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| Key | Action |
| Keypad + | Expands the selected key |
| Keypad - | Collapses the selected key |
| Keypad * | Expands the selected key, and all expandable keys within it |
| Up arrow | Moves up one key |
| Down arrow | Moves down one key |
| Right arrow | Expands the current key if it's collapsed, otherwise moves to its first subkey |
| Left arrow | Collapses the current key if it's expanded, otherwise moves to its parent key |
| Home | Moves to the top key (usually My Computer) |
| End | Moves to the last expanded key (does not expand any keys) |
| Page Up | Moves up one screen |
| Page Down | Moves down one screen |
| Tab | Switches between the right and left panes |
In the right pane, each value appears with one of two icons: one, with the letters AB on it, indicates a string value is being stored, and one, with a set of 1s and 0s, indicates that binary or DWORD data is stored there.
You can search through the entire Registry using Registry Editor, looking for keys, value names, or string value data that match your search criteria. Use the Edit, Find command to access the Find dialog box shown in Figure 5.
The Find dialog box lets you rapidly search the entire Registry for information.
After typing your search text, use the Keys, Values, and Data checkboxes to determine what will be searched. You can also select Match Whole String Only to avoid searching for partial matches.
After finding the first key or value that matches your search criteria, use the Edit, Find Next command to find the next match, or press the F3 key to also continue the search.
There is an abbreviated way to find keys quickly, assuming they are already expanded and don't contain spaces: With the left pane active in Registry Editor, simply start typing the name of the key. You will continue jumping to matching keys as you type more of the key name that you want.
NOTE: Searching for keys can sometimes take a while. Also, remember that four of the main root keys are aliases, so you might get multiple hits for a particular search phrase, each hit possibly representing the same actual data in the Registry.
After finding the key you're searching for and selecting one of the values in the right pane, you can edit the value data. There are three ways to edit a value's data: Double-click on the value's name, select a value and choose Modify from the Edit menu, or right-click on a value and choose Modify from the pop-up menu. Depending on the type of data being stored in that value, you then see one of three different dialog boxes, presenting string, DWORD, or binary data, as shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8, respectively.
NOTE: You cannot change the type of data stored by a value. Instead, you must remove the value and then re-create it (using the same name) for the type of data you want it to contain.
To edit string data, simply type the new data in the Value Data field.
To edit DWORD data, enter the data in the field and choose Hexadecimal or Decimal, depending on how you entered the value.
To edit binary data, start typing the hexadecimal values for each byte in the Value Data area.
To create a new key in Registry Editor, first select the key that will contain the new key. Then, choose Edit, New, Key to create the new key. A new key is created with the name New Key #1; you can start typing immediately to assign a different name to the key.
To create a new value, first select the key that will hold the value. Then use one of the three other commands you see when you open the Edit, New menu: String Value, Binary Value, or DWORD Value. Select the appropriate command based on the type of data the value will hold. The value is created with an editable name; start typing immediately to assign the value its new name. You then modify the contents of the new value just as you would do for an existing value (double-click on the value entry, for instance).
The easiest way to rename a key is to right-click on it and choose Rename from the pop-up menu. You can then type the new name for the key. You can do the same for values: Simply right-click on them and choose Rename from their pop-up menus.
To delete a key, simply select the key and press the Delete key. That key, as well as all keys and values within that key, are then deleted after you acknowledge a warning message box.
Similarly, you can select a value and press the Delete key to quickly delete that value.
WARNING: Deleting keys and values should be done only if you're absolutely sure that you want to remove the key or the value. Deleting keys can be particularly dan-gerous because all of its subkeys are also deleted. When in doubt, don't do it!
Registry Editor provides the ability to export and import Registry keys--and even the entire Registry--to ASCII text files. This can be useful when you want to send a Registry key and its values to another user and import the Registry information into their Registry. You can also export Registry information so that you can examine it or analyze it in different ways, or even make a backup copy of the Registry information. You can also export the Registry to perform Search and Replace operations on the data: Use a text editor to perform the Search and Replace, and then import the modified Registry data from the text file.
Exported Registry keys are stored in .REG files, which can be viewed and edited with any text editor (such as WordPad or Notepad). Figure 8 shows an exported Registry fragment in WordPad.
To export a Registry key, first select the key you want to export and then access the Export Registry File command from the Registry menu. This brings up the Export Registry File dialog box seen in Figure 9.
In the Export Registry File dialog box, assign a name for the exported Registry file, and then choose whether you want to export only the current key and its subkeys (Selected Branch) or the entire Registry (All).
There are two easy ways to import an exported Registry file. The most obvious way is to start Registry Editor and then choose Import Registry File from its Registry menu. Occasionally, it is easier to simply double-click on a .REG file. Windows 98 has a file association for .REG files that corresponds with the Registry Editor, and so .REG files are automatically imported when you double-click on them. Under Windows 98 you (or the user) are warned before the key is imported, whereas in Windows 95 the key was immediately imported.
The Export Registry File dialog box.
TIP: You can import .REG files using various command-line options for REGEDIT. See the next section, "Registry Editor Command-line Parameters," for details.
The layout of the .REG files is straightforward. Each key is listed, with its full Registry pathname, in square brackets. Following each key are all of the values that the key contains, in this format:
"Valuename"=data
Data can be any of the three value types. String data is specified with surrounding quotation marks. DWORD data is specified with the format dword:00000000, with the 0s replaced with whatever value is appropriate, in hexadecimal format. Binary values are given in the form hex:00,00,00,00..., with each byte specified in hexadecimal, separated by commas. If binary data exceeds a single line in the text editor, use a backslash to continue the series of values. For instance, the following is a valid .REG entry for a large binary value:
[HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Regedit] "View"=hex:2c,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,ff,ff,ff,ff,ff,ff,ff,ff,ff,ff,\ ff,ff,ff,ff,ff,ff,20,00,00,00,06,00,00,00,fa,02,00,00,2f,02,00,00,63,01,00,\
00,dd,00,00,00,20,01,00,00,01,00,00,00
WARNING: When sending an exported .REG file to others for them to import, make sure that you only send them the keys that they need. For example, you wouldn't generally want to send them any keys that configure their hardware, unless you know exactly what you're doing and you intend to do that. If you're sending them more than a single key, it's a good idea to double-check the .REG file with a text editor to make sure that they're only going to get the keys that you want them to get. Importing inappropriate keys can have disastrous consequences for the recipient of a .REG file!
You can start Registry Editor with one of several different sets of command-line parameters. These can be useful in batch files or when you need to perform a set of actions with Registry Editor and need to automate them. These Registry Editor command-line parameters also work if you start the system in MS-DOS mode, and can be used for maintenance activities in that mode.
The first method imports .REG files into the Registry. The syntax is as follows:
REGEDIT [/L:location_of_system.dat] [/R:location_of_user.dat] importfile1.reg importfile2.reg ...
All methods for starting Registry Editor from the command line can use the optional
/L and
/R parameters to locate the SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT files. By default, Registry Editor
finds them in the \Windows directory. After specifying those parameters, if needed,
you can simply list all of the .REG files that you want to import into the Registry,
each one separated by a space.
Just as you can import Registry keys from the command line, so too can you export keys from the command line. Use this syntax for exporting .REG files:
REGEDIT [/L:location_of_system.dat] [/R:location_of_user.dat] /e filename.REG Registry_Key_Name_To_Export
The final command replaces the complete contents of the Registry with the contents of a specified .REG file. Use great care with this command. The syntax is as follows:
REGEDIT [/L:location_of_system.dat] [/R:location_of_user.dat] /c filename.REG
How Can I Completely Rebuild my Registry Files? (And Why Would I Want To?)
When you add and remove keys from the Registry, Windows doesn't compact the SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT files--it just marks the deleted data space as being deleted. If you're using a system that has had a lot of software added and removed from it, the Registry file can become quite large, much of it actually consisting of deleted data (you can't see the deleted data in REGEDIT, but it's probably there.) To compact the Registry in this case, start the system in MS-DOS mode (hold down the left Ctrl key while Windows 98 boots and choose Command Prompt Only from the Windows Startup menu). Then, use the following command:REGEDIT /L:C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.DAT /R:\WINDOWS\USER.DAT /e C:\FULLREG.REG \
(If you are using User Profiles, make sure to use the appropriate User Profile path for the /R parameter).
After exporting the Registry in this fashion, clear the attributes on the USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT files with ATTRIB filename.DAT -r -h -s. Then, copy USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT to a backup location and erase the originals in \WINDOWS. Use the following command to rebuild the Registry using the export file you just created:REGEDIT /L:C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.DAT /R:\WINDOWS\USER.DAT /c C:\FULLREG.REG
To keep things nice and tidy, remember to reset the attributes on the Registry's .DAT files with the command ATTRIB filename.DAT +r +h +s.
Because the Registry is made up of two normal files, SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT, it is easy to back up the Registry. One way to do this is to create a batch file that runs as part of your Startup folder. In the batch file, you can use XCOPY to backup the Registry files to a new location. Keep in mind that SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT are normally flagged as hidden, read-only when you do this, however.
If you really want to get fancy and make multiple backup copies, you can store them in several locations, and the batch file can move the files from location to location. Here's an example of a set of commands that will keep the three most current Registry sets in three directories, called \RegBack1, \RegBack2, and \RegBack3 (you must create the directories before running this batch file):
REM Begin Registry Backup Batch File ERASE C:\REGBACK3\*.DAT MOVE C:\REGBACK2\*.* C:\REGBACK3 MOVE C:\REGBACK1\*.* C:\REGBACK2 ATTRIB C:\WINDOWS\USER.DAT -r -h ATTRIB C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.DAT -r -h XCOPY C:\WINDOWS\USER.DAT C:\REGBACK1 XCOPY C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.DAT C:\REGBACK1 ATTRIB C:\WINDOWS\USER.DAT +r +h
ATTRIB C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.DAT +r +h
To restore the Registry from a backup, simply copy SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT back to their appropriate places (C:\Windows and C:\Windows\Profiles\username if User Profiles are active) from whatever backup copy you have. Remember to clear the hidden and read-only file attribute bits on the real ones before you do this, and then restart the system immediately.
A more elegant way to back up the Registry is to use a Windows 98 Resource Kit utility called CFGBACK. The CFGBACK utility can store up to nine versions of your Registry files, letting you restore any of the nine at any time.
To run CFGBACK, you'll simply need to copy the CFGBACK.EXE file to your \Windows directory. If you want to, you can place a shortcut for the program on your Start menu or desktop.
When you run CFGBACK, you see the screen shown in Figure 10. Simply type a name for the backup in the Selected Backup Name field and click the Backup button. CFGBACK takes a few minutes to back up the Registry on most systems.
CFGBACK makes quick work of backing up and restoring the Registry.
To restore a previous version of your Registry, select the one you want to restore in the List of Previous Backups list and click the Restore button. It doesn't get much easier than this!
CFGBACK stores its backups of the Registry in the \Windows directory, with the names being REGBACK1.RBK, REGBACK2.RBK, and so forth. One nice benefit of CFGBACK is that it compresses its backups, so each backup file doesn't take up nearly as much disk space as the USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT files.
NOTE: CFGBACK is installed from the Resource Kit CD-ROM as one of the Resource Kit's Registry Tools.
The Windows 9x Registry can be remotely administered across a network. A program that comes with Windows 98, called Microsoft Remote Registry, enables this feature.
In order to remotely administer a computer's Registry, you must perform the following steps on both the computer to be administered, and the computer from where you will be administering the remote Registry:
After completing the preceding steps on both computers, you can then edit the remote computer's Registry using the Registry Editor, provided both computers share a common network protocol. Open the Registry menu and choose Connect Network Registry, and then type the remote computer's name in the dialog box that appears.
TIP: If you want to store the Remote Registry Service files on a network server for easy installation on client computers, you'll need to have these three files: REGSRV.EXE, REGSRV.INF, and WINREG.DLL.
Because you've read the preceding information in this chapter, you now understand what the Registry is, what it does, how it works, and how to manage it. In the remaining sections of this chapter, you learn about specific things you can do to the Registry in different circumstances. Each heading lists the action you can perform, so you can rapidly find it by searching this book's Table of Contents.
File association information is stored in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT root key, shown open in Figure 11. Every file extension registered on the system can be found in one of its subkeys.
File associations are maintained in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.
NOTE: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT is an alias of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\
Classes. You can make changes to either location, whichever is more convenient for you.
The HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT root key holds a listing of file association keys (all beginning with a period, and showing the actual file association) as well as keys that tell Windows how to behave with files of that extension. For example, examine the entries for .BAT files. Figure 12 shows the value settings for files of .BAT type.
A .BAT file simply holds a [Default] value with the name of the file type.
As you can see in Figure 12, .BAT files just have a [Default] value with the
string "batfile" as its data. Alone, this information isn't useful and
doesn't tell you what Windows will do with this file when manipulated from Explorer.
However, if you scroll further down the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT key, you will find another
key called HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\
batfile. It is in this key that you can find the information for how Windows 98 works
with .BAT files, as shown in Figure 13.
The Class Definition Subkey for batfile.
The HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile key is known as a class definition subkey. It defines the Explorer behavior for files of that type. As you can see in Figure 13, there are several types of subkeys for the class definition subkey.
The [Default] entry contains the description for the file type. This name shows on the Properties dialog box for files of this type. The DefaultIcon subkey defines the location for the default icon for files of this type.
The shell subkey holds information for how Windows 98 should perform certain user actions on the file. There is one subkey for each possible action, with this batfile example showing commands for Edit, Print, and Open. In each command there is another subkey called command. This command subkey contains the command that will be executed in its [Default] value. For instance, examine Figure 14, which shows the Edit command's command subkey.
As you can see, if you choose Edit from the pop-up menu for a .BAT file, you are actually executing the command NOTEPAD followed by the %1 parameter (which is the name of the file).
A batfile's Edit command in Explorer.
Any file extension or class definition key that contains a ShellNew subkey will appear when you right-click in a folder in Windows Explorer and choose the New submenu, as shown in Figure 15.
The ShellNew subkeys are responsible for a file type appearing when you open the New menu in Explorer.
Why Class Definition Subkeys?
Class definition subkeys are used to make the Registry storage of different files more efficient. For example, you can have many different file extensions for a single type of file (.HTM and .HTML are both valid file types for HTML files). By storing only a class definition subkey name within each file extension, and then placing all of the information for how to handle that type of file within the class definition subkey itself, a single set of information can be made to work with multiple file extensions.
To change the icon displayed for a file using the Registry, open the key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, and then find the extension that the file uses (for example, .WAV). Select that key, and look at the data for the [Default] value. It will specify the class definition subkey name that handles the file. (For .WAV files it is SoundRec).
Then, locate the class definition key (SoundRec in this example) within HKEY_CLASSES_
ROOT and open it. You should see a subkey called DefaultIcon. The DefaultIcon subkey
only has a [Default] value, which contains a pointer to an icon file. Change the
value of [Default] so that it instead points to a file that contains icons, such
as a .ICO file. You can also indicate a .DLL file that contains icons. The two syntaxes
for the [Default] value are as follows:
[Default]="pathname\filename.ico,0" [Default]="pathname\dllfile.dll,-xx"
that xx is the resource identifier for the icon within the .DLL file.
You can easily add new actions to Explorer's pop-up menus for different file types. One reason for doing this would be to open a particular type of file with more than one program from Explorer. For example, you might want to open some .TXT files with Windows Notepad, and others with a programmer's text editor, like Brief or SlickEdit. Follow these steps (substituting your own chosen extension and programs as needed) to see how this works:
You should close the Registry Editor after making these changes, although it is not necessary; the changes are effective as soon as you complete step 6 in the preceding instructions. Figure 16 shows the new pop-up menu command.
The added command on the pop-up menu for a .TXT file.
TIP: In Figure 16 you can see that both the Open command and the Open with SlickEdit command share the same hotkey. You can define alternate hotkeys for pop-up menu commands. Select the key that contains the actual command (in this example, the key \txtfile\shell\Open with SlickEdit) and set its [Default] value to equal the command name, but insert an ampersand in front of the letter that you want to act as the hotkey. For example, to use the w in with as the hotkey, you would specify the string Open & with SlickEdit as the [Default] string value.
You use the Sounds Control Panel to control what sounds happen with which application events. You can use the Registry Editor to create new sound events, too. For example, say you want to assign special sounds for when Registry Editor itself is opened and closed. Follow these steps to do this:
After doing this, try opening and closing Registry Editor. If everything was done correctly, you'll hear the sounds you selected when you open and close it.
You can use the following Windows event names for each application:
| Event Name | Description |
| Open | An application starts |
| Close | An application closes normally |
| Maximize | An application's window is maximized |
| Minimize | An application's window is minimized |
| MenuCommand | A menu command is chosen in the application |
| MenuPopup | A pop-up menu command is chosen in the application |
| SystemAsterisk | An "asterisk" system message is generated from the application |
| SystemExclamation | An "exclamation" system message is generated from the application |
| SystemQuestion | A "question mark" system message is generated from the application |
Some of the objects on the Windows 98 desktop don't make it easy for you to change their icons. With the Registry, however, you can change just about anything, including the names and icons for any of the standard desktop objects. To do so, follow these steps:
Table 1 Standard Desktop Icon CLSIDs
| Name | CLSID |
| Briefcase | {85BBD920-42A0-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D} |
| Control Panel | {21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D} |
| Dial-Up Networking folder | {992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48} |
| Inbox | {00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} |
| My Computer | {20D04F#0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D} |
| Network Neighborhood | {208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D} |
| Printers | {2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D} |
| Recycle Bin | {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} |
| Internet | {FBF23B42-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8} |
TIP: You can usually locate CLSID numbers yourself by searching the Registry for the name of the object. For instance, searching the Registry for My Documents helps you locate the CLSID of {450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}.
Windows maintains a number of default folder locations that you can't easily move. For example, you cannot relocate the \Windows\Recent folder or the \Windows\Fonts folder without making use of the Registry Editor.
To change the locations for Windows 98 folders, locate the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\
Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellFolders. The values in this
key define where Windows 98 looks for different types of information, and depends
on whether or not User Profiles are being used. For example, Figure 17 shows this
key for user Bruce when User Profiles are being used.
The value names (such as Startup, Fonts, Start Menu) are self-explanatory and map to the folder functions. Before changing one of these values, however, you should make sure that the new destination folder is in place and that it contains the necessary files that Windows will expect for that type of folder.
NOTE: You must restart Windows in order for the new folder locations to take effect.
You can use this key to move Windows default folder locations.
Windows Explorer caches displayed icons in a file named C:\Windows\ShellIconCache. The file has no extension and is hidden by default. Windows 98 stores up to 512 icons in the cache, which it uses to more quickly display icons on the desktop or in Windows Explorer. When the cache fills, it is re-created from scratch, using the icons stored in the actual source files. You can expand the number of icons stored in this file, possibly eliminating the need for Windows to re-create it when it fills.
Using Registry Editor, navigate to the key \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer, and add a new value named Max Cached Icons holding
a string value. The string value should be set to a number representing how many
icons will be stored, such as 2000.
When you move your mouse to a submenu, such as the Programs menu inside the Start menu, there is a pause before the submenu opens. The pause makes it easier for novices to work with Windows 98, but more advanced users often find the delay annoying. You can change the duration of the delay with a simple Registry change.
Using Registry Editor, navigate to the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\
Desktop. In that key, look for a value called MenuShowDelay. If it is not present,
add it as a string value. The default string value (even if the value isn't present)
is 400. You can reduce this to a much smaller number, even all the way to 0 if you
like. that Windows must be restarted for this change to take effect.
TIP: You'll find that setting the MenuShowDelay setting too low makes Windows menus frustrating to use, even for experienced people. You'll want to experiment with the value, but you'll probably find that a delay of 200-300 is best overall.
You can remove the Inbox from the Windows desktop. Locate the key HKEY_LOCAL_
MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace. In
this key you will find several subkeys, each of which is named with the CSLID of
the desktop objects. Locate the subkey named {00020D75-0000-0000-C000-00000000046}
and remove the key.
If you maintain a lot of .BMP files on your system, you can set Windows 98 to
display the contents of the .BMP files as their icons. To do this, find the key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\
Paint.Picture\DefaultIcon and set its [Default] value to "%1". After restarting
Windows, the bitmap file contents are displayed as their icons, as shown in Figure
18.
With the proper Registry change, you can view BMP contents as icons.
Windows 98 lets you use names for your files that are up to 254 characters long. As you probably know, however, Windows always stores a short version of the long filename for compatibility with DOS and older Windows programs. These short versions follow the 8.3 naming convention. When Windows generates a short filename for this purpose, it adds a tilde (~) in the seventh position of the eight-character filename, and then adds a number as the eighth character. For example, two files called "My Letter to Mom.DOC" and "My Letter to Dad.DOC" will have their short names set to "MYLETT~1.DOC" and "MYLETT~2.DOC". Windows adds the tilde and the number whether or not there are any conflicts within that directory.
As an experienced user or support person, you've probably noticed how annoying it is to type the tilde character when working with short filenames at a command prompt. Fortunately, with a simple Registry change, you can alter this behavior somewhat. Locate the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem and create a new binary value called NameNumericTail. Set the data of the new value to 0.
After you make this change, the tilde will be eliminated from the short version of filenames. However, if you create new files in the same directory that would conflict with an existing short filename, the tilde, along with a number, will return for those conflicting files.
As a computer professional you often have to view the contents of files that don't have a registered file association. Perhaps you want to view the contents of a binary file in a text editor for some reason, or you want to view a text file that uses a non-standard extension. Unfortunately, Windows doesn't offer an Open command for files that don't have a registered file type.
You can use the Registry to make it easier to open files with an unknown type with whatever program you want to use, such as Notepad or your favorite programmer's editor. To do this, locate the key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Unknown\Shell. Add a new subkey, whose name is the command you want to appear on the pop-up menu for unknown files. For this example, say you want to use SlickEdit to view such files, so create a subkey called Slick Edit. In the new subkey, set the data for the [Default] string value to be the command line that needs to be executed. In this example, you would set [Default] to be "C:\SlickEdit\S.EXE %1". Voilà! After making this change, you can right-click on any unknown file types and you'll see the command you created, letting you quickly view or edit such files.
If you've observed beginning users with Windows, you've probably seen them make a frequent mistake: They let the mouse pointer move ever so slightly while performing a double-click. Because the pointer was moving, Windows interprets their action as a really small move instead of a double-click. You can change the sensitivity for this interpretation.
Locate the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop. Create two new string values called DoubleClickHeight and DoubleClickWidth. Set the data for the values to string numbers, where the numbers you enter are given in pixels. You'll want to experiment with these settings, but start with setting each one to 5 or 10. Restart Windows to check the setting.
Windows animates the openings and closings of windows, making it easier for novices to see what their computer is doing. This animation takes a little bit of time, however, and can slow down more advanced users. You can make Windows seem livelier if you disable these animations.
Locate the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics. Create a new string value called MinAnimate, and set its value to 0 (a 1 means to enable animations). Minimize and maximize a window to remember what it looks like, and then restart Windows and do the same thing again. You'll notice that windows open and close faster with the animations off.
An individual's name and company are provided during a Windows installation. You can see this information if you open the System Control Panel and look at the first tab. Using the Registry Editor, you can easily change these values if needed, such as when a new person is hired at your company and inherits a computer used by another person.
Locate the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current-Version. In this key, you will see two values: RegisteredOrganization and RegisteredOwner. Simply change the data for those two values to whatever information you want to use.
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