Registry Edits for
Windows 7
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Understand the risks, up to and
including the loss of data and having to
reinstall the operating system, before
editing the registry.
I strongly suggest reading
Backing Up and Restoring the Windows 7
Registry
before editing the registry.
Use the information at your own risk. |
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| Items listed are
registry edits, implemented by using registry
editor. Launch registry editor by typing
[regedit.exe] in the [Run] dialog accessible via
[Start]. Editing the registry is not a difficult
process but it does require care. |
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Application Registry Edits |
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Invoke a Program Once then Delete from the
Registry - This tweak allows you to set up a
program that will be run once and then deleted
so that it does not run again unless the entry
is re-entered manually. The Runonce key does
remain in the registry for reuse.
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Launch Programs at Login Without Using the
Startup Folder - This tweak allows a program
to be launched when the user logs onto the
computer. It can be set to run minimized and
there is no trace of the executable in the
Startup folder on the Start Menu nor in the
Documents and Settings folder accessible via
Windows Explorer.
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| Desktop
Registry Edits |
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A Faster Start Menu - This tweak first
appeared when XP was released. I've had a number
of users write and ask if it still applies to
Windows 7. Surprisingly enough, on a clean
Windows 7 Ultimate install the string value
MenuShowDelay is present in the registry with a
default value of 400. I played with the settings
a bit and honestly, I can't see where changing
the value to 0 or a much higher number like 4000
or even 40000 makes any difference at all in
adjusting the Start Menu speed. At any rate, the
original registry edit appears here. Draw your
own conclusion.
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Desktop Context Menu - By default, when a
user right clicks on the desktop in Windows XP a
context menu is displayed. Implementing the
Enable/Disable Desktop Context Menu edit will
remove the ability to display a context menu by
right clicking the desktop, items on the
desktop, and items in Windows Explorer. It does
not disable context menus in Internet Explorer.
This registry edit can be set either on a user
or machine basis.
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Disable Desktop Composition - Disabling
desktop composition turns off a number of the
graphic and visual effects on the desktop,
including Flip, Flip3d, and Taskbar Thumbnails
that are on by default in Windows 7.
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Disable Flip3D Invocation - This tweak
prevents the Flip3D window switcher from being
accessible on the desktop. This is essentially a
subset of the Disable Desktop Composition tweak.
If desktop composition is disabled, Flip3D is
also disabled. This allows Taskbar Thumbnails to
still be enabled, but using this you can disable
Flip3D alone.
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Disable Save Desktop Configuration on Exit -
Default behavior for Windows 7 is to save the
desktop configuration on exiting the operating
system. To prevent saving the desktop
configuration, implement the following registry
edit.
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Disable Windows Animations - Disabling
windows animations will turn off all the
animations associated with minimizing,
maximizing, and restoring windows.
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Eliminate Fade Effect in Windows 7 Menus -
This tweak removes the fade in effect on Windows
7 menus that many users find annoying as well as
slowing response time. In addition, if you have
problems with artifacts remaining onscreen after
clicking a context menu entry, this should solve
the problem.
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Exclude a Program from the Start Menu - A
feature of the Windows 7 Start Menu is a list of
the most frequently used programs on the left
side of the menu. Personally, I find this
section rather pointless, since a program I'd
want to be instantly available I'd either pin it
to the list of programs above this frequently
used programs section or pin it to the taskbar.
However, if you find the feature useful but
would like to exclude a specific program from
appearing here permanently.
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Turn Off Desktop Gadgets - Implementing this
registry edit will turn off and prevent the
running of all desktop gadgets. Any attempt to
install a gadget will result in a notice that
Desktop Gadgets are managed by a system
administrator.
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Turn Off User-Installed Desktop Gadgets -
Implementing this registry edit will turn off
and prevent the running of any user-installed
desktop gadgets. This is different from turning
off gadgets completely. It only applies to
user-installed gadgets.
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| Backup
Registry Edits |
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Disable Restore Files User Interface - This
registry entry disables the ability of users to
restore files in the Backup and Restore program
by disabling the restore user interface. It's
important to note this has nothing to do with
System Restore.
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