1001 Secrets for Windows NT Registry
(Publisher: 29th Street Press)
Author(s): Tim Daniels
ISBN: 1882419685
Publication Date: 12/01/97

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Environment Variables

I-198 If you want to set certain environment variables for all the users on a particular machine, try this registry entry.

Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment

Here you will find some environment variables such as ComSpec and Path. You can add more variables or change existing ones.

Value Name: Path
Data Type: REG_SZ
Value: any valid path statement

You must restart the machine for any changes to take effect.

I-199 The default system font NT uses is not very readable on high-resolution displays. You can change the system fonts by editing the following registry values. You can substitute any .fon file from your %systemroot%\SYSTEM directory for the default fonts.

Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\ GRE_Initialize
Value Name: Fixedfon.fon
Data Type: REG_SZ
Value: vgafix.fon

I-200 Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\ GRE_Initialize
Value Name: Fonts.fon
Data Type: REG_SZ
Value: vgasys.fon

I-201 Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\ GRE_Initialize
Value Name: Oemfont.fon
Data Type: REG_SZ
Value: vgaoem.fon

Restart your system for these values to take effect.

I-202 When you reboot your Windows NT system, you sometimes get popup warning messages. Most of the time, these messages are very helpful and point to potential problems. However, when you are debugging a system, you often don’t need to be reminded each time. This registry entry disables these messages, including event errors.

Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Value Name: NoPopupsOnBoot
Data Type: REG_SZ
Value: 1

I-203 When you’re debugging a server problem or configuring new systems, it is often expedient to have the system complete its boot process as quickly as possible. This registry entry lets you reboot the system without going through all the BIOS checks (i.e., perform a warm boot).

Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Value Name: EnableQuickReboot
Data Type: REG_SZ
Value: 1

Reboot your machine for these changes to take effect.

I-204 Holding down the shift key when Windows NT boots keeps any programs located in the Startup folders from executing. As an administrator, you may want these programs to execute for a variety of reasons. This registry entry lets you disable the option of holding down the shift key during the boot process.

Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Value Name: IgnoreShiftOveride
Data Type: REG_SZ
Value: 1

A value of 1 enables the shift override mechanism. The default is 0.

I-205 Do you want to disable the Autorun feature of the CD-ROM? Does it annoy you that every time you insert a CD, it runs its little splash screen and install program? This registry disables the Autorun feature.

Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: System\CurrentControlSet\Services\CDROM
Value Name: AutoRun
Data Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 0

Restart Windows NT for this change to take effect.

I-206 Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Value Name: ReportBootOk
Data Type: REG_SZ
Value: 1

When this value is set to 0, it disables the automatic startup acceptance. This registry entry is used in conjunction with the Bootvrfy.exe program, which lets you verify the startup of a system from a remote system. To correctly implement the procedure, change the following keys and values as well. See the Windows NT Resource Kit for more information on this procedure.

I-207 Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: System\CurrentControlSet\Services\BootVerification
Value Name: ErrorControl
Data Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 1

I-208 Value Name: ImagePath
Data Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Value: bootvrfy.exe

I-209 Value Name: ObjectName
Data Type: REG_SZ
Value: LocalSystem

I-210 Value Name: Start
Data Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 0x3

I-211 Value Name: Type
Data Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 0x2

Restart Windows NT for these changes to take effect.


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