Windows 98 Tips #15



*1. PUT A MUZZLE ON YOUR DIAL-UP CONNECTION         
     
A. Emmett writes, "I would really like to know how to turn off the noises
 my modem makes while it is connecting to my provider." 

There is a setting designed to silence your modem, but we should point out
 that it doesn't work for all modems. (You'll have to try it on
 yours and see.) 

Open Control Panel and double-click Modems. On the General tab, select
 your modem, click the Properties button, and move the lever under Speaker
 Volume all the way left to Off. Click OK, then Close, and from now on,
 that modem will connect in silence.


*2. A RECYCLE BIN BY ANY OTHER NAME         
     
Back in March, we showed you the Registry-based technique for changing the
 name of your Recycle Bin. But what we didn't mention was that Tweak UI
 offers an alternative (and wouldn't you know, easier) route to the same
 end. (Quick review: The Tweak UI PowerToy is on your Windows 98
 installation CD, in the Tools\Reskit\Powertoy folder. To install it,
 right-click Tweakui.inf and select Install. To open Tweak UI, double-click
 its icon in Control Panel.) 

Open Tweak UI and select the Desktop tab. Select Recycle Bin, press F2 for
 Rename, type your name of choice, and then press Enter. Click OK to close
 Tweak UI, and back on your desktop, you'll see your newly named trash bin. 

A special thanks to D. Stancliff for suggesting this tip!


*3. MORE THAN ONE WAY TO RESTORE YOUR PREVIEW         
     
Back in March, we responded to reader C. Stott's question (below) with a
 Registry-based solution offered by Microsoft. 

"I recently installed a photo publishing package, and it changed my file
 associations so that it was the default program for all graphics files. I
 didn't like this behavior, so I changed it back (by selecting View, Folder
 Options, clicking the File Types tab, and so on). The problem is, now
 Windows doesn't display previews of those files in my open folders window
 (when viewing the folders as Web pages), like it used to. How can I get my
 previews back?" 

After reading our tip, the same reader shared with us another solution
 (aimed specifically at restoring your ability to view *.jpg files in a
 Windows Explorer window) discovered at 

http://www.windows-help.net 

To begin, select Start, Run, then type 
 
regsvr32.exe /i shdocvw.dll 
 
and press Enter. 

Thanks for sharing, C.!


*4. GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM         
     
A. Mitchell writes, "I accidentally took Windows Explorer from my Start
 menu's Programs folder and dropped it on the desktop. How do I go about
 returning it to its original location?" 

Windows 98's new drag-and-drop Start menu management features make it a
 snap to move this (or any) shortcut to any location on your Start menu. No
 cumbersome window navigation necessary. 

Click and drag the shortcut directly over the Start button, and when the
 menu expands, drag your mouse up to the Programs folder, which will also
 expand. Still holding onto that mouse button, move the item to the desired
 location on the Programs menu (above or below an existing item--a black
 line will appear to let you know it's a "legal" spot), then let go.


*5. SAVED BY THE SCANREG, PART 1 OF 2         
     
Did you know there's a utility called ScanReg that backs up your Windows 98
 Registry every time you boot Windows 98 successfully? That means if you
 ever make a mess of your Registry while editing it (and you didn't back it
 up first--tsk, tsk), you can still go back. 

Select Start, Shut Down; select Restart in MS-DOS Mode; and click OK. At
 the DOS prompt, type 
 
Scanreg /restore 
 
and press Enter. Select one of the five backups (probably the most recent),
 press R for Restore, and assuming you get the "Good Registry" seal of
 approval, press R for Restart. 

(By default, ScanReg saves only the five most recent Registry backups. In
 our next tip, we'll show you how to increase this number.)


*6. SAVED BY THE SCANREG, PART 2 OF 2         
     
In our last tip, we told you that a utility called ScanReg backs up your
 Registry every time you start Windows 98. We also mentioned that this
 utility only saves the five most recent backups. Want to increase this
 number--for example, to keep ten recent backups around? Just make a simple
 change to the Scanreg.ini file. 

In an Explorer window, open the Windows folder and double-click Scanreg.ini
 to open this file in Notepad. Replace the 5 in the line 
 
MaxBackupCopies=5 
 
with any number from 1 to 99--in this case, 10--save your changes, and then
 close the Notepad window. From now on, restarting in MS-DOS mode, typing 
 
Scanreg /restore 
 
and pressing Enter presents you with the five OLDEST backups of those
 saved. (Tip-in-a-tip: To get to the newer ones, either move the older ones
 to another folder--by default, they're stored in Windows\Sysbckup and are
 numbered rb000.cab, rb001.cab,...--or delete them.)


*7. REBOOT THE TASKBAR

If you change a Registry setting that affects the taskbar or Start menu,
 here's how to enable the new setting without restarting Windows. After
 making a change, press Ctrl+Alt+Del to bring up the Close Program dialog.
 Select Explorer and click on the End Task button. In the Shut Down Windows
 dialog that pops up, click on No (or Cancel if you have IE 4.0 installed)


*8. DOS BOOTS         
     
D. Neufeld asks, "Can you start a Windows 98 system at a DOS prompt, rather
 than having to load Windows 98 and then restart in MS-DOS mode?"  

You can boot directly to DOS (without starting Windows) every time by
 making a simple setting change in Tweak UI. (Quick review: The Tweak UI
 PowerToy is on your Windows 98 installation CD, in the
 Tools\Reskit\Powertoy folder. To install it, right-click Tweakui.inf and
 select Install. To open Tweak UI, double-click its icon in Control Panel.)  

Open Tweak UI and select the Boot tab. Deselect Start GUI Automatically,
 then click OK to close Tweak UI. The next time you start your system,
 you'll go straight to a DOS prompt and stay there.
 (In case you forget, type  
  
Win  
  
at the DOS prompt to start Windows.)


*9. THAT'S THE FAX, JACK         
     
S. Chanter writes, "Any ideas on how to install the old Win 95 fax
 capability on a fresh Windows 98 installation?" 

We get numerous requests for this tip, so although we've run it before,
 here's a recap: 

Microsoft didn't include fax capability in Windows 98, but they did put
 Microsoft Fax on the Windows 98 installation CD. Pop the CD in your CD-ROM
 drive, click Browse This CD, and navigate your way to the
 Tools/OldWin95/Messaging/Us folder. To install Microsoft Fax,
 run awfax.exe. 

Also keep in mind that according to Microsoft, this utility 'requires a
 Full MAPI Client in order to function, such as: Microsoft Exchange,
 Windows Messaging, Microsoft Exchange Server Client, or Outlook [the full
 version, not Express].'


*10. JUST ANOTHER ONE OF THE MANY BUGS....         
     
N. Moore writes, "When I use Find to locate files, and then right-click a
 selection of the files in the Find window, the Send To command is missing.
 Is something wrong with my system, or have you heard from others with the
 same problem?" 

You aren't alone. Microsoft confirms that this problem exists if you
 attempt to access the Send To command with multiple files selected (in a
 Find window). The only workaround is to right-click one file at a time and
 select Send To.
