Windows 7 GodMode? Not really

Of late, I saw the following making rounds on twitter, the blogosphere, on email and even on CNET:

Create folder, rename it to GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} and double click on it. 

So I thought I’d make a few things clear here.

• Firstly, it’s not called GodMode. Name your folder DevilMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} and the new folder will be called DevilMode instead. So it really isn’t “God Mode” – you can call it whatever you like.

  

• Secondly, what you get is just the Windows 7 Control Panel in a different (expanded) layout – it doesn’t contain any “hidden” tweaks. Take a look:

When I collapse the tree, GodMode becomes this:

Now, let’s open Control Panel and switch to Large Icons:

I get exactly the same thing. Why?

Explanation:

• Open the Windows Registry (REGEDIT)
• Search for “ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C”
• You will find this key in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID

• As you can see, this is nothing but Control Panel

What you’ve done is basically figuring out how to make a shortcut to Control Panel and give it your own name! You can do the same with any of the classes in the registry and achieve similar results!

For example: SuperGodMode.{ED834ED6-4B5A-4bfe-8F11-A626DCB6A921} will open the Personalization Control Panel and call it “Super God Mode”

This is a fully documented Windows Shell feature, not an Easter Egg.

Good bye “God Mode”!

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