The Registry doesn't have to be a mystery. Here are a few tips to get you started exploring this data-filled feature of Windows 95. Before you get carried away with "improvements" to your system, make it a point to learn more about the Registry, and use extreme caution when making any changes.

The icon displayed for .BMP files can be a handy thumbnail image of the .BMP file itself, instead of the uninformative abstract icon Windows normally uses. Just change the value named "(Default)" at HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Paint.Picture\DefaultIcon from C: \WIN95

\SYSTEM\cool.dll,41 to %1. The change takes effect immediately, though you will have to close and re-open any windows already displaying the old-style icon.

By default, windows are animated when they're being minimized and maximized, making them appear to collapse and explode. But those fancy graphics take time and may be more annoying than they're worth on slower machines. To modify this feature, create a new string value named MinAnimate at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics. Assign a value of 1 to enable animation or 0 to disable the feature.

The tips Windows displays each time it starts are stored in the Registry, and you can change them. At HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Tips, you'll find 48 entries named 0 through 47. Each entry's value contains the text of one of Windows' 48 tips. To change the text of an existing tip, just rewrite the text you'll find under the data column. You can also add new tips by creating new string values with names of 48, 49, and so forth and add values that contain the new tips' text.

You can improve the way Windows maps long filenames into the older 8.3 format. Create a new binary value called NameNumericTail at HKEY_LOCAL_

MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\ FileSystem. Assign NameNumericTail a value of 0, exit the Registry Editor and restart Windows. Now, when forming short filenames, Windows will attempt to use as many characters from the original name as possible. It will only add the tilde and numeric suffix (for example, MYDOCU~1.DOC) when it's needed to avoid having two files with the same name.