Disable the Windows Key
I'm a computer gamer. Accidentally hitting the Windows key in the middle of a game is a disaster. Can I disable it?
Joe Barteluce, Kelso, Washington
You can with a little Registry tweaking. But back up the Registry first; see the boxed item below for details. Once the Registry is backed up, select Start, Run (just Start in Vista), type regedit, and press <Enter>. In the left pane, navigate to and select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\
Control\Keyboard Layout (this is not to be confused with the 'Keyboard Layouts' option just beneath it). Click Edit, New, Binary Value, name the new value Scancode Map, and then double-click it. Enter the code below, which will wrap automatically as shown here:
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
03 00 00 00 00 00 5B E0
00 00 5C E0 00 00 00 00
Click OK, close the Registry Editor, and reboot Windows. Your Windows key will be no more. If you want to disable the Windows key only for specific applications, try the free WinKey Killer utility.
Back Up the Registry in Windows XP and Vista
It's always a good idea to back up the Windows Registry before installing new software or making other system changes. In XP, select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore. Click Create a restore point, choose Next, and follow the prompts. In Vista, click Start, type sysdm.cpl, and press <Enter>. In the User Account Control box, enter your password if necessary and select Continue. Choose System Protection, Create, and then follow the prompts. Another option, and the best for users of Windows 2000 (which lacks System Restore), is the free ERUNT utility.
Send questions to answer@pcworld.com. We pay $50 for published items. You'll find Contributing Editor Lincoln Spector's humorous and other writings at www.thelinkinspector.com.
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