T 'n' T: How'd They Do That? Windows Customizations Worth Copying Gregg Keizer
Mon 5/27/02 -- As tip-meister at WinPlanet, I'm always on the lookout for ways to duplicate cool things I've seen on others' PCs. This week's five-spot takes that tack, with methods -- no, not to madness, just to a more efficient, pleasing kind of Windows: replacing the brand advertising that your computer vendor's added to the operating system, stopping the darn cursor from blinking, mailing messages from the desktop, and more.
Have some wishes you'd like to come true in Windows? E-mail me with your desires, and I'll try to find a way.
Mail with one click: Want a fast way to send e-mail without opening your e-mail program? Right-click on the desktop, select New, and click Shortcut. In the first field you see, type mailto: and then name the shortcut; I use "Send Mail," but whatever floats your boat. To open a blank composition window for your default e-mailer, click the shortcut. Address it and type your message; when you click Send, the message joins the queue in your mail program.
Branded! Ever wonder how the company that made your computer squeezed its own logo into the System applet of the Control Panel? More to the point, ever wish you could ditch Dell or get rid of Gateway? Simple. (To see if your copy of Windows is so branded, visit the Start menu's Settings/Control Panel/System and if necessary click on the General tab.)
Search the PC for two files: OEMINFO.INI and OEMLOGO.BMP. They're usually in the System folder (C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM in Windows 9x,; C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 on Windows XP).
Open OEMINFO.INI with Notepad and edit it to fit your tastes. If it doesn't exist, enter the following text in Notepad:
[General] Manufacturer=YOUR TEXT HERE Model=YOUR TEXT HERE
[Support Information] line1=YOUR TEXT HERE line2=YOUR TEXT HERE line3=YOUR TEXT HERE line4=YOUR TEXT HERE
(Naturally, replace YOUR TEXT HERE with your own text.) Save the file to the System folder as OEMINFO.INI (not with a TXT extension).
OEMLOGO.BMP is a bitmap (Windows Paint) image -- no larger than 114 pixels wide by 180 pixels high -- that's automatically plopped into the dialog if it's in the System folder. I use a small pic of myself (narcissist that I am); use your imagination.
Blink, blink, blink: Blinking cursor driving you batty? You can stop it for good in Windows XP by choosing Settings/Control Panel/Keyboard from the Start menu, then under "Cursor blink rate," dragging the slider to the far right or "None" position. Click OK.
In Windows 95/98/Me, you'll have to delve into the Registry. Select Run from the Start menu, enter regedit, and press Enter. Look in HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/desktop and change the CursorBlinkRate key to 0. Close the Registry Editor. After you reboot, the cursor should stand stock-still.
Buttons too big? The big honkin' close buttons in Windows XP peeve me -- they're so large they look like cartoons, and my eyes aren't that bad (not yet, anyway). To shrink those garish boxed X's, right-click anywhere on the desktop and pick Properties. Click the Appearance tab. In Windows 95/98/Me, choose "Caption buttons" under Items; in Windows XP, you'll first have to click the Advanced button on the Appearance page.) Adjust the Size until the buttons are as small or huge as you want. Click OK.
Drill down with a right-click: I'm always on the lookout for a better way to manage files in Windows, and I think I've found it. Dynamic Karma's Power Drawers, a $35 shareware program, makes it much easier to access files from the desktop or from Windows Explorer. It adds a series of versatile right-click menus so you can quickly get to a file even if it's embedded in a folder within a folder within a folder. You can download a trial version for free from the Power Drawers Web site, or see our sister site Hardware Central's review for more info.
