Tweak UI is probably one of the most useful utilities available
for Windows. It gives you control over a whole multitude of desktop (or "user
interface") related settings, most of which previously required registry hacks
to get at. This month, we’ll show you how to download and install it, and take a
quick peak at some of the most popular "tweaks" it provides.
Tweak UI 1.33 runs on Windows 95/ 98/ Me/ NT4 and 2000. It is
free to download from the Microsoft web site at:
Tweak UI 1.33
You will receive a single file named tweakui.exe from
the download page. Navigate to wherever you saved the file and double-click on
it to extract the installation files to a temporary folder. Four files are
extracted, all beginning with "tweakui". Right-click on the tweakui.inf file and select install from the context menu. During installation,
which only takes a few seconds, the Tweak UI help window appears – simply close
it to allow the installation to complete. Once installed, double-click on the
Tweak UI icon in Control Panel to launch it.
Available settings vary slightly according to the version of
Windows you are running. I usually work with NT4, so my first stop is the
Explorer tab to turn off the animated "Click here to begin" arrow that
slides along the task bar every time NT boots. I also like to "tone down" the
shortcut arrow that Windows automatically places on all my shortcut icons by
selecting the Light arrow option.
Tweak UI Problems
If you’re already familiar with Tweak UI, then read on. Early
versions are reported to be a little "buggy". If you have an older version, then
uninstall it via Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs, reboot and install the
latest version as described on the facing page.
To determine which version you have installed, launch Windows
Explorer and find the tweakui.cpl file. Right-click on it and choose
Properties. Now click on the Version tab – the latest version is
currently 1.33.0.0.
Windows Me and Windows 2000 users should avoid the Show
Control Panel on Start Menu option on the IE tab. We haven’t tried
it, but deselecting this box apparently renders the Control Panel completely
inaccessible! If this happens to you, start the registry editor by clicking the
Start button, choose Run, type regedit and click OK. Drill
down to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Delete the "NoControlPanel" entry from the right pane, close
Regedit and restart Windows.
|
Next stop is the Paranoia tab to disable CD auto play.
Also popular here are the various options to clean up "history" files at logon.
These are especially useful if more than one person uses your computer.
The Repair tab exposes some very useful fix-it
functions. If you’ve ever seen the desktop lose its marbles (the Recycle Bin
icon is switched with the Internet Explorer icon, for example), know that help
is at hand here.
Well, that’s just a small sample of what you can do with Tweak
UI. Have fun!
Get Rid of the Internet Explorer Logo
Does your copy of Internet Explorer feature an annoying logo
(or other branding) from the computer company or on-line service that supplied
your computer or IE installation CD? Get rid of it!
Note that this procedure only works for Internet Explorer 4 and
5 running on Windows 95/98/Me/2000. Make sure IE is closed, then click on the
Start button, choose Run and type in the following line exactly as
it appears below:
RUNDLL32.EXE IEDKCS32.DLL,Clear
Now click on the OK button. That’s it!
|
Save Time on-line updating Windows 98
Save time on-line updating Windows 98
If you’ve had to reinstall Windows 98 more than a few times,
you’re probably really tired of surfing to the Microsoft Windows Update site to
reload all the operating system updates and bug fixes. Each update is
automatically applied as soon as download completes, so you don’t get the chance
to save it for the next installation.
The good news is that you can now download most Windows 98
updates and save them for use whenever you need. Check out what’s available
at:
www.microsoft.com/windows98
|
Settings fever
If you find Tweak UI a little tame, then why not up the stakes
and try something that allows you to modify literally hundreds of obscure
Windows settings? We did, and we’re still regretting it (urr – just
kidding!).
An excellent freeware utility called X-Setup lets you do just
that. It features an Explorer-style interface for easy navigation and "Wizard"
mode that helps you find what you’re looking for without needing expert
knowledge.
It’s well worth a look – check it out at:
www.xteq.com
|
