How to disable the Caps Lock key?

Do you ever actually use the Caps Lock key? I can't remember the last time I did. But it hasn't been nearly that long since the last time I accidentally hit it and ended up with all caps that I didn't want. That can be a real problem with some laptops whose keys so small that you hit Caps Lock when you're trying for Shift or Tab. Want to disable it? Here's how:

1. Open your registry editor and navigate to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ Keyboard Layout
2. In the right pane, double click the value Scancode Map. If it doesn't exist, create a new Binary Value and name it "Scancode Map" (without the quotation marks).
3. Enter the following binary data in the value data field: 00000000 00000000 0200000000 00003A00 00000000
4. Close the registry editor.

This remaps the key to "nothing." You can also remap it to serve the function of another key, such as the SHIFT key. If you often hit Caps Lock when you really want SHIFT, you might want to do this. In that case, enter the following value in the value data field: 00000000 00000000 02000000 2A003A00 00000000