Must I Be a Geek to Tweak?
Written: Oct 14 '00 (Updated Jun 13 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Tweak Without Being a Geek
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: Excellent utility for tweaking the Windows user interface.
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| lap0530's Full Review: Tweak UI |
Tweak UI 1.33
Tweak means to fine-tune or adjust--it also means to pinch sharply! In this review, the first meaning is adopted. Users of Microsoft Windows 95 and higher frequently complain that the interface is not highly customizable. Certainly, one can use cosmetic themes to change the appearance of the desktop and the icons, as well as to add sounds. But what about actually adjusting the settings of Windows itself to one’s liking?
Microsoft’s Windows Shell Development Team introduced a series of unsupported utilities called PowerToys with Windows 95. Available on the Windows 98 CD or from the Microsoft web site, these utilities allow the user to perform the desired tweaking. Of all these utilities, the most genuinely useful is Tweak UI (user interface). Note that the Tweak UI is not installed on the Windows 98 Second Edition CD and must be acquired from the Microsoft web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/downloads/PowerToys/Networking/NTTweakUI.asp
Also, be aware that Tweak UI is not supported by Microsoft, even though it was developed by Microsoft. Furthermore, Microsoft warns against using Tweak UI with Windows ME.
Once the program is installed, a Tweak UI icon appears in the Control Panel menu. One can also add a desktop shortcut to the utility if desired. With Tweak UI installed, the user has more direct control over the appearance, operation, and features of Windows. Many settings can be automated, saving the user from having to enter the same information each time he or she logs on to Windows. Additionally, there is a level of privacy protection available via Tweak UI ranging from clearing up history and document folders all the way to covering one’s Internet surfing tracks.
Most of the features available via Tweak UI can be accessed either directly through the particular setting, or can be accomplished manually through menus and by editing the Registry. Tweak UI, however, makes those settings and features available automatically and performs the specified tasks without being prompted.
What One Can Do With Tweak UI
With Tweak UI installed, one can make adjustments to the following aspects of the Windows user interface (listed in no particular order):
• The Desktop--The user can add special icons (for example the Dial-Up Networking Folder) to the desktop. This is a very useful feature. For example, one’s Internet Explorer icon may have disappeared from the desktop. It is possible to repair IE and restore the icon from the Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs menu, but it is quicker simply to launch Tweak UI and click on the Desktop tab and then check the box in front of the IE icon.
• My Computer--The user can prevent any specific drive from appearing in the My Computer folder.
• Control Panel--The user can hide Control Panel icons for unneeded or unwanted settings.
• Logon--The user can specify automatic logon at system startup to prevent one from having to log on each time the system is booted. This is a very convenient feature for individuals whose computers are connected to a network and which require that users log on to the network each time they start. The Logon tab stores the user name and password for the logon.
• New Files--The user can remove unwanted or unneeded file types from the New Document dialog. When one installs a new program, the file types supported by that program are added to the File Types list. Even after the program is uninstalled, the file types typically remain unnecessarily.
• Add/Remove--The user can remove unwanted or unneeded program names from the Add/Remove Programs menu. Note that this feature only removes the name of the program from the registry entries for Add/Remove Programs and does not remove any programs or files from the hard drive.
• Boot--The user can adjust the boot settings to enable ScanDisk at startup, enable or disable function keys, and start the Windows GUI (graphical user interface) automatically or manually.
• Repair--This nifty feature allows the user to rebuild the icons when the Windows Explorer is displaying the wrong icon for a program or a shortcut. Additionally, the repair tab removes unused icons. This problem is not nearly so bad in Win 98 as it is in Win 95, but occasionally even in Win 98, the icons are displayed incorrectly.
• Paranoia--Aptly named, this feature allows the user to cover his or her tracks. It can be configured to clear the contents of the Find Files, Internet History, Document History, Last User, Network Connection History, and Run History at logon. This feature does not remove the contents of Temp directories and cookies, so the really paranoid will want something additional, but for the mildly paranoid, this tab will provide some peace of mind.
• Windows Explorer--The user can modify the appearance of shortcut icons to remove the “Shortcut To” and the arrow representing a shortcut. The user can also modify the default label settings for file names with extensions.
• Internet Explorer--One can choose whether web pages visited are added to the Documents folder on the Start Menu and whether Links and Favorites are displayed in the Documents folder. Additionally, one can specify that the Document, Run, and Typed URL lists are cleared when IE is exited.
• General--This tab allows the user to customize the appearance and operation of menus, combo boxes, keyboard indicators, sounds, scrolling, and other features of the interface.
• Mouse--Settings for mouse speed and sensitivity can be specified from this tab. As with some other settings, these are also available from the Control Panel. The only value added by Tweak UI is that these settings are located in the same place as all the others.
Tweak, Tweak, Tweak
Now users without geek credentials can tweak with the best of them using Tweak UI. Being a “power user” is a stated qualification for the use of Tweak UI, according to Microsoft, but in reality, any user fairly knowledgeable of his or her system can use the utility effectively. Most of the tabs provide the user the opportunity to restore the factory settings when all else fails.
Recommended:
Yes
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lap0530
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Psychology and management professor and business consultant
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