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Friday 31 August 2012

How to Hide / Show Specific Control Panel Applets / Icons in Windows? [Tips, Tricks]


How to Hide / Show Specific Control Panel Applets / Icons in Windows? [Tips, Tricks]

This tutorial will guide you to hide or show any specific Control Panel applet in Windows. This tutorial will work for all Windows versions: NT, 95, 98, Me, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista, Server 2008 and 7.



METHOD A: For All Windows Versions except Windows 95, 98 & Me
1. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. Now go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\
OR
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\
2. Under this key create a new key with the name don't load , so the new path will be:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\don't load
OR
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\don't load
3. Now in right-side pane, create new String value. Set its name to the file name of the applet which you want to hide, e.g. if you want to hide Display applet then set its name toDesk.cpl now set its value to no to hide it. If you want to show it again, either set its value toyes or simply delete the String value.
To use the above mentioned method, you'll need to know the .CPL file name of the desired applet. You can search for .CPL in Windows Search or you can use help of following list which contains .cpl file names of almost all default Control Panel applets:
CPL File NameApplet Name
Access.cplAccessibility
Appwiz.cplAdd or Remove Programs
Bthprops.cplBluetooth Devices
Desk.cplDisplay
Hdwwiz.cplAdd New Hardware
Inetcpl.cplInternet Options
Intl.cplRegional and Language Options
Joy.cplGame Controllers
Keymgr.cplStored User Names and Passwords
Liccpa.cplLicensing
Main.cplMouse
Mlcfg32.cplMail
Mmsys.cplSound and Audio Devices
Ncpa.cplNetwork Connections
Nusrmgr.cplUser Accounts
Nwc.cplNetware client connectivity
Odbccp32.cplODBC Data Source Administrator
Powercfg.cplPower Options
Sysdm.cplSystem
Telephon.cplPhone and Modem Options
Timedate.cplDate and Time
Sapi.cplSpeech
Wuaucpl.cplAutomatic Updates
Wscui.cplSecurity Center or Action Center

METHOD B: For All Windows Versions except Windows 95, 98 & Me
1. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. Now go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies
2. Look for a key "Explorer" under it. If its not present, then create a new one and give it name Explorer.
3. Select "Explorer" key and in right-side pane, create a new DWORD value DisallowCpl and set its value to 1
4. Now create another new key under Explorer key with the name DisallowCpl so the new path will be:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ Explorer\DisallowCpl
5. Select "DisallowCpl" key and in right-side, create new String value with name 1 and set its value to the applet name which you want to hide.You don't need to use the .cpl file name of applet in this method. You have to put the applet label which you see in Control Panel.

e.g., If you want to hide AutoPlay applet, then create a new String value, give it name 1 and set its value to AutoPlay. If you want to hide more applets, then simply create more String values with names 23 and so on and set their values to the applet label.
METHOD C: For All Windows Versions except Windows 95, 98 & Me
This method is opposite of METHOD B. In this method, you'll tell Windows which applets should be visible and Windows will automatically hide the rest.
Its useful when you want to show a few specific applets and want to hide remaining applets. So you just need to create a few String values to tell Windows which applets you want to show. It'll save your valuable time.
1. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. Now go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies
2. Look for a key "Explorer" under it. If its not present, then create a new one and give it name Explorer.
3. Select "Explorer" key and in right-side pane, create a new DWORD value RestrictCpl and set its value to 1
4. Now create another new key under Explorer key with the name RestrictCpl so the new path will be:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ Explorer\RestrictCpl
5. Select "RestrictCpl" key and in right-side, create new String value with name 1 and set its value to the applet name which you want to show.You don't need to use the .cpl file name of applet in this method. You have to put the applet label which you see in Control Panel.

e.g., If you want to show AutoPlay applet, then create a new String value, give it name 1 and set its value to AutoPlay. If you want to show more applets, then simply create more String values with names 23 and so on and set their values to the applet label.
Now Windows will only show the applets which you mentioned in String values, other applets will be hidden.
METHOD D: For Windows 95, 98 & Me
1. Open "%windir%\Control.INI" file. Where "%windir%" denotes Windows folder which is present in system drive where Windows is installed.
2. You'll see a line saying [don't load] in the file. If you can't find it, then create a new line at last.
3. Now under this line, you can set .CPL file name of your desired applet which you want to hide in following format:
filename.cpl=no
e.g.,
If you want to hide Display applet, then the syntax will be:
desk.cpl=no
You can create similar lines for other applets which you want to hide. The .CPL file name can be obtained from the list mentioned in METHOD A.
METHOD E: Using TweakUI Power Toy
You can also use Microsoft official powertoy "TweakUI" to easily hide/show control panel applets.
Download TweakUI from here. Run it and click on "Control Panel" in left side section. Now in right-side list, you can easily hide/show desired applets by just enabling/disabling the appropriate applet checkbox.

Click on Apply button and you have done.

NOTE: This tutorial can also be used in case some applets in Control Panel have been disabled accidentally and you want to enable them again. Just follow the steps mentioned in above methods and delete the required string value or line.
................................................................................
Enjoy...
And feel free to comment...

How to Disable / Restrict Use of USB Storage Devices in Windows? [Tips, Tricks]


How to Disable / Restrict Use of USB Storage Devices in Windows? [Tips, Tricks]


Many times we want to restrict users from using USB drives in our systems. Suppose you have some important data and a friend comes and takes the data in his USB drive. This tutorial will help you in completely disable the use of USB drives in system.
After applying this tutorial, users will not be able to use USB drives. Windows will not detect it.
The tutorial is divided into 2 parts:
  • If the USB storage device is not installed in system
  • If the USB storage device is already installed in system
So lets start this tutorial:
If the USB storage device is not installed in system:
1. Type %windir%\inf in Explorer addressbar or RUN dialog box and press Enter. It'll open "inf" folder.
2. Now look for following 2 files:
  • usbstor.inf
  • usbstor.pnf
3. Now you have to change their user permissions setting. Do as following for each file:
Right-click on the file and select "Properties". Goto "Security" tab and select the desired user or group in "Group or user names" list which you want to restrict from using USB drives. Now in "Permissions for Users" list, click on "Deny" checkbox next to "Full control" option and then click on OK.
Change_Permissions_for_usbstor_file.jpg
NOTE: In Windows Vista, you'll have to click on "Edit" button after selecting the user or group in "Group or user names" list and then again select the same user or group in new dialog box. Now you can click on "Deny" checkbox.
4. That's it. Now users will not be able to install any USB storage device in system.
If the USB storage device is already installed in system:
1. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. Now goto:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor
2. In right-side pane, change value of "Start" to 4
Change_Start_Value_for_USBStor_in_R.jpg
3. Now whenever a user will attach a USB storage device which is already installed in system, Windows will not detect it and it'll not be shown in My Computer.
NOTE: If you want to revert it back to default, then change the value of "Start" to 3
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Enjoy...(Y)
And feel free to comment...

All About Resource Hacker, Ultimate Windows Customization Tool [Tips, Tricks, Hacks]


All About Resource Hacker, Ultimate Windows Customization Tool [Tips, Tricks, Hacks]

Resource_Hacker_3_5_Beta.png

Resource Hacker is a small but excellent tool to modify system files like DLL, EXE, CPL, etc. You can even change Windows look by editing various Windows files and replacing their resources using Resource Hacker.
You can download it using following link:
Download Resource Hacker 3.6.0
 Homepage
This tutorial will help you in understanding this tool and will teach you how to use it. For your convenience, we have divided this tutorial in 2 parts:
  • PART 1: BASIC INFORMATION
  • PART 2: ADVANCED INFORMATION
Part 1 provides basic details like viewing or replacing existing resources in a file, etc. Part 2covers some advance information for geeks, like adding new resources, using scripts, etc.

PART1 : BASIC INFORMATION
[Using Resource Hacker]
When you open a file in Resource Hacker, it shows various directories in left-side pane, like:
  • AVI - Contains AVI files
  • Cursor - Contains Cursor files
  • Bitmap - Contains BMP files
  • Icon - Contains Icons
  • Menu - Contains Menus
  • Dialog - Contains Dialog boxes
  • String Table - Contains Strings
  • Accelerators - Contains Shortcut keys
  • Version Info - Contains Version information of the file

[Viewing Resources]
You can view resource present in the file by expanding the directory given in left-side pane and clicking on the name of the resource. Each resource contains 3 important attributes:
  • Resource Type
  • Resource Name
  • Resource Language
[Changing Resources]
For Icons / Cursors / Bitmaps:
1. First select the resource ( e.g. Bitmap -> 131 -> 1033 ).
2. Now click on Action -> Replace Icon or Cursor or Bitmap....

3. It'll open a new window, click on Open file with new Icon or Cursor or Bitmapbutton.
4. Select the desired resource using OPEN dialog box, click on Open button and then click onReplace button.
For Other Resources like AVI:
1. Click on Action -> Replace Other Resource....
2. It'll open a new window, click on Open file with new resource button.
3. Select the file and click on Open button.
4. Now you'll need to provide following required information for the resource, which we mentioned earlier:
  • Resource Type
  • Resource Name
  • Resource Language

Resource Type: Mention type of the resource, e.g. if you are replacing AVI file, mention the type as AVI
Resource Name: Provide the same name of the existing resource which you want to replace
Resource Language: Provide language code for the resource, e.g. 1033 for English. You can check existing resource's language code.
5. At last click on Replace button.
[For Menus / Strings / Dialogs]
To change any String, Menu or Dialog box, Select the desired resource, e.g. String Table -> 4 -> 1033, make your changes and at last click on Compile Script button.

It'll immediately compile the script. If you made any mistake while modifying the resource, it'll generate error message so that you can fix it.

PART2 : ADVANCED INFORMATION

[Adding New Resources]
Adding New Bitmaps / Icons / Cursors / AVIs:
1. Click on Action -> Add a new Resource....
2. Now click on Open file with new resource button.

3. Select the desired resource and click on Open button.
4. Give Resource Type, Name and Language as mentioned earlier. But keep in mind that Resource Name should not match with any existing resources name.
5. At last click on Add Resource button.
Adding New Menus:
Go to desired menu, e.g. Menu -> 215 -> 1033. Now add a new line anywhere inside POPUP "" using following format:
MENUITEM "Custom_String", 12345, MFT_STRING, MFS_GRAYED | MFS_DEFAULT
Where:
  • "Custom_String" is the actual text which you want to show in menu.
  • 12345 is the identifier. It must be different from existing menuitems.
  • MFS_GRAYED disables the menuitem. You can change it to MFS_ENABLED if you want to show your menuitem enabled.
  • MFS_DEFAULT shows your menuitem in BOLD. You can omit it.
  • You can also add a new attribute in the code MFS_HILITE which automatically selects your menuitem.
In fact you can only add following new line in code:
MENUITEM "Custom_String", 12345
And Resource Hacker will automatically insert other remaining values as mentioned above.
[Inserting Newly Added Resources in Dialog Boxes]
Once you finish adding new Icons / Bitmaps / AVIs, you can insert them in any dialog box so that you can show in various Windows dialog boxes like RUN, Progress Dialog box, etc.
1. Go to the desired dialog box, e.g. Dialog -> 1020 -> 1033
2. Right-click in the dialog box and select Insert Control option.

3. It'll open a new window. You'll see many controls in the new window, like BITMAP, LABEL, ICON, BUTTON, SysAnimate32 (for AVIs), etc.
4. Click on any desired control, e.g. to insert a Bitmap, click on the BITMAP control or to insert an AVI, click on SysAnimate32 control.

PS: You can also insert Date/Time in dialog box using SysDateTimePick32 control.
5. Don't forget to fill the Caption entry. You need to enter the Resource Name in Caption textbox, e.g. if you have added a Bitmap and set its Resource Name as 401, then give the same 401 in Caption textbox.

PS: For AVI Control ( SysAnimate32 ), you'll need to append # in Caption value, e.g if the AVI name is 144, then put #144 in Caption textbox.
6. At last click on OK button & then Compile the script. 
7. If you want to change the position of the new control in dialog box, simply click on the control and drag it to your desired location or you can also use arrow keys to move it.
Using Scripts in Resource Hacker
We can also run Resource Hacker using Command Prompt and can use scripts to automate lots of repeatative tasks to save our time.
You can use scripts in 2 ways:
  • Single Command
  • Multiple Commands
[Single Command]
You can use following commands in Command Prompt to perform actions using Resource Hacker:
-add ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-addskip ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-addoverwrite ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-modify ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-extract ExeFileName, ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName,
-delete ExeFileName, ResultingFileName, ResourceType, ResourceName,
Where:
  • ExeFileName - Source file name
  • ResultingFileName - Output file name
  • ResourceAddress - Resource location (e.g. Bitmap path stored in your hard disk)
  • ResourceType - Resource type (e.g. Bitmap, AVI, etc.)
  • ResourceName - Resource name (e.g. 131, 1020, etc.)
Example:
ResHacker.exe -addoverwrite explorer.exe, explorer1.exe, MyImage.bmp , bitmap, 143,
[Multiple Commands]
You can also run a series of commands using script. First you'll need to create the script file using Notepad and then you can run it using following command:
ResHacker.exe -script ScriptFileName
Where, ScriptFileName is the name of the script file which you created in Notepad.
Following is the required format of the script file:
[FILENAMES]
Exe=
SaveAs=
Log=
[COMMANDS]
-addoverwrite ResourceAddress, ResourceType, ResourceName
Where:
EXE= contains source file name
SaveAs= contains output file name
Log= contains LOG file name which will store a detailed log of the operation
[COMMANDS] section contains the command-set which we want to perform on the source file.
PS: You can omit the LOG= entry in script file. In this case, Resource Hacker will automatically create a LOG file with the name "ResHacker.log".
NOTE: If you are facing problems while saving a file after editing in resource hacker, then make sure you have disabled WFP (Windows File Protection) service using "WFP Patcher" or use "Replacer" to replace the file.
Also if you are getting error "Can't create file...", that means you have edited and saved the same file in past and there is a backup file which needs to be deleted before saving this file again. Go to the folder containing this file and you'll see a similar file having "_original" in its name. Delete it and try to save the file in resource hacker.
................................................................................
Enjoy...(Y)
And feel free to comment...

Tuesday 28 August 2012

20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know [Tips, Tricks]


20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know [Tips, Tricks]

facebook tips tricks 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

If you surf Facebook on daily basis or occasionally, chances are you’re already familiar with regular stuffs like add/delete friends, update statuses, walls and profile, add and explore pages & applications, etc, but there’s more...
This week we want to cover some interesting things you can do on (or with) Facebook; inclusive of tricks that are not documented or unknown to many, as well as tips to stay connected better with your friends. Without further ado, here’s 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know. If you have interesting tips/tricks related to Facebook, please feel free to share in the comment box below.

How to Download Facebook Photo Albums

FacePAD: Facebook Photo Album Downloader allows you to download your friends’ facebook albums, Events albums, and Group Albums, en masse, with the click of a button.

facepad 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Share Flickr Photos to Facebook

Flickr2Facebook is an unofficial Flickr to Facebook uploader(bookmarklet) which allows you upload photos to Facebook from Flickr.

flickr2facebook 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Update Facebook without Using Facebook

hellotxt and Ping.fm both introduced features that let Facebook administrators update Facebook Pages.

hellotxt 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Schedule Facebook Messages

Sendible lets you schedule Facebook messages ahead of time so you can send messages to your friends, customers or colleagues in the future.

sendible 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to "Friend" Someone on Facebook & Hide It From Your Status Updates

A short tutorial on Makeuseof to guide you how to hide Facebook status updates and keep that fact confined to your closer friends.

hide status 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Create a Photo Collage Using Pictures of Your Facebook Friends

Click on Friends tab. Proceed to More tab. From "Choose an option" dropdown, choose any of the dashes "" . Your Facebook friends collage is right on your computer screen.

photo collage 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Know When Facebook Friends Secretly Delete or Block You

This service has been discontinued. X-Friends is a unique tool for tracking friends that disappear from Facebook.

X friends 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Display Selected Pictures Only on your Facebook Profile Page

A little-known feature in Facebook that lets you decide who shows up in that Friends box. Click that "edit" pencil in your Friends box and type the names of your best friends in the box that says "Always show these friends"

friend photos 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Remove Facebook Advertisements

This Greasemonkey script – Facebook: Cleaner removes many of the annoying ads and updates that unavoidably appear on your Facebook pages.

ads 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Syncs Photos of Facebook Friends with Contacts in Microsoft Outlook

OutSync is a free Windows application that syncs photos of your Facebook friends with matching contacts in Microsoft Outlook. It allows you to select which contacts are updated. So you can update all contacts at once or just a few at a time.

outsync 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Display Facebook Statuses on WordPress Blog

The following method make use of Facebook status feed and WordPress RSS widget to display Facebook Statuses on WordPress blog.. It will also work for self-host WordPress blogs.

statuses 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Post Your Blog Posts to Your Facebook Wall Automatically

Wordbook allows you to cross-post your blog posts to your Facebook Wall. Your Facebook “Boxes” tab will show your most recent blog posts.

wordbook 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Access Facebook Chat on Desktop

Gabtastik and digsby let you keep Facebook chat sessions open on your Windows desktop outside of your regular web browser, using minimal screen real estate and system memory.

gabtastik 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Create Quiz on Facebook Easily

LOLapps provides quiz creator that can be employed to conjure up these popular personality quizzes that are so widespread in Facebook.

lolapps 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Hide Your Online Status on Facebook Chat from Select Contacts

Facebook has integrated friends list with Chat and you can also choose which of these list members get to see you online.

hide 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Get Facebook Updates on Email

NutshellMail consolidates your Facebook accounts through the inbox you use the most.

nutshellmail 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Update Facebook Status from Firefox

FireStatus is a status update utility for multiple social networks, including FaceBook.

firestatus 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Get Facebook on Your Desktop

Seesmic DesktopFacebookerXobniFacebook Sidebar GadgetScrapboy andFacebook AIR application are desktop applications that allows you interact with your stream just as you would on Facebook, but without the browser.

desktop apps 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

How to Delete, Cancel and Terminate Facebook Account and Profile

A simple guide to terminate, delete or cancel Facebook account, together with the Facebook profile easily.

terminate 20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know
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Enjoy...(Y)
And feel free to comment...