

                   Secrets of the Windows95 Registry


                       WINDOWS 95 REGISTRY F.A.Q

               Things You Need To Know About The Registry!



                        by Kent Daniel Bentkowski
                     Perfik Graphix - Buffalo, New York



                            August 11, 1995
                Based on Win95 Pre-release Version 0.95 eta

            (c) 1995 Kent Daniel Bentkowski and Perfik Graphix
              Post-Win95-FAQ--v1.0a: Released August 24, 1995



                The WindoWatch Edition released December 1995






                               TABLE OF CONTENTS

[1]  Legal Mumbo Jumbo . . . .

 [1-1] Disclaimer - Use this FAQ at your own risk!
 [1-2] Trademark Information
 [1-3] Copyright Notice
 [1-4] Suggestions, Contributions, and E-Mail

	[2] 	Introduction

 [2-1] A word from the author
 [2-2] About the Windows 95 Registry FAQ
 [2-3] Getting the Windows 95 Registry FAQ
 [2-4] Adding to the FAQ
 [2-5] Acknowledgments
 [2-6] Technical Support? Surely, you jest!
 [2-7] Conventions used in this FAQ

[3]  Registry Architecture

 [3-1] What exactly is the Windows 95 Registry?
 [3-2] Recovering Registry Data
 [3-3] Configuration Backup
 [3-4] The Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE)
 [3-5] The six Hkey Handles of the Registry

  [3-5-1] Hkey_Local_Machine
	  [3-5-2] Hkey_Current_Config
          [3-5-3] Hkey_Dyn_Data
	  [3-5-4] Hkey_Classes_Root
  	  [3-5-5] Hkey_Users
	  [3-5-6] Hkey_Current_User


  [3-6] SubKeys of the six Hkey Handles

           [3-6-1] Hkey_Local_Machine

																  [3-6-1.1] Hkey_Local_Machine\Config
	      [3-6-1.2] Hkey_Local_Machine\Enum
	      [3-6-1.3] Hkey_Local_Machine\Hardware
	      [3-6-1.4] Hkey_Local_Machine\Network
	      [3-6-1.5] Hkey_Local_Machine\Security
	      [3-6-1.6] Hkey_Local_Machine\Software
	      [3-6-1.7] Hkey_Local_Machine\System

           [3-6-2] Hkey_Current_Config

	   [3-6-3] Hkey_Dyn_Data

	   [3-6-4] Hkey_Classes_Root

	   [3-6-5] Hkey_Users

	   [3-6-6] Hkey_Current_User


 [4]  Customizing Windows 95

  [4-1] Icons from the actual bitmaps
  [4-2] Drag shortcuts onto the Desktop
  [4-3] Change the Desktop folders Default.Icon
  [4-4] Add the Control Panel to the Start Menu
  [4-5] Control Panel power at your fingertips!
    [4-5-1] Still More Control Panel Power!

  [4-6] What you need to know to edit the Recycle Bin
  [4-7] Removing unwanted items from the Desktop
  [4-8] How to change the My Computer Default icon
  [4-9] Renaming "My Computer"
  [4-10] Dragging "Scraps" to the Desktop
  [4-11] Change the Desktop's default folder


 [5]  Fine Tuning Windows 95

  [5-1] New design for the Start-Up screen
  [5-2] Turn off the Windows 95 Start-Up Logo
  [5-3] New designs for the Log Off screens
  [5-4] Edit essential folders
  [5-5] Boot to MS-DOS 7.0 instead of Windows 95
  [5-6] Quickly clearing the Recent Documents Menu
  [5-7] To change font size on Taskbar buttons


 [6]  Problem Solving in Windows 95

  [6-1] If an application cannot find its' Help File
  [6-2] A tip for Multi-Boot users


 [7]  Registry Tricks

   [7-1] Speed-up the Start Menu!
   [7-2] My city isn't on the time zone map!!!
   [7-3] Editing the Windows TIPS at start-up
   [7-4] Friendly "Short" Names
   [7-5] 3-D Objects: Highlights and Shadows
   [7-6] Reappearing values in the Registry?
   [7-7] Adding sounds to application events


 [8] Windows95 Registry Binary Value Reference List

        [8-1]  Control Panel
        [8-2]  Printers
        [8-3]  Recycle Bin
        [8-4]  My Computer
        [8-5]  Dial-Up Networking
        [8-6]  Network Neighborhood
        [8-7]  Inbox
        [8-8]  Desktop
        [8-9]  Shortcut


 [9]  Registry Editor Command Reference







              [1]  Legal Mumbo Jumbo . . . .

 [1-1]  DISCLAIMER: Use this FAQ at your own RISK!!!

 This FAQ is intended to help inform the public about the Windows 95
 Registry, and about how to edit the Registry files. In no way should this
 provoke you to actually edit the Registry. The information contained
 herein is offered without warranty and/or liability. In other words, if
 you use this information, you are on your own.

 Additionally, Kent Daniel Bentkowski and WindoWatch claim NO
 responsibility regarding ANY activities relating to this FAQ, either
 directly or indirectly. The information contained in this FAQ reflects
 Microsoft Corporation only indirectly, and questioning it regarding any
 information in this FAQ is not recommended.

 EDIT THE REGISTRY AT YOUR OWN RISK!! Microsoft Corporation is not
 supporting the Registry as part of their Windows 95 end user technical
 support. BEFORE you proceed, please have the good sense to read the
 section of this FAQ regarding the back-up and restoration of the Registry
 files.[Editor's Note: Also look at Microsoft's help for the Regedit
 program.

 [1-2]  TRADEMARK INFORMATION:

 All rights reserved. This document is provided for informational purposes
 only, and neither Kent Daniel Bentkowski, Perfik Graphix, WindoWatch or
 Microsoft Corporation makes any warranties, either express or implied, in
 this document. The entire risk of the use or the results of the use of
 this document remains with the user.

 Companies, names, and data used in examples herein are fictitious unless
 otherwise noted. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted
 in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose,
 without the express written permission of Kent Daniel Bentkowski and
 Perfik Graphix.

 All specific names included herein are trademarks and are so acknowledged:
 Windows 95, Windows 3.11 For Workgroups, WFWG, Windows 3.1, MS-DOS 6.x,
 MS-DOS 7.0, Windows 4.0, Microsoft, DoubleSpace, Microsoft Press, MS, and
 Win32 are registered trademarks, and DriveSpace, Microsoft At Work,
 Natural Keyboard, SQL Server, and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft
 Corporation in the USA and other countries.

 [1-3]  COPYRIGHT NOTICE:

 This FAQ is Copyright 1995 by Kent Daniel Bentkowski and Perfik Graphix. All rights reserved.

 You are granted the following rights:

 I.  To make copies of this work in original form, so long as
      (a) the copies are exact and complete;
      (b> the copies include the copyright notice and these paragraphs in
          their entirety;
      (c) the copies give obvious credit to the author, Kent Daniel
          Bentkowski;
      (d) the copies are in electronic form.

 II. To distribute this work, or copies made under the provisions above, so
      long as
      (a) this is the original work and not a derivative form;
      (b) you do not charge a fee for copying or for distribution;
      (c) you ensure that the distributed form includes the copyright notice,
          this
          paragraph, the disclaimer of warranty in their entirety and credit
          to the author;
      (d) the distributed form is not in an electronic magazine or within
          computer software (prior explicit permission MUST be obtained from
          Kent Daniel Bentkowski);
      (e) the distributed form is the NEWEST version of the FAQ to the best
          of the knowledge of the distributor;
      (f)  the distributed form is electronic.

  You may NOT distribute this work by any non-electronic media, including but not limited to books, newsletters, magazines, manuals, catalogs, and speech.  You may not distribute this work in electronic magazines or within computer software without prior written explicit permission.  These rights are temporary and revocable upon written, oral, or other notice by Kent Daniel Bentkowski. This copyright notice shall be governed by the laws of the state of New York, and of the United States of America.

  If you would like additional rights beyond those granted above, write to the author at "KentDB9438@aol.com" on the Internet.

  [1-4]  Suggestions, Contributions, and E-Mail:
  If any reader of this Windows 95 Registry FAQ would like to send  the author comments, corrections, updates, or suggestions, please follow the procedures listed below. It is the ONLY way that we can process the vast amount of mail that this FAQ may generate.

Any mail that relates to this FAQ must be sent to the FAQ's e-mail address, which is "regeditFAQ@aol.com". Any e-mail that is sent to the author regarding issues of this FAQ, cannot be answered. Please save us both some grief, and send your e-mail to the FAQ directly.

How your mail will be dealt with will depend on what the Subject line reads. Please follow these simple steps:

MAIL Send ALL MAIL to the FAQ at: regeditFAQ@aol.com
   
SUBJECT LINE Please place one of the following commands in the SUBJECT   line,depending on the nature of the message.

	COMMENT - If you wish to tell us how you like the FAQ. 

	CORRECTION -  If you discover that information in this FAQ is incorrect, please tell me. I am only human, and will make a few mistakes. If you are able to verify your correction, I will acknowledge your contribution in the next update of the FAQ.

	SUGGESTION -  If there is something particular you would like to see covered in this FAQ, send us a suggestion. If we incorporate it into a future edition of the FAQ, you will become famous by seeing your name in print here. 

	TIPS & TRICKS -  If you know of an undocumented feature or discover one of Windows 95's many well hidden secrets, please give us a holler! If your TIPS & TRICKS submission is used,you will receive thanks and  acknowledg-ment in a future FAQ.

Any e-mail that doesn't follow these simple guidelines will be returned unread. I am expecting a high volume with this FAQ, and this is the ONLY way to correspond with us. 


You can download this article from the WindoWatch Home Page or other places as indicated by the author. 

Thank you in advance for your compliance . . . 












 [2]              INTRODUCTION

 [2-1]	      A Word From The Author 


Try mentioning the word Registry on the Windows95 Technical Support telephone line, and the support technician will tell you in no uncertain terms that Microsoft isn't supporting that feature to end users. Additionally, they will try to convince you that you'll trash your entire system if you try to edit one single Registry entry! 

Nonetheless, it is the single feature in all of Windows95 that brings total system control to the user. If only they would tell us how it works! The Windows95 Resource Kit, which is a powerhouse technical manual the size of a phone book,contains a scant eighteen pages on the Registry. Believe it or not.  However, the Resource Kit contains nearly as much information about their new online service.

Accepting the challenge, I plugged in the Configuration Backup utility that comes with the Resource Kit, and began poking and prodding the various Registry entries. I discovered small and mundane techniques, like renaming the Recycle Bin, remapping icon files so that the corresponding bitmaps are displayed instead, and the secret to removing the Exchange Inbox from the Desktop --and more!

But still, no official documentation to speak of, 
until now, that is. 

Enjoy! But be careful.

[2-2]  About the Windows 95 Registry FAQ

The Windows 95 Registry FAQ is my attempt to fill in an enormous void of information from Microsoft. This is the first version of the FAQ, with much more to come. Among my future plans are to get the complete Registry API Command Reference, and rewrite it into English, so that many more people can understand this gibberish.  
 
Be sure to read this entire document so that you do not trash your system. There are plenty of warnings and instructions to prepare you for the task at hand. Take heed of these warnings to prevent a terrible mess, loss of data and time. 

Updates to the Registry FAQ will be released approximately once every thirty days. As soon as the Windows95 Registry FAQ Home Page is finished, I will post the URL widely.  

[2-3]  Getting the Windows 95 Registry FAQ

Until further notice, send an e-mail request to the following address, to receive the Windows95 Registry FAQ: 			regeditFAQ@aol.com

This document is freeware for the time being or until the book is published. Until then,those who wish to post this FAQ to their World Wide Web home page, FTP site or BBS, please do so, with my blessings. 

However, PLEASE send an e-mail to the address listed above so that I can compile a list, and keep it up to date. 

[2-4]  Adding to the FAQ

For complete information on how you can submit information to be included in the Windows95 Regi-stry FAQ, please refer to section 
[1-4]  Suggestions, Contributions, and E-Mail.It is there you will find the procedures that you must follow to add your voice to the Windows95 Registry FAQ.


[2-5]  Acknowledgments

The following people privided intellectual leadership, help, and general all-around support in the creation of the Windows 95 Registry FAQ. A project of this scope would not have been completed without them.

Bill Gates "billg@microsoft.com"  

Thank you for having the dream of a computer on every desk and one in every home.
Rob Maciok "Delphiwiz@aol.com" 

For getting me started on this whole fantastic journey in the first place! My life hasn't been the same ever since! Thanks for everything, boss!


Andy Satori "KangaDru@aol.com" 

Without a doubt, one of the most knowledgeable programmers that I've ever known. Answers all questions with a smile!

Glenn Stewart "s2156495@cse.unsw.edu.au"

My BEST FRIEND from down under! It is Glenn who actually gave me the idea to write the FAQ in the first place, by his listing a small list of Win95 tips on the Internet. Since he is busy at Uni, I had the time, so I did the work, and brought out this FAQ. Thanks for the inspiration, Glenn!!

Brian Livingston "brian livingstone@InfoWorld.com" 

For the indispensable advice in his excellent weekly Window Manager columns, which I NEVER miss! A double helluva thanx to Brian for writing the excellent and also indispensable book, "Windows 95 Secrets" published by IDG Books. 
[2-7] Technical Support? Surely, you jest . . . !

Please be forewarned that neither Microsoft or the author of this FAQ is offering end-user technical support on the Registry at this time. Don't waste your time or money calling Microsoft Technical Support with questions regarding the Registry. They will REFUSE to offer assistance OF ANY KIND. 

Please DO NOT send any e-mail to the author asking for advice concerning technical support issues regarding the Registry and the editing thereof. Any such e-mail will go unanswered, and will be immediately discarded. Neither Kent Daniel Bentkowski or Perfik Graphix is offering Windows 95 Registry Technical Support!!!

Having said that, if you insist on venturing
into the uncharted waters of the Windows95 Registry Editor, please use common sense and do the following before you begin EACH ONE of your editing sessions:

1.  Take two formatted 3.5 floppies, and make floppy-based back-ups of the Registry files:

		    SYSTEM.DAT		SYSTEM.DA0 
		    USER.DAT		USER.DA0

It is a good idea to update these back-ups immediately preceding each and every Registry editing session. That way, if a problem occurs, you have a safe back-up. 
DO NOT USE the Windows95 BACKUP.EXE TO MAKE THESE BACK-UPS!!! Simply copy these files to a floppy directly from Explorer. That way, you can quickly and SAFELY return to the configuration that was last working properly. 

If you have the Windows95 Resource Kit, make sure you have the Configuration Backup installed in your system, and that it is used on a regular basis prior to each editing session. As a final warning, you are completely on your own. Be careful and best of luck to you! Enjoy!	

[2-8]  Conventions used in this FAQ

In the creation of this document, certain abbrev-iations and symbols are used in place of the long form name. You should have little problem figuring this out. However, there are several commands that pertain to the mouse and keyboard where I've used an alternate form to save space:

Abbreviations		 and What They Mean!

d.click        Double click the mouse

r.click        Click the right mouse button

shift+click   		 Press the shift while clicking the
               mouse

shift+r.click  		Shift and clicking right mouse
               button

Right-Shift		    Shift and right mouse again

CTRL+D/r.click		 Press CTRL, D, and r.mouse all at
               once 

r.mouse			        Right Mouse button

l.mouse			        Left Mouse button

keypad			         Refers to the numeric keypad on
               the side of the keys, not across
               the top of them

ARROW keys		  These are the directional arrow keys

Parent 			     The main window or folder in a group

Child	       		The window within a window in a group


[3] Registry Architecture

[3-1] What exactly is the Windows 95 Registry?

The Registry is a central database that is created by Windows 95 during installation. The entries in that database consist of the hardware, software, users, and preferences data for a single PC, or any PC on a network. Whenever the user makes changes to the Control Panel settings, File Associations, System Policies, or installed soft-ware, the changes are reflected in the Registry. 
These Registry settings can be viewed with the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE), which is installed in the Windows\System folder ONLY when Windows 95 is installed from CD-ROM.   

By default, REGEDIT.EXE will NOT appear on any of the system's menus, or in the Start menu. You will have to add your own shortcut, or you can use the START button, select RUN, type REGEDIT and press ENTER. If the Registry Editor is installed on your system, it will appear ready to use.

The Registry replaces the dreaded INI files from Windows 3.1, and because the information is pre-sented in hierarchical form, the Registry supports nested folders, which .INI files do not support. One of the many benefits of this is that in a net-work environment, users can log onto any PC in the network, just as it were the PC on their desk. In addition, several users can store configuration data on a single machine.
                    
               You can add an icon shortcut for
               the Registry Editor to your 
  POWER TIP 	   desktop by using the right mouse
               button to drag the file REGEDIT.EXE
               from Explorer to the desktop.

Registry Editor displays the contents of the Registry in six subtrees called Keys. Keys can contain data strings, as well as SubKeys. Each of these six Keys begins with Hkey_ which indicates it can be used by a program to access resources.
When you first look at the Registry Editor, this structure looks complicated. Think of the Registry Editor as another type of Windows Explorer, only this one ventures into the uncharted waters of your system's configuration!

[3-2]  Recovering Registry Data

In Windows95, data is written to the Registry only when a flush occurs - that is, when something happens after changed data has aged more than a few seconds or when an application intentionally flushes the data to the hard disk.

Each time Windows95 successfully starts, the oper-ating system backs up the Registry by copying the current SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT files to         SYSTEM.DA0 and USER.DA0, respectively. If Windows 95 fails to start, the backed-up Registry from the last successful startup can be copied over the current Registry. This method recovers the last successful settings after a system failure.
		
If the Registry should ever become damaged, it can be salvaged WITHOUT reinstalling Windows95. All you have to do is look for a hidden system file called SYSTEM.1ST in the root directory of the drive on which Windows95 is located. This file is a copy of the Registry that was created when the Windows 95 setup was first deemed successful.

However, you must change the file attributes of the file by locating it in the Windows95 Explorer, and right clicking on it. Choose properties and the General Properties dialog appears. Change the file attributes from READ-ONLY and HIDDEN to ARCHIVE and copy it to the Windows95 subdirectory. 

You must then, rename the file from SYSTEM.1ST to SYSTEM.DAT, over writing the corrupt file, and replacing it with workable system profiles.  
               	
               You can also maintain back-ups of
  Power        the Registry with the Configuration
  TIP          Backup utility on the Windows95
               Resource Kit diskette
                            
To Restore the Registry

1. 	Click the Start button, and then click Shut
   Down.

2.  Click Restart The Computer In MS-DOS Mode, 
   then click  "Yes".

3	. Change directory to your Windows directory. 

4	. Give the following six commands. (Note that
   SYSTEM.DA0 and USER.DA0 contain the number 0.)
   
	     attrib -h -r -s system.dat
	     attrib -h -r -s system.da0
	     copy system.da0 system.dat
     	attrib -h -r -s user.dat
	     attrib -h -r -s user.da0
     	copy user.da0 user.dat
5	. Restart your computer again, this time in
   Windows. 

This procedure restores your registry to its state when you last successfully started it--before you made the changes in the registry. 

For additional safety, there is the file named SYSTEM.1ST mentioned above. You can change its attributes from read-only and hidden to archive and copy it to SYSTEM.DAT.


[3-3]  Configuration Backup

It is sheer suicide to attempt to edit the Windows 95 Registry without backing up the necessary files before you begin. There is a little life-saver of a utility that comes with the Resource Kit called Configuration Backup (cfgback.exe). It not only lets you backup the Registry data, but also allows the complete backup, restoration, and storage of up to NINE SEPARATE system configurations!

Before you edit the Registry, I strongly recommend also backing up your present configuration. Name it something meaningful, so that you can recognize it in case it needs to be restored at some point. Then, if a mistake is made in editing the Registry, or if your changes lead to undesirable or disastrous effects, you simply open up the Configuration Backup and select RESTORE. When you reboot your machine, the restored configuration returns your system to the settings just BEFORE the problem occurred. 

The result is that regular use of this utility minimizes the danger involved in editing the Registry, and lets you return  to an earlier configuration of your choice. 


[3-4]  The Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE)

The Registry Editor is a powerful tool that con-figures and edits your Windows 95 system settings. It can be used to view or modify a Registry on a local computer or on another computer on the net-work. However, both the administrator's computer and the remote computer require the Microsoft Remote Registry service to have remote Registry access.

When you run the Registry Editor, it displays its' data in two panes. On the left side, you have the six Keys, which are shown as folders in "My Computer." Each key can have a set of values. Each value entry is comprised of three parts: the name of the key, its' data type, and the value itself. 

The Registry Editor stores this information in .REG files, which are essentially text files containing the data in a specific format. If there is a small plus sign next to a key, then it will have further data below called a SubKey, more commonly known as nested folders. This simply means that folders can themselves contain other folders. 

The value entries in the right hand pane are associated with the selected key in the left pane. A value entry has three parts: the data type of the value (which appears as an icon), the name of the value, and the value itself. A value entry must limit itself to 64k or less, while the size of the actual total Registry is dependent on available hard disk space. 

Data types can either be Binary numerical data or readable text. Most of the hardware information is stored as binary data, and can be displayed as either binary or hexadecimal information. 

Right-click anywhere in the Registry Editor, and you can create a NEW Key (or subkey), string value, binary value, or DWORD value. 
 
[3-5]    The Six Hkey_ handles

[3-5-1]  Hkey_Local_Machine  	
				
Contains computer specific information about the type of hardware, software, and other preferences on a given PC. This information is used for all users who log onto this computer.




[3-5-2]  Hkey_Current_Config 	

This Key points to a branch of the Key Hkey_Local_Machine\Config  containing information about the current hardware configuration.

[3-5-3]  Hkey_Dyn_Data  	     

This Key points to a branch of Hkey_Local_Machine that contains various bits of information regarding the system Plug and Play configuration. This information is DYNAMIC, meaning that it may change as devices are added to or removed from the computer. 

[3-5-4]  Hkey_Classes_Root  	

This Key points to a branch of Hkey_Local_Machine that describes certain software settings. It contains essential information about OLE and drag and drop operations, shortcuts, and core aspects of the Windows95 GUI.

[3-5-5]  Hkey_Users  		

This Key contains information about the users who log onto the computer. Both generic and user-specific information is used, and each user of the system has their own Subkey.




[3-5-6]  Hkey_Current_User  	

This Key points to a branch of Hkey_Users for the user who is currently logged onto the system. 

[3-6]      SubKeys of the six Hkey Handles

[3-6-1] Hkey_Local_Machine may contain the following Subkeys

SubKey	Description

Config - 	A collection of configurations for the  local 			computer.

Enum		 - Information on the system's installed hardware devices.

Hardware - 	Info on the ports and modems used with 	HyperTerminal.

Network	 - Information created when a user logs on to a networked PC.  

Security	 - Information on network security and remote administration.

Software	 - Information about software and it's configuration on a			system.

System	 - Database that controls system start-up, device driver loading, Windows 95 services, and OS 
behavior
[3-6-1.1] Hkey_Local_Machine\Config

This subtree contains information about alternate hardware configurations for the computer. For example, it can contain information about multiple configurations to be used when the computer is connected to a network, and when it is undocked from a docking station, etc. Each alternate configuration is assigned a unique identifier, and this configuration ID has a subkey under the Config key. Each configuration appears in the list of hardware profiles in the System option in the Control Panel.

When Windows95 checks the hardware configuration at system startup, one of three things occurs.

==> In most situations, the configuration ID is mapped to a unique configuration. Windows 95 selects the appropriate one automatically, and the settings for the 	related Config subkey are used for system configuration.
 
==> If the computer is started for the first time with new  hardware components, Windows95 creates a new configuration for the new configuration ID, and a new Config subkey is added to the Registry.
 
==> If the configuration ID is mapped to more than one configuration (for example, because Windows 95 cannot distinguish between two configura-tions), the user is prompted to choose which one to use.


[3-6-1.2] Hkey_Local_Machine\Enum

Windows95 bus enumerators are responsible for building the hardware tree. This includes assign-ing an identification code to each device on its bus and retrieving the device's configuration information, either directly from the device or from the Registry. For more information about the hardware tree and bus enumerators, see Introduc-tion to System Configuration, and Windows95 Architecture. 

Bus enumeration information is stored in the Hkey_Local_Machine\Enum subtree. For all types of devices, subkeys contain information such as device type, assigned drive letter, hardware ID, and device manufacturer, plus driver-related information for network components.

The following table shows which devices are enumerated in typical subkeys.

Subkey	Device enumeration

ESDI		Fixed disk devices
FLOP		Floppy disk devices
ISAPNP	Plug and Play devices on an ISA bus
Monitor	Monitor devices
Network	Network protocol, server, and bindings
Root		Legacy devices

[3-6-1.3] Hkey_Local_Machine\Hardware

Information about serial ports and modems used with the HyperTerminal program. 

[3-6-1.4] Hkey_Local_Machine\Network

Network information created when a user logs onto a networked computer, including the user name, primary network provider, whether the logon was validated by a server, and information about the system policies processor.

[3-6-1.5] Hkey_Local_Machine\Security

Information about the network security provider and remote administration capabilities.

[3-6-1.6] Hkey_Local_Machine\Software

This subtree contains configuration information about all installed software that can write information in the Registry. The entries in this key apply for anyone using this computer, and include definitions for file associations and OLE information. The software subkey contains, for example, the information you add when registering an application to use a specific filename extension and information added during install-ation of Windows-based applications.

This subtree also contains several subkeys, including the Classes subkey, plus description subkeys for all installed software that can write to the Registry, as described in the following sections.

[3-6-1.7] Hkey_Local_Machine\System

The data in this subtree is organized into control sets that contain a complete set of parameters for device drivers and services that can be loaded with Windows95. All data that controls startup is described in the CurrentControlSet subtree under this key. This control set has two parts:

==> 	The Control key contains information used to control 	system startup, including the computer's network name and the subsystems to start. 

==> 	The Services key contains information to control the 	loading and configuration of drivers, file systems, etc. The data in the Services key also controls how these services call each other.

The following will be included in future versions of the FAQ.

[3-6-2] Hkey_Current_Config may contain the following Subkeys

[3-6-3] Hkey_Dyn_Data may contain the following Subkeys

[3-6-4] Hkey_Classes_Root may contain the following Subkeys

[3-6-5] Hkey_Users may contain the following Subkeys

[3-6-6] Hkey_Current_User may contain the following Subkeys


[4]          Customizing Windows 95

 4-1]  Creating Icons from the actual bitmaps

Did you know that you can make the icons of bitmap files from the actual bitmap? With OLE 2, they can also automatically update themselves, as they are edited.
	
	Here's all you have to do:

	1.  Run the Registry Editor (regedit.exe)

	2.  Open the HKey_Classes_Root key

	3.  Open the Paint.Picture folder. 

4.  If there isn't a DefaultIcon folder, you will
    have 	to create one. You can do that by
    selecting the  		Key Paint.Picture, and right
    clicking on it. Select New, and then select
    KEY. What will happen next is that 	new folder
    will appear under the Paint.Picture folder. 

	5.  Rename this new folder "DefaultIcon".

	6.  Open the new DefaultIcon folder that you just  
    created.  
	
7.  Double-click on the "default" item.

	8.  Change the value to "%1"

	9.  Exit the Registry Editor. 

That is all there is to it! Now you have some KILLER .BMP icons! They may display a little more slowly than regular icons but the effect is stunning. The files are lots easier to identify when you are in Windows95 Explorer.

Try it and see for yourself!

[4-2]  Drag shortcuts onto Desktop

Any OLE 2.0 compatible application, that lets you drag text or other objects, will let you drag onto the Windows95 desktop. These shortcuts appear as icons on the desktop. Shortcuts can be dragged back into any OLE 2.0 application.


The result is another way of cutting and pasting that is very easy and very handy. You can have as many shortcuts on the desktop as you like. You can have shortcuts to files, folders, disk drives, printers, help files, programs, just to name a few examples. 

[4-3]  Change the Desktop Folders Default.Icon

In the registry find this Key:
    HkEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\DefaultIcon

The default value should read something like this example: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\shell32.dll,3  	

This value points to the 4th icon (0,1,2,3) in the file Shell32.dll. To change this you need to replace this default value with the full path to the icon file.  If the icon is imbedded in a .dll like the current icon, you need to know its placement in the sequence.  The first icon in a dll is always 0, the next is 1, etc. 

[4-4]  A simple way to add the Control Panel to
       the Start Menu

All you have to do is drag a shortcut to the control panel onto the start button. The result is that the Control Panel will appear as a selection on the start menu. It is a very nice trick but it is extremely limited and inconvenient.


[4-5]  Control Panel Power at your fingertips!

The above tip requires you to go through the Start Button, select Control Panel, and click your way through any number of Properties Dialogs and Settings tabs. You have only created a shortcut to the Control Panel, a pointer that opens a regular folder window from which you still must choose a Control Panel applet. 

With this second technique, you'll get a cascading menu off the main Control panel item. Here, all applets are presented as choices in this submenu. When in the normal main Control Panel window, you cannot select which applets you'd like to display (or even remove), while here the choices are completely customizable. 

I suggest that you try both, let the menu selections coexist, and see which is a better for you. I'm pretty positive that you will agree that the second idea is the way to go.

	1. Right click the Start Button. Choose EXPLORE.
	
	2. Explorer opens with a view of the Start Menu.

	3. Right click in the right-hand pane. 

	4. Left click "New" and then "Folder".
	
	5. This will create an icon called "New Folder". 

6.  Type the Binary I.D. # for Control Panel to
   create a name for this new folder, including
   brackets and hyphens.

ControlPanel{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}

	7. When finished, press ENTER.

8.  Open up this new folder and copy the shortcuts
   to the Control Panel applets that you want to
   appear on the cascading menu. Place them in
   this newly created folder.

	9. Close Explorer. 

10.The next time that you click on START, the
   Window95 Control Panel applets appear ready to
   use in a cascading menu! Very nice!

You can use this same technique to do the same with the My Computer, Printers, disk drives, and Dial-Up Networking folders. Just make sure that you have the proper binary I.D. for the cascading menu that you are trying to create. 

Printers {2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}

The Control Panel is a special kind of folder in Windows95. Executables such as Control Panel and other resources have their own unique IDs in the Windows95 registry.

To see these, click Start, Run, type REGEDIT and click OK. In the Registry Editor that appears, click Edit, Find and search for 21EC2020. This takes you to a section 	that identifies Control Panels' ID number and that of many other resources.

[4-5-1]  Still More Control Panel Power!

The ONLY problem that I ran into when I tried out the technique above, was that the menu choice that was created  was that item's binary data string, instead of simply Printers. I figured that at least the cascading submenu would reveal what choices were available . .  until I was sent the correct answer. 

The steps below will create a cascading submenu off the Start Menu. Try BOTH tips, [4-5] and 
[4-5-1], and see what I mean by the differences between them.

[4-5-2]  Start Menu Cascading Folders 

	1. Right click on the Taskbar Start Button.

	2. The Context Menu appears. Select Open.

	3. A window displaying the contents appears.

	4. Right click on any unoccupied area of window.


5.  Another context menu appears. Select New
   Folder.

	6. The name you give this new folder will also be
	   the menu selection on the Start Menu. 

7.  Open up this new folder, and create new
   shortcuts or simply copy existing ones. You can
   also add folders, which creates another
   cascading menu off the new submenu you are
   creating.

8.  You'll know you're in business when you see
   that your new folder, along with its' right
   pointing arrow appears on the Start Menu. 

 	9. Close whatever windows or folders are open.
		

[4-6]What you need to know to edit the Recycle Bin
	 
	Start the registry editor.  

	Highlight the entry HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

	Now use Find to locate the recycle bin entry by  
	clicking on Edit, then Find.  For the Find what entry use recycle.  The result is an entry on the right hand side of the screen that looks like this: 

     	NAME                            	DATA
	[icon](Default)                 	"Recycle Bin"
Highlight Default and right click, choose modify.  

	For Value Data, type in whatever name you want for the recycle bin.  

Close the registry editor and restart Windows.  

	Your Recycle Bin will now have whatever name you chose 	 

Changing the icon:

If you want to change the default icon for the Recycle Bin, just look for the Key DefaultIcon when you are at the SubKey above. There are two default icons for the Recycle Bin, one full and the other empty. The defaults are listed below:

		Empty Recycle Bin - SHELL32.DLL,31

		Full Recycle Bin - SHELL32.DLL,32

		Default Recycle Bin - same as empty

When Windows95 starts, the Default Icon for the Recycle Bin is briefly shown while the system determines whether the Bin is either full or empty. In either case, the value for the Default Icon is dynamic; meaning that the current status of the Recycle Bin (empty or full) is always written into the Registry to keep it up to date. 
If you want to change the Recycle Bin icons, all you have to do is enter the path where the icon is located. If the path is to an .ICO file, you don't need the number indicating the icon's position in the .DLL file. 

Remember the Default is always equal to Empty. 

Make sure the recycle bin is empty before you edit the icons. That way, there will be no confusion as to the value of the default. 

[4-7]  Removing unwanted items from the Desktop

When Windows95 is installed, it places several icons on the Desktop, including  My Computer, Recycle Bin, Microsoft Exchange and Network icons. You will find that no simple way is provided to remove any of these objects but there is an undocumented trick that works every time.

	1.Go to the following Key in the Registry Editor:
	  
Hkey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows
	 \CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace

	2.You will find there a list of the icons placed
  on your Desktop. 

	3.All you have to do is delete the item that you
  want off the Desktop.
		
		INBOX - {00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}

	
4.If you wish, the Recycle Bin can be removed
  this way as well, although why anyone would want
  to delete this helpful utility is unclear.  


[4-8]  How to change the My Computer Default icon

1.Search for My Computer. (This will be a string's
  value and be on the right)

	2.Tab to go to the hex name of My Computer.

	3.Under this hex name key, find subkey default
  icon.

4.  This contains the "file name, and number of
   the icon in the file(starting from 0)"

	5. Change this to any "icon file, number of icon"

	6. BE CAREFUL  


[4-9]  Renaming "My Computer"

In Windows95, an icon on the Desktop is named "My Computer."   Yuck----!

Couldn't this be something more realistic--"486/66 DX-2"?  The answer, of course, is YES!

There are actually TWO ways to do this; one is done right on the Desktop using the standard technique while the other involves use of the Registry Editor.

 	1.Open up Registry Editor, and go to:

		    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID

2.Locate the binary data string that identifies
   the My Computer entry:

 MyComputer {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

	 3.In the right pane, right-click Default Name.

	 4.Choose MODIFY, and the Edit String dialog
   appears.

	 5.Type in the new name in Value Data, and choose
   OK.

	 6.Close the Registry Editor, and reboot your
   machine. 

[4-10]  Dragging "Scraps" to the Desktop

With Windows95, you can drag "Scraps" from your documents to the Desktop, or to folders, to create Document Scraps. With these scraps, you can archive elements of your documents for later use or for sharing them. 

I only tested the technique in WordPad so you might wish to experiment with it see if it works with other file types and applications. If you discover more about Scraps, please submit inform-ation to this FAQ as outlined in section [1-4].  


[4-11] Change the Desktop's default folder

	1. Go to the following Registry SubKey:

   		HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\DefaultIcon

	2. The current default icon points to the file
   shell32.dll in the Windows 95 System folder,
   and to the fourth icon in the series, which is
   actually 3. 

3. You can change the .DLL file and the icon to
   whatever you would like to see on your system.
   For example, PC Tools For Windows 2.0 has a DLL
   file called FOLDERS.dll containing about 100
   variations of the folder. 

4.  Make sure that you follow the following
   syntax:  	C:\Win95\System\Shell32.dll,x

	   Where "x" is the number of the icon in the DLL
   that 	you wish to use to replace the default. 

5.  Close the Registry Editor, and reboot your
   machine.



[5] Fine Tuning Windows95

[5-1]  New design for the Start-Up screen

Tired of that advertising come-on for a product you already own or do you have some other reason for wanting to change it? I am referring to the "You are now starting Windows 95" splash screen. Perhaps you might like your favorite spiritual quotation to appear in its' place? Or maybe Beavis and Butthead huh-huh-heh-ing your way into Windows 95 is more your style. Your call!

All you have to do is the following:

1. Create an alternate screen using LOGOW.sys as a
   template. You want to use this particular file
   as your template to assure that you are getting
   the color depth and aspect ratio correct.Other-
   wise, the system might not display the colors
   properly or crash.
 
2.  Save it in .BMP format, and make a copy of it
   and call it LOGO.sys, placing the file in your
   root directory (i.e. C:\). Also make sure that
   the replacement logo isn't larger than 127k in
   size. 

3.  Go to the Start Menu, and select Shut Down. 


4.  Reboot your machine, and you will see your own
   artwork.  

[5-2]  Turn off the Windows 95 Start-up Logo


		1. Open the file msdos.sys in the MS-DOS Editor.

		2. Find the [Options] section in this file.

3.  Add this line to the [Options] section:

			   	Logo=0

		4. Reboot your computer and there will be no logo
		   on start-up!

		5. The default setting is: "Logo=1" which gives  
   you the animated Start-Up Logo.

[5-3]  New designs for the Log Off screens

Many Preview Program participants who have young children have complained that the two 95 Log Off screens look so similar that they confuse someone who cannot yet read the words. These can be easily modified to a design that is more suitable for use by the youngsters. Or you may just want to change these screens for your own reasons.  

There are two files involved which correspond to the "Wait while shutting down" and "You may safely turn off" screens  displayed during this sequence.  They are LOGOW.sys and LOGOS.sys (notice the W & S, for wait and safe?!) and can be found in the Windows95 root directory. 

Even though both have a .SYS extension, they are normal .BMP files. Before editing them, make backup copies and save them to another directory, renaming them so that they have .BMP extensions. Now, you can use a program like MS-Paint, or Corel Photo-Paint. Edit them but make sure to change nothing which affects the files' resolution or color depth. 

When you finish 
(1)  make backups of the new modified files
(2)  then rename these edited files back to the
      original names of LOGOW.sys and LOGOS.sys,
(3)  copy them back into the Windows 95 root
      directory, and reboot your computer. If all
      works the way it SHOULD, the next time you
      Shut Down, you will see your custom Log Off
      screens! 


                If you have children who operate 
    POWER       your PC, you can change these
                screens to something like a stop
     TIP        sign, a green light, or even the
                child's favorite cartoon hero! 

[5-4]  Edit essential system folders

To change the name or location of any of these folders (such as Desktop, Fonts, Programs, Send To, Start Menu,) open the Registry Editor, and go to the SubKey:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows
           /CurrentVersion/Explorer/ShellFolders

Simply edit the data to make your changes.

[5-5]  Boot to MS-DOS 7.0 instead of Windows 95

If you prefer Windows 95 boot up in a MS-DOS session instead of the GUI:

	1. Open the MSDOS.sys file in MS-DOS Editor.

2. Find the line "BootGUI=1" and change it to
        "BootGUI=0"

3.  Or if this line is not in this file, simply add
   the line "BootGUI=0" near the top. 

	4. Save the changes, close the editor and reboot. 


[5-6]  Clearing the Recent Documents Menu quickly

The DOCUMENTS cascading menu off the Start Menu is always getting too long or filled up. To empty it, you have to play click-click-click with the Start Menu. Wouldn't it be easier to have a Desktop icon to do this?

Okay, pull up a chair. And listen carefully.

	1. Create this batch file:

		      echo y| del \windows\recent\*.*

2. Save it in a convenient directory and create a
   shortcut to it on the Desktop

3.  Right-Click on the shortcut and choose
   Properties.

	4. Select the Program tab.

	5. Under RUN, choose Minimized.

6.  Check the CLOSE ON EXIT checkbox underneath
   the RUN box.

	7. Click on OK, and close the dialog.

To empty the Most Recently Used Documents Folder, just double-click on the shortcut.  


[5-7] To change font size on Taskbar buttons

1.  Right-click anywhere on Desktop and context
   menu appears.

	2. Select Properties, then the Appearance tab.

3.  Select "Active Title Bar" in Item: drop down
   list. 

4.  Adjust font size and select Apply to see what
   it looks like.

5.  Select SAVE AS. Choose a name for your color
   scheme in the Save Scheme dialog box. 

	6. Select OK to close Display Properties.

This selection not only changes the Taskbar button font and size, but also the Active Title Bar in all of the programs that you run in Windows95. So choose a font that looks acceptable and readable in both places. 


[6] Problem Solving in Windows 95
	
6-1]  If an Application Cannot Find its' Help File

If you have an application that is having trouble finding its' Help File, you can add its' file name and full path to the following key:
	
	Hkey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Help
	
There should already be several examples listed so add to them!

[6-2]  A Tip for Multi-Boot Users

If you are tired of hitting F8 every time you boot your PC, here is a quick fix that will present a "Boot Menu" every time you start your machine.

1. Open up your MSDOS.sys file in the MS-DOS
   Editor.

2.  Add the following line to the [Options]
   section: BootMenu=1

	3. Save changes, and exit MS-DOS Editor. 

	4. Reboot and your new Boot Menu will appear.

5.  You can also add the following line to the 
   [Options] section of the MSDOS.SYS file:

	   BootMenuDelay=(number)

   "Number" stands for how many seconds you want
   your machine to pause on the "Boot Menu." If
   the timer goes to zero before you act the
   BootMenuDefault is loaded. 


[7] Registry Tricks

[7-1]  Speed up the Start Menu!
  
Create a new string value under  
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\desktop named
   MenuShowDelay and set it's value to a number 
   from 1, the fastest, to 10.  
[7-2]  My City Isn't on the Time Zone Map !!!

Highlight the section on the world map that con-tains your city. Write down the string of cities. 

	An example is "Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney"

Open Registry Editor, search for and then edit that string. You have easily edited a string that was not meant to be edited but with Windows95 you are given the option to edit nearly all strings.

[7-3]  Editing the Windows TIPS at Start-up

You can edit those tips and add your own to the Welcome Dialog Box that appears at system start-up.

1. Go to the  
          H_KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\explorer\Tips key of the Registry
Editor. 

2. Go to the above Key in the Registry Editor.

3.  Go to the end of the list of existing UserTips.
   Fifty tips are pre-loaded.

4.  To add a new String Value, right click with
   your mouse at the end of the list.

	5. Select NEW.

6.  Type the next highest number from what'
   listed 	directly next to the ab.

	7. Press ENTER. 

8.  Right click again on the number value just
   created.

	9. Select MODIFY. 

10. In the box marked VALUE DATA, type a new User	
	    Tip. 

11.  When you are positive that you have what you
    want select OK. 

When you restart Windows 95 you will see the new Tips when the Welcome dialog box appears. This could be helpful, e.g., for new Win95 users on a network or as a handy dynamic tutorial list for you including important things easy to forget. 


                 	At the very beginning of your
    POWER        VALUE DATA, you might want to
     TIP         begin the Tip 	with, e.g., "My
                 Tips"  to remember with the ones
                 you added. 




[7-4] Friendly "Short" Names

One of my favorite features in Windows 95 are the Long File Names. At last, we can leave eight-dot-three in the dust. There is the problem though if I have a program like Microsoft Office Professional 4.3, the 16-bit short file name edition. 

In Explorer, I can save a file as "1995 Income Tax Returns". But when I open that file in Excel, I will find something like "1995In~1.xls". If you wanted to save several files with the prefix "1995 Income Tax" you would soon have a mess on your hands and be unable to decipher the short names. 

Complete the following steps.

	1. Open up the Registry Editor.

	2. Open the SubKey:

		HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\
		Control\FileSystem

3. Right-Click the right-hand pane of the Registry
   Editor  window. On the context menu, select
   NEW, Binary  Value.

	4. Type in NameNumericTail and press ENTER.

5.  Double-Click the entry you just created, and
   type zero (0) as the complete binary value. 

6.  Click OK, close the Registry and restart
   Windows.

This undocumented technique will assure that the short file names will resemble the long file names as much as it is possible. Windows95 will make sure that no two files will have the same long or short name.

[7-5] 3-D Objects: Highlights and Shadows

	1. Open up the Registry Editor.

	2. Go to the SubKey:

 		HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Colors

3. You will find a list of various system items,
 	  such as buttons, active title bar, etc. The
   list		 adds to the information that can be
   edited in the 		Control Panel's Display
   Properties dialog Appearance 	tab. 

4. The information is presented as RGB data, which
means that each color is represented by three values to simulate the various colors that will be displayed on your screen. The three values are Red, Green, and Blue. Each can have values between zero (0),representing black, and 255, representing white.

		   EXAMPLE: 	0 0 0       represents black
            255 255 255 represents white
		   all other colors are somewhere in between

5.  The RGB Color Model is an additive model that
   is used to determine how colors are displayed
   on computer monitors. 
   
6.  RGB values for the various colors can be found
   on your system under:

		Control Panel, Display, Properties, Appearance,
		Color, Other . . . 

	In this dialog, the RGB values are found in the 		   lower right corner. Write down the values of your
favorite colors, so they can be changed easily. 

7.  Knowing all this, you are ready to further
   customize the shadows and inverse colors of 3-D
   objects I in the Windows 95 system. 

[7-6]  Reappearing Values in the Registry?

If after several editing sessions in the Registry Editor, you discover that several entries and values that you deleted seem to reappear, it is NOT a problem with the Registry, the Editor, or your mind. 

To keep that data from respawning, simply remove the offending items from your WIN.ini file!

[7-7] Adding Sounds to Application Events

You can add sounds to quite a few system events. Those can be located in the Control Panel Sounds dialog. But did you realize that, with the Registry, you can also add sounds to APPLICATION events?

	1. 	Open up the Registry Editor.

	2.	 Go to the SubKey:

			     HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps

3. You will find two SubKeys .Default and
   Explorer.

4.  Right-Click on the SubKey APPS, choose NEW 
   KEY.

5. The new value should be the name of the
   application for which you wish to create event
   sounds.

6.  Right-Click on the new SubKey, and select NEW
   KEY.

7.  An example to get you started: Key: Open
   Then, create another SubKey called Close.

8. Go to the Control Panel Sounds, and the
   Application Event SubKeys you just created will
   now appear in the list that is displayed in the
   Sounds tab. 

9. Add whatever sound files you wish for these
   events.

	10.	The next time that you Open and/or Close 
		   that particular application, the sounds will
   play.

11.  For each and every application on your system,
    		you can add sounds to all these standard
    events: 

			    Close			Open
			    G.P. Fault		RestoreDown
	    		Maximize			RestoreUp
			    MenuCommand		SystemAsterisk
			    MenuPopup			SystemExclamation
			    Minimize			SystemQuestion

There may be other events possible, but that depends on the particular application events that are used in any given Windows application. 

		HINT: Button and Icon bars are NOT such events!
			
[8] Windows95 Registry Binary Value Reference List

[8-1] Control Panel 
       {21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}

[8-2] Printers 
       {2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}

[8-3] Recycle Bin 
       {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
 
[8-4] My Computer 
       {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
 
[8-5] Dial-Up Networking 

[8-6] Net.Neighborhood 
       {208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}

[8-7] Inbox 
       {00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}

[8-8] Desktop 
       {00021400-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}

[8-9] Shortcut 
       {00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}

As I was getting deeper and deeper into the Registry, I was beginning to notice more and more that quite a few of the data strings were listed in some sort of binary HEX mumbo jumbo. I also noticed that some of these binary data strings
remained constant throughout the entire Registry, from  Hkey_Local_Machine all the way down to Hkey_Current_User. 

I originally compiled this short list for my own personal reference. But, again and again, I was reading from the various newsgroups on the Internet, that people wanted to know the same information that was on this little slip of 
paper on my desk. So, I added this to the FAQ for general reference purposes. 

It should save you from having to use the FIND shortcut in the Registry Editor to look up these very same values,which remain constant, no matter whose system they're on.


[9]      Registry Editor Command Reference

A promise for the future version of this FAQ.

Kent Daniel Bentkowski has a bunch of postive attributes going for him.  First of all he really knows how to organize a very complex subject in a concise and to the point fashion. He is writing about very important issues that many of us feel the need to master. And, finally, he hails from my home town.  What more could an editor want?

He has been involved in the publishing industry for better than fifteen years and has been associated with computers for almost as long. He is currently a member of the Microsoft Developer Network, and was a Windows 95 BETA tester.  It was that experience which lead to the writing of the Windows95 Registry FAQ.  As an experienced BETA tester,  he has tested several software applications, as well as games. Among them are; Windows 95, Windows NT, Complete Communicator, and PowerTools and PowerMail for America Online. Some of the games that he has playtested are; Bolo and OXYD, which are two games from Dongleware, LINKS 386 CD by Access Software.  Currently Kent is playtesting the Network version of Battle Beast by 7th Level.
                         ww


