Tweak It and Freak It
A Killer Guide to Making Windows Run Your Way
Hundreds of millions of people use Windows every day, and it’s a safe bet that some of them would not describe themselves as happy campers. Regardless of skill level, most people have something they dislike about Windows, and they often have a whole laundry list of Windows gripes. “Why can’t Windows do this rather than that?” “Why does Windows do X instead of Y?” “Wouldn’t it be great if Windows could do Z?”
Most people think Windows is set in stone, but it isn’t! Strip off that veneer and a whole world comes into view, one that’s hackable, moddable, tweakable, customizable, and personalizable. This book shows you the tools and technologies that anyone can use to hack almost every aspect of Windows, from startup to shutdown, from the interface to the Internet, from security to scripting.
• Speed up your tired PC with a fistful of easy-to-do, but oh so powerful tweaks!
• Tired of looking at the same old Windows day in and day out? So are we! That’s why we show you how to give Windows a makeover!
• Want to be more productive at work or home? This book is full of productivity tweaks that not only make Windows more fun to use, but also save you tons of time.
• Create custom backup routines that safeguard your precious data.
• Tighten the security of your PC and your network to stop would-be thieves in their tracks.
• Dual-boot Windows XP and Vista on the same machine, or dare we say it, run MacOS on your PC! We won’t tell.
Paul McFedries is a passionate computer tinkerer and Windows expert. He is the author of more than 60 computer books that have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. His recent titles include the Sams Publishing books Windows Vista Unleashed, Second Edition, and Windows Home Server Unleashed, and the Que Publishing books Build It. Fix It. Own It. : Networking with Windows Vista, Formulas and Functions with Microsoft Excel 2007, Tricks of the Microsoft Office 2007 Gurus, and Microsoft Access 2007 Forms, Reports, and Queries. Paul is also the proprietor of Word Spy (www.wordspy.com), a website devoted to tracking new words and phrases as they enter the English language.
CATEGORY: Windows Operating System
COVERS: Windows Vista and XP
USER LEVEL: Beginning-Intermediate
Tweak It and Freak It
A Killer Guide to Making Windows Run Your Way
Hundreds of millions of people use Windows every day, and it’s a safe bet that some of them would not describe themselves as happy campers. Regardless of skill level, most people have something they dislike about Windows, and they often have a whole laundry list of Windows gripes. “Why can’t Windows do this rather than that?” “Why does Windows do X instead of Y?” “Wouldn’t it be great if Windows could do Z?”
Most people think Windows is set in stone, but it isn’t! Strip off that veneer and a whole world comes into view, one that’s hackable, moddable, tweakable, customizable, and personalizable. This book shows you the tools and technologies that anyone can use to hack almost every aspect of Windows, from startup to shutdown, from the interface to the Internet, from security to scripting.
• Speed up your tired PC with a fistful of easy-to-do, but oh so powerful tweaks!
• Tired of looking at the same old Windows day in and day out? So are we! That’s why we show you how to give Windows a makeover!
• Want to be more productive at work or home? This book is full of productivity tweaks that not only make Windows more fun to use, but also save you tons of time.
• Create custom backup routines that safeguard your precious data.
• Tighten the security of your PC and your network to stop would-be thieves in their tracks.
• Dual-boot Windows XP and Vista on the same machine, or dare we say it, run MacOS on your PC! We won’t tell.
Paul McFedries is a passionate computer tinkerer and Windows expert. He is the author of more than 60 computer books that have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. His recent titles include the Sams Publishing books Windows Vista Unleashed, Second Edition, and Windows Home Server Unleashed, and the Que Publishing books Build It. Fix It. Own It. : Networking with Windows Vista, Formulas and Functions with Microsoft Excel 2007, Tricks of the Microsoft Office 2007 Gurus, and Microsoft Access 2007 Forms, Reports, and Queries. Paul is also the proprietor of Word Spy (www.wordspy.com), a website devoted to tracking new words and phrases as they enter the English language.
CATEGORY: Windows Operating System
COVERS: Windows Vista and XP
USER LEVEL: Beginning-Intermediate
Tweak It and Freak It: A Killer Guide to Making Windows Run Your Way
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Tweak It and Freak It: A Killer Guide to Making Windows Run Your Way
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Overview
Tweak It and Freak It
A Killer Guide to Making Windows Run Your Way
Hundreds of millions of people use Windows every day, and it’s a safe bet that some of them would not describe themselves as happy campers. Regardless of skill level, most people have something they dislike about Windows, and they often have a whole laundry list of Windows gripes. “Why can’t Windows do this rather than that?” “Why does Windows do X instead of Y?” “Wouldn’t it be great if Windows could do Z?”
Most people think Windows is set in stone, but it isn’t! Strip off that veneer and a whole world comes into view, one that’s hackable, moddable, tweakable, customizable, and personalizable. This book shows you the tools and technologies that anyone can use to hack almost every aspect of Windows, from startup to shutdown, from the interface to the Internet, from security to scripting.
• Speed up your tired PC with a fistful of easy-to-do, but oh so powerful tweaks!
• Tired of looking at the same old Windows day in and day out? So are we! That’s why we show you how to give Windows a makeover!
• Want to be more productive at work or home? This book is full of productivity tweaks that not only make Windows more fun to use, but also save you tons of time.
• Create custom backup routines that safeguard your precious data.
• Tighten the security of your PC and your network to stop would-be thieves in their tracks.
• Dual-boot Windows XP and Vista on the same machine, or dare we say it, run MacOS on your PC! We won’t tell.
Paul McFedries is a passionate computer tinkerer and Windows expert. He is the author of more than 60 computer books that have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. His recent titles include the Sams Publishing books Windows Vista Unleashed, Second Edition, and Windows Home Server Unleashed, and the Que Publishing books Build It. Fix It. Own It. : Networking with Windows Vista, Formulas and Functions with Microsoft Excel 2007, Tricks of the Microsoft Office 2007 Gurus, and Microsoft Access 2007 Forms, Reports, and Queries. Paul is also the proprietor of Word Spy (www.wordspy.com), a website devoted to tracking new words and phrases as they enter the English language.
CATEGORY: Windows Operating System
COVERS: Windows Vista and XP
USER LEVEL: Beginning-Intermediate
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780768686715 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Pearson Education |
| Publication date: | 03/27/2009 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 480 |
| File size: | 18 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
IntroductionIntroduction
In this Introduction
- Who Should Read This Book?
- Conventions Used in This Book
Hundreds of millions of people use Windows every day, and it’s a safe bet that some of them would not describe themselves as happy Windows campers. Regardless of skill level, most people have something they dislike about Windows, and they often have a whole laundry list of gripes. “Why can’t Windows do this rather than that?” “Why does Windows do X instead of Y?” “Wouldn’t it be great if Windows could do Z?” Scratch the surface of most Windows users and you’ll come upon a seething cauldron of unmet needs, unrequited desires, and unending frustration at being stuck with Windows the way it is.
However, a funny thing happens when you tell people that it doesn’t have to be this way, that they don’t have to put up with the out-of-the-box Windows experience: An initial skepticism soon gives way and their eyes light up with an almost forgotten feeling—hope. Specifically, the hope that they really can make Windows smarter, safer, faster, more flexible, and more aligned to their needs.
The secret behind this hope? Tweaks, tweaks, and more tweaks! Most people think that Windows is set in stone, but that apparently solid surface is really just a thin veneer that Microsoft slaps onto Windows to ensure that new and fumble-fingered users don’t get into trouble. Strip off that veneer and a whole world comes into view, one that’s eminently tweakable, moddable, hackable, customizable, and personalizable. Within this world lie tools and technologies that anyone can use to tweak and tune almost every aspect of Windows, from startup to shutdown, from the interface to the Internet, from security to scripting.
Tweak It and Freak It: A Killer Guide to Making Windows Run Your Way is your guide to this tweakable Windows landscape. With a lighthearted and lightly irreverent tone, and with a bare minimum of jargon and technical claptrap, this book takes you through hundreds of useful, unique, and easy tweaks designed to improve Windows Vista and Windows XP. The key words here are useful, unique, and easy:
- Useful—Any monkey can, say, reverse the interface shadows, but what’s the point of doing that? In this book, if a hack doesn’t help you get your work done, solve a problem, or make Windows more secure or reliable, it didn’t make the cut.
- Unique—There are lots of Windows tweaks available on the Internet and in other books, so you certainly don’t want another conglomeration of the same old Registry hacks. Instead, this book presents a fresh collection of tweaks that include many custom hacks that I’ve built over the years.
- Easy—A tweak that takes you an hour to implement and yet saves only a few seconds a day isn’t much of a tweak. This book focuses on tweaks that you can implement with a few steps, or with easy-to-understand plug-and-play scripts.
My goal with this book is to empower you to take a hands-on, do-it-yourself approach to tweaking Windows. In the end, you’ll no longer have a version of Windows that Microsoft thinks you should have, but rather a tweaked and tuned version that suits the way you work and play.
Who Should Read This Book?
This book is aimed at Windows users who have a gripe, a beef, or an ax to grind and are looking for ways to overcome their Windows woes and shortcomings with targeted, easy-to-implement tweaks and tune-ups. This book will also appeal to curious users who want to travel down different Windows roads, rebellious users who want to thumb their noses at standard-issue Windows techniques, and power users who want to get the most of Windows.
To that end, this book includes the following features:
- A focus on practical, useful tweaks rather than mere tricks.
- Tweaks for both Windows Vista and Windows XP.
- Icons that show you which operating systems the tweak works with and the difficulty level of each tweak.
- Unique tweaks, many of which have never been seen before.
- Explanations of key concepts for novice users.
- In-depth coverage of the inner workings of each hack for more experienced users.
- A friendly and lightly humorous tone that I trust will make you feel at home with the subject and keep boredom at bay.
To make your life easier, this book includes various features and conventions that help you get the most out of this book:
Steps | Throughout the book, I’ve broken many building, upgrading, and repairing tasks into easy-to-follow step-by-step procedures. |
Things you type | Whenever I suggest that you type something, what you type appears in a bold monospace font. |
Filenames, folder names, and code | These things appear in a monospace font. |
Commands | Commands and their syntax use the monospace font, too. Command placeholders (which stand for what you actually type) appear in an italic monospace font. |
Pull-down menu commands | I use the following style for all application menu commands: Menu, Command, where Menu is the name of the menu you pull down and Command is the name of the command you select. Here’s an example: File, Open. This means that you pull down the File menu and select the Open command. |
This book also uses the following boxes to draw your attention to important (or merely interesting) information:
Note - ?The Note box presents asides that give you more information about the current topic. These tidbits provide extra insights that offer a better understanding of the task.
Tip - The Tip box tells you about methods that are easier, faster, or more efficient than the standard methods.
Caution - The all-important Caution box tells you about potential accidents waiting to happen. There are always ways to mess things up when you're working with computers. These boxes help you avoid those traps and pitfalls.
Online Chapters
I had such a good time writing this book that I actually ended up writing too much! Way too much, in fact, but that’s not a problem in this day and age because what wouldn’t fit between the covers of the book can easily fit between the covers of my website. And that’s just what I’ve done: Six of this book’s chapters are available online at my site. Just point your favorite web browser to http://www.mcfedries.com/TweakItFreakIt.
These files are also freely available from Que Publishing at http://www.informit.com/title/0789738228. There, you’ll also find information on Que’s other products.
© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Tweak It and Freak It!
Who Should Read This Book? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Conventions Used in This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Part I: Two Dozen Easy and Essential Windows Tweaks
1 Vital Performance Tweaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Silence the Graphical Bells and Whistles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Tuning Graphics Performance Using Visual Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Tuning Graphics Performance in Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Boost Vista Performance Using a Flash Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Ensure Windows Is Optimized for Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Enable Your Hard Drive’s Advanced Performance Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
2 Crucial Security Tweaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Thwart Snoops by Locking Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Start Your Computer More Securely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Take Steps to Thwart Crackers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Take Steps to Thwart Viruses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
3 Indispensable Interface Tweaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Add the Handy Run Command to Vista’s Start Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Make Files Make Sense by Showing Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Give Your Eyes a Rest by Turning on ClearType . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Activating ClearType in Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Activating ClearType in XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Automatically Move the Mouse to the Default Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
4 Terrific Web Tweaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Load Multiple Home Pages at Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Become an Address Bar Guru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Switch to New Tabs Right Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Disable Annoying Animated GIFs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
5 Easy Email Tweaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Stop Windows from Adding Recipients to Your Contacts List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Check Account Messages from Multiple Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Send Messages Through a Custom SMTP Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Configure Replies to Go to a Different Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
6 Fundamental File Tweaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Easily Select Files and Folders Using Check Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Save Time by Stopping Delete Confirmations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Search Smarter with Customized Start Menu Searching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Open a Document Using a Different Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Part II: Even More Ways to Make Windows Safe and Secure
7 Keeping the Bad Guys at Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Sneakily Hide Usernames in the Logon Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Rename Built-In Accounts for Better Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Sniff Out Logon Failures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Max Out Security by Encrypting Important Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
8 Configuring Internet Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Make Sure Your Firewall Is Up to Snuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
Create a Windows Firewall Exception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Activating an Existing Exception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Adding a Program as a New Exception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
Adding a Port as a New Exception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Example: Accessing Your Web Server Over the Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Boost Email Security by Reading Messages in Plain Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
Reduce Spam by Blocking Messages from Certain Countries or Languages . . . . . . . . . .95
9 Maintaining Your Privacy on the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Cover Your Tracks by Deleting Your Browsing History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
Clear the Address Bar List Without Also Clearing Your History List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Cover Your Online Tracks by Deleting Your Google Web History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Keep a Site’s Hands Off Your PC by Blocking Cookies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Surf Anonymously with a Proxy Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .112
Using a Web Proxy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Configuring Internet Explorer to Use a Proxy Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
Part III: Getting the Most Out of User Accounts
10 Tweaking Windows for Safe and Fun Family U se . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Get Control by Turning on Parental Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Keep Your PC Safe with a List of Allowed Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Maintain Balance by Enforcing Computer Time Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Let Kids Surf Safely with a List of Allowed Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Keep the Online World at Bay by Blocking File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
11 More User Account Tweaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
Prevent Elevation for All Standard Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .125
Close Off Your Computer by Disabling All Other Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Use the Guest Account to Give Folks Temporary Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
Determine Who Is Logged On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
12 Taking Advantage of the Administrator Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
Activate the Administrator Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
Make the Administrator Account More Secure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
Run Command Prompt as the Administrator Automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Run a Script as the Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
Install and Run an Older Program as the Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
13 Crucial Password Hacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
Bulletproof Your Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146
Set a Minimum Password Length and Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
Require Users to Change Their Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .150
Prevent People from Reusing Old Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
Recover from a Forgotten Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .155
Part IV: Tuning Windows Performance
14 General Performance Tweaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
Start Faster by Disabling the Windows Startup GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
Save Time by Logging On Automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161
Speed Up a Program by Changing Its Execution Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163
Open Files and Folders with a Click . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164
Disable Services for Faster Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166
Make Windows Shut Down Services Faster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
15 Streamlining the Start Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
Pin a Program to the Start Menu for Easy Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
Convert Start Menu Links to Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
Make the Start Menu Appear More Quickly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
Prevent the Start Menu from Highlighting New Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
Get Rid of Start Menu Icons You Don’t Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
16 Speeding Up Your Web Surfing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
Use Any Search Engine from the Address Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
Create a Custom Search Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
Make Tabs More Efficient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189
Speed Up Web Surfing with OpenDNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190
Access Common Sites Faster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
Part V: Customizing the Interface
17 Giving Windows a Makeover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
Hide Some (or Even All) Notification Area Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
Get Control of Taskbar Grouping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
Turn Off Vista’s Aero Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202
18 Useful Interface Tweaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205
Widen the Blinking Cursor to Make It Easier to See . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205
Make Text Easier to Read by Adjusting the Font Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
Run Windows with Three or More Monitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209
19 Useful and Fun Interface Mods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
Give Windows a Custom Logo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
Give Windows XP a Custom Logo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216
Give Windows Vista a Custom Logo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220
Customize the Places Bar for Easier Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
Customizing the Places Bar via Group Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223
Customizing the Places Bar via the Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
Display Multiple Clocks for Different Time Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
Part VI: Playing with Media
20 Modding Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229
Rip It Your Way with Custom Rip Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230
Selecting a Location and Filename Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230
Choosing the Recording File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231
Specifying the Quality of the Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
Rip Music to a Network Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .234
Share Media Over Your Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
21 Tweaking Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
Fix a Photo by Removing Red Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
Crop a Photo to Get Rid of Unwanted Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
Configure Custom Photo Import Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243
Stitch Multiple Photos into a Panorama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245
Publish Photos to Your Flickr Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247
22 Customizing Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249
Record TV Shows to a Network Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250
Edit Ads from a Recorded TV Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .252
Compress Video Files to Save Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254
Part VII: Hacking the File System
23 Handy File and Folder Tweaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257
Delete the Oldest Files in a Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257
Rename Multiple Files in One Fell Swoop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261
Open a Folder at the Command Prompt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .262
Tweaking XP to Open a Folder at the Command Prompt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262
Tweaking Vista to Open a Folder at the Command Prompt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264
Fix Permission Problems by Taking Ownership of Your Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265
24 Dealing with Disk Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .269
Schedule Automatic Defrags in XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269
Divide Your Hard Drive into Two Partitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273
Determine a Remote Computer’s Disk Drive Free Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276
Create an Instant Restore Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280
Move the Paging File to a Faster Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .282
25 Super Searching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .285
Add Folders to the Search Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286
Create Powerful Searches Using Properties and Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287
Search for Files Using Natural Language Queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .291
Make Searches More Targeted by Finding Only Exact Matches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293
Save Searches to Save Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .294
26 Building Better Backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297
Back Up to a Network Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297
Back Up to a Network in Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298
Back Up to a Network in Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .300
Create a Backup of Your Entire Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302
Back Up Your Entire Computer in Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302
Back Up Your Entire Computer in Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303
Recover from Disaster Using Your Complete PC Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .304
Recover from Disaster in Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .305
Recover from Disaster in Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306
Restore an XP Backup to Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307
Use XP’s Backup Utility in Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309
27 Customizing the File System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313
Customize the New Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314
Customize the Open With List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317
Removing an Application from a File Type’s Open With Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .318
Removing a Program from the Open With List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319
Adding a Program to the Open With List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319
Disabling the Open With Check Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319
Add Tabs to Windows Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .320
Part VIII: Taking Networks to a New Level
28 Working with Network Computers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323
Give a Computer a Static IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .324
Make XP Computers Appear in Vista’s Network Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327
Access Mac Shares via Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331
29 Tightening Network Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335
Lock Down Network Shares with Advanced Security Permissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335
Easy and Flexible Network Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .336
Easy and Secure Network Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337
Flexible and Secure Network Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .338
Creating User Accounts for Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .338
Hide Your Shared Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .340
Hide a Shared Folder in Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .340
Hide a Shared Folder in Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .341
Viewing a Hidden Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341
Disable the Hidden Administrative Shares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .342
Remove Stored Remote Desktop Credentials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .343
30 Making Remote Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .345
Configure Windows as a Remote Desktop Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .346
Configuring Vista to Act as a Remote Desktop Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .346
Configuring XP to Act as a Remote Desktop Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349
Installing Remote Desktop on an XP Client Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .350
Connect to a Remote Desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .350
Connect to Your Desktop via the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .354
Changing the Listening Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .355
Configuring Windows Firewall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .356
Determining the Host IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .356
Setting Up Port Forwarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .357
Connecting Using the IP Address and New Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358
Configure a Network Computer for Remote Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358
Connect to a Remote Computer with a Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .359
Determine a Remote Computer’s Windows Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .362
Determine a Remote Computer’s Service Pack Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .364
31 Tweaking Wireless Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .367
Ramp Up Wireless Network Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .368
Connect to a Hidden Wireless Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .371
Connect to a Hidden Wireless Network in Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .371
Connect to a Hidden Wireless Network in Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .372
Create Your Own Ad Hoc Wireless Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .374
Create an Ad Hoc Wireless Network in Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .374
Create an Ad Hoc Wireless Network in Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .376
Part IX: Modding Programs
32 Running Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .379
Use the Windows Key to Start Quick Launch Programs in Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .380
Make a Program Think It’s Running Under an Earlier Version of Windows . . . . . . . . . . . .381
Set Up a Program to Launch Automatically at Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .384
Using the Startup Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .384
Using the Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .385
Using Group Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .386
Prevent Programs from Starting Automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .388
33 More Program Tweaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .391
Restrict a Program to a Single CPU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .391
Remove Hidden Windows Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .393
Shut Down Hung Programs Automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .395
Write a Complete List of Installed Programs to a Text File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .396
Reset a Broken Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .398
Part X: Tools for Tweaking Windows
34 Tweaking Windows with the Registry Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .401
Firing Up the Registry Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .402
Taking a Tour of the Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .403
Getting Around in the Keys Pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .403
Understanding Registry Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .404
Keeping the Registry Safe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .405
Preventing Other Folks from Messing with the Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .406
Backing Up the Registry in Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .407
Backing Up the Registry in XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .407
Saving the Current Registry State with System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .408
Protecting Keys by Exporting Them to Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .409
Working with Registry Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .410
Changing the Value of a Registry Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .410
Renaming a Key or Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .416
Creating a New Key or Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .416
Deleting a Key or Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .417
Finding Registry Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .417
35 Controlling Windows with the Group Policy Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .419
Understanding Group Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .420
Group Policy Editor and Windows Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .420
Launching the Group Policy Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .421
Working with Group Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .422
36 Running the Command Prompt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .425
Starting a Command Prompt Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .426
Running Command Prompt as the Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .427
Using CMD.EXE Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .428
Running Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .429
Running Internal and External Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .429
Adding Parameters and Switches to a Command Prompt Command . . . . . . . . . . . . .430
Working with Long Filenames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .432
Starting Applications from Command Prompt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .433
Recalling and Editing Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .435
Recalling Command Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .435
Entering Multiple Commands on a Single Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .436
Editing Command Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .436
Sharing Data Between the Command Prompt and Windows Applications . . . . . . . . . .437
Copying Text from the Command Prompt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .437
Pasting Text to the Command Prompt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .438
37 Running Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .439
Understanding Windows Script Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .440
Introducing Script Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .441
Running Script Files Directly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .442
Using WScript for Windows-Based Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .442
Using CScript for Command-Line Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .444
Script Properties and .wsh Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .445
Index
ONLINE CHAPTERS
XI Hacking Hardware
W1 Device Driver Tweaks
W2 Dealing with Devices
XII Customizing Windows Startup and Shutdown
W3 Creating Your Own Custom Startup
W4 Customizing Windows Restarts and Shutdowns
W5 Dual-Booting Windows with Other Operating Systems
W6 Running Mac OS X Under Windows
Preface
IntroductionIntroduction
In this Introduction
- Who Should Read This Book?
- Conventions Used in This Book
Hundreds of millions of people use Windows every day, and it’s a safe bet that some of them would not describe themselves as happy Windows campers. Regardless of skill level, most people have something they dislike about Windows, and they often have a whole laundry list of gripes. “Why can’t Windows do this rather than that?” “Why does Windows do X instead of Y?” “Wouldn’t it be great if Windows could do Z?” Scratch the surface of most Windows users and you’ll come upon a seething cauldron of unmet needs, unrequited desires, and unending frustration at being stuck with Windows the way it is.
However, a funny thing happens when you tell people that it doesn’t have to be this way, that they don’t have to put up with the out-of-the-box Windows experience: An initial skepticism soon gives way and their eyes light up with an almost forgotten feeling—hope. Specifically, the hope that they really can make Windows smarter, safer, faster, more flexible, and more aligned to their needs.
The secret behind this hope? Tweaks, tweaks, and more tweaks! Most people think that Windows is set in stone, but that apparently solid surface is really just a thin veneer that Microsoft slaps onto Windows to ensure that new and fumble-fingered users don’t get into trouble. Strip off that veneer and a whole world comes into view, one that’s eminently tweakable, moddable, hackable, customizable, and personalizable. Within this world lie tools andtechnologies that anyone can use to tweak and tune almost every aspect of Windows, from startup to shutdown, from the interface to the Internet, from security to scripting.
Tweak It and Freak It: A Killer Guide to Making Windows Run Your Way is your guide to this tweakable Windows landscape. With a lighthearted and lightly irreverent tone, and with a bare minimum of jargon and technical claptrap, this book takes you through hundreds of useful, unique, and easy tweaks designed to improve Windows Vista and Windows XP. The key words here are useful, unique, and easy:
- Useful—Any monkey can, say, reverse the interface shadows, but what’s the point of doing that? In this book, if a hack doesn’t help you get your work done, solve a problem, or make Windows more secure or reliable, it didn’t make the cut.
- Unique—There are lots of Windows tweaks available on the Internet and in other books, so you certainly don’t want another conglomeration of the same old Registry hacks. Instead, this book presents a fresh collection of tweaks that include many custom hacks that I’ve built over the years.
- Easy—A tweak that takes you an hour to implement and yet saves only a few seconds a day isn’t much of a tweak. This book focuses on tweaks that you can implement with a few steps, or with easy-to-understand plug-and-play scripts.
My goal with this book is to empower you to take a hands-on, do-it-yourself approach to tweaking Windows. In the end, you’ll no longer have a version of Windows that Microsoft thinks you should have, but rather a tweaked and tuned version that suits the way you work and play.
Who Should Read This Book?This book is aimed at Windows users who have a gripe, a beef, or an ax to grind and are looking for ways to overcome their Windows woes and shortcomings with targeted, easy-to-implement tweaks and tune-ups. This book will also appeal to curious users who want to travel down different Windows roads, rebellious users who want to thumb their noses at standard-issue Windows techniques, and power users who want to get the most of Windows.
To that end, this book includes the following features:
- A focus on practical, useful tweaks rather than mere tricks.
- Tweaks for both Windows Vista and Windows XP.
- Icons that show you which operating systems the tweak works with and the difficulty level of each tweak.
- Unique tweaks, many of which have never been seen before.
- Explanations of key concepts for novice users.
- In-depth coverage of the inner workings of each hack for more experienced users.
- A friendly and lightly humorous tone that I trust will make you feel at home with the subject and keep boredom at bay.
To make your life easier, this book includes various features and conventions that help you get the most out of this book:
Steps | Throughout the book, I’ve broken many building, upgrading, and repairing tasks into easy-to-follow step-by-step procedures. |
Things you type | Whenever I suggest that you type something, what you type appears in a bold monospace font. |
Filenames, folder names, and code | These things appear in a monospace font. |
Commands | Commands and their syntax use the monospace font, too. Command placeholders (which stand for what you actually type) appear in an italic monospace font. |
Pull-down menu commands | I use the following style for all application menu commands: Menu, Command, where Menu is the name of the menu you pull down and Command is the name of the command you select. Here’s an example: File, Open. This means that you pull down the File menu and select the Open command. |
This book also uses the following boxes to draw your attention to important (or merely interesting) information:
Note - ?The Note box presents asides that give you more information about the current topic. These tidbits provide extra insights that offer a better understanding of the task.
Tip - The Tip box tells you about methods that are easier, faster, or more efficient than the standard methods.
Online ChaptersCaution - The all-important Caution box tells you about potential accidents waiting to happen. There are always ways to mess things up when you're working with computers. These boxes help you avoid those traps and pitfalls.
I had such a good time writing this book that I actually ended up writing too much! Way too much, in fact, but that’s not a problem in this day and age because what wouldn’t fit between the covers of the book can easily fit between the covers of my website. And that’s just what I’ve done: Six of this book’s chapters are available online at my site. Just point your favorite web browser to http://www.mcfedries.com/TweakItFreakIt.
These files are also freely available from Que Publishing at http://www.informit.com/title/0789738228. There, you’ll also find information on Que’s other products.
© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.