Windows 98 Tips #20



*1. STOPPING STARTUP PROGRAMS         
     
Is there a program that starts whenever Windows starts--one that
 drives you crazy because you don't need it, but can't figure
 out how to turn it off (such as AOL Instant Messenger)? The
 Windows 98 System Configuration Utility allows you to turn off
 any auto-start program with the click of a check box. Select
 Start, Run. Then type 
 
msconfig 
 
and click OK. In the resulting System Configuration Utility
 dialog box, click the Startup tab to display a list of all
 programs that start whenever Windows 98 starts. Deselect the
 one that's been bugging you (making certain you know which one
 it is), then click OK. The next time you start Windows, that
 program is nowhere to be found.


*2. INSTALLING AND USING DESKTOP THEMES         
     
Want to spice up your desktop a bit? And not with a different
 color background or wallpaper. We're talking things like bugs
 for pointers and jungle sounds. If so, try one of Windows 98's
 desktop themes. Each offers a unique collection of pointers,
 sounds, wallpaper, fonts, colors, and so on to make your Windows
 experience a whole bunch more fun. 

Of course, before you can use desktop themes, you need to install
 them. Open the Control Panel and double-click Add/Remove
 Programs. Click the Windows Setup tab, select Desktop Themes in
 the Components list, then click Details. Select the boxes next
 to the themes you'd like to install, click OK twice, then insert
 the installation CD when asked. 

When the installation is complete, try out a theme. Again, open
 the Control Panel, but this time, double-click Desktop Themes.
 Click the down arrow next to Theme, select a theme, and wait as
 Windows 98 displays its preview. Click OK to apply the theme to
 your desktop. 

Do you like everything about a theme but its pointers? In our
 next tip, we'll show you how to choose which desktop theme
 components you want to use.


*3. SELECTING DESKTOP THEME COMPONENTS         
     
In our last tip, we showed you how to apply a Windows 98 desktop
 theme to your desktop: Open the Control Panel, double-click
 Desktop Themes, select a theme in the Theme list, wait for
 Windows 98 to display the preview, then click OK. 

(Note: To install Desktop Themes, open the Control Panel,
 double-click Add/Remove Programs, click the Windows Setup tab,
 select Desktop Themes in the Components list, click Details,
 select the themes you want to install, click OK twice, and
 insert the Windows 98 installation disk when asked.) 

Do you like everything about a theme but its pointers? Wish you
 could use the pointers and icons from a theme, but not the
 wallpaper? The Desktop Themes dialog box makes it easy to choose
 the components of a theme you'd like to use. 

Follow the instructions above for selecting a theme, but don't
 click OK yet. See the list of components under Settings? Select
 or deselect these items to match your preferences. When you're
 finished, click OK, and only the selected components will be
 applied to your desktop.


*4. INSTALLING DOWNLOADED DESKTOP THEMES         
     
A few tips back, we showed you how to apply a Windows 98 desktop
 theme to your desktop (assuming you've already installed Desktop
 Themes from the installation CD): Open the Control Panel,
 double-click Desktop Themes, select a theme in the Theme list,
 wait for Windows 98 to display the preview, then click OK.  

Then, in our last tip, we suggested that if you can't find a
 Windows 98 desktop theme that you like, you can certainly find
 something on the Web at one of the following sites:  

http://www.pcworld.com/r/tw/1%2C2061%2Ctw-win980817%2C00.html  

http://www.rad.kumc.edu/win95/themes.htm  

http://www.winfiles.com/apps/98/shelldesk.html  

After you've downloaded a theme, you can use an unzipping
 utility, such as WinZip, to extract the resulting .zip file's
 contents to the C:\Program Files\Plus!\Themes folder. (Note: You
 may wish to back up your three logo files--C:\logo.sys,
 C:\Windows\logow.sys, and C:\Windows\logos.sys--so they can't be
 overwritten by a desktop theme.) That's all there is to it. Now
 just select the theme in the Desktop Themes dialog box, as you
 would any other.


*5. DELETING UNWANTED DESKTOP THEMES         
     
In a previous tip, we showed you how to apply a Windows 98
 desktop theme to your desktop (assuming you've already installed
 Desktop Themes from the installation CD): Open the Control
 Panel, double-click Desktop Themes, select a theme in the Theme
 list, wait for Windows 98 to display the preview, then click OK.
 We also suggested that you try downloading themes from one of
 the following sites (use an unzipping utility, such as WinZip,
 to extract the resulting .zip file's contents to the
 C:\Program Files\Plus!\Themes folder):  

http://www.pcworld.com/r/tw/1%2C2061%2Ctw-win980818%2C00.html  

http://www.rad.kumc.edu/win95/themes.htm  

http://www.winfiles.com/apps/98/shelldesk.html  

Suppose you don't like one of the themes you just installed (or
 one of the Windows 98 themes). Themes take up a lot of disk
 space--not to mention space in the Theme list--so there's no
 point in keeping the unwanted ones around. Inside the Desktop
 Themes dialog box, select any theme you want to get rid of (in
 the dropdown Theme list), then click the Delete button. Click
 Yes to confirm, and it's a goner.


*6. INSTALLING SOUND SCHEMES         
     
Do you hear fun sounds coming from the computer next door? Wish
 your computer were that much fun? It can be, if you opt to use
 one of Windows 98's sound schemes. (A sound scheme is a set of
 sounds, each of which is attached to a system event, such as
 minimizing a window or shutting down.) Where do you find them?
 Why, in the Sounds Properties dialog box, of course. But first,
 you need to install them from the installation CD, if you
 haven't already. 

Open the Control Panel and double-click Add/Remove Programs.
 Click the Windows Setup tab and wait as Windows 98 checks your
 system for installed components. In the list of components,
 select Multimedia, then click Details. Select the box next to
 Multimedia Sound Schemes, click OK twice, then insert the
 installation CD when asked. 

You can now select a scheme from inside the Sounds Properties
 dialog box. Open the Control Panel, double-click Sounds, select
 a scheme in the Schemes list, and click OK. Hey, did you
 hear that? 

In our next tip, we'll show you how to add any desktop theme's
 sound scheme to the Sounds Properties dialog box.


*7. USING DESKTOP THEME'S SOUND SCHEME         
     
In our last tip, we showed you how to use one of Windows 98's
 sound schemes (assuming you've installed them from the
 installation CD): Open the Control Panel, double-click Sounds,
 select a scheme in the Schemes list, then click OK. Wish you
 could use a sound scheme that's part of a desktop theme,
 without using the rest of the theme? You can. Apply only the
 sound component of the theme to your desktop, then save the
 sounds as a stand-alone scheme. From then on, you can select it
 from the Schemes list in the Sounds Properties dialog box. 

First, open the desktop theme that includes the sounds you'd like
 to use. Open the Control Panel, double-click Desktop Themes, and
 select a theme in the Theme list. Before clicking OK, deselect
 every component under Settings except for Sounds. Now click OK,
 and as you go about your business, you'll hear the
 theme's sounds. 

Assuming you plan to use these sounds frequently, save them as a
 sound scheme. Open the Control Panel, double-click Sounds, and
 click the Save As button. Name the scheme something
 appropriate--such as Jungle for the sounds from the Jungle
 theme--then click OK twice. As mentioned previously, you can now
 select the scheme by name from the Sounds Properties dialog box.


*8. HOW TO CREATE A CUSTOM SOUND SCHEME         
     
In our last tip, we showed you how to silence any sound in the
 current sound scheme: Open the Control Panel, double-click
 Sounds, select an event, select None under Name, then click Yes
 to confirm. In the same manner, you can use the Sounds
 Properties dialog box to replace any unwanted sound with the
 sound of your choice. The end result is your very own custom
 sound scheme. 

Open the Sounds Properties dialog box and select the scheme you
 want to edit (if it isn't already selected). One at a time,
 select an event, then click the down arrow under Name and select
 the sound of your choice. (Note: If necessary, click Browse,
 navigate to the desired *.wav file's location, select the file,
 and click OK.) 

When you're finished, be sure to save all your hard work as a
 custom scheme. Click Save As, name the scheme, and click OK.
 From now on, you can select this scheme from the Schemes list.


*9. TURNING OFF PART OF A SOUND SCHEME         
     
In a previous tip, we showed you how to use one of Windows 98's
 sound schemes (assuming you've installed them from the
 installation CD): Open the Control Panel, double-click Sounds,
 select a scheme in the Schemes list, then click OK. Is there a
 sound (or two) in a scheme that you could do without? Or an
 action with which you don't want a sound associated? For
 example, you might not want to hear a sound every time you
 minimize a window. Either way, feel free to choose which sounds
 get to stick around and which don't. 

Open the Control Panel and double-click Sounds. In the list of
 Events, scroll down and select the action with which the
 undesirable sound is associated, such as Minimize. Below this
 list, under Name, select None (at the top of the list). Click
 Yes to confirm, then repeat these steps for other events,
 if necessary. 

To save these changes as part of the current sound scheme, click
 Save As, type the name of the scheme, then click OK twice.
 Otherwise, simply click OK.


*10. Return Filched File Types

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.
