefer to display your shortcuts without the arrow in the bottom left hand corner? This tip will show you how to change the arrow icon or remove it completely. Add Your Own Tips (Windows 9x and NT) Are you sick of seeing the same tips again and again when you first logon to Windows? Now you can change them to whatever you want, whether it's quotes, jokes or a to-do list, anything is possible. Control CoolSwitch Application Swapping (Windows 9x and NT) CoolSwitch is a feature available within Windows to quickly switch between tasks and programs by using the Alt + TAB keys. Show File and Folder Names Using the Correct Case (Windows 9x and NT) Some versions of Windows will attempt to adjust the capitalization of files and folders that are in all uppercase to make them more visually pleasing. For example, if you create a folder named "C:\ALLINCAPS" Windows will actually display it as "C:\Allincaps". This feature can be disabled using this tweak. Automatic Window Refresh (Windows 9x and NT) Normally when the contents of a window change you may need to wait a few seconds, or press F5, to refresh the display to see the updated information. This tweak configures the system to perform faster automatic updates. Changing the Menu Show Delay (Windows 9x and NT) Windows normally delays menus before they are displayed. For regular users this delay can become annoying, with this setting you to change the delay time or remove it altogether. Change the Logon Screen Background Color (Windows 9x and NT) When you change the color scheme and appearance of your desktop it does not change the background color of the logon screen to match. This tweak allows you to change that color as well. Change the Logon Screen Wallpaper (Windows 9x and NT) When you setup a background wallpaper for your desktop, the initial logon screen wallpaper is not changed and stays as the default Windows appearance. This tweak allow you to change the default wallpaper. Force Windows to Unload DLL's from Memory (Windows 9x and NT) Popular
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Windows Explorer will usually try and cache DLL's by keeping them in memory even after the application using them has been closed. This can cause performance problems on low memory systems, and can be annoying when developing on Windows and the DLL's remain in use. Show Windows Version on Desktop (Windows 9x and NT) Early versions of Windows showed their version number on the desktop, this feature was removed in the released version. If you're in an environment where it may be useful to quickly locate the version of Windows then this tweak re-enables that feature. Enable Live Scrolling in Microsoft Word (Windows 9x and NT) Normally when you move through a Word document using the scroll bar the page doesn't update until you release the mouse button. With this tweak the document location is updated as you move. Add Custom Folder to My Computer or the Desktop (Windows 9x and NT) Create your own custom system folder on the desktop or in My Computer, that can't be deleted or renamed. Full Window Drag Option (Windows 9x and NT) This setting enables the Full Windows Drag function, which allow you to view the contents of window while dragging it across the screen, instead of just the standard outline. Add the QuickView Option to All Files (Windows 9x and NT) If you ever wanted to add QuickView to the context menu of all file types, it may be a tedious task doing so using Windows Explorer's Options - File Type window. This tip shows how to do it in a couple of easy steps. Rename or Delete Special Folders (Windows 9x and NT) This setting allows you to rename and delete special folders (such as the Recycle Bin) as if it was a normal folder by right-clicking the icon. Change the Recycle Bin Icons (Windows 9x and NT) Would you like to make you Recycle Bin into something a bit more exciting? Maybe a glowing toxic waste bin? With this tweak you can change the icon to be whatever you like. Including Manufacturer and Support Details (Windows 9x and NT) This tip lets you include a company logo and contact information in the System Properties dialog box. This is especially useful if you run a computer store and want your customers to be reminded where they bought their PC and where to get technical support. Make the Columns Fit (Windows 9x and NT) Want to quickly see all the column in explorer without having to resize them individually? This tip does it for you. Close Parent Windows Automatically (Windows 9x and NT) Have you ever had a screen full of explorer windows on your desktop after digging through heaps of directories? This tip lets you close the current window and all it's parent windows in one easy step. Expand and Contract Folders With Ease (Windows 9x and NT) It can be a time-consuming process to expand a folder by clicking on the (+) for each and every subdirectory. This tip lets you expand and contract them all at once, with one keystroke. Avoid Accidental Registry Imports (Windows 9x and NT) By default, if you double-click on a file with a '.REG' extension the file will be imported into the system registry. You can change the default so it opens the file for editing instead. Change the Default Name and Company Information (Windows 9x and NT) When you install a new application, using MS Setup, a default Name and Company are shown, these
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values can be changed when the details have changed or are incorrect. Change the Location of System and Special Folders (Windows 9x and NT) Windows keeps a number of special folders such as "My Documents", "Desktop", "Favorites" and the "Start Menu". These folders can be moved anywhere on you system and the new location updated in this key. Launching Programs When Windows Starts (Windows 9x and NT) You can automatically start programs whenever Windows launches. If you have programs automatically starting that you have not loaded then you can remove them using this tip as well. Removing Item Types from the New Menu (Windows 9x and NT) When you right-click on your desktop or other selected applications there is a New sub-menu which contains a list a default templates. This list can be modified to include only the templates you want. Remove Cached Command Lines from the Run Menu (Windows 9x and NT) Got a lot of items in the Start Menu's run command history? This tip will allow you to remove any extraneous commands. Remove the Tildes in Short Filenames (Windows 9x and NT) When long filenames are shown in an application that only supports short filenames a tilde "~" is used to convert the long name into a compatible short name. This setting removes the use of tildes. Creating a Shortcut to the System Folders (Windows 9x and NT) This function allow you to add a shortcut to various system folders on your Desktop or Start Menu. Changing the Registered Owner and Organization (Windows 9x and NT) If you entered the wrong registration information when you installed Windows you can change it and other miscellaneous settings such as ProductID and ProductName. Automatically View Thumbnails of Bitmap Files (Windows 9x and NT) Makes Explorer show a thumbnail version of bitmaps files in the current folder rather than the generic icon ordinarily used. This is a great way to preview .BMP files without having to open them first. Removing Icons from your Desktop (Windows 9x and NT) This key contains a number of subkeys which hold information about the namespace extensions of icons on your desktop. Through this key you can control which icons are visible on the desktop, including the My Computer, Inbox, MSN and Internet icons.
Return to Index Copyright 2001. All Rights Reserved. License
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Remove Task Scheduler (Windows 9x) Task Scheduler is automatically installed in some versions of Windows, and also when you install Internet Explorer. This tweak will remove it from your system. Desktop Icon Redraw (Windows 9x and NT) If you desktop icons are redrawing too frequently, it could be because the icon cache is full. Try increasing the size by changing this setting. Order the Menu (Windows 98) It's easy to reorder the items on any Windows 98 cascading menu by holding down the mouse button and drag a highlighted file or folder up or down the list. With this tip it's even easier to force the entire list into permanent alphabetical order. Restart Windows Quickly without Rebooting (Windows 9x) Tired of waiting for Windows to restart? Sometimes it can take ages to completely shutdown, then your have to wait for the PC to reset as well. Try this tip to speed up your computer's shutdown procedure. Speed Up ISP Logon Time (Windows 9x) On some systems it can take a long time to connect to the Internet, you can decrease the time required to connect to your ISP by trying these simple steps. Faster Modem Dialing (Windows 9x) Waiting to long for your modem to dial? This tip lets you reduce the time it takes your modem to dial, and increase your overall modem connection speed. Change the Startup and Shutdown Screens (Windows 9x) Microsoft has a knack for making the Windows startup and shutdown screens pretty boring. Luckily it's relatively easy to replace these images with pictures of your own.
Return to Index Copyright 2001. All Rights Reserved. License
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to use when you need it the most. Configuring Unimodem Support (Windows NT) Windows NT 4.0 and greater support Unimodem modems, if your device is not supported though Windows can be configured to use the MODEM.INF file instead. Changing the Behavior of the Dr. Watson Utility (Windows NT/2000) By default whenever an application error occurs in Windows NT, Dr. Watson is launched and the debugger started automatically. The extra resources needed for the debugger can sometimes push the system over the edge. It is possible to stop the debugger from launching by changing this setting. Removing Windows NT Devices and Services (Windows NT/2000) Sometimes it is possible to get orphaned services remaining in the registry. These services can be remove be modifying this key. Changing the Startup Mode of a Service (Windows NT/2000) All services have a setting controlling how they are started either manually, automatically or disabled. This setting can be changed through the registry. Define Whether Windows Parses Autoexec.bat (Windows NT/2000) When this value is 1, the environment variables declared in the Autoexec.bat file are included in the user's environment. Stop Error Messages When Booting (Windows NT) Stops the annoying Windows pop-up messages notifying you a device is not functioning when you bootup Windows NT. View Which Hot Fix Patches Have Been Installed (Windows NT) Periodically Microsoft releases Hot Fix's to patch bugs in Windows NT and other products, this key contains information about which Hot fix's have been installed. PS2 Mouse Port Rate Adjustment (Windows NT) Ever noticed how your mouse cursor flickers sometimes or doesn't run as smoothly as you would like? That's because the refresh rate is set too low, modify this key to speed things up and make your mouse cursor move smoothly. Disable Automatic Cache Updates in NT's DNS Server (Windows NT) This value disables that automatic cache updated from the DNS root servers. Useful when there is a problem with the root servers, or if you wish to completely control DNS updates.
Return to Index Copyright 2001. All Rights Reserved. License
25/05/2008
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Home : Troubleshooting
File System Advanced File System Troubleshooting Logging Logging and Reporting Functions
'Failure Writing to the System Registry...' Error Message (Windows 95) When you run a setup program that was created using the Application Setup Wizard, you may receive an error message indicating the registry may be corrupt or you do not have the required permissions to write to the registry. Has Your Taskbar Disappeared? (Windows 9x and NT) If your taskbar has disappeared from the desktop or becomes hidden when you move your cursor near, it may be due to a corrupt registry key. MS-DOS Compatibility Mode Problems with PCI IDE Controllers (Windows 9x) If your computer contains a PCI IDE hard disk controller that employs serialization between the two IDE channels, this tip may help you resolve a MS-DOS compatibility mode problem in Device Manager. Are You Missing Fonts from the Fonts Folder? (Windows 9x and NT) A font may seem to be installed correctly but does not appear in the Fonts folder because the Fonts key in the registry is missing or damaged. Unable to Connect More Than 10 Clients (Windows NT) If you have a retail version of Windows NT server, and you are still unable to connect more the 10 users concurrently, then have a look at this tip. Addition of New LAN Interface in RRAS Causes Event Message (Windows NT) When you install an additional network interface card (NIC) and the Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) is already installed, you receive an error 20101 in the System Log in Event Viewer. Shortcuts Created Resolve to UNC Paths (Windows NT) A user may click a program's shortcut and be prompted to Enter Network Password, yet the properties of the shortcut indicate a relative path to the local computer. Delay Occurs When Unlocking Workstation (Windows NT) Sometimes a noticeable delay occurs when the logged on user or an administrator attempts to unlock a workstation. This because when you unlock the workstation Windows NT will update the domain list if the cached list's age exceeds two minutes (by default). This age limit can be modified. Changing the Default State of the NUMLOCK Key (Windows NT) The NUMLOCK key is usually only turned on before the user has logged into the computer, this can cause problem for people with portable computers that do not check the status of the NUMLOCK key before typing their password. The default behavior can be changed with this setting. Removing Programs listed in the Add/Remove Programs Box (Windows 9x and NT) All Windows 9x or NT compatible programs must include an Uninstall program, sometimes though the program may get removed but entry in Add/Remove programs doesn't, from this key you can remove those orphaned entries. PCMCIA Network Adapter Problems (Windows 9x)
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When using a PCMCIA network adapter under Windows 98 you might not be able to connect the computer to the network, and under Control Panel > System there is a yellow exclamation mark "!" next to the card. New Command Missing in Windows Explorer (Windows 9x and NT) After you install Internet Explorer with the Windows Desktop Update component you may notice that the New command is missing from the right-click context menu. This tip will help you fix the problem. Change the Default Mailbox Sound Setting (Windows 9x and NT) When you receive a new message, a sound may not be played even though "Play sound when new messages arrive" is enabled. Long File Names Need to be Enabled (Windows 98) If you are receiving an error when installing Windows 98 that long file names need to enabled in order for Windows 98 to install successfully try this. CD-ROM Does Not Run Automatically When Inserted (Windows 9x) When you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, it may not be run automatically, changing this registry key should correct the problem.
Return to Index Copyright 2001. All Rights Reserved. License
Tips, tricks & tweaks for optimizing, enhancing and securing Windows systems.
25/05/2008
Page 3 of 3
Use Asynchronous or Synchronous Buffer Commits (Windows 9x) This setting changes function calls to the File-Commit API to return immediately back without checking the data has been correctly written to the disk drive. By default Windows uses synchronous buffer commits, this setting allows you to enable asynchronous as an alternative for applications that may need this functionality.
Return to Index Copyright 2001. All Rights Reserved. License
Tips, tricks & tweaks for optimizing, enhancing and securing Windows systems.
25/05/2008
Page 1 of 3
Home : Troubleshooting
File System Advanced File System Troubleshooting Logging Logging and Reporting Functions
'Failure Writing to the System Registry...' Error Message (Windows 95) When you run a setup program that was created using the Application Setup Wizard, you may receive an error message indicating the registry may be corrupt or you do not have the required permissions to write to the registry. Has Your Taskbar Disappeared? (Windows 9x and NT) If your taskbar has disappeared from the desktop or becomes hidden when you move your cursor near, it may be due to a corrupt registry key. MS-DOS Compatibility Mode Problems with PCI IDE Controllers (Windows 9x) If your computer contains a PCI IDE hard disk controller that employs serialization between the two IDE channels, this tip may help you resolve a MS-DOS compatibility mode problem in Device Manager. Are You Missing Fonts from the Fonts Folder? (Windows 9x and NT) A font may seem to be installed correctly but does not appear in the Fonts folder because the Fonts key in the registry is missing or damaged. Unable to Connect More Than 10 Clients (Windows NT) If you have a retail version of Windows NT server, and you are still unable to connect more the 10 users concurrently, then have a look at this tip. Addition of New LAN Interface in RRAS Causes Event Message (Windows NT) When you install an additional network interface card (NIC) and the Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) is already installed, you receive an error 20101 in the System Log in Event Viewer. Shortcuts Created Resolve to UNC Paths (Windows NT) A user may click a program's shortcut and be prompted to Enter Network Password, yet the properties of the shortcut indicate a relative path to the local computer. Delay Occurs When Unlocking Workstation (Windows NT) Sometimes a noticeable delay occurs when the logged on user or an administrator attempts to unlock a workstation. This because when you unlock the workstation Windows NT will update the domain list if the cached list's age exceeds two minutes (by default). This age limit can be modified. Changing the Default State of the NUMLOCK Key (Windows NT) The NUMLOCK key is usually only turned on before the user has logged into the computer, this can cause problem for people with portable computers that do not check the status of the NUMLOCK key before typing their password. The default behavior can be changed with this setting. Removing Programs listed in the Add/Remove Programs Box (Windows 9x and NT) All Windows 9x or NT compatible programs must include an Uninstall program, sometimes though the program may get removed but entry in Add/Remove programs doesn't, from this key you can remove those orphaned entries. PCMCIA Network Adapter Problems (Windows 9x)
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When using a PCMCIA network adapter under Windows 98 you might not be able to connect the computer to the network, and under Control Panel > System there is a yellow exclamation mark "!" next to the card. New Command Missing in Windows Explorer (Windows 9x and NT) After you install Internet Explorer with the Windows Desktop Update component you may notice that the New command is missing from the right-click context menu. This tip will help you fix the problem. Change the Default Mailbox Sound Setting (Windows 9x and NT) When you receive a new message, a sound may not be played even though "Play sound when new messages arrive" is enabled. Long File Names Need to be Enabled (Windows 98) If you are receiving an error when installing Windows 98 that long file names need to enabled in order for Windows 98 to install successfully try this. CD-ROM Does Not Run Automatically When Inserted (Windows 9x) When you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, it may not be run automatically, changing this registry key should correct the problem.
Return to Index Copyright 2001. All Rights Reserved. License
Tips, tricks & tweaks for optimizing, enhancing and securing Windows systems.
25/05/2008
Page 3 of 3
Use Asynchronous or Synchronous Buffer Commits (Windows 9x) This setting changes function calls to the File-Commit API to return immediately back without checking the data has been correctly written to the disk drive. By default Windows uses synchronous buffer commits, this setting allows you to enable asynchronous as an alternative for applications that may need this functionality.
Return to Index Copyright 2001. All Rights Reserved. License
Tips, tricks & tweaks for optimizing, enhancing and securing Windows systems.
25/05/2008