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Customise Windows' Start Menu Folders
Posted by Gina Trapani at 11:30 PM on September 15, 2008
Windows only: By default Windows includes your "My Pictures" and "My Music" folders in the Start Menu's right column, but you can change those defaults to folders you use more often using two handy VB scripts. The replace My Pictures VB script and the replace My Music VB script each do just that. Right-click each link to save those files to your PC, then double-click to run them. Enter the new path you want to appear in your Start Menu (even a network location, like to a shared music folder), and then you have to log off and back into your PC to see your changes. Behind the scenes, these scripts are editing your registry; if that idea makes you nervous—and it should—then do pass. I tested both successfully on my machine. These scripts are part of a huge library of Windows VB script tweaks; have a look at some more at the Kelly's Korner web site using the link below. For more fun with useful VB scripts, see the screensaver away message.
Once you make the upgrade to Microsoft Office 2007, both the suite and Windows itself assume you'll hardly ever want to make documents in older Office formats ever again. As most modern office workers can attest, though, the .docx 2007 format is not common ground. The How-To Geek shows how to make creating new Office 97 or 2003-style documents easy by adding links to both Windows' right-click menu and Office's own "New" menu. The tweak involves a registry hack, so be sure to back up before jumping in, but the results are worth it for anyone tired of picking through Save As menus to get their jobs done.
If you're a veteran Windows XP user, you're familiar with the "helpful" count of your unread email messages you'll find at the login screen—which is usually wrong or overstated (my screenshot came from a fresh install of Thunderbird). The Online Tech Tips blog shows how to eliminate this stress-inducing reminder through a registry hack. Readers comfortable tweaking in regedit can find the values and instructions at the link below; those who don't mind installing a free (and very handy) power-user program can accomplish the same thing using 
When icons start disappearing from Windows Vista's system tray—like the networking, volume control, or time display—and you can't restore them from the standard options menus, the itch to re-install can be strong indeed. The How-To Geek, however, finds the balm for disappearing Vista icons in the registry, where a few key options need to be deleted to restore your system tray to functionality. Hit the link for instructions on how to kill out the options yourself, or download a registry hack that does it for you. 
Windows only: One of our favourite PC cleansers CCleaner (which stands for "Crap Cleaner") saw an upgrade this week. Since the last time we mentioned CCleaner several new versions have come out; this week's added support for the Firefox 3 beta plus performance improvements and bug fixes. CCleaner scans your PC for unnecessary temporary and log files, cookies, memory dumps, and more and wipes them out at the press of the "Run Cleaner" button. You might be surprised at how much disk space it can recover—in fact, it managed to clear out 1.6GB of crap from my PC. See screenshot evidence after the jump.
Windows only: Anyone who's edited their system path entries—the places where you tell Windows to look for programs you type into the command line—knows how awkwardly small the space given is to edit a huge string of text, and one misplaced character can nuke the whole thing. Redmond Path, a free download for Windows systems, offers a graphical multi-line interface, roll-back points for experimental changes, and verification that you're pointing Windows to a valid location. Now it shouldn't be so hard to have 
If you use Windows' built-in feature that groups similar program windows on the taskbar, you've noticed it only works when you've launched enough windows to fill the taskbar. The CyberNet blog offers up a customisable registry tweak that activates the grouping with just two or more windows open. Not everyone enjoys the grouping function, as it was downgraded to a non-default setting in Vista, but for those who do, the hack can be a real helper. You can download a registry fix file at the link below, or make the change yourself at the following key:
Windows only: Find your system running a bit different after installing that last program? Want to see if you can change how a program functions by tweaking one or two of its registry settings? RegShot, a free Windows utility, makes monitoring your registry as simple as using a Polaroid camera. Take a snapshot of your registry before installing, then take another after you've put the new app in place. RegShot tells you what's changed in your registry, and can also monitor folders you specify for new and changed files. For getting to the root of a problem with Windows software, RegShot is a good tool to keep handy. RegShot is a free download for Windows systems only.
