Want to make your Windows desktop look different from the rest. Here’s the Windows registry to do just that.
Hide Printer & Faxes Icon from Start Menu
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/Advanced
Find the value named Start_ShowPrinters and assign 0 to the Value Data.
Hide Control Panel From Start Menu
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/Advanced
Find the value named Start_ShowControlPanel and double-click on it.
Enter 0 in Value Data.
Hide My Pictures Menu From Start Menu
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/Advanced
Double-click on Start_ShowMyPics and enter 0 in the Value Data section.
Bring up the Administrative Tools Menu
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/Advanced
Double-click on StartMenuAdminTools and assign the number 1 to Value Data.
Shrink the Start Menu Icon
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/Advanced
Double-click on Start_LargeMFUIcons and enter 1 in Value Data.
Removing Username from Start Menu
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies\Explorer
Choose Edit > New > DWORD Value and name it NoUserNameInStartMenu.
Double-click NoUserNameInStartMenu and enter the number 1 in Value Data.
Prevent Start Menu Changes
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Policies/Explorer
Create a new DWORD Value and name it NoChangeStartMenu.
Double-click NoChangeStartMenu and enter the number 1 in Value Data.
Hide My Recent Documents
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/Advanced
Double-click on Start_ShowRecentDocs and enter 0 in Value Data.
Rename Important Default Shortcuts on Desktop
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/CLSID
Double-click on the default value in each subkey below:
My Network Places:
{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
My Computer:
{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
My Documents:
{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}
Recycle Bin:
{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Default IE Icon:
{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}
enter unique names instead of their default names.
Hide Icons on the Desktop
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/Advanced
Double-click on HideIcons and enter the number 1 in Value Data.
Clearing All Icons on the Desktop
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Policies/Explorer
Create a new DWORD Value and name it NoDesktop.
Double-click on NoDesktop and enter the number 1 in Value Data.
Make Desktop More Stable
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer
Create a new DWORD Value and name it DesktopProcess.
Double-click DesktopProcess and enter 1 in Value Data.
Clearing the Program List in the Run Menu
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/RunMRU
In the right window, you will see a row of software (marked alphabetically a, b, c, d, and so on).
To delete it, simply select any (or all) of the program names and press the Del key.
If a confirmation window for data deletion appears, press Yes.
Cleaning Recent Documents
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Policies/Explorer
Create a new DWORD Value and name it NoRecentDocsHistory.
Double-click on NoRecentDocsHistory and enter 1 in the Value Data section.
Remove Tip Info on Folders Icon on Desktop
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/Advanced
Double-click on FolderContentsInfoTip with the number 0.
Locking the Taskbar
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/Advanced
Double-click on TaskBarSizeMove and enter 0 in Value Data.
Delete Past Items Icons on the Taskbar
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\TrayNotify
Delete IconStreams and PastIconsStream, then open Task Manager, on the Processes Tab right-click on explorer.exe and select End Process.
Click File > New Task (Run) menu and retype explorer and press OK.