from march '99 computer shopper magazine....
Alfred
Poor's Tip
of the
Month
by Alfred Poor
Originally published in the March 1999 issue
Changing Identity
Let's say you've received a hand-me-down
machine, and while it's a whole lot faster than
the one you had before, there's one annoying
problem: Every time you install a new program
or check the System Properties window, the
Registered To name is not yours. It's a small
problem in the grand scheme of things, but
wouldn't it be great if there was a quick and
easy way to change it? This month's Tipster
has the answer.
Dear Alfred:
You can change the registration name in
Windows 95 by editing the Registry using
REGEDIT-- the values are found under the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersionkey.
But I've discovered an easier and safer way to
achieve the same goal, using a handy
freeware program called WinReg 95. You can find it at a number of sites. (Also
search for its archive file, WINREG10.ZIP.) It allows you to change the
registered user's name and company easily without the risk of making other
changes to the Registry by accident.
Ray Waters
via the Web
Dear Ray:
Thanks for the lead on this handy utility. It doesn't do much, but it does exactly
what it is designed to do. And the fact that it's freeware makes the price right.
There are shareware utilities that do the same thing as WinReg 95, plus a
whole lot more. You can find lots of them on the web in the Software Library on
ZDNet (hotfiles.zdnet.com). For example, RTweak from KS Software has a
modest $10 registration fee and lets you change the Windows registration
information, as well as find (and remove) programs and services that are loaded
automatically by the Registry when Windows loads. It also lets you clear
several lists of recently used files that Windows stores in the Registry.
Using these utilities is much safer than using REGEDIT, which incorporates
changes automatically and makes it too easy to make inadvertent changes.
Do you have a tip you'd like to share? Each month, we print the best
reader-submitted tip. If your tip is chosen, you will receive a Computer Shopper
Tech Tip of the Month T-shirt plus a bonus Computer Shopper disk or other
surprise premium that you can't buy anywhere.
So write it up and send it in! If you post it on ZDNet, please start the subject
with the word "Tip." Send your questions and tips to:
"Alfred Poor's Computer Cures"
Computer Shopper Editorial Dept.
One Park Ave., 11th Fl.
New York, NY 10016
computershopper.zdnet.com
:)
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