Windows 98 Tips #21



*1. SWITCHING FOLDER VIEW FROM ONE PANE TO TWO         
     
Have you ever opened a folder window and then wished you had
 opened it inside Windows Explorer? You can make the switch from
 one pane to two without closing the window. Simply right-click
 the icon in the window's upper-left corner and select Explore.
 Windows Explorer, at your service.


*2. USING IF...THEN EFFICIENTLY                 
        
If an If...Then statement includes an Exit Sub or Exit Function
 statement, you should specify that evaluating condition first,
 if possible. That way, if the exiting condition is met, VBA
 doesn't have to evaluate the other conditions before finally
 evaluating the exit condition and exiting the procedure. Most
 likely, you won't notice any difference in performance, but your
 If...Then will be more efficient. This is especially true if
 your If...Then has several Else and/or ElseIf clauses.


*3. MAKING TWO-PANED VIEW THE FOLDER DEFAULT         
     
Do you frequently right-click a folder and select Explore to view
 the folder's contents in a two-paned Explorer view? How would
 you like any folder you double-click to open in a two-paned view
 automatically? All you have to do is change the default action
 of folders. 

In any open folder window, select View, Folder Options. Click the
 File Types tab, then select Folder under Registered File Types.
 Click the Edit button, then select Explore in the box under
 Actions. Click the Set Default button, and Explore will now
 appear in bold to indicate that it is the default action. Click
 Close twice, and the next time you double-click a folder, watch
 as it opens in a two-paned view. To open a single-paned folder
 window, right-click it and select Open.


*4. INSTALL 3D PINBALL (FROM PLUS! FOR WINDOWS 95)         
     
Although we've run this tip before, we continue to receive e-mail
 from people wondering how (or if) you can use 3D Pinball on a
 Windows 98 system. The answer is yes, provided you follow this
 exact technique: 

First, copy the pinball.inf file from the Windows 98 installation
 CD to any location on your hard drive, such as the desktop. (Pop
 the CD in your CD-ROM drive, assumed to be D; click Browse This
 CD; and you'll find this file inside the tools\mtsutil folder.)
 Replace the Windows 98 CD with the Plus! for Windows 95 CD, then
 click Cancel (to close the dialog box stating that Plus! cannot
 be removed). Right-click pinball.inf (on your hard drive),
 select Install, and you're done. You can now play the game by
 selecting Start, Programs, Accessories, Games, Space Cadet Table 

In our next tip: installing 3D Pinball from Plus! for Windows 95
 floppy disks or from a CD-ROM drive other than D....


*5. INSTALL 3D PINBALL (FROM PLUS! FOR WINDOWS 95)         
     
In our last tip, we showed you how to install 3D Pinball on a
 Windows 98 system using the Plus! for Windows 95 CD: Copy
 pinball.inf from the Windows 98 installation CD's tools\mtsutil
 folder to any location on your hard drive, replace the Windows
 98 CD with the Plus! for Windows 95 CD, then right-click
 pinball.inf and select Install. 

The above technique assumes you're installing the game from drive
 D. If you're not (because you're using floppy disks or your
 CD-ROM drive is another letter, such as G), you'll need to make
 one quick change before you can install the program. 

Follow the steps above, but don't right-click pinball.inf and
 select Install just yet. Instead, right-click this file, select
 Properties, deselect Read-only, and click OK. Open pinball.inf
 using Notepad, and under [Version], in this line: 
 
layoutfile = d:\pluslayt.inf 
 
replace the letter D with the location of the Plus! files--for
 example, A for a floppy drive or G for a CD-ROM drive. Save your
 changes and close Notepad. Right-click pinball.inf, select
 Properties, select Read-only, and click OK. 

NOW right-click pinball.inf and select Install. When you see a
 dialog box stating the font.dat file can't be found, type your
 CD-ROM or floppy drive letter, then click OK.


*6. PLUS! 98: DESKTOP THEMES         
     
Over the next month, you'll find Microsoft Plus! 98 tips
 scattered throughout the Windows 98 tips of the day. Similar to
 Plus! for Windows 95 (but even better), this Windows 98
 companion includes a number of bells and whistles--desktop
 themes, games, utilities, and so on--not included in Windows 98.
 For those of you who don't own Plus! 98, these tips will serve
 as a sneak preview, especially if you're on the fence as to
 whether this add-on is worth the 33 bucks or not. (Our opinion
 is yes, or we wouldn't be giving it so much ink.) And if you
 already have Plus! 98--well then, these tips will show you how
 to make the most of this feature-packed enhancement. 

Upon installing Plus! 98, one of the first things you should
 check out are the new desktop themes that have been added to
 your system. Open the Control Panel, double-click Desktop
 Themes, and scroll through the Themes list to see the new
 additions: Architecture, Cathy, Cityscape, Corbis Photography,
 Doonesbury, Falling Leaves, Fashion, Foxtrot, Garfield,
 Geometry, Horror Channel, Jazz, Peanuts, Photodisc, Rock-n-Roll,
 Science Fiction, Space, Windows 98, Windows 98 Default, World
 Traveler--whew! Select any one to see its preview, then click OK
 to apply it to your desktop.


*7. PLUS! 98: ROTATE THROUGH DESKTOP THEMES         
     
In our last tip, we pointed out that Plus! adds 20 or so new
 desktop themes to your system. To apply one to your desktop,
 open the Control Panel, double-click Desktop Themes, select a
 theme in the Themes list, then click OK. 

Can't decide which one you like the best? Try them all on for
 size. Look down in the lower-right corner of the Desktop Themes
 dialog box, and you'll notice that Plus! 98 has added a Rotate
 Theme Monthly option. Select it, and Windows applies a new
 scheme to your desktop at the first of each month. 

(Note: You must have the Task Scheduler enabled in order for this
 feature to work. To enable the Task Scheduler, if it isn't
 already, select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools,
 Scheduled Tasks; in the resulting dialog box, select Advanced,
 Start Using Task Scheduler.) 

(Over the next month, you'll find Microsoft Plus! 98 tips
 scattered throughout the Windows 98 tips of the day. Similar to
 Plus! for Windows 95, but even better, this Windows 98 companion
 includes a number of bells and whistles--desktop themes, games,
 utilities, and so on--not included in Windows 98. For those of
 you who don't own Plus! 98, these tips will serve as a sneak
 preview, especially if you're on the fence as to whether this
 add-on is worth the 33 bucks or not. Our opinion is yes, or we
 wouldn't be giving it so much ink. And if you already have Plus!
 98--well then, these tips will show you how to make the most of
 this feature-packed enhancement.)


*8. CASE-SENSITIVE SEARCHES         
     
By default, Windows 98's Find feature (select Start, Find, Files
 Or Folders) is not case sensitive. In other words, you can
 simply type a filename or some text that you know appears in a
 document (in all lowercase or all uppercase), and Find will
 track down all instances of that search criteria--caps or not. 

However, if you ever WANT your search to be case sensitive, you
 can do that, too. Complete your search, making sure to type the
 text or filename exactly as you'd like to find it. Then, before
 clicking Find Now, select Options, Case Sensitive. Now when you
 complete the search, Find will uncover only those files that
 exactly match what you typed. 

(Note: Case Sensitive remains selected for all future searches
 until you deselect it.)


*9. PLUS! 98: THREE NEW GAMES         
     
Have a little spare time? Plus! 98 adds three games to your
 system: Spider Solitaire, Lose Your Marbles, and Microsoft Golf
 1998 Lite. We could spend weeks just discussing the ins and outs
 of these games (they all take a bit of time to learn), but
 instead, we'll just show you how to get started. Select Start,
 Programs, Microsoft Plus! 98, Games, and take your pick. First
 impressions? Lose Your Marbles has some pretty cool graphics,
 and the golf game must be a blast--once you learn how to play.
 (If you don't know golf, it may take a while.) For more
 information on playing any of these games, open the game, then
 use the Help features inside. 

(Over the next month, you'll find Microsoft Plus! 98 tips
 scattered throughout the Windows 98 tips of the day. Similar to
 Plus! for Windows 95, but even better, this Windows 98 companion
 includes a number of bells and whistles--desktop themes, games,
 utilities, and so on--not included in Windows 98. For those of
 you who don't own Plus! 98, these tips will serve as a sneak
 preview, especially if you're on the fence as to whether this
 add-on is worth the 33 bucks or not. Our opinion is yes, or we
 wouldn't be giving it so much ink. And if you already have Plus!
 98--well then, these tips will show you how to make the most of
 this feature-packed enhancement.)


*10. PLUS! 98: DELUXE CD PLAYER         
     
If you frequently listen to audio CDs on your system, you're
 going to love Microsoft Plus! 98's Deluxe CD Player. Pop a music
 CD in your CD-ROM drive, and this utility appears on screen. In
 the New Album Found In Drive X (where X is your CD-ROM drive)
 dialog box, you'll see two download options--one to download
 information for that album, and one to download information for
 any new album. Take your pick, click OK, and Windows will
 attempt to connect you to the Internet (if you aren't already).
 Once the connection is made, watch the Deluxe CD Player, and
 like magic, artist and title and track information appear (if
 available)! A lot easier than typing it all in yourself, eh? 

(Over the next month, you'll find Microsoft Plus! 98 tips
 scattered throughout the Windows 98 tips of the day. Similar to
 Plus! for Windows 95, but even better, this Windows 98 companion
 includes a number of bells and whistles--desktop themes, games,
 utilities, and so on--not included in Windows 98. For those of
 you who don't own Plus! 98, these tips will serve as a sneak
 preview, especially if you're on the fence as to whether this
 add-on is worth the 33 bucks or not. Our opinion is yes, or we
 wouldn't be giving it so much ink. And if you already have Plus!
 98--well then, these tips will show you how to make the most of
 this feature-packed enhancement.)
