Windows 7 Tips

Create a Shortcut or Hotkey for the Safely Remove Hardware Dialog

If you often use removable USB devices like a flash drive, you are probably already familiar with the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon that sits in the system tray. The problem for many people is that the icon is tiny, and clicking it just right to bring up the menu is a pain. Can’t we just make a shortcut to bring up the dialog?

Read More

Windows 7 Tips

New Autoplay Autorun options in Windows 7

Whenever an external device is plugged in Windows it showed an Autorun options for choosing what happens when you insert it.

It can be configured at Control Panel > Autoplay

In order to help prevent malware from spreading using the Autorun mechanism, the Windows 7 engineering team made two important changes to the product:

1. AutoPlay will no longer support the Autorun functionality for non-optical removable media. In other words, AutoPlay will still work for CD/DVDs but it will no longer work for USB drives.

Before the change (left) after the change (right)

2. A dialog change was done to clarify that the program being executed is running from external media.

Before the change (left) after the change (right)

Some smart USB flash drives can pose as a CD/DVD drive instead of standard ones. In this specific scenario, the operating system will treat the USB drive as if it is a CD/DVD because the type of the device is determined at the hardware level.

Read More

Windows 7 Tips

How a USB drive can be disabled on a particular computer?

To disable the access to USB port, in windows XP, Vista and Windows 7:

1. Click Start, and then click Run. 

2. Type regedit, and then click OK. (Or simply open registry) 

3. Navigate to the following registry key: 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor 4. In the right pane, double-click Start. 

5. In the Value data box, change its value to 4, which was 3 and then click OK.

To re-enable a disabled port:

1. Click Start, and then click Run. 

2. Type regedit, and then click OK. (Or simply open registry) 

3. Navigate to the following registry key: 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor

4. In the right pane, double-click Start.

5. In the Value data box, change its value to 3, which you changed to 4 to disable the USB drive and then click OK.

6. Quit Registry Editor.

Now whenever a user will attach a USB storage device which is already installed in system, Windows will not detect it and it will not be shown in My Computer. However, disabling USB ports totally also disables the ability for Windows to use USB based keyboard, mouse, webcam, printer, scanner and etc., which are common devices for a computer nowadays and essential ones as well.

Read More