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Registry Edits

DISCLAIMER:  I am not advising you to use these registry edits.  Editing the registry is risky business.  I would more redily recommend streaking through the Vactican than advise a novice to edit the system registry.  These come with no warranty.  The surgeon general has determined that editing your system registry can be hazardous to your mental health and has been know to rupture spleens.  Please do not edit your registry if you are pregnant or nursing or are pursuing a nursing degree.That being said, I offer some of my favorites.
  • Office 2007 - Save in 2003 format.  Microsoft changes the file format for the 2007 Office products, but allowed you to view the old format and still save in the old format.  This registry edit changes the default formats of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access back to the 2003 formats, and lets you choose to save in the new formats should you choose.
  • Internet Explorer 7 Search Engines.  This edit sets Google as the default search engine and gives options to search with a heap of other search engines from the drop down box.  I've used this in Windows XP and Vista.
  • Internet Explorer Meaningful Shortcut.  In Windows Vista (and maybe Windows XP with Service Pack 3 - I haven't tested it) this creates an Internet Explorer icon on the desktop that offers access to Internet Properties via the immensely handy right click. 
  • MS Outlook Meaningful Shortcut.  This places an icon for MS Outlook on the desktop that allows access to Mail Properties via a right click.
  • Show Drive Letters First.  In Windows Explorer or My Computer, this changes the way that drives are displayed, listing the Drive Letter before the description instead of the reverse.  I've used this in Windows NT, 2000, XP and Vista.
  • Numlock at Login.  This changes the default keyboard state to Numlock On in Windows.  Notably, this is inconvenient on most laptops.  I've used this one in Windows NT, 2000 and XP.  I believe Vista already sets numlock on as default.
NTUSER.DAT and the mysteries of the default user profile...
 
DISCLAIMER:  I am not advising you to modify the NTUSER.DAT file or your default user profile.  I would much sooner advise you to call Steven Segal a "big sissy-la-la" through a mega-phone while only four feet away from him.  Of course, I do it all the time.  You know which one.
 
Having said that, when I'm deploying a computer that's going to be utilized by multiple users, I frequently perform a barrage of registry edits, throw a few of my favorite backgrounds from Vlad Studio into the C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper folder and pick one for the desktop, change the power settings and customize other desktop icons and then I'll take the user profile I've created and hoist it all into the (hidden) default user profile.  When the next bloke logs in with his own username, the original settings and shortcuts and whatnot are mimicked, but not user folders like "My Documents" and such.
 
I am, as of Halloween 2008, still writing up the instructions for this process, which differs a bit between XP and Vista.