The value
HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop → ForegroundFlashCount (DWORD) — how many times a denied window-flash happens when a background app wants focus. Stock 7. Paired with ForegroundLockTimeout (how long apps may steal focus).
The usable range
- 3 — noticeable badge, ends early; a good balance on big displays when notification centrism feels noisy.
- 1 — single flash; for heads-down writing/admin modes.
- 0 — no flashing; genuinely useful only if you also have another notification surface covering attention needs.
Restore: write 7 back. That's it. No restart theatre — Explorer reads it at next flash event or at worst a Restart Explorer.
Part of why the per-account preset ships this at all: it is exactly the kind of value that forum posts tell you to set to 0 forever, with no restore story. Documented default, journaled restore, done.
ProofTune ProjectEngineering notes — every claim here names the bytes a real tool touches. Verify first, install second.