Windows Registry Tips

Internet Explorer Restrictions (All Windows)

2007-12-18T04:50:00.000-08:00

These settings and restrictions allow you to selectively control a range of features available in Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 and 6.

Open your registry and find or create the key below.

Create a new DWORD value based on the options below, and set the new value to "1" to enable the restriction or "0" to disable the restriction.

AlwaysPromptWhenDownload - Always prompt user when downloading files.
NoBrowserBars - Disable changes to browsers bars.
NoBrowserClose - Disable the option of closing Internet Explorer.
NoBrowserContextMenu - Disable right-click context menu.
NoBrowserOptions - Disable the Tools > Internet Options menu.
NoBrowserSaveAs - Disable the ability to Save As.
NoFavorites - Disable the Favorites.
NoFileNew - Disable the File > New command.
NoFileOpen - Disable the File > Open command.
NoFindFiles - Disable the Find Files command.
NoNavButtons - Disables the Forward and Back navigation buttons
NoOpeninNewWnd - Disable Open in New Window option.
NoPrinting - Remove Print and Print Preview from the File menu.
NoSelectDownloadDir - Disable the option of selecting a download directory.
NoTheaterMode - Disable the Full Screen view option.
NoViewSource - Disable the ability to view the page source HTML.
RestGoMenu - Remove Mail and News menu item.
Restart Internet Explorer for the restrictions to take effect.

Settings: User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\
Restrictions]
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\
Restrictions]
Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value: (0 = disable restriction, 1 = enable restriction)

Speed-up Access to AVI Media Files

2007-12-18T04:23:00.000-08:00

Windows XP can run slowly when attempting to access a folder that contains a large number of AVI (Audio Video Interleave) media files. This tweak speeds the process up by stopping Windows from extracting file information from AVIs.

Open you registry and find the key below.

To disable file information extraction rename the key and place a minus sign infront of the current name (i.e. "-{87D62D94-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}").

Restart Windows for the change to take effect.

Settings: System Key: [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{87D62D94-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}]

Show Hidden Folders and Files (All Windows)

2007-12-18T04:21:00.000-08:00

This setting controls whether hidden files and folders are displayed in explorer when browsing the file system.

Open your registry and find the key below.

Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value called 'Hidden' using the settings below.

Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.

Settings:
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
Advanced]
Name: Hidden
Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value: (1 = show hidden, 2 = do not show)

Disable Compressed Folders (Windows Me/XP)

2007-12-18T04:20:00.000-08:00

Windows Me and XP include a built-in feature to manage compressed ZIP files and folders. This tweak allows you to disable it and install a third-party application.

To disable the compressed folder feature click on Start -> Run and enter the following command:

regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll
To enable ZIP folder support run this command:

regsvr32 zipfldr.dll

Restart Windows for the change to take effect.

Command Line Option to Reboot or Log Off Windows (Windows 95/98/Me)

2007-12-18T04:17:00.000-08:00

This command allows you to create a shortcut or execute from a batch file a Windows DLL that will bypass the standard Start Menu method of shutdown and initiate a Log Off, Shutdown or Restart.

For Windows 98 & Me
Either execute the following command from a batch file or create a new shortcut, by right-clicking on the descktop and selecting New -> Shortcut. With the command:

C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL32.EXE shell32.dll,SHExitWindowsEx x

Where x is either 0, 1, 2, 4 or 8 (or a combination) based on the following table:

0 - Log off: Shuts down all running processes, then logs the user off.
1 - Shutdown: Shuts down the system to a point at which it is safe to turn off the power. All file buffers have been flushed to disk, and all running processes have stopped.
2 - Reboot: Shut down and restart the system.
4 - Force (Win98 Only): Forces processes to terminate. When this flag is set, Windows does not query running applications to inform them that Windows is shutting down. This can cause the applications to lose data, therefore, you should only use this flag in an emergency.
8 - Power Off (Win98 Only): Shuts down the system and turns off the power. The system must support the power-off feature.

Click Next and enter the name you want to call the icon (e.g. Shutdown).

For Windows 95
Repeat the steps above but use the command below for the target.

C:\WINDOWS\Rundll32.exe User,ExitWindows

Note: The values above can be combined together to achieve different results. For example, to restart Windows forcefully, without querying any running programs, use the following command line: "rundll32.exe shell32.dll,SHExitWindowsEx 6" (i.e. 2 + 4)

Hide Usernames from the Logon Screen (Windows XP)

2007-12-18T04:16:00.000-08:00

This tweak can be used to hide specific usernames from the logon screen, without removing the account completely.

Open your registry and find the key below.

For each user you want to hide create a new DWORD value named after the username and set the value to "0".

Restart Windows for the change to take effect.

Settings:
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\
SpecialAccounts\UserList]
Name:
Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value: 0 = hide the account

Force the Use of Automatic Logon (Windows 2000/XP)

2007-12-18T04:14:00.001-08:00

Windows machine is configured to automatically logon to a specified account users can bypass this and enter alternate account information. This tweak forces the machine to auto logon and to ignore any bypass attempts.

Open your registry and find the key below.

Create a new string value called "ForceAutoLogon" and set it to equal "1" to force automatic logons or "0" to allow alternate users.

Restart Windows for the change to take effect.

Settings:
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
Name: ForceAutoLogon
Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value: (0 = disabled, 1 = enabled)

Change the Logon Screen Background Color (All Windows)

2007-12-18T04:12:00.000-08:00

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.

Open your registry and find the key below.

Modify the value named 'Background' according to the color you would like in RGB (Red/Green/Blue) format. For example, "0 0 0" for black or "255 255 255" for white, and every other color in between.

Restart Windows for the change to take effect.

Settings:
User Key: [HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Colors]
Name: Background
Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value: 0 0 0 - 255 255 255

Legal Notice Dialog Box Before Logon (All Windows)

2007-12-18T04:10:00.000-08:00

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.

Open your registry and find the appropriate key for your operating system.

Windows 95, 98 and Me:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Windows NT, 2000 and XP:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Modify the value named 'LegalNoticeCaption' to represent the caption on the dialog box (e.g. 'WARNING!'). If this value doesn't already exist create it.

Modify the value named 'LegalNoticeText' to represent the body of the dialog box (e.g. 'Do Not Attempt to Logon to this system unless you are an authorized user!')

Exit your registry and restart Windows, and the next time you boot up you should be presented with the dialog box before logging on.

Note: This value is limited to 256 characters, you need to install the latest Windows NT service pack to allow up to 1024 characters.

Settings:

Name: LegalNoticeCaption, LegalNoticeText
Type: REG_SZ (String Value)

Modify the Number of Cached Logins (Windows NT/2000/XP)

2007-12-18T04:09:00.001-08:00

This value controls the number of allowable cached login attempts when the network domain controller is unavailable.

Open your registry and find the key below.

Create a new String value, or modify the existing value called 'CachedLogonsCount' using the settings below.

Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.

Note: With caching disabled or the maximum has been reached, the user is prompted with this message: "The system cannot log you on now because the domain [DOMAIN_NAME] is not available."

Settings:
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
Name: CachedLogonsCount
Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value: 0 - 50 (0 = disabled, 10 = default)

Limit the Number of Automatic Logins (Windows NT/2000/XP)

2007-12-18T04:08:00.001-08:00

This setting is used to limit the number of automatic logins, once the limit has been reached the auto logon feature will be disabled and the system will display the standard authentication box.

Open your registry and find the key below.

Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value called 'AutoLogonCount' using the settings below.

Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.

Note: This value is a DWORD when using Windows XP

Note: Each time the system is rebooted, the value of AutoLogonCount will be decremented by one, until it reaches zero. When AutoLogonCount reaches zero, no account will be logged on automatically, the AutoLogonCount and DefaultPassword key values will be deleted from the registry, and AutoAdminLogon will be set to zero.

Settings:
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
Name: AutoLogonCount
Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value: Number of Automatic Logins

Hide the Last User Name (All Windows)

2007-12-18T04:06:00.000-08:00

This setting can be used to blank the username box on the logon screen. This will prevent people that are logging on from knowing the last user to access the system.

Open your registry and find the key for your Windows version below.

Windows 98 or Me
Open [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Network\Logon] and create new string value called "DontShowLastUser" and set it to "1" to hide the last user.

Windows 2000 or XP
Open [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System] and create a new string value, or modify the existing value, called "DontDisplayLastUserName" and set it to "1" to enable or "0" to disable the restriction.

Windows NT
Open [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon] and create a new string value, or modify the existing value, called "DontDisplayLastUserName" and set it to "1" to enable or "0" to disable the restriction.

Restart Windows for the change to take effect.

Settings:
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
System]
Name: DontDisplayLastUserName
Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value: (1 = remove username, 0 = display username)

Disable Passport Balloon Reminder (Windows XP)

2007-12-18T04:04:00.000-08:00

When you install Windows XP a balloon reminder is shown to prompt you to enter a Microsoft .NET Passport. This reminder can be disabled if you are not using Passport or MSN Messenger.

Open your registry and find the key below.

Create a new Binary value, or modify the existing value called 'PassportBalloon' using the settings below.

Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.

Settings:
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MessengerService]Name: PassportBalloon
Type: REG_BINARY (Binary Value)
Value: "0a 00 00 00" = disabled

Allow Fast User Switching (Windows XP)

2007-12-18T04:03:00.000-08:00

Fast user switching allows you to quickly switch to another user account without having to close any programs. This setting controls whether fast user switching is available.

Open your registry and find the key below.

Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value called 'AllowMultipleTSSessions' using the settings below.

Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.

Note: Windows XP users must use the standard Welcome Screen logon method.

Settings:
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
Name: AllowMultipleTSSessions
Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value: (0 = Disable Fast User Switching, 1= Enable)

Change the Login Window (Windows XP)

2007-12-18T04:02:00.001-08:00

This setting controls which type of logon screen is shown, either the classic Windows NT/2000 format or the Windows XP welcome screen.

Open your registry and find the key below.

Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value called 'LogonType' using the settings below.

Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.

Note: Using the classic logon method will also disable the use of fast user switching, where applications remain active in other users sessions.

Settings:
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]Name: LogonType
Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value: (0 = Classic Mode, 1 = Welcome Screen)

Enable Shutdown from Authentication Dialog Box (Windows NT/2000/XP)

2007-12-18T03:58:00.000-08:00

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.

Open your registry and find the key below.

Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value called 'ShutdownWithoutLogon' using the settings below.

Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.

Settings:
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\
system]Name: ShutdownWithoutLogon
Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value: (0 = disabled, 1 = enabled)

Automatic Logon to Windows NT, 2000 and XP

2007-12-18T03:57:00.000-08:00

Windows includes a feature that allows you to configure the computer to automatically logon to the network, bypassing the Winlogon dialog box.

To enable this function you need to add several new values to the key below.

Add a new string value named 'DefaultUserName' and set it to the username you wish to automatically logon as.
Add a new string value named 'DefaultPassword' and set this to the password for the user entered above.
Add a new string value named 'DefaultDomainName' and set this to the domain of the user. Ignore this value if the NT box is not participating in NT Domain security.
Add a new string value named 'AutoAdminLogon' and set it to either '1' to enable auto logon or '0' to disable it.
For Windows 2000 the additional ForceAutoLogon setting must be enabled to stop the tweak from resetting on reboot.
Exit and restart, Windows should not ask for a password and automatically show the desktop of the user.
Note: The password is stored in registry, which means anyone who has access to the machine has access to the password.

Note: You can bypass this function by holding down the SHIFT key during the boot or logoff process.

Note: It is also important to note that if the DontDisplayLastUserName value is enabled, the auto logon feature does not function.

(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
AutoAdminLogon REG_SZ "1"
DefaultUserName REG_SZ "jbloggs"
DefaultPassword REG_SZ "blog123"
DefaultDomainName REG_SZ "BLOGLAND"

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

Settings:
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
Name: AutoAdminLogon
Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value: (0=disable, 1=enable)

Enable Monitor Power-off on the Logon Screen

2007-12-18T03:50:00.000-08:00

Windows will not automatically turn off the monitor if the system is waiting at the logon screen. This setting can be used to cause the monitor to be powered-down when not in use as per the default power-saving profile.

Open your registry and find the key [HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop].

To enable power-off on logon screen
Modify the value of "PowerOffActive" and set it to "1".

Modify the value of "ScreenSaveActive" and set it to "1".

Modify the value of "SCRNSAVE.EXE" and set it to "(None)".

Open the key [HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\PowerCfg].

Modify the value of "CurrentPowerPolicy" and set it to "0".

Restart Windows for the change to take effect.

(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
PowerOffActive REG_SZ 1
ScreenSaveActive REG_SZ 1
SCRNSAVE.EXE REG_SZ (None)

HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop

Settings:
System Key: [HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop]
Name: PowerOffActive, ScreenSaveActive, SCRNSAVE.EXE
Type: REG_SZ (String Value)