411 on Registry Tweaks

You might already know that your Internet Explorer’s cache temporarily stores files from website you visit — like images and graphics — so that websites load faster and you can surf the net more quickly. Which is convenient, but storing all these files can slow down your computer, and also leave a trail of the sites you’ve been visiting. Instead of having to remember to clear your cache to delete any temporary files Internet Explorer has saved, you can tweak your registry every time you quit Internet Explorer the browser automatically deletes the temporary files.

Learn how to edit your registry to Delete Temporary Files When Quitting Internet Explorer

You may have noticed that your web browser stores the history of URLs you’ve visited, along with which files you’ve downloaded. But did you know that your computer tracks this as well, using its Download Accelerator Plus — or “DAP”– to retreive files you’ve already downloaded from websites? While DAP increases the speed of your web browsing, your system’s Download Accelerator Plus can put your privacy — and therefore — security at risk. You can edit your registry to and clear your DAP’s history, increasing your privacy and computer’s security.

Learn how to edit your registry to Delete the Download Accelerator Plus History

If you share your computer, you may prefer that your Windows Media Player doesn’t show the names of which files it’s recently played. You can edit your registry so that the most recently played files’ names aren’t listed or stored in your Windows Media Player. (This registry tweak works for Windows Media Player version 8.0+)

Learn how to edit your registry to Hide Recently Played in Windows Media Player

When you launch network drives, your Explorer window automatically opens as a single-pane window; this does not include the Folders menu that can be opened on the left-hand side. Because the Folders menu can help you arrange and organize your information easily, you may want to edit your registry to create a double-pane window in a few simple steps.

Learn how to edit your registry to Open Double-Pane Explorer Window for Network Drives

Typically, your Windows-based computer will automatically launch Microsoft’s mail client Outlook as a default when you click a link to an email address on a website. Edit your registry, though, and you can change your default mail client from Outlook to whatever mail client you prefer to use.

Learn how to edit your registry to Change Your Default Mail Client

When you’re using Microsoft Outlook, you’ll find that your Personal Folders (.pst) and Offline folders (.ost) are saved in an Outlook folder (%userprofile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook). You can edit your registry so that your offline folders for Outlook are stored where ever you prefer.

Learn how to edit your registry to Change the Location of Outlook’s .pst and .ost Folders