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MODIFYING DEFAULT DESKTOP ICONS
Start Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\ Shell Icons
The default icons are numbered in the right panel from 0-40.
Double click on the number of the particular icon you want to
change. See the chart below.
Enter the name of the icon file you want to use followed
by the number of the icon in that file. Note: The numbering
starts with zero. If you use a single .ICO file, it should be
followed by a 0.
e.g. - filename.dll,4 - This would actually be the 5th
icon since it starts with 0.
Below is a reference for the icons:
0 - Default Icon
1 - Default Document
2 - Application
3 - Closed Folder
4 - Open Folder
5 - 5 1/4 Drive
6 - 3 1/4 Drive
7 - Removable Drive
8 - Hard Drive
9 - Network Folder
10 - Network Offline
11 - CD
12 - RAM Drive
13 - Entire Nertwork
15 - My Computer
16 - Printer
17 - Network Neighborhood
18 - Network Workgroup
19-27 are the Start Menu icons
19 - Programs
20 - Desktop
21 - Settings
22 - Find
23 - Help
24 - Run
25 - Suspend
27 - Shutdown
28 - Share
29 - Shortcut
31 - Recycle Bin (Empty)
32 - Recycle Bin (Full)
33 - Folder, Dial-Up Networking
34 - Desktop
36 - Program Group
40 - Audio Card
In addition, you can change:
My Computer - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\
CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Network Neighborhood - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\
CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
InBox - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\
CLSID\{00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
Recycle Bin - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\
CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
SETTING THE MINIMUM PASSWORD LENGTH
Start Regedit Go toHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network
Add a new Binary Value
Rename it to MinPwdLen
Assign it a value equal to your minimum password length
DISABLING FILE AND PRINT SHARING
Start Regedit Go toHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network
Add a new DWord Value
Rename it to NoPrintSharing or NoFileSharing
Assign it a value of 1
SPECIFYING PROGRAMS TO RUN EVERY TIME WINDOWS95 STARTS
If you want to start programs every time Windows95 runs, but
would like to hide them from users
by not having the listed in the Startup folder or the WIN.INI
file, you can have them load through the registry.
Start Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run or RunOnce
Right click on the right panel
Select New / String Value
Type in any name
For the value, enter the path and executable for the
program you want to run.
STARTING WIN95 WITHOUT RUNNING APPS IN THE STARTUP FOLDER
To start Win95 without loading anything in the startup group,
just hold down the shift key (either one) when Win95 is loading.
Keep holding it down until the desktop is complete with a
pointer.
If any application is still loading, it's because it's in
registry under: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
HAVING DOS PROGRAMS PROMPT FOR INPUT
When you normally create a shortcut for a DOS program, it does
not prompt you for any input and just runs the program
To change that, simply add a ? after the program name in
the CMD field.
For example:
C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\EDIT.COM ?
will start the DOS editor and prompt you for a file name to edit.
UPGRADING WITHOUT A PREVIOUS VERSION OF WINDOWS INSTALLED
Improved Upgrading without a previous version of Windows
installed. If you need to install Windows 95 Upgrade on your
computer and you no longer have Windows 3.1, you can simply
create the following file on your hard disk: WIN386.EXE
and the Upgrade will install.
The easiest way to create this file is to type the following
at the command prompt: ECHO [some random characters] > WIN386.EXE
Another way to Upgrade without a Previous Version of Windows
Installed - If you are a Windows 95 "UPGRADE" user and you must
reinstall Windows 95 for any reason, you don't need to have a
copy of Windows 3.x installed on your computer first.
Just place the first disk into your drive and during the install
of Windows95 it will find the necessary files.
INCREASING PERFORMANCE
If you have 24 Megs or more of RAM, you can increase your
performance.
Right Click on My Computer
Select Properties
Click the Performance tab
Click on File System button
Select Network Server with Full Read-ahead Optimization
If you do not see a performance increase, occasionally the
NameCache and PathCache values are written to the registry
incorrectly for the Network Server.
To fix the problem:
Start Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\FSTemplates\Server
Make sure the following values are being used:
PathCache=40 00 00 00
NameCache=a9 0a 00 00
STARTING A DIAL-UP CONNECTION FROM THE COMMAND LINE
You can dial your ISP from a command line. This can make it
easy to create a batch file that will do things like dial,
start your e-mail and web browser.
The syntax is:
rundll rnaui.dll,RnaDial connectoid
Note: The RnaDial and components of the command line
are case sensitive
NOT SAVING YOUR DIAL-UP PASSWORD
If and when dial-up networking won't remember your passwords
anymore , you can have a corrupted password list file. Either
restore your PWL files from a backup or Do a file find on *.PWL
and rename them to another extension (*.bak) This will force
dial-up to create a new password file.
There are a few other possibilities:
1. You need to install Client for Microsoft Networks as
part of your network setup.
2. You may have an entry in the registry that is causing
problems:
Start Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Network\Real Mode Net\
Either delete the key autologon or change the value from
0 to 01
3. If deleting the PWL file did solve the problem, you can
also download the Password List Update program from Microsoft
to prevent it from happening again.
MODEM SELECTION
When Win95 doesn't recognize your modem Don't use "Standard
14400 bps modem" or "Standard 28800 bps modem" because this
doesn't enable hardware data compression and correction.
(In other words, your modem doesn't work at full speed)
Solution : choose any other modem in the list that's compatible
with you modem and has about the same specifications (speed, V32,
V34, ...). Hayes is very likely to be compatible, as it is used
as a standard.
CHANGING YOUR MODEM'S INITIALIZATION STRING
Start REGEDIT
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\
Services\Class\Modem\XXXX\Init
Where XXXX is the number of your modem.
Change the settings to the new values.
INCREASING THE MODEM TIMEOUT
If your modem it timing out during file transfers or loading
Web Pages, you might try increasing the timeout period.
Start Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/
CurrentControlSet/Services/Class/Modem/XXXX/Settings
Where XXXX is the number of your modem.
Move to the right panel and double click on Inactivity
Timeout. The number of minutes for a timeout should be
entered between the brackets. For example, a US Robotics
Sportster could have S19= to set it to 30 minutes.
DELETING REGISTRY KEYS FROM THE COMMAND LINE
With the OEM Version of Windows95, a new switch, /D, is added
to Regedit. This enables you to delete items from Registry.
The syntax is: REGEDIT /L:system.dat_location /R:user.dat_location
/D Reg_Key where Reg_Key is the key you want to delete.
There are two requirements:
1. That you have to boot to the same OEM version of Windows95
as the REGEDIT.EXE file.
2. You cannot be in Win95 at the time you use this switch.
CHANGING THE LOCATION OF WINDOWS95'S INSTALLATION FILES
If you need to change the drive and or path where Windows95
will look for it's installation files:
Start Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\ CurrentVersion \ Setup \ SourcePath
Change the location from there.
COMPACTING THE REGISTRY
First run Regedit and then export the entire Registry to COMPACT.REG.
Then exit regedit and run it again with the following switch. REGEDIT
/C COMPACT.REG
WINDOWS 95 DISASTER RECOVERY
Preparing for a Windows 95 system crash.
1. Make sure you have a Windows 95 Startup Disk. If you do not have
one, select Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel, select the Startup
Disk tab and click Create disk....
2. Install Colorado Backup for Windows 95 and run a Full System
Backup.
Restoring after a system crash.
1. Correct the system problem.
2. Reinstall Windows 95, select the "Custom" install and unselect
all options.
3. If DriveSpace or other disk compression utility is used on the
system, install it now.
4. Install Colorado Backup for Windows 95
5. Select Start, Programs, Colorado Backup for Windows 95, Colorado
Backup.
6. Select Settings, Options..., Restore.
7. Select Overwrite files and uncheck Prompt before overwriting.
8. Restore the full system backup form tape.
9. Exit Windows 95, and reboot your system
When CBW95 restores the registry, it merges the backup copy with
the current registry. It will not overwrite registry entries that
already exist. You may need change a few settings (e.g., Screen
Background, Wallpaper, etc.) to return the system to it's original
configuration.
Microsoft includes their Emergency Recovery Utility (ERU) on the
Windows 95 CD-ROM. This utility makes a backup of the registry and
other important system files. In some cases, Windows 95 can be
fixed by restoring the registry with this utility. It is also
useful when backing up network systems since CBW95 cannot backup
the registry from network drives. The Emergency Recovery Utility
is in the \OTHER\MISC\ERU directory on the Windows 95 CD-ROM. If
you have the floppy version of Windows 95, the utility can be
downloaded from Microsoft's Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/
windows/download/eruzip.exe).
MODEM SPEED-UP
MaxMTU and MaxMSS
Start REGEDIT Go to Hkey_Local_Machine/System/CurrentControlset/
Services/Class/netTrans/000n (where n is your particular network
adapter binding.)
Right click on the right panel Select New / String Value Type in
MaxMTU Double click on it and enter then the number you want.
The usual change is to 576 (default 1500)
Similarly, you can add MaxMSS and give it a value of 536
(default 1460) (-40 MaxMTU)
DefaultRcvWindows and DefaultTTL
Start REGEDIT Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet
\Services\VxD\MSTCP
Add a new string DefaultRcvWindow and give it a value of 2144
(4x, 6x or 8x MaxMSS)
Add a new string DefaultTTL and give it a value of 64 (default 32)
((
MTUAutoDiscover
MTUBlackHoleDetect
))
NOT SAVING SETTING ON EXIT
Start Regedit Go to HKey_Current_User\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer
Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD Name it
NoSaveSettings Give it a value of 1 Logoff or Reboot the computer
SAVING DESKTOP SETTINGS
Start Regedit Go to
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
There is a "NoSaveSettings" key. Delete it.
The same key shows up at:
[HKEY_USERS\bwil\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
(where bwil is your password profile)
SETTING IE TO SAVE RATHER THAN OPEN FILES DOWNLOADED
When you try and download a .EXE file with Internet Explorer, you are
prompted to "Always ask before opening this type of file". If you uncheck
this box, the next time a EXE file is about to be downloaded, you will not
be prompted and the file will automatically be opened. You also do not
see the "Always ask..." box again so you can uncheck it. To reset
Internet Explorer back again:
Start Regedit
Go to Hkey_Classes_Root \ exefile
Change the EditFlags value from d8 07 01 00 to d8 07 00 00
USE QUICK VIEW WITH ANY FILE
A handy tool that comes with Windows95 is the Quick View
application. By right-clicking on some files, you'll see
an option called Quick View, that will allow you to view
the contents of a file without opening the application.
The problem is that this doesn't work with just any file.
To get your favorite files to work with the Quick Viewer,
follow these steps:
Solution #1:
Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE).
Open My Computer\ HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.
Look for an key that reads "*" - if it isn't there, add
it (select New, Key from the Edit menu).
Under this key, add a new key named "QuickView."
Set the value of the "(Default)" value to "*" and close
the Registry Editor.
This should work for all files with extensions, except
(for some reason) for PCX files.
Solution #2:
Double-click on the My Computer icon, and choose
Options... from the View menu.
Click on the File Types, and choose a file type or
extension from the list.
Click Edit..., turn on the Enable Quick View option,
and press Ok.
If the file you want to add to Quick View is not
listed, press New Type... to add the extension of the
desired file to the list.
You'll have to do this for every file you want to use
with Quick View.
Note that Quick View may not have a filter for every
file you view, but sometimes viewing the raw data is
better than nothing at all.
Solution #3:
Add a shortcut to QUIKVIEW.EXE (in your
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ folder) to your \WINDOWS\SENDTO folder.
This way, Quick Viewer will be accessible from the Send
To submenu when you right click on any file.
Solution #4:
Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE).
Open \HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ Unknown\ shell\ openas \ command.
Replace the (default) value with QuickView, or any other
desired program.
Solution #5:
Create a shortcut on the Desktop for QUIKVIEW.EXE, allowing
you to drag any files onto it to be viewed.
STOP WINDOWS95 FROM WILDLY ACCESSING YOUR HARD DISK
Many users have complained about Windows95 seizing up for
up to a minute because of random, pointless disk
activity. This is due to the way that Windows95 is set to
handle disk caching and virtual memory. Although
Windows95 instructs you to "let Windows handle disk cache
settings" for best results, this obviously does not yield
the best results. Here's how to eliminate the random disk
activity and improve system performance:
Part One: Virtual Memory
Right click on My Computer, and select Properties.
Click the Performance tab, and then click Virtual Memory
Choose Let me specify my own virtual memory settings.
If you want to choose a different drive for your
swapfile, run Disk Defragmenter first.
Specify the same value for the Minimum size and the
Maximum size, so Windows95 won't spend so much time
resizing the file. A good size is roughly 2 1/2 times the
amount of installed RAM (i.e. create a 40MB swapfile if
you have 16MB of RAM).
Press OK, and then OK again, and confirm that you want
to restart your computer.
Part Two: Defragmenting the Swapfile
Once you've set the swapfile size to be constant (see
Part One), you won't have to worry about a fragmented
(broken up) swapfile again.
However, you'll need to defragment it at least once for
it to remain that way in the future.
If you have Norton Utilities 95 (with Speedisk), you'll
be able to optimize the swapfile.
Otherwise, if you want to take the time, you can
defragment it manually:
If you have more than one partition or hard disk
in your system, defragment all drives first. Then,
move the swapfile (using the configuration
procedure in Part One above) to another drive,
defragment the first one, and then move it back.
Although it's also possible to disable the
swapfile entirely while you defragment the drive
(and then re-enable it so it will be recreated
whole), it isn't advisable because Windows95 may
not start without a Swapfile.
Part Three: Virtual Cache
Open SYSTEM.INI for editing.
Add the following two lines to the [vcache] section
(add the section if it's not there):
MinFileCache=0
MaxFileCache=4096
These values, in kilobytes, regulate the size of the
VCache, so you can stop it from filling up all available
RAM and paging all loaded apps to disk.
CHANGE THE REGISTERED USER INFORMATION
Once you've installed Windows95, you can change the
Registered Owner, Registered Organization, or Product
ID to anything you want. Here's how you do it:
Using the Registry Editor:
Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE).
Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\
CurrentVersion.
To change the values of the RegisteredOrganization,
RegisteredOwner, or ProductId, simply double-click on them.
Note: This will only change the registered user
information for Windows95, not for the applications on
your system.
CREATE TRUE-COLOR ICONS
Windows95 now supports true-color icons (16-bit to 24-bit
color / 65,000 colors to 16 million colors) for users
with true-color displays. Here's how to make your own
true-color icons:
Create a Windows Bitmap (.BMP), 32 pixels by 32 pixels,
any color depth, and save it to a directory on your hard disk.
In the properties window (right-click on the icon) of
any shortcut, choose the Program tab, click Change Icon,
and specify your new .BMP file.
Note: You need Microsoft Plus! installed to use true
color icons in Windows95. Nope, it doesn't make sense to
us, either.
REPLACE THE UGLY STARTUP AND SHUTDOWN SCREENS
The pictures that tell you to "Please wait while Windows
is shutting down" and that "It is now safe to turn off
your computer" seem to get uglier with ever successive
beta version of Windows95. Here's how to replace these
with your own designs:
Make duplicates of the files LOGOS.SYS and LOGOW.SYS in
a temporary folder. These files are located initially in
your Windows folder. LOGOW.SYS is the one that reads
"Please wait while...," and LOGOS.SYS is the one that
reads "It is now safe to...,"
These files are just standard bitmaps, so rename the
extensions of these duplicates to .BMP.
You can use any graphics editor to edit these files,
such as MSPaint, Photoshop, or Paint Shop Pro.
The files are 256-color windows bitmaps (RGB-encoded,
but not RGB color), 320 x 400.
Since the aspect ratio (width / height) of these files
are not standard 4:3, like most computer screens, the
bitmaps will appear vertically elongated.
To make your new design conform to this aspect ratio,
resize the bitmap to 534 x 400 while you're working on
it. Make sure to resize them back to 320 x 400 when
you're done.
Save your changes, and rename the extensions of your
new files back to .SYS.
Last, copy the new files back into your Windows folder.
It might be smart to back up your original files.
While you're at it, you can create a startup screen as
well (using the above method).
Just call the file LOGO.SYS, and place it in the root
directory of your boot drive (usually C:\). Note: If
you're using disk compression, like Stacker or
Doublespace, you'll need to put the file in the original
boot drive (sometimes H:\).
To rempove the startup logo altogether, edit the file
C:\MSDOS.SYS, and add the line LOGO=0 to the Options
section. Note: For more information, see Contents of the
Windows95 MSDOS.SYS File. This setting can also be
changed with TweakUI, one of Microsoft's PowerToys.
(Warning: several users have reported problems with this
utility - use with caution.)
Note: If you delete LOGOW.SYS and LOGOS.SYS altogether,
Windows95 will exit to DOS instead of shutting down
Note: Some users have reported that the machine reboots
instead of shutting down when these logos are replaced.
If this happens to you, make sure the bitmaps are not
corrupted, and using no more than 256 colors.
Note: If you're using DriveSpace or another disk
compression utility, and want to create your own startup
screen (as described above), make sure you put LOGO.SYS
in the root directory of your host drive (which may not
be drive C:\).
SEND TO... TRICKS
The SEND TO feature is accessed by clicking your right mouse button
when you have a file or folder selected in Explorer or "My Computer"
object. It's actually a hidden folder in \WINDOWS directory (folder).
Try adding a ShortCut to the NOTEPAD.EXE (located in \WINDOWS) a. This
will allow you to easily edit text files that are normally not
associated with Notepad (ie CONFIG.SYS, etc). You can also add a
ShortCut to the Recycle Bin to easily delete files/folders!
TURN OFF "ZOOMING" WINDOWS
Although the zooming windows (the animation you see when
opening, maximizing, or minimizing windows) is cute when
you first install Windows95, it can quickly get tiring.
Additionally, on slower video cards, the title bars
flicker when zooming. Here's how to turn the zooming
windows on and off (from reader submission):
Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE).
Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Control panel\ desktop\ WindowMetrics.
Select New from the Edit menu, and choose String Value.
Type MinAnimate and press Enter.
Double click on the new entry to change its value.
Enter a value of 0 for "off" or 1 for "on."
Press OK and then close the Registry Editor.
You'll have to restart Windows for this change to take
effect.
PREVENT HAVING TO REBOOT
Have you ever clicked Shutdown and remembered something else you
wanted to do on the system? Don't want to wait for the PC to power
back up and go through self test? You don't have to - when you get the
screen that says "It is now safe for you to turn off you computer"
just type "win" and hit enter! Want to be in the DOS mode? Type "mode
co80" and there you go. A Windows 95 system shutdown closes the
registry, and drops you back to a DOS session, but displays a graphics
message for you to turn off your computer. Behind the scenes, your PC
is really sitting at the familiar C: prompt!
UPDATE THE REGISTRY WITHOUT REBOOTING
Here's how to update the Registry without rebooting Windows - Press
Ctr-Alt-Del, select Explorer, and click End Task. When Windows asks if
you want to Shut Down, click no, then click End Task at the next
prompt. Soon you should see the Start menu and Task Bar reappear as
Windows starts the Explorer shell again. Also, to turn off the
Auto-Run feature of CDs, go to Settings, Control Panel, System, Device
Manager. Click on the plus sign plus sign of your CD-ROM controller,
then double-click it's icon to bring up the Properties. Under
Settings, turn off the Auto insert notification box and click OK. You
will have to SHIFT+RESTART for this to take effect.
SPEED UP THE WINDOWS REFRESH RATE
Every time I added a new folder, or I deleted something from a window,
I needed to hit F5, Refresh, to see the results. This became quite an
annoyance. Here is a little tip to change it so that the screen
refreshes automatically.
1. Start Regedit.
2. Go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder and open it.
3. Open the System folder, and then the CurrentControlSet folder.
4. Select the Control folder, and then the Update folder.
5. Go to the right window and right-click with your mouse on Update.
6. Select Modify, and change the value from 01 to 00.
7. Click on OK.
The changes will take place next time Windows 95 is started.
ADD ITEMS TO THE NEW MENU
First, in the program that creates the file type you are adding,
create a "blank" document. To do that, enter the program, start a
new file, and save it right away (note that you could save any
normally used preferences here - useful for programs that don't
support templates).
Copy this file to the \windows\ShellNew folder (it's a hidden
folder). Remember the filename!
Now enter the system registry. Under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, find the
extension for that filetype.
Add a new key called ShellNew.
Under this new key, add a new string value called "FileName".
Modify the value of this string (double-click it to bring up a
Modify panel) to be the filename of the blank template file you
created. You need to include the extension, but the path is not
necessary (the /windows/ShellNew folder is the default).
Presto, your New file menu contains an option for your new file
type. Note that there are some applications that do their registry
entries a little different, so you may have to modify the
procedure a little...of course most of those programs are Windows
95 programs, so they should probably appear anyway on the menu (if
they set up a ShellNew entry as they should). Note that depending
on the application, this may not work.
MAKE WINDOWS TRUNCATE LONG FILENAMES BETTER
In Windows 95 a file name can be up to 255 characters. You can now
have file names with spaces and as many periods as you wish.
Unfortunately Microsoft's way of converting long names to the short
version is by adding a tilde and numeric character to the end of a
file name (e.g. "Kobie tips for Windows.doc" will be converted to
Kobie~1.doc). You can get around this problem by changing the registry
in the following way : Using REGEDIT.EXE in the Windows directory open
your registry. Click on the + to the left of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then
system, CurrentControlSet, and Control. Highlight File System. Right
click the right-hand side of the registry window. On the pop-up menu
click New, then Binary Value. Type in NameNumericTail and press enter.
Double-click NameNumericTail then type 0 (zero) as the complete binary
value. Click OK and restart Windows. You have just created a whole
new, undocumented entry in the registry. This will cause the shortname
versions of the files to be as close as possible to that of the long
name. (e.g. Thiscomputer.doc will be Thiscomp.doc and not
Thisco~1.doc). It will only start adding numbers if you have more than
one shortname with the same result.
TURN OFF WINDOW ANIMATION
You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and
maximize windows. This tip makes navigating Windows 95 a lot faster
especially for those that don't have super fast video cards.
1. Open Regedit
2. HKEY_CURRENT_USER
3. Control panel
4. Desktop
5. WindowMetrics
6. Right Mouse Click an empty space in the right pane.
7. Select new/string value.
8. Name the new value MinAnimate.
9. Doubleclick on the new string value (MinAnimate) and click on
"Modify"
10. Enter a value of 0 for Off or 1 for On then hit
11. Close Regedit and all programs then reboot.
ADD SOUNDS TO APPLICATION EVENTS
An overview on how to add sounds to program actions:
1. Open registry editor
2. Go to folder HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps
3. There are two folders, .Default and Explorer
4. Click on Apps with the right mouse button. Choose NEW - KEY.
key name: name of the .EXE file you want sounds for.
For better reading change the key Default from "none" to the name
of the application.
5. Click on the key you created in 4 with the right mouse button.
Choose NEW - KEY.
key name: Open
6. Do the same with
key name: Close
7. Go to control panel \ sound events. There is a new item and two
subitems, Open program and Close program, for the program you just
added to the registry.
8. Add sound files to them.
9. The next time you start/close the EXE file the sound will play.
10. Because there is no limitation in the registry database you can
add all programs and events you like. For every program you can
add all of the standard events:
1. AppGPFault (not very funny)
Close
Maximize
MenuCommand
MenuPopup
Minimize
Open
RestoreDown
RestoreUp
SystemAsterisk
SystemExclamation
SystemHand
SystemQuestion
Other events may be possible; it depends on the events the
application generates. The ribbon buttons in Winword are NOT such
events.
MAKE THE TASKBAR FASTER
A lot of people find the speed at which the menus on the taskbar and
pull-down menus pop out too slow. To change this, you need to edit the
registry:
1. From the Start menu, choose Run. Type in 'regedit' and click OK.
2. Open the HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder.
3. Open the Control Panel folder.
4. Open the Desktop folder.
5. From the Edit menu, choose New->String Value
6. Call the new item MenuShowDelay.
7. Doubleclick on the new item and give it a value from 1 to 10, 1
being fastest.
8. Exit the Registry Editor and restart Windows.
MAKE .BMP FILES BE THEIR OWN ICONS
It's possible to make the icons for bitmap files be thumbnail images
of the bitmap itself. Here's how:
1. Run the Registry Editor (regedit.exe)
2. Open the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT folder
3. Open the Paint.Picture folder
4. Open the DefaultIcon folder
5. Double click on the "default" item
6. Change the value to "%1"
7. Exit the Registry Editor
COMMAND LINE MULTI-TASKING
Sometimes I resort to the command line to do things quickly and "the
old way". Its really handy to be able to multitask on the command
line, and for that I've written this small batch file.
-- listing for bg.bat ---
start /m command /c %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9
--- end listing ----
By putting this batch file on my path, I can run any dos (or windows)
command or program in the background. For example,
bg pkunzip data.zip c:\datadir -d
will unzip my data in the background. It's very handy and I use it
often. Anybody that uses UNIX or OS/2 will be used to this feature.
FIX BROKEN START MENUS
Sometimes people experience the problem of having a Start menu which
is empty and cannot be modified. One possible cause: If the
c:\windows\"Start Menu" directory is modified (particularly if
anything is deleted) from the MSDOS prompt, Windows 95 will decide
that the start menu is invalid. The Start Menu is empty, and if you
try to add anything to it, you get "Unable to add to Start Menu" or a
similar message.
Solution:
1. If there are still subfolders and links in c:\windows\"Start Menu"
that you can access from the Explorer, copy these to another
folder as backup.
2. Restart the computer, and when you see "Starting Windows 95..."
press F8 to get to the startup menu. Choose "Command Prompt Only."
3. At the c:\ prompt, change to the windows directory and "deltree
startm~1". Reboot the computer.
4. When Windows 95 reloads, it will find that rather than being
invalid, the Start Menu simply isn't there. It will then create a
valid (but empty) Start Menu.
5. At this point you can go to Start / Settings / Taskbar / Start
Menu / Advanced and start copying back in the shortcuts you backed
up in step one, or you can run GRPCONV.EXE to get your basic icons
back, and reinstall or create the other links by hand to get your
icons back.
6. You're done. You have a Start Menu again.
CUSTOMIZE MS-DOS MODE
If you want to be able to completely control the settings used when
you choose 'Restart Computer in MS-DOS Mode,' use Explorer to go to
your Windows directory and find a file called 'Exit To DOS.' (It might
or might not show the extension .PIF depending on your settings for
Explorer). Right-click this file, choose properties, and go to the
Program tab. Click the Advanced button, and you can enter custom
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT commands to be executed. Save your
changes, and they will go into effect whenever you reboot into
DOS-mode from the Shut-Down menu.
TIRED OF A GUI INTERFACE?
If you want Windows 95 to boot up like a regular MS-DOS session, do
the following:
1. Edit your msdos.sys file
2. Add the line "BootGUI=0" to the file.
This will bring a regular DOS session up upon reboot.
FOR THE MULTI-BOOT USERS
Tired of hitting "F8" every time you boot to change your settings?
1. If you edit your msdos.sys file
2. In the "Options" section
3. Add the line "BootMenu=1"
This will always present you with a boot menu, removing the need to
hit F8 every time.
TURN OFF THE WINDOWS 95 LOGO WHEN BOOTING
To remove the Windows 95 logo on startup, you can do the following:
1. Open file msdos.sys in Notepad.
2. Find the [Options] section.
3. Add this line in the Options section: Logo=0
Reboot your machine and there should be no logo on startup.
TASKBAR DUTIES
The buttons on the Taskbar shrink to fit the Taskbar, and if they get
too small because you're running multiple applications, just drag the
desktop-side edge of the Taskbar up to expand it! You can also drag
the Taskbar to any edge of the screen. Also, if you want the Taskbar
to be almost invisible when you're working in an application or
navigating the desktop, choose Auto-Hide from the Taskbar's Properties
dialog.
SEND TO... TRICKS
The SEND TO feature is accessed by clicking your right mouse button
when you have a file or folder selected in Explorer or "My Computer"
object. It's actually a hidden folder in \WINDOWS directory (folder).
Try adding a ShortCut to the NOTEPAD.EXE (located in \WINDOWS) a. This
will allow you to easily edit text files that are normally not
associated with Notepad (ie CONFIG.SYS, etc). You can also add a
ShortCut to the Recycle Bin to easily delete files/folders!
ADD SHORTCUTS TO THE START MENU QUICKLY
To quickly add a shortcut to the top layer of the start menu, drag it
from an open folder or from the explorer onto the start button, and it
will be placed at the top of the start menu.
IMMEDIATELY DELETE FILES/FOLDERS
You can immediately delete Files/Folders by holding the Shift key and
hitting the Del key... or by holding the Shift key and dragging the
file/folder to the Recycle Bin.
RENAME RECYCLE BIN
To change the name of the Recycle Bin icon, open Regedit and go to:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
and change the name "Recycle Bin" to whatever tickles your fantasy.
OPEN NEW WINDOW
If you're browsing through folder windows, it's usually nice to have Win95
set to use a single window that changes when you open a new folder.
However, if you want to copy or move files around, you should be able to
quickly open a separate window or a folder.
This can be done by holding "CTRL" as you double-click, but it would be nice
to have this option on the right-click menu, next to "Open" and "Explore".
To add this to the menu, open Regedit and go to:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Default Icon\shell\shellex.
Under "shell", add a new key called "opennew". Modify its (Default) value to
say "Open New &Window". Then, add another key under "opennew". Call this one
"command", and set its (Default) value to "explorer %1". A side effect is
that "Open New Window" now also appears when you right-click on the Start
Button, which is completely pointless because it does that anyway.
MODEM INITIALIZATION STRING
To change the Modem Initialization String: open Regedit and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\currentControlSet\Sevices\Class\Modem\0000\init
and change setting to the new values.
PRINT TO A FILE
To set up a special "printer" to print documents to a text file:
1. Open the Printers folder in Control Panel
2. Double-click on Add Printer
3. Select Local Printer and click on Next
4. Select Generic from the manufacturer list, and Generic/Text Only from
the printer list, then click on Next.
5. Select File from the available ports list, and click Next a couple
times to add the printer.
6. Highlight the new icon, right-click it and select Properties, then the
Paper tab, and change the paper setting to 'continuous, no
page-breaks.'
You can now select this printer from any Windows application, sending the
output in text format to a file. You will be prompted for the filename
when you print.
NETWORK SERVER
A performance tip for standalone Win95 Machines:
Open My Computer/Performance/File System, and set your Machine to "Network
Server". This caches 64 directory paths and 2729 filenames, and takes up 16K
doing it. The "Desktop" setting caches 32 directory paths and 677 filenames,
and takes 8K. The extra 8K of RAM is well worth the file system boost.
VIEW YOUR TCP/IP CONFIGURATION
In order to see your present TCP/IP configuration, Microsoft has
included a program called winipcfg which gives you details of your
setup. Start it using the Run command.
TRACE INTERNET ROUTES
Included with Windows 95 is a program called Trace Route. Open a dos
window and type tracert location name. The location name can be any ip
address or number, for example www.process.com. The program will the
trace the route from your internet provider to that location, and show
you every computer system along the way. Watch as you jump from coast
to coast and over oceans via satelites and high speed connections
instantly. Also very useful for when you can't connect to a site - it
will show you if something is down along the way.
MAKE AN OPEN NEW FOLDER CONTEXT ENTRY
Sometimes I want to open a
new folder so I can copy or move files around.
Open your notepad and copy this exactly into it.
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\opennew]
@="Open New &Window"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\opennew\command]
@="explorer %1"
Now save the document as Open New Folder.reg. You can call it
anything you want, just be sure to put the .reg extension after
it. I usually allow it to save on the desktop to find it quickly.
Now double click on the new icon that has appeared. The registry
hack will update automatically. Now right click on a folder and
you will see a new option called 'Open New Window'
ENHANCE THE START MENU
Create a new folder on your desktop.. Rename it - call it:
Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
Now it should look like a normal Control Panel icon you see in My
Computer (not a shortcut). Now right click on the Start button, click
on open. Move the new folder we just created to the start menu folder.
Close the Start Menu folder. Now when you click on Start, you should
see Control Panel on it. Click on it and it will expand to show all
the items, fast! You can do the same thing with Printers and Dial-Up
Networking - here's the names you need:
Printers.{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
Dial Up Net.{992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48}
CUSTOMIZE MS-DOS MODE
If you want to be able to completely control the settings used when
you choose 'Restart Computer in MS-DOS Mode,' use Explorer to go to
your Windows directory and find a file called 'Exit To DOS.' (It might
or might not show the extension .PIF depending on your settings for
Explorer). Right-click this file, choose properties, and go to the
Program tab. Click the Advanced button, and you can enter custom
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT commands to be executed. Save your
changes, and they will go into effect whenever you reboot into
DOS-mode from the Shut-Down menu.
Adding a program to the Quick Launch bar
When you install IE4, it adds the new Quick Launch bar to the Taskbar, next
to the Start button. On the Quick Launch bar, you'll find icon buttons
that, with a single click, launch IE4 or Outlook Express, minimize open
windows to show your desktop, or open the Microsoft Active Channels Guide.
You can gain single-click access to any of your favorite programs by adding
them to the Quick Launch bar. To do so, just create a shortcut to that
program and place the shortcut in the C:\Windows\Application
Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch folder. Immediately, you'll
see an icon button for your app on the Quick Launch bar.
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