Windows 98 Tips #10



*1.   ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL     
 
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. 

Don't want to use user profiles anymore? No problem. Just 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. 

(Note: Click Cancel when you see the Welcome to Windows dialog box. In our
 next tip, we'll show you how to get rid of this pesky dialog box.)


*2.   THE WELCOME COMMITTEE THAT WON'T QUIT     
 
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. 

If you set up user profiles and then disabled them, as described in our
 last tip--open the Control Panel, select Passwords, select the User
 Profiles tab, select All Users Of This Computer Use The Same Preferences
 And Desktop Settings, click OK, and restart your system--you can't help but
 notice that the Welcome to Windows dialog box still appears every time you
 start Windows. To make it disappear, simply change the current password to
 no password. 

When you see the Welcome to Windows dialog box, log in using your old user
 name and password (the one you used when user profiles were enabled). Open
 the Control Panel and double-click Passwords. On the Change Passwords tab,
 click the Change Windows Password button. On the Old Password line, enter
 your password. Press Tab to move down to the New Password line, then press
 Enter. A dialog box will appear to tell you your password has been
 successfully changed. Click OK, click Close, and that Welcome to Windows
 dialog box won't bother you again.


*3.   X MARKS AGGRAVATION     
 
Reader A. Di Gregorio asks, "Is there a way to disable the X in the
 upper-right corner of an open application window? I often click the X by
 mistake, when I intend to hit - (to minimize the window). 

We don't know of an easy way to disable the X caption button, but we can
 offer a suggestion that will help you avoid this common mistake. The next
 time you need to minimize a window--either an application or an Explorer
 window--press Alt-Spacebar, then press N. Doing so sends the active window
 directly to the Taskbar.


*4.   THE BIGGEST BUTTON YET     
 
In our last tip, we pointed out that if, when trying to minimize a window,
 you frequently press the X caption button when you intend to press -, you
 may want to switch to the keyboard method: Press Alt-Spacebar, then press
 N to minimize the currently active window. 

To avoid closing a window by mistake, stay away from those caption buttons
 altogether. To maximize a window, you can double-click the title bar to
 maximize or restore it. It works just like the middle caption button and
 gives you a bit more to grab onto.


*5.   OPEN THAT FILE--QUICK! PART 1 OF 3     
 
Want a quick peek at a file? Before you waste precious time opening a
 document in its native application, go for the Quick View. Right-click a
 file, select Quick View, and up pops a preview of that file. 

Don't see a Quick View command? One of two things is happening: Either
 Quick View doesn't have a file viewer for that file type (we'll show you a
 workaround for this limitation in the next couple of tips), or Quick View
 isn't installed on your system. To see if Quick View is installed,
 right-click any *.txt file and you should see a Quick View command. 

To install Quick View, pop your Windows 98 installation CD in your CD-ROM
 drive and open the Control Panel. Double-click Add/Remove Programs, click
 the Windows Setup tab, and in the list under Components, double-click
 Accessories. Click the check box next to Quick View and click OK twice.


*6.   OPEN THAT FILE--QUICK! PART 2 OF 3     
 
In our last tip, we introduced Quick View, a command that allows you to
 preview files without opening them in their native applications.
 Right-click a file, select Quick View, and up pops a preview of that file.
 Note: If you don't see a Quick View command, either Quick View doesn't
 have a file viewer for that file type, or Quick View isn't installed on
 your system. To install Quick View, pop your Windows 98 installation CD in
 your CD-ROM drive, open the Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove
 Programs, click the Windows Setup tab, double-click Accessories, select
 Quick View, and click OK twice. Now onto some Quick View tricks. 

If you just opened a file in a Quick View window, and it isn't the one you
 were looking for, try another. Simply drag and drop another file into the
 open Quick View window, and its contents replace those of the first file. 

When you find the file you want, it's easy to open it in its native
 application. You don't have to leave the Quick View window. See the icon
 just below the File menu? Click it. (Or select File, Open File
 for Editing.) 

Okay, one more tip. You can change your Quick View to a full page view by
 selecting View, Page View. 

For our final tip in this series, using Quick View for any file type....


*7.   OPEN THAT FILE--QUICK! PART 3 OF 3     
 
In the first tip in this series, we introduced Quick View, a command that
 allows you to preview files without opening them in their native
 applications. Right-click a file, select Quick View, and up pops a preview
 of that file. 

The problem with this command, however, is that it appears only in the
 context menu of file types for which a file viewer is available (as
 determined by Microsoft). Does this mean you can't use Quick View for
 other file types? Only if you want to follow the rules. Otherwise, you can
 open any file with Quick View by adding its shortcut to the SendTo menu. 

Open an Explorer window and navigate your way to the
 Windows\System\Viewers folder. Inside, you'll see Quikview.exe. Create a
 shortcut to this file in your Windows\SendTo folder. (Inside a second
 Explorer window, open the Windows folder, right-click and drag
 Quikview.exe into this window, let go, and select Create Shortcut(s)
 Here.) With the Quikview.exe shortcut selected, press F2 (for Rename),
 name the file Quick View, and press Enter. Close all open windows.

Right-click any file, select Send To, then choose Quick View in the pop-up
 menu. Click Yes to confirm that you want to try the default viewers, and
 there's a preview of your file (in rough form, of course, but that's all
 you wanted anyway).


*8.   1. LET'S MAKE A SHORTCUT--PART 1 OF 2     
 
Did you just delete the Show Desktop item from your Quick Launch toolbar by
 mistake? D'oh! (Funny, you don't get a warning message asking if you're
 sure you want to delete it.) 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, see note
 below.) 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, let go, and select Create Shortcut(s) Here.

Hey, look at that--your shortcut's back! 

(Note: If you don't see a file named Show Desktop in your System folder,
 you'll need to create one. We'll show you how in our next tip....)


*9. LET'S MAKE A SHORTCUT--PART 2 OF 2     
 
In our last tip, we showed you how to restore the Show Desktop shortcut to
 the Quick Launch toolbar, assuming you've deleted it by mistake: Open the
 Windows\System folder and locate a file named Show Desktop; then create a
 shortcut to this file in the Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet
 Explorer\Quick Launch folder. Don't see a file named Show Desktop in your
 System folder? Then you'll need to create one. 

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

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

Select File, Save, navigate your way to the Windows\System folder,
 name the file 

Show Desktop.scf 

and click Save. Close Notepad. 

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


*10. THE ASTERISK KEY REVEALS ALL     
 
Subscriber A. Kalinowski writes, "Occasionally, I need to fully expand a
 folder (to display all folders and subfolders inside) in an Explorer
 window. The old Windows 3.x File Manager had a specific command for this
 task. What is the equivalent in Windows Explorer?" 

While inside a two-paned Explorer window, the easiest way to expand a
 folder is to use the keyboard way. Select any folder and press the
 asterisk key (*) on your numeric keypad. The result is a fully expanded
 view of all folders and subfolders inside.
