Windows 9X Tips #23


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*1. 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.


*2. Size Up Your Files

In Explorer, select Details from the View menu, then click
on the Size button to see the files listed in file-size order,
with the biggest files first. Click on the Size button again
to see the smallest files listed first.


*3. Accommodating Columns

If you open a folder in Details view, and part of the file/folder
information isn't visible because the columns are either
truncated or too wide for the window size, here's a quick fix:
Press Ctrl and the Plus (+) key on the numeric keypad. The
columns will automatically adjust to fit the window or widen
to display all the information (if your resolution and screen
size are large enough). In an Explorer window, you may need to
select the pane first by pressing Tab.


*4. Launch Control

Some programs tell Windows to launch them at start-up by placing
a shortcut in the StartUp folder. To remove start-up programs,
right-click on the Start button and select Open. Double-click on
the Programs folder, then the StartUp folder. Delete shortcuts to
programs you don't want to run at start-up. Or just drag the
shortcut out to the Desktop to temporarily remove it from the
StartUp folder. You can drag it back later or delete it.


*5. Fast Screen Savers

To launch your favorite screen saver without navigating
dialog boxes, drag and drop your screen saver files from
the Windows/System folder (they're the ones with the SCR
extensions) using your right mouse button and make shortcuts
for them on the desktop. In the future, whenever you want
to launch your favorite screen saver, all you have to do is
double-click on its file on your desktop.


*6. Version Control, Part I

Check which version of Windows 9x you have by right-clicking 
on My Computer, choosing Properties and checking under the 
General tab's System section. The original version of Windows 95 
is 4.00.950. When the letter A follows, it indicates that Service Pack 1
or OEM Service Release 1 (SR1) was installed; the letter B indicates
Win95 OEM Service Release 2.0 (SR2) or 2.1 (SR2.1); the letter
C indicates OEM Service Release 2.5.


*7. Version Control, Part 2

You can also get the Windows version number by typing ver 
at a DOS prompt. You'll see 4.00.950 if you have the original 
release of Win95, 4.00.1111 if it's SR2 or 4.00.1212 (or higher) 
if you have an update to SR2, such as SR2.1. Win98 shows 
4.10.1998 on both System Properties and at the DOS prompt.


*8. Take a Snapshot of Your Screen

The easiest way to create a full-screen capture in Win95, 98
or NT 4.0 is still by pressing the Print Screen key. That
action sends a copy of the screen to the Clipboard. To view
the capture, select Start/Run, type mspaint and press Enter.
Once Paint opens, select Edit/Paste to paste the image from
the Clipboard into the Paint window. Choose File/Save As to
name and save it as a BMP file. (If Paint isn't installed on
your PC, you can use another image program, or install Paint
from the Add/Remove Programs applet. Open the Windows Setup
tab, double-click on Accessories, select Paint and
click on OK.)


*9. Whither the ScanDisk Files?

If your PC doesn't shut down properly, Windows will run
ScanDisk the next time you boot. If it finds lost fragments,
it will delete them for you. Before doing that, however, it
asks if you want to save them as files. Unfortunately, it
doesn't say where it puts them or what the new files are
called. Here's how to find them. Open Tools/Find/Files or
Folders and search the root directory for file*.CHK. Typically,
the files are named FILE0000.CHK, FILE0001.CHK, FILE0002.CHK and
so on. If you're looking to free up disk space, you can delete
any old files you find. If you suspect one of these files contains
critical data, open it in a text editor. If you see anything
that looks important, copy and paste into a new document for
safekeeping.


*10. Hot, Hot, Hot Keys

Create shortcuts for your most frequently used programs.
Bring up the Properties dialog for each by right-clicking on
it and selecting Properties. Click on the Shortcut tab, and
click once in the Shortcut Key field. Do the hot-key
combination you want to assign, then click on OK. Assigning
a hot key will allow you to switch to the program if it's
already running on your desktop.
