Tips & TidBITS©

 

by Caroline Horton

 

OUCH! -- OUCH!

The first ouch is being on the (B)LEEDING EDGE of technology and the second ouch is from my wallet. I took the plunge on a 166MHz Pentium© processor -- after installation I gave it a trial run. Programs opened slightly faster but once they were running my eye could not detect any difference between the 100 MHz or 166MHz Pentium©. After I had opened 20 Windows programs at the same time I still able to switch between them instantly, and it made no difference if they were maximized or minimized. The real difference was noticeable when using programs like Excel, which performed demanding calculations, there was not even a hint of hesitation in the calculations -- the results appeared instantly. Was it worth the cost -- well? To each his own!

The costs of SIMMs chips have started their plummet. At the last Peter Trapp show 2 - 8 meg, 72 pin SIMMs sold for $218, or $13.63 per meg, just two months ago the same purchase would have cost $475 -- $500. Also CD-ROMs have dropped in cost, with 4x’s selling for $89. My systems source at the show, recommended that I wait on the purchase of an 8x CD-ROM -- the reason prices were dropping so fast that the $170 was too expensive. By the next Peter Trapp show CD-ROMs will be less expensive; 4x - $60, 6x - $95, and 8x - $135.

The prices for SRAM have be reduced by 75% ($20 à $5), this is least expensive way to increase the performance of your computer. Increasing your cache from 0k to 256k will provide up to a 20% increase in performance. So if you do not have cache installed, and your system needs a boost check out your motherboard. If you have the sockets, most computers have 8 available 8x32k=256k (some use 10 sockets 8-data ram, 1-tag ram, and 1-alter ram) consider buying SRAM. Whichever layout your system uses the price will range from $40à $50 (8 or 10 32kx8 SRAM chips) for a 20% performance boost.

My idol CRAY (SUPER) computer has been sold. I was afraid it would go the way of Commodore, but it will still be making specialized systems. Seems that the new multi-processor PC systems using up to 10,000 symmetric CPUs made a dent in their sales. Silicon Graphics, creator of the special effects for Jurassic Park, bought CRAY for $736 million.

Want to visit your favorite presidential candidate? Visit them on the WEB at:
Lamar Alexander -- http://www.nashville.net/~lamar

Pat Buchanan -- http://www.buchanan.org

Bob Dole -- http://www.dole96.com

Steve Forbes -- http://forbes96.com

Richard Lugar -- http://www.iquest.net/lugar

Pat Paulsen -- http://www.amdest.com/pat/pat.html

In the last two newsletters I have commented on ISDN, well Microsoft has posted an ISDN driver for Windows 95. This driver will provide only 64 kilobits per second, and the 128 kilobit version will be available in June. To get the driver connect to: http://www.microsoft.com/windows – once connected select the Get ISDN Now option. You are given the opportunity to select your region and telephone area and then told whether your local phone company has ISDN available in your area. The program then will automatically download the software and send a message to your phone company about connecting you with an ISDN line!

Here are a few Windows 95 tips:

To customize the Start button -- Click and drag any object from the desktop and drop it on the Start button. This will automatically add it to the Start Menu.

To minimize all open windows at the same time and clear the desktop -- Right click on the Taskbar and choose Minimize All Windows from the drop down menu. This will minimize all open windows to the Taskbar simultaneously.

You can use the F3 key to search for a file -- While the desktop is active press the F3 key, (press CTRL+ESC followed by ESC, to verify that the desktop is active). The F3 key will open the Find File window allowing you to search for a file on the computer.

Changing your computer’s display properties -- Right click anywhere on the desktop and choose Properties. The Display Properties dialog box will appear allowing you to adjust the color scheme, font, font size, monitor resolution, monitor type, screen saver, and window size for your computer.

To launch programs with the Run command -- Click on the Start button and choose the Run command. Any application or applet in the computer’s path statement can be launched by entering its name.

Using the Send To command -- Right click on any file you would like to send, choose Send To and select the destination from the drop down menu. You can customize the destination list by adding additional destinations.

Creating shortcuts on the desktop -- Right click on the desktop, choose New from the drop down list, and select Shortcut. After providing the path and giving the Shortcut a name, a new Shortcut icon will be created for the desktop.

You can use Quick View to view a document without opening it -- Right click on any document and choose Quick View from the drop down menu. Quick View allows you to view the item without launching the application associated with it. Quick View is an optional installable component in Windows 95 accessories. If you did not install Quick View during your preliminary installation, use the Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs option to add it now.

Viewing drive contents and changing drive properties -- Right click on any drive and choose Properties. The Properties box will appear allowing you to label the disk, view it’s properties or run system optimization tools such as disk compression, scandisk, or defrag.

Use the CTRL_ALT_DEL key combination to end a task that is no longer responding to the system -- If your system "hangs", press CTRL + ALT + DEL. The Close Program dialog box will popup allowing you to close the unresponsive application without the need to reboot the system.

When using Word for Windows v7.0 (Windows 95 version), you might find an extra extension tacked on your file names; e.g., if you try to save a file as WHATEVER.NAM in the text format you will notice the .TXT extension added automatically and you arrive at à WHATEVER.NAM.TXT as your file name. This will happen if you decide to save your file with any extension other than the extension suggested for that format (.ANS, .ASC, .DOC, .DOT, .HTM, .RTF, .TXT, .WPS, or .WRI). To prevent this enclose your name in quotations -- "WHATEVER.NAM" this will prevent the program from adding the extension to your file name.

Symantic Corp.’s Delrina CommSuite 95 provides solutions for FAX services, access to BBSes, email, Internet connections, and Voice Mail. The package includes WinComm Pro 95, WinFax Pro 7.0, TalkWorks, and CyberJack.

There are many new improvements in CommSuite 95, WinFax Pro alone has over 100 new features. These features include the ability to send and receive faxes in the background and a new improved optical character recognition engine. CommSuite 95 uses Windows 95’s best features, 32-bit access, multitasking, and multithreading to provide an exhaustive line up of data communication features. Next month I will provide an in depth review of Delrina’s CommSuite 95.

Do not to forget to defrag your hard drive frequently, Windows 95 uses your hard drive as VIRTUAL MEMORY. If you are unsure of how to manage your virtual memory settings, it is best to let Windows do it for you. Windows 95 will choose the correct default setting based on the amount of free hard-disk space. In Windows 95 the program allows the swapfile to shrink and grow dynamically based on the actual memory usage required.

If for some reason you do need to specify a different disk or set limits on the minimum or maximum reserved space, click the second option. You can then specify the new disk in the Hard Disk box or enter values (as kilobytes) in the Minimum or Maximum boxes.

If you fell you may be running short of hard drive space, defrag your drive and then specify your size for the swap file. Keep in mind bigger is better and if size is a problem set the Minimum and Maximum to the same size. Once the size is set you do not have to worry about leaving room for your swap file. If you do not choose this option and your hard drive fills up or becomes fragmented, your performance will suffer.

To get to these settings, select Settings on your Start Menu, Control Panel, and then the System’s icon. The System Properties dialog box will open and you can select the Performance tab. This page will allow you to select the Virtual Memory button, which will bring up the Virtual Memory dialog box.

The options are: let Windows manage your virtual memory or specify your own settings. Click the radio button for specifying your settings. Windows will then indicate the amount of free hard drive space and a minimum setting of 0kb and a maximum equal to your free disk space. Remember to set them both to the same value, but leave some free space. This is important because many programs spool to your hard drive, outside of your swap file, and if you have not left any free hard drive space they will lock up! The minimum you should suggest should be above 20MB and if you do a lot of graphics 50-100MB.

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