Windows 95 Tips #3



*1.   BIG FILES COME IN LITTLE BRIEFCASES--PART 1 OF 4 

Do you frequently move files from one system to another--for example
from your office PC to a home PC--to work on them? If you simply copy
the files to a floppy disk and go about your business, you aren't
taking advantage of a very useful Windows 95 feature. The Windows 95
Briefcase will keep multiple copies of the same files current, so you
don't have to spend valuable time trying to figure out which is the most
recent version. In this series of tips, we show you how to create, use,
and update a briefcase on either a desktop or laptop system. 

To create a briefcase, right-click on your desktop and select New,
Briefcase. (If you don't see Briefcase in the menu, you'll need to
install this component: Click Start, Settings, Control Panel. Then select
Add/Remove Programs, click the Windows Setup tab, double-click
Accessories, select Briefcase, click OK twice, and insert your
installation disk when asked.) Select the New Briefcase, press F2
(for Rename), type your name of choice, and press Enter. 

Now just copy any files you plan to work on at another location into the
new briefcase, just as you would any other folder: Click and drag the
file(s) directly over the briefcase and let go. The files in the
briefcase, called sync files, are now linked to the originals. 

In our next tip, we'll show you how to work on these files at another
location without losing your links to the originals. Stay tuned.... 


*2.   BIG FILES COME IN LITTLE BRIEFCASES--PART 2 OF 4 

In the first tip in this series, we introduced the Windows 95 Briefcase,
a feature designed to keep multiple copies of the same files current
(for example, if you frequently work on files away from the office). As
a quick review, to create a briefcase, right-click on your desktop and
select New, Briefcase. Copy any files you plan to work on at another
location into the new briefcase, and these sync files will now be linked
to the originals. Now we look at moving the briefcase to another location. 

A briefcase can travel via floppy disk or laptop. Assuming you want to
carry the briefcase to another location on a floppy disk, just move the
briefcase to the disk: Right-click the closed briefcase icon, select Send
To, then choose your floppy drive in the resulting list. Done. 

Planning to do your work on a laptop? Assuming you have a laptop that's
connected--via an office network or direct cable connection--to the
system on which you created the briefcase, just move the briefcase
directly to the laptop, and you're off. (As an alternative, fill the
briefcase right on the laptop: Drag-and-drop files from shared folders on
the main computer to a My Briefcase icon on the laptop's desktop.) 

In our next tip, editing your briefcase files.... 


*3.   BIG FILES COME IN LITTLE BRIEFCASES--PART 3 OF 4 

In the first tip in this series, we introduced the Windows 95 Briefcase,
a feature designed to keep multiple copies of the same files current
(for example, if you frequently work on files away from the office). To
create a briefcase, right-click on your desktop and select New, Briefcase.
Copy any files you plan to work on at another location into the new
briefcase, and these sync files will now be linked to the originals. Use
the Send To command to copy the briefcase to a floppy disk, or move the
briefcase directly to a laptop connected to the originating system. Now
we'll show you how to edit the files in your briefcase. 

To edit briefcase files on a floppy disk, pop the disk in the floppy
drive of the destination computer and copy the briefcase files to any
location on that system's hard drive. (Whatever you do, just don't move
the Briefcase off the floppy disk.) Now just go ahead and edit these sync
(or linked) copies of the briefcase files. 

If you've moved your briefcase from the originating PC to a laptop, leave
the files in the briefcase and edit to your heart's content. (Don't copy
or move the briefcase files to a new location on the laptop or you'll
lose your links to the originals.) 

Next, we'll show you how to use Briefcase to update the original files.... 


*4.   BIG FILES COME IN LITTLE BRIEFCASES--PART 4 OF 4 

In the first tip in this series, we introduced the Windows 95 Briefcase,
a feature designed to keep multiple copies of the same files current
(for example, if you frequently work on files away from the office). To
create a briefcase, right-click on your desktop and select New, Briefcase.
Copy any files you plan to work on at another location into the new
briefcase, and these sync files will now be linked to the originals. Use
the Send To command to copy the briefcase to a floppy disk, then copy
these files to a second system and edit them there. Or, move the briefcase
directly to a laptop (connected to the originating system) and edit the
files inside the briefcase. Now for the fun part: Updating all sync copies
of the same files. 

If you copied your briefcase to a floppy and then copied the briefcase
files to another system, updating is a two-step process. 

Here's the first step: At the location where you edited the files, place
the floppy disk containing the briefcase in the floppy drive, display its
contents, right-click the briefcase icon and select Update All. (Note: If
you want to change an operation in the Update dialog box, right-click it
and select a new operation, such as Skip.) Click Update. 

Now for the second step: Insert the floppy disk in the drive of the
originating PC and follow the steps above (right-click the briefcase icon,
select Update All, and so on). The original files are now identical to
their copies on the second system (where you edited them). 

If you moved your briefcase to a laptop, updating is only a one-step
process: Move the Briefcase back onto the system where the original files
are located, right-click the briefcase icon and select Update All, then
click Update. (Note: If you created the briefcase right on the laptop,
connect the laptop to the originating PC, right-click the briefcase,
select Update All, and so on.) Done. 

Stay tuned for some advanced Briefcase tips.... 


*5.   BRIEFCASE BLUNDERS--PART 1 OF 3 

In our last four tips, we showed you the basics of the Windows 95
Briefcase function. The problem is basic instructions can't address all
situations. Over the next three tips, we show you three common Briefcase
scenarios and how to handle them. 

Let's suppose you've copied some files to a briefcase, worked on them in
another location, and updated them. So you have two or three (depending
on whether you used a floppy disk or laptop) identical copies of the same
file. Now, you're done with one of the files and want to delete it from
the briefcase. If you go ahead and delete the file, then the next time
you perform an update operation (right-click the briefcase, select Update
All, and so on), Briefcase will attempt to delete the other 'sync copies'
of that file. (Whatever you do to one copy of a file, Briefcase will try
to do to the others.) The easiest solution? 'Orphan' the file, or break
the links to its sync copies. 

Open the briefcase and select the file you want to orphan. Select
Briefcase, Split from Original, then click Yes to confirm. Now you can go
ahead and delete that file from the briefcase without a problem. The
orphaned file has no links to its former sync copies. 


*6.   BRIEFCASE BLUNDERS--PART 2 OF 3 

In a previous series, we showed you the basics of the Windows 95
Briefcase function. The problem is basic instructions can't address all
situations. In this series of tips, we show you three common Briefcase
scenarios and how to handle them. 

Let's suppose you want to rename a file that has sync copies (in a
briefcase and on another system). If you do rename the file, then the
next time you perform an update operation (right-click the briefcase,
select Update All, and so on), Briefcase thinks you've deleted that file.
So you'll see a Delete message (called an action) next to the old
filename. Yikes! As far as the briefcase is concerned, that newly named
file doesn't even exist. 

The solution? If you rename any copy of a briefcase file, be sure to
rename all other sync copies before updating. 


*7.   BRIEFCASE BLUNDERS--PART 3 OF 3 

In a previous series, we showed you the basics of the Windows 95
Briefcase function. The problem is basic instructions can't address all
situations. In this series of tips, we show you three common Briefcase
scenarios and how to handle them. 

Let's suppose you mistakenly delete a file from a briefcase.
Unfortunately, you can't just right-click the Briefcase, choose Update
All, and expect Briefcase to re-create it--at least not without a little
help from you. Inside the Update All window, you'll see a Delete message
(called an action) next to the sync copy of the file you deleted.
Right-click this action and select Create. Click Update, and Briefcase
creates a brand new copy of that file to replace the one you deleted.
Whew! 


*8.   WITH A CLIP, CLIP HERE--PART 1 OF 3 

Want a great place to store frequently pasted items, such as text blocks
or graphics, for easy insertion into multiple documents? Try the ClipBook
Viewer. And no, you won't find this utility in the typical Start,
Programs, Accessories menu; nor will you find it on the Windows Setup tab
of the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box. If you want to use
ClipBook (a carryover from your Windows for Workgroups days), you'll need
to go out and find it on the Windows 95 installation CD. 

Pop the Windows 95 installation CD in your CD-ROM drive, open an Explorer
window, and navigate your way to Other\Clipbook. Double-click Clipbrd.exe
and the ClipBook Viewer springs to life. 

Here's how to install ClipBook on your hard drive (so you don't have to
be at the mercy of the installation CD). With the installation CD in your
CD-ROM drive, open the Control Panel and select Add/Remove Programs.
Select the Windows Setup tab, click Have Disk, then click Browse and
navigate your way to X:\Other\Clipbook (where 'X' is your CD-ROM drive).
You'll see Clipbook.inf on the File Name line. Click OK twice, select
ClipBook Viewer under Components, then click Install. Once the
installation is complete, you can launch the ClipBook Viewer by selecting
Start, Programs, Accessories, ClipBook Viewer. 

In our next tip, some ClipBook basics.... 


*9.   WITH A CLIP, CLIP HERE--PART 2 OF 3 

In the first tip in this series, we told you that ClipBook Viewer, an old
Windows for Workgroups utility, is located on the installation CD. 

In a nutshell, ClipBook is a great place to store frequently pasted
items, such as text blocks or graphics, for easy insertion into multiple
documents. To open ClipBook, pop the installation CD in your CD-ROM
drive, open an Explorer window, and navigate your way to Other\Clipbook.
Then double-click Clipbrd.exe. (Or, install this utility on your hard
drive: With the installation CD in your CD-ROM drive, open the Control
Panel, select Add/Remove Programs, select the Windows Setup tab, click
Have Disk, click Browse, and navigate your way to D:\Other\Clipbook.
Click OK twice, select ClipBook Viewer under Components, and finally
click Install. You can now launch the ClipBook Viewer by selecting Start,
Programs, Accessories, ClipBook Viewer.) 

When you open ClipBook Viewer, you'll notice that it's made up of two
windows: Clipboard, which displays the last item you cut or copied; and
Local ClipBook, the storage area for frequently pasted items. 

To add an item to the Local ClipBook, select the item in its native
application and press Ctrl-X (cut) or Ctrl-C (copy). Switch to the
ClipBook Viewer (or open it, if it isn't already), select the Local
ClipBook window, and click the Paste icon. Type a name for the new item
and click OK. Immediately, this new 'page' appears in your Local ClipBook. 

To paste a ClipBook page into a new location, select it in the Local
ClipBook window and click the Copy icon. Then switch to the document into
which you'd like to paste the item and select that application's Paste
command. Simple. 

In our next tip, ClipBook's viewing options.... 


*10.   WITH A CLIP, CLIP HERE--PART 3 OF 3 

In the first tip in this series, we told you that ClipBook Viewer, an old
Windows for Workgroups utility, is located on the installation CD. In a
nutshell, ClipBook is a great place to store frequently pasted items,
such as text blocks or graphics, for easy insertion into multiple
documents. To open ClipBook, pop the installation CD in your CD-ROM
drive, open Windows Explorer, and navigate your way to X:\Other\Clipbook
(where 'X' is your CD-ROM drive). Then, double-click Clipbrd.exe. (Or,
install this utility on your hard drive, as described in a previous tip.)
To add an item to the ClipBook, cut or copy the item to the Clipboard,
open the ClipBook Viewer, select the Local ClipBook window, click the
Paste icon, name the page, and click OK. To paste an item from the Local
ClipBook, select its page inside the Local ClipBook window, click the
Paste icon, switch to the destination document, and select that
application's Paste command (try Ctrl-X). 

Now we look at ClipBook's viewing options: 

Do you have a lot of pages inside your Local ClipBook window? Sooner or
later, you're going to find it hard to remember which is which by name
only. To see a preview of each ClipBook page, double-click any page, and
its contents will appear onscreen in Full Page view. Now just press the
up or down double arrow (in the lower-left corner of the Local ClipBook
window) to scroll through ClipBook pages one at a time. 

Want to view multiple ClipBook pages at a time? Select View, Thumbnails
for mini-previews of your pages. (Select View, Table of Contents to
switch back to ClipBook's default view.)
