Microsoft Windows Registry Guide, Second Edition

Console

The key HKCU\Console contains the default configuration for a command-prompt window (console subsystem). This is the environment that hosts all character-mode applications. To change console settings, click the System icon (top-left corner of the window), and then click Properties. After changing the properties, Windows prompts you to change the default settings or save the settings for console windows that have the same title:

• If you change the default settings, the operating system stores those settings in HKCU\Console.

• If you save the settings for console windows with the same title, the operating system creates the subkey HKCU\Console\Title, where Title is the window's title, and stores the custom settings in it. (See Figure C-2.)

  Figure C-2 Each subkey in Console is the title of a customized console window. You typically see this key only after starting a command prompt window from the Run dialog box.

As with AppEvents, there's seldom a good reason to customize these settings directly. It's not really a cool hack, and a user interface is available for all these settings. What is cool is that after you've configured your console windows just the way you want them, you can export Console to a REG file. Then, the next time you install Windows, import the REG file to restore your console settings. You'll never configure a command prompt again.