How to hack your own computer (or make registry changes to customize your experience)
Delve
beneath the bonnet of Microsoft Windows and you'll find powerful
customization options. The key is accessing the registry – the
operating system's engine room – via the registry editor. Click
Start, then Run, enter regedit.exe and press Enter.
The
registry editor is a powerful piece of software that provides full
control over the operating system, so be careful. But if you want to
customize Windows to make it your own, there’s no better way to do
it. These top five tweaks from IT support company Conosco
will help you get started.
Easily
encrypt and decrypt your files
Windows
Vista and 7 allow you to protect data with encryption tools, but
these are hard to find. This hack makes them more accessible. In the
registry editor, locate the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
registry key, then right-click in the right-hand pane and create a
32-bit DWORD value called EncryptionContextMenu. Give it a value of
1. Now, whenever you right-click on a file, you'll find encryption
options as standard.
Add
an application to the right-click desktop menu
Scroll
down to the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell registry
key. Create a sub-key with the name of your chosen application e.g.
Notepad, then create a sub-key underneath this one called Command.
Locate the application you want to launch on your hard drive and copy
the full path e.g. C:\Windows\System 32\notepad.exe. Back in the
registry, left-click on the Command key, double-click the (Default)
text that appears in the right-hand pane, and paste the application
path into the box. Your application will now appear when you
right-click on the desktop.
Display
a start-up message
This
is a cool hack, allowing you to display a custom message when the
computer boots. Find the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
key and double-click on legalnoticecaption. Enter the headline of
your start-up message, then click OK and double-click on
legalnoticetext. Add your message and click OK. The message will
appear the next time you restart your computer.
Disable
pop-up notifications
This
tweak will disable all bubble notifications that pop up near the
system clock. Make sure you keep your system – including anti-virus
programs - up to date, as your computer will no longer offer
reminders. Open the registry, locate the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
key and set the EnableBalloonTips value to 0. To reverse the tweak,
change the value back to 1.
Stop
Windows Update from rebooting your computer
Sometimes
Windows Update gets mad and announces it's going to reboot the
computer. This can be frustrating if you're right in the middle of
something. To disable this option, locate the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU
key and create a new 32-bit DWORD in the right-hand pane called
NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers. Give it a value of 1. This will
prevent automatic restart when the computer is being used. To put
things back to normal, delete the DWORD you created.
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