4 more Vista tricks

Using your registry preferred settings on another PC

    The registry editor can save the most used keys as favorites. This will make them available more faster for reconfiguration. In order to use them on another computer or after you re-installed your operating system, you will want to secure your "favorites" outside the registry editor.
    Windows is saving the favorites directly from Registry. So, all you have to do is to export from a REG file and import it on the second computer in order to use it there. Here is how it works: in the registry editor open the key
“HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Regedit\Favorites”.
    All the entries from the "favorites" menu are listed here.
Select the key and open „Registration/ Export registration file” or „File/ Export”.
In the next step, give it a name , select the option „Selected substructure” and the path selected there and click on „Save” button.
    On another computer, a double click on this file is enough to read the favorites in a second. These will be imediately available after you have approved their entrance in the registry.

Opening the files without extensions with Notepad

    If you double click a file without extension, Windows will pop up the „Open with” dialogue in order to select a program. You want to open the file in Notepad to check its content, but that option is not amongst the available settings.
Launch the registry editor and locate the key “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT”. Open “Edit | New | Key”, press [.] and then hit Enter. Click in the right side of the window and open again „Edit/New/Key”. Type in "shell" and hit Enter.
Same way, 1 level above, create the subkey „open”. Repeat the step and create the subkey „command”. Now double click "Default" in the current key “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.\shell\open\ command”. Change "value" into “Notepad. exe %1” and confirm with OK. Close the registry editor.

Controling access to registry depending on user account

    In many families, its members share same computer. As a main user and administrator, you want to ensure that the other users will not make changes in the registry.
    Specify on user level to which user it will be denied the access to the registry.
Windows XP:Select from the left side of the structure „HKEY_USERS” and open „File/Load Hive”. In the dialogue, navigate to „C:\Documents and Settings” -the folders of the different profiles of users are listed here.
    In the desired folder, select „ntuser.dat” and click on „Open”. In the next dialogue, type the name of user as name in „Key name”. You now have access to the specific settings of that account. Navigate under that user name to „Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Policies” and open the key „System”. If it is unavailable, create it with „Edit/New/Key”. Mark it and create the entry „DisableRegistryTools” from the „REG_DWORD” data type. Set value to „1”. Now again, in the left part of the structure, select the main folder of the profile of the user and click on „File/Delete structure”. Answer "yes" at the security question. From now on, Windows will block any attempts of accessing registry from that user.

Memory advice using Vista

    Vista is a vacuum for memory -1.024 is considered the lowest limit to run your programs smoothly. If you only have half from this necessary, you want to see if the performance of your computer can be improved despite the lack of RAM.
    If you have a fast USB stick, you can use the new "Ready Boost" facility. If this facility is configured accordingly, Vista is using the flash ram as an add to the system ram and it will write swap files on it. This thing will permit your programs to have more available ram. Despite the flash ram is not as fast as PC RAM, the performance of your system will have an increase.
    This trick also helps when are fast tunning a notebook. The essential part to increase the speed is to understand that a USB stick is not like a third wheel on a bycicle. To get more info on USB sticks, log on to www.grantgibson.co.uk./misc/readyboost/ . At this moment, there are over 500 products compatible with Ready Boost listed on this site. To activate this facility, insert the USB stick and click on "Increase System Speed" in the "Automatic Playback" dialogue. After testing the USB stick, Windows will open the properties for the stick in the ReadyBoost tab. Here, activate the option " Use this device". Use the silder in order to get the size of the memory that is ready for Ready Boost. To do this you should select at least the current value of your current RAM, but be carefully so it will not be only 2.5 bigger then your current RAM.
    In case you have 512MB for example, you can make a setting of "512 MB", but one that is bigger then "1.280" MB is too high. Confirm with "Apply" and click "OK".
    In future, when you start your system Vista will apply the same memory size without any other question and it will free it when your system shuts down. If your USB stick is not compatible and refuses the turbo acceleration thru USB, the only option is to try to access the removable device by making some changes in the Registry.
    Try this and see if the performance is improving. When you insert the USB stick, deactivate "Do not retest the device" in the "Ready-Boost" option dialogue. Confirm now the changes by clicking on "Apply" and then "OK". Remove the USB stick. The next step is to enter the registry editor. If you get a warning from User Account Control just click on "Continue".
Navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\EMDMgmt" key and search for the USB stick subkey. In order to edit it double click on the DWORD value "Device-Status". Then change the value to "2" and confirm changes by clicking on "OK".
    Also, set the values "Read- SpeedKBs" and "WriteSpeed KBs" to "1000" using hexadecimal. Close the registry editor and insert the USB stick. You can configure the Ready Boost now using the method described above.