Windows Registry Tips

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Windows Registry Tips

How to add Items to the Start Button using Registry?

The best technique to edit the windows registry keys, always export or backup the whole windows registry keys on backup drive before editing. Because any mistake in Registry can cause serious problem in your computer to run properly.

Follow the given steps to change the Start button setting.

•First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.

•In Registry Editor go to left hand panel, and find HKey_Classes_Root / Directory / Shell

•Here Right click on Shell folder option and add any new key with descriptive name and Press Enter.

•Now Right click on that key and give the full path of that program you are interested to add in start button. For example if you want to add MS excel, then full path may be C:\program file\msoffice\msexcel.EXE.

•Now close all open programs and check the changes in your computer Start button.

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Automatic Screen Refresh Tips


When you are working on your local computer and want to refresh any changes in your system automatically. For example some times you are watching sports results, online Stock Exchange rates and any changes to your hard drive but these changes are not usually refreshed until you press the F5 key on your keyboard.

To refresh your screen automatically you should edit your system Registry. But the best technique to edit the windows registry keys, always export or backup the whole windows registry keys on backup drive before editing. Because any mistake in Registry can cause serious problem in your computer to run properly.

Follow the given steps to change the updates automatically.


•First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.

•In Registry Editor panel go to the path:

•HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / CurrentControlSet /

Control / UpdateMode

•Here in right hand side panel edit the DWORD value to be between 1 and 5.

•Now restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

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Set the status of NUM LOCK key enabled automatically.


You can manage the status of NUM LOCK key is different for each user and you can set its status enable or disable when user logon. NUM LOCK status is disable by default and if you want your NUM LOCK key is enable automatically before a user presses CTRL+ALT+DEL to log on. You need to edit the registry of your computer to change this status enabled.

Follow the given steps to enable NUM LOCK key :

•Click Start button then type regedit in Run option then press Enter for next.

•Here locate the location to:

•HKEY_USERS\.Default\Control Panel\Keyboard

•Here in right side panel, double click on the value InitialKeyboardIndicators then change its value data from 0 to 2.

•Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

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How to change the location of important Folders?


There are some important folders in Windows environments for example My Documents, Start Menu, Favorites and Desktop folders. Windows save these folders in your computer on its default location (normally on Drive C:/). In routine we are using these folders to save our data. To save your important data you can move these folders location to any secure drive like D:/ or E:/. This tip is very important for those who save their data on Desktop or My Documents folders.

Follow the given steps to change the Folder Location setting.

•First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.

•In Registry Editor panel go to the path

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows

\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

• Here in right hand side panel, double click on any folder to change its path.

• Now restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

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Close your non-responsive programs automatically



Normally you end tasks the non-responsive programs manually using windows task manager with (CTRL + ALT +DELETE) keys. Sometimes these non-responsive programs creates problem to run windows and others programs properly. You can configure your computer to manage these non-responsive programs automatically. Windows has a feature that will close all non responding program automatically. If you have little knowledge about editing windows registry then you can configure your computer for this purpose.

Follow the given steps to configure windows registry for auto end task:

•First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option. Here locate the location to:

•Go to Hkey_Current_User\Control Panel\Desktop

•Here in right side panel, double click on AutoEndTasks and here its default value is 0. Now change it to 1. Now windows will close your all non-responsive programs automatically.

•Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

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Edit windows registry keys to change the Registered Owner.



Some time you entered the wrong or invalid registered owner information when you installed the windows. But don't worry you can change the registered owner information any time, if you have little knowledge about editing windows registry.


Follow the given steps to change the owner name:


•First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.

•Here locate the location to:

•Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows NT/CurrentVersion

•Here in right side panel, double click on RegisteredOwner and here change its value data as you wish.

•Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

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How to show your favorite name in windows Taskbar?



In windows XP, you can create a great fun for others by using this trick. You can display your name or any other favorite word in windows taskbar just beside the digital time area and you can surprise your friends to show them your name in windows taskbar. If you have some knowledge to edit the windows control panel settings then you can do it very easily and next time you can reverse these changes same as you done.


Follow the given steps to display the name in windows task bar:


To use this feature, you will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.

First click on windows Start button> Setting then click on Control Panel option.


Here double click on "Regional and Language Options" to edit the Regional default settings.


Now click on Customize button under the "Standard and formats" area, here a new dialog box

title will open with "Customize Regional Options".


Select "Time" tab on the "Customize Regional Options" dialog box.


Now go to "AM symbol" & "PM symbol" and type the name that you want to display in windows

task bar and click on Apply button to affect these settings.


Now click on Ok button to end the process and enjoy you name in windows taskbar.

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How to increase the processor power of your computer?



Today tip is very useful for those users who are still using computer with minimum processor speed. To increase the performance of slow computer, you can force your system to free up the idle tasks that are running in the background and sharing processor power. This end tasks method force the computer to devote its full processor resource to what you want it to do.


Follow the given steps to end the idle tasks:


•To enable this feature, you will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.

•Click Start button and click on Run option.

•In the Run box, type the command Rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks command and press Ok button.


•Here system will take some time to end the background idle tasks.

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Changing the Title on Windows Media Player



You can surprise your friends to show them your name on Window Media Player as Title. If you have some knowledge to edit the windows registry keys then you can do it very easily and next time you can reverse these changes same as you done, but be careful to edit windows registry because any mistake can create problem for windows.


Follow the given steps to change the title bar for windows media player:


•First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.

•Here locate the location to:

HKEY_USERS \ .DEFAULT \ Software \ Policies

\ Microsoft \ WindowsMediaPlayer

•Here right click on right side of Registry editor panel and create a new string value of Title bar and give any name as you want to appear in title bar.

•Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

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How to prevent users from writing to USB drives?



Today USB drive also known as keychain drive is becoming the most popular removable storage device to move data to different locations. USB drives are available in the market with different features, for example password protected, compatible with all windows versions and extra storage capacity (up to 65 GB).

A common security issue at organizations is how to prevent their workers to write data onto USB drives using their PCs, because a user can easily move confidential data for other location.



If you have windows XP with SP2, then you can disable the writing option to USB drives.

Follow the given steps to disable the USB writing option:

To edit the computer registry, first you should log onto your computer with administrative rights.

First click on Start button and type "Regedit" in Run option.

Here locate the location to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control

Here in right side panel, click right to create a key with the name "StorageDevicePolicies".

Now in left side panel, select "StorageDevicePolicies" key, again right click to create new DWORD value then label it "WriteProtect".

Set its value to "1". But again enable this option set its values "0".

Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.