Potpourris: Miscellaneous Tips #6

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In a previous tip, we showed you how to create a Windows 98 startup disk (a disk that, should you ever have trouble starting Windows, boots your system and provides utilities to help diagnose the problem): Open the Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, select the Startup Disk tab, click the Create Disk button, and so on.

We should point out that one of the best features of this disk is its inclusion of real-mode CD-ROM drivers. In other words, if you determine that reinstalling Windows 98 (via CD) is your best chance at recovery, you can do that--right from the command prompt. (With Windows 95, you had to add real-mode CD-ROM drivers to your startup disk manually--not the easiest thing in the world to do!)

In our next tip, we'll show you how to use your startup disk (and the Windows 98 installation CD) to reinstall Windows 98.

In our last tip, we pointed out that the Windows 98 startup disk includes real-mode CD-ROM drivers (so that you can access your CD-ROM drive from a command prompt). To create a startup disk, open the Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, select the Startup Disk tab, click the Create Disk button, and so on.

Now the question is, how do you use the startup disk to access your CD-ROM drive? Let's assume you can't start Windows 98, and you've decided you want to reinstall it using the installation CD. Turn the system off, and with the startup disk in your floppy drive, turn it back on. In the list of startup options, select Start Computer With CD-ROM Support, then press Enter. When the A:\ prompt appears, insert the Windows 98 installation CD in your CD-ROM drive and type

X:\setup

where X is your CD-ROM drive plus one letter (in most cases--see the next tip for details). For example, our drive is E, so we would type

F:\setup

at the A:\ prompt. Press Enter, and the Windows 98 setup will begin.

For our third and final tip in this series, we'll explain why your CD-ROM drive letter typically changes when you use the Windows 98 startup disk.

WHY THE STARTUP DISK CHANGES YOUR CD-ROM DRIVE LETTER

In our last tip, we showed you how to use the Windows 98 startup disk to reinstall Windows 98 (via CD) from the command prompt: Turn the system off; pop the startup disk in your floppy drive; turn the system back on; select Start Computer With CD-ROM Support; press Enter; when the A:\ prompt appears, insert the Windows 98 installation CD in your CD-ROM drive and type

X:\setup

where X is your CD-ROM drive plus one letter (in most cases); and press Enter.

Wondering why your CD-ROM drive letter usually changes? After you choose a startup option, config.sys loads a 2MB RAMDrive that contains a number of tools useful in diagnosing common problems. In most cases, this drive assumes your CD-ROM drive's letter. (Note: To confirm the letter used to represent this RAMDrive, watch the screen during the boot process.)

(Tip: To view the contents of the RAMDrive, at the command prompt, type

dir X:

where X is, in most cases, the former letter of your CD-ROM drive; then press Enter.)

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Windows 9x doesn't make it easy to change the look of Desktop folders, but here's a simple solution: Instead of right-clicking on the Desktop and selecting New/Folder, create the new folder somewhere else (My Documents, for example), then right-click on the folder, drag and drop it to your Desktop, and choose Create Shortcut(s) Here from the Context menu that appears. You can now customize the shortcut's look by right-clicking on it, choosing Properties, selecting the Shortcut tab and clicking on the Change Icon button. Win98 adds an icon palette for added customization options.

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How do I find out what kind of hardware is in my PC?

-- Right-click My Computer.
-- Select Properties.
-- Click on the Device Manager tab.

This will tell you what kind of hardware you've got on your computer.

At the bottom of the Device Manager tab, hit the Print button and you'll get the full report on paper -- about 20 pages. It will tell
you everything about your hardware, configuration, operating system, used IRQs, etc. It's very valuable information, and Leo suggests that you do this and print new ones as you update your system.

For more great desktop PC tips, don't miss this Help Channel collection.
http://cgi.zdnet.com/slink?8102:3258496

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TURN OFF MENU AND WINDOW ANIMATION

In Windows 98, menus and windows don't just appear, they ROLL onto the screen. (To quickly see what we mean, right-click the desktop or select a minimized Taskbar item to restore it. Fancy, eh?) If you're like us, you find these special effects fun the first time around, but only dizzying after that. To turn them off, right-click the desktop, select Properties, and click the Effects tab. Deselect Animate Windows, Menus And Lists, then click Apply or OK.

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When you install Windows 9x, it asks for your name. From that point on, the computer recognizes the entered name as the official registered owner. Here's how to change it: Launch the Registry Editor (regedit). Drill down to and click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version. In the right pane, find the RegisteredOwner entry and double-click on it. In the Value Data box of the Edit String dialog that pops up, change the name to whatever you wish and click on the OK button. To change the company name, repeat the procedure for the RegisteredOrganization entry.

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SHOW WINDOW CONTENTS WHILE DRAGGING

In a recent tip, we showed you how to turn off the somewhat dizzying menu and window animation that's built into Windows 98: Right-click the desktop, select Properties, click the Effects tab, deselect Animate Windows, Menus And Lists, then click OK.

One effect we don't recommend turning off is the Show Window Contents While Dragging option (also on the Effects tab), which displays your entire window as you drag it across the screen. With this option turned off, clicking and dragging a window displays only an outline of the window in motion--the actual window stays in place until you release the mouse button. Ick.

(Note: If your system is lacking in graphics capabilities, and you find that turning off this option enhances performance, by all means turn it off.)

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Use this setting to hide the Find command on the Start Menu.
(Note that this will not disable a user from pressing F3 to get to the Find dialog box.)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Policies\Explorer

Edit/create the value NoFind (DWORD value) and set the value to 1 to hide the Find command, or 0 to display the Find command.

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Renaming files fast

As you know, you can rename any file in Windows 98 by single-clicking the filename twice-once to select the file and once to open the rename text box. Then, you can simply type the new filename over the old one. However, accessing the rename text box with two single-clicks can be extremely frustrating since you inevitably end up double-clicking the file instead. Fortunately, we've discovered an alternate method. Simply select the file with a single click and then press [F2]. When you do, the rename text box opens.

If you're using the Active Desktop's single-click mode this technique works slightly differently. For example, you can right-click the item and select Rename from the context menu. You can select the item by hovering over it and then press [F2]. You can also select the item, pull down the File menu, and select the Rename command. For more information on activating and using single-click mode see the articles "Getting a grasp on the Active Desktop" and "Using the single-click mode" in the October 1998 issue of Inside Microsoft Windows 98.

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FOR MAXIMUM PROGRAM PERFORMANCE, DEFRAGMENT

Want to make sure that when you select a program in your Start menu, that application starts as fast as possible? Be sure to defragment your hard drive on a regular basis--say, once a month--using the Disk Defragmenter. The version of this utility that comes with Windows 98 will rearrange your program files for optimum performance.

Select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter, and select the drive you want to defragment. Now click the Settings button and select Rearrange Program Files So My Programs Start Faster, if it isn't already selected. Click OK twice, and let the defragmenting begin!

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REMOVE DIAL-UP ICON

You know that little icon that appears in your Taskbar tray every time you establish a dial-up connection? It doesn't have to be there. If you'd prefer to reserve that space for other, more useful icons, feel free to ditch it.

Select Start, Programs, Accessories, Communication, Dial-Up Networking, and in the Dial-Up Networking window, select Connections, Settings. Deselect Show An Icon On Taskbar After Connected and click OK. The next time you go online, that icon is nowhere in sight.

(Note: You can always check the status of the connection from inside the Dial-Up Networking window. Simply right-click your connection and select Status.)

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Wish you could shut down Windows with one click instead of four (select Start, Shut Down, select Shut Down, click OK)? Then make a Shut Down shortcut. Right-click the desktop and select New, Shortcut. In the Command Line text box, type

rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows

Click Next, name the shortcut something appropriate, such as Shut Down (or Later, Alligator), then click Finish. When you're ready to shut down, just click your new shortcut (or double-click it, as the case may be).

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Some of the changes you make in the Windows Registry don't take effect until you reboot. But if you want to see the effect of a changed Registry entry, you can refresh the Desktop and reload Registry defaults without rebooting. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del. Select Explorer in the Task list and click the End Task button. When the Shutdown dialog box appears, choose No. A Program Not Responding dialog box for Explorer will appear on the Desktop. Click the End Task button to restart Explorer, reloading system settings from the current Windows Registry.

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Win98 changes the way you boot to a DOS prompt. Hold down the Ctrl key while your PC is booting. This takes you directly to the Boot Menu, including Safe Mode and "Boot to command prompt only."

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FLOPPY SHORTCUTS FOR EVERYONE

When you pop a floppy in your floppy drive, how do you access its contents--by using (A) a My Computer window, or (B) an Explorer window? How about C, none of the above. The easiest way to view the contents of a floppy is by double-clicking the floppy drive shortcut you should place on your desktop--that is, if you like to do things the short way.

Open a My Computer or Explorer window, click and drag your floppy drive icon out to the desktop, and release the mouse button. Click Yes to confirm that you want to create a shortcut, and you're done. The next time you want to view the contents of a floppy, just double-click your new shortcut, and you're in.

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AUTO ARRANGE OPTION

We can't tell you how many people ask how to keep their desktop icons from jumping back into neat little rows every time they try to move them into a unique formation. Annoying, isn't it? By default, Microsoft made the Auto Arrange option the default. If you want free-flowing icons, you'll need to turn this option off.

Right-click the desktop and select Arrange Icons. In the resulting menu, you'll see a check mark next to Auto Arrange. Select this option (to deselect it). Back on the desktop, try to relocate an icon. Much better.

LINE UP YOUR ICONS

In our last tip, we showed you how to turn off the Auto Arrange feature so you can relocate desktop icons without them jumping back to the left side of the screen: Right-click the desktop and select Arrange Icons, Auto Arrange. Of course, placing your icons in a unique formation doesn't mean you want to be messy about it. Once you've moved them to their approximate locations, right-click the desktop and select Line Up Icons. Presto--they'll all fall into neat little rows (right where they are).

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CREATE WORDPAD TEMPLATE

If you frequently use WordPad to do your word processing, you're probably getting tired of formatting every document (changing the font, typing the same heading, and so on). Does this thing come with templates or what? The answer is no, but that doesn't mean you can't make one. Just take a few minutes to do the formatting once, and you'll have an instant time-saver.

Open WordPad and make all the formatting changes you'd like to include in your template--for example, you might change the font and point size of the text. (Tip: Type at least one character and then assign these settings to it.) When you're finished, save the file in a convenient location using a name such as "template.tpl."

Now instruct Windows to open any file with a .tpl extension in WordPad. Open any Explorer window and select View, Folder Options. On the File Types tab, click the New Type button. Next to Description Of Type, enter a description, such as "WordPad Template." Next to Associated Extension, type

tpl

Click New, and in the Action box of the New Action dialog box, type

Open

Under Application Used To Perform Action, type WordPad's path, such as

C:\Program Files\Accessories\Wordpad.exe

Finally, click OK three times to close all open dialog boxes.

Ready to try it out? Double-click template.tpl and it opens in WordPad, complete with all your formatting. (Tip: Be sure to save it under a new name before creating a new document from the template.)

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INTRODUCTION TO TASK SCHEDULER

Ever wonder what that little red, white, and blue icon in the tray of your Taskbar does (the one that looks like a window with a red clock on it)? It means that the Task Scheduler, a utility that runs maintenance routines such as ScanDisk, is currently active. To view the routines currently scheduled to run, double-click this icon.

Don't see the Task Scheduler icon? You can open Scheduled Tasks by selecting Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scheduled Tasks. If you wish to make this utility run whenever Windows 98 starts, select Advanced, Start Using Scheduled Tasks (inside the Scheduled Tasks window).

In our next tip, we'll show you how to add and delete scheduled tasks.

TASK SCHEDULER: ADDING AND DELETING TASKS

In our last tip, we introduced the Task Scheduler, a utility that runs maintenance routines, such as ScanDisk and Disk Defragmenter, according to a specified schedule. To open the Scheduled Tasks window, double-click the Task Scheduler icon in the tray of your Taskbar; if you don't see the icon, select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scheduled Tasks, and then select Advanced, Start Using Scheduled Tasks.

Want to customize the task list? To add a new routine to the list, click the Add Scheduled Task item, click Next, and wait as the wizard compiles a list of options. Select an application, such as Disk Defragmenter, click Next again, and follow along to set up a schedule for the task. Click Finish, and the new task appears in the Scheduled Tasks window. Repeat these steps for each task you'd like to add to the list.

To delete a task from the list, right-click it and select Delete. When you're finished adding and deleting tasks, close the Scheduled Tasks window. Then, as long as Windows and the Task Scheduler are running at the time for which tasks are scheduled, this little helper will run them for you.

TASK SCHEDULER: CHANGING TASKS

In the first tip in this series, we introduced the Task Scheduler, a utility that runs maintenance routines, such as ScanDisk and Disk Defragmenter, according to a specified schedule. (To open the Scheduled Tasks window, double-click the Task Scheduler icon in the tray of your Taskbar; if you don't see the icon, select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scheduled Tasks, and then select Advanced, Start Using Scheduled Tasks.) In our last tip, we showed you how to add or delete tasks. (To add a task, click the Add Scheduled Task item and follow along with the wizard; to delete a task, right-click it and select Delete.)

You can also modify the settings for any task in the list. Right-click the task you'd like to change and select Properties. In the resulting dialog box, use the settings on the Schedule And Settings tab to adjust the task's behavior, then click OK. Repeat these steps for each task you'd like to modify, then close the Scheduled Tasks window.

TASK SCHEDULER: DISABLING TASKS

In the first tip in this series, we introduced the Task Scheduler, a utility that runs maintenance routines, such as ScanDisk and Disk Defragmenter, according to a specified schedule. (To open the Scheduled Tasks window, double-click the Task Scheduler icon in the tray of your Taskbar; if you don't see the icon, select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scheduled Tasks, and then select Advanced, Start Using Scheduled Tasks.)

Is there a task in the list you'd like to disable without deleting it entirely--so you don't have to re-create it if you decide to use it again? Inside the Scheduled Tasks window, right-click the task and select Properties. On the Task tab, deselect Enabled and click OK. Back in the Scheduled Tasks list, you'll see the word Disabled in the Schedule and Next Run Time columns for that task. (To enable the task again, go back and select the Enabled option.)

Want to disable every task in one fell swoop? Right-click the Taskbar's Task Scheduler icon and select Pause Task Scheduler. (To turn it back on, right-click the icon and select Continue Task Scheduler.)
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Keep all your frequently used documents in a folder.
Right-click on Start and choose Open. Right-click in the background, choose New/Folder and give it a name like HOT DOCS. For permanent documents, drag and drop shortcuts into the new folder. Or just copy or build new documents right in your HOT DOCS folder. All you have to do is click on Start and hold the mouse pointer over HOT DOCS to open the cascading menu to your most important files.

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If you use the utilities under the Control Panel often, place shortcuts to them on the Start menu. Right-click on the Start button and pick Explore. Make a new folder within the Start menu named Control Panel (or another name of your choice). Go to Start/Settings/Control Panel and select all the programs within it. Drag them to the folder you just created. Don't worry when you're told you can't move those files; just pick the option to create shortcuts. Now, when you open the Start menu, moving your mouse over the name of the newly created folder brings up a menu of Control Panel shortcuts.

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If your Control Panel is cluttered with icons you don't need, clean it up. In the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory, you'll find a corresponding CPL file for each Control Panel item. Move the ones you don't want to a safe place on your hard disk. When you open Control Panel, those icons won't appear.

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WHAT TO DO WITH DOWNLOADED STARTUP SCREENS AND DESKTOP THEMES

In a recent tip, we pointed you to some Web sites for downloading holiday-related desktop elements such as screen savers, desktop themes, and clipart. One way to find these files is to search for the keyword "Christmas" at

http://www.pcworld.com/fileworld/0,1392,,00.html

Once you've downloaded what you want, you'll need to know what to do with it. Assuming you end up with a *.zip file (and you will, in most cases), use an unzipping utility to open the resulting ZIP file. If it's an *.exe file, double-click it to extract its files. Then follow these steps:

For startup/shutdown screens: Extract or move the files inside to the appropriate directory: Logo.sys belongs in the root directory; logos.sys and logow.sys belong in the Windows folder. (Tip: Rename the originals first, so you don't overwrite them.)

For desktop themes: Extract or move the contents to the Program Files\Plus!\Themes folder. From now on, you can select the theme from the Desktop Themes dialog box: Open the Control Panel (select Settings, Control Panel from the Start menu), double-click Desktop Themes, and select the new theme in the Theme list. Assuming you like the preview that appears, click OK to apply it to your desktop.

(Note: The above instructions apply to the majority of downloads; however, there will be exceptions. For example, some downloads include a setup program to install the item for you. When in doubt, look for a readme.txt file.)

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CONTROL WINDOWS FROM THE KEYBOARD

Tired of dragging the mouse all the way up to the right corner of an open window to minimize, maximize, or close it? If you'd prefer to forget about those teeny-tiny caption buttons altogether, try these keyboard shortcuts instead:

Press Alt-Spacebar and then press:

N to minimize the active window
X to maximize it
R to restore it (from maximized view)
C to close it

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Ever encounter an application that designates itself as the default program for a file extension previously owned by another program? The quickest way to get out of this jam under Win9x is to find an example of an incorrectly associated file. Click on the file once to select it, then hold down the Shift key while you right-click on it. Choose Open With. Select the correct program, check the "Always use this program to open this type of file" box and click on OK. Or, if you don't find the program, click on the Other button and navigate to the correct program on your drive.

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DOWNLOAD TWEAK UI FOR WINDOWS 98

In a previous tip, we pointed out that the Windows 98 SE CD does not include Tweak UI, a utility we frequently discuss in these tips. Microsoft says, "A version of the program is included on the original Windows 98 CD-ROM." (Roughly translated, borrow the files from a friend?)

An even better solution is to download this utility from the Net. It was recently made available for download at

http://www.pcworld.com/r/tw/1%2C2061%2Ctw-w981129a%2C00.html

(Note: Be sure to download tui98.zip, not tweakui.exe.)

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In Control Panel/System/Performance, select File System and the CD-ROM tab. Move the Supplemental Cache Size slider to the right to allocate more RAM for caching data from the CD-ROM drive, or to the left to allocate less. Multimedia programs perform better with a smaller cache because they seldom reuse data. For reading continuous data, such as AVI files, use a higher setting for Optimize Access Pattern. For reading random data, increase the Supplemental Cache Size and decrease the Optimize Access Pattern.

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MAKE CAPTION BUTTONS BIGGER

Press Alt-Spacebar and then press:

N to minimize the active window X to maximize it R to restore it (from maximized view) C to close it

Sticking by that mouse? Well then, make those caption buttons a bit more tolerable. Make them bigger.

Right-click the desktop, select Properties, and click the Appearance tab. In the dropdown list under Item, scroll up and select Caption Buttons. Now just click the up arrow next to Size, watching the preview to see the change. (Two or three numbers up should do the trick.) Click OK to apply the change to your desktop.

(Note: The Taskbar grows along with the caption buttons.)

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TEMPORARILY DISABLE AUTOPLAY

These days, most systems with a CD-ROM drive offer AutoPlay, so that when you insert a CD-ROM into the drive, it plays automatically (or opens in a window, as in the case of the Windows 98 installation CD). However, sometimes you may not want AutoPlay to do its thing--for example, if you insert an audio CD you don't want to play until later. To prevent AutoPlay from kicking in, simply hold down the Shift key after inserting the CD. (Tip: Hold Shift for as long as it normally takes for the CD to start playing.) Later, to play the CD, open any Explorer window, right-click your CD-ROM drive, and select Play.

PERMANENTLY DISABLE AUTOPLAY

In our last tip, we showed you how to disable your CD-ROM drive's AutoPlay feature temporarily: After inserting a CD, hold down Shift for as long as it normally takes the CD to start playing. Never liked AutoPlay anyway? Well then, disable it.

Right-click My Computer and select Properties to open the System Properties dialog box. On the Device Manager tab, click the plus sign next to CDROM and select your CD-ROM drive. Click the Properties button, select the Settings tab, and deselect Auto Insert Notification. Click OK, then click Close and restart Windows 98. The next time you insert a CD in that drive--nothing.

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The Win98 Maintenance Wizard (Start/Programs/Accessories /Systems Tools) will make your programs run faster, check your hard disk for problems and free up hard disk space by auto-running Disk Defragmenter, ScanDisk and DiskCleanup according to a schedule you set. If you leave your computer on, you can schedule maintenance at off-hours (such as midnight to 3 a.m.) to minimize downtime during work hours.

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Did you know you can open any folder icon as a two-paned window with a navigation tree? Just right-click on the folder and choose Explore. You can launch any folder as an Explorer window by holding down the Shift key and double-clicking on the folder. If you really just prefer the two-paned Explorer windows, you can make that type of window open by default: Open any folder and choose View/Options (or Folder Options under IE4/IE5/Win98/NT). Choose the File Types tab. Select Folder and click on Edit. Under Actions, highlight Explore. Click on Set Default. The Explore entry becomes bold, making it the default operation for a double-click. If you want to reverse the setting, follow the same steps, but highlight Open instead of Explore.

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DELETE MSN DESKTOP ICON

Remember how, back in Windows 95, the MSN icon was stuck to the desktop like glue (unless you edited the Registry)? Not so in Windows 98. To delete the Set Up The Microsoft Network icon from your desktop, right-click it, select Delete, then click Yes to confirm.

(Note: You can always set up MSN by selecting Start, Programs, Online Services, The Microsoft Network.)

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MEET DR. WATSON

Experiencing system faults? Don't call a Windows 98 support technician--yet. First, call Dr. Watson. This troubleshooting utility takes system snapshots--a "comprehensive picture of the present software environment"--that may be able to solve your problem.

Select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Information. In the System Information window, select Tools, Dr. Watson. Click the Dr. Watson icon that appears in the tray of your Taskbar, select Dr. Watson, and wait as this utility generates a system snapshot--with any luck, resulting in a diagnosis of the problem. Name and save the log file.

Now go ahead and call that support technician. You've got a great resource to help him or her solve the problem.

LOAD DR. WATSON AT STARTUP

In our last tip, we introduced Dr. Watson, a Windows 98 troubleshooting utility that takes snapshots of your system to help diagnose any problems you're having. Wouldn't it be nice if Dr. Watson would take a snapshot automatically when a system fault occurred? It will, as long as it's running.

If you want to be sure that Dr. Watson is running all the time, place a shortcut to Drwatson.exe (located in your Windows folder) in your Startup folder. Then, it'll start whenever Windows 98 starts.

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Set Win98 Default Folder  Attributes

Microsoft gave us a whole new way to do this in Windows 98.
 

Once you've got the C: drive folder the way you like it, choose View, Folder Options, and click the View tab. When you press the Like Current Folder button, you'll create the new default setting, which will be permanent (unless you hit the Reset All Folders button). You'll notice that when you deviate individual folders from these settings, those folders will retain the new settings if you have "Remember each folder's view settings" checked under Advanced settings.

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Get Rid Of that Shut Down Windows Dialog

You can skip the Shut Down Windows dialog that pops up each time you choose Start/Shut Down. First, create a new shortcut and add C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL32.EXE User,ExitWindows to the command line. Name, save and store the shortcut in an easily accessible location (your QuickLaunch bar is a good place). When you launch the shortcut in the future, Windows will shut down, no questions asked. (If an application is open, you will be asked if you want to save any open files.)

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Some Registry changes require restarting Windows before the changes take effect. However, there's a way to reinitialize your Registry and refresh your Desktop without fully restarting the OS. Save your work, then press Ctrl+Alt+Del to bring up the Windows task list. Select the Explorer entry and click on End Task. If the Shutdown screen appears, click on Cancel. After a few seconds an error message will appear. Click on End Task, and Windows Explorer will reload with any new Registry settings.

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Here's a trick for finding out the path of a file: Launch the Run command dialog (Start/Run), clear the Open box by hitting the Backspace key, and then drag and drop the file of your choice into the Open box. Windows will type the full path of the file into the box.

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DESKTOP

You can select groups of icons or folders on the desktop or within folders by clicking outside the body of icons and, while holding the left mouse button, dragging a rectangle to surround all the icons you want to select, then letting go. You can then move, copy or delete them en masse.

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Stop resizing multiple windows by hand to make them tile horizontally or vertically. Let Task Manager do the job. Launch this Win3.x leftover by selecting Start /Run and typing Taskman at the prompt. In the dialog box that appears, choose the windows you want to tile by clicking on their corresponding tabs while holding down the Ctrl key. Select Windows/Tile Horizontally or Tile Vertically.

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Here's an easy way to view the properties for multiple hard drives all at once. Open My Computer and select all your hard drives by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on each drive. Next, right-click on any one of the drives and choose Properties from the Context menu that appears; Windows will create a single dialog with tabs for each drive. It also works for floppy, removable and mapped network drives.

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If you have loaded the files from your Windows CD locally or on the network, use this setting to stop the prompt which asks you to put in your Windows CD when loading new options.  This setting will redirect the system to look in the directory where the files are loaded instead of automatically looking to the CD-ROM drive. To set this option, go to:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup

Edit/create the value "SourcePath" (String Value) and set the value equal to the path where the Windows files are stored.

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SIZE COLUMNS TO FIT WIDEST ENTRY

When you view a folder's contents in Details view (select View, Details), some columns of information are probably cut off. (Each cut-off entry is followed by ellipses.) One way to view the hidden information is to resize each column. Or, try this trick: Hold down the Ctrl key as you press the plus sign (+) on your numeric keypad. Instantly, Windows sizes every column to fit the widest entry. (Note: In many cases, you'll need to enlarge the window to see every column of information.)

(Tip-in-a-tip: Pressing Ctrl-+ also shrinks oversized columns to fit the widest entry.)

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In a previous tip, we showed you how to enable user profiles so that multiple users can use different settings--wallpaper, desktop shortcuts, color schemes, and so on--on the same system: For each user, open the Control Panel, double-click Users, then follow along to complete the Enable Multi-user Settings wizard. From now on, whenever you start Windows 98, you'll get a Welcome To Windows dialog box. To log on, type your user name and password, then click OK.

When you don't want to use user profiles anymore, you can simply disable them. Open the Control Panel and double-click Passwords. Select the User Profiles tab, select All Users Of This Computer Use The Same Preferences And Desktop Settings, then click OK. Click Yes to restart your system, and user profiles are officially disabled.

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RE-CREATE SHOW DESKTOP SHORTCUT

Just delete the Show Desktop item from your Quick Launch toolbar by mistake? Don't worry--you can get it back.

Open an Explorer window, navigate your way to the Windows\System folder, and locate a file named Show Desktop. (If you don't see one, we'll show you how to create one in the next tip.) Open a second Explorer window and navigate your way to Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch. Right-click and drag the Show Desktop file from the System folder into the Quick Launch folder, release the mouse button, and select Create Shortcut(s) Here. That shortcut is right back where it started.

RE-CREATE SHOW DESKTOP SHORTCUT FROM SCRATCH

Open Notepad--select Start, Programs, Accessories, Notepad--and type the following:

[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop

Select File, Save, then navigate your way to the Windows\System folder and name the file Show Desktop.scf. Finally, click Save and close Notepad.

Now just create a shortcut to this file in the Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch folder, as described previously, and a Show Desktop item will appear on your Quick Launch toolbar.

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Find out exactly what a program does when you install it by using the System File Checker's log feature. After installing a program, open the log by launching the System Information utility (Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Information), choosing System File Checker from the Tools menu, clicking on the Settings button and then on the View Log button. The log will tell you exactly which files were added to your computer and which were updated with a newer version.

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DISPLAY WINDOWS 98 STARTUP MENU

Back in Windows 95, you saw a "Starting Windows 95" message during the boot process, at which point you could press F8 to display the startup menu. Well, watch your Windows 98 system's boot as closely as you want--you won't see any such message.

So how do you get to the startup menu? After turning on your Windows 98 system, press and hold the Ctrl key (or F8). Eventually, the startup menu appears.

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DISPLAY STARTUP MENU AT STARTUP

In our last tip, we showed you how to access the Windows 98 startup menu during the boot process: After turning on your Windows 98 system, press and hold the Ctrl key (or F8). If you find yourself pressing Ctrl more often than not, make the startup menu appear automatically every time you start your system.

Select Start, Run, type

msconfig

and press Enter to open the System Configuration Editor. On the General tab, click the Advanced button, select Enable Startup Menu, then click OK twice. Click Yes to restart your system.

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FIND MISSING WINDOWS

Has a folder or program window mysteriously moved off your screen? It can happen for several reasons-the most common is that you've recently changed your video resolution. Right-click on the taskbar, select either the Cascade Windows or Tile Windows (Horizontally or Vertically) option, and the window will magically appear (you may need to resize your windows).

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You can change the location of your Favorites folder by editing the Registry. Launch RegEdit from the Run command line and go to these two entries: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \Explorer\User Shell Folders and, in the same tree, Shell Folders. In each, set the Favorites value to the path of your new Favorites folder. You must use a double slash instead of a single slash when entering the path (for example, C:\\MYNEWFAV).

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GLOBAL FOLDER VIEWING OPTIONS

Do you have a favorite way of viewing a folder's contents--for example, always as a Web page and always the Large Icon view? Rather than set these 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.

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DRAG AND DROP START MENU ITEM ON DESKTOP

Do you find your desktop handier 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 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 releasing the mouse button, drag it out to the desktop. Release the mouse button, and there's your shortcut.