Windows 98 Tips #22



*1. PLUS! 98: DELUXE CD PLAYER OPTIONS         
     
In our last tip, we introduced the Deluxe CD Player, a utility for
 people who like to play audio CDs on their system. Pop a music CD
 in your CD-ROM drive, click OK to download information for that
 album, wait as Windows establishes an Internet connection, if
 necessary, then watch as artist and title and track information
 appear (if available). 

There are a couple of options you should know about for keeping
 those CD controls close at hand. On the Deluxe CD Player, click
 Options, then select Preferences. Select Show Control On
 Taskbar and click OK. >From now on, you have access to the
 Deluxe CD Player's controls right from the Taskbar. (Right-click
 the icon, select an option, and so on.) Feel free to close the
 main player window. Your CD will keep on playing. 

If you prefer to keep the Deluxe CD Player's window open all the
 time, select Options, Tiny View, and it won't hog so much screen
 space. You may also wish to keep its window on top of all others
 on your desktop, so it doesn't get lost. Select Options,
 Preferences; choose Always Make Player Topmost Window On
 Desktop; then click OK. 

Stay tuned--we'll cover this utility in more detail in
 future tips! 

(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.)


*2. MULTICOLOR TITLE BARS         
     
Hey, want to see a neat trick? Right-click the desktop, select
 Properties, and in the Display Properties dialog box, click the
 Appearance tab. In the dropdown list under Item, select Active
 Title Bar. To the right of that option, you'll see two settings:
 Color and Color 2. Use them to select two different colors (or
 change only one color), then check out the title bars in the
 preview area! They fade from one color to the other. Cool, eh?
 When you find a color combo you like, click OK to keep
 the change. 

(Note: You can also select two colors for the Inactive Title
 Bar component.)


*3. PICTURE IT! EXPRESS         
     
Do you like to send people scanned photos (or photos developed on
 disk) via e-mail? Before sending them off, touch them up a bit
 with Picture It! Express. For example, you can do things like
 crop a picture into a heart shape, soften its edges, and remove
 red eye. 

To open a picture in Picture It! Express, select Start, Programs,
 Microsoft Plus! 98, Picture It! Express. Click Get Picture, and
 in step 1, click the down arrow and navigate your way to the
 folder that contains the picture you want to use. Previews of
 all pictures inside that folder will appear. Drag one or more
 pictures down to the filmstrip, click Done, then double-click
 any picture (in the filmstrip) to display it on screen. 

-From there, just use the buttons under Workbench to edit your
 picture as desired. When you're done, click Save, Print & Send,
 and select an option. 

(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.)


*4. USE PICTURE IT! EXPRESS TO MAKE WALLPAPER         
     
In our last tip, we showed you how to open pictures in Picture
 It! Express: Select Start, Programs, Microsoft Plus! 98, Picture
 It! Express; click Get Picture; navigate your way to the folder
 that contains the pictures you want to use; drag one or more
 pictures down to the filmstrip; click Done; then double-click
 any picture (in the filmstrip) to display it on screen. 

Once you use the Workbench options to edit your picture--for
 example, to remove red eye, crop the picture, or change its
 tint--you can turn it into desktop wallpaper. Click Save, Print
 & Send, select Save As Wallpaper, then click Save As Wallpaper
 again. Right-click your desktop and select Properties. On the
 Background tab of the Display Properties dialog box, under
 Wallpaper, select Picture It! Wallpaper. Choose Center under
 Display, click OK, and your desktop's got a brand new look! 

(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.)


*5. USE PICTURE IT! EXPRESS TO MAKE A COLLAGE         
     
In a recent tip, we showed you how to open pictures in Picture
 It! Express: Select Start, Programs, Microsoft Plus! 98, Picture
 It! Express; click Get Picture; navigate your way to the folder
 that contains the pictures you want to use; drag one or more
 pictures down to the filmstrip; click Done; then double-click
 any picture (in the filmstrip) to display it on screen. 

How about creating a collage of pictures? Assuming you've already
 opened all the pictures you want to use in the collage (by
 following the steps above), select File, New, choose Portrait or
 Landscape (and choose a proportion, if you wish), and click
 Done. One at a time, right-click a picture (on the filmstrip)
 and select Add To Collage. When all the pictures you want in the
 collage appear on the page (one on top of the other, for the
 moment), click on each, one at a time, and move it to where you
 want it. You can now use all of the options under Workbench to
 edit each picture. When you've finished making changes, be sure
 to select Save, Print & Send to save all your hard work! 

(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.)


*6. TURN OFF MENU AND WINDOW ANIMATION         
     
In Windows 98, menus and windows don't just appear, they ROLL
 onto the screen. (To quickly see what we mean, right-click the
 desktop or select a minimized Taskbar item to restore it. Fancy,
 eh?) If you're like us, you find these special effects fun the
 first time around, but only dizzying after that. To turn them
 off, right-click the desktop, select Properties, and click the
 Effects tab. Deselect Animate Windows, Menus And Lists, then
 click Apply or OK.


*7. PLUS! 98: NEW AND IMPROVED MAINTENANCE WIZARD         
     
When you read that Maintenance Wizard is one of Plus! 98's
 components, your first reaction is probably, "Big whoop--I've
 already got it." However, this is the new and improved
 Maintenance Wizard. Now, in addition to everything it has always
 done, this utility will clean out your Start menu (by removing
 orphaned shortcuts and empty folders) and run virus scans at the
 intervals you specify. 

Once you've installed Plus! 98, opening the Maintenance
 Wizard--select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools,
 Maintenance Wizard--automatically opens the new version. Choose
 the Express setup, and the scheduled maintenance routines will
 include both a Start menu cleanup and a virus scan. 

(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. PLUS! 98: NEW AND IMPROVED DISK CLEANUP         
     
In our last tip, we pointed out that the Maintenance Wizard that
 comes with Plus! 98 is a new and improved version, including a
 Start menu cleanup and a virus scan. Similarly, Disk Cleanup has
 been improved upon. The version of the utility that comes with
 Plus! 98 includes a non-critical file cleaner that can scan your
 hard drive for entire classes of files that are seldom used--for
 example, lost clusters, zero-byte files, or even screen savers
 or help files. The end result being, of course, that you can rid
 your system of these space wasters. 

To start this new version of Disk Cleanup (assuming you've
 installed Plus! 98), select Start, Programs, Accessories, System
 Tools, Disk Cleanup. To use the non-critical file cleaner,
 select this option under Files To Delete, click OK, then click
 Yes to confirm. You'll now be presented with a Non-Critical
 Files dialog box, where you can choose whether to delete the
 files it found (based on the program's color-coded
 recommendations). 

(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.)


*9. SHOW WINDOW CONTENTS WHILE DRAGGING         
     
In a recent tip, we showed you how to turn off the somewhat
 dizzying menu and window animation that's built into Windows 98:
 Right-click the desktop, select Properties, click the Effects
 tab, deselect Animate Windows, Menus And Lists, then click OK. 

One effect we don't recommend turning off is the Show Window
 Contents While Dragging option (also on the Effects tab), which
 displays your entire window as you drag it across the screen.
 With this option turned off, clicking and dragging a window
 displays only an outline of the window in motion--the actual
 window stays in place until you release the mouse button. Ick. 

(Note: If your system is lacking in graphics capabilities, and
 you find that turning off this option enhances performance, by
 all means turn it off.)


*10. PLUS! 98: UPDATING MCAFEE VIRUSSCAN         
     
Plus! 98 includes McAfee VirusScan, a program that detects and
 destroys viruses that make their way onto your system. Of
 course, new viruses are discovered every day, so at regular
 intervals--say, the recommended once a month--you should update
 this program. Otherwise, VirusScan won't be able to protect you
 against the newer viruses. 

As a Plus! owner, you automatically get six months of free
 updates. To update VirusScan manually, open VirusScan--select
 Start, Programs, Microsoft Plus! 98, McAfee VirusScan,
 VirusScan--then select File, Update VirusScan. Click Update,
 complete the registration information, wait as an Internet
 connection is established (if necessary), then wait as the
 program checks to see if it needs updating. If so, click OK, and
 so on, following the steps necessary to complete the update.
 Eventually, you'll end up with a downloaded, executable file. 

(Note: Even if you don't update manually, the program will notify
 you if its files are out of date. When this message appears,
 click Update and so on.) 

(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.)
