Windows 95 Tips
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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 then is a 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 from (value not set) to "%1"
9. Exit the Registry Editor.
That is all there is to it! And, now you have some KILLER .BMP icons! One caveat is that they may display a little slower than regular icons! But, to be honest with you, the effect is stunning, and makes the files a hell of a lot easier to identify when you are in Windows 95 Explorer.
Drag shortcuts onto Desktop
Any OLE 2.0 compatible application, that lets you drag text or other objects, will let you drag onto the Windows 95 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 brief examples.
Change the Desktop Folders Default.Icon
In the registry find the Key listed directly below: 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 is, you need to know its placement in the sequence. The first icon in a dll is always 0, the next is 1, then 2, you get the idea.
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 of that action is that the Control Panel will appear as a selection on the start menu. It is a very nice trick, but it is, as you will see when you read the very next tip, extremely limited!
Control Panel Power at your fingertips!
While the above tip places the Control Panel on the Start Menu, you still have to go through the Start Button, select Control Panel, and click your way through any number of Properties Dialogs and Settings tabs. Not too convenient after all. All you have done is 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. Now, with the technique below, you'll get a cascading menu off of the main Control panel item. All applets are presented as choices in this submenu. In fact, where in the main Control Panel window, you cannot select which applets you'd like to display (or possibly remove), but here, the choices are completely customizable. In fact, I'd suggest that you try both tips, and let the menu selections reside next to each other. Try them both and see which of the two is a better idea. I'm pretty positive that you will agree with me 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 Binary I.D. # for Control Panel to create a name for this new folder, including the period, braces & hyphens.
Control Panel.{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 when finished.
10. The next time that you click on START, the Windows 95 Control Panel's applets appear ready to use in a cascading menu! Very cool! You can also use this same technique to do the same with your 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 Win 95. Executables such as Control Panel and other resources have their own unique IDs in the Windows 95 registry. To see these, click the 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.
Still More Control Panel Power.
The ONLY problem that I ran into when I tried the tip above, was the menu choice that was created from that technique was that item's binary data string, instead of simply, Printers. But, I figured that at least the cascading submenu would indeed reveal what choices were available... until I was sent the true answer. These steps below will create a cascading submenu off of the Start Menu. Try BOTH tips, and see what I mean by the differences in the two:
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 of 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 that are open.
What you need to know to edit the Recycle Bin.
Click on Start then Run type in regedit click on OK,
This starts the registry editor. Highlight the entry HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Now use Find to find the recycle bin entry. To do this click on Edit then Find. For the Find what entry use recycle. After it searches it will come up with 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. Where it says Value Data type in whatever name you want for the recycle bin. Now Close the registry editor and and restart Windows 95. Your Recycle Bin will now show whatever name you have decided on. 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 Windows 95 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, as above. If the path is to an .ICO file, you don't have to have the number indicating the icons position in the .DLL file. Please remember that 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.
Removing unwanted items from the Desktop.
When Windows 95 configures the system during install, it places several default icons on the Desktop. Among them are My Computer, Recycle Bin, Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Network icons. When you right click on these icons, you'll find that there is no way to remove them. However, here is another 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. What you will find there are a list of items that were placed on your Desktop during installation. A few examples: Inbox, Microsoft Network, and Recycle Bin.
3. All you have to do is remove the item that you want off of the Desktop. INBOX - {00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
4. If you want, the Recycle Bin can be removed this way as well, although why someone would want to delete this helpful utility is unclear to me at this time.
How to change the My Computer Default icon.
Change icon of my computer:
1. Search for My Computer - or what you have named it (This will be be a string's value and be on 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, number of icon in file (starting from 0)"
5. Change this to any "icon file, number of icon"
6. BE CAREFUL (Not too hard for super power users)
Renaming "My Computer".
Although nowhere near as dorky as Microsoft BOB, in Windows 95, there appears an icon on the Desktop called "My Computer."Couldn't this be something more realistic like "Aarons Computer"?
The answer is YES!
There are actually TWO ways to do this; one is done right on the Desktop, while the other involves the Registry Editor:
Rename MY COMPUTER via Desktop:
1. Right-Click on My Computer icon.
2. Select Rename from Context Menu.
3. Type in your computer's new name, and press Enter.
Rename MY COMPUTER via Registry:
1. Open up Registry Editor, and go to the following: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID
5. Type in the new name in Value Data, and choose OK.
6. Close the Registry Editor, and reboot your machine.
Dragging "Scraps" to the Desktop
With Windows 95, 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 with another person.
Tested in Word Pad only
You might wish to experiment with this, and see if it works with other file types and applications.
If you want to leave the "Network Neighborhood".
If Windows 95 installs the Network Neighborhood icon on your Desktop, and you cannot seem to find a way to delete it, and it is taking up space you'd rather have for something else..
1. You can open up the System Policy Editor (poledit.exe) and open registry-local user -Shell-Restrictions-Hide
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 actaully 3, because in .DLL files, the numbering starts at zero, and not one.
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 which contains about 100 variations of the folder.
4. Make sure that you follow the following syntax: C:\Win95\System\Shell32.dll,x Whereas "x" is the number of the icon in the DLL that you wish to have replace the default.
5. Close the Registry Editor, and reboot your machine.
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