Index

Back Up Your Bookmarks
Save your IE Favorites or Netscape Navigator Bookmarks to a floppy
disk for safekeeping. In IE 4.0, select Favorites/Organize Favorites,
then press Ctrl+A to select all of them. Right-click on any selected
file, select Send To from the Context menu that appears and choose your
A: drive. In Navigator, just copy the BOOKMARK.HTM file from your
C:\PROGRAM FILES\ NETSCAPE\USERS\<username> folder. Or press Ctrl+B in
Navigator to open your Bookmarks dialog box, then select File/Save As
and save the HTM file to your A: drive.

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Remove the URLs that IE 4.0 remembers
for its AutoComplete feature.
You can remove the URLs that IE 4.0 remembers for its AutoComplete feature.
Launch RegEdit and go to
HKEY_USERS\Default\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\TypedURLs.
Delete any unwanted URLs.
To clear out Netscape's AutoComplete URLs, select the Communicator\History
menu item and delete any unwanted URLs from the resulting list.

Desktop icons lined up on the right side of the Desktop?
Ever wish your Desktop icons lined up on the right side of the Desktop?
Right-click on the Desktop, select Arrange Icons and make sure Auto Arrange
is turned off. Highlight all the icons you want to move and drag and drop
them to the new location. Right-click on the Desktop and select Line Up
Icons.

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The System Monitor tracks the performance
The System Monitor tracks the performance of your system's components in a
series of useful charts. Information includes microprocessor and memory
usage, and the size of the disk cache and swap file. Use the System Monitor
to spot performance-inhibiting problems. If you don't have it installed,
go to the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs applet, and select the
Windows Setup tab. Highlight Accessories and click on the Details button.
Check off the System Monitor and click on OK twice. The System Monitor will
now be installed in your Start Menu under Programs/Accessories/System
Tools.

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If you want to control your mouse with the cursor keys
If you want to control your mouse with the cursor keys, including
single-pixel movements, just open the Accessibility Options applet in
Control Panel, and turn on MouseKeys via the Mouse tab. This lets you
operate the mouse cursor with the keys on your numeric keypad and still use
the inverted-T cursor keys to move the text cursor.

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Set a dual-pane view as your default Explorer view
You can set a dual-pane view as your default Explorer view by opening any
folder and choosing View/Options (or View/Folder Options under IE 4.0 or
Windows 98). Under the File Types tab, select the Folder item from the
Registered File Types list and click on the Edit button. Highlight Explore
in the Actions window, click on the Set Default button and hit OK twice. If
you ever want to reverse the setting, follow the same steps, but highlight
Open instead of Explore.

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Forgot your Win95 password
If you forget your Win95 password, just hit Escape at the password box, run
Find (Start->Find->Files or Folders) and search for *.PWL in c:\windows\
directory to find your PWL files. Delete the one with your name in front of
it. Restart your system and enter a new password when prompted (Win95 will
ask you to verify it).

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Slow-loading Java applets are interrupting your Web browsing
If slow-loading Java applets are interrupting your Web browsing, turn off
Java support in your browser. In Communicator, go to Edit/Preferences and
select the Advanced dialog. Uncheck the Enable Java option. In IE 4.0,
select View/Internet Options, open the Security tab, click on the Custom
radio button and then on the Settings button. Select the Disable Java option
in the next dialog box.

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Get fast access to your Desktop
Use the Run command line to get fast access to your Desktop. Select
Start/Run, type a period in the command line and hit Enter. Your
WINDOWS\DESKTOP folder will open instantly.

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So you hate those clouds
So you hate those clouds hovering on your screen as you launch Windows 95?
Just add the line:  logo=0
to the [options] section of the hidden system file MSDOS.SYS in your boot
drive's root directory, and Windows 95 won't display its cloud logo at boot time.

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Prepare for possible PC catastrophes
Prepare for possible PC catastrophes by regularly copying the following files to a second hard drive,
removable hard disk or diskette-especially if you frequently install and uninstall applications.
From your root directory (you may find only some of these), back up
AUTOEXEC.BAT, AUTOEXEC.DOS, CONFIG.SYS, CONFIG.DOS and MSDOS.SYS.
From your Windows folder, back up CONTROL.INI, SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI,
as well as the SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT Registry files (SYSTEM.DAT probably won't fit on a floppy disk).

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Shortcuts to applications
If you keep shortcuts to applications in the area at the top of the Start
menu, you can start them even more quickly. Rename each shortcut with a
unique letter or number, then launch one using the key combination
Control+Esc (which expands the Start menu) followed by its assigned letter
or number.

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Determine how fast your keyboard is
You can determine how fast your keyboard repeats characters and moves the
cursor. Launch the Keyboard applet in Control Panel, then experiment with
the speed settings on the Speed tab.

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The quickest way to put a file or folder on a diskette
The quickest way to put a file or folder on a diskette is to right-click on it,
select Send To from the context menu and choose "3 1/2 Floppy (A)."

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Easy way to win back some hard disk real estate
An easy way to win back some hard disk real estate in Win95: If your
system has a C:\PROGRAM FILES\ONLINE SERVICES folder, delete it. It could
be taking up as much as 14MB of space, and the included versions of America
Online and CompuServe aren't even current. You can also delete the Online
Services program group and Desktop icon. If you want to install one of the
services later, download the latest versions from their Web sites:

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If you often copy or move files to particular
directories or networked drives,
If you often copy or move files to particular directories or networked
drives, add a shortcut to each destination in your C:\Windows\SendTo
folder. This way, when you right-click on a file in Explorer, those items
will appear on the Send To submenu.

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More room to see Web pages.
Every bit of space you can subtract from the IE 4.0 toolbar gives you more
room to see Web pages. First, go to View/Toolbars and deselect any toolbars
you don't need; then deselect the Text Labels option (you'll see the toolbar
icons, but not their descriptions). To shrink the toolbar even more, shrink the icons.
Go to View/Internet Options and open the Advanced tab. Select the Small Icons option
By combining two toolbars on one line, you can increase your
viewing area even more. First, go back to the Advanced tab under
View/Internet Options and deselect the Show Font Button item. Next, grab
the Address toolbar and drag it up to the same level as the Button toolbar.
Position it next to the Print button (or Edit button if installed). You can
carve out even more room by dragging the Links toolbar to the same level
as the other toolbars.

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If you're really tight on disk space under Windows
If you're really tight on disk space under Windows, display the folder
C:/Windows/Temporary Internet Files in Explorer and delete all the files.
You won't be getting rid of anything important-these are the cached files
from your Internet Explorer browsing sessions.

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If you can't hear CD-ROM audio on your system
If you can't hear CD-ROM audio on your system, play a music-only CD and
monitor the output via the front-panel headphone jack. If that works, you
know the drive is okay. Next, run a cable from the headphone jack to the
line input on the sound card, then adjust the mixer's line level and master
level. If that works too, the sound card is also okay and the problem is
probably in the separate audio-only link between the CD-ROM drive and the
sound card. And remember, the only audio you'll hear from the drive's
headphone jack is conventional compact-disc audio. MIDI and WAV files on a
CD-ROM disc will not be heard via the headphone jack.

             Video problems that occur when Windows is
started normally-but not in Safe Mode
Video problems that occur when Windows is started normally-but not in Safe
Mode-are usually related to an outdated display driver, especially if
you've upgraded from Win3.1. Open SYSTEM.INI from your WINDOWS folder.
Under the [boot] heading, find the display.drv= line. If you see anything
other than display.drv=pnpdrvr.drv on this line, the driver is probably
outdated. Try adding the driver from your Win9x CD in Display Properties;
if that doesn't work, check your video card vendor's Web site for a driver update.

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Are you're bored with the opening and closing bitmaps
If you're bored with the opening and closing bitmaps Windows 95 displays,
you can edit them. The files are bitmaps in the Windows folder, named
LOGOS.SYS and LOGOW.SYS. You can edit them with the copy of Microsoft
Paint that comes with Windows 95.

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If you don't want to use a password
If you don't want to use a password, leave that entry blank when you're
prompted for a user name and password, and you won't be asked again. To get
rid of a password you've already entered, select Control Panel/Passwords,
click on the Change Windows Password button, enter your current password in
the Old password box and click on OK.

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Registration number for the installation
Someday you may need to do a complete re-installation of Win95. You'll need
your registration number for the installation. If you don't know it,
right-click on My Computer and select Properties. Write the registration
number (it's the last item under "Registered to:") and keep it with your
Startup Disk.

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To change the default Audio CD player to another program,
instead of the Windows 95 CD
All you need to do is change the association of the Audio CD file
type. (You and I don't think of it as a file type, but Windows does.)
Open any Explorer window, select View, Options (or Folder Options),
and click the File Types tab. In the list of Registered file types,
scroll down and select Audio CD, then click the Edit button. Under
Actions, select Play, then click Edit. In the box under Action Used to
Perform Action, type the path of the program you'd like to use to play
audio CDs, followed by a space and then /play
So for example, the text in this box might read:
C:\WINDOWS\FlexiCD.exe /play
That's all there is to it. Click OK, click Close twice

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Cut,Copy and Paste
An easy way to copy information from one application window to another is to use the Ctrl+C,
Ctrl+V keyboard shortcuts. Select the text you want to copy, then press Ctrl+C (for Copy)
to copy the information to the Windows 95 Clipboard.
(Tip: Use Ctrl+X if you want to cut, not copy, the information.)
Switch over to the destination window, place the cursor where you'd like to insert the text,
and press Ctrl+V (for Paste). It's in there!
These keyboard combos are universal to all Windows applications.

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How do I rename my Recycle Bin?
As always, back up your Registry files--User.dat and
System.dat--before following these steps.
First, open the Registry Editor: select Start, Run, type
regedit and click OK. Next, pull down the Edit menu, select Find, type Recycle
Bin on the 'Find what' line, and click the Find Next button. When it
finds the first instance of "Recycle Bin," the finder will stop with
an item highlighted in the right pane. Right-mouse click this item,
select Modify, and in the Edit String dialog box, highlight the words
"Recycle Bin" (sometimes they'll appear within a long line of words),
and replace them with your name of choice. Click OK, press F3, and
repeat these steps to replace each occurrence of "Recycle Bin."
About 8 or 9 changes later, a dialog box will appear to indicate that
the search is complete. Close the Registry Editor, click the desktop
once, press F5 (for refresh), and you'll see a trash bin of a
different name.

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Keyboard Shortcuts
Open an Explorer window: WinKey+E
Open the Run dialog: WinKey+R
Open the System Properties: WinKey+Pause
Find: All Files: WinKey+F
Find: Computer: WinKey+Ctrl+F
Minimize all open windows: WinKey+M
Undo minimize all open windows: WinKey+Shift+M
Cycle through taskbar program buttons: WinKey+Tab
Open Windows Help: WinKey+F1

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Deleting the MSN icon from my desktop
One way to delete this icon is to edit the Registry.
(As always, back up your Registry files--User.dat and System.dat,
both hidden files in the Windows folder--first.) Open the Registry Editor--select Start, Run, type regedit
and click OK--then navigate your way to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace.
Click on each of the keys under NameSpace until "The Microsoft Network" appears under Data in the right pane.
Once you've located the correct key, right-mouse-click it (in the left pane), select Delete, and click Yes to confirm.
Close the Registry Editor, refresh your desktop (click it once, then press F5), and watch as the MSN icon disappears!

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Ask Windows to display file extensions.
Select View, Options, select the View tab, and deselect Hide MS-DOS File Extensions.
Click OK and from now on, you'll see every file's complete name
(including the dot and three-letter extension) right there on-screen.
(Note: If you've installed IE 4.0, select View, Folder Options, select the View tab,
and under Advanced Settings, deselect Hide File Extensions.)

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Convert any folder into a toolbar
If you've installed Internet Explorer 4.0 (or Windows 98),
you can convert any folder into a toolbar that runs the length of one of your screen edges.
Each folder item appears as a toolbar item, right there for the clicking.
Click and drag the folder (or folder shortcut) you'd like to make into a toolbar over to the screen edge of your choice
(such as the right edge). Let go, wait a few seconds, and a toolbar appears, complete with each folder item.
(Note: Hidden files will not appear on the toolbar, even if you have the 'Show all files' option selected.)

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Peek inside your files
Right-mouse click any file, select Quick View, and there's your file, in its most basic form.
(If you don't see Quick View in the context menu, Windows 95 doesn't have a file viewer for that type of file.
Them's the breaks.) Drag and drop another file icon into the open Quick View window to display its contents there.
When you finally find the one you were looking for, click the icon underneath the File command to open the file in its native application.
(Note: If you haven't already, you'll need to install Quick View off the Windows 95 installation CD.
Open the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Programs, and on the Windows Setup tab,
double-click Accessories. Select Quick View, click OK twice, and insert the installation CD when asked.)

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Quick access to any folder on your system
Want quick access to any folder on your system? As long as you know the exact location of the folder
(and you're a fast typist), you can open any folder directly from the Run dialog box.
Select Start, Run, and in the resulting dialog box, type the path of the folder you want to open.
For example, you might type c:\mydata\personal

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Last Updated:  11/12/98 08:59:45 PM -0500