On the previous post I have wrote on Windows Registry Branches. In this article, we are going to talk on Registry Values inside those Registry Branches.

Windows Registry Value

There are 5 main type of registry values in the Windows Registry. These value contain data and information for the operation of Windows Operating System.

1. REG_DWORD
   REG_DWORD values are shown in hexadecimal format and use a 4 byte number as data, with the decimal equivalent in brackets next to that. DWORD value can be entered in hexadecimal or decimal format. DWORD value are mostly use for switch value, with the value ‘0′ as off, and the value ‘1′ as on.
2. REG_SZ
   REG_SZ value can be word or number, or the location of file in your Windows Operating System. REG_SZ is also known as the string value.
3. REG_EXPAND_SZ
   This value act as a variable where an input from any application will place a value in REG_EXPAND_SZ value.
4. REG_MULTI_SZ
   This value contain multiple values or list.
   
5. REG_BINARY
   This value contain values as binary data. Usually, REG_BINARY are use for data or information related to hardware that cannot be edited or change by the user.

These are the values that are use in Windows Registry. I will talk on how to create or edit these values on the next article on Windows Registry Editing.

See also:

• Windows Registry Editing Tips (1)
• Windows Registry Branches (1)

Today we are going to delve deeper into Microsoft Windows Registry editing by looking at the 5 main branches of the Windows Registry.

The Windows Registry consist of 5 main branches, as you can see from the pictures below.

Windows Registry 5 Main Branches

Inside this main 5 branches in Windows Registry are registry keys, which are represented by folders, and inside them are Registry SubKeys and Registry Values.

The main 5 branches in the Windows Registry are:

1. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
   The HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT branch contains the information Microsoft Windows needs for internal functions such as OLE (Object Linking and Embedding, the ability to copy and paste between different programs and documents) and drag-and-drop. The HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT is also the database for file associations, which is how the OS determines what program opens when you double click a specific file type. This branch is by far the least user-friendly and the least edited from all the branches.
2. HKEY_CURRENT_USER
   This Windows Registry Branch contain several configuration settings for the user that is currently logged in only. All the customizations that have been made to Windows, such as a new desktop configuration, or a change of font will be stored here. Any Windows or application setting that is specific to your user can be found within this branch of the registry. As such, there are many customization options here. HKEY_CURRENT_USER is actually a sub-set of the HKEY_USERS branch, specific to the currently logged in user only.
3. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
   The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE is probably the most edited friendly registry branch. This branch contains configuration settings that are specific to the computer and the software installed on it, but independent of users. As such, any changes made here will apply to any user that is logged in.
4. HKEY_USERS
   Like the CURRENT_USER branch, this contains individual configuration settings specific to individual users. However, it contains these options for all users that have been created. The users are identified by their SID (Security Identifier) number.
5. HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
   This is connected to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, in much the same way that the CURRENT_USER branch connects to HKEY_USERS. It specifies hardware and software settings that apply to all users, for a given hardware profile.

Inside each of these 5 main registry branches are keys which hold subkeys and value. We will look into the keys, subkeys and value in the next article.

See also:

• Windows Registry Value (0)
• Windows Registry Editing Tips (1)

Microsoft Windows Registry Editing is a high risk practice which can cause serious damage to your Windows Operating System if not done correctly. Below are tips on Windows Registry Editing.

If you read Microsoft Knowledge Base on Registry editing, you will find the statement

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

As scary as it may seems, actually editing Windows Registry manually using Regedit and Notepad is not that troublesome, and if done correctly can produce positive results that will affect your Windows Operating System.

One of the basic tips on Windows Registry Editing that will certainly get you out of trouble when editing Windows Registy would be to backup everything before doing any editing. This is compulsory because if you mess up something, you can easily restore the previous key.

To backup your registry key using Regedit:

1. Go to start menu
2. Run
3. Type “regedit” without the quote and press enter.
4. Go to menu “Files”.
5. Choose “Export”.
6. Save the backup as .reg files.

export registry

If something went wrong after editing your registry using Regedit, you can easily restore the registy key files that you have backed up using the import feature.

We will be looking into other registry editing tips and tricks in the future at badxp.

However if you feel that editing registry manually using Regedit as troublesome, you can use Registry utility such as Regsweep for registry fixing, optimization and cleaning. Refer to my previous post on Registry cleaning using Regsweep.

See also:

• Windows Registry Value (0)
• RegSweep for Windows Registry Cleaning (4)
• Windows Registry Branches (1)

Windows Vista came with a built in CD Burning features, but since there are a lot of better freeware CD Burning applications for Windows Vista, you might want to disable Vista built in CD Burning.

This will require you to get your hand dirty with Windows Vista Registry Editor. Be advised that editing, tweaking or playing with the registry can lead your system to serious trouble. Make sure to backup your registry before following the steps below to disable Windows Vista built in CD Burning.

To disable Windows Vista built in CD Burning:

1. Go to start menu > run
2. Type “regedit” without the quote
3. At the registry editor, navigate to
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer
4. Right click on the left pane, and create a new DWORD (32bit) key
5. Type NoCDBurning without the quote.
   
6. Double click on NoCDBurning and enter the value as “1″.
7. Close Registry Editor
8. Log off and then log in again for the changes to take effect.

This steps will Disable Windows Vista Built In CD Burning. To re-enable Vista Built In CD Burning, just change the Dword value to “0″.

See also:

• Vista Service Pack 2 will be available before Windows 7 (2)
• Tweak Windows Vista Services using Vista Service Optimizer (3)
• Microsoft admits Microsoft Windows Vista mistake (4)
• Disable Task Manager in Windows Vista (0)
• Disable Run Command in Windows Vista (1)

Sometimes disabling Task Manager in Windows Vista can prove to be useful in securing your Windows Operating System. This tutorial will show you how to disable Task Manager in Windows Vista.

To disable Task Manager in Windows Vista using Registry Tweak, follow these steps:

1. Go to Start Menu
2. Go to “Run”
3. Type “regedit” without the quote to run Registry Editor
4. Go to
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\system.
5. Go to the right pane of Registry Editor, right click and create a new DWORD value
6. Name the DWORD value “DisableTaskMgr” without the quote
7. Set the value to “1″
8. Save and restart your computer

The process above will Disable Task Manager in Windows Vista. To undo the the process, just change the value of “1″ to “0″.

See also:

• Vista Service Pack 2 will be available before Windows 7 (2)
• Tweak Windows Vista Services using Vista Service Optimizer (3)
• Microsoft admits Microsoft Windows Vista mistake (4)
• How To Disable Windows Vista built in CD Burning (1)
• Disable Run Command in Windows Vista (1)

Run command is a useful tools in every variant of Microsoft Windows, but sometimes for security purposes you might want to disable the Run command completely in Microsoft Windows. This tutorial will show how to disable run command completely in Microsoft Windows Vista.

To disable run command in Windows Vista

• Go to Windows Vista start menu.
• Type “gpedit.msc” without the quote.
• This will open the Group Policy Editor in Windows Vista
• Go to User Configuration
• Go to Administrative Template
• Go to Start Menu and Taskbar
• Choose “Remove run from start menu”
• Right click on “Remove run from start menu and choose “Properties”
• Select “Enable” at the “Remove run from start menu” properties page
• Click “Ok” and restart your computer

Be advised that by removing Run command, you will not be able to use the Run command anymore and everything that are associated with the run command.

See also:

• Tweak Windows Vista Services using Vista Service Optimizer (3)
• Microsoft admits Microsoft Windows Vista mistake (4)
• Change search engine provider in Windows Internet Explorer 7 (0)
• Vista Service Pack 2 will be available before Windows 7 (2)
• How To Disable Windows Vista built in CD Burning (1)

Windows Vista Welcome Center is the first screen you would come to when Windows Vista start, if you choose not to turn the Windows Vista Welcome Center off. The Windows Vista welcome center is design to help beginner using Windows Vista by providing basic information about the system.

Rumors have it that one of the key reasons for the Welcome Center appearing by default is so that Microsoft could comply with the government’s request for the OS to provide equal access to all OEMs who want to install software for their customers as part of the antitrust settlement. So, OEMs are entitled to extra information on how to alter the Welcome Center to use it for themselves.

The Windows Vista welcome center can be easily disabled by unchecking the “Run at startup” check box in the bottom left corner of Vista Welcome Center windows. But there are another extreme way to disable Vista Welcome Center by editing Registry, which are unnecessary, but just for the fun of it.

To disable Windows Vista Welcome Center using registry hack:

1. Run regedit: Start Menu > run > regedit > enter
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
3. Delete the key “WelcomeCenter”.

Or you can try this method to disable Windows Vista Welcome Center:

1. Run Command prompt: Start Menu > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt > Right Click and select “Run as Administrator”.
2. Type : reg delete HKCR\CLSID\{FD6905CE-52F-41F1-9A6F-135D9C6622CC}
3. Enter

Those are two ways to disable Windows Vista Welcome Center using registry hack.

See also:

• No related posts.

A customer ask me if he could remove his username from Windows XP start menu. It puzzled me why he would want to do this, but if you are looking for tips on removing your username from Windows start menu, read on.

To remove username from Windows XP start menu, use the following steps:

1. Go to start menu > run > type in “regedit.exe” > hit enter
2. Registry Editor will appear
3. Browse to
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
4. Create a new DWORD value on the right-hand pane with the following values:
   Name: NoUserNameInStartMenu
   Value: 1
5. Log off for changes to take effect
6. Done

To reverse the process, just delete the DWORD value, or change the Value from “1″ to “0″.

See also:

• Enable automatic login in Windows XP (1)
• Windows XP got extended again (1)
• Windows XP blackout screen with no icons (3)
• Windows XP blackout screen face heavy criticism in China (1)
• Using BBlean as an alternative shell for Microsoft Windows XP (2)

Have this annoying windows error messages ever happen to you?

Cannot delete file: Access is denied
Cannot delete folder: There has been a sharing violation
Cannot delete file: It is being used by another person or program
Cannot delete folder: Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.

I know that once in a while every Microsoft Windows user have been through this “Cannot delete file” error message. There are several solutions regarding this Cannot delete file error message.

First of all, you have to find out why the file is locked thus preventing it from being deleted.

1. Is the file currently in use?
   The best way to check this is by running Task Manager. Task manager can be run by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc or Ctrl+Alt+Del and selecting Task manager. My favorite is Ctrl+Shift+Esc. Browse to tab “Processes” , and if the file that is causing the error message Cannot delete file is listed, right click on the process, and choose “End Process”.
2. Another program is using the file.
   The best way to find out if another program is using the file(s) that you are trying to delete is by using a software call “WhoLockMe”. WhoLockMe will display any program that are using the files that you are trying to delete.
   Download WhoLockMe here

Another powerful alternative to the Cannot delete file: Access is denied, Cannot delete folder: There has been a sharing violation, Cannot delete file: It is being used by another person or program, Cannot delete folder: Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use, is using a software Unlocker.

Unlocker will allow you to kill the processes that are locking file file and Unlocker will delete them automatically.

Download Unlocker here

Hope this will solved Cannot delete file: Access is denied, Cannot delete folder: There has been a sharing violation, Cannot delete file: It is being used by another person or program, Cannot delete folder: Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use problems.

See also:

• ZoneAlarm Pro that cost $39.95 for free (1)
• RegSweep for Windows Registry Cleaning (4)
• Clean unused files with CCleaner (1)
• Benchmark your PC with PC Wizard 2008 (0)

A collague of mine who has been fiddling with task manager (since I introduced it to him) have been asking me how to remove or stop the ctfmon.exe process from running on her computer. She has removed ctfmon.exe from her startup option using msconfig, but the process still appear on Task Manager.

Cftmon.exe process is an executable component Microsoft Office use to perform language related functions. It is related to the ‘Language Bar’ present in Microsoft Office. Language Bar in Microsoft office is the function that enabled you to control the computer using speech or a pen tablet. Although ctfmon.exe is a valid process and does not provide any security risk, ctfmon.exe should be disabled or remove if you don’t use the Language Bar function.

There are several steps to disable and remove ctfmon.exe completely from your computer.

Step 1 - Disable and remove Ctfmon.exe from Microsoft Office 2003

1. Go to Control Panel > Add/Remove Program.
2. Choose your Microsoft Office 2003 Installation and click “Change”.
3. Tick “Choose advanced customization of applications” , then click Next.
4. Go to “Alternative User Input” and click on the tab, a dropdown list will appear.
5. Choose “Not Available” on the dropdown list.
6. Continue.

Step 2 - Disable and remove Ctfmon.exe from Microsoft Windows XP

1. Go to Control Panel > Regional and Language Options.
2. Choose “Language” tab, click “Details”.
3. Choose “Advanced” tab, tick “Turn off advanced text services”.
4. Ok.

Step 3 - Disable and remove Ctfmon.exe from startup using Msconfig

1. Go to Start Menu > Run > Type “msconfig.exe” without the quote “”.
2. Go to “Startup” tab , untick cfmon box.
3. Ok, and restart your computer.

Those are the steps on disabling and removing ctfmon.exe from your computer running Microsoft Windows XP.

One thing still puzzle me though, anyone know what ctfmon stands for? “Mon” in ctfmon might stand for “Monitor”, ctf?

See also:

• No related posts.