To make USB mass-storage devices read only:
Open Regedit and navigate to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\Control key'
Highlight the subkey 'StorageDevicePolicies' If there is no such subkey, create it by right clicking 'control key' and choosing 'new\key'. Once you have the 'StorageDevicePolicies' subkey highlighted, right click it and select 'new\ DWORD value.' Give the value the name WriteProtect. Double click the new value and give it the value of '1' Exit and restart.
Customize Internet Explorer Appearance
You can customize the appearance of Internet Explorer and add bitmaps to toolbars and your own caption to the Internet Explorer window title by going here:
'user configuration\windows settings\Internet Explorer Maintenance\browser user interface.'
Customize IE Toolbar
This GPEDIT entry allows you to specify which buttons will appear on the standard Internet Explorer toolbar:
'user configuration\administrative templates\windows components\internet explorer\toolbars\configure toolbar buttons'
Remove the File Delete Confirmation Dialog Box
To remove the 'confirm (filename) delete' box that pops up when you attempt to delete a file, go to: 'user configuration\administrative templates\windows components\explorer\display confirmation dialog when deleting files' and disable the option.
Disable Windows Messenger Easily
If you do not want to use Windows Messenger and you are annoyed by its persistence, turn it off easily with this GPEDIT option:
'user configuration\administrative templates\windows components\windows messenger\do not allow messenger to be run'
Prevent Users from Running Certain Programs
You can prevent programs you specify from running within Internet Explorer with this GPEDIT option:
'user configuration\administrative templates\windows components\system\don't run specified windows applications'
You will need to know the name of the application's executable file.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Vista Tweak 4
Add Some Useful Commands to the Right-Click Menu
When navigating and handling files in Windows Explorer, the right click 'context' menu is extremely useful. However it is lacking some options which would make it even more invaluable and save you a fair bit of time. This registry edit will enable you to add the 'move to folder' and 'copy to folder' commands to your right click menu.
Those two useful shortcuts will reduce the time it takes to move files around within the WinXP GUI.
To do this open Regedit and navigate to:
'HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFileSystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers'
Create two new keys, 'Copy To' and 'Move To'
Set the value of 'Copy To' to '{C2FBB630-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}'
Set the value of 'Move To' to '{C2FBB631-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}'
Close Regedit, you now have the 'copy to folder' and 'move to folder' options in your right-click menu.
Add More Destinations to the Right-Cick Menu's 'Send To' Command
The 'send to' command on the context menu is a great way to move files around quickly, but by default it doesn't contain very many useful destinations. Fortunately there's an easy way to add more shortcuts, making 'send to' a quick and powerful way to move files where you want them most in Windows
To add 'send to' destinations go to 'c:\documents and settings\(your user name)\sendto' .
Note that this is a hidden folder by default, and you will have to have enabled the 'show hidden files and folders' option in the 'tools\folder options\view' menu of explorer before you can see it.
This folder contains the shortcuts that the 'sendto' command uses for its list of destinations. Simply create a shortcut for the directory or program you want to use and drag-and-drop it into the 'sendto' folder to add that destination.
Using 'Groups' in Windows Explorer
Displaying items by group is a convenient feature available in Windows Explorer, but one that many people do not know about or use. Give it a try and maybe you'll discover an easier way to organize your cluttered folders.
To use groups in Windows Explorer navigate to the folder you wish to group and go to 'view\arrange icons by\' then select the 'show in groups' option. Now, whenever you choose an 'arrange icons by' option such as name, date modified or size, Explorer will group them in categories depending on each file's properties.
This is especially handy when searching for files of a specific type.
When navigating and handling files in Windows Explorer, the right click 'context' menu is extremely useful. However it is lacking some options which would make it even more invaluable and save you a fair bit of time. This registry edit will enable you to add the 'move to folder' and 'copy to folder' commands to your right click menu.
Those two useful shortcuts will reduce the time it takes to move files around within the WinXP GUI.
To do this open Regedit and navigate to:
'HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFileSystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers'
Create two new keys, 'Copy To' and 'Move To'
Set the value of 'Copy To' to '{C2FBB630-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}'
Set the value of 'Move To' to '{C2FBB631-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}'
Close Regedit, you now have the 'copy to folder' and 'move to folder' options in your right-click menu.
Add More Destinations to the Right-Cick Menu's 'Send To' Command
The 'send to' command on the context menu is a great way to move files around quickly, but by default it doesn't contain very many useful destinations. Fortunately there's an easy way to add more shortcuts, making 'send to' a quick and powerful way to move files where you want them most in Windows
To add 'send to' destinations go to 'c:\documents and settings\(your user name)\sendto' .
Note that this is a hidden folder by default, and you will have to have enabled the 'show hidden files and folders' option in the 'tools\folder options\view' menu of explorer before you can see it.
This folder contains the shortcuts that the 'sendto' command uses for its list of destinations. Simply create a shortcut for the directory or program you want to use and drag-and-drop it into the 'sendto' folder to add that destination.
Using 'Groups' in Windows Explorer
Displaying items by group is a convenient feature available in Windows Explorer, but one that many people do not know about or use. Give it a try and maybe you'll discover an easier way to organize your cluttered folders.
To use groups in Windows Explorer navigate to the folder you wish to group and go to 'view\arrange icons by\' then select the 'show in groups' option. Now, whenever you choose an 'arrange icons by' option such as name, date modified or size, Explorer will group them in categories depending on each file's properties.
This is especially handy when searching for files of a specific type.
Vista Tweak 3
Enable more simultaneous Downloads in Firefox
If you prefer to use Firefox (which, like IE7 defaults to only two persistent connections to a given server), here's the Firefox-approved version of the above tip:
Open Firefox and type 'about:config' in the address bar.
Scroll down to the 'network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server' entry.
Double click the entry and change the value to anywhere from 4 to 10.
Restart Firefox.
Stop Automatic Grouping of Taskbar Programs
If you're not fond of the way that Windows XP groups similar icons together into a single entry on the taskbar (a group of Internet Explorer Windows for example), you can restore the default taskbar behaviour of previous versions of Windows quite easily.
I find that the default setting annoys me to no end, so this is one of the first tips in the guide that I employed personally. Right click on an empty area of the taskbar or start button and click 'properties.' Choose the 'taskbar' tab and uncheck the 'group similar taskbar buttons' option. There, all done!
Close Multiple Desktop Windows Fast
If you've opened several related windows, there's an easy way to close all of them fast.
Simply hold down the SHIFT key as you click on the X button to close the most recent of the windows. This will close all the windows related to the one you clicked on. This is great for getting rid of all those job search pages when the boss walks by your desk. ;-)
If you prefer to use Firefox (which, like IE7 defaults to only two persistent connections to a given server), here's the Firefox-approved version of the above tip:
Open Firefox and type 'about:config' in the address bar.
Scroll down to the 'network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server' entry.
Double click the entry and change the value to anywhere from 4 to 10.
Restart Firefox.
Stop Automatic Grouping of Taskbar Programs
If you're not fond of the way that Windows XP groups similar icons together into a single entry on the taskbar (a group of Internet Explorer Windows for example), you can restore the default taskbar behaviour of previous versions of Windows quite easily.
I find that the default setting annoys me to no end, so this is one of the first tips in the guide that I employed personally. Right click on an empty area of the taskbar or start button and click 'properties.' Choose the 'taskbar' tab and uncheck the 'group similar taskbar buttons' option. There, all done!
Close Multiple Desktop Windows Fast
If you've opened several related windows, there's an easy way to close all of them fast.
Simply hold down the SHIFT key as you click on the X button to close the most recent of the windows. This will close all the windows related to the one you clicked on. This is great for getting rid of all those job search pages when the boss walks by your desk. ;-)
Vista Tweak
Disable security notifications
If you've made one or two of the changes in this article, like disabling UAC for example, and are getting fed up with the Windows security center notifications popping up in the taskbar and nagging you about what you've done, here's how to disable them.
To disable Windows Vista security Center notification:
Open the 'start' menu and type 'service.msc' in the search bar. Do not press Enter.
Mouse up to the 'services.msc' search result, right-click it and choose 'run as administrator' (this is assuming you have not already disabled UAC as per tip#11, in which case the run-as is not necessary).
In the services window, scroll down to the 'Security Center' service, right click it and hit 'properties'.
In the 'startup type' dropdown box, change the value to 'disabled', then click the 'stop' button below to stop the service immediately. Hit 'ok.
Enable more simultaneous downloads in Internet Explorer 7
As was the case with Windows XP, the version of Internet Explorer bundled with Windows Vista is limited to just two simultaneous connections to the same Internet server. This is generally fine, but it can mean that large complicated websites can take longer to open than they should, and it also means that you cannot download more than two files simultaneously from the same location. Fortunately this is easy enough to change.
To increase the number of simultaneous downloads in IE 7:
Open Regedit and navigate to 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings'
Create a new Dword value called 'MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server' and give it a decimal value between 3 and 5.
Create another new Dword called 'MaxConnectionsPerServer' and give it an identical decimal value.
Close Regedit and restart IE to take better advantage of your bandwidth.
If you've made one or two of the changes in this article, like disabling UAC for example, and are getting fed up with the Windows security center notifications popping up in the taskbar and nagging you about what you've done, here's how to disable them.
To disable Windows Vista security Center notification:
Open the 'start' menu and type 'service.msc' in the search bar. Do not press Enter.
Mouse up to the 'services.msc' search result, right-click it and choose 'run as administrator' (this is assuming you have not already disabled UAC as per tip#11, in which case the run-as is not necessary).
In the services window, scroll down to the 'Security Center' service, right click it and hit 'properties'.
In the 'startup type' dropdown box, change the value to 'disabled', then click the 'stop' button below to stop the service immediately. Hit 'ok.
Enable more simultaneous downloads in Internet Explorer 7
As was the case with Windows XP, the version of Internet Explorer bundled with Windows Vista is limited to just two simultaneous connections to the same Internet server. This is generally fine, but it can mean that large complicated websites can take longer to open than they should, and it also means that you cannot download more than two files simultaneously from the same location. Fortunately this is easy enough to change.
To increase the number of simultaneous downloads in IE 7:
Open Regedit and navigate to 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings'
Create a new Dword value called 'MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server' and give it a decimal value between 3 and 5.
Create another new Dword called 'MaxConnectionsPerServer' and give it an identical decimal value.
Close Regedit and restart IE to take better advantage of your bandwidth.
Vista Tweak
Reduce start menu opening delay
If the Vista interface seems sluggish to you, this tip may help things feel a little more frisky by boosting the speed of the start menu.
To reduce start menu opening time:
Open the 'start' menu, type 'regedit' and hit Enter.
Navigate to 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop'
Double click on the 'MenuShowDelay' value and change its value to 150.
Disable mandatory thumbnail previews
By default, Windows Vista renders nearly every directory in thumbnails, which can be a good thing, but can also be a pain if you've got a lot of files and little memory. If you'd like to go back to the XP-centric explorer where thumbs where an option not a mandate, it's easy enough to do, fortunately.
To disable automatic thumbnail previews:
Go to 'start/computer.'
open the 'organize' menu and choose 'folder and search options.'
Choose the view tab and place a check next to the 'always show icons, never thumbnails' option at the top. Hit 'ok.'
Create desktop shutdown and reboot icons
If you're fed up with the arcane operations of the new Vista start menu shutdown dialog and want a simple way to restart your system, consider creating shutdown and restart icons right on the desktop.
To do this:
Right click on an empty area of the desktop and select 'new\shortcut'.
In the location text box, type 'Shutdown.exe -s -t 00' for a shutdown icon or ' Shutdown.exe -r -t 00' for a restart icon. Hit 'next' and give the new shortcut an appropriate name like "shutdown".
If the Vista interface seems sluggish to you, this tip may help things feel a little more frisky by boosting the speed of the start menu.
To reduce start menu opening time:
Open the 'start' menu, type 'regedit' and hit Enter.
Navigate to 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop'
Double click on the 'MenuShowDelay' value and change its value to 150.
Disable mandatory thumbnail previews
By default, Windows Vista renders nearly every directory in thumbnails, which can be a good thing, but can also be a pain if you've got a lot of files and little memory. If you'd like to go back to the XP-centric explorer where thumbs where an option not a mandate, it's easy enough to do, fortunately.
To disable automatic thumbnail previews:
Go to 'start/computer.'
open the 'organize' menu and choose 'folder and search options.'
Choose the view tab and place a check next to the 'always show icons, never thumbnails' option at the top. Hit 'ok.'
Create desktop shutdown and reboot icons
If you're fed up with the arcane operations of the new Vista start menu shutdown dialog and want a simple way to restart your system, consider creating shutdown and restart icons right on the desktop.
To do this:
Right click on an empty area of the desktop and select 'new\shortcut'.
In the location text box, type 'Shutdown.exe -s -t 00' for a shutdown icon or ' Shutdown.exe -r -t 00' for a restart icon. Hit 'next' and give the new shortcut an appropriate name like "shutdown".
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