How to disable that damn Windows key?

[Risingson]

How many times have i pressed it by accident right in the middle of a fight in tfc/daoc. GRRR so annoying, specially daoc, since itll log me out and i gotta wait a minute to re-log.

Is there anyway to disable it? Who actually uses it?


PS. i also like a way to disable the "Documents" in the start menu showing ur last 10 viewed files.

[Fatman]

Found this on the Windows key:

Disable the Windows Key
The Windows Key is a function key found between the Ctrl and Alt keys on a Windows enhanced keyboard. You can identify it by the Windows flag printed on it ().

Some people would prefer to have this key disabled, here's how:

Start the Registry Editor
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ Keyboard Layout
From the Edit menu select New > Binary value
Give this new value the name Scancode Map
Double-click the new value, and enter the following binary data (0 = zero): 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 03 00 00 00 00 00 5B E0 00 00 5C E0 00 00 00 00
Close the registry editor
Log off, or restart Windows for the changes to take effect
Note: This is a system wide setting, so it will affect all users on the system!


And for the most recently opened documents, click Start then right click in the window there, choose Properties, Customize, Advanced, and then uncheck List my most recently opened documents. Click Apply then OK.

(I'm assuming you're using XP.)

[DestroyerX]

DONT GO TO THAT TROUBLE!!! Just pull the damn thing off.

Get some plyers, go to the keyboard and POP! It comes right off like a button.

Place it where you wont lose it and your good.

Worked for me :D

[Fatman]

I also found some software (http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3000-2347-4641644.html?tag=lst-0-1) that'll do it.

[DestroyerX]

no offense fellow moderator, but i still think my way is more efficient and less of a hassle :D

;-)

[deathforce]

If anything, ripping the button off is much more of a hassle, not only do you have an eye sore on your keyboard, but it takes more effort to remove the button than to change a simple value in the registry. That's just my 2 cents.

[A-X]

I wouldn't recommend removing the key either, on one keyboard it worked for all of about a day, and then the darn Start menu would pop up out of the blue every time I bumped the keyboard too hard. Besides, the Winkey shortcuts (Win-R, Win-E, Win-D, etc) are very useful. I use Winkey Kill (http://home.plutonium.net/~bjackson/WKeyKill.zip).

In fact here's a sweet way to remember to run it and organize your TFC shortcuts, I think this works in 2k and XP:

1. Right click on desktop, Create Folder, name it TFC.
2. Right click and drag and drop all your TFC and related shortcuts into the folder as Create Shortcuts: HLSW, ASE, mIRC, RW, Winkey Kill, HLTV launches, etc.
3. Right click on your taskbar, select Toolbar, select New. Locate and select the new TFC folder on the desktop.
4. It now appears on your taskbar, but all the shortcuts take up the whle bar... so grab the 'edge' of the toolbar and smush it together so it looks something like: ||TFC >>||
5. Now when you click on the >>, it makes a nice Start menu-like vertical menu with all your TFC shortcuts.

Makes it much easier to launch stuff without having to go to your desktop or cluttering up your 'quick launch' bar.

[Risingson]

k thx, still can't get documents folder to dissapear :( not sure what im doing wrong, and yes im using xp pro

[deathforce]

Go here to download Tweak UI for XP:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/whistler/Install/2/WXP/EN-US/TweakUiPowertoySetup.exe

After installing load it up, go to the Explorer options within it, and there should be "Allow Recent Documents on Start Menu" with a check next to it, simply uncheck it and hit apply. You may want to check "Clear document history on exit" while you're at it.

i kept hitting my windows keys(one on each side) so i took em out so now i how two less keys on my keyboard

[DestroyerX]

Originally posted by deathforce
If anything, ripping the button off is much more of a hassle, not only do you have an eye sore on your keyboard, but it takes more effort to remove the button than to change a simple value in the registry. That's just my 2 cents.

cheap keyboard?

[schwaBAM]

Popping keys off your keyboard is the easiest thing ever.. i just get a knife and hardly use any force at all..

I had to clean my keyboard once, so i popped all the keys off.. time consuming, but easy as hell

[DestroyerX]

I agree. Dont worry about changing registery values.. just pop the damn thing off. If you have a cheap keyboard you MIGHT and I stress MIGHT run into a problem. But its easy as hell and fixes the problem.