Tweaking+the+Registry

Tweaking the Registry

If you want to tweak a specific piece of hardware in your system, the setting is probably saved in HKLM; settings for your user account usually appear in HKU or HKCU.
 * __First you must implement my tip on procedures before editing the Registry__**
 * Edit Your Context Menus**

Removing extraneous options from context menus is a simple matter of deleting a few keys from the Registry. Over time, as you install more and more applications and utilities on your Windows system, some right-click context menus (the little menus that pop up when you right-click icons or your desktop) may become cluttered with options. In contrast, most right-click context menus on a clean system list only a few options. If your context menus have become cluttered, it is time to clean house. Typically, the options listed in your context menus are stored in these five Registry keys:


 * HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell**
 * HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers**
 * HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFileSystemObjects\ShellEx**
 * HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell**
 * HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers**

If you would like to remove a context menu option, look for its listing in one if these keys. To remove it, highlight the specific key, right-click it, and choose //Delete// from the menu. Be sure to highlight only the specific key for the context menu item you want to remove, and not the main ContextMenuHandlers, Shell, or ShellEx keys; otherwise, you will delete the entire menu.


 * Add 'Open Command Prompt Here' Option for Any Folder**

Though they have fewer and fewer reasons to do so, some users like to perform tasks from a command line. Unfortunately, navigating the myriad folders on a Windows 7 system from a command prompt can be a pain, especially if many of them have long file names. But it's easy to arrange for Windows 7 to open a command prompt window automatically in the directory being viewed. To do this, open the Registry Editor and navigate to the //HKCR\Directory\Background\shell// key. Highlight //shell//; right-click it; and choose //New//, //Key// from the menu. Name the new key **Open Command Prompt Here**. Once you have created the new key, highlight it and again choose //New//, //Key// from the menu. Create another key named **command**. Highlight the newly created //command// entry, and you'll see in the right Regedit pane that a default string value has been automatically created. In the right pane, highlight //(Default)//, right-click it, and choose //Modify// from the menu. In the Edit String window that opens, type **cmd.exe**, click //OK//, and close the Registry Editor. When you are finished, right-click the background of your desktop (or any folder in Windows Explorer) and choose //Open Command Prompt Here// to open a command prompt with a command line pointing to that directory.