Selasa, 31 Mei 2011

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All About Resource Hacker in a Brief Tutorial

Resource Hacker is a small but excellent tool to modify system files like DLL, EXE, CPL, etc. You can even change Windows look by editing various Windows files and replacing their resources using Resource Hacker.
You can download it using following links:

Download Link | Mirror | New 3.5.2 Beta Version

Its a portable application, so you don't need to install it. Simply extract the ZIP file and run the extracted EXE file.
This tutorial will help you in understanding this tool and will teach you how to use it. For your convenience, we have divided this tutorial in 2 parts:

PART 1: BASIC INFORMATION
PART 2: ADVANCED INFORMATION

Part 1 provides basic details like viewing or replacing existing resources in a file, etc. Part 2 covers some advance information for geeks, like adding new resources, using scripts, etc.

PART1 : BASIC INFORMATION

[Using Resource Hacker]
When you open a file in Resource Hacker, it shows various directories in left-side pane, like:

AVI - Contains AVI files
Cursor - Contains Cursor files
Bitmap - Contains BMP files
Icon - Contains Icons
Menu - Contains Menus
Dialog - Contains Dialog boxes
String Table - Contains Strings
Accelerators - Contains Shortcut keys
Version Info - Contains Version information of the file

[Viewing Resources]
You can view resource present in the file by expanding the directory given in left-side pane and clicking on the name of the resource. Each resource contains 3 important attributes:

Resource Type
Resource Name
Resource Language

[Changing Resources]
For Icons / Cursors / Bitmaps:
1. First select the resource ( e.g. Bitmap -> 131 -> 1033 ).
2. Now click on Action -> Replace Icon or Cursor or Bitmap....

3. It'll open a new window, click on Open file with new Icon or Cursor or Bitmap button.
4. Select the desired resource using OPEN dialog box, click on Open button and then click on Replace button.
For Other Resources like AVI:
1. Click on Action -> Replace Other Resource....
2. It'll open a new window, click on Open file with new resource button.
3. Select the file and click on Open button.
4. Now you'll need to provide following required information for the resource, which we mentioned earlier:

Resource Type
Resource Name
Resource Language

Resource Type: Mention type of the resource, e.g. if you are replacing AVI file, mention the type as AVI
Resource Name: Provide the same name of the existing resource which you want to replace
Resource Language: Provide language code for the resource, e.g. 1033 for English. You can check existing resource's language code.
5. At last click on Replace button.
[For Menus / Strings / Dialogs]
To change any String, Menu or Dialog box, Select the desired resource, e.g. String Table -> 4 -> 1033, make your changes and at last click on Compile Script button.

It'll immediately compile the script. If you made any mistake while modifying the resource, it'll generate error message so that you can fix it.

PART2 : ADVANCED INFORMATION

[Adding New Resources]
Adding New Bitmaps / Icons / Cursors / AVIs:
1. Click on Action -> Add a new Resource....
2. Now click on Open file with new resource button.

3. Select the desired resource and click on Open button.
4. Give Resource Type, Name and Language as mentioned earlier. But keep in mind that Resource Name should not match with any existing resources name.
5. At last click on Add Resource button.
Adding New Menus:
Go to desired menu, e.g. Menu -> 215 -> 1033. Now add a new line anywhere inside POPUP "" using following format:

MENUITEM "Custom_String", 12345, MFT_STRING, MFS_GRAYED | MFS_DEFAULT

Where:

"Custom_String" is the actual text which you want to show in menu.
12345 is the identifier. It must be different from existing menuitems.
MFS_GRAYED disables the menuitem. You can change it to MFS_ENABLED if you want to show your menuitem enabled.
MFS_DEFAULT shows your menuitem in BOLD. You can omit it.
You can also add a new attribute in the code MFS_HILITE which automatically selects your menuitem.

In fact you can only add following new line in code:

MENUITEM "Custom_String", 12345

And Resource Hacker will automatically insert other remaining values as mentioned above.
[Inserting Newly Added Resources in Dialog Boxes]
Once you finish adding new Icons / Bitmaps / AVIs, you can insert them in any dialog box so that you can show in various Windows dialog boxes like RUN, Progress Dialog box, etc.
1. Go to the desired dialog box, e.g. Dialog -> 1020 -> 1033
2. Right-click in the dialog box and select Insert Control option.

3. It'll open a new window. You'll see many controls in the new window, like BITMAP, LABEL, ICON, BUTTON, SysAnimate32 (for AVIs), etc.
4. Click on any desired control, e.g. to insert a Bitmap, click on the BITMAP control or to insert an AVI, click on SysAnimate32 control.

PS: You can also insert Date/Time in dialog box using SysDateTimePick32 control.
5. Don't forget to fill the Caption entry. You need to enter the Resource Name in Caption textbox, e.g. if you have added a Bitmap and set its Resource Name as 401, then give the same 401 in Caption textbox.

PS: For AVI Control ( SysAnimate32 ), you'll need to append # in Caption value, e.g if the AVI name is 144, then put #144 in Caption textbox.
6. At last click on OK button & then Compile the script.
7. If you want to change the position of the new control in dialog box, simply click on the control and drag it to your desired location or you can also use arrow keys to move it.

Using Scripts in Resource Hacker

We can also run Resource Hacker using Command Prompt and can use scripts to automate lots of repeatative tasks to save our time.
You can use scripts in 2 ways:

Single Command
Multiple Commands

[Single Command]
You can use following commands in Command Prompt to perform actions using Resource Hacker:

-add ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-addskip ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-addoverwrite ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-modify ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-extract ExeFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-delete ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceType, ResourceName,

Where:

ExeFileName - Source file name
ResultingFileName - Output file name
ResourceAddress - Resource location (e.g. Bitmap path stored in your hard disk)
ResourceType - Resource type (e.g. Bitmap, AVI, etc.)
ResourceName - Resource name (e.g. 131, 1020, etc.)

Example:

ResHacker.exe -addoverwrite explorer.exe, explorer1.exe, MyImage.bmp , bitmap, 143,

[Multiple Commands]
You can also run a series of commands using script. First you'll need to create the script file using Notepad and then you can run it using following command:

ResHacker.exe -script ScriptFileName

Where, ScriptFileName is the name of the script file which you created in Notepad.
Following is the required format of the script file:

[FILENAMES]
Exe=
SaveAs=
Log=
[COMMANDS]
-addoverwrite ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName

Where:
EXE= contains source file name
SaveAs= contains output file name
Log= contains LOG file name which will store a detailed log of the operation
[COMMANDS] section contains the command-set which we want to perform on the source file.
PS: You can omit the LOG= entry in script file. In this case, Resource Hacker will automatically create a LOG file with the name "ResHacker.log".
NOTE: If you are facing problems while saving a file after editing in resource hacker, then make sure you have disabled WFP (Windows File Protection) service using "WFP Patcher" or use "Replacer" to replace the file. Both utilities can be found in our "Download" section.
Also if you are getting error "Can't create file...", that means you have edited and saved the same file in past and there is a backup file which need to be deleted before saving this file again. Go to the folder containing this file and you'll see a similar file having "_original" in its name. Delete it and try to save the file in resource hacker.
That's all for now. If you have any query, please feel free to ask us.

All About Resource Hacker in a Brief Tutorial

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Download Link | Mirror | New 3.5.2 Beta Version

PART 1: BASIC INFORMATION
PART 2: ADVANCED INFORMATION

Part 1 provides basic details like viewing or replacing existing resources in a file, etc. Part 2 covers some advance information for geeks, like adding new resources, using scripts, etc.

PART1 : BASIC INFORMATION

[Using Resource Hacker]
When you open a file in Resource Hacker, it shows various directories in left-side pane, like:

AVI - Contains AVI files
Cursor - Contains Cursor files
Bitmap - Contains BMP files
Icon - Contains Icons
Menu - Contains Menus
Dialog - Contains Dialog boxes
String Table - Contains Strings
Accelerators - Contains Shortcut keys
Version Info - Contains Version information of the file

Resource Type
Resource Name
Resource Language

[Changing Resources]
For Icons / Cursors / Bitmaps:
1. First select the resource ( e.g. Bitmap -> 131 -> 1033 ).
2. Now click on Action -> Replace Icon or Cursor or Bitmap....

Resource Type
Resource Name
Resource Language

It'll immediately compile the script. If you made any mistake while modifying the resource, it'll generate error message so that you can fix it.

PART2 : ADVANCED INFORMATION

[Adding New Resources]
Adding New Bitmaps / Icons / Cursors / AVIs:
1. Click on Action -> Add a new Resource....
2. Now click on Open file with new resource button.

MENUITEM "Custom_String", 12345, MFT_STRING, MFS_GRAYED | MFS_DEFAULT

Where:

"Custom_String" is the actual text which you want to show in menu.
12345 is the identifier. It must be different from existing menuitems.
MFS_GRAYED disables the menuitem. You can change it to MFS_ENABLED if you want to show your menuitem enabled.
MFS_DEFAULT shows your menuitem in BOLD. You can omit it.
You can also add a new attribute in the code MFS_HILITE which automatically selects your menuitem.

In fact you can only add following new line in code:

MENUITEM "Custom_String", 12345

Using Scripts in Resource Hacker

We can also run Resource Hacker using Command Prompt and can use scripts to automate lots of repeatative tasks to save our time.
You can use scripts in 2 ways:

Single Command
Multiple Commands

[Single Command]
You can use following commands in Command Prompt to perform actions using Resource Hacker:

-add ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-addskip ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-addoverwrite ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-modify ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-extract ExeFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-delete ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceType, ResourceName,

Where:

ExeFileName - Source file name
ResultingFileName - Output file name
ResourceAddress - Resource location (e.g. Bitmap path stored in your hard disk)
ResourceType - Resource type (e.g. Bitmap, AVI, etc.)
ResourceName - Resource name (e.g. 131, 1020, etc.)

Example:

ResHacker.exe -addoverwrite explorer.exe, explorer1.exe, MyImage.bmp , bitmap, 143,

[Multiple Commands]
You can also run a series of commands using script. First you'll need to create the script file using Notepad and then you can run it using following command:

ResHacker.exe -script ScriptFileName

Where, ScriptFileName is the name of the script file which you created in Notepad.
Following is the required format of the script file:

[FILENAMES]
Exe=
SaveAs=
Log=
[COMMANDS]
-addoverwrite ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName

21.20 computer science and software tricks for free No comments

All About Resource Hacker in a Brief Tutorial

Download Link | Mirror | New 3.5.2 Beta Version

PART 1: BASIC INFORMATION
PART 2: ADVANCED INFORMATION

Part 1 provides basic details like viewing or replacing existing resources in a file, etc. Part 2 covers some advance information for geeks, like adding new resources, using scripts, etc.

PART1 : BASIC INFORMATION

[Using Resource Hacker]
When you open a file in Resource Hacker, it shows various directories in left-side pane, like:

AVI - Contains AVI files
Cursor - Contains Cursor files
Bitmap - Contains BMP files
Icon - Contains Icons
Menu - Contains Menus
Dialog - Contains Dialog boxes
String Table - Contains Strings
Accelerators - Contains Shortcut keys
Version Info - Contains Version information of the file

Resource Type
Resource Name
Resource Language

[Changing Resources]
For Icons / Cursors / Bitmaps:
1. First select the resource ( e.g. Bitmap -> 131 -> 1033 ).
2. Now click on Action -> Replace Icon or Cursor or Bitmap....

Resource Type
Resource Name
Resource Language

It'll immediately compile the script. If you made any mistake while modifying the resource, it'll generate error message so that you can fix it.

PART2 : ADVANCED INFORMATION

[Adding New Resources]
Adding New Bitmaps / Icons / Cursors / AVIs:
1. Click on Action -> Add a new Resource....
2. Now click on Open file with new resource button.

MENUITEM "Custom_String", 12345, MFT_STRING, MFS_GRAYED | MFS_DEFAULT

Where:

"Custom_String" is the actual text which you want to show in menu.
12345 is the identifier. It must be different from existing menuitems.
MFS_GRAYED disables the menuitem. You can change it to MFS_ENABLED if you want to show your menuitem enabled.
MFS_DEFAULT shows your menuitem in BOLD. You can omit it.
You can also add a new attribute in the code MFS_HILITE which automatically selects your menuitem.

In fact you can only add following new line in code:

MENUITEM "Custom_String", 12345

Using Scripts in Resource Hacker

We can also run Resource Hacker using Command Prompt and can use scripts to automate lots of repeatative tasks to save our time.
You can use scripts in 2 ways:

Single Command
Multiple Commands

[Single Command]
You can use following commands in Command Prompt to perform actions using Resource Hacker:

-add ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-addskip ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-addoverwrite ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-modify ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-extract ExeFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-delete ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceType, ResourceName,

Where:

ExeFileName - Source file name
ResultingFileName - Output file name
ResourceAddress - Resource location (e.g. Bitmap path stored in your hard disk)
ResourceType - Resource type (e.g. Bitmap, AVI, etc.)
ResourceName - Resource name (e.g. 131, 1020, etc.)

Example:

ResHacker.exe -addoverwrite explorer.exe, explorer1.exe, MyImage.bmp , bitmap, 143,

[Multiple Commands]
You can also run a series of commands using script. First you'll need to create the script file using Notepad and then you can run it using following command:

ResHacker.exe -script ScriptFileName

Where, ScriptFileName is the name of the script file which you created in Notepad.
Following is the required format of the script file:

[FILENAMES]
Exe=
SaveAs=
Log=
[COMMANDS]
-addoverwrite ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName

List of Resource Locations in Windows XP, Vista and 7 to be Hacked Using Resource Hacker

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Here are a few COMMON changes/hacks, which most of the people want to make in Windows. In this tutorial, we'll tell you the exact location of the things, you want to change: Changing look of RUN Dialog Box
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 1003 -> 1033.
Changing Progress Dialog Box (The box which appears while Copying/pasting/deleting stuffs)
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 1020 -> 1033.
Changing look of Open With box
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 1063 -> 1033 & Dialog -> 1070 -> 1033.
Changing look of Classic Logoff dialog box
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 1071 -> 1033.
Changing look of Drive Properties box
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 1080 -> 1033 & Dialog -> 1081 -> 1033.
Changing look of New Logoff dialog box
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 1089 -> 1033.
Changing look of the box, which appears when Windows asks to select application/search with web service to open the UNKNOWN file type
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 1091 -> 1033.
Changing look of Autoplay box
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 1119 -> 1033.
Changing look of Folder Customize box
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 1124 -> 1033.
Changing look of Windows Default CD Writing Wizard
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 1125 to 1138 -> 1033.
Changing look of Classic Shutdown dialog box
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 8226 -> 1033.
Changing look of About Windows dialog box
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 14352 -> 1033.
Changing look of Format Drive dialog box
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 28672 -> 1033.
Changing look of Scandisk dialog box
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 28800 -> 1033.
Changing look of Desktop tab in Desktop Properties box
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 29952 to 29956 -> 1033.
Changing look of Folder Options box
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 29959 & 29960 -> 1033.
Changing look of DOS Properties box
Open %windir%\System32\shell32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 32768 - 32885 -> 1033.
Changing look of Taskbar & Start Menu Properties box
Open %windir%\Explorer.exe file, and goto: Dialog -> 6 to 1135 -> 1033.
Changing look of Windows Security box, which appears when we press <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Del> keys while Welcome Screen is Disabled
Open %windir%\System32\Msgina.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 1800 -> 1033.
Changing look of Shutdown Reason UI box
Open %windir%\System32\Msgina.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 2200 -> 1033.
Changing look of New Shutdown dialog box
Open %windir%\System32\Msgina.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 20100 -> 1033.
Changing look of Shutdown Timer box
Open %windir%\System32\WinLogon.exe file, and goto: Dialog -> 1300 -> 1033.
Changing look of System Properties box
Open %windir%\System32\Sysdm.cpl file, and goto: Dialog -> 41 to 4103 -> 1033.
Changing look of Choose Color box
Open %windir%\System32\Comdlg32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> CHOOSECOLOR -> 1033.
Changing look of Choose Font box
Open %windir%\System32\Comdlg32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 401 & 1543 -> 1033.
Changing look of Printer Properties box
Open %windir%\System32\Comdlg32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 1538 & 1539 & 1546 -> 1033.
Changing look of Open/Save Dialog box
Open %windir%\System32\Comdlg32.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 1547 * 1552 -> 1033.
Changing look of Many tabs in Desktop Properties box
Open %windir%\System32\ThemeUI.dll file, and goto: Dialog -> 1000 to 1017 -> 1033.
Changing look of Classic Programs Menu
Open %windir%\Explorer.exe file, and goto: Menu -> 204 -> 1033.
Changing look of Taskbar Context Menu
Open %windir%\Explorer.exe file, and goto: Menu -> 205 -> 1033.
Changing the Start button Text
Open %windir%\Explorer.exe file, and goto: String Table -> 37 -> 1033 -> 578 (For New Theme) & String Table -> 38 -> 1033 -> 595 (For Classic Theme).
Changing the Start Button Tool-Tip Text
Open %windir%\Explorer.exe file, and goto: String Table -> 51 -> 1033 -> 800.
Changing the Log off, Shutdown, Search, Help & Support, Run, etc. Text entries in New Start Menu
Open %windir%\Explorer.exe file, and goto: String Table -> 439 -> 1033.
Changing the Internet & E-Mail text in New Start Menu
Open %windir%\Explorer.exe file, and goto: String Table -> 440 -> 1033.
Changing the All Programs text in New Start Menu
Open %windir%\Explorer.exe file, and goto: String Table -> 515 -> 1033 -> 8226.
Changing Connect to, Control Panel, Favorites, My Recent Documents text entries in New Start Menu
Open %windir%\Explorer.exe file, and goto: String Table -> 515 -> 1033.
Changing Start Button Icon
Open %windir%\Explorer.exe file, and goto: Bitmap -> 143 -> 1033.
Changing Left-Side Image in Classic Start Menu
Open %windir%\Explorer.exe file, and goto: Bitmap -> 167 -> 1033.

List of Resource Locations in Windows XP, Vista and 7 to be Hacked Using Resource Hacker

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How to Get Extra FREE Space in Windows?

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Most of us face lower disk space problem in Windows. Many times Windows notifies us about the lower disk space and we are forced to delete some useless files or to resize the partition to get some free space. We are posting this tutorial to share some simple methods to get as mush FREE space as we can. Following are some ways to get free space in Windows:
1. First thing is to use windows built-in "Disk Cleanup" application. You can right-click on a drive in My Computer and select "Properties" now click on "Disk Cleanup" button. Now select all given options, like "Downloaded Program Files", "Temporary Internet Files", "Compress old files", etc. Sometimes you can get more than 1GB FREE space after using Disk Cleanup.
Alternatively you can run "Disk Cleanup" directly from RUN dialog box by giving "cleanmgr.exe" command.
2. Now open Windows Search and copy paste following code in Search box and perform a search:

*.tmp;*.log;*log.txt;*readme.txt;file_id.diz;*.bak;*.old;*.syd;*.prv;*.grp;*.gid;*.fts;*.cnt;*.~mp

You should check all files before deleting. You'll get 100's of files after searching, simply select all and press and delete them.

PS: Please check the files before deletion! It'll delete all Readme files, Backup files, Log files, etc. So deselect the files first, which you don't want to delete.
3. You can also disable WFP (Windows File Protection) service in Windows XP using WFP Switcher. This service runs in background and checks for system files status, and whenever it finds a system file has been changed/modified, it replaces the file with the original file stored in "DLLcache" folder. So we can disable this service and can get lots of FREE space.
After disabling the service, open "%windir%\System32\DLLCache" folder (it'll be HIDDEN & System Folder, so copy paste the path in address bar and press <ENTER>). Now you can safely delete all files present in this folder. It'll make aprrox. 1GB FREE space.
4. Open "System Properties" by right-click on "My Computer" icon on Desktop and select "Properties", now go to "System Restore" tab and select "Turn Off System Restore on all drives" option and apply it. Don’t use this trick if you use System Restore.
5. You can also delete several BMP files present in %windir% (Windows) folder, which are used as wallpapers in Desktop Properties. You can also delete all files in %windir%\Web\Wallpaper folder, all files in this folder are also used as wallpapers.
6. You can also empty TEMP (just type "TEMP" and "%TEMP%" one by one in RUN dialog box), Prefetch (in %windir% folder) folders to get free space.
7. Disable Hibernation from "Power Settings" (powercfg.cpl), if you don't use this feature.
8. Empty Temporary Internet files of your web browser to get some free space.
9. You can also delete all video files present in %windir%\system32\oobe\images folder, these files are used when windows runs for the first time after installation.
10. You can also delete all updates Uninstall Folders, which can be found in %windir% folder and all these folders' names will start from $NtUninstall (or something like that. Also all folders would be HIDDEN). But keep in mind that after deleting these folders you'll not be able to uninstall any windows update!
You can apply all above mention methods to get lots of FREE space without any problem.
You can also use 3rd party Utilities, like Tuneup Utility, System Mechanic, etc to FREE some space but these utilities also use most of the above mentioned techniques.

List of All Kinds of Restrictions for Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista, Server 2008 and 7

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Many times people access our system and change our customized settings here and there. Wouldn't it be great if we can restrict them to change the settings and other things like restrict from changing Folder Options, Taskbar settings, Desktop settings, etc. Today in this tutorial, we'll share a list of some important and useful restrictions, which can be put in Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista, Server 2008 and 7.
STEP 1: Open Registry Editor

All restrictions are based on Registry editing. So you'll need to open Registry Editor by providing regedit command in RUN or Start menu Search box and press Enter. After that go to the registry key mentioned in step 2.
STEP 2: Create Registry Key

Once you are in Registry Editor. Go to following keys and create or modify required DWORD value as mentioned below:

1. Restricting Desktop Properties
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\System

Create new DWORD NoDispCPL and set its value to 1
If you want to restrict any particular tab in Desktop Properties like Themes, Screen Saver, etc, you can take help of following tutorial:
How to Enable / Disable Changing Themes, Wallpapers, Screen Savers and Other Settings
2. Restricting Taskbar Properties
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Create new DWORD NoSetTaskbar and set its value to 1
3. Restricting System Properties
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Create new DWORD NoPropertiesMyComputer and set its value to 1
4. Restricting Folder Options
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Create new DWORD NoFolderOptions and set its value to 1
5. Restricting Registry Editor
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\System

Create new DWORD DisableRegistryTools and set its value to 1
6. Restricting Task Manager
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\System

Create new DWORD DisableTaskMgr and set its value to 1
7. Restricting Control Panel
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Create new DWORD NoControlPanel and set its value to 1
Also check following tutorial:
How to Hide / Show Specific Control Panel Applets / Icons in Windows?
8. Restricting Command Prompt
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System

Create new DWORD DisableCMD and set its value to 2
9. Restricting Locking/Unlocking of Taskbar
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Create new DWORD LockTaskbar and set its value to 1
10. Restricting right-click on Taskbar
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Create new DWORD NoTrayContextMenu and set its value to 1
11. Restricting Toolbars in Taskbar
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Create new DWORD NoToolbarsOnTaskbar and set its value to 1
12. Restricting drag-and-drop and right-click in Start Menu
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Create new DWORD NoChangeStartMenu and set its value to 1
13. Restricting RUN in Start Menu
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Create new DWORD NoRun and set its value to 1
14. Restricting Shut Down, Restart, Sleep and Hibernate commands

Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Create new DWORD NoClose and set its value to 1
15. Restricting Log off in Start Menu

Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Create new DWORD StartMenuLogOff and set its value to 1
16. Restricting Active Desktop Feature
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Create new DWORD NoActiveDesktop and set its value to 1
17. Restricting adding/removing items to/from Toolbars
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Create new DWORD NoToolbarCustomize and set its value to 1
18. Restricting adding/removing Toolbars
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Create new DWORD NoBandCustomize and set its value to 1
19. Restricting Autorun Feature

Visit following tutorial:
How to Disable Autorun Functionality in Windows Using Registry Editor?
20. Restricting notification at low disk space
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Create new DWORD NoLowDiskSpaceChecks and set its value to 1
21. Restricting Writing to USB Drives
Go to following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Current Control Set\Control\StorageDevicePolicies

Create new DWORD WriteProtect and set its value to 1
Also check following tutorial:
How to Disable / Restrict Use of USB Storage Devices in Windows?
22. Restricting "New" option in context menu
Go to following key:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenu Handlers\New

And delete the value of Default, e.g., empty it.
23. Restricting "Send To" option in context menu
Go to following key:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenu Handlers\Send To

And delete the value of Default, e.g., empty it.
24. Restricting any desired application
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer\DisallowRun

Create new String value with any name, like 1 and set its value to the desired program's EXE file.
e.g., If you want to restrict msconfig, then create a String value 1 and set its value to msconfig.exe. If you want to restrict more programs, simply create more String values with names 2, 3 and so on and set their values to the program's exe file.
25. Restricting Drives in My Computer
Go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

In right-side pane, create new DWORD NoViewOnDrive and change its value as following:

3 : To Restrict A and B drives only.
4 : To Restrict C drive only.
7 : To Restrict A, B, and C drives only.
8 : To Restrict D drive only.
F : To Restrict A, B, C, and D drives only.
03FFFFFF : To Restrict all drives.

If you want more specific restrictions, like you want to restrict a combination of drives, you can use decimal no. instead of hexadecimal no. Following is a list for all drives decimal no.:

A: 1
B: 2
C: 4
D: 8
E: 16
F: 32
G: 64
H: 128
I: 256
J: 512
K: 1024
L: 2048
M: 4096
N: 8192
O: 16384
P: 32768
Q: 65536
R: 131072
S: 262144
T: 524288
U: 1048576
V: 2097152
W: 4194304
X: 8388608
Y: 16777216
Z: 33554432
ALL: 67108863

So if you want to disable a combination of drives, just sum their numbers and give the same value to NoViewOnDrive. e.g., for restricting C, D, E and F drives, give the value: 4+8+16+32 = 60
NOTE: You can also hide the drives using NoDrives DWORD value. The location and its value remain same as the above trick.
That's all. Above are some common restrictions, if you want to know about any specific restriction, please let us know.
NOTE: If you want to remove the restriction, simply delete the DWORD or set its value to 0

Small Processor Trick to Improve System Performance in Windows Vista and 7

20.53 computer science and software tricks for free No comments

1. Type msconfig in Startmenu search box or RUN dialog box and press Enter.
2. Now go to "Boot" tab and click on "Advanced options..." button.
3. Enable "Number of processors:" option and select the correct no. of processors from drop-down list.
4. Click on "OK" button and then "Apply" it.
5. It'll require a restart and after reboot you'll notice improvement in system performance.

Add “Hide File Names” Option in “View” Menu in Windows Vista and 7

20.52 computer science and software tricks for free No comments

In this tutorial, we'll tell you how to add an extra option "Hide File Names" in "View" menu of Windows Vista and 7. After following this tutorial, you'll get "View -> Hide File Names" option in any particular folder or all folders depending upon the method:
1. Open a folder, in which you want to add this option. If you want to add this option in all folders, then open the parent folder. e.g. if you want to add the option in every folder of E: drive, then open E: drive.
2. Right-click on a blank area in the folder and select "Customize This Folder...". You can also get this option from "View -> Customize This Folder...".
3. It'll open "Customize" tab. Now select "Pictures and Videos" option from "Template" drop-down box. In Windows 7, Pictures and Videos options are given separately. You can select any of them.
NOTE: If you want to add the option "Hide File Names" to a particular folder then make sure to un-check the option "Also apply this template to all subfolders", otherwise enable this option.

4. Now Apply it and see the magic.
Now you'll get an extra option "Hide File Names" in "View". Which can hide file/folder names in that particular folder.

Actually in Windows XP we can hide file/folder names by pressing <SHIFT> key and selecting "View -> Thumbnails". Since they have removed "Thumbnails" option from "View" menu, that's why this option was added to folders having their templates as "Pictures and Videos".

Folder List and Favorite Links in Navigation Pane Bug in Windows Vista

20.51 computer science and software tricks for free No comments

1. Open My Computer and make sure that "Favorite Links" are showing in left side pane (Navigation pane). If its not enabled then you can enable it from "Organize -> Layout -> Navigation pane". 2. Close My Computer.
3. Now open "Windows Explorer" from Start menu.
4. It'll show "Folders List" instead of "Favorite Links" in Navigation pane. Thats cool since its Windows Explorer it should display Folders list.
5. Now close Windows Explorer and again open My Computer.
6. Guess what? The Navigation pane will show "Folders List" in left pane instead of previously selected "Favorite Links".
So the conclusion is this:
If you select "Favorite Links" to be shown in My Computer and open Windows Explorer, it'll overwrite your settings for "Navigation pane" and will force My Computer to show "Folders List".
So Windows Explorer overwrites My Computer's "Navigation pane" settings. How can I save my settings for "Navigation pane" in My Computer?
It seems that in Vista "My Computer" and "Windows Explorer" are no longer different as they were in previous versions of Windows. In XP, My Computer doesnt show "Folders List" in left pane but Windows Explorer shows and in Vista both My Computer and Windows Explorer show "Navigation pane". Thats why the above BUG exists!!!
NOTE:
=====
I noticed one more thing! If you set to show both "Favorite Links" and "Folders List" in "Navigation Pane", then no problem occurs. Both My Computer and Windows Explorer show both things. But if you set only "Favorite Links" to show in My Computer and open Windows Explorer, it'll automatically overwrite your settings for Navigation Pane in My Computer and My Computer will start showing both things...

Bugs in Classic Theme of Windows Vista

20.46 computer science and software tricks for free No comments

1. Change the Windows theme to "Windows Classic". 2. Open "System Properties" (sysdm.cpl) and goto "Advanced" tab and click on "Settings" button in "Performance" section.
3. Uncheck the option "Show previews and filters in folders" and apply.
4. Now open My Computer and you'll notice that Menubar is automatically shown in My Computer. I can't understand why Menubar is related to Preview & filters option? OK, no problem. BUT.....
Now click on "Organize -> Layout" and the worst thing will happen. Menubar is unchecked even its showing in My Computer. And the most strange thing is that nothing will happen if you'll enable / disable this option. Try to enable "Menubar" or disable "Menubar", nothing will change and Menubar will always be there.
So IMO, if this option can't do anything then it should be disabled. Whats the use of enabling an option if it can't do anything?

SECOND BUG

1. Change the theme of your Windows Vista to "Windows Classic".
2. Open My Computer and look carefully at the "Back" and "Forward" buttons in Toolbar!
3. Now hover your mouse to "Little Down Arrow" just after the "Forward" button.
What you see?
A. First thing is that the Back & Forward button are a little bit far from background image. They should be placed at 1 or 2 pixels less from left.
B. When we hover the mouse at "Little Down Arrow", the background image is misplaced from its actual position and a little curve is displayed just before the addressbar.
These are very small issues and not very noticeable.
PS: Try it yourself and you'll understand what I'm talking about or just save the images at your computer and look at them one by one.

THIRD BUG

Open Windows Explorer in Windows Classic theme and guess what? The "Up" button will not be visible (it should be there just after the "Forward" button). But if you'll move your mouse at that place, you'll see the tool tip "Recent Pages".
So the button is there but is not visible. A BIG goof-up. And if you look carefully, the buttons "Back" and "Forward" are correctly placed in this condition but as soon as you'll open any drive or anything, they will be misplaced.

FOURTH BUG

1. Make sure you are using "Windows Classic" theme in Vista.
2. Open Windows Media Player.
3. Open any video file.
4. Look carefully at the bottom bar of WMP, you'll see the time duration of the video file but it'll be hardly visible.
5. Now maximize WMP and guess what? You can't see the time duration. WHY???
Its really too annoying. If I'm watching a movie and want to know about time duration, then I can't. I'll have to exit from Full screen mode and then I'll be able to know about time duration.
If you are using Basic or Aero theme, the time duration will be visible in Full Screen mode.

Classic Startmenu Log Off Command Confirmation Bug in Windows Vista

20.44 computer science and software tricks for free No comments

Now that's really a very annoying and stupid bug in Windows Vista. Following are the steps to re-create it: 1. Right-click on Taskbar and select "Properties".
2. Goto "Start Menu" tab and select "Classic Start menu".
3. Click on "Customize" button and make sure "Display Log off" option is enabled. Now apply it.
Now click on Start button and select "Log off". Oops, It didn't ask for confirmation.

In earlier versions of windows, it used to confirm the action. It was quite useful. Lots of time people can accidentally click on "Log off" but since it asks for confirmation, we can simply click on "No" button.
But in Vista, it doesn't confirm and logs out you from Windows. if you clicked on it by mistake then you'll loose all your opened documents (if not saved), you'll loose all your opened websites in browser.
Its really a stupid bug and I can't understand why the developers disabled it?

Give Browse Dialog Box More Space in Windows Vista and 7

20.44 computer science and software tricks for free No comments

Its time for sharing an interesting thing, which I found today. As we all know "Dialog boxes" don't contain Maximize, Minimize buttons. They only have "Close" button and we can't maximize them. If we right-click on the titlebar of a dialog box, we get only 2 options in context menu:
Move
Close
But for my surprise, when I opened "Browse" dialog box in RUN, I found that it can be maximized even its a dialog box. If you double-click on its titlebar, it'll be maximized. (But not fully maximized, the border will still be visible). Also you'll get an option "Maximize" in context menu of titlebar.
So its an interesting thing in Vista and 7. I think since Browse dialog box looks similar to Windows Explorer and has same properties, that's why it can be maximized irrespective of other dialog boxes.
PS: It happens for all Browse/Save/Open dialog boxes in all windows applications, like Notepad, etc.

Folder and Search Options Bug in Windows Vista

20.43 computer science and software tricks for free No comments

I always disable "Folder Options" in Windows, so that no one can change the settings. You can disable it either using "gpedit.msc" or using Registry Editor. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. Now goto:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

Now in right-side pane, create a new DWORD value NoFolderOptions and set its value to 1. It'll disable "Folder options".
But in Vista "Folder Options" and "Search Options" have been combined in a single option "Folder & Search Options". So if we disable "Folder Options" using registry editor or gpedit.msc in Vista. It doesn’t disable "Folder options" completely. I found that one can still access it using following method:
1. Open "Search" and click on "Advanced Search" button.
2. Now search for anything by typing something in Name, Tags or authors text boxes.
3. After doing this, you'll get another toolbar under these options. Click on "Search Tools -> Search Options" and voilla, you'll have full access to "Folder options". Every tab will be visible.
Now whats the use of disabling "Folder Options"? IMO, Search Options should only show "Search" tab and not all the tabs.

2 Desktop.ini Files at Desktop Bug in Windows Vista

20.42 computer science and software tricks for free No comments

1. Goto "Organize -> Folder & Search Options". 2. In "View" tab, enable "Show hidden files and folders" option and disable "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)" option.
3. Now check the Desktop and you'll see 2 "desktop.ini" files on desktop.

Now you'll say what's the bug here? The bug is, these 2 files should not be visible on Desktop at all. In earlier versions of windows (like XP) no such files were shown on desktop even the file exists in desktop folder. These files are used to customize folder settings.
I came to know that one file is for current user settings and the other file is for all users profile settings.
Many power users enable "show hidden files/folders" option and disable the option "hide protected system files" in their system but also they want a clean desktop. But its not the case in Vista.
To make it more clear, "Desktop.ini" file also exists in other system folders like "Temporary Internet Files", "History", etc but these folders don't show these files even after enabling/disabling the options mentioned in Step2, then why Desktop shows these 2 files? Strange, very strange...

Add Customized Strings (OEM Information) in System Properties Dialog Box of Windows Vista and 7

20.41 computer science and software tricks for free No comments

With the help of this hack, you can get some extra information and a personalized logo in Vista and 7 System Properties dialog box. Its very much same as the good old "OEMLogo.bmp" and "OEMInfo.ini" files in windows XP but sadly this trick no longer works in Vista and 7. Here is a screenshot of Windows 7 System Properties dialog box with customized strings:

So here we go:
1. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. Now goto:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion

Under this key, look for a key OEMInformation. If it doesn't exist, create it.
2. Now select OEMInformation key and in right-side pane, create following String values and set their values as shown below:
Logo - path_of_OEMlogo.bmp_file
Manufacturer - Any_desired_name
Model - Any_desired_name
SupportHours - Any_desired_time_amount_like_24x7
SupportPhone - Any_desired_phone_number
SupportURL - Any_desired_URL
NOTE: OEMlogo.bmp file should be 96x96 in size and can be placed at any location.
3. Now open System Properties by right-clicking on My Computer icon on desktop and select Properties, you'll see your desired entries in "System" section and another section will also be created with the same name as you entered in Manufacturer String value. The OEMlogo.bmp file will be shown in right-side of "System" section.
NOTE: Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP or Server 2003 users, visit this tutorial.

How to Remove nVidia, Intel and Other Display Driver Entries from Desktop Context Menu in Windows XP, Vista and 7

20.40 computer science and software tricks for free No comments

Whenever we install Intel, nVidia or other graphics card drivers in Windows, some extra entries like Save Schemes, etc are added in Desktop Context menu (Menu which appears, when we right-click on desktop). It causes the context menu to take a little bit extra time in loading.

Here is a registry trick to remove those extra entries from Desktop context menu:
1. Goto Start -> Run and type regedit and navigate to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers

2. Delete the key igfxui (for Intel), NvCplDesktopContext (for nVidia) or other similar keys for your graphics card.
3. Now, your desktop context menu will look nice and minimal and will not take any extra time in loading.

Bug in Windows Notepad Statusbar

20.40 computer science and software tricks for free No comments

1. Open Notepad and enable "Status Bar" from "View -> Status Bar". If this option is disabled, then first uncheck "Format -> Word Wrap" option and now enable Status Bar again. Actually Notepad doesnt allow to have Status Bar along with Word Wrap feature. You can have one of them enabled at a time. But there is a registry hack, using it you can have both of them at the same time. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. Now goto:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Notepad

In right-side pane, change value of StatusBar to 1.
2. Now open any existing text file (Yeah, you have to open an already saved file to check this BUG) and put your cursor to any line, you'll see its location in Status Bar.
e.g. we assume that you put the cursor at column 3 of Line 3, then it'll show "Ln 3, Col 3" in Status Bar.
OK, fine then whats the BUG? Now press <Ctrl>+S or Choose "File -> Save" and look at the Status Bar. VOILLA, it'll show "Ln 1, Col 1" irrespective of the actual Line and column Number, that was "Ln 3, Col 3" in our case.
Sometimes you may have to press <Ctrl>+S twice to re-create this BUG.
So the BUG is whenever you save an existing file, Notepad will show "Ln 1, Col 1" in Status Bar and it'll be corrected when you'll move the cursor.

[FIX] Optical Drives (CD/DVD) Not Showing in My Computer Window

20.39 computer science and software tricks for free No comments

If you can't see your optical drives (CD/DVD Drives/Writers) in My Computer, then this tutorial will help you: 1. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. Now goto:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\ {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

2. Delete "UpperFilters" and "LowerFilters"keys in right-side pane.
3. Restart the system and now you should have access to your optical drives.

QTTabBar: Add Tab Feature to Windows Explorer

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"QTTabBar" adds Tab feature to Windows Explorer so you can work on more than one folder within a single Explorer window just like a web browser. Features List:

Tab bar for Windows Explorer
QTTabBar allows you to operates files and folders like tab browser
Folder grouping, histories, etc.

Download Link

Bugs in Classic Theme of Windows Vista

02.03 computer science and software tricks for free No comments

FIRST BUG

1. Change the Windows theme to "Windows Classic".
2. Open "System Properties" (sysdm.cpl) and goto "Advanced" tab and click on "Settings" button in "Performance" section.
3. Uncheck the option "Show previews and filters in folders" and apply.
4. Now open My Computer and you'll notice that Menubar is automatically shown in My Computer. I can't understand why Menubar is related to Preview & filters option? OK, no problem. BUT.....
Now click on "Organize -> Layout" and the worst thing will happen. Menubar is unchecked even its showing in My Computer. And the most strange thing is that nothing will happen if you'll enable / disable this option. Try to enable "Menubar" or disable "Menubar", nothing will change and Menubar will always be there.
So IMO, if this option can't do anything then it should be disabled. Whats the use of enabling an option if it can't do anything?

SECOND BUG

THIRD BUG

FOURTH BUG

Bugs in Classic Theme of Windows Vista

02.03 computer science and software tricks for free No comments

FIRST BUG

1. Change the Windows theme to "Windows Classic".
2. Open "System Properties" (sysdm.cpl) and goto "Advanced" tab and click on "Settings" button in "Performance" section.
3. Uncheck the option "Show previews and filters in folders" and apply.
4. Now open My Computer and you'll notice that Menubar is automatically shown in My Computer. I can't understand why Menubar is related to Preview & filters option? OK, no problem. BUT.....
Now click on "Organize -> Layout" and the worst thing will happen. Menubar is unchecked even its showing in My Computer. And the most strange thing is that nothing will happen if you'll enable / disable this option. Try to enable "Menubar" or disable "Menubar", nothing will change and Menubar will always be there.
So IMO, if this option can't do anything then it should be disabled. Whats the use of enabling an option if it can't do anything?

SECOND BUG

THIRD BUG

FOURTH BUG

Friends

Selasa, 31 Mei 2011

All About Resource Hacker in a Brief Tutorial

All About Resource Hacker in a Brief Tutorial

Sabtu, 21 Mei 2011

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