Windows 95 Tips

 

QUICKLY RESTARTING WINDOWS 95

If you want to quickly restart Windows 95 from the Shut Down Windows dialog box, select the Restart the computer radio button and hold down the [Shift] key while you click Yes.

When you do, Windows 95 will restart without rebooting the computer.

TRACKING YOUR MOUSE POINTER

If you're using a laptop system, you should be using the Pointer trails feature, which adds a trail to your mouse pointer. Adding the trail makes it easier for you to track your mouse pointer when you move it across the screen. To enable the Pointer trails feature, access Control Panel and double-click the Mouse icon. When the Mouse Properties sheet appears, click on the Motion tab and select the Show pointer trails check box in the Pointer trail panel.

The slider in the Pointer trail panel lets you easily adjust the length of the pointer trail to your liking. Best of all, you can test the setting on the fly - as soon as you adjust the slider, move your mouse pointer around the screen to sample the setting.

If you're using a Microsoft mouse and have installed the Intellipoint software, you'll find this feature on the Visibility tab in the Trails panel.

BYPASSING THE STARTUP FOLDER

If you want to quickly load Windows 95 without loading any of the programs in the Startup folder, type your password and click OK in the Welcome to Windows dialog box, then press and hold down the [Shift] key.

If you're on a network, type your password and click OK in the Enter Network Password dialog box, then press and hold down the [Shift] key.

If you're not logging into Windows 95 or a network, press and hold down the [Shift] key, when you see the Windows 95 splash screen appear.

MAKE THE [CAPS LOCK] KEY SOUND OFF

How many times have you been typing along only to look up and notice that while you were typing, you accidentally hit the [Caps Lock] key and everything you've typed since then is in uppercase? Of course, to clean up this mess you have to press [Backspace] and then retype the words.

Fortunately, we've discovered a feature that helps you avoid this situation by assigning a sound to the [Caps Lock] key so that it beeps when you press it. To use this feature, you must have the Accessibility Options installed.

To assign a sound to the [Caps Lock] key, access Control Panel and double-click the Accessibility Options icon. When the Accessibility Properties sheet appears, select the Use ToggleKeys check box in the ToggleKeys panel, as shown below. Then, to enable the setting, click the OK.

Now whenever you press the [Caps Lock] key, you'll hear a beep from your system's tiny built-in speaker. The beep will be louder when you turn [Caps Lock] on than when you turn it off.

EXPLORE IT FAST

Have you ever been working with some files in a My Computer folder window and realized that you really needed to be using Windows Explorer? If so, chances are you closed My Computer, opened Windows Explorer, and then tracked down the folder again. However, there's an easier way to access Windows Explorer from a My Computer folder window. To do so, just right-click on the folder and select Explore from the context menu.

CHECKING THE STATUS OF YOUR WINDOWS 95 OPERATIONS

You'll find status bars in many of your Windows 95 applications' windows. Status bars, which you'll find at the bottom of windows, are useful tools for providing you with information about the command or operation you're currently performing.

For example, if you open a folder in My Computer and select several files, the status bar will tell you how many files you've selected. It will also tell you the combined size of the selected files.

When you pull down a menu in a Windows 95 application and position the pointer over a command, the status bar describes the purpose of the command. For example, if you pull down the Insert menu in WordPad and hold the pointer over the Object... command, you'll see a description of that command in the status bar.

In those applications that have toolbars, the status bar works in conjunction with tool tips, pop-up text boxes that display the command name associated with the toolbar button in question. For example, if you position your cursor over the undo button on WordPad's toolbar, you'll see

a tool tip telling you this button performs an Undo operation. When Windows 95 displays the tool tip, you'll also find more detailed information about the Undo command in the status bar.

USING THE DOCUMENTS MENU

When you open the Documents menu, you'll see a list of the documents you've worked with most recently. You can open any one of these documents and the application associated with it simply by selecting the item from the menu.

The Documents menu can display the last 15 documents you've worked with. If you continue to open and save documents beyond that, Windows 95 will remove the older documents from the menu.

FORMATTING FLOPPY DISKS

Formatting floppy disks in Windows 95 is easy. In either Windows Explorer or My Computer, simply right-click on the floppy disk drive icon and select the Format... command from the context menu. When you do, you'll see the Format dialog box where you can configure the format procedure.

MUTING YOUR SOUND SYSTEM

Have you ever turned the volume control on your speakers all the way down to mute the sound? While turning the control on the speaker is easy enough, there's another way to quickly mute the sound: Just click the speaker icon in the taskbar and when the pop-up volume control window appears, select the Mute check box.

Now, click anywhere on the desktop to close this pop-up window. When the sound is muted, you'll see that the speaker icon has a red circle around it and a slash through it to indicate that the sound is turned off.

QUICKLY ACCESSING THE DISPLAY PROPERTIES SHEET

When you need to access the Display Properties sheet, to change the screen saver or wallpaper for example, do you open Control Panel and double-click the Display icon? If so, you're not taking advantage of one of Windows 95's many built-in shortcuts. To quickly access the Display Properties sheet, right-click anywhere on the desktop and select Properties from the context menu.

REMOVING THE PASSWORD PROMPT

Are you the only person in your house who uses your Windows 95 system? If so, entering a password to start Windows 95 each time you turn on your system may seem rather silly. Fortunately, you can remove the default password prompt by making your password blank. When you do, Windows 95 will automatically start up without prompting you for a password. Let's take a closer look at this procedure.

Windows 95 stores your password in a file that has the extension PWL. The first part of the filename will be the same as your user name. For example, if your user name is Bob, then your password will be stored in a file called BOB.PWL. You'll find this file in the Windows folder.

To remove the password prompt, begin by deleting your PWL file. Next, restart your system, and you'll see the Enter Windows Password dialog box.

At this point, simply click OK--don't type anything in the Password text box. You'll never be prompted for a password again.

RELOCATING THE TASKBAR

By default, the Windows 95 installation procedure places the taskbar at the bottom your screen where it's always visible--even when you run an application in a maximized window. However, if you don't like the taskbar's default location, you can easily move it.

To begin, place your mouse pointer anywhere on the taskbar except on the Start button or on a task button. If your taskbar is full, you can place the mouse pointer on the clock. Now, press the left mouse button while you move the pointer to any edge of the desktop where you'd like to place the taskbar. When you do, you'll see an outline of the taskbar on that edge of the desktop. Once you have the taskbar outline where you want, simply release the mouse button and the taskbar will move to that location.

PLACING A DRIVE ICON ON THE DESKTOP

If you frequently access files from a particular drive, you might find it useful to place an icon for that drive on your desktop. You can do so easily by creating a shortcut to the drive. Start by opening My Computer or Windows Explorer. Next, right-click the target drive's icon and drag it to the desktop. When you drop the icon on the desktop, you'll see a context menu. At this point, select the Create Shortcut(s) Here command and a new shortcut to the drive will appear. You'll now be able to easily access your drive by double-clicking the new drive icon.

CONFIGURING YOUR DRIVE ICON TO USE WINDOWS EXPLORER VIEW

Last week we showed you how you can easily access a drive by creating a shortcut to it on the desktop. If you use that technique, you'll get a My Computer view of the drive. But what if you really want a Windows Explorer view of the drive?

Fortunately, configuring the shortcut to use a Windows Explorer view rather than a My Computer view is a snap. To begin, right-click the drive icon and select the Properties command from the Context menu. When the properties sheet appears, select the Shortcut tab. At this point, click inside the Target text box once and then position the cursor in front of the text indicating the drive. Now, type

c:\windows\explorer.exe /n,/e,

For example, if the shortcut is for drive C, the Target text box should now read

c:\windows\explorer.exe /n,/e,c:\

USING PAINT AS A BITMAP VIEWER

Trying to choose a bitmap can be tedious if you have to open each file just to see what it looks like. However, you don't have to go through this hassle to see each file. Instead, you can simply display your list of BMP files in My Computer or Windows Explorer and then drag and drop a file you want to view onto an open Paint window. Doing so automatically displays the bitmap. Dragging and dropping a subsequent bitmap into Paint removes the old file from the window and displays the new one.

BYPASSING THE RECYCLE BIN

As you know, the Recycle Bin saves copies of every file you delete so that you can easily retrieve the file if you need to. However, there are probably times you know that you'll never need a particular file again. In this case, why store it in the Recycle Bin and waste hard disk space? You can bypass the Recycle Bin and really delete a file by selecting it and pressing [Shift][Del].

If you have the toolbar open in either My Computer or Windows Explorer, you can also permanently delete a file by selecting the file and pressing and holding down the [Shift] key while you click the Delete button on the toolbar.

When you delete files in this way, Windows 95 will display a Confirm File Delete message box and prompt you to confirm the operation. The graphic for the Confirm File Delete message box is a disintegrating file icon. This is your visual cue that you won't be able to retrieve the file.

PRINTING YOUR SCREEN

In the old days, if you ever wanted to print the contents of your screen, you pressed the [Print Scrn] key on your keyboard and your printer would begin printing. However, Windows 95 redirects the destination of the [Print Scrn] key to the Clipboard. This means that if you want to print the contents of your screen after pressing [Print Scrn], you have to open Paint, pull down the Edit menu and select the Paste command. Then, pull down the File menu and select the Print command..

If you only want a printed copy of the active window or dialog box on your screen, press [Alt][Print Scrn].

THE TASKBAR ALTERNATIVE

If you'd like to experiment with an alternative to the taskbar, try the Tasks tool. To access the Tasks tool, open the Run dialog box from the Start menu, type taskman in the Run text box, and click OK. When you do, you'll see the Tasks window on your screen.

You can use the Tasks tool to perform many of the same operations you perform using the taskbar as well as several others you can't. For example, you can switch tasks just like from the taskbar or you can eliminate text leaving only the buttons, which you can't do from the taskbar.

USING THE TRIPLE-CLICK

Have you have ever needed to select an entire paragraph in a document? If so, you probably put your cursor in front of the first word in the paragraph and highlighted the whole paragraph using a drag motion. However, there's a quicker way. Simply, position your cursor in the middle of the paragraph and triple-click.

OPTIMIZING COLUMN WIDTH

As you probably know, you can adjust the width of the Name, Size, Type, and Modified columns in Windows Explorer's Details view using your mouse. To do so, you first position your mouse cursor over the column border. When the mouse pointer turns into a doubled-headed arrow, just drag the pointer to enlarge or shrink the column.

To quickly set the optimal column width, when the mouse pointer turns into a doubled-headed arrow, double-click the column border. When you do, the column width will be set to a size large enough, or small enough, to display all the data in the column.

This tip also works in Microsoft Exchange and in the Find tool's results window.

BEEF UP THE SECURITY

Many of you have asked for an easy way to protect files and folders from snooping eyes. The ideal solution would be to password-protect these items, but we've yet to find shareware that does this (if you have, please let us know). However, certain programs, such as Secure-iT 32,

enable a user to lock/unlock or encrypt/decrypt specific files.

Point your web browser at the above URL, click the floppy disk icon, and click Download 32bit. When the ZIP file finishes downloading, extract its contents to a folder on your hard drive, then click the SEC32373.EXE file to start the Setup program.

To open Secure-iT 32, double click the .exe file. Enter a password for Admin (that's you) twice, click OK, and you're in. To set up access for additional users, click the Users icon, click New, and enter that person's Name and Password.

In our next tip, we'll show you how to use this security guard.

BEEF UP THE SECURITY

http://www.issol.co.uk/

In our last tip, we told you about Secure-iT 32, shareware that locks people out of specific files or folders on your system. This utility is available for download at the above address.

Start by opening Secure-iT. In the Secure-iT 32 window, select a file you'd like to lock or encrypt, then click the Lock or Encrypt button.

(Note: A gray padlock indicates a file that's currently in use or locked by someone else; these files can't be locked or encrypted.) Close Secure-iT 32, and rest assured that no one can access these files.

To unlock or decrypt files (which you'll have to do any time you want to access them) open Secure-iT and navigate your way to the file(s). Select the file(s) and click the Unlock or Decrypt button, as the case may be.

To adjust Secure-iT 32's options, click the Preferences icon. For more information on most of them, hit F1 on your keyboard (or choose Contents under the Help menu).

(Tip-in-a-tip: Place all the files you want to keep locked or encrypted in one folder. Then place a shortcut to Secure-iT 32 in your Startup folder. That way, every time you start Windows 95, Secure-iT 32 will open to the last folder visited, where you can unlock or decrypt what you need. )

IF APPLICATIONS COULD TALK...

Windows 95 lets you attach sounds to the events of any application on your system. Just add the applications and their events to the Sounds dialog box first, using the Registry.

Open the Registry Editor (after backing it up) and navigate your way to HKEY-CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps. There, you'll see a list of all the applications whose events are currently listed in the Sounds dialog box. (.Default is Windows.)

Let's say you want to associate sounds with Microsoft Word events.

Right-mouse click the Apps key, choose New, and then select Key. Rename the new key using the name of the program's EXE file (WINWORD.EXE, for Microsoft Word), without the extension or path. With the new key selected, right-mouse click (Default) in the right pane, choose Modify, and on the Value data line, type the application name. Click OK.

Now to add specific events. Click the new application key with the right mouse button, choose New and then Key, and rename the key with the name of an event (for a list of possible event names, double-click the .Default key under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps). Hit Enter and repeat these steps for each event with which you'd like to associate a sound. Close the Registry Editor when you're done.

In our next tip, we'll show you how to associate sounds with your new application events.

IF APPLICATIONS COULD TALK...

In our last tip, we showed you how to make new application events appear in the Sounds dialog box: In the Registry Editor, add a new application key (such as WINWORD.EXE, for Microsoft Word) to HKEY-CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps. Then add event keys, such as Minimize or RestoreDown, to this new application key.

Once you've used the Registry to add all the applications and events you want to be able to access from the Sounds dialog box, head on over there and associate your sounds. Open the Control Panel and double-click Sounds. Select an event, then click the down arrow next to Name and take your pick of sounds. (If the sound you'd like to use isn't in the list, click Browse, navigate your way to the file you want to use, select it, and click OK.) Repeat these steps for every event with which you'd like to associate a sound, and when you're done click OK.

BACK IT UP--I'LL TAKE IT

Lots of our tips involve editing the Registry. To be on the safe side, we recommend backing up the Registry before making any changes to it, just in case something goes wrong. Here's a quick review on making *partial* Registry backups, so you'll have no excuse not to protect

yourself:

1. Open the Registry Editor.

2. Navigate your way to the branch you'd like to back up.

3. Choose Export Registry File under Registry. (Selected Branch will be selected under Export range.)

4. Navigate to where you'd like to store the backup file, type in a name for the file, and click Save.

When you do a partial backup, the result is a REG file. There are two ways to restore this information to the Registry:

1. Double-click the REG file.

2. Choose Import Registry File under Registry, navigate your way to the REG file, and click Open.

MORE IS BETTER

The title bar of an open window does more than just tell you the name of the open file/application/window. It acts just like the button to the left of the 'X' in its upper right corner.

If a window is currently maximized, double-click its title bar to size it down. Double-click the title bar of a sized-down window to restore it to full-screen.

NOT SO FAST

Don't you hate it when you hit the Caps Lock or Num Lock key by mistake? Windows 95's Accessibility options can keep them from sneaking up on you.

Open the Control Panel, choose Accessibility Options and select Use Toggle Keys. Click OK, and now if you hit Caps Lock or Num Lock, you'll hear a warning tone.

GOOD STORAGE WITH CLIPBOOK

There's some amazing, little-known stuff on the Windows 95 CD-ROM--for instance, a better version of Clipboard. When you copy or cut something to the usual Clipboard, you lose the last thing that was there. Few people know it, but Windows 95 also has a ClipBook where you can save clippings and reuse them. To install it, insert the Windows 95 CD-ROM, and in the resulting window select Add/Remove Software. Go to the Windows Setup tab, click Have Disk, click Browse, and navigate your way to d:\Other\Clipbook (where d is your CD-ROM drive letter). With the clipbook.inf file the only thing in the file name box, click OK twice.

Check ClipBook Viewer, then click Install. You'll now be able to open the program by selecting Start*Programs*Accessories*ClipBook Viewer.

BACK UP!

All sorts of installation programs mess with the Windows Registry, so it's a good idea to make regular backup copies of the two files, user.dat and system.dat. Unfortunately, you can't use Explorer or DOS to copy these files. Buried on the Windows 95 installation CD-ROM is a program that lets you make up to nine backups of your Registry.

Just copy Cfgback.exe from the CD-ROM's \Other\Misc\Cfgback folder to c:\windows, and then copy the Cfgback.hlp file to c:\windows\help.

To make a backup, double-click Cfgback.exe and follow the detailed instructions.

KEEP POLICY EDITOR OFF YOUR HARD DRIVE

Don't want someone else changing your Windows environment?

Use the System Policy Editor, located on the Win 95 installation CD-ROM.

Don't put the Policy Editor on your own hard drive or you'll make it too easy for others to change your configuration. When you need it, pop in the CD-ROM, select Start*Run, and run the command d:\admin\apptools\poledit\poledit.exe, where d is your CD-ROM drive.

EMERGENCY RECOVERY UTILITY, PART 1

There's a hidden program on the Windows 95 CD-ROM for creating a emergency boot disk that can restore your system to the way you've configured it. Before running the program, format a floppy, making sureto check the Copy system files option in the Format dialog box. Then place the CD-ROM in your drive, browse to the d:\other\misc\eru folder (where d is your CD-ROM drive), and double-click eru.exe. Just follow the directions from there. In case of disaster, reboot your system with the ERU-created floppy, and it will automatically restore some of your Windows 95 settings.

EMERGENCY RECOVERY UTILITY, PART 2

If you use the Emergency Recovery Utility found on the Windows 95 CD-ROM to create an emergency boot disk, be aware that some of the configuration files can be huge, making it impossible to fit them all on a floppy (and ERU can't handle multiple floppies). When ERU shows the files it will back up, click Custom to see the files it will skip. You can choose to skip other files, or you can make a note of the ones not being copied and back them up manually.

LONGEST BATTERY LIFE

You can conserve battery power on a notebook PC by setting Windows 95 to do a minimal amount of disk caching. Right-click My Computer and select Properties. From the Performance tab, click File System. On the Hard Disk tab, make sure Mobile or docking system is selected under 'Typical role of this machine'. Your system won't be as fast as it was before, but it will last longer on a battery charge.

SEVEN MEGABYTES RICHER

Looking to free up some disk space? Check your Windows\Help folder for AVI files--you could have as much as 7MB of them left over from Windows' tutorial. Unless you're using Windows 95 for the first time, you don't need them.

DATA CENTRAL, PART 1

For easy backups, keep all of your data files in a single directory (folder). To organize your data, put it in subdirectories within that directory, by project or whatever other division makes sense to you.

DATA CENTRAL, PART 2.

Once you're keeping your data in a single directory (folder), tell your applications that's the default location where they should save new files. How you do this varies from application to application, and it may take a bit of looking to figure it out. For instance, in Microsoft Word for Windows, select Tools*Options, click the File Locations tab, and modify the Documents option. In Excel, it's again Tools*Options, but you click the General tab and enter the correct path into the Default File Location field. In Lotus Approach, you select File*User Setup*Approach Preferences, click the General tab, click Default Directories, and fill in the information.

DATA CENTRAL, PART 3.

If an application doesn't offer a way to change its working directory (folder), try telling Windows to open it where you want it to save files. In Windows 3.1, switch to Program Manager, select the application, and press <Alt>-<Enter>. Type in a new working directory, such as c:\data, and click OK.

In Windows 95 or NT, right-click the Start button and select Explorer, then find the Shortcut to the application--if the Shortcut is on the desktop, you don't have to open Explorer. Right-click the Shortcut, select Properties, go to the Shortcut tab, and type the desired working folder in the 'Start in' field.

DETAILS, DETAILS

When you view a window's contents in Details mode (select Details under the View menu), you can adjust the width of any column. Just hold the cursor over the line between two column titles, and when it changes to a double-pointed arrow, click and drag in either direction. Changes affect the column to the left of the pointer.

You can also adjust a column's width to fit its widest entry. Hold thecursor over the line to the left of the column you'd like to size, and when it changes to a double-pointed arrow, double-click.

PUT YOUR TWO CENTS IN

Windows 95 Help menus are helpful, but they don't always speak your language. You can put in your own two cents by annotating any topic. It's like pasting a sticky note right on it.

Right-mouse click the window of an open topic and choose Annotate. Speak (type) your mind in the box that pops up and click Save. From now on, you'll see a little paper clip any time you open that topic. Click the paper clip to read your notes. To get rid of the note, open it and click the Delete button.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

If you're viewing the contents of a floppy disk, and then insert another disk into your floppy drive, how do you view the new disk's contents? We hope not by opening My Computer and double-clicking the Floppy Drive icon. There's a much faster way. Simply hit F5 to refresh the open floppy disk window's contents. The contents of the old disk will disappear from the window, replaced by those of the new one.

TAKE ALL THE EXTENSIONS YOU NEED

Most of the time, icons are all you need to recognize a file's type; but sometimes you want to see that extension in plain black and white.

That's why Windows 95 allows you to view files with and without their extensions. With any Windows 95 window open, choose Options in the View menu. Click the View tab and, asssuming you want to display extensions, deselect the option, "Hide MS-DOS file extensions for file types that are registered." Click Apply or OK.

HAVE SOME CTRL OVER YOUR WINDOWS

Windows 95 lets you choose to see either one or many non-application windows open on screen at once. From any Windows 95 window, select Options under View, click the Folder tab, and switch your browsing option.

For the no-dialog box method, think Ctrl. It toggles you between one window or many. Just hold down Ctrl when you open a window and Windows 95 does exactly the opposite of what it's been told on the Folder tab of the Options dialog box.

GET FONT-SY

Want to see what every number and letter looks like in a particular font, in different sizes? The Control Panel offers a sneak preview. Open the Control Panel, double-click Fonts, then open any font by double-clicking it. To see how that font will look on your printer, click the Print button.

WHAT'S THIS?

If you don't understand a button or an option in a Windows 95 dialog box, get some help--and we don't mean by choosing Help in the Start menu and weeding through the index. Right-mouse click the button or option, and in most cases, you'll see a What's This? button. Click it for the inside scoop.

QUICK SWITCHES

When you have a number of applications open at once, chances are a quick way to switch from one to the next always would be handy. Sure, you can use the Taskbar, but then you have to get the mouse involved.

Try this instead: press Alt+Tab to bring up a box of icons representing every open application. Without letting go of the Alt button, continue to press Tab to highlight each icon in sequence. When you get to the one you want, let go, and you're there.

FLOPPY COPIES

Need to copy a floppy disk? It's easy. Insert the disk you want to copy into your floppy drive. In Explorer or My Computer right-mouse click your floppy drive icon, select Copy Disk, and click Start. After Windows 95 has read everything on the original disk, it will ask for the destination disk. (Tip-in-a-tip: Make sure you don't need anything that's on the destination disk.) Insert the second disk, click OK, and wait while it copies all the information from the first disk to the second one. When it finishes, you'll get a message telling you the operation's been a success.

MAKE SPACE ON THE DESKTOP

If you tend to work with windows that are taller than they are wide, move the Taskbar to the side of the screen.

BEAUTIFY YOUR DESKTOP

Find an attractive picture and turn it into wallpaper. Convert it into a .bmp file and save it in c:\windows. Click the desktop, select Properties, click the Background tab, and make your selection.

A FEW QUICK POINTERS

How does that arrow pointer grab you? Boring? That's what we thought. Why not change it to something a little more interesting? (Note: You'll need to install the Windows 95 pointers first. Open the Control Panel (Start|Settings|Control Panel), select Add/Remove Programs, and on the Windows Setup tab, double-click Accessories. Select Mouse Pointers, click OK twice, and insert the Windows 95 installation CD if it asks.)

Open the Control Panel, double-click Mouse, and select the Pointers tab. Select the pointer you'd like to change, click the Browse button and pick a pointer. Click Open, then back at the Pointers list, click Apply or OK to make it stick.

TRASH COME BACK

If you've sent an item to the Recycle Bin that you suddenly decide you need back. Well, you're in luck-as long as you haven't emptied the Recycle Bin since you deleted that item.

Double-click the Recycle Bin desktop icon to display its contents. When you find the item you'd like back, right-mouse click it and choose

Restore. Windows 95 returns the item to its original location.

OUT OF CTRL SELECTIONS

If you need to select more than one item in a folder or on the desktop, and they're all next to each other, use the mouse to rope 'em all in at once. Click once on a blank area next to the first item you want to select, then drag to create a box around the whole group of items you want. Let go, and every item within the box will be highlighted. (Note: If you miss a few items that aren't with the rest of the group, hold down Ctrl as you click each one.)

RIGHT EXPLORING

You can view a folder's contents in an Explorer view instead of a standard window view. Just right-mouse click the folder and select Explore. For the keyboard lovers in the group, with the folder icon selected, hold down Shift and double-click it.

BRANCHING OUT

Need to expand every branch of a folder in an Explorer view? Don't waste time clicking all those plus signs (+). Highlight the folder, then press the asterisk key (*) on your numeric keypad. The contents of every folder within will unfold before your eyes.

THE BIG COLLAPSE

In our last tip, we showed you how to fully expand a folder's contents in an Explorer window: Press the asterisk key (*) on your numeric keypad. Ready to collapse it again? Don't bother with all those minus signs (-). Simply click the plus sign next to the top of the branch, then press F5.

MAKE YOUR WINDOWS BEHAVE

Don't like the arrangement of your open windows?

Windows 95 can fix that. Right-mouse click the Taskbar on any blank area and choose from three window arranging options -- Tile Horizontally, Tile Vertically or Cascade.If you aren't happy with the arrangement you've selected, right-mouse click the Taskbar and choose Undo Tile (or Undo Cascade, as the case may be). You'll be right back where you started.

MUTING YOUR SOUND SYSTEM

Have you ever turned the volume control on your speakers all the way down to mute the sound? While turning the control on the speaker is easy enough, there's another way to quickly mute the sound: Just click the speaker icon in the taskbar and when the pop-up volume control window appears, select the Mute check box.

Now, click anywhere on the desktop to close this pop-up window. When the sound is muted, you'll see that the speaker icon has a red circle around it and a slash through it to indicate that the sound is turned off.

INSTANTLY CREATING NEW DOCUMENTS

Windows 95 lets you instantly create new documents without having to open an application. To do so, right-click the background in any folder or on the desktop and select New from the context menu. Once the New submenu opens, you can select from the available document types. Windows 95 responds by creating a new document of the type you've chosen, without your having to launch the application. As part of the process, Windows 95 highlights the document's default name so that you can quickly name it.

For example, suppose you right-click on the desktop and select Bitmap Image from the New submenu. When you do, you'll see a BMP file icon on the desktop and the default name of the file, New Bitmap Image.bmp, will be highlighted so that you can easily rename it.

As you do, make sure that you don't overwrite the BMP file extension. If you do this, Windows 95 will display a message box to warn you of the consequences.

DISABLING DELETE CONFIRMATION

When you drag a file to the Recycle Bin, Windows 95 always displays the Confirm File Delete dialog box and requires you to click Yes before the file is moved to the Recycle Bin.

However, since you can easily retrieve a file from the Recycle Bin, this extra step could be considered overkill. Fortunately, you can disable this confirmation dialog box. To do so, right-click the Recycle Bin icon and select Properties from the context menu. When the Recycle Bin Properties sheet appears, click the Display delete confirmation dialog check box to disable this feature. Then click OK.

QUICKLY ACCESSING THE PROPERTIES SHEET

As you may know, you can access an icon's properties sheet by right-clicking on the icon and selecting the Properties command from the context menu. However, here's a shortcut that will let you instantly open an icon's properties sheet: Just press and hold down the [Alt] key while you double-click the icon.

INSTALLING THE ACCESSIBILITY OPTIONS

If you ran a typical installation for Windows 95, you probably won't find the Accessibility Options on your system, since Setup doesn't automatically install them. However, installing them is easy.

To do so, load your Windows 95 CD or floppy disks and open the Add/Remove Programs utility in Control Panel. Next, click the Windows Setup tab to bring it to the forefront. Then, select the Accessibility Options check box in the Components list and click OK. You must restart your computer before you can use the Accessibility Options.

BUY YOURSELF MORE REAL ESTATE

Looking to increase your desktop real estate? You can change your screen resolution, or the number of dots displayed per inch without restarting your system. The higher the resolution, the more you can fit on screen.

Right-mouse click the desktop, choose Properties, and click the Settings tab. Slide the lever under Desktop area towards Less or More to see the resolution settings available for your system. As you do, you'll see a preview of each. When you find one you like, click OK twice to see the change in real life. Then choose Yes or No to confirm or cancel the change.

SPACED-OUT ICONS

When you use the Auto Arrange or Line Up Icons option on the desktop or in an open window, you'll notice that Windows 95 lines up all the icons in neat little rows, the same distance from one another. If you'd rather they line up closer together, or further apart, change your icon spacing.

Right-mouse click the desktop, select Properties, and click the Appearance tab. Under Item, select Icon Spacing (Horizontal) or Icon Spacing (Vertical) and type a new number next to Size. (The default for horizontal is 60, for vertical 43.) Click Apply or OK to make your new settings stick.

FINDERS KEEPERS

When you choose Help in the Windows 95 Start menu, you see a dialog box with three tabs--Contents, Index, and Find. Most likely, you click the Index tab, enter the topic you're searching for, and hope that it's in the list. But often, it isn't. Windows 95 Help offers another feature that lets you search by keyword, called Find. Just enter a word, and as long as the word appears in a Help topic, Windows "Finds" it for you.

If you've never used Find before, you'll need to set it up. Click the Find tab and select one of the three setup options (we chose minimized database, as recommended). Click Next, and wait a few minutes as Windows 95 sets up your new index. When it finishes, try Find-ing what you're looking for by following the three steps Find gives you.

SAME NAME, NEW GAME

Back in the days of Windows 3.x, when you wanted to end a task, you pressed Ctrl+Esc to open the End Task dialog box. Now, pressing that keyboard combo simply opens the Start menu. To end a task in Windows 95, you need to press Ctrl+Alt+Del.

"What?!" you exclaim. "I have to reboot my system?" No, no, no. Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del in Windows 95 opens the Close Program dialog box, the equivalent of Windows 3.x?s End Task dialog. After pressing the combo, select the task you want to end (especially if it says "not responding" in parentheses next to its name) and click End Task.

So now the question is, if Ctrl+Alt+Del opens the Close Program dialog box, how do you reboot? Simple. Just press the combo one more time.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Know how to change the name of your Recycle Bin? Right-mouse click it, choose Re--oops, no Rename command. But that doesn't mean it can't be done. You'll just need to venture into the Registry. (As always, back up the Registry before making any changes to it.)

First, open the Registry Editor: Choose Run on the Start menu, type "regedit" and click OK. Select Find under Edit, type "Recycle Bin" on the Find What line, and click Find Next. When the finder stops, right-mouse click the highlighted item in the right pane and choose Modify. In the Edit String dialog box, highlight only the words "Recycle Bin" on the Value data line (even if they're within a long line of words), and replace them with the name you want to use. Click OK, hit F3 (or choose Find Next under Edit), and repeat these steps as the finder continues to locate instances of "Recycle Bin."

Eventually (somewhere around eight to 10 changes later), you'll see a dialog box telling you it's finished searching the Registry. Close the Registry Editor, then hit F5 to refresh the desktop. And there's your new name!

BYPASSING FILE ASSOCIATIONS

Did you know that you can open a file with an application other than the one it's associated with? For example, text document (with the extension TXT) is associated with Notepad by default. However, if you need to open the document with another text editor or word processor, you can do so by following this technique.

First, launch Windows Explorer or My Computer and find the file you wish to open. Next, highlight the file by clicking once with the left mouse button. Now, hold down the [Shift] key and right-click the file, and a context menu will appear that includes a new option called Open With. Finally, choose the Open With... option and select the application you wish to use from the resulting dialog box.

RESTORING AND MAXIMIZING WINDOWS THE EASY WAY

Have you ever clicked the Close button when you meant to click the Restore or Maximize button? (This button toggles between the Restore and Maximize controls depending on the state of the window.) If so, you'll be glad to know that you can bypass this obstacle and easily perform the restore and maximize operations simply by double-clicking the window's title bar.

DROP IN ON YOUR START MENU

Need to add an application to your Start menu? You could right-mouse click Start, choose Open, and then click and drag the application icon into the Start Menu window, but there's an easier way. From an Explorer or My Computer window, drag and drop the application's .EXE file on the Start button and let go. (Or, drag and drop an application on the Start menu.) Click Start, and there's your new shortcut!

ALL IN THE FAMILY WINDOW CLOSING

Do you often end up with a lot of related windows together on screen -- for example, after double-clicking a folder, then double-clicking one inside of that, and so on? When you're ready to close them all, don't waste time clicking each and every X caption button (the one in the upper-right corner of each window). Just hold down Shift as you click the X of the last window you opened. Doing so closes that window and all of its "parents" in one fell swoop.

GIMME DETAILS

When you open Explorer and switch to Details view (select Details under the View menu), you'll see columns of information in the right pane. And the nice thing is, the arrangement of those details isn't carved in stone. You can sort by any column or change the width of any or all columns to get the details look you want.

To sort information by a particular column, click its gray column heading once. Click it again to sort by that column, but in reverse order.

To change a column's width, hold the cursor over the black line to the right of the column's heading, and when it changes to a double-pointed arrow, click and drag left or right.

(Note: These same techniques work in a regular window in Details view.)

THE LITTLE YELLOW SPEAKER THAT COULD

The next time you want to change your system's volume, don't waste time opening the Control Panel, double-clicking Multimedia, and adjusting the volume on the Audio tab. The control you need is right inside that little yellow speaker on the Taskbar. Click it once to access volume control, or for a full-featured control panel, right-mouse click the speaker and choose Volume Controls.

HIDE-AND-SEEK COLUMNS

If you're looking at an Explorer window (or regular window) in Details view, you have the option of hiding any of the columns of information.

This trick is especially useful if you need more room to display the columns you really do want to see.

Hold the cursor over the black line (on the gray column headings) to the right of the column you want to get rid of, and when it changes to a double-pointed arrow, drag it all the way left. The column simply disappears. To display the column again, click just to the right of where you left it (you'll know you're in the right place because a double-pointed arrow with two black lines appears) and drag right.

QUICKLY RESTARTING WINDOWS 95

If you want to quickly restart Windows 95 from the Shut Down Windows dialog box, select the Restart the computer radio button and hold down the [Shift] key while you click Yes. When you do, Windows 95 will restart without rebooting the computer.

CREATING NEW FOLDERS THE QUICK WAY

Creating new folders in Windows Explorer can be done quickly from either Windows Explorer or My Computer with the keystroke combination [Alt]F+W+F In this keystroke combination, [Alt]F activates the File menu, W selects the New submenu, and F selects the Folder command. To use this shortcut, just press [Alt]F, then W, and then F again. While it may sound awkward, it's really handy once you get used to it.

OPENING ALL FOLDERS

Have you ever wanted to be able to see all the folders on your hard drive?

If so, open Windows Explorer, select the drive icon, and press the asterisk (*) key on the numeric keypad. When you do, every folder on the drive will open. To close all the open f olders, double-click the drive icon, to close the tree, and press [F5].

RESTORING AN MS-DOS WINDOW

Have you ever maximized an MS-DOS Prompt window to full screen and then wanted to restore it to a window? While it might appear to be an impossible task, you can do so by pressing [Alt][Enter].

FOCUS ON EXPLORER

Do you have a Windows Explorer shortcut on your desktop? (If not, put one there--you'll be amazed how handy it is.) You can tell that shortcut to open Explorer with its focus on the folder of your choice.

Right-mouse click the shortcut, select Properties, and click the Shortcut tab. The information after the last comma in the Target line's contents (for example, C:\) tells Explorer on which folder's contents to focus when it opens. Add the name of any folder to the end of that line (for example, it might now read C:\MYDATA\PERSONAL after the last comma). Click OK, and try out your newly focused shortcut.

THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN MS-DOS

When you choose Start|Programs|MS-DOS Prompt, DOS opens in a Windows 95 window, complete with borders and a toolbar across the top. (Note: If you don't see the toolbar, click the MS-DOS icon in the upper-left corner of the screen and select Toolbar.) If you prefer to work in the old-fashioned DOS view -- nothing on screen but text and darkness -- press Alt+Enter on your keyboard. You're still running DOS under Windows 95; it just doesn't look that way. If and when you want to return to the window view, press the same keyboard combo.

START YOUR DAY WITH A SONG

Want something more than a sound to play every time you start Windows 95? Then start off with your favorite jingle (*.MID file).

First, make sure that no sound is set to play upon starting Windows 95. Open the Control Panel, double-click Sounds, select the Start Windows event, and select None in the list of sounds under Name.

Then add a shortcut to the jingle you have in mind to the StartUp folder.

Right-mouse click the shortcut, choose Properties, and click the Shortcut tab. On the Target line, the path should read: "c:\windows\mplayer.exe /play /close c:\windows\jingle.mid" (where C is your Windows drive and jingle is the name of the midi file you want to play). Click OK, rename the shortcut, if you wish, and restart Windows 95 to test it out.

RESTART, DON'T REBOOT

There are a number of ways to reboot your computer: Press Ctrl+Alt+Del twice, press the Restart button on your system (you know where it is), or choose Start|Shut Down, select Restart the computer, and click OK. But did you know you can restart Windows 95 without rebooting your entire system? (This trick comes in handy after making Registry changes for which you need to restart Windows 95.) Choose Start|Shut Down, select Restart the computer, then--and here's the trick--hold down Shift as you click OK.

QUICKLY ACCESSING THE DESKTOP

How many times have you needed to access an application or a document located on the desktop? When you do, you probably minimize each one of the applications you currently have open until you can see the desktop.

However, there's a much easier way. Simply right click on the taskbar and choose the Minimize All command from the context menu to close all open windows. Once you access the item on the desktop, you can restore all your open windows simply by right clicking on the taskbar again and selecting the Undo Minimize All command.

PINBALL WIZARDS, TAKE NOTE

If you have the Windows 95 Plus! CD, you've surely tried out 3D Pinball. Wish you knew a little more about mastering the Space Cadet table? The Help file offers some assistance, but for more extensive information, there are two hidden sources.

Navigate your way to the Program Files\Plus!\Pinball folder and open PINBALL.DOC for the "Space Cadet table Rules and Game Strategy." Then, check out TABLE.BMP in the same folder for the name of every nook and cranny on the table (you may need it to follow along with the instructions). Who knew? (We did.)

PUT SOME MEAT ON YOUR SCROLLBARS

If a window's contents can't fit in that window all at once, Windows 95 provides you with scrollbars on its left and lower edges to scroll through the contents. Think those bars are too small? If you'd like a little more to grab nto, make them bigger.

Right-mouse click the desktop and choose Properties to open the Display Properties dialog box. On the Appearance tab, select Scrollbar under Item (or click the scrollbar in the preview) and change its Size to whatever you'd like (the defaults for most of the color schemes are 13 or 16). You'll see the effect of your change right in the preview. When you're happy with the new size, click Apply or OK.

PREPARE FOR EMERGENCIES

If you have a Windows 95 installation CD, you can create an Emergency Recovery disk to help you recover important files in the event of a disaster. Once created, this disk includes system and configuration files, plus the Emergency Recovery Utility, the program that restores these files to your system.

Navigate your way to the OTHER\ MISC\ERU folder on the CD and double-click ERU.EXE. Then just follow along as Windows 95 walks you through the disk-creation process. (You can save the recovery files on a disk or a drive, such as on a network.) When the setup program finishes copying the files, you'll see a box of instructions for using the disk in the event of a disaster.

(Note: Sometimes the files the Emergency Recovery Utility tries to copy are larger than a floppy disk, and the utility won't warn you that not all the files will be copied. To see exactly how much space the files will take up, select the Custom option during setup and check the Current ERU Size. If it's larger than your disk size, you have a couple of choices: If you're comfortable doing so, deselect files until the Current ERU Size can be accommodated by your disk, or if you have access to a network, save the files there instead.)

A DESKTOP OF STICKY NOTES

Do you have little yellow sticky notes all over your desk and calendar, filled with phone numbers, addresses, or any other information you use all the time? How about turning it into desktop wallpaper? Then the information will always be at your fingertips.

Just as you can use any picture as desktop wallpaper, you can place information there, too. Open up Paint, type (or paste) in all the information you'd like to see on your desktop's background, and save it as a graphics (*.BMP) file. Choose Set As Wallpaper (Centered) under the File menu, and that information is stuck on your desktop for good (or until you change it to include new information).

Tips-in-a-tip: To paste text into a Paint file, click the text ("A") icon, click and drag to create a text box, then paste the text inside. Also, you'll probably want to use a colored background--a white desktop background can be pretty blinding.)

TRAVELLING TOOLBARS

Tired of WordPad's toolbars taking up all that space at the top of its screen? Then move 'em. As in Microsoft Word, you can rearrange the toolbars' location or turn them into floating palettes.

Click on a blank area of the Toolbar or Format bar, and drag to the left or right to change the location of the tools on the current bar. Or drag and drop the top bar just below the bottom one to switch the placement of the two bars.

To turn a bar into a floating palette, click (again, on a blank area) and drag it to any new location on the screen. At any time, you can snap the bar back into place at the top of the screen: Just drag it back to the toolbar area, and when the dotted outline changes to a solid line, let go.

OUT OF THE DARK EXCHANGE AGE

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/software/exupd.htm

Still using the version of Microsoft Exchange that came with Windows 95 way back when? For shame, for shame. There's an update on the Microsoft site--called Windows Messaging--that significantly improves the performance of this turtle-slow, bug-ridden program.

Among other things, the update increases the program's startup time and updates Internet mail service. Point your web browser at the above URL to read about and download this "complete update for the Exchange components that shipped with Windows 95."

TITLE BAR OPTIONS IN MS-DOS-BASED PROGRAMS

When you right-click on the title bar of any open window, Windows 95 will open a menu that lets you restore, minimize, or close the application.

However, if you right click on the title bar of an MS-DOS-based program, you'll have several extra options. In addition to being able to change the window size, you can choose to copy and paste text. You can also use this menu to edit the program's properties, such as the amount of memory Windows 95 allocates to the program.

EXPRESS DELIVERY

When you right-mouse click a file and choose Send To, you see a menu of possible destinations. Did you know you can add items to this list? Just add a folder or application's shortcut to the C:\Windows\SendTo folder.

Suppose you want to add the Start menu to the Send To list (doing so makes it easy to send any item directly to the Start menu). In an Explorer window, navigate your way to C:\Windows\SendTo, so that the right pane displays its contents. Right-mouse click on the Start Menu folder (which just happens to be in plain view), drag it into the right pane, and when you let go, choose Create Shortcut(s) Here. Close Explorer.

Now for the big test. Right-mouse click any file or folder, choose Send To, and select Start Menu from the list. Click the Start button, and there's that item.

GET SOME CHARACTER

Need to add a fancy character to your document? No matter what application you're working in, the Windows 95 Character Map is at your service.

Click the Start button, choose Programs, then Accessories, and then Character Map to display this great little applet. Select a font in the drop-down list, double-click the character you'd like to use (to place it in the "Characters to copy" box), and click Copy. The character is now on the Windows 95 Clipboard. Switch back to your document and paste that character wherever you'd like it.

CHARACTER COMBOS

In our last tip, we showed you how to add fancy characters to your documents: Open the Character Map, double-click the character you want to use, click Copy, then switch to your document and paste it in. If you're a keyboard-phile and a mouse-phobe, you can add a character using your numeric keypad--that is, as long as you know the secret combination: the Alt key plus a four-digit number. Where do you find the right number? Why, in the Character Map, of course.

For oft-used characters, it's worth the research. Open the Character Map, select the character you have in mind, and you'll see its "Keystroke" in the lower-right corner of the dialog box.

Close the Character Map and remember that number. To add the character to a document, turn on Num Lock, then hold down Alt and type the number using the numeric keypad. Look, ma! No dialog boxes!

ADD UP YOUR PROPERTIES

Want to know how much space a selection of folders and/or files takes up on your hard drive? (Knowing this would come in handy if, for example, you've selected items to copy to a floppy disk.)

In an Explorer or My Computer window, hold down Ctrl as you select each item you'd like to tally. Then right-mouse click on any selected item and choose Properties. The resulting dialog box will display the total size of all selected items, including a count of each item type (files or folders).

ADD UP YOUR PROPERTIES

Want to know how much space a selection of folders and/or files takes up on your hard drive? (Knowing this would come in handy if, for example, you've selected items to copy to a floppy disk.)

In an Explorer or My Computer window, hold down Ctrl as you select each item you'd like to tally. Then right-mouse click on any selected item and choose Properties. The resulting dialog box will display the total size of all selected items, including a count of each item type (files or folders).

ADDING PROGRAMS TO THE START MENU

Is there a program, file, or folder that you use often and would like to access from the Start menu? If so, there's an easy way to accomplish this.

First, launch Windows Explorer or My Computer and locate the file you want to add to the Start menu. Next, drag and drop the file onto the Start menu.

A shortcut to that program will appear at the top of the Start menu in alphabetical order. Remember, this technique works not only with program files, but with other file types and folders as well.

TAKE THAT PALETTE OVER THE RAINBOW

In our last tip, we showed you how to recolor the wallpaper bitmaps that come with Windows 95: Open the file in Paint, save it under a new name, and start recoloring. You'll notice, however, that when you open some of the wallpaper bitmaps, a very limited color palette appears. If you want more color options, save the file as a 256-Color Bitmap.

In Paint, open a bitmap with a limited palette, such as Bubbles.BMP. Choose Save As under the File menu, select 256-Color Bitmap in the Save as type drop-down list, give the file a new name, and click Save. Now select Save As under the File menu one more time, and click Save. (Don't ask us why--you need to do this to get the colors to show up in the palette.) You'll now have a much larger palette from which to choose. Happy recoloring!

COULD YOU TRY THAT NUMBER AGAIN?

Do you often get a busy signal when you try to connect to your Internet service provider? As long as the connection was initiated by you (as opposed to an automatic dialing response from an application, such as your Web browser), Dial-Up Networking will redial the number if it can't connect the first time. This feature saves you from having to attempt the connection again manually.

Open up My Computer and double-click Dial-Up Networking. Select Settings in the Connections menu, and select Redial. Fill in the Between tries wait option to set the timing between each redial, then select a number next to Before giving up retry. Click OK to make the settings stick.

WALLPAPER REDECORATING

Windows 95 comes with a whole slew of ready-made wallpapers from which to choose. But is there one you would like, if only it were a different color? Using Paint, you can recolor any wallpaper.

Choose Start|Programs|Accessories|Paint, select Open under the File menu, and navigate your way to the C:\Windows folder. Select the wallpaper you'd like to recolor (an easy one is Rivets.BMP), then save it under a different name (you don't want to mess up the original).

Ready to start painting? First you need to be able to see what you're doing, so select Zoom under the View menu, and select Large Size. From there, pick a tool, pick a color, and start coloring. (The easiest tools to use are the pencil, for individual dots, or the paint can, for larger areas.) Sure, it's tedious, but if it's your favorite wallpaper, it's worth it!

When you're finished coloring, be sure to select Save under the File menu. From now on, you'll be able to select it by name in the Display Properties dialog box.

(Note: Some wallpapers have very few colors in their palette, meaning you don't have many options for recoloring. In our next tip, we'll show you how to expand that palette.)

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WINDOW

If you want an application to start upon launching Windows 95, then you just add its shortcut to the StartUp menu. Simple enough.

So what happens if you're really picky and want the application to start, but shrink to the Taskbar the minute it opens? No problem. Just tell Windows 95 to start the program minimized. Assuming you already have a shortcut in the StartUp folder, all you need to do is change its Properties.Right-mouse click the shortcut, choose Properties, and click the Shortcut tab. On the Run line, click the drop-down arrow to display your three possible options--Normal window, Minimized, or Maximized. Select Minimized, click OK, and from now on, that application will shrink out of site when it opens at start up.

KEEPING TRACK OF PATHS

If you like to keep track of the full DOS path of the folders you explore, you can configure Windows 95 to give you this information in the title bar of your folder windows in Windows Explorer and My Computer. To do so, double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop. Next, pull down the View menu and select the Options... command. In the resulting Options window, click the View tab, then click the Display the full MS-DOS path in the title bar check box. Finally, click the OK button to implement the change. Now the full DOS path of the current folder will appear in the title bar of your Windows Explorer and My Computer windows.

NEW LOOKS FOR ICONS

You can change the font and size of your desktop and window icons. These settings are part of your Windows 95 current appearance scheme and are accessible through the Display Properties dialog box.

Right-mouse click the desktop, select Properties, and click the Appearance tab. In the drop-down list next to Item, select Icon. Now make all the changes you want to their appearance. To the right of the Item box, the Size option changes the actual icon size. Below the Item list, you'll find options for changing the font of the icon names, as well as its size. Play around with different options, clicking Apply after each to see if you like what you see. When you're done, click OK.

SEE WHAT'S FREE

If you want to see how much space is left on your hard drive, there are a few places you can look.

One, you can open a My Computer window and select your hard drive icon. The status bar will display its Free Space and Capacity.

Two, you can open an Explorer window and select any item on your hard drive. Again, the status bar displays your Disk free space. (To display the status bar in either window, select Status Bar under the View menu.) If you relate better to graphics, however, you'll love this third option --a pie graph that displays free vs. used space. To display this graph, in a My Computer or Explorer window, right-mouse click your hard drive icon and select Properties.

QUEUE-ING OFF

Are you hooked up to a network printer? You can check out how many jobs are ahead of yours right from your desktop. Just look inside the printer queue.

Click Start|Settings|Printers and double-click the icon that represents your network printer. The resulting dialog box shows a list of all the print jobs that still need to make their way through the printer. If you see lots of jobs pending, you may just want to wait a little while before making that long trek down the hall.

GETCHER FREE PLUS! TAB HERE!

http://www.microsoft.com/truetype/grayscal/smoother.htm

If you have Microsoft Plus!, you have a page of Display Properties options that non-users don't. This tab, called Plus!, includes options for using larger icons, showing window contents while dragging, and smoothing the edges of screen fonts, among other things.

Even if you don't have Plus!, you can get your hands on these goodies. Microsoft is giving them away for free. Point your web browser at the above URL and download w95gray.EXE. You may think you're only getting the font smoothing feature, but the rest of the Plus! tab comes with it!

WHEN HISTORY REPEATS

In past tips, we've shown you how to add Control Panel, Dial-Up Networking (DUN), and Printers folders to your Start menu (see the end of this tip for a quick review). If you use Internet Explorer, try adding an Internet History folder to your Start menu. Selecting an item inside the folder launches Internet Explorer and takes you directly to that site. (Note: You'll probably want to empty your History folder on a regular basis, to keep this list under control.)

To create an Internet History folder, create a new folder in your Start menu named exactly (and we mean exactly--your best bet is to copy and paste it from this tip):

Internet History.{FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}

In case you didn't see the previous tips, here are the names of other folders you can create:

Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}

DUN.{992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48}

Printers.{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}

YOU CAN QUOTE THAT

In a past tip, we told you that if a command you type at the DOS prompt includes a filename with a space in it, DOS simply won't recognize the file. The solution? Place the path of the file in quotes.

Well, did you know the same thing applies to the Run command line? It may seem like part of the I-recognize-and-understand-every-aspect-of-long-filenames Windows 95, but it isn't. Here, too, you'll need to use quotes around a command line that includes a filename with spaces in it.

BE PREPARED

Upon installing Windows 95, you're given the opportunity to create a Startup Disk--a boot disk that, should you have trouble starting Windows 95, gets you to MS-DOS, where you can check key files and run utilities in an attempt to figure out what's up. If you're impatient like the rest of us, you probably opted not to make the disk at the moment and figured you'd get to it later. Well, later is here (you never know when something's going to go wrong), so let's make that disk.

Open the Control Panel and double-click Add/Remove Programs. Select the Startup Disk tab and click the Create Disk button. When prompted to do so, insert a blank formatted disk into your floppy drive, then wait as Windows 95 copies all the necessary information to the disk. Better safe than sorry, you know.

FAKE THE AUTOPLAY

Do you have a CD-ROM drive without AutoPlay capability? (Meaning, when you pop an audio CD into the drive, it doesn't play automatically.) You can't add this feature, but you can get one step closer to it. Whereas you normally have to open the CD Player and press Play, you can set the CD Player to automatically play your audio CD when you open this program.

Open Explorer and navigate your way to the shortcut you use to start the CD Player. Right-mouse click it and select Properties. Place your cursor at the end of the text on the Target line, type a space, and then type: "/PLAY" (without the quotes). Click OK. To test out your handiwork, insert an audio CD, start the CD Player using the shortcut whose target line you just changed, and listen up!

CHECK YOUR RESOURCES

If you're itching to get into the meat and potatoes of Windows 95--we're talking the nerdiest of nerdy stuff, mostly for administrators--then you need the Windows 95 Resource Kit. If you have the Windows 95 installation CD, you already have this technical resource. If not, you can download the Resource Kit from Microsoft's Web site, or purchase it in your local bookstore.

Pop the installation CD into your CD-ROM drive and navigate your way to D:\ADMIN\RESKIT\HELPFILE. To view the Help files right off the CD, double-click WIN95RK.HLP. To access the Resource Kit from your hard drive, copy the WIN95RK.HLP and WIN95RK.CNT files to your C:\WINDOWS\HELP folder, then create a shortcut to WIN95RK.HLP. Either way, the Resource Kit's contents appear in a Help Topics window, complete with Contents, Index and Find tabs.

(If you don't have the Windows 95 installation CD, you can download the Complete Windows 95 Resource Kit Help File from

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/software/reskit.htm.

Or you can purchase the Resource Kit in stores or by calling (800) MS-PRESS.)

SETTING THE DATE AND TIME

You can easily change your computer's date and time by using the clock on the right side of the taskbar. To begin, double-click the clock on the taskbar, and you'll see the Date & Time tab of the resulting Date/Time Properties sheet. This tab allows you to adjust your computer's date and time. You can also select your time zone and set the clock to automatically adjust for Daylight Savings Time in the Time Zone tab.

USING DEVICE MANAGER TO TROUBLESHOOT CONFLICTS

If "plug" isn't plugging and "play" isn't playing with the hardware you're trying to install, your installation instructions may require you to determine what interrupts your system is using so you can assign a free interrupt to the new device. Using Device Manager, you can do this painlessly. First, right-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop and select Properties from the resulting context menu. Then, in the System Properties dialog box, select the Device Manager tab. When you do, you'll see a list of devices attached to your computer. With Computer highlighted, click the Properties button at the bottom of the dialog box. This will bring up the Computer Properties dialog box which lists settings and the hardware devices currently using the settings. By clicking on the radio buttons above the list, you can view the settings for Interrupt requests (IRQ), Input/output (I/O), Direct memory access (DMA), and Memory settings.

UNDERLINED SHORTCUTS:

The underlined letters in menus are shortcuts. Press ALT + the underlined letter to choose the item.

DESKTOP DISPLAY PROPERTIES:

To quickly adjust your display properties, right click anywhere on the desktop and choose properties.

DESKTOP DISPLAY PROPERTIES:

To quickly adjust your display properties, right click anywhere on the desktop and choose properties.

SCANDISK:

You can use ScanDisk, in the System Tools folder, to check your hard disk for errors.

SYNCHRONIZING FILES:

To synchronize files between portable and desktop machines, drag the documents from your portable to the Briefcase on your desktop machine.

CONTROL PANEL IN A MENU:

To put the contents of the Control Panel on your Start menu (or in any folder), create a folder and paste in Control Panel.

ANOTHER EASTER EGG:

1. While at your desktop, press [F1], to display the Help Topics: Windows Help dialog box.

2. Click on the find Tab. (If you haven't done the mumbo - jumbo before, follow the Wizard along...)

3. Click the Options... button, then select the All the words you typed in any order radio button.

4. In the Show words that dropdown list, make sure the begin with the characters you type options is selected, then click OK.

5. Once you return to the Find tab, select the text box at the top and type Who knows who built this tool? (Make sure you capitalize the W and include the question mark.)

6. Hold down the [Shift][Ctrl] key combination as you click the Clear button.

7. Now, click the Options... button once more, only this time, select the radio buton titled At least one of the words you typed.

8. In the Show words that dropdown list, choose the contain the characters you type option, then click OK.

9. In the Find tab, type The Shadow knows! in the text box at the top. Make sure you capitalize the letters T and S and that you include the exclamation point.

10. Finally, hold down the [Shift][Ctrl] key combination as you click the Clear button. You should now see the Easter Egg in action.

CHANGING THE PROPERTIES OF FORBIDDEN FOLDERS:

Go into the registry editor and type in the name of the folder (or shortcut) that you wish to change. The file should appear under: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\. Now go over to the side, where it should say Default Information and the name of the folder or icon. So if you are looking to change the name of the icon that starts IE, which is on your desktop under the name "The Internet", you would search for The Internet. Then in the information area, you double click on the icon, and it will bring up a dialog to change the information. Change it to the name you wish. To change an icon, under where it says "SHELL32.DLL,3" or whatever it says, change it to the name of the DLL or the name of the icon. If in a DLL, add a comma, and the number of the icon. (Count from the left, first icon counts as 0).

HIDING DIRECTORIES IN DOS AND EXPLORER:

To hide a directory in DOS and Windows 95 Explorer, create a directory using the following method: 1. Type mkdir and space. 2. hold down the ALT key and on the numeric keypad type 0255 and release the ALT key followed directly by the new directory name. This will only work with the numeric keypad. To change to the directory type 1. cd and space hold down the ALT key and on the numeric keypad type 0255 and release the ALT key. Explorer will not display the directories contents.

QUICK INTERNET SITE ACCESS:

To go directly to a web site, click on the Start button and then Run. Type in the web address (such as www.windows95.com) and hit enter. Your default browser will load and open the web site.

EASY ICONS:

To create an icon in Win95, simply select a *.bmp-file that you find suitable. Change the extension from .BMP to .ICO. That is all there is to it.

PREVENT HAVING TO REBOOT!

Have you ever clicked Shutdown and remembered something else you wanted to do on the system? Don't want to wait for the PC to power back up and go through self test? You don't have to - when you get the screen that says "It is now safe for you to turn off you computer" just type "win" and hit enter! Want to be in the DOS mode? Type "mode co80" and there you go. A Windows 95 system shutdown closes the registry, and drops you back to a DOS session, but displays a graphics message for you to turn off your computer.

Behind the scenes, your PC is really sitting at the familiar C: prompt!

UPDATE THE REGISTRY WITHOUT REBOOTING!

Here's how to update the Registry without rebooting Windows - Press Ctr-Alt-Del, select Explorer, and click End Task. When Windows asks if you want to Shut Down, click no, then click End Task at the next prompt. Soon you should see the Start menu and Task Bar reappear as Windows starts the Explorer shell again. Also, to turn off the Auto-Run feature of CDs, go to Settings, Control Panel, System, Device Manager. Click on the plus sign plus sign of your CD-ROM controller, then double-click it's icon to bring up the Properties. Under Settings, turn off the Auto insert notification box and click OK. You will have to SHIFT+RESTART for this to take effect.

ACCESS THE DESKTOP QUICKLY

How do you access your darn desktop when you have a ton of applications open? Well you could right click on the taskbar and do a minimize all, but on a 486-50 that's pretty darn slow. Instead, open a browser window (double-click on "My Computer") If there is no toolbar, select View from the menu and select Toolbar. Then from the dropdown list-box in the toolbar select desktop. Now minimize it and forget about it. The next time you want to access your desktop just click the desktop window on the taskbar. As long as you don't close the window when you shutdown, it will reopen when you start windows again.

USE LONG FILENAMES AT THE COMMAND PROMPT

Now that you can have long directory names, and particularly now that you can have directory names with spaces in them, how do you deal with that at the DOS command line? You can enter long file names, even those with spaces in them, by enclosing them in quotes:

dir "Cool Windows Utilities" or cd "cool windows utilities"\insteasy Note that, as with "real" DOS, case doesn't count.

MAPPING REMOTE SYSTEMS AS NETWORK DRIVES

If you have a TCP/IP connection, and do a lot of FTPing from a specific site, why not add that site as a drive icon on your desktop?

First, you must create a file called LMHOSTS in your Windows directory. It has the following structure:

ip-address alias # the octothorpe starts a comment

e.g.:

198.105.232.1 MSFTP # Microsoft's FTP site

Next, right-click on My Computer and select Map Network Drive... Select a drive letter, and in the Path: text box, type the alias and a directory:

\\msftp\data

Select OK, wait, and you're on! Note that this works best with Windows 95 and Windows NT FTP sites. It works more or less with other FTP servers. It works just as well over PPP as over a direct connection. Your mileage may vary.

ADD SHORTCUTS TO THE START MENU QUICKLY

To quickly add a shortcut to the top layer of the start menu, drag it from an open folder or from the explorer onto the start button, and it will be placed at the top of the start menu.

ADD MAIL SIGNATURES WITH MS MAIL

When using Microsoft Exchange with Word Mail running (Word Mail is included with Office 95) an easy way to put a signature into your mail is to use the AutoText option. Create your signature, highlight it all, select AutoText from the Edit Menu and add it in. When you want to use it just type in the first few letters and hit F3 and your signature will be added to your E-mail.

MANAGE YOUR TASKS

Windows 95 comes with a replacement/supplement for the Taskbar. Look in your \windows directory for TASKMAN.EXE This program works a lot like the taskbar except you can select programs just like you would select files in Explorer. Select the programs you want to close, and select Windows | End Task from the menu and Voila! all those programs go away!

QUICK ACCESS TO THE DESKTOP

You can get quick access to the desktop (if you have lots of windows open) by right clicking on the task bar and choosing Minimize All Windows. After you have completed the task you wanted to perform, you can restore all the windows to their original state by again right clicking on the task bar and choosing Undo Minimize all.

MAKE A SHORTCUT TO THE START MENU

To put the "Programs" from your Start menu onto your desktop do this:

1. Open up Explorer

2. Make a shortcut from "windows/start menu" to "Desktop"

This makes it a lot easier and quicker to get to the programs in your start menu faster.

CLEANING UP OPENED WINDOWS

To close Windows left open from browsing through "My Computer," you can take the following steps of action:

1. Hold the shift key when you click on the "X" button of the first window you want to close.

2. This will close any and all windows preceding the one you clicked on.

This helps to clean up your cluttered desktop considerably.

CLEAR THE RECENT DOCUMENTS MENU QUICKLY

It seems as though everyone hates having to do all that clicking to clear the recent documents menu in the start menu. Here's a quick and dirty way to be able to clear them with a double-click:

1. Create a batch file with the line: echo y| del \windows\recent\*.*

2. Save the batch file into a convenient directory.

3. Create a shortcut to the batch file on the desktop.

4. Right-click the shortcut and choose properties.

5. Choose the Program tab.

6. Under Run, choose Minimized.

7. Check the Close on Exit box.

8. Click OK.

Now just double click on the shortcut's icon to clear the document menu.

USE THE RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON AND THE SHIFT KEY

People used to working with Windows 3.1 or NT often become very "leftbutton-centric." To use Windows 95 productively, use the right mouse button liberally. In addition, the shift key often adds powerful features to a mouse click.

* To format a disk drive, right click on the drive's icon in the Explorer or in My Computer.

* To minimize, cascade, or tile all windows, right click on the taskbar.

* To empty the recycle bin quickly, right click on its icon.

* To close, restore, maximize, or minimize a window, right click on its button on the taskbar.

* If a file has an associated application, but you want to open it with a different application, hold down the shift key and right click on its icon.

* To restart windows without rebooting the computer, go to the shutdown menu and choose restart the computer. When you click OK, hold down the shift key.

* To launch Explorer on a drive or folder, right click on it instead of doubleclicking.

USING THE COMMAND PROMPT

Here are some tips for people who don't want to leave behind their command prompts.

* In addition to the MS-DOS standards . and .., there are two new directory symbols:

* ... is the parent directory, once removed

.... is the parent directory, twice removed

* You can drag and drop files to the Command Prompt. The file name appears in the keyboard buffer.

* To have a batch file run each time you enter the Command Prompt, click properties for the Command Prompt and enter its name under program/batch file. Then put your favorite utilities, for example Doskey, into the batch file.

* You can run windows programs from the Command Prompt. You can also open folders by typing "start ." or "start .." at the prompt. The start command can even run programs or documents.

SPEED UP THE WINDOWS REFRESH RATE!

Every time I added a new folder, or I deleted something from a window, I needed to hit F5, Refresh, to see the results. This became quite an annoyance. Here is a little tip to change it so that the screen refreshes automatically.

1. Start Regedit.

2. Go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder and open it.

3. Open the System folder, and then the CurrentControlSet folder.

4. Select the Control folder, and then the Update folder.

5. Go to the right window and right-click with your mouse on Update.

6. Select Modify, and change the value from 01 to 00.

7. Click on OK.

The changes will take place next time Windows 95 is started.

REDUCE THE START/RUN DROP DOWN LIST!

Here's how to reduce the Run Drop Down list.

1. From the 'Start' button choose 'Run' and type 'regedit'.

2. Click on the + to 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER'

3. Click on the + to 'Software'

4. Click on the + to 'Microsoft'

5. Click on the + to 'Windows'

6. Click on the + to 'CurrentVersion'

7. Click on the + to 'Explorer'

8. Click on the 'RunMRU'

*On the right hand side you'll see a list of the names being used by the 'Run' command.

9. Click on the name you want to erase and press the delete key. (Be sure NOT to delete the first or last entries.)

10. Exit the Registry Editor and restart Windows to make your changes take affect.

REMOVE ANNOYING ARROWS ON SHORTCUTS

1. Run REGEDIT

2. There are 2 'IsShortcut' keys you need to remove One is under a 'lnkfile' branch, the other is under a 'piffile' branch. Search in whatever method you think is best

3. Delete the IsShortcut keys!

4. Restart explorer

Now live free without those stupid looking shortcut arrows

ADD ITEMS TO THE NEW MENU

* First, in the program that creates the file type you are adding, create a "blank" document. To do that, enter the program, start a new file, and save it right away (note that you could save any normally used preferences here - useful for programs that don't support templates).

* Copy this file to the \windows\ShellNew folder (it's a hidden folder).

Remember the filename!

* Now enter the system registry. Under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, find the extension for that filetype.

* Add a new key called ShellNew.

* Under this new key, add a new string value called "FileName".

* Modify the value of this string (double-click it to bring up a Modify panel) to be the filename of the blank template file you created. You need to include the extension, but the path is not necessary (the /windows/ShellNew folder is the default).

* Presto, your New file menu contains an option for your new file type.

Note that there are some applications that do their registry entries a little different, so you may have to modify the procedure a little...of course most of those programs are Windows 95 programs, so they should probably appear anyway on the menu (if they set up a ShellNew entry as they should). Note that depending on the application, this may not work.

TURN OFF WINDOW ANIMATION

You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize windows. This tip makes navigating Windows 95 a lot faster especially for those that don't have super fast video cards.

1. Open Regedit

2. HKEY_CURRENT_USER

3. Control panel

4. Desktop

5. WindowMetrics

6. Right Mouse Click an empty space in the right pane.

7. Select new/string value.

8. Name the new value MinAnimate.

9. Doubleclick on the new string value (MinAnimate) and click on "Modify"

10. Enter a value of 0 for Off or 1 for On then hit

11. Close Regedit and all programs then reboot.

ADD SOUNDS TO APPLICATION EVENTS

An overview on how to add sounds to program actions:

1. Open registry editor

2. Go to folder HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps

3. There are two folders, .Default and Explorer

4. Click on Apps with the right mouse button. Choose NEW - KEY. key name: name of the EXE file you want sounds for. For better reading change the key Default from "none" to the name of the application.

5. Click on the key you created in 4 with the right mouse button. Choose NEW - KEY. key name: Open

6. Do the same with key name: Close

7. Go to control panel \ sound events. There is a new item and two subitems, Open program and Close program, for the program you just added to the registry.

8. Add sound files to them.

9. The next time you start/close the EXE file the sound will play.

10. Because there is no limitation in the registry database you can add all programs and events you like. For every program you can add all of the standard events:

1. AppGPFault (not very funny)

Close

Maximize

MenuCommand

MenuPopup

Minimize

Open

RestoreDown

RestoreUp

SystemAsterisk

SystemExclamation

SystemHand

SystemQuestion

Other events may be possible; it depends on the events the application generates. The ribbon buttons in Winword are NOT such events.

ENHANCE LOGITECH MICE

You can enable the double-click feature of the middle mouse-button of Logitech mice. Run regedit and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/software/logitech/version???/. Change the value of double click from 000 to 001.

REMOVING SYSTEM ICONS FROM YOUR DESKTOP.

1. Run regedit.

2. Find one of the above (example: "Inbox"). You may find multiple occurrences.. The one you want will have long strings of numbers and letters in the left pane.

3. Hit tab to go to the left pane

4. Hit "+" to expand the tree

5. Select "ShellFolder"

There should be two records: default (value not set) and attributes (a clump of four two digit numbers).

6. Select attributes.

7. Hit delete (or from the edit menu).

8. Hit F5 to refresh, and you are done.

You can now remove or move what you would like. This is very helpful on multi-user machines in which you don't want users to have access to browse the hard drive. It also cleans your desktop of programs you don't use often.

REAPPEARING VALUES?

If you seem to have problems with Values and Keys reappearing in your registry, try deleting the offending programs from your win.ini file!

MAKE THE TASKBAR FASTER

A lot of people find the speed at which the menus on the taskbar and pull-down menus pop out too slow. To change this, you need to edit the registry:

1. From the Start menu, choose Run. Type in 'regedit' and click OK.

2. Open the HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder.

3. Open the Control Panel folder.

4. Open the Desktop folder.

5. From the Edit menu, choose New->String Value

6. Call the new item MenuShowDelay.

7. Doubleclick on the new item and give it a value from 1 to 10, 1 being fastest.

8. Exit the Registry Editor and restart Windows.

MAKE .BMP FILES BE THEIR OWN ICONS

1. Run the Registry Editor (regedit.exe)

2. Open the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT folder

3. Open the Paint.Picture folder

4. Open the DefaultIcon folder

5. Double click on the "default" item

6. Change the value to "%1"

7. Exit the Registry Editor

VIEW YOUR TCP/IP CONFIGURATION

In order to see your present TCP/IP configuration, Microsoft has included a program called winipcfg which gives you details of your setup. Start it using the Run command.

TRACE INTERNET ROUTES

Included with Windows 95 is a program called Trace Route. Open a dos window and type tracert location name. The location name can be any ip address or number, for example www.process.com. The program will the trace the route from your internet provider to that location, and show you every computer system along the way. Watch as you jump from cost to cost and over oceans via satelites and high speed connections instantly. Also very useful for when you can't connect to a site - it will show you if something is down along the way.

INSTALLING INTERNET DIALUP

The following tip applies to those of you setting up Windows 95 to connect to an ISP, and only using a computer at home, not connected to another network, and using a modem connection:

The 2 components needed for this capability are the Dail-up adapter and TCP/IP Protocol settings. When only selecting the above 2 components, you must reenter the password every time you start to dial, and also when you connect to the ISP. To prevent the above from happening and saving you a few more things to type in, follow the below steps....

1. Go into your network settings, in control panel

2. Click on the Add button, Click on Client, Click on Microsoft, and choose Client for Microsoft Networks, and after you have installed the proper drivers from the disks, goto the Primary network Logon and choose Windows Logon.

After you reboot your computer and the next time you dial up to your ISP, you will be given the option to save your password, and also you will not have to reenter the password the second time also......

FOR FTPing A LOT OF STUFF!

The FTP client that comes with Windows 95 allows for a text file for a list of commands that you would like it to run.

1. Create a text file with a list of commands that you would like to be run

2. Type ftp -s:mytextfile

This tip helps speed up tedious file transfers.

COMMAND LINE MULTI-TASKING

Sometimes I resort to the command line to do things quickly and "the old way". Its really handy to be able to multitask on the command line, and for that I've written this small batch file.

-- listing for bg.bat ---

start /m command /c %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9

--- end listing ----

By putting this batch file on my path, I can run any dos (or windows) command or program in the background. For example, bg pkunzip data.zip c:\datadir -d will unzip my data in the background. It's very handy and I use it often.

Anybody that uses UNIX or OS/2 will be used to this feature.

MAKE AN OPEN NEW FOLDER CONTEXT ENTRY

Sometimes I want to open a new folder so I can copy or move files around.

Open your notepad and copy this exactly into it.

---

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\opennew]

@="Open New &Window"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\opennew\command]

@="explorer %1"

---

Do not copy the '---', just the text between them. Now save the document as Open New Folder.reg. You can call it anything you want, just be sure to put the .reg extension after it. I usually allow it to save on the desktop to find it quickly. Now double click on the new icon that has appeared. The registry hack will update automatically. Now right click on a folder and you will see a new option called 'Open New Window'

CHANGING DEFAULT FROM 'OPEN' TO 'EXPLORE'

Here is a useful tip and you need not edit the registry to do it! If you always want explorer to come up when you click on something and not just the ever-useful "My Computer" Window, here's how: Click on the View Menu/Options/file types/ and then choose "Folder" from the list. Click on the "Edit" button and then click the "Set Default" button to change the default action from "Open" to "Explore". It is much better this way!

CONVERTING FROM NETSCAPE TO MICROSOFT'S INTERNET EXPLORER?

Migrating from Netscape Navigator to Microsoft's Internet Explorer? If you've made your mind to do that, try to save your bookmarks by drag them from tree view of bookmarks to the 'Favorites' folder.

CHANGING THE FONTS IN MS INTERNET EXPLORER

If you ever wanted control over the fonts used by Microsoft's Internet Explorer, here's how.

1. Start the Regestry editor

2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / Software / Microsoft / Internet Explorer / Styles

A. A list of all the possible combinations will come up

B. On the right panel is the Style Name on the left, followed by its value on the right.

C. Double click on a Style Name and change its font, size, or weight.

D. Repeat this for all the fonts available for the style you would like.

E. There are 13 settings to change which only takes a few minutes.

3. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER / Software / Microsoft / Internet Explorer / Styles

A. Change the Default_Style_Sheet to be the one you just edited.

4. Restart the Internet Explorer

ENHANCE THE START MENU

Create a new folder on your desktop.. Rename it - call it:

Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}

Now it should look like a normal Control Panel icon you see in My Computer (not a shortcut). Now right click on the Start button, click on open. Move the new folder we just created to the start menu folder. Close the Start Menu folder. Now when you click on Start, you should see Control Panel on it. Click on it and it will expand to show all the items, fast! You can do the same thing with Printers and Dial-Up Networking - here's the names you need:

Printers.{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}

Dial Up Net.{992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48}

FIX BROKEN START MENUS

Sometimes people experience the problem of having a Start menu which is empty and cannot be modified. One possible cause: If the c:\windows\"Start Menu" directory is modified (particularly if anything is deleted) from the MSDOS prompt, Windows 95 will decide that the start menu is invalid. The Start Menu is empty, and if you try to add anything to it, you get "Unable to add to Start Menu" or a similar message.

Solution:

1. If there are still subfolders and links in c:\windows\"Start Menu" that you can access from the Explorer, copy these to another folder as backup.

2. Restart the computer, and when you see "Starting Windows 95..." press F8 to get to the startup menu. Choose "Command Prompt Only."

3. At the c:\ prompt, change to the windows directory and "deltree startm~1". Reboot the computer.

4. When Windows 95 reloads, it will find that rather than being invalid, the Start Menu simply isn't there. It will then create a valid (but empty) Start Menu.

5. At this point you can go to Start / Settings / Taskbar / Start Menu / Advanced and start copying back in the shortcuts you backed up in step one, or you can run GRPCONV.EXE to get your basic icons back, and reinstall or create the other links by hand to get your icons back.

6. You're done. You have a Start Menu again.

KEEP FONTS FROM DISAPPEARING

If you install a generic Textmode Printer into Windows 95 and choose it as default you will not see any of your TrueType Fonts in programs like Word 6.0 or Wordpad.

Delete the Printer or Install another one like HP Deskjet and make it the default printer to regain access to your fonts.

CUSTOMIZE MS-DOS MODE

If you want to be able to completely control the settings used when you choose 'Restart Computer in MS-DOS Mode,' use Explorer to go to your Windows directory and find a file called 'Exit To DOS.' (It might or might not show the extension .PIF depending on your settings for Explorer).

Right-click this file, choose properties, and go to the Program tab. Click the Advanced button, and you can enter custom CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT commands to be executed. Save your changes, and they will go into effect whenever you reboot into DOS-mode from the Shut-Down menu.

MAKE WINDOWS 3.1 PROGRAMS BEHAVE

If you're having compatibility trouble with old Windows 3.1 programs try using mkcompat.exe. Start it using the Run command. Just choose a file in the file menu that you want to fix compatibility with and begin selecting options such as:

Lie about Windows version #

Delay comm handshake

Increase Stack Size

etc.

TIRED OF A GUI INTERFACE?

If you want Windows 95 to boot up like a regular MS-DOS session, do the following:

1. Edit your msdos.sys file

2. Add the line "BootGUI=0" to the file.

This will bring a regular DOS session up upon reboot.

FOR THE MULTI-BOOT USERS

Tired of hitting "F8" every time you boot to change your settings?

1. If you edit your msdos.sys file

2. In the "Options" section

3. Add the line "BootMenu=1"

This will always present you with a boot menu, removing the need to hit F8 every time.

TURN OFF THE WINDOWS 95 LOGO WHEN BOOTING

To remove the Windows 95 logo on startup, you can do the following:

1. Open file msdos.sys in Notepad.

2. Find the [Options] section.

3. Add this line in the Options section: Logo=0

Reboot your machine and there should be no logo on startup.

NO-CLOUD STARTUPS

Tired of seeing that cloud StartUp logo every time you boot Windows 95? You can get rid of it by editing your MSDOS.SYS file.

The first thing you need to do is remove this file's hidden and read-only attributes: Open up Explorer and locate MSDOS.SYS, right-mouse click it and select Properties, deselect Read-only and hidden, and click OK. Next, open MSDOS.SYS in Notepad and add the line "LOGO=0" to the [Options] section (or change the line LOGO=1 to LOGO=0). >Select Save under the File menu and close Notepad.

Return the hidden and read-only attributes to MSDOS.SYS (using the same technique you did to remove them). Try restarting your system, and those clouds are gone with the wind(ows).

 
 

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