Winaero Ttweaker

Anyone any experience or views of Winaero weaker?

It looks useful, but...

Maybe I'm overly suspicious

I think the question is: What is this utility providing you that you really need that Windows doesn't already do?

Not trying to be funny, genuinly curious!

It's just another pointless third party utility to change Aero settings in Windows, everything of which anyone can do using the Windows settings. Probably comes with a large dose of Malware or Spyware. Avoid like the plague.

I'd like to be able to remove the shortcut arrows from desktop icons (and yes, I do know the potential downsides), W.Tweaker has that capability.

There are others but I thought I'd ask about that one.

All of these utilities are just custom registry editors. Best to just research the specific hack you require rather than install software from an unknown source that may include something you definitely won't want.

Why on earth do you need to do that?

Because I want to. That's good enough for me, even if it's not good enough for you.

Agree, seems sensible to have something to indicate that an icon is a shortcut rather than a program. Must admit the old "Shortcut to" text used to irritate me, but that was easily removed via a registry hack. Each to their own I guess.

In reply to a post by cheshire_man:

Because I want to. That's good enough for me, even if it's not good enough for you.

Here's the really simple registry edit way

Click on Start and type in regedit in the search box. On Windows 8, go to the Start Screen and starting typing regedit.

regedit

Now navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE � SOFTWARE � Microsoft � Windows � CurrentVersion � Explorer � Shell Icons

Note that you may not have the Shell Icons key under Explorer by default. If it�s not there, right-click on Explorer in the left-hand pane and choose New � Key.

key registry key

A new key will appear in the left-hand menu and you�ll have to give it a name. Now type in Shell Icons with the capitalization shown in the screenshot above. Then click on Shell Icons in the left pane and you�ll see just a key named Default in the right-hand pane. Right-click on any white area in the right-pane and choose New � String Value.

new string value

Change the name to the number 29 and press Enter. Then double-click on the entry to bring up the key editor. In the Value Data field, go ahead and copy and paste the following:

%windir%\System32\shell32.dll,-50

add new key

Click OK and close out the registry editor. Now just log off and log back in or restart your computer and the arrows should be gone from your desktop icons

VISTA SHORTCUT OVERLAY MANAGER.

You do not have to invade the registry.

In reply to a post by Brunel:

VISTA SHORTCUT OVERLAY MANAGER.

You do not have to invade the registry.

lol - and what do you think the vista shortcut overlay manager is doing?

In reply to a post by cheshire_man:

Because I want to. That's good enough for me, even if it's not good enough for you.

Not when you subsequently come on here and complain about Windows doing strange things etc etc with many posters trying to figure out what is going on, hence consuming our time, and then, perhaps resort to blaming Microsoft and saying how rubbish and instable Wndows is all when it was because you forgot or failed to mention you installed this funny program which is messing around with the Windows Shell, arguably one of the most sensitive components in Windows regards application compatibility and general percieved stability. All this for some completely trivial change.

Of course when I say you, I don't mean you personally, but that is what happens 99% of the time.

Insert "personally" between to & invade.

Linky

Hang on. I think you're being a little harsh.

In the OP he expressed doubts about installing this program. That's the reason for the thread. When you asked what he wants to do, he replied "I'd like to be able to remove the shortcut arrows from desktop icons".

Now if that can be done by a straightforward and safe registry edit, (I'm afraid I can't follow the quotation BatBoy gave as I don't see a link to the source containing the picture), what's the problem? Many registry tweaks are published, and no doubt thousands per day applied with no downside.

Does it matter if it's a shortcut or direct access to the program? If you want to start the program, you want to start the program. Like many things on a computer, the end user just wants it to do what they want it to do.