Windows 98 Tips #27



*1. DELETE INDIVIDUAL ENTRIES FROM ADDRESS TOOLBAR         
     
In our last tip, we showed you how to delete all entries from the
 Address toolbar on your taskbar. (To create this toolbar,
 right-click a blank area of the taskbar and select Toolbars,
 Address.) Here's a quick review:  

After backing up your Registry files--System.dat and User.dat,
 hidden files in your Windows folder--open the Registry Editor
 and navigate your way to 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Explorer\RunMRU. 

In the right pane, select "url1," "url2," and so on; right-click
 the selection; select Delete; click Yes to confirm; then close
 the Registry Editor.  

Deleting individual entries is a bit trickier, because all of the
 URLs are numbered. If you delete a single entry, all entries
 following it in the sequence won't appear in the Address list
 (even though they appear in the Registry). An easy workaround is
 this: After deleting an entry, rename the last entry in the
 sequence using the number of the URL you just got rid of. So,
 for example, if you have eight entries, and you delete "url3,"
 right-click "url8," select Rename, and rename it "url3."  

To make your changes stick, close and re-open the Address
 toolbar: Right-click a blank area of the taskbar and select
 Toolbars, Address; then follow these same steps to make
 it reappear.


*2. Launch Explorer fast

Don't navigate the Start menu to launch Explorer. On a 104-key
 Windows keyboard, hold down the Window key and press E. This
 launches an Explorer window focused on My Computer.


*3. SET PROPERTIES FOR QUICK LAUNCH ICONS         
     
Did you know that every icon in the Quick Launch toolbar is
 nothing but a shortcut? (The Quick Launch toolbar is the row of
 icons to the right of the Start button, by default.) That means
 you can set the properties for each, just as you would any
 other shortcut. 

For example, suppose you want Internet Explorer to open maximized
 every time. Right-click the Internet Explorer icon (on the Quick
 Launch toolbar) and select Properties. On the Shortcut tab, next
 to Run, click the down arrow and select Maximized. Click OK, and
 the next time you click that icon, Internet Explorer will take
 over the entire screen. 

(Tip: Follow these steps to make any application shortcut open
 the target program in a normal, maximized, or minimized window.)


*4. AN EASTER EGG IN NOVEMBER?         
     
Here's an Easter Egg you might want to check out: 

Right-click the desktop, select Properties, and click the Screen
 Saver tab. Under Screen Saver, select 3D Text, then click the
 Settings button. Type 

volcano 

on the Text line and click OK. Watch the preview screen (on the
 Screen Saver tab) or click Preview, and you'll see the names of
 famous volcanos!


*5. Universal Command Line

One of Win98's most powerful hidden gems is a universal command
 line. From here you can launch programs, open folders, go to Web
 sites and more. Right-click on the taskbar and select
 Toolbars/Address. When the Address box shows up on your toolbar,
 click and hold on the word Address and drag it to the top of
 your Desktop. Right-click on it and select Always on Top. Now,
 when you maximize applications, they'll expand between your
 Address bar at the top and your taskbar at the bottom.


*6. MAKE DUN CONNECT AUTOMATICALLY         
     
A number of readers have had problems with dial-up networking
 (DUN) suddenly NOT establishing a connection automatically
 whenever their browser starts; when that happens, you have to
 establish the connection manually. (A big pain in the hard
 drive, we agree--it happened to us.) Apparently, this trouble
 can start after certain third-party products are installed. 

One solution involves some Registry-editing. (Note: As always,
 back up your Registry files--System.dat and User.dat, hidden
 files on the root of your hard drive--before proceeding.) 

For details, point your Web browser at 

http://www.windows-help.net/windows98/troub-28.shtml


*7. TURN DUN'S REDIAL OPTION ON         
     
Ever try to establish a DUN (dial-up networking) connection, only
 to wind up with a message telling you the line is busy?
 Frustrating, to say the least, but what's even more frustrating
 is that you have to keep trying the connection manually. By
 default, DUN's Redial option is turned off. 

If you want DUN to keep dialing the number for you, in the event
 that a connection cannot be made, open My Computer, double-click
 Dial-Up Networking, and select Connections, Settings. On the
 General tab of the resulting dialog box, select Redial and set
 the corresponding options (number of retries, and so on). Click
 OK, and say good-bye to all that unnecessary redialing.


*8. Get to the Device Manager fast

If Windows insists you start in Safe Mode, or if you're having
 some kind of hardware conflict, you want to make for the Device
 Manager fast. The trouble is, its hidden away under Control
 Panel's System option, or in a right-click menu under My
 Computer. To load it quickly, hold down the Window key on a
 104-key keyboard and press the Pause/Break key. This brings up
 the System Properties box; click on the Device Manager tab,
 and you're there.


*9. AVOID CONNECT TO BOX DURING DUN CONNECTION         
     
In our last tip, we showed you how to turn on dial-up
 networking's Redial option, so that if a connection cannot be
 made the first time, DUN will keep trying for you: Open My
 Computer; double-click Dial-Up Networking; select Connections,
 Settings; select Redial; set the corresponding options (number
 of retries, and so on); then click OK. 

While you're there, check out the settings at the top of this
 dialog box. Tired of seeing the Connect To dialog box every time
 you establish a connection manually (by double-clicking the
 connection inside the Dial-Up Networking dialog box)? Assuming
 you always want to connect using the username and password from
 the last successful connection, deselect Prompt For Information
 Before Dialing and click OK. The next time you establish a
 connection manually, that Connect To dialog box will stay out
 of sight.


*10. Find files and/or folders fast

Selecting Start, Find, Files or Folders takes too much time and
 precision mouse work. To launch a Find window fast, hold down
 the Window key on a 104-key keyboard and press F. The Win+F
 combo launches a Find window at a stroke.
