Scripting Windows Registry Changes

This is something every power Windows user should know about automating changes to the Windows registry. Let's just learn by example:

reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Atria\ClearCase\CurrentVersion /v Region /d MyClearCaseRegion /f

This adds the Region "Value Name" (/v), sets the "Value Data" (/d) to MyClearCaseRegion and forces it to overwrite an existing registry entry if one exists (/f).

All you have to do is look up the key you want to change using regedit.exe (Start->Run->regedit) and don't forget to convert the top level directory name into a four-letter acronym. For example HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE becomes HKLM. Here is a regedit screenshot showing the registry entry created with the above example.


That should cover 95% of your registry automation needs and for everything else there is:

reg /?

Tortilla Chips and NoMachine

So I got some huge tortilla chips from our local Mexican resturaunt with my dinner last night. Now, in the process of making nachos for the game tonight, I was faced with deciding the appropriate size for a nacho chip. Man that was tough. I'm just glad there are companies, like Tostitos, that can make those difficult decisions for me.

On a side note, I just installed and played with NoMachine's NX Server/NX Client. I know I'm a little slow to jump on the NX Technology bandwagon, but I just have to say this -- Finally! Something for Linux users that can actually compete with Microsoft's RDP protocol. I have always been jealous of how much faster remote RDP sessions have been compared to VNC. No longer. I just comfortably ran a Gnome session under some extreme overhead conditions:

1. Physical machine running Ubuntu 7.10
2. VMWare Virtual Machine Running Windows XP
3. Remotely connected to my office workstation over RDP
4. Remotely connected back to my Ubuntu machine via NX Session

Of course, this was over a 15/2 FiOS connection...