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Windows 98 Tips and Tricks |
Open the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Programs and select the Windows Setup tab (and wait as Windows 98 searches your system for installed components). If an item under Components has a white, checked box next to it, all items within that component have been installed. Ignore them. If the checked box is gray, however, there are items inside that component that were not installed. To see what they are, select that component, click Details, and look for the unchecked boxes. Click OK to get back to the main list of components.
Repeat these steps for all partially installed components to see what
you may (or may not) be missing out on. See anything you want to install?
Select it. When you're finished making your selections, click OK (back
at the main list of components).
Insert the Windows 98 installation disk if and when it asks you to,
then follow the directions to complete the installation.
Select Start, Settings, Taskbar & Start Menu, and in the resulting
dialog box, select Show Small Icons in Start Menu. Click OK, click Start,
and you'll see a menu that's almost half the size of the old one.
Open any folder window (such as My Computer) and use the View menu to
set the viewing options you'd like for every folder. (Note: Toolbar settings
don't apply.) Next, select View, Folder Options, and in the resulting dialog
box, click the View tab. Click the Like Current Folder button, click Yes
to confirm, then click OK. From now on, every folder window will open with
these same View options already set.
The prompt has been removed to allow for a faster start of Windows 98.
To display the Startup menu, press and hold down the CTRL key when your computer starts.
NOTE: If you press and hold down the CTRL key when your computer starts, you may receive a keyboard error message. If this occurs, you may safely ignore the keyboard error message.
If you want the Windows 98 Startup menu to appear each time you start your computer, follow these steps:
1.Click Start, click Run, type the following command in the Open box, and then press ENTER:
msconfig
2.Click Advanced on the General tab, and then click the Enable Startup Menu check box to select it.
3.Click OK, click OK, and then click Yes.
The registry is corrupted and Windows must be installed to a new directory.
This error message can occur for any of the following reasons:
1. Advanced Power Management (APM) shut down your computer during the file copy process.
2. A program or programs running during the file copy process may conflict with Windows 98 Setup.
3. There is not enough free space on your hard disk to complete the installation.
4. You are running the Symantec Norton Utilities Nprotect program (Protected Recycle Bin) during the file copy process.
To fix this:
1.Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.
For Windows 98, restart your computer, press and hold down the CTRL key after your computer completes the Power On Self Test (POST), and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.
2.Type the following lines at the command prompt, pressing ENTER after each command:
cd \windows
attrib -r -s -h system.dat
attrib -r -s -h user.dat
ren system.dat system.bad
ren user.dat user.bad
copy \system.new system.dat
copy \user.new user.dat
cd\
deltree /y recycled
3.Use the appropriate method, and then continue to step 4:
1. APM shut down your computer
2. Programs running during the file copy process
3. Not enough free space on your hard disk
4. Symantec Norton Utilities Nprotect program is running
APM Shut Down Your Computer
Before you start Windows 98 Setup, disable APM in your computer's BIOS. For information about how to do so, contact the manufacturer of your computer, or view the documentation included with your computer.
Programs Running During the File Copy Process
Before you start Windows 98 Setup, verify that only the necessary drivers or programs in the Config.sys or Autoexec.bat files are being loaded.
Refer to http://support.microsoft.com/support/windows/tshoot/default.asp
Before you start Windows 98 Setup, verify that your hard disk has at least 195 megabytes (MB) of free space. For more information about the minimum requirements for Setup.
Refer to Minimum Hardware Requirements for Windows 98 Installation.
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q182/7/51.asp
Before you start Windows 98 Setup, empty, and then disable the Norton Utilities Nprotect program. For information about how to do so, contact Symantec, or view the documentation included with Norton Utilities.
4.Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.
For Windows 98, restart your computer, press and hold down the CTRL key after your computer completes the Power On Self Test (POST), and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.
5.Run Windows 98 Setup again.
How to invoke one of Windows 98's desktop themes: Open the Control Panel, double-click Desktop Themes, select a theme in the Theme list, wait as Windows 98 displays a preview, then click OK. (To install Desktop Themes, if you haven't already, open the Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, click the Windows Setup tab, select Desktop Themes, click Details, select the themes you want to install, click OK twice, and insert the Windows 98 installation disk when prompted.) If you can't find a theme here that you like, the Internet offers more desktop themes than you could ever imagine. All you need is an Internet connection and a little patience. (Themes can take a while to download.)
There are a number of Web sites that offer gobs of desktop themes in one convenient location. Try these three for starters (themes designed for Windows 95 also work in Windows 98):
http://www.pcworld.com/fileworld/cat_index_sub/frameset/0,
1460,desktop+themes,00.html
http://www.rad.kumc.edu/win95/themes.htm
http://www.winfiles.com/apps/98/themes.html
100's maybe 1000's of themes are yours for FREE.
Ok, be sure you know what to do with the ZIP file.
Using an unzipping utility, such as WinZip, extract the ZIP file's contents
to the C:\Program Files\Plus!\Themes folder.
Note: It's a very good idea to back up your three logo files--C:\logo.sys,
C:\Windows\logow.sys, and C:\Windows\logos.sys--first, so they can't be
overwritten by a desktop theme.
You can now select this theme by name in the Theme list of the Desktop
Themes dialog box (accessible via the Control Panel). Also, delete
the ZIP files or create a Holding Directory for them.
Also if you download a theme you don't like, there's no point in wasting valuable disk space to keep it around. In the Desktop Themes dialog box, select the theme in the Theme list, click the Delete button, and click Yes to confirm.
Tired of all those boring desktop defaults? Personally I can't stand them.
A turquoise desktop, an arrow for a pointer, a My Computer icon that looks like a computer--sure, all these things do their job, but they aren't very much fun. If it's fun you're looking for, try a desktop theme. Each theme offers a unique collection of pointers, wallpaper, sounds, colors, and whatnot to spiff up your desktop. Windows 98 includes all of the themes that were part of Microsoft Plus! (for Windows 95) as well as four new Microsoft Kids! themes: Jungle, Baseball, Underwater, and Space.
The first thing you'll need to do is install desktop themes, if you haven't already. Open the Control Panel and double-click Add/Remove Programs. Click the Windows Setup tab, select Desktop Themes under Components, and click Details. Select the box(es) next to the scheme(s) you'd like to install (keeping in mind that all the schemes plus Desktop Theme Support total 28MB), click OK, then insert the installation CD when prompted.
To see these themes in action, inside the Control Panel, double-click Desktop Themes. Click the down arrow next to Theme, select a theme in the list, and wait as Windows 98 builds a preview. If you like what you see, click OK to actually use the theme (and exit the dialog box). Otherwise, keep selecting schemes until you see one you like, then click OK to see it in use.
Wish you could use the pointers and icons from a theme, but not the wallpaper or sounds? Or perhaps you'd prefer to use all of a theme's components EXCEPT the pointers? You can pick and choose the pieces of a theme you'd like to use right in the Desktop Themes dialog box.
After selecting a theme in the Theme list, but before clicking OK, select
or deselect items under Settings. To preview the pointers, sounds, or visual
elements of a theme, click the Pointers, Sounds, etc . . . button.
NOW click OK, and only those components that are selected will be applied
to Windows 98.
By default, when you double-click a Windows 95/98 folder icon, the folder's contents appear in a single-paned window. If you prefer the dual-paned view, you can right-click a folder and select Explore. Do you find yourself going the two-paned route most of the time? Then change a folder's default action from Open to Explore. From then on, double-clicking a folder automatically opens its contents in a two-paned window.
Inside any Explorer window (single or double paned), select View, Options, then click the File Types tab. In the list of Registered file types, select Folder and click Edit. Under Actions, you'll see Open in bold (to indicate the current default action). Select Explore, click Set Default, and now Explore will appear in bold. Mission complete. Click Close twice to keep the change, then double-click any folder to try it out! (Tip: To open a window in a single-paned view, right-mouse-click it and select Open.)
(Note: If you change your mind and want your folders to act exactly as they did before making this change, you'll need to edit the Registry. For more details, read on.)
In any Explorer window, select View, Options; click the File Types tab;
select Folder in the list of Registered file types; click Edit; select
Explore under Actions, click Set Default; and click Close twice.
From then on, double-clicking a folder displays its contents in a two-paned
view.
Now let's assume that you want to go back to the original default (opening
windows in a single-paned view). So you go back to the same Edit File Type
dialog box, select Open under Actions, click Set Default, and so on. Everything
will appear to be functioning normally until you open a two-paned Explorer
window and double-click a folder in the right pane. You'd think the contents
of this folder would simply replace the current contents of the right pane,
but instead they open in a separate, single-paned window.
To resolve this problem, you'll need to edit the Registry (as always,
back up your Registry files--System.dat and User.dat--before proceeding).
Open the Registry Editor: select Start, run, type
Regedit
and click OK. Navigate your way to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell. In
the right pane, right-mouse-click (Default) and select Modify. On the Value
data line, select the word Open and press the Delete key on your keyboard.
Click OK, close the Registry, and from now on, double-clicking a folder
in the right pane of an Explorer window will display its contents right
there, without a separate window.
Quick Tray is a great 98 utility that adds icons of your choice to your Taskbar tray.
Quick Tray is one of the tools in the Windows 98 Resource Kit Sampler, available on your installation CD. How do you access this tool and add its shortcut to your Startup folder?
If you've installed all of the tools that are part of the Windows 98 Resource Kit Sampler (by running setup.exe in the tools\reskit folder of your Windows 98 installation CD), you can start Quick Tray as follows: Select Start, Programs, Windows 98 Resource Kit, Tools Management Console; click Close to exit the Tip of the Day; navigate your way to Tool Categories\Desktop Tools; then double-click Quick Tray in the right pane.
If you prefer to install Quick Tray only, copy quiktray.exe from the installation CD's tools\reskit\desktop folder to your location of choice.
Regardless of where your quiktray.exe file is located, you'll probably want to place a shortcut to it in your Startup folder. (Quick Tray has to be running in order to do its thing.) First, open the Startup folder: Select Start, Programs; move the mouse pointer over the Startup item; right-mouse-click Startup and select Open. Then, in a separate Explorer window, navigate your way to the Program Files\WIN98RK folder (or to wherever you copied quiktray.exe). Click and drag quiktray.exe into the Startup window, let go, and Windows 98 automatically places a shortcut there. Close all open windows. From now on, Quick Tray will start whenever you start Windows 98.
Quick Tray is a great 98 utility that adds icons of your choice to your Taskbar tray. You'll find this utility in the tools\reskit\desktop folder of your Windows 98 installation CD. To install it, copy quiktray.exe to your location of choice. You may also wish to add its shortcut to your Startup folder. Double-click quiktray.exe (or start Windows 98, if its shortcut is in your Startup folder), and you'll see the Quick Tray icon in the tray of your Taskbar. Now you're ready to add your favorite icons to the tray.
Click the Quick Tray icon, then one at a time, click the Add button,
navigate your way to the application you wish to add, select it, and click
Open.
Tip: You can add applications OR files to the tray, although keep in
mind you may need to select a new item under Files of Type to find the
files you're looking for. As you add new items, watch as their icons appear
in the Taskbar tray.
When you're finished adding icons, click the Close button. (Don't click Exit, or the new Taskbar items will disappear. Quick Tray has to be running in order to display the icons.) To start an application or open a file from the tray, just click its icon. It's the tray you've always dreamed of!
You can change the icons for specific desktop icons--namely, My Computer, My Documents, Network Neighborhood and the Recycle Bin (full or empty)--from the Effects tab of the Display Properties dialog box. (If you used Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95, you may remember that this option was available from the Plus! tab of the same dialog box.)
To open the Display Properties dialog box, open the Control Panel and double-click Display; or right-mouse-click the desktop and select Properties. Click the Effects tab, select the icon you'd like to change, and click the Change Icon button. Select a new icon, click OK, then repeat these steps for each icon that you want to change. When you're finished, click OK to apply the changes to your desktop.
Note: If you don't see an icon you like in the Change Icon dialog box--for
example, you won't see any choices for My Documents --click the Browse
button, navigate your way to another icon file (such as Windows\System\Shell32.dll
or Windows\System\Pifmgr.dll), select an icon, click Open, then click OK.
In Windows 98 there are now even Tool Tips showing you the meaning of things like the Close, Maximize and Minimize buttons (among others).
That's nice if you are new to Windows, but it gets annoying after a while. Here is how to turn them off:
1.Start the Registry Editor
2.Go to HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop
3.Double-click UserPreferencemask, and change the Value date from BE 00 00 00 to 3E 00 00 00
4.Close the Registry editor and restart Windows
This setting can also be changed with TweakUI (you can find it on your
CD-ROM in the \tools\reskit\powertoy folder).
Rather than set your viewing options every time you open a new window, set them once and be done with it. Windows 98 will apply your view options globally (unlike Windows 95, where you had to reset these options constantly).
Open any Explorer window and select View, Folder Options. Select the
View tab, click the Like Current Folder button, then click Yes to confirm.
Every window you open from that point forward will look the way you want
it to.
Do you find your desktop a handier place for shortcuts than the Start menu? Then create shortcuts to your oft-used Start menu items on the desktop. Whereas in Windows 95, this operation required you to right-click Start, select Open, and so on..., now you can copy a shortcut using a simple click-and-drag operation.
With all open windows minimized, click Start and navigate your way to
a favorite shortcut, such as Start, Programs, Accessories, Paint. Click
the item you want to turn into a shortcut (here, Paint), and without letting
go (or else you'll open that item), drag it out to the desktop. Let go,
and there's your shortcut!
Do you frequently use the Address bar at the top of your open Explorer windows? Have you ever noticed the word Links on the far-right side of this bar? Double-click it (or the word Address), and watch what happens. Hey, it's another whole toolbar! The Links toolbar provides you with--what else?--links to Web sites.
Now that you know about this toolbar, you have two choices: Leave the links that Microsoft put there (yeah, right), or add your favorite links. To delete a link, right-click it and select Delete. To add a link, point the current window at that Web page (type its URL on the Address bar, then press Enter), then drag that Web page's icon from the Address bar directly over the Links bar, and let go.
Want your Address bar back? Double-click "Address" or "Links".
(Note: If you're missing the Address bar or the Links bar from your folder window, select one or the other, or both, from the View, Toolbars window.)
To display this toolbar, just double-click the word Links on the right side of the Address bar. (To view your Address bar again, just double-click the word Address.) Tired of having to choose between the Address bar and the Links bar? This default arrangement of sharing a bar isn't written in stone. If you prefer, you can give each bar its very own row.
Hold your mouse pointer over the vertical bar at the left end of the Links toolbar. When it changes to a double-pointed arrow, click and drag the bar downward, then let go. Instantly, the bar expands to fill the row just below the Address bar.
(Tip: If you'd rather have the Address bar on the bottom, after following
the steps above, use the vertical bar on the Address bar to drag it below
the Links bar, then let go.)
If you view your C:\WINDOWS, C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM and C:\PROGRAM FILES
folders as Web pages in Win98 or IE 4.0/Win95, you'll receive warning messages
about modifying folder contents. In addition, the WINDOWS folders actually
hide contents from you, requiring an extra Show Files click. Here's how
to remove the warning messages and the extra click while keeping Web View
intact: First, make sure Explorer is showing hidden files (select View/Folder
Options, open the View tab and click on the Show All Files radio button).
Next, open the target folder and rename FOLDER.HTT to FOLDER.OLD. Copy
and paste the FOLDER.HTT file from C:\WINDOWS\WEB to the folder you're
modifying. This version of FOLDER.HTT activates a standard, warning-free
Web view. Make sure the As Web Page option is checked under the folder's
View menu. Repeat these steps for each folder, as needed.