WINDOWS TIPS,
TRICKS, & HELP
if you find any tips or tricks
that you find useful... please e-mail them & we'll post 'em
1/26/2001
Access Programs Faster with Disk
Defragmenter (Win98)
Do you have a few programs that you use far more than any
others? If so, you can make those programs more quickly
accessible. The improved Disk Defragmenter in Windows 98 can
gather the program files you use most often and move them to
the faster parts of your hard disk. To run Disk Defragmenter,
click Start and select Programs/Accessories/System Tools and then
select Disk Defragmenter. Click on the Settings button and
make sure that the option labeled "Rearrange program files
so
my programs start faster" is selected. Click OK twice to
begin defragmentation.
1/19/2001
Prevent Conflicts When Installing
Programs (Win98)
When installing a new program (Win98), to minimize conflicts:
Click 'Start', click 'Run', type in 'msconfig', click 'OK'.
This will open System Configuration Utility. Under 'General',
select 'Selective Startup'. Take the check mark out of
'Load Startup Group Items'. Click 'Apply'. Load your new program.
This should eliminate any possible conflicts.
You will usually be asked to restart your computer. This will
usually reset the 'Selective Startup' to the default settings,
which are 'Normal Startup - load all device drivers and
programs'.
If for some reason, after restarting, this does not appear to
have
happened, go to Start, Run, type 'msconfig', click 'OK' and
'System
Configuration Utility' will reopen. Click 'Normal Startup' and
things
will then be back to normal.
1/19/2001
Keep the StartUp Folder Lean
(Win9x)
Windows launches slower the more programs run automatically
on start-up. Move programs out of your StartUp folder
(\WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp) into a new folder
named StartUp Holds. Or remove entries you may find on
the LOAD= or RUN= line in the WIN.INI file. (Open WIN.INI
from your WINDOWS folder using Notepad.) You can also place
a semicolon (;) at the head of either line to prevent Windows
from reading it while preserving your previous settings.
1/15/2001
Customizing your desktop themes in
Windows 98
Have you installed Microsoft Plus! 98 on your system? If you
have, then
you've probably installed the Desktop Themes tool and are using a
variety of the desktop themes that come with the package. As
you've
been using the default desktop themes, you've probably discovered
certain elements in various themes that you like best.
Fortunately,
the Desktop Themes tool makes it easy to mix and match the
various
elements and create your own desktop themes. For all the details,
point your browser to the Inside Microsoft Windows 98 Web site at
http://www.elementkjournals.com/w98/0010/w9800a4.htm and read the
full article for FREE!
1/12/2001
Track Install Changes
(Win98)
Find out exactly what a program does when you install it by
using the System File Checker's log feature. After installing a
program, open the log by launching the System Information utility
(Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Information),
choosing System File Checker from the Tools menu, clicking on the
Settings button and then on the View Log button. The log will
tell
you exactly which files were added to your computer and which
were
updated with a newer version.
1/12/2001
Examine Files Before They Change
Your Registry (Win9x)
If a new application is accompanied by an information file
(filename.INF), that file may contain Registry-revision
instructions. If so, search it for lines beginning with AddReg=
and DelReg=. These lines point to the sections of the INF
file that contain those instructions. Review the sections
to get an idea of what changes are about to be made to
your Registry.
1/08/2001
Taking full advantage of
AutoComplete
If you're using Internet Explorer 5.x, you know that the
AutoComplete
feature remembers information that you type in forms on Web pages
and
URLs that you type in the Address box and instantly fills in that
information as soon as you begin typing something that you've
previously entered. However, you may not know that the
AutoComplete
feature also works in the Run dialog box. When you access the Run
dialog box, you can make use of AutoComplete to help you quickly
fill
in the Open text box with commands that you've previously used.
12/22/2000
Assigning KeyShortcut Key
Combination (For Win9x)
You can assign a Shortcut Key Combination to any shortcut
icon --- program or file --- that will open it instantly,
even when you can't see it, or from inside another program,
with a couple of keystrokes. The previous tip about an
Instant Lockdown screensaver will be even quicker if you
don't have to first find the icon to click on.
If you right click on any shortcut icon (including the ones
on the Start Menu*) and choose Properties, you can then
type a Ctrl+ (any letter) to assign the key combination.
They need to be unique and, of course, something you can
remember.
12/15/2000
Lock Down Your Screen from Prying
Eyes (For Win98)
Here's how to obscure and secure the contents of your PC screen
from prying eyes in a flash. Start by picking a specific screen-
saver and configuring it the way you like it (right click the
desktop, choose Properties, and click the Screen Saver tab). For
extra protection, give your screen-saver a password. Next, run
the Find, Files and Folders utility from the Start Menu, and type
*.SCR in the "Named" field. Click the Browse button,
locate your
\Windows\System folder, and click the Find Now button. Find the
screen-saver filename that matches the screen-saver you picked.
Right-click drag and drop it from the Find window to your
desktop. As you drop it, choose "Create Shortcut(s)
Here" from
the pop-up menu. Rename the new shortcut icon
"LockDown," or any
name your prefer. From now on, whenever you want to shutdown both
viewing and active access to your PC instantly, just double click
the LockDown icon. Mount it on the Quick Launch part of Taskbar
to make launching even faster.
9/27/2000
File Not Found
It's not uncommon in Windows to encounter a "File Not
Found"
error while booting up. The message indicates that a particular
file-usually a DLL or VXD-is missing. Chances are, the file was
improperly removed when you uninstalled an application. The file
may be gone, but one or more lines in your System Registry or
SYSTEM.INI could still be trying to load it. To fix the problem,
reboot and note the exact name of the errant file. From the
Windows taskbar, select Start/Find/Files and Folders to search
forthe missing file. If you find it, copy it to your WINDOWS or
WINDOWS\SYSTEM folder. If you think you might have moved or
renamed a program folder, make a new folder with the old name,
and copy the offending file there. Reboot and see if the message
goes away.
09/26/2000
Control Panel Applets
Windows is very protective of Control Panel applets, once they're
installed. But there are simple ways you can operate on Control
Panel to remove them. With Control Panel closed, search for files
with the .CPL extension. You'll find them in the \Windows\System
folder. Instead of deleting .CPLs, move them to a new subfolder,
and restart Windows to see if you picked the right one.
You can also disable specific .CPL files without having to delete
or move them. Open the CONTROL.INI file in your Windows folder
using Notepad or another text editor. Find this section header:
[Don't Load]
If you don't find the header, add it just as it appears above.
Under the [Don't Load] section header, type the name of the
.CPL's exact filename followed by "=yes". So it might
look
something like this:
[Don't Load]
snd.cpl=no
joystick.cpl=no
midimap.drv=no
Save and exit the CONTROL.INI file and restart Windows to double
check that you disabled the right Control Panel applet.
09/22/2000
System Configuration
To learn about your complete system configuration and have a
hard-copy record, including all of the hardware & device
descriptions, memory / IRQ / DMA assignments, and software
drivers with version information, right-click My Computer icon,
select Properties, then Device Manager tab. Click Print,
select All Devices & System Summary, and print to your
printer.
09/20/2000
Selecting Hard Drives
Here's an easy way to view the properties for multiple
hard drives all at once. Open My Computer and select all
your hard drives by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking
on each drive. Next, right-click on any one of the drives
and choose Properties from the Context menu that appears;
Windows will create a single dialog with tabs for each
drive. It also works for floppy, removable and mapped
network drives.
09/18/2000
Folder Display Default
Microsoft gave us a whole new way to set folder defaults in
Windows 98. Open the folder for your C: drive, and without
opening any other folders, arrange and configure it exactly as
you'd like all your folders to appear. When you've got the C:
drive folder the way you like it, choose View, Folder Options,
and click the View tab. Next, press the Like Current Folder
button to create the new default setting, which will be permanent
(unless you hit the Reset All Folders button). You'll notice that
when you deviate individual folders from these settings, those
folders will retain the changed settings as long as you have
"Remember each folder's view settings" checked under
Advanced
settings. If you want them all to look exactly the same no matter
what, remove the check beside Remember Each Folder's View
Settings. Note: Some people report that their systems do not
retain certain views, such as the Details view. But on my PCs, I
have found that following these steps correctly does, in fact,
make Details and other settings the default.
09/15/2000
Using the Find Command
If you use the Find command from the Start menu and
you are looking for a file that contains spaces in the
name be sure to use "?" as a place holder otherwise
Windows will think you're looking for all instances of the
individual words. For example, if you're looking for your
favorite old time mp3, "Home on the Range," and you use
"home on the range" as the search name you will get
every instance for the words home, on, the, and range,
even if the letters of the search words are buried in another
word (i.e on in phone). Enter the search name as
"home?on?the?range" and Windows will find the correct
file.
09/14/2000
Viewing Hardware Properties
Right-click on your My Computer icon and select Properties.
This tabbed dialog box is your hardware's Rosetta stone.
By exploring the various tabs and items, you can get the
scoop on all the devices installed on your system, plus
memory and port settings.
09/13/2000
Animate Windows
It's not a big deal for many people, but Windows 98's default
way of sliding out menus and windows gradually distracts some
people. To make menus pop out, as they do under Windows 95,
open Control Panel and double-click on the Display item. Click
on the Effects tab and under Visual Effects, click to remove
the checkmark next to Animate windows, menus, and lists. If
you change your mind later, you can return here and click a
checkmark back into the box.
9/11/2000
Find Files
Use the Find Files or Folders utility on
the Start menu to
search for the largest files on your PC.
Click on the utility's
Advanced tab, choose At Least beside the
Size Is selector, and
type 2000 in the KB field. You can make
deletions right in the
Find window. But be careful-don't delete
anything if you don't
know what it is. Be especially wary of
files in the Windows
folder and its sub-folders or your root
directory.
9/08/2000
Freeze Up
If your system 'freezes' up; bring up
your task manager by
pressing Ctrl+Alt+Dlt; first try to page
down on the list and look
for 'rundll'. If that is in your list,
highlight it and press endtask.
This often will 'jumpstart' your system
back to life. If not you may
have to use the task manager to end the
current application you
are in. As always, once your
system comes back to life: save
and Reboot!
9/08/2000
Internet Explorer Repair
IE 5.0 comes with a new repair tool. To get
to it, launch
Add/Remove Programs from your Control
Panel. Click on
"Microsoft Internet Explorer 5"
in the window of the
Install/Uninstall tab, then click on
Add/Remove. Select the
"Repair the current installation of
Internet Explorer" radio
button. Click on OK.
9/06/2000
CTRL+ALT+DEL
When you hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete, you'll see a list of what's
running on your system. Chances are, you'll discover drivers
and programs running that you don't need or want. To find out,
launch the Win98 System Configuration utility by typing
MSCONFIG in the Run command line and pressing Enter. Click on
the StartUp tab and deselect the items you think you might be
able to live without. Click on OK and reboot. If you later
realize you need one of the items you deselected, go back and
reselect it.
8/31/2000
Save Complete Web Page
When you save a Web page, all you really save is the HTML;
images and other components remain at the original site.
But IE5 lets you save an entire Web page, including
graphics. Select Save As from the IE5 File menu and
choose Web Page/Complete from the Save As Type
drop-down menu.
8/29/2000
Control Z
Did you know that IE4 and IE5 support multiple undos,
just like your favorite applications? If you're entering data
in a form and make a mistake, press Ctrl+Z to undo your error.
If there's more than one error, press Ctrl+Z repeatedly until
you've cleared the mistake.
8/28/2000
Quick Log On
When you create a dial-up networking connection to connect to
your
Internet Service Provider (ISP), one of the default settings
configures the connection to log on to the network. However, most
ISPs don't use this setting and having it enabled can add up to
60
seconds to your connection time. Fortunately, you can disable
this
setting by opening the Dial-up Networking folder, right-clicking
on
your connection and selecting Properties from the shortcut menu.
Next, select the Server Types tab and clear the Log On To Network
check box. You should verify that you can still connect to your
ISP.
8/24/2000
Quick Launch Bar
Too often desktops get cluttered with shortcuts to applications
and documents as well as documents. For the ones you use
often and need quick access to, move them to the Quick Launch
area located on the taskbar. Right click the icon and drag it to
Quick
Launch, release and choose the appropriate option (move,
copy
or create shortcut). Keep your Task Bar on top and now you have
quick access to your application and documents
8/22/2000
Graphic as WallPaper
If you find a graphic you want to use as Desktop wallpaper,
paste it up by right-clicking on the image and selecting
Set As Wallpaper.
8/21/2000
Start Menu
If you drag and drop a file onto the Start button, Win98
and the IE 4.0 Windows Desktop Update add a shortcut
to the top of the Start menu. But if you just drag the file
over the Start button without dropping it, the Start menu
will open and you can position the new shortcut exactly
where you want it. You can also hover over submenus
to open them and then drop the shortcut.
8/18/2000
Windows Attribute
After installing Windows 98 Second Edition (upgrade or
full version) you will find that there is no Attribute column
in Explorer. You can add this column to Explorer by by
launching RegEdit and going to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\
Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
and changing the ShowAttribCol Dword value from 0 to 1 by
clicking on it.
8/16/2000
Windows Boot Failure
If Windows fails to boot properly, press F8 while it boots
for the
Windows StartUp menu, and pick the Logged (\BOOTLOG.TXT)
option. It attempts a normal boot but records the status of every
step
Windows takes during the process. You can use this option to
log a failed boot. Then, reboot to Safe mode if necessary and
use a text editor to open BOOTLOG.TXT (in your root directory).
Search for "fail" to find the boot steps Windows had
trouble
with. Failed steps are often excellent clues to the cause of
the problem.
8/14/2000
Animated Windows
As you know, by default Windows 98 is configured to use animated
windows and menus. This means that the when you minimize and
maximize
windows as well as open menus, Windows 98 uses special effects to
create the illusion that the windows and menus explode on to the
screen.
While this special effects magic is very cool, takes time and
resources.
If you want to see how much, simply disable this feature. To do
so,
access the Control Panel and open the Display Properties dialog
box.
Now, select the Effects tab and clear the Animate Windows, Menus
And
Lists check box in the Visual Effects panel.
8/14/2000
Cab Files
When you make modifications to Windows 95 or 98, such as
adding new programs or hardware, the OS always looks in the
original source path for the CAB installation files. If you copy
the
files to a new location, you can modify the internal pointer to
the directory that contains all of the CABs. Open RegEdit, and
use the Edit/Find command to search for the text string
Sourcepath,
or go directly to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup.
Double-click the Sourcepath entry in the right RegEdit pane and
enter
the new location for the Windows 9x installation files.
8/11/2000
Speaker Control Gone
Did the little yellow speaker that controls audio volume
disappear from your taskbar's system tray? If so, open the
Multimedia Control Panel. Under the Audio tab, check the
"Show volume control on the taskbar" option in the
Playback
section (in Win98, the option is at the bottom of the dialog
box). Click on OK, and the yellow speaker should return. If
not, try reinstalling your audio driver and then repeat these
steps.
8/10/2000
Windows cabs on hard drive
If you have loaded the files from your Windows CD locally or
on the network, use this setting to stop the prompt which asks
you to put in your Windows CD when loading new options.
This
setting will redirect the system to look in the directory where
the files are loaded instead of automatically looking to the
CD-ROM drive. To set this option, go to:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup
Edit/create the value "SourcePath" (String Value)
and set the
value equal to the path where the Windows files are stored.
** this tip is for users who are familiar with the Registry Editor **
8/09/2000
FTP Window
Type an FTP address in the Address box of
any
Explorer view to go to the site and use the
window
as an FTP client.
8/08/2000
Web Shortcuts
Make Desktop shortcuts to your favorite Web
sites. Drag the
URL or any one of the shortcuts from the
Links toolbar onto
your Desktop, or right-click on the
"white space" of a Web
page you want to mark as a Favorite and
select Create Shortcut.
8/04/2000
Task Bar
If the taskbar gets in your way, there are
a few ways to move
or hide it. You can move it to the top or
sides of your screen
by dragging and dropping it on the
appropriate edge. Wherever
the taskbar is, right-click on it, choose
Properties and check
the Auto Hide option to make it disappear
until you move the
mouse pointer to the screen edge where it
hides. To hide it
permanently, turn off Auto Hide and drag
the taskbar off the
screen. Its edge will stay visible so you
can drag it back
again.
7/28/2000
Files to Copy -
Prepare for possible PC catastrophes by
regularly copying the
following files to a second hard drive,
removable hard disk or
diskette-especially if you frequently
install and uninstall
applications. From your root directory (you
may find only some
of these), back up AUTOEXEC.BAT,
AUTOEXEC.DOS, CONFIG.SYS,
CONFIG.DOS and MSDOS.SYS. From your Windows
folder, back up
CONTROL.INI, SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI, as
well as the SYSTEM.DAT
and USER.DAT Registry files (SYSTEM.DAT
probably won't fit on a
floppy disk).
7/27/2000
Copying Icons
You can select groups of icons or folders
on the desktop or
within folders by clicking outside the body
of icons and, while
holding the left mouse button, dragging a
rectangle to surround
all the icons you want to select, then
letting go. You can then
move, copy or delete them en masse.
7/25/2000
Printer Shortcut
Create a shortcut to a printer by opening
the Printers folder
(Settings/Control Panel/Printers) and
dragging a printer icon
to the Desktop. You can then drag documents
onto the shortcut
and print instantly. You can also put a
printer shortcut in
your Send To folder so printing is always a
right-click away.
7/24/2000
Investigating your USB devices
with the USB View utility
Do you have USB devices attached to your
system? If so, you'll want to
investigate a hidden utility called USB
View. This utility can come in
real handy for diagnosing problems or
finding out whether Windows 98
recognizes your USB device. You'll find the
USB View utility on the
Windows 98 CD in the Tools\Reskit\Diagnose
folder.
7/18/2000
Printing a Web Page
If you want to print a Web page the way it
looks on your screen-with
background color-you can enable background
printing in Internet
Explorer and Netscape Navigator. In IE ,
select Tools/Internet
Options/Advanced. Scroll down to Printing
and check the "Print background
colors and images" box. Click on OK.
In Navigator, select File/Page
Setup, check Print Background under Page
Options and click on OK.
Remember: Printing the background will slow
your print job and might
obscure the text if you use a monochrome
printer.
7/14/2000
Hidden Files
If you want to keep files-or even folders
full of files-hidden
from prying eyes, just right-click on each
file and select
Hidden in the Attributes box at the bottom
of the Properties
dialog. To see the files you've hidden,
double-click on My
Computer, select Options from the View
menu, click on the View
tab and select Show All Files.
7/3/2000
Desktop Icons Fast
It's hard to find an icon on a Desktop
that's cluttered with
dozens of them. Here's a quick way to
locate the one you're
looking for-all you need to know is the
name under the icon.
Click anywhere on the Windows desktop and
press the first
letter of the icon's label. Windows will
highlight the first
icon it comes to beginning with the
letter-if that's not the
one you're looking for, keep pressing the
letter and watch
the highlight as it cycles through the
matching icons.
7/12/2000
Startup Disk
Admit it. In your haste and excitement, you
didn't make a
startup disk when you installed Win9x.
Don't worry. You
can still redeem your self. Open the
Add/Remove Programs
Control Panel item and click on the Startup
Disk tab. Then
just put a diskette in your diskette drive
and click on
the Create Disk button.
6/27/2000
Device Manager -
Right-click on the My Computer icon and
select Properties
from the context menu. Click on the Device
Manager tab, then
the Print button. Select the "All
Devices and System Summary"
radio button, then click on OK. This will
give you more
information about your hardware, IRQs,
ports, memory usage,
devices and drivers than you ever wanted to
know. Keep this
printout handy for future reference.
6/23/2000
Closing Programs -
You can close a bunch of open programs, folders and documents
all at once in Win98 and IE 4.0: Press and hold the Ctrl key,
click on the taskbar icon of each program you want to close,
then right-click on any one of them and select Close from the
Context menu
6/22/2000
Software Installation
You'll increase your chances of getting out of virtually
any computer problem if you follow this rule of thumb:
Never install a program unless you own it, and have
the executable setup file and installation CD or installation
floppy disk handy. The same rule goes for programs
you download from the Internet: Always save the installer
files. Create a folder called C:\Setup, C:\Downloads or
C:\Installers and store the setup files in subfolders named
for each program and version number. Even better, store
them on a second hard drive or partition. You should also
copy the Favorite shortcut to the program's Web site to the
program's folder. If there's a program serial number or license
file, store that too. If you ever have to reinstall your
applications,
you'll be prepared.
6/19/2000
Saving Web Page
When you save a Web page, all you really save is the HTML;
images and other components remain at the original site.
But IE5 lets you save an entire Web page, including
graphics. Select Save As from the IE5 File menu and
choose Web Page/Complete from the Save As Type
drop-down menu.
6/19/2000
Taking [Ctrl] of your system
When you're working in a document or with
files and you need to move or
copy text or files, make sure that you take
control of your system with the
[Ctrl] keyboard shortcuts. Use [Ctrl]X for
cutting, [Ctrl]C for copying,
[Ctrl]V for pasting, and [Ctrl]Z for
undoing any operation.
6/14/2000
Maintenance -
Maintain your hard drive by performing these steps at least
monthly, in this order:
1.) Delete all files and folders with dates older than one
week from C:\WINDOWS\TEMP.
2.) Purge your browser's history and Internet cache files.
3.) Run ScanDisk. Select the Standard radio button and enable
Automatically Fix Errors. Click on Advanced and, under Log File,
pick Replace Log; for Cross-Linked Files, select Delete; click
Free under Lost File Fragments; under Check Files For, check
"Invalid dates and times;" and disable "Check host
drive first,
" unless you've compressed your hard drive.
4.) Empty the Recycle Bin.
4/13/2000
Column Widths -
To restore the default column widths in the Details view of
any folder window and many program or applet windows, press
Ctrl and the plus sign (+) key on the numeric keypad.
4/10/2000
Custom Pointers -
It's easy to miss Win95's pointer schemes. But if you want
bigger pointers and cursors, here's the easiest way to get
them. Just double-click on the Mouse item in the Control Panel,
click on the Pointers tab, then click on the drop-down
Scheme menu. Choose from 3-D, Animated Hourglasses,
Large and Extra Large pointer schemes.
4/7/2000
Visual Effects -
It's not a big deal for many people, but Windows 98's default
way of sliding out menus and windows gradually distracts some
people. To make menus pop out, as they do under Windows 95,
open Control Panel and double-click on the Display item. Click
on the Effects tab and under Visual Effects, click to remove
the checkmark next to Animate windows, menus, and lists. If
you change your mind later, you can return here and click a
checkmark back into the box.
4/6/2000
Disable Password -
You can disable Windows' log-on password. Open the Passwords
in Control Panel and click on the Change Windows Password
button. Type your old password in the Old Password field.
Then tab to the New Password and Confirm Password fields in
turn, and press only Enter in each one.
4/5/2000
Programmable NumPad -
If you don't use the number keys on the numeric keypad, you
can use them as single-click keyboard shortcuts for launching
your 10 favorite apps. Start by pressing the Num Lock key if
it isn't already on. Next, right-click on an existing program
shortcut and choose Properties. Open the Shortcut tab. Click
once inside the Shortcut Key field, press the number key that
you want to associate with the program, then click on OK. Repeat
the steps for each app. For Internet Explorer, you'll have to
make a shortcut to the Desktop icon first, then follow the same
steps using the new shortcut. If your Num Lock key isn't turned
on by default, check your system's BIOS setup for a Num Lock
default setting.
4/4/2000
Smaller Icons -
Are those icons that are cluttering your desktop getting you
down? Bring them down to size and give yourself more room.
Right-click on the Desktop and select Properties. Click on
the Appearance tab, then the Item drop-down menu. Select Icon,
then pick a size of 16 (the default is 32). Click on OK.
(This works best if you make the words under the icons as
short as possible)
4/3/2000
Checking INF Entries In The
Registry -
If a new application is accompanied by an information file
(filename.INF), that file may contain Registry-revision
instructions. If so, search it for lines beginning AddReg=
and DelReg=. These lines point to the sections of the INF
file that contain those instructions. Review the sections
to get an idea of what changes are about to be made to
the Registry.
Removing OnLine Services
-
As you know, when you install Windows 98 on your system,
the installation procedure install several starter files that
allow
you to easily connect to and sign up for a nationally provided
online service. Once you've selected an online service, you
can save about 1MB of hard drive space by removing these starter
files. To do so, open Control Panel, double-click on the
Add/Remove Program icon, and select the Windows Setup tab. Then,
select Online Services, click Details and then clear the check
boxes of the services you don't want. To complete the operation,
click Apply, and then click OK.
3/31/2000
OneClick Wonders -
Presumably, you've got your favorite applications on the
Start menu, so they're just two clicks away. Here's how to
make them only one click away: Right-click on the Start button
and select Open from the Context menu. Select all the shortcuts
you want, and drag and drop all of them onto the Links toolbar or
the
Quick Launch toolbar.
3/30/2000
Quick System Back-Up-
Prepare for possible PC catastrophes by
regularly copying the following files to a second hard drive,
removable hard disk or
diskette-especially if you frequently install and uninstall
applications. From your root directory (you may find only some
of these), back up AUTOEXEC.BAT, AUTOEXEC.DOS, CONFIG.SYS,
CONFIG.DOS and MSDOS.SYS. From your Windows folder, back up
CONTROL.INI, SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI, as well as the SYSTEM.DAT
and USER.DAT Registry files (SYSTEM.DAT probably won't fit on a
floppy disk).
3/29/2000
Registry Backup -
Don't even think about editing the Windows 95 Registry until
you've made an extra backup. Windows is supposed to recover
from Registry mishaps, but why take chances? Copy the hidden
SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT files into another directory for
safe-keeping.
3/28/2000
Get DirectX 7 -
If you haven't done so already, you need to get DirectX 7, which
is a set of advanced multimedia system services built into the
Windows 98 operating system. DirectX 7 allows your system to
display enhanced graphics and audio in programs that are designed
to take advantage of such multimedia features as full-color
graphics, video, 3-D animation, and surround sound. To get
DirectX 7, point your browser to the Windows Update site at:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Relocating Favorites -
You can change the location of your Favorites folder
by editing the Registry. Launch RegEdit from the Run
command line and go to these two entries:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion \Explorer\User Shell Folders and, in the
same tree, Shell Folders. In each, set the Favorites value to the
path of your new Favorites folder. You must use a double slash
instead of a single slash when entering the path
(for example, C:\\MYNEWFAV).
3/27/2000
Missing Folders -
Has a folder or program window mysteriously moved off your
screen? It can happen for several reasons-the most common is
that you've recently changed your video resolution. Right-click
on the taskbar, select either the Cascade Windows or Tile
Windows (Horizontally or Vertically) option, and the window
will magically appear (you may need to resize your windows).
3/24/2000
Finding Big Files -
Use the Find Files or Folders utility on the Start menu to
search for the largest files on your PC. Click on the utility's
Advanced tab, choose At Least beside the Size Is selector, and
type 2000 in the KB field. You can make deletions right in the
Find window. But be careful-don't delete anything if you don't
know what it is. Be especially wary of files in the Windows
folder and its sub-folders or your root directory.
3/23/2000
Checking System Files -
Find out exactly what a program does when
you install it by using the System File Checker's log feature.
After installing a
program, open the log by launching the System Information utility
(Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Information),
choosing System File Checker from the Tools menu, clicking on the
Settings button and then on the View Log button. The log will
tell
you exactly which files were added to your computer and which
were
updated with a newer version.
3/22/2000
AutoComplete Feature -
You probably already know about the
AutoComplete feature in the IE4 browser's Address box, but did
you know it works for
local folders as well? Start to type the pathname to the
folder you want to open, and AutoComplete will guess. Once it
guesses the right one, stop typing and press Enter.
3/21/2000
Restoring a Missing Briefcase
-
If you accidentally delete the My Briefcase icon on your desktop,
you can restore it easily. To do so, right-click anywhere
on the desktop. When the desktop shortcut menu appears, select
Briefcase
from the New submenu. You'll then see a New Briefcase icon on
your desktop. You can rename the icon as My Briefcase.
Installing IE 5 -
When you install Internet Explorer 5 over Win9x, you'll find
a new folder called Windows Update Setup Files in your root
directory. This folder is filled with setup files that take
up between 10MB and 20MB of space on your hard disk. It's a
good idea to save them for a while after installing IE5 to
make sure it's running properly. That way, you won't have to
download the app again if you run into trouble and want to
reinstall. After using IE5 for a while without encountering
any problems, you can delete these files to regain the disk
space.
3/21/2000
Making Your Own Icons -
Take any .BMP file, rename it to give it
an .ICO extension, and voila! Instant icon. You access the file
in the normal way:
Right-click on the current icon for a shortcut, select Properties
from the Context menu, select the Shortcut tab and click on the
Change Icon button. Now use the Browse button to find your new
one.
03/17/2000
System Information Utility
-
SIU lets you save all your system
settings and information--and we mean all--to a text file.
Just select File/Export. Always keep a current copy of your
settings; if your computer goes south, it can help with
troubleshooting.
3/16/2000
Windows CAB Files -
If you have loaded the files from your Windows
CD locally or on the network, use this setting to stop the prompt
which asks
you to put in your Windows CD when loading new options.
This
setting will redirect the system to look in the directory where
the files are loaded instead of automatically looking to the
CD-ROM drive. To set this option, go to:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup
Edit/create the value "SourcePath" (String Value) and
set the
value equal to the path where the Windows files are stored.
** this tip is for users who are familiar
with the Registry Editor **
3/15/2000
WordPad TXT Files -
Here's an easy way to always open TXT files in
WordPad rather than Notepad. Click once on any TXT file, then
hold down the
Shift key and right-click on the file. Choose Open With from
the pop-up menu, scroll through the list of programs and choose
WordPad. Check the box labeled "Always use this program to
open
this type of file" before you click on OK.
3/14/2000
Win98 UpTime -
Finding out how long Windows 98 has been running
Have you ever left your system turned on for several days and
then
wondered how long it's been on? If so, you can find that
information
in Windows 98's System Information utility. You'll find the
System Information utility on the
Programs|Accessories|SystemTools
menu. Once System Information is up and running, look for the
Uptime value in the right-hand panel.
3/10/2000
System Resource Meter -
The handy System Resource Meter
resides on the taskbar and tracks System, User and GDI resources.
The more applications
you have open and running, the more system resources are
gobbled up. To install Resource Meter, go to the Control Panel
and choose Add/Remove Programs. Under the Windows Setup tab,
double-click on Accessories(System tools for Win98) you'll
find the System Resource Meter there.
3/9/2000
Multiple Hard Drive Info -
Here's an easy way to view the
properties for multiple hard drives all at once. Open My Computer
and select all
your hard drives by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking
on each drive. Next, right-click on any one of the drives
and choose Properties from the Context menu that appears;
Windows will create a single dialog with tabs for each
drive. It also works for floppy, removable and mapped
network drives.
3/8/2000
Smaller DeskTop Icons -
Are those icons that are cluttering your desktop getting you
down? Bring them down to size and give yourself more room.
Right-click on the Desktop and select Properties. Click on
the Appearance tab, then the Item drop-down menu. Select Icon,
then pick a size of 16 (the default is 32). Click on OK.
(This works best if you make the words under the icons as
short as possible)
3/7/2000
TaskManager from Win 3.x -
Stop resizing multiple windows by hand to make them tile
horizontally or vertically. Let Task Manager do the job.
Launch this Win3.x leftover by selecting Start /Run and
typing Taskman at the prompt. In the dialog box that appears,
choose the windows you want to tile by clicking on their
corresponding tabs while holding down the Ctrl key. Select
Windows/Tile Horizontally or Tile Vertically.
Understanding the Power of My
Documents -
Many applications, such as Word and Excel, recognize the
My Documents folder as the central data storage location on
your hard disk. Thus, every time you open or save a document
in one of these applications, the Open or Save As dialog box
displays the contents of the My Documents folder on drive C.
Although you may not yet realize it, My Documents is one of
Windows 98's most useful data-management features!
3/6/2000
SENDTO Recycle Bin -
If your Recycle Bin prompts you with the Are You Sure?
message whenever you put something in it-even after you've
unchecked
the "Display delete confirmation dialog box" option in
its
Properties screen-here's a fix: Place a shortcut to the
Recycle Bin in your C:\WINDOWS\SENDTO folder. To send something
to the Recycle Bin without receiving the warning, just
right-click on the file or folder and choose Send To/Recycle Bin.
3/2/2000
Quick Access to Properties-
You can access Control Panel's Network,
System and Display Properties from the Desktop. Right-click on the
Network
Neighborhood or My Computer icon and select
Properties to
access the Network or System settings,
respectively. Right-click
on the Desktop itself and select Properties
to access the
Display Properties. To quickly access the
Properties for any
object on the Desktop, hold the Alt key and
double-click on
the object.
3/1/2000
Corrupt System Files -
You can manually extract files from your
Windows CD or IE
setup CAB files, which can be very useful
when your PC tells
you KERNEL32.DLL or another system file has
been corrupted.
Win98's System File Checker (SFC.EXE in the
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
folder) can automatically fix some
corrupted files for you.
But Win95 users can also make repairs using
the DOS EXTRACT.EXE
tool (in the \WINDOWS\COMMANDS folder).
Type EXTRACT /? from
a DOS window to view the syntax
requirements and available
options for using this tool. For more
detailed information,
see Microsoft's Web page "How to
Extract Original Compressed
Windows Files" at
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q129/6/05.asp.
02/29/2000
No Address Bar in IE -
If you're like most IE users, you probably maximize
your browsing space by hiding various toolbars, enabling
small icons or turning off text labels. To save even more
space, hide the Address bar (right-click on it and deselect
it from the Context menu)-then simply hit Ctrl+O to access
the Open dialog whenever you need to enter a URL.
02/28/2000
Secret Way to Close Internet
Explorer
If you're using Internet Explorer 4.x or
5.0, you can close
your browser window using the secret
keystroke [Ctrl]-W. This
secret keystroke can also be used to close
Windows Explorer
and My Computer windows.
Cleaning Up The Documents Menu
-
Empty the contentsof the Documents item on your Start menu by
selecting Start/Settings/Taskbar and clicking on the Start
Menu Programs tab. Under Documents menu, click on the Clear
button.
02/25/2000
CD-ROM Speed -
You can set performance parameters on
practically every computer
that comes with a built-in CD-ROM. Go to
Control Panel/System/
Performance, click on the File System
button under Advanced
settings and open the CD-ROM tab. You can
increase your cache
size and inform Windows 9x of your CD-ROM's
speed so it can
optimize access to the CDs you use.
02/24/2000
View Sorting -
When you select Details from the Windows
Explorer's
View menu, you can sort the contents by
Name, Size, Type
or Modified (date and time). Here's a neat
trick: You can
rearrange the horizontal order of these
items by dragging and
dropping the header bars at the top of the
Contents pane.
02/23/2000
Attributes -
If you want to keep files-or even folders full of files-hidden
from prying eyes, just right-click on each file and select
Hidden in the Attributes box at the bottom of the Properties
dialog. To see the files you've hidden, double-click on My
Computer, select Options from the View menu, click on the View
tab and select Show All Files.
02/22/2000
Deleting Fonts -
Before you start deleting all those font files that make
your system boot slowly, make sure that Windows doesn't
need them. For example, you should not delete the following
fonts: Arial, Courier, Marlett, Modern, MS Sans Serif,
MS Serif (or any font with a name beginning with "MS"),
Small Fonts, Symbol and Times New Roman. Also, don't delete
any fonts that start with 8514 or VGA.
You may also have some hidden fonts that some application
installed and needs, so you don't want to delete them either.
To identify hidden fonts, open a DOS window and type
CD \Windows\Fonts to switch to the fonts directory. Type
DIR /AH and press Enter to see a list of hidden font files.
02/21/2000
Understanding the Mysterious
Mscreate.dir Files
You may have noticed a bunch of 0-byte hidden files called
Mscreate.dir in various folders on your system and wondered what
these files and where they come from? You probably also have
wondered if you can safely delete them. Here's the scoop:
Mscreate.dir files are special files that let Microsoft
applications
remove all appropriate folders during an uninstall operation.
When
you install a Microsoft application, such as Office 97, the Setup
program creates one of these innocuous files in each folder it
places on your hard disk. If you later run Setup in maintenance
or uninstall mode, it looks for the Mscreate.dir files to
determine whether it can delete the folder.
If you delete these files now and someday run Setup in uninstall
mode, Setup won't delete the empty folder. Since these hidden
files don't take up any hard disk space and are important to the
uninstall procedure, we suggest you leave them where they are.
02/18/2000
Removing Items in Context Menu
-
Some applications add themselves to
the Context menu's cascading New menu that appears when you
right-click on the Desktop or
within a folder. You may find that even after you've deleted
a particular application, it stays on the New menu. If you want
to remove it, launch My Computer, select Options from the View
menu and click on the File Types tab. Find the offending
application
on the list, select it and click on the Remove button. Click on
Yes when it asks for confirmation.
02/17/2000
Java -
If slow-loading Java applets interrupt your Web
browsing, turn off Java support. Select
View/Internet Options/Security; click on the
Custom radio button, then on the Settings button.
Select the Disable Java option.
02/16/2000
Free Disk Space -
Wonder how much free disk space you have? In Win98,
open My Computer and select the "View as Web page"
option under the View menu. Click on your hard drive, and
the status of the drive (including total capacity, free
space and used space) will be displayed on the left side
of the screen
02/15/2000
Multi-Selecting -
You can select groups of icons or folders on the desktop or
within folders by clicking outside the body of icons and, while
holding the left mouse button, dragging a rectangle to surround
all the icons you want to select, then letting go. You can then
move, copy or delete them en masse.
02/14/2000
Creating a Favorites Web page
If you would prefer a larger view of your Favorites menu, why not
turn it into Web page? To do so, pull down the File menu and
select the Import and Export command. Then, use the Import/Export
Wizard to export your Favorites menu to an HTML file. To load the
file into Internet Explorer, pull down the File menu, select the
Open command, and use the Open dialog box to locate the file.
02/14/2000
File Path -
Here's a trick for finding out the path of a file: Launch the
Run command dialog (Start/Run), clear the Open box by hitting
the Backspace key, and then drag and drop the file of your
choice into the Open box. Windows will type the full path of
the file into the box.
02/11/2000
Reinitializing Registry -
Some Registry changes require restarting Windows
before the changes take effect. However, there's a way to
reinitialize
your Registry and refresh your Desktop without fully restarting
the OS. Save your work, then press Ctrl+Alt+Del to bring up
the Windows task list. Select the Explorer entry and click on
End Task. If the Shutdown screen appears, click on Cancel. After
a few seconds an error message will appear. Click on End Task,
and Windows Explorer will reload with any new Registry settings.
02/10/2000
Skip Window -
You can skip the Shut Down Windows dialog that
pops up each time you choose Start/Shut Down. First,
create a new shortcut and add
C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL32.EXE User,ExitWindows
to the command line. Name, save and store the shortcut
in an easily accessible location (your QuickLaunch bar is
a good place). When you launch the shortcut in the future,
Windows will shut down, no questions asked. (If an
application is open, you will be asked if you want to
save any open files.)
02/08/2000
View Folders -
Once you've got the C: drive folder the way you like it,
choose View, Folder Options, and click the View tab. When
you press the Like Current Folder button, you'll create the
new default setting, which will be permanent (unless you hit
the Reset All Folders button). You'll notice that when you
deviate individual folders from these settings, those folders
will retain the new settings if you have "Remember each
folder's
view settings" checked under Advanced settings.
02/07/2000
Unlocking the Windows Folder in
Web View
If you're using Web view to view your folders, you've encountered
what we call the childproof lock that Windows 98 places on the
Windows folder. This lock shows up in the form of a warning
message in the Windows folder when you attempt to access it. To
bypass this, all you need to do is click the Show Files link.
When you do, you can see all the files and subfolders contained
in the Windows folder.
This feature is designed to prevent novice users from
accidentally
deleting crucial system files. However, if you're confident that
you're not going to be accidentally deleting files, you can
disable
the childproof lock.
To do so, from the Start menu, select Find/File Or Folders to
launch
the Find utility, then search for the file folder.htt. When Find
returns the results, select the folder.htt file in the Windows
folder
and rename it folder.out.
To create a standard Web view file for the Windows folder, pull
down
the View menu and select the Customize This Folder command. When
you
see the Customize This Folder wizard appear, simply click the
Next
button twice to create a default Web view file. When Notepad
opens
and displays the contents of the new, standard Web view file,
simply
close Notepad and then click the Finish button to end the
Customize
This Folder wizard.
02/07/2000
Restore Settings -
Win95 has trouble retaining default folder and Explorer window
settings-such as size, position, sort order, toolbar status
and display type (large icons, details and so on). Here's a
temporary workaround that may last weeks or months on your
system.
Open the folder for your C: drive, and without opening any
other folders, arrange and configure it exactly as you'd like
all your folders to appear. When you're ready to set the default,
press Ctrl+Alt+Shift while you click the close box in the upper
right-hand corner of the window. There's a limit to the number
of specific folder instances Win95 can remember, so eventually
your setting may roll off the list. Just repeat the steps to
restore your settings.
02/03/2000
"File Not Found"
-It's a standard Windows problem. While
Windows is booting you see
an error message that names a particular
file -- usually a .DLL
or .VXD -- that's missing or corrupted. It
can happen all of
sudden, for no apparent reason. Here's how
to deal with the
problem. Start by rebooting and writing
down the exact name of
the errant file. Chances are very good that
the file was removed
improperly from your system. Usually it's
because someone
uninstalled an application by deleting its
directory instead of
running its Uninstall program. Another
common cause is that you
moved or renamed the program folder. Or it
could be that a
program's uninstaller hit a glitch and
didn't complete its
operation.With any of these causes, the
problem is either that the file no
longer exists on your hard drive, or one of
Windows' system
initialization files -- such as the
Registry or SYSTEM.INI --
lists the wrong location for the file.To
solve the problem, begin by
using Start > Find > Files andFolders
to search for the missing file on your
entire hard disk. If you find it, you'll need to assess why Windows
can't find it.
Chances are good it's in a program folder
that was moved or
renamed after the program was installed. If
you're certain you
know what the original path and name was,
make it so, and try
restarting. If you're not certain,
reinstall the application over
itself so that Windows knows where it is.
Restart your computer
and see if the message goes away. If you don't find the file -- and this is the
most likely
scenario -- your new goal is to find the
reference in Registry,
SYSTEM.INI, or WIN.INI to a no longer
present program. Use the
System Registry Editor's
(C:\WINDOWS\REGEDIT.EXE) search function
to search for entries using the filename.
Use WordPad to open and
Search SYSTEM.INI for the filename too. You
may also need to look
for an icon in your C:\Windows\StartUp
folder that calls the
file. When you find the reference to the
file, write down where
it is and exactly what the setting is so
you can re-instate it if
necessary, then delete the reference.
Remember to back up your
Registry before making any changes.If
you don't find the file, you must find a reference in your
Registry or SYSTEM.INI to a program that no longer exists on
your system. Use the Registry Editor's search function to find
the filename, then use Notepad to open and search SYSTEM.INI
for the same file. When you find any references to the file,
carefully note where it is and the exact settings in case you
have to reinstate it, then delete the references. (Back up your
Registry before making any changes.) Also check the
WINDOWS\STARTUP folder for any shortcuts that call the file,
and delete them.
01/31/2000
Launch Explorer Windows Faster
-
Did you know you can open any
folder icon as a two-paned window with a navigation tree? Just
right-click
on the folder and choose Explore. You can launch any folder as an
Explorer window by holding down the Shift key and
double-clicking on the folder. If you really just prefer the
two-paned Explorer windows, you can make that type of window
open by default: Open any folder and choose View/Options
(or Folder Options under IE4/IE5/Win98/NT). Choose the File
Types tab. Select Folder and click on Edit. Under Actions,
highlight Explore. Click on Set Default. The Explore entry
becomes bold, making it the default operation for a
double-click. If you want to reverse the setting, follow
the same steps, but highlight Open instead of Explore.
01/30/2000 - By Eman
Restarting Windows -
Hold down shift when you hit restart and your pc will ONLY
restart windows not the whole pc
01/29/2000
The Win98 Maintenance Wizard
(Start/Programs/Accessories/Systems Tools)
will make your programs run faster, check your hard disk for
problems and free up
hard disk space by auto-running Disk Defragmenter, ScanDisk and
DiskCleanup
according to a schedule you set. If you leave your computer on,
you can schedule
maintenance at off-hours (such as midnight to 3 a.m.) to minimize
downtime during
work hours.
AVP Virus Protection
If you suspect a virus infection you can download a free time
limited,
fully functional trial version of AntiViral Toolkit Pro from
http://www.avp.com
01/07/2000
Registry Checker -
Win98 keeps the last five backups Registry Checker creates.
To save more backups, open \WINDOWS\SCANREG.INI with Notepad
and change the MaxBackupCopies= value from 5 to a higher number.
01/05/2000
Start Programs Faster -
Do you have a few programs that you use far more than any
others? If so, you can make those programs more quickly
accessible. The improved Disk Defragmenter in Windows 98 can
gather the program files you use most often and move them to
the faster parts of your hard disk. To run Disk Defragmenter,
click Start and select Programs/Accessories/System Tools and then
select Disk Defragmenter. Click on the Settings button and
make sure that the option labeled "Rearrange program files
so
my programs start faster" is selected. Click OK twice to
begin defragmentation.
01/04/2000
Screen Capture -
The easiest way to create a full-screen capture in Win95, 98
or NT 4.0 is still by pressing the Print Screen key. That
action sends a copy of the screen to the Clipboard. To view
the capture, select Start/Run, type mspaint and press Enter.
Once Paint opens, select Edit/Paste to paste the image from
the Clipboard into the Paint window. Choose File/Save As to
name and save it as a BMP file. (If Paint isn't installed on
your PC, you can use another image program, or install Paint
from the Add/Remove Programs applet. Open the Windows Setup
tab, double-click on Accessories, select Paint and
click on OK.)
01/03/2000
System Configuration -
When you hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete, you'll see a list of what's
running on your system. Chances are, you'll discover drivers
and programs running that you don't need or want. To find out,
launch the Win98 System Configuration utility by typing
MSCONFIG in the Run command line and pressing Enter. Click on
the StartUp tab and deselect the items you think you might be
able to live without. Click on OK and reboot. If you later
realize you need one of the items you deselected, go back and
reselect it.
Refilling Inkjet Cartridges
Most Cartridges can be refilled at least ten times. It
depends on the type of cartridge you have. Cartridges with
the print head built in generally can be refilled 10 - 15
times or more. Cartridges without the print head in them in
theory can be refilled infinitely, however other factors can
affect this. Drying out, clogging, print head age and frequency
of use can all contribute. Usually cartridges without print
heads can be refilled at least 5 times.
There are ways you can prolong the life of your cartridge
so that you get as many refills as you can for maximum savings!
Never let a cartridge run dry (cartridges with built in print
heads can burn out their resistors if run while dry).
Always keep the extra cartridge full.
Get in the habit of topping off your cartridge instead of waiting
until it runs out.
Don't touch the copper plate on print head cartridges.
Always refill your cartridge IMMEDIATELY upon running out of ink.
Do different printers and models use different inks?
YES! In fact, most printer lines have different inks for
different printer models. For example an HP51626A and HP51629A,
although identical cartridges, use different inks! The Canon
BJI-201, BC-21, BC-02 cartridges all use different inks. It is
very important to order the proper refill kit for your specific
printer and cartridge type. How Much Money Could I Save Refilling
My Own Cartridges?
The savings range depending on which printer you own. A new
cartridge would cost between $25 and $35 depending on where you
live, but only costs between $1.00 and $5.00 per refill
depending on your printer and model, savings can be much more
for certain models.What should a kit come with?
Depending on the make and model of your printer, your kit
should include detailed instructions, a syringe for inserting
the ink, a full ink bottle, and sometimes a small drill.
November 30, 1999
Reload Desktop & Registry w/o
Rebooting -
Some of the changes you make
in the Windows Registry don't take effect until you reboot. But
if you want to see the
effect of a changed Registry entry, you can refresh the
Desktop and reload Registry defaults without rebooting.
Press Ctrl+Alt+Del. Select Explorer in the Task list and
click the End Task button. When the Shutdown dialog box
appears, choose No. A Program Not Responding dialog box for
Explorer will appear on the Desktop. Click the End Task
button to restart Explorer, reloading system settings from
the current Windows Registry.
November 29, 1999
Quick & Easy Shut Downs
-
Shutting down Windows actually takes three or four steps-Start,
Shut Down, selecting Shut Down in the dialog box, and clicking
OK. You can do the same thing by simply double-clicking an icon
on the Desktop-and here's how to create that icon. Right-click
on an empty part of the Desktop and select New, Shortcut. Under
Command Line, enter c:\windows\rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows
and click Next. In the next dialog box, give the shortcut a
name (Shut Down Windows will do), and click on Finish. To close
down fast, double-click your new icon. (If you have lots
of windows open, minimize everything fast to uncover your
shortcut: hold down a 104-key keyboard's Window key and press D).
November 24, 1999
Remove Log Off Option -
If your Start menu is getting too long and you never use the
Log Off option, just remove it. Select Start/Run, enter Regedit,
and press Enter. In the Registry Editor, find HKEY_CURRENT_USER,
and click down through
Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.
Select Edit, New, Binary Value, and name the new entry NoLogOff.
Press enter, and set the value to 01 00 00 00 before you quit
RegEdit and restart Windows.
** this tip is for users who are familiar with the Registry
Editor **
November 23, 1999
Cluttered Desktop Icons -
It's hard to find an icon on a Desktop that's cluttered with
dozens of them. Here's a quick way to locate the one you're
looking for-all you need to know is the name under the icon.
Click anywhere on the Windows desktop and press the first
letter of the icon's label. Windows will highlight the first
icon it comes to beginning with the letter-if that's not the
one you're looking for, keep pressing the letter and watch
the highlight as it cycles through the matching icons.
November 22, 1999
Menu Visual Effects -
It's not a big deal for many people, but Windows 98's default
way of sliding out menus and windows gradually distracts some
people. To make menus pop out, as they do under Windows 95,
open Control Panel and double-click on the Display item. Click
on the Effects tab and under Visual Effects, click to remove
the checkmark next to Animate windows, menus, and lists. If
you change your mind later, you can return here and click a
checkmark back into the box.
November 17, 1999
Recycle Bin Delete & Rename
-
Have you ever noticed that most desktop icons have a
Delete and Rename option when you right-click on them,
but the Recycle Bin does not. Using this option you
can make the Delete and Rename options available for the
Recycle Bin as well. To set this option, go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\CLSID\
{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder
Edit the value "Attributes" (BINARY value) and change
the
value setting to one of the following numbers:
50010020 = Add Rename Only
60010020 = Add Delete Only
70010020 = Add Delete and Rename
** this tip is for users who are familiar with the Registry
Editor **
November 16, 1999
DeskTop Shortcuts for Web Sites
-
Make Desktop shortcuts to your favorite Web sites.
Drag the URL or any one of the shortcuts from the Links toolbar
onto
your Desktop, or right-click on the "white space" of a
Web
page you want to mark as a Favorite and select Create Shortcut.
November 15, 1999
Universal Command Line -
One of Win98's most powerful hidden gems is a universal
command line. From here you can launch programs, open
folders, go to Web sites and more. Right-click on the
taskbar and select Toolbars/Address. When the Address
box shows up on your toolbar, click and hold on the word
Address and drag it to the top of your Desktop. Right-click
on it and select Always on Top. Now, when you maximize
applications, they'll expand between your Address bar at the
top and your taskbar at the bottom.
November 12, 1999
Explorer HOT Key -
Don't navigate the Start menu to launch Explorer.
On a 104-key Windows keyboard, hold down the Window key and
press E. This launches an Explorer window focused on My Computer.
November 11,1999
Easy Find Search Engines -
You can choose the search engine displayed in the Search
Explorer Bar. Click on the Search button in IE 4.0's standard
toolbar, and in the left-hand pane, click on "Choose a
search
engine." To select a different provider, select "List
of all
search providers," and a comprehensive list will appear in
your main browser window. (Note: Win98 users will not see
the drop-down list. Instead, clicking on "Choose a search
engine" will launch the full list in the main browser view.)
November 5, 1999
Explorer w/ any Folder You Want
-
The Windows Explorer normally opens to your C: drive, but
you can make it launch with the contents of any folder you
want. Go to your Windows Explorer shortcut, right-click and
select Properties. Open the Shortcut tab. Edit the entry in
the Target field to read explorer.exe /n , /e ,
<drive:\path\folder> ,
where<drive:\path\folder> is whichever folder you want to
first see when Explorer launches.
November 3, 1999
No Desktop Icons -
If you are a person that generally uses the Start menu to
access all your programs and would prefer your desktop to
be free of icons, use this setting to hide all of the items
on your desktop. To set this option, go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Edit/create the value NoDesktop (DWORD value) and set the
value to "1" (without quotes) to hide the desktop
icons,
or "0" to display the desktop icons.
** this tip is for users who are familiar with the Registry
Editor **
October 26, 1999
Every Program on your Windows PC
-
Chances are, you have useful programs
on your computer youdidn't even know were there. And just as
likely, you have
programs you don't want that are eating up valuable hard disk
real estate. The solution? Take an inventory! It's easy. Just
create a folder on your desktop called PROGRAM SHORTCUTS,
launch the Win95 Find utility (Start/Find/Files or Folders),
type *.EXE *.COM in the Named box, then click on the Find Now
button. After Find is finished with the search, choose Select
All from the Edit menu and drag and drop all the files in the
Find window into your new desktop folder. Now you have a folder
with shortcuts to every program on your Windows PC. (Before
proceeding, make sure you have a good backup.) Now, one at a
time, double-click on each shortcut to find out what it is.
Once it's identified, you can find and delete the program if
you don't want it or move the shortcut to another folder if
you do. Remember, if you're not absolutely sure, don't delete it.
Oct 25, 1999
Graphic Cards -
To find out what type of graphics card you have, right-click
on My Computer, select Properties, click on the Device Manager
tab and double-click on Display Adapters. The card and vendor
will be listed. To check the driver, double-click on the card
name and choose the Driver tab. In Win98, open the Components
section of the System Information utility
(Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Information).
Oct 22, 1999
Speeding-Up Your Start-Up -
Windows launches slower the more programs run automatically
on start-up. Move programs out of your StartUp folder into
a new folder named StartUp Holds. And/Or remove entries you may
find on the LOAD= or RUN= line in the WIN.INI file. (Open
WIN.INI from your WINDOWS folder using Notepad.) You can
also place a semicolon at the head of either line to prevent
Windows from reading it while preserving your previous settings.
September 22, 1999
3D Screen Saver Color Distortion
When you use Windows 98's 3D screen savers you may notice that
when you dismiss the screen saver by moving the mouse, the colors
used to display certain items on the screen are distorted--for
example, title bars in windows and dialog boxes and, many times,
the icons in the system tray. Sometimes these items appear almost
Day-Glo. The reason for this is that Windows 98's 3D screen
savers
use the OpenGL technology, which can temporarily overload your
display adapter. Let's take a closer look.
This advanced graphics technology in OpenGL allows programmers to
create high-quality three-dimensional color images. If you use
the
3D Pipes screen saver, you'll see that OpenGL allows such graphic
effects as shading, lighting, and texture mapping. However, this
complex technology comes with a price--it really taxes your
display
adapter and CPU. There are times when you'll dismiss the screen
saver right in the middle of a complex calculation. When you do,
the system doesn't have a chance to completely recover the color
scheme as it redraws the screen. Hence, some of the colors may
appear distorted.
If this happens on your system, there are two solutions: a quick
fix and a permanent fix. The quick fix simply involves maximizing
any open window and then restoring it. Doing so forces Windows 98
to redraw the screen and, without the pressure of the OpenGL
screen
saver, restore the colors accurately. However, some applications
may
not respond to this, and you'll have to close and reopen them.
The permanent fix may or may not work for you depending on your
system's video display adapter. Basically, this fix involves
increasing the Colors setting to a setting higher than 256
Colors,
such as High Color or True Color. To do so, open the Display
Properties sheet by right-clicking the desktop and selecting
Properties from the context menu. Then select the Settings tab
and choose a setting higher than 256 Colors.
September 8, 1999
Removing the Log Off Item from the
Start menu
If you're the only one who uses your computer and you're not on
a network, you can reduce the clutter on the Start menu by
removing
the Log Off item from the Start menu. To do so, launch the
Registry
Editor by typing Regedit in the Run dialog box and open the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ \Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \
CurrentVersion \
Policies \ Explorer folder. Next, pull down the Edit menu, select
the
New | DWORD Value command, and name the value NoLogOff. Now,
press
[Enter] twice to enable the new name and to open the Edit DWORD
Value
dialog box. Once the Edit DWORD Value dialog box appears, type 1
in
the Value Data text box, click OK and close the Registry Editor.
To complete the operation, restart your system.
August 31, 1999
Taking Advantage of the System
Recovery Utility
Have you ever thought about what you would do in the event of a
complete hard drive failure? Fortunately, if you use Windows 98's
Microsoft Backup to back up your hard drive on a regular basis,
and have a working Windows 98 Startup Disk, then you can easily
restore your hard drive using the System Recovery Utility. To
learn
how to use the System Recovery Utility, check out the FREE
article
"Restoring your system after a complete hard drive
failure," on the
Inside Microsoft Windows 98 Web site at: http://support.microsoft.
com/support/windows/InProductHelp98/hlp_restoring_all.asp
August 17, 1999
Quickly Saving Files to the
Desktop from the Save As Dialog Box
When you create and save a file that you
only intend to keep
temporarily, chances are that you save it
to the Desktop, so that
you can quickly and easily delete it when
you're finished with it.
You can expedite this procedure by using
the View Desktop button in
the Save As dialog box. Once you create the
file and click the Save
button, you'll see the Save As dialog box.
At this point, simply
click the View Desktop button, name the
file, and click the Save button.
August 10, 1999
Keeping Your Drives in Great Shape
w/ Disk Defragmenter
One of the most important things that you
can do to keep your
system running at peak performance is to
regularly defragment your
hard drive with the Windows 98 Disk
Defragmenter utility. This
utility performs two major tasks. Of
course, it reorganizes your
hard drive such that the pieces of your
files are in contiguous
order so that they can load faster. In
addition, Windows 98's Disk
Defragmenter utility will move the files
that you use most
frequently to the beginning of the hard
drive where they'll load
faster. You can assure that Disk
Defragmenter runs regularly by
configuring the Maintenance Wizard to run
the utility.
August 3, 1999
Activating Slow Motion in Windows
98's DVD Player
When you're watching a DVD movie on your system with Windows 98's
DVD Player, you might want to view a great scene of the movie in
slow motion so that you can dissect every movement [RW2]. To do
so,
simply right-click on the Play button in the DVD Player. When you
see the shortcut menu, open the Play Speed submenu and select the
Half Speed command. To return the movie to regular speed, access
the shortcut menu again and select the Normal Speed command.
July 27, 1999
Studying Startup with the System
Configuration Utility
Have you ever wondered what goes on in the background when you
start Windows 98? If you're curious as to what programs and
utilities are starting each time you boot Windows 98[RW1], you
need to investigate the System Configuration Utility. This
utility contains a series of tabs that show you the contents of
several major files including the Config.sys, Autoexec.bat,
System.ini, and Windows.ini. The last tab is titled Startup and
contains a complete list of all the items that load automatically
from the Startup folder, the Win.ini load= and run= lines, and
from the Registry each time Windows 98 starts. To access this
utility, you can launch System Information, pull down the Tools
menu and select the System Configuration Utility command. You can
also access the Run dialog box from the Start menu and type the
command C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSCONFIG.EXE in the Open text box.
July 6, 1999
Instantly Launch a New Browser
Window
As you surf the Web, there are occasions when it's convenient to
have more than one Internet Explorer window open at the same
time.
For example, when you're investigating the results of search
engine,
you can leave the search results in one instance of Internet
Explorer
and investigate each site in a separate instance of Internet
Explorer.
To do this, hold down the [Shift] key as you click links on the
search
results page. When you do, a separate Internet Explorer window
will
instantly launch and connect to that site. To investigate the
results
quicker, use the [Shift]/click technique to launch three or four
separate instances of Internet Explorer. Then, while the second,
third
and fourth pages are loading, return to the first one, which
should be
done loading, and investigate the contents. You can then access
the
second page and so on.