TechBuddha

It is very annoying for a lone or single user of  a computer to be asked for his/her password every time he/she switches on PC. Even worse is the fact that this is an issue that all windows vista users face. While a lot of people know how to tackle this problem, here’s the solution for those who don’t.

Disable login screen in Windows Vista:

1. Open the Start Menu

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Open Folder in its own window

Most of us have Windows Explorer to open new folders in the current window,
but if you want the option to open a folder in its own window, you can add it to
your context menu. Click Start, Run, type Regedit in the Open field, and click
OK. Right-click the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\DIRECTORY\SHELL key,
select New, and click Key. Name this new subkey opennew and then double-
click the Default value and type Open New &Window in the Value Data field.
Create a subkey beneath opennew named command. Double-click the Default
value for the command key and type explorer %   in the Value Data field.
Effective immediately, you’ll get a new option on any folder’s content menu to
Open New Window.

Registry Security Hole

There’s a little known security hole on most of our PCs involving the Registry
Editor. By default, WinXP runs Remote Registry Editing, which lets other PCs on
a network change the Registry. To plug this hole, click Start, select Settings, and
click Control Panel. Next, double-click Administrative Tools, Services, and locate
the Remote Registry in the right panel. Right-click the item and click Properties.
In the General tab, click the Startup Type drop-down menu, select Disabled, and
click OK. Reboot for the change to take effect.

Remove Shared Documents folder

If you don’t use the Shared Documents folder in your My Computer window, you
can remove it by clicking Start, Run, and typing regedit in the Open field. Go to
the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS
\CURRENTVERSION\POLICIES\EXPLORER key. Right-click the key, select
New, and click DWORD Value. Name the new value NoSharedDocuments.
Double-click the new value and type 1 in the Value Data field. Click OK, close
down Regedit, and reboot Windows.

Disable AutoRun/AutoPlay

That pesky AutoRun/AutoPlay. You can try to disable it for different media types
in the optical drive’s Properties menu (right-click the drive letter), but we found
that this doesn’t stop all CDs from auto-running. Instead, open Regedit and go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\SERVICES\CDR
OM. Double-click AutoRun in the right window and change the Value Data from 1
to 0. (This change also prevents Windows from notifying you when a new CD is
inserted.)

Lost Send To option

Have you lost the Send To option in your right-click menu? This handy item lets
you send a highlighted file to a mail recipient, a Zip folder, or even a burnable
drive, but some utilities and programs make this setting disappear. To get it back
on the menu, click Start, Run, and type Regedit in the Open field. Right-click the
Registry key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ALLFILESYSTMEOBJECTS\SHELLEX
\CONTEXTMENUHANDLERS. Select New and Key and name this new key
Send To. Double-click Default in the right pane and type {7BA4C740-9E81-
CF-99D3-00AA004AE837} in the Value Data box. Click OK, and the effect
should be immediate.

Navigate Regedit

Try these shortcuts to easily navigate Regedit. Highlight a subkey and press the
asterisk key (*) on your numeric keypad to open all branches and sub-branches.
Use the minus key (-) on the number pad to collapse all subkeys. If you’re at the
top of the Regedit tree (My Computer) with a mass of subkey branches open
beneath, press the minus key to close all the subkeys. Don’t use the asterisk key
at any top-level keys because this opens every subkey in Regedit and may crash
the program. If you need to close down branches quickly and start at the top,
press and hold the left arrow key.

Restore All Programs List

Restoring your All Programs list in the Start menu to alphabetical order is a
simple matter of deleting a Registry key. Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\
CURRENTVERSION\EXPLORER\MENUORDER
and delete the subkey Start Menu2. After reboot, the Registry rebuilds this key
and restores All Programs to alpha order.