Common Registry Hacks

[arkay]

Hi all,

Just had an idea. We all use registry hacks, in some way shape or form, to make MCE behave a little better.

The annoying thing I find (given the number of rebuilds that I've done) is that you have to go hunting around the net to find them all (if you don't have them documented), and then it's a pain the $^&*@ running regedit to do it all.

So, what I would like to do it get a list of all the hacks that everyone is using and put together either a reg file that can do it all in one click, or if I get really enthusiastic I'll write a little configure app that let's you turn them on an off at will.

So, could everyone please use this thread to add the hacks that they have in place. Eventually we'll make it stick and put a link to a download that can do the hacks for us.

At the moment I'm using these:

Disable Ballon Tips:
User Key:[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
Value Name: EnableBalloonTips
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = disabled, 1 = enabled)

Record Padding
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Media Center\VideoSettings

RecordingsPostPadding
RecordingsPrePadding

When editing these registry values, you must make sure that you end process on ehRecvr.exe,ehtray.exe,ehSched.exe,ehrec.exe
and ehshell.exe

you then can change the values and they won't be overwritten. I believe that the ehSched is the culprit that is changing this value because it no longer coralates to the value in your Recordings.xml file. But you can easily change the RecordingsPostPadding to:
0x0000012c if you want 5 minutes
0x00000258 if you want 10 minutes
0x00000384 if you wanted 15 minutes.
The RecordingPrePadding is backwards; you'll need to subtract how many minutes you want to pre record from 0xFFFFFFFF (i.e. 0xFFFFFED3 would give you 5 minutes prepadding)

USB Power Key hacks
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\usb]
"USBBIOSHACKS"=dword:00000000
"USBBIOSx"=dword:00000000

Enable Guide
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Media Center\Service\EPG]
"TOSAgreed"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Media Center\Settings\ProgramGuide]
"fAgreeTOS"=dword:00000001
"fAgreeEPGPrivacy"=dword:00000001
"fGetEpgData"=dword:00000001
"fEpgDataAvailable"=dword:00000001
"fUsageTracking"=dword:00000000

Enable Autologin

You can use Registry Editor to add your log on information. To do this, follow these steps: 1.Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.2.Locate the following registry key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsN T\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
3.Using your account name and password, double-click the DefaultUserName entry, type your user name, and then click OK.4.Double-click the DefaultPassword entry, type your password under the value data box, and then click OK.

If there is no DefaultPassword value, create the value. To do this, follow these steps: a. In Registry Editor, click Edit, click New, and then click String Value.b. Type DefaultPassword as the value name, and then press ENTER.c. Double-click the newly created key, and then type your password in the Value Data box. If no DefaultPassword string is specified, Windows XP automatically changes the value of the AutoAdminLogon registry key from 1 (true) to 0 (false) to turn off the AutoAdminLogon feature.5.Double-click the AutoAdminLogon entry, type 1 in the Value Data box, and then click OK.

If there is no AutoAdminLogon entry, create the entry. To do this, follow these steps: a. In Registry Editor, click Edit, click New, and then click String Value.b. Type AutoAdminLogon as the value name, and then press ENTER.c. Double-click the newly created key, and then type 1 in the Value Data box.6.Quit Registry Editor.7.Click Start, click Restart, and then click OK. After your computer restarts and Windows XP starts, you can log on automatically.

If you want to bypass the automatic logon to log on as a different user, hold down the SHIFT key after you log off or after Windows XP restarts. Note that this procedure applies only to the first logon. To enforce this setting for future logoffs, the administrator must set the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Cu rrentVersion\Winlogon

Value:ForceAutoLogon
Type: REG_SZ
Data: 1

and I'm sure many others.

Thanks.

Cheers,
Arkay.

[impact]

Great idea for a thread, and it is so important I made it a sticky (if it was not already!)

Let me add these;

Black screen after Resume (not all reported it successful fix):
See MCE 2005 Update (patch) for black screen after standby mode

Allow concurrent access to your box - so you can remotely login from another PC without shutting down MCE and logging off that user !
See http://www.thegreenbutton.com/commun...essageID=89492


Edited by Impact: The URL was incorrect - it was truncated as per Mikes post below - now the correct URL works.

[Matt]

Impact,

I seem to get a page not found from the remote login URL provided.

I did a little poking around and stumbled across a page containing an installer for the beta Termserv.dll which allows fast user switching without all the rig-ma-roll of booting to safe mode etc..etc.

The installer can be found here.

http://www.sala.pri.ee/#termiserv

Enjoy everyone

Cheers

Matt.

[impact]

Matt - First rule of thumb broken - check ya post - sorry... I had copied it from another post, and did not realiese the text component had been truncated - all fixed now... But also a good find on your behalf for the installer!

[Matt]

you're not the first and certainly, by any stretch of the imagination, won't be the last.

I've tested the installer and it works a treat for those interested!

Cheers

Matt.

[djhampson]

How do you use these registry hacks?

I tried to paste one of them into a txt file which i renamed to a .reg file but it didn;t work.

[monster]

hi djhampson

if you hang in there i am almost ready to release a program that does it all for you it was tested by some of the team here.

just waiting on some more feedback... expect it earlier next week.

[impact]

Just found another useful (to some) registry hack...

- If you want to set up a MCE machine, but have no tuner card - maybe this is a dev machine, or a MCE machine in another room or something... Normally you cant get past the setup of MCE without a tuner card installed and configured...

Try this;
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Media Center\Settings\TVConfig]
"iVideoSource"=dword:00000002
"iBroadcastStandard"=dword:00000001
"fHasSTB"=dword:00000000
"fHasDVB"=dword:00000000
"Version"="65537"

MCE will now think a tuner card is in your machine - of course it wont let you play live tv (how could it) - but you should be able to playback videos / mp3's / online spotlight etc....

[monster]

ill add that to the MCE Registry Hacker

[SupaStar]

Originally Posted by monster

ill add that to the MCE Registry Hacker

Any plans for a release?

[Keanhi]

Hiya,

Great idea for a thread.

Mine might seem and trifle. But was an issue for me.

Once I update at Windowsupdate the system does not boot
directly into the desktop. There are some registry changes
I need to make to fix up the DefaultUser, DefaultPassword
and DefaultDomain (not sure about the domain one).

Have yet to confirm the entries 100%, but was something that
got me after the update.

Cheers,
Keanhi.

[Matt]

Keanhi,

If you don't want to play directly in the registry, try the Microsoft PowerToy named tweakUI. It gives the options via a GUI interface that you're seeking.

Cheers

Matt