Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition Tips.txt FileID: Q234901
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This article contains a copy of the information in the Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition Tips.txt file.
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Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
README for Tips and Tricks
April 1999
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(c) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1999
This document provides complementary or late-breaking
information to supplement the Microsoft Windows 98
Second Edition documentation.
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HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT
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To view Tips.txt on-screen in Notepad, maximize the
Notepad window.
To print Tips.txt, open it in Notepad or another word
processor, and then on the File menu, click Print.
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CONTENTS
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MISCELLANEOUS TIPS AND TRICKS
MS-DOS COMMAND PROMPT
------------------------------
NOTE: For more tips and keyboard shortcuts, see online
Help.
MISCELLANEOUS TIPS AND TRICKS
=============================
Faster Application Launching
----------------------------
Windows 98 can tune your system to launch your applications
faster. To get the best application launch speed, convert
your hard disk to FAT32, and then run the Maintenance wizard
from the System Tools menu. By using this wizard, you can
schedule regular disk defragmentation options that
automatically tune up your application launch times.
Aggressive System Maintenance
-----------------------------
For even more aggressive maintenance, after running the
Maintenance wizard, open Task Scheduler and set your tasks to
run every night, with one-half hour intervals between the
start time of each task (Cleanup, then ScanDisk, then Disk
Defragmenter). You may want to check the settings for ScanDisk
to automatically fix errors, too. This way, your system is
ready to go each morning.
Faster Connections to Internet Service Providers
------------------------------------------------
You may be able to reduce the time it takes to connect to
your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Go to the Dial-Up
Networking connection that you use, right-click and select
Properties, and then on the Server Types tab, clear the
check boxes for Log on to Network, NetBEUI, and IPX/SPX
Compatible Protocol. Then verify that you can still connect.
Most ISPs don't use this setting, and it can take up to 60
seconds to time out.
Start Menu Order
----------------
With Windows 98, you can drag items around directly on the
Start menu to change the order or which sub-menu an item is
located on. You can also right-click and delete, or see the
properties of the shortcut on the Start menu. You can also
right-click an item and then choose Sort by Name.
Use System Monitor to Monitor Your Connection and
Download Speeds
-------------------------------------------------
System Monitor now has parameters for your dial-up networking
connection, including download and upload bytes per second,
so you can monitor the data flow speeds.
Configuration Summary
---------------------
To print a copy of your system configuration summary, run
the System Information utility from the System Tools menu,
and select Print from the Edit menu.
Sending Objects By Using The SendTo Feature
-------------------------------------------
You can drag any shortcut to the SendTo folder. Shortcuts
can be to a printer, fax, network drive, or Windows program.
To open the SendTo folder, click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type SendTo, and then press ENTER. Use the
right mouse button to drag the item's icon into the SendTo
window. The shortcut appears on the SendTo menu. Right-click
a document or folder icon, click Send To, and then click a
menu item.
For example, you can create a link to Notepad.exe in your
SendTo folder. Then, if you right-click a document, you can
click Send To, and then click Notepad.
Quick View
----------
If Quick View is installed, and if Quick View supports a
particular file format, you can quickly view the contents
of that file by right-clicking it, and then clicking Quick
View.
System Tools
------------
1. Right-click a drive in My Computer, and then click
Properties.
2. Click Disk Cleanup to run the disk cleanup tool for that
drive.
TIP: Click the Tools tab to use ScanDisk, Backup, and
Disk Defragmenter.
Convert Windows 3.1 Program Groups
----------------------------------
You can convert Windows 3.1 program groups in two ways:
- Click a .grp file to automatically convert it to a
Windows 98 folder.
-OR-
- Run the GRPCONV command with the /m parameter to display
a dialog box in which you can select groups to convert.
Open With
---------
To open an associated file with a different program,
hold SHIFT and right-click the file. Click Open With.
Under Choose the program you want to use, click
the program you want to use, and then click OK.
If you don't want all files of this type to be
associated with this program, clear the check box,
Always use this program to open this type of file.
Hotkeys
-------
In Windows 98, hotkeys assigned to shortcuts in the
Start menu or its subfolders can be used to start
programs any time.
Screen Resolution
-----------------
To quickly change screen resolution for different
applications, right-click anywhere on the desktop,
click Properties, and then click the Settings tab.
Under Screen area, move the slider to the desired
resolution.
If you change screen resolution often, on the Settings
tab, click the Advanced button and then on the General
tab, click the Show settings icon on task bar check box.
You can then double-click the icon to quickly display
the Settings tab.
File Names And Extensions
-------------------------
The following are valid file names for Windows 98
programs:
12345678.ABC (MS-DOS name)
12345678.ABCDEF (no limit on extensions)
123456789012345678901234567890123456789.ABC
(long file name)
1234567890123456789012345678901234567890.ABCDEF
(long file name and long extension)
123456789.ABC.DEF
(long file name with multiple extensions)
This is a valid file name (long names with spaces
that mean something).
To view the MS-DOS name associated with a long file
name, right-click the file, and then click Properties.
Developer's Trick
-----------------
If you need to restart the taskbar (for example,
after you've changed a registry entry), press
CTRL+ALT+DEL, click Explorer, and then click
End Task. The taskbar is removed and then restarts.
Making A Startup Disk
---------------------
To create a complete startup disk, click Start,
point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then
double-click Add/Remove Programs. Click the Startup
Disk tab, and then click Create Disk.
Undoing A File Move Or File Rename
----------------------------------
If you forget where you just moved a file in Windows
Explorer or accidentally renamed a file, on the Edit
menu, click Undo or press CTRL+Z.
Display Properties
------------------
Right-click anywhere on the desktop, and then click
Properties to change the desktop background, screen
saver, appearance, or Web or video settings. To change
your primary display font, change the font on the
Appearance tab.
Taskbar Clock
-------------
Place the mouse pointer over taskbar clock to view the
date. Double-click the taskbar clock to set the system
time, date, and time zone. To remove the clock from the
taskbar, right-click the taskbar, and then click
Properties. Click Taskbar Options, and then click to
clear the Show Clock option.
Easy Access To Computer Properties
----------------------------------
To view your computer (system) properties, right-click
My Computer and then click Properties. If you have a
Windows button on your keyboard, press WINDOWS+BREAK.
To view Network properties, right-click Network
Neighborhood, and then click Properties.
Using The Keyboard Instead Of A Mouse
----------------------------------------
You can move the cursor without using the mouse
by turning on MouseKeys. Accessibility Options must
be installed before you can use MouseKeys.
MS-DOS COMMAND PROMPT
=====================
Directory Shortcuts
-------------------
Related directories have the following shortcuts:
. = current directory
.. = parent directory
... = parent directory once removed
.... = parent directory twice removed
For example, if you are in the C:\Windows\System\Viewers
directory, and you enter cd... at the command prompt, the
directory changes to C:\Windows.
Visual Display Of Directory From The Command Prompt
---------------------------------------------------
If you are at a command prompt and want a visual display
of a directory (folder), type "start ." to view the current
folder, or "start .." to view the root folder.
Drag File Names To The Command Prompt
-------------------------------------
You can drag file and folder icons from the desktop or a
folder to a command prompt instead of typing the file or
folder name. The file or folder name is then placed in the
keyboard buffer of the running MS-DOS-based program.
Copy And Paste Information From And To The Command Prompt
---------------------------------------------------------
Activate the toolbar in the MS-DOS-based program
window to gain point-and-click access to copy, cut,
and paste operations from a Windows-based program to
an MS-DOS-based program. For example, you can copy a
folder shortcut on the screen, and then paste it into
a mail message.
Start Windows-Based Programs From The Command Prompt
----------------------------------------------------
You can start Windows-based programs from a command
prompt by typing the name of the program you want to
run, including parameters. For example, to start Notepad,
type "notepad" at the command prompt, and then press ENTER.
You can also start Windows-based programs in batch files.
You can use the Start command at a command prompt to
start a program or open a document. For example, you
can type "C:>start calc.exe."
COMMAND.PIF
-----------
To set the properties for an MS-DOS window, open the
PIF folder and edit Command.pif, or find Command.com
and edit the properties there.
DOSKEY
------
If you want to use DOSKEY in an MS-DOS window without
loading it in Autoexec.bat or creating a startup batch
script, you can specify DOSKEY as the startup batch
file in the program properties. If you decide to use
a different startup batch file, simply move DOSKEY
into this batch file.
Easy Disk Copy From The Desktop
-------------------------------
- On your desktop, double-click My Computer,
right-click floppy disk drive icon, and then
click Copy.
- OR -
- You can create a shortcut on the desktop to use for
copying floppy disks. Right-click the desktop, point
to New, and then click Shortcut. In the Create
Shortcut dialog box, type
diskcopy A: A:
to copy a disk (substitute B to use the B drive).
Windows Explorer Switches
-------------------------
Windows Explorer switches are useful in creating
rooted folders:
Explorer [/e,][/root,<object>,] [[<folder>]| [/select,
<sub object>]]
/e Use Explorer view (scope and results
pane view).
The default is open view (results in
pane view only).
/root<object> Specify the object in the "normal" name
space that is used as the root (top level)
for Windows Explorer. The default is the
Desktop folder.
/select The parent folder opens and the specified
object is selected.
<sub object> The folder or file that Windows Explorer
opens. If the /select switch is used, the
sub object is highlighted. If the /select
switch is not used, the folder or file opens
in Explorer. The default is the root<object>.
Examples: Explorer /e, /root, \\Reports
Opens an Explorer window at \\Reports.
Explorer /select, C:\Windows\Calc.exe
Opens a folder at C:\Windows (or activates
one that is currently open), and selects
Calc.exe.
Explorer /e, /root,
\Source\Internal\Design\Users\David\Archive
Opens a folder to the Archive folder. This
is a good way to create a dedicated, remote,
documents archive folder. A link to the
\\Source\Internal\Design\Users\David\Archive
folders can then be placed in the SendTo folder
for quick routing of documents.
Additional query words:
Keywords : win98se
Version : WINDOWS:
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo Last Reviewed: June 15, 1999