Add Vista style context menu handler under Windows XP

Windows Vista is the latest workstation version of Windows after a long delay and is designed for business and home users. First of all, we should understand the mean of Vista; We can check our dictionary or explore the encyclopedias. Vista as a beautiful view, for example, of countryside, a city, etc. In formal mean is a range of things that might happen in the future. According to name it’s really have a new look style (aero glass), with easier way to handle personalization and navigation menus.

The most interesting thing in Vista is its look, new icons, cursors, theme, sounds, login screen, boot screen, etc.
The topic cotains most of things that differ Windows XP from Windows Vista and We can change look and feel of Windows XP. Here, I m going to introduced some registry hacks that may helps to make too similar look to Windows Vista in our
existing Windows XP.

(1.) Add Delete and Rename option to Recycle Bin's Context menu[b]
Navigate registry to : [b]HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder
Change the value of Attributes to 70 01 00 20 and the value of CallForAttributes to 0





(2.) Rename Set Program Access and Defaults and Network Connections under Start Menu
By Default In Vista Set Program Access and Defaults and Network Connections are renamed as Default Programs
and Connect To respectively. In Windows XP, there is no option to rename these. Perfrom this task, follow the
steps.

Navigate registry to : HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f7-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\ShellFolder
Change the value of Attributes to 70 01 00 20 for Set Program Access and Defaults

Navigate registry to : HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{7007ACC7-3202-11D1-AAD2-00805FC1270E}\ShellFolder
Change the value of Attributes to 70 01 00 20 for Network Connections

Now U will get option to rename these.





(3.) Add Open Command Windows Here context menu under Drives and Folders with Hidden property
Windows Vista contains context menu of Open Command Windows Here but it doesn't display normally.
We can see and use this menu by clicking with Shift Key. Its not new thing, Windows 98 also contains Open With
context menu and we can see and use this as the same method as Windows vista.
Now this can be created in Windows XP as windows Vista.

If U have already created the menu, U can modify by following steps.

Navigate registry to : HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\cmd
Create a String value named as Extended and leave blank this one.

Navigate registry to : HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\cmd
Create a String value named as Extended and leave blank this one too.

here is the reg code.




(4.) Add Checkbox Show Drive Letters in Folder Option
Its really simple registry hack; Windows Vista has checkbox to hide or show drive letters under Folder Option. We can add this option under Windows XP by using this reg code. Just Copy and Paste the code in txt file and save as *.reg and patch it.





Limitation: You have to Restart/LogOff the PC OR Kill the explorer process (explorer.exe) and restart using Task Manger to take effect.

NOTE : Copy the reg code into notepad and save as .reg and patch them.
These are some registry hacks that may add some look and feel of Vista in windows XP. I m still trying to get more...
All members of forum are invited to contribute their registry hack of another tweaks that echances the WoW for Windows XP.

I hope, You like ...!

This is an excellent thread! If another mod agrees, delete my post and pin the thread. I'd sure like to keep track of this article, great work.

I'm going to comment before it is pinned...
This is an excellent guide, but how did you get the fonts like Vista? I know it is SegoeUI but I can't get the right size or something to make it like Vista.

I use Segoe UI with Message Text set to size 9, Menus to 8, and Icon to 8, and it looks right. I also found that using the new fonts on Windows 2000 is a way to get a ClearType-esque look, with ClearType seemingly impossible to add to 2000. I installed the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack on a 2000 machine, and then set Calibri as the font for menus, dialogs, icons etc, and it looks really sharp like anti-aliased fonts on XP do, while all the normal fonts (Arial etc) on 2000 are normally really horribly pixellated.

The tutorial is good, but you can find exactly the same tutorial with google in other websites: "First of all, we should understand the mean of Vista; We can check our dictionary or explore the encyclopedias. Vista as a beautiful view, for example, of countryside, a city, etc." in Google

Funny, isn't it? Isn't this a copy, or something like that?

just a min .... I want to introduce myself.
I m Ramesh from INDIA and my user name on joejoe is @neo_matrix.rs

Ok, I believe you. But the usernames were different!

Yes... in joejoe i have logged via my Indiatimes mail ID and now I wanted to make registration with my neo but could not found and then I have decide to made with similar to real name and with Yahoo ID.. simple...

Add Checkbox Show Drive Letters in Folder Option

1st post has been Updated.

i have a registry patch to change all the times new roman and other ugly fonts to segoi ui. this though would change <b>all</b> cases of the above posts to segoi anywhere, even in web pages. pm for link.