Disable the Insert key

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ms - 20 Oct 2006 15:07 GMT

I want to disable the Insert key.

Is there a way to do it in the W98SE registry?

ms

I will have to do the same thing in W2K, anyone aware of that change?

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Don Phillipson - 20 Oct 2006 15:59 GMT

> I want to disable the Insert key.
> Is there a way to do it in the W98SE registry?

Yes but . . .
What is it exactly that you wish to do?
e.g. 1 Keep your word processor all the time
in either Insert or Overwrite mode
e.g. 2 something else?

The point is that if you disabled a key via
Registry it might not be available in another
app (e.g. photo edit) when called for. But
there are many different ways to skin a cat . . .

Signature

Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

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ms - 20 Oct 2006 19:01 GMT

>> I want to disable the Insert key.
>> Is there a way to do it in the W98SE registry?
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> app (e.g. photo edit) when called for. But
> there are many different ways to skin a cat . . .

In the programs I use, I never purposely use the Insert key. It keeps
interfering with use of the Delete key.

Yes, I really want to make a change (that can be reversed) to make that
key unusable.

ms

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Haggis - 20 Oct 2006 19:37 GMT

>>> I want to disable the Insert key.
>>> Is there a way to do it in the W98SE registry?
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>
> ms

quick solution ? pop the top of the key off your keyboard (then you
shouldn't hit it) :>

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J. P. Gilliver - 20 Oct 2006 21:15 GMT

[]

>> In the programs I use, I never purposely use the Insert key. It keeps
>> interfering with use of the Delete key.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> quick solution ? pop the top of the key off your keyboard (then you
> shouldn't hit it) :>

You may also find Insert ToggleKey (http://www.mlin.net/misc.shtml) useful -
doesn't change anything, but makes a small beep if you hit the Insert key by
mistake (or deliberately of course), if that's what you're finding that
you're doing.

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dadiOH - 20 Oct 2006 15:59 GMT

> I want to disable the Insert key.
>
> Is there a way to do it in the W98SE registry?
> I will have to do the same thing in W2K, anyone aware of that
> change?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=remap+key

So what happened with your cable swapping project?

Signature

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

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ms - 20 Oct 2006 19:05 GMT

"dadiOH" <dadiOH@guesswhere.com> wrote in news:#v3qkhF9GHA.4012
@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl:

>> I want to disable the Insert key.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> So what happened with your cable swapping project?

Yes, the first site on that search does get into the registry, not too
straght forward, getting into deep water.

ms

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ms - 20 Oct 2006 19:07 GMT

"dadiOH" <dadiOH@guesswhere.com> wrote in news:#v3qkhF9GHA.4012
@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl:

>> I want to disable the Insert key.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> So what happened with your cable swapping project?

Later when time permits. I will post back "in a new thread" on that.

ms

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thanatoid - 21 Oct 2006 08:23 GMT

> I want to disable the Insert key.
>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> I will have to do the same thing in W2K, anyone aware of
> that change?

There are programs that beep or CLAIM to disable that f.cking
key but they either don't work, or are annoying as hell. Plus,
every stupid little thing you run adds to the resources drain.

So I am going to let you in on one of the GREATEST (IMO) little
secrets in the computer world, which I discovered accidentally
while trying AT LEAST 30 or 40 notepad replacements about 5 or 6
years ago...

We obviously agree the Insert/Overwrite was not only a STUPID
IDEA TO BEGIN WITH (like what's wrong with highlighting some
letters and hitting "DEL"?) but is POSSIBLY THE MOST ANNOYING
THING ON THE KEYBOARD and there is not a person alive who has
not hit it accidentally only to curse like a drunken sailor
moments or minutes later.

READY?

There is a little notepad substitute (which I am using to write
this) called Metapad. There is a Lite (free) version and a paid
version with more features.

Ahhhhh... But the BEST feature of all (it has MANY) is in the
FREE version. The free version IGNORES THE f.cking
INSERT/OVERWRITE KEY.
And the author does not even mention it except as a LIMITATION
of the free version!!! IOW it is almost an UNDOCUMENTED feature,
and one of the BEST of ALL IN THE WORLD.

Now all I can hope for is that you are smart enough to realize
you don't need to start up a 40 MB bloated pig to write a few
pages. You work in text format, then you open Word (and pray for
leniency), or InDesign or whatever and insert and format etc.
what you have written.

(Or, even better, just keep it as a text file. It's the content
that matters - one would HOPE. Plus TXT can be read by EVERY
computer in the world.)

{Metapad Lite HAS a - larger than MS Notepad but still - file
size limit but you can always work on file1.txt and file2.txt
etc, if you are writing something HUGE.)

http://liquidninja.com/metapad/

Enjoy.

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ms - 21 Oct 2006 14:08 GMT

>> I want to disable the Insert key.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 51 lines]
>
> Enjoy.

Yes, I have Metapad, also many other small text editors, never use Word,
etc. I use Edxor as my text editor, I like the text display better than I
see in Metapad.

I sure agree about Insert, the last time I used it was 10 years ago in
DOS Wordperfect 5.1.

I am going to work through the links provided by dadiOH, but it does not
look like a simple registry edit.

ms

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thanatoid - 21 Oct 2006 17:46 GMT

>>> I want to disable the Insert key.
>>>
[quoted text clipped - 65 lines]
>
> ms

Funny, I also use Edxor as my second text editor. It is not only
even smaller, but better in many ways, I agree. But just for
writing and avoiding that f.cking Insert key, Metapad Lite
RULES. (I also like NoteTab Light which has tabs and hundreds of
great features.)

But I see you want to do things the hard way... I used to like
to tinker too, now I just go with the simplest way... Getting
old...

If you ever figure out how to disable that key in registry
(IIRC, or wherever/however), let us know.

t.

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ms - 22 Oct 2006 15:56 GMT

>>>> I want to disable the Insert key.
>>>>
[quoted text clipped - 71 lines]
> RULES. (I also like NoteTab Light which has tabs and hundreds of
> great features.)

Same here, except I favor Edxor. I use NTL for cleaning up converted
text.

> But I see you want to do things the hard way... I used to like
> to tinker too, now I just go with the simplest way... Getting
> old...
>
> If you ever figure out how to disable that key in registry
> (IIRC, or wherever/however), let us know.

I hate to do things the hard way, just because I'm older! dadiOH gave me
lots of stuff to go over in a web search. Have to look into that.

re: text editors, I'm looking into PsPad, too many bells/whistles, see if
it can work for me.

ms

Reply to this Message

J. P. Gilliver - 23 Oct 2006 19:20 GMT

>> I want to disable the Insert key.
>>
>> Is there a way to do it in the W98SE registry?

[]

> There are programs that beep or CLAIM to disable that f.cking
> key but they either don't work, or are annoying as hell. Plus,
> every stupid little thing you run adds to the resources drain.

[]

> We obviously agree the Insert/Overwrite was not only a STUPID
> IDEA TO BEGIN WITH (like what's wrong with highlighting some

[]
Wow, didn't SOMEbody get out of the wrong side of bed this - year?

Taking your point. I think the simplest way is probably, as someone
suggested, to take they keytop off.

Obviously, anything takes _some_ resources, but Insert ToggleKey
(http://www.mlin.net/misc.shtml) [a bleeper] is only a 77K download, so I
assume it can't take much!

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thanatoid - 24 Oct 2006 02:51 GMT

>>> I want to disable the Insert key.
>>>
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> Wow, didn't SOMEbody get out of the wrong side of bed this
> - year?

I should have never been born but that is slightly beside the
point. I suppose your mommy sent you to secretarial school so
YOU have NEVER hit the overwrite key by mistake, huh?

> Taking your point. I think the simplest way is probably, as
> someone suggested, to take they keytop off.
>
> Obviously, anything takes _some_ resources, but Insert
> ToggleKey (http://www.mlin.net/misc.shtml) [a bleeper] is
> only a 77K download, so I assume it can't take much!

It doesn't take much (whatever THAT means) and it does nothing.
At least on my machine. Yes, I've tried it.

Besides, Metapad Lite has dozens of great features besides the
i/o key problem elimination.

Now, shut up and go get a life.

Reply to this Message

J. P. Gilliver - 25 Oct 2006 23:38 GMT

[]

>>> There are programs that beep or CLAIM to disable that
>>> f.cking key but they either don't work, or are annoying as

[]

>> Wow, didn't SOMEbody get out of the wrong side of bed this
>> - year?
>
> I should have never been born but that is slightly beside the
> point. I suppose your mommy sent you to secretarial school so
> YOU have NEVER hit the overwrite key by mistake, huh?

Sure I have. Now that you mention it, I don't think I have for some years,
but yes, I ave sometimes done so.

>> Taking your point. I think the simplest way is probably, as
>> someone suggested, to take they keytop off.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> It doesn't take much (whatever THAT means) and it does nothing.
> At least on my machine. Yes, I've tried it.

It worked on mine. Ho hum.

> Besides, Metapad Lite has dozens of great features besides the
> i/o key problem elimination.

We all have prog.s we like to evangelise about (for me it's usually
IrfanView). I'm not saying anything against MetaPad Lite; I just have no
intention of learning yet another editor just to avoid the I/O key. (I
presume from the "Lite" that there's a heavy as well; what extra do you get
for your money?)

> Now, shut up and go get a life.

(I've got one - it just doesn't require swearing.)

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thanatoid - 26 Oct 2006 04:10 GMT

> []
>>>> There are programs that beep or CLAIM to disable that
[quoted text clipped - 37 lines]
>
> (I've got one - it just doesn't require swearing.)

Excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse ME!

If you want to find out about Metapad, there is something called
a search engine. Quite a few of them, in fact. Google to find
out what I'm talking about.

And there is NOTHING new to learn in Metapad, and it has several
other great features which I have NOT seen in any of about 30
text editors I tested before settling on Metapad (LITE), Edxor
and NoteTabLight.

Actually, since I am typing this with Metapad, what the hell...
The link in the "about" window is actually copyable... (I don't
know why ALL software writers do this...)

http://liquidninja.com/metapad/

Regards
t.

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J. P. Gilliver - 28 Oct 2006 00:57 GMT

[]

>>> Now, shut up and go get a life.
>>
>> (I've got one - it just doesn't require swearing.)
>
> Excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse ME!

(Well, the remains of this post seemed much more reasonable!)

> If you want to find out about Metapad, there is something called
> a search engine. Quite a few of them, in fact. Google to find
> out what I'm talking about.

I don't, for now - I may sometime. I know what a search engine is - I was
using AltaVista before Google was out of short trousers. (Cue for all the
Unix dinosaurs to say much the same about AltaVista.)

> And there is NOTHING new to learn in Metapad, and it has several
> other great features which I have NOT seen in any of about 30

In order to use the "great features", you must have to learn how to invoke
them (-:! If you mean it can be used _without_ the extra features without
having to learn anything new, fair enough.

> text editors I tested before settling on Metapad (LITE), Edxor
> and NoteTabLight.
>
> Actually, since I am typing this with Metapad, what the hell...
> The link in the "about" window is actually copyable... (I don't
> know why ALL software writers do this...)

(I presume you meant "why ... _don't_ do this; and I agree, it would be
nice!)

> http://liquidninja.com/metapad/

[]
Ta; noted for future reference.

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thanatoid - 28 Oct 2006 05:14 GMT

> []
>>>> Now, shut up and go get a life.
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> I don't, for now - I may sometime.

I was just taking the piss (ask you Brit friends). It was a
rather cute, if I say so myself, joke wrapped in a joke. I'm
sure there is French word for it or something (NOT double-
entendre) but I do not know it.

> I know what a search
> engine is - I was using AltaVista before Google was out of
> short trousers. (Cue for all the Unix dinosaurs to say much
> the same about AltaVista.)

Same here. But I think I heard of Google within a month of it
starting up, and there was no going back. Although I never liked
the "lowest common denominator" approach of Google, not to
mention that they are now one of the evil triumvirate, and
possibly the most evil.

AFAIAC ALL Usenet posts should be destroyed after a month.
Storing everything made sense in 1987 but it does NOT any more.
In fact it is causing a LOT of trouble - like we need any more.
It is nothing less than the exact equivalent of recording every
phone conversation anyone has - which is probably being done as
well.

I tried Altavista a year or so ago and I think it was bought out
by some morons and does nothing now. I can't remember and I
don't care anymore anyway. We're all going straight to hell.

>> And there is NOTHING new to learn in Metapad, and it has
>> several other great features which I have NOT seen in any
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> _without_ the extra features without having to learn
> anything new, fair enough.

That's what I meant. Sigh. It is a VERY simple program with
GREAT features. Why am I still talking to you?

>> text editors I tested before settling on Metapad (LITE),
>> Edxor and NoteTabLight.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> (I presume you meant "why ... _don't_ do this; and I agree,
> it would be nice!)

Correct. I was gonna post a correction but I don't care anymore.
And you DO appear smart enough to catch it - which you did.

>> http://liquidninja.com/metapad/
> []
> Ta; noted for future reference.

It's REALLY worth it, man.
Peace, dude, like, everywhere, man.

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