In the left pane of the MMC, click the plus signs beside Computer Configuration and all To exit the MMC, click File ➪ Exit.

Chapter 24 ✦ Working with the Registry for Windows If you enter text data values, do not enter the quotation marks; the Registry automatically enters the quotation marks. If you enter them too, you end up with two sets of quotation marks, which causes an error.

3. Click OK.

After you make any changes to the Registry, you should close the Registry Editor and then restart Windows. Using the Registry to Modify Network Settings Generally, you want to use the Network dialog box to modify settings for any computer. Those settings include protocols, bindings, services, clients, file and printer sharing, and adapter configurations. However, you might discover the need to change network data in the Registry. The following examples of modifying the Registry might not apply to your network; however, there are many instances when editing the Registry is the only solution to some problems. Microsoft’s online support site lists many networking and other types of problems. In the solutions to these problems, you often find directions to modify the Registry. You need to install the network protocols, adapter, client, and services before any entries appear in the Registry. For information about configuring the network in the Network dialog box, see Chapter 10. For information about solving network problems, see Appendix A. Cross- Reference Note Note Applying a Path in the Registry Just as an example, this sidebar explains how to edit an application path in the Registry. Part VI ✦ Managing the Network Make Registry backups before you attempt any of the following procedures. Limiting the use of network properties You can limit a user’s access to the Network dialog box accessible via the Network icon in the Control Panel through the Registry. You might want to restrict access, for example, if a teenager is constantly adding and removing protocols or services and thus disrupting his or her right to use the network. Use this restriction in your small-business office if you want to keep your users from making changes to the Network properties. To restrict access to the Network dialog box, follow these steps:

1. Open the Registry Editor. 2.

Chapter 24 ✦ Working with the Registry for Windows Limiting the use of passwords If you want to keep your users from changing their passwords, for Windows and for the net- work, you can make a change to the Registry that accomplishes this goal. Restricting access means the user no longer can open and use the Passwords dialog box located in the Control Panel. To restrict access to the Passwords dialog box, follow these steps:

1. Open the Registry Editor. 2. Open the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

3. Double-click the name Default in the left column of the right pane. The Edit String dia-

log box appears. 4. Type the value 0x00000001 to disable access. If you choose to enable access again, fol- low Steps 1 through 3 and then enter the value of 0.

5. Close the Registry.

Changing Internet properties As an example of a specific problem and solution for Registry editing, let’s take a look at how to modify the Registry to enable you to change your home page address for the Internet Explorer. When you’re working in the Internet Explorer, you can change the address to your home page from the default www.microsoft.com to any page on the Internet or on an intranet that you want see Figure 24-12. Figure 24-12: Set your home page. Part VI ✦ Managing the Network If you’ve customized your version of the Internet Explorer, you might not be able to type in the Address box. Also, the Use Current, Use Default, and Use Blank buttons might be dimmed, so you cannot use them either. You can fix this problem by editing the Registry. To enable yourself to enter a home page, follow these steps:

1. Open the Registry Editor. 2. Open the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel

3. Double-click the name HomePage in the left column of the right pane. The Edit String

dialog box appears.

4. Type the value 0 and then close the Registry.

Adding IP addresses to a network adapter If you’re using TCPIP as your network protocol, you can assign multiple IP addresses to your network card through the Registry. You might add multiple IP addresses to one card if, for example, you’re connected to two different network segments or sections of a network. One segment might use one IP address and another segment might use another. You can use the following settings in Windows 98; the settings are different in Windows 2000 and XP. For more information about TCPIP, see Appendix B. To assign a second IP address to your network card, follow these steps:

1. Open the Registry Editor. 2.

Chapter 24 ✦ Working with the Registry for Windows 3. You see at least two subkeys, named 0000 and 0001, as shown in Figure 24-13. Select 0000 if the computer has only one network card. Figure 24-13: Locate the network adapter settings in the Registry.

4. In the IPAddress value, which contains the current IP address, insert a comma and the

second IP address. Include no spaces and make sure that all numbers are inside of the quotation marks, such as “176.16.1.13,192.111.101.120”. For more information about IP addresses you can use in your network, see Appendix B.

5. In the IPMask, which contains the subnet mask for the network, add the second mask,

separated by a comma, with no spaces and within the quotation marks. For more infor- mation about assigning subnet masks, see Appendix B. You can add multiple IP addresses in this manner. Each IP address must have a correspond- ing subnet mask. Summary In this chapter, you’ve learned about the Windows Registry and how it stores configuration information about your computer and its users. You’ve learned about the following information: ✦ Understanding the Registry ✦ Backing up the Registry files ✦ Modifying the Registry ✦ Using the Registry to modify network settings In the next chapter, you learn about multimedia centers. ✦ ✦ ✦