Windows 9x Tips #1


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*1.   Any time you're using Explorer's single- or dual-pane view
 in Details mode, you can adjust column widths to view the
 complete text in every column. Simply press Ctrl++ (plus sign
 on the numeric keypad). This tip also works with many simple
 programs and applets that rely on the Explorer window as the
 basis of their interface. (Note: You'll have to expand the
 window borders to accommodate the new window size.)


*2.   To determine which version of Windows you have on an
 installation CD, pop in the CD and select Browse This CD. In
 the root folder, or the C:\WIN9x folder, right-click on
 SETUP.EXE, choose Properties and click on the Version tab.
 You'll find the version number at the top of that dialog box.


*3.   Open Control Panel/System Properties and look under
 System. If it reads 4.00.950 B, you can convert to FAT32.
 There are two ways to convert to FAT32 under Win95: the free
 way and the easy way.

The free way: Move or back up all files off your hard drive.
 Use your Win95B Emergency Startup Disk to boot to DOS and run
 FDisk, where you "enable large disk support" and repartition
 your drive. After that you'll have to format the disk,
 reinstall Win95,  restore your other files, and reinstall
 all your apps.

The easy way: Buy a product like PowerQuest's PartitionMagic,
 which can perform FAT32 conversion without damaging your data
 or requiring any reinstallation.


*4.   If you suspect one of your open programs is causing a
 problem, save any data and press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to open the
 Close Program box. This box displays Not Responding after the
 program name if it shows trouble spots. You may be able to save
 your Windows session by selecting an unresponsive program and
 pressing End Task to terminate it. (You may have to wait several
 moments for an End Task confirmation dialog to appear.)
 Sometimes you can unstick one frozen program by terminating
 another that's not responding - a trick that could save any
 unsaved data.


*5.   To close a folder and all its open parent folders, hold
 down the Shift key while clicking on its Close (X) box or press
 Alt+Shift+F4. (Note: Neither method works with mixed Explorer
 and single-pane folder windows.)


*6.   It's easy to become confused in Windows about what's going
 to happen when you drag and drop a file from one place to
 another. That's because the operating system has
 context-sensitive defaults for copying and moving objects. When
 you drag and drop a file from one hard drive to another,
 copying is the default operation. But when you drag between two
 folders on the same drive, moving is the default operation.
 Forget all that, and just remember this: Use the right mouse
 button for drag-and-drop operations. When you do, Windows
 displays a Context menu that lets you choose whether to Copy,
 Move or Create a Shortcut in the new location.


*7.   Here's an easy way to view the properties for multiple
 hard drives simultaneously. Open My Computer and select all
 your hard drives by holding down Ctrl and clicking on each
 drive in turn. Next, right-click on any of the drives and
 choose Properties. Windows creates a single dialog box with
 Properties tabs for each drive. This also works for floppy disk,
 removable and mapped network drives.


*8.   If you're running either Win95 with IE 4.0 or Windows 98,
 you can drag and drop to rearrange Start, Programs or any of
 their submenus, as well as the IE 4.0 Favorites menu. Click on
 and drag any item you want to move, then drop it at its new
 location on the menu. A horizontal black line indicates the
 drop point before you release the mouse button. You can also
 reposition submenus, such as program folders, on the Programs
 menu. Just wait for them to open fully before you move them.


*9.   Need silence from your PC? Click on the little yellow
 speaker on your taskbar and check the Mute box. Don't see it on
 your taskbar? Open the Multimedia control panel, click on Audio,
 and check "Show volume control on the taskbar."


*10.   You probably already know a couple ways to disable
 AutoPlay for CDs: As a one-time measure, hold down the Shift
 key when you insert any CD. Or for a permanent effect, uncheck
 the Auto Insert Notification box under the CD-ROM Device
 Manager: Open Start/Settings/Control Panel/System/Device
 Manager, expand the CD-ROM entry and double-click on your
 CD-ROM. Open the Settings tab and uncheck the appropriate box.
 But did you know you could also use Tweak UI's Paranoia tab to
 separately toggle AutoPlay options for audio or data CDs? This
 is also helpful if you don't want to alter your Device
 Manager settings.

For more information (and to download TweakUI) visit
 http://www.elgan.com/answers/tweakui.htm.
