Afraid To Edit Your Registry? Don’t Be..

In many tech troubleshooting articles you’ll find a way to fix a problem that involves “editing the Windows registry.” There’s always a dire warning attached, along the lines of, “Do not attempt to edit the registry unless you know what you’re doing! One wrong registry edit can render your machine unusable!” That’s true, but with a bit of caution, you can safely edit the registry. (Just beware of the hives.) Here’s what you need to know…

 
 
 

What is the Windows Registry?

It’s always good to start with a definition. I like to call the Windows registry “a hideously complex ball of string, rubber bands, duct tape and bailing wire that’s supposed to keep track of Windows system settings, your hardware configuration, user preferences, file associations, system policies, and installed software.” It was intended to be an improvement on the simple text-based INI files that stored Windows configuration settings, but apparently too many pocket protectors were involved in the design.

One advantage of the registry is that it enables each user of a machine to maintain his/her own settings; each user can have a unique theme, speaker volume setting, set of apps, and so on. But the registry can also apply settings to all users, or a group of users specified by the system administrator (e. g., “adults” and “kids”). The registry is one of the most important files on your hard drive.

It may be necessary to edit the registry to correct an error or corruption; to add a setting that is not part of the original design; or to prevent some system activity that is undesired. The registry is a very powerful tool, and if it’s used incorrectly, YES, it can wreak havoc on your system. But with a basic understanding of how it works, and some simple precautions, you need not fear.

The first rule of editing the registry is, “backup your registry!” You can make a backup of your registry by creating a System Restore point. To do so, click Start, type create a restore point, press Enter, and follow the prompts. Another method is to use the Export function in the Regedit utility. (See below)

Even if your Windows installation becomes unbootable, you can recover your old, working registry using the tools on the System Recovery USB drive that you created. If you have not created one yet, here is a link for how to do it on Windows 7, 8, or 10.

Regedit.exe is an app included with Windows to help you edit the registry. Type regedit in Windows start/search box, then press Enter. You may see a popup that says “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?” Click YES, no changes will be made at this point. The open Regedit window will look something like the screen shot below:

Windows Registry Editor

A few paragraphs earlier, I mentioned that you can make a backup of the registry by using the registry editor. Let’s do that now. Click File, then Export. In the lower left corner of the new window that opens, select “All” under Export Range. Enter a filename, and click the Save button. It will take a minute or so to create the backup. Don’t be surprised if the lights flicker, or if you hear a deep, guttural moan, followed by a hissing sound emanating from your computer.

Returning to the registry editor window, at the top left corner we see link containing the word “Computer” — think of that word as the trunk of a tree. Beneath it, in the left-hand window pane, we see the names of five branches: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_CURRENT_USER, etc. Click on any of these brahch names (called “keys”) to see what further branches lie below it. Keys can be nested up to 512 levels deep. We won’t be going that far!

The prefix “HKEY” indicates a registry “hive,” the top level of this hierarchical database. “CLASSES_ROOT,” “CURRENT_USER,” etc., are names for hives, each of which contains more levels of data that are all logically connected to the hive’s subject. “HKEY_CURRENT_USER” is a hive that contains settings which apply to whoever is currently logged in to the computer. If you click on that hive name to expand the tree below it, you will see familiar names like “Control Panel,” “Printers,” etc., along with mysterious labels of system resources that most users don’t need to know about.

You may recall that I mentioned hives in the opening paragraph of this article. A weird thing happened as I was typing this up. I opened the registry editor, and a wasp flew into my office and stung me on my finger! I’m not saying it came from a registry hive, but it’s 2020, and stranger things have happened.

What you do need to know is that it is critically important to make edits in the correct hive and the correct sub-branch of that hive. A change to HKEY_USERS instead of HKEY_CURRENT_USER may have unintended consequences for all users of a machine, not just you. Navigating the tree structure of the registry must be done with the utmost care.

Fortunately, there are lots of helpful geeks who provide exactly the right paths to take you where you need to be in the registry. In my articles, you may find instructions such as “navigate to \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows…” Just highlight the path name, copy it, and paste it into the address bar at the top of the regedit window.

Once you are in the right place, most registry tweaks involve enabling or disabling something. The “something” may have a key at the end of a registry path like the one above, or you may need to create one for it. The instructions provided by your friendly geek should tell you what to do, step by step. For example, to change the border width of your windows, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics. Set the values of Border Width and Padded Border Width to 0 to eliminate the borders. Or increase the numbers to make the borders fatter. Valid values for Border Width are 0 to -750, but any number larger than 100 will be produce unusable results. Valid values for Padded Border Width are 0 to -1600. Padded Border Width should be larger than Border Width. For some reason, both of these numbers must be negative. The more negative, the fatter the borders. A reboot is required for the changes to take effect.

It’s also possible to make changes to the registry with a REG file that someone else has coded for a specific task. For example, you can add a new option “Open with Notepad” to the context menu that appears when you right-click on a filename. This is handy when you want to quickly edit a file that doesn’t end with the .TXT extension.

Download this ZIP file file, click to open it, and then double-click on the Open-With-Notepad.reg file. Click your way through a few “Do you really want to do this?” prompts, and it will add a key to your registry. Now you can open any file (regardless of the extension) with the Notepad editor, using the context (right-click) menu.

So now you (sort of) know what you are doing in the registry. Just make sure you always start by backing up your existing registry, even if you don’t plan to change anything but are “just looking around.” And watch out for wasps.

Have A Great Week From ALL of us at Zoha Islands and Fruit Islands.

Railroads Made in Second Life

Railroads Made in Second Life – A Five-Part Mini-Series & LiveRailroads Made in SL.png

This year’s theme for our SL17B celebrations is “vacations and road trips” – and, in this spirit, we are pleased to debut today a five-part mini-series dedicated to the unique history, culture and communities surrounding one of the most popular modes of travel in our virtual world – railroads in Second Life.

Our virtual journalist Draxtor Despres recently took a ride on the rails of SL to travel across miles of virtual railroad tracks spanning across the grid. Along the way, he makes multiple stops to meet a wide variety of colorful characters and creative communities.

In episode one, Hrdtop75 Deluxe of the Virtual Railroad Consortium joins Drax for a look back at the origins and history of the Second Life Railroad (SLRR) system which originated in 2003 within the northwest part of the Sansara continent before eventually expanding to more than 80 regions including the Heterocera (or Atoll continent). 

Episode two focuses on the Bay City Short Line and trolley developed under the guidance of SLRR co-founder Athos Murphy (formerly known as Michael Linden).

In episode three, both Drax and Hrdtop75 explore the ONSR (Okemo Nakiska & Southern Railway), located in the snowland regions of the Sansara continent. The ONSR spans across 13 regions and serves 10 stations for a roundtrip averaging about 22 minutes.

Episode four highlights the communities surrounding the ZZR (Zany Zen Railway), which was built by Zen Swords-Galway. As you travel the ZZR, you’ll discover a variety of quirky communities and unique attractions including the small Welsh seaside town Little Coverston.

The series concludes in episode five featuring an interview with VP of Product Operations Patch Linden, who discusses the important role of railways within the expansive infrastructure of the massive Bellisseria continents (where thousands of Residents reside within Linden Homes).

Drax will be joined by many of the interview subjects featured in the series during a special SL17B Q&A and screening event held inworld June 23 at noon SLT. You can also watch the event live or archived on YouTube.

CREDITS:
Video Production: Draxtor Despres
Narration & Research: Hardtop75 Deluxe
Sets & logo: Marianne McCann
Special thanks to Patch Linden, Squeaky Mole and Joshu Philgarlic
Trains used made by Hardtop75 Deluxe, Zen Swords-Galway, Atomic Infinity and Brit Balogh

Have a great week from all of us at Zoha Islands And Fruit Islands.

Splash Into Summer with Virtual Sailing

Virtual Sailing

When it comes to Summer 2020, smooth sailing might not be the first phrase to come to mind. However, with Summer Sailstice coming up, we have a virtual event to help turn this ship around. Second Sailstice, the annual worldwide celebration of sailing, will take place in Second Life the week of June 13th-20th and just might be the largest virtual sailing event to date!

SL resident Dale Irata [David Bloch in RL] originally came up with the idea, and it has grown immensely due to the abundance of creative energy among SL residents as well as his belief that “There are no limits on us here.” 

The real world Summer Sailstice always takes place on the Saturday closest to the Northern Hemisphere Summer Solstice, but there is also a weeklong Nautical Exposition with events and live performances.

Summer Sailstice in SL is an official Sailstice event and has been featured in their promotional channels to the RL sailing community. This is of particular importance this year, since many people do not have the ability to attend in person due to coronavirus restrictions. All experience levels of virtual sailors are encouraged to participate. For any newbies feeling shy or hesitant, the Second Sailstice Novice Regatta competition is even offering free boats.

This year’s event will also feature a “Sails and Tails” party, and the mer community will be making appearances in the water and around the boats. There will be races, cruises, boat shows, and parties.

Click here for more information on sailing in Second Life. If you’d like to practice stretching your avatar’s sea legs, take a peek at the Sailing & Boating regions in the Destination Guide.

Come check out the events and #raiseyoursail!

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Summer Sailstice in Second Life

Summer Sailstice is the annual celebration of sailing that happens every year on the Saturday closest to the summer solstice; this is their 20th year! The idea is simply to get as many people around the world out on a sailboat on the same day. In 2020, because of the pandemic, it is safer to move to virtual sailing! Summer Sailstice in SL is officially registered as a Summer Sailstice Event. If you’re already a sailor in SL, visit this location to find out how you can register and join the inworld group to participate in this event on June 20th. For more information, visit: sailvirtual.com

Visit in Second Life
 
Please Visit Fruit islands and the North Sea for more sailing adventures..
Have a great week from all of us at Zoha Islands and Fruit Islands..

Exploring Black Lives Matter in Second Life

As a follow up to Linden Lab’s statement in support of Black Lives Matter, this week’s “Second Life Destinations” video takes a closer look at some of the people, events and experiences bringing attention to Black lives in both the physical and virtual world.

Featured in the video (in order of appearance) are 

As mentioned on the Stand for Justice website, there are several events and projects currently underway that are worth a visit, including the We Will Be Heard – Black Lives Awareness Event (scheduled for July 4-11), the ongoing art build Walls of Freedom and the aforementioned Stand for Justice event and The Black Excellence Project. There’s also the ongoing exhibits at the Virtual Black History Museum.

CREDITS:
Video Production: Draxtor Despres

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Stand for Justice – In Support of Black Lives

Stand for Justice is a fundraising effort within the virtual world Second Life dedicated to raising funds for Black Lives Matter, Black Visions Collective, Campaign Zero, the National Police Accountability Project, and a Split Bail Fund benefiting 38+ bail funds nationwide. 

Visit in Second Life

 

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Walls of Freedom

Walls of Freedom is based on the book of the same name portraying the first three years of the Egyptian revolution that began on January 25, 2011, told through striking images of art that transformed Egypt’s walls into a visual testimony of bravery and resistance. This is an ongoing build where fiction meets nonfiction or is it where nonfiction meets fiction? This platform is all about art, politics, and religion!

 

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Virtual Black History Museum

The Virtual Black History Museum invites everyone to explore the timeline of African-American history from the heartaches to the victories in a park-like and welcoming environment.

Have a great week From all of us at Zoha Islands and Fruit Islands.

Social Injustice Has No Place in the Physical or Virtual World.

Now Open: Stand Up for Justice, Second Life Fundraiser With 100+ Top Brands — All Sales Going to Black Lives Matter & Many Other Justice Groups

Stand Up for Justice SL event

Click here to directly teleport to Stand Up for Justice, a month-long fundraiser open now and running until the end of the month, with all virtual content sales turned into real money donations to to Black Lives Matter, Black Visions Collective, Campaign Zero, the National Police Accountability Project, and a bail fund for jailed protesters nationwide.

At the moment, there’s over 100 SL merchants are participating, including top brands like Apple Fall, Izzie’s, Etham, ChiMia, LOFT, Jian, and Astara. Many more are still being added, co-organizer Barb tells me, so it’s no surprise the place has been packed since it opened. 

As for how all L$ sales to Stand Up for Justice will be donated, Barb explains their process to insure maximum transparency:

Stand up for Justice BLM SL

“We have created an avatar for the event, StandforJustice Resident, where all proceeds will be collected. when the fundraiser ends. The money will be cashed out of Second Life at the best rate possible at the time and donated equally to the charities we selected. We will update the site the on the total amount raised, and when it is donated we’ll send out a breakdown of the donations with screenshots and receipts we plan to provide as much info as possible to maintain transparency about where funds are going.”

Once again, here’s the direct teleport.

Social Injustice Has No Place in the Physical or Virtual World.

 

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Like many of you, we are feeling a combination of horror and outrage over the history of racism against Black lives. What we continue to witness is deeply disturbing and demanding of immediate social change.

The killing of George Floyd seen on video around the world is only one in a long and unacceptable series of violent and racist attacks and discriminatory behavior directed against people of color. 

We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, all victims of systemic oppression and violence, and with Black communities across the U.S., the globe, and the virtual world in condemning racism and any and all actions that promote division.

Our mission at Second Life has always been to help build a better world, and in support of Black Lives Matter, we will be donating $10,000 each to three charities that are active in helping to fight oppression and injustice including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

How can you help? You can participate in the Stand for Justice fundraising effort dedicated to raising funds for Black Lives Matter, Black Visions Collective, Campaign Zero, the National Police Accountability Project, and a Split Bail Fund benefiting 38+ bail funds nationwide. We also highly encourage you to sign petitions, text, call, or donate to show your support, acceptance, tolerance, inclusion, and equal opportunity for all.

Now is the time for us to come together as a community and to stand up for what is right, just, and decent. We hope that you will stand with us in our fight for a better world and in recognition that Black Lives Matter today and every day. 

– The Linden Lab Team

This Article does not reflect the believes or has ANY political agenda of Zoha Islands And Fruit Islands. However we felt sharing was pertinent to a world cause.

Real Life Health Worker Creates Stylish Second Life Avatar

Real Life Health Worker Creates Stylish Second Life Avatar As Tribute to Colleagues Treating COVID-19 Patients