A Tweaked Windows 7 Installation: Second Try

I was installing Windows 7.  I had spent days exploring various possibilities.  Unfortunately, I had also acquired a networking problem for which a new installation seemed to be the only solution.  This post consolidates what I learned in the first installation attempt, and adds some new items.  As in that previous post, some of these items were recorded after the fact, and may not look or function precisely as described here.  For example, settings may already have been changed by the time they come into focus in the sequence described here.
My first step was to delete all accounts except the Administrator and the Guest.  The changes described here thus had to be made only to the Administrator account.  I also allowed Windows and other updates whenever they seemed to be ready for installation.  In Windows Update, after installing desired updates, I highlighted all unwanted updates (e.g., foreign language packs) > right-click > "Hide updates."

I made some preliminary adjustments in Windows Explorer.  These included Organize > Layout > Details pane, right-click on the menu and turn on Classic Explorer Bar, and also in Windows Explorer, in Tools > Folder Options.  Also, in my early usage of Internet Explorer, I allowed it to turn on AutoComplete (Tools > Content > Settings).  (This did not fix the perennial problem of IE not remembering passwords, by the way.)

During the first installation, I organized programs that I was installing (including drivers, batch files, and other materials) into folders.  I numbered the folders (01, 02, 03 ...) so that they would appear in the correct sequential order in Windows Explorer.  The contents of all of these folders had to be checked to make sure that I was using programs and other materials designed for Windows 7.  Some but not all of my Windows XP programs fit that description.  The first several folders, at this point, had these names:

01 Motherboard Drivers and Utilities
02 Programs Needed at Start
03 Other Installation & Tweaking Programs
04 Broadly Useful Programs
05 Experimental and New Programs

The contents of folder 05 are addressed in later posts.  This post goes up through folder 04.  In other words, this post describes what I installed, and how I adjusted it, to set up a general-purpose system, mostly using software that I had used previously.

Folder 01 contained several subfolders, likewise numbered sequentially.  The first contained drivers that I would need to load during the Windows 7 installation process if I wished to install Win7 in a RAID array.  I had decided against that.  The second subfolder contained drivers to be installed after the basic Windows 7 installation.  I installed these, and continued on to install motherboard utilities.

Folder 02 contained a few items that I found very useful during the installation and setup process:

• Antivirus.  I was currently using just Microsoft Security Essentials and Windows Defender, for convenience during installation.
• AvaFind Professional.  A program that quickly finds filenames.  Some program of this sort was invaluable for locating files needed for various purposes during installation and tweaking.
• 7-Zip.  Programs to be installed, that had to be downloaded, often came in zipped format.  Windows provided an unzipping feature, but this one was more versatile.
• Google Chrome.  I found it easier to use Chrome, rather than Internet Explorer, to search for installation-related information.  Turning on Chrome's sync feature minimized the time needed to configure this tool.  Basically, my list of favored extensions was available as soon as I installed Chrome.
• Bullzip PDF Printer.  There were a few items that I wanted to save as PDF during this process.
• Router driver and utilities.

Folder 03 contained hardware drivers, registry edit (.reg) and batch (.bat) files used to configure the system, and other programs needed for the basic installation and tweaking process.  The previous post describes most of the materials in this folder.  I have added links in the following list to those that are not mentioned in that previous post.  For the most part, I ran straight through these materials, installing them all after the initial Windows installation.  I installed the programs before turning to the manual tweaking tasks (below) because these programs would take care of some of those tasks automatically.  The programs I installed at this point, in approximately this order, were as follows:

• Printer drivers and utility software.
• Win7NewInstall.bat and Win7RegTweaks.reg.  These contained a collection of registry tweaks and other adjustments and customizations.
• Classic Shell, to change the look and some functions of the Windows 7 Start Menu and Windows Explorer to what I considered the more efficient form of Windows XP.  I went ahead and configured these items at this point.
• Somehow Windows Live Essentials came up, asking how much of Live Essentials I wanted to install.  I chose Messenger, Movie Maker, and Windows Live Mesh.
• The first time I tried to play an audio file, Windows Media Player popped up and had to be configured.
• IOBit Smart Defrag.  I had used this defragmenter for several years and had no problems with it.
• LockHunter.  This was experimental, for me -- a replacement for Unlocker.  Preliminarily, it appeared less functional.  I wanted integration with the Windows Explorer context menu.  I hoped for a Win7-compatible update of Unlocker.
• QuickTime.  It appeared that several other programs depended upon this program being installed.

After installing those necessary programs, I changed the following items from the default in Ultimate Windows Tweaker (clicking Apply after each bullet point):

• Personalization:  Hide detail pane.
• User Accounts & UAC:  Enable admin approval mode for the built-in administrator account.
• System Performance:  Enable support for 4GB of RAM on 32-bit Windows OS.  Disable Tablet PC Input service.
• Network Tweaks:  Disable auto-discovery of media contents in shared network by Windows Media Player.
• Internet Explorer:  Uncheck "Open first home page when IE starts."  Uncheck "Disable IE check for updates."  Uncheck "Notify when download completes."
• Additional Tweaks:  Uncheck "Show 'Search ...'"  Show "Move To Folder..."  Remove "-Shortcut" suffix for new shortcuts.
• It appeared, in some cases, that Ultimate Windows Tweaker was not always effective.  I installed TweakNow PowerPack 2010 and used it to deselect drives not to be displayed in Windows Explorer (in my case, floppy drive A). This setting was in Windows Secret > Windows Explorer.

After restarting the machine, I made changes in Control Panel.  These, too, follow but also modify the steps described in the previous post.  Some (Action Center, Administrative Tools) had already been done in previous steps (e.g., while installing updates or resizing partitions)  Auto-Play was already set the way I wanted, which was suspicious:  had I made more changes to the two-week-old image on which I was doing these tweaks than I had recorded?  Likewise for Personalization (Windows Classic theme. Window Color > Adjust at least Active Title Bar, Inactive Title Bar, Menu, and Desktop).  Regarding Backup and Restore, I was still using Acronis as a fail-safe, but was also using the Win7 system image option.  I would make both after completing some more tweaks.  For regular data backup, I was still using Beyond Compare, which I found was pretty good at showing me when I had nested files too deep. 

Control Panel options still requiring attention were as follows:

• Internet Options: I went into General tab > Tabs > Settings > adjust as desired. I went to Security tab > Custom Level > Scripting section (near the bottom) > Allow programmatic clipboard access > Enable. I saved and closed those.  I went into Content tab > Autocomplete Settings > turn on.  Then I navigated to YouTube.com and played a video, so as to trigger the process of installing Adobe Flash Player.
• Power Options: Show additional plans > High performance > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings > Change settings that are currently unavailable > High performance > change individual items as desired > Apply.
• Programs and Features: Turn Windows features on or off > Make sure Indexing Service is off.
• System: Windows Activation > Activate. System Protection > Hardware tab > Device Manager > verify no yellow-circle exclamation marks. Hardware tab > Device Installation Settings > Yes, do this automatically. Advanced tab > Performance > Settings > Advanced > Change > Uncheck automatically manage paging file size for all drivers; instead, set a paging file of 4000-8000 MB (or more) on each hard drive (not on each partition). System Protection tab > Configure > adjust Disk Space Usage as needed.
• Taskbar and Start Menu: Start Menu tab > Customize. Adjust various items to taste. Turn on Run command. Save and close.

Additional tweaks:

•  I now had a more or less complete approach for developing a custom-organized Start Menu on a drive other than drive C, where it could be shared with other computers and would survive a Windows crash and reinstallation.  As described in the previous post, Win7NewInstall.bat, used in the previous installation, had created a so-called God Mode folder on this Start Menu.  That folder was still there, so I did not need to recreate it.  I just needed to get around to distributing, across my Start Menu, the shortcuts to every Windows function that I had created via the God Mode folder.
• As advised, I used Resource Hacker to open C:\Windows\System32\Shellstyle.dll.  There, I went into UIFILE > 1 > 1033.  I searched (Ctrl-F) for the line that said, <style resid="FolderBandStyle">.  I inserted this code after that line:  <if mousefocused="false" mousewithin="false"><Element padding="rect(0rp,0rp,0rp,-28rp)"/></if>.  I left it conditional, able to come up on a mouseover, because I wasn't sure if I might need it in the future.  Later, if possible, I would make this change permanent, without the mouseover option, by inserting only the "Element padding" portion of the line.  With this change made, I clicked on the Compile Script button, there in Resource Hacker. Then I saved the file as Shellstyle.dll in a backup location, so I would not have to do this again.  I right-clicked on C:\Windows\System32\Shellstyle.dll and took ownership, using one of the tweaks installed above.  I copied that backup Shellstyle.dll to C:\Windows\System32, overwriting the existing Shellstyle.dll there.  Then I logged off and back on to see the change.
• Shut off an annoying question. On the Desktop, right-click Recycle Bin > Propeties > deselect "Display delete confirmation dialog."
• To make Windows remember size and position of a window, I found two solutions mentioned near the end of a very long thread on the subject.  What worked for me:  right-click on the title (top) bar of a Window.  Choose "Size."  Drag the window and its edges around.  Even if it's exactly where you want it, move it somewhere else and then back, all in one motion.  Then click on the top right X to close the window.  If that technique hadn't worked, I would have gone on to try ShellFolderFix.
• Every time I started the system, Windows Defender would give me the message, "This program is turned off."  Someone said Windows Defender was unnecessary if I was running Microsoft Security Essentials.  Posts in that thread suggested many remedies, almost none of which worked for the original poster.  A post about two-thirds of the way down that thread offered a solution that worked for me.  I added that solution to Win7NewInstall.bat.
• Somehow, a Boot folder wound up on drive D.  A thread suggested that (as administrator) I type "bcd c:\Windows /s C:" to get that folder onto drive C with the other system folders.  Before doing that, I made a System Restore point.  To do that, I went into Control Panel > System > Advanced system settings > System Protection tab > Create a restore point.  Then I went ahead with that bcdboot command.  It said, "Boot files successfully created."  I looked at C and, sure enough, there was now a Boot folder there too.  (Maybe there had been before; I hadn't thought to look.)  Now, as advised, to delete that hopefully unnecessary Boot folder, I tried steps through the user interface (taking ownership of the folder), but those did not work.  Using another approach, I went to Start > "cmd" and typed these commands (running as Administrator):

Finally, folder 04.  These were the programs, mostly familiar but some new, that I installed to set up a complete system.  These were as follows:

• Adobe Acrobat.  I already had a copy, else I would have considered checking out some of the steadily more competent freeware alternatives.
• Adobe Premiere Elements.  I found that a basic ability to do some video editing was valuable for many purposes.
• CamStudio.  I was not yet finding good freeware alternatives.  CamStudio, at this point, still did not have a Windows 7 compatible version, so this was a tentative solution.  I was considering buying a copy of Debut, which had done screen video capture pretty well during my trial use of it.  I also installed Jing as an alternative, though it seemed to me that I had already tried and rejected it once if not twice.  When I rebooted, there was suddenly an unexplained, virus-looking dialog offering to let me "Enter or Create a Screencast Account."  When I figured out that this was Jing's doing, I went ahead and created the account.
• CoolEdit.  An old audio-editing program that still had capabilities and familiarity.
• Copernic Desktop Search.  My search had led to this as the best desktop search option, much more useful than Google Desktop Search had been.
• Gadgets.  These were new in Vista and Win7.  Mine were not currently arranging properly on the desktop.  I was not sure how much I would use them.
• Microsoft Office 2003.  I had OpenOffice Portable already in place as an alternative.
• Shortcuts to copy into C:\Windows.  As noted in a comment following a previous post, I had discovered that putting shortcuts to programs would make them available for easy reference in batch files.
• Aqua Deskperience.  I had bought this for capturing text from a region onscreen.  There were freeware alternatives that did the same thing now.
• EditPadLite.  A Notepad alternative.  After installing this, I decided to rely on Notepad++ instead.
• File Checksum Integrity Verifier.
• Firefox.  The portable version had not been reliable for me.
• Freeware PDF Unlocker.  Drag a PDF onto this desktop icon to make a non-locked copy, so that you can add highlights and comments.
• Glary Registry Repair.  My Windows 7 replacement for Advanced WindowsCare V2 Personal.  A registry cleaner that I planned to run each time the system started.  I put a shortcut to it in the Start Menu's Startup folder.
• Google Earth.
• Handbrake.  For video conversions.
• iRotate.  Turn the monitor on its side for improved screen captures in some cases.
• Oxelon Media Converter.  Valuable context-menu addition for all sorts of conversions (e.g., getting audio out of a video file).
• Paradox dBase Viewer.  For extracting data from old Paradox for DOS files.
• Skype.
• TClockEx.  For giving me date and time in the system tray.  I didn't have those because I was using Win7's classic desktop skin.
• Thunderbird.  For email.  Again, the portable version wasn't up to the job.
• Total Commander (above).  I wasn't actually using it much, though.  I had largely managed, by this point, to tweak Windows Explorer to suit me.

Note that these were in addition to portable (i.e., standalone) applications that I already had in place and was using for many purposes.  Those were incorporated into my customized Start Menu (above) and therefore did not need to be reinstalled, or even relinked in my Start Menu, at this point.

This gave me a complete working Windows 7 installation.  It represented a great improvement over the previous try.  I was sure there would be further ways to streamline it in future installations.

takeown /f D:\Boot /r /d y
icacls D:\Boot /grant administrators:F /T

Windows 7 Installation: Win7NewInstall.bat and Win7RegEdit.reg

In the process of installing and adjusting Windows 7 Ultimate, I developed a batch file (Win7NewInstall.bat) to run certain commands.  I also developed a registry (.reg) file (which I called Win7RegEdit.reg) to make a number of tweaks automatically.  I developed these to be run in that order -- the batch file first, and then the registry edit file.

I found that some parts of the .reg file did not perform as desired.  Running the .reg file produced an error:

Registry Editor

Cannot import [filename]:  Not all data was successfully written to the registry.  Some keys are open by the system or other processes.

I went through the registry edits that I had incorporated into the file, at that point, and identified individual items that were not installing, even with other programs closed.  My search for responses to this error led to some webpages that made me think I might be better off making the needed changes via a batch file.  Unfortunately, batch files sometimes produced the similar "ERROR: Access is denied."  A search for answers to that led, in turn, to an understanding that I would need to take owneship of registry keys to make those changes; but a search on that subject led to another search whose upshot was that there was not a good automated way to take ownership of such keys, or at least not one that I would know how to use.

I started to convert the .reg file to .batch file lines.  I found guidance for that translation in tutorials from Dwarf and from Daniel Petri, and also in the online help files (in a Win7 cmd window, type "REG /?").  This step, by itself, did not eliminate the error shown above.  Running a prohibited batch command in a DOS box (a/k/a cmd window, produced by Start > cmd) would yield Running the batch file in Windows 7 Safe Mode would sometimes if not always yield the same error.

I decided the most efficient solution was to automate the changes that I could automate (using either batch commands or the .reg file); failing that, to use Ultimate Windows Tweaker; and if that too failed, then go into the registry and make the changes manually.  I then found I was able to automate parts of the manual process, so I built those parts into the sequence.  In other words, the way I worked it out, I would run the batch file, then run the reg file, then run Ultimate Windows Tweaker, then make changes manually (e.g., in Control Panel).  These steps are described more fully in my post about the whole Win7 installation process, from about this same time, entitled "Windows 7 Installation:  Second Try."

I assembled these materials over a period of weeks, with numerous changes. This post does not necessarily represent the final state of these materials. It is more of a record of how they had developed at this point. It could be a very bad idea for someone else to simply adopt and run these files as-is. I could not say what effects that might have. Where I happened to think of it, I added some explanatory and cautionary comments within these files. For posterity, the contents of the Win7NewInstall.bat file were as follows:

@echo off

:: ***** Win7NewInstall.bat *****

:: ************* NOTES *************

:: These commands customize a new Windows 7 installation.
:: I used some of these on my system. They are offered for reference.
:: These commands can ruin your system. Use at your own risk.

:: These were converted from .reg file lines, guided by the DOS help files at REG /?
:: I tried to minimize other running programs before running these commands.
:: Consult original source webpages for comments, changes, updates, etc.
:: I ran these as Administrator and had to reboot for some to take effect.

:: Set permissions manually as needed
:: This step requires OORegEditor, or something like it, in a designated directory.
cls
echo.
echo Copy and paste each of these into a program like OORegEditor (Ctrl-G).
echo The locations may already be saved as Favorites in that program.
echo.
echo There, right-click and set permissions for each of these keys.
echo.
echo HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{323CA680-C24D-4099-B94D-446DD2D7249E}\ShellFolder
echo.
pause
cls
echo.
echo The remaining tweaks will now install.
echo.
pause
cls

:: Disable User Account Control

wait "" "C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe" /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
:: Optional: Enable User Account Control
:: C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
:: Other UAC Options
:: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/4-ways-to-make-uac-less-annoying-on-windows-vista/
:: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/3340/how-to-manage-uac-notifications-in-windows-7/

:: Create God Mode folder in Start Menu

md "D:\Installation\Start Menu\Programs\Tools\Tweakers\God Mode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}"

:: Turn off Windows Defender - it is included in Microsoft Security Essentials

takeown /f "c:\Program Files\Windows Defender" /r /d y
icacls "c:\Program Files\Windows Defender" /grant Administrator:F /t
ren "c:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe" "c:\Program Files\Windows Defender\wasMSASCui.exe"

:: Map Network Drives

:: Not presently using network drives.
:: Command form: net use z: /persistent:yes \\servername\foldername password
:: More info at http://raywoodcockslatest.blogspot.com/2010/07/vmware-workstation-ubuntu-host-windows.html

:: Run the registry tweaks file

start "" "D:\Installation\Windows 7 Drive C\03 Other Installation & Tweaking Programs\99 Win7RegTweaks.reg"

exit

As shown in those final lines, Win7NewInstall.bat would then run Win7RegTweaks.reg.  The contents of Win7RegTweaks.reg at this point were as follows:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; ************* NOTES *************

; These are registry edits. They can ruin your system. Use at your own risk.
;
; There are undo options for many of these at the sources (above).
; Items that are commented out were not needed on this system.
; Run this with no other programs running (even Windows Explorer).
; Probably have to run as Administrator in some cases.
; Consult the original source webpage for comments, changes, updates, etc.
; May have to reboot for some of these to take effect.

; ************* SOURCES *************

; http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/37920/the-50-best-registry-hacks-that-make-windows-better/
; http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/257-windows-7-tutorial-index.html
; and other assorted sources.

; ************* WINDOWS EXPLORER *************

; ***** Disable Libraries *****

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{2112AB0A-C86A-4ffe-A368-0DE96E47012E}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{491E922F-5643-4af4-A7EB-4E7A138D8174}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{7b0db17d-9cd2-4a93-9733-46cc89022e7c}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A302545D-DEFF-464b-ABE8-61C8648D939B}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A990AE9F-A03B-4e80-94BC-9912D7504104}]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel]
“{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}”=-
; Restore default
; [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel]
; "{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}"=dword:00000001
; [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}]
; @="UsersLibraries"
; "Removal Message"="@shell32.dll,-9047"
; [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{2112AB0A-C86A-4ffe-A368-0DE96E47012E}]
; "Name"="MusicLibrary"
; "Category"=dword:00000004
; "ParsingName"="::{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}\\{2112AB0A-C86A-4ffe-A368-0DE96E47012E}"
; "Stream"=dword:00000001
; "StreamResource"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,\
; 6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,\
; 00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,\
; 2d,00,32,00,00,00
; "StreamResourceType"="LIBRARY"
; "RelativePath"="Music.library-ms"
; "ParentFolder"="{1B3EA5DC-B587-4786-B4EF-BD1DC332AEAE}"
; "Icon"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,\
; 00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,69,00,\
; 6d,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,72,00,65,00,73,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,\
; 00,31,00,30,00,30,00,34,00,00,00
; "InfoTip"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,\
; 6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,\
; 00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,\
; 2d,00,31,00,32,00,36,00,38,00,39,00,00,00
; "LocalizedName"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,\
; 6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,\
; 00,5c,00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,\
; 2c,00,2d,00,33,00,34,00,35,00,38,00,34,00,00,00
; "PreCreate"=dword:00000001
; [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{2112AB0A-C86A-4ffe-A368-0DE96E47012E}\PropertyBag]
; "FoldersDependentOn"="{4BD8D571-6D19-48D3-BE97-422220080E43};{3214FAB5-9757-4298-BB61-92A9DEAA44FF}"
; [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{491E922F-5643-4af4-A7EB-4E7A138D8174}]
; "Name"="VideosLibrary"
; "Category"=dword:00000004
; "ParsingName"="::{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}\\{491E922F-5643-4af4-A7EB-4E7A138D8174}"
; "Stream"=dword:00000001
; "StreamResource"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,\
; 6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,\
; 00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,\
; 2d,00,34,00,00,00
; "StreamResourceType"="LIBRARY"
; "RelativePath"="Videos.library-ms"
; "ParentFolder"="{1B3EA5DC-B587-4786-B4EF-BD1DC332AEAE}"
; "Icon"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,\
; 00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,69,00,\
; 6d,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,72,00,65,00,73,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,\
; 00,31,00,30,00,30,00,35,00,00,00
; "InfoTip"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,\
; 6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,\
; 00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,\
; 2d,00,31,00,32,00,36,00,39,00,30,00,00,00
; "LocalizedName"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,\
; 6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,\
; 00,5c,00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,\
; 2c,00,2d,00,33,00,34,00,36,00,32,00,30,00,00,00
; "PreCreate"=dword:00000001
; [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{491E922F-5643-4af4-A7EB-4E7A138D8174}\PropertyBag]
; "FoldersDependentOn"="{18989B1D-99B5-455B-841C-AB7C74E4DDFC};{2400183A-6185-49FB-A2D8-4A392A602BA3}"
; [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{7b0db17d-9cd2-4a93-9733-46cc89022e7c}]
; "Name"="DocumentsLibrary"
; "Category"=dword:00000004
; "ParsingName"="::{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}\\{7b0db17d-9cd2-4a93-9733-46cc89022e7c}"
; "Stream"=dword:00000001
; "StreamResource"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,\
; 6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,\
; 00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,\
; 2d,00,31,00,00,00
; "StreamResourceType"="LIBRARY"
; "RelativePath"="Documents.library-ms"
; "ParentFolder"="{1B3EA5DC-B587-4786-B4EF-BD1DC332AEAE}"
; "Icon"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,\
; 00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,69,00,\
; 6d,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,72,00,65,00,73,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,\
; 00,31,00,30,00,30,00,32,00,00,00
; "LocalizedName"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,\
; 6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,\
; 00,5c,00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,\
; 2c,00,2d,00,33,00,34,00,35,00,37,00,35,00,00,00
; "PreCreate"=dword:00000001
; [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{7b0db17d-9cd2-4a93-9733-46cc89022e7c}\PropertyBag]
; "FoldersDependentOn"="{FDD39AD0-238F-46AF-ADB4-6C85480369C7};{ED4824AF-DCE4-45A8-81E2-FC7965083634}"
; [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A302545D-DEFF-464b-ABE8-61C8648D939B}]
; "Name"="UsersLibrariesFolder"
; "Category"=dword:00000001
; "ParsingName"="::{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}"
; [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A302545D-DEFF-464b-ABE8-61C8648D939B}\PropertyBag]
; "NoCustomize"=dword:00000001
; [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A990AE9F-A03B-4e80-94BC-9912D7504104}]
; "Name"="PicturesLibrary"
; "Category"=dword:00000004
; "ParsingName"="::{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}\\{A990AE9F-A03B-4e80-94BC-9912D7504104}"
; "Stream"=dword:00000001
; "StreamResource"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,\
; 6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,\
; 00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,\
; 2d,00,33,00,00,00
; "StreamResourceType"="LIBRARY"
; "RelativePath"="Pictures.library-ms"
; "ParentFolder"="{1B3EA5DC-B587-4786-B4EF-BD1DC332AEAE}"
; "Icon"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,\
; 00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,69,00,\
; 6d,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,72,00,65,00,73,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,\
; 00,31,00,30,00,30,00,33,00,00,00
; "InfoTip"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,\
; 6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,\
; 00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,\
; 2d,00,31,00,32,00,36,00,38,00,38,00,00,00
; "LocalizedName"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,\
; 6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,\
; 00,5c,00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,\
; 2c,00,2d,00,33,00,34,00,35,00,39,00,35,00,00,00
; "PreCreate"=dword:00000001
; [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A990AE9F-A03B-4e80-94BC-9912D7504104}\PropertyBag]
; "FoldersDependentOn"="{33E28130-4E1E-4676-835A-98395C3BC3BB};{B6EBFB86-6907-413C-9AF7-4FC2ABF07CC5}"

; Hide Favorites
; Requires manual change of permissions
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{323CA680-C24D-4099-B94D-446DD2D7249E}\ShellFolder]
"Attributes"=dword:a9400100
; Restore default
; "Attributes"=dword:a0900100

; Set Documents folder template as default
; source: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/11356-folder-view-apply-all-folders.html
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell]
"FolderType"="Documents"
; Alternative: use General type instead
; "FolderType"="NotSpecified"
; Restore default
; [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell]
; "FolderType"=-
; [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]
; [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
; [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]
; [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]

; ***** Context Menu *****

; Add context menu option to open files with Notepad
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Notepad]
@="Open with Notepad"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Notepad\command]
@="notepad.exe \"%1\""
; Remove option
; [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Notepad]

; Add context menu option to take ownership of files and folders
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\runas]
@="Take Ownership"
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\runas\command]
@="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\" && icacls \"%1\" /grant administrators:F"
"IsolatedCommand"="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\" && icacls \"%1\" /grant administrators:F"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\runas]
@="Take Ownership"
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\runas\command]
@="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\" /r /d y && icacls \"%1\" /grant administrators:F /t"
"IsolatedCommand"="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\" /r /d y && icacls \"%1\" /grant administrators:F /t"
; Restore default
; [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\runas]
; [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\runas]

; Add context menu items Copy To Folder and Move To Folder
; [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]
; [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Copy To]
; @="{C2FBB630-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Move To]
@="{C2FBB631-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}"

; Add context menu item to copy text files to clipboard
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\txtfile\shell\copytoclip]
@="Copy to Clipboard"
"Extended"=""
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\txtfile\shell\copytoclip\command]
@="cmd /c clip < \"%1\""
; Restore default
; [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\txtfile\shell\copytoclip]

; Add context menu encryption option
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"EncryptionContextMenu"=dword:00000001

; ***** Other Functioning *****

; Disable annoying web service dialog for opening files
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoInternetOpenWith"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoInternetOpenWith"=dword:00000001
; Restore default
; [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
; "NoInternetOpenWith"=-
; [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
; "NoInternetOpenWith"=-

; ***** Unused *****

; Double-pane Windows Explorer for network drives
; [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec]
; @="[ExploreFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"

; Disable context menu item Send To
; [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Send To]
; @=""
; Restore default
; @="{7BA4C740-9E81-11CF-99D3-00AA004AE837}"

; Disable Caps Lock key
; [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
; "Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,00,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00
; Alternative: change Caps Lock to Ctrl
; "Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,1d,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00
; Alternative: change Caps Lock to Shift
; "Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,2a,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00
; Alternative: change Caps Lock to ScrollLock
; "Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,00,00,3a,00,3A,00,46,00,00,00,00,00
; Eliminate keyboard remap
; "Scancode Map"=-

; Disable balloon tips
; [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
; "EnableBalloonTips"=dword:00000000
; Restore default
; "EnableBalloonTips"=-

; Set Alt-Tab to show thumbnails despite Classic desktop theme
; Doesn't work
; [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
; "AltTabSettings"=-
; Alternate: set Alt-Tab to Classic
; [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
; "AltTabSettings"=dword:00000001

; ************* START MENU, TASKBAR, AND THUMBNAILS *************

; Make Aero Peek happen instantly
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"DesktopLivePreviewHoverTime"=dword:00000000
; Restore default
; "DesktopLivePreviewHoverTime"=dword:000001f4

; Make Aero taskbar thumbnails show contents immediately when hovering
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"ExtendedUIHoverTime"=dword:00000001

; Increase Start Menu display speed -- default is 400
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"MenuShowDelay"="200"

; ************* FILE LOCATIONS *************

; Point to D for Start Menu and Programs
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders]
"Administrative Tools"="D:\\Installation\\Start Menu"
"Programs"="D:\\Installation\\Start Menu\\Programs"
"Startup"="D:\\Installation\\Start Menu\\Programs\\Startup"
"Start Menu"="D:\\Installation\\Start Menu"
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders]
"Programs"="D:\\Installation\\Start Menu\\Programs"
"Startup"="D:\\Installation\\Start Menu\\Programs\\Startup"
"Start Menu"="D:\\Installation\\Start Menu"

; Point to Current folder for Music, Video, Pictures, etc.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders]
"My Music"="D:\\Current"
"My Pictures"="D:\\Current"
"My Video"="D:\\Current"
"Personal"="D:\\Current"
"{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}"="D:\\Current"
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders]
"My Music"="D:\\Current"
"My Pictures"="D:\\Current"
"My Video"="D:\\Current"
"Personal"="D:\\Current"
"{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}"="D:\\Current"

; Point to X:\Cache for cookies, cache, etc.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders]
"Cache"="X:\\Cache\\Temporary Internet Files"
"Cookies"="X:\\Cache\\Cookies"
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders]
"Cache"="X:\\Cache\\Temporary Internet Files"
"Cookies"="X:\\Cache\\Cookies"

; ************* FILE OPENING *************

; Files with no extension open in Notepad
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\open]
@="Open With Notepad"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\open\command]
@="notepad.exe %1"
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.]
"Application"="Notepad"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory\shell\Notepad]
@="Notepad"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory\shell\Notepad\command]
@="C:\\Windows\\notepad"

; Disable Windows from asking "Do you want to open this file?"
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Download]
"CheckExeSignatures"="no"
"RunInvalidSignatures"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments]
"SaveZoneInformation"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Associations]
"LowRiskFileTypes"=".zip;.rar;.nfo;.txt;.exe;.bat;.com;.cmd;.reg;.msi;.htm;.html;.gif;.bmp;.jpg;.avi;.mpg;.mpeg;.mov;.mp3;.m3u;.wav;"

; ************* INTERNET EXPLORER *************

; Specify IE download directory
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer]
"Download Directory"="D:\\Current"

; Force IE to launch shortcuts in a new window
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
"AllowWindowReuse"=dword:00000000

; ************* LOGIN, LOGOUT, SHUTDOWN *************

; Prevent Windows from rebooting after updates
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU]
"NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers"=dword:00000001
; Restore default
; "NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers"=-

; Save settings on exit
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoSaveSettings"=dword:00000000

; Disable automatic restart after crash so you can see error messages
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl]
"AutoReboot "=dword:00000000

; Don't clear paging file at shutdown
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management]
"ClearPageFileAtShutdown"=dword:00000000

; Hide user account on login screen
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList]
"Administrator"=dword:00000000
; Restore default
; [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList]
; [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts]

; ************* OTHER TWEAKS *************

; Remove "Shortcut" from title of shortcuts
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
"link"=hex:00,00,00,00
; Restore default
; "link"=hex:1e,00,00,00

; Removable devices Auto-Play off
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoDriveTypeAutoRun"=dword:00000095
; Alternate: "NoDriveTypeAutoRun"=dword:000000FF
; May not be needed in Win7: "NoSaveSettings"=dword:00000000

; Disable creation of Thumbs.db
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"DisableThumbnailCache"=dword:00000001

; Disable beep on error
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Sound]
"Beep"="No"

; Increase Internet download connections to 10
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings]
"MaxConnectionsPerServer"=dword:0000000a
"MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server"=dword:0000000a

; Set Control Panel to classic view
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"ForceClassicControlPanel"=dword:00000001

After a week of using the system, these edits seemed generally stable.  It appeared that a few might be ineffectual.  I was using Ultimate Windows Tweaker to try again on making those changes.

Ubuntu 10.04 Reinstallation: Another Go

I had previously installed Ubuntu 10.04 once or twice.  This post provides a synthesis of the process, done on a Windows XP dual-boot machine.

Things to Save

The first thing to think about was, What did I want to save from my previous installation?  I was already keeping my data in an NTFS partition that WinXP recognized as D:.  I had named that partition DATA in both operating systems (OSs).  So I did not have most of my data on the root (commonly referred to with a simple slash, "/") partition containing my Ubuntu program installation.  The main exception was what Ubuntu knows as the /home partition.  (This and other Ubuntu folders, being included on a partition formatted in ext3 or ext4, were invisible to Windows.)  The /home partition was the default location for user data files.  My own files -- documents, PDFs, etc. -- were no longer there, but Ubuntu would still save various settings and other things there.  So I decided to try create a new /home partition, and copy the old /home folder's contents to the new /home partition, before reinstalling Ubuntu.  That little effort became the subject of a separate post.

Just in case, I saved my open tabs in Firefox (Ubuntu) using an extension whose name was not visible to me at this writing -- called (I believe) CopyAllURLs.  I also used the FEBE addon to save my complete Firefox setup; and since FEBE had failed in the past, I used the InfoLister addon to save at least the list of addons that I had currently installed.  I had previously saved their settings separately, for those addons (e.g., Tab Mix Plus, Forecastfox) that allowed me to do so.  I saved all of these things to my data drive, not to the Ubuntu programs drive that I was about to wipe out.  All of these steps proved to be unnecessary:  the separate /home partition (below) saved my entire Firefox setup just as I had left it.

I started up Chrome and Opera, both of which I had installed on this machine, and saved a list of their open URLs.  This, too, was unnecessary, thanks to the separate /home partition.  I had already migrated my email and contacts from Thunderbird (Ubuntu) to the Windows portable version of Thunderbird.

There was another thing to save, but I forgot until too late.  I should have run the installed-software command to make a current list of the programs I had installed on Ubuntu.  Instead, I was going to have to use the older list that I had saved some months earlier, and any programs installed since then would have to be rediscovered and reinstalled one at a time.

I should also have saved /etc/fstab.  My set of hard drive partitions had mostly not changed.  I could have just edited that instead of starting over from scratch (below).

That was pretty much all that I needed to save from the old Ubuntu programs partition that I was about to wipe out.  Most of my work was done in Windows virtual machines running on VMware Workstation, and those were on a separate partition already.  So now it was time to begin the installation.

Installation from CD

This time, I installed Ubuntu 10.04 from scratch, using the CD.  Previous inquiries had suggested that the PAE-enabled kernel would be installed automatically when installing from the CD.  (PAE allowed 32-bit Ubuntu to access RAM well beyond the 4GB theoretical limit -- apparently up to 64GB.)  By right-clicking on individual items in the partition install screen during installation, I manually designated a 30GB root ("/") partition for programs.  The installer automatically detected my previously formatted 5GB swap partition.  It seemed that people were still having problems with ext4, so I formatted the root partition as ext3.  At reboot, GRUB did say that I was installing a PAE kernel, so that was good.

Installing Software

Now I ran the second half of the installed-software command (above) to restore the set of programs that I had installed on Ubuntu at various points.  This involved using Nautilus to put a copy of my installed-software list someplace accessible (I chose my Desktop), using "cd ~/Desktop" as the short way of getting to the desktop, and then typing the necessary commands:

sudo dpkg --set-selections < installed-software
sudo apt-get install dselect
sudo dselect

This gave me a menu, from which I chose option 3, "Install and upgrade wanted packages."  It did so.  It took about an hour.  During the process, it asked "Do you want to erase any previously downloaded .deb files?"  My search yielded no clear answer to this question.  I guessed, from a couple of things I saw in that search, that this was like the question that came up in some Windows installations (in Microsoft Office, perhaps), where you would have the option of keeping downloads on the hard drive to make future fixes or upgrades faster, at the expense of consuming additional disk space.  I tried the Yes option.  It paused for a minute and then put me back at the menu.  So I guess it deleted some .deb files.  Anyway, the installed packages included ntfs-config, so now I could run that ("sudo ntfs-config"), so that Ubuntu would recognize my NTFS (Windows) partitions and put appropriate entries in /etc/fstab.  So then /home would be recognized on reboot.

Unfortunately, something in the install-software process screwed up my system, leading to a "udevadm" error message and a whole separate post.  But then, when I rebooted, I had another problem.  I was looking at a nearly blank screen.  It just showed the name of Ubuntu across the top ("Ubuntu 10.04.1 LTS P4 tty1," where P4 was the name of my computer) and then gave me a simple login prompt:  "P4 login."  I wasn't sure what to search for, to solve this problem, so I booted with the alternative installation CD and chose the "Rescue a broken system" option.  Ultimately, it gave me two basic options:  either reinstall GRUB or execute a shell in my Ubuntu program partition (in my case, /dev/sdb8).  I had no idea what to type at the prompt, and I didn't seem to be having a GRUB problem, so I tried a search; but it turned up stuff dealing with monitor problems.  I tried another search and came across the idea that I could just type "startx" to open the graphical user interface (GUI), so I rebooted, entered my username and password at that prompt, and then typed startx.  But this gave me some error messages:  "Failed to open device," "No valid modes," and "Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration."

Basically, it seemed that the installed-software process had messed up my system.  So I started over, installing Ubuntu from scratch, and this time I didn't use the installed-software option.  I had to go back through the process of setting up my separate /home partition, and then I worked manually through the installed-software process.  That entailed setting up my repositories.  After that process, some programs were still not installed.  Drawing upon my previous installation and its follow-on comments (as well as notes in a few other posts), I used System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager to install acroread, adobe-flashplugin, boinc, dvgrab, fdutils, gparted, mplayer, nautilus-open-terminal, ntfsprogs, p7zip-full, sysinfo, ubuntu-tweak, unetbootin, and webhttrack.  Then I installed several programs that I had downloaded separately, on the assumption they were not available via Synaptic.  These included VMware Workstation 7, which I installed, as I had learned to do, by typing "sh VMware-Workstation-Full-7.1.0-261024.i386.bundle" in the folder containing that downloaded bundle file.  The simple "sudo sh" prefix was also adequate for installing my separate .bin downloads (i.e., GoogleEarthLinux.bin).  I installed Beyond Compare, Opera, and Google Chrome by just double-clicking on the .deb downloads.

Settings and Adjustments

Creating the separate /home partition had preserved most of my Nautilus settings, but I still had to tweak a few of those manually.  It had not saved my monitor driver settings, so now I went into System > Administration > Hardware Drivers, searched for available drivers and, for my machine, found NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (current version) > Activate. This, like other installation and activation steps, would work only when there was no other Synaptic or software installer running.  I rebooted to activate the hardware driver.  Unfortunately, I was still getting some bad ghosting.  Tightening my video cable connectors solved the problem.

Most of my newly installed programs did not require immediate configuration.  To configure BOINC, I went to Applications > System Tools > BOINC Manager > Next > Choose a Project > World Community Grid > Next, and then went into Advanced > Settings to adjust my preferences.

GRUB2 had lost the setting by which it would remember which operating system I had booted last, and would reboot that one instead of defaulting to Ubuntu, so I typed "sudo gedit /etc/default/grub"; I changed one line to say GRUB_DEFAULT=saved instead of GRUB_DEFAULT=0; I added another line, right after it, that said "GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT=true"; I saved and closed that file; and then I typed "sudo update-grub."

Following a previous post, I pruned the list of entries shown in the GRUB2 menu at bootup.  First, I typed "sudo gedit /etc/grub.d/10_linux" and added a line, immediately after the comments section at the top, that said "GRUB_DISABLE_LINUX_RECOVERY=true" (without quotes, as always).  That would prevent me from seeing the "recovery" versions of Linux kernels in that menu.  At the end of that same file, I searched for the place that had these two lines:

list=`echo $list | tr ' ' '\n' | grep -vx $linux | tr '\n' ' '`
done

and changed it by inserting another list line between those two:

list=`echo $list | tr ' ' '\n' | grep -vx $linux | tr '\n' ' '`
list=`version_find_latest $list`
done

(Note that backticks ( ` ) are not the same as single quotes ( ' ) in such files.)  This, I hoped, would show me just the one or two most recent Linux kernels.  Finally, I saved and closed 10_linux and modified its companion file with this command:  "sudo chmod -x /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+."  This command would hopefully prevent me from seeing the memtest options in the GRUB2 menu.  I rebooted and confirmed that it worked.

Other settings did remain intact via the preserved /home partition.  Unlike the steps described in the previous installation and in another tweak post, I did not have to make manual adjustments to prevent icons for mounted drives from appearing on the desktop.  My previous list of programs that should run at startup remained intact.  Gedit was still my default crontab editor.  The permissions giving me access to various partitions as ordinary user, not root, were still in place.  My VMware settings seemed to have been preserved, except for what may have been a few new root-level settings in the new version of VMware Workstation that I had just installed.

When these steps were complete, I ran Update Manager one last time, rebooted, and confirmed that everything looked good.  Then I rebooted with a CD and made an Acronis disk image on a separate partition.  Done!