Knowledge Soup

Windows secret

2008-10-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

If you ever lose the Desktop but Explorer is still running with the Start Button,
you can do this to bring back your Desktop in a Windows box.

Click Start
Click Run
Type a period " . "
Then press Enter

Creating a New E-Mail Shortcut
To create a shortcut that will open your default e-mail program starting a new e-mail,

Right click on an open area of the desktop
Select New / Shortcut
For the Command Line, enter mailto:
For the title enter something like New E-Mail
When you click on this your default e-mail program should start with a new e-mail form.

Creating 3D Window Effect
You can create a nice 3D effect for your windows

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER ¥ Control Panel ¥ Colors
Make sure the following setting are there:

ButtonHilight=128 128 128
ButtonShadow=255 255 255

Creating Shutdown, Restart and Logoff Icons
To create the icons, create a shortcut on the desktop.
For Shutdown, the command is C:¥WINDOWS¥RUNDLL.EXE user.exe,exitwindows
For Restart, the command is C:¥WINDOWS¥RUNDLL.EXE user.exe, exit windows exec
For Logoff, the command is C:¥WINDOWS¥RUNDLL.EXE shell32.dll,SHExitWindowsEx 0
Having your Favorites and Start Menus Sort Alphabetically
If your Start Menu Program or Favorites are not sorting alphabetically, it is easy to fix this:

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/MenuOrder
Under here is are Favorites and Start Menu folders
In each there is a value called Order
Simply delete (or rename this) and restart Windows
Your Favorites or Start Menus should now sort alphabetically

Increasing the Icon Cache

Run Reg edit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE¥Software¥Microsoft¥Windows¥CurrentVersion¥explorer
Create a new string called Max Cached Icons
Give it a value of 10000
This will increase response time in windows and give the Shellicon cache file more elbow room.

Make Icons 256 Color 16-Bit

Open the Registry
Hit Ctrl+F
Type Shell Icon BPP
When found, right click the Shell Icon BPP icon
Click Modify
Change the value from 4 to 16
Click Ok
Close the registry
Restart your computer

Removing Shortcut Arrows
An easy way to remove those irritating arrows from your desktop shortcut icons and not change their properties

Right click the Desktop / Properties / Appearance tab
Select Item
Scroll for Icon
The default size is 32
Change this to 30
Clicking Apply

Adding the Control Panel to the Start Menu

Open up the Explorer
Go to ¥WINDOWS¥Start Menu
Right click in the right-hand panel
Add a new folder
Name it Control Panel.{21ec2020-3aea-1069-a2dd-08002b30309d}
This makes getting to the Control Panel items a little easier

Making Desktop Changes Permanent
To make changes to the Desktop like window size, positon after rebooting:

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER¥Software¥Microsoft¥Windows¥CurrentVersion¥Policies¥Explorer
Create a New Binary Value
Name it NoSaveSettings
Give it a value of 01 00 00 00

Easy Shortcuts on the Desktop
Here is an easy way to put shortcuts on the Desktop where they can easily be moved to other group icons.

Using the Explorer, create a SHORTCUT to the ¥Windows¥Desktop directory in your ¥Windows¥SEND TO directory.
Now whenever you want to make a shortcut and move it to the desktop:
Just make the shortcut you want using Explorer
Right click on that shortcut
In the pop up menu select the Send To and Desktop shortcut.

Changing a Folder's Icon
To change the icon of a Folder on desktop:

Using the Explorer, move the folder from the Desktop directory to another directory on the hard drive
Right click on the new folder and select "Create Shortcut"
Move the shortcut to the Desktop
Right click and select a new icon

Full Window Drag ( Without Plus! )

Start Regedit
Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER /ControlPanel /Desktop /DragFullWindows
On "DragFullWindows" properties change 0 to 1

Fixing Corrupted Desktop Icons
Easier way to reset icons then deleting SHELLICONCACHE.
There's no need to exit Win95 and delete the SHELLICONCACHE file in order to reset icons that you may have changed (like Network Neighborhood).

Go to Control Panel, Display, Appearance Tab.
Select Icon from the Item drop down list.
Change the Size up or down one and apply.
Change the Size back to your original and apply.

If your Start Menu is slow or your icons are black for some reason, it means your Shelliconcache file is corrupt and should be deleted.
Delete the hidden file C:¥WINDOWS¥SHELLICONCACHE
It will be recreated the next time you start Win95
Getting Screen Shots
If you need to get a screen shot, and you do not have a screen capture program, try this:

Hit the Print Screen key. This copies a bitmap of the full screen into the Windows clipboard. Start up a graphics editor and paste it in.
Alt + Print Screen will capture only the active window.

Increasing the Size of the Scroll Bar

How to adjust the width of the scroll bar:

Right Click with Mouse on Desktop Area.
Select Properties
Select the Appearance tab
Go to the item list and find scrollbar.
Increasing the value in the Size field will increase the scrollbar width.

Unable to Create Shortcuts on the Desktop
If you can't create shortcuts on your Desktop, you might have a corrupted registry.

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT¥.lnk¥ShellNew¥Command
Make sure it has a value of:
RunDLL32 AppWiz.Cpl,NewLinkHere %1 if you don't have IE 4
or RunDLL32 AppWiz.Cpl,NewLinkHere %2 if you have IE 4.0 or IE 4.01

Removing the InBox from the Desktop
A faster way to remove "Inbox" from the Deskop is to

Right mouse click on "Inbox"
Select delete
It will then tell you "you cannot store the inbox in the recycle bin. . .etc"
Click "Yes"
Wait 2 secs and it's gone.

Customizing Individual Folder Icons
To change a folder's icon:

Open Notepad and enter two lines,

[.ShellClassInfo]
IconFile=file name,number
(e.g. IconFile=C:¥Icon¥CustomFolder.ico,0)

Save the file as DESKTOP.INI in the folder you wish to change.
Click Start -> Run, type in the command line,
ATTRIB +S "folder name"
(e.g. ATTRIB +S "C:¥Custom Folder")
Open Explorer or My Computer and refresh (press F5 key).

This tip only work Windows 95/NT 4.0 + IE 4.0 with shell integration, or Windows 98/NT 5.0.
Removing the Recycle Bin
To remove Recycle Bin from the desktop:

Run REGEDIT.
Find NAMESPACE key in left pane (HKEY_Local_Macine ¥ Software ¥ Microsoft ¥ Windows ¥ Current Version ¥ Explorer ¥ Desktop ¥ Namespace)
Expand NAMESPACE (click '+' box)
Delete the value RECYCLE BIN in right pane

Adding Send To the Recycle Bin
Add a SHORTCUT TO THE RECYCLE BIN in your SEND TO folder.
That way you can just right click on a file you want to delete, and send it to the recycle bin without having to confirm each time.

Having Icons with No Name
Normally you have to have a name for an icon, just spaces are not allowed.
To create an icon with no name attached:

Make sure NumLock is on
Highlight the Icon you want to change
Right-Mouse click and select Rename
While holding down the Alt key, type 0160
Now the icon will have no name below it.

To Create Multiple Icons with No Name -

Follow directions detailed above
With the second icon simply add one space-bar character AFTER the 0160 number.
Each successive icon gets an additional space-bar character at the end (to prevent a duplicate naming error).

Moving the Start Button
How to move or close the start button!

Click on the Start button
Press the Esc key
Press the Alt and the - keys together
This will give you a menu, you can move or close
But if you move it you need to use the arrow keys and not the mouse.

Aligning Drop-Down Menus to the Right
All dropdown menus can be aligned to the right.
This features becomes useful when trying to access
menus with submenus that appear directly to the right.

Open the Registory editor (e.g. regedit.exe)
Goto ¥¥HKEY_CURRENT_USER¥Control Panel¥Desktop
Create a string entry called "MenuDropAlignment"
Set its value to 1
Reboot

Note: Will not work under NT 4.0.
Repositioning a Background Bitmap
Normally, you only options for displaying a background bitmap are tiled, centered, or stretch to fit (with the Plus Pack).
You can edit the registry and have a third option which is to place the bitmap anywhere on your screen by specifying the X and Y coordinates.

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER / Control Panel / Desktop
Create new Strings called WallpaperOriginX and WallpaperOriginY
Give them values to position them around your desktop
The bitmap must be smaller than your desktop size

Changing Drive Icons
To change a drive's icon when you open My Computer

Create a file called AUTORUN.INF on the root of your hard drive
Enter the lines

[autorun]
ICON=Name of the ICON file
For the name of the icon file you can either specify the path and name (e.g. ICON=C:¥WINDOWS¥ICONS¥MY_ICON.ICO) or
a specific icon in a library (e.g. ICON=ICONFILE.DLL,2)
Adding AnyFolder and Mail to SendTo
Previous examples of adding items to the SendTo usually require editing the Registry.
An easy way around this is to use the following methods.
To add ANYFOLDER:

Open the Explorer
Go to ¥Windows¥SendTo
Right click in the right hand panel
Select New / Text Document
Name it anything with a .otherfolder extension

When you want to send files to another folder:

Select the files with Explorer
Right Click
Select Send to and the name you just created
You them have the option of copying or moving the file to a folder of your choice

To add Mail:

Open the Explorer
Go to ¥Windows¥SendTo
Right click in the right hand panel
Select New / Text Document
Name it anything with a .MapiMail extension (ignore any warnings about the file extension)

When you want to Mail files as attachments:

Select the files with Explorer
Right Click
Select Send to and the Mail name you just created
This allows you to easily mail multiple files

Adding Shortcuts to Desktop Without "Shortcut To" text

Start Regedit
Go to:HKEY_USERS ¥ .Default ¥ Software ¥ Microsoft ¥ Windows ¥ CurrentVersion ¥ Explorer
Add binary value to Explorer:link="00,00,00,00″
Now You can make Shortcuts to desktop without Shortcut To" text.

Easier User Interface
Add a menu item named "Open THIS folder!" to each of your cascading menus off of the Start menu.
This makes it easier to put items wherever you want them!

Go to Windows ¥ Start Menu ¥ Programs ¥ (etc.) in the Explorer
Start right click/dragging folders to the desktop, one by one.
Rename them and left click/drag them back to the same folder.

It takes a little while, but when you are finished you have a much easier interface to work with.
Removing the Start Button

Click on the start menu button twice, so there is a dashed line around the button
Press Alt and the minus sign
Choose Close to make the start button disappear, or move to move it to the right!

Note : - You have to re-boot to get it back again, or:

Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete
Highlight Explorer
Click on the End Task button
Select No to doing a full shutdown
Wait a few seconds and the click on the End Task button

Changing the clock to 24-Hour Time

To change the display of the clock on the taskbar to 24-hour format:
Open the Control Panel
Double-click on the Regional Settings icon
Click on the Time tab
In the Time style section select H:mm:ss

Removing the InBox and Recycle Bin Icons from the Desktop
To remove the InBox from your desktop, without needing to run the Policy Editor:

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE ¥ SOFTWARE ¥ Microsoft ¥ Windows ¥ CurrentVersion ¥ explorer ¥ Desktop ¥ NameSpace
Below that should be a few keys
Rename the key {00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}. I usually put another character before or after the curly braces.
Restart Windows and the InBox icon should be gone
You can do the same for any other items you don't to show such as the Recycle Bin or The Internet icons

Changing or Removing the Start Menu Icons

Download Microangelo and install it.
Create a blank.ico file.
Put it in a directory (C:¥Windows. Then double click on the Microangelo Engineer to run it.
When you get it up on the screen click on the "start" tab. You will see a list of all the icons in the start menu.
Highlight the first one (programs) and select "Change". It will bring up a dialog box - select "browse".
Go to the directory that contains the blank icon and select it. Hit OK until you get back to the main
Engineer window and do all the rest exactly the same way.
When you have finished changing them all to the blank icon, Hit "Apply".
Hit your start button and look to see if all the icons are invisible. (They should be.)
Close out Micro Engineer and you're finished.

Adding Drive to the SendTo List

I have recently found that if you want to send something from A: drive or from any where to any drive, you can just make a short cut of that drive in subdirectory SENDTO.
For example I have two hard drives, a Floppy Drive, and a CDROM
After I have make a copy of each of my drive I will be able to send a whole directory of E:¥XXX from the CDROM drive to A: drive or any other drive that i have had made the short c t in the SENDTO subdir of WINDOWS.

Adding a Protected Briefcase
You can make your briefcase a shortcut on the on desktop so if you have multiple users on your PC and you don't want to have a password for your briefcase, you can at least protect it from inadvertent deletion by just making the briefcase a hidden file or in a different location other than ¥Windows¥Desktop¥My Briefcase, then send a copy or shortcut to the desktop.

Customizing the Start Button's Name and Icon
To change the name of the Start button:

Copy EXPLORER.EXE in your Windows directory to another directory
Start a hex editor (I've been using Diskedit from Norton)
Edit EXPLORER.EXE
Search for the string 53 00 74 00 61 00 72 00 74
This is the word Start with the letters separated by a null character
The section you are in should also have the words "There was an internal error…" also separated with the null character immediately following
Now just replace the Start letters with any of your choice (up to 5 characters only)
Exit Windows
Boot to DOS
Copy your new Explorer file over the original

To change the Start button icon:

Copy USER.EXE in your ¥WINDOWS¥SYSTEM directory to another directory
Use an icon editor that can replace icons in executable files
Edit USER.EXE and replace the flag icons with the icon of your choice
Boot to DOS
Copy the new USER.EXE

The same can be done with NT 4.0, just the offset will be different but the location to just before "There was an internal error…" is the same.

Adding the Device Manager to your Desktop
This allows you to quickly see all the devices attached to your computer.
I use it a lot to select Refresh when I add new external SCSI devices that were not
powered up at startup. This way you do not need to restart the computer. To add the Device Manager Icon:

Right click on an open area of your desktop
Select New / Shortcut
Type in C:¥WINDOWS¥CONTROL SYSDM.CPL, SYSTEM, 1
Replace C:¥WINDOWS with whatever directory you installed Windows95
Click on the Next box
At the next dialog box type in Device Manager
Click on the Finish when you are done

Note: Replacing the 1 with a 3 will bring up the Performance Status
Adding Options to the Right-Click of the Start Menu
To add an option to the Right-Click of the Start button:

Go to Control Panel, View, Options
Click on the File Types Tab
Scroll down until you see File Folder
Click on Edit
Click on New
Type in the Name you want to in the Action box
Type in the Application you want to use

A good option to add is an MS-DOS Prompt:
Try this c:¥command.com /k cd %1
It also puts the shortcut on a regular folder.
This command will open a DOS window with that folder as the current directory.
How to make the task bar Auto Hide

Click the right button on a blank area of the task bar
Select Properties
Select Autohide
Click OK

This will make the task bar slide off the screen when the cursor moves away from it,
and it will slide back on when the cursor is moved near it again.
The same can be done for the MS Office task bar. The "sliding" effect is nice, and can free up some desktop space.
More Removing Shortcut Arrows
'lnkfile', 'piffle' and 'internetshortcut' are the three places
that I have seen the isshortcut arrow.
The best way to deal with this is to rename the 'isshortcut' to
'isshortcutbak' by right clicking on the 'isshortcut' then
select rename and add 'bak' to the end.
Closing Nested Folders
If you have several nested folders (folders within folders) and want to close them all,
simply, hold the Shift key while closing the last folder
This will close all previous ones as well.
Changing Application Icons
To have a wider choice of application icons:

Right click on the icon shortcut
Chose Properties
Click on the Program tab
Chose Change icon
Click on Browse
Select Files of type All Files
Browse to the directory where your icon files are kept
You can even use some bitmap files for you icons

Moving and Resizing the Taskbar
You can move the taskbar by pointing on a corner panel and dragging it
It is easier to move if you close all your windows first
You can also resize it by moving the mouse to the edge and dragging it larger or smaller.
Correcting Corrupted Fonts
If you have a problem with your non-true type fonts, here's what you do:

Open the Control Panel
Double click on Fonts
Search for the "Monotype Sorts" font
Delete this Font

Changing Desktop Folders - With No Registry Changes

From the Explorer, create a folder somewhere OTHER than the desktop, and call it something like "Desktop Folders."
Move all your desktop folders into that folder.
Create shortcuts to all of those folders on your desktop.
Now, you are free to change the icons of each shortcut individually, to anything you like!

Updating the Desktop
If you want to update the desktop, for example after you've been changing the registry.

Right-Click anywhere on the desktop
Press F5

Adding the Desktop to your Start Menu
Create a shortcut to the Explorer on your Desktop

Right click on the Start button
Choose Open
Go into the Programs Folder
Drag the Windows Explorer Icon on your Desktop using the RIGHT Mouse button
Choose copy here

Change the command line switch

Right click on the Shortcut you created
Choose Properties
Choose Shortcut
Type in following command line as target:

C:¥WINDOWS¥EXPLORER.EXE /n, /root,
The last "," is vital!

If you want the two pane Explorer view ad the switch ,/e
Then rename the Shortcut to "Desktop" or whatever you choose and drag the icon onto the start button.

Removing shortcut arrows
One problem when removing shortcut arrows is that
if you delete a desktop item, it will remove it.
If it is a shortcut it will just remove the icon.
If it is not a shortcut, then it will remove the program.
Having the little icon arrow is one way to tell the difference
Getting rid of Click Here to Continue

Start the Registry Editor
Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Policies / Explorer
Create a binary value and call it NoStartBanner
Double-click on it and give it a value of 01 00 00 00
You will need to repeat the same steps for HKEY_USERS / .Default / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Policies / Explorer

Changing the Desktop and Explorer Folder Icons
The following steps will change the icon that is displayed as the default Folder icon.

Start the Registry Editor.
Search for "Shell Icons".
This will bring you to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / explorer / Shell Icons.
Double-click on the one has the value name of "3″ in the right pane.
Type in the new icon you want to use.
If you have a DLL file specified, you need to count for the location of the particular icon you want to use, starting at 0.
To reset the icon cache, use a program such as Tweak with comes with the PowerToys from Microsoft.

Note: I haven't experimented with too many of the other icon changes possible.
Adding Control Panel Icons to the Desktop
This is an easy one..

Simply open up the Control Panel.
Right Click and Drag the icon you want to your desktop or folder.
This will create a shortcut for that icon.
It could come in handy if there are always certain items you need to get to quickly.

Create a Control Panel menu directly below the Start Button

Click the Start Button once with your right mouse button. You should see a right-button menu (called a context menu because it offers different choices in different contexts).
You should see the items Open, Explore, and Find on the context menu. Click Explore with your left mouse button.
An Explorer file management window should open. A directory tree should appear in the left pane, with the right pane displaying the contents of the Start Menu folder.
Right-click any empty space within the right pane. A context menu should appear. Click New and then Folder.
The Explorer will create a highlighted icon called New Folder. Type in the following string, all on one line, replacing the words New Folder with this new line. You must type the period, the curly braces, all four hyphens, and the hexadecimal numbers exactly as shown. After the closing curly brace, press Enter.

Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
Other Folders can be added following the same instructions.

Dial-Up Networking.{992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48}
Printers.{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
Inbox.{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
My Computer.{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Recycle Bin.{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Network Neighborhood.{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
Desktop.{00021400-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
Briefcase.{85BBD920-42A0-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D}
Fonts.{BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948F534}

Minimizing All Windows
To minimize all windows:

Press Ctrl-ESC ESC to bring up the Task Bar
Right Mouse Click on an open area of the Task Bar
Select Minimize all Windows

This makes it a lot easier to minimize windows when all your open applications are full screen.
With the Microsoft Keyboard, you can accomplish the same thing by pressing the Window-M key.
Removing the Shortcut Icon Arrows

Open REGEDIT.EXE
Open the Key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
Open the Key LNKFILE
Delete the value IsShortcut
Open the next Key PIFFILE
Delete the value IsShortcut
Restart the Win95

Turning on AutoArrange for Folders
To make all folders keep AutoArrange turned on:

Open up an existing folder
Select View / Arrange
Arrange the Icons the way you would like, (e.g. Name, Size,etc.)
Select View / Arrange again
Select AutoArrange
Press the Ctrl-key while you close the window.
This folder should now have AutoArrange always selected.

This should allow you to create new folders that have AutoArrange selected by default.
You only need to specify by Name, Size, etc. if you want to change it from the default you set above.
Note: I have only tested this on a few computers. Please give me feedback regarding any problems.
Creating Document Scraps
If you are using Microsoft Word 7.0,
you can highlight a section of the document then drag and drop the highlighted area to
your desktop. Windows will create a file for you with a name something like
"Document Scrap From…" followed by the first few words you selected
Quick Access to Your Desktop
How do you access your darn desktop when you have a ton of applications open?
Well you could right click on the taskbar and do a minimize all, but that can be slow.
Instead:

Open a browser window (double-click on "My Computer")
If there is no toolbar, select View from the menu and select Toolbar.
Then from the dropdown list-box in the toolbar select desktop.
Now minimize it and forget about it.
The next time you want to access your desktop just click the desktop window on the taskbar.
As long as you don't close the window when you shutdown, it will reopen when you start windows again.

Additional Note: You can also drag the Desktop folder to the start menu.
Then you just press Ctrl-ESC and click on Desktop
Restoring Corrupted Icons

If you use a graphic Card and you change the resolution, sometimes the icons are bad.
End Win95 and restart. When you see the starting message press F8 then type standard.
After this start of Win95 exit and restart.
Change back to your Resolution and restart.
The icons should be corrected.

Turn Off Window Animation
You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize windows.
This tip makes navigating Windows 95 a lot faster especially for those that don't have
super fast video cards.

Open Regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Control panel
Desktop
WindowMetrics
Right Mouse Click an empty space in the right pane.
Select new/string value.
Name the new value MinAnimate.
Doubleclick on the new string value (MinAnimate) and click on "Modify"
Enter a value of 0 for Off or 1 for On then hit
Close Regedit and all programs then reboot.

Renaming the Recycle Bin

Start the Registry Editor
Type Ctrl-F to bring up the Find Menu
In the Find What box type Recycle
Double click on the Recycle Bin in the right pane
Type in the new name under Value Data
Restart Win95

Turning off Desktop Icons
If you want to turn off all the icons on your desktop:

Start the System Policy Editor
Select File / Open Registry
Select Local User
Select Shell / Restrictions
Select Hide all items on Desktop

All Icons will now be hidden.
Note: One side effect is the your CD will no longer automatically play when it is inserted.
Adding in Old Windows Groups
If you are setup to dual boot between your old Win 3.x and want to add in the old groups, just click on the *.GRP file in your old windows directory. The programs will be added to your list under Programs in the task bar.

Note: Any DLL's the programs require will need to be copied.
To speed up the Start Menu

Start the REGEDIT program
Search for the word desktop
This should be in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / CLSID / {00021400…
Right Click on the right panel
Pick NEW / String Value.
Name it MenuShowDelay, all one word.
Select a value from 1-10, 1 being the fastest.
Exit REGEDIT
Restart Windows

To change the My Computer or Recycle Bin icon

Open Regedit
Find My Computer or Recycle Bin
Tab to the left panel
Double click on the highlighted line
Double click on DefaultIcon in the left panel
Double click on DefaultIcon right panel
Type in the value for the new icon
Note: DLL files can be used. Specify the location of the new icon with the filename,#

Remove the tildes in short filenames

Open Regedit
Go to Hkey_Local_Machine¥System¥CurrentControlSet¥Control¥FileSystem
Right Click on the Right pane
Select New / Hex
Add the value NameNumericTail= 0

To remove the Network Neighborhood Icon

Start POLEDIT. It is on the CD in ¥Admin¥Apptools¥Poledit
Open Registry
Select LocalUser
Select Shell
Select Restrictions
Select Hide Network Neighborhood

To change the Startup and Logoff screens
Startup Screen

Create a 320×400 bitmap in the root directory and name it LOGO.SYS
You can use LOGOW.SYS file in the Windows directory as a starter

Logoff Screens

There are several files called LOGOX.SYS
They are actually bitmaps 320×400 that just have a different extension
The hidden one in the root directory LOGO.SYS is the startup logo.
There are two files in the Windows directory.
LOGOW.SYS is the Wait while Shutting down … screen
LOGOS.SYS is the You may now shut-off or Reboot screen
To edit them, rename them with a BMP extension and use your favorite graphic editor
You can edit these files or create you own
They just need to be the same size

Secret - Hidden Command Line Switch
Instructions - Go to "Start", "Run" and Type defrag c: -b to defragment the Boot and Application Prefetch information.
Secret - Hidden Install Creator
Instructions - Go to Start, Run, type iexpress
Secret - Hidden Internet Conference Application
Instructions - Go to Start, Run, type conf

Secret - Create a Log File
Instructions - Launch Notepad, Type .LOG on the first line, and then press Enter to move to the next line. On the File menu, click Save As, type a descriptive name for your file in the File name box, and then click OK. When you next open the file, note that the date and time have been appended to the end of the log, immediately preceding the place where new text can be added. You can use this functionality to automatically add the current date and time to each log entry.

Secret - Image Trails
Instructions - Open an image and hold down Shift then drag the image around to create an image trail.

Secret - 10x Zoom
Instructions - Open an image and select the magnifying glass icon. Left-Click exactly on the line below the 8x.

Secret - Hidden Font Editor
Instructions - Go to Start, Run, type eudcedit
Secret - Hidden Windows Media Player
Instructions - Go to Start, Run, type mplayer2

Add/Remove

Secret - Hidden Uninstall Options
Instructions - Warning: Proceed at your own risk! Browse to C:¥Windows¥inf¥ and make a backup copy of sysoc.inf. Then open the original file C:¥Windows¥inf¥sysoc.inf in notepad. Go to "Edit" and select "Replace". In "Find what:" type ,hide and in "Replace with:" type , then select "Replace All", save and close the file. Go to the "Control Panel", "Add/Remove", select "Add/Remove Windows Components". You will now see many more Windows components to uninstall. Do not remove anything with no label or that you do not recognize or fully understand what it does. Doing so can break certain functionality in Windows.

Control Panel

Secret - Hidden Control Panel Extensions
Instructions - Download and install TweakUI, launch, go to "Control Panel" and check any item not selected, then "Apply" and "OK". You will now see the hidden control panel extensions.

Device Manager

Secret - Hidden Devices
Instructions - Go to the "Control Panel", "System" icon, "Hardware" tab and select "Device Manager". Select "View" and Show hidden devices.

Secret - Phantom Devices
Instructions - Go to "Start", "Programs", "Accessories" and select "Command Prompt". At the command prompt, type "set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1" and press Enter. At the command prompt, type "start devmgmt.msc" and press Enter. Select "View" and Show hidden devices. You can see devices that are not connected to the computer.

When you close the command prompt window, Windows clears the "devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1" variable that you set and prevents phantom devices from being displayed when you select "Show hidden devices".

Music

Secret - Music from the Installer
Instructions - Browse to C:¥Windows¥system32¥oobe¥images¥title.wma and play.
Shutdown

Secret - Display Hibernate Option on the Shut Down dialog
Instructions - Go to "Start", "Turn Off Computer..." and press either Shift key to change the "Stand By" button to "Hibernate".

Support Tools

Secret - Over 100 Windows XP Support Utilities are on the install CD
Instruction - Run the D:¥Support¥Tools¥setup.exe file.

FreeCell

Secret - Instant WinInstructions - Hold down Ctrl + Shift + F10 during game play. Then you will be asked if you want to Abort, Retry or Ignore. Choose Abort, then move any card to instantly win.

Secret - Hidden Game ModesInstructions - In the "Game" menu choose "Select Game". Enter -1 or -2 to activate the hidden game modes.

Hearts

Secret - Show All Cards
Instructions - Edit this registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER¥Software¥Microsoft¥Windows¥Curre ntVersion¥Applets¥Hearts and create a new String value named ZB with a Data value of 42. Start Hearts and Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F12 to show all the cards.

Minesweeper

Secret - Reveal Mines
Instructions - Minimize or close all running applications. Launch Minesweeper, then type xyzzy. Next hold down either shift key for one second. Now when you move the mouse cursor over a Minesweeper square you will see a tiny white pixel in the top left corner of your desktop screen. This pixel will change to black when your mouse moves over a mine. You may need to change you desktop background to a solid color other then white or black to see the pixel.

Secret - Stop Timer
Instructions - Launch Minesweeper and start a game so the timer starts counting, then press the Windows Key + D to show the desktop. Now when you select minesweeper from the taskbar you can continue playing with the timer stopped.

Pinball

Secret - Extra Balls
Instructions - Type 1max at the start of a new ball to get extra balls.

Secret - Gravity Well
Instructions - Type gmax at the start of a new game to activate the Gravity Well.

Secret - Instant Promotion
Instructions - Type rmax at the start of a new game to go up in ranks.

Secret - Skill Shot
Instructions - Launch the ball partially up the chute past the third yellow light bar so it falls back down to get 75,000 points. There are six yellow light bars that are worth a varying amount of points:

First: 15,000 points
Second: 30,000 points
Third: 75,000 points
Fourth: 30,000 points
Fifth: 15,000 points
Sixth: 7,500 points

Secret - Test Mode
Instructions - Type hidden test at the start of a new ball to activate Test Mode. No notification will be given that this is activated but you can now left-click the mouse button and drag the ball around. While in test mode press the following keys for more secrets:

H - Get a 1,000,000,000 High Score
M - Shows the amount of system memory
R - Increases your rank in game
Y - Shows the Frames/sec rate

Secret - Unlimited Balls
Instructions - Type bmax at the start of a new ball. No notification will be given that this is activated but when a ball is lost a new ball will appear from the yellow wormhole indefinitely. Once this is activated you will be unable to activate other secrets without restarting the game.

Solitaire

Secret - Instant Win
Instructions - Press Alt + Shift + 2 during game play to instantly win.

Secret - Draw single cards in a Draw Three game
Instructions - Hold down CTRL + ALT + SHIFT while drawing a new card. Instead of drawing three cards you will only draw one.

Listen this secret song--C:¥Windows¥system32¥oobe¥images¥title.wma

Opoen this in run "mplayer2"

C:¥WINDOWS¥Options¥XP Source¥Source¥I386¥unattend-----------to find the product key

1. To Enable Taskbar and Start Menu Properties -

A) Click on the download button below to download the Enable_Taskbar_StartMenu_Properties.reg file.
B) Go to step 3.
http://www.vistax64.com/

3. Click on Save, and save the .reg file to the Desktop.
4. Right click the .reg (On Desktop) file and click Merge.
5. Click on the Run button for Security Warning pop-up.
6. Click on Continue (UAC), Yes, and then OK when prompted.
7. When done, you can delete the .reg file (On Desktop). "

Hydrogen vehicle

2008-07-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

A transition to hydrogen vehicles could greatly reduce U.S. oil dependence and carbon dioxide emissions, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council, but making hydrogen vehicles competitive in the automotive market will not be easy. While the development of fuel cell and hydrogen production technology over the past several years has been impressive, challenges remain.

Vehicle costs are high, and the U.S. currently lacks the infrastructure to produce and widely distribute hydrogen to consumers. These obstacles could be overcome, however, with continued support for research and development and firm commitments from the automotive industry and the federal government, concluded the committee that wrote the report.
Light-duty vehicles, such as cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks, are responsible for 44 percent of the oil used in the United States and over 20 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted. Concerns over climate change, oil imports, and recent spikes in gasoline prices have spurred interest in the development of alternative fuels. In 2003, President Bush announced a $1.2 billion initiative to encourage development of hydrogen production technology and fuel cell vehicles, which are powered through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen and emit only water and heat as exhaust.
The committee estimated the maximum number of hydrogen vehicles that could be on the road in the coming decades, assuming that practical technical goals are met, that consumers want hydrogen cars, and that government policies are in place to help drive the transition from oil to hydrogen fuel. The findings therefore represent potential best-case scenarios rather than predictions.
According to the committee, it will take many years before hydrogen vehicles will significantly penetrate the light-duty fleet, even though technological developments have been progressing rapidly. Production of hydrogen vehicles could increase significantly by 2015. At this stage, their cost -- although dropping rapidly -- would still need to be heavily subsidized for consumers.
The maximum practicable number of hydrogen vehicles that could be on the road by 2020 is 2 million, says the report. By 2023, the total cost of fuel cell vehicles, including the cost of hydrogen fuel over a vehicle's lifetime, could become competitive with conventional vehicles. At that point, the number of hydrogen vehicles on the road could grow rapidly, to nearly 60 million in 2035 and 200 million by 2050.
The committee also calculated the investments, both public and private, that would be needed to make a complete transition from oil to hydrogen fuel. These costs include research and development, vehicle deployment, and establishing infrastructure. According to the committee, government support via strong policy initiatives as well as funding would be needed until at least 2023. The cost to the government would be about $55 billion between 2008 and 2023; private industry would be expected to invest $145 billion over that same time period. To put these numbers into perspective, the government subsidy for ethanol fuel could grow to $15 billion per year by 2020.
The shift toward hydrogen fuel would not have a large impact on oil usage or greenhouse gas emissions until hydrogen vehicles make up a significant portion of the market. If hydrogen vehicles eventually took over the market, there would be great decreases in both, although the overall effect on greenhouse gas emissions would depend upon how the hydrogen fuel was produced. The committee compared these reductions with those that might be achieved by either improving the fuel efficiency of conventional vehicles or by converting to biofuels. Because they can be implemented more rapidly, both of these options could produce reductions in oil use and emissions faster than hydrogen, but after about 2040, hydrogen would become more effective.
The greatest possible reductions would occur if biofuels, fuel-efficient conventional vehicles, and hydrogen vehicles are all pursued simultaneously, rather than seen as competitors. This "portfolio approach," if accompanied by government policies driving a transition toward reduced oil use and low-carbon fuels, could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks to less than 20 percent of current levels and could nearly eliminate oil demand for these vehicles by 2050, the committee said.
The study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council are private, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under a congressional charter. The National Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.
The report is entitled "Transitions To Alternative Transportation Technologies: A Focus On Hydrogen."

Top 10 Tips for Writing a Winning Solution

2008-07-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

Tip #1: You can download the Solution Submission Form and Solver Submission Guideline documents for your use. To access these documents, click on the “Submit a Solution” button located within the Project Room of a Challenge.
Tip #2: Carefully re-read the Challenge description and make sure that you completely understand both the goal of the Challenge, the Technical Requirements, and the required deliverables as stated under the heading “Project Criteria” in the Challenge statement.
Tip #3: As a rule of thumb, the most successful submissions are organized as small articles, like you might see in a newspaper. We recommend starting with a Summary or Introduction that describes the essence of your idea in one short paragraph stating precisely what your submission is all about.
Tip #4: Following your Introduction, the Main Body of your proposal is typically composed of the detailed description of the Solution and an experimental section if required. If appropriate, briefly introduce the area of science, technology or business your solution refers to.
Tip #5: The majority of InnoCentive Challenges include specific Solution Requirements. It is very important to address these requirements – ideally, point by point – at the end of the Main Body of your proposal. Don’t neglect this part even if your solution doesn’t meet some of the Technical Requirements. Although optional, you may want to add a Conclusion to your submission and use this section to reiterate your major achievements and to emphasize the novelty of your approach.
Tip #6: Explain everything; don’t assume that “everyone knows that!” For example, do not send an article or brochure and say “the answer is attached, just read it.” The Seeker is looking for you to do the work and point specifically to the answer. It is acceptable to attach an article as reference material, but you should explain exactly what and where the answer is and why it is important to the Seeker.
Tip #7: Try not to pad your proposal with “frills” or “attachments.” Too much extraneous material may overwhelm the Seeker and make it difficult to find your solution in your proposal. You want to make it easy for the Seeker to find your solution, understand it, and award it.
Tip #8: Before uploading your solution proposal to the Project Room, make sure that your submission is complete. Only complete submissions are eligible for full cash award. If the Challenge requires submission of a material sample, please include a statement that the material is in your possession and is ready to be shipped.
Tip #9: Describe your proposed idea as completely (but succinctly!) as you can. Refer to literature, patent or business precedents to make your case stronger. It’s almost always necessary – and always advantageous – to include a list of references you have used to write the proposal. Be specific, and use only the references that are immediately relevant to your approach.
Tip #10: From time to time, similar ideas/solutions are submitted for the same Challenge. When this occurs, the Seeker will give preference to the submission with the earlier submission date. So don’t risk an award opportunity by waiting until the last minute.
I hope you find these helpful. If you have any other suggestions or comments, please share!