24th April 2002

I very much dislike Web site URLs that don't have a 'www' prefix. They're just as functional, but as far as my Start Menu's Run command field is concerned, they're not Web sites. Entering Web addresses here is just about the only way I open sites - even if I already have a browser open. I seldom use 'http' either way. Even with Autocomplete enabled, if I'm not keying in something that my system recognizes, it won't let me do what I need to do through "Run." So, let's say you always visit URLs which begin with 'members' instead of the traditional triple-dub. In Regedit, blast your way into HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ URL \ Prefixes. Create a new String Value, rename it to the desired "new" prefix, open it, and type in the associated URL protocol - "http://" (sans quotes) oughta suffice. Perhaps some enterprising freeware developer has created an easier way to do this, but for the time being, this isn't too difficult a registry "hack." If you run into problems, as always, you can remove the value.