HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AppKey

  • Thread starter Thread starter Hans L
  • Start date Start date
H

Hans L

My wife has a Dell Dim 4700 and the SK-8135 keyboard. I wanted to
program the extra keys on the keyboard. Seems I needed DellTouch. Could
not find it anywhere on Dell's website. Chatted with a rep, who gave me
the entirely wrong link and drivers. Found Netropa.com, downloaded the
seemingly correct files, installed, and wound up with an empty
key-programming window. Drat!

Found http://blog.mennos.org/nucleus3.2/index.php?blogid=1&catid=5
where there were instructions on how to do this manually in the
registry. I have tried, but have had no success. Can someone help me!?

The subkeys of
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Ap
pKey in my wife's Windows XP Home are 15, 16, 17, 18, and 7, and they
seem to correspond to the keys I want to program. I tried to put in
the new string value (correct terminology?) "ShellExecute" for all of
them and the value (for instance) "C:\Program Files\Microsoft
Office\Office\Winword.com". No cigar!

The programs I want to run with the extra keys are all of the format
"C:\Program Files ...\xxx.exe".

Looking forward to some pointers.

Hans L




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HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AppKey
and/or
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AppKey

Scroll clear down (or Ctrl + F) to:
Command Keys or Table 5-11
here...
Sample Chapter from Microsoft® Windows XP® Registry Guide by Jerry Honeycutt
http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/books/sampchap/6232.asp

You can also do the following...

Assign a Shortcut key

1. Locate the program file (.exe) or the program's shortcut icon.
Right-click the program file or shortcut and then click Properties.

2. Click the Shortcut tab.

3. With the cursor in the Shortcut key box, select the keyboard key you
want to use in combination with CTRL+ALT. Shortcut keys automatically start
with CTRL+ALT. The Shortcut key box will display None until you select the
key and then the box will display Ctrl+Alt+the key you selected. You cannot
use the ESC, ENTER, TAB, SPACEBAR, PRINT SCREEN, SHIFT, or BACKSPACE keys.

Note
Once you assign a shortcut key combination for a specific program, you will
not be able to use that key combination with other programs.

If you forget the key combination for your shortcut, you can follow steps 1
& 2 and review your shortcut keys.

Shortcut tab
Lists the shortcut name, target information, and shortcut key. Allows you to
choose the way the item is displayed when you open the shortcut: in a
standard window, a full screen (maximized), or as a button on the taskbar
(minimized). Also allows you to view the shortcut's target, change the icon
for the shortcut, and open a shortcut as a different user.

To specify shortcut keys for specific programs
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/...ddocs/en-us/windows_dos_specify_shortcut.mspx

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
thanks, Wes. I'll try it, and it should work, because I tried in HKLM
instead of HKCU (I guess HKCU controls HKLM, but not vice versa).

I'll let you know how it worked.

Hans L



Wesley said:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\A
ppKey and/or
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
AppKey

Scroll clear down (or Ctrl + F) to:
Command Keys or Table 5-11
here...
Sample Chapter from Microsoft® Windows XP® Registry Guide by Jerry
Honeycutt http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/books/sampchap/6232.asp

You can also do the following...

Assign a Shortcut key

1. Locate the program file (.exe) or the program's shortcut icon.
Right-click the program file or shortcut and then click Properties.

2. Click the Shortcut tab.

3. With the cursor in the Shortcut key box, select the keyboard key
you want to use in combination with CTRL+ALT. Shortcut keys
automatically start with CTRL+ALT. The Shortcut key box will display
None until you select the key and then the box will display
Ctrl+Alt+the key you selected. You cannot use the ESC, ENTER, TAB,
SPACEBAR, PRINT SCREEN, SHIFT, or BACKSPACE keys.

Note
Once you assign a shortcut key combination for a specific program,
you will not be able to use that key combination with other programs.

If you forget the key combination for your shortcut, you can follow
steps 1 & 2 and review your shortcut keys.

Shortcut tab
Lists the shortcut name, target information, and shortcut key. Allows
you to choose the way the item is displayed when you open the
shortcut: in a standard window, a full screen (maximized), or as a
button on the taskbar (minimized). Also allows you to view the
shortcut's target, change the icon for the shortcut, and open a
shortcut as a different user.

To specify shortcut keys for specific programs
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddo
cs/en-us/windows_dos_specify_shortcut.mspx
Click to expand...



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Although, in my Win XP home, I have no App in
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
(but in HKLM), and I have no idea where some of the other keys on my MS
Natural Multimedia Keyboard reside in the register (e.g., My Documents,
My Pictures, which I have reprogrammed).

Hans L
 
Hans,

Anything in HKEY_CURRENT_USER applies to the logged on user.

Anything in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE applies to the machine, regardless of who
logs on.

I just reread your first post.

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.com

that will not work because it is winword.exe NOT winword.com

Are you using Word97?

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
Wesley said:
Hans,

Anything in HKEY_CURRENT_USER applies to the logged on user.

Anything in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE applies to the machine, regardless of
who logs on.

I just reread your first post.

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.com

that will not work because it is winword.exe NOT winword.com

Are you using Word97?
Click to expand...


Wes, I am sorry. I meant .exe, not .com (but I have to check what I
actually wrote in my wife's registry).

As soon as she gets off the machine, I will try in HKLM again --
earlier, it did not work, and I think I did it right. I put
C:\...\winword.exe within quotation marks because of the space in
"Program Files"-- hope that was right to do!?

Hans L
--
 
You know, Wes, it is very funny -- when I typed the path into
ShellExecute for two of the keys, it did not work. I figured, maybe I
missed a letter and just can't see it (but I know it was absolutely
correct). So I created shortcuts for the two apps and pasted them into
ShellExecute, and don't you think it worked!!!

But for the button for the app iTunes, I typed the path in, and it
worked!!!!

Would you have any idea what the heck was the reason for this?

Hans L


Wesley said:
Hans,

Anything in HKEY_CURRENT_USER applies to the logged on user.

Anything in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE applies to the machine, regardless of
who logs on.

I just reread your first post.

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.com

that will not work because it is winword.exe NOT winword.com

Are you using Word97?
Click to expand...



--
 
Here's some more info. Says Me, but looks like most of it apllies to XP.

APPCOMMANDs
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/input/w2kbd.mspx#EATAE

Enhanced Keyboards and Windows
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/input/w2kbd.mspx

[[Replace <NUM> with the appropriate numeric value for the APPCOMMAND as
defined in Winuser.h. ]] I would interpet that as referring to the number
in Table 5-11 Subkeys for Command Keys at...
http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/books/sampchap/6232.asp

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
Beats me, Hans. At least you got them working.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
Okay, Wes, I got it to work now. Maybe there was something wrong in
the two ShellExecute values after all (my wife suggested that the
computer did not like my handwriting :-), but no matter what, my wife
is a happy camper (and then, as you know, the whole house is).

Thank you very much for your kind assistance in resolving this issue.

Best regards,

Hans L


Wesley said:
Here's some more info. Says Me, but looks like most of it apllies to
XP.

APPCOMMANDs
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/input/w2kbd.mspx#EATAE

Enhanced Keyboards and Windows
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/input/w2kbd.mspx

[[Replace <NUM> with the appropriate numeric value for the APPCOMMAND
as defined in Winuser.h. ]] I would interpet that as referring to
the number in Table 5-11 Subkeys for Command Keys at...
http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/books/sampchap/6232.asp
Click to expand...



--
 
You might want to stick to typing or coping and pasting, Hans.

Keep having fun. ;-)

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
Hans L said:
Okay, Wes, I got it to work now. Maybe there was something wrong in
the two ShellExecute values after all (my wife suggested that the
computer did not like my handwriting :-), but no matter what, my wife
is a happy camper (and then, as you know, the whole house is).

Thank you very much for your kind assistance in resolving this issue.

Best regards,

Hans L


Wesley said:
Here's some more info. Says Me, but looks like most of it apllies to
XP.

APPCOMMANDs
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/input/w2kbd.mspx#EATAE

Enhanced Keyboards and Windows
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/input/w2kbd.mspx

[[Replace <NUM> with the appropriate numeric value for the APPCOMMAND
as defined in Winuser.h. ]] I would interpet that as referring to
the number in Table 5-11 Subkeys for Command Keys at...
http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/books/sampchap/6232.asp
Click to expand...



--
Click to expand...
 
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