More about GodMode

I remember the first time I ever saw a GUID used for a Windows desktop icon. Brad Silverberg was giving a demo of Windows 95. He typed in a weird name for a new desktop icon; as I recall, double-clicking on the icon brought up the Control Panel. Everybody in the audience ooh’d and aaah’d.

That’s why I wasn’t very impressed by the recent  “God Mode” revelations. It’s the same old stuff.

Ina Fried has an “exclusive” email interview with Steve Sinofsky, in which Steve gave a dozen or so additional GUID “God Mode” lookalikes. But the fact is that this stuff has been documented for a long, long time.

For example, by using the appropriate “God Mode” like name for a desktop icon, you can double-click your way directly into any of the Windows 7 Control Panel applets. Microsoft has a list of the GUIDs – the things in { brackets } – that work.

There are lots and lots of tricks with GUID icon names. I haven’t found any of them to be particularly useful, but your mileage may vary.