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Registry Tweaks, Part-1


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Admins? Those poor slobs put enough time and effort in. You have any idea what kind of job you are talking about?

Ok, granted, I see your point. At least the admins or um.. moderators are the only ones who can close the topic and open a new one (well, anyone can do that, really), in order to prevent it from growing extremely large... aye? :)

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Can someone help me? I will go through and remove the non-submission posts.

Can someone else find a way to organize it, be it services or otherwise or something? And someone to look for redundancy?

Maybe as a team effort, we can clean up this thread....

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Every time you connect to a web server, your IE sends a User Agent string that includes certain data about your system (OS & browser).

Here are few examples:

1.Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.5; Windows NT 5.0) - IE 5.5 running on Win2000

2.Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1) - IE 6.0 running on WinXP

3.Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.2) - IE 6.0 running on Longhorn

Some webforums use User Agent string to determine and display type of one`s OS.

I will show you how to change your IE User Agent string.

Before we find out how we can change it, we can see what our current IE User Agent string is by using following code (save it as .html file and open it with your IE):

<html>
<body>
Your User Agent header is:
<pre>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
document.writeln( navigator.userAgent );
// -->
</script>
</pre>
</body>
</html>

Our arbitrary User Agent string will be:

A (B; C; D [E1; E2;...]), where Ex are additional information than can be added, if necessary.

If we want, for instance, to change our User Agent string to: Mozilla/4.01-C-MACOS8 (Macintosh; I; PPC), we should use following registry tweak:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent]
"Compatible"="Macintosh"
"Version"="I"
"Platform"="PPC"
@="Mozilla/4.01-C-MACOS8"

We can conclude that:

1st UA string field ( A ) = data of Default value

2nd UA string field ( B ) = data of value Compatible

3rd UA string field ( C ) = data of value Version

4th UA string field ( D ) = data of value Platform

If these values do not exist, fill free to create them.

If we want to add some extra data at the end of our User Agent String, for example, to change our new User Agent string to: Mozilla/4.01-C-MACOS8 (Macintosh; I; PPC; Sculptor; Rules), we should go for:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\User Agent\Post Platform]
"Sculptor"=""
"Rules"=""

So, if we want to add some additional information at the end of our User Agent string, we should create properly named empty string values in the Post Platform key.

Notice: If you want to test it out, remember: close all open IE windows for the changes to take effect.

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aaaaaaaaaaaaa

okay I copied all the tweaks in this thread with the nice links and all and dled the attached regs rars etc.

don't remember who but someone has a reg file called "AllTweaksInTheTopic.reg" and its pretty much most of it.

anyways now that I have all the tweaks in here i'll try to organize them (should I, should I not, should I,should should could? too many reg's. overkill caused handle exception, abort abort, quitting. aaaaa )

eheh god knows how many times I pressed copy/paste

anyways I'll see what I can do with these...

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Hehe, valiant effort XtremeMac. On my part, I should say it's a brilliant idea. I am trying to rebuild my unattended winxp cd and in dire need of a good, all-inclusive list of all WORKING reg tweaks. Thanks a lot, and all the best of luck.

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OK!

My first version of an VERY easy to change TWEAKS.INF.

DOWNLOAD HERE

How it works

It is an INF file, this is way more flexible than .REG files, and easier to maintain.

OK, so why all this?

Because I want all the tweaks in one file, with an easy option to enable/disable them.

What makes it different from all other .INF files, or even all other .REG files?

MUCH! I wanted some kind of 'linux-like' setup options. That is: edit a config file, and set the proper flags in order to get a thing working.

Since I created variables for most of the options, all you have to do is edit the part below the [strings] line.

Saves you enormous amounts of searching WHERE a certain setting is (I probably guess you don't care much anyway), so you can focus on WHAT you can change instead of HOW do I change option X or option Y.

It's missing some items!

Yeah? I KNOW! But this is the very first version, and don't expect all the regtweaks posted in this thread to be in this file already.

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Well, you just have to understand how .INF files are made.

After that, it's mad easy to setup.

A little bit quoted from the 'Microsoft Windows XP Registry Guide':

Installing INF Files

Setup Information files have the .inf extension; I call them INF files. The Windows XP setup API (Application Programming Interface) uses INF files to script installations. Most people associate INF files with device−driver installation, but applications often use them, too. Most actions that you associate with installing device drivers and applications are available through INF files. You can copy, remove, and rename files. You can add, change, and delete registry values. You can install and start services. You can install most anything using INF files. For example, you can use them to customize registry settings—obviously. You can also create INF files that users can uninstall using Add Or Remove Programs.

INF files look similar to INI and REG files. They're text files that contain sections that look like [section]. Each section contains items, sometimes called properties, that look like Name = Value.

Windows XP happens to come with the perfect INF−file editor: Notepad. When you create a new INF file using Notepad, make sure that you enclose the file name in quotation marks or choose All Files in the Save As Type list in the Save As dialog box. That way, your file will have the .inf extension instead of the .txt extension. Installing an INF file is straightforward: Right−click the INF file, and then click Install. To deploy an INF file and prevent users from having to install it manually,

use the following command, replacing Filename with the name of your INF file. (This is the command line that Windows XP associates with the .inf file extension in the registry.)

“rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 c:\windows\config.inf”

Listing 9−1 shows a simple INF file. The first section, [Version], is required. The name of the second section is arbitrary but usually [DefaultInstall] so that users can right−click the file to install it. The linkage to this section is through the command line you saw just before this paragraph. The command is rundll32.exe, which executes the API in Setupapi.dll called InstallHinfSection. The next item on the command line, DefaultInstall, is the name of the section to install. The 132 you see before the file name tells the setup API to prompt the user before rebooting the computer, if necessary. The last item on the command line is the name of the INF file to install. Like I mentioned, because this is the command that Windows XP associates with the .inf file extension, you should usually name this section [DefaultInstall]. Within this section you see two directives, AddReg andDelReg. the directive AddReg=Add.Settings adds the settings contained in the section [Add.Settings].

The directive DelReg=Del.Settings deletes the settings listed in the section [Del.Settings]. The names of these sections are arbitrary; you should adopt names that make sense to you and stick with them so you don't confuse yourself down the road.

Now you've had my two−dollar tour of an INF file. The sections that follow describe how to write the different parts of an INF file. I'm focusing on using INF files to edit the registry, but you can do much more with them. The ultimate resource for writing INF files is http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en−...format_7soi.asp on Microsoft's Website. This is the INF File Sections and Directives section of the Windows Driver Development Kit (DDK). Don't let the fact that this information is in the DDK scare you; it's really straightforward and useful for much more than installing device drivers.

Using Strings in INF Files

You can make your INF files far easier to read if you use the [strings] section. Each line in this section is a string in the format name ="string". Then you can use that string elsewhere in the INF file by referencing it as %name%. This makes INF files easier to read in numerous ways (see Listing 9−4, which is also a good example of using the BitReg directive):

The [strings] section collects strings at the bottom of your INF file so that you can see them in one place.

The [strings] section enables you to type a string one time and then use that string in numerous places. The string is consistent throughout your INF file.

The [strings] section makes translating INF files easier because localizable strings are at the bottom of the file.

[Version]
Signature=$CHICAGO$
[DefaultInstall]
BitReg=Bits.Set
AddReg=Add.Settings
DelReg=Del.Settings
[Add.Settings]
HKCU,%HK_DESKTOP%,ActiveWndTrkTimeout,0x10001,1000
HKLM,%HK_SETUP%,RegisteredOwner,,%OWNER%
[Del.Settings]
HKCU,%HK_EXPLORER%\MenuOrder
HKCU,%HK_EXPLORER%\RunMRU
HKCU,%HK_EXPLORER%\RecentDocs
HKCU,%HK_EXPLORER%\ComDlg32\LastVisitedMRU
HKCU,%HK_SEARCH%\ACMru
HKCU,%HK_INTERNET%\TypedURLs

[Bits.Set]
HKCU,%HK_DESKTOP%,UserPreferencesMask,1,0x01,0
HKCU,%HK_DESKTOP%,UserPreferencesMask,1,0x40,0
[Strings]
HK_DESKTOP="Control Panel\Desktop"
HK_EXPLORER="Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer"
HK_SEARCH="Software\Microsoft\Search Assistant"
HK_INTERNET="Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer"
HK_SETUP="SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion"
OWNER=" Fuzzy Wuzzy Was a Bear"

I used this [strings] part for A LOT of options. So you only have to change the string value, instead of looking at the registry key.

Ie. in the AddReg section I have some lines called:

[Reg.Settings]
...
HKCU,"Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\Preferences","MinToTray",0x10001,"%Outlook.MinToTray%"
HKCU,"Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main","Disable Script Debugger",0x00000,"%IE.DisableScriptDebugger%"
HKCU,"Software\Microsoft\Ftp","Use PASV",0x00000,"%IE.FTPPassive%"
...

Because they use variables, you have to edit the variable value instead of hard-code the desired value. This can be done at the [strings] section.

The [strings] section looks like this:

[Strings]
...
Outlook.MinToTray = 1
IE.FTPPassive = yes
IE.DisableScriptDebugger = Yes
...

It's a little bit more work to enter a tweak for the first time, but after that you can change it's value EASIER than with .REG files.

Because you don't have to worry for REG_SZ, REG_DWORD values, you can just enter what you want [and besides, I added descriptions for almost all values]

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To follow up on my post last week...

This makes no sense. I added the following to my tweak file:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"ScreenSaveActive"="0"
"ScreenSaverIsSecure"="0"
"SCRNSAVE.EXE"=""

But those changes were never applied. So I also added a separate .reg to my final batch file with the same keys (so now it's being applied twice). Still nothing.

But if I log on and double click that SAME .reg file and reboot, it works. What the heck?!? It is doing what I want -- turning off the default screensaver but allowing it to be turned back on. But why won't it work during my unattended install?

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OK!

My first version of an VERY easy to change TWEAKS.INF.

DOWNLOAD HERE

How it works

It is an INF file, this is way more flexible than .REG files, and easier to maintain.

OK, so why all this?

Because I want all the tweaks in one file, with an easy option to enable/disable them.

What makes it different from all other .INF files, or even all other .REG files?

MUCH! I wanted some kind of 'linux-like' setup options. That is: edit a config file, and set the proper flags in order to get a thing working.

Since I created variables for most of the options, all you have to do is edit the part below the [strings] line.

Saves you enormous amounts of searching WHERE a certain setting is (I probably guess you don't care much anyway), so you can focus on WHAT you can change instead of HOW do I change option X or option Y.

It's missing some items!

Yeah? I KNOW! But this is the very first version, and don't expect all the regtweaks posted in this thread to be in this file already.

Not bad for an inf, although i noticed you copied and pasted some parts from my install.inf file, but gave me no credit. Overall your inf is better documented than my inf, but mine is probably more functional.

-gosh

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I got a minor problem editing notepad reg settings.

They are found in [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Notepad]

When i set status bar with tweaks the status bar option in notepad is grayed out wheter i set it on or off with this:

"StatusBar"=dword:00000001

Any1 got an ideea why?

EDITED: NM the answer is stupid :) , after i activate "word wrap" format the view>status bar get grayed out for some unexplicable reason.

Edited by wolfshade
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I got a minor problem editing notepad reg settings.

They are found in [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Notepad]

When i set status bar with tweaks the status bar option in notepad is grayed out wheter i set it on or off with this:

"StatusBar"=dword:00000001

Any1 got an ideea why?

EDITED: NM the answer is stupid :) , after i activate "word wrap" format the view>status bar get grayed out for some unexplicable reason.

@wolfshade show status windows option it's grayed always in notepad activated and deactivated :D

but know i want to know something, where it's stored the "line auto adjust" option in the registry??!! i don't know how it's named in english, it's under the format menu :rolleyes:

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Actually wolfshade is correct. Mine does the same thing for some stupid reason. Status bar option is not greyed out on mine when word wrap is not active, but when active is is. Just thought I would point that out.

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