Windows 98 Tips #47


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Proudly presents:
The Windows 98 Tip of the Day

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*1. PRINT DIRECTORY LISTING USING SHAREWARE         
     
We can't tell you how many requests we receive for a way to print a 
directory listing (a printout of all, or some portion of, the files 
and folders on your system). There are a number of ways to go about 
it, but since you're already online, by far the easiest route is a 
shareware program. 

One you may want to try is Directory Printer ($24), available for 
download from Glenn Alcott Software: 

http://www.galcott.com/dp.htm 

Don't want to deal with shareware? In the next few tips, we'll show 
you how to print directory listings using DOS commands.


*2. DOS COMMAND TO SEND DIRECTORY LISTING TO *.TXT FILE         
     
In our last tip, we mentioned a shareware program that allows you to 
print directory listings on your Windows 98 system. Directory Printer 
($24) is available for download from Glenn Alcott Software: 

http://www.galcott.com/dp.htm 

But if you don't want to bother with shareware, you can use DOS 
commands to create a text (TXT) file, then print it from your 
application of choice. 

Suppose you want to print a directory listing for drive C. First, 
create a text file, such as C:\My Documents\DirListing.txt, from this 
listing. Select Start, Programs, MS-DOS Prompt, and type the following 
command line: 

dir C:\ /S > C:\MYDOCU~1\DirListing.txt 

(Note: The /S switch searches all folders and subfolders. Also, since 
the Windows name of the My Documents directory exceeds the DOS 
eight-character limit, we used the directory's DOS name, "MYDOCU~1.") 

Now print the listing. Close the MS-DOS Prompt window and use your 
word processor to open the TXT file you just created. (Don't use 
Notepad--it can't handle large files.) Print the file as you would any 
other document. The nice part is, you have access to all of that 
program's commands, such as page breaks. 

In our next tip, we'll show you how to send a directory listing right 
to the printer without creating a TXT file.


*3. DOS COMMAND TO SEND DIRECTORY LISTING TO PRINTER         
     
In our last tip, we showed you one way to print a directory listing: 
Use DOS commands to create a text (TXT) file, then open and print the 
file from any word processor. Would you rather send that information 
directly to the printer (for example, if you don't need any word 
processing commands)? If so, you can forget the TXT file. 

Simply exit to a DOS prompt, type 

dir C:\ /S > prn 

and press Enter. (Note: The /S switch searches all folders and 
subfolders.) 

In our next tip, we'll discuss some handy switches for these DOS 
commands.


*4. SWITCHES FOR PRINTING DIRECTORY LISTINGS FROM DOS         
     
In our last tip, we showed you how to send a directory listing 
directly to your printer: Exit to a DOS prompt, type the command line 

dir C:\ /S > prn 

and press Enter. (Note: The /S switch searches all folders and 
subfolders.) 

Now let's look at a couple of switches to customize these listings. To 
print a listing of all the directories and subdirectories on a drive, 
but not the files inside them, use the /AD switch: 

dir C:\ /AD/S > prn 

To print a detailed listing (for example, including long filenames) of 
all the files in a folder, not including the folder's subdirectories, 
use the /V switch: 

dir C:\{path to directory} /V > prn 

To add subdirectories and their files to the above detailed listing, 
add the /S switch: 

dir C:\{path to directory} /V/S > prn 

Finally, to send the information to a TXT file instead of directly to 
the printer, just substitute the "prn" in any of the above commands 
with the path and name of a TXT file.


*5. MULTICOLOR TITLE BARS         
     
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 colors (or change only one color), and check out the title 
bars in the preview area! They fade from one color to the other. 
Pretty slick. 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.)


*6. TURNING OFF MENU AND WINDOW ANIMATION         
     
Try this: Right-click the desktop or select a minimized Taskbar item 
(to restore it). In Windows 98, menus and windows don't just appear, 
they ROLL onto the screen.  

If you're like us, you find these special effects dizzying after a 
while. 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. CHANGING SHORTCUT ICONS         
     
Not happy with the icons Windows 98 has chosen for your favorite 
shortcuts (any icon with a little arrow in the lower-left corner)? 
Then change them. 

Right-click the shortcut you want to change and select Properties. 
Click the Shortcut tab, then click the Change Icon button. In the 
Change Icon dialog box, select a new icon and click OK. (If you don't 
see one you like, click the Browse button, select another icon 
file--for example, Windows\System\Shell32.dll or 
Windows\System\Pifmgr.dll--and click Open to display its contents in 
the Change Icon dialog box.) Click OK one more time to apply the 
selection to the shortcut.


*8. CHANGING FOLDER ICONS         
     
In our last tip, we showed you how to change the icons Windows 98 uses 
to represent your shortcuts. Many of you have asked how to change the 
look of folder icons, but unfortunately, it can't be done--not without 
shareware, that is. One program you may want to try is AiryFolders, 
available for download from AirySoft at 

http://airysoft.hypermart.net/AiryFolders.html 

Once you've installed the program, right-click a folder you want to 
change and select Properties. Select the New Icon tab, choose Closed 
or Open, and click the Change Icon button. From here, the technique is 
identical to the one for changing a shortcut icon: Select a new icon 
and click OK twice (or click Browse, select another icon file, click 
Open, and so on).


*9. MINIMIZE WINDOW USING KEYBOARD         
     
Have you ever clicked the "X" caption button by mistake, when you 
intended to minimize a window but not to close it? Talk about 
frustrating! If you tend to be a little click happy, stick with the 
keyboard: Press Alt-Spacebar, then press N to send the active window 
to the Taskbar.


*10. STOP 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? 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, 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 pesky one (making 
certain you know which one it is), then click OK. The next time you 
start Windows, that program is nowhere in sight.
