How to Turn Your Win95/98 Computer into a Hacker Box (continued)

How to Customize Desktop Icons

Would you like to change desktop icon titles? We'll use the recycle bin as an example because it's way easy!
1) Click "Start," then "Run."
2) Type in " C:\windows\regedit" (this assumes C: is your boot drive. It also assumes nobody has removed regedit.exe from your computer). Hit enter to run the regedit program.
3) You will see a list of names on the left pane of the regedit program. Click to highlight HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. (If you use a password to log onto your computer, instead you should highlight HKEY_CURRENT_USER)
4) On the task bar above, click "Edit," then "Find."
5) In the find box type in "Recycle Bin" and hit enter.
6) On the right pane you will see two headings: "Name" and "Data." Under the "Name" heading right-click on "default."
7) This brings up a screen labeled "Edit string." Type in your new name for the Recycle Bin. (I named mine "Hidden Haxor Secrets." ) 8) Close the Registry Editor and reboot your system. Voila! You now have a desk top icon for " Hidden Haxor Secrets."
9) Oh, no, snoopy sister Suzie is coming to visit! If you don't want to put up with lots of lame questions, to get rid of this graphic, just redo this procedure by searching HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (or HKEY_CURRENT_USER ) for "Hidden Haxor Secrets" (or whatever you renamed the Recycle Bin), and rename
it something like " Boring Junk."

Want to get rid of those little curved arrows on all your desktop shortcuts? Roger Prata shows us how as another example of a way to tweak the Registry so as to
change your desktop icons.
1) Click on start, then run. Type " regedit" in the run box.
2) Double click on HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. Under it scroll about halfway down until you get a folder that says " Lnkfile." Click once to highlight that folder.
3) On the right pane of the registry editor, look for a line that says " IS_Shortcut" and delete it.
4) Then scroll down further until you reach the Piffile folder. On the right side look for IS_Shortcut and delete it.

Warning: whenever you mess with the regedit program you are taking some risks. But if you are like me, you just can't resist, right? Of course there are icon editor programs, but we're hackers and that means doing things without the help of those lame proggies, right?

Aemulus has a great procedure for getting rid of the Start button - and then bringing it back if you decide you really want it:
1. Press <CTRL+<ESC
2. Press <ESC
3. Press <ALT+<SPACE
4. Press C
Now . . . to bring it back . . .
1. Press <CTRL+<ALT+<DEL
2. Select " Explorer"
3. Press <ENTER
4. Press <ESC when you see the shut down Windows screen.
5. Wait about 15-20 Seconds
6. Click on " END TASK" when an error message pops up for " Explorer.exe" .
(Usually the error message is " An error has occurred in the application..." )

More on turning your Win95/98 computer into a hacker box --->>

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