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In Registry Hacks - Part 1 we looked at some ways to modify the Registry Editor to customize Windows 95 icons and menu items. In this article, we'll look at more cool changes you can make, including customizing 3-D effects, adding new sound events, and avoiding exploding windows. Before you try any of these tips, let me take a minute to repeat a word of warning from Part I. I strongly recommend that you get a copy
of the Windows 95 Configuration Backup Utility. It can make as many as to nine separate backups of various configurations,
including all Registry information. For information about obtaining and using this utility, Click Here.
Changing fonts in Internet Explorer Changing fonts in Internet ExplorerYou can modify the size or weight of any of the Internet Explorer fonts. Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT) and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Styles. When you double-click on the Styles folder, a list of all the possible combinations will come up in the right panel. You'll see the style names under the Name field, followed by their data values under the Data field. Double-click on a style name and change its size or weight. Repeat this for all the fonts available for the style you'd like. For easier viewing, you can click and drag on that little border between Name and Data on the Menu bar. If you look closely in the right pane, you'll see several StyleSheet_Names at the bottom of the listing. If you count back up through the style name list, you'll see that there are 13 different settings for each style type. Now go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Styles and rename the Default_Style_Sheet to be the one you just edited. You're done. Restart the Internet Explorer. Three-button mouse trickIf you have a three-button mouse, you'd probably like to have the double-click capability on the middle button. There's no
need to run a program for this in the background, consuming system resources; this option isn't supported by the Control
Panel. But if you have a three-button mouse, such as a Logitech Serial mouse, you can modify the operation of the third key.
Run REGEDIT and locate: Changing 3-D highlight and shadow effectsThe way 3-D objects are highlighted and shadowed is set by default, independently of the button face, but you can change them if you like. Run REGEDIT and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Colors to edit the corresponding Names. Select a name and choose Edit|Modify, then change the RGB data. For example, perhaps you want to swap highlight and shadow for "negative" buttons. Just swap the ButtonHilight Data values with the ButtonShadow values. Adding application events to soundsFirst of all, this isn't what it might sound like. It's not the long way to add sound-event associations for events that you can easily set through the Sounds item in the Control Panel. In fact, it's just the opposite: a way to add the actual "events" that you can associate sounds with later. Run REGEDIT and go to the folder HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps. Right-click on the Apps folder, then choose New|Key from the menu. For the new Key name, use the name of the .EXE file for which you want sounds. (For easier reading, change the key Default from "None" to the name of the application.) Right-click on the key you created with the right mouse button. Choose New|Key. Name this new key Open. Create another new key the same way and name it Close. Go to the Control Panel and double-click the Sounds icon. There you'll find a new item and two subitems, Open program and Close program, for the program you just added to the Registry. Now you can add sound (.WAV) files to them. The next time you Start or Close the .EXE file, the sounds will play. There's no limit to the Registry database, so go ahead and add all the programs and events you like. Eliminate exploding windowsYou can shut off the exploding windows displayed when you minimize and maximize windows. This makes navigating Windows 95 a lot faster, especially for users who don't have super-fast video cards. Run REGEDIT and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics. Right-click an empty space in the right pane, then select New|String Value. Name the new value MinAnimate, then double-click on it. In the "Value data" box, enter a value of 0 for Off or 1 for On, then click OK. Close REGEDIT and all programs and then reboot. Down with the tilde ~Microsoft converts long names to short names by adding a tilde and a numeric character to the end of any name longer than eight characters. For example, the name "Third Quarter Earnings.doc" would be converted to "Thirdq~1.doc." But what if you'd rather have it shortened to "Thirdqua.doc"? You can get around this by modifying the Registry. Warning: This tip is probably not advisable for many users, depending on the applications you run. For example, certain Microsoft installation routines look specifically for "Progra~1" as the location for the Program Files folder. A lot of these undocumented configuration options remain undocumented simply because they weren't successfully fixed during beta testing, so use this one at your OWN RISK! To change the way file names are shortened, Run REGEDIT and open: You have just created a whole new, undocumented entry in the Registry. This will cause the short-name versions of the files to be as close as possible to that of the long name. (For example, "Thiscomputer.doc" will now be "Thiscomp.doc," instead of "Thisco~1.doc.") Windows 95 will add numbers only if you have more than one short name with the same result. Add a new file type to the right-click menuYou can add a new file type to the options that appear when you right-click on the Desktop. In the program that creates the file type you're adding, create a "blank" document. To do this, enter the program, start a new file, and save it right away. Don't forget the file name. Note that you can save any normally used preferences here, which is useful for programs that don't support templates. Copy this file to the \Windows\ShellNew folder (it's a hidden folder). Now start REGEDIT. Under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, find the extension for that file type and right-click on it. Choose New|Key and name it ShellNew. Under this new key, add a new String Value called "FileName." Modify the value of this string (double-click it in the right pane) to be the file name of the blank template file you created. You need to include the extension, but the path is not necessary (the \Windows\ShellNew folder is the default). Your New file menu should now contain an option for your new file type. Note: There are some applications that do their Registry entries a little differently, so you may have to modify the procedure a little. Of course, most of those programs are Windows 95 programs, so they should probably appear anyway on the menu (if they set up a ShellNew entry as they should have). Depending on the application, this procedure may not work. If it doesn't, try using the name "NullFile" and leaving the "Value data" field blank (leave it as "") instead of using the "FileName" convention as mentioned above. Remove the Run command from the Start buttonRun REGEDIT and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. Right-click the String Value named NoRun and choose Modify, then set the Value data to 1. There may also be another String Value here named NoNetHood; when this is set to 0 (zero), it will hide the Network Neighborhood icon on your desktop. Make even stubborn icons disappear from the desktopIf you want to show the door to the InBox, Recycle Bin, or Microsoft Network, here's how: Run REGEDIT and drill down through the layers to find HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace. Click the plus sign (+) next to NameSpace to reveal several numeric fields. Clicking on any one of these will tell you what it is in the right window pane under the Data field. If you decide you really don't want the Inbox, for example, identify it, highlight its numeric string in the left pane, and press Delete. You can always reinstall Microsoft Network or the Inbox later via the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs options, but you'd better be real sure about deleting the Recycle Bin. In the meantime, you can always make a shortcut to the Recycle Bin and put it in your SendTo folder for easy right-click access from anywhere. Here's another nonhack way to remove the Network Neighborhood icon: via the Policy Editor. The Policy Editor is located on the Windows 95 CD under Admin\Apptools\Poledit. Read Poledit.txt for installation instructions. Once Policy Editor is installed, launch it and look under File|Open Registry|Local User|Shell|Restrictions. Put a check next to the "Hide Network Neighborhood" check box or even the "Hide All Items" check box. Rename or relocate essential system foldersYou can rename system folders, but I don't recommend this unless the names of these particular folders absolutely drive you up a tree. Also, just remember that none of these folders should ever be deleted! To change the name or even change the locations of some of these essential folders, run REGEDIT and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\Shell Folders, then edit the data of your choice. Remove those annoying arrows from your Shortcut iconsBefore we get into this one, I want to offer a word of caution. This is one of those hacks that we have to wonder about. That is, should we hack something just because we can do it? The reason I say this is simple: That little arrow represents the only visual cue you have that the object is a shortcut. Without it, how can you tell a shortcut from a file or an application, or even a whole directory? That's just it--you can't. As you know, deleting a shortcut only deletes a pointer to the actual file, app, or directory. You also know what happens when you delete the wrong one. So, think real hard before trying this one. I'm only offering this tip because so many readers have requested it. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile. In the right pane, right-click IsShortcut and choose Rename. Modify the name a bit (I just added the letters OLD to the end of mine). Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\piffile and repeat the above steps. Exit the Registry and restart Windows. No more little arrows! You're on your own. Get Rid of the Logon ScreenWhether or not you're on a local area network, odds are you don't really need the little logon (login) screen asking for your username and password that comes up when starting Windows95. To remove this prompt, follow the following directions:
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