How to Replace Notepad with Notepad2

Notepad is a popular text editor, which usually saves file in TXT format. Notepad does not have any format tags or styles, which make the program ideal for editing system files.

If text is copied from a web page and pasted to Notepad, the program will automatically remove any types of formatting. If a page is copied and pasted to another word processor, the program will usually copy all types of formatting such as text size and style. Notepad is capable of editing files of almost any format, making it one of the most ubiquitous text-based editors.

Notepad also has practical features allowing users to log phone numbers, jot notes, and record lists.

Despite all of the advantages in Notepad, however, it still isn't the perfect text editor. One of the hugest annoyances of Notepad is the fact that it doesn't handle large text files. Notepad offers a limited amount of space per file and this can be a major hindrance. Another annoyance is the fact that Notepad does not show line numbers of any sort next to each line. If you use Notepad to write codes for programs, a lack of line numbers can be quite confusing. If you copy text from another file, Notepad may alter the scripting and make the text unreadable.

Overall, Notepad does not offer many features. There are very few formatting options available. For example, Notepad does not support advanced search and replace features.

If you are seeking a competent alternative to Notepad, you may want to consider downloading Notepad2. Notepad2 offers so many features that Notepad does not. These features include:
*customizable syntax highlighting
*HTML, XML, CSS
*JavaScript, VBScript, ASP,
*PHP, CSS, Perl, C++,
*Pascal, SQL, and Python formatting;
*Drag and drop text editing;
*Advanced search and replace features;
*Editing shortcuts;
*Rectangular selection;
*Auto indent, brace matching, zoom functions, and the long line marker;
*Unicode, UTF-8, Unix, and Macintosh text format support;
*Open shell links, and many adjustable features.

It's rather clear that Notepad2 is far better than the original Notepad. Here's how to replace Notepad with notepad2:

Step #1
First, you will download Notepad2 from www.flos-freeware.ch/notepad2.html.

Step #2
Once you have downloaded the program extract the files to this destination: C:\Notepad.

Step #3
Rename the file notepad2.exe to notepad.exe. Now you have replaced the original Notepad with Notepad2.

Step #4
You're not done yet, however: your computer will automatically undo the changes you have just made. In order to prevent this, you need to download these batches:
Windows 2000: http://download.bleepingcomputer.com/bats/ntrepl.bat
Windows XP: http://download.bleepingcomputer.com/bats/xprepl.bat
Once you have downloaded these batches, they will permanently replace Notepad with the much better Notepad2.