T 'n' T: Take Control of the Control Panel Get Faster Access To Favorite Settings -- Or Get Rid of Unwanted Ones Gregg Keizer
Mon 3/25/02 -- With all the options and settings Windows sports, you probably spend a ton of time monkeying around with the modules or applets in the Control Panel. I know I do.
To make this time fly by a little faster, I've come up with five tips 'n' tricks that'll help you work more efficiently with Windows' fuse box and thermostat. Put it in the taskbar? Sure, it'll save you a couple of mouse clicks. Faster access to specific applets from the Start menu? Can do.
From panel to taskbar. Want whip-fast access to the Control Panel? Put it in the Windows taskbar, so you needn't spend time clicking on the Start menu. In Windows 98, Me, and XP, right-click on a blank spot in the taskbar and pick Toolbars/New Toolbar. In the New Toolbar dialog, browse the Explorer-like structure, locate and select Control Panel, and click OK.
A new toolbar, titled Control Panel, appears in the taskbar. (You'll probably want to shrink this toolbar by dragging its left-edge border to the right.) To select a specific applet, click on the small chevron arrows and pick from the drop-down menu, or click the appropriate applet button. To delete this custom toolbar, right-click it and pick Close Toolbar.
Put it in My Computer. Windows XP's new My Computer design -- by default, the View's set to Tiles -- may be a breeze for you, but I want more. Like, for instance, an icon for the Control Panel. No problemo: Use Start/Settings/Control Panel, pick Folder Options, and click on the View tab. Under "Advanced settings:", check the box "Show Control Panel in My Computer." Click OK.
Remove unsightly applets. Control Panel crowded? You can't just delete modules with a right-click or a drag and drop. To get rid of unwanted or unused applets -- like the ones some programs, such as RealPlayer, or some peripherals, such as external Zip drives, drop into the Control Panel -- you need to fake out Windows.
Use the Find tool to locate all files with the .CPL extension. (They're typically tucked into the Windows/System or Windows/System32 folders, so if you limit your searches to those directories, you'll nab 'em.) The filenames are pretty cryptic, so it pays to open each that you've targeted for deletion before doing the dirty deed. Delete the unwanted applets -- or, to play it safe, just move them to another folder.
Re-categorize Win XP's Control Panel. Windows XP's Control Panel comes in two forms: the traditional Classic, and the flashy new Category layout. Personally, I hate the latter, and switched to Classic (if you agree, just click the "Switch to Classic View" link that appears in the upper left the first time you open the Control Panel).
But if you like the Category view, you may still hate some things about it, such as the way the applets are organized. My favorite Microsoft mess-up: It put the Phone and Modem Options applet under Printers and Other Hardware, not the Network and Internet Connections category where it belongs.
You need to edit the Registry to make these changes, so if you're not comfortable doing so, skip this tip. Still game? Alrighty, open the Registry by choosing Start/Run and typing REGEDIT.EXE in the box. Click OK. Find this key:
You change an applet's DWORD value to shift it to a new category. Double-click the key corresponding to the applet (you may need to search for files with the .CPL extension and open each to determine which is which; see "Remove unsightly applets" above). Then enter one of the following:
0 Other Control Panel Options 1 Appearance and Themes 2 Printers and Other Hardware 3 Network and Internet Connections 4 Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices 5 Performance and Maintenance 6 Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options 7 Accessibility Options
To change the Phone and Modem Options applet so it appears in the Network and Internet Connections category, you would alter its key to read:
by replacing the default 2 in the "Value data" field with a 3. Close the Registry Editor and you're set.
Create a cascading Control Panel menu. Windows XP and Windows Me make it easy to create a cascading Control Panel menu, one that shows all the applets in a drop-down menu when you select Start/Settings/Control Panel.
In Windows XP, right-click the Start button, pick Properties, then click the Customize button beside either "Start menu" or "Classic Start menu." When modifying the former, click the Advanced tab, then in the "Start menu items" section under Control Panel, check "Display as a menu." Click OK. To create cascading menus in the Classic Start menu, check the "Expand Control Panel" box under "Advanced Start menu options." Click OK.
In Windows Me, right-click an empty spot on the taskbar and pick Properties. Click the Advanced tab; under the "Start menu and Taskbar" section at the bottom of the dialog, check the "Expand Control Panel" box. Click OK.
Windows 95 and 98, however, don't include this nifty option. To create a cascading Control Panel menu in those operating systems, right-click the Start button and pick Explore. In the right-hand window, right-click and select New/Folder. Finally, name the folder as:
Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
You can use any name instead of "Control Panel," but everything after the dot must be exactly as shown.
