Hiding Control Panel Setting Pages

It is possible to hide specific settings pages from within the Control Panel. Sometimes, such a features cannot only be a great security features, but can also restrict user's movements to a great security features, but can also restrict a user's movement to great extent. this hidden windows feature can be made active by simply following the steps below.

1. Open regedit.exe.file
2. Search  for HKEY_CURRENT-USER\ControlPanel\don't load
3. For each Control Panel settings pages that you wish to hide, create a new string entry whose name is the as the settings page's corresponding .cpl filename. Please refer to the table in the previous example for complete filename list.
4. Set the data value of the string entry to No to hide the control panel setting page and to Yes to display it
5. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the changes to be applied.   

For all Windows Version
Note: We will update day by day in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully. 

Security Checklist

1. Checklist for choosing a strong password

• Your password should not be a word that appears in the dictionary(to prevent dictionary based attacks).
• Your password should not be blank or same as user name.
• Your password should be a combination of alphabets, numbers and special characters. Ideally, one should try and use both lowercase and uppercase characters.
• Your password should not be your name followed by your birth date. For example, one should not have password like ankit2405.
• Your passwords should not be repeated.
• Your password MUST be changed regularly.
• Yours password should not be written on a post-it note or a piece of paper stuck on your monitor or behind your cpu.
• You should not use the same password at multiple places.
• Your password should not be that random that even you forget it yourself.

2. Checklist for securing a home computer(basic)

• Run Windows Update at least once a week to patch your system against the latest vulnerabilities, loopholes and exploits.
• Use a strong password (Refer to earlier checklist).
• Install some good anti virus software and update its virus definition files at least once a week to ward off the latest viruses, worm and trojan.
• Install a basic firewall (like Zonealaram, BlackIce or your favorite antivirus software's inbulit firewall) on your system. This shall keep you notified of any live attacks, malicious, data or probes.
• Try to connect to the internet only after connecting to a proxy server.
• Install a Anti-spyware tool on your computer which will detect and removed any spyware tools on yours computer.

Disabling the cancel button in the password prompt

Almost all Windows system have an option of enabling multiple users on the same system and using the username - password  pair to authenticate the identity of specific users. Unfortunately, on older versions of windows, a user can easily bypass the logon password prompt by simply clicking on the cancel button. Hence, many system administrators have started forcing users to logon by implementing a small registry tweak 

1. Open regedit.exe.file

2. Search for HKEY_USERS\DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

3. Create a new string entry named NoLogon and set its data value to:

     RUNDLL32 shell32,SHExitWindowsEx 0 

4. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the changes to be applied.  
 

For Windows 98,95 and ME
Note: We will update day by day in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

Blocking Windows Hotkeys

It is possible to prevent users from using the windows shortcut hotkeys like ALT + TAB and other by simply following steps below

1. open regedit.exe.file
2. Scroll down to or create the following registry key   

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

3. Create a new DWORD value named NoWinKeys  within the above registry key and set its data

    value to '1' to disable the windows hotkey, and '0' to enable it.

4. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the changes to be applied.  

For all Windows Version

Note: We will update day by day in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

Allowing Quick Reboot

It is possible to allow user to use the quick reboot function to start windows again without completely shutting it down. This quick reboot option can be enabled with the help of the following registry tweak.

1. open regedit.exe.file
2. Search for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
3. Create a new string entry called EnableQuickReboot and set its data value to '1' to enable the quick
    reboot option and to '0' to disable it   
4. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the changes to be applied.  
For Windows 2000 and NT
Note: We will update day by day in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

Disabling the Change Password Option

It is possible to disable the change password option on the security page by simply executing the following registry tweak

1. open regedit.exe.file
2. Search for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
3. Create a new DWORD entry named DisableChangePassword and set its data value to '0' to disable
    the change password option and to '1' to enable it again.
4. Similarly, it is also possible to create another DWORD entry named DisableLockWorkstation that
    can be used to prevent user from locking machines accidentally or intantionally
5. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the changes to be applied.  

For Windows 2000,NT ,ME and XP
Note: We will update day by day in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

Disabling the Windows Screensaver

It is possible to completely disable the windows screen saver from running by simply following this undermentioned steps

1. open regedit.exe.file
2. Search for HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\ControlPanel\Desktop
3. Within the above register Key, Create a new DWORD value named ScreenSaveActive and set its value to '0' to block the screensaver.
4. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the change to be applied.

For all Windows Version
Note: We will update day by day in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

Requiring CTRL + ALT + DEL to be Pressed Before Login

 It is possible to force users to press the CTRL + ALT + DEL keys before the login authentication process begins on a windows system. This additional security feature can be enabled by following th undermentioned steps 

1. Open regedit.exe.file

2. Search for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

3. Create a new DWORD entry called DisableCAD and modify its data value to '0' to requrie 

    CTRL+ALT+DEL keys to be pressed and to '1' to disable this feature.

4.Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the changes to be applied

For Windows 2000 and XP
Note: We will update day by day  in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

Allow Shut Down From The Password Prompt

It is Possible to allow user to shutdown the system at the password prompt dialog box by simply executing the following registry tweaks.

1. open regedit.exe.file
2. Search for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
3.Create a new DWORD entry called ShutdownWithoutLogon and change its data value to '1' to allow
user to shut down from the login prompt itself.
4. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the changes to be applied. The next
time you boot the system, a shutdown button shall be displayed along with the regular details

For Windows 2000,NT and XP
Note: We will update day by day in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

Windows Ethical Hacking

Protecting User Privacy at Logon Prompts:

   Normally, at the time of logging into a windows system, it is possible to find out inforation on the last user since his/her details are stored in the cache memory. It is always a good security and privacy to prevent this information from being displayed by executing the following registry tweak

1. Run -> regedit
2. a. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSFT\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
        (For windows 2000 or XP).
    b. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Network\Logon (For windows 95,98 or ME).
    c. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSFT\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

3. Create a new DWORD value (within the above registry key) called DontDisplayLastUserName and set its

    value to '1' to prevent the last username from displaying and to '0' to implement the default settings

4. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the change to be applied.

Improving Password Security Setting:

    The biggest security loophole plaguing system across the world in the tendency of user to choose a poor password. Hence a number of system administrator prefer to force user to use a strong password through a small but effective registry tweak. 

1. Open the regedit.exe file
2. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network
    (For Specific Users Only)
                                                 OR
   HKEY_CURRENT_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network
   (For the Entire Machine)

3. Create a new DWORD value (within the above registry key ) called AlphanumPeds and set its value to '1',

    to allow only alphanumeric password and to '0' to disable this feature. By default, windows accepts any 

    kind of password. However, once this option has been enabled, the windows shall accept only 

    alphanumeric password.

4. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the change to be applied.

 Note: We will update day by day  in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

PC tips

Delete the file from the following folder to improve the performance in your system

1. start-> run -> prefetch
[it contain the data buffer employed on modern DRAM chips that allows quick and easy access to multiple datawords located on a common physical row in the memory. ]

2. start-> run -> %temp%

3. start -> run -> temp

Other tips

4. start -> run -> gpedit[used to restrict certain actions that may pose potential security risks]

5. start -> run -> services.msc[used to service in windows]

6. start -> run -> dxdiag[used to access directx diagnostic tool]

Only in windows