Registry Tricks and Tips for Windows

Backup / Restore the Registry

To Backup/Restore the Windows Registry: Windows 9x For XP 2000 click here

1. If you are in MSDOS, at the C:\Windows prompt type
2. Attrib -s -r -h C:\Windows\System.dat (press Enter)
3. Attrib -s -r -h C:\Windows\User.dat (press Enter)

To make the backup copies type:

1. copy C:\Windows\System.dat C:\Windows\System.000 (press Enter)
2. copy C:\Windows\User.dat C:\Windows\user.000 (press Enter)

To Restore the Registry

1. copy C:\Windows\System.000 C:\Windows\System.dat (press Enter)
2. copy C:\Windows\User.000 C:\Windows\user.dat (press Enter)

Add Open With to all files

You can add "Open With..." to the Right click context menu of all files.This is great for when you have several programs you want to open the same file types with. I use three different text editors so I added it to the ".txt" key.

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\Shell
3. Add a new Key named "OpenWith" by right clicking the "Shell" Key and selecting new
4. Set the (Default) to "Op&en With..."
5. Add a new Key named "Command" by right clicking the "OpenWith" Key and selecting new
6. Set the (Default) to "C:\Windows\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,OpenAs_RunDLL %1", C:\ being your Windows drive. You must enter the "OpenAs_RunDLL %1" exactly this way.

Customize the System Tray

You can add your name or anything you like that consists of 8 characters or less. This will replace the AM or PM next to the system time. But you can corrupt some trial licenses of software that you may have downloaded.

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\International
3. Add two new String values, "s1159" and "s2359"
4. Right click the new value name and modify. Enter anything you like up to 8 characters.

If you enter two different values when modifying, you can have the system tray display the two different values in the AM and PM.

Lock Out Unwanted Users

Want to keep people from accessing Windows, even as the default user? If you do not have a domain do not attempt this.

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Network\Logon
3. Create a dword value "MustBeValidated"
4. Set the value to 1
This forced logon can be bypassed in Safe Mode on Windows 9x

Disable the Outlook Express Splash Screen

You can make OutLook Express load quicker by disabling the splash screen:

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\OutLook Express
3. Add a string value "NoSplash"
4. Set the value data to 1 as a Dword value

Multiple Columns For the Start Menu

To make Windows use multiple Start Menu Columns instead of a single scrolling column, like Windows 9x had, Also if you are using Classic Mode in XP

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to the key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ Advanced
3. Create a string value "StartMenuScrollPrograms"
4. Right click the new string value and select modify
5. Set the value to "FALSE"

Changing Windows' Icons

You can change the Icons Windows uses for folders, the Start Menu, opened and closed folder in the Explorer, and many more.

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ Shell Icons
3. Add a string value for each Icon you wish to change.
Example: "3" ="C:\Windows\Icons\MyIcon.ico,0" This will change the closed folders in the Explorer to "MyIcon.ico". Here is a complete list for each value.

0= Unknown file type 1= MSN file types 2= Applications Generic 3= Closed Folder 4= Open Folder 5= 5.25" Drive 6= 3.25" Drive 7= Removable Drive 8= Hard Drive 9= NetWork Drive 10= Network Drive Offline 11= CD-ROM Drive 12= RAM Drive 13= Entire Network

14= Network Hub 15= My Computer 16= Printer 17= Network Neighborhood 18= Network Workgroup 19= Start Menu's Program Folders 20= Start Menu's Documents 21= Start Menu's Setting 22= Start Menu's Find 23= Start Menu's Help 24= Start Menu's Run 25= Start Menu's Suspend 26= Start Menu's PC Undock 27= Start Menu's Shutdown

28= Shared 29= Shortcut Arrow 30= (Unknown Overlay) 31= Recycle Bin Empty 32= Recycle Bin Full 33= Dial-up Network 34= DeskTop 35= Control Panel 36= Start Menu's Programs 37= Printer Folder 38= Fonts Folder 39= Taskbar Icon 40= Audio CD

You need to reboot after making changes. You may need to delete the hidden file ShellIconCache if after rebooting the desired Icons are not displayed.

Change Default Folder Locations

You can change or delete the Windows mandatory locations of folder like My Documents:

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ Shell Folders
3. Change the desired folder location, My Documents is normally list as "Personal"
4. Open the Explorer and rename or create the folder you wish.

To change the desired location of the Program Files folder
1. Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
2. Change the value of "ProgramFiles", or "ProgramFilesDir"
Now when you install a new program it will default to the new location you have selected.

Change the Registered Change the User Information

You can change the Registered Owner or Registered Organization to anything you want even after Windows is installed.

1) Open RegEdit
2) Got to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion.
3) Change the value of "RegisteredOrganization" or "RegisteredOwner", to what ever you want

Opening a DOS Window to either the Drive or Directory in Explorer

Add the following Registry Keys for a Directory:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\opennew
@="Dos Prompt in that Directory"

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\opennew\command
@="command.com /k cd %1"

Add or Edit the following Registry Keys for a Drive:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\opennew
@="Dos Prompt in that Drive"

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\opennew\command
@="command.com /k cd %1"

These will allow you to right click on either the drive or the directory and the option of starting the dos prompt will pop up.

Changing Exchange/Outlook Mailbox Location

To change the location of your mailbox for Exchange:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Microsoft\Windows Messaging Subsystem\ Profiles
3. Go to the profile you want to change
4. Go to the value name that has the file location for your mailbox (*.PST) file
5. Make the change to file location or name

To change the location of your mailbox for Outlook
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Outlook (or Outlook Express if Outlook Express)
3. Go to the section "Store Root"
4. Make the change to file location

Add/Remove Sound Events from Control Panel

You can Add and delete sounds events in the Control Panel. In order to do that:

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Eventlabels. If this key does not exist you can create it and add events.
3. You can add/delete any items you want to or delete the ones you no longer want.

Adding an Application to the Right Click on Every Folder

Here is how to add any application to the Context Menu when you right click on any Folder. This way you do not have to always go to the Start Menu. When you right click on any folder, you can have access to that application, the same as using Sent To.

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell
3. Add a new Key to the "Shell" Key and name it anything you like.
4. Give it a default value that will appear when you right click a folder, i.e. NewKey (use an "&" without the quotes, in front of any character and it will allow you to use the keyboard)
5. Click on the Key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\NewKey
6. Add a New Key named Command
7. Set the (Default) value of the application you want to run
8. For example: c:\program files\internet explorer\iexplore.exe (Include the full path and parameters if you need them)

Adding Explore From Here to Every Folder

When you want to right click on any folder and want to open up an Explorer window of that folder.

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell
3. Add a new Key "RootExplore " under the "Shell" Key
4. Set the (Default) value to "E&xplore From Here "
5. Right Click the "RootExplore " Key and add a new Key "Command"to the RootExplore
6. Set the (Default) value of Explorer.exe /e,/root,/idlist,%i

Changing the Location of Windows' Installation Files

If you need to change the drive and or path where Windows looks for its installation files:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Setup
3.Edit the value next to SourcePath

Creating a Logon Banner

If you want to create a Logon Banner: A message box to appear below your logon on.

1.Open RegEdit
2.Go To
For Windows 9x and ME -
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon

For Windows 2000 XP 2003 Vista -
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon

3.Create a new String value"LegalNoticeCaption "
4. Enter the Title of the window. What is displayed in the Title Bar.
5. Create a new string value "LegalNoticeText"
6. Enter the text for your message box that will appear even before the Logon window.

Creating a Default File Opener

If you have a un-registered file type and want to view it instead of having to select Open With. Use Explorer's Right-click and add your program to the right-click options by:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Unknown\Shell
3. Right click on "Shell" and create a New Key and name it "Open "
4. Create a New Key under the "Open" key you just created and name it "Command"
5. Set the (Default) value to the path and filename of the program you want to use to open the file type
6. For example: C:\Windows\NOTEPAD.EXE %1
You must use the "%1" for this to work.and a space between the exe and the %1

Deleting Registry Keys from the Command Line

There are two ways to delete a key from the Registry from the Command line. At the Windows Command line:

RegEdit /l location of System.dat /R location of User.dat /D Registry key to delete
You cannot be in Windows at the time you use this switch.

Or you can create a reg file as such:
REGEDIT4

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\the key you want to delete]
Note the negative sign just behind the[
Then at the Command line type:
1. RegEdit C:\Windows\(name of the regfile).

Change/Add Restrictions And Features

If you want to make restrictions to what users can do or use on their computer without having to run Poledit, you can edit the Registry. You can add and delete Windows features in this Key shown below.

Zero is Off and the value 1 is On. Example: to Save Windows settings add or modify the value name NoSaveSettings to 0, if set to1 Windows will not save settings. And NoDeletePrinter set to 1 will prevent the user from deleting a printer.

The same key shows up at:
HKEY_USERS\(yourprofilename)\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Explorer so change it there also if you are using different profiles.

1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ CurrentVersion\ Policies
3.Go to the Explorer Key (Additional keys that can be created under Policies are System, Explorer, Network and WinOldApp )
4.You can then add DWORD or binary values set to 1 in the appropriate keys for ON and 0 for off.
NoDeletePrinter - Disables Deletion of Printers
NoAddPrinter - Disables Addition of Printers
NoRun - Disables Run Command
NoSetFolders - Removes Folders from Settings on Start Menu
NoSetTaskbar - Removes Taskbar from Settings on Start Menu
NoFind - Removes the Find Command
NoDrives - Hides Drives in My Computers
NoNetHood - Hides the Network Neighborhood
NoDesktop - Hides all icons on the Desktop
NoClose - Disables Shutdown
NoSaveSettings - Don't save settings on exit
DisableRegistryTools - Disable Registry Editing Tools
NoRecentDocsMenu - Hides the Documents shortcut at the Start button
NoRecentDocsHistory- Clears history of Documents
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
ClearRecentDocsOnExit - Empty the recent Docs folder on reboot
NoLogoff - Hides the Log Off .... in the Start Menu

And here are a few more you can play with
ShowInfoTip
NoTrayContextMenu
NoStartMenuSubFolders
NoWindowsUpdate
NoViewContextMenu
EnforceShellExtensionSecurity
LinkResolveIgnoreLinkInfo
NoDriveTypeAutoRun
NoStartBanner
NoSetActiveDesktop
EditLevel
NoNetConnectDisconnect
RestrictRun - Disables all exe programs except those listed in the RestrictRun subkey
This key has many other available keys, there is one to even hide the taskbar, one to hide the control panel and more. I'm not telling you how, as someone may want to play a trick on you. The policies key has a great deal of control over how and what program can run and how one can access what feature.

In the System key you can enter:
NoDispCPL - Disable Display Control Panel
NoDispBackgroundPage - Hide Background Page
NoDispScrSavPage - Hide Screen Saver Page
NoDispAppearancePage - Hide Appearance Page
NoDispSettingsPage - Hide Settings Page
NoSecCPL - Disable Password Control Panel
NoPwdPage - Hide Password Change Page
NoAdminPage - Hide Remote Administration Page
NoProfilePage - Hide User Profiles Page
NoDevMgrPage - Hide Device Manager Page
NoConfigPage - Hide Hardware Profiles Page
NoFileSysPage - Hide File System Button
NoVirtMemPage - Hide Virtual Memory Button

In the Network key you can enter:
NoNetSetup - Disable the Network Control Panel
NoNetSetupIDPage - Hide Identification Page
NoNetSetupSecurityPage - Hide Access Control Page
NoFileSharingControl - Disable File Sharing Controls
NoPrintSharing - Disable Print Sharing Controls

In the WinOldApp key you can enter:
Disabled - Disable MS-DOS Prompt
NoRealMode - Disables Single-Mode MS-DOS

Automatic Screen Refresh

When you make changes to your file system and use Explorer, the changes are not usually displayed until you press the F5 key
To refresh automatically:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Update
3. Set the value name "UpdateMode" to 1

Disable Password Caching

To disable password caching, which allows for the single Network login and eliminates the secondary Windows logon screen. Either use the same password or:

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to the key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE \Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Network
3. Add a Dword value "DisablePwdCaching" and set the value to 1

Changing the MaxMTU for faster Downloads

There are four Internet settings that can be configured, you can get greater throughput (faster Internet downloads) by modifying a few settings.
They are the MaxMTU, MaxMSS and DefaultRcvWindow, and DefaultTTL

1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlset\ Services\ Class\ net\ 000x
(where x is your particular network adapter binding.)
3.Right click on the right panel
4.Select New\String Value and create the value name IPMTU
5.Double click on it and enter then the number you want. The usual change is to 576
6.Similarly, you can add IPMSS and give it a value of 536

(Windows 9X)You can set DefaultRcvWindow, and DefaultTTL by adding these string values to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ System\ CurrentControlset\ Services\ VXD\ MSTCP
Set the DefaultRcvWindow to"5840"and the DefaultTTL to "128"

Note: These settings will slow down your network access speed slightly, but you will probably not even see the difference if you are using a network card. If you are using Direct Cable you should see a sight difference.

Adding Items to the Start Button

To add items when you right-click on the Start Button:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell
3.Right-click on Shell and select New Key
4.Type in the name of the key and press the Enter key
5.In the Default name that shows in the right hand panel, you can add a title with a "&" character in front of the letter for a shortcut
6.Right-click on the key you just created and create another key under it called command
7.For the value of this command, enter the full path and program you want to execute
8.Now when you right click on the Start Button, your new program will be there.
9.For example, if you want Word to be added, you would add that as the first key, the default in the right panel would be &Word so when you right click on the Start Button, the W would be the Hot Key on your keyboard. The value of the key would be C:\Program Files\Office\Winword\Winword.exe

Remove Open, Explore & Find from Start Button

When you right click on the Start Button, you can select Open, Explore or Find.
Open shows your Programs folder. Explore starts the Explorer and allows access to all drives.
Find allows you to search and then run programs. In certain situations you might want to disable this feature.
To remove them:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell\Find
3.Delete Find
4.Scroll down below Directory to Folder
5.Expand this section under shell
6.Delete Explore and Open
Caution: - When you remove Open, you cannot open any folders.

Removing Items from NEW Context Menu

When you right-click on the desktop and select New, or use the File Menu item in the Explore and select New a list of default templates you can open up are listed.
To remove items from that list:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Do a Search for the string ShellNew in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Hive
3. Delete the ShellNew command key for the items you want to remove.

Changing Telnet Window

You can view more data if you increase the line count of Telnet. By Default it has a window size of 25 lines. To increase this so you can scroll back and look at a larger number on lines:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Telnet
3. Modify the value data of "Rows"

Changing the Tips of the Day

You can edit the Tips of the day in the Registry by going to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ explorer\ Tips

Disabling Drives in My Computer

To turn off the display of local or networked drives when you click on My Computer:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Explorer
3.Add a New DWORD item and name it NoDrives
4.Give it a value of 3FFFFFF
5.Now when you click on My Computer, none of your drives will show.

Changing the caption on the Title Bar

Change the Caption on the Title Bar for OutLook Express or the Internet Explorer:
For Outlook Express:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\OutLook Express
For IE5 and up use:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\IDENTITIES \{9DDDACCO-38F2-11D6-93CA-812B1F3493B}\ SOFTWARE\ MICROSOFT\ OUTLOOK EXPRESS\5.0
3. Add a string value "WindowTitle" (no space)
4. Modify the value to what ever you like.

For no splash screen, add a dword value "NoSplash" set to 1
The Key {9DDDACCO-38F2-11D6-93CA-812B1F3493B} can be any key you find here. Each user has his own Key number.
The Key 5.0 is whatever version of IE you have

For Internet Explorer:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
3. Add a string value "Window Title" (use a space)
4. Modify the value to what ever you like.

Disabling the Right-Click on the Start Button

Normally, when you right button click on the Start button, it allows you to open your programs folder, the Explorer and run Find.
In situations where you don't want to allow users to be able to do this in order to secure your computer.
1.Open RegEdit
2.Search for Desktop
3.This should bring you to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory
4.Expand this section
5.Under Shell is Find
6.Delete Find
7.Move down a little in the Registry to Folder
8.Expand this section and remove Explore and Open
Now when you right click on the Start button, nothing should happen.
You can delete only those items that you need.
Note: - On Microsoft keyboards, this also disables the Window-E (for Explorer) and Window-F
(for Find) keys.
See the section on Installation in the RESKIT to see how to do this automatically during an install.

Disabling My Computer

In areas where you are trying to restrict what users can do on the computer, it might be beneficial to disable the ability to click on My Computer and have access to the drives, control panel etc.
To disable this:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Search for 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D
3.This should bring you to the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID section
4.Delete the entire section.
Now when you click on My Computer, nothing will happen.
You might want to export this section to a Registry file before deleting it just in case you want to enable it again. Or you can rename it to 20D0HideMyComputer4FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D. You can also hide all the Desktop Icons, see Change/Add restrictions.

Opening Explorer from My Computer

By default, when you click on the My Computer icon, you get a display of all your drives, the Control Panel etc. If you would like to have this open the Explorer:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\ Shell
3 . Add a new Key named "Open" if it does not exists by right clicking "Shell" and selecting new.
4. . Add a new Key named "Command" by right clicking "Open" and selecting new
5. Set the (Default) value for the Command Key to "Explorer.exe" or "C:\Windows\Explorer.exe"

Recycle Bin Edits

Fooling with the recycle bin. Why not make the icon context menu act like other icon context menus.
Add rename to the menu:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ ShellFolder
"Attributes"=hex:50,01,00,20
Add delete to the menu:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ ShellFolder
"Attributes"=hex:60,01,00,20
Add rename and delete to the menu:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} \ShellFolder
"Attributes"=hex:70,01,00,20
Restore the recycle bin to Windows defaults including un-deleting the icon after deletion:
Restore the icon.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows \CurrentVersion\ explorer\
Desktop\NameSpace\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
@="Recycle Bin"
Reset Windows defaults.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} \ShellFolder
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,00,20
Other edits to the recycle bin icon:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ ShellFolder
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,01,20 ... standard shortcut arrow
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,02,20 ... a different shortcut arrow
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,04,20 ... and still another shortcut arrow
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,08,20 ... make it look disabled (like it's been cut)

For Windows XP and 2000 also edit HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
For Windows ME also edit HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software\ Classes\ CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}

Setting the Minimum Password Length

1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Network
3. Now, choose the Edit/New/Binary value command and call the new value MinPwdLen. Press Enter twice and Assign it a value equal to your minimum password length.

Add\delete programs to run every time Windows starts

You can start or stop programs from executing at boot up by adding or deleting them to/from the run Keys in the Registry. Windows loads programs to start in the following order; Program listed in the Local Machine hive, then the Current User hive, then theWin.ini Run= and Load = lines. then finally programs in your Start Up folder.

To add or remove programs in the Registry
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to the desired Key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \RunServices
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \RunServices
3. Add a new String Value and name it anything you like
4. For the value data, enter the path and executable for the program you want to run.

By adding the value to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive instead allows the program to start only when that user is logged on.

If you add the value to the RunOnce key the program will run once and be removed from the key by Windows.

Removing the Shortcut Icon Arrows

1.Open RegEdit
2.Open the Key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
3.Open the Key LNKFILE
4.Delete the value IsShortcut
5.Open the next Key PIFFILE
6.Delete the value IsShortcut
7.Restart the Windows

Turn Off Window Animation

You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize Windows.
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control panel \Desktop\ WindowMetrics
3. Create a new string value "MinAnimate".
4. Set the value data of 0 for Off or 1 for On

Changing your Modem's Initialization String

1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet \Services \Class \Modem \0000 \Init
3.Change the settings to the new values

Increasing the Modem Timeout

If your modem it is timing out during file transfers or loading Web Pages, you might try increasing the timeout period. To change the Time Out::
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\ Services\ Class\ Modem\ XXXX\ Settings Where XXXX is the number of your modem
3. In the right panel and double click on Inactivity Timeout
4.The number of minutes for a timeout should be entered between the brackets.
5.For example, a setting could have S19=<10> to set it to 10 minutes.

Removing Programs from Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs Section

If you uninstalled a program by deleting the files, it may still show up in the Add/Remove programs list in the Control Panel.
In order to remove it from the list.
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Uninstall
3.Delete any programs here.
If you have a problem locating the desired program open each key and view the DisplayName value

The Fix for Grayed Out Boxes

The File Types tab in Explorer's View / Options menu lets you edit most of your file types, but certain settings cannot be changed. The default action for a batch file, for instance, runs the batch file instead of opening it via Notepad or Wordpad. Thus, when you double-click on AUTOEXEC.BAT, a DOS window opens, and the file executes. If you want to change this default action and edit a batch file when you double-click on it, however, the File Types tab does not let you do so; the Set Default button for the file type called MS-DOS Batch File is always grayed out.

The button is grayed out because HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT's batfile key contains an EditFlag value entry. Such entries are used throughout the Registry to prevent novice users from altering certain system settings. The binary data in batfile's EditFlag reads d0 04 00 00. If you change this value to 00 00 00 00, you can then change any of the batch file settings. Do not, however, indiscriminately zero out EditFlag; if you do so in a system ProgID such as Drive or AudioCD, it completely disappears from the File Types list. For ProgIDs that are linked to extensions, set all EditFlags to 00 00 00 00. For system ProgIDs, replace EditFlag data with 02 00 00 00.

If you wish to have access to some buttons while leaving others grayed out, you must know the function of each EditFlag bit. The last two bytes of data are always zero, but most bits within the first two bytes have a specific effect:

• Byte 1, bit 1: Removes the file type from the master list in the File Types tab (select View / Options under Explorer) if it has an associated extension.
• Byte 1, bit 2: Adds the file type to the File Types tab if it does not have an associated extension.
• Byte 1, bit 3: Identifies a type with no associated extension.
• Byte 1, bit 4: Grays out the Edit button in the File Types tab.
• Byte 1, bit 5: Grays out the Remove button in the File Types tab.
• Byte 1, bit 6: Grays out the New button in the Edit File Type dialog (select the Edit button in the File Types tab).
• Byte 1, bit 7: Grays out the Edit button in the Edit File Type dialog.
• Byte 1, bit 8: Grays out the Remove button in the Edit File Type dialog.
• Byte 2, bit 1: Prevents you from editing a file type's description in the Edit File Type dialog.
• Byte 2, bit 2: Grays out the Change Icon button in the Edit File Type dialog.
• Byte 2, bit 3: Grays out the SetDefault button in the Edit File Type dialog.
• Byte 2, bit 4: Prevents you from editing an action's description in the Edit Action dialog (select the Edit button in the Edit File Type dialog).
• Byte 2, bit 5: Prevents you from editing the command line in the Edit Action dialog.
• Byte 2, bit 6: Prevents you from setting DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) fields in the Edit Action dialog.

The EditFlags value for Drive, for instance, is d2 01 00 00 in Hex (1101 0010 0000 0001 in binary). Bits 2, 5, 7, and 8 are on in byte 1, and bit 1 is on in byte 2. The EditFlag for batfile is d0 04 00 00 in Hex or 1101 0000 0000 0100 in binary. In this case, bits 5, 7, and 8 are on in byte 1, and bit 3 is on in byte 2.

Bits 4, 5, and 6 of byte 2 apply only to actions that are protected. EditFlags with action keys (such as HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open) determine protection. If byte 1, bit 1 of such an EditFlag is 0 (or if there is no EditFlag), then the action is protected. If byte 1, bit 1 is 1, then the action is unprotected.

Protection on system files

To enable protection on system files such as the KnownDLLs list, add the following value;

1. Open RegEdit
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\ Control\ SessionManager
3. Create the a Dword value and name it "ProtectionMode "
4. Set the Value to1

Operating System Installing Tips

Windows XP Minimum Hardware Requirements

To install Windows XP 'Home' or 'Professional' onto your new PC, it will need to meet the following specification:

PC with 300 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233-MHz minimum required;
(Intel Pentium/Celeron family, AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended)
128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended
(64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)
1.5 Gigabyte (GB) of available hard disk space
Super VGA (800 × 600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor
CD-ROM or DVD drive
Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

Systems with this specification (or better) should be capable of running Windows XP successfully. Once installed, it may be necessary to obtain extra software called 'Drivers' from the manufacturers of your hardware to obtain maximum performance from your system. These can usually be downloaded from the appropriate web site.

Windows XP Installation Guide - Phase 1

Serial-ATA
If you are installing to a Serial-ATA Hard Disk then you will need a floppy disk containing the appropriate Serial-ATA drivers for your motherboard.

Quality motherboard manufacturers will supply a floppy disk with the motherboard for this purpose but, in some cases, it will be necessary to create a Serial-ATA driver disk using the CD that is packaged with the motherboard, or even download the drivers from the manufacturer's web site.

The procedure for installing Windows XP onto a new PC is as follows:

Switch on the PC and put the Windows XP CD into the CD-ROM. Press the reset button on the PC and allow it to boot.

The PC should boot to the CD-ROM, if not check your motherboard manual to enable 'Boot to CD-ROM' in its BIOS settings.

Serial-ATA
If you are installing to a Serial-ATA hard disk then keep an eye out for the message (It only appears very briefly):
Press F6 if you need to install a third party SCSI or RAID driver... Tap the [F6] key a few times. The installation will continue, but will stop in a few moments to give you the opportunity to insert a floppy disk with the Serial-ATA drivers on.

After a few seconds a blue Windows Setup screen will appear.

The system will load some basic files to enable it to begin the install

At the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to continue.

The system will check the HDD to determine if / how it is configured

Serial-ATA
If you are installing to a Serial-ATA Hard Disk then Windows will require the Serial-ATA drivers at this point. A message will appear as follows:
Setup could not determine the type of one or more mass storage devices installed in your system, or you have chosen to manually specify an adapter...

Insert your Serial-ATA drivers floppy disk and press [S]. If a list of drivers appears, select the correct driver (the motherboard manual should help you with this choice.) Windows XP should load the appropriate driver and continue to install.

At the Windows XP license agreement screen, read the agreement and press the F8 key to continue.

It will be necessary to agree to continue the installation

Highlight Unpartitioned space and press ENTER

The system will 'Partition' the hard disk to enable it to be formatted

Select one of the Formatting options and press ENTER

FAT would be the most common option for home users. If you are confident with operating systems you can select any of the options available. If you select NTFS, note that other operating systems may not be able to access the files created on this drive.

To confirm that you wish to format the HDD, press ENTER

Setup will format the HDD and check it for errors. This may take some time depending on the capacity of the HDD

Once formatted, Setup will copy its files to the HDD.

This make take a few moments depending on the speed of your system

Setup will reboot the PC after a 15 second countdown (or press ENTER to reboot quicker)

During the reboot, remove the Windows XP CD from the CD-ROM Drive. The CD is removed to force the system to boot to the HDD. If this produces an error, configure the BIOS settings to boot to the HDD first

Windows XP Installation Guide - Phase 2

The system should now boot to the HDD to continue the installation.

After it has booted to the HDD, place the Windows XP CD back into the CD-ROM drive

A Windows XP screen should appear and the installation will continue

The system will now load and configure the Operating System. During this time, five small green squares will 'pulse' in sequence at the bottom right of the screen. This indicates that the system is actively installing files and settings. If this stops for a long time, simply shutdown and restart your computer.

A Region and Language Options window will pop up during the installation. Configure the options available for your country and then click Next to continue.

If you're unsure about the options, they can also be configured after the installation has completed

At the Personalize your software window, click inside each text box and fill in your name and organization/company (if you have one) then click Next

Before the next step, locate the Windows XP Product key which should be on the CD case.

At the Your product key window, copy the product key into the boxes exactly as it appears on the CD case, then click Next

If it doesn't work, don't worry, just try typing it in again. It's easy to mis-type a complex set of numbers and letters.

At the What's your computers name? window, type in a name for your PC, then click Next

If you ever create a home network of two machines or more, the name of each machine will need to be different.

At the Modem dialling information window, fill in the required details then click Next

This window will only display if you have a Modem fitted to your PC

At the Time and Date window, check that the time, date and time zone are correct and click Next

Again, don't worry if they're not right as this can also be configured after the installation

At the Network Information window, select Typical settings then click Next

These settings can be reconfigured later as required.

The system will finish the installation and automatically reboot the PC.

Phase Two of the installation is complete and the system needs to reboot again

Windows XP Installation Guide - Final Phase

Again, remove the XP CD and allow the system to boot to the HDD.

The operating System will start for the first time and configure itself

A Windows XP logo should appear for a few seconds as it boots

The system will now attempt to configure its software for your particular hardware setup

At the Welcome to Microsoft Windows screen, click Next

The Windows XP CD is required for further tasks and must be ready in the CD-ROM

At the Setup the Internet screen, follow the instructions as necessary then click Next

Configure your Internet connection as instructed by your ISP (Internet Service Provider)

At the Ready to activate Windows screen, click No, remind me every few days and then click Next

You will have 30 days to test Windows XP, during which you can activate it at any time.

At the Internet Access screen, click No, not at this time, then click Next

This can be configured after installation has completed

At the User Names screen, fill in your name at the top, followed by the names of any other users of your PC in the spaces below

This allows for each person listed to have their own account which 'remembers' their personal preferences and settings

Windows XP is now completely installed on your PC. Click your name from the list to continue.

Control Programs That Run at Startup

The best way to prevent a program from running at Startup, is to check the program's own options for a way to prevent this. Most good quality programs will provide an option for this.

If you can't find the option there, click Start, Run and enter MSCONFIG. Go to the Startup tab, and uncheck the item there. This method is not always 100% successful. An example is a program that you do use, but you don't want running automatically. Some programs will check to see if the program's own options say it should run at Startup. If the program thinks its supposed to load at startup, it will re-create the autorun entry.

A small utility that can help you determine where things are loading from is Startup Programs Tracker, which can be downloaded here.

DOS Command

Information about all current DOS commands

APPEND

(External)

APPEND ;
APPEND [d:]path[;][d:]path[...]
APPEND [/X:on|off][/path:on|off] [/E]

Displays or sets the search path for data files. DOS will search the specified path(s) if the file is not found in the current path.

ASSIGN

(External)

ASSIGN x=y [...] /sta

Redirects disk drive requests to a different drive.

ATTRIB

(External)

ATTRIB [d:][path]filename [/S]
ATTRIB [+R|-R] [+A|-A] [+S|-S] [+H|-H] [d:][path]filename [/S]

Sets or displays the read-only, archive, system, and hidden attributes of a file or directory.

BACKUP

(External)

BACKUP d:[path][filename] d:[/S][/M][/A][/F:(size)] [/P][/D:date] [/T:time] [/L:[path]filename]

Makes a backup copy of one or more files. (In DOS Version 6, this program is stored on the DOS supplemental disk.)

BREAK

(Internal)

BREAK =on|off

Used from the DOS prompt or in a batch file or in the CONFIG.SYS file to set (or display) whether or not DOS should check for a Ctrl + Break key combination.

BUFFERS

(Internal)

BUFFERS=(number),(read-ahead number)

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to set the number of disk buffers (number) that will be available for use during data input. Also used to set a value for the number of sectors to be read in advance (read-ahead) during data input operations.

CALL

(Internal)

CALL [d:][path]batchfilename [options]

Calls another batch file and then returns to current batch file to continue.

CHCP

(Internal)

CHCP (codepage)

Displays the current code page or changes the code page that DOS will use.

CHDIR

(Internal)

CHDIR (CD) [d:]path
CHDIR (CD)[..]

Displays working (current) directory and/or changes to a different directory.

CHKDSK

(External)

CHKDSK [d:][path][filename] [/F][/V]

Checks a disk and provides a file and memory status report.

CHOICE

(Internal)

CHOICE [/C[:]keys] [/N][/S][/T[:]c,nn] [text]

Used to provide a prompt so that a user can make a choice while a batch program is running.

CLS (Clear Screen)

(Internal)

CLS

Clears (erases) the screen.

COMMAND

(External)

COMMAND [d:][path] [device] [/P][/E:(size)] [/MSG][/Y [/C (command)|/K (command)]

Starts a new version of the DOS command processor (the program that loads the DOS Internal programs).

COMP

(External)

COMP [d:][path][filename] [d:][path][filename] [/A][/C][/D][/L][/N:(number)]

Compares two groups of files to find information that does not match. (See FC command).

COPY

(Internal)

COPY [/Y|-Y] [/A][/B] [d:][path]filename [/A][/B] [d:][path][filename] [/V]
or
COPY [/Y|-Y][/A][/B] [d:][path]filename+[d:][path]filename[...][d:][path][filename] [/V]

Copies and appends files.

COUNTRY

(Internal)

COUNTRY=country code,[code page][,][d:][filename]

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to tell DOS to use country-specific text conventions during processing.

CTTY

(Internal)

CTTY (device)

Changes the standard I/O (Input/Output) device to an auxiliary device.

DATE

(Internal)

DATE mm-dd-yy

Displays and/or sets the system date.

DBLSPACE

(External)

DBLSPACE / automount=drives
DBLSPACE /chkdsk [/F] [d:]
DBLSPACE /compress d: [/newdrive=host:] [/reserve=size] [/F]
DBLSPACE /create d: [/newdrive=host:] [/reserve=size] [/size=size]
DBLSPACE /defragment [d:] ]/F]
DBLSPACE /delete d:
DBLSPACE /doubleguard=0|1
DBLSPACE /format d:
DBLSPACE [/info] [d:]
DBLSPACE /list
DBLSPACE /mount[=nnn] host: [/newdrive=d:]
DBLSPACE /ratio[=ratio] [d:] [/all]
DBLSPACE /size[=size] [/reserve=size] d:
DBLSPACE /uncompress d:
DBLSPACE /unmount [d:]

A program available with DOS 6.0 that allows you to compress information on a disk.

DEBUG

(External)

DEBUG [pathname] [parameters]

An MS-DOS utility used to test and edit programs.

DEFRAG

(External)

DEFRAG [d:] [/F][/S[:]order] [/B][/skiphigh [/LCD|/BW|/GO] [/H]
DEFRAG [d:] [/V][/B][/skiphigh] [/LCD]|/BW|/GO] [/H]

Optimizes disk performance by reorganizing the files on the disk.

DEL (ERASE)

(Internal)

DEL (ERASE) [d:][path]filename [/P]

Deletes (erases) files from disk.

DELOLDOS

(External)

DELOLDOS [/B]

Deletes all files from previous versions of DOS after a 5.0 or 6.0 installation.

DELTREE

(External)

DELTREE [/Y] [d:]path [d:]path[...]

Deletes (erases) a directory including all files and subdirectories that are in it.

DEVICE

(Internal)

DEVICE=(driver name)

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to tell DOS which device driver to load.

DEVICEHIGH

(Internal)

DEVICEHIGH=(driver name)

Like DEVICE, DEVICEHIGH is used in the CONFIG.SYS file to tell DOS which device driver software to use for devices; however, this option is used to install the device driver into the upper memory area.

DIR

(Internal)

DIR [d:][path][filename] [/A:(attributes)] [/O:(order)] [/B][/C][/CH][/L][/S][/P][/W]

Displays directory of files and directories stored on disk.

DISKCOMP

(External)

DISKCOMP [d:] [d:][/1][/8]

Compares the contents of two diskettes.

DISKCOPY

(External)

DISKCOPY [d:] [d:][/1][/V][/M]

Makes an exact copy of a diskette.

DOS

(Internal)

DOS=[high|low],[umb|noumb]

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to specify the memory location for DOS. It is used to load DOS into the upper memory area and to specify whether or not the upper memory blocks will be used.

DOSKEY

(External)

DOSKEY [reinstall] [/bufsize=size][/macros][/history][/insert|/overstrike] [macroname=[text]]

Loads the Doskey program into memory which can be used to recall DOS commands so that you can edit them.

DOSSHELL

(External)

DOSSHELL [/B] [/G:[resolution][n]]|[/T:[resolution][n]]

Initiates the graphic shell program using the specified screen resolution.

DRIVPARM

(Internal)

DRIVPARM= /D:(number) [/C] [/F:(form factor)] [/H:(number)] [/I][ /N][/S:(number)] [/T:(tracks)]

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to set parameters for a disk drive.

ECHO

(Internal)

ECHO on|off
ECHO (message)

Displays messages or turns on or off the display of commands in a batch file.

EDIT

(External)

EDIT [d:][path]filename [/B][/G][/H][/NOHI]

Starts the MS-DOS editor, a text editor used to create and edit ASCII text files.

EMM386

(External)

EMM386 [on|off|auto] [w=on|off]

Enables or disables EMM386 expanded-memory support on a computer with an 80386 or higher processor.

EXE2BIN

(External)

EXE2BIN [d:][path]filename [d:][path]filename

Converts .EXE (executable) files to binary format.

EXIT

(Internal)

EXIT

Exits a secondary command processor.

EXPAND

(External)

EXPAND [d:][path]filename [[d:][path]filename[ . . .]]

Expands a compressed file.

FASTHELP

(External)

FASTHELP [command][command] /?

Displays a list of DOS commands with a brief explanation of each.

FASTOPEN

(External)

FASTOPEN d:[=n][/X]

Keeps track of the locations of files for fast access.

FC

(External)

FC [/A][/C][/L][/Lb n][/N][/T][/W][number] [d:][path]filename [d:][path]filename

or (for binary comparisons)
FC [/B][/number] [d:][path]filename [d:][path]filename

Displays the differences between two files or sets of files.

FCBS

(Internal)

FCBS=(number)

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to specify the number of file-control blocks for file sharing.

FDISK

(External)

FDISK [/status]

Prepares a fixed disk to accept DOS files for storage.

FILES

(Internal)

FILES=(number)

Used in the CONFIG.Sys file to specify the maximum number of files that can be open at the same time.

FIND

(External)

FIND [/V][/C][/I][/N] ÒstringÓ [d:][path]filename[...]

Finds and reports the location of a specific string of text characters in one or more files.

FOR

(Internal)

FOR %%(variable) IN (set) DO (command)

or (for interactive processing)
FOR %(variable) IN (set) DO (command)

Performs repeated execution of commands (for both batch processing and interactive processing).

FORMAT

(External)

FORMAT d:[/1][/4][/8][/F:(size)] [/N:(sectors)] [/T:(tracks)][/B|/S][/C][/V:(label)] [/Q][/U][/V]

Formats a disk to accept DOS files.

GOTO

(Internal)

GOTO (label)

Causes unconditional branch to the specified label.

GRAFTABL

(External)

GRAFTABL [(code page)]
GRAFTABL [status]

Loads a table of character data into memory (for use with a color/graphics adapter).

GRAPHICS

(External)

GRAPHICS [printer type][profile] [/B][/R][/LCD][/PB:(id)] [/C][/F][/P(port)]

Provides a way to print contents of a graphics screen display.

HELP

(External)

HELP [command] [/B][/G][/H][/NOHI]

Displays information about a DOS command.

IF

(Internal)

IF [NOT] EXIST filename (command) [parameters]
IF [NOT] (string1)==(string2) (command) [parameters]
IF [NOT] ERRORLEVEL (number) (command) [parameters]

Allows for conditional operations in batch processing.

INCLUDE

(Internal)

INCLUDE= blockname

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to allow you to use the commands from one CONFIG.SYS block within another.

INSTALL

(Internal)

INSTALL=[d: ][\path]filename [parameters]

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to load memory-resident programs into conventional memory.

INTERLINK

(External)

INTERLINK [client[:]=[server][:]]

Connects two computers via parallel or serial ports so that the computers can share disks and printer ports.

INTERSVR

(External)

INTERSVR [d:][...][/X=d:][...] [/LPT:[n|address]] [/COM:[n|address]][/baud:rate] [/B][/V]
INTERSVR /RCOPY

Starts the Interlink server.

JOIN

(External)

JOIN d: [d:path]
JOIN d: [/D]

Allows access to the directory structure and files of a drive through a directory on a different drive.

KEYB

(External)

KEYB [xx][,][yyy][,][d:][path]filename [/E][/ID:(number)]

Loads a program that replaces the support program for U. S. keyboards.

LABEL

(External)

LABEL [d:][volume label]

Creates or changes or deletes a volume label for a disk.

LASTDRIVE

(Internal)

LASTDRIVE=(drive letter)

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to set the maximum number of drives that can be accessed.

LOADFIX

(Internal)

LOADFIX [d:][path]filename [parameters]

Ensures that a program is loaded above the first 64K of conventional memory, and runs the program.

LOADHIGH

(Internal)

LOADHIGH (LH) [d:][path]filename [parameters]

Loads memory resident application into reserved area of memory (between 640K-1M).

MEM

(External)

MEM [/program|/debug|/classify|/free|/module(name)] [/page]

Displays amount of installed and available memory, including extended, expanded, and upper memory.

MEMMAKER

(External)

MEMMAKER [/B][/batch][/session][/swap:d] [/T][/undo][/W:size1,size2]

Starts the MemMaker program, a program that lets you optimize your computer's memory.

MENUCOLOR

(Internal)

MENUCOLOR=textcolor,[background]

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to set the colors that will be used by DOS to display text on the screen.

MENUDEFAULT

(Internal)

MENUDEFAULT=blockname, [timeout]

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to set the startup configuration that will be used by DOS if no key is pressed within the specified timeout period.

MENUITEM

(Internal)

MENUITEM=blockname, [menutext]

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to create a start-up menu from which you can select a group of CONFIG.SYS commands to be processed upon reboot.

MIRROR

(External)

MIRROR [d:]path [d:] path [...]
MIRROR [d1:][d2:][...] [/T(drive)(files)] [/partn][/U][/1]

Saves disk storage information that can be used to recover accidentally erased files.

MKDIR

(MD) (Internal)

MKDIR (MD) [d:]path

Creates a new subdirectory.

MODE

(External)

MODE n
MODE LPT#[:][n][,][m][,][P][retry]
MODE [n],m[,T]
MODE (displaytype,linetotal)
MODE COMn[:]baud[,][parity][,][databits][,][stopbits][,][retry]
MODE LPT#[:]=COMn [retry]
MODE CON[RATE=(number)][DELAY=(number)]
MODE (device) CODEPAGE PREPARE=(codepage) [d:][path]filename
MODE (device) CODEPAGE PREPARE=(codepage list) [d:][path]filename
MODE (device) CODEPAGE SELECT=(codepage)
MODE (device) CODEPAGE [/STATUS]
MODE (device) CODEPAGE REFRESH

Sets mode of operation for devices or communications.

MORE

(External)

MORE < (filename or command)
(name)|MORE

Sends output to console, one screen at a time.

MOVE

(Internal)

MOVE [/Y|/-Y] [d:][path]filename[,[d:][path]filename[...]] destination

Moves one or more files to the location you specify. Can also be used to rename directories.

MSAV

(External)

MSAV [d:] [/S|/C][/R][/A][/L][/N][/P][/F][/video][/mouse]
MSAV /video

Scans your computer for known viruses.

MSBACKUP

(External)

MSBACKUP [setupfile] [/BW|/LCD|/MDA]

Used to backup or restore one or more files from one disk to another.

MSCDEX

(External)

MSCDEX /D:driver [/D:driver2. . .] [/E][/K][/S][/V][/L:letter] [/M:number]

Used to gain access to CD-ROM drives (new with DOS Version 6).

MSD

(External)

MSD [/B][/I]
MSD [/I] [/F[d:][path]filename [/P[d:][path]filename [/S[d:][path]filename

Provides detailed technical information about your computer.

NLSFUNC

(External)

NLSFUNC [d:][path]filename

Used to load a file with country-specific information.

NUMLOCK

(Internal)

NUMLOCK=on|off

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to specify the state of the NumLock key.

PATH

(Internal)

PATH;
PATH [d:]path[;][d:]path[...]

Sets or displays directories that will be searched for programs not in the current directory.

PAUSE

(Internal)

PAUSE [comment]

Suspends execution of a batch file until a key is pressed.

POWER

(External)

POWER [adv:max|reg|min]|std|off]

Used to turn power management on and off, report the status of power management, and set levels of power conservation.

PRINT

(External)

PRINT [/B:(buffersize)] [/D:(device)] [/M:(maxtick)] [/Q:(value] [/S:(timeslice)][/U:(busytick)] [/C][/P][/T] [d:][path][filename] [...]

Queues and prints data files.

PROMPT

(Internal)

PROMPT [prompt text] [options]

Changes the DOS command prompt.

RECOVER

(External)

RECOVER [d:][path]filename
RECOVER d:

Resolves sector problems on a file or a disk. (Beginning with DOS Version 6, RECOVER is no longer available ).

REM

(Internal)

REM [comment]

Used in batch files and in the CONFIG.SYS file to insert remarks (that will not be acted on).

RENAME (REN)

(Internal)

RENAME (REN) [d:][path]filename [d:][path]filename

Changes the filename under which a file is stored.

REPLACE

(External)

REPLACE [d:][path]filename [d:][path] [/A][/P][/R][/S][/U][/W]

Replaces stored files with files of the same name from a different storage location.

RESTORE

(External)

RESTORE d: [d:][path]filename [/P][/S][/B:mm-dd-yy] [/A:mm-dd-yy][/E:hh:mm:ss] [/L:hh:mm:ss] [/M][/N][/D]

Restores to standard disk storage format files previously stored using the BACKUP command.

RMDIR (RD)

(Internal)

RMDIR (RD) [d:]path

Removes a subdirectory.

SCANDISK

(External)

SCANDISK [d: [d: . . .]|/all][/checkonly|/autofix[/nosave]|/custom][/surface][/mono][/nosummay]
SCANDISK volume-name[/checkonly|/autofix[/nosave]|/custom][/mono][/nosummary]
SCANDISK /fragment [d:][path]filename
SCANDISK /undo [undo-d:][/mono]

Starts the Microsoft ScanDisk program which is a disk analysis and repair tool used to check a drive for errors and correct any problems that it finds.

SELECT

(External)

SELECT [d:] [d:][path] [country code][keyboard code]

Formats a disk and installs country-specific information and keyboard codes (starting with DOS Version 6, this command is no longer available).

SET

(Internal)

SET (string1)=(string2)

Inserts strings into the command environment. The set values can be used later by programs.

SETVER

(External)

SETVER [d:]:path][filename (number)][/delete][/quiet]

Displays the version table and sets the version of DOS that is reported to programs.

SHARE

(External)

SHARE [/F:space] [/L:locks]

Installs support for file sharing and file locking.

SHELL

(Internal)

SHELL=[d:][path]filename [parameters]

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to specify the command interpreter that DOS should use.

SHIFT

(Internal)

SHIFT

Increases number of replaceable parameters to more than the standard ten for use in batch files.

SORT

(External)

SORT [/R][/+n] < (filename)
SORT [/R][/+n] > (filename2)

Sorts input and sends it to the screen or to a file.

STACKS

(Internal)

STACKS=(number),(size)

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to set the number of stack frames and the size of each stack frame.

SUBMENU

(Internal)

SUBMENU=blockname, [menutext]

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to create a multilevel menu from which you can select start-up options.

SUBST

(External)

SUBST d: d:path
SUBST d: /D

Substitutes a virtual drive letter for a path designation.

SWITCHES

(Internal)

SWITCHES= [/K][/F][/N][/W]

Used in the CONFIG.SYS file to configure DOS in a special way; for example, to tell DOS to emulate different hardware configurations.

SYS

(External)

SYS [source] d:

Transfers the operating system files to another disk.

TIME

(Internal)

TIME hh:mm[:ss][.cc][A|P]

Displays current time setting of system clock and provides a way for you to reset the time.

TREE

(External)

TREE [d:][path] [/A][/F]

Displays directory paths and (optionally) files in each subdirectory.

TYPE

(Internal)

TYPE [d:][path]filename

Displays the contents of a file.

UNDELETE

(External)

UNDELETE [d:][path][filename] [/DT|/DS|/DOS]
UNDELETE [/list|/all|/purge[d:]|/status|/load|/U|/S[d:]|/Td:[-entries]]

Restores files deleted with the DELETE command.

UNFORMAT

(External)

UNFORMAT d: [/J][/L][/test][/partn][/P][/U]

Used to undo the effects of formatting a disk.

VER

(Internal)

VER

Displays the DOS version number.

VERIFY

(Internal)

VERIFY on|off

Turns on the verify mode; the program checks all copying operations to assure that files are copied correctly.

VOL

(Internal)

VOL [d:]

Displays a disk's volume label.

VSAFE

(External)

VSAFE [/option[+|-]...] [/NE][/NX][Ax|/Cx] [/N][/D][/U]

VSAFE is a memory-resident program that continuously monitors your computer for viruses and displays a warning when it finds one.

XCOPY

(External)

XCOPY [d:][path]filename [d:][path][filename] [/A][/D:(date)] [/E][/M][/P][/S][/V][/W][Y\-Y]
Copies directories, subdirectories, and files.

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Syntax Notes

To be functional, each DOS command must be entered in a particular way: this command entry structure is known as the command's "syntax." The syntax "notation" is a way to reproduce the command syntax in print.

For example, you can determine the items that are optional, by looking for information that is printed inside square brackets. The notation [d:], for example, indicates an optional drive designation. The command syntax, on the other hand, is how YOU enter the command to make it work.

Command Syntax Elements

1. Command Name

The DOS command name is the name you enter to start the DOS program (a few of the DOS commands can be entered using shortcut names). The DOS command name is always entered first. In this book, the command is usually printed in uppercase letters, but you can enter command names as either lowercase or uppercase or a mix of both.

2. Space

Always leave a space after the command name.

3. Drive Designation

The drive designation (abbreviated in this book as "d:") is an option for many DOS commands. However, some commands are not related to disk drives and therefore do not require a drive designation. Whenever you enter a DOS command that deals with disk drives and you are already working in the drive in question, you do not have to enter the drive designator. For example, if you are working in drive A (when the DOS prompt A> is showing at the left side of the screen) and you want to use the DIR command to display a directory listing of that same drive, you do not have to enter the drive designation. If you do not enter a drive designation, DOS always assumes you are referring to the drive you are currently working in (sometimes called the "default" drive).

4. A Colon

When referring to a drive in a DOS command, you must always follow the drive designator with a colon (:) (this is how DOS recognizes it as a drive designation).

5. Pathname

A pathname (path) refers to the path you want DOS to follow in order to act on the DOS command. As described in Chapter 3, it indicates the path from the current directory or subdirectory to the files that are to be acted upon.

6. Filename

A filename is the name of a file stored on disk. As described in Chapter 1, a filename can be of eight or fewer letters or other legal characters.

7. Filename Extension

A filename extension can follow the filename to further identify it. The extension follows a period and can be of three or fewer characters. A filename extension is not required.

8. Switches

Characters shown in a command syntax that are represented by a letter or number and preceded by a forward slash (for example, "/P") are command options (sometimes known as "switches"). Use of these options activate special operations as part of a DOS command's functions.

9. Brackets

Items enclosed in square brackets are optional; in other words, the command will work in its basic form without entering the information contained inside the brackets.

10. Ellipses

Ellipses (...) indicate that an item in a command syntax can be repeated as many times as needed.

11. Vertical Bar

When items are separated by a vertical bar (|), it means that you enter one of the separated items. For example: ON | OFF means that you can enter either ON or OFF, but not both