Registry Backup:
Should always create b/up b4 editing the Registry!!
Registry Recovery:
If Win95 fails to start, will go into Safe Mode. Can recover the last good
registry files from their backup files by D/clicking the Registry Recovery
icon, then shutdown Win95 and restart. (see also 95rtkhlp.txt)
Or: reboot to Dos7, cd ERD? then run ERD.exe.
Fix a corrupt Registry File:
There are two files in your Windows directory, USER.DA0 and SYSTEM.DA0
that are copies of USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT which are registry files. Make
copies of USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT to something like USER.DA_ and
SYSTEM.DA_ (for just such an emergency) and rename USER.DA0 and SYSTEM.DA0
to USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT respectively. This should restore the system.
To run Registry Editor:
From the Start menu, click Run and type regedit Or d/click on it in Win95
folder.
Tip You can add the Registry Editor icon to your desktop by using the right mouse button to drag REGEDIT.EXE from Windows Explorer to the desktop.
To find specific data in the Registry
In the Registry Editor window, double-click any folder icon for a Registry
key to display the contents of that key.
-Or
From the Edit menu, click Find. Then type all or part of the text string
you want to find, and click options to specify whether you want to find a
key name, an entry name, or data. After Registry Editor finds the first
instance of the text string, you can press F3 to search for the next
instance.
Q: I installed a Win95 application which made an entry in the Add/Remove Programs menu. By mistake (and long after it was recoverable) I deleted the applications directory. How can I remove it's listing in the Add/Remove Programs menu?
A: To remove the non-existent program you need to edit the registry. The program will be found under the registry key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall.
Delete its entry and the listing is gone.
Registry Safe Check Kit
Hey, do you wanna cool way to undo a disaster because of messing with the
Registry? Or do you wanna be sure you're not gonna get into one? Use these
DOS batch files and you'll notice the difference. Create 'em with Notepad
or the DOS Edit included in Win95 and save 'em in your Windows folder.
Here they are:
REGBACK.BAT:
@echo off attrib -h -s system.dat attrib -h -s user.dat if exist system.dak attrib -h -r -s system.dak if exist user.dak attrib -h -r -s user.dak copy system.dat system.dak /v /y > null copy user.dat user.dak /v /y > null attrib +h +s system.dat attrib +h +s user.dat attrib +h +r system.dak attrib +h +r user.dak
REGRECOV.BAT:
@echo off rem Use this batch file if Windows 95 starts in Fail-Safe mode to change rem the system.dat and user.dat files to the last good versions of these files. rem Copies system.da0 over system.dat and user.da0 over user.dat attrib -h -r -s system.da0 attrib -h -r -s user.da0 attrib -h -r -s system.dat attrib -h -r -s user.dat copy system.da0 system.dat /v /y > null copy user.da0 user.dat /v /y > null attrib +h +s +r system.dat attrib +h +s +r user.dat attrib +h +s +r system.da0 attrib +h +s +r user.da0
You gotta use REGBACK.BAT first, and use it everytime before messing with the Registry. And if you destroy Win95, go to DOS mode, Win95 Safe Mode, or in a previous Windows or DOS version and you'll be back to the beginning.
Back Up the Registry
A Registry error can seriously mess up your system, so it's a good idea to back up your Registry files in case something goes wrong. Restart Windows 95 in MS-DOS mode by selecting Start/Shut Down/Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode. You can't work with these files inside the Windows GUI, or even in a DOS box inside the GUI. Go to your Windows directory, and run the following commands:
attrib -r -s -h system.da? attrib -r -s -h user.da? copy system.da? c:\temp copy user.da? c:\temp attrib +r +s +h system.da? attrib +r +s +h user.da?
You can copy to a directory other than c:\temp. If you edit the Registry a lot, you may want to put these commands into a batch file.
Type Win to reenter the Windows GUI. Launch the Registry by selecting Start/Run and entering the command regedit. Should you ever make a disastrous change in your Registry, exit Windows by selecting the option Start/Shut Down/Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode; at the DOS prompt, copy your backup files back to your Windows directory.
Backing Up Part of the Registry
Before making a change to a specific area of the Registry, you can back up that section only. From RegEdit's folder tree, select the folder containing whatever you're about to change. Then select Registry/Export Registry File. In the resulting dialog box, enter a file name and, in the Export range section, make sure Selected branch is selected and that its text field shows the path of the Registry piece you're interested in. Click Save.
To restore these items later, just choose Registry/Import Registry File, select the file you saved, and click Open. Note that this won't help if your changes break Windows to the point where you can't even load it.
Meet the System Policy Editor
There's a simpler tool than RegEdit for modifying some parts of the Registry: the System Policy Editor. This program comes on the Windows 95 CD-ROM (it isn't included on the floppy disk version) but was probably not installed on your system. To install it, put the CD-ROM in your drive and wait for the Windows 95 window to come up.
Click Add/Remove Software. On the Windows Setup page, click Have Disk. In the Install From Disk dialog box, type d:\admin\apptools\poledit, adjusting the drive letter appropriately. Check the System Policy Editor box and click Install. Click OK to close the Add/Remove Programs dialog box, then exit the CD-ROM window.
You can start the System Policy Editor by choosing Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Policy Editor or by typing poledit in the Run box. The first time you start the System Policy Editor, it may prompt you for a template file; guide it to Windows\Inf\ Admin.adm. To start modifying the Registry, choose File/Open Registry.
Quickie Registry Reload, Part I
Most of the time, Windows has to go through a long reload process before you can see Registry changes you've made. But sometimes you can fool Windows into reloading part of the Registry.
Press [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[Del], select Explorer in the resulting dialog box, then click End Task. When the Shut Down Windows dialog box appears, click No. In a few seconds, another dialog box will appear to inform you that Explorer is not responding; click End Task, and you'll see the desktop rebuild itself, during which Windows reloads the portion of the Registry that's stored in system.dat. Any open applications will keep running without a hitch.
Quickie Registry Reload, Part II
If Windows isn't fooled, and you're on a network, here is your next best bet: From the Start menu, select Shut Down. In the resulting dialog box, select Close all programs and log on as a different user, then click Yes. This makes Windows shut itself down partway, but not all the way, before starting up again.
Quickie Registry Reload, Part III
If you're not on a network, there's still another method. In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, select Restart the computer. Then hold down [Shift] while you click Yes. Windows will shut itself down, then reload again without going through the process of rebooting the machine and reloading DOS. It's not as fast as the other methods, but it always works.
Spy on the Registry
Want to know what jiggery pokery all those cool applets do to your registry files? See what havoc that newly installed software has done? Forget special applications, all the tools that you need to check registry changes are supplied with Windows 95. Here's how to do it: Click the Start button, select Run..., type in REGEDIT and click OK. When the Registry Editor comes up select Registry, then Export Registry File. Name the file Before. Close the Registry Editor and install the software or run the applet. Launch the Registry Editor again and export another registry file. Name it After and make sure it's in the same folder as before (saves typing later on). Close the Registry Editor. Go to a MS-DOS Prompt, switch to the directory (using the CD command) where you saved the exported Registry files and type:
fc before.reg after.reg > changes.txt
Load CHANGES.TXT into Notepad and see what happened. Alternatively, you can use Word to compare versions of the document, but this tends to be much slower than fc. Through this trick I found out that Tweak UI from the Powertoys sets a key in:
HKEY_Local_Machine/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/Desk top/NameSpace with {FBF23B42-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8} set to "The Internet" every time I set the Microsoft Internet Explorer to be on my desktop.
Update the registry without Rebooting!
Here's how to update the Registry without rebooting Windows - Press Ctr-Alt-Del, select Explorer, and click End Task. When Windows asks if you want to Shut Down, click no, then click End Task at the next prompt. Soon you should see the Start menu and Task Bar reappear as Windows starts the Explorer shell again. Also, to turn off the Auto-Run feature of CDs, go to Settings, Control Panel, System, Device Manager. Click on the plus sign of your CD-ROM controller, then double-click it's icon to bring up the Properties. Under Settings, turn off the Auto insert notification box and click OK. You will have to SHIFT+RESTART for this to take effect.
Speed up the Windows Refresh rate!
Every time I added a new folder, or I deleted something from a window, I needed to hit F5, Refresh, to see the results. This became quite an annoyance. Here is a little tip to change it so that the screen refreshes automatically.
Setting Video Refresh Rate
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\Display\0000\Def ault
"RefreshRate"="-1"
-1 is the value for automatic refresh rate, any other value corresponds to the HZ rate. Also if you have loaded more that one video driver you may have more values under display. eg 0001,0002, etc.
Here's how to reduce the Run Drop Down list.
First, in the program that creates the file type you are adding, create a "blank" document. To do that, enter the program, start a new file, and save it right away (note that you could save any normally used preferences here - useful for programs that don't support templates).
Turn Off Window Animation
You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize windows. This tip makes navigating Windows 95 a lot faster especially for those that don't have super fast video cards.
A lot of people find the speed at which the menus on the taskbar and pull-down menus pop out too slow. To change this, you need to edit the registry:
Removing System Icons from your Desktop.
You can now remove or move what you would like. This is very helpful on multi-user machines in which you don't want users to have access to browse the hard drive. It also cleans your desktop of programs you don't use often.
Reappearing values?
If you seem to have problems with Values and Keys reappearing in your registry, try deleting the offending programs from your win.ini file!
Make .bmp Files Be Their Own Icons
It's possible to make the icons for bitmap files be thumbnail images of the bitmap itself. Here's how:
Make an Open New Folder Context Entry
Sometimes I want to open a new folder so I can copy or move files around. Open your notepad and copy this exactly into it.
------- REGEDIT4 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\opennew] @="Open New &Window" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\opennew\command] @="explorer %1" -------
Do not copy the '---', just the text between them. Now save the document as Open New Folder.reg. You can call it anything you want, just be sure to put the .reg extension after it. I usually allow it to save on the desktop to find it quickly. Now double click on the new icon that has appeared. The registry hack will update automatically. Now right click on a folder and you will see a new option called 'Open New Window'.
Changing default from 'Open' to 'Explore'
Here is a useful tip and you need not edit the registry to do it! If you always want explorer to come up when you click on something and not just the ever-useful "My Computer" Window, here's how: Click on the View Menu/Options/file types/ and then choose "Folder" from the list. Click on the "Edit" button and then click the "Set Default" button to change the default action from "Open" to "Explore". It is much better this way!
To change the name or location of some essential folders go to
/HKEY_CURRENT_USER /Software /Microsoft /Windows /CurrentVersion
/Explorer/Shell Folders in registry and edit the data of your choice.
To open a folder in a seperate window (e.g. for copying files) go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Classes\ Directory\ shell.
Create the new key openw; set it's default value to "Open New Window" (or
whatever). Add
the new subkey command: default value = explorer.exe %1
Highlight and shadow of 3D-objects are set by default in dependence of the
button face. Go to
/HKEY_CURRENT_USER /Control Panel /Colors and edit
the corresponding Names changing RGB Data. Perhaps you want to swap hilight
and shadow for "negative" buttons - who knows?
Create a new registry from scratch
If you want to create a new registry without a total reinstall, type 'setup /Pf' at the C: prompt. This will create a new registry from scratch. Please note the case of the letters, capitol 'P', and small case 'f'.
Getting to Know the Registry
The Registry is a database of all the settings for Windows95. It is contained in two hidden files in your Windows directory, called USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT. The following is a collection of information, tips, and troubleshooting techniques involving the Windows95 Registry.
Note: it is always advisable to back up your registry (see below) before making any changes to it. Note that the Registry is intended to be a little intimidating, because it is possible to screw up your entire system if you don't know what you're doing. If you back up the Registry before continuing, you eliminate this possibility.
Check out the Glossary for definitions of any of the technical terms used below.
Structure of the Registry
The Registry has a hierarchal structure, like the directories on your hard disk. Each branch (denoted by a folder icon in the Registry Editor, see below) is called a Key. Each key can contain other keys, as well as Values. Each value contains the actual information stored in the Registry. There are three types of values; String, Binary, and DWORD - the use of these depends upon the context.
There are six main branches, each containing a specific portion of the information stored in the Registry. They are as follows:
Editing the Registry
The Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE) is included with Windows95 to enable you to view and edit the contents of the Registry. When you open the Registry Editor, you'll see a window divided into two panes. The left side shows a tree with folders (see Structure of the Registry below), and the right side shows the contents (values) of the currently selected folder.
To expand a certain branch, click on the little plus sign [+] to the left
of any folder, or just double-click on the folder.
To display the contents of a key (folder), just click the desired key, and
look at the values listed on the right side. You can add a new key or
value by selecting New from the Edit menu. You can rename any value and
almost any key with the same method used to rename files; right-click on
an object and click rename, or click on it twice (slowly), or just press F2
on the keyboard.
Lastly, you can delete a key or value by clicking on it, and pressing
Delete on the keyboard, or by right-clicking on it, and choosing Delete.
Backing Up the Registry
Since the Registry consists of two files, USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT, you can just copy them manually to a floppy or another directory on your hard disk. Note that whenever you shut Windows95 down, two backup files, USER.DA0 and SYSTEM.DA0, are made automatically. If the registry becomes corrupted (see below), Windows95 automatically tries to replace them with the DA0 backups. Note that all four of these files are hidden, so unless you have Explorer configured to view hidden files, you won't see them.
If you use a backup program, it's important that it's made especially for Windows95, so that it not only supports your long filenames, but it backs up your Registry as well. There's also a utility on the CD-ROM that does this (CFGBACK.EXE), although backing up and restoring with this DOS program isn't any easier or more effective than doing it manually as described above.
If you're in DOS, you can copy these files with the COPY command, but you'll need to unhide them first with the ATTRIB command.
Importing, Exporting, and Applying Patches
Although you can edit the Registry with the Registry Editor (see above), you can also make changes by using Registry patches. A Registry patch is a simple text file with the .REG extension that contains one or more keys or values. If you double-click on a .REG file, the patch is applied to the registry. This is a good way to share or back up small portions of the registry for use on your own computer, or someone else's, because it's much simpler and less dangerous than manually editing the Registry.
You can create a Registry patch by opening the Registry Editor, selecting a branch, and choosing Export from the File menu. Then, specify a filename, and press OK. You can then view the Registry patch file by opening it in Notepad (right-click on it and select Edit). Again, just double-click on a Registry patch file (or use Import in the Registry Editor's File menu) to apply it to the registry.
What to Do With a Corrupted Registry
If the Registry is damaged in some way, or screwed up by another program, you may not be able to start Windows at all. Here's how to keep this under control:
After it happens:
Windows95 automatically makes backups of your registry files in USER.DA0
and SYSTEM.DA0. If, for some reason, the original files are corrupted, it
automatically tries to use these backups. If
this doesn't work, try to rename them manually with the REN command
(you'll have to unhide them first). Lastly, there should be a file in the
root directory of your boot drive (usually C:\), called SYSTEM.1ST - this
is the original registry from when you first (or last) installed Windows95.
Copy this file to your Windows directory, and rename it to SYSTEM.DAT. If
neither the DA0 nor the 1ST files work, you're out of luck. See the next
section for some inspiration, however.
Before it happens:
See Backing Up the Registry above. It isn't hard, nor does it take long.
They'll even fit on a floppy, but it will save your hours of installing,
customizing, and troubleshooting.
Compacting the Registry
As you may have noticed, your registry can become quite large. This is due to the nature of databases; in an effort to improve performance (how fast Windows95 can read and write to the Registry), deleted items aren't necessarilly removed from the Registry files. This means that after some time, your Registry can become bloated with empty space. Compacting a database rewrites the entire file with only the information that is being used - unwanted or unneeded entries are not removed, however. This results in a smaller file (good if you're low on disk space), and a quicker bootup. Here's how to compact the registry:
Important: Back up your Registry (see above).
Important: if you receive an error at this point (such as "CAN'T ACCESS REGISTRY"), see below. That's it. You should now be able to restart Windows95, and you'll notice your registry is now smaller.
If you received an error:
First of all, don't panic. If you've backed up the registry (as directed above), you can still recover it. However, you might still be able to start Windows in its current state - again, don't worry if it appears as though Windows95 has forgotten all your settings.
If you're able to get back into Windows95, just open Explorer, find the
COMPACT.REG file you created, and double-click on it.
After a few seconds, you should see a message like "Information in
C:\COMPACT.REG has been successfully entered into the registry." When you
see this, restart Windows95 immediately, and everything should be fine.
If you can't get back into Windows95, you'll have to restore the backup you
made beforehand. It is unknown at this point why the DOS version of the
Registry Editor gives this error.
REGISTRY HACKS:
Setting Video Refresh Rate
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\Display\0000\Def ault
"RefreshRate"="-1"
-1 is the value for automatic refresh rate, any other value corresponds to the HZ rate. Also if you have loaded more that one video driver you may have more values under display. eg 0001,0002, etc.
Hard Drive Thrashing
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer
"Max Cached Icons"="4000"
Also most Win 95 newsgroups suggest that you edit the system.ini file
[vcache] minfilecache=0 maxfilecache=4096
If your computer slows down to read EXE's, maybe you need to increase your Shell Icon Cache. Windows 95 will cache the icons for you, but only up to a certain size. The default is woefully inadequate (about 512 icons). When your ShellIconCache gets full, it is deleted and a new one created. This takes time and a lot of resources. Here is a fix for your Registry so that it can hold more icons in the cache. Many thanks to Jim White for this fix.
Below is the registry hack you need to apply to raise the limit... just cut between the snips and paste into a notepad file... save it as Cache.reg or something like that, and dbl click it to "register" it. Change the 4500 beforehand, if you wish.
snip================================ REGEDIT4 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer "Max Cached Icons"="4500" snip================================
Making bmp's into Icons
This hack will allow you to use an bmp as an icon and they will also show up in Explorer.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/Paint.Picture/DefaultIcon
"default"="%1"
Cascading Control Panel
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\desktop
"MenuShowDelay"="0"
0 is the fastest rate, higher numbers slower.
Modem Initialization String
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\currentControlSet\Sevices\Class\Modem\0000\init
Change the settings to the new values
Setting the Default Receive Windows (RWIN)
HKEY_LOCALMACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\MSTCP\
"DefaultRcvWindows"="-2144"
this number is the default setting
Changing the MTU Network Settings
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\netTrans\000n
"MaxMTU"="1500"
Default is 1500 bytes, slow connections such as SLIP should use 296
Increasing Modem Timeout
HEKY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\Modem\XXXX\Setti ngs
Where XXXX is the number of your modem
"Inactivity Timeout"="30"
eg. S19= to set it to 30 minutes.
Removing Programs Listed from the Control Panels Add/Remove Programs
Section
Even though you can remove programs this way it doesn't always remove all the traces from the Registry. Goto:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
delete the remnants of the program you want to remove.
Recent History of RUN commands
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU