Windows 98
Questions & Answers

Q: How do I speed up my programs in Windows 98?

A: The improved Disk Defragmenter in Windows 98 gathers the program files that you use most office and moves them to faster parts of the hard disk. To run Disk Defragmenter:

1. From the Start menu, point to Programs, Accessories, and System Tools, and click Disk Defragmenter.
2. Click Settings, and make sure that the option to Rearrange program files so my programs start faster is selected and click OK.
3. Click OK to start the process.

You can schedule Disk Defragmenter as part of your regularly scheduled tasks in Windows Maintenance Wizard.

Q: How do I get rid of shortcuts that don’t point to anything anymore?

A: Drag and drop desktop, taskbar, and folder shortcuts to Recycle Bin and dump ‘em. For Start menu shortcuts, use the new Taskbar & Start Menu command under Settings on the Start menu. For hidden shortcuts that remain after you’ve uninstalled programs, use the Checklinks tool from the Resource Kit Sampler that finds and eliminates dead links and shortcuts (see above tip for installing the Resource Kit Sampler).

Q: How do I turn on file extensions?

A: By default, Windows 98 hides file extension for all known file types, which is fine if you’re in Details view. But you may want to see extensions in other views—and some e-mail programs may even have difficulty recognizing attachments without them. To turn on extensions:

1. Open My Computer.
2. From the View menu, click Folder Options.
3. Click the View tab.
4. Clear the Hide file extensions for known file types option.

NOTE: You can set or remove this option for individual folders by opening the folder, and following steps 2-4 above.

Q: How do I show hidden program or system files?

A: Showing hidden files comes in handy, for example, when you’ve tried to delete everything from a floppy disk and Properties still indicates 100K in files. In any folder window (including My Computer), to show all files:

1. From the View menu, click Folder Options.
2. Click the View tab.
3. Check Show all files.

WARNING: Don’t be tempted to delete system files that Windows needs—when in doubt, leave it!

Q: Is there a keyboard shortcut to add a Web page to my Favorites?

A: Yes. Press CTRL+D and your wish is a Windows command. Later, you can go back and simply click and drag the Favorite to the exact folder and location where you want it to appear in your list.

Q: Can I use a satellite dish with WebTV and WaveTop?

A: Not yet. The use of a satellite dish service with WebTV for Windows requires a different decoder software which will be available in a later release. In the meantime, you can use either rabbit ears or cable, as long as you get good TV reception through them.

Q: Are there any additional costs or costs for services associated with WebTV on Windows 98?

A: To use WebTV for Windows, you need a TV Tuner card installed in your PC—this is an additional cost. There are no additional costs to watch TV and Interactive TV on your PC or to download the data for the basic service of the Program Guide. There are also no additional osts to use the WaveTop service, once you have a TV Tuner Card installed in the PC.

Q: Can I ‘clean’ install Windows 98 on a newly-formatted hard disk, without reinstalling Windows 95 first?

A: Yes. If you are an experienced user—and are willing to reinstall all your applications— you can save disk space, reduce device configuration issues, and get even more speed from Windows 98 by performing a ‘clean install’. You can use the Windows 98 Upgrade CD, even if you’re installing it onto a blank formatted hard disk with the minimum MS-DOS files required to boot to a C: prompt. Once you’ve inserted the Windows 98 CD and begun the install, you will be prompted to insert the Windows 95 CD or floppy disk for compliance checking, to prove you’re upgrading.

NOTE: Don’t forget you must first backup all your data onto high-capacity storage (such as Zip disks) and have all the original software to reinstall your applications.

Q: I can't find my desktop themes. Where are they?

A: To customize the personality of your desktop with special icons, wallpaper, screen savers, and sounds all organized around a common theme (for example, Underwater):

1. Click Start, highlight Settings, and click Control Panel.
2. Click Desktop Themes.
3. Select a theme from the Theme drop-down list.
4. Click Apply and click OK.

NOTE: If you don't see the Desktop Themes icon in Control Panel, you will need to install it. Click Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.

Q: My taskbar is too cluttered with both the Desktop and Address toolbars turned on. Any solutions?

A: You can take any toolbar on your taskbar and turn it into a floating toolbar on your desktop. Simply click a blank area of the toolbar you want to move, and drag it onto a convenient area of your desktop. Windows 98 will create a floating toolbar.

Q: What's new on the Start menu?

A: There are several new items on the Start menu, for example:

• Favorites—Open your favorite Web sites from the Start menu.
• Settings—Two new commands were added to Settings: Folder Options and Active Desktop. The Folder Options dialog box allows you to change settings such as double-clicking. Active Desktop allows you to customize your desktop or turn it on or off.
• Find—There are two new commands on the Find menu: People and On The Internet. People will access several of the most popular online directory services and address books to locate contact information. Use On The Internet to activate a Web search.

Q: How do I use the new People command on the Find menu to locate a high-school buddy?

A: To find people on the Internet:

1. Click Start, highlight Find, and click People.
2. In the Look in list, select the directory service that you want to use to find someone.
3. Type as much information as you know about the person you are looking for, and click Find Now.

NOTE: Click Web Site to go to a specific directory service's Web site for more details.

Q: How do I find out what's new in Windows 98?

A: To see what's new in Windows 98, view a demonstration called Discover Windows 98. To open Discover Windows 98:

1. Insert your Windows 98 CD in the CD-ROM drive.
2. Click Start, highlight Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, and click Welcome to Windows.
3. Click What's New.

Q: How do I clear the contents of my Documents menu in Windows 98?

A: To clear the contents of your Documents menu:

1. Click Start, highlight Settings, and click Taskbar & Start Menu.
2. Click the Start Menu Programs tab.
3. In Documents, click Clear.

Bonus Tip: To open the Taskbar Properties dialog box, right-click a blank area on the taskbar and click Properties.

Q: It looks like some icons are missing from my Programs menu under the Start menu, what happened?

A: Don't worry, it's all there. A submenu that used to appear in several panels in Windows 95, becomes a single, scrolling panel in Windows 98. Simply click on the up or down arrows at the top and bottom of the panel to scroll through the rest of your icons.

Q: How do I turn off desktop animation effects?

A: To turn off selected desktop effects for a lean and clean desktop:

1. Right-click your desktop, select Active Desktop™ and click Customize My Desktop.
2. Click the Effects tab.
3. Clear the Animate windows, menus, and lists and Show window contents while dragging options.

Q: What’s the fastest way to my Favorites?

A: Favorites have been added to the Start menu in Windows 98. Simply click Start, point to Favorites, and click the Favorite you want. Windows 98 will open your browser if the chosen Favorite is a Web site, or the required application if it’s a file on your hard disk.

Q:Is there a keyboard shortcut to maximize the browser window?

A: Yes, there’s a single keystroke — the F11 function key.

Q: Why is there a Log Off command on the Start menu?

A: If your computer is part of a network, logging off and back on for different users helps keep network security tight. If your computer is a stand-alone home PC, you can get rid of the Log Off option:

1. Install TweakUI (see tip above).
2. From the Control Panel, open TweakUI.
3. Click the IE4 tab.
4. Clear Allow logoff, click OK, and restart to make the change take effect.

Q: Dial-Up Networking is not remembering my password. What do I do?

A: Most likely, the Microsoft Network Client is not installed. To install it, have your Windows 98 CD handy and:

1. From the Control Panel, open Network.
2. On the Configuration tab, click Add and then Client.
3. Click Add again.
4. Select Microsoft in the vendor list on the left and Client for Microsoft Networks on the right, and click OK to install.
5. After installation, choose Client for Microsoft Networks as your Primary Network Logon and click OK.

Q: Can I set my windows so they all have the same view?

A: Yes. In any open folder window:

1. Set View options the way you want them to be for all folders (for example, Details and Arrange Icons By Date).
2. From the View menu, click Folder Options.
3. Click the View tab.
4. Click Like Current Folder, click Yes to confirm, and click OK.

Q: How do I turn on Thumbnail View?

A: In Windows Explorer, the default View menu gives you four options: Large Icons, Small Icons, List, or Details. There is a fifth view called Thumbnails, which shows miniature images of graphics files (such as Microsoft PowerPoint® presentations, Web documents, and other file types) in an Explorer window. To enable thumbnails for a folder:

1. Right-click the folder and click Properties.
2. Select Enable thumbnail view.
3. When you open the folder in Windows Explorer, from the View menu, click Thumbnail View.

Copyright© 1998 of The Code Name: Windows 98 Team