Registry Hacks/Tweaks

Not sure if this is the correct place to post this...

Does anyone know of some good registry hacks/tweaks that I can download and apply? Either available here on the forum or some other trusted source.

I do not want registry tweaks that can compromise my system and I would like tweaks that I can download so that I do not need to manually edit the registry and so that the tweaks can be easily applied on multiple machines.

Welcome,

Dont have the anwer to your question, because that is not my pereferred method for best performance.
This is what I do:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/11728-optimize-windows-7-a.html?ltr=O

Sure there are thousands of reg hacks out there that all do various things.
But what is it exactly you want to do?

Best practice is to open any reg file in a text editor such as notepad, and see exactly what it does.

If your familiar with how registry and reg files work, you can also consolidate several into one, so you only need to apply one reg file which will do the lot. Otherwise, create a batch file to apply several reg files.
But again, it all depends on what exactly you want tweaked.

richc46 said:

Welcome,

Dont have the anwer to your question, because that is not my pereferred method for best performace.
This is what I do:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/11728-optimize-windows-7-a.html?ltr=O

Click to expand...

I wholeheartedly agree with Richard. Unless you are very knowledgeable about the registry, don't mess with it. The registry in Windows 7 is not like the registry in XP and the old XP knowledge does not apply. You stand a much greater chance of screwing up your system than improving it.

I am very familiar with the Windows 7 registry, much thanks to my recently attained Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology. I do have a couple of registry tweaks already downloaded but they are just general tweaks. I have:

Enable Aero Shake
Disable Aero Shake
Install Take Ownership
Remove Take Ownership

Pretty self-explanatory, I'm sure. Does anyone know what this .reg file does? I haven't had a chance to take a look at the contents and divulge the intentions, but here is the .reg file:

The reg file provided is pretty sure to use.

This will add to the Right Click context menu two options: Copy & Move to...
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Copy To]
@="{C2FBB630-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Move To]
@="{C2FBB631-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}"


This will speed up windows 7 :
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"AutoEndTasks"="1"
"HungAppTimeout"="1000"
"MenuShowDelay"="8"
"WaitToKillAppTimeout"="2000"
"LowLevelHooksTimeout"="1000"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control]
"WaitToKillServiceTimeout"="1000"

NoLowDiskSpaceChecks = Low Disk Notification deactivated
LinkResolveIgnoreLinkInfo = Determines whether Windows traces shortcuts back to their sources when it cannot find the target on the user's system.
NoResolveSearch = Prevents the system from conducting a comprehensive search of the target drive to resolve a shortcut.
NoResolveTrack = Prevents the system from using NTFS tracking features to resolve a shortcut.
NoInternetOpenWith = Specifies whether to use the Microsoft Web service for finding an application to open a file with an unhandled file association.



----------------------------------------------------------------------


One more?

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"DisableThumbnailsOnNetworkFolders"=dword:00000001

Clear Hide Inactive Icons History:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\TrayNotify]
"PastIconsStream"=-
"IconStreams"=-

Remove Shortcut Arrow on Desktop:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons]
"29"=hex(2):25,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,72,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,\
25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,73,00,68,\
00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,35,00,30,00,\
00,00

Clear Page File At Shutdown = Specifies whether inactive pages in the paging file are filled with zeros when the system stops.:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\MemoryManagement]
"ClearPageFileAtShutdown"=dword:00000001

xSeanBoi said:

Not sure if this is the correct place to post this...

Does anyone know of some good registry hacks/tweaks that I can download and apply? Either available here on the forum or some other trusted source.

I do not want registry tweaks that can compromise my system and I would like tweaks that I can download so that I do not need to manually edit the registry and so that the tweaks can be easily applied on multiple machines.

Click to expand...

If you want to safely tweak your systems registry and want the same tweaks to apply to all the machines in your network then you should use the group policy editor's administrative templates.

You can do just about anything with it and it can apply these tweaks to all your networked machines at the same time. It does this by adjusting your registry keys but is much less likely to make a mistake. Not to mention it's easier and less problematic than playing with the registry and you can tweak things back just as easily. The picture below shows you a few examples of what can be done.

Just type gpedit.msc into the command prompt and hit enter.
The Local Group Policy Editor will only be available in the Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, and Enterpise editions.

You can also adjust aero shake and install the ownership .exe without messing with the registry.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1911-take-ownership-shortcut.html?ltr=T
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/74845-aero-shake-enable-disable.html?ltr=A

I can honestly tell you that...

A. Win 7 on that system does not need tweaking. It will run fine and fast. There are no performance tweaks that can make it run any noticeable difference other than a hardware upgrade.

Clear Page File At Shutdown = Specifies whether inactive pages in the paging file are filled with zeros when the system stops.:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\MemoryManagement]
"ClearPageFileAtShutdown"=dword:00000001

Click to expand...

While this can be considered a security tweak, it can actually slow down the shutdown/startup/restart times of the system.

Some of the other tweaks for auto killing tasks or shortening the kill times for services and apps can actually cause some issues with data loss (ie. you forget to save a document or something you are working on, the system shuts down and may not prompt you to save your data before killing the app).
I have seen this happen on more than several occasions and know that it is part of GeekSquads system performance tweaks for XP. And in the end, I can guarantee you that most of those people have lost data they were working on when they for got to save before shutting down. It's a bad tweak that is not necessary on todays systems (or any really).

"NoLowDiskSpaceChecks"=dword:00000001

Click to expand...

I have never seen a point to this one, If you are keeping a drive that full for long periods of time, you need to get a larger drive. Your drive should never be that full constantly. Ever.

Tepid said:

I can honestly tell you that...

A. Win 7 on that system does not need tweaking. It will run fine and fast. There are no performance tweaks that can make it run any noticeable difference other than a hardware upgrade.

Clear Page File At Shutdown = Specifies whether inactive pages in the paging file are filled with zeros when the system stops.:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\MemoryManagement]
"ClearPageFileAtShutdown"=dword:00000001

Click to expand...

While this can be considered a security tweak, it can actually slow down the shutdown/startup/restart times of the system.

Click to expand...

Humm, perhaps. Never encountered any issue yet.

Some of the other tweaks for auto killing tasks or shortening the kill times for services and apps can actually cause some issues with data loss (ie. you forget to save a document or something you are working on, the system shuts down and may not prompt you to save your data before killing the app).
I have seen this happen on more than several occasions and know that it is part of GeekSquads system performance tweaks for XP. And in the end, I can guarantee you that most of those people have lost data they were working on when they for got to save before shutting down. It's a bad tweak that is not necessary on todays systems (or any really

Click to expand...

Might have to set in Power Plan Settings the Hybrid Mode to be Active.

"NoLowDiskSpaceChecks"=dword:00000001

I have never seen a point to this one, If you are keeping a drive that full for long periods of time, you need to get a larger drive. Your drive should never be that full constantly. Ever.

Click to expand...

I have never applyed this one...on any of my systems.

Here are the Seven Forums tutorials on ownership and Aero shake.

Take ownership - http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1911-take-ownership-shortcut.html

Aero shake - http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/74845-aero-shake-enable-disable.html

CarlTR6 said:

Here are the Seven Forums tutorials on ownership and Aero shake.

Take ownership - http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1911-take-ownership-shortcut.html

Aero shake - http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/74845-aero-shake-enable-disable.html

Click to expand...

LOL Carl I already posted those and a bunch of info on how to use the Group policy editor to do a bunch of other stuff without having to mess with the registry.

On the other hand, I'd agree with Chev in regards to using group policy instead, as its faster and easier to deploy configuration settings to individual or a group of machines. And its all managed by a central location, instead of having to deploy the reg files to each PC, then all again when you want to change a setting again.

In Windows Server 2008, there is a (new?) option to to set registry keys via GPO.

Im actually trying to get my hands on WS2k8 at the moment too, to take advantage of these features...

Here is a revised .reg
What do you think? And is it all proper?

I do know what each of the entries will do. I would just like to have someone double-check to make sure that it is all typed properly so that there are no errors.

On a side note:

Though these will not make a noticeable difference on my machine, I am asking for tips because I am a computer technician and would like to do all I can to eek every bit of performance for my clients. There are several clients who do not need all the bells and whistles, and would just like it to run faster.

You can get rid off this one, today hard drive not really needs that one.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoLowDiskSpaceChecks"=dword:00000001

This one doesn't seems having any effect for me:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"DisableThumbnails"=dword:00000001


This as to be set in [HKEY_USER] aswell, in every accounts:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"AutoEndTasks"="1"
"HungAppTimeout"="1000"
"MenuShowDelay"="1"
"WaitToKillAppTimeout"="2000"
"LowLevelHooksTimeout"="1000"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\AppCompat]
"DisablePCA"=dword:00000001

Click to expand...

Not sure this is a good so-called tweak to have as it could prevent or give no real indication as to why a particular software will not run on a system. In other words, you will get less information to be able to help resolve an issue with a program not starting.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/70829-program-compatibility-assistant-enable-disable.html

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\runas]
@="Take Ownership"
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\runas\command]
@="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\" && icacls \"%1\" /grant administrators:F"
"IsolatedCommand"="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\" && icacls \"%1\" /grant administrators:F"

and

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\runas]
@="Take Ownership"
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\runas\command]
@="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\" /r /d y && icacls \"%1\" /grant administrators:F /t"
"IsolatedCommand"="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\" /r /d y && icacls \"%1\" /grant administrators:F /t"

Click to expand...

Should never be added to a system of someone who has no idea how to actually use it.


Honestly speaking, most of those tweaks are not necessary regardless of the speed of the system, some are dangerous and some just have no use at all.
There is no reason to do what you are doing on a 7 system.

Tepid said:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\AppCompat]
"DisablePCA"=dword:00000001

Click to expand...

Not sure this is a good so-called tweak to have as it could prevent or give no real indication as to why a particular software will not run on a system. In other words, you will get less information to be able to help resolve an issue with a program not starting.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/70829-program-compatibility-assistant-enable-disable.html

Click to expand...

I agree!

Some more info on it:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb756937.aspx

Well, the @="Take Ownership" is only good for the one who needs it, unless the client knows how to.

Getting faster is nice but i will also consider some security settings for your client.

Hm. Perhaps I will throw the registry tweaks out the window. Seems no need for them and I most definitely would not want to open security holes that could pose a risk to my clients. I am not one of those technicians who sets up a computer to "break" later on down the road, just to get more customers and money.

Most of the tweaking suites out there are simply a collection of registry hacks with a glossy user interface. Frankly, if you just can't resist, I'd stick with (a reputable) one of those. It's much easier to keep track of what you've monkeyed around with and the better ones often have a one-click option to "restore all settings to Windows default".

My experience is to change one or two things at a time and see how much difference you actually notice. Keep a critical eye and bear in mind the placebo effect which is all too common with these kind of programs.

Personally, unless I'm turning off a "feature" which annoys me, the standard settings usually are just fine. I'd also recommend backing up your registry before you get too ambitious - just in case things go horribly wrong.

xSeanBoi said:

Hm. Perhaps I will throw the registry tweaks out the window. Seems no need for them and I most definitely would not want to open security holes that could pose a risk to my clients. I am not one of those technicians who sets up a computer to "break" later on down the road, just to get more customers and money.

Click to expand...

Not all have to be thrown away, but you'll see later during those posts which are suitable to optimize windows 7.

Again, long and durable tutorial:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/11728-optimize-windows-7-a.html