How to Suppress the Windows Tour Prompt in Windows XP (311489)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
This article was previously published under Q311489
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SUMMARY

This article describes how users or administrators of Windows XP Professional-based computers can suppress the balloon prompt for the Windows Tour. This prompt is displayed by default the first three times a user log on to a Windows XP Professional-based computer.

MORE INFORMATION

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Suppressing the Prompt for All New Users

To suppress the prompt, follow these steps:
  1. Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
  2. Locate and click the following key in the registry:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Tour

    NOTE: The Tour key may not exist. If it does not exist, add it by pointing to New on the Edit menu, clicking Key, and then typing Tour as the key name.

  3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Dword Value.
  4. Type RunCount as the name for the new value.
  5. Set the data value for the RunCount value to 0 (zero), and then click OK.
  6. Quit Registry Editor.
Creating this value and setting its data value to 0 disables the balloon prompt to take the Windows Tour for any new users of the computer.

Suppressing the Prompt for Specific Users

You can also disable the prompt on a per-user basis. To do so, follow these steps:
  1. Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
  2. Locate and click the following key in the registry:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Tour

  3. On the Edit menu, point to New, click Dword Value, type RunCount, set the data value to 0 (zero), and then click OK.
  4. Quit Registry Editor.
You must make this modification for each user, and you must make it in the context of that user. You can do this by using a script or a custom policy file.

How the Registry Value Is Processed

During the startup process, Windows queries for the existence of the following value:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Tour\RunCount

If this value is set to a positive integer, that integer is decremented by one. If the setting is set to zero, the tour is suppressed.

If this value does not exist in HKEY_CURRENT_USER, Windows queries for the same value in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. If the value exists there, it is copied to HKEY_CURRENT_USER, and then processed normally. Again, if it is set to zero, the tour is suppressed. If the value does not exist in either location, it is created in HKEY_CURRENT_USER, with a starting value of 3.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:6/11/2002
Keywords:kbenv kbinfo KB311489
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.