USEFULL WINDOWS TIPS AND TRICKS

Windows: Desktop
Make the background of desktop icons transparent (XP)
Control Panel > System > Advanced > {Performance} Settings.
On the Visual Effects tab, check Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop.

Restore My Documents folder if deleted (98)
To restore My Documents to the Desktop, click Start, then Run, and type:rundll32 mydocs.dll, RestoreMyDocsFolder

Remove shortcut icon arrows
Go to [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\LNKFILE], and delete IsShortcut
Go to [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PIFFILE], and delete IsShortcut

Change My Computer's Icon
Windows 98: Control Panel > Display > Appearance
Windows XP: Control Panel > Display > Desktop > Customize Desktop

Hide Icon
Hide all Desktop icons (9x/XP)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
NoDesktop (DWORD value):
Set to 1 to hide all icons.
Delete NoDesktop to undo.
Hit F5 to refresh the desktop.
Hide Network Neighborhood, My Network Places (9x)
Run Poledit.exe (You may have to install it: It is on your Windows CD in\tools\reskit\netadmin\poledit).
File > Open Registry > (double click) Local User > Shell > Restrictions
Check Hide Network Neighborhood or/and My Network Places
OK > File > Save
Reboot.
Hide My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places, Internet Explorer (XP)
Right-click on the desktop, then click Properties > Desktop > Customize Desktop
Hide My Computer (9x/XP)
Create a transparent icon or create a bmp file that consists of a single pixel.
In Display properties effects, change the My Computer icon to point at your new icon.
Rename My Computer to one space.

Add and remove item types from the New Menu
Add Item Types
When you right-click on your desktop, there is a New submenu that contains a list of templates. A template is visible
if the related entry in the [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT] hive associated with a file extension has a sub-key called
ShellNew.
For example, on the New submenu there is an entry for Text Document. This entry is visible because of the key [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.txt\ShellNew]. Create a blank document of the corresponding application, and put it into the Windows\ShellNew Folder. Go to that file type under [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT], create a subkey named ShellNew and create the string-value File Name in it. Change this string's value to the blank document's filename.
Ex: [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.wav\ShellNew\FileName], and FileName's value = "sndrec.wav".

Remove Item Types
Read Add Item Types, and delete or rename the subkey named ShellNew. Hit F5 to update the items in the New
submenu.

Save color scheme
Export [HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Appearance\Schemes\{Name of Scheme}]

Create tool tips for desktop icons.
Search the registry for keys with the name Info Tip. You may replace the descriptions and you may add Info Tip keys
for other Class-IDs.

Create a button to Reboot Windows XP
To create a reboot icon on your desktop: Right click on an open area of the desktop Select New/Shortcut Enter in
"shutdown -r -t 00" - no quotes Press Next For the name, enter Reboot or anything you like.
Click Finish.

Remove Shortcut arrow from Desktop icons
Here's how you can remove those shortcut arrows from your desktop icons in Windows XP. Start regedit. Navigate
to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTlnkfile Delete the IsShortcut registry value. You may need to restart Windows XP