Reassign the ThinkVantage button to open Word or IE?

Can anyone tell me if it's possible to reassign the blue ThinkVantage button to open a program?

I left out most of the ThinkVantage software after doing a clean install but I'd like to use it for something. I'm using Vista in R61/T61.

So...is it possible?


EDIT: I'm posting the instructions here to give better visibility - scroll down for an alternative from Mikeee to get the ThinkVantage button to work without having to go into the registry. It's a small utility that seems like it will give more options and might be easier to deal with. I couldn't get it to work properly with Vista, but other have had success. It was last updated to work with XP.

The following instructions apply to VISTA 32-bit.

_____________________________________________________________________

There is a way to make the ThinkVantage button open programs, open multiple programs, or hibernate after completing a clean install. Thanks to Bighaugs (who started the thread and was the original poster for the question) and Erik from thinkpads.com (who explained exactly what to do to run programs) and Hellbore and Cherude (who expanded on the idea to make the button control hibernate and possibly more). I’m only compiling the infomation they described in one place in case someone wants to try this and add functionality to the big blue button. I’ll try to explain Erik and Hellbore’s instructions here in case Mikeeeeee’s utility find doesn’t work or you want an alternative. You can see the original instructions posted HERE

One advantage of creating a batch file and registry key is that you are able to open multiple programs with the push of just one button. Also, If you have the 'Thinkpad Power Manager' software installed, you can use the batch file to power off the display and lock the workstation (same as Fn + F3). You can even create a batch file to make the laptop hibernate.


The blue button can be programmed to run any executable file as long as you have the ‘hotkey utility’ installed. It’s owned by the hotkey features located in the registry at: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY. Follow the instructions below to set it up to open notepad – if you want to use the Thinkvantage button to open a software program or hibernate, skip down to the next set of instructions:

_____________________________________________________________________

Make The ThinkVantage Button Open Notepad

Notepad.exe is the easiest to set up to open because you don't need to create batch files. You are only creating registry key (8001) that doesn't exist anymore because you performed a clean install.

1. Open notepad (Start > Accessories > Notepad)

2. Paste the following text:



Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY\8001]
"File"="C:\\Windows\\notepad.exe"



3. Save the file anywhere and name it whatever you want, but change the file extension from “.txt” to “.reg”

4. Open the .reg file you just saved and…walla, use the big blue button to open the notepad program.

_____________________________________________________________________

Make The ThinkVantage Button Open Any Program

If you want to open any .exe program, you need to create a batch file in order to make it open smoothly without error. Follow these steps to create a batch file, then create a registry entry to make the ThinkVantage button point to that program:

1.Open notepad (Start > Accessories > Notepad)

2.Paste the following text (I used the path to IE, but you can replace this with any path you want):


@echo off
cd "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer"
start iexplore
cls


3.Name the file as “runapp.bat”

4.Save the file in the following location: C:\


*Now you need to create the registry code to point to the above batch file*


5.Open notepad (Start > Accessories > Notepad)

6.Paste the following text that points to the batch file just created:



Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY\8001]
"File"="c:\\runapp.bat"



7.Save the file anywhere and name it whatever you want, but change the file extension from “.txt” to “.reg”

8.Open the .reg file you just saved and use the big blue button to open the.exe program you specified in step 2.

If you want to change the program that opens with the blue ThinkVantage button, you only need to edit the batch file and not the registry. Right click on the .bat file and select ‘edit’. Just follow the pattern by changing the path to the application you want next to ‘cd’ and make sure to add the name of the application after the word ‘start’

_____________________________________________________________________

Make The ThinkVantage Button Open Multiple Programs Simultaneously

You can make the ThinkVantage button open multiple programs at the same time. Follow the instructions above, except at step 2 use the following batch code (replacing the path for whatever programs you want to control):

@echo off
cd "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer"
start iexplore
cd "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE12"
start WINWORD
cls

You get the idea if you can follow the pattern and keep adding as many applications as you want. They will all open simultaneously.

_____________________________________________________________________

Make The thinkVantage Button Control Hibernate

(from post #27) If you want to make the ThinkVantage button put the laptop into hibernate mode, you need to create a batch file just like above. Follow these steps to create a batch file, then create a registry entry to make the ThinkVantage button point to that program:

1.Open notepad (Start > Accessories > Notepad)

2.Paste the following text:


@echo off
shutdown /h


3.Name the file as “hibernate.bat”

4.Save the file in the following location: C:\


*Now you need to create the registry code to point to the above batch file*


5.Open notepad (Start > Accessories > Notepad)

6.Paste the following text that points to the batch file just created:



Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY\8001]
"File"="c:\\hibernate.bat"



7.Save the file anywhere and name it whatever you want, but change the file extension from “.txt” to “.reg”

8.Open the .reg file you just saved and use the big blue button to open the.exe program you specified in step 2

Note: These instructions are only valid for Windows Vista. Windows XP does not have the shutdown hibernate command.

_____________________________________________________________________

Make The thinkVantage Button Control Shutdown and Turn Off

(from post #30) If you want to make the ThinkVantage button put the laptop into shut down and turn off, you need to create a batch file. Follow these steps to create a batch file, then create a registry entry to make the ThinkVantage button point to that program:

1.Open notepad (Start > Accessories > Notepad)

2.Paste the following text:

@echo off
shutdown /s /t 5

Obs: t 5 means 5 seconds, the laptop will start to shut down and turn off after 5 seconds you press the ThinkVantage button. You can increase/decrease this time as you wish.

3.Name the file as “off.bat”

4.Save the file in the following location: C:\

*Now you need to create the registry code to point to the above batch file*

5.Open notepad (Start > Accessories > Notepad)

6.Paste the following text that points to the batch file just created:


Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY\8001]
"File"="c:\\off.bat"


7.Save the file anywhere and name it whatever you want, but change the file extension from “.txt” to “.reg”

8.Open the .reg file you just saved and use the big blue button to open the.exe program you specified in step 2

Note: These instructions are only valid for Windows Vista. Windows XP does not have the shutdown hibernate command.

_____________________________________________________________________

If you have the 'Thinkpad Power Manager' software installed, you can also use the batch file to power off the display and lock the workstation (same as Fn + F3) by using the following code:

@echo off
cd "C:\Program Files\ThinkPad\Utilities"
start PWMOSDV
rundll32 user32.dll, LockWorkStation
cls

Keep in mind that the above only works for 32-bit Vista. If you are using 64-bit Vista OS, the path will be slightly different. For 64-bit OS, you should replace (cd "C:\Program Files\ThinkPad\Utilities") with (cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\ThinkPad\Utilities").

_____________________________________________________________________

If you want to edit the registry, you can go to Start and type “regedit” in the search field. Once there, expand the folders to find [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY\8001]. Right click ‘file’ and select ‘Modify…’ From there, you can point the value data to any executable program (like Notepad) or batch file you want.

In other words, you can create a batch file to run an application and hibernate and keep them in the "C:\" location. Use the steps above to point to whatever you want the button to control by entering c:\\runapp.bat or c:\\hibernate.bat in the registry.

_____________________________________________________________________

I should probably write a disclaimer that says that messing with your registry is not advised if you’re not comfortable with computers. You could mess it up more – so don’t do it if you think you’re going to blame me. You can probably tell from my posts that computers aren’t exactly my forte, but I was able to handle it by following simple instructions. In short - if I can do it, anyone can do it. Please let me know if there are any mistakes in the instructions I wrote above or if there is any way I can make it more clear.

 

love to hear this too...

see this thread...

 

I saw that thread too, but no one could help.

I can see that some people know that the ThinkVantage button is fully configurable from looking at a website at: http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/How_to_get_special_keys_to_work but it’s waaaay beyond me and I’m lost after that.

Does anyone have the expertise to say how it’s configurable?

 

Pretty sure that link is all for linux on ThinkPads, not windows.
This one has a section relating to the ThinkVantage button under XP or 2000 (scroll down a bit), but nothing for Vista..
Might be worth a look to see if it's the same Registry Key though.

 

The website you mentioned contains instructions for Linux, not Windows. That is why it looks so difficult .

 

Ok, just had a rummage in my registry, there's nothing in there relating to the thinkvantage button that I can find.
Really need somebody that hasn't done a clean install of Vista to look and see what's in theirs I guess.

 

The registry key for the Thinkvantage in Vista is definitely NOT the same as that in XP, so that page in ThinkWiki is not a help.

 

Thank you Tim, that link is a good find. It looks like it's at least possible - but, how do you find the thing that controls the button?

If I removed the Productivity Center then there's nothing pointing to the button that I can change, correct? If true, is there a small utility that can find the blue ThinkVantage button and allow me to configure it any way I want?

Or maybe I'd have to load Productivity Center so the computer knows the button is there, disable Productivity Center, and change something in the registry that tells the button what to open (like described in ThinkWiki)? Would that even be worth it?

Those are a lot of questions - but I'd like to at least know if my thinking is correct before I start messing around too much. It seems like a simple thing, but it could be an interesting challenge to anyone with more expertise.

 

@ickysmits - you might have more luck with a question of this caliber over on the thinkpads.com forum. No offense to anyone here. I don't know the answer either. The bad thing about thinkpads.com is they don't seem to get the same volume of traffic as notebookreview, but there are some very witty folk over there. If you ever come up with an answer to the question make sure to share it with the rest of us.

 

http://www.schlackman.org/programs/thinkpad.html

Works on a T61, pretty sweet considering it's four years old. This utility only reassigns the thinkvantage button...which is what this thread is about, so here it is. I mapped it to run the utility, but you can make it open any application, in addition to a shutdown, resart, etc.

Theres also the IBM util, which does other stuff.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-67288

 

Mikeeeeeeee, it looks like you found the easiest way to make use of the ThinkVantage button!!!! I’d like to see other people try and see if it works for them as well. I tried but it didn’t work for me.

The reason is this: you probably have to have “Hotkey utility” installed for it to work. I didn’t. I finally realized, and I’ve seen Stallen trying to explain this in his install guide, that you once you download and save any driver from Lenovo and select ‘run’ – the file has only been extracted to another folder. It’s kind of misleading. You have to then go to where the file was extracted and tell it to run again in order for it to install. The hotkey utility was never properly installed on my computer.

I found another way to get the ThinkVantage button to work on Thinkpads.com thanks the Bighaugs (who started the thread there and was the original poster for the question) and Erik (who explained exactly what to do). I’ll try to explain Erik’s instructions here in case Mikeeeeee’s find doesn’t work or you want an alternative. You can see the original instructions posted HERE

The blue button can indeed be programmed to run any executable file as long as you have the ‘hotkey utility’ installed. It’s owned by the hotkey features located in the registry at: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY. Follow these instructions to set it up:

1. Open notepad (Start > Accessories > Notepad)

2. Paste the following text:




Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY\8001]
"File"="C:\\Windows\\notepad.exe"




3. Replace "C:\\Windows\\notepad.exe" with whatever executable program you want to run and make sure you keep the double backslashes in the path.

4. Save the file anywhere and name it whatever you want, but change the file extension from “.txt” to “.reg”

5. Open the .reg file you just saved and…walla, use the big blue button to open your program.

If you want to change the program, you can go to Start and type “regedit” in the search field. Once there, expand the folders to find [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY\8001]. Right click ‘file’ and select ‘Modify…’ From there, you can point the value data to any executable program you want.

I should probably write a disclaimer that says that messing with your registry is not advised if you’re not comfortable with computers. You could mess it up more – so don’t do it if you think you’re going to blame me. You can probably tell from the posts above that computers aren’t exactly my forte, but I was able to handle it by following simple instructions. In short - if I can do it, anyone can do it. Please let me know if there are any mistakes in the instructions I wrote above.

 

Thanks, that works for me. Clean install on a T61p.

 

thanks! didn't think of creating the 8001 registry key. Worked for me. Now what to assign to the button? Any ideas?

 

Can you turn it into a restart or hibernate button?

 

Yes .

 

Hellbore, please expand.

Thanks

 

Well the question was can you do it, now HOW do you do it

But here is one way... ok so someone already showed how to assign the Thinkvantage button to run a particular command right?

Now just download this file:
http://www.aumha.org/downloads/shutdown.zip
Unzip the shutdown.exe to wherever you want, for example let's say you unzip it into c:\windows

Now just set the Thinkvantage button to run that program with the following switches:
c:\windows\shutdown.exe -h -t 0

That's all it takes!!!

Actually I don't have a Thinkpad yet so I don't know 100% for sure that it will work. If it doesn't work you might have to make a slight change... Make a text file named hibernate.bat that includes only this line:
c:\windows\shutdown.exe -h -t 0

Then when you set the Thinkvantage key your registry file would contain something like this:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY\8001]
"File"="C:\\Windows\\hibernate.bat"

That SHOULD work no matter what, I think... Anyways, someone please hurry and try this, I want to know if it works

If it works you guys owe me a cookie!!!!!

 

Or just use the first link in mikeeeee's post - that lets you set restart/hibernate/whatever to the thinkvantage button with one easy button click!

 

Hey richard, I just looked at that link and it doesn't show any option for hibernate!

 

Well, it’s an interesting approach and it seems like an idea that could work – but that utility doesn’t work in Vista at least. If anyone is interested in reading up on that utility, you can find it at: http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/shutcut.htm (it’s always a good idea to give credit to people who actually did the work).

I’m not willing to be a Guinea pig for something that SHOULD work…I think… Try it out when you get your ThinkPad and write something up when you’re absolutely sure.

 

OK so that program doesn't work in Vista, but you guys didn't look very hard, it turns out Vista already has the necessary command built in.

Both Vista and XP already have a "shutdown" command built in, but XP's version lacks the hibernate option. Vista has this option.

So if you have Vista all you need is this command for hibernate:
shutdown /h /t 0

Restart would be
shutdown /r /t 0

Or if you want to restart and you want Windows to close all open programs and not prompt you, use this command, but it will close your documents without asking if you want to save:
shutdown /r /f /t 0

As for this:

I don't think so, if you want a writeup do it yourself instead of complaining. I just gave you the information you need to do it.

And here's the website of the guys who made this shutdown program... Gotta give credit to them...
http://www.microsoft.com

 

All I’m trying to say is that your instructions aren’t clear and they don’t work. Just think it out first and post when you know exactly what to do. Otherwise, you’re just a waste of energy. Also, give credit where credit is due – no reason to be a smartass about it. Plenty of people with varying skill levels try to work this kind of stuff out only for the sake of discovery, so it’s just the proper thing to do.

 

Thanks to erik at thinkpads.com, I updated the instructions to make programs open more smoothly. Previously, an error message would appear before opening a program. By creating a batch file, any program will open without error and now it’s possible to open multiple programs simultaneously.

Also, If you have the 'Thinkpad Power Manager' software installed, you can also use the batch file to power off the display and lock the workstation (same as Fn + F3).

Please let me know if the instructions can be improved/expanded or made more clear.

 

The problem is your delivery, you started off being a jerk about it so of course I responded in kind. You COULD have been polite about it, but you chose to take an insulting tone. So basically go jump.

I was just giving some ideas of things to try, that's why I clearly said that I THINK this might work, I never said "do this, it will work". I was just firing off some ideas, I didn't have time to rigorously test it all out just to make you happy. Here you are again ordering me around, "just think it out first, then post"... Umm no, I will post what I want to, who do you think you are telling me what I can and can't say? I care exactly NOTHING for what you think about me or what you tell me to do.

So, again, stop being a dick and we're done here.

 

OK Hellbore, I don't want to escalate this further. Apologies, I really didn't intend to come across jerky at first. You, however, may have better skills and knowledge so just asking to be more clear...maybe abrasive but not trying to be insulting.

Anyway, if you ever do try to get hibernate to work this way I'm still very curious to know how to do it. I don't have the expertise to figure it out from what you've posted. So please share if you can.

Thanks

 

Wow you took the high road lol... I'm really embarassed that I called you a dick that was really immature of me. You actually seem like a pretty cool guy. I'm surprised after what I just said that you didn't say something angry back. Anyways sorry I reacted the way I did! I was really stressed out with school when I read your post and I probably took it the wrong way. It's always better to keep things civil and act like adults so thanks for bringing the discussion back to a state of civility even after I insulted you.

If there is still a question as to how to use the thinkvantage key to make the system hibernate, I could try it and see if I can figure out the correct way to make it work. I have my Thinkpad now so I can test this and hopefully figure it out, if it hasn't been figured out yet.

Before I was just kind of guessing what might work, but you're right, it didn't work the way I guessed it would. I just tried it and nope, didn't work. So, I have a little free time tonight, I'll see if I can make it work and post it if I figure it out.

 

OK I was able to get hibernate to work on my Thinkpad.

I'm in a big hurry at the moment so just to save time I will quote ickysmit's instructions in the first post of this thread, and I will just add onto what he said, since I think the method he posted is the quickest way to do it. The stuff I'm adding or changing is in bold letters.

Let me know if that works for you, or if it needs any clarification etc.!

 

That’s perfect Hellbore!!! Really works well, thanks for your patience and time to put that little piece together.

Do you happen to know the switch to make it sleep as well? It’s got to be a simple code if it’s anything like your hibernate switch.

By the way, don’t worry about it, I was kind of a dick. Just glad there are people around who understand why this works.

Thanks

 

this works in vista... great!
Thanks for the application. I associated the thinkvantage button with WINWORD.EXE

 

Make the ThinkVantage Button control Shut Down and Turn Off

If you want to make the ThinkVantage button put the laptop into shut down and turn off, you need to create a batch file. Follow these steps to create a batch file, then create a registry entry to make the ThinkVantage button point to that program:

1.Open notepad (Start > Accessories > Notepad)

2.Paste the following text:

@echo off
shutdown /s /t 5

Obs: t 5 means 5 seconds, the laptop will start to shut down and turn off after 5 seconds you press the ThinkVantage button. You can increase/decrease this time as you wish.

3.Name the file as “off.bat”

4.Save the file in the following location: C:\

*Now you need to create the registry code to point to the above batch file*

5.Open notepad (Start > Accessories > Notepad)

6.Paste the following text that points to the batch file just created:


Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY\8001]
"File"="c:\\off.bat"


7.Save the file anywhere and name it whatever you want, but change the file extension from “.txt” to “.reg”

8.Open the .reg file you just saved and use the big blue button to open the.exe program you specified in step 2

Note: These instructions are only valid for Windows Vista. Windows XP does not have the shutdown hibernate command.

 

Good stuff Cherude, thanks! I'll also add it to the beginning of the thread in case anyone else wants to use the ThinkVantage button to shut down.

 

I'm trying to get it to run Firefox on my XP Pro .. and this with the regkey didn't work. I haven't done a clean install on Windows - just uninstalled a bunch of programs.

I'm not using the batch file, but just typed the firefox.exe and it's location in the place of notepad.com -> doesn't work

it says that the file is not a registry script

 

I should reiterate that these instructions were intended for Vista 32-bit. I'm not too sure about XP - but ThinkWiki (it's focus is Linux, but 2000 & XP are towards the bottom of the page) suggests that changing the registry entry in 2000 or XP --- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY\8001 --- will allow you to customize the program that is launched with the ThinkVantage button.

Do you have the registry key TPHOTKEY\8001 when you run regedit? You should if you didn't do a clean install. To check go to Start and type “regedit” in the search field. Once there, expand the folders to find [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY\8001]. If it's there you should be able to modify the 8001 key to point to FireFox. Right click ‘file’ and select ‘Modify…’ From there, you can point the value data to any executable program (like Firefox). Make sure to copy or write down the original value data so you can change it back if you need.

The only reason to follow steps 1 - 4 in the instructions is to create the (8001) registry key that was eliminated with the clean install. If you don't have the 8001 key and the ThinkVantage button doesn't work for you now, try following steps 1 - 4 to open notepad. Keep notepad.exe as the executable program, then follow the instructions above to change it from notepad to FireFox in the registry.

A better option may be to give this utility a try: http://www.schlackman.org/programs/thinkpad.html
It may work very well for you because it was last updated to run on XP.

I hope this was clear, let me know how it works out.

 

So does anyone know the command to have the blue button open a particular website? That would be a timesaver for me.

 

Best I think you could do is set a particular website as your homepage and tell the button to open IE or Firefox. A new window would open to that particular webpage every time you press the button.

 

http://www.schlackman.org/programs/thinkpad.html

hell yes, this ^ works

thank you

 

Great! I couldn't get it to work properly in Vista even in compatibility mode, but sounds like it's fine in XP. It's a lot easier than messing with registry keys and batch files. I wish the creator still had a ThinkPad.

 

Just FYI:
I used the the notepad regedit method to bring up the "windows 2000 style shut down dialog box" found here: http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=499870 ... I have Vista x64 Bus. And it works fine!

 

That’s kind of cool if you quickly want to bring up different choices like log off, switch user, hibernate, etc… I was able to bring it up by having the desktop in front and selecting Alt+F4. I didn’t know it existed.

Tell me, did you point the ThinkVantage button an .exe app in Windows? If so, where is it? Or, did you have it point to the app the author created?

 

i just used the app on that site, through it in some folder that made sense to me... and pointed the txt/reg file towards that app.

did that answer your question? im not sure if I understand.

 

Yep, you answered my question perfectly - thanks. The other part of my question wasn't very clear.

There are a bunch of little applications in C:\Windows\System32 like magnify, snipping tool (very useful tool), sticky note, sound recorder, etc... I was asking you if that Dialog Box is an application in the same folder and if you just went directly to it.

 

I downloaded that little app off of the website, placed it in a folder under my C: drive, and linked directly to it in the txt/reg doc.

I dont think that app is found under the system32 folder.... is that what you are asking???

 

It's fine. Thanks for the link, the Dialog Box is actually useful to me at the moment as my wife is getting a new computer and I created a separate user account for the meantime. It works nice for that.

 

Hi. Can someone tell me how to undo this? In other words, if I'd reassigned it to do something, how do I change it back so that it does nothing?

Thanks...

 

Go to Start and type “regedit” in the search field. Expand the folders to find [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY\8001]. Right click ‘file’ and select ‘Modify…’ Clear the value data.

 

I can't get this to work because I don't have the 8001 folder. I have the Hotkey driver installed, and it's on a system that was fully reinstalled. Do I need to install the Productivity Center too? Also, I have Vista x64.

 

You don’t need to install Productivity Center - the whole point here is that you did a clean install, didn’t add functionality to the blue button (i.e. Productivity Center), and now at least want the button to do something useful.

I can’t advise if it will work with Vista x64 since I don’t know how it’s different, but maybe you can try or someone else can chime in.

In Vista 32 bit, you can create the 8001 folder in the registry by following the following instructions to make the ThinkVantage key open Notepad:


1. Open notepad (Start > Accessories > Notepad)

2. Paste the following text:



Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\TPHOTKEY\8001]
"File"="C:\\Windows\\notepad.exe"



3. Save the file anywhere and name it whatever you want, but change the file extension from “.txt” to “.reg”

4. Open the .reg file you just saved and…walla, use the big blue button to open the notepad program.


After you do this the folder is in the registry and you can now create batch files and make the blue button open other programs.

Good luck!

 

sweet. worked perfectly on XP pro.

i didn't have that registry key at all (clean install with hotkeys but not thinkvantage productivity stuff), but inserting the 8001 key into the registry worked like a charm. nice. i'll probably just leave the key on opening notepad for now, and mess around with something more complex later.

OP repped.