Windows 98 Tips #25



*1. RESOURCE KIT SAMPLER: USE TEXTVIEWER
 TO EDIT AND CREATE TEXT FILES         
     
In the first tip in this series, we showed you how to install
 12MB worth of handy utilities right on your hard drive: Pop the
 Windows 98 installation CD in your CD-ROM drive, navigate your
 way to the tools\reskit folder, double-click Setup.exe, then
 follow along to complete the installation. You can now access
 any Sampler tool from within the Tools Management Console:
 Select Start, Programs, Windows 98 Resource Kit, Tools
 Management Console. As this series continues, we'll show you
 how to use some of the Sampler's tools. 

In our last tip, we introduced TextViewer, a utility that allows
 you to view most text-based files of 25KB or less--for example,
 *.txt, *.ini, *.inf, *.htm, and *.bat files--in a two-paned
 window similar to that in Windows Explorer. Open this utility
 using the Tools Management Console, then use the two dropdown
 boxes to select the drive and file type of the file or files
 you want to view. In the left pane, navigate your way to, and
 double-click, the folder containing the file or files you want
 to view; all text-based files (of the type specified) inside
 the folder will appear at the bottom of the left-pane
 hierarchy. Double-click any file to display its contents in
 the right pane. 

But that's not all. TextViewer has a few more tricks up its
 sleeve. You can also use this utility to edit text files or to
 create new ones. To edit a file, open it, as described above,
 then make your changes in the right pane. When you're finished,
 select File, Save, and so on, to save your changes. To create a
 new text-based file, select File, New, and start typing in the
 right pane, as if you were in Notepad. Once again, select File,
 Save, and so on, to save your work.


82. RESOURCE KIT SAMPLER: WINDOWS 98 RESOURCE KIT BOOK ONLINE         
     
In the first tip in this series, we showed you how to install
 12MB worth of handy utilities right on your hard drive: Pop the
 Windows 98 installation CD in your CD-ROM drive, navigate your
 way to the tools\reskit folder, double-click Setup.exe, then
 follow along to complete the installation. You can now access
 any Sampler tool from within the Tools Management Console:
 Select Start, Programs, Windows 98 Resource Kit, Tools
 Management Console. As this series continues, we'll show you
 how to use some of the Sampler's tools. 

In a previous tip, we showed you how to access the everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-Windows 98 reference
 sitting right on your installation CD, the Windows 98 Resource
 Kit: With the Windows 98 installation CD in your CD-ROM drive,
 navigate your way to the tools\reskit\help folder, then
 double-click rk98book.chm. If you've installed the Sampler, this
 help-style reference is now on your hard drive. To open the
 Resource Kit, select Start, Programs, Accessories, Windows 98
 Resource Kit, Resource Kit Book Online. Or, open the Tools
 Management Console and double-click Online Documentation. 

(Note: If you haven't installed the Sampler and want to install
 just the Windows 98 Resource Kit Book Online on your hard drive,
 pop the Windows 98 installation CD in your CD-ROM drive,
 navigate your way to tools\reskit\help, and copy rk98book.chm to
 your folder of choice. Then place a shortcut to this file in a
 convenient location, such as your Start menu.)


*3. Keep the StartUp Folder Lean

Windows launches slower the more programs run automatically on
 start-up. Move programs out of your StartUp folder into a new
 folder named StartUp Holds. Or remove entries you may find on
 the LOAD= or RUN= line in the WIN.INI file. (Open WIN.INI from
 your WINDOWS folder using Notepad.) You can also place a
 semicolon at the head of either line to prevent Windows from
 reading it while preserving your previous settings.


*4. Check Your Graphics Card

To find out what type of graphics card you have, right-click on
 My Computer, select Properties, click on the Device Manager tab
 and double-click on Display Adapters. The card and vendor will
 be listed. To check the driver, double-click on the card name
 and choose the Driver tab. In Win98, open the Components section
 of the System Information utility
 (Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Information).


*5. RESOURCE KIT SAMPLER: INTRO TO CLIPTRAY         
     
In the first tip in this series, we showed you how to install
 12MB worth of handy utilities right on your hard drive: Pop the
 Windows 98 installation CD in your CD-ROM drive, navigate your
 way to the tools\reskit folder, double-click Setup.exe, then
 follow along to complete the installation. You can now access
 any Sampler tool from within the Tools Management Console:
 Select Start, Programs, Windows 98 Resource Kit, Tools
 Management Console. As this series continues, we'll show you how
 to use some of the Sampler's tools. 

Remember ClipBook, that old Windows for Workgroups utility that
 manages items you frequently paste into documents (for example,
 a block of text)? Windows 98 offers a simpler, more compact
 version of this utility, ClipTray, as part of the Sampler. Open
 the Tools Management Console, navigate your way to ClipTray
 (double-click the Tools Categories or Tools A To Z folder, and
 so on) and double-click it. You'll now see a ClipTray icon in
 your Taskbar tray. 

To add an item, such as a letter closing, to ClipTray, select it
 (in its native application), then press Ctrl-C to send the
 selected text to the clipboard. Right-click the ClipTray icon in
 your Taskbar, and in the pop-up menu, select Add. In the Name Of
 ClipTray Entry box, type a name for the item, such as "letter
 closing." Click the Paste button, then the Add button, and
 finally click Close. Right-click the ClipTray icon, and you'll
 see the new entry in the pop-up list. 

To insert a ClipTray entry into another document, right-click the
 ClipTray icon (in your Taskbar tray), and in the pop-up menu,
 select that entry. Place the cursor in the destination document
 wherever you want the text, press Ctrl-V, and there it is! 

(Note: If you haven't installed the Sampler and plan to use
 ClipTray, you'll want to install ClipTray on your hard drive:
 With the Windows 98 installation CD in your CD-ROM drive,
 navigate your way to tools\reskit\desktop and copy the three
 ClipTray files--cliptray.cnt, cliptray.exe, and cliptray.hlp--to
 your folder of choice. Then place a shortcut to cliptray.exe in
 a convenient location.) 

(Tip: Place a copy of cliptray.exe in your Startup folder so that
 ClipTray starts whenever you start Windows 98.)


*6. RESOURCE KIT SAMPLER: CLIPTRAY PREVIEW MODE         
     
In the first tip in this series, we showed you how to install
 12MB worth of handy utilities right on your hard drive: Pop the
 Windows 98 installation CD in your CD-ROM drive, navigate your
 way to the tools\reskit folder, double-click Setup.exe, then
 follow along to complete the installation. You can now access
 any Sampler tool from within the Tools Management Console:
 Select Start, Programs, Windows 98 Resource Kit, Tools
 Management Console. As this series continues, we'll show you how
 to use some of the Sampler's tools. 

In our last tip, we introduced ClipTray, a utility that stores
 text items you frequently paste into documents (for example, a
 letter closing). Open this utility using the Tools Management
 Console, or if you've added a shortcut to cliptray.exe in your
 Startup folder, simply start Windows 98. To add a text entry to
 ClipTray, copy it to the clipboard, right-click the ClipTray
 icon, select Add, type a name for the item, click the Paste
 button, then click the Add button, followed by Close. To insert
 a ClipTray entry into another document, right-click the ClipTray
 icon, select the entry (to copy it to the Windows Clipboard),
 then paste it wherever you want it. 

Can't identify an entry by name? Use preview mode to take a quick
 peek. Right-click the ClipTray icon and select Options, Preview
 Mode. Right-click the icon again, select an entry, and a preview
 appears. Click OK to close the preview. (Tip: The last entry you
 preview is automatically on the clipboard.) 

Wish the entry list were a bit longer, so you didn't have to
 scroll up or down to see all your entries? Extend it beyond the
 default 20 entries. Right-click the ClipTray icon and select
 More. Under Menu Size, move the scrollbar button to the right to
 set the maximum number of items allowed in the list, then
 click Close. 

In our next tip, a few more ClipTray techniques....


*7. RESOURCE KIT SAMPLER: CLIPTRAY LIST MANAGEMENT         
     
In the first tip in this series, we showed you how to install
 12MB worth of handy utilities right on your hard drive: Pop the
 Windows 98 installation CD in your CD-ROM drive, navigate
 your way to the tools\reskit folder, double-click Setup.exe,
 then follow along to complete the installation. You can now
 access any Sampler tool from within the Tools Management
 Console: Select Start, Programs, Windows 98 Resource Kit, Tools
 Management Console. In this last tip in the series, we'll show
 you how to manage ClipTray's list. 

In a previous tip, we introduced ClipTray, a utility that stores
 text items you frequently paste into documents (for example, a
 letter closing). Open ClipTray using the Tools Management
 Console, or if you've added a shortcut to cliptray.exe in your
 Startup folder, simply start Windows 98. To add a text entry to
 ClipTray, copy it to the clipboard, right-click the ClipTray
 icon, select Add, type a name for the item, click the Paste
 button, then click Close. To insert a ClipTray entry into
 another document, right-click the ClipTray icon, select the
 entry (to copy it to the Windows Clipboard), then paste it
 wherever you want it. 

Not happy with the order in which ClipTray arranges your entries
 (which, by default, is the order in which they were added)? Then
 by all means, rearrange them. Right-click the ClipTray icon and
 select More. Select an entry you'd like to move, then use the
 Move Up or Move Down button to adjust the entry's position. When
 you're finished, click Close. 

One last tip: Remember to delete unused entries in order to keep
 the ClipTray list down to a manageable size. Right-click the
 ClipTray icon and select More. Select the unwanted entry, click
 Edit, click the Delete button, then click Yes to confirm. Click
 OK, then click Close.


*8. INSTALL 3D PINBALL ON WINDOWS 98 SECOND EDITION         
     
Reader M. Buelow writes, "A while back, you showed us how to
 install the 3D Pinball game (from Microsoft Plus! for Windows
 95) on a computer loaded with Windows 98. The technique does not
 work for Windows 98 SE. Is there a way for it to be done? My
 children and their children will appreciate it, as will I!" 

The technique is a bit different (and easier) if you have Windows
 98 Second Edition installed. Pop the Windows 98 SE installation
 CD in your CD-ROM drive, click Browse This CD, and navigate your
 way to the tools\mtsutil folder. Inside, you'll find
 Pinball.exe. Double-click this file, click Yes to confirm that
 you want to install 3D Pinball, then follow along to complete
 the installation. (You'll need to insert the Plus! for Windows
 95 installation CD and enter your CD-ROM drive letter.) If you
 see a Plus! for Windows 95 message offering to run the setup,
 close it.


*9. RESTORING GRAYED-OUT TOOLBAR COMMANDS         
     
Reader Z. writes, "How can I get my 'lost' Quick Launch toolbar
 back? It vanished, and when I go to add a new one, the option is
 grayed out. Actually, adding ANY new toolbar is impossible; they
 are all grayed out." 

The commands that appear when you right-click the taskbar and
 select Toolbars may appear grayed out if you have disabled
 Internet Explorer using Tweak UI. To regain access to these
 commands, you'll need to re-enable Internet Explorer. 

Open the Control Panel (click the Start menu, then choose
 Settings...), double-click Tweak UI, and click the IE4 tab.
 Click the box next to IE4 Enabled to select this option, then
 click OK. Restart Windows, and your toolbar commands should be
 back in business.


*10. TROUBLE WITH A SHARED FILE         
     
Here's a "heads up" from reader P. Whittaker, in case the same
 thing happens to you: 

"I had a recent problem that I wanted to bring to your attention.
 In its infinite wisdom, Microsoft has issued two versions of
 CTL3D32.dll, an important shared file on 95/98 systems. One
 version is for 95/98 and the other is for NT. 

"The problem crops up when a programmer releases software that
 has the NT version in it. When the user loads the software, it
 overwrites the current CTL3D32 file and replaces it with the NT
 version. From then on, many applications (especially TWAIN
 operations) will not work. HP products, such as scanners, are
 very vulnerable. 

"When this hit us at work (a school), it not only rendered our
 scanner useless, but also our digital camera and an HP laser
 printer. It also provided enough error messages with other apps
 to keep a techie busy for weeks! 

"We finally tracked the problem and a solution on the Net.
 However, it was a frustrating two days while we tried to figure
 out what the problem was." 

One preventive measure: Make a backup copy of CTL3D32.DLL, so
 that you can restore it should trouble arise. And for more info,
 check out 

http://www.annoyances.org/cgi-bin/ce-showtopic/005_007 

Thanks for sharing, P.!
