Hide+Control+Panel+in+Win+7


 * Hide Control Panel in Win 7 **

If you are on a multi user computer and you do not wish others to alter your settings you can hide Control Panel which prohibits anyone other than the Administrator accessing it.

However, the bad point is it is a Register edit and follow my tip on this before going any further.

Type **regedit** in the search bar of the start menu, right-click on **regedit.exe** and select **Run as administrator**.

The Registry Editor will now open.

The setting you need to change is located in the Registry structure, at the following address:


 * HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced**

Click the plus sign next to **HKEY_CURRENT_USER** and scroll down the list until you locate **Software**.

Then click the plus sign next to **Software** > **Microsoft** > **Windows**.

Then click the plus sign next to **Windows** > **CurrentVersion > Explorer**.

Finally, click the plus sign next to **Explorer** and left-click on **Advanced**.



With the **Advanced** key selected, right-click on an empty spot on the right side of the Registry Editor window.

Click **New**, and from the menu, select and click on **DWORD Value(32-bit)..**

Then, type without the quotes “**Start_ShowControlPanel** “and press **Enter** from the keyboard.

Next, right-click on the **Start_ShowControlPanel** value and from the menu select **Modify**.



Under the **Value****Data** field, type **0 (zero)** and click **OK**.

Now, close the Registry Editor by clicking **File**, then **Exit** from the menu, and restart your computer.

After the restart, if you look under the **Start****menu**, you will not see the Control Panel entry anymore.

Of course, you can always bring back the Control Panel if you want to make a change or remove a program.

Just follow the steps above until you reach the **Start_ShowControlPanel** value, double-click it and change the **Value****Data** field to a **1** (or just delete the value).


 * Note: The Control Panel is not removed or uninstalled from your computer, it is only hidden.**
 * Therefore, any user that has administrator rights and knows where the Registry entry is located can make the Control Panel visible again.**