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    August 29

    Well, Have you tried to create A folder named CON in Windows

    Well, Try to create a folder in windows platform with the name CON, AUX, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, PRN, NUL....

    You cant able to do it...
    Its just because of some system calls of this services already been there for those names. So If you try to create or delete those system calls, It will restrict you in doing them... But I have a solution to this..
    Try the following steps.. :

    STEP1: goto command prompt

    STEP2: type in prompt c:\> "md \\.\c:\con"

    STEP3: verify by typing "dir \\.\c:\con"

    STEP4: delete the file or folder "rd \\.\c:\con"
    Now you can see a folder named con in your c drive... Give replies...

    May 27

    Convert Windows XP Guest Account to Admin


    Using simple command line tools on a machine running Windows XP we will obtain system level privileges, and run the entire explorer process (Desktop), and all processes that run from it have system privileges. The system run level is higher than administrator, and has full control of the operating system and it’s kernel. On many machines this can be exploited even with the guest account.

    Follow these steps:
    1. open command prompt (Start->Run->cmd),
    2. enter the following command, then press ENTER]:
    at 15:25 /interactive “cmd.exe”
    Lets break down the preceding code. The “at” told the machine to run the at command, everything after that are the operators for the command, the important thing here, is to change the time (24 hour format) to one minute after the time currently set on your computers clock, for example: If your computer’s clock says it’s 4:30pm, convert this to 24 hour format (16:30) then use 16:31 as the time in the command.
    When the system clock reaches the time you set, then a new command prompt will magically run. You’ll notice that the title bar has changed from cmd.exe to svchost.exe (which is short for Service Host). Now that we have our system command prompt, you may close the old one. The difference is that this one is running with system privileges (because it was started by the task scheduler service, which runs under the Local System account).
    3. enter the following command, then press ENTER]:
    compmgmt.msc
    this will open the computer management console
    4. Go to local users and groups->users.
    Right click on any user and select "set password".
    its done now...

    if it says access denied do this


    start>run>cmd

    net use \\(your ip add)\IPS$ /u:Administrator

    or

    start>run>cmd
    then use following commands
    1) net user test /add (this command will make test named user)
    2) net localgroup administrators test /add (this command will make test user as administrators rights)

    and use net user command to reset your admin. password
    May 17

    Changing the Boot Screen of Windows XP


    Well, To change the boot screen, you first need to download appropriate boot screen from the personal website. There are lots of bootscreen in different websites like themexp.org. First download those files from there. The names of all the files will be like ntskrnl.exe. Just backup the original file from your windows/system32 directory. And just paste it there. Or you can rename the new file just downloaded to another name, say abc.exe. and paste it to the windows/system32 directory. If the file name is changed, you need to add an entry to the boot.ini file. Just open my computer and type c:\boot.ini in the address bar. you will be given with a text editor. just in the last line paste like the following..
    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn /KERNEL=abc.exe

    Exiting windows In Cool Quick way

    Normally it takes a hell lot of time just Shutting down Windows, you have to move your mouse to the Start Button, click on it, move it again over Shut Down, click, then move it
    over the necessary option and click, then move the cursor over the OK button and once again (you guessed it) click.This whole process can be shortened by creating shortcuts on the Desktop which will shut down Windows at the click of a button. Start by creating a new shortcut( right click and select New> Shortcut). Then in the command line box, type (without the quotes.)
    'C:\windows\rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindowsexec'
    This Shortcut on clicking will restart Windows immediately without any Warning. To create a Shortcut to Restarting Windows, type the following in the Command Line box:
    'c:\windows\rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows'
    This Shortcut on clicking will shut down Windows immediately without any Warning.

    Replace Windows Startup and shutdown screen in Win98


    Do you dislike the Windows startup and shutdown screens, and wish to replace them with your own images? Here's how:
    1. On your c:\ drive (root directory), you will find the following files:
    LOGO.SYS startup screen LOGOS.SYS shutdown screen
    LOGOW.SYS "wait to shutdown" screen
    2. COPY these files to a floppy disk before attempting to alter them. You may want to replace them if you decide or need to use them again.
    3. Despite the .sys extensions, these files are standard bitmaps (.bmp files)
    Once you've copied them, change the extension on one of your copies to .bmp and view it in Ms.Paint Check the IMAGE, ATTRIBUTES menu and note that it is 320 pixels (pels) wide and 400 pixels high.
    4. Before you replace any of these images, you need to find or create, or crop a bitmap image to 320 x 400. Choose your image, and set the size in IMAGE, ATTRIBUTES in Ms.Paint.
    5. Save your new image to your floppy disk, naming it after the logo file you intend to replace (using the .sys extension).
    6. Now, on the c:\ drive, change the extension of the original logo file (the one you are replacing) to .bmp. This way, you'll have two originals in case of trouble -one on your c:\ drive and one on your floppy disk.
    7. Now, move your new logo file into your root c:\ directory. The next time you start up or shut down, you'll see your new screen.
    8. If you don't like your new image, move it out of your root directory and replace it with one of your original files (with the .sys extension).
    Be sure to do this before you exit and re-enter Windows.

    20 things you dont know about Windos XP

    You've read the reviews and digested the key feature enhancements and operational
    changes. Now it's time to delve a bit deeper and uncover some of Windows XP's secrets.
    1. It boasts how long it can stay up. Whereas previous versions of Windows were coy
    about how long they went between boots, XP is positively proud of its stamina. Go to the
    Command Prompt in the Accessories menu from the All Programs start button option,
    and then type 'systeminfo'. The computer will produce a lot of useful info, including the
    uptime. If you want to keep these, type 'systeminfo > info.txt'. This creates a file called
    info.txt you can look at later with Notepad. (Professional Edition only).
    2. You can delete files immediately, without having them move to the Recycle Bin first.
    Go to the Start menu, select Run... and type 'gpedit.msc'; then select User Configuration,
    Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Explorer and find the Do
    not move deleted files to the Recycle Bin setting. Set it. Poking around in gpedit will
    reveal a great many interface and system options, but take care -- some may stop your
    computer behaving as you wish. (Professional Edition only).
    3. You can lock your XP workstation with two clicks of the mouse. Create a new shortcut
    on your desktop using a right mouse click, and enter 'rundll32.exe
    user32.dll,LockWorkStation' in the location field. Give the shortcut a name you like.
    That's it -- just double click on it and your computer will be locked. And if that's not easy
    enough, Windows key + L will do the same.
    4. XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as Windows
    Messenger, but you can tickle it and make it disgorge everything. Using Notepad or Edit,
    edit the text file /windows/inf/sysoc.inf, search for the word 'hide' and remove it. You can
    then go to the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, select Add/Remove
    Windows Components and there will be your prey, exposed and vulnerable.
    5. For those skilled in the art of DOS batch files, XP has a number of interesting new
    commands. These include 'eventcreate' and 'eventtriggers' for creating and watching
    system events, 'typeperf' for monitoring performance of various subsystems, and
    'schtasks' for handling scheduled tasks. As usual, typing the command name followed by
    /? will give a list of options -- they're all far too baroque to go into here.
    6. XP has IP version 6 support -- the next generation of IP. Unfortunately this is more
    than your ISP has, so you can only experiment with this on your LAN. Type 'ipv6 install'
    into Run... (it's OK, it won't ruin your existing network setup) and then 'ipv6 /?' at the
    command line to find out more. If you don't know what IPv6 is, don't worry and don't
    bother.
    7. You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by using
    'taskkill /pid' and the task number, or just 'tskill' and the process number. Find that out by
    typing 'tasklist', which will also tell you a lot about what's going on in your system.
    8. XP will treat Zip files like folders, which is nice if you've got a fast machine. On
    slower machines, you can make XP leave zip files well alone by typing 'regsvr32 /u
    zipfldr.dll' at the command line. If you change your mind later, you can put things back
    as they were by typing 'regsvr32 zipfldr.dll'.
    9. XP has ClearType -- Microsoft's anti-aliasing font display technology -- but doesn't
    have it enabled by default. It's well worth trying, especially if you were there for DOS
    and all those years of staring at a screen have given you the eyes of an astigmatic bat. To
    enable ClearType, right click on the desktop, select Properties, Appearance, Effects,
    select ClearType from the second drop-down menu and enable the selection. Expect best
    results on laptop displays. If you want to use ClearType on the Welcome login screen as
    well, set the registry entry HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Control
    Panel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2.
    10. You can use Remote Assistance to help a friend who's using network address
    translation (NAT) on a home network, but not automatically. Get your pal to email you a
    Remote Assistance invitation and edit the file. Under the RCTICKET attribute will be a
    NAT IP address, like 192.168.1.10. Replace this with your chum's real IP address -- they
    can find this out by going to www.whatismyip.com -- and get them to make sure that
    they've got port 3389 open on their firewall and forwarded to the errant computer.
    11. You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back in again.
    Right click the icon, select Run As... and enter the user name and password you want to
    use. This only applies for that run. The trick is particularly useful if you need to have
    administrative permissions to install a program, which many require. Note that you can
    have some fun by running programs multiple times on the same system as different users,
    but this can have unforeseen effects.
    12. Windows XP can be very insistent about you checking for auto updates, registering a
    Passport, using Windows Messenger and so on. After a while, the nagging goes away, but
    if you feel you might slip the bonds of sanity before that point, run Regedit, go to
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current
    Version/Explorer/Advanced and create a DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips with
    a value of 0.
    13. You can start up without needing to enter a user name or password. Select Run...
    from the start menu and type 'control userpasswords2', which will open the user accounts
    application. On the Users tab, clear the box for Users Must Enter A User Name And
    Password To Use This Computer, and click on OK. An Automatically Log On dialog box
    will appear; enter the user name and password for the account you want to use.
    14. Internet Explorer 6 will automatically delete temporary files, but only if you tell it to.
    Start the browser, select Tools / Internet Options... and Advanced, go down to the
    Security area and check the box to Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser
    is closed.
    15. XP comes with a free Network Activity Light, just in case you can't see the LEDs
    twinkle on your network card. Right click on My Network Places on the desktop, then
    select Properties. Right click on the description for your LAN or dial-up connection,
    select Properties, then check the Show icon in notification area when connected box.
    You'll now see a tiny network icon on the right of your task bar that glimmers nicely
    during network traffic.
    16. The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to appear, but you can speed things
    along by changing the registry entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control
    Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the default 400 to something a little snappier. Like
    0.
    17. You can rename loads of files at once in Windows Explorer. Highlight a set of files in
    a window, then right click on one and rename it. All the other files will be renamed to
    that name, with individual numbers in brackets to distinguish them. Also, in a folder you
    can arrange icons in alphabetised groups by View, Arrange Icon By... Show In Groups.
    18. Windows Media Player will display the cover art for albums as it plays the tracks -- if
    it found the picture on the Internet when you copied the tracks from the CD. If it didn't,
    or if you have lots of pre-WMP music files, you can put your own copy of the cover art in
    the same directory as the tracks. Just call it folder.jpg and Windows Media Player will
    pick it up and display it.
    19. Windows key + Break brings up the System Properties dialogue box; Windows key +
    D brings up the desktop; Windows key + Tab moves through the taskbar buttons.

    Hidden Programs in Windows XP

    Below are the lists of some of the Hidden Programs in the Windows XP operating System. Go to start and select Run. There typing the command on right side of the list will open the application in the left side.
    SQL Client Configuration - cliconfg
    System Configuration Editor - sysedit
    System Configuration Utility - msconfig
    System File Checker Utility (Scan Immediately)- sfc /scannow
    System File Checker Utility (Scan Once At Next Boot)- sfc /scanonce
    System File Checker Utility (Scan On Every Boot) - sfc /scanboot
    System File Checker Utility (Return to Default Setting)- sfc /revert
    System File Checker Utility (Purge File Cache)- sfc /purgecache
    System File Checker Utility (Set Cache Size to size x)-sfc/cachesize=x
    System Information- msinfo32
    System Properties - sysdm.cpl
    Task Manager - taskmgr
    TCP Tester - tcptest
    Telnet Client - telnet
    Tweak UI (if installed) - tweakui
    User Account Management- nusrmgr.cpl
    Utility Manager - utilman
    Windows Address Book - wab
    Windows Address Book Import Utility - wabmig
    Windows Backup Utility (if installed)- ntbackup
    Windows Explorer - explorer
    Windows Firewall- firewall.cpl
    Windows Magnifier- magnify
    Windows Management Infrastructure - wmimgmt.msc
    Windows Media Player - wmplayer
    Windows Messenger - msmsgs
    Windows Picture Import Wizard (need camera connected)- wiaacmgr
    Windows System Security Tool - syskey
    Windows Update Launches - wupdmgr
    Windows Version (to show which version of windows)- winver
    Windows XP Tour Wizard - tourstart
    Wordpad - write
    Password Properties - password.cpl
    Performance Monitor - perfmon.msc
    Phone and Modem Options - telephon.cpl
    Phone Dialer - dialer
    Pinball Game - pinball
    Power Configuration - powercfg.cpl
    Printers and Faxes - control printers
    Printers Folder - printers
    Private Character Editor - eudcedit
    Quicktime (If Installed)- QuickTime.cpl
    Quicktime Player (if installed)- quicktimeplayer
    Real Player (if installed)- realplay
    Regional Settings - intl.cpl
    Registry Editor - regedit
    Registry Editor - regedit32
    Remote Access Phonebook - rasphone
    Remote Desktop - mstsc
    Removable Storage - ntmsmgr.msc
    Removable Storage Operator Requests - ntmsoprq.msc
    Resultant Set of Policy (XP Prof) - rsop.msc
    Scanners and Cameras - sticpl.cpl
    Scheduled Tasks - control schedtasks
    Security Center - wscui.cpl
    Services - services.msc
    Shared Folders - fsmgmt.msc
    Shuts Down Windows - shutdown
    Sounds and Audio - mmsys.cpl
    Spider Solitare Card Game - spider
    Malicious Software Removal Tool - mrt
    Microsoft Access (if installed) - access.cpl
    Microsoft Chat - winchat
    Microsoft Excel (if installed) - excel
    Microsoft Frontpage (if installed)- frontpg
    Microsoft Movie Maker - moviemk
    Microsoft Paint - mspaint
    Microsoft Powerpoint (if installed)- powerpnt
    Microsoft Word (if installed)- winword
    Microsoft Syncronization Tool - mobsync
    Minesweeper Game - winmine
    Mouse Properties - control mouse
    Mouse Properties - main.cpl
    Nero (if installed)- nero
    Netmeeting - conf
    Network Connections - control netconnections
    Network Connections - ncpa.cpl
    Network Setup Wizard - netsetup.cpl
    Notepad - notepad
    Nview Desktop Manager (If Installed)- nvtuicpl.cpl
    Object Packager - packager
    ODBC Data Source Administrator- odbccp32.cpl
    On Screen Keyboard - osk
    Opens AC3 Filter (If Installed) - ac3filter.cpl
    Outlook Express - msimn
    Paint - pbrush
    IP Configuration (Display Connection Configuration) - ipconfi/all
    IP Configuration (Display DNS Cache Contents)- ipconfig /displaydns
    IP Configuration (Delete DNS Cache Contents)- ipconfig /flushdns
    IP Configuration (Release All Connections)- ipconfig /release
    IP Configuration (Renew All Connections)- ipconfig /renew
    IP Configuration(RefreshesDHCP&Re-RegistersDNS)-ipconfig/registerdns
    IP Configuration (Display DHCP Class ID)- ipconfig/showclassid
    IP Configuration (Modifies DHCP Class ID)- ipconfig /setclassid
    Java Control Panel (If Installed)- jpicpl32.cpl
    Java Control Panel (If Installed)- javaws
    Keyboard Properties - control keyboard
    Local Security Settings - secpol.msc
    Local Users and Groups - lusrmgr.msc
    Logs You Out Of Windows - logoff.....
    Accessibility Controls - access.cpl
    Accessibility Wizard - accwiz
    Add Hardware - Wizardhdwwiz.cpl
    Add/Remove Programs - appwiz.cpl
    Administrative Tools control - admintools
    Adobe Acrobat (if installed) - acrobat
    Adobe Designer (if installed)- acrodist
    Adobe Distiller (if installed)- acrodist
    Adobe ImageReady (if installed)- imageready
    Adobe Photoshop (if installed)- photoshop
    Automatic Updates - wuaucpl.cpl
    Bluetooth Transfer Wizard - fsquirt
    Calculator - calc
    Certificate Manager - certmgr.msc
    Character Map - charmap
    Check Disk Utility - chkdsk
    Clipboard Viewer - clipbrd
    Command Prompt - cmd
    Component Services - dcomcnfg
    Computer Management - compmgmt.msc
    Control Panel - control
    Date and Time Properties - timedate.cpl
    DDE Shares - ddeshare
    Device Manager - devmgmt.msc
    Direct X Control Panel (If Installed)- directx.cpl
    Direct X Troubleshooter- dxdiag
    Disk Cleanup Utility- cleanmgr
    Disk Defragment- dfrg.msc
    Disk Management- diskmgmt.msc
    Disk Partition Manager- diskpart
    Display Properties- control desktop
    Display Properties- desk.cpl
    Display Properties (w/Appearance Tab Preselected)- control color
    Dr. Watson System Troubleshooting Utility- drwtsn32
    Driver Verifier Utility- verifier
    Event Viewer- eventvwr.msc
    Files and Settings Transfer Tool- migwiz
    File Signature Verification Tool- sigverif
    Findfast- findfast.cpl
    Firefox (if installed)- firefox
    Folders Properties- control folders
    Fonts- control fonts
    Fonts Folder- fonts
    Free Cell Card Game- freecell
    Game Controllers- joy.cpl
    Group Policy Editor (XP Prof)- gpedit.msc
    Hearts Card Game- mshearts
    Help and Support- helpctr
    HyperTerminal- hypertrm
    Iexpress Wizard- iexpress
    Indexing Service- ciadv.msc
    Internet Connection Wizard- icwconn1
    Internet Explorer- iexplore
    Internet Properties- inetcpl.cpl
    Internet Setup Wizard- inetwiz

    To prolong for restarting after windows update

    Open Registry, Navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\windows\Windowsupdate\AU". If both the sub-keys "Windowsupdate\AU" are not present, create tjese with "Edit->new->key". Create a new entry "RebootWarningTimeoutEnabled" in the right side of the Registry editor by clicking on "Edit->new->DWORD-Value". Open it and set its value to 1. With this you enable the instruction of an interval. Create another value called "RebootWarning-Timeout". Enter the desired span in minutes as the value eg. 30. Additionally, the span between the consistent "Restart later" messages can also be prolonged. This can be done with other entries in the Registry key used above. Create a DWORD-Value with the name "Reboot-RelaunchTimeoutEnabled" and set it to 1. Then create the DWORD value, "RebpptRelaunch-Timeout" and enter the desired duration in minutes after which Windows should repeat the message.

    Restrict User Timely login

    Xp offers a possibility of deciding the logon times for each user in the system.Comfortable access to the settings is howev er only possible with the server version. The quickest way to do this in XP is by command line.
    The "net user" command followed by the appropriate user account and the option "/times" enabhle the configuration of the logon times. For example to restrict access to the guest account, enter the follwing command
    net user guest /times:Mo Fr,10 18;Sa,9 12
    The change is effective immediately. The user can login from Monday to Friday between 10 to 18 and Saturday between 9 to 12. Outside this range will ask for password. And even if you give correct password, it will reject it being wrong.
    To cancel the timely constraing just type
    net user guest /times:all

    Allow usrs to access system services

    You can curtail the services used on the network. Such tasks are regulated by group policies. On a local system, in your case, you are however required to define security template. This way you can apply the desired settings on the machine via the Snap-in "Security Configuration and analysis".
    First load the Microsoft Management Console. Click on Start->Run, type "mmc" and click on "OK". Open the existing console file or create a new one by clicking on "File->Add/Remove Snap-in". Then in the Standalone tab click on "Add". Now close all the dialog boxes that have been opened. In the console, now open the "Security template" by clicking on the preceding plus sign. Right click on the desired directory and select "New Template". Name the template, give a description for it and click on "OK". Open the "Security template" folder and the file with the new template that you created. Go to the entry "System Service" under "Compatws". Right click on the desired service for e.g. Print Queue" and select properties. Activate the option "Define this policy setting in the template". The security setting are opened. Here click on "Add" in the input field of the following dialog box, type the name of the user who should get the rights to the service. Click on "Verify name" and on successful colclusion, click ok. The new user is now added to the previous dialog box and is marked. Under this, you can define the authorizations for him. A user should at least able to "Read". "Start, pause and suspend" to be able to start and end a service. Activate the necessary control box in the "Allow" column. Finally, confirm the settings with "Apply" and "OK". Again, defina the start moder or the service in the original dialog box. Select Automatic" to do this, and reconfirm with "Apply" And "OK".

    Using Ctrl+alt+del to lock desktop


    Just open control panel->User Accounts. Select the action "Change the way users log on or off". Uncheck the option  "Use the Welcome Screen" and click apply. The old security dialog box will now appear if you click [ctrl]+[Alt]+[Del]. Now press spacebar to lock desktop.

    Some Important Tricky Issues

    Well, the total thing is going very long, lets do it in short. Open registry and navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/CurrentVersion/Policies\explorer". Under this create a DWORD-Value and name it from the list below to impose restriction. The value of which will be 1 to restrict and 0 to remove restriction. Lets look at the following list:

    NoDeletePrinter: Disables Deletion of already installed Printers
    NoAddPrinter: Disables Addition of new Printers
    NoRun : Disables or hides the Run Command
    NoSetFolders: Removes Folders from the Settings option on Start Menu (Control Panel, Printers, Taskbar)
    NoSetTaskbar: Removes Taskbar system folder from the Settings option on Start Menu
    NoFind: Removes the Find Tool (Start >Find)
    NoDrives: Hides and does not display any Drives in My Computer
    NoNetHood: Hides or removes the Network Neighborhood icon from the desktop
    NoDesktop: Hides all items including, file, folders and system folders from the Desktop
    NoClose: Disables Shutdown and prevents the user from normally shutting down Windows.
    NoSaveSettings: Means to say, 'Don't save settings on exit'
    DisableRegistryTools: Disable Registry Editing Tools (If you disable this option, the Windows Registry Editor(regedit.exe) too will not work.). So be very careful.
    NoRecentDocsHistory: Removes Recent Document system folder from the Start Menu (IE 4 and above)
    NoFileMenu _ Hides the Files Menu in Explorer
    NoActiveDesktop - No Active Desktop
    NoActiveDesktopChanges- No changes allowed
    NoInternetIcon - No Internet Explorer Icon on the Desktop
    NoFavoritesMenu - Hides the Favorites menu
    NoChangeStartMenu _ Disables changes to the Start Menu
    NoFolderOptions _ Hides the Folder Options in the Explorer
    NoLogoff - Hides the Log Off .... in the Start Menu
    NoViewOnDrive – Restrict a drive to open
    NoTrayContextMenu - No context menu in tray.
    NoStartMenuSubFolders
    NoWindowsUpdate
    NoViewContextMenu
    EnforceShellExtensionSecurity
    LinkResolveIgnoreLinkInfo
    NoDriveTypeAutoRun
    NoStartBanner
    NoSetActiveDesktop
    NoNetConnectDisconnect
    ClearRecentDocsOnExit: Clears the Recent Documents system folder on Exit.
    RestrictRun - Disables all exe programs except those listed in the RestrictRun subkey
    Under the same key "HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/CurrentVersion/Policies" you can create new subkeys other than the already existing Explorer key. Now create a new key and name it System. Under this new key, system we can create the following new DWORD values(1 for enabling the particular option and 0 for disabling the particular
    option):
    · NODispCPL: Hides Control Panel
    · NoDispBackgroundPage: Hides Background page.
    · NoDispScrsavPage: Hides Screen Saver Page
    · NoDispAppearancePage: Hides Appearance Page
    · NoDispSettingsPage: Hides Settings Page
    · NoSecCPL: Disables Password Control Panel
    · NoPwdPage: Hides Password Change Page
    · NoAdminPaqe: Hides Remote Administration Page
    · NoProfilePage: Hides User Profiles Page
    · NoDevMgrPage: Hides Device Manager Page
    · NoConfigPage: Hides Hardware Profiles Page
    · NoFileSysPage: Hides File System Button
    · NoVirtMemPage: Hides Virtual Memory Button
    Similarly, if we create a new subkey named WinOldApp, we can add the following
    DWORD values under it(1 for enabling the particular option and 0 for disabling the
    particular option):
    Disabled: Disable MS-DOS Prompt
    NoRealMode: Disable Single-Mode MS-DOS.

    Protecting Taskbar from Changes

    Open Registry and navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer". Now click on edit->new->DWORD-Value and create an entry with the name "LockTaskbar". Double click on it and set the value to "1". This will disable the context menu "Lock the Taskbar". To enable it, just change the value to "0" again.

    Repairing Context Menu of Folders

    Navigate to "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell" key. Select the incorrect command and delete it. Now on the right hand side of the Registry editor double click on the value named Default. Replace the name of the undesired context menu command with open. This way you transfer further controls to file type folder. Now open windows explorer. Click on tools->folder options. Select the entry none folder in the "File types" tab. Click advanced. Only one action other than "Open" can be defined in the dialog box, which should be set as default. Confirm the dialog box with "OK" and close.
    Now when you open windows explorer, dbl clicking on any folder will open it rather than exploring.

    To Hide Disk Drives

    Open Registry and navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer". Create a new entry by clicking on edit-> new->"Dword value". Name the value as 3fffffff.
    Now each drive letter has a number. The value of the key will be the sum of the drive letter numbers. Some of the numbers are :
    A:=1, B:=2,C:\4,D:=8,e:=16,f:=32,g:=64,H:=128,I:=256,j:=512,k:=1024,L:=2048 and so on. ..... Now if you want to hide "C:" and "D:" , you just have to enter value as '12'(4+8). Enter as decimal value in the dword key and restart windows.
    To get back your drives just delete the key called "3fffffff".

    Changing the Size of Preview Images

    Open Registry and navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer". Click on "edit->New->DWORD-Value" Name the new entry "ThumbnailSize". Double Click on the entry, select the "Decimal" radio button and enter the number between 32 and 256. The default value is 96. Enter larger value to increase the thumbnail size. Confirm the change by clicking on "OK". Restart windows Explorer for the changes to take effect.

    Protecting A folder in Windows XP

    I have just told you about CLSID. Its true that microsoft named all its COM objects with a unique CLSID. This ID is responsible for any behaviorial instinct in your file system. So the trick is very simple. IF we could somehow apply this trick to change the behaviour of a folder created by you with some system defined ones, our job will be over.
    To do this let us create a folder named "abc" (without quotes). Now, you need to assign something to this folder so that it could be disallowed to open... Just there is a CLSID to do that.
    open notepad and write
    "ren abc abc.{2559a1f2-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}" without quotes. Save the file with ".bat" extension. Let us save it as protect.bat (This is the extension of batch files) in the same location where the folder in so that it can be directly be called upon. I mean to say you need to create the batch file in the parent directory of abc. Double click on  the file and your folder will be locked.
    To unprotect it just change the line to this:
    "ren abc.{2559a1f2-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0} abc"
    You will have to change the folder name in place of abc. Thats all.
    To attach an application with your folder:
    Well, you can attach any application with your folder. Even the System services like My Computer or Recycle bin. Just you will have to create a batch file and write
    "ren abc abc.{FB0C9C8A-6C50-11D1-9F1D-0000F8757FCD}" to make it behave like Scanners and Faxes. This trick will be applicable to any of the folders or files.
    To unprotect, you will need to write
    "ren abc.{FB0C9C8A-6C50-11D1-9F1D-0000F8757FCD} abc". Where abc is the folder name. I am giving some of the CLSID. Try them and get your work done easily....
     
    CLSID
    "{85BBD920-42A0-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D}"="Briefcase"
    "{BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948F534}"="Fonts"
    "{7007ACC7-3202-11D1-AAD2-00805FC1270E}"="Network Connections"
    "{992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48}"="Network Connections"
    "{E211B736-43FD-11D1-9EFB-0000F8757FCD}"="Scanners & Cameras"
    "{FB0C9C8A-6C50-11D1-9F1D-0000F8757FCD}"="Scanners & Cameras"
    "{905667aa-acd6-11d2-8080-00805f6596d2}"="Scanners & Cameras"
    "{3F953603-1008-4f6e-A73A-04AAC7A992F1}"="Scanners & Cameras"
    "{83bbcbf3-b28a-4919-a5aa-73027445d672}"="Scanners & Cameras"
    "{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}"="Scheduled Tasks"
    "{0DF44EAA-FF21-4412-828E-260A8728E7F1}"="Taskbar and Start Menu"
    "{2559a1f0-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}"="Search"
    "{2559a1f1-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}"="Help and Support"
    "{2559a1f2-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}"="Help and Support"
    "{2559a1f3-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}"="Run..."
    "{2559a1f4-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}"="Internet"
    "{2559a1f5-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}"="E-mail"
    "{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524152}"="Fonts"
    "{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524153}"="Administrative Tools"
    "{01E04581-4EEE-11d0-BFE9-00AA005B4383}"="&Address"
    "{FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}"="History"
    "{7A9D77BD-5403-11d2-8785-2E0420524153}"="User Accounts"
    "{32714800-2E5F-11d0-8B85-00AA0044F941}"="For &People..."
    "{5464D816-CF16-4784-B9F3-75C0DB52B499}"="Yahoo! Mail"
    "{B41DB860-8EE4-11D2-9906-E49FADC173CA}"="WinRAR shell extension"
    "{BDEADF00-C265-11D0-BCED-00A0C90AB50F}"="Web Folders"
    "{F2CF5485-4E02-4f68-819C-B92DE9277049}"="&Links"
    "{416651E4-9C3C-11D9-8BDE-F66BAD1E3F3A}"="PhoneBrowser"

    HIDDEN TRICKS.... of Windows

    Introduction
    I would like to thank you for appreciating my postings, and also for your lovely responses to my mailbox. Well, this time I am not writing on any of the technical stuffs. Lets change our topic a bit.
    Well, nowadays the most popular operating system is Microsoft's Windows operating system. It is a GUI (Graphic User Interface) based operating system. Windows is widely accepteble because of its simplicity. Any type of user can handle this operating system very easily. All of the options in windows corresponds with appropriate informations regrading it. There is a huge amount of help associated with windows.
    But having so much of help, there are some hidden truths regarding windows. I would like to share some of them with you that I know with you now.
    First of all, I must tell you that most of the hidden tricks are associated with registry values. It is very dangerous to change registry values because microsoft is using all of its objects associated with a registry values. So deleting some key may harm your computer and may lead to reloading of the Operating system again afresh. So be very careful of what I am telling you and dont delete other keys by mistake.
    Now, How to open Registry.....
    To open Registry, first go to Start menu, then RUN. Type "regedit" without quotes there and press Enter. This will open a new window called Registry Editor with two divisions on the screen. The left hand part is having a hierarchy of folders. And the right hand side is its associated content. Well, it is very similar to the Windows Explorer. Now moving to the Tricks........
    (CLSID)
    Well, basically windows is build with the microsoft's COM (Component Object Model) based architecture. They have built lots of dlls to provide full graphical windows. Everything in windows is built with classes. The classes of windows are assigned to an unique ID with it called Class ID or CLSID. Now any special folders or any icon of windows OS is associated to its respective CLSIDs, and they are just an object of those classes. An ICON is just a special file when associated with the approprite clsid will behave specially. For instance, if a file or folder is assigned to the CLSID of Recycle Bin will definately behave like it. Even the picture of the ICON will also change if we change the CLSID of it.
    I would like to thank you for appreciating my postings, and also for your lovely responses to my mailbox. Well, this time I am not writing on any of the technical stuffs. Lets change our topic a bit.

    Well, nowadays the most popular operating system is Microsoft's Windows operating system. It is a GUI (Graphic User Interface) based operating system. Windows is widely accepteble because of its simplicity. Any type of user can handle this operating system very easily. All of the options in windows corresponds with appropriate informations regrading it. There is a huge amount of help associated with windows.
    But having so much of help, there are some hidden truths regarding windows. I would like to share some of them with you that I know with you now.
     
    First of all, I must tell you that most of the hidden tricks are associated with registry values. It is very dangerous to change registry values because microsoft is using all of its objects associated with a registry values. So deleting some key may harm your computer and may lead to reloading of the Operating system again afresh. So be very careful of what I am telling you and dont delete other keys by mistake.