Ever Learner

Over the years, we’ve written about loads of ways to disable features, tweak things that don’t work the way you want, and remove other things entirely. Here’s the list of the 50 best ways to do just that.
Just in case you missed some of our recent roundup articles, here’s a couple of roundups of our very best articles for you to check out:

If you’ve already been through those, keep reading for how to disable loads of Windows features you might not want.

Disable Context Menu Items

After you start installing a bunch of software, you’ll notice your context menu starts filling up with more and more items, becoming bloated, slow, and even more annoying—it starts taking up the whole screen. Here’s how to get rid of some of those items and trim it back down to size.

You’ll probably notice that the first article is an in-depth guide to help you get rid of just about any item, whereas the rest are more specific for some of the more annoying items.

How to Disable Caps Lock Key in Windows 7 or Vista

The caps lock key is one of those remnants of another age of computers, back when people used to shout at each other more often. Unless you’re in the accounting department, it’s probably not very useful, so today we’ll learn how to disable it.
How to Disable Caps Lock Key in Windows 7 or Vista

Disabling Irritating Dialogs and Popups

There’s nothing more annoying than being in the middle of working on something when the Windows Update dialog pops up and tells you to reboot right that instant, but thankfully you can disable that, and many other dialogs and popups in Windows.

You’ll probably not want to take the drastic step of disabling all notification balloons, but it’s an option.

Disabling Icons You Might Not Want

Here’s a quick list of all the icon-related articles we have that cover how to disable this or that in regards to icons. You might know how to get rid of the Recycle Bin icon, but we’ve got other things covered too—like hiding drives from your computer, or hiding desktop icon text entirely.

Yes, we included how to disable the system tray, which is probably not something you should do. Learning is fun.

Disabling Windows Aero and Such

If you’re not a fan of all the beautiful new Aero features in Windows 7, you can get rid of them, or maybe you want to get rid of the built-in shortcut keys, or just tweak the Aero Peek delay. Here’s how to do it.

Does anybody really use Mobility Center?

Disabling Built-In Services and Features

Want to get rid of User Account Control dialogs? What about Libraries, Homegroups, or Windows Defender? Here’s how to disable or delete many of the built-in services, should you want to do so.

You should read the disclaimers carefully before you start disabling built-in services, and you definitely shouldn’t delete power plans or services unless you’re really sure what you’re doing.

Settings You Can Tweak to Disable Behavior

Sometimes you don’t want to disable something entirely, you just want to disable the way it behaves, like Windows Update hijacking the Sleep button when you don’t want it to. Here’s how to change some of the way things work by default.

Those Windows Explorer click sound are really annoying.

Disable Your Entire Computer (and Delete All Data)

You’re probably asking yourself why we included this one in the roundup. Why? Because this is the ultimate way to disable something you don’t want—if you’re going to be selling your PC or giving it away, you probably don’t want anybody getting to your data. Here’s how to wipe your drive entirely.
Wipe, Delete, and Securely Destroy Your Hard Drive’s Data the Easy Way

Source: :http://www.howtogeek.com

Enjoy!!!

For the average user, there aren’t many differences among the multiple versions of Windows 7 until you get to the server and other enterprise level versions of the operating system. Consequently, some options that are just fine for home use end up enabled in versions intended for use in work environments.
One such case has to do with whether just anyone can shut down a PC running Windows 7 even if that person isn’t logged in to the system. If you log off your Windows 7 account, you will notice that by default, there is a button to shut down the system in the lower right hand corner of the login screen. There is a setting in all versions of Windows 7 to remove that button forcing a person to login before he/she can shut the system down.

Why Restrict Shut Downs to Logged in Users?

It may seem like a trivial matter to prevent someone from shutting down a PC from the Windows 7 login screen, but consider this: Some computers such as those in a kiosk, public café, or work environment need to have certain aspects disabled to avoid negatively affecting other people who need the PC.
Of course, anyone with physical access to a computer can just push the button on the front and shut the computer down. However, not everyone has physical access to a computer; some people connect to a computer remotely. If they are in the habit of shutting down a computer when they are finished with it, they deny anyone else access to the PC until it is started up again.
Most administrators deny users the ability to shut down a networked PC. By removing the ability to shut down a Windows 7 computer from the login screen, you further prevent frustration on the part of other users who need the computer if someone were to accidently or purposely shut down a multi-user computer.

How to Remove the Shut Down Button on the Login Screen

To remove the Windows 7 shut down button on the login screen you must edit a local policy setting. Begin by logging into Windows 7 with an account that has administrative privileges. Then, click on Start>All Programs>Administrative Tools>Local Security Policy.

Click on Local Security Policy in Windows 7 Administrative Tools

You should now be looking at the Local Security Policy window. In the left hand pane, locate and click on the folder titled Local Policies and then click on the folder titled Security Options.

Click on Local Policies and then Security Options

In the right hand pane, locate a security policy titled Shutdown: Allow System To Be Shut Down Without Having To Log In. Right click on this option and select Properties.

You’ll notice that this option is Enabled by default. Click on the Disabled option and then click the OK button. Close the Local Security Policy window and you are done.

To test if the option has taken effect, log out of your account and notice that the log off button no longer appears on the login screen.
Although a trivial matter where people have physical access to a PC, you can prevent just anyone from shutting down a Windows 7 computer. In this way, only people who can log in to the operating system and have the right to shut down the system can do so.
In networked and public computer environments, administrators typically disallow anonymous shut downs to avoid user frustration and lost work hours.

Enjoy!!!

Ever Learner

Saturday, January 15, 2011

The 50 Best Ways to Disable Built-in Windows Features You Don’t Want