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Update Notes



Written:
10-May-1998

Revised:
25-Oct-2000

Published:
29-Dec-1998
Post Database

PDB Helpdesk: TweakUI
By Thiravudh Khoman

Two questions posed to Post Database's May 12, 1999 Helpdesk (Andy Canfield on customizing desktop icons and Robert Milton on bypassing Windows' logon window) can both be addressed by the use of a free but unsupported Microsoft utility called "TweakUI".

The Windows 95 version of TweakUI is obtainable from Microsoft's website, but you need to search for it a bit. At https://www.microsoft.com, go to "Downloads", "Windows 95 Shareware and Utilities", "Windows 95", and then download the Windows 95 PowerToys Set. The Windows 98 version can be found on the Windows 98 CD under the \Tools\Reskit\Powertoy subdirectory. TweakUI is part of Windows PowerToys and only files beginning with Tweakui.* are needed. In Windows Explorer, right click on Tweakui.Inf and select "Install" to install the program.

Re: the Helpdesk queries, to remove selected default icons from the desktop, go to the Control Panel, choose "TweakUI", choose the "Desktop" tab (figure 1), check the icons you wish to display and uncheck the ones you wish to hide. Click "Apply" and you're done.

To automate the logon procedure (note: this appears only if you have some kind of networking installed, be it a local area network or dial up networking), choose TweakUI from the Control Panel, select the "Network" tab (figure 2), check the box next to "Logon automatically at system startup", and enter the name and password you wish to have auto-entered. Again, click "Apply" and you're done.

Readers who are experiencing "problems" with Windows 95/98 or who wish to make certain customizations, should check out https://www.annoyances.org. This website contains most of the text of O'Reilly's "Windows Annoyances" book and is an extremely useful resource. Coincidentally, many of the fixes addressed by the book depend on TweakUI. Personally, I have TweakUI on all of the computers I use and wouldn't install a Windows computer without it.



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Copyright © 1998-2000, Thiravudh Khoman