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Windows XP Misc - Disable or Enable the Windows Key

SUMMARY: Tired of accidentally hitting the Windows key when playing a game, pausing or crashing it? Disable the Windows key with this registry tweak.

	The following tip involves modifying the Windows Registry and could cause problems with your machine. Standard disclaimers apply

Many people find the Windows key on most modern keyboards a convenient time-saver. No matter where you are working in Windows, pressing the Windows key brings up the "Start" menu. Plus, several keyboard shortcuts exist involving the Windows key including:

WINDOWS+E: Explorer
WINDOWS+F: Find (Search)
WINDOWS+M: Minimize all open windows
WINDOWS+R: Run

Depending on your needs, however, the Windows key may prove to be a major inconvenience. While accessing a full-screen application, such as a game, you might accidentally tap the Windows key, bringing up the "Start" menu and moving focus away from the full-screen application. This could result in loss of data, your game not going as expected, or worse, system instability.

You can disable or re-enable the Windows key via registry modifications. The following are links to files that will modify your Windows Registry. Right-click the desired file and save it to disk, then double-click the file and confirm importing the registry settings when prompted. After the registry settings that modify the Windows key state are imported, you will need to reboot your machine.

	You may first wish to open the following files in a text editor such as Notepad if you are concerned about potential problems.

* Disable the Windows key

* Enable the Windows key