Tweaks and Repairs

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Page One ...back it up before you break it!

...select an «Item number» to view a topic, «Title number» to return.
«Item 1» What Is the Meaning Of the Windows NT/2000 Registry Data Types?
«Item 2» Lock Desktop Shortcuts In place and Taskbar Size/Position
«Item 3» Make Add/Remove Programs Display 'optional' Components
«Item 4» Stop Regedit From Opening To Previous Location
«Item 5» Tweak the Internal Comm Rate Between Modem and Computer
«Item 6» Change System Font
«Item 7» Replace the Generic DLL Icon In Explorer
«Item 8» Remove Items From the Windows 2000 Start Menu
«Item 9» Print Spooler File Location
«Item 10» Disable Creation Of A DOS Compatible 8.3 Filename For Every File
«Item 11» Disable the Automatic Updating Of File Access Time
«Item 12» Backup And Restore Internet Explorer Security Zone Settings
«Item 13» Turn Off Indexing Service
«Item 14» Close Port 135 By Disabling DCOM In Dcomcnfg.exe
«Item 15» Close Port 445 TCP/UDP By Disabling NetBT In Device Manager
«Item 16» Disable/Enable the System File Check (SFC) Feature
«Item 17» Disable Paging Of Core Files and Speed Up Performance
«Item 18» Replace Locked Files Using INUSE.EXE
«Item 19» Control Conversion of Filenames and Folders to Lowercase
«Item 20» Disable the Keyboard Windows Key
«Item 21» Determine the Charge Level On A Laptop"s Battery When Using AC Power
«Item 22» Windows Cascading Menus
«Item 23» System File Checker Switches
«Item 24» An Easier Way To Create a New Folder
«Item 25» What Is "Svchost.exe" And Why Are More Than One Shown In Task Manager?
«Item 26» Verbose Boot, Shutdown, Logon, and Logoff
«Item 27» What Are the Supported Dual-Boot Configurations?
«Item 28» How Do I Use the "Show Desktop" Feature?
«Item 29» Re-create the "Show Desktop" Icon On the Quick Launch Toolbar
«Item 30» Where Are the Quick Launch Shortcuts Located?

«1» What is the meaning of the Windows NT/2000 Registry Data Types?

The Windows NT/ 2000 Registry Data Types are defined as follows:

REG_BINARY Raw binary data. Most hardware component information is stored as binary data. It can be displayed in Regedt32 as hexadecimal or binary.
REG_DWORD A 4 byte (32 bit) number. It can be displayed in Regedt32 as binary, hexadecimal, or decimal.
REG_EXPAND_SZ A text string that contains an environment variable that is replaced when retrieved.
E.g.: %SystemRoot%\Notepad.exe might be replaced with C:\WinNT\Notepad.exe.
REG_MULTI_SZ A list of multiple string entries, usually separated by nulls. The Multi_String Editor display each string on a separate line.
REG_SZ A text string.
[ For updated information on this subject, please see: Item 224 - Data Types in the Windows 2000 Registry ]

«2» Lock Desktop Shortcuts in place and Taskbar size/position

This Registry entry will prevent you from permanently repositioning desktop shortcuts and from adjusting the size and/or position of the Taskbar.

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Add or change the Value name: "NoSaveSettings", Data Type: REG_DWORD, to 1.

«3» Make Add/Remove Programs display 'optional' components

The following items are optional, even though they are installed by default:

Games
Accessories (Calculator, Clock, etc. ..)
Multimedia
Accessibility options

Add/Remove Programs does NOT display these items. To display them:

1. Use Notepad to edit the file: %SystemRoot%\inf\Sysoc.inf.
2. Find the old base components line.
3. Remove HIDE from the AccessUtil= line, leaving ,, intact.
4. For each item you wish to appear, remove HIDE from its line.
5. Save the changes and exit Notepad.
6. Open Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.
7. Press the Add/Remove Windows Components button.
8. Select the Accessories and Utilities item. You can uncheck it or press the Details button to uninstall selected items.

«4» Stop Regedit From Opening to Previous Location

By default, whenever you start Regedit, it starts in the previous location. To turn off this feature:

1. Start Regedt32 (not Regedit) and go to:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Regedit

2. Clear the entry in the "LastKey".
3. Highlight the Regedit key.
4. From the menu select Security / Permissions.
5. Deny Full Control to the currently logged in user.

«5» Tweak the Internal Comm Rate Between Modem and Computer

Access the following Registry key:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Ports

Change the Value name: "COM3" from: 9600,n,8,1 to: 921600,n,8,1

«6» Change System Font

The default Windows 2000 shell font (for Windows Explorer) is Tahoma, and the default system font (for System Properties, Device Manager, etc.) is MS Sans Serif. If you're bored with the defaults, the only way to change them is to alter the Registry. Open Regedit and go to:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes

Edit the "MS Shell Dlg" string value [REG_SZ] in the right hand pane, and modify its "Microsoft Sans Serif" default value to match any other font name installed on your system (e.g., Tahoma). Then close Regedit and restart your computer for the change to take effect.

«7» Replace the Generic DLL icon in Explorer

When you browse a folder in Windows Explorer, all. DLL files are displayed with a generic icon. To cause explorer to use an icon embedded in the. DLL files, if there is one, use Regedt32 to navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\dllfile\DefaultIcon

Change the value of the <Default> string, a type REG_EXPAND_SZ, from:
"%SystemRoot%\System32\shell32.dll,-154" to "%1"

«8» Remove Items From the Windows 2000 Start Menu

Start Menu restrictions can be implemented by editing the following Explorer values in the Registry (all values default to 0). Use Regedit to navigate to:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Add or modify the following Value name(s):

"NoSMHelp", Data Type: REG_DWORD, Value: 1 to remove the HELP Command.
"NoSMMYDocs", Data Type: REG_DWORD, Value: 1 to remove My Documents.
"NoRecentDocsMenu", Data Type: REG_DWORD, Value: 1 to remove the Documents Menu.
"NoFavoritesMenu", Data Type: REG_DWORD, Value: 1 to remove the Favorites Folder.
"NoLogoff", Data Type: REG_DWORD, Value: 1 to remove the Logoff button.
"NoClose", Data Type: REG_DWORD, Value: 1 to remove the Shutdown button. This does not disable shutdown from CTRL+ALT+DEL.
"NoSetFolders", Data Type: REG_DWORD, Value: 1 to hide Control Panel, Printers and My Computer in Explorer and on the Start Menu.
"NoRun", Data Type: REG_DWORD, Value: 1 to remove the Run Command.
"NoFind", Data Type: REG_DWORD, Value: 1 to remove the Find Command.
Log off and log on for the setting(s) to take effect.

«9» Print Spooler File Location

Move the location the printer spooler uses off of the Windows 2000 System drive. This will decrease the utilization of the System drive. NOTE: Be sure the drive you move the spooler to has sufficient disk space to handle all printing requests of all clients on the network.

1. Click Start.
2. Click Control Panel.
3. Click Printers.
4. Click File.
5. Click Server Properties.
6. Click the Advanced Tab.
7. Type the name of the new directory in the spool folder dialog box.
8. Click OK.

«10» Disable creation of a DOS compatible 8.3 filename for every file

Increases the speed of write operations because an additional filename does not have to be generated. Of course this only works for NTFS drives. To do this edit this registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem

Set the Value name: "NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation" to 1.
NOTE that the original version of Windows 95 without SP1 will not be able to access these files.

Extra Info: 210638.

«11» Disable the automatic updating of File Access Time

Increase the speed of each disk operation by avoiding the updating of access time on each file reference. Of course this only works for NTFS drives. To do this edit this registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem

Set the Value name: "NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate" to 1.

Extra Info: 185590.

«12» Backup And Restore Internet Explorer Security Zone Settings

To backup the Zone information, use Regedit to Export:

HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones

To save specific security settings, Export:

HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap

To restore, double-click the .REG file(s).

«13» Turn off Indexing Service

Indexing Service creates indexes of the contents and properties of documents on local and network drives. It's quite similar to "Find Fast" that ships with Microsoft Office. Indexing Service runs continuously. Turning this off may increase performance. Go to: My Computer> right click on a Drive icon> select Properties. Remove the check mark from "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching". Click Apply. Be sure to select "Apply changes to <driveletter>:\, subfolders and files" before clicking OK in the new window.

«14» Close port 135 by disabling DCOM in Dcomcnfg.exe

Click on Start> Run> and enter: C:\WinNT\System32\Dcomcnfg.exe, then click on the Applications tab. Many programs "support" Distributed Communication (DCOM) but hardly ever use it. This includes such programs as Windows Media and Wordpad, which are designed to be used across a network. As you scan this tab, look for third-party applications that might actually require network support, as opposed to those that simply support it. To determine if these programs really require DCOM, you must disable it, run those programs, and see what happens. NOTE that it is probably only necessary to look at third-party programs here; Microsoft programs designed to run on a non-networked, stand-a-lone computer (Office, etc.) are usually written to support but not require DCOM. To disable DCOM, go to the Default Properties tab and uncheck the box labeled "Enable Distributed COM on this computer".

Reboot, and try running the third-party programs NOTEd as above. Chances are good that everything will still run correctly. If not, go back and enable DCOM again. As you re-enable it, also go to the Default Protocols tab and remove all protocols except "Connection-oriented TCP/IP". This won't make your system much safer, but it will reduce the number of connection methods you have to keep an eye on.

If you do not have to re-enable DCOM again, then on the Default Protocols tab remove all protocols. You won't need them, and that should stop the OS from listening on Port 135 (unless you have other programs that are forcing it open; see, for example: Item 203 - Task Scheduler).

«15» Close port 445 TCP/UDP by disabling NetBT in Device Manager

Steps in Windows 2000 Professional, SP2:

1. Open Computer Management
2. Click on Device Manager
3. Select View: Show Hidden Devices
4. Click on Non-Plug and Play Drivers
5. Open Properties for NetBIOS over TCP/IP
6. Click on Disable
7. Reboot per prompt

You will get an event in Event ID entry if you do not also disable the TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service service. You can Disable this service in Administrative Tools> Services if desired.

NOTE: This tweak will prevent the DHCP Client service from running properly. Most Cable ISPs require the use of DHCP. If your ISP requires DHCP, you will NOT be able to use this tweak. Please see below.

Alternate Procedures

The following comments and opinions have been expressed regarding this procedure:

"Rather than deleting anything, simply "rename" the "TransportBindName" by highlighting it and hitting F2. Then press "end" to cancel the selection and append an "X" to the end. Then press return. .. and reboot. By renaming the key it's easy to return it to its previous name (just remove the superfluous 'X') if any negative side effects later surface."

The Registry tweak that bones researched and then reported here is more flexible because the NetBT driver is allowed to run (and therefore allows the dependent services to run), but it never opens port 445 (either TCP or UDP)."

Addendum - 10/26/2001

There was a great deal of discussion and disagreement in the GRC newsgroups regarding the previous two procedures. I have done some research on my own and part of that follows here. Also included are some of the test results experienced by "CZ", as well as information posted by "Bloated Elvis".

A Microsoft article titled: Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS): Architecture and Capacity Planning, posted September 16, 1998, contains: Appendix B: NetBT (NetBIOS over TCP) Configuration Parameters, which states in part:
{Begin Quote}

Non-Configurable Parameters

The following parameters are created and used internally by the NetBT components. They should never be modified using the Registry Editor. They are listed here for reference only.

TransportBindName

Key: Netbt\Parameters
Value Type: REG_SZ - Character string
Valid Range: N/A
Default: \Device\
Description: This parameter is used internally during product development. The default value should not be changed.
{End Quote}
NOTE that Microsoft stated at the time that the TransportBindName parameter "default value should not be changed".
Another relevant Microsoft document: MS Windows 2000 TCP/IP Implementation Details

Operating System

A White Paper by Dave MacDonald and Warren Barkley provides us with this information in:
Appendix B: NetBIOS over TCP Configuration Parameters
{Begin Quote}
All of the NetBT parameters are registry values located under one of two different subkeys of:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SYSTEM \CurrentControlSet \Services

NetBT\Parameters

NetBT\Adapters\Interfaces\interface, in which interface refers to the subkey for a network interface to which NetBT is bound.
Values under the latter key(s) are specific to each interface. If the system is configured using DHCP, a change in parameters takes effect if you issue the command ipconfig /renew from a command prompt. Otherwise, you must reboot the system for a change in any of these parameters to take effect.

Parameters Configurable Using the Registry Editor

The following parameters are installed with default values by the NCPA during the installation of the TCP/IP components. They may be modified using the Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe). A few of the parameters are visible in the registry by default, but most must be created in order to modify the default behavior of the NetBT driver.

SMBDeviceEnabled

Key: Netbt\Parameters
Value Type: REG_DWORD—Boolean
Valid Range: 0, 1 (false, true)
Default: 1 (true)
Description: Windows 2000 supports a new network transport known as the SMB Device, which is enabled by default. This parameter can be used to disable the SMB device for troubleshooting purposes. See the "NetBT Internet/DNS Enhancements and the SMB Device" section of this paper for more details.
{End Quote}

[NOTE that Microsoft stated (at that time) that the SMBDeviceEnabled parameter "can be used to disable the SMB device...".]
[As for testing the various procedures, the following has been reported: ]

{Begin Quote}
Re: test results
Setup notes:
Win2k to Win2k via P2P networking

Base computer:
Win2k, SP2
SuperScan (aka SScan) (port scanner)
Ethereal (sniffer)

Test computer:
Win2k, SP2
Not using WINS or DNS servers
SScan receives RST ACK if a TCP port is closed

Summary of port 445 tests:

Disabling/unbinding F & P Sharing effectively closes port 445:
SScan receives RST ACK packet response.
That computer cannot share, but can connect to another computer.
Attempts to connect via Start: Search to that computer generates RST ACK packet response.
Netstat -an shows port 445 as open.

Disabling "Hidden" NetBT via DeviceMgr:
Removes both NetbiosSmb entries from net config server.
Causes netstat -an cmd to show port 445 closed.
Prevents use of DHCP dynamic IP addressing.

NetbiosSmb lines in net config server cmd:

If they exist:
netstat -an will show 445 as open

And if F & P Sharing is disabled:
TCP 445 is effectively closed.
Cannot make a network connection to that computer.

If they do not exist:
netstat -an will show 445 as closed.
TCP 445 is closed.
Cannot make a network connection to that computer.

netstat -an accuracy:
It always shows 445 as open when it is open.
It may show 445 as open when it is effectively closed.
{End Quote}

[In regard to Netstat -an, Microsoft has admitted to a display error. See Knowledge Base Article 194171.]
[And one final exchange between two GRC posters: ]

{Begin Quote}
> That computer cannot share, but can connect to another computer <====== ? It means that disabling file and print sharing does not disable the ability to connect to a remote computer that has 445 open. Setting the key SMBDeviceEnabled to false means that 445 is gone, see ya, bye bye and you cannot use it for CIFS/SMB to connect to another computer via port 445. But disabling file and print sharing means that as far as nanoprobe and everyone remote is concerned, the port is *closed*.
{End Quote}

In Conclusion - For my computer hardware/software configuration, connection type, and mode of operation, the following procedure works for me:
Disable File and Print Sharing, and set the SMBDeviceEnabled parameter to false.
You may find that this works for your system, or not. My advice is: Test, Test, Test.

«16» Disable/Enable the System File Check (SFC) Feature

Access the following Registry Key:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WinLogon

Set the Value name: "SFCDisable" to 0 (zero) to Enable, and to 'ffffff9d' to Disable. When booting with this value in the "SFCDisable" Value name, an event will be written to the system log, ID 64032 from Windows File Protection, with the description: "Windows File Protection is not active on this system".

NOTE: This procedure only works on Windows 2000 WITHOUT Service Pack 2 (SP2) installed.

To disable System File Checker AFTER installing SP2:

1. Load the file SFC.DLL into your favorite hex editor.
2. Go to offset 6211h and you should see '8B' and 'C6' at offsets 6211h and 6212h. If the two bytes are not these values DO NOT proceed.
3. Change both bytes to read '90'.
4. Save your changes.
Now the 'ffffff9d' regkey tweak will work again.

«17» Disable Paging Of Core Files and Speed Up Performance

Improve System Performance in Windows NT/2000 on systems with large amounts of RAM. This tweak can be used to force the Windows system core files to be kept in memory and not paged to disk. Open the registry and find this key:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

For the Value name: "DisablePagingExecutive" , Data Type: REG_DWORD, change the value to 1 to enable the tweak and stop the core process from being paged, or set it to 0 for the default.

«18» Replace Locked Files Using INUSE.EXE

Inuse.exe provides Windows NT/2000 the capability to replace files that are currently in use ( locked ) by the operating system. To obtain INUSE, see: 228930. SysInternals has released a freeware utility, Handle, that displays information about open handles for any process in the system. You can use it to see the programs that have a file open, or to see the object types and names of all the handles of a program.

A gotcha! involving the INUSE utility: it will not work on system files unless the %TEMP% or %TMP% environment variables point to the same drive as %SystemRoot%.

«19» Control Conversion of Filenames and Folders to Lowercase

If you type in a folder or filename using all CAPS, Windows "helpfully" pretty prints the name, changing the case to uppercase for the first letter and lowercase for the rest. If you want to turn off the pretty printing, you can use the following Windows NT/2000 Registry hack. Without it, for example, Windows converts "MYFOLDER" to "Myfolder".

Open the registry and find this key:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

Change or add the Value name: "DontPrettyPath", Data Type: REG_DWORD, Value: 1 to leave case as entered.

«20» Disable the keyboard Windows Key

To disable the keyboard Windows Key in Windows NT/2000, use Regedit to navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout

Change or add the Value name: "Scancode Map", Data Type: REG_BINARY,
Value: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 03 00 00 00 00 00 5B E0 00 00 5C E0 00 00 00 00

«21» Determine the Charge Level on a Laptop"s Battery When Using AC Power

To see the charge level of your battery(s):

1. Go to Control Panel> Power Options> Power Meter.
2. Check the "Show details for each battery" box.
3. Select the Advanced tab.
4. Check the "Always show icon on the taskbar" box.
5. Press Apply and OK.

When the computer is on a single battery, placing the cursor over the taskbar battery icon will display the state of charge. When the computer is on AC power, a power cord icon is displayed when the battery is fully charged. A power cord with a lightning bolt indicates the battery is charging. To see the charge level, double-click the power cord.

NOTE: If your Windows 2000 laptop can install 2 batteries, Windows 2000 may NOT run the low or Critical battery alarm, as set in Control Panel> Power Options > Alarms. The problem is caused by Windows 2000 improperly calculating the remaining time when 2 batteries are installed, and AC power is unplugged.

«22» Windows Cascading Menus

How fast or slow submenus appear when your mouse is over a menu, is dependent on the "MenuShowDelay" value. For faster fly-out menus, reduce the delay interval at the following Windows NT/2000 Registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

Change or add the Value name: "MenuShowDelay", Data Type: REG_DWORD, Value: 400 ms is the default.

NOTE: Setting "MenuShowDelay" too low, can actually hurt performance if Windows is using too many cycles creating and destroying undesired menus. This is a personal preference item. Experiment to see what value works best for you.

«23» System File Checker Switches

You can use the System File Checker, SFC.exe, to scan all protected files to verify their version and to check and repopulate the Dllcache folder. SFC supports the following switches:

/Scannow - Scans all protected systems files immediately
/Scanonce - Scans all protected system files once, at the next restart
/Scanboot - Scans all protected system files every time you start your computer
/Cancel - Cancels all pending scans of protected system files
/Quiet - Replaces all incorrect file versions without prompting the user
/Enable - Enables Windows File Protection for normal operation
/Purgecache - Purges the file cache and scans all protected system files
/Cachesize=n - Sets the file cache size

«24» An Easier Way To Create a New Folder

When you select a folder object in Windows Explorer to create a new sub-directory, you must move the mouse to File/New/Folder or key-in ALT+FWF to create a new folder. Wouldn't it be nice to just right click and choose "NewFolder"? While there might be a real way to do this, here is a method that works:

1. In Windows Explorer select: Tools > | Folder Options > | File Types
2. Scroll to Folder and select it
3. Press Advanced and then New
4. Type NewFolder in "Action:"
5. In "Application used to perform action:....", type:
c:\winnt\system32\cmd.exe /c MD """%1\NewFolder"""
6. OK out of the dialogue
Now when you select a folder object and right-click, you can choose NewFolder. A sub-directory named NewFolder is created which you can rename.

«25» What Is "Svchost.exe" And Why Are More Than One Shown In Task Manager?

%SystemRoot%\System32\Svchost.exe is a generic process name for service groupings that run from DLLs. When you start your Windows 2000 computer, it checks the registry at:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Svchost

for each Value Name. How many Value Names you have, depend upon whether you are running W2K Pro or one of the Servers, and what is installed. Multiple groups allow better control and debugging. If you look at:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\ <Service Key> \Parameters

you will see that only services with a populated ServiceDll value name have an entry in a Svchost Value Name. This is a type REG_MULTI_SZ data type, so you should use Regedt32 to view it. Click in the MULTI-STRING Editor to deselect the entries, or you may destroy them while looking.

For additional information see: 250320.

«26» Enable Verbose Event Messages

To turn on verbose boot, shutdown, logon, and logoff error messages in Windows 2000, start Regedit and navigate to:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system

Add or modify the Value Name: "VerboseStatus", Data Type: REG_DWORD, Value: 1 (default = 0)

You can avoid modifying the Registry by using a group policy setting:

Open a policy in Group Policy Editor.
Expand Computer Configuration, Administrative Tools, System.
Double-click Verbose vs. normal status messages.
Set option to Enabled or Disabled.
Click OK.
Close GPE.

«27» What Are the Supported Dual-Boot Configurations?

The supported dual-boot configurations are (Personal Operating System and Professional OS):

Windows Me and Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0
Windows 98 SE and Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0
Windows 98 and Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0
Windows 95 OEM and Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0
Windows 95 and Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0

Microsoft does NOT support dual-booting between multiple personal operating systems.
Microsoft does NOT support triple-booting Windows NT, Windows 2000, and a personal operating system.
Multiple operating systems on the same partition are NOT supported.
Microsoft recommends that you install the personal operating system first.
The C: partition must use a file system that each operating system can boot from.

«28» How Do I Use the "Show Desktop" Feature?

The Show Desktop feature minimizes or restores all your open programs and makes it easy to view your desktop. When you press the Show Desktop icon on the "Quick Launch" toolbar, Windows 2000 toggles between minimizing all open programs or restoring all minimized programs.

NOTE 1: If you are running in full-screen mode, first press the Windows key or CTRL+ESC.
NOTE 2: You can Press the Windows Key + D to toggle Show Desktop.
NOTE 3: Programs may be restored in reverse order.
NOTE 4: If your Show Desktop icon is missing, see the following tip.

«29» Re-create the "Show Desktop" Icon On the Quick Launch Toolbar

If you lost your Show Desktop icon, you can re-create it using Notepad.

Open Notepad and copy the following text:

[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop

Save the file as "Show Desktop.scf", in the:

%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch folder.
The location of the Quick Launch shortcuts is discussed in the following tip.

«30» Where Are the Quick Launch Shortcuts Located?

You can manually manage the Quick Launch toolbar by adding or removing shortcut icons at:

%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

To find this location in your system, type: set UserProfile at a CMD prompt. It will return:

USERPROFILE=C:\Documents and Settings\ <UserName>

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~ Includes previous work and rights from Ted Quantrill's Tip Quarry ~

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