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More Windows 98 Tips and Tricks
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:
- From the Start menu, point to Programs, Accessories, and System
Tools, and click Disk Defragmenter.
- Click Settings, and make sure that the option to Rearrange program files so my
programs start faster is selected and click OK.
- Click OK to start the process.
You can schedule Disk Defragmenter as part of your regularly scheduled tasks in Windows
Maintenance Wizard.
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Get rid of the Office Shortcut Bar and use new
Windows 98 Quick Launch. If you are using Microsoft Office 97 with Windows
98, the new Windows 98 Quick Launch bar operates as a more versatile and convenient Office
Shortcut Bar. Its located just to the right of the Start button on the taskbar. You
can place buttons on it in any order you want and put it anywhere you want on your
desktop. To move your current shortcuts from the Office Shortcut Bar to the Quick Launch
bar:
- Open Windows Explorer.
- Go to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Shortcut Bar.
- Click and drag any shortcuts you want to the taskbar.
- Right-click a blank area on the Office Shortcut Bar and click Exit. When prompted
if you want the bar to run when you restart Windows, click No.
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Get express e-mail from your Windows 98 desktop
with e-mail shortcuts. If you frequently send electronic mail to the same
person, you can create a shortcut on the desktop that will instantly open a preaddressed
message in your e-mail client (for example, Microsoft Outlook Express). To create an
e-mail shortcut:
- Right-click a blank area on the desktop.
- Point to New and click Shortcut.
- Type mailto: and insert the e-mail address after the colon, leaving no space.
- Click Next.
- Select a name for the shortcut and click Finish.
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Add shortcuts to your SendTo folder for quick
e-mail attachments. Once youve completed the above tip and added
e-mail shortcuts to your desktop, copy them into your Windows SendTo folder. If
youre using Outlook, this allows you to attach a file to an e-mail message and send
it simply by right-clicking the item to attach, pointing to Send To, and choosing the
shortcut from the pop-up menu. To copy the icon to the SendTo folder:
- Right-click the new shortcut and click Copy.
- Open Windows Explorer.
- Go to C:\Windows\SendTo.
- From the File menu, click Paste.
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Use some cool, free tools from the Windows 98
Resource Kit Sampler. The Windows 98 CD comes with some free tools and
utilities in a sampler called the Resource Kit. These allow you to do such things as
compare files and folders, check and delete obsolete shortcuts, read text and hypertext
markup language (HTML) code in the Text File Viewer, and more. These tools dont load
automatically when you do a standard installation, but theyre easy to install:
- Insert your Windows 98 CD into your CD-ROM drive.
- Click Browse This CD.
- From the Tools\Reskit directory, run Setup.exe.
Once installed, you can access these tools from the Start menu. Click Programs, point
to Windows 98 Resource Kit, and click Tools Management Console. |
Discover the difference between folder contents
with WinDiff. The Resource Kit contains a utility called WinDiff that allows
you to quickly compare the contents of two folders. After youve installed the
Resource Kit (see the above tip), to use WinDiff:
- From the Start menu, point to Programs and Windows 98 Resource Kit,
and click Tools Management Console.
- Go to the \Tools A to Z\U to Z directory and double-click WinDiff.
- From the File menu, click Compare Directories and type the path of the
folders you want to compare.
- Click OK and WinDiff will give you a line-by-line list of the differences between
the contents of the folders.
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Speed-read text and HTML files with Text File
Viewer. Another tool in the Resource Kit is a utility called Text File
Viewer that opens a special two-pane Explorer window to quickly show you the contents of
any file with a .txt or .htm extension. This can be useful, for example, if you need to
read several Readme.txt files for programs youre installing, or if you create and
edit Web pages frequently. You double-click the file in the left pane, and the contents
will be displayed in text format on the right. For HTML files, the Text File Viewer
displays the original source code, rather than how the page appears in a Web browser.
After youve installed the Resource Kit (see above tip), to use the Text File Viewer:
- From the Start menu, point to Programs and Windows 98 Resource Kit,
and click Tools Management Console.
- Go to the \Tools A to Z\S to T directory and double-click Text File Viewer.
- From the File menu, click Compare Directories and type the path of the
folders for which you want a comparison
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Q: How do I
get rid of shortcuts that dont 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 youve 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 youre in
Details view. But you may want to see extensions in other viewsand some e-mail
programs may even have difficulty recognizing attachments without them. To turn on
extensions:
- Open My Computer.
- From the View menu, click Folder Options.
- Click the View tab.
- 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.
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Q: How do I
show hidden program or system files? A:
Showing hidden files comes in handy, for example, when youve 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:
- From the View menu, click Folder Options.
- Click the View tab.
- Check Show all files.
WARNING: Dont be tempted to delete system files that Windows needswhen in
doubt, leave it! |
Browse everywhere from any Explorer window. Youve
probably heard a bunch about true Internet and desktop integration in Windows 98.
Heres some of the proof. You can switch back and forth between Web pages, files and
folders on your computer, network drives, and pages on a corporate intranetall from
the same browser or window. Toolbar buttons change to match content youre viewing,
and you can use the Forward and Back buttons to flow freely between locations. For
example, type a folder location in the Address bar of your browser or, vice versa, type a
Web site address in your Address bar in My Computer. |
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.
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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.
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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 PCthis 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 userand 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 youre installing it onto a blank formatted hard disk with the minimum MS-DOS
files required to boot to a C: prompt. Once youve 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 youre upgrading.
NOTE: Dont 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. |
Give your clicking finger a rest, using
single-click desktop icons. In Windows 98, you can change your desktop to
operate in single-click mode, which allows you to open applications, windows, and folders
the same way you do in your Web browser. To change from double-click mode to single-click
mode:
- Double-click (for the last time!) My Computer .
- On the View menu, click Folder Options.
- Click the General tab and click Custom, based on settings you choose.
- Click Settings and click Single-click to open an item.
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Surf your computer the same way you surf the Web.
In Windows 98, click My Computer to open a window in a default setup called Web
View. You "surf" the contents of My Computer similar to surfing in a Web
browser. Along the left side, a panel displays useful information specific to the item you
click. For example, if you point to a disk drive, the panel displays drive size and free
space. If you point to a folder, the panel displays a folder description. If you point to
a file, the panel displays document details and a thumbnail image of the file. |
Get instantaneous desktop access. The
Quick Launch toolbar on the Windows 98 taskbar contains a new Desktop button. With a
single click of the Desktop button, all open windows are instantly minimized. Click again
to restore all open windows, or click a single icon on the taskbar to open only that
application or window.
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Make a Web page (or a single graphic on a Web
page) your desktop wallpaper. You can use any hypertext markup language
(HTML) document, or Web page, as your desktop wallpaper. To make a Web page your
wallpaper:
- Right-click the desktop and click Properties.
- Click the Background tab.
- Click Browse, and locate and click the Web page you want.
- Click Apply.
Bonus Tip: You also can right-click any graphic on a Web page, and click Set As
Wallpaper.
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Clean off your deskremove all desktop icons
from your desktop. The Windows 98 Active Desktop allows you to view Web
sites, updated subscription channels, pictures (including animated pictures), and more. If
you want to see all this content without desktop icons getting in the way:
- Right-click anywhere on the Active Desktop.
- Highlight Active Desktop and click Customize my desktop.
- Click the Effects tab.
- Check Hide icons when the desktop is viewed as a Web page.
Don't worry-you still have access to your desktop icons. In Windows 98, you can add
them to your taskbar:
- Right-click a blank area on the taskbar.
- Highlight Toolbars and click Desktop. The Desktop toolbar will appear on
the taskbar.
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Undo file operations. Have you ever
accidentally deleted, renamed, moved, or copied a file you didn't intend to? Windows 98
has added an Undo command-that works like the Undo command in Microsoft Office 97
applications-to every user interface window. Click Undo on the toolbar (if you are viewing
a window in Web View), or click Undo on the Edit menu. |
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):
- Click Start, highlight Settings, and click Control Panel.
- Click Desktop Themes.
- Select a theme from the Theme drop-down list.
- 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.
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Add your most frequently used programs to the
taskbar. You can create custom toolbar buttons on the new Windows 98 taskbar
simply by dragging a program file, folder, or Web site window onto the taskbar. Windows 98
will automatically create a toolbar button for that application, folder, or Web site.
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Search the Web directly from your Windows 98
taskbar. To search the Web from your taskbar, first open the Address
toolbar:
- Right-click a blank area on the taskbar.
- Highlight Toolbars and click Address. The Address toolbar will appear on
the taskbar.
To search the Web, begin typing a Web address in the text box, and AutoComplete will
suggest URLs based on sites you've visited. Or type Go, Find, or ?
followed by a word or a phrase. |
Create your own toolbar on the taskbar. You
can turn any folder into a toolbar, complete with single-click icons accessible from the
taskbar. To create your own toolbar:
- Right-click any empty space on the taskbar.
- Highlight Toolbars, and click New Toolbar.
- Click the folder you want to become a toolbar, and click OK.
After you've created your toolbar, you can click and drag it to any location on your
desktop-for example, you can anchor it at the top-, right-, or left-hand side of the
screen.
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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.
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Play Help hide-and-seek. The Help
system in Windows 98 has a new look. Click Start and click Help. When you click the
Contents tab, you will see Back and Forward buttons similar to a Web browsing menu. There
are also Hide and Show buttons: If you want to maximize the windows as you view Help
information, click Hide to hide the Contents and Index pane. Click Show to view Contents
and Index again.
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Simply drag and drop to reorganize your Start
menu. In Windows 98, it is much easier to move programs, shortcuts, and
Favorites around. Simply click Start and then highlight Programs, Favorites,
or Documents. Click and drag the item you want to move to its new location. You can
even move items up from submenu locations to higher levels for faster access |
Discover new hard-disk space with Disk Cleanup.
Temporary files, Internet file caches, empty folders, and defunct shortcuts can
quickly add up to a large amount of hard-disk space that's useless and wasted. But it can
be scary to start deleting files willy-nilly. So, Windows 98 has made it easy for you. The
Disk Cleanup system tool will help you locate and delete all unnecessary files. To use the
Disk Cleanup tool, click Start, highlight Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools,
and click Disk Cleanup.
NOTE: You can use Maintenance Wizard to schedule this function to happen automatically
on a regular schedule when you are not using your computer. |
Discover how tracking down system problems can be
"Elementary, my dear Watson!" Dr. Watson is a system tool that
will give you a comprehensive picture of your software environment so that, when a problem
occurs, you can use this information in conjunction with Technical Support to identify the
source of the error. To generate a system snapshot with Dr. Watson:
- Click Start, highlight Programs, then Accessories, then System
Tools, and click System Information.
- Click Tools and click Dr. Watson.
- Type a brief description of the steps you took that produced the error.
- From the File menu, click Save As, type a name for the error log, and
click Save.
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Q: What's
new on the Start menu? A: There are
several new items on the Start menu, for example:
- FavoritesOpen your favorite Web sites from the Start menu.
- SettingsTwo 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.
- FindThere 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.
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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:
- Click Start, highlight Find, and click People.
- In the Look in list, select the directory service that you want to use to find
someone.
- 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.
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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:
- Insert your Windows 98 CD in the CD-ROM drive.
- Click Start, highlight Programs, then Accessories, then System
Tools, and click Welcome to Windows.
- Click What's New.
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Q: How do I
clear the contents of my Documents menu in Windows 98? A: To clear the contents of your Documents menu:
- Click Start, highlight Settings, and click Taskbar & Start Menu.
- Click the Start Menu Programs tab.
- In Documents, click Clear.
Bonus Tip: To open the Taskbar Properties dialog box, right-click a blank area
on the taskbar and click Properties.
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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. |
Suggest a Tip |