Update: The Setup installer of the latest Notepad2 will automatically replace the Windows Notepad using the registry hack described below. It will also install Notepad2 to C:\Program Files\Notepad2 or an appropriate folder. Original Post: This has been tested in Windows 7 64-bit edition, however should work in other versions and 32-bit editions as well. In the days of Windows 2000, it was easy to replace "notepad.exe" with your own custom version of Notepad, such as the light-weight but powerful Notepad2 . Simply find the file and overwrite. But with Windows XP and later versions, a new feature called "Windows File Protection" prevents you from doing so. However, you can now replace Notepad system-wide without even touching the original "notepad.exe" using a simple registry hack.
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