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Two Tony Tweaking Tools

Windows' Registry Editor isn't the only way--nor is it always the best way--to edit the Registry, depending on the task. Many other Windows tools customize system settings without your having to edit the Registry directly. They may be designed for IT types, but they're accessible enough for mere mortals to wield as well.

One of these tools is System Policy Editor. To install it in Windows 98, insert your Windows CD-ROM into the drive and search for the file named poledit.exe, which should be in the tools\reskit\netadmin\poledit folder. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, select the Windows Setup tab, and click Have Disk. Navigate to the proper folder on the disk, select poledit.inf, and click OK twice. Check the System Policy Editor box, and click Install. If you don't find it on your Windows CD-ROM, go to Microsoft's Windows 95 Update page and search for System Policy Editor.

Once you've installed the program, launch it by choosing Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Policy Editor or by clicking Start, Run, typing poledit, and pressing Enter. The first time you run System Policy Editor, it may prompt you to open a template. If so, locate and select the Admin.adm file to satisfy the program. Then choose File, Open Registry and double-click an icon (either Local Computer or Local User) to pick the portion of the Registry you want to edit. After changing a setting, choose File, Save or click the Save icon on the toolbar.

Windows Me doesn't include System Policy Editor, and Microsoft won't support its use in that version of the OS. Many of the controls will still work in Windows Me, but there's no guarantee.

For users of Windows 2000 and Windows XP Pro (sorry, Homies), the Group Policy utility provides point-and-click ways to customize Windows (in effect, you're editing the Registry). To launch Group Policy in these versions of Windows, choose Start, Run, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. In the left tree pane, navigate to User Configuration\Administrative Templates for the most common customizing options (see FIGURE 2).

Though less functional than the Registry Editor, both the System Policy Editor and Group Policy let you tailor many Windows properties. For example, each tool allows you to restrict access to selected Control Panel icons, among other features (go to "Show Windows' Control Panel Who's in Charge" for more on this capability). In Windows 2000 and XP Pro, you can use Group Policy to remove built-in items from the Start menu (visit "Take Charge of Your Runaway Start Menu" for instructions). Note that while both these tools can be used for many of the tips described here, not every version of Windows has them, so we present only the old-fashioned Registry Editor approach.

The System Policy Editor and Group Policy reduce many Registry settings to simple point-and-click controls, so careless experimentation can lock you out of your own account or cause other serious damage. Don't ignore our advice to back up your Registry beforehand. And make sure that you check out "Tools of the Registry Trade" for the lowdown on some of our favorite third-party Registry editors.

Warn on Boot-up

Maybe you set up computers in a public venue and want a disclaimer to appear each time Windows starts. Or you might want the employees of your company to read a legal notice before beginning each workday (see FIGURE 3). Perhaps you just want to give your kids some important instructions when they get home from school and boot up. You can make such a message appear in a dialog box before the Windows welcome or boot screen so that everybody who uses the machine will see it. All users will have to click OK in the message box before continuing.

Open the Registry Editor. In Windows 9x and Me, navigate the left pane down to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Winlogon. In Windows 2000 and XP, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon. If you don't see an icon labeled LegalNoticeCaption, right-click anywhere in the pane, choose New, String Value, type LegalNoticeCaption, and press Enter. Create a String Value icon named LegalNoticeText, if it doesn't already exist in the Winlogon key.

Double-click LegalNoticeCaption. In the 'Value data' box, type the text you want to appear in the message's title bar (you can leave this blank if you prefer), and press Enter. Next, double-click LegalNoticeText, type your message in the 'Value data' box, and press Enter. The warning dialog box accommodates a pretty large paragraph; if you plan to input more than a couple of sentences, you should probably compose the message in Notepad or another text editor, double-check it, and then paste it into the 'Value data' box in the Edit String dialog box. To remove the message later, simply return to this setting and delete any text you added for LegalNoticeCaption, LegalNoticeText, or both.

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