Whenever you install a new program, utility or application, Windows asks you to restart your system before allowing you to use it. This tip will help you save time and imitate a system reboot by actually restarting the Windows Explorer shell and rereading the registry, which is what the program actually needs.

For Windows XP and Vista, this tip describes that the Windows Explorer can be killed using the command 'tskill If lim explorer.exe' via the Command Prompt. Now restart it by typing 'explorer .exe' right after that in the same Command Prompt window. This makes Windows read the registry all over again, which is a substitute for the usually required restart after any new software installations are done. However, in Windows XP Home, this command is slightly different - 'tskill la explorer'. The file name ending with '.exe' does not need to be included. Windows Explorer restarts automatically in Windows XP Home without the need to type in the 'explorer.exe' command modifier.



Note:

When you use the command in a batch file in Windows Vista, you must take care that you run the file with administrator rights. To do that, right-click on the batch file in Windows Explorer and select the context menu 'Start as Administrator'.