Explorer

The settings in the Explorer category are all over the map: You can customize the Start menu, enable smooth scrolling, and automatically clear the document history. Table 5-7 on the next page maps the settings in this category to their registry values. Create any keys and values that you don't see in the registry.

Table 5-7: Values in Explorer

Setting

Name

Type

Data

HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop

Enable smooth scrolling

SmoothScroll

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main

Use Classic Search in Internet Explorer

Use Search Asst

REG_SZ

Yes | No

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

Manipulate connected files as a unit

NoFileFolderConnection

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

Prefix "Shortcut to" on new shortcuts

Link

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

Detect accidental double-clicks

UseDoubleClickTimer

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState

Use Classic Search in Explorer

Use Search Asst

REG_SZ

Yes | No

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Allow Help on Start Menu

NoSMHelp

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

Allow Logoff on Start Menu

NoLogoff

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

Allow Recent Documents on Start Menu

NoRecentDocsMenu

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

Allow Web content to be added to the desktop

NoActiveDesktop

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

Clear document history on exit

ClearRecentDocsOnExit

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

Enable Windows+X hotkeys

NoWinKeys

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

Lock Web content

NoActiveDesktopChanges

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

Maintain document history

NoRecentDocsHistory

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

Maintain network history

NoRecentDocsNetHood

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

Show My Documents on classic Start Menu

NoSMMyDocs

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

Show My Pictures on classic Start Menu

NoSMMyPictures

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

Show Network Connections on classic Start Menu

NoNetworkConnections

REG_DWORD

0x00 | 0x01

You'll notice that the setting Show Links On Favorites Menu is missing from Table 5-7. This is because that setting isn't in the registry. When you disable the Links menu, Tweak UI simply sets the Links folder's hidden attribute. Enable the folder, and Tweak UI clears the Links folder's hidden attribute. This is the only way to prevent Internet Explorer from displaying the Links folder on the Favorites menu.

Note 

Most of the settings in this category are policies, and you must pay attention to how the settings are phrased. For example, the Tweak UI setting Allow Help On Start Menu is positive. The corresponding value NoSMHelp is negative, which is true of most policies, as you will learn in Chapter 6, "Managing Registry Policies." Thus, to enable Help on Start Menu, you must disable NoSMHelp. To disable Help on Start Menu, you must enable NoSMHelp.

Shortcut

When you create a shortcut, Windows XP adds an overlay to the original document's icon so you can easily identify it as a shortcut. The Shortcut category enables you to customize that overlay. You can choose not to add an overlay, to add a light arrow, to use the normal arrow, or to use a custom icon as the overlay. Table 5-8 shows the value and data that Tweak UI uses for shortcuts.

Table 5-8: Values in Shortcut

Setting

Name

Type

Data

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellIcons

Arrow

29

REG_SZ

null

Light Arrow

29

REG_SZ

C:\WINDOWS\system32\tweakui.exe,2

None

29

REG_SZ

C:\WINDOWS\system32\tweakui.exe,3

Custom

29

REG_SZ

filename, index

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellIcons is the key where you customize the shortcut overlay. Create this key if you don't see it in the registry. You add the REG_SZ value 29, and set it to filename, index, where filename is the name of the file containing the icon, and index is the index of that icon. For more information about using icons, see Chapter 4, "Hacking the Registry." Tweak UI removes 29 from ShellIcons if you choose the default arrow. It sets 29 to C:\WINDOWS\system32\tweakui.exe,2 for a light arrow or C:\WINDOWS\system32\tweakui.exe,3 for no arrow.

Colors

Table 5-9, on the next page, describes the values in the Colors category. Create any values that you don't see in the registry. HotTrackingColor is a string value, and Windows XP expects an RGB value in decimal notation. For example, white is 255 255 255. The operating system expects binary RGB values in hexadecimal for the remaining values. Windows XP uses each color as follows:

  • Hot-tracking. Windows XP displays file names in this color when you point to them and if you've enabled the single-click user interface.

  • Compressed files. Windows XP displays compressed files in this color.

  • Encrypted files. Windows XP displays encrypted files in this color.

Table 5-9: Values in Colors

Setting

Name

Type

Data

HKCU\Control Panel\Colors

Hot-tracking

HotTrackingColor

REG_SZ

RRR GGG BBB

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

Compressed files

AltColor

REG_BINARY

0x RR 0x GG 0x BB 0x00

Encrypted files

AltEncryptionColor

REG_BINARY

0x RR 0x GG 0x BB 0x00

Thumbnails

The Thumbnails category controls the quality of thumbnails in Windows Explorer. Table 5-10 describes the values for Image Quality and Size. Create values that you don't see in the registry. The default value for ThumbnailQuality is 0x5A. The default value for ThumbnailSize is 0x60. Keep in mind that higher quality and larger thumbnails require more disk space, which is not usually a problem, but they also take longer to display. Changing the quality does not affect thumbnails that already exist on the file system.

Table 5-10: Values in Thumbnails

Setting

Name

Type

Data

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

Image Quality

ThumbnailQuality

REG_DWORD

0x32 – 0x64

Size (pixels)

ThumbnailSize

REG_DWORD

0x20 – 0xFF

Command Keys

If you have a keyboard with navigation keys, such as the Microsoft Internet Keyboard Pro (I use this keyboard; learn more about it at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware), you can customize them. For example, you can reassign the Calculator key to open your favorite calculator, instead of the program that comes with Windows XP.

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AppKey is the key where you customize the navigation keys. If you don't see this key, create it. Look up the keyboard key you want to customize in Table 5-11, and then add the corresponding subkey to AppKey. Within that subkey, create the REG_SZ value ShellExecute, and set it to the path and file name of the program you want to execute by pressing that key. If you want to disable the navigation key, set it to an empty string. You can restore the original behavior by removing the subkey you added to AppKey. For example, to run PowerToy Calculator by pressing the Calculator key, add 18 to AppKey. Then create the REG_SZ value ShellExecute in 18, and set it to PowerCalc.exe.

Table 5-11: Subkeys for Command Keys

Key

Subkey

Back (Internet browser)

1

Calculator

18

Close

31

Copy

36

Corrections

45

Cut

37

Favorites

6

Find

28

Forward (Internet browser)

2

Forward (mail)

40

Help

27

Lower microphone volume

25

Mail

15

Media

16

Mute microphone

24

Mute volume

8

My Computer

17

New

29

Open

30

Paste

38

Print

33

Raise microphone volume

26

Redo

35

Refresh (Internet browser)

3

Reply

39

Save

32

Search

5

Send

41

Spelling checker

42

Stop (Internet browser)

4

Toggle dictation and command/control

43

Toggle microphone

44

Undo

34

WebHome

7



Microsoft Windows XP Registry Guide
Microsoft Windows XP Registry Guide (Bpg-Other)
ISBN: 0735617880
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 185

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