8 Registry Hacks to Tweak Your Windows PC

Microsoft Windows offers a feature-rich interface and several customization options that make it one of the most user friendly operating systems in the world. However, computer geeks would still love to hack the Windows Registry so as to add more extra features and functionalities to their operating system.

If you’re one such geek who would like to customize Windows in your own way, here is a list of 8 interesting registry hacks that you need to try:

1. Disable USB Devices:

Disabling USB ports can be a smart idea to add security to the computer. This can be really handy if the computer is on a public place where the chances of virus and other malware infection is really high. You can easily disable access to USB ports with the following registry hack:

1. Open the Registry Editor (Start -> Run -> Type regedit and hit Enter)
2. In the registry, navigate to the following key:
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor
3. In the right-side pane, double-click on “Start”.
4. In the “Value data” field enter 4 and click on “OK”.
5. Close the Registry Editor and reboot.

To enable USB devices, follow the same procedure as above except in the step-4 enter 3 in the “Value data” field.

Works on Windows XP, Vista and 7.

2. Disable Notification Balloons in Windows 7 and Vista:

You can now disable the annoying notification balloons that keeps popping up frequently with warning messages and reminders. Here is a step-by-step procedure to do that:

1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:
   
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
2. Right-click on the right-hand pane, and create a new “DWORD”.
3. Rename it to EnableBalloonTips, double-click on it and set the “Value data” to 0. Reboot the computer to see the changes in effect.

3. Add “Recycle Bin” to My Computer in Windows 7 and Vista:

Would you like to add the “Recycle Bin” icon to My Computer so that you need not go back to the desktop to access it when required? Well, here is how you can do that:

1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\ NameSpace
2. Right-click on “NameSpace” and select New -> Key. Name the key with the following name:
   
   {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
3. Now, open “My Computer” and hit F5 to refresh the screen. This should show up the “Recycle Bin” icon.

4. Disable the Windows Task Manager:

Need to limit access to your computer by disabling the Task Manager? Here is a simple registry hack to do this:

1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:
   
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies
2. Right-click on “Policies”, select New -> Key and name the key as System.
   
   If you are on Windows XP, you need not create the new key “System” as it is already present in it. So, you can directly navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System in the Step-1 itself.
3. Right-click on “System”, create a new “DWORD” and name it to DisableTaskMgr.
4. Double-click on the DWORD “DisableTaskMgr” and set the “Value data” to 1 (0=Enable, 1=Disable).
5. To enable the Task Manager, Set the “Value data” back to 0.

Works on Windows XP, Vista and 7.

5. Change the Registered Owner and Organization Name:

Here is a simple hack to change the name of the Registered owner on your computer:

1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to:
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
2. On the right-side pane, find the keys RegisteredOwner and RegisteredOrganization. Double-click on them to change the names to whatever you want.
3. To see the changes, right-click on “My Computer” and select “Properties”.

Works on Windows XP, Vista and 7.

6. Add Programs to Windows Startup:

You can now add your favorite programs to Windows Startup without the need for using the start-up folder. Here is a way to do this:

1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:
   
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
2. On the right-side pane, create a new “String Value” and rename it to the name of the program that you want to add (you can give any name, it doesn’t matter).
3. Double-click on the “String Value”, in the “Value data” field add the path of the executable program that has to execute at startup.
4. Reboot the computer to see the changes in effect.

Works on Windows XP, Vista and 7.

7. Add “Pin to Start Menu” Option for Folders in Windows 7 and Vista:

Ever wanted to pin a folder to the start menu to gain faster access to it? Well, it is possible to add the “Pin to Start Menu” option so that you can plug your favorite folders to Start Menu. Here is a step-by-step procedure:

1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to:
   
   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers
2. Right-click on “ContextMenuHandlers” and select New -> Key. Name the key as follows:
   
   {a2a9545d-a0c2-42b4-9708-a0b2badd77c8}
3. Now, whenever you want to add a folder to Start Menu, hold down the Shift key and right-click on the folder. You should see the “Pin to Start Menu” option in the context menu”.

8. Disable “Aero Shake” in Windows 7:

One of the new additions to Windows 7 is the “Aero Shake” feature using which it is possible to grab a window using it’s title bar and shake it. This will minimize all the other open windows if any. It is really a handy feature! However, if you ever wanted to disable this feature, here is a solution:

1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:
   
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
2. Now, right-click on “Windows” key and create a new Key called Explorer.
3. Right-click on the “Explorer” key and create a new “DWORD” called NoWindowMinimizingShortcuts and set it’s value to 1.
4. Close the Registry Editor and reboot the computer to see the changes in effect.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Try the hacks and share your experiences.

Taking a screenshot on a Windows PC

Taking a screenshot on a Windows PC is easy. Taking a screenshot (also called a screen grab, or print screen) can be done in one of several ways. Try any of the techniques listed below.

Steps

Snipping Tool Method

The Snipping Tool method works with Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate, and with Windows Vista editions except Starter and Home Basic. For other versions of Windows, use the Print Screen method described below. For a more detailed tutorial on using the Snipping tool, see How to Take a Screenshot with the Snipping Tool.

1. 1
   Open the Snipping Tool. The Snipping Tool is found in Start/All Programs/Accessories/Snipping Tool.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • The Snipping Tool is only found in Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate, and in all Windows Vista versions except Starter and Home Basic. If you don't have the snipping tool, use the Print Screen method instead.
2. 2
   Choose the kind of screenshot (snip) you would like to take. "Rectangular Snip" is chosen by default.
   
   
   
   
   • "Free-form Snip" lets you draw an area of any shape. Only the area you drew will be snipped.
   • "Rectangular Snip" lets you select a rectangular area, which will be snipped.
   • "Window Snip" lets you choose a window to snip.
   • "Full-screen Snip" snips the whole screen, with all windows (except the Snipping Tool window) included.
3. 3
   Select the area that you want a screenshot of. If you chose "Window Snip", select a window instead. If you chose "Full-Screen Snip", go to the next step.
   
   
   
   
4. 4
   Save the screenshot by clicking the floppy disk icon in the window that pops up. Type in a name for the screenshot and change the "Save as type:" field if desired. Read the "Tips" section for information on file types. You can now send the screenshot by email or put it on a website.
   
   
   Posted By: Gautham Haridas, via http://wiki-trickz.blogspot.com

Enable Task Manager disabled by Administrator or Virus in Windows

 Registry Editor is an inbuilt Windows tool that is used to modify registry keys which tell Windows how it should work. A simple registry modification can be used to bypass the Task Manager block. To do so, just follow the 


  steps:-

1. Click on Start. Go to Run. If you use Windows 7 or Windows Vista, go to Search.
2. Type regedit and press Enter. Registry Editor will start. If Registry Editor is also disabled, you will first need to enable registry editing.
3. Through the left hand navigation pane, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Windows\ Current Version\Policies\System.
4. In the work area, double click on "Disable TaskMgr". A window will pop up.
5. Enter its value data as 0 and press OK.
6. Close Registry Editor. If Task Manager is still disabled, restart your computer.

                                                               OR 

Create a Registry(.reg) file for enabling Task Manager

If you are unfamiliar with manually editing the Registry, you can create a Registry file which will automatically modify the Registry Key to re-enable Task Managing. To create one such file:-

1. Open Notepad or any other text editor.
2. Copy the code given below and paste it as it is in it.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Policies\System] “DisableTaskMgr”  =dword:00000000

3. Save the file as Enable Task Manager.reg or *.reg.
4. Open the file by double clicking on it.
5. Registry Editor will ask you for confirmation. In the confirmation Window, click Yes.
6. Task Manager would immediately be accessible. If it is not, restart your computer.

                                                          

               

Trick To Create Invisble Folder Without Name In Windows 7 And Vista

Windows 7 and vista allows you to create an invisible folder without any logo and name.If you have some private data and want to hide it from pirating eyes without using any external software then certainly you will benefit from this tutorial.
If you want to protect your data using password then you can read my post on Axcrypt:Free Encryption Software or Bitlocker Encryption utility
In this tutorial we will protect our data first placing it in an invisible folder and then hiding it so that no one can even accidentaly open that folder.So this will provide you with two level security.
How To Create A Folder Without Name In Windows 7 And Vista?

1. Click on Start Button in taskbar
2. Search For Character Map
3. Open character Map and click on the blank Coloumn
   
4. Now Click on Select Button and then on Copy Button(Now you have copied a blank Space)
5. Create a New folder and Rename it and press Ctrl+V keys from keyboard.

By this time we have created a folder without any name.Now we have to create a folder without any Logo.

How To Create An Invisible Folder  In Windows 7 And Vista?

1. Right click on the folder that you have created without name in the previous step.
2. Click on Properties>>Customise>>Change Icon
3. Now will get a popup windows with various icon.Select the blank Icon

4. Press Ok
By this time you have created an Invisible folder with no logo and no name.
Move all of your private data in this invisible folder.
How To Hide the Invisible Folder In Windows 7 And Vista?

1. Right Click on the Invisible Folder
2. Select Properties and now select the Hidden Checkbox.

By this time you have your data in an invisible folder with no logo,name and which is hidden.So only you can access this folder as only you have knowledge where this invisible folder is stored.
How To Open This Hidden folder?

1.First Make Your Hidden Files,folders visible from  folders options in control panel.You can get a hint on how to do it by clicking here

2.Now go to the drive (location) of your computer where you have created the folder without name and icon.Now press Ctrl+A your folder will get highlighted.

Just open it.