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View Full Version : Microsoft DOES have a sense of humor!



minstrel
11-30-2003, 09:27 PM
Another find from The LangaList, this is hilarious:

Link: Tweakomatic (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/scriptcenter/tools/twkmatic.asp)

Excerpt:


As you probably know, Microsoft has a sort of love-hate relationship with the registry. The registry is the configuration database for Windows and Windows applications, and many options can only be set by manually changing a value in the registry. For example, if you’ve ever read a Microsoft Knowledge Base article, you’ve likely seen a sentence similar to this:

“To correct this problem, change the following value in the registry.”

Now that’s fine, except that this sentence is invariably followed by a disclaimer similar to this one:


Warning: Don’t ever change a value in the registry. Ever. We know we just told you to do that, but would you jump off a cliff if we told you to? Don’t ever change a value in the registry. Don’t even say the word registry. We know a guy once who said the word registry, and three days later he was hit by a bus. True story. As a matter of fact, you shouldn’t even have a registry on your computer. If you suspect that you do have a registry on your computer, please call us and a trained professional will be dispatched to your office to remove the registry immediately. If you accidentally touch the registry, wash your hands with soap and water and call a doctor. Do not swallow the registry or get it in your eyes!
Now, to be honest, some of those fears are a bit exaggerated, and the disclaimer is there largely for legal reasons (remember, this is the day and age when you can order hot coffee in a restaurant, and then sue the restaurant when the coffee they give you turns out to be, well, hot). If you do it correctly, changing the registry is perfectly harmless. At the same time, however, it’s true that there are certain values in the registry that should never be changed; in fact, changing them can pretty much wipe your computer out, once and for all. It’s like working on the bomb squad: if you snip the right wire, the bomb is defused and everything is fine. But if you snip the wrong one—Boom! You just created Microsoft Bob!

Um, not that we’re saying Microsoft Bob was a bomb or anything …

Narasinha
12-01-2003, 10:27 AM
Yes, I know what you mean about the Windows registry. I manually edit it quite often.

Several years ago, when I was sysadmin for a design/hosting firm, I was setting up a webserver on Windows NT 3.51 (that'll tell you how long ago it was). I needed to bind about a dozen IPs to one network card. The GUI for the network settings would anly display five or six. Everything past that I had to manually enter into the registry. I guess the GUI designers just couldn't comprehend that anyone would want more than 5 IPs for one card.

obilan
12-03-2003, 04:45 AM
How can I learn what one can, and shouldn't, do in the registry?

Narasinha
12-03-2003, 08:56 AM
How can I learn what one can, and shouldn't, do in the registry?
There are several good sources of information about the Windows registry. One good place to start would be The Registry Guide for Windows (http://www.winguides.com/registry/) (formerly RegEdit.com). They provide links to several registry tools as well as information about specific registry tricks, tweaks, and hacks for various Windows versions.

computers
12-03-2003, 09:10 AM
I too have spent a good deal of time editing the registry over the years, it has become for me, not a scary place at all, I'm very comfortable there (oh no, I just realized, I'm really a geek!!). I have walked numerous customers and clients through the registry after uninstalling software and other minor tweaks, of course warning them to be extremely careful and double checking what they are about to delete. Afterwards I also tell them not to go into it without supervision, having to restore the registry when someone deletes the wrong thing can be a nightmare!