Windows 7 trick
Those intrigued by the "GodMode" in Windows 7 may be interested to know that there are many other similar shortcuts hidden within the operating system.
Intended for developers as a shortcut to various internal settings, such
features have been around since Vista and even before, according to the
head of Microsoft's Windows division, who tells CNET that the so-called
GodMode settings folder uncovered by bloggers is just one of many
undocumented developer features included in Windows.
In an e-mail interview, Steven Sinofsky, Windows division president,
said several similar undocumented features provide direct access to all
kinds of settings, from choosing a location to managing power settings
to identifying biometric sensors.
As with the all-encompassing GodMode uncovered by bloggers, these other
settings can be accessed directly by creating a new folder with any name
(GodMode or otherwise) and then including a certain text string.
Sinofsky noted more than a dozen strings create particular settings
folders, in addition to the overarching GodMode folder option.
Sinofsky and others say the term GodMode was coined by bloggers; it was
not something the company used internally to refer to the settings
folders. Although Microsoft maintains many such undocumented developer
commands to access such settings, all are replicated by the operating
system's Control Panel settings.
Such undocumented means of accessing various settings have occurred in
previous versions of Windows, and the GodMode identified by bloggers was
also present in
Windows Vista.
Some users of the 64-bit version of Vista, however, say invoking the
GodMode folder caused their machines to crash. Microsoft says it has yet
to reproduce that problem, though several readers have said they have
encountered problems.
It seems that the folks in Redmond have gotten a kick out of all the
attention that the Godmode has gotten and have decided to have fun with
it. Sinofsky sent a list of other commands that also create special
folders (see list below).
Given the Vista issues, though, I would try these only on a Windows 7
machine, ideally a test machine. To make it work, create a new folder
with any name, then a period, then one of the text strings below.
For example, the first one could be a folder named
"thankscnet.{00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33}" (use everything
inside quotes--but not the quotes themselves).
Here's the list of strings:
{00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33}
{0142e4d0-fb7a-11dc-ba4a-000ffe7ab428}
{025A5937-A6BE-4686-A844-36FE4BEC8B6D}
{05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9}
{1206F5F1-0569-412C-8FEC-3204630DFB70}
{15eae92e-f17a-4431-9f28-805e482dafd4}
{17cd9488-1228-4b2f-88ce-4298e93e0966}
{1D2680C9-0E2A-469d-B787-065558BC7D43}
{1FA9085F-25A2-489B-85D4-86326EEDCD87}
{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
{241D7C96-F8BF-4F85-B01F-E2B043341A4B}
{4026492F-2F69-46B8-B9BF-5654FC07E423}
{62D8ED13-C9D0-4CE8-A914-47DD628FB1B0}
{78F3955E-3B90-4184-BD14-5397C15F1EFC}
And, as a reminder, to create the Godmode folder itself, use this string:
{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
