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The Windows 98 Registry |
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The Windows 98 Registry; Part 2
Remember that Windows 98 saves five backup copies of the Registry, and
for good measure throws in the SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI files, too. You'll
find them in the C:\WINDOWS\SYSBCKUP folder, in files named RB00x.CAB (where
x is a number in the 0 to 5 range). With any luck, you'll never need them.
But if some odd glitch causes an otherwise insoluble problem, just extract
the contents of the most recent CAB file and use those files as replacements
for the existing set.
Among its many bells and whistles, Internet Explorer 4.0 makes significant changes to Windows Explorer in Win98. For example, select View/Folder Options and click on the View tab to see the new Advanced Settings section. It includes a series of check boxes and a trio of radio buttons. But some things never change, such as Microsoft's traditional style of inconsistency: Some boxes must be checked to enable a feature, while others must be cleared to do the same thing. Two of the radio buttons are marked "Do not show ...," while the third is labeled "Show ...." And by default, three boxes in the Files And Folders section are checked, and four are cleared.
Fortunately for those who still believe that "digital logic" is not an oxymoron, this mess can be cleaned up with a few Registry edits; each View tab option in Explorer now includes its own Registry subkey, which-up to a point-can be customized or even removed.
For example, in the Files And Folders section you have to check six boxes to enable an option ("Show ..., Allow ..., Remember ..."), and check one to disable an option ("Hide ..."). You can, however, bring a little consistency to this list. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM) and drill down to SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion \explorer\Advanced\Folder\HideFileExt. In the Contents pane, the Text entry is "Hide file extensions for known file types." Other entries show that a checked box (CheckedValue) is equivalent to 1, a cleared box (UncheckedValue) is 0, and by default the box is checked (DefaultValue = 1). In other words, there's a check in the "Hide file extensions ..." box. To make this option consistent with the others in this section, first change the Text line to read "Show extensions for all known file types." And since the former "Hide ..." is now "Show ...," you need to swap the CheckedValue and UncheckedValue entries, so that the check box status agrees with the revised text.
As for the DefaultValue entry, it simply indicates the check box status when the Restore Defaults button is clicked in Explorer's View/Folder Options/View tab. You can configure a customized default set by editing the Registry entry here and in the other subkeys in this section. Just work out your own preferred default configuration, then edit each DefaultValue entry accordingly, and you can quickly restore that configuration with the click of a button.
The text next to each radio button in Explorer's Hidden Files section can be revised by editing the Text entry in each of the following subkeys:
Subkey Change this Text to this entry...
Hidden\...
Hidden files
Show these file types
NOHIDDEN Do not show
hidden files All, except hidden files
NOHIDORSYS Do not show hidden or
All, except hidden & systemfiles
SHOWALL
Show all files
All
No further Registry edits are required since these revisions don't change the status of any button or option; they simply describe in fewer words what each one actually does-making it easier for you to customize the options in Explorer's Hidden Files menu. You can make similar edits to other Registry keys in this section to customize the entire list as desired.
After you configure the two Advanced Settings sections, it's easy to
prevent casual users (or yourself) from making any changes. Just export
the Advanced key structure (for safekeeping) and then delete it. You can
do this because this key structure simply determines the appearance of
Explorer's Advanced Settings options; the actual configuration settings
are written into entries buried elsewhere in the Registry.
The Win98 Registry Editor's look and feel isn't much different from that of its predecessor. Here's an overview of its major components.
Speaking of options to hide or show all extensions, you-like many other Windows users-may have selected the latter option, because it makes it easy to distinguish different file types that share a common name (for example, SAGE.DLL, SAGE.EXE, SAGE.VXD). But even if you prefer to show most extensions, it still might be convenient to hide some at the same time. For example, if you have a folder dedicated to word processor documents, while others store spreadsheets, presentations or bitmaps, you don't need to be reminded of the extension for each and every file in such folders. To kill isolated extensions while keeping all others intact, open the Registry's HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (HKCR) key, highlight the subkey with the extension name you wish to conceal and note the file type listed in the Contents pane's (Default) entry. For example, the BMP subkey shows Paint.Picture. So find the subkey in HKCR with that name and add the following new string value:
Name
Data
NeverShowExt
""
Note that you don't need to enter a Data value; the presence of this
entry is enough to force Windows to hide all occurrences of the BMP file
extension. Follow the same general procedure to hide the extensions for
your word processor, spreadsheet (DOC and XLS, for example) and other common
file types, too.
Sooner or later, many users may decide that the Windows selection of icons could use a little improvement. One of the earliest tricks has been to retire the default icon that appears next to each bitmap file. This is specified by the Registry's HKCR\Paint.Picture\DefaultIcon subkey entry shown here in the first line:
Name
Data
(Default)
"C:\ProgramFiles\Accessories\MSPAINT.EXE,1"
(Default)
""%1""
If you rewrite the Data entry as shown in the second line, each bitmap file will display its own distinctive icon-a thumbnail version of the actual, full-size bitmap image. When editing the Value data box, make sure you include an extra quotation mark on either side of the %1 parameter, so it will be enclosed in two sets of quotations when you see it in the Registry's Contents pane, as shown above. (Note: The second set is needed, since one set appears by default around any Registry string value.) Now the replaceable %1 parameter will recognize a long filename with a space in it.
However, keep in mind that this option considerably slows down an Explorer window, because Windows must create a distinctive icon for each file on the fly. So try to keep all bitmap files in a separate folder (C:\BITMAPS, for example). That way, Explorer won't be detained unless you specifically want to view your bitmap collection.
By contrast, all CPL and many DLL files on your system already contain at least one embedded icon, which you can quickly display as a thumbnail via a few simpler Registry edits. First, locate either or both of the following Registry keys and change the Data entry (it's usually the same for both file types, as in the following example). In either case, just replace the existing data with ""%1"", the same text entered in the bitmap thumbnail example above.
HKCR subkey
Name
Data
cplfile\
(Default) "C:\Windows\System\shell32.dll, -154"
dllfile\DefaultIcon (Default)
"C:\Windows\System\shell32.dll, -154"
When you search for all files with a CPL extension after making these
edits, you'll get a display similar to the Control Panel applet window,
except that each icon title is the name of the file in which the icon is
embedded. There will of course be only one occurrence of each CPL file,
while the Control Panel itself may display two or more icons from the same
CPL file. A search for DLLs shows the first icon embedded in each file,
or the generic Windows document icon if the file does not contain an icon.
The Explorer tab in Tweak UI for Win98 makes it easy for you to change the Windows shortcut overlay icon from the default small arrow to whatever you prefer, including nothing at all. But once the novelty wears off, most users reinstate the little visual cue that distinguishes a shortcut from everything else on the Desktop; it avoids confusion. However, a bit of creative cheating is all it takes to remove some shortcut overlays while leaving others in place. Here's how.
You may have already noticed that if the shortcut arrow is disabled via Tweak UI, it still shows up in the corner of a URL icon. That's because a file with a URL extension is an Internet shortcut, controlled by its own Registry rules. It's unlikely you'll confuse this kind of shortcut with an actual application, so you can get rid of its shortcut overlay by opening the Registry and drilling down to HKCR\InternetShortcut. Highlight and then delete the IsShortcut entry in the Name column. Now scroll up to the URL key, highlight it, open the Edit/New menu and select the Key option. Name the new key ShellNew (one word), then select Edit/New again to add a String Value named NullFile. The next time Windows 98 opens, all URL shortcuts will no longer display the little shortcut arrow in the corner of the icon, and the New menu (in Windows Explorer or in a Context menu, for example) will include an Internet Shortcut option.
Now just because this option says it's an Internet shortcut, that doesn't mean you can't use it for something else-such as a standard application shortcut. For example, create a new Internet Shortcut icon on the Desktop, right-click on it, select Properties from the Context menu and enter C:\Progra~1\Access~1\MSPAINT.EXE in the Target URL box. Windows gets confused if you enter a path with spaces and long names in this box (for example, C:\Program Files\Accessories\MSPAINT.EXE) and tries to set up an http://link, so remember to use the "~1" convention. Then click on the Apply button; Windows rewrites the line as file:///C:/Progra~1/Access~1/MSPAINT.EXE.
Now use the Change Icon button to select an icon from the MSPAINT.EXE
file, and you'll finally have an "Internet Shortcut" that really isn't-instead,
it's an arrowless URL shortcut that launches the Paint application on your
hard drive. Modify the instructions above to create your own arrowless
shortcuts.
Having trouble with a particular part of the Registry? You can remove
a troublesome Registry key in real mode before opening Windows. At the
command prompt, type REGEDIT /D path, where path is the complete path to
the key you want to remove. First make a backup, though, just in case you
run into problems.
If you look closely, you'll notice some subtle differences in your C:\WINDOWS\FONTS folder in a DOS window and in an Explorer window. For example, although a DOS listing of hidden screen-font files (DIR *.FON /AH) usually shows 18 files, only five appear in the Explorer window. An easy-but only temporary-workaround to this problem is to use Win98's Start/Find/Files or Folders option to search for all files named *.FON. You'll see all FON files in your C:\WINDOWS\FONTS folder. Just double-click on the file icon to display its contents. But for a more permanent and convenient solution-one that shows all your system's FON files in an Explorer window-a couple of quick Registry hacks are in order.
This anomaly occurs because Windows Explorer shows only those FON and other files cited in the first Registry key listed here:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Fonts
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\fontsize\xxx\User.
The first key lists TrueType fonts and third-party FON files (if any) on your system. However, it lists those FON files found in only one variation of the second key listed above, where xxx is either 120 or 96. You'll see the fonts cited in the 120 key if your system is configured for large fonts; you'll see those in the 96 key if your system is configured for small fonts. In either case, fonts listed in the unused numbered key (120 or 96, depending on the selected font size), and in both of the corresponding System subkeys, are not displayed in the Explorer window, even though they are present in the C:\WINDOWS\FONTS folder.
If you add the name of any such "missing" font file to the HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion\Fonts list, you'll see it the next time you open the FONTS folder in Explorer. To do so, just add one or more new lines, as shown here:
Name
Data
8514-System
8514sys.fon
DOS applications dosapps.fon
Make sure the Name entry is suitably descriptive and does not duplicate an existing entry. Restart Windows, and the font will be listed in the Explorer window. Again, just double-click on the file icon to display its contents.
There's no Comparing unless you exported copies of a Registry key before
and after conducting some Registry-altering operation. In that case, use
your word processor or a dedicated file-comparison utility if you want
to see changes made to a particular key after an edit.
A few quick adjustments to the Registry can also help stabilize network-drive mappings. For instance, if you map a network drive to a local drive letter and check the Reconnect At Logon box, Windows will expect to find that network drive every time it starts. If it is not available, a "connection not available" or "share name not found" message will appear, along with a Yes/No prompt to try again next time. Unfortunately, if you click on the No button, Windows will delete the connection record from the Registry.
If this is a recurring problem because various network drives are frequently
unavailable-yet the same drive mappings are regularly needed when they
are available-here's a fix: Set up the desired drive mappings and export
the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Network\Persistent key structure. Then create a shortcut
to the key on the Desktop or in some other convenient location. Now, you
can just double-click on that shortcut to restore lost drive mappings that
become available again after Windows has opened.
See,
John Woram's Home Page
http://www.woram.com/
Windows 98 Registry Utilities
http://www.woram.com/UTILITIES.HTM
INFO: RegClean 4.1a Description and General Issues
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q147/7/69.asp
A little known fact, Windows 98 compresses the system registry automatically when it has more than 500k of "wasted space" in it. If you want to compress your registry manually, boot to an MS-DOS prompt (you must not be in Windows when you do this). To compress and optimize your registry, which is always a good thing to do anyway, type: "SCANREG /OPT" (without the quotes). Now, to backup the registry from the command prompt, type: "SCANREG /BACKUP" (without the quotes).
If you perform both operations, you have now compressed the registry as well as having backed it up. Okay, now I guess you're looking for something else right? Okay, try this.
Remember that Autoexec.bat file you don't need anymore, well now you have a new use for it. First, create a new folder on your hard drive, and name it regback. Now create a small batch file and call that batch file from the Autoexec.bat.
First, create a batch file named REG.BAT, and insert these lines: (This presumes that your hard drive is "C" and that you have created a new folder named regback).
COPY C:\WINDOWS\SYSBCKUP\*.CAB C:\REGBACK
C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\SCANREG /OPT
C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\SCANREG /BACKUP
Now save the batch file and call it from your Autoexec.bat file. Each time your system starts, your registry will be optimized and backed up and previous copies saved to the Regback folder. Every now and then clean out the Regback folder to save disk space, but remember, you will always have several registry backups to use in the event you need them to recover your system.
Courtesy of Dennis Waldron
Here are the steps:
1. Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows 98" message, press the F8 key and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.
2. Change to the folder where Windows 98 was installed by typing the following command at the command prompt, and then press ENTER
cd\<windows>
3. Make a backup of the registry by typing the following commands at the command prompt, pressing ENTER after each command:
attrib -s -h -r *.dat copy user.dat user.sav copy system.dat system.sav
4. To export the registry to a text file, type the following command at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:
regedit /e registry.txt
This command exports both the System.dat and User.dat files. By default, the Registry.txt file is saved in the folder from which you run Registry Editor.
To export a specific registry key to a text file, type the following command at the command prompt, and then press ENTER
regedit /e regkey.txt <registry key>
where <registry key> is the key you want to export. For example, type the following command:
regedit /e regkey.txt HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\exefile\shell\open\command
((NOTE: This line is wrapped for readability. This should be typed as one line.))
5. Using a text editor (such as Edit.com), modify the Registry.txt file you created in step 4, and then save and close the file.
6. To merge or import the text file back into the registry, type the following command at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:
regedit registry.txt [without /c]
If you want to create a new registry from the exported text file and replace the existing registry files, type the following command at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:
regedit /c registry.txt
Courtesy of Dennis Waldron
After installing Windows 98 Second Edition (upgrade or full version)
you will find that there is no Attribute column in Explorer. You
can add this column to Explorer by by launching RegEdit and going to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced and changing the ShowAttribCol Dword
value from 0 to 1 by clicking on it.