My Original Windows 98/95 + DOS 7.xx
©Tricks, Secrets, Tweaks, Speed-Ups, Hacks, Fixes...
These Win9x/DOS7 ©tricks are available online at:
http://members.aol.com/axcel216/newtip.htm
MYTIPS95 Contents:
95 -> 98 COMPLETE SPECS -> WINNEWS.TXT
WHICH 9X VERSION/BUILD? -> VERSION.TXT
FAT16 -> FAT32 -> SECRETS.TXT
COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE [UPDATED 7|9|98] [*]
MSDOS.SYS EDITING
2 DOS OR NOT 2 DOS [*]
DUAL BOOT
RESTORE DAMAGED REGISTRY [+]
MS-DOS PROMPT
RETURN TO DOS
SET TEMP [*]
UNATTENDED DEFRAG/SCANDISK
DOS HIGH [*]
LOCALLOADHIGH [*]
WORD VIEWER
CLOSE THAT BATCH!
EXTRACT
LASTDRIVE [*]
CONTROL PANEL
DITCH DRVSPACE
WIN.COM SWITCHES
FIRST LOGO
SWITCHES [*]
SYSTEM.INI TWEAKS [*]
ANYTHING GOES
DATE/TIME FUN
RESTORE AFTER INSTALL
WATCH YOUR PROMPT
LOAD/RUN
AUTOMATIC ZIP
FAST FIND
REINSTALL 95
FAST, FAST, FAST
SOUNDS FROM THE PAST(E)
16-BIT VIDEO FIX [+]
RIGHT-CLICK ANYWHERE
WRONG PATH
:: OR REM?
DOS NOW! [UPDATED 2|25|98] [+]
ORDER, PLEASE!
GIMME BACK MY SYSTEM!
GOOD OL' UNDELETE
SPEEDUP BOOT!
SYSTEM BACKUP
SYSTEM DLLS
OVERRIDE IO.SYS
BOOTUP FLOPPY [+]
ERROR MESSAGES
COMMAND.COM
THE RENAMING GAME
DUN MONITOR - Part 1
DUN MONITOR - Part 2
SWAP FILE - Part 1
SWAP FILE - Part 2
ALTERNATE DNS
FAST EXIT | RESTART!
TIME SAVERS
FLOPPY (OR ANY OTHER DRIVE) ACCESS ANNOYANCE! [UPDATED 3|30|99]
OUTSMART SMARTDRIVE [*]
CLOSE'EM ALL
SHELL ENVIRONMENT SIZE [*]
CD-ROM DRIVERS 4 DOS [UPDATED 3|3|98]
%WINDIR% VARIABLE [UPDATED 2|14|98]
MORE FONT SPEED
TEMP FILES, BE GONE! [+]
SHRINK THE REGISTRY! [UPDATED 3|11|98]
DOUBLE BUFFER [+] [*]
BLANK WIN.COM [UPDATED 7|7|98] [+]
RESTART AFTER INSTALL
SERIAL KILLER! [UPDATED 4|24|98]
CD-ROM NAME
STUBBORN CONTROL PANEL APPLET - Part 1
STUBBORN CONTROL PANEL APPLET - Part 2
ENABLE TELEPHONY APPLET
REPAIR TELEPHON.INI
IOS.INI TWEAKS
CONTROL APPLET ICON
RELEASE MY MODEM!
NEW DRIVE ICON
NEW FOLDER ICON
WHAT, NO MOUSE?
EXCLUSIVE GAME PLAY! [+]
ISPS KNOWN MTU VALUES [UPDATED 10|14|98] [+]
PLAY AUDIO CDS [+]
56K MODEMS @ 56K SPEED! [+]
SERIAL MOUSE SPEED [+]
MEDIA PLAYER [UPDATED 2|23|99]
DUAL-BOOT DLL CONFLICT [+]
SAFE MODE CLEANUP [+]
NAMELESS ICON [+]
REGISTER ACTIVEX CONTROLS [+]
SPEEEDUP YOUR GUI STARTUP! [+]
LOCK UP THE DOS BOX [+]
BYPASS SAVER PASSWORD [+]
9X/2000/NT/MILLENIUM/3.XX MULTIBOOT SWAP FILE [+]
NOTES: 1. Topics marked with an asterisk [*] are memory management tips, and
are also detailed in MEMORY.TXT (included).
2. Topics marked with a plus [+] apply also to Windows 95 B/C OSR 2.x
and/or to Windows 98/98 SE, and are refered to in OSR2TIPS.TXT and
TIPS98.TXT, respectively (both included).
3. ALL ©tricks in this file are my own unless stated otherwise, and
you canNOT find some of them ANYWHERE ELSE!
______________________________________________________________________________
COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE [UPDATED 7|9|98] [*]
This is only a BRIEF explanation of ALL Windows 95/98 MSDOS.SYS entries,
including ALL the UNDOCUMENTED ones. For FULL details go to my "Complete
MSDOS.SYS Reference" page:
http://members.aol.com/axcel216/msdos.htm
To learn about the "official" MSDOS.SYS parameters [the documented ones
anyway :)], see this MSKB article:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q118/5/79.asp
MSDOS.SYS is a plain text/ASCII file located in the root directory of your
boot drive (default is C:\). To learn how to edit MSDOS.SYS, read the
"MSDOS.SYS EDITING" topic below. To learn about the Windows 95/98 Startup
Menu, read the "2 DOS OR NOT 2 DOS" topic further below.
MSDOS.SYS consists of 2 sections and supports all following parameters:
* The [Paths] section:
[Paths][!] Default Nondefault
----------------------------------------------------------
WinDir= C:\WINDOWS ?:\????????.???
WinBootDir= C:\WINDOWS ?:\????????.???
HostWinBootDrv= C ?
UninstallDir[x]= C:\ ?:\
______________________________________________________________________________
LEGEND:
[!] LIMITATION: The MS Windows 95/98 main install directory/folder MUST abide
by the old MS-DOS 8.3 (????????.???) Short File Names (SFNs) rules. Using Long
File Names (LFNs) may generate Operating System (OS) errors, because the Win9x
32-bit GUI loads on top of the old 16-bit MS-DOS (7.xx) layer at bootup time,
which does NOT recognize LFNs!
[x] "UninstallDir=" points to the path you selected during Setup, ONLY IF you
have chosen to backup your old OS at install time.
* The [Options] section:
[Options][0] Default Nondefault
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AutoScan=[1] 1 Automatic ScanDisk after improper shutdown. NO scanning allowed
BootConfig=[9] 1 Allow processing of current boot setup. (?) ?
BootDelay=[2] 2 Initial startup delay in seconds. 0 - 2
BootFailSafe= 0 Invalid parameter! Use BootSafe= instead. N/A
BootGUI= 1 Automatic Windows 98/95 GUI startup. Start Command Prompt
BootKeys= 1 Enable startup keys: F4, F5, F6, F8. Disable startup keys
BootMenu=[3] 0 Hide Startup Menu (press F8 to display). Show Startup Menu
BootMenuDefault=1 Indicated menu option is highlighted.[4] 1 - 8
BootMenuDelay= 30 Delay in seconds (1 - 99) before running 1 - 99
highlighted menu item (only if BootMenu=1).
BootMulti=[3] 1 Startup key F4 enabled (old OS bootup Disable F4
choice enabled).
BootSafe= 1 Force Safe Mode startup. Disable Safe mode
BootWarn= 1 Display Safe Mode startup warning and item. Hide Safe Mode option
BootWin= 1 Enable Windows 98/95 as operating system. Enable previous OS
DblSpace= 1 Load DBLSPACE.BIN (if present). Do NOT load DBLSPACE.BIN
DisableLog=[7] 0 Enable creation of BOOTLOG.TXT file. Disable BOOTLOG.TXT
DoubleBuffer=[8]0 SCSI, older ESDI/ATA drives and large FAT32 Enable double-buffering
drives > 8 GB may need double-buffering.
DrvSpace= 1 Load DRVSPACE.BIN (if present). Do NOT load DRVSPACE.BIN
LoadTop= 1 Load COMMAND.COM or DRVSPACE.BIN at top of Do NOT load at top
conventional memory (640K).
Logo=[5] 1 Display animated Logo while Windows boots. Do NOT display Logo
Network=[6] 1 Networking (TCP/IP) enabled. Disable Network/TCP/IP
SystemReg=[7] 1 Scan Registry modules on startup. Do NOT scan Registry
WinVer=[9] 4.10.2222 Display Windows 98
(4.10.1998) or 98 SE
version.
______________________________________________________________________________
LEGEND:
[0] DEFAULT action is taken if a line does NOT appear under the [Options]
section. NONDEFAULT action is opposite to DEFAULT if NOT stated otherwise.
[1] "AutoScan=" applies ONLY to Windows 95 B/C OSR 2.0 - 2.5 and Windows 98/98
SE. Valid values:
0 = NO scanning allowed.
1 = Prompt user for scanning (scan begins if NO input for 60 seconds).
2 = Allow automatic scanning (NO prompt).
NOTE: Read the "BYPASS AUTOSCAN" topic in OSR2TIPS.TXT (included) for details.
[2] Delay allows time to press a Startup Menu function key or key combo (some
are UNDOCUMENTED): F4, F5, F6, F8, Ctrl, Shift, Ctrl+F5, Ctrl+F8, Shift+F5 or
Shift+F8 (the Ctrl key can be used ONLY with Windows 98/98 SE). Default is 0
if "BootKeys=0". "BootDelay=" is NOT supported in Windows 98/98 SE (defaults
to 0)!
[3] If "BootKeys=0", then "BootMenu=1" and "BootMulti=0" do NOT change default
action.
BEWARE: Do NOT boot into your old/previous OS (MS-DOS 6.xx) if using Windows
95 B/C OSR 2.x or Windows 98/98 SE! You won't be able to get back into
OSR2/Win98 unless you APPLY the "DUAL-BOOT IN OSR2/WIN98" FIX FIRST,
found in OSR2TIPS.TXT (included)!
Read also the "DUAL BOOT" topic in MYTIPS95.TXT (further below)!
[4] Menu option 3 is highlighted if a previous Windows load failed.
[5] "Logo=0" may solve 3rd party memory management conflicts.
[6] "Network=1" MUST be present for "Safe Mode with Network support" to
appear as option 4 on Startup Menu.
[7] "DisableLog=" and "SystemReg=" are UNDOCUMENTED!
[8] Read the "DOUBLE BUFFER" topic in MYTIPS95.TXT (further below) for
details!
[9] "BootConfig=" and "WinVer=" are specific ONLY to Windows 98 and 98 SE!
"BootConfig=" (?) is UNDOCUMENTED!
MSDOS.SYS EDITING
To edit MSDOS.SYS, a Win98/95 system file located in the root directory of
your boot drive/partition (default is C:\) in DOS mode, I created a batch
file called SYS95.BAT (included in this archive).
NOTE: If using DrvSpace (Microsoft "disk-doubler" utility) to compress your
hard drives/partitions, there is another MSDOS.SYS file located in the
root folder of your compressed volume (default is H:\). BOTH these
files need to be IDENTICAL to have your Windows 9x computer boot
properly with DrvSpace installed!
Run SYS95 from any DOS prompt.
I assumed that your bootup drive is drive C, and that you have the directory
C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND mentioned in your path in AUTOEXEC.BAT. EDIT.COM should
also be in a directory (folder) in your path (installed in \WINDOWS\COMMAND
by default). Change the drive letter/Windows folder name if different on your
system.
Some prefer to dual-boot: keep the ol' MS-DOS version 6.xx (and Windows/WfWG
3.1x) and have Win98/95 installed in a separate directory. That's when you
have the choice at bootup time, to boot with your new Win98/95 configuration,
or with your old version of MS-DOS, and eventualy use Windows/WfWG 3.1x, if
you kept it, like I did.
If you dual-boot (read the "DUAL BOOT" topic further below for dual-boot
details) and choose to boot with your ol' MS-DOS version 6.xx, MSDOS.SYS is
renamed to MSDOS.W40. SYS95.BAT contains the necessary variables to edit
MSDOS.W40 as well.
NOTES: - To PROPERLY dual-boot between MS-DOS 6.xx and Windows 95 B/C OSR2
or Windows 98, YOU MUST APPLY the workaround detailed in the
"DUAL-BOOT IN OSR2/WIN98" topic in OSR2TIPS.TXT (included).
- Read the "COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE" topic above to learn all
about MSDOS.SYS parameters.
- To edit ALL MSDOS.SYS parameters (including the UNDOCUMENTED ones)
from a single, easy to use interface, get MSDOS.SYS Editor [1.3 MB,
freeware]:
http://www.dx21.com/Dx21SW.htm
In DOS 6.xx mode, make sure the \DOS directory is mentioned in your path (on
the PATH line, in your Autoexec.bat), and that EDIT.COM resides in your \DOS
directory.
2 DOS OR NOT 2 DOS [*]
You might need, at some point, to exit Win98/95 to the plain ol' DOS (version
7.xx), to play a stubborn DOS game or to start a weird DOS application, that
won't run from inside Win98/95 at a DOS prompt (with the vmm32 module loaded
in memory). That's because Win98/95 takes over your system's memory resources
(even if it releases some for DOS programs, but not enough for some of them,
and sometimes causes serious conflicts, especially video memory allocation
conflicts, even locking up your system).
Example: a DOS game like "Magic Carpet" by Bullfrog, CANNOT BE PLAYED FROM
INSIDE WIN98/95, AT A DOS PROMPT (try to use solution C described below, if B
doesn't work).
Falcon 3.0 flight simulation on CD-ROM, on the other hand, requires at least
608 KB of free low DOS memory to start (Win98/95's "DOS-in-a-box" mode
provides a maximum of 615 KB of free conventional memory, by using MS
Win98/95's own memory managers, which could be insufficient for some DOS
"memory hungry" programs to operate).
This is Microsoft's official list of DOS games that require native/real/true
MS-DOS mode to play properly under the Windows 9x OS:
- "Games (A-H) Requiring or Performing Better in MS-DOS Mode":
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q132/9/94.asp
- "Games (I-Q) Requiring or Performing Better in MS-DOS Mode":
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q132/9/95.asp
- "Games (R-Z) Requiring or Performing Better in MS-DOS Mode":
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q132/9/96.asp
So you have 3 solutions, to be able to run your favorite DOS programs/games
under the Win98/95 OS:
A. Create custom Autoexec.bat and Config.sys files for each DOS program/game
you want, replace the regular files with these ones (BUT BACK THEM UP FIRST!)
and then reboot your computer with that particular configuration, only to run
an app/game, and then reboot again with your old (original) files (time
consuming), or:
B. Other DOS games, like "STNG: A Final Unity" by Spectrum Holobyte and "Magic
Carpet 2" by Bullfrog, can be played through a custom PIF (Program Information
File), from inside Win98/95, by allocating all conventional memory (600 KB or
more) and at least 8 MB of extended memory to the PIF settings. For this to
work you need to start each DOS program/game (after creating custom PIF files
for them) from its own MS-DOS shortcut (give them suggestive names).
NOTE: If you'd like to have custom environment variables (SET lines), create
a shortcut for WINSET.EXE (located on your Win95 setup CD-ROM, in the
\ADMIN\APPTOOLS\ENVVARS folder), and then enter any PATH= or/and SET
<variable>= lines into Winset's command line (and then restart
Windows).
Good news: Bullfrog released the new "Magic Carpet 2" that can be played from
within Win98/95's DOS box mode. Warning: this game requires at least 8 MB of
free extended RAM to play in plain VGA mode, and 16 MB for high resolution
(SVGA) graphics mode!
Lucas Arts' "The Dig" can also be played in a DOS session from inside Win98/95
(with the appropriate PIF settings, detailed in the game's documentation).
Or:
C. Try to get as much memory as you can, out of the Win98/95 GUI and JUST EXIT
WIN98/95 and start your DOS program/game, without rebooting.
When you're done with your DOS program/playing your favorite game, you can
return anytime to the Win98/95 GUI interface by typing "WIN" and pressing
Enter.
To make sure you CAN exit Win98/95 to the real/true DOS prompt (when you
answered "Yes/OK" to "Restart the computer" from the Start button), you will
HAVE to:
1> Add/modify the line below to read:
SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /E:512 /L:128 /U:128 /P
or something similar as the LAST line in your CONFIG.SYS. That is provided
you have a copy of COMMAND.COM in your boot drive's root folder (C:\ is
default).
Copy COMMAND.COM from \WINDOWS\COMMAND to C:\, if it's not present there.
If the PATH= line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT is pretty long (BTW: in MS-DOS 7.xx
you CAN exceed the 127 character long path limit), change "/E:512" to
"/E:1024" (in the example above), to make sure you can fit the entire PATH
statement into the environment memory pool. You'll need something bigger than
"/E:512" ONLY if you have VERY long PATH=, PROMPT= and/or SET WINPMT= and
some other SET lines in your AUTOEXEC.BAT!
2> Move the files LOGOS.SYS and LOGOW.SYS from your Win98/95 folder to any
other location (i.e. create a special folder called C:\WINDOWS\LOGOS).
3> Add/modify these lines under the [Options] section of your MSDOS.SYS file:
[Options]
BootGUI=0 -> To prevent the automatic start of Win9x GUI after processing
Autoexec.bat;
BootMulti=1 -> Allows bootup with your ol' OS (MS-DOS 6.xx) as a choice (if
you kept it when you installed Win98/95);
BootKeys=1 -> Startup keys enabled: F4-F8;
BootWin=1 -> Enables Win98/95 as OS;
BootMenu=1 -> Shows Boot menu options;
BootMenuDefault=5 -> To boot with the "Command prompt only" option [see the
"Microsoft Windows 95 (98) Startup Menu below];
BootMenuDelay=3 -> Delay in seconds until keypress if no option is chosen.
When you boot with all these MSDOS.SYS options, you will be presented with
the following startup screen (you'll have only 7 choices if you're not
connected to a network, or to a TCP/IP provider):
Microsoft Windows 95 (98) Startup Menu
======================================
1. Normal
2. Logged (\BOOTLOG.TXT)
3. Safe mode
4. Safe mode with network support -> Option 4 appears ONLY on networked
systems (or/and TCP/IP enabled)
5. Step-by-step confirmation
6. Command prompt only
7. Safe mode command prompt only
8. Previous version of MS-DOS
Enter a choice: 5
F5=Safe mode Shift+F5=Command prompt Shift+F8=Step-by-step confirmation[N]
"Normal" (choice 1) allows you to boot into Win98/95 GUI, option 6 "Command
prompt only" boots to MS-DOS prompt without loading the "WIN" module into
memory (Win98/95 doesn't process the Registry), and if you want to boot
with your ol' MS-DOS 6.xx, choose option 8.
BEWARE: Do NOT boot into your old/previous OS (MS-DOS 6.xx) if using Win95
B/C OSR2 or Windows 98! You won't be able to get back into
OSR2/Win98, unless you APPLY the "DUAL-BOOT IN OSR2/WIN98" FIX
FIRST, part of OSR2TIPS.TXT, also included here!
To be able to edit MSDOS.SYS, you need to change its attributes (hidden,
read-only, system). Run these commands at a DOS prompt:
ATTRIB +A -H -R -S C:\MSDOS.SYS
EDIT C:\MSDOS.SYS
ATTRIB -A +H +R +S C:\MSDOS.SYS
or better, use the included batch file called SYS95.BAT, which automates all
above operations.
4> Put all your DOS mode drivers/TSRs that you were running in the ol' DOS
version 6.xx (if still using it), and that will be needed to run your DOS
games (CD-ROM driver, Mouse driver, Sound driver, Smartdrv etc...) back into
your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS (load them in upper memory with
"DEVICEHIGH" in CONFIG.SYS and with "LOADHIGH", "LH" for short, in
AUTOEXEC.BAT).
Start Win98/95 from a batch file (or from your Autoexec.bat), by including
these lines:
WIN
MODE CO80
Now you're ready to reboot your system.
The line "MODE CO80" above, returns the DOS display to the default of 80
columns text video mode.
You can also create startup files with multiple bootup choices (in MS-DOS 6.xx
fashion). For an example of multiple choices bootup, open my Config.sys file
(included) with Notepad in Windows (or with Edit.com in MS-DOS). You will
notice a difference, after booting straight to DOS mode with the new
MSDOS.SYS, when you run "MEM /C /P": the module "WIN" is not in memory
anymore, and you have only one instance of the "COMMAND" module loaded in
upper memory (therefore you have more low RAM available, and with a little
luck you can free up to 625 KB conventional memory)!
NOTE: Do NOT use my startup files as they are, you need to modify them to
match your custom system settings!
5> Exit Win98/95: click "Shut down", select "Restart the computer" and answer
"Yes/OK", for all above changes to take effect.
From now on (after this first reboot), in order to run/play your favorite DOS
programs/games, all you need to do is just "Shut down" Windows 98/95 using
the default choice: "Shut down the computer". Then type "WIN" (no quotes) and
press Enter when you're done in the MS-DOS mode.
I found out that in this configuration, I can start ANY DOS program/game, and
NOT run out of memory (625 KB of free low RAM is theoretically enough to run
ANY DOS program/game), with ALL drivers/devices/TSRs loaded in upper memory
(above the 640 KB limit), using Win98/95's own HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE to
dynamically allocate up to 32 MB of extended memory as expanded only when
necessary (with the "AUTO" switch), and to provide all available Upper
Memory Blocks (UMBs) for loading devices/TSRs in the Upper Memory Area (UMA),
with the "RAM" switch. Example of such MS-DOS 7.xx memory management lines in
CONFIG.SYS:
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE I=B000-B7FF M3 D=256 RAM AUTO ALTBOOT NOTR
The switch "NOTR" is not documented (prevents EMM386 from detecting a Token
Ring Network Adapter, which detection may hang some machines at bootup).
"NOTR" is NOT enabled by default (you need to add it to EMM386.EXE's line
yourself).
WARNING: Avoid the "HIGHSCAN" switch on the EMM386.EXE line! It could be
dangerous to your health (it may lockup your machine at bootup!).
The "RAM" switch does the same job on searching the Upper Memory Area
(UMA) for unused UMBs (Upper Memory Blocks), and providing the system
with all available UMBs, for loading devices high.
NOTE: for more info on HIMEM.SYS/EMM386.EXE parameters, read the text files
CONFIG.TXT and MSDOSDRV.TXT located in your Win98/95 folder, if you
want to "mess" with your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, to
adapt/tweak them to your system's needs.
STRONGLY RECOMMENDED: Read MEMORY.TXT (included) for complete details and
memory management guidelines, to be able to maximize your free DOS memory!
LAST BUT NOT LEAST: ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR FILES BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES !
DUAL BOOT
This is a step by step installation procedure to enable the dual-boot feature
for MS-DOS 6.xx + Windows/WfWG 3.1x and Windows 9x + MS-DOS 7.xx.
A MUST: To PROPERLY dual-boot between MS-DOS 6.xx and Windows 95 B/C OSR2 or
Windows 98, YOU MUST APPLY the workarounds detailed in the "DUAL-BOOT
IN OSR2/WIN98" topic in OSR2TIPS.TXT (included)!
You have the choice of the OS to boot with. Doublespace/Drivespace drives can
also be handled with this method, used to keep running your old programs under
your old DOS6/Win31 OS, while using Windows 9x:
1. Copy (duplicate) your whole Windows/WfWG 3.1x directory and all its
subdirectories to another directory, let's say \WIN3. Copy the \DOS directory
to a new one, let's say \DOS6.
2. Edit all INI files in the new WIN3 directory and change all references
from \WINDOWS to \WIN3 (open them with a plain text editor: Notepad in
Windows, or EDIT.COM in DOS).
Start a Search/Replace pattern for all \WINDOWS instances to be replaced with
\WIN3. Also, while running the new copy of Win31, delete the REG.DAT file
(found in \WIN3), and then open File Manager, go to the \WIN3\SYSTEM
subdirectory of the current running Win31 copy, and double-click on all the
.REG files there, to create a new/updated REG.DAT file. You will also have to
modify all the program groups (in Program Manager) and all items in them, to
point to the new location of Win31 (the new \WIN3 directory).
3. Open your MS-DOS 6.xx version of AUTOEXEC.BAT with a text editor (Notepad
or EDIT.COM), and REM the PATH= line. Copy it, and paste it as the next line,
and then modify the Windows directory to point to \WIN3, and \DOS to read
\DOS6, respectively. If you also load IFSHLP.SYS (the Win31 32-bit disk
access driver) in your CONFIG.SYS, change its path to point to \WIN3. If you
load HIMEM.SYS and/or EMM386.EXE from your Win31 or DOS directory, you need
to modify their paths too, to point to \WIN3, or \DOS6, respectively.
4. Reboot, restart Win31 and run Windows 9x Setup through Win31's Program
Manager's File/Run menu. Win9x's install will rename your old CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT files to CONFIG.DOS and respectively AUTOEXEC.DOS. From Win9x's
dual boot menu, if you choose to boot with the "Previous version of MS-DOS".
Win9x renames them back to CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT, and backs up their
Win9x/DOS7 versions with the .W40 extension (AUTOEXEC.W40 and respectively
CONFIG.W40).
5. After Win9x install is finished, use the Win9x Notepad to edit CONFIG.DOS
and AUTOEXEC.DOS and change all \WINDOWS references in them to \WIN3, and
all \DOS references to \DOS6.
6. The following lines MUST appear in the [Options] section of your Win9x
MSDOS.SYS file. If you use Doublespace/Drivespace disk compression you MUST
change both MSDOS.SYS files, the one on the boot drive's root directory
(C:\) and the one on the compressed drive's root directory (usually H:\),
if using MS Drvspace/Dblspace disk compression:
[Options]
BootGUI=1
Network=0
BootMulti=1
BootMenu=1
BootMenuDefault=7 => To boot in MS-DOS 6.xx (you have only 7 options if
Networking/TCP/IP is turned off in Win9x OS, by the "Network=0" line in
Msdos.sys). Use option 1 (default) to boot into Win9x OS.
BootMenuDelay=30 => Default number of seconds to select an option.
To add these lines, first open "My Computer" and enable "Show All files"
from View -> Options -> View, and also uncheck "Hide MS-DOS file
extensions". Then open the Win9x MSDOS.SYS file in Notepad, and see if it
contains the lines listed above. If it doesn't, you need to edit it and
put them in. Since MSDOS.SYS is a read-only/hidden/system file, you need
to change its attributes first and then use Notepad to insert the new
lines. When you're done, you need to change Msdos.sys' attributes back to
original to write-protect the file, and make it recognizable by Win9x OS.
To change the attributes, right-click on the MSDOS.SYS icon in Explorer.
Select Properties and uncheck all attribute boxes.
Save your file and exit Notepad. Now change the MSDOS.SYS attributes back to:
hidden, read-only, system.
7. Exit Win9x and reboot. Now you should see the dual-boot menu and will be
able to select which OS you want to boot with: the first option:
"Normal", allows you to boot into Win9x, and option 8 (if the line Network=1
is enabled in MSDOS.SYS), "Previous version of MS-DOS", lets you boot with
your old MS-DOS 6.xx + Windows/WfWG 3.1x.
The boot menu looks like this (you have only 7 choices if you're not
connected to a Network or to a TCP/IP provider):
Microsoft Windows 95 Startup Menu
=================================
1. Normal
2. Logged (\BOOTLOG.TXT)
3. Safe mode
4. Safe mode with network support [Option 4 appears ONLY on networked
systems and/or TCP/IP enabled!]
5. Step-by-step confirmation
6. Command prompt only
7. Safe mode command prompt only
8. Previous version of MS-DOS
Enter a choice: 5
F5=Safe mode Shift+F5=Command prompt Shift+F8=Step-by-step confirmation[N]
8. Any Windows programs installed after doing this will ONLY appear in the
system you were running at the Win9x install time!
Example: if you installed MS Word (the old 16-bit version) under Win9x you
have to install it again under DOS6 + Win31 if you want to use it with both.
You can install the applications in the same directory both times, which
overwrites the same files to avoid having 2 sets of the same program on your
drive(s), thus saving disk space. If you have 2 different versions of the
same application, one for Win31 (older, 16-bit) and the other for Win9x (the
32-bit newer version, incompatible with Win31), install them into different
directories: one for Win9x (32-bit), installed from the Win9x GUI, and
another for Win31 (16-bit), installed from the Win31 GUI.
RESTORE DAMAGED REGISTRY
If at some point you end up not being able to get back into Windows 9x after
making changes to your Registry, there is still a chance: reboot your computer
to the native/true/real MS-DOS mode by holding F8 at the begining of the boot
sequence, similar to selecting the "Command prompt only" option from the
"Microsoft Windows 95 (98) Startup Menu":
http://members.aol.com/axcel216/msdos.htm#MEN
NOTE: True MS-DOS mode is required for ALL procedures mentioned below!
Then type:
REGEDIT
and press Enter. You will be presented with this help screen:
"Imports and exports registry files to and from the registry.
REGEDIT [/L:system] [/R:user] filename1
REGEDIT [/L:system] [/R:user] /C filename2
REGEDIT [/L:system] [/R:user] /E filename3 [regpath]
/L:system Specifies the location of the SYSTEM.DAT file.
/R:user Specifies the location of the USER.DAT file.
filename1 Specifies the file(s) to import into the registry.
/C filename2 Specifies the file to create the registry from.
/E filename3 Specifies the file to export the registry to.
regpath Specifies the starting registry key to export from.
(Defaults to exporting the entire registry)."
... Which means YOU ARE SAVED, but ONLY IF YOU HAVE BACKED UP your Registry
files BEFOREHAND!
Microsoft designed the Registry Editor to work also in true DOS mode for the
purpose of backing up/restoring the Registry, when everything else fails.
To make it work, load the Win9x GUI, run Regedit, click Registry, click
"Export Registry File", choose your backup folder (let's say E:\BACKUPS), then
type in a name for the exported file and save it as SYS95.REG (saved by
default with the .REG extension).
Now go ahead and mess with the Registry to your heart content. :)
If Windows doesn't restart or work properly after your newly made changes,
exit or reboot to native MS-DOS, and run:
REGEDIT /E E:\BACKUPS\SYS95.REG
to backup the Registry to SYS95.REG in DOS mode.
To recreate the Registry from SYS95.REG, run:
REGEDIT /C E:\BACKUPS\SYS95.REG
Win95, OSR1 and OSR2 also save a backup copy of the last working Registry as
SYSTEM.DA0 and USER.DA0 in the Windows folder.
Win98 does this automatically upon loading on the first boot of each new day.
Read the "SCANREGW, SCANREG + SCANREG.INI" topic in TIPS98.TXT (included) for
complete details.
If for any reason you can't restart Win9x, boot in MS-DOS mode, run BAK95.BAT
FIRST to back up your Registry files, and ONLY AFTER that use RES95.BAT to
change their names back to the originals.
BAK95.BAT and RES95.BAT are both included here.
If you haven't backed up the Registry prior to a disaster, so there is NO
SAVED FILE to recreate the Registry from, and there is NO VALID BACKUP made by
Win9x, there is still a LAST CHANCE: in your boot drive's root directory
(default is C:\), you can find a Hidden, Read-only file called SYSTEM.1ST,
which contains all the original Registry settings you started Win9x with when
you first installed it. Copy it as SYSTEM.DAT to your Windows folder, using
the batch file below (call it 1STREG.BAT):
------Begin Copy & paste------
@ECHO OFF
C:
CD\
ATTRIB -H -R -S \WINDOWS\SYSTEM.DAT
MOVE \WINDOWS\SYSTEM.DAT E:\BACKUPS
ATTRIB -H C:\SYSTEM.1ST
COPY C:\SYSTEM.1ST C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.DAT
ATTRIB +H +R +S C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.DAT
ATTRIB +H C:\SYSTEM.1ST
------End of Batch file-------
Change the drive letters and/or folder names if different on your computer.
Run 1STREG.BAT ONLY from native MS-DOS mode!
You'll have to restart customizing Windows again from ground up, but at least
NOW it's working again. :)
IMPORTANT:
Download FixReg [51 Kb, freeware] to learn how to PROPERLY recreate the
Registry from an exported .REG file in Windows 9x:
http://www.walbeehm.com/mrcode.html
MS-DOS PROMPT
To go to the ol' MS-DOS command prompt screen from Win98/95 (which is so well
hidden by Microsoft under Windows GUI interface), there are 3 ways:
1. Click Start -> Programs -> MS-DOS prompt icon to start a DOS prompt session
inside Win98/95. Type EXIT and press Enter when done in DOS to return to the
Win98/95 interface.
To remind yourself that you are running a full screen DOS session from within
Windows, add/modify these lines in your AUTOEXEC.BAT to read:
SET PROMPT=MS-DOS Mode!$_$P$G
SET WINPMT=Type EXIT & hit ENTER 2 return 2 Windows!$_$P$G
The SET WINPMT= statement line is what you'll see as prompt during your DOS
session (Windows DOS box), and you won't forget to go back to Windows when
you're done working/playing in DOS.
2. To go to the native/real/true DOS (version 7.xx, called MS-DOS mode, which
is actually the 16-bit OS layer underneath Windows 98/95), click Start, Shut
Down, choose "Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode", and click Yes.
Your PC will perform a warm reboot, if you don't hold down the Shift key (and
if no modifications are made to your MSDOS.SYS file), loading the DOS
real-mode 16-bit drivers specified in DOSSTART.BAT, located in your Windows
folder (Win98/95 renames it to AUTOEXEC.BAT for that MS-DOS session).
3. To boot to DOS with different configurations, if you need to run specific
(weird) DOS programs/games that require large amounts of memory or special
video modes (VGA, SVGA), and won't run (or will lock up) if started from a DOS
session/box, make separate shortcuts on the desktop (or create a new DOS Games
folder to include your MS-DOS prompt icons), and give them specific names
(similar to your DOS programs/games). Then right-click on each one of them and
select Properties to create custom CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files to load
your DOS real mode drivers/TSRs necessary for each application/game. Now you
can reboot with each different PIF file settings.
When you set up a Program Information File (PIF) to run an MS-DOS program in
MS-DOS mode, you can select the "Specify a new MS-DOS configuration" option.
If you select this option, you can create specific CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT
files to be used when you run that MS-DOS based program.
When you run a program this way from Win98/95, the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT
files in your boot drive's root directory are renamed to CONFIG.WOS and
AUTOEXEC.WOS, and the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files specified in the PIF
settings are copied to the root directory. The only difference is that a new
entry "DOS=SINGLE" is added to the top of the new CONFIG.SYS specified by the
PIF to cause Win98/95 to start ONLY in MS-DOS mode. You can go back to
Win98/95's GUI when you're done in MS-DOS by typing EXIT and pressing Enter,
which performs a warm reboot.
When you quit the MS-DOS based program properly, the PIF-specific CONFIG.SYS
and AUTOEXEC.BAT files in the root directory are replaced again by your
original files (the OS renames the .WOS files back to AUTOEXEC.BAT and
CONFIG.SYS respectively).
If your computer locks up, you turn it off, or restart it while it is running
in "single" MS-DOS mode, the PIF-specific CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files
are retained in the root directory, and the computer restarts in MS-DOS mode
again, without letting you return to the Win98/95 GUI. If this happens,
remark the DOS=SINGLE line at the begining of the CONFIG.SYS with a semicolon
(;). Then reboot, and now you can return to Win98/95's GUI.
Did I mention? :) BACKUP YOUR FILES BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES!
RETURN TO DOS
To return to the plain DOS command prompt after you chose to "Shut down
Windows", by clicking the Start button, and then Shut Down, all you need is
edit your AUTOEXEC.BAT file (found in your root folder of your Win98/95 boot
drive), and add these two lines at the end of AUTOEXEC.BAT:
WIN
MODE CO80
You can open AUTOEXEC.BAT with Notepad in Windows, or with EDIT.COM in DOS
mode.
Save the file and reboot, for the changes to take effect.
You can also choose a different alternative: create a DOS batch file to
start Windows 98/95 from, and place a command line, as the last line in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT, to execute the batch. The batch file needs to have the same
two lines listed above (plus the "@ECHO OFF" line, to prevent the display of
each command line screen output):
@ECHO OFF
WIN
MODE CO80
After you're done at the DOS prompt, you can restart Win98/95 by running the
batch.
What really happens: when the Win98/95 shut down sequence is over, all you
see is the Win98/95 shut-down logo (by displaying the LOGOS.SYS file located
in your Windows folder), but you WON'T SEE the actual DOS prompt, 'cause
Microsoft wants to hide it, making you believe that you have a Windows only
graphical OS. [duh...]
By executing the "MODE CO80" command, you actually return to MS-DOS prompt's
default video mode of 25 lines by 80 columns (640x400), so you can freely
type cryptic DOS commands or run your favorite DOS programs/games,
especially the ones that won't work from a Windows 98/95 DOS prompt
window/full screen session/box, even started through customized PIF files.
[double duh...]
It is possible to go back to the DOS prompt, after exiting Windows, because
Win98/95 is only a partially enabled 32-bit graphical OS, layered on top of
the 16-bit ol' MS-DOS plain command line OS! (a buffed up Win31 GUI core
actually) [triple duh...]
NOTE: Refer also to the "DOS NOW!" topic, later in this text file,
especially if the trick detailed here doesn't work properly on your
system!
SET TEMP [*]
Undocumented!
If, for speed reasons, you decide to choose a different "temp" (temporary)
directory for storing Windows temporary files, let's say for example a RAM
disk, or a different (hard) drive/partition, you will need to add these 2
lines at the end of your CONFIG.SYS file (found in C:\ root):
SET TMP=D:\TEMP
SET TEMP=D:\TEMP
considering D:\TEMP the new "temp" directory on your secondary
drive/partition.
To create the new directory D:\TEMP, before rebooting with the new
Config.sys, run this command at any DOS prompt:
MD D:\TEMP
Then delete the Windows default "temp" directory: C:\WINDOWS\TEMP, and if
there are any SET TEMP= or/and SET TMP= lines in your Autoexec.bat you'll
have to remove or REMark them too.
Example of REMarked lines in Autoexec.bat:
REM SET TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
REM SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
Or try this REMark alternative [the double colon (::) notation below
works ONLY in Autoexec.bat, but you can use the semicolon (;) REMark
notation in Config.sys]:
:: SET TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
:: SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
Now reboot your system.
NOTE: If the "temp" variable is not mentioned in your Config.sys,
Win98/95 OS automatically creates the default "temp" directory
upon bootup (the \TEMP subfolder under your Win98/95 folder,
typically C:\WINDOWS\TEMP).
UNATTENDED DEFRAG/SCANDISK
To have Defrag run unattended every time you start Win98/95, create a
shortcut for Defrag with this command line and place it in your Startup
folder:
C:\WINDOWS\DEFRAG.EXE /ALL /F /NOPROMPT
Meaning: defragments ALL your hard (and RAM) drives, performs full and
unconditional defragmentation and exits automatically upon completion,
without prompting you for confirmation.
Same goes for Win98/95's ScanDisk: to run Scandskw unattended, type this
in a shortcut command line box (and optionally place it in your \Startup
folder, to have Scandskw run every time you start Win98/95):
C:\WINDOWS\SCANDSKW.EXE /A /N
to scan ALL your hard (and RAM) drives, performing a standard scan (no
surface scan) and to exit upon completion, without confirmation prompt.
Those of you who purchased the Microsoft Plus! Package for Windows 95 can
achieve all of the above by scheduling System Agent to do periodic
unattended "runs" on all your (hard) drives using the above Scandskw and
Defrag switches.
WARNING: System Agent puts a significant drain on your system's resources
when enabled!
Windows 98/95 Disk Defragmenter switches, displayed when you run:
DEFRAG /?
from the native MS-DOS prompt:
DEFRAG [drive: | /all] [/F | /U | /Q] [/noprompt] [/concise | /detailed]
drive: Drive letter of the disk to be optimized
/ALL Defragment all local, nonremovable drives
/F Defragment files and free space
/U Defragment files only
/Q Defragment free space only
/CONCISE Display the Hide Details view (default)
/DETAILED Display the Show Details view
/NOPROMPT Unattended mode: do not stop to display confirmation messages.
Below are the Win98/95 Disk Scanner parameters, shown when you exit
Win98/95 to the real MS-DOS prompt, and run:
SCANDISK /?
Runs the ScanDisk disk-repair program.
To check and repair a drive, use the following syntax:
SCANDISK [drive: | /ALL] [/CHECKONLY | /AUTOFIX [/NOSAVE]] [/SURFACE]
To check and repair an unmounted DriveSpace compressed volume file, use:
SCANDISK drive:\DRVSPACE.nnn [/CHECKONLY | /AUTOFIX[/NOSAVE]]
To examine a file for fragmentation, use the following syntax:
SCANDISK /FRAGMENT [drive:][path]filename
To undo repairs you made previously, use the following syntax:
SCANDISK /UNDO [drive:]
For [drive:], specify the drive containing your Undo disk.
/ALL Checks and repairs all local drives.
/AUTOFIX Fixes damage without prompting.
/CHECKONLY Checks a drive, but does not repair any damage.
/CUSTOM Configures and runs ScanDisk according to SCANDISK.INI settings.
/NOSAVE With /AUTOFIX, deletes lost clusters rather than saving as files.
/NOSUMMARY With /CHECKONLY or /AUTOFIX, prevents ScanDisk from stopping at
summary screens.
/SURFACE Performs a surface scan after other checks.
/MONO Configures ScanDisk for use with a monochrome display.
To check and repair the current drive, type SCANDISK without parameters.
WARNING: There is A DANGEROUS UNDOCUMENTED SCANDISK SWITCH (MS-DOS mode only),
to be avoided by *ALL MEANS* !!! Here it is:
SCANDISK /O
/O = The letter O (ou), NOT zero (0)!
It DELETES ALL Long File Name (LFNs) references, with NO WAY of
restoring them under Win98/95 !!!
DOS HIGH [*]
With all the devices/drivers/TSRs loaded in the Upper Memory Area (UMA),
using "DEVICEHIGH" in CONFIG.SYS and "LOADHIGH" ("LH" for short) in
AUTOEXEC.BAT, you may be able to get a maximum of 625 KB of conventional
memory at the native/true MS-DOS prompt OUTSIDE Windows 98/95, when you
choose to Shut down the computer from the Start -> Shut Down menu, without
using any special memory management "advanced" features (provided by most
of third party memory managers out there: QEMM, NetRoom, 386MAX). You'll
NEVER need more than 620 KB of conventional RAM for ANY MS-DOS program
anyway! This is possible because Win98/95 can move the FILES, STACKS,
LASTDRIVE and FCBS to the upper memory area (above the first 640 KB area).
The BUFFERS are moved to the High Memory Area (HMA), the first 64 KB of RAM
above the first MegaByte. These new features are implemented in the Win98/95
OS and can be achieved by adding these lines to the beginning of your
CONFIG.SYS file (the numeric values below are only average examples, and you
should change them to suit your system needs):
DOS=HIGH,UMB,NOAUTO
BUFFERSHIGH=10,0
FILESHIGH=60
LASTDRIVEHIGH=H
FCBSHIGH=1,0
STACKSHIGH=0,0
or go with the "conservative" version (let the OS do the work for you):
DOS=HIGH,UMB,AUTO
BUFFERS=10,0
FILES=60
LASTDRIVE=H
FCBS=1,0
STACKS=0,0
The AUTO switch doesn't need to be mentioned being the default.
NOTES: For more info about these new DOS 7 features READ these two text
files found in your Windows folder: CONFIG.TXT and MSDOSDRV.TXT.
Then read MEMORY.TXT (included here) to learn how to MAXimize
your Windows/DOS memory resources.
LOCALLOADHIGH [*]
For maximum DOS memory in a DOS session/box/window under Windows 9x/3.1x,
add/modify this line to read:
LocalLoadHigh=1
under the [386Enh] section of your SYSTEM.INI file, found in your Windows
directory/folder. This will give you an extra 2-12 KB (or more, depending on
your system configuration) of conventional (low) memory (RAM) in DOS sessions.
This setting determines the way Windows uses the Upper Memory Blocks (UMBs) in
a DOS session. Valid values are disabled (0, off, no or false) and enabled (1,
on, yes or true). Any of these values are recognized. Default is disabled,
equivalent to this SYSTEM.INI line:
LocalLoadHigh=0
If this line is absent (default), Windows uses the entire Upper Memory Area
(UMA) available, leaving no extra UMBs for DOS sessions running in protected
mode, each in its own Virtual Machine (VM).
If this entry is enabled, Windows does not use the entire UMA, thus making
UMBs available to each VM (DOS session).
If you load your DOS mode TSRs/drivers/devices high (in upper memory) in your
CONFIG.SYS and/or AUTOEXEC.BAT files (using "DEVICEHIGH" and "LOADHIGH"
respectively, enabled by the HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE memory managers "combo"
in your Config.sys), and have a memory configuration (on bootup, before
launching Windows) of less than 16 KB of free upper RAM (the Upper Memory
Area is the first 384 KB of memory above the 640 KB boundary), make sure to
remove, or better, remark the following line with a semicolon (;), in the
[386enh] section of your SYSTEM.INI file:
; LocalLoadHigh=1
CAUTION: If this line is enabled, you might NOT be able to start Windows
with less than 16 KB of free upper memory on certain system
configurations!
On some systems, you might find necessary to add/modify the following line
under the [386enh] section of your SYSTEM.INI file to read:
EMMExclude=A000-FFFF
to provide better compatibility with 3rd party memory managers (i.e. QEMM,
NetRoom, 386MAX etc) or TSRs (Terminate and Stay Resident programs) loaded
in your startup files (CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT).
Also, you might want to remove all the WIN= switches from the EMM386.EXE
line in your CONFIG.SYS file (located in the root directory of your boot
drive, usually C:\). Example of EMM386.EXE line with two WIN= switches:
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE WIN=EE00-EFFF WIN=E000-ECFF I=B000-B7FF RAM AUTO
Remark the entire EMM386.EXE DEVICE line (put REM or a semicolon in front
of it), and copy it as the next new line, but this time delete the WIN=
switches. Open CONFIG.SYS with Notepad in Windows, or with EDIT.COM in DOS
(the MS-DOS text/ASCII editor), whichever you're comfortable with.
NOTE: You need to restart Windows every time after making ANY changes to
your SYSTEM.INI.
... And don't forget to BACKUP YOUR SYSTEM.INI BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES.
WORD VIEWER
For those of you who would like to view Word files, without having MS Word
or MS Office installed, the Windows 95 install CD-ROM provides a viewer:
pop in your Win95 setup CD-ROM, then, in Explorer, double-click your CD-ROM
drive icon, go to the \OTHER\WORDVIEW folder, and run SETUP. That's it. Now
look in the \Accessories folder: you'll find an icon for Wordview. Now you
can view those .DOC files without garble (Wordpad doesn't provide Word-type
filters for viewing icon/image embedded, OLE enabled files).
CLOSE THAT BATCH!
To have your DOS style batch files close automatically upon completion,
whenever executed from a Win98/95 shortcut icon, or by (double)-clicking
the respective program item/PIF (Program Information File):
1. Right click on the icon/PIF, click Properties, select the Program tab,
and check the "Close on Exit" box. Click the Misc tab, uncheck the "Warn if
still active" box. Click OK/Apply.
2. And then add the line:
EXIT
as the last line in ALL your DOS batch files that run in a Windows 98/95
DOS session (box), to make sure they automatically return control over to
the GUI (Graphical User Interface) upon completion.
EXTRACT
When you run EXTRACT from a DOS prompt, you'll see this help screen (the Win95
version is shown here):
"Microsoft (R) Diamond Extraction Tool - Version (16) 1.00.0530 (04/3/95)
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corp 1994-1995. All rights reserved.
EXTRACT [/Y] [/A] [/D | /E] [/L dir] cabinet [filename ...]
EXTRACT [/Y] source [newname]
EXTRACT [/Y] /C source destination
cabinet - Cabinet file (contains two or more files).
filename - Name of the file to extract from the cabinet.
Wild cards and multiple filenames (separated by
blanks) may be used.
source - Compressed file (a cabinet with only one file).
newname - New filename to give the extracted file.
If not supplied, the original name is used.
/A Process ALL cabinets. Follows cabinet chain
starting in first cabinet mentioned.
/C Copy source file to destination (to copy from DMF disks).
/D Display cabinet directory (use with filename to avoid extract).
/E Extract (use instead of *.* to extract all files).
/L dir Location to place extracted files (default is current directory).
/Y Do not prompt before overwriting an existing file."
This is a MS-DOS utility, located in the \WINDOWS\COMMAND folder (default), to
extract Win9x files from the installation CABinet files located on your Win9x
Setup CD-ROM or floppies.
Example of use: to copy any of the Win95's Setup files to your hard disk, run:
MD C:\EXTRACT
EXTRACT /A D:\WIN95\WIN95_02.CAB *.DRV C:\EXTRACT
to extract all .DRV files from all WIN95_*.CAB files to the newly created
C:\EXTRACT directory. You need to have the Win95 CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive,
or the target Win95 floppy in drive A:
EXTRACT /A A:\WIN95_02.CAB *.DRV C:\EXTRACT
To automate the task of extracting original files (in case they get corrupted
by a system crash or overwritten by a buggy program you installed) from the
Win9x .CAB files, I created a DOS batch file called ECD.BAT (included).
Place ECD.BAT in a directory on your path, specified on the "PATH" line in
your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS (I suggest \WINDOWS\COMMAND). From now on,
whenever you need to extract a particular file, just run:
ECD FILENAME.EXT
Replace FILENAME with the name of the file you're looking for, and EXT with
the file's extension. Example:
ECD VCOMM.VXD
Note that EXTRACT is a DOS based tool and is NOT Long File Name (LFN) aware.
Therefore you need to respect the ol' DOS 8.3 short file name convention when
extracting a file with EXTRACT.EXE.
EXTRACT will search ALL MS Windows 95/98 and MS PLus! for Win95 installation
.CAB files from the Setup CD-ROMs [make sure the appropriate cd-rom is present
in the drive :)], and will extract the specified file(s) to the C:\EXTRACT
folder created by ECD.BAT.
For those who have the floppy version of Win95 Setup, look up the EF.BAT file
(also included), to extract files from the Windows 95 floppy CAB files. Make
sure you have your first Win95 floppy in your 3.5 inch drive A before running
EF.BAT.
You can use DOS wild cards (*.*) with these batch files to extract multiple
files. Example: to extract all *.SYS files from all *.CAB files, type:
ECD *.SYS
and press Enter after each line, if you have the Windows 95 (98) CD-ROM.
You may need to change your CD-ROM drive letter in ECD.BAT, if other than D,
and/or your floppy drive letter in EF.BAT, if other than A.
Edit them with Notepad in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS.
To see a complete list of all CAB files from Win9x's compressed installation
files, run CABLIST.BAT, another DOS batch file included here.
CABLIST.BAT uses EDIT.COM (the default MS-DOS text/ASCII editor) to view all
files from a Cabinet (.CAB) listed in plain .TXT format (CABLIST.TXT), created
by CABLIST.BAT in the C:\EXTRACT directory.
LASTDRIVE [*]
If you don't specify a LASTDRIVE= line in your CONFIG.SYS, Windows 98/95
sets the last drive to Z by default (that's a total of 26 drive letters, what
a waste!), similar to:
LASTDRIVE=Z
If you are not connected to or using a network or a direct cable/peer to peer
link, you lose a few hundred Bytes of low or upper DOS memory, because you
probably have a total of 3 to 9 drives (logical partitions and removable
drives included) in your system (about 7 if you use a disk compression
utility, like Drvspace or Dblspace, bundled with Win98/95 or MS-DOS 6.xx).
Every additional drive letter mentioned on your LASTDRIVE line takes up 96
Bytes of conventional memory in MS-DOS 5.00/6.xx, or upper memory in
Win98/95, but ONLY if using an extended/upper memory manager, i.e.
EMM386.EXE, included by Microsoft with your operating system/environment,
begining with MS-DOS version 4.00.
If you use Drvspace, Dblspace, Stacker, or any other disk compression
utility, change (or add if not present) the LASTDRIVE= line to read:
LASTDRIVE=M
Examples:
If you don't use any disk doubler/compression tool, change it to:
LASTDRIVE=D
if you have 1 hard disk (HD) and 1 CD-ROM drive installed.
If you have 2 HDs and 1 CD-ROM or 1 HD and 2 CD-ROMs, you need:
LASTDRIVE=E
If you have 2 HDs and 2 CD-ROMs or 3 HDs and 1 CD-ROM:
LASTDRIVE=F
You get the idea.
The rule of thumb is to assign an additional drive letter to your system, on
top of the last letter used by your last drive/partition.
Some are using RAM (virtual drives in the system's memory) or removable
(backup) drives. Don't forget to count them in!
Don't bother counting the floppy drive(s) on your machine, they ALWAYS take
the first 2 letters: your first floppy drive is A (usually 3.5", 1.44MB), and
if you have a second (i.e. 5.25" 1.2MB floppy) drive, that would always have
assigned the letter B.
Even if you don't have a secondary floppy drive (B), your first (bootable)
hard drive/partition is always C.
NOTE: ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR STARTUP FILES BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES:
AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS (located in the root directory of your
boot drive, C:\ by default).
From a DOS prompt, run:
MEM /C /P
and write down the amount of your free conventional/upper memory.
Then edit your CONFIG.SYS with Notepad in Windows (or EDIT.COM in DOS), place
LASTDRIVE= as one of the first lines (after the DOS=HIGH,UMB line), save the
changes and reboot.
Go to that DOS prompt one more time, and run:
MEM /C /P
again, to see if you gained any more free upper or/and conventional memory.
CONTROL PANEL
This tip is designed to save you a few seconds when opening a Control Panel
Applet, not having to open the entire Control Panel folder from the Start
Menu, and then double-click your desired icon/item (time consuming, and a
waste of mouse clicks).
Open Explorer, click View, click Options, and then the Files Types tab.
Click New Type..., and type Control Panel in the "Description of type:" box.
Then type CPL in the "Associated extension:" box. Now click the "New..."
button at the bottom, type Open in the "Action:" box, and then type
C:\WINDOWS\CONTROL.EXE in the "Application used to perform action:" box.
Click OK, then OK again, and OK one more time. Now you should be back in the
Explorer's window, where you initially started.
From now on, when you double-click on a .CPL file in Explorer, or in File
Manager (all .CPL files are located in your C:\Windows\System folder), that
particular Control Panel File opens the same as it would from the
real Control Panel, and you can change/save settings (business as usual).
You can also create a shortcut to a particular Control Panel Applet on the
Desktop or in any Start Menu folder, by selecting a .CPL file on your
shortcut's Command line.
UPDATE:
".CPL files are automatically by default associated with:
%WINDIR%\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL %1,%*
One only may need to rename the:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\cplfile\shell\cplopen
Registry key to 'open'."
This update courtesy of Yuri Khan (kukina@nioch.nsc.ru).
DITCH DRVSPACE
If you don't use, or successfully and entirely uninstalled Drvspace, the disk
compression utility that comes with Windows 95 and updated by the MS Plus!
Package for Win95 to version 3.0, also bundled with Win98 (which now
recognizes FAT32 drives/partitions, but DOES NOT compress them!), it's good to
free some disk space (and eventually free some upper/conventional memory) and
remove all Drvspace references from your hard disk(s).
1. Delete the following files:
In Explorer or in File Manager, start a File Search (File Find), begining with
the root folder (default is C:\) of your boot drive for the DRVSPACE files.
Type this in the search box:
DRVSPAC*.*
and click OK. You will get a list of all Drvspace files, with the following
extensions: .BIN, .DLL, .DRV, .VXD, .EXE, .HLP, .INI, SYS etc. Highlight them
all and delete them. Don't worry about making backup copies, you can always
find them on your Win95 Setup cd-rom/floppies and reinstall them through the
Add/Remove Software menu, found in your Control Panel.
Some of these files might not show in the Find window, because you need to
set Explorer (or File Manager) to display ALL HIDDEN/SYSTEM FILES, in order to
make them visible.
If you ARE using Drvspace, DO NOT DELETE ANY DRVSPACE FILES YET! Better,
upgrade your hard disk first, (1 GB hard drives sell now for under $100).
To be able to delete the Drvspace files, UNINSTALL Drvspace first, then
reboot your system, and ONLY AFTER THAT delete all related Drvspace files
SAFELY from ALL your hard drives.
Drvspace only slows down your system (and it's not 100% safe anyway, no
matter what Microsoft says), and of course, it is a cheap, temporary solution
for getting extra disk space. And you'll end up needing a larger hard drive
some day anyway. :)
2. To eventually free the upper or/and conventional memory tied up by the
Drvspace devices/drivers memory modules, you'll need to modify your startup
files, as follows. But before doing this, you may want to see the size of the
loaded SYSTEM module in DOS mode. Just run:
MEM /C /P
from the native MS-DOS mode prompt (outside Windows), and write down the
SYSTEM size in KB on a piece of paper, or print the "MEM /C /P" screen output
to a file, or make a hard copy using your printer.
To print to a file, run (example):
MEM /C > C:\MEM95-1.TXT
Now you're ready for the memory cleanup:
A. Open Config.sys (found in the root folder of your boot drive, default is
C:\) with Notepad in Windows, or with EDIT.COM in DOS, and remark (REM) the
Drvspace line(s). Example of such line:
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DRVSPACE.SYS /MOVE
The same line REM-ed this time:
REM DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DRVSPACE.SYS /MOVE
or REM it like this (with a semicolon):
; DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DRVSPACE.SYS /MOVE
B. Change the attributes of your MSDOS.SYS file (also found in the root
folder of your boot drive), to archive, running this DOS command:
ATTRIB -R -H -S +A \MSDOS.SYS
Now open Msdos.sys in Notepad (or EDIT.COM), and modify the lines below,
under the [Options] section, to read:
DblSpace=0
DrvSpace=0
Save your work when done and change back Msdos.sys attributes by running:
ATTRIB +R +H +S \MSDOS.SYS
When you're done, reboot your system.
Now you may want to check again your SYSTEM module size, using the same MEM
command above, ONLY from the native MS-DOS mode, outside Windows:
MEM /C /P
or again, print this info to a file, by running:
MEM /C > C:\MEM95-2.TXT
Then compare the two text files for the new size of the SYSTEM module with
the old one, and you might see a difference (it might be significantly
smaller now).
UPDATE:
"Off the 7 PCs I am running, 6 are using HDDs compressed with Drvspace, and
the 7th has a 4.3 GB using FAT32. The only compression problems I have
encountered to date have been from from old drives that have "fallen over"
on me and that I have added to my pile of paperweights.
Drvspace3 that comes with MS Plus! and Win98 can increase disk space by as
much as double if used in conjunction with Compression Agent."
This update courtesy of Brian Kemp (bkemp@hn.pl.net).
WIN.COM SWITCHES
When you run WIN /? from a DOS prompt, you get this screen:
"Starts Windows.
WIN [/D:[F][M][S][V][X]]
/D Used for troubleshooting when Windows does not start correctly.
:F Turns off 32-bit disk access.
Equivalent to SYSTEM.INI file setting: 32BitDiskAccess=FALSE.
:M Enables Safe mode.
This is automatically enabled during Safe start (function key F5).
:N Enables Safe mode with networking.
This is automatically enabled during Safe start (function key F6).
:S Specifies that Windows should not use ROM address space between
F000:0000 and 1 MB for a break point.
Equivalent to SYSTEM.INI file setting: SystemROMBreakPoint=FALSE.
:V Specifies that the ROM routine will handle interrupts from the hard
disk controller.
Equivalent to SYSTEM.INI file setting: VirtualHDIRQ=FALSE.
:X Excludes all of the adapter area from the range of memory that
Windows scans to find unused space.
Equivalent to SYSTEM.INI file setting: EMMExclude=A000-FFFF."
These switches are meant to provide you with command line options for
starting Win98/95 in special modes (safe, bootlogged etc), if you are
having problems running, and/or loading Win98/95 on your system.
For example, to start Windows in safe mode, run:
WIN /D:M
which is similar with using boot option 3 (Safe mode) from the Microsoft
Windows 95 (98) Startup Menu:
http://members.aol.com/axcel216/msdos.htm#MEN
Some of these WIN.COM switches can also be loaded by adding/modifying
System.ini lines, under the [386enh] section (see above). System.ini resides
in your Windows folder. Edit System.ini using Notepad in Windows, or EDIT.COM
in DOS, but BACK IT UP FIRST!
NOTE: For more details about MAXimizing your Windows performance by editing
System.ini, read the "SYSTEM.INI TWEAKS" topic in MYTIPS95.TXT
(included).
To be able to load Windows manually, after your PC is done processing your
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, from the DOS prompt, or from your
AUTOEXEC.BAT, you will have to edit MSDOS.SYS (a hidden, read-only, system
file, located in C:\ root by default), and add/modify the following line:
BootGUI=0
under the [Options] section.
To edit MSDOS.SYS in DOS mode, run SYS95.BAT (included) from any DOS prompt.
NOTES: 1. To learn about the WIN.COM undocumented parameters, read the
"WIN.COM HIDDEN PARAMETERS" topic in SECRETS.TXT (included).
2. Also read this "Windows 95/98 Win.com Command-Line Switches" MSKB
article:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q142/5/44.asp
Hope you'll never have to use those troubleshooting WIN.COM switches...
FIRST LOGO
Do you remember the logo that showed up on your screen when you first booted
into your freshly installed Windows 95?
You can have that logo displayed any time as your Win95 bootup logo.
Just extract the file called SULOGO.SYS from the WIN95_10.CAB cabinet file
found in the \WIN95 folder on your Win95 install CD-ROM.
Use the DOS mode batch file ECD.BAT included with this archive (for those who
have the Win95 install cd-rom; floppy owners use EF.BAT). Run the following
command line from any DOS prompt:
ECD SULOGO.SYS
ECD.BAT will create the \EXTRACT folder on your C: drive, and will extract
SULOGO.SYS there. Now you need to move SULOGO.SYS to your boot drive's root
directory (default is C:\), and rename it to LOGO.SYS. You may also want to
backup your original Logo.sys file, in case you've got attached to it... :-),
and wish to use it again some day.
You can also delete the now empty \EXTRACT folder created by ECD.BAT.
Next time you'll boot into Win95 you'll see the new logo displayed as your
startup screen.
NOTE: To have a logo displayed on Win95 startup, you need to add/modify
a line under the [Options] section of your MSDOS.SYS, a hidden,
read-only, system file found in the root directory of your boot drive
(usually C:\) to read:
Logo=1
To edit MSDOS.SYS run SYS95.BAT (a DOS batch file also included here)
from any DOS prompt.
You can also use the LOGO.SYS file included here, as your Windows bootup
logo. Just place it in C:\ root (after backing up yours), and reboot.
HINT: Read NEWLOGO.TXT (also included) to learn more about Win98/95 logos.
SWITCHES [*]
Use this command ONLY in your CONFIG.SYS file, as the FIRST line:
SWITCHES=/E
With the value chosen here:
SWITCHES=/E:288
Windows 98/95 moves only 288 Bytes from the Extended BIOS (EBIOS) area to
conventional memory. Valid values for /E:nnnn are 48-1024.
You may gain up to 1 KB (1,024 Bytes) of free conventional memory by using this
line in your Config.sys.
I have recovered 768 Bytes of low memory using the SWITCHES line in the example
above.
You also need to have the lines below in your Config.sys, for this to work, to
provide Upper Memory Blocks (UMBs) to your system:
DOS=HIGH,UMB
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
You need to adapt the /E: parameter value on your SWICHES line to your own
system configuration, or start by using /E without any parameters.
You can begin with 512:
SWITCHES=/E:512
Reboot, and then go to a DOS prompt. Now run:
MEM /C /P
You'll see that the first module loaded in memory (on your MEM screen) is
SYSTEM. Look at its conventional memory footprint. You may be able to decrease
it by lowering the value on the SWITCHES=/E: line.
Decrease or increase its value in increments of 16. Reboot, and repeat the
operations above (go to a DOS prompt, and then run MEM /C /P again etc).
Compare the new size of the SYSTEM module in low memory. If it is smaller,
decrease (or increase) the SWITCHES value again by another 16, and keep
repeating these steps until you won't get any more free conventional memory.
Keep the value that gives you a maximum free low (conventional) memory (the
smallest SYSTEM module conventional memory footprint).
There is another useful parameter to add to your SWITCHES line:
SWITCHES=/F
The /F parameter skips the 2 second delay before processing the startup files
(CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT) at bootup. /F is valid for all MS-DOS versions
begining with 6.00 and including Windows 98 [MS-DOS 7.10].
Use both parameters on the same line (you can have only one SWITCHES line in
your Config.sys). Example:
SWITCHES=/E:288 /F
NOTE: To learn about all available "SWITCHES" command line parameters, read
CONFIG.TXT (using Notepad), a text file located in your Windows
folder.
Happy tweaking!
SYSTEM.INI TWEAKS [*]
SYSTEM.INI is a Windows 9x/3.xx INItialization text file and resides in your
Windows directory/folder.
First, let's see the Windows .INI files editing rules:
- You can replace "no" with "0", "off" or "false". Similarly, "yes" has the
same effect as "1", "on" or "true" (but don't type the quotes). This applies
ONLY to <boolean> entries (yes/no, 1/0, on/off, true/false), NOT to numeric
(decimal/hex) or string (text) values (i.e. DMABufferSize = 0 - 64 KB), which
have different measuring units, ranges or characters (exemplified below).
- Windows loads its built-in/default values (shown below) for all .INI
settings that are not present.
- All Windows .INI lines are case insensitive.
- You can comment (remark, disable) any Windows .INI entry (instead of
deleting it) by preceeding it with a semicolon (;). Example:
; DMABufferSize=64
- Windows .INI file maximum allowed size is 64 KB, which is an annoying
limitation. Anything above that is not processed. :(
- You need to restart Windows every time after modifying ANY System.ini
settings!
- CAUTION: BACKUP your .INI files BEFORE making ANY changes!
- If you don't know what these lines do, YOU MUST READ your Windows help
files/documents/manuals BEFORE altering ANY configuration files, and BEWARE
that if you enter invalid values you may experience data loss and/or
unexpected machine lockups !!!
The following are helpful lines to add/modify (using Notepad or Sysedit for
editing) under the [386enh] section of your SYSTEM.INI, valid for ALL Windows
9x/3.xx releases if not specified otherwise.
And now that we've cleared it all up, let's have some fun... :)
32BitDiskAccess=ON Turns on 32-bit disk access in Windows 9x/3.1x for
maximum performance. To disable 32-bit access ONLY for
troubleshooting purposes (NOT recommended), replace ON
with OFF. This is equivalent with starting Windows by
running:
WIN /D:F
COMBoostTime=1 To speed up keyboard buffered operations (decrease
character download time) at high speed modem transfers
(above 9600 bps), using communications/internet
applications. Affects the time (in milliseconds) the
Operating System processes a COM port interrupt.
Default value is 2. If you notice any loss of keyboard
characters while using internet/communications apps,
increase it to 4 or higher. Experimenting may be
necessary to determine your optimal setting.
COMxBuffer=1024 To increase the buffer size (in Bytes) for characters
sent/received by your communications device (modem) on
a specific COM port. Replace x with the COM port
number used by your modem. Valid COMx values: 1, 2, 3
and 4. Default Buffer value is 128. High values will
decrease modem transfer speed slightly, but might
prevent loss of characters at high baud rates (above
9600 bps). Experimenting may be necessary to find your
"sweet spot".
NOTE: BEFORE increasing the COMx Buffer value, you
need to add a COMxProtocol= line (see setting below):
COMxProtocol= To specify whether Windows should stop simulating
characters in a Virtual Machine (VM) after the VM
sends an XOFF character, if a communications/internet
application loses characters while performing text
transfers at high baud rates (above 9600 bps), on a
specific COM port. Replace x with the COM port number
used by your modem. Valid COMx values: 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Valid values: XOFF (to stop) or blank (to continue).
Default is any value other than XOFF. Set this line to
blank when performing binary transfers.
DMABufferSize=64 To increase your 16-bit Direct Memory Access (DMA)
channel buffer to maximum size: 64 (in KiloBytes).
Affects ALL I/O (Input/Output) DMA operations: sound
card FM/wavetable, MIDI playback/recording, disk
buffered reads/writes. Default value is 16.
DualDisplay=on Mandatory for compatibility with 3rd party memory
managers (QEMM, NetRoom, 386MAX etc), to allow Windows
to use the B000-B7FF Upper Memory Area (UMA) on VGA,
Super VGA (SVGA) and eXtended VGA (XVGA) monitors,
ONLY if NOT using a secondary display adapter/monitor.
Default value is off.
EMMExclude=A000-FFFF To prevent Windows from searching the Upper Memory
Area (UMA) for unused memory (RAM) upon startup. Safer
if using any 3rd party memory managers (QEMM, NetRoom,
386MAX etc), or any real MS-DOS mode
devices/drivers/TSRs in CONFIG.SYS/AUTOEXEC.BAT. This
is equivalent with starting Windows by running:
WIN /D:X
FileSysChange=off Windows/WfWG 3.1x ONLY: To prevent updating file
changes in DOS sessions/boxes, and thus speed up disk
operations in DOS sessions and File Manager. Default
value is on, which decreases system performance on
slower computers.
HardDiskDMABuffer=32 Windows/WfWG 3.1x ONLY: Memory allocated for the
Direct Memory Access (DMA) buffer for disk-buffered
reads and writes. Default value is 0. If using
SMARTDRV with double-buffering turned on, this setting
is determined automatically.
InitPS2MouseAtExit=off Windows/WfWG 3.1x ONLY: Disables the search for a PS/2
mouse upon Win31 exit, thus saving a few milliseconds.
Default value is on.
IRQ9Global=on Windows/WfWG 3.1x ONLY: Use this line if your system
hangs when reading from floppy drive(s) in Win31.
Default value is off.
KeyBoostTime=0.1 To increase keyboard response (in seconds) to
keystrokes with several background Windows programs
running. Default value is 0.001 (1 millisecond =
1/1000 of a second).
LocalLoadHigh=1 To allow maximum conventional (low) DOS memory (RAM)
in a DOS session/box. Default value is 0. Read the
"LOCALLOADHIGH" topic in MYTIPS95.TXT (included) for
more details.
MaxBPs=1024 Maximum size in Bytes for break points used by Windows
Virtual Memory Manager (VMM). Windows allocates memory
space for break points in 4096 Bytes (4 KB) blocks.
Default Win31 value is 200, which is actually rounded
up to 370, to fit into the first 4K block. If you
increase this number to 400, Windows opens a second 4K
block, and if raised to 800, a 3rd block is allocated
etc.
Windows 95 B/C OSR2 and 98/98 SE recommended values:
16384 or 32768.
NOTE: Windows 95 retail and OSR1 deletes the MaxBPs
line upon loading. [Thank you Gary Moore
(sailaway@hcnews.com)!]
MinSPs=4 Windows 9x ONLY: To increase the spare stack pages, to
prevent possible stack fault situations. Read the
"MINSPS" topic in TIPS95.TXT (included) for more
details.
MinTimeSlice=40 To increase the minimum time (in milliseconds) a
Virtual Machine (VM) is allowed to run before other
VMs can take over. Default value is 20. Smaller values
(i.e. 10) make multitasking smoother, but decrease
overall system performance.
PageBuffers=32 To increase the 4K page buffers number for storing
asynchronous read/write pages, and thus Windows
performance. Works ONLY if using 32-bit disk access
AND a permanent swap file. Default value is 4. Maximum
allowed is 32.
SyncTime=on Windows/WfWG 3.1x ONLY: You MUST enable this line if
TrapTimerPorts=off (see topic below), to synchronize
Win31's time with the BIOS clock periodically. Default
value is off.
TrapTimerPorts=off Windows/WfWG 3.1x ONLY: Helps time sensitive Win31
programs/games that rely on the computer timer to run
more accurate. Default value is on.
VGAMonoText=off Windows/WfWG 3.1x ONLY: To allow Win31 to use the
B000-B7FF Upper Memory Area (UMA) if not used by other
hardware devices or graphics (VGA/SVGA) applications.
Default value is on.
WindowUpdateTime=200 To decrease the time (in milliseconds) between display
updates for slower non-Windows (DOS based) programs
running in a DOS session/box. Default value is 50.
Some of these parameters can be loaded at Windows 9x/3.1x startup, as command
line parameters. To see which ones suit your needs, run:
WIN /?
from any DOS prompt. See also the "WIN.COM SWITCHES" topic in MYTIPS95.TXT
(included) for more details.
NOTES: 1. Read the Resource Kit files included on your Windows 98/95 Setup
cd-roms for more details on how to improve system performance by
adding/altering SYSTEM.INI settings.
2. READ these Microsoft Knowledge Base articles to learn how to tweak
your SYSTEM.INI [386enh] section settings (most are valid for ALL
Windows 9x/3.xx releases):
- "Windows 3.1 Resource Kit SYSTEM.INI [386ENH] Section A-L":
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q83/4/35.asp
- "Windows 3.1 Resource Kit SYSTEM.INI [386ENH] Section M-Z":
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q83/4/36.asp
3. Download the entire Microsoft Windows 3.10 Resource Kit [1.7 MB,
free] for tons of techno details:
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/softlib/mslfiles/RESKIT.EXE
A MUST for all Windows/WfWG 3.xx afficionados.
ANYTHING GOES
In Windows 98/95 you can choose any icon file (.ICO format) as your mouse
pointer(s).
Open Control Panel, double-click Mouse, and browse through your .ICO files
folders (choose "All files" from the browser menu), pick your favorite icon
file and make it your default mouse pointer.
Click OK and you'll see your mouse pointer change to that icon instantly.
You can repeat this operation with any or all your Win98/95 mouse pointers.
If you are using Paint Shop Pro, Lview Pro, another image editor, or/and an
icon editor (like MicroAngelo, IconEditor Pro), you can create, edit,
convert a .BMP file to the .ICO format (or the other way around). You can
even decrease the size of a full screen bitmap (.BMP you created or scanned,
let's say in Paint Shop Pro) to 64x64 pixels (default Win98/95 large icon
format), in 256 colors, convert it to an icon (.ICO), and then make it your
main static mouse pointer.
The same principle applies to shortcut/link icons. To change a shortcut's
icon, right-click on a shortcut, click Properties, then click Shortcut, and
then click Change Icon. Browse through your image/icon/cursor files folders
(with "All files" choice highlighted), and click on any .BMP (Windows
bitmap), .CUR (static mouse cursor), .ANI (animated mouse cursor) or .ICO
(icon) file. Click OK.
You can also do all this in Explorer [... don't you love Win98/95 already?!
:-)]. In Explorer's main window click View, Options, File Types, highlight
the desired file type, and click Edit. Now click Change Icon, and browse
through your folders with the "All files" choice highlighted, until you
find an bitmap/icon/cursor to your liking. Click all the OK buttons till
you clear all the dialog boxes.
TIP: Download my Windows Icons archive (in .ICO format, 32x32 pixels, 16
colors) from:
http://members.aol.com/maxspeeed/MYICONS.ZIP
to use them for your favorite shortcuts/links/folders, or as static
mouse pointers. Enjoy.
NOTE: Compressed icon libraries (in .DLL, .ICL, .EXE file formats) CANNOT
be used as Win98/95 mouse pointers!
DATE/TIME FUN
Did you know that you can change the Windows 98/95 date and time display
format to your liking? The Control Panel -> Regional Settings -> Date/Time
won't let you mess around with those settings too much (you're limited to a
certain number of characters and symbols), so you'll have to hack a little.
It's very easy, as almost anything goes. Let me explain. Just open your
WIN.INI file (found in your Win98/95 folder) with Notepad.
NOTE: Before messing around with this file, MAKE A BACKUP COPY JUST TO BE
ON THE SAFE SIDE!... And, if you would like to be entirely on the
safe side, would you read (and eventually do) any of this?! :-)
Back to the business at hand: in WIN.INI, scroll down to the [intl] section
(stands for "International"). It looks something like this:
[intl]
iCountry=1
ICurrDigits=2
iCurrency=0
iDate=0
iDigits=2
iLZero=1
iMeasure=1
iNegCurr=0
iTime=1
iTLZero=0
s1159=AM
s2359=PM
sCountry=United States
sCurrency=$
sDate=/
sDecimal=.
sLanguage=enu
sList=,
sLongDate=dddd, MMMM dd, yyyy
sShortDate=MM/dd/yy
sThousand=,
sTime=:
And now for the fun changes. As you can see, the "iTime=" line has a value of
1 on my machine. Win98/95 assigns it a value of 0 by default.
It actually changes the looks of the time display in Explorer, File Manager,
Status Bar, and in whatever application/utility shows the date and the time.
When it is 0, the time looks like this: 12:00:00AM (don't you hate somebody
telling you it's 12, midnight?) I do, so with the value of 1, the date looks
like this: 00:00:00AM (we're doing better already..., just read on).
The line "iDate=" has 1 as default value. That means the date looks like this:
1/1/96. I don't like this look, so I changed it to 0. Now it looks like this:
01/01/96.
Also, the date and time separators, the "sDate=" and respectively "sTime="
lines, can be changed to use most any punctuation and/or symbol crosses your
mind. I personally tried these: / (default separator for the date), -, =, +,
\, |, : (default separator for the time), ;, ~, `, ', ", @, #, $, %, ^, &, *,
(, ), [, ], {, }, _, and even the . (period), and the , (comma). You decide
which ones you like best for your own date/"time machine".
You can also change the way the date shows the order: month/day/year, or a bit
bizarre: year/month/day etc. Just modify the "sShortDate=" line to the way
you see today's date.
Same principle applies to the way the long date shows: the "sLongDate=" line
(capital M on this line means the name of the month is going to begin with a
capital letter).
You can find infinite combinations, to make the date/time look good on your
screen, so ... Make my day... :-)
The only annoying thing is that you'll have to restart Windows after you're
done fiddling with WIN.INI.
Have fun.
UPDATE:
"In all versions of Windows 98/95 I have been able to alter these settings by
highlighting the required white box and retyping the appropriate settings (if
the box is grey you are unable to alter it).
You may have a small drop-down menu to choose from, but you are still able to
alter at your will. Examples of "Time style" entry:
h:mm:sstt 8:21am
HH:mm:ss 08:21
hh:mm:ss tt 08:21 am
You can also alter the "Time separator", "AM symbol" and "PM symbol" in a like
fashion. The same applies to the Date settings.
The one good thing with this is that unlike altering your WIN.INI, a restart
is not needed, just click Apply or OK. Done."
This update courtesy of Brian Kemp (bkemp@hn.pl.net).
RESTORE AFTER INSTALL
CAUTION: By using the batch files described here in native/real/true MS-DOS
mode, you WILL lose ALL Long File Names (LFNs) in Windows 98/95 !!!
I realized the most reliable method of restoring the original files after a
Windows program install/setup routine modified/replaced/deleted/added other
files to the original Windows and/or Windows System files is to create
separate directories/folders and copy there ALL the Windows and respectively
Windows System files, before installing ANY new software program/application.
This means you don't have to buy/try/regret any "Uninstaller", "CleanSweep",
"RemoveIt", or other fancy "install watch dog" utility. :)
This method works always, with ONE exception that I know of. When you install
the Quick Time Movies Extensions to play .MOV files (Quick Time Movies) and
view .PIC files on your Windows system, at some point during the setup
process, the installer will ask for your approval to delete all the old
versions of Quick Time Movie files found on your hard drive(s), which means
it will also erase the ones in your BACKUP directories (just created by the
batch file below), if you answer YES to that question. The fix is to answer
NO to the question! Let it delete ONLY the files in your current WINDOWS and
WINDOWS\SYSTEM directories.
To backup/restore all your Windows and Windows System files use the two batch
files described below.
The first one is BACKUP95.BAT (included here). If your Win95 boot drive is
different than C, change the drive letter in BACKUP95.BAT (open it with Notepad
in Windows, or EDIT.COM in DOS).
What BACKUP95 basically does, it copies ALL the files from your \WINDOWS and
from your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM folder respectively (subfolders are NOT copied!) to
the new created folders: \WIN95 and \SYS95 respectively, on the same drive.
After finishing installing a new program, you can restore your original
Windows configuration. Uninstall tools, that use the Shield Wizard Install
feature, claim to remove all traces of an installed program, through the
"Add/Remove Software" feature, accessed through Control Panel in Win9x, but in
real life they still leave files scattered on your hard drive, or/and phantom
entries into your system files: Registry (SYSTEM.DAT, USER.DAT), System.ini,
Win.ini, Autoexec.bat, Config.sys etc. Some uninstallers will sometimes
prompt you to manually remove some of the files created by the install
routines, but don't always count on that.
I found out this recovery method from a buggy install works better and
painlessly. Give it a try.
I called the restore batch file RESTOR95.BAT.
NOTE: To make both these batch files work, exit Windows 9x to native/real
MS-DOS mode command prompt OUTSIDE Win9x, NOT just start an MS-DOS
session!
At the DOS prompt, run BACKUP95, and then restart Windows by running WIN.
Setup/install your program, and if you are not satisfied with it for any
reason, or you'd like to remove it entirely from your system, exit Win95 to
the MS-DOS mode again, and then run RESTOR95, to wipe all current Windows and
Windows System files, and revert to your original configuration, before the
install.
Some buggy (older) install routines will replace .DLL, .VBX, .VXD, .DRV, .EXE
or/and other crucial Windows System files with their own versions, even if you
already have the most recent versions installed! The conclusion is that you
won't be able to run your other programs that require particular versions of
the replaced files after such an install! This is usually valid for older
Windows programs, but I wouldn't count on that!
So beware when you unleash a setup/install program to run freely on your
system!
You can modify RESTOR95.BAT to match your own system boot drive letter with
Notepad (if different than C).
Just run RESTOR95 from the native MS-DOS mode prompt, OUTSIDE Win9x, to get
back your previous Windows configuration (ALL system files you had in your
\Windows and \Windows\System folders before running the installer).
NOTE: To speed up the use of these DOS batch files, install Smartdrv in
your AUTOEXEC.BAT to cache all your disk drives in DOS mode. Example
of AUTOEXEC.BAT Smartdrv line:
SMARTDRV 2048 A+ C+ D /N
I presumed that A is your primary floppy drive, C is your hard drive
and D your CD-ROM/DVD drive.
The /N switch allows Smartdrv to return to the DOS prompt BEFORE
finishing the write operations to the disk! Use it with CAUTION!
Both BACKUP95.BAT and RESTOR95.BAT files are included in this archive.
I hope you'll find this backup/restore method as useful as I did.
WARNING: Use extreme CAUTION when using BACKUP95.BAT and/or RESTOR95.BAT!
YOU MAY DAMAGE YOUR WIN9X SYSTEM FILES IRREVERSIBLY BY LOSING THE
LONG FILE NAMES (LFNs) INFORMATION AND WILL BE FORCED TO REINSTALL
WIN9X FROM SCRATCH!
WATCH YOUR PROMPT
The (SET) PROMPT command can be typed at the DOS prompt, specified in
Autoexec.bat, and begining with MS-DOS version 6.00, it can also be mentioned
in Config.sys (same as SET PATH, SET TEMP, SET TMP, and any other SET lines).
Below are detailed two "bugs" I discovered in MS-DOS 6.00 and above
(including MS-DOS 7.00 - 7.10, bundled with Windows 95 - 98), two issues that
MS-DOS (ANY version) canNOT deal with on PROMPT lines, or in Config.sys
multiboot menus:
1. THE PROMPT BUG:
Don't use ANY equal signs ("=") ANYWHERE inside your PROMPT line!
If you do, MS-DOS will try to interpret all the characters after the "=" as a
command (or link to a command), and will try to execute it, and you'll get
this error message:
"Syntax error"
Example of buggy "PROMPT" line that uses an equal sign (it's the second "=",
the first one is part of the prompt command line):
SET PROMPT=WINDOWS=My System$_$P$G
Same buggy "PROMPT" line example without the "SET" command and without the
"=" notation (which is not necessary, but it MUST be replaced with a space):
PROMPT WINDOWS=My System$_$P$G
NOTE: The "SET" prefix is not necessary in front of the "PATH" and "PROMPT"
commands, typed at the DOS prompt or in your Autoexec.bat, but it
MUST be specified for all SET <STRING> statements in Config.sys!
2. THE MULTIMENU BUG:
If you are using a multiconfiguration bootup menu in your CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT, which must have the menu names in square parentheses in your
CONFIG.SYS {i.e. [MYMENU]}, and GOTO type of colon preceded menus (i.e.
:MYMENU) in your AUTOEXEC.BAT, then DO NOT USE THE SAME WORDS FOR YOUR MENU
NAMES AS THE FIRST WORDS ON YOUR PROMPT LINES! If you do, you'll see another
error message:
"Label not found"
Example of generic multiconfiguration menus in Config.sys using matching
words for menus, using Autoexec.bat matching prompts and also using equal
signs inside the PROMPT lines, to demonstrate both the PROMPT and the
MULTIMENU bugs:
* Buggy Config.sys:
SWITCHES=/F
[COMMON]
DEVICE=C:\path\HIMEM.SYS
DOS=HIGH,UMB
[MENU]
MENUITEM=WINDOWS,Boot to Windows <- MULTIMENU BUG: WINDOWS
MENUITEM=DOS,Boot to Dos <- MULTIMENU BUG: DOS
[WINDOWS] <- MULTIMENU BUG: [WINDOWS]
DEVICEHIGH C:\path\IFSHLP.SYS
SET CONFIG=WINDOWS <- MULTIMENU BUG: WINDOWS
[DOS] <- MULTIMENU BUG: [DOS]
DEVICE=C:\path\EMM386.EXE RAM
DEVICEHIGH C:\path\CDROM.SYS /D:MYCDROM
SET CONFIG=DOS <- MULTIMENU BUG: DOS
* ... And corresponding Autoexec.bat:
@ECHO OFF
SET PATH=C:\;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\STUFF;C:\ETC...
GOTO %CONFIG%
:WINDOWS <- MULTIMENU BUG: :WINDOWS
SET PROMPT=WINDOWS=My System$_$P$G <- PROMPT + MULTIMENU BUGS: WINDOWS=
WIN
GOTO END
:DOS <- MULTIMENU BUG: :DOS
LH C:\path\MSCDEX /D:MYCDROM /M:20 /E
SMARTDRV A+ C+ D /N
SET MOUSE=C:\path
LH C:\path\MOUSE
SET PROMPT=DOS=My System$_$P$G <- PROMPT + MULTIMENU BUGS: DOS=
C:\path\DOSMENU
:END
SET WINPMT=Type EXIT & hit Enter 2 return 2 Windows!$_$P$G
That's it.
Gee, it took me a while to figure out why I was getting weird error messages
at bootup...
LOAD/RUN
I discovered the following to be limitation in Windows 3.1x. Could also very
well be a limitation in Windows 98/95. Till proven otherwise, I'll keep this
as a Windows 98/95/3.1x limitation, and this topic as its workaround.
Here we go:
1. If the "load=" line in your WIN.INI's [windows] section exceeds 128
characters (the Windows programs/TSRs that load at startup), the executables
listed there beyond the 128 character limit WON'T BE PROCESSED by Windows.
It's just another Windows limitation. To have those programs load anyway, you
can load them from the "run=" line, found in the same section of your WIN.INI
(Win.ini is located in your Windows directory).
Example of "load=" line longer than 128 characters (consecutive programs MUST
be separated by a space) in Win.ini:
[windows]
load=c:\windoz\wintsr c:\stuff\winstuff c:\mydocs\mydoctsr c:\virus\virus c:\now\nowtsr c:\programs\program c:\blahblah\blahblah c:\etc\etc
It is not necessary to specify the extension if that particular file is
recognized by Windows as an executable (.EXE, .COM, .386, .DLL, .VXD etc).
Windows will load only the first 5 programs (in the above example), because
the last 2 are beyond Windows capacity of recognizing lines longer than 128
characters.
But if you put the last 2 programs in this example on the "run=" line, they
will be processed, but ONLY AFTER Windows processes ALL executables on the
"load=" line:
[windows]
load=c:\windoz\wintsr c:\stuff\winstuff c:\mydocs\mydoctsr c:\virus\virus c:\now\nowtsr c:\programs\program
run=c:\blahblah\blahblah c:\etc\etc
2. Another solution is to load/run your Windows startup programs from the
Startup group (which sometimes gets too cluttered for my taste).
To edit Win.ini, you need to open it with Notepad.
3. A third solution (my favorite) to load/run executables or/and run-time
libraries (DLL) under Win98/95, is to edit your Registry (using the
Registry editor, Regedit.exe, found in your Windows 98/95 folder). With
Regedit open, scroll down to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
and look in the right hand pane. You'll see a list of programs there.
You can add/modify/delete them at your will (with CAUTION though).
To add an item to the list, highlight Run (left hand pane) and right-click
in the same pane. Select New, String Value. Name it something similar (or
identical) to the program name you want to add, and then right-click on it.
Select Modify, and now type the full path, file name and extension for your
program. Click OK. Done.
Restart Windows when you're done, so the changes can take effect.
And don't forget to BACKUP YOUR ORIGINAL FILES BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES!
AUTOMATIC ZIP
NOTE: This tip applies ONLY to MS-DOS command line users! [read "DOS
fanatics" :)]
Windows 98/95/NT users can use Winzip 32-bit newest version:
http://www.winzip.com/
to perform the same backup features, described below.
There are two batch files included in this archive: ZIPHARD.BAT and
ZIPFLOP.BAT. They are designed to automate the task of backing up files,
and compressing them the same time, to save disk space. These batch files
use PKZIP.EXE v2.04g, part of the PKWare Package (freeware for private use,
otherwise shareware), the essential DOS ZIPping/unZIPping tools:
ftp://ftp.pkware.com/pkz204g.exe
PKZIP/PKUNZIP home:
http://www.pkware.com/
Copy the 2 batch files mentioned above into the same directory.
Now you're ready to roll...
To zip up (compress) all files in a given directory (and all its
subdirectories for that matter) on your hard disk, run ZIPHARD from a DOS
prompt window, by creating a PIF for it (in Windows), or straight from the
plain (native) DOS command line, outside Windows.
All you have to do is type the name of the zip file (without extension, up
to eight characters), and you'll also have to type the name of the
directory that contains the files you want to zip up, all after the batch
file name, leaving a space between parameters.
That's it. If your zipped directory has subdirectories, the batch will
take care of that too, zipping all subdirectories and the files contained
in them (recursing all subdirectories).
To zip the files from a directory on your hard disk onto a floppy disk
(the default is A:), run ZIPFLOP from a DOS prompt (included). Just make
sure to mention the zip name (again, without extension), and the name of
the directory (subdirectory) where the files you want to compress reside.
NOTE: ZIPFLOP is designed to make one zip file, and will be placed on
multiple floppies (spanned), if necessary, so make sure you have enough
floppy disks handy, to swap the floppies when prompted by PKZIP's routine!
Example of using ZIPHARD (same principle applies to ZIPFLOP):
ZIPHARD MYBACKUP MYDOCS
to zip all files in your \MYDOCS directory (and subdirectories, if any).
The zip file (MYBACKUP.ZIP) created by running this command line, is
located in the newly created \ZIPTEMP directory, on the same hard drive.
IMPORTANT: The zip filename has to be identical with your wanna-be
compressed directory name on your hard disk!
Make sure to change the drive letters (edit the BAT files with Notepad in
Windows, or EDIT.COM in DOS mode) if different on your system: I presumed
C is your hard drive and A is your 3.5 inch (bootable) floppy.
FAST FIND
To find a file location in ANY DOS mode, when you know its filename, or at
least the first few characters, or file extension, I created a small DOS
style batch file, called FINDIT.BAT (included).
To use it, run this command from a DOS prompt:
FINDIT FILENAME.EXT
where "FILENAME" is the name of the file you want to display, and "EXT"
is the file's extension (don't type the quotes).
To locate multiple files, use DOS typical "wildcards" ("*" or "?"). Example:
FINDIT *.TXT
to locate all .TXT (text) files on your current (selected) drive.
To locate all the files that begin with the letter A, run:
FINDIT A*.*
REINSTALL 95
One dark, cloudy day I had to reinstall Windows 95 on my system (some weird
program made some faulty changes to the Registry files, and rendered my Win95
system inoperable). I was in dire straits, because I had made no backups of my
most recent Registry files (and too lazy to restore from older backups, and
then retune the whole system again to get my original custom configuration).
So I proceeded to reinstall Win95 ON TOP OF THE EXISTING COPY. Of course I
made a backup copy of the entire drive beforehand (practice what you preach).
The Win95 installation went like a charm (I have to admit Microsoft IS good at
something, at least at keeping your previous custom settings, and the new
versions of system files/drivers).
It took me almost two hours (because I installed Win95 from my speedy 8x
CD-ROM), but my previously highly customized Win95 system was operable once
again, at full speed, and with all the settings I worked so hard for available
once again. It even asked me if I wanted to keep the newer coopies of my
upgraded system files (I have had updated the Kernel, OLE, Shell, Password,
Dial-Up etc, to the newly "improved" versions). I wish every Win95 feature
would work like this, and for everybody out there.
I never thought I'd say this: "Way to go, Microsoft!"
Though I had to reinstall my new ATI Mach64 DirectXDraw and my Sound Blaster
AWE64 Gold Full Duplex DirectSound drivers, because Win95 installed its own
older drivers during setup. I forgive you for this one, Microsoft. :)
UPDATES:
1. For owners of ATI Mach64 PCI video controllers (WinTurbo or Graphics Pro
Turbo models), ATI Technologies has posted the new version 2.23 of their
DirectDraw display drivers for Win95. You can download the new ATI 32-bit
drivers from:
http://www.atitech.ca/drivers/drivers.html
2. For owners of Sound Blaster 16/AWE 32/64 sound cards, Creative Labs has
new drivers for Win95 (version 4.38) which provide, among other features,
DirectSound and Full Duplex for video Conferencing. They're available from:
http://www.creaf.com/wwwnew/tech/ftp/ftp.html
NOTE: The Microsoft 95 Upgrade Service Package v1.0, is available free at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/info/service-packs.htm
Other useful Microsoft Windows 95 web DL sites:
Microsoft Free Windows 95 Software (updates/fixes) web page:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/info/updates.htm
I hope you'd never have to use this method (or any other for that matter) to
recover from an unexpected Win95 crash. Oops... did I say "crash"? Oh, I'm
sorry Bill, I meant "third party software bug..."!?
FAST, FAST, FAST
For those of you who own a 28,800 (or faster) bps analog modem connected to a
fast 16550AF/16550AN UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) on
your system, there is a way to maximize your UART internal transfer speed.
There are actually 2 methods to achieve this:
1. One is to right-click on the "My Computer" icon -> then left-click on
Properties -> choose Device Manager -> Ports -> click the "Serial
Communications port" you want to set (the one that your modem is connected
to) -> select the Properties tab for that particular port -> in the "Port
Settings" screen, change the number to show 921600 bps (bits per second) ->
click OK to save your settings -> and you're on!
2. The other method is to open your WIN.INI file (located in your Windows
directory) with Notepad. Scroll down to the [Ports] section. There you'll
find the COM1:, COM2:, COM3: and COM4: lines, each followed by an equal sign,
and by some numbers and letters. Replace those lines with these:
COM1:=921600,n,8,1,p
COM2:=921600,n,8,1,p
COM3:=921600,n,8,1,p
COM4:=921600,n,8,1,p
MEANING:
- COMx: = physical COMmunications port number: x = 1 - 4 on most PCs.
- 921600 = internal COMmunications port speed measured in bits per second
[bps]. Maximum is 921600, depending on the UART type and speed. Default is
9600 bps.
- n = parity bit: n = none (default is e = even).
- 8 = data bits: 8 (maximum 8, default is 7).
- 1 = stop bits: 1 (maximum 2, default is 2).
- p = hardware shaking (default is x = software shaking).
Save your file and then restart Windows for the changes to take effect.
Or if you like, you can set this way only the COM port that has your
modem/fax card connected to (that's the one that is going to take advantage
of this speed improvement anyway). If you have a serial mouse connected to a
COM port, you may want to leave that COM port settings unchanged, since the
mouse baud rate is limited to 1200-2400 (and only in rare cases goes up to
9600 bps).
From now on, you will experience faster transfers when using your ISP (TCP/IP
protocol), Online Service (i.e. AOL), and all your Communications, Internet
and Fax applications/games.
TIPS: - Check out this web page for more details on different UARTs used in
computer motherboards, and to download the modem driver patcher
specific to your system:
http://www.devdrv.com/shsmod/
- Read the "RELEASE MY MODEM!" and "SYSTEM.INI TWEAKS" topics in
MYTIPS95.TXT (included) for more communication ports settings.
SOUNDS FROM THE PAST(E)
For dual-boot users like me (that still run a copy of Win31 from time to
time), there is a way to have Win95 "import" the same sound events you got
used to in your old Win31. Just copy the entire [Sounds] section from Win31's
WIN.INI file (located in your Windows directory), and then paste it over the
[Sounds] section into your Win95's Win.ini file (found of course in your
Windows 95 folder). Next time you'll start Win95, you'll hear the familiar
sounds you were listening to in your Win31 days.
AND DON'T FORGET TO BACKUP YOUR FILES BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES!
NOTE: Windows 95 deletes all lines under the [Sounds] section from Win.ini
every time upon loading, and keeps only this line:
[Sounds]
SystemDefault=,
no matter what sounds lines you've previously pasted there.
16-BIT VIDEO FIX [+]
I have purchased the excelent software tool WinProbe 95 [discontinued :(]
made by the folks at QuarterDeck (makers of the famous QEMM memory manager),
now bought by Symantec. Among other features, WinProbe 95 has a CD-ROM and
Video for Windows (VfW) AVI format testing benchmark utility.
TIP: Owners of WinProbe 95 v5.0 can upgrade to the current version 5.01 by
installing this free patch [484 KB]:
ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/products/winprobe/ver5/updates/wppat501.exe
But when I tried to play one of the AVI files on WinProbe 95's CD-ROM, I got
garble on the screen, and an error message telling me that:
"Video unable to play, YUV9 driver not installed"...
Can you believe that?!
I DO have ALL the components of MS Video for Windows 32-bit installed on my
Win95B OSR2 system (look at the [drivers32] and [drivers] sections of your
System.ini to see if you do too), task that was completed successfully when I
installed Win95 on my computer. But that stubborn AVI file refused to play
(the WinProbe 95 cd-rom is fairly new: released 6-26-96), and WAS supposed to
play the AVI files with the default Windows 95 multimedia video drivers
installed. [duh!]
Well it didn't, BUT I found a way (read "workaround") to make it work.
I'm still running my old Windows for WorkGroups 3.11 + MS-DOS 6.22 in a
dual-boot setup, [my luck! :)] so I copied and pasted the lines below from my
WfWG 3.11 System.ini's [drivers] section (my copy of WfWG resides in C:\WG)
under the [drivers] section of my Win95's System.ini file, located in the
Windows 95 folder. Therefore my entire [drivers] section of my Win95
System.ini looks like this now:
[drivers]
wavemapper=*.drv
MSACM.imaadpcm=*.acm
MSACM.msadpcm=*.acm
wave=mmsystem.dll
midi=mmsystem.dll
VIDC.mvi1=mvicodec.dll
VIDC.mvi2=mvicodec.dll
; VfW 1.1e 16-bit AVI support [next 3 lines]:
VIDC.YVU9=C:\WG\SYSTEM\ir21_r.dll
VIDC.RT21=C:\WG\SYSTEM\ir21_r.dll
VIDC.IV30=C:\WG\SYSTEM\ir32.dll
The line preceded by a semicolon (;) is only a comment.
The video drivers listed under the "; VfW 1.1e 16-bit AVI support..." line are
imported from Win31's SYSTEM.INI [drivers] section, and the files themselves
reside in C:\WG\SYSTEM.
You will need Microsoft Video for Windows (VfW) 1.1e Runtime Drivers/Codecs
installed in your Windows/WfWG 3.1x \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory, to make this fix
work.
I actually needed only this line:
VIDC.RT21=C:\WG\SYSTEM\ir21_r.dll
to be able to play that particular AVI file, but I don't want any more possible
video driver incompatibilities/error messages [double duh!], so I didn't take
any chances, and added those other VfW 1.1e lines to my Win95 System.ini's
[drivers] section.
BEWARE that when you install a new 32-bit video driver in Windows 98/95, i.e.
the recent release of Microsoft Media Player2 v6.4 for Win9x/NT [3.5 MB,
free]:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/mediaplayer/
some of these lines might be DELETED and/or REPLACED, so make a BACKUP copy of
your SYSTEM.INI FIRST!
If you don't have an older 16-bit version of Windows/WfWG 3.1x running on your
system, you can still benefit from this fix. Just use Explorer's Copy and
Paste functions to copy your entire Win95 folders, subfolders and files to the
same hard drive, but to a different folder, and name it something like WIN95
(if your original Win95 folder name is WINDOWS), and then modify these
MSDOS.SYS lines, found under its [Paths] section, to read (default Win95
installation example is shown here):
[Paths]
; WinDir=C:\WINDOWS
; WinBootDir=C:\WINDOWS
WinDir=C:\WIN95
WinBootDir=C:\WIN95
HostWinBootDrv=C
The old (default) Win95 folder lines are REMarked here with semicolons (;).
Msdos.sys is a hidden, read-only, system file located in the root folder of
your boot drive (C:\). You can edit it with a single double-click using the
SYS95.BAT file included here (no need to "strip" it of its attributes to be
able to modify it).
You also need to copy and paste (or add it if not present) a new PATH line
in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file (also found in C:\ root), to show your new Win95
folder location (C:\WIN95):
SET PATH=C:\WIN95;C:\WIN95\COMMAND;etc...
Also place a REM (REMark) switch in front of your original Autoexec.bat PATH
line, if you had one (this is the default, but it might be different on your
system, if you installed Win95 in a folder other than C:\WINDOWS):
REM PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;etc...
Save your work, and reboot when ready.
Then get a copy of Microsoft Video for Windows (VfW) extensions v1.1e for
Windows/WfWG 3.1x [1.4 MB, free]:
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/softlib/mslfiles/WV1160.EXE
The next step is to load Win95 from its new location, C:\WIN95 in this case,
ignoring the eventual error messages at startup due to renaming the Windows
folder (everything is OK, you'll rename it back again when done anyway).
Now open Explorer, and change to the folder that contains your VfW 1.1e
installation file (assuming you've already downloaded it to your hard disk).
WV1160.EXE will decompress (it's a ZIP executable) to copy the VfW
installation files in the current folder. Then double-click the Setup file.
That will start installing VfW on your system. You may need to use an
Uninstaller/CleanSweap type of utility to monitor all the changes made to
your system during VfW Setup, and find out EXACTLY the NAMES of the
installed files, and WHERE they are located, C:\Win95\System in this case.
Now edit your Autoexec.bat file again, and reenable your old PATH line, by
removing the REM switch in front of it, and delete the new PATH line, the
one pointing to C:\WIN95.
You also need to change Msdos.sys back to the original, the same way, using
SYS95.BAT included with these files.
Then you can move ALL VfW 1.1e files to a new folder you can create, let's
say C:\WINDOWS\VFW, and edit your Win95 System.ini, to include these lines
under its [drivers] section:
[drivers]
; VfW 1.1e 16-bit AVI support [next 3 lines]:
VIDC.YVU9=C:\WINDOWS\VFW\ir21_r.dll
VIDC.RT21=C:\WINDOWS\VFW\ir21_r.dll
VIDC.IV30=C:\WINDOWS\VFW\ir32.dll
Reboot again to the native/true MS-DOS mode, by selecting the "Command
prompt only" option from the Win95/98 Start Menu (press F8 at the begining of
the boot sequence to bring up the Start Menu).
HINT: To learn how the Windows 98/95 Start Menu looks and works, go to:
http://members.aol.com/axcel216/msdos.htm#MEN
Now exit Windows to the native MS-DOS prompt and safely remove the C:\WIN95
folder and all its contents (files and subfolders), by running:
DELTREE /Y C:\WIN95
Reboot your system once again, and load Win95 from C:\Windows. [Business as
usual... :)]
Looks like a long and winding road, but you might need the VfW 1.1e 16-bit
drivers one [dark cloudy :(] day to play a weird AVI file, like I did.
So now I CAN PLAY that darn AVI file (even full screen!) under Win95. YES!
RIGHT-CLICK ANYWHERE
I bet you've heard of this one before. But here it is anyway... ;)
I have discovered some time ago that if you right-click on any command line
in any dialog box, you are presented with a Windows 98/95 standard
"Undo/Cut/Copy/Paste/Delete/Select All" drop-down menu, and you can do any
or all of these operations on ANY open window that has the command line box
available. Most of them are available even in ALL your Password dialog
boxes... Talk about security in Windows 98/95! :(
BTW: The standard keyboard "combos" work here too:
- Ctrl + C = Copy
- Ctrl + V = Paste
- Ctrl + X = Cut
Example: I found this pretty useful when I want to paste a web address
(URL) from Netscape into Internet Explorer, or the other way around.
You can even paste your password this way into the Dial-Up Networking
(DUN) applet box to connect to the Internet, that is if you are using an
ISP that supports the DUN (TCP/IP) features under Windows 98/95.
Cut & Paste away... ;)
WRONG PATH
BUG:
If you try to start an installation/setup program that installs a new
application/program on your Windows 9x system from a temporary folder that is
listed in your path (your PATH line is found in your Autoexec.bat file, in the
root directory of your boot drive, C:\ by default), it may end up
hanging/locking up your machine!
This BUG is valid for some older (read "poorly written") 32-bit and some BUGgy
16-bit Windows 3.xx programs that you might attempt to install under the
Windows 9x environment, and the Setup included with that particular program
uses an older routine, that requires the presence of all installation files in
a directory/folder NOT listed on your PATH line.
SOLUTION:
To avoid this BUG, run any Windows Setup/Install program from a
(sub)directory/(sub)folder not listed on your PATH line, to ensure a "smooth"
installation. Also check your Autoexec.bat file for the contents of your PATH
or SET PATH lines.
You can edit Autoexec.bat with Notepad in Windows, or EDIT.COM in DOS, BUT
BACKUP your ORIGINAL file FIRST!
If you modify your Autoexec.bat, you'll need to reboot for the changes to take
effect, or create a batch file to include your PATH statement, and run it from
the native/true/real MS-DOS mode, OUTSIDE the Windows GUI, similar to booting
with the "Command prompt only" option from the Windows 9x Startup Menu.
TIP:
Read the "COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE" and "2 DOS OR NOT 2 DOS" topics in
MYTIPS95.TXT (included), to learn how to boot to the native MS-DOS mode the
easy way.
HINT:
To see the Windows 9x Start Menu at work, go to:
http://members.aol.com/axcel216/msdos.htm#MEN
:: OR REM?
You can use the "::" (double colon) symbols, instead of using the well known
"REM" command in your Autoexec.bat file, to "remark" or disable the lines
you want. By using "::" (use no quotes), the MS-DOS bootup sequence skips
those lines all together, and does NOT process them, as it would if using
"REM", thus saving a few precious milliseconds (depending on your CPU speed)
at bootup. This command can be used in ANY DOS batch (.BAT) file. Example:
:: LH C:\MOUSE\MOUSE /1
This line is completely ignored by MS-DOS at bootup, and doesn't load your
MS-DOS mode mouse driver.
NOTE: The double colon remark notation canNOT be used in Config.sys. But
you can replace the standard Config.sys REM command with a semicolon
(;) for same effect.
DOS NOW! [UPDATED 2|25|98] [+]
I found a fool-proof way to go to the real/true/native MS-DOS mode when you
click the Start button, then choose Shut Down, and choose the default:
"Shut down the computer" in Windows 98/95.
No more nagging "Waiting to shut down", or "It's safe to turn off..."
screens either.
To achieve this, you need to perform these 4 easy steps:
1. Move the LOGOW.SYS and LOGOS.SYS files (just bitmaps with a different
extension) from your Windows folder (default is C:\Windows) to a backup
disk, eventually together with these other files listed below.
2. Move to an empty, formatted 1.44 MB floppy diskette all the following
files (you may not find all of them, depending on your Win98/95 settings or
installation), located in the root folder of your boot drive (C:\ is
default):
Filename: Attributes:
---------------------------
BOOTLOG.PRV Hidden
BOOTLOG.OLD Hidden
BOOTLOG.TXT Hidden
DETLOG.OLD Hidden, System
DETLOG.PRV Hidden, System
DETLOG.TXT Hidden, System
MSDOS.--- Hidden
NETLOG.TXT Archive
OEMLOG.TXT Hidden
SCANDISK.LOG Archive
SETUPLOG.TXT Hidden
SUHDLOG.DAT Read-only, Hidden
SYSTEM.1ST Read-only, Hidden, System
W95UNDO.DAT Read-only, System
W95UNDO.INI Read-only, System
None of the files above are needed for Windows 98/95 proper operation! They
were created when you first installed Win98/95 and further updated when you
have made certain changes to your system configuration, or were created when
your Win98/95 system loaded/shut down improperly.
The only useful file (that I know of) on this list is SYSTEM.1ST, good to
restore your original Registry, in case of a sudden disaster (system lockup,
file corruption etc), when you're caught offguard, with no recent backups of
your Win98/95 System/Registry/Startup files.
Just keep that floppy handy...
The easiest way to move all these files is by running File Manager (FM =
Winfile.exe, found in C:\Windows). But you can also do it in Explorer.
If you use File Manager: make sure you can view ALL files in File Manager
(including Hidden, Read-only AND System files): left-click View, By File
Type..., and then check the "Show Hidden/System Files" box.
In File Manager highlight all the above C:\ root files by holding down Ctrl
and then left-clicking on each one of them. Now drag all highlighted files to
the A: drive icon, while holding down Alt (to move them instead of just
copying).
Release the left mouse button and then answer Yes to all those confirmation
screens. [nag... nag... :)]
3. Add/modify the SHELL line in your Config.sys file (located in C:\ root), to
look similar to this one:
SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /E:1024 /L:128 /U:128 /P
Make sure you have a copy of COMMAND.COM in the root folder of your C:\ boot
drive, to make the line above work properly. You can usually find COMMAND.COM
in the C:\Windows\Command folder.
Now reboot, so the new Command environment can take "charge".
4. Now close all applications, click Start, click Shut Down, and answer Yes/OK
to the "Shut down the computer" selection. You'll find yourself at the plain
DOS prompt, to do whatever you want: type those cryptic DOS commands, or play
your coolest new 3D SuperVGA DOS game that won't run under the Win98/95 GUI...
sounds familiar?!... instead of having to power off your PC, or reboot again
(what a pain...) into MS-DOS mode.
When you're done "playing" with (or at) DOS, just type WIN and press Enter to
reload Windows 98/95. No need for another reboot to get back to, or out of
Windows from now on.
That's it. Enjoy the DOS ride!
UPDATES:
- Read the "WIN98 ATX SHUT DOWN FIX" topic in TIPS98.TXT (included), if you
own an ATX motherboard and Windows 98, to learn about an alternative "exit to
native MS-DOS" method.
- Read the "Description of Windows Files Located in the Root Folder" MSKB
article:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q151/6/67.asp
ORDER, PLEASE!
Below I have tried to list the detailed correlation between Config.sys and
Autoexec.bat command lines, the order in which devices (drivers, TSRs) load
in memory (conventional, upper, high, extended, expanded), and the Win98/95
OS bootup sequence.
The order of loading devices into memory (RAM) is the order in which they are
loaded at boot time, depending on the availability of DOS UMBs (Upper Memory
Blocks), and on the mapping of all installed RAM above the first Meg
(MegaByte) as extended and/or expanded memory. This is provided by the
extended memory manager (Microsoft's HIMEM.SYS with or without the "help" of
EMM386.EXE), and depends on the amount of the largest contiguous upper RAM
region, available for drivers, known as UMBs (UMBs apply only to the Upper
Memory Area = UMA, and ONLY if an expanded/extended memory manager is loaded,
like EMM386.EXE, using the proper parameters to enable UMA and/or expanded
memory).
Each device driver (TSR = Terminate and Stay Resident) must find a "comfy"
(read contiguous, large enough) place to load in memory (its initial loading
size is usually larger than its final size).
Some Win98/95 vital (essential) devices load first, independent of size, and
all the others follow, as the Windows 98/95 OS boot routine (the MS-DOS part)
searches for what to load first when the computer boots up.
The drivers that load from Config.sys come ALWAYS before the ones from
Autoexec.bat. The OS processes these two startup files in this specific
order: Config.sys first, Autoexec.bat last.
The order of loading devices/drivers/TSRs from the startup files during
MS-DOS 7.xx bootup sequence:
First, Win98/95 OS startup routine looks for IO.SYS and then for MSDOS.SYS in
the root directory of the boot drive (default is C:\). These are
hidden/system files. The OS gets the information about the directories where
Win98/95's Bootup/System/Registry files are located by reading the [Paths]
section of MSDOS.SYS.
NOTE: For MSDOS.SYS complete parameters list and details, read the first
topic in this text file (MYTIPS95.TXT), and for more details, go to:
http://members.aol.com/axcel216/msdos.htm
A. Win98/95 System/Configuration files in C:\ root (default):
- MSDOS.SYS Load MS-DOS/Win98/95 Operating System defaults.
- IO.SYS Load Operating System I/O defaults.
- COMMAND.COM MS-DOS/Win98/95 command line interpreter.
- CONFIG.SYS Not necessary for proper operation.
- AUTOEXEC.BAT Not necessary for proper operation.
- WINBOOT.INI Not necessary for proper operation (only present during
Win95 Setup, erased at the and of a successful setup).
Temporary installation file, the equivalent of Msdos.sys.
- WINSTART.BAT Not necessary for proper operation (only present during
Win95 Setup, erased at the and of a successful setup).
Temporary installation file.
- MSDOS.DOS Previous MS-DOS 6.xx system file (if any).
- IO.DOS Previous MS-DOS 6.xx system file (if any).
- COMMAND.DOS Previous MS-DOS 6.xx system file (if any).
- CONFIG.DOS Previous MS-DOS 6.xx configuration file (if any).
- AUTOEXEC.DOS Previous MS-DOS 6.xx configuration file (if any).
NOTES: 1. All .DOS extension files above belong to the previous MS-DOS 6.xx
version and are present ONLY on Win98/95 AND MS-DOS 6.xx dual-boot
systems!
2. Windows 98's IO.SYS is renamed to JO.SYS (Windows 95 renames its
IO.SYS to WINBOOT.SYS), if you are booting to an older MS-DOS
version (6.xx), in a dual-boot environment, provided by Win98/95's
Startup Menu, option 8 (on networked or TCP/IP enabled systems):
"Previous version of MS-DOS".
Read the "DUAL BOOT" topic further above, and the "DUAL-BOOT IN
OSR2/WIN98" topic in OSR2TIPS.TXT (included), to learn how to
PROPERLY dual-boot with your version of Windows 95/OSR1 or OSR2/98!
B. Windows 98/95 Registry files in the Windows folder (default C:\Windows):
- SYSTEM.DAT Win98/95 Registry data file: read-only, hidden
- USER.DAT Win98/95 Registry data file: read-only, hidden
- SYSTEM.DA0 Win95 Registry backup: read-only, hidden
- USER.DA0 Win95 Registry backup: read-only, hidden
1. IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS (mandatory, processed before the startup files);
2. HIMEM.SYS (or a 3rd party memory manager that can provide extended memory
mapping, like: Quarterdeck QEMM386, Helix NetRoom RM386, 386MAX etc,
mandatory for the Windows 98/95 GUI to load);
3. SYSTEM/MSDOS module (mandatory, loads part in upper memory if available,
part in conventional memory);
4. DOS=HIGH,UMB (if present in Config.sys, otherwise defaults to the DOS
presets: DOS=LOW,NOUMB if HIMEM.SYS is not present in memory);
5. BUFFERS, FCBS, FILES, LASTDRIVE, STACKS (if present in Config.sys,
otherwise default to DOS presets: BUFFERS=30; FCBS=4,0; FILES=60;
LASTDRIVE=Z; STACKS=9,256);
6. EMM386.EXE (or similar 3rd party expanded/extended memory manager, if
any);
7. DRVSPACE.SYS (loads Drvspace.bin, which is mandatory, IF using MS
Win98/95's disk compression tool, DrvSpace 3.xx);
8. IFSHLP.SYS (mandatory for Windows 98/95 32-bit disk access
compatibility with MS-DOS mode);
9. All other DEVICEHIGH and DEVICE lines in Config.sys (if any);
10. All INSTALL and then INSTALLHIGH lines in Config.sys (if any);
11. The SHELL line in Config.sys (if any);
12. The SET COMSPEC command/line (mandatory, loads as a preset if the SHELL
line is not found). The bootup routine looks for COMMAND.COM in:
C:\WINDOWS, C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND and in C:\ root (if C:\WINDOWS is your
Win98/95 folder, set in MSDOS.SYS). If not found, the boot sequence
stops, prompting the user for action, making necessary to manually type
in the location (path) of Command.com (the MS-DOS command line
interpreter);
13. All other SET lines in Config.sys (if any);
14. SETVER.EXE (if found in its default directory, C:\WINDOWS);
15. All LOADHIGH (LH abbreviated), all SET and all other loading lines in
Autoexec.bat. Autoexec.bat lines load in the order in which they are
listed.
Some programs (like MS Windows) and some drivers (like SMARTDRV) need an
extended memory driver (like HIMEM.SYS) enabled in order to load properly
and access the provided extended memory (which is usually set to the maximum
of installed RAM on the respective system). Each extended memory device
driver has its own limits to the amount of memory it can provide to the
system (HIMEM.SYS can enable up to 256 MB of extended RAM).
If HIMEM.SYS or another extended/expanded memory manager is not present,
Windows (or/and SMARTDRV) display an error message and abort their loading
sequence.
Most other drivers load low (in conventional memory) if an extended LIM
(Lotus/Intel/Microsoft specifications) compatible memory manager is not
detected.
Windows 98/95 (MS-DOS 7.xx actually), loads HIMEM.SYS, IFSHLP.SYS,
SETVER.EXE and DRVSPACE.SYS (if disk compression is detected) even if they
are not present in your Config.sys, BUT it needs to find them in their
default locations, specified in Win98/95's Registry files AND in the [Paths]
section of your MSDOS.SYS.
Also if you have a SCSI, an older ESDI/IDE/ATA, or a large FAT32/FAT32X
(over 8 GB) hard disk, MS-DOS 7.xx (COMMAND.COM) tries to load DBLBUFF.SYS,
the double-buffering device driver, to allow proper operation under the
SCSI/ESDI/ATA/FAT32/FAT32X standards. This is possible only if you kept the
file DBLBUFF.SYS in your Windows folder.
NOTE: For more double-buffering details, read the topics listed below,
also included with these files:
- "DOUBLE BUFFER" in MYTIPS95.TXT [Win95 and 98 users], and
- "WIN98 PHANTOM DRIVE BUG" in TIPS98.TXT [Win98 users].
If you use any real DOS mode programs, you may want to load all Config.sys
drivers with the DEVICEHIGH command, to gain more conventional memory (but
make sure you have an expanded/extended memory manager loaded, like
Microsoft's EMM386.EXE, to make this possible).
The only drivers that can ONLY load low (in conventional memory) are the
memory managers themselves (HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE, or similar 3rd party,
like QEMM, RM386, 386MAX etc), so their only choice is the DEVICE command
line in Config.sys.
The Autoexec.bat command counterpart for loading TSRs in upper memory (RAM)
is LOADHIGH (which can be abbreviated to LH).
ADD-ONS: 1. Read MEMORY.TXT (included) for guidelines on how to maximize
your MS-DOS memory resources under Windows 98/95.
2. Read the "Description of the Windows 95 Startup Process"
Microsoft Knowledge Base article for more details:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q174/0/18.asp
NOTE: I tried to do this as accurate as possible. Please send me eventual
corrections/suggestions at:
axcel216@aol.com
Thanks.
GIMME BACK MY SYSTEM!
There is a folder(directory) under your Windows main folder, called SYSBCKUP.
It holds a backup copy of all vital system files that were modified when you
installed a Win98/95 driver or system upgrade. Actually the Sysbckup folder
holds the previous versions of your upgraded files, the ones you had in your
\Windows\System folder before the upgrade. This is a default Win98/95 safety
backup mechanism, to eventually recover those older system files if the
system becomes corrupted due to a buggy installation (and I've seen that
happening so many times, I don't even remember).
The purpose of this trick is to replace those older files with their new
versions you now have in your \Windows\System folder, as current. So track
down the \Windows\Sysbckup folder files, one at a time, and compare their
version with the same filenames in Windows\System. If the duplicates in
\Windows\Sysbckup are of an older version, then exit Windows to the
native/real MS-DOS mode, and replace those files with the newer copies found
in \Windows\System. Then restart Windows. The first few times from now on,
when you'll try to install new software that accesses the system drivers,
you'll see prompt error messages stating that the xxxxxxxx.yyy file was
replaced with an older version. IGNORE those messages, answer OK to the
prompt screens, and continue with your installation (this usually happens
when Win98/95 has to be restarted for the post-install changes to take
effect).
Don't panic, everything is really OK, it's just that Win98/95 doesn't find
the older versions of those files in \Windows\Sysbckup anymore, and
immediately issues a warning screen. Once you hit the OK button, everything
goes back to normal. But now, in the eventuality that a weird (buggy)
program tries to corrupt your system, Win98/95 will promptly copy those
system files back to \Windows\System, and you'll benefit from having the
new versions already installed, not needing to go through the pain of
finding that (driver) installation cd/floppy and reinstall it all over
again. I found this trick to be a real time saver.
WARNING: Before doing this BACKUP YOUR ENTIRE WINDOWS 98/95 SYSTEM ! And
don't blame me if you don't have a backup copy to restore Windows from,
'cause I told ya: BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP (and then BACKUP some more)!
GOOD OL' UNDELETE
This tip applies to both Windows 98/95 AND MS-DOS 6.xx users who take
advantage the Win98/95 dual boot feature, and also kept a copy of MS-DOS 6.xx
and eventually Windows/WfWG 3.xx.
NOTES: 1. To properly enable the dual-boot feature built into Win95/OSR1 OS,
read the "DUAL BOOT" topic in MYTIPS95.TXT (included)!
2. To properly enable the dual-boot feature built into Win98/OSR2 OS,
read the "DUAL-BOOT IN OSR2/WIN98" topic in OSR2TIPS.TXT (included)!
3. A MUST: READ the "LOCK IT UP!" topic in TIPS95.TXT (included) for
more details on PROPERLY using UNDELETE.EXE with Win98/95 OS!
If you use File Manager in Windows 98/95 to take care of your routine file
chores or start programs (like I do, an old Win31 habit), you can recover
files (even entire directories/folders) accidentally deleted by the File
Manager built-in Delete tool, or by ANY other 16-bit application, including
the MS-DOS DEL and DELTREE commands.
This workaround saved some of my very important files (text documents) I was
working on, one (very dark) cloudy day. After saving my work, I accidentally
deleted all the files in that particular directory before making any backup
copies (... oops!).
But I remembered THE solution: I immediately shut down Windows, and rebooted
into MS-DOS 6.22. Then I ran the MS-DOS mode UNDELETE tool (in true/native DOS
mode, of course). Et voila, all my "lost" files showed up once again!
NOTE: File Manager (FM for short, filename WINFILE.EXE, located in your
Windows folder) is a 16-bit Windows application, so a file deleted by
such a program CAN BE RECOVERED by UNDELETE.EXE. Files/folders erased
by a Win98/95 32-bit application MAY NOT BE UNDELETED this way, you
HAVE to use the built-in Recycle Bin or some other 3rd party
file/folder restoring tool!
UNDELETE.EXE is also found on the Windows 95 install cd-rom (the original
release, NOT Win95 B/C OSR2), in the \OTHER\OLDMSDOS directory. It is not
copied to your C:\Windows\Command folder by Win95's install, so to use it, you
need to do this manually. Run this command at any DOS prompt:
COPY D:\OTHER\OLDMSDOS\UNDELETE.EXE C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND
where D is your cd-rom drive letter and C is your boot drive letter (you need
to change them if different on your machine).
When you run:
UNDELETE /?
from a DOS C:\> prompt, you get this screen:
UNDELETE - A delete protection facility
Copyright (C) 1987-1993 Central Point Software, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Restores files previously deleted with the DEL command.
UNDELETE [[drive:][path]filename] [/DT | /DS | /DOS]
UNDELETE [/LIST | /ALL | /PURGE[DRIVE] | /STATUS | /LOAD | /UNLOAD
/UNLOAD | /S[DRIVE] | /T[DRIVE]-entrys ]]
/LIST Lists the deleted files available to be recovered.
/ALL Recovers files without prompting for confirmation.
/DOS Recovers files listed as deleted by MS-DOS.
/DT Recovers files protected by Delete Tracker.
/DS Recovers files protected by Delete Sentry.
/LOAD Loads Undelete into memory for delete protection.
/UNLOAD Unloads Undelete from memory.
/PURGE[drive] Purges all files in the Delete Sentry directory.
/STATUS Display the protection method in effect for each drive.
/S[drive] Enables Delete Sentry method of protection.
/T[drive][-entrys] Enables Delete Tracking method of protection.
UNDELETE, and UNFORMAT Copyright (C) 1987-1993 Central Point Software.
DO NOT TRY to use the TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) part of UNDELETE under
Win98/95 OS, or you WILL damage the LFNs (Long File Names)! Undelete is only a
8.3 DOS short file name format recovering tool!
Example: if you know the name of the directory you want to recover files into,
just run:
UNDELETE C:\YOUR_DIRECTORY_NAME\*.*
to undelete all files in a given directory (you will be prompted to recover
each file separately, and a successful undelete operation needs a file
"sentry", a stored "image" of the given deleted file on the disk, in order to
restore it).
NOTES: - This doesn't seem to work with files deleted using Explorer, or any
other 32-bit Windows 9x application (but that may not be true, it's
only a "trial-and-error" game).
- Undelete.exe does NOT recognize FAT32 partitions/disks.
SPEEDUP BOOT!
Below are some of my own MSDOS.SYS file (located in the root folder of your
Win98/95 boot drive, C:\ by default) settings. I am referring here to the
[Options] section lines that might give you a few extra seconds at bootup
(depending on your System speed and configuration). Here are the lines that
might speedup your Win98/95 bootup sequence:
[Options]
BootDelay=0
BootGUI=0
BootKeys=1
BootMenu=0
BootMenuDefault=1
BootWin=1
DisableLog=1
LoadTop=0
Logo=0
Network=0
SystemReg=0
NOTE: The "BootDelay" parameter is not supported by Windows 98!
Using these settings in your own Msdos.sys, you actually boot to the plain
old MS-DOS real mode command prompt, and from there you can start Windows
98/95 by running WIN, or to make it easier, you can add the WIN command as
the last line in your Autoexec.bat file.
To understand what all those lines mean, please read the first topic at the
top of this text file (MYTIPS95.TXT): "COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE".
To edit MSDOS.SYS with a single mouse (double)-click, please use SYS95.BAT, a
DOS batch file I wrote, also included with these files (it uses EDIT.COM, the
MS-DOS mode ASCII plain text editor). SYS95.BAT actually strips Msdos.sys of
its hidden, read-only and system attributes to be able to modify it, and upon
exiting the editor, it restores the attributes back to the original, to make
Msdos.sys compatible with the Win98/95 OS bootup routine.
Oh, and how could I forget? BACKUP FIRST!
... Do U feeel the neeed 4 speeed?
SYSTEM BACKUP
I created a batch file called BAK95.BAT (included here), to backup Win95
VITAL System and Startup files:
- SYSTEM.DAT, USER.DAT (and don't forget also: SYSTEM.DA0 and USER.DA0),
- SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI and CONTROL.INI located in your Win95 folder, usually
C:\WINDOWS, which are copied into C:\95BAK ;
and:
- AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS and MSDOS.SYS, located in the root folder of your
boot drive (default is C:\), which are copied into C:\DOS7BAK.
Now you're ready to run BAK95.BAT (makes backup copies of your vital Win95
System and Startup files in C:\95BAK, and \DOS7BAK respectively).
The other batch file included here is RES95.BAT. It restores all Win95
System and Startup files from C:\95BAK and C:\DOS7BAK respectively, back to
their original locations, ONLY when you run it from the real (native) MS-DOS
prompt command line, OUTSIDE Win95 (exit Win95 to the MS-DOS prompt mode
FIRST!).
Change your boot drive letter if other than C (by editing BAK95.BAT and/or
RES95.BAT with Notepad).
WARNING: Use EXTREME CAUTION when using BAK95.BAT and/or RES95.BAT!
If not used properly YOU MAY DAMAGE YOUR WIN95 SYSTEM + STARTUP
FILES IRREVERSIBLY AND YOU WILL BE FORCED TO REINSTALL WIN95 FROM
SCRATCH!
SYSTEM DLLS
I don't agree with programs that keep their system DLLs (Dynamic Link
Libraries) into their own directories/folders, especially when they are older
versions (duplicates) of the ones normally located in \Windows\System.
I found out that the \Windows\System directory sometimes also contains the same
DLLs but usually of different (and if I'm "lucky", newer) versions, which may
conflict/interfere with some (poorly written), usually older programs.
So whenever I install a new Windows program, I usually compare the same name
duplicate DLLs, starting a search for that particular filename (present in both
program's directory and in \Windows\System) on the entire drive, and erase (ONLY
AFTER BACKING THEM UP!) all the older versions, to keep only the newest ones in
\Windows\System. The Windows System directory is accessed by ALL properly
installed applications, to find their shared (needed) Dynamic Link Libraries
(newest versions are usually better to keep for compatibility reasons).
To uninstall a particular application properly, I keep a small text file, named
after the program executable (but with the .TXT extension) in the application's
folder, listing all DLLs used by it (and had duplicates at the time of
installation). You can create such a plain text file to list all files present
in a given directory, by running this command from any DOS prompt, from within
the folder of your choice:
DIR /A /O:GEN > C:\APPDIR\APPNAME.TXT
Replace APPPDIR and APPNAME in this example with your real folder name and
program name, respectively.
For details on the DIR command parameters, run:
DIR /?
from any DOS prompt.
This way I know which DLLs to delete from \Windows\System when uninstalling
that particular program, WITHOUT affecting ANY other apps on my machine.
Sounds like a whole lot of work, but it saved me from trouble more than one
time, since I don't trust handing this job over to commercial Uninstallers.
NOTES: 1. The display of Long File Names (LFNs) is possible ONLY if you run
DIR from a DOS box/window/session within Windows 98/95, NOT from the
true/native MS-DOS prompt outside Windows.
2. Win98 users can run Sfc.exe (System File Checker), a handy tool
located in \Windows\System, which verifies that all files in your
Windows (sub)folders are up to date, and logs a complete list to a text
file (Sfclog.txt), found in your Windows directory, and which can be
viewed with Notepad.
OVERRIDE IO.SYS
There are some basic startup (boot) options that are built into the Win98/95
OS, which make possible to start (load) the GUI even without having any startup
files present (CONFIG.SYS and/or AUTOEXEC.BAT, both located in C:\ root).
The Win98/95 bootup routine processes IO.SYS, a hidden, read-only, system file,
located in your C:\ root folder (default bootup drive), BEFORE executing your
startup files (CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT).
But if you have placed your own customized lines for these DOS commands in
your startup files, the IO.SYS defaults will be overwritten by these entries.
These are the built-in IO.SYS commands that can also be modified/added into
your Config.sys for increased performance/compatibility:
DEVICE=%WINDIR%\HIMEM.SYS
DOS=HIGH,UMB,[AUTO|NOAUTO]
BUFFERS=30
FILES=60
STACKS=9,256
FCBS=4
LASTDRIVE=Z
DEVICE=%WINDIR%\IFSHLP.SYS
DEVICE=%WINDIR%\SETVER.EXE
SHELL=%WINBOOTDIR%\COMMAND.COM /P
The actual entries in your Config.sys might look something like this:
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /NUMHANDLES=128 /TESTMEM:OFF
DOS=HIGH,UMB
BUFFERS=10,0
FILES=80
LASTDRIVE=M
FCBS=1,0
STACKS=0,0
DEVICEHIGH /L:1 C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS
SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /E:1024 /L:128 /U:128 /P
Above are my own Config.sys command lines, and I found out they work best on
my Win98/95 machine. To squeeze maximum performance and for complete details
on how to customize your startup files, read MEMORY.TXT (included).
SETVER.EXE is a built-in IO.SYS Config.sys command, and if you don't have
any older (legacy) hardware/software devices/drivers/peripherals (reminiscent
from the ol' 286/386 DOS [in]compatibility days) that might need Setver
loaded on your System, you can safely start your Win98/95 machine without it.
To disable the loading of Setver.exe you can:
- move the file to another directory (Setver.exe is located by default in the
Windows folder),
- delete it, or
- add/modify these lines into your Config.sys file:
DOS=HIGH,UMB,NOAUTO
BUFFERSHIGH=10,0
FILESHIGH=80
STACKSHIGH=0,0
FCBSHIGH=1,0
LASTDRIVEHIGH=M
DEVICEHIGH /L:1 C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS
SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /E:1024 /L:128 /U:128 /P
You do not need to back it up, because Setver.exe can be extracted from your
Win98/95 install cd-rom or floppies.
Win95 cd-rom Setver.exe extract command line:
EXTRACT D:\WIN95\WIN95_09.CAB SETVER.EXE
Win98 cd-rom Setver.exe extract command line:
EXTRACT D:\WIN98\WIN98_42.CAB SETVER.EXE
Change the cd-rom drive letter and/or the Windows folder name if different
on your system.
BOOTUP FLOPPY [+]
How many times did you need to boot from a startup/bootup floppy disk just
because your "beloved" Operating System screwed up one way or another? I for
one am used to doing this quite often. [unfortunately :(] So I added some
"new features" to the plain startup files (Config.sys and Autoexec.bat), and
some useful (read *VITAL*) DOS tools to my bootup floppy to make my
[computing] life a little easier. :)
This tip applies to ALL MS-DOS users (begining with version 5.00), and to ALL
MS Windows users (begining with version 3.10), except Windows NT.
NOTES:
1. If you reach the 1.44 MB floppy capacity limit before copying all the files
listed below onto your bootup floppy, you can select to copy only the files
you deem necessary, and skip others not so "vital" (like the Dosshell files).
Or you can copy the rest of these files that didn't fit on your first floppy
to a SECOND startup floppy, in case you don't have a recordable/rewritable
cd-rom or another removable drive (Zip, Jazz, Sparq, Shark, Syquest, LS-120
etc) to boot from.
2. In the case you do have such a high capacity boot drive, and if your
motherboard BIOS/CMOS supports booting from a removable/cd-rom, you don't have
the limited (boot floppy) size problem. Just copy all your files on a cd-rom,
and label its jewel case as "Boot CD-ROM" (or if using a removable disk, label
its cartridge). Eventually you can have a full blown (or at least a "bare
bones") operating system running off a cd-rom/removable, by copying there all
your OS related directories and files from your boot hard disk. This is very
useful to access your most important files if you are a Windows 98/95/NT/3.1x
and/or MS-DOS 5.00/6.xx user, and if your (primary) hard drive has gone
"south" unexpectedly.
YOU MUST REMEMBER to stick a self-adhesive paper label on each of these
floppies, and name them let's say "BOOTUP FLOPPY #1" and "BOOTUP FLOPPY #2"
respectively.
From now on you can use the BOOTUP FLOPPY #1 whenever you need to boot from
something else other than your "temporarily impaired" hard disk.
This is my bootup floppy Config.sys file, which includes Microsoft's
upper/expanded memory manager (EMM386.EXE), the CD-ROM driver (VIDE-CDD.SYS)
and Microsoft's 32-bit disk access driver (IFSHLP.SYS):
SWITCHES=/F
DEVICE=A:\HIMEM.SYS /NUMHANDLES=128 /Q
DEVICE=A:\EMM386.EXE I=C800-EFFF I=B000-B7FF AUTO ALTBOOT RAM NOTR
DOS=HIGH,UMB
BUFFERS=10,0
FILES=60
FCBS=1,0
STACKS=0,0
DEVICEHIGH=/L:1 A:\VIDE-CDD.SYS /D:MYCDROM
DEVICEHIGH=A:\IFSHLP.SYS
SHELL=A:\COMMAND.COM A:\ /E:512 /P
SET WINDIR=C:\WINDOWS
SET PATH=C:\;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;A:\;
SET TEMP=C:\TEMP
SET TMP=C:\TEMP
SET PROMPT=EMERGENCY FLOPPY BOOTUP!$_$P$G
SET WINPMT=Type EXIT & Hit Enter 2 return 2 Windows!$_$P$G
The CD-ROM driver above (VIDE-CDD.SYS), freely distributed by Acer
Peripherals, is compatible with most popular internal IDE/ATAPI compatible
cd-rom drives out there: Acer, Creative Labs, NEC, Matsushita/Panasonic,
Teac, Toshiba etc, connected to the standard motherboard IDE controller.
Download it from [140 KB]:
ftp://ftp.acerperipherals.com/storage/apicd214.exe
Note that the PATH line above applies ONLY to typical Windows 98/95 systems
installed in C:\WINDOWS (change the drive/directory if different on your
computer).
MS-DOS 5.00 - 6.22 users need this typical DOS/Windows/WfWG PATH line:
SET PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS;A:\;
ATTENTION MS-DOS 5.00 users: You NEED to place ALL the SET lines (listed
above in my CONFIG.SYS) into your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, because MS-DOS 5.00
does NOT support this feature!
And below is my startup floppy Autoexec.bat file, including Microsoft's
CD-ROM extensions driver (MSCDEX.EXE), Microsoft's floppy/hard/cd-rom disk
cache (SMARTDRV.EXE) and Microsoft's Mouse driver (MOUSE.COM):
@ECHO OFF
LOADHIGH=A:\MSCDEX /D:MYCDROM /M:16 /E
A:\SMARTDRV 2048 16 A+ B+ C+ D+ E+ F /N
SET MOUSE=A:\
LOADHIGH=A:\MOUSE
SET DIRCMD=/A /O:GEN /P
SET COPYCMD=/Y
A:\MODE CON: RATE=32 DELAY=1
I've also added the files listed below to my startup floppies (I find them
VITAL for performing routine maintenance and diagnostics tasks, trying to
determine what might have caused a system lockup):
- COMMAND.COM (Microsoft DOS COMMAND line interpreter)
- HIMEM.SYS (Microsoft DOS HIgh/extended MEMory manager)
- EMM386.EXE (Microsoft DOS Expanded/extended Memory Manager)
- SYS.COM (Microsoft DOS mode SYStem files transfer tool)
- ATTRIB.EXE (Microsoft DOS mode modifying file ATTRIButes tool)
- IFSHLP.SYS (Microsoft Windows 32-bit disk access compatibility driver)
- MSD.EXE (MicroSoft DOS mode Diagnostics tool):
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/softlib/mslfiles/GA0363.EXE
- SMARTDRV.EXE (Microsoft DOS mode floppy, hard and cd-rom drive cache
driver/tool)
- MOUSE.COM (Microsoft DOS mode MOUSE driver), or your own DOS Mouse driver:
http://www.vein.hu/~nagyd/other/program/ctmous16.zip
- MOUSE.INI (INItialization file needed by MOUSE.com operation)
- VIDE-CDD.SYS (Acer DOS mode "universal" IDE/ATAPI CD-ROM driver):
ftp://ftp.acerperipherals.com/storage/apicd214.exe
- MSCDEX.EXE (MicroSoft DOS mode Compact Disk EXtensions driver)
- FORMAT.COM (Microsoft DOS mode floppy/hard disk FORMATting tool)
- FDISK.EXE (Microsoft DOS mode hard disk partitioning tool)
- MEM.EXE (Microsoft DOS mode extended/upper/conventional MEMory specs
display tool)
- SCANDISK.EXE (Microsoft DOS mode floppy/hard DISK SCANning tool)
- SCANDISK.INI (INItialization file needed by SCANDISK.exe operation)
- EDIT.COM files (Microsoft DOS mode text file EDITor):
1. MS-DOS 5.00 - 6.22 EDIT.COM files:
- EDIT.COM
- EDIT.HLP
- QBASIC.EXE
- QBASIC.HLP
- QBASIC.INI
2. MS-DOS 7.00 - 7.10 [a.k.a. MS Windows 9x] EDIT.COM files:
- EDIT.COM
- EDIT.HLP
- EDIT.INI
- DOSShell files:
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/mslfiles/SUP622.EXE
(Microsoft DOS mode "File Manager", almost as good at performing routine
file chores as its Windows "cousin"):
- DOSSHELL.EXE
- DOSSHELL.GRB
- DOSSHELL.HLP
- DOSSHELL.INI
- DOSSHELL.VID
*** CRUCIAL: ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR FILES BEFORE MODIFYING THEM!
NOTE: Read these topics also included here for more details and guidelines:
- "OUTSMART SMARTDRIVE" part of MYTIPS95.TXT;
- "CD-ROM DRIVERS 4 DOS" in MYTIPS95.TXT;
- "SET TEMP" in MYTIPS95.TXT;
- "LASTDRIVE" in MYTIPS95.TXT;
- "COMMAND.COM" in TIPS95.TXT;
- Details on: COMMAND.COM, FDISK.EXE, FORMAT.COM, HIMEM.SYS,
EMM386.EXE in SECRETS.TXT;
- Details on: HIMEM.SYS, EMM386.EXE, SMARTDRV.EXE, MSCDEX.EXE,
MOUSE.COM in MEMORY.TXT;
- "MS DOSSHELL Tips" in DOSTIPS.TXT.
ERROR MESSAGES
Undocumented!
You can have your MS-DOS Prompt box (window or full screen), started from the
"MS-DOS Prompt" menu item, display all Command.com ERRORLEVEL messages while
working in a DOS session (under Windows 95 and 98).
All you have to do is right click on the MS-DOS Application file in Explorer,
or on your desktop MS-DOS Prompt icon, and select Properties. Click the
Program tab, and then type a space and "/Z" (no quotes) after the COMMAND.COM
line. Click Apply and then Close (or OK) when you're done.
From now on you'll see a message similar to this one when you start a Win95
DOS prompt window:
"Microsoft(R) Windows 95
(C)Copyright Microsoft Corp 1981-1996.
Return code (ERRORLEVEL): 0
WARNING: Reloaded COMMAND.COM transient"
NOTE: Read the "COMMAND /Z" topic in SECRETS.TXT (included) for more details.
COMMAND.COM
For y'all DOS fans out there I decided to list all Win98/95 [MS-DOS 7.xx]
Command.com parameters, including the ones Microsoft "forgot" to tell us
about. :)
When you run:
COMMAND /?
at any MS-DOS prompt, you get this help screen:
"Starts a new copy of the Windows Command Interpreter:
COMMAND [[drive:]path] [device] [/E:nnnnn] [/L:nnnn] [/U:nnn] [/P] [/MSG]
[/LOW] [/Y [/[C|K] command]]
[drive:]path Specifies the directory containing COMMAND.COM.
device Specifies the device to use for command input and output.
/E:nnnnn Sets the initial environment size to nnnnn bytes.
(nnnnn should be between 256 and 32,768).
/L:nnnn Specifies internal buffers length (requires /P as well).
(nnnn should be between 128 and 1,024).
/U:nnn Specifies the input buffer length (requires /P as well).
(nnn should be between 128 and 255).
/P Makes the new Command Interpreter permanent (can't exit).
/MSG Stores all error messages in memory (requires /P as well).
/LOW Forces COMMAND to keep its resident data in low memory.
/Y Steps through the batch program specified by /C or /K.
/C command Executes the specified command and returns.
/K command Executes the specified command and continues running."
And the help display stops here. But now comes the nice part.
The Command.com switches below ARE NOT DOCUMENTED (so I added them to this
list):
/F Removes the floppy disk "Abort, Retry, Fail" message.
If the floppy disk is not ready automatically goes to FAIL.
/Z Displays ERRORLEVEL return code messages after executing
each external DOS command.
IMPORTANT: To become familiar with COMMAND.COM's command line switches:
1. Windows 9x users: read the text file CONFIG.TXT (the "SHELL" topic),
located in your Windows folder.
2. ALL Windows/DOS users: run:
COMMAND /?
at any DOS prompt to display the Command.com help screen above.
2. Windows/WfWG 3.1x + MS-DOS 6.xx users: run this command from any DOS
prompt:
HELP COMMAND
and read the entire topic.
The following Command.com parameters can be included on the Config.sys SHELL
line (makes the command interpreter permanent until you reboot): /E, /F, /L,
/MSG, /P, /U and /Z.
Example of Config.sys SHELL line:
SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /E:512 /L:128 /U:128 /F /P /Z
All switches can be run from any DOS prompt command line (except /P and /MSG
if you already mentioned them on the SHELL line in your Config.sys).
NOTE: Read the "COMMAND.COM HIDDEN PARAMETERS" topics in SECRETS.TXT
(included) for complete details on all COMMAND.COM undocumented
switches.
THE RENAMING GAME
I have received the following message from TJ McElroy (9675.6100@trader.com):
"Bootup
I want to thank you for the w95-11d.zip file. I am a blind computer user, and
the information contained in your win95 files is very, very helpful.
I have configured my system to use the dual boot feature of win95. I want to
continue using dos 62 while learning win95 and my new windows screen reader.
I am confused about the files that win95 renames during boot up. In the
bak95.bat file that came with w95-11d.zip, it fails when it detects
winboot.sys, when is winboot.sys to be in the root directory? It is always in
my root directory. Are the *.w40 files to be hidden or visible?
I know it is a lot to ask, but would you be able to explain the boot sequence
of win95. What files are renamed and when. If win95 is chosen, which files are
renamed and active, if dos 62 is chosen, which files are renamed and active?"
As a consequence, I decided to list here all Win95/DOS 6.xx root directory
boot files, and the Win95 renaming routine, when you dual-boot on a machine
containing both Windows 95 (MS-DOS 7.xx) and MS-DOS 6.xx Operating Systems.
Here is my answer to TJ:
"Re: Bootup
I am deeply moved by your kind appreciation regarding my tips files.
I am very glad you found something useful there.
About the Win95 file renaming issue:
Winboot.sys is only found when you boot into MS-DOS 6, and it's actually the
Win95 (MS-DOS 7) version of IO.SYS.
On a dual boot system (using Win95, a.k.a. MS-DOS 7, and MS-DOS 6), you'll
find the following renamed files (all located in the root directory of the
boot drive):
1. When you boot into DOS 6:
- DOS 7 Autoexec.bat is renamed to Autoexec.w40.
- DOS 7 Config.sys is renamed to Config.w40.
- DOS 7 Command.com is renamed to Command.w40.
- DOS 7 Msdos.sys is renamed to Msdos.w40 (hidden, read only, system
file).
- DOS 7 Io.sys is renamed to Winboot.sys (hidden, read only, system
file).
2. When you boot into Win95 (DOS 7):
- DOS 6 Autoexec.bat is renamed to Autoexec.dos.
- DOS 6 Config.sys is renamed to Config.dos.
- DOS 6 Command.com is renamed to Command.dos.
- DOS 6 Msdos.sys is renamed to Msdos.dos (hidden, read only, system
file).
- DOS 6 Io.sys is renamed to Io.dos (hidden, read only, system file).
So the purpose of my batch file is to properly execute the specific OS
backup/restore, depending on the existence of DOS 7 Io.sys, renamed to
Winboot.sys in DOS 6.
The file (WINBOOT.SYS) has the hidden, read-only and system attributes, but
that doesn't matter, it is recognized by the batch routine. Example:
IF EXIST C:\WINBOOT.SYS GOTO DOS6
IF NOT EXIST C:\WINBOOT.SYS GOTO DOS7
Why it can't be found on your system, the way I see it, there is only one
explanation: you need to modify the batch file to include the full path to
the file (as shown in the above example), which is always located in the root
directory of the boot drive, C:\ by default."
UPDATE:
Windows 98's IO.SYS is renamed to JO.SYS (Windows 95 renames its IO.SYS to
WINBOOT.SYS), if you are booting to an older MS-DOS version (6.xx), in a
dual-boot environment, provided by Win98/95's Startup Menu, option 8 (on
networked or TCP/IP systems): "Previous version of MS-DOS".
Read the "DUAL BOOT" topic further above, and the "DUAL-BOOT IN OSR2/WIN98"
topic, included in OSR2TIPS.TXT, to learn how to properly dual-boot with your
version of Windows 98 or OSR2!
DUN MONITOR - Part 1
You don't have to search the net or shell out any money to get a fancy
Dial-Up Networking monitor to view your modem's transmited/received baud rate
(and much more).
Just open System Monitor (Sysmon.exe), a free tool Microsoft included with
Windows 95, found in C:\Windows (your default Win95 folder). Or run SysMon
from the shortcut located in your Start Menu\Accessories\Tools folder. If you
don't find the shortcut, you might have to install this small utility.
It is installed by default when you first setup Win95 on your machine, but
you may have chosen not to install SysMon at that time.
To setup SysMon on your hard drive, open the Control Panel, double-click the
Add/Remove Programs applet, click the Setup tab and scroll to Accessories.
Place a check mark in the System Monitor box. Click Apply or OK, after
inserting your Win95 install cd-rom in your cd-rom drive. This should start
SysMon's installation.
Now you can find Sysmon.exe in your Windows folder.
Play around with its settings, adding/removing different items from the list,
resize SysMon's window, modify the "looks" and refresh rates, view your
selections as bars, numbers, lines etc.
There are numerous categories of your Win95 machine's "innards" that can be
"watched" on Sysmon's display (the list below refers to my system):
- MIDI (Wave) Synth,
- Dial Up Adapter,
- File System,
- Kernel,
- Memory Manager.
You can see the entire list for each of the above categories, select any or
all items in that category, and/or customize each selection separately:
color, scale, or update interval.
When you've decided which components you want to monitor, you can get rid of
SysMon's frame and toolbar by double-clicking on an empty space between two
items. Double-clicking on an item, brings up the Chart Options for that
selection. It doesn't matter if your Internet connection is not established
when you started Sysmon, the monitoring begins only when your modem is
connected to your ISP server, or online service, (ONLY if you are using the
TCP/IP protocol).
Now you can finally see how fast a web page loads in your web browser or how
long your modem takes to download a huge file.
UPDATES:
You need to have the Microsoft PPP/PPTP/TCP/IP/ISDN DUN Upgrade/Security
Patch v1.3 installed on your Windows 95/OSR2 machine for SysMon to detect a
valid Dial-Up Networking connection:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q191/4/94.asp
MS DUN 1.3 Upgrade direct download [2.24 MB, free]:
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/softlib/mslfiles/msdun13.exe
Another useful Win95/OSR2 upgrade is the newest v2.0 of Microsoft Windows
32-bit Sockets Upgrade:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q182/1/08.asp
MS WINSOCK Update 2.0 direct download [963 KB, free]:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/bin/W95ws2setup.exe
Apply the MS WINSOCK v2.0 Upgrade ONLY AFTER installing the MS
PPP/PPTP/TCP/IP/ISDN DUN Upgrade 1.3!
NOTE: DO NOT INSTALL the upgrades above if you are using Windows 98!
Windows 98 users need to install the MS DUN Security Patch 4.0:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q191/5/40.asp
MS DUN 4.0 Patch direct download [319 KB, free]:
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/softlib/mslfiles/dun40.exe
BTW:
You can download System Monitor for Win95 direct from Microsoft [56 KB,
free]:
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/softlib/mslfiles/sysmn.exe
Have fun!
DUN MONITOR - Part 2
You can also use System Monitor (Sysmon.exe, described in the "DUN MONITOR -
Part 1" topic above) to measure your modem's average file transfer speeds, no
matter what kind of Internet connection you are using (TCP/IP protocol or
Online Service client software).
To do this you HAVE to enable the modem report logging.
Open the Control Panel and double-click the Modems applet. Select your
installed modem, and click Properties. On your modem's Connection tab, click
the Advanced button. Place a check mark in the "Record a log file" box. Now
you're ready to measure your modem's performance. Log on to the Internet or
your Online Service as usual. Once connected, open SysMon, located as a
shortcut in the Start\Programs\Accessories\System Tools folder, click Edit
and select "Add Item". Choose your modem from the list (your modem will NOT
show up unless you're already connected!). Select: "Bytes received" and
"Bytes sent" from the list. System Monitor will display a real-time gauge
from now on, showing your modem's download and upload speeds.
Happy surfing!
SWAP FILE - Part 1
THIS TIP IS INTENDED FOR USERS OF THE WINDOWS 98/95 DUAL-BOOT FEATURE, AND
REQUIRES THAT YOU HAVE WINDOWS 98/95 AND WINDOWS/WFWG 3.1x (AND MS-DOS 6.xx)
PROPERLY INSTALLED ON YOUR SYSTEM!
WARNING: To properly enable the dual-boot feature under OSR2/Win98, you HAVE
TO APPLY the steps detailed in the "DUAL-BOOT IN OSR2/WIN98" topic
in OSR2TIPS.TXT (included)!
But Windows/WfWG 3.1x users may also find valuable stuff here. Read on... :)
WARNING: Undocumented and VERY DANGEROUS IF NOT DONE PROPERLY !!!
All different MS Windows specific issues are mentioned below and all Windows
versions are clearly stated:
1. Windows 95/OSR2/98 (Win9x) AND Windows/WfWG 3.1x (Win31) users:
Windows 9x uses by default a permanent, resizable swap file (WIN386.SWP),
found in your Win9x folder (default C:\WINDOWS). If you are a dual-boot user
(still running Win31+DOS6 and Win9x+DOS7 on the same machine), you are
probably using the Win31 permanent swap file (386SPART.PAR), located in the
root directory of your Windows drive (usually C:\).
Win31's permanent swap file CAN ALSO BE USED by Win9x as its own!
* FIRST BACKUP YOUR SYSTEM + REGISTRY FILES: BOTH WIN9X + WIN31 VERSIONS !!!
2. Part for Windows 9x, and part for Windows/WfWG 3.1x users:
To enable this undocumented feature, you need to edit Win9x's SYSTEM.INI file,
located in your Windows folder (default C:\WINDOWS), and add/modify these
lines under the [386enh] section:
PagingDrive=C:
MinPagingFileSize=10320 Defines the lower limit of the swap file (if
Win31's permanent swap file size is 10240 KB!)
PagingFile=C:\386spart.par To use Win31's permanent swap file as Win9x's.
Optionally, you can set this upper limit to your swap file:
MaxPagingFileSize=82560 To have a 80 MB maximum swap file size under
Win9x.
Specifying the upper limit for the swap file, allows for a less frequent hard
drive thrashing, thus making the task of reading from/writing to the drive(s)
faster.
Edit SYSTEM.INI with a text editor (Notepad or Sysedit). Save your changes.
Restart Windows.
IMPORTANT:
You have to specify the correct size of your Win31 swap file! Example: if you
chose a 10240 KB permanent Win31 swap file (in the 386 Enhanced icon in
Control Panel), then the Win9x swap file size MUST be 10320 KB! The principle
is to choose a multiple of 1032 KB in Win9x's SYSTEM.INI to match Win31's
swap file size specified as a multiple of 1024 KB in Win31's SYSTEM.INI.
In this example 386SPART.PAR is 10,567,680 bytes (10 MB) in length.
Win9x provides its own way of (re)sizing the swap file through the Device
Manager. To access it: right-click on "My Computer" -> select Properties ->
click the Performance tab -> click Virtual Memory -> and then click "Let me
specify my own virtual memory settings". Change the Minimum value to 10 (in
above example).
BEWARE: Win9x might delete the line "PagingFile=c:\386spart.par" from
SYSTEM.INI's [386enh] section, after you resized the swap file using the
Device Manager. If this happens, add this line yourself (no quotes).
To prevent Win9x from deleting the PagingFile line, add it one more time, but
with a semicolon (;) in front of it. Any line begining with a ";" in any
Windows INI(tialization) file is treated as a comment, and won't be deleted.
You'll have to reboot/restart Windows after clicking OK, to make the changes
take effect (Win9x will prompt you to reboot anyway).
3. Windows/WfWG 3.1x users ONLY:
In Win31's SYSTEM.INI file, you MUST have the following lines under the
[386enh] header, to make the 32-bit disk/file access work:
device=*pageswap
device=*PAGEFILE
device=*wdctrl ONLY for IDE/EIDE hard drives smaller than 528 MB
(default).
If you have a hard disk larger than 528 MB, use one of these Win31 32-bit
Fast Disk drivers:
device=WDCDRV.386 for Western Digital and compatible (E)IDE hard drives
(32-bit driver version 2.6),
or:
DEVICE=MH32BIT.386 Micro House driver for ALL (E)IDE hard drives (32-bit
driver version 3.10).
Other MANDATORY lines under the [386enh] section:
device=ios.386 Protected mode Win31 386 enhanced device manager.
device=vxdldr.386 Virtual eXtended driver (VXD) for handling 32-bit
disk access in Win31.
device=vcache.386 Enables 32-bit file access ONLY in WfWG 3.1x!
32BitDiskAccess=on Turns on 32-bit Fast Disk access in Win31!
PageBuffers=32 Increases the number of paging buffers (optional).
PermSwapDOSDrive=C Default, uncompressed (fastest) swap hard drive.
PermSwapSizeK=10240 Win31 permanent swap file size in KB (Win9x's swap
file size in this case MUST be 10320 KB)!
... And this line, under the [vcache] section of SYSTEM.INI (Win31 AND Win9x):
MinFileCache=2048 If you chose a 32-bit file access size of 2048 KB (2
MB) through Control Panel -> 386 Enhanced icon ->
Virtual Memory -> Change Virtual Memory Settings ->
Use 32-bit File Access -> Change size (Win31). In
Win9x you'll have to edit SYSTEM.INI manually and
add/modify this line yourself.
Optionally, you can also set the upper limit to the file cache size, to
reduce hard drive thrashing, in SYSTEM.INI, the [vcache] section (Win31 AND
Win9x):
MaxFileCache=4096
to allow the memory file cache to grow up to a maximum of 4 MB.
Choose a MaxFileCache of 4 MB ONLY if your system has at least 16 MB of RAM
installed! A MaxFileCache greater than 4 MB won't increase performance
significantly anyway, especially if you have less than 10,000 files on each
drive/partition.
The afore mentioned Win31 32-bit protected mode Fast Disk drivers download
locations:
- Western Digital WDCDRV.386 v2.6 [129 KB, free]:
ftp://ftp.wdc.com/drivers/hdutil/32pack.exe
- Micro House MH32BIT.386 v3.10 [51 KB, free]:
ftp://ftp.maxtor.com/pub/main/win32bit.exe
In Win31's SYSTEM.INI, you can use only ONE of the 2 drivers mentioned above
depending on the size/model of your hard drive. Win31 default is "*wdctrl",
but you'll need one of these custom drivers if your (E)IDE hard drive(s) are
larger than 528 MB (and most newer hard drives are)!
If you have a SCSI hard drive you'll have to get a 32-bit Win31 disk access
driver from your drive manufacturer (only for the SCSI hard drives supported
by Win31's 32-bit disk access feature).
4. Windows 9x users ONLY:
Reboot. Now you can safely delete Win9x's default swap file (WIN386.SWP),
found in your Windows folder.
5. Windows 9x AND Windows/WfWG 3.1x users:
* MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY! AND CHOOSE YOUR OWN SWAP
FILE SIZE IN WIN31 ACCORDING TO YOUR NEEDS AND THE AMOUNT OF MEMORY (RAM)
INSTALLED IN YOUR SYSTEM! Otherwise you may get a:
A. "Corrupt Windows swap file" message when you run Win31, and you'll have to
delete it and reassign a new permanent swap file in Control Panel!
B. A VFAT error message or a 32-bit disk access error, while loading Windows
9x (especially dual-boot users)!
My recommended optimal fixed swap file settings depending on your installed
memory (RAM), considering 2.5 times your RAM as a rule of thumb in most cases
below:
Installed RAM Swap file size
------------------------------
4 MB Definitively get more RAM!
8 MB Get more RAM!
12 MB 40 MB (and get more RAM!)
16 MB 40 MB (and get more RAM!)
32 MB 80 MB (and get more RAM!)
40 MB 100 MB
64 MB 100 MB
80 MB 100 MB
128 MB 80 MB
192 MB 40 MB
256 MB 40 MB or none
512 MB You're a lucky dog! :) (40 MB or none)
1 GB You're not human! :) (40 MB or none)
These are ONLY MY OWN estimates. You'll have to figure out yours, to have
your system run smoothly.
6. Windows 9x users ONLY:
After making such modifications, ALWAYS check the Device Manager Performance
tab for any "MS-DOS mode 16-bit access drivers" alert messages, that would
impair disk performance under Win9x! You SHOULDN'T HAVE any such messages to
start with! The File System and Virtual Memory lines should ALL state
"32-bit" and you should see this message at the bottom:
"Your system is configured for optimal performance".
7. ALL Windows 9x AND Windows/WfWG 3.1x users:
Good luck! :)
... And may you have NO Microsoft crashes!
UPDATES:
1. Read this MSKB "Troubleshooting MS-DOS Compatibility Mode on Hard
Disks" Win9x article:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q130/1/79.asp
2. Read the "FIXED SWAP FILE" topic in TIPS95.TXT (included).
SWAP FILE - Part 2
I found a better method to reduce hard drive thrashing while using Win98/95.
By default Win98/95 places its swap file in your Windows folder, on the boot
drive (usually C:\Windows).
But if you are using a physical hard drive larger than 2 GB, you have
probably partitioned it into multiple logical drives (like I did), to comply
with a well-known MS-DOS 7.00, bundled with Windows 95 retail (and below)
limitation: MS-DOS FAT16 doesn't recognize partitions larger than 2 GB!
NOTES: Win95 B/C OSR2 and Win98 come with FAT32, part of the improved
MS-DOS version 7.10, which recognizes logical partitions up to 2 TB
(TerraBytes), and also drastically reduces the file-assigned cluster
size, making more storage space available to your files.
Please read the "FAT16 -> FAT32" topic in SECRETS.TXT (included) for
details.
FAT32 is not enabled by default, you have to run the MS-DOS 7.10 (or
later) version of FDISK in true/native DOS mode, OUTSIDE Win98/95!
If you have Win95 B/C OSR2 or Win98, you can also use CVT.EXE to
convert your drives/partitions to FAT32 [CVT16-32.ZIP, 61 KB, free],
in native/true MS-DOS mode ONLY:
http://www.users.intercom.com/~ranish/part/cvt16-32.zip
So if you do have more than one hard drive letter showing in Explorer or in
File Manager, you sure have a physical drive larger than 2 GB. If this is
your case, the drives have different sizes. To view each drive's size, right
click on a drive icon in Explorer, click Properties, and look for its
respective "Capacity" in the General tab.
The principle is to choose the smallest drive/partition (which is usually
the fastest) to place your Win98/95 swap file on.
To do this, right click the "My Computer" icon (or whatever you renamed it
to), and click Properties. Click the Performance tab, then select "Virtual
Memory", and change the location of your swap file to your smallest logical
hard drive/partition. Check the "Let me specify my own virtual memory
settings" box. Browse to your desired drive letter and select it. Now click
Apply/OK to save your changes. You'll be prompted to reboot the system.
Do so, and when Win98/95's interface shows up again, you'll be running
probably a little faster than before.
NOTE: This operation requires you to ScanDisk ALL your hard drives FIRST,
and I strongly recommend to fully Defragment them too!
If you'd like to gain a little more speed, get Partition Magic (commercial
program) from PowerQuest. Retails for about $40-50 at popular computer
stores and through mail order:
http://www.powerquest.com/
Use Partition Magic to safely resize your smallest partition to 80-120 MB
(but NOT BEFORE BACKING UP ALL YOUR DRIVES), and DO NOT use this new drive
to store ANY files, except Win98/95's swap file.
You can also resize your logical partitions without purchasing Partition
Magic, BUT you'll LOSE ALL DATA in the process, and you'll have to reinstall
the Operating System and all your applications from scratch!
The default MS-DOS partitioning tool, included with Win98/95 is FDISK, a DOS
mode command line driven tool.
Use it with CAUTION, ONLY in real/native MS-DOS mode, outside Windows!
I REPEAT: May you have NO Microsoft crashes!
UPDATE:
This page has comprehensive details on optimizing your swap file in Windows
98/95:
http://epsilon.silicon.net.my/adrian/Speed_Demonz/Swapfile_Optimization/Swapfile_Optimization_01.htm
ALTERNATE DNS
If your web browser (when connected to your ISP) is unable to reach certain
web sites consistently and keeps bugging you with messages such as "Could
not locate remote server," then you might have Domain Name Service (DNS)
problems. Each web address you type (example: www.microsoft.com) is
translated to an Internet address (example: 207.68.156.58) through a Domain
Name Server. If the server you are using is running slowly or has shut down
for any reasons, you're in trouble!
BUT luckily there are a couple of ways to work around this:
1. One is to add a secondary DNS. Contact your ISP (Internet Service
Provider) and ask for the name and IP (Internet Protocol) number of a
backup server. Once you have the new IP address of a reliable backup server,
click Start, Settings, Control Panel. Double click the Network icon and then
click the Configuration tab. In the box labeled "The following network
components are installed:" select "TCP/IP Dial-Up Adapter" and click the
Properties button. Then click the DNS Configuration tab. Under the title
"DNS Server Search Order," enter the new IP address(es) you have obtained
from your ISP.
IMPORTANT: If you are connected to a local network, do NOT change the DNS
settings without first checking with the network administrator!
Otherwise you may not be able to reconnect to the network!
Also, write down the existing settings before making ANY changes!
2. The other way is to locate your current Dial-Up Connection, by double
clicking your Dial-Up Networking folder in Explorer or in My Computer.
Now select your current DUN icon, that usually has your ISP's name, and drag
and drop it on your Desktop.
This will create a .DUN file with your ISP connection name (mine is called
Worldnet.dun).
Open the new DUN file in Notepad and modify the DNS lines (under the [TCP/IP]
section) to match the ones you obtained by running TRACERT with your known
ISP IP number, till you find one fast enough to use most of the time when
connecting to the Internet.
NOTE: TRACERT is a small DOS mode tool, located in your Windows folder.
To use TRACERT, start a DOS box (window), and run:
TRACERT 204.127.129.1
Substitute the IP number above with your own (this one belongs to my ISP, so
it is of no use to you, if you're not a WorldNet user).
When Tracert is done "poking" your ISP address, you'll see something like
this on your DOS box screen:
Tracing route to ns1.worldnet.att.net [204.127.129.1]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
1 197 ms 195 ms 199 ms 192.168.255.253
2 203 ms 200 ms 204 ms 165.238.193.193
3 248 ms 240 ms 234 ms 199.37.159.45
4 236 ms 260 ms 240 ms 205.174.69.24
5 241 ms 242 ms 241 ms ns1.worldnet.att.net [204.127.129.1]
Trace complete.
Now call your ISP support voice phone number (usually a tool free call), and
ask the permission to use an alternate DNS address, eventually one on the
TRACERT list (explaining that you repeatedly encounter the same problems
trying to connect to certain web servers most/all the time).
If you're lucky and they approve of this, they might also have their own DNS
numbers that might work better/faster in your neck of the woods.
Now you're ready to edit your Dial-Up Networking file. In Explorer (or File
Manager), open your .DUN file (in the \Windows\Desktop folder, where you
"dropped" it if you followed the above guidelines) with Notepad.
Scroll down to the [TCP/IP] section and change the numbers on your
"DNS_address" and/or "DNS_Alt_address" lines with the ones you obtained from
your ISP.
Example (the lines below refer ONLY to WorldNet Service DNS numbers):
[TCP/IP]
DNS_address=204.127.129.1
DNS_Alt_address=204.127.160.1
Save the file, and close Notepad. Now you're ready to start your new DUN
connection from the Desktop.
WARNING: You can't log on to alternate DNS addresses without permission from
your ISP, or if you use the ones returned by TRACERT, you might
experience slowdowns or network errors!
You can duplicate your DUN files as much as you like, but make sure to
choose a different name every time (if you plan on keeping them into the same
folder, i.e. on the Desktop, for faster access).
When you're done, double-click on your new DUN desktop icon to connect.
Happy surfing!
FAST EXIT | RESTART!
How would you like to EXIT or RESTART Windows 98/95 FAST, with 1 mouse click,
without the pain of going through the default 4 steps procedure: click the
Start button, select "Shut down", check the "Shut Down" box, and finally
click the OK button?
I know you would, 'cuz I did too... So here is how you do it:
1. Highlight the Desktop (left-click on an empty spot).
2. Right-click and choose New, and then select Shortcut from the drop down
menu.
3. In the Command line box type (for the Windows EXIT shortcut):
C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\USER.EXE,ExitWindows
4. In the Command line box type (for the Windows RESTART shortcut):
C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\USER.EXE,ExitWindowsExec
Change the Windows folder name if different on your computer.
5. Click Continue, and name these new shortcuts "Exit!" and respectively
"Restart!" (or whatever else you like). Don't type the quotes though.
6. Click Finish.
From now on, double-click (if you have Win95/OSR2 without IE4+ installed, or
with IE4+, or Win98, but with the single click option disabled for shortcuts,
links and executables), or simply click (on Win95/OSR2 systems with MS IE
4.0+ installed or Win98, and the single click enabled) one of the shortcuts
created above, and you'll be taken to the plain DOS prompt, or back to the
GUI in a single move.
Don't forget to SAVE your work and close ALL open programs FIRST, BEFORE
exiting/restarting Windows!
Enjoy.
NOTE: You can also use RUNDLL32.EXE for the shortcuts above, but Win98 will
NOT restart, because Win98 GUI doesn't support such 32-bit DLL
redirects from the command line. :(
TIME SAVERS
For those who make frequent changes to their Win98/95 systems (tweakers apply
first), there are a few Desktop shortcuts/links you might enjoy.
My all-time favorites are:
- System Manager
- Display Screen Saver Preview
- Mouse Settings
- Sound Volume.
First things first: you need to associate your .CPL files (a.k.a. Control
Panel Applets) with CONTROL.EXE, if this is not already done on your
Win98/95 system.
To associate a file extension with an executable, program and/or run-time
library (DLL), you need to follow these steps:
1. Open an Explorer window, and select View from the menu.
2a. On Win95 systems without IE4 installed, select the File Types tab.
Or:
2b. On Win98/95 systems with MS IE4 installed, select Folder Options, and
then click the File Types tab.
3. Click New Type..., and type "Control Panel Applet" in the Description of
type box (no quotes).
4. Type "CPL" in the Associated Extension box (no quotes).
5. Click the New button (under the Actions menu), and Browse to the location
of your Control.exe file (found in the Windows folder by default). DO NOT
check the DDE box!
6. Click OK several times (to save your work) until the new association
appears on your File Types list.
Now you're ready to create the FAST Desktop shortcuts described below.
Just do the following:
1. Start by highlighting your Desktop (left-click on an empty spot).
2. Right-click and select New, Shortcut.
3. In the Command line box, type respectively (using a separate shortcut with
its own command line for each link mentioned at the begining of this topic):
C:\WINDOWS\CONTROL.EXE C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SYSDM.CPL, System,1
or:
C:\WINDOWS\CONTROL.EXE C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SYSDM.CPL,,1
for the "System Manager" link;
NOTE: To have the other System Properties tabs open automatically from a
separate shortcut, replace 1 in the SYSDM.CPL command lines above
with:
2 -> for the Hardware Profiles tab;
3 -> for the Performance tab.
C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\CONTROL.EXE C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\DESK.CPL,InstallScreenSaver
for the "Display Screen Saver Preview" link;
C:\WINDOWS\CONTROL.EXE C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MAIN.CPL
for the "Mouse Settings" link;
C:\WINDOWS\SNDVOL32.EXE
for the "Sound Volume" link, in case you don't like the speaker icon
displayed on your task bar, for everybody to mess with it.
NOTES: A. You can skip C:\WINDOWS\CONTROL.EXE, since you already associated
the CPL files with Control Panel.
B. You don't have to mention the full paths for any of these files,
since your \Windows and \Windows\System folders are already included
on your default PATH.
BUT I placed the file/folders names here to speed up the access to
each file, by not letting your system search through the PATH line
for the location of each file, which is a little bit time consuming.
[And we DO want FASTER performance, don't we? :)]
4. Click Continue and name each shortcut respectively (no quotes):
"System Manager", "Display Screen Saver Preview", "Mouse Settings" and "Sound
Volume".
5. Click Finish, and finally click OK.
Now just (double)-click on each new Desktop icon to go there FAST, every time
you want/need to:
1. Change/adjust your hardware/system configuration;
2. Preview a new (fancy) screen saver, without selecting it as your default
Windows saver. Even if you'd like to select a saver as your Windows default
screen saver, by running this particular shortcut, YOU CAN'T DO THAT, you
will have to start the normal Display settings menu to enable it!;
3. Tame your rodent's settings: speed, animated/static cursors etc;
4. Pump up za volume!
Have fun!
UPDATE:
".CPL files are automatically by default associated with:
%WINDIR%\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL %1,%*
One only may need to rename the:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\cplfile\shell\cplopen
Registry key to 'open'."
This update courtesy of Yuri Khan (kukina@nioch.nsc.ru).
FLOPPY (OR ANY OTHER DRIVE) ACCESS ANNOYANCE! [UPDATED 3|30|99]
I'm sure you have noticed this at some point. Heck, I have received a lot of
e-mail from frustrated Win98/95 users: a non-stop (annoying) floppy drive
LED turned on for a minute or so, upon Windows startup. This means that your
floppy drive is accessed at regular intervals for some obscure reason.
But it doesn't stop here. Same thing also happens sometimes with your hard
drive(s), or more likely with add-on/removable drives: external, cartridge,
tape etc drives as well.
Obscure till I figured it out...
So far I could determine the following reasons that can lead to this
"annoyance" (read "pain in the neck").
Please send me a message at axcel216@aol.com if you discover others.
Here we go:
1. You have an AntiVirus tool installed (like McAfee VirusScan/WebScanX, or
Norton AntiVirus etc), which is set to check/scan/detect your floppy/add-on
drive(s) for viruses upon Win98/95 startup/shut-down, and/or at preset
regular intervals.
WORKAROUNDS:
I. FIRST SCAN and CLEAN ALL your drives (including removable) for potential
VIRUSES!
There have been reports the Neuville virus can also cause this!
II. Just start your antivirus tool and disable the floppy (or other add-on
drives) check/scan/detect option.
2. At some point you have accessed/opened/worked with/saved files located on
your floppy/add-on drive(s) with programs included with Windows 98/95, like
Wordpad, Notepad, MS Paint, or with commercial Microsoft or/and 3rd party
apps/utilities. Here is a (growing) list of such programs:
- File compression/decompression (zip/unzip) utilities:
- Niko Mak Computing Winzip
- Quarterdeck Zip-It
- PKZip for Windows
- Syncronys Zipper
- Diagnostic/repair tools:
- Norton Utilities + System Doctor
- Quarterdeck Fix-It
- Quarterdeck WinProbe 95
- Helix Nuts & Bolts tools (DiskTune, DiskMinder)
- CyberMedia FirstAid 95/97
- Web browsers:
- Netscape Navigator/Communicator
- Microsoft Internet Explorer
- Paint/graphics manipulation programs:
- JASC Paint Shop Pro
- Leonardo Loureiro's LView Pro
- Adobe PhotoShop
- Corel Draw
- Inset Systems HiJack Pro
- Word processors:
- Corel WordPerfect suite apps
- Lotus Smart apps: 1-2-3, Notes, Domino etc
- Microsoft Office apps: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook
etc.
The programs listed here make up only the tip of the iceberg, there are
zillion others out there that save files to or check add-on/floppy drives.
WORKAROUNDS:
I. Consider NOT saving files to floppy/add-on drives (you might need to have
to configure some of these apps to do so, read "behave").
II. Remove ALL disks/diskettes from your floppy/add-on drive(s), and see if
you get a pop-up (error) message at Win98/95 startup or whenever you run
such a program. If you do, you need to select another target drive for
saving files, reconfiguring the respective program.
3. Every time you open ANY file associated with a program/executable in
Win98/95, a link/shortcut to that document, zip, graphic, scrap, template
etc file is created in the Recent Documents subfolder (C:\Windows\Recent
usually). And your Recent subfolder contains ALL previously opened documents
(the max limit is 15) IF its contents has not been purged lately!
Example:
Every time you open let's say a ZIP file (associated in Win98/95/NT with an
zipping/unzipping tool, like Winzip 32-bit), a link to that ZIP file is
created in the Recent documents folder.
WORKAROUNDS:
I. To clear ALL Recent documents, just right-click on the Taskbar (on an
empty raised spot, NOT in the sunken area where the time is displayed).
Select Properties, and click on the Start Menu Programs tab.
Now click the Clear button. Voila! All your saved links to previously opened
docs/files are gone.
If this was the reason why your floppy/removable drive was being accessed,
you won't have any problems from now on, ONLY IF you empty your Recent folder
on a regular basis!
You can also use the Microsoft TweakUI 98 Power Toy [100 KB, free,
unsupported] to delete the Recent folder contents automatically upon every
Win95/98 startup:
http://www.tweak3d.net/files/tweakui.zip
II. You can also do an "automatic cleaning" (my favorite) every time you boot
up or shut-down Windows 98/95:
A. Add a line to your Autoexec.bat file,
or:
B. If you start Win98/95 from a dedicated batch file (like I do), add this
line there:
ECHO Y | DEL %WINDIR%\RECENT\*.*
C. A more radical approach, which can ONLY be achieved from outside
Win98/95's GUI, at the native (real) MS-DOS mode prompt:
DELTREE /Y %WINDIR%\RECENT
MUST KNOW:
The %WINDIR% variable is available ONLY with the Windows GUI started,
therefore can ONLY be used in a Windows DOS session (box) prompt and in
batch files executed ONLY from within Windows, it canNOT be used at the real
(true) MS-DOS mode outside Windows! READ the "%WINDIR% VARIABLE" topic in
MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for more details.
So if you are running such commands from the native MS-DOS prompt, use the
real name of your Windows folder, or add a line for:
SET WINDIR=C:\WINDOWS
in your Autoexec.bat (modify the "WINDOWS" string above if Windows 98/95 is
installed in a different folder on your machine).
A similar solution is described in the "CLEAR DOCS & MORE..." topic (part of
REGISTRY.TXT, included with these files). You can also use CLEAR.BAT
(included here) in a Win98/95 DOS box for the same purpose.
4. If you haven't disabled the "Floppy Seek" in your BIOS, your primary floppy
drive is usually accessed every time upon bootup, even if you boot from your
master hard disk (like most of us do these days).
WORKAROUND:
When you see the first CMOS POST (Power On Self Test) screen during boot,
press Del, F1, or the appropriate key to access your BIOS Setup. Go into the
"BIOS Features Setup" menu (title might be different depending on your
motherboard/BIOS type/model), and disable the "Boot Up Floppy Seek" option
(title might be different). Save your changes and reboot.
WARNING: Certain boot sector viruses can "invade" your BIOS and render your PC
"unbootable"! Therefore scan ALL your drives AND your computer's memory
periodically, using your favorite Virus Scanner tool, especially after
downloading files from untrusted Internet sites.
5. Open your System.ini file (located in the Windows folder) with Notepad or
Sysedit. Scroll down to the [386enh] section, and look for the
"device=filename.ext" lines listed there. The "device=" lines in System.ini
load Win98/95 specific protected mode device drivers or TSRs/programs,
installed by the OS, and/or by software you are or WERE using. Some of these
entries might be obsolete (especially if you uninstalled some "buggy" programs
that placed such lines in System.ini).
WORKAROUND:
To isolate the possible "culprit", remark those device= lines one at a time,
using a semicolon (;) in front of each line. Example:
[386enh]
; device=vsbpd.386
Now start a search for all these devices/files on ALL your drives, and then
safely delete all "device=filename.ext" entries that don't point to actual
files anymore (but BACKUP FIRST!).
Reload Windows and see if that annoying floppy LED still goes on.
IMPORTANT: Do NOT remark/delete ANY System.ini "device=*" lines that have an
asterisk (*) as the first character after the equal sign! These are Win98/95
virtual drivers, NOT real files, and they are needed for Windows 98/95 proper
operation! Example:
[386enh]
device=*dynapage
6. Open your Win.ini file (found in your Windows folder) using Notepad.
Look for the "load=" and the "run=" lines under the [windows] section.
All programs/files listed there are Windows programs/TSRs that load/run at
startup. Example:
[windows]
load=c:\windoz\wintsr c:\stuff\winstuff
run=c:\myprogs/myprog.exe
WORKAROUND:
Remark one file at a time (by using a semicolon in front of the file name,
and moving that file entry on a separate line), to prevent Windows from
trying to load/run it at startup. Example:
[windows]
load=c:\windoz\wintsr
; c:\stuff\winstuff
run=
; c:\myprogs/myprog.exe
Restart Windows and see if the floppy drive is still accessed.
Now start a search for all files listed on the "load="/"run=" lines, on ALL
your drives, and then safely delete all "filename.ext" entries that don't
point to existing files (but BACKUP FIRST!).
7. It has been brought to my attention that there is another System.ini line
which can contain executables that automatically run when Windows loads.
It is the "drivers=" line, found in the [boot] section of your System.ini.
This line looks usually like this:
[boot]
drivers=mmsystem.dll
but it may also have other devices/drivers besides the Windows default
"mmsystem.dll". All drivers (executables) on this line can have one of these
file extensions: .DLL, .DRV, .386 or .VXD. No matter how many drivers are
listed, they MUST ALL be on this same line, each separated by a space.
Example:
[boot]
drivers=mmsystem.dll driver.vxd c:\stuff\weird.386
Note that all files located in C:\Windows\System (default for your Windows
System folder) don't need to have their path mentioned on System.ini's
"drivers" line.
WORKAROUND:
If your "drivers" line has other commands listed, beside "mmsystem.dll",
proceed with the same steps as described at paragraph #5 (above), to disable
(remark) them, one at a time. Restart Windows and notice any differences.
8. Another place to look for loading programs is your Startup folder (default
is C:\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup).
WORKAROUND:
Run Explorer, open your Startup folder, and determine which entries
(shortcuts/links) are not valid anymore (actual files on your drives).
Delete them (but BACKUP FIRST!).
9. Run Regedit.exe (located in your Windows folder), and scroll down to the
following keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce\Setup
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
Look in the right hand pane of each key above. You'll see a list of programs
there.
WORKAROUND:
Write down/print a hard copy of all programs/executables found under these
Registry keys, and then search ALL your drives for the correspondent file
names.
BACKUP your Registry and System files (SYSTEM.DAT, USER.DAT, SYSTEM.DA0,
USER.DA0, SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI, CONTROL.INI), and then safely delete/or move
to a backup drive/folder all obsolete entries under the Registry keys above.
Highlight each item you want to delete, and press Del. Answer OK to the
confirmation screen.
10. With Regedit started, check this Registry key for references to .DLL or
.OCX files that might reside on your floppy/removable drive:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID
WORKAROUND: Find the incriminated floppy/removable disk, copy the .DLL or
.OCX files you found to a directory on your hard disk, and then change their
path in the correspondent CLSID Registry subkey to point to the new
destination.
11. This one is not frequent, but you never know: search for a file called
WINSTART.BAT, on ALL your local hard drives. ANY command line listed there
will be executed BEFORE Windows 98/95 loads!
WORKAROUND:
If WINSTART.BAT is on your path line, specified in your Autoexec.bat, move it
to a different location, NOT in your path! You can also open WINSTART.BAT with
Nopepad, to see the program names listed there. Then if you decide to keep
WINSTART.BAT in its original location, you can "remark" the program(s) you
don't want Windows to run upon startup with a double colon (or using the old
fashioned "REM"), followed by a space. Remark one line at a time, and then
restart Windows after each change. Example:
:: C:\PROGRAMS\MYPROG
12. This topic is valid only for the hard drive your Windows 98/95 swap file
is located on. Basically, if your swap file size is too small, or/and if your
machine has only 8 MB (or less) of RAM, Win98/95 accesses the hard drive VERY
frequently.
WORKAROUNDS:
I. Read both the "SWAP FILE - Part 1" and "SWAP FILE - Part 2" topics, also
included in MYTIPS95.TXT, for details on how to adjust Win98/95's swap file
to your needs (see especially "SWAP FILE - Part 1", paragraph #3, on
selecting the swap file size based on your system installed memory amount).
II. Buy more memory (no more excuses, the memory chips prices dropped so low
now).
13. Search ALL your drives for existent .PIF (Windows MS-DOS Shortcut) files
that might point to programs/apps located on floppy/removable drives.
WORKAROUND:
Obviously, you need to delete/move ALL such PIF files (but BACKUP first!), or
avoid running those programs.
FINALLY:
This step might be necessary for all topics above: REBOOT, RESTART or RELOAD
Windoz to cure za problem!
UPDATES:
1. Maggie Choukoud (choukoud@xs4all.nl) sent me her own tips on "squashing"
the "drives access bugs". Many thanks for sharing, Mags!
"About the floppy annoyance:
Some programs keep their own Recent file history in Win.ini, others do so in
the Registry. Whenever my A: led flashes, the first thing I do is start
Regedit and Sysedit, find A:, very often I find the entry.
On some rare occasion I found it in another .ini file.
The "FindFast" from MS Office '97 installs, even when you tell setup not to.
It not only accesses A:, but all directories on all drives.
Today I reinstalled Office, as well as a lot of other programs on my new 9
gigabyte hard disk, and forgot about FindFast. On the worst possible moment
this bug-with-a-name started indexing my 9 gig...
My system was so slow that even starting Regedit took me two cups of coffee.
Only after deleting all keys containing "findfast" the noise of clicking HD
heads stopped.
Back to floppies:
After installing IE4 I found out that Mijenix Explorer Plus was constantly
accessing A:. A free updated version of Explorer Plus solves this problem."
2. Here is another cool trick to circumvent the A: floppy drive from being
accessed, courtesy of Dwayne Pivac (dwayne.pivac@team.xtra.co.nz):
http://members.xoom.com/scdb/
"Floppy annoyance
I have another answer that fixed this problem for me.
Using TweakUI (or something similar) you can hide the A: drive from the My
Computer or Windows Explorer screens. The problem I was having is whenever I
open these windows it would access the Floppy Drive, and hiding it fixed the
problem (good ole Windows). If you don't have TweakUI, you can hide the A:
Drive in the registry, go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Create a new Binary Value called NoDrives, with value 01 00 00 00, or
create a .REG file in Notepad (or whatever), like this:
-----Begin cut & paste here-----
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoDrives"=hex:01,00,00,00
------End cut & paste here------
Oh yeah, you can always add a shortcut to the A: Drive on your Desktop or Start
Menu if you still wish to access it, or do like I do and use the Windows key
and R together (on a MS Natural Keyboard), then type A: and press Enter.
Or if you don't have a Windows key try Ctrl-Esc then R (unless you have an
application in your Start Menu starting with R)."
OUTSMART SMARTDRIVE [*]
Even now, in the "modern" Windows 98/95 days, it takes a long time to load the
Windows 32-bit GUI, with all its (way too) many virtual drivers (VXDs).
As you well know, Windows 98/95 32-bit Graphical User Interface (GUI) is still
layered (loaded) on top of ol' MS-DOS command line based Operating System
(16-bit OS). :(
So I found the solution to decrease Win98/95's loading time. [after all we DO
want more speeed! :)]
I simply load SMARTDRV in my Autoexec.bat, the MS-DOS mode disk cache.
SMARTDRV.EXE v5.0x is provided with MS-DOS 6.xx and with Win9x, found in your
Windows 98/95 folder, or in your DOS directory if using MS-DOS 6.xx.
But the proper way to do this, AND saving memory the same time can be tricky!
You can customize the SMARTDRV line to your needs, to cache all your floppy,
hard, AND cd-rom/dvd drives in your system; though you need to include a line
for MSCDEX in your Autoexec.bat BEFORE the SMARTDRV line, AND also load your
DOS mode supplied cd-rom/dvd driver from your Config.sys, if you want to have
your cd-rom/dvd available in native MS-DOS mode, AND to have it cached by
Smartdrv. Example:
SMARTDRV 2048 16 A+ C+ D /N /Q
where A is the floppy drive, C is the hard drive, and D is the cd-rom/dvd
drive. Notice the absence of a plus sign after D, because cd-rom/dvd drives
are read-only. :)
I prefer the Acer Peripherals "universal" CD-ROM/DVD driver for DOS
[VIDE-CDD.SYS v2.14, 140 KB, free]:
ftp://ftp.acerperipherals.com/storage/apicd214.exe
because it is compatible with most internal IDE/ATAPI cd-roms/dvds of ANY
speed, and takes only 5 KB of upper memory.
NOTE: See the "CD-ROM DRIVERS 4 DOS" topic in MYTIPS95.TXT (included) for
complete details.
Alternatively you can load Smartdrv from Config.sys using "INSTALLHIGH",
AHEAD OF ALL OTHER "INSTALL"/"INSTALLHIGH" lines (example):
INSTALLHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV.EXE 2048 16 A+ C+ D /N /Q
to cache your other devices/TSRs that eventually load later in the sequence
from your Config.sys, thus speeding up disk access.
In this case you need to specify the FULL path and the file extension (.EXE).
I suggest using the /N parameter with CAUTION! It allows the return to the
MS-DOS command prompt BEFORE writing the entire data back to disk (before the
completion of the previous DOS command), which may result in data loss,
especially if a sudden power surge occurs!
The /Q switch (Quiet) tells Smartdrv not to display its status info while
loading.
The first number (in this case 2048) sets the DOS mode cache size (also called
"InitCacheSize") to 2048 KB, and the second number (16), called
"WinCacheSize", "shrinks" the cache size under Windows 3.1x/9x to 16 KB to
preserve memory.
The minimum "WinCacheSize" valid value is said to be 128 KB (per Microsoft
guidelines), but I found out that 16 KB is THE minimum accepted, if using
SMARTDRV.EXE version 5.00 (included with MS-DOS 6.xx) up to 5.02 (bundled with
Windows 9x). Windows 9x loads its own 32-bit disk cache, and if properly
configured doesn't use Smartdrv anyway.
In the above example, the Smartdrv extended memory size (if Microsoft
EMM386.EXE or a similar 3rd party memory manager is loaded in your Config.sys,
and set to provide extended/expanded/upper memory, with the RAM switch) is
2048 KB (2 MB). Also, the default Smartdrv upper memory cache buffer is 16 KB.
[kinda huge, huh...]
But you CAN decrease Smartdrv's upper memory read-ahead BUFFER size by using
the /B:xxxxx switch. Example:
SMARTDRV 2048 16 A+ C+ D /N /Q /B:8192
which takes only 8 KB (8192 Bytes) of upper memory, not 16 KB as in the
previous example (with no /B switch).
Another Smartdrv parameter you may want to adjust is the ELEMENT size (the
/E:xxxxx switch). The default Smartdrv element size is 16384 Bytes (16 KB).
Meaning that Smartdrv moves/copies a 16 KB "chunk" of data at a time. This may
be enough for routine MS-DOS mode operations (copying/moving files around),
but if you do frequent DOS disk maintenance tasks involving huge files, a 16
KB element might not be good enough. You can increase the element size to
32768 Bytes (32 KB).
NOTE: SmartDrive's BUFFER and ELEMENT sizes can be adjusted ONLY in 8 KB
(8192 Bytes) increments, from a minimum value of 8 KB up to a maximum
of 64 KB (65536 Bytes), and the ELEMENT size MUST be a multiple or at
least equal to the BUFFER size!
And this is an example of fully optimized Autoexec.bat Smartdrv command:
SMARTDRV 2048 16 A+ C+ D /N /Q /B:8192 /E:32768
Now you're talking! This particular Smartdrv line takes only 22 KB of upper
memory, and only 2 MB of extended memory, while improving disk performance!
To determine if your disk performance has REALLY increased after all this
tweaking, keep in mind that SMARTDRV's cache "hit rate" must stay around
80-85% (ideal value), or at least 70%. To do this, start by running:
SMARTDRV /S
from the native MS-DOS prompt. You'll see a screen similar to this:
"Microsoft SMARTDrive Disk Cache version 5.02
Copyright 1991,1993 Microsoft Corp.
Room for 256 elements of 8,192 bytes each
There have been 2,150 cache hits
and 350 cache misses
Cache size: 2,097,152 bytes
Cache size while running Windows: 16,384 bytes
Disk Caching Status
drive read cache write cache buffering
-------------------------------------------------
A: yes yes no
C: yes yes no
D: yes no no
Write behind data will not be committed before command prompt returns."
The Smartdrv settings shown here are the ones used in the example above.
Now calculate Smartdrv's effective cache "hit rate" using this formula:
CH : (CH + CM) x 100 = HR%
where:
- CH = Cache Hits
- CM = Cache Misses
- HR% = Hit Rate percentage
By substituting these parameters with the real values above, you get:
2150 : (2150 + 350) x 100 = 86%
It is best to keep Smartdrv's hit rate between 70 and 85%.
If your hit rate is less than 70%, the cache isn't very effective, and you
should increase the "InitCacheSize" number.
Beyond 85% typically means that you allocated SMARTDRV more RAM than it really
needs. In this case, decrease the "InitCacheSize" number until your "hit rate"
falls around 80-85%, and let other "memory hungry" programs use the extra RAM
(i.e. MS Windows), especially if your computer has only 32 MB or less of
installed memory.
If you prefer to determine your disk cache hit rate "the easy way" [:)],
download one of these DOS utilities:
- SysChk diagnostics + benchmark tool [125 KB, no time limit shareware]:
http://www.syschk.com/
- Cache Control (CC.EXE) tool, part of the InkUtils package [205 KB,
freeware]:
http://www.inkland.demon.co.uk/
To view all SMARTDRV available parameters from any DOS prompt, run:
SMARTDRV /?
You'll get this screen:
"Installs and configures the SMARTDrive disk-caching utility.
SMARTDRV [/X] [[drive[+|-]]...] [/U] [/C | /R] [/F | /N] [/L] [/V | /Q | /S]
[InitCacheSize [WinCacheSize]] [/E:ElementSize] [/B:BufferSize]
/X Disables write-behind caching for all drives.
drive Sets caching options on specific drive(s). The specified
drive(s) will have write-caching disabled unless you add +.
+ Enables write-behind caching for the specified drive.
- Disables all caching for the specified drive.
/U Do not load CD-ROM caching module.
/C Writes all information currently in write-cache to hard disk.
/R Clears the cache and restarts SMARTDrive.
/F Writes cached data before command prompt returns (default).
/N Doesn't write cached data before command prompt returns.
/L Prevents SMARTDrive from loading itself into upper memory.
/V Displays SMARTDrive status messages when loading.
/Q Does not display status information.
/S Displays additional information about SMARTDrive's status.
InitCacheSize Specifies XMS memory (KB) for the cache.
WinCacheSize Specifies XMS memory (KB) for the cache with Windows.
/E:ElementSize Specifies how many bytes of information to move at one time.
/B:BufferSize Specifies the size of the read-ahead buffer."
Depending on how much memory (RAM) is installed in your system, you can
further tweak the Smartdrv size to cache more (and larger) files. My Pentium
II machine has 128 MB SDRAM, so I set Smartdrv's "InitCacheSize" to 6144 KB (6
MB), and the "WinCacheSize" to 16 KB (minimum allowed). This is my
Autoexec.bat SMARTDRV line:
SMARTDRV 6144 16 A+ C+ D /N /Q /B:8192 /E:32768
There is no need to load Smartdrv with "LOADHIGH" ("LH" for short) in
Autoexec.bat, since it is "smart" enough to find the optimum memory
configuration upon loading, provided you have EMM386.EXE (or a similar upper
memory manager) loaded in your Config.sys.
These are my OWN recommended optimum Smartdrv "InitCacheSize" values based on
your installed RAM amount:
* 4 MB: [shame on you if you "torture" yourself watching your PC "crawl" with
this "much" memory!... :-)] => SMARTDRV size = 128 KB or none!;
* 8 MB: [still waiting for Windows to load, huh... :-)] => SMARTDRV size =
256 - 512 KB;
* 16 MB: [c'mon, you can do better than THAT!] => SMARTDRV size = 1024 - 2048
KB;
* 32 MB: [decent, but still not enough by today's standards. But who am I to
judge your "boring, business-only" desktop PC?... :-)] => SMARTDRV size =
2048 - 4096 KB;
* 40 MB: [a little better, you must a beginner "PC gamer"... :-)] => SMARTDRV
size = 4096 - 6144 KB;
* 64 MB: [now you're talking! Optimum for running Win98/95... But not for
long...] => SMARTDRV size = 6144 - 8192 KB;
* 128 MB: [smart guy, you're slightly ahead of today's requirements. You must
be an WinNT user!] => SMARTDRV size = 8192 KB (beyond 8192 KB Smartdrv's
efficiency doesn't increase by much anyway);
* 256 MB: [your PC must be soaring through Win9x/NT or ANY OS for that matter.
I bet you have a dual Pentium II/III system!] => SMARTDRV size = whatever you
want it to be! [don't overdo it, smart guy... :-)];
* 512 MB: [you're a darn lucky dog!... Deep into the CAD/DTP/professional 3D
animation/graphics/video editing business, I presume... But I pity you, that
means you probably don't OWN this mean machine... :-)] => SMARTDRV size = NO
limits (maximum allowed Smartdrv size is 64 MB = 65536 KB)!
As a rule of thumb try to keep Smartdrv's "InitCacheSize" within 1/6 of your
installed RAM, and at 1/8 if you have less than 32 MB.
REQUIRED ADDENDUM:
By loading ONLY the HIMEM.SYS device at startup (which can be further tweaked
in your Config.sys file), your machine provides ONLY EXTENDED memory available
to programs/TSRs, NOT upper or/and expanded!
To enable the use of UMBs (Upper Memory Blocks) and the Upper Memory Area
(UMA) for loading devices/drivers/TSRs high, and/or EXPANDED memory (still
needed by some older DOS programs), you need to add/tweak a Config.sys line
for EMM386.EXE, the default Microsoft upper/expanded memory manager (comes
with MS-DOS 6.xx and Win9x).
Below are EMM386.EXE alternative configurations to properly load Smartdrv in
upper AND extended memory (and AVOID the use of CONVENTIONAL memory), you can
further tweak to match your system needs:
1. Example of EMM386 line in Config.sys to provide ONLY EXTENDED memory AND
UMBs (Upper Memory Blocks) for loading devices/TSRs high:
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS I=B000-B7FF D=256
2. Example of EMM386 line in Config.sys to provide extended, EXPANDED memory
and UMBs:
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE RAM I=B000-B7FF D=256 AUTO
The expanded memory version above takes an extra 64 KB of UMA to load
EMM386's Page Frame. The "AUTO" switch yields the use of expanded or extended
memory to programs, as needed.
Windows 98/95 users: open the MSDOSDRV.TXT file with Notepad (located in your
Windows folder) to see all available EMM386.EXE parameters.
MS-DOS 6.xx users: run:
HELP EMM386.EXE
from any DOS prompt, to see all available EMM386.EXE switches.
NOTE: Read also the related EMM386.EXE and SMARTDRV.EXE topics in MEMORY.TXT
(included) for more details.
Have a "smart" computing day!
UPDATE:
Check out these Smartdrv related pages:
- The "SMARTDrive and 32-Bit Disk Access" MSKB article:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q83/3/25.asp
- My UMBPCI.SYS page, to learn how to use a better upper memory manager and
specific Smartdrv settings using UMBPCI.SYS:
http://members.aol.com/axcel216/umb.htm
- Driving for Performance: SMARTDrive, Part 2:
http://www.tcs.org/ioport/read9711.htm
CLOSE'EM ALL
If you have more than one open window on your Desktop (and when was the last
time you hadn't), there is a way to close them all with only one swift move,
as long as they were all generated by the same application/program.
Just hold down the Shift key and left-click the Close window button (the x
button) in the upper right corner of your last open window.
Done.
SHELL ENVIRONMENT SIZE [*]
A good friend (CptSiskoX@flashmail.com) asked me the question below, and I
thought the answer might benefit all Windows/DOS users, so I posted it here.
NOTE: The topic detailed below applies also to MS-DOS 6.xx and Windows/WfWG
3.1x systems, with these exceptions:
1. The /L:xxxx and /U:xxx COMMAND.COM parameters apply ONLY to
Win98/95 + MS-DOS 7.xx systems.
2. The "winbootdir" environment string also applies ONLY to Win98/95
+ MS-DOS 7.xx OSes.
Q [CptSiskoX@flashmail.com]:
"What are your recommendations for a Win95 OSR 2.5 system with 32 MB RAM for a
Config.sys "shell=" line parameters? What about a 16 MB system?
I am currently using "SHELL=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM /P /E:1024".
I have no real mode drivers loading, it's all 32-bit."
A [axcel216@aol.com]:
"The SHELL Command.com environment parameter length, set by the /E:xxxx switch
(used in Config.sys), doesn't depend on your installed memory (RAM), but on
how MANY and how LONG are your SET statements in your Config.sys and/or
Autoexec.bat files, including the PATH and the PROMPT lines.
A safe bet is to set the Config.sys SHELL line to read:
SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /E:512 /L:128 /U:128 /P
Change the folder/drive name if your Command.com copy is located somewhere
else.
You may want to increase the environment size, let's say to /E:1024 if your
PATH line is pretty long, and/or if you have a bunch of SET lines in your
startup files, like I do.
For details on the /L and /U switches (and for all Win98/95 Command.com
available parameters), run:
COMMAND /?
at any DOS prompt.
If you don't have a SHELL line in your Config.sys, Win98/95 automatically
starts the GUI at the end of processing the startup files (Io.sys, Msdos.sys,
Config.sys and Autoexec.bat), even if you have the "BootGUI=0" line present
in your Msdos.sys file, the [Options] section (at least that's what happens
on my machine, and I noticed this to be valid with both Win95 OSR1 and Win95B
OSR2 releases).
There is a good DOS diagnostics tool, called Syschk v2.45 (no nag shareware),
available at:
http://www.syschk.com/
which reports the total, used and free environment memory amounts in Bytes
(among many other details about your system), when you select option #7 from
Syschk's main screen menu. If your free environment size is below 100-200
Bytes, you might need to increase it, to have at least 400-500 Bytes free,
because Windows 3.1x/98/95 and their DOS sessions also add to the length of
the environment size (like the "windir" line, present only with Windows/WfWG
3.1x/98/95 started). Also, Win98/95 adds the "winbootdir" string to the
environment upon bootup, reading the Msdos.sys file, the [Paths] section,
which contains the "WinBootDir=C:\WINDOWS" line.
To see all the SET lines/strings displayed on your screen, just run:
SET | MORE
from any DOS prompt. Adding "| MORE" to the SET command, allows viewing all
SET lines one screen at a time, and you can press a key to move to the next
screen, that is if all your SET lines don't fit into the default DOS screen
of 25 lines.
Run Syschk from a Win98/95 DOS prompt box, and press 7, which displays all
the environment variables/strings and sizes (a lot more useful details
compared to using the plain "SET | MORE" command).
Also, when you start a DOS session in Windows 98/95, the Command environment
size defaults to /E:2048 /L:1024 /U:255 (maximum sizes allowed by the OS, in
order to accomodate all your SET/environnment strings/lines). This loads a
huge COMMAND module into memory, usually too big for your needs. But you can
restrict/customize the environment size in a Windows/WfWG 3.1x 98/95 MS-DOS
session by starting it with a custom PIF file (MS-DOS application file).
All you have to do is type something like:
COMMAND.COM /E:512 /L:128 /U:128 /P
in your PIF file "Cmd line" dialog box, by modifying the "MS-DOS Prompt" item
already present in your Start Menu (Win98/95) or in the Main Program Group
(Win/WfWG 3.1x), or by creating a new one.
In Windows/WfWG 3.1x you need to start PIFEDIT.EXE located in your Windows
directory to modify/create a PIF (Program Information File)."
CD-ROM DRIVERS 4 DOS [UPDATED 3|3|98]
NOTE: This topic refers ONLY to IDE/ATAPI internal CD-ROM drives owners!
My 8x speed internal IDE ATAPI CD-ROM drive (Turtle Beach NEC IDE 8000, 256 KB
buffer, 145 msec), loads a smaller DOS device driver (Acer's IDE ATAPI CD-ROM
device driver VIDE-CDD.SYS) in upper memory (5KB), compared to my ol' 2x speed
Creative Labs/Matsushita OMNI (proprietary 8-bit interface) CD-ROM drive,
using Creative Labs' proprietary SBCD.SYS CD-ROM driver, which was taking 13
KB of upper RAM (or my newer NEC/Turtle Beach ATAPI CD-ROM driver that was
occupying 22 KB of upper memory).
Download Acer Peripherals "Universal" CD-ROM/DVD driver for DOS [VIDE-CDD.SYS
v2.14, 140 KB, free]:
ftp://ftp.acerperipherals.com/storage/apicd214.exe
Acer Peripherals CD-ROM/DVD drivers home:
http://www.acerperipherals.com/ss_download/ss_st_dl.htm
Apicd214.exe is a self-extractive zip which contains the VIDE-CDD.SYS cd-rom
driver version 2.14 for MS-DOS, designed for Acer internal IDE/ATAPI CD-ROM
and DVD drives. To my knowledge, VIDE-CDD.SYS works GREAT with ANY internal
IDE 100% ATAPI compliant CD-ROM drive of ANY speed, that uses the default
16-bit IDE, or 32-bit EIDE motherboard connector (most all Pentium, Pentium
Pro and Pentium II/III motherboards provide the dual EIDE PCI interface, for
all IDE, EIDE or/and ATAPI drives in your system, including CD-ROM/DVD
drives).
Also, one of the most compatible (read "Universal") IDE/ATAPI CD-ROM MS-DOS
mode drivers I have found is made by Teac America. It is designed to work with
Teac IDE/ATAPI internal CD-ROMs, but I discovered it does a great job with my
Turtle Beach NEC 8x CD-ROM drive. Download TEAC_CDI.SYS v1.27Q [37 KB, free]:
http://www.teac.com/dsp/cd/drivers/atapicd.exe
Teac America CD-ROM/DVD drivers home:
http://www.teac.com/dsp/cd/dtide_d.html
TEAC_CDI.SYS version 1.27Q works with almost ANY IDE/ATAPI CD-ROM of ANY
speed! Takes only 9 KB of upper DOS memory on my machine when loaded with
DEVICEHIGH in Config.sys.
ADDENDUM:
If you have an IDE/ATAPI cd-rom drive connected to a Sound Blaster (SB) card
interface (the IDE interface on some Creative Labs SB cards, like the SB AWE32
PnP, or SB AWE64 PnP), you may NOT be able to use the DOS drivers mentioned
above, because the SB IDE interface (controller) uses a different interrupt
and hex base address.
Example: the standard secondary (E)IDE controller on the motherboard uses
interrupt 15, and base address 170h (hex notation). Sound Blaster IDE
interface uses by default interrupt (IRQ) 5 (same as the sound card chip),
and base address (BA) 220h.
Also, if you have an SB card featuring the older Matsushita/Panasonic
proprietary 8-bit cd-rom interface (like the Sound Blaster 16 CD/16 ASP, NOT
PnP), you canNOT use the cd-rom drivers listed here. In this case you will
have to use the driver(s) provided by Creative Labs (bundled with your sound
card, or cd-rom drive), usually called SBCD.SYS (which takes 13KB of memory).
The Panasonic/Matsushita cd-rom connector uses (to my knowledge) interrupt 5
and base address 220h, and cannot be changed.
The standard (E)IDE motherboard controller interface in most Pentium (and
above) systems uses the following Interrupt ReQuest lines (IRQ) and hex Base
Addresses (BA):
- Primary Master & Slave: IRQ = 14; BA = 1F0h (port 1);
- Secondary Master & Slave: IRQ = 15; BA = 170h (port 2).
Alternative IRQs and BAs used by non-standard (supplemental/add-on) (E)IDE
controllers:
- Tertiary Master & Slave: IRQ = 12; BA = 1E8h (port 3);
- Quaternary Master & Slave: IRQ = 10; BA = 168h (port 4).
NOTES: 1. See this Turtle Beach Knowledge Base page for detailed info on
IDE cd-rom drives:
http://www.voyetra-turtle-beach.com/site/kb_ftp/635.htm
2. All the above standard hardware settings are supported by both
VIDE-CDD.SYS and TEAC_CDI.SYS DOS drivers.
3. To my knowledge the following internal IDE/ATAPI cd-roms work
with VIDE-CDD.SYS and/or TEAC_CDI.SYS, ONLY when connected to the
IDE/EIDE motherboard controller:
- all Acer cd-roms;
- some Creative Labs IDE cd-roms (NOT OMNI/Matsushita proprietary);
- some Matsushita/Panasonic IDE cd-roms (if NOT connected to the
sound card IDE or proprietary controller);
- all NEC IDE cd-roms;
- all TEAC IDE cd-roms;
- all Turtle Beach cd-roms;
- most Toshiba IDE cd-roms.
Please send me e-mail at axcel216@aol.com if you have knowledge of other
internal IDE/ATAPI CD-ROMs/DVD-ROMs that work or NOT with VIDE-CDD.SYS and
TEAC_CDI.SYS DOS drivers. Your time is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
UPDATES:
1. Pioneer IDE/ATAPI internal CD-ROMs do NOT work with Acer's or Teac's
drivers above. If you have a Pioneer ATAPI CD-ROM drive, please download
their IDE cd-rom drivers:
http://www.pioneerusa.com/drivers.html
For 4-24x speed Pioneer IDE/EIDE cd-roms, download ATAPI108.EXE [29 KB,
free]:
http://www.pioneerusa.com/drivers/atapi108.exe
For 24x speed and faster Pioneer IDE CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs, download
ATAPI303.EXE [86 KB, free]:
http://www.pioneerusa.com/drivers/atapi303.exe
2. I have received reports that certain Panasonic/Matsushita Creative Labs
IDE cd-roms do NOT support the Acer or Teac drivers, especially when
connected to the Sound Blaster IDE controller. An example is the Creative
Panasonic CD drive CR563.
Update above courtesy of Michael Morley (mike.morley@zetnet.co.uk).
3. Update below appears courtesy of CptSiskoX@flashmail.com:
"TEAC_CDI.SYS or VIDE-CDD.SYS wouldn't work with an IDE/ATAPI compatible
Compaq Presario CDTV 510 486-class computer that has an IDE/ATAPI CD-ROM
drive, the only driver I could get to work in DOS mode with it was the one
included with the computer: CPQIDECD.SYS. You might want to try
http://www.compaq.com/
to find that file if you need it. Newer and older Compaq computers might
have the same problem but I am not sure."
4. CD-ROM drivers web sites:
- Metropoli CD-ROM Drivers:
http://www.mpoli.fi/files/hardware/CDROM/
- CD-ROM Drivers:
http://geocities.datacellar.net/SiliconValley/4421/drivers.html
- Driver Guide (requires free subscription):
http://www.driverguide.com/
%WINDIR% VARIABLE [UPDATED 2|14|98]
%WINDIR% is a variable used by the MS-DOS 6.xx and 7.xx commands, both
internal and external.
Internal MS-DOS commands (built into the OS, NOT real files): COPY, DEL, MD,
RD, CD etc.
External MS-DOS commands (actual files on your disk, located in your
C:\Windows\Command folder by default): XCOPY.EXE, MOVE.EXE, ATTRIB.EXE,
DELTREE.EXE etc.
BEWARE: The %WINDIR% variable is available ONLY with the Windows GUI
started, therefore can ONLY be used in a Windows DOS session (box)
prompt and in batch files executed ONLY from within Windows, it
canNOT be used at the real (true) MS-DOS mode outside Windows!
So if you are running such commands from the native MS-DOS prompt,
use the real name of your Windows folder.
Example:
C:
XCOPY <parameters> %WINDIR%\*.INI C:\WINBAK
The %WINDIR% variable shows off its usefulness when you have Windows 98/95
installed in another folder than the default (C:\Windows), and you also
want to use the same batch files on more than one PC, without having to
customize it every time for each machine.
The Windows 98/95 directory (set <windir>) is an internal MS-DOS variable,
specified in Msdos.sys (a system file located in C:\ root), which is
processed by Win98/95's boot routine. Io.sys (which is processed first at
bootup) looks into Msdos.sys's [Paths] section to determine the location of
your Windows 98/95 directory, and loads it in MS-DOS's environment memory
(default is windir=c:\windows).
The example below uses default values:
[Paths]
WinDir=C:\Windows
If you run the SET command at a DOS prompt (using "| MORE" to display one
screen at a time):
SET | MORE
you'll see all MS-DOS variables, including "windir".
Notice that the internal ones ("windir" and "winbootdir") appear in small
characters, and the external SET variables (specified in Config.sys and/or
Autoexec.bat by the SET <variable> command lines) appear in capitals.
Example of a common SET variables list at a Win9x DOS box prompt:
windir=C:\WINDOWS
winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS
COMSPEC=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM
TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\;etc...
WINPMT=$P$G
PROMPT=Type EXIT & hit Enter 2 return 2 Windows!$_$P$G
SOUND=C:\SB16
MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E MODE:0
BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6
MOUSE=C:\MOUSE
COPYCMD=/Y
DIRCMD=/A /O:GEN /P
etc...
Now notice the difference if you run the same "SET | MORE" command from the
native MS-DOS:
COMSPEC=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM
TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\;etc...
PROMPT=$P$G
WINPMT=Type EXIT & hit Enter 2 return 2 Windows!$_$P$G
SOUND=C:\SB16
MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E MODE:0
BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6
MOUSE=C:\MOUSE
COPYCMD=/Y
DIRCMD=/A /O:GEN /P
etc...
MORE FONT SPEED
I have noticed an increase in Win98/95 loading time lately, and what is more
annoying, the pop-up menus/dialog boxes/shortcuts take a long time to show
up! I have narrowed down my sluggish system response to the (too) many fonts
I have installed over the past 2 years (over 250!). So I trimmed them down,
backed up and moved away about 100, but the pop-up menus were still showing a
slow response.
Now this was war! But I managed to detect the "culprit": the default system
font for most of the Desktop appearances is "Arial". Arial is a True Type
Font (.TTF file extension), which means it takes some time to render on the
menus/pop up boxes, especially with the Microsoft Font Smoother utility
installed, and I was not ready to give up the handy Font Smoother tool!
NOTE: Do NOT install MS Font Smoother if you have MS Plus! Pack for Win95,
OSR2 or Win98!
So I changed the system desktop font to a screen (raster/plotter) font, which
doesn't take for ever to render, having no edges to "smooth". I chose the
plain "System" font.
To do this, right-click on an empty spot on your Desktop, select Properties,
click on the Appearance tab, and click once on the "Normal" desktop setting.
In the "Font:" list, scroll down to the "System" font. Select it and then
click Apply to make the change "stick" instantly, or click OK to make it
permanent.
Repeat the above steps with the "Selected", "Active Window", "Inactive
Window", and "Message box" Appearance settings. Choose the "System" font for
ALL of them. Not only it is available strictly in Bold, so it stands out much
better on the screen than "Arial" (which by default is in Regular), but it
also takes less time to draw a window/menu/pop-up tab.
Depending on your installed fonts, you may have other neat screen fonts (all
the ones with the .FON extension) to "play" with, like: "Courier", "Modern",
"Roman", "Fixedsys", "MS Serif", "MS Sans Serif" etc.
To view each individual font, open the "Fonts" icon in Control Panel, and
double-click on the one(s) you wish (all screen/plotter fonts have a red "A"
icon assigned).
TEMP FILES, BE GONE! [+]
Windows 98/95 users are well aware of this annoyance: disk clutter!
One easy way to ditch unneeded temporary (backup) files under Win9x (which in
time can occupy significant amounts of disk space), is to run a batch file,
which deletes all: *.---, *.000, *.001, *.002, *.B~K, *.BAK, *.BMK,
*.DA1, *.DAT, *.FTG, *.FTS, *.GID, *.INK, *.LHX, *.LOG, *.OLD, *.OUT, *.PAR,
*.PRV, *.$$$, *.SYK, *.SWP, *.TMP, *.TXT etc files from all your drive(s).
Specific programs/tools create specific temporary/backup files (examples):
- *.---, *.B~K, *.BAK, *.DAT, *.LOG, *.OLD, *.PRV, *.TXT = in the root folder
of your boot drive (usually C:\), when you first installed Win9x and when you
made system changes (installed apps);
- *.FTG, *.FTS, *.GID = in your Win9x Help folder (usually C:\Windows\Help),
whenever you clicked a "Help" button in Win9x, and/or used the Help Search
option;
- *.FND = in your Win9x Desktop folder (usually C:\Windows\Desktop), whenever
you saved a Search (by using the "Find" tool).
Some of these files have the read-only, hiden and/or system attributes.
Therefore you need to "strip" them of their attributes to be able to delete
them. Example: create a batch file to include the DOS command lines below, to
delete these temp files from C:\ root:
@ECHO OFF
C:
CD\
ATTRIB -H -R -S +A \*.OLD
ATTRIB -H -R -S +A \*.PRV
ATTRIB -H -R -S +A \*.TXT
DEL \*.OLD
DEL \*.PRV
DEL \*.TXT
WARNING: Do NOT delete ANY: *.DA0, *.DAT, *.INI, *.LOG or *.TXT files from
your Windows folder!
A radical approach to getting rid of ALL files that pile up in your temporary
folder (usually C:\Windows\Temp), is to include these DOS commands in a batch
file:
@ECHO OFF
C:
CD\
ECHO Y | DELTREE C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
MD C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
It is recommended to delete your Win9x temporary files ONLY from the real
(native) MS-DOS mode, or if you'd like to do this from inside the Win9x GUI
(a DOS box), make sure you close ALL open programs FIRST!
Open W95.BAT (included here) with Notepad, to see how I clean up my drives
and folders every time I shut-down/exit Windows.
I usually start Win98 from W95.BAT to keep my drives "filthy clean".
UPDATES:
1. "*.000 and *.001 are frequently used by D*Space [Drvspace/Dblspace].
Careful when deleting them, if using one of these disk compression tools!"
This update courtesy of Yuri Khan (kukina@nioch.nsc.ru).
2. "*.LOG files can be used by some Uninstall programs to keep a log of what
is installed during the process and is essential for a successful
uninstall."
This update courtesy of Raymond Tau (raymond.tau@personet.net).
SHRINK THE REGISTRY! [UPDATED 3|11|98]
I found this to be a time saver. BUT BACKUP FIRST!
Windows 95's Registry database (made by these two hidden/read-only/system
files: System.dat and User.dat, located in your Windows folder) grows every
time you install a new program/aplication, or make changes to your machine
(install/upgrade hardware peripherals) to Gargantuelian proportions.
This only slows down the overall performance of your system.
But because you sometimes also uninstall programs, the Registry contains
"holes" that do not reduce its size, but clutter the system files and
therefore slow down the Win95 operation (you'd be surprised how many times
Win95 accesses the Registry files only by executing a routine task, like
clicking something with your mouse).
Happily I found a solution to this problem. All you need to do is use the
Registry editor (REGEDIT.EXE, found in your Windows directory), but ONLY IN
NATIVE/TRUE MS-DOS MODE OUTSIDE WINDOWS!
Use REGEDIT's command line switches to recreate the Registry from a .REG file.
MANDATORY: Exit to the MS-DOS mode prompt OUTSIDE Windows and run:
REGEDIT
You will be presented with this screen:
"Imports and exports registry files to and from the registry.
REGEDIT [/L:system] [/R:user] filename1
REGEDIT [/L:system] [/R:user] /C filename2
REGEDIT [/L:system] [/R:user] /E filename3 [regpath]
/L:system Specifies the location of the SYSTEM.DAT file.
/R:user Specifies the location of the USER.DAT file.
filename1 Specifies the file(s) to import into the registry.
/C filename2 Specifies the file to create the registry from.
/E filename3 Specifies the file to export the registry to.
regpath Specifies the starting registry key to export from.
(Defaults to exporting the entire registry)."
I created a batch file called REGSHORT.BAT, to do all these operations in 1
swift move (included in this archive). To view/edit the REGSHORT.BAT lines,
open it in Notepad.
When you're done executing REGSHORT, just run:
WIN
to restart Windows.
Substitute the Windows folder name and/or the boot drive letter if different
on your machine.
No need to backup your Registry, since REGSHORT also copies ALL four Registry
files (SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT) and their Win95 default backup copies
(SYSTEM.DA0 and USER.DA0) to the newly created \REG95BAK folder.
With a little luck, this trick may "shrink" your Registry anywhere from 500 KB
to 1 MB! Wow! Talk about saving time and disk space!
And from now on you'll notice a slight speed increase while happily working
in Win95. Have fun!
I REPEAT:
Exit Windows to the NATIVE MS-DOS mode to do this! Don't try to use
REGSHORT.BAT from a DOS box/session INSIDE Windows if you want to stay clear
of ANY data loss/system crash!
IMPORTANT:
1. Go to this page and download FixReg [51 KB, freeware], to learn how to
PROPERLY recreate the Registry from an exported .REG file in Windows 9x:
http://www.walbeehm.com/mrcode.html
2. Go to this well documented web site and download SmallReg [19 KB,
freeware], to learn how to FIX your exported Registry in Windows 9x:
http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~flibble/regsmall.html
3. READ this MSKB article explaining the Win9x Regedit.exe BUG:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q132/0/64.asp
This update courtesy of Wally Lukes (wallychrome@mindspring.com).
4. READ the "How to Troubleshoot Registry Errors" MSKB article regarding the
Windows 95 import/reconstruct Registry issue:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q131/4/31.asp
This update courtesy of Andrew Jobes (AJobes@dial.pipex.com).
5. To learn how to COMPACT the Registry in Windows 98, READ the "SCANREGW,
SCANREG + SCANREG.INI" topic in TIPS98.TXT (included).
DOUBLE BUFFER [+] [*]
If you have any:
- SCSI hard disks,
- older ESDI/IDE/ATA drives,
- newer IDE/EIDE hard drives (especially larger than 8 GB) partitioned with
the new Win98/OSR2 FAT32 file system,
Windows 98/95 tries to load DBLBUFF.SYS, the double buffering device driver
(located in C:\Windows by default) to allow proper operation under the
SCSI/ESDI/FAT32 standards.
Double Buffering/Smartdrv advantages:
A. If you don't use any DOS programs, you can speed up the loading of the DOS
portion of your Win98/95 GUI.
B. If you DO use ANY MS-DOS based programs/games, you can speed up a bit (in
some cases) ALL disk I/O (Input/Output) reads and writes in native MS-DOS
mode.
There are actually two ways of doing this:
1. The old way is to add a SMARTDRV line to your Config.sys file, after the
command that loads HIMEM.SYS:
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV.EXE /DOUBLE_BUFFER
Note that this portion of the Smartdrv module canNOT load in upper memory!
This is reminiscent from the MS-DOS 6.xx days, when Smartdrv itself was used
to provide double buffering.
2. The new way (implemented by Win98/95) is to add this line to your
Config.sys, after the HIMEM.SYS command:
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DBLBUFF.SYS
DBLBUFF.SYS can ONLY load in conventional memory. You will get an error
message at bootup, and the Dblbuff.sys loading process aborts if you try to
load it in upper memory with DEVICEHIGH!
NOTE: For complete DBLBUFF.SYS guidelines/parameters, read MSDOSDRV.TXT,
located in your Windows 9x folder.
You can choose which way to enable double buffering, since both methods
described above work under Win98/95.
The double buffer module takes under 3 KB of low (conventional) memory.
Valid for both methods above:
1. You need an adequate BUFFERS line in your Config.sys, for this to work.
Example:
BUFFERS=12,6
The second number on this BUFFERS line provides double buffering capabilities.
The BUFFERS load automatically in the High Memory Area (HMA), if HMA is
properly enabled by these Config.sys lines:
DOS=HIGH,UMB
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
NOTE: To learn more about DOS memory layout and how to "squeeze" the last
Byte out of your conventional/upper memory in DOS and Windows, read
MEMORY.TXT, REGIONS.TXT and EMM386.TXT (included).
2. You also need a SMARTDRV line in your Autoexec.bat, to activate the double
buffering feature. Example:
SMARTDRV 2048 16 A+ C+ D /N
NOTE: For Smartdrv complete details and guidelines, read the "OUTSMART
SMARTDRIVE" topic, also included in this file (above).
Now that you're done, reboot your system, and then run this command:
SMARTDRV /S
from any DOS prompt, to see which drive(s) on your system have double
buffering enabled (only if needed).
TIP: To have SMARTDRV load in upper memory (and save some precious
conventional memory), you need a memory manager loaded in your Config.sys
(like EMM386.EXE, provided by Microsoft with Win98/95).
Example of EMM386.EXE Config.sys line (with expanded memory enabled by the
"RAM" switch):
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE I=B000-B7FF D=256 RAM AUTO
To learn how to use ALL EMM386.EXE parameters, read MSDOSDRV.TXT, a plain
text file found in your Windows 9x folder. Then read MEMORY.TXT (included),
to learn how to maximize + optimize your DOS/Windows memory resources using
EMM386.EXE.
TIP: If you use Win98, read the "WIN98 PHANTOM DRIVE BUG" topic in
TIPS98.TXT (included).
BLANK WIN.COM [UPDATED 7|7|98] [+]
I have included three modified versions of "WIN.COM" (MS Windows 98/95
executables), for:
1. Windows 95 (retail) + Windows 95a OSR1 (upgraded with SP1) = WINOSR1.COM
[22,679 Bytes];
2. Windows 95 B + C OSR 2.x (OEM only) = WINOSR2.COM [24,503 Bytes] and
3. Windows 98 (retail) + Windows 98 SE = WIN98.COM [24,791 Bytes],
in the WINBLANK.ZIP archive [37 KB, FREEware, separate file]:
http://members.aol.com/maxspeeed/WINBLANK.ZIP
USAGE:
1. Get a file decompressing/unzipping utility, like Winzip for Windows 9x,
rated #1 ZIPping/unZIPping tool (shareware, free trial):
http://www.winzip.com
1. Use Winzip (or your favorite "unzipper") to decompress/unzip WINBLANK.ZIP
into an empty folder.
2. Backup your WIN.COM (found in your Windows folder) to a safe location.
3. Rename the one (WINOSR1.COM, WINOSR2.COM or WIN98.COM) that matches your
Windows version to WIN.COM. To tell EXACTLY your Windows version/build, follow
the guidelines in VERSION.TXT (included).
4. Copy this new WIN.COM to your Windows folder.
The purpose of these files is to get rid of the following annoying DOS
message, displayed when you shut down Windows 98/95, and find yourself at the
native/true MS-DOS mode prompt:
"You can now safely turn off your computer.
If you want to restart your computer, press CTRL+ALT+DEL."
To see this DOS prompt message generated by WIN.COM, you need to delete/move
(but BACKUP FIRST) the waiting-to-shut-down (LOGOW.SYS) and the shut-down
(LOGOS.SYS) logos from your Windows folder, which are displayed on top of the
DOS prompt during and after the shut-down sequence, if present.
To shut down Windows 98/95:
1. Click the Start button.
2. Click the Shut down item.
3. Check the Shut down box.
4. Click OK.
But if you use one of these modified executables (the one that matches your
Windows version!), the annoying DOS prompt message will be GONE!
NOTE: To properly exit/shut down Win98/95 to the real/native MS-DOS mode,
APPLY the STEPS detailed in the "DOS NOW!" topic in MYTIPS95.TXT
(included).
How I did it: plain and simple, I opened each WIN.COM file with the old
16-bit version of Write.exe (the word processor included with Windows/WfWG
3.1x).
I replaced the two text lines which make up the above annoying message with
spaces (blanks).
IMPORTANT: The EXACT size of the original WIN.COM has to be preserved,
otherwise it doesn't work!
There is actually an easier way to do all this, by running Windows 98/95
from a plain batch file:
@ECHO OFF
WIN %1 %2 %3
CLS
... but where would be the fun? :-)
RESTART AFTER INSTALL
There are cases when some program installations/setups insist on rebooting
your system (for the changes they have made to take effect), even if they
haven't made ANY CHANGES to your system/startup files (Msdos.sys, Autoexec.bat
or/and Config.sys), the only ones that would require a reboot IF modified
during an installation process.
This means a reboot IS NOT necessary! All you need to do in this case is
restart Windows (the GUI).
First, answer "no" to the prompt screens, when a particular install routine
wants to reboot your system. After that you can restart Windows manually, in 2
ways:
A. Click "Shut Down" from the Start button, select "Restart" and click OK.
B. Click "Shut down" from the Start button, select "Shut down", hold down the
Shift key and click OK.
C. Create a batch file to contain this 1 line:
@EXIT
Save it as RESTART.BAT. Then create an MS-DOS shortcut for RESTART.BAT:
1. Right-click on an empty spot on your Desktop.
2. Select New, Shortcut.
3. In the "Command line" box, browse to the folder where RESTART.BAT resides,
name this shortcut Restart!, and click OK.
4. Choose an icon for Restart!.PIF, and click OK. Your newly created shortcut
should appear now on your Desktop (if you haven't changed its default
location).
5. Now right-click on Restart!, and select Properties.
6. Select the Program tab and check the "Close on exit" box.
7. Then click on the "Advanced" button.
8. Check the "MS-DOS mode" box.
9. Uncheck the "Warn before entering MS-DOS mode" box.
10. Check the "Use current MS-DOS configuration" box.
11. Click OK twice to save your changes.
Now you're all set. You can double-click on your Restart! shortcut whenever a
program installation that HASN'T MADE ANY changes to your C:\ root startup
files prompts you to reboot.
To make sure there are no changes made to your startup/system files, compare
your old files (from before installing a new program) with the ones after the
setup process is over. You can compare two ASCII (plain text) files, like
Autoexec.bat, Config.sys or Msdos.sys, by opening them side by side in Notepad.
This implies that you have made BACKUPS (to compare to), before ANY CHANGES
have been made to your system!
If there are no changes to your system files, then there is no need for reboot.
Just double-click on your Desktop Restart! shortcut, and when Windows GUI shows
up again, you can safely run your newly installed program. Voila.
SERIAL KILLER! [UPDATED 4|24|98]
This tip is intended for all PC users who:
1. Have a serial mouse connected to a COM port (usually COM1 or COM2);
2. Own an internal ISA modem/fax card that can be configured to be connected
to any of the four COM ports supported by the PC/AT BIOS.
* FIRST CASE:
If you have a serial mouse connected to the COM1 serial port, you need to set
your internal modem for COM4, and if your mouse is on COM2, your modem needs
to be set for COM3.
Why? Simple, because the IBM PC clone has a major limitation: [I wish it
would be the only one... :(] it has only 15 usable IRQs (hardware interrupts),
and a maximum of 4 COM (communication) ports. And it's not used to share (the
hardware resources anyway). This is the complete PC/AT COM ports list of valid
(hardware default) assigned resources:
1. Interrupt ReQuest line (IRQ) decimal values:
COM1 = IRQ 4
COM2 = IRQ 3
COM3 = IRQ 4
COM4 = IRQ 3
2. Base Address (BA) hex (h) values:
COM1 = 3F8h
COM2 = 2F8h
COM3 = 3E8h
COM4 = 2E8h
As you can see, the four COM ports share a total of only 2 (two) IRQs:
- COM1 + COM3 use the same IRQ = 4
- COM2 + COM4 use the same IRQ = 3
So if you hook up your serial mouse to COM1, you can't connect your modem to
COM3, because they share the same interrupt (IRQ 4). You could have your
serial mouse and modem share the same IRQ, but you'll experience conflicts.
Better avoid them. Same is valid with COM2 and COM4 (they share IRQ 3).
EXAMPLE:
Therefore, I had to set my modem (Philips PCM33IA internal PnP modem/fax
33.6/14.4 kbps, jumper adjustable) to use COM3, while my serial mouse is
connected to COM2. In ANY other configuration my modem was unable to properly
access the internet.
I had to assign this particular COM port configuration on 3 different PC/AT
Pentium class motherboards:
- Intel Plato II Premium Intel Pentium 90MHz + Award BIOS;
- Tyan Tomcat 1 S1562 Triton II HX Intel Pentium 200MHz + Award BIOS;
- Megatrends HX83 Triton II HX Intel Pentium 233MHz MMX + AMI BIOS.
* SECOND CASE:
Connect your serial mouse to COM port 1. Then if your motherboard BIOS
supports it, go into SETUP (usually by pressing the Del key while your machine
is stepping through the boot up sequence). In the Peripherals screen
(available on AMI BIOSes) or similar (depending on your BIOS type), disable
Serial/COM Port 2 entirely. Reboot. Now set your internal ISA modem to use COM
port 2 in all your DOS and Windows applications.
EXAMPLE:
I have done this on a Megatrends HX83 Pentium motherboard with AMI BIOS, using
an ISA internal PnP jumperless 3COM/US Robotics 56K V.90 Winmodem.
... I really hope the new USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard will do away
with this annoying limitation once for all.
NOTE: These workarounds don't apply to newer PnP modems that can also use
other IRQs, besides the two standard IRQs (3 and 4) used by the four
standard COM ports (newer 3COM/US Robotics modems can also use IRQ 7
or 9).
ADD-ON: Windows 98/95 can use higher COM ports (COM5 - COM8) beyond the 4
physical serial communication ports (default) on a PC/AT computer,
alternate IRQs and different base addresses for each of them, in
order to avoid hardware conflicts. For example, you can assign your
modem to COM5, IRQ9 and BA180h (this won't work in native MS-DOS
mode!), but if ONLY you are using a PnP jumperless modem (or a modem
that supports other IRQs besides 3 and 4). And to make all this
possible, your PnP BIOS has to support more than four COM ports in
Windows.
Using higher IRQ numbers also gives you the advantage of giving your
modem higher priority over the standard COM (lower) IRQs: 3 or 4.
PS/2 mice/pointing devices have IRQ 12 assigned by default (usually not used
by other devices on a standard PC), therefore avoiding such compatibility
issues. BUT to my knowledge, the PS/2 mouse interface is slower than a COM
port, IF your motherboard COM ports have a fast UART chip to boot: at least
a 16550A. Therefore if you have both a serial AND a PS/2 mouse adapter (some
mouse vendors will provide both), and both an external serial (COM) port AND
a PS/2 mouse interface on the back of your computer case, then I suggest
using the serial plug to hook up your rodent, and then configure your
BIOS/Operating System properly to accept it, and avoid IRQ/BA conflicts.
IMPORTANT: To learn your hardware specs and supported standards, read your
motherboard, BIOS and modem manuals and help files.
Good luck...
CD-ROM NAME
This BUG fix applies to all Windows/WfWG 98/95/3.1x users who own a CD-ROM
drive and load the MS-DOS (real mode) 16-bit CD-ROM device driver from
Config.sys.
Do NOT create/rename a directory bearing the same name as your MS-DOS cd-rom
drive name, mentioned on the Config.sys CD-ROM device driver line and on the
Autoexec.bat MSCDEX line!
Generic Config.sys CD-ROM driver line:
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CDROM\CDROM.SYS /D:MYCDROM
Generic Autoexec.bat MSCDEX line:
LOADHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX /D:MYCDROM
In this example the CD-ROM drive name is "MYCDROM" (case insensitive).
Therefore, do not create/rename a directory/folder on ANY of your drives to
MYCDROM! If you do, it won't be recognized, and you'll get an error message
like this:
"Unable to run/copy/move/rename/etc file/directory"
whenever you try to access any file(s) located in that directory/folder, or
if you try to delete/rename/move/etc that particular directory/folder.
STUBBORN CONTROL PANEL APPLET - Part 1
I have received reports about annoying Control Panel Applets that are not
deleted during an uninstall process. Therefore, certain stubborn Applets
still appear in the Control Panel folder, even if their parent applications
have been removed from your Windows 9x system.
To get rid of them for good, determine which ones do not link to any
programs/tools (by double-clicking on them nothing happens) anymore, and
first move them to another folder (one at a time). Then reopen Control
Panel, see if they are gone. If the functionality of your system is not
affected by their removal, you can safely delete them from your disk.
These files usually have the .CPL extension, and are all located in your
C:\Windows\System folder.
Here is a list of frequently installed .CPL Applets:
File name Icon name Applet name Installed by
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Access.cpl Accessibility Windows Accessibility Control Panels Win9x
Appwiz.cpl Add/Remove Programs Add/Remove Programs Properties Win9x
Desk.cpl Display Display Properties Win9x
Directx.cpl DirectX DirectX Properties MS DirectX 5+
FindFast.cpl FindFast FindFast Settings MS Office for Win9x
Inetcpl.cpl Internet Internet Properties Win9x + MS IE 3.0x/4.0x
Infrared.cpl Infrared Infrared Properties Win9x
Intl.cpl Regional Settings Regional Settings Properties Win9x
Jetadmin.cpl Hewlett-Packard JetAdmin Control Panel Applet Win9x
Joy.cpl Joystick Properties (changed to Game Controllers by DirectX 5) Win9x + MS DirectX 5+
Main.cpl Mouse Mouse Properties Win9x
Mlcfg32.cpl Exchange/MS Mail Microsoft Mail Configuration Library Win9x
Mmsys.cpl Multimedia Multimedia Properties Win9x
Modem.cpl Modems Modems Properties Win9x
Mswebcpl.cpl MS Web Server Microsoft Web Server Control Panel Win9x + MS Web Server
Netcpl.cpl Network Network Win9x
Odbccp32.cpl 32-bit ODBC ODBC Data Source Administrator MS Visual Basic + MS C++
Password.cpl Passwords Passwords Properties Win9x
Qtw16.cpl Quick Time Quick Time Control Panel Apple Quick Time Movie 16-bit Player/Tools v2.x
Qtw32.cpl Quick Time Quick Time Control Panel Apple Quick Time Movie 32-bit Player/Tools v2.x
Quick Time.cpl Quick Time Quick Time Settings Apple Quick Time Movie 32-bit Player/Tools v3.0
Sysdm.cpl System System Properties Win9x
Themes.cpl Desktop Themes Desktop Themes MS Plus! for Win9x
TimeDate.cpl Date/Time Date/Time Properties Win9x
Telephony.cpl Telephony Telephony Properties Disabled/renamed by Win9x Setup: Telephony.cp$
Tweakui.cpl Tweak UI Tweak UI TweakUI MS Power Toy
Wnetprop.cpl WorldNet AutoDial AT&T Worldnet Service Properties AT&T Worldnet ISP
Wgpocpl.cpl MS WorkGroup PostOffice Microsoft WorkGroup PostOffice Admin Win9x
This MSKB page has another comprehensive Win9x .CPL files list:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q192/8/06.asp
Also, you can move some/all .CPL files to a different folder, and then
create separate shortcuts for them. Such a shortcut command line must
include Control.exe in front of the .CPL file, if on your machine the .CPL
files are not associated with the Control Panel executable. Example:
C:\Windows\Control.exe C:\YourFolder\Modem.cpl
NOTE: To learn how to associate .CPL files with the Control Panel
(Control.exe), read the "CONTROL PANEL" topic in MYTIPS95.TXT
(included).
UPDATE:
".CPL files are automatically by default associated with:
%WINDIR%\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL %1,%*
One only may need to rename the:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\cplfile\shell\cplopen
Registry key to 'open'."
This update courtesy of Yuri Khan (kukina@nioch.nsc.ru).
STUBBORN CONTROL PANEL APPLET - Part 2
There is yet another way of getting rid of unwanted/obsolete Control Panel
Applets (.CPL files), located in your C:\Windows\System folder.
FIRST: BACKUP your CONTROL.INI file (found in your Windows folder)!
Now make sure your Control Panel is CLOSED, and open Control.ini with
Notepad, and scroll down to the [Don't load] section (or add it if it is
not present).
You might find a few lines under this header, especially if you upgraded
from the ol' Windows/WfWG 3.1x (example below shows my Control.ini lines,
inherited from my WfWG 3.11 days):
[Don't load]
snd.cpl=no
joystick.cpl=no
midimap.drv=no
This means that the old Win31 Sound Applet loads in WfWG's Control Panel
(replacing "no" with "yes" on the "snd.cpl=" line, would disable it,
preventing this applet/icon from showing).
The Win98/95 counterparts for the .CPL applets mentioned above are:
Win98/95 Windows/WfWG 3.1x
---------------------------------
Mmsys.cpl Snd.cpl
Joy.cpl Joystick.cpl
This way you can add/modify/delete/remark these lines to enable/disable
ANY/ALL Win98/95 Control Panel Applets, without moving or deleting them.
Example:
[Don't load]
Desk.cpl=yes
This line disables the Display Properties, preventing it from appearing in the
Control Panel. Therefore changing it to:
Desk.cpl=no
enables (shows) the Display Properties in Win98/95's Control Panel.
Note that you can replace "no" with "0", "off" or "false". Similarly, "yes"
has the same effect as "1", "on" or "true" (but don't type the quotes).
Save your Control.ini file and close Notepad when you're done. Changes take
effect next time when you open Control Panel.
This is useful to block access to your system settings if someone else shares
your PC, and you would like to keep your own customized Win98/95 Desktop, for
security purposes.
NOTE: For a complete list of all Win9x Control Panel Applets and what they
do, read the "STUBBORN CONTROL PANEL APPLET - Part 1" topic in
MYTIPS95.TXT (included above).
CAUTION:
I have noticed on some Win95/OSR2 systems (especially with MS IE 4/5
installed), that ANY value/letter(s)/number(s) after the equal sign prevents
an applet/icon from appearing in Control Panel!
So if you disabled a .CPL applet under the Control.ini [Don't load] section,
and you don't want to delete that particular line, just remark it with a
semicolon (;). Example:
[Don't load]
; Desk.cpl=no
UPDATES:
1. ".CPL files are automatically by default associated with:
%WINDIR%\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL %1,%*
One only may need to rename the:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\cplfile\shell\cplopen
Registry key to 'open'."
This update courtesy of Yuri Khan (kukina@nioch.nsc.ru).
2. The new TweakUI Power Toy, also found on the Windows 98 Setup cd-rom, can
also disable selected Control Panel applets from its "Control Panel" tab [100
KB, free, unsupported]:
http://www.tweak3d.net/files/tweakui.zip
ENABLE TELEPHONY APPLET
Windows 95 has a built-in Telephony tool, useful for troubleshooting TAPI
(Telephony Application Programming Interface), TCP/IP or Dial-Up Networking
(DUN) problems or bugs.
It is located in Control Panel (this applet is called Telephony.cpl).
BUT Win95 setup doesn't install it by default. All you have to do is rename
the Telephon.cp$ file, found in your C:\Windows\System folder to
Telephon.cpl. Restart Control Panel to access it, and double-click on the
Telephony icon. You'll see a list of TAPI Drivers (providers).
You can add/remove items to/from the list, and/or configure the Dialing
Properties.
Only BACKUP your System first!
REPAIR TELEPHON.INI
The TELEPHON.INI file MUST be present in your Win95 folder, to enable the
proper operation of ALL TAPI (Telephony Application Programming Interface)
programs: HyperTerminal, Dial-Up Networking (DUN), TCP/IP connections, Fax
etc, handled by your modem/fax card.
If Telephon.ini is corrupted or missing, your TAPI applications might not work
properly, or freeze, because the TAPI settings are stored in this file.
BUT there is a way to repair/rebuild it. Just start Tapiini.exe, the Telephony
initialization program located in your C:\Windows\System folder. Done.
IOS.INI TWEAKS
IOS.INI (meaning Initializing Operating System) is a plain text file found in
your Windows folder. Nothing unusual so far. But the lines contained in
IOS.INI are a powerful filter for the OS. Let me explain: Windows 98/95 boots,
and then starts the GUI, loading its 32-bit protected mode disk paging VXDs
(Virtual eXtended Drivers), but needs to know that there is NO real DOS mode
(16-bit) device/driver/TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident program) that can
interfere with Windows 32-bit disk operation.
Some well known and some less known (to Windows 98/95) such programs might
drive the OS "crazy", forcing it to start with one of those alert/warning
messages: [we all have grown to hate :-)]
"A new MS-DOS resident program named 'CACHDISK' may decrease your system's
performance. Would you like to see more information about this problem?"
Also, at this point, if you are using any animated mouse cursors (using the
high color mode or better resolution only), you will notice that they have
been "frozen". Now right-click on My Computer icon, click Properties, and
select the Performance tab. Surprise!
Here is what you'll see: [nag, nag :-)]
"File System All drives are using MS-DOS compatibility mode.
Virtual Memory MS-DOS compatibility mode.
CACHDISK in Autoexec.bat forces MS-DOS compatibility mode.
Compatibility mode paging reduces overall system performance."
But everything is cool, no need to panic... :-)
The whole "secret" lies in the list found under Ios.ini's [SafeList]
section.
If one of your "weird" drivers/TSRs loaded in memory from a Config.sys or
Autoexec.bat command line is not present on this list, the OS might "spit"
a message similar to the one above, and aborts the loading of its 32-bit
disk drivers, which causes performance to degrade.
All you need to do (ONLY if you determined that your particular program
WILL NOT interfere with Windows proper operation) is add a line under
Ios.ini's [SafeList] section to include the "culprit" (edit Ios.ini with
Notepad). Example: if this is your Autoexec.bat line:
LOADHIGH C:\MYPROGS\CACHDISK.EXE
this is the appropriate Ios.ini line for your TSR:
[SafeList]
CACHDISK.EXE ; My MS-DOS Cache Disk TSR
Characters after the semicolon (;) are considered comments.
You can alternatively type the filename without extension, using a DOS
"wild card" (*), to include all programs/drivers bearing the same name:
CACHDISK.* ; My MS-DOS Cache Disk TSR
Ios.ini has yet another section you might consider keeping an eye on:
[CDUnsafe]. All drivers/TSRs listed under this header are considered
"unsafe" by the OS, and Win98/95 will show you a message to prove it, or
will stop from loading (in case you try using one of them).
The [CDUnsafe] section can be used to enumerate known buggy drivers/TSRs
to make sure an older or poorly written application (especially MS-DOS
programs created before Win95's "birth") doesn't "infiltrate" such an
incompatible driver in your startup files, which might cause Win98/95 to
"drop" its 32-bit paging mode in favor of the slower MS-DOS compatibility
mode.
This is Ios.ini's default "unsafe" list:
[CDUnsafe]
plextor.sys ; Plextor 6plex cd-rom driver.
Stay safe: BACKUP YOUR FILES FIRST!
CONTROL APPLET ICON
Q [Joe Beech (beech@netpathway.com)]:
"How do I change a Control Panel icon?"
A [axcel216@aol.com]:
"I'm afraid the only way I know is to create a separate (new) shortcut on your
Desktop, to make it easier, but you can move it somewhere else after that
using Explorer or the Taskbar Properties menu, for each Control Panel applet
you want (.CPL files are located by default in C:\Windows\System).
To create a Control Panel applet shortcut on your Desktop, open the Control
Panel folder, and left-click and drag the item you want onto an empty area on
the Desktop. To change its icon, right-click on your new shortcut, click
Change Icon, and then choose from your icons (.ICO) or icon libraries (.DLL,
.EXE, .ICL etc) the one you like.
Common Windows 9x icon libraries (.DLL, .EXE) and their default locations:
- SHELL32.DLL: in C:\Windows\System, contains 80 "Microsoft" icons, selected
by default for Windows applications shortcuts;
- PIFMGR.DLL: in C:\Windows\System, contains 38 "fun(k)y" icons, selected by
default for MS-DOS programs shortcuts;
- COOL.DLL: in C:\Windows\System, ONLY if you have MS Plus! for Win95, or
OSR2, or Win98, contains 45 "entertainment" high-color (256 colors), large
size (256x256 pixels) icons. These are actually small bitmaps (.BMP) converted
to .ICO format and compressed in a single library (.DLL);
- MORICONS.DLL: in C:\Windows, contains 106 "alternative" icons for most
popular 3rd party apps/tools;
- PROGMAN.EXE: in C:\Windows, contains 46 "Microsoft" icons for most used
Windows/DOS programs/tools;
- EXPLORER.EXE: in C:\Windows, contains 7 "system" icons;
- USER.EXE: in C:\Windows\System, contains 7 "system" icons, selected by
default for warning/error messages and info/help dialog boxes;
- RNAUI.DLL: in C:\Windows\System, contains 7 "communication" icons, selected
by default for Dial-Up Networking (DUN) and Dial-Up Server (DUS) shortcuts;
- REGEDIT.EXE: in C:\Windows, contains 9 "building block" icons;
- MPLAYER.EXE: in C:\Windows, contains 9 "multimedia" icons;
- DRVSPACE.EXE: in C:\Windows, contains 9 "hardware" icons.
And if you own MS Plus! for Win95 or/and MS Plus! for Win98, you also have a
bunch of icons to choose from (in .ICO format) in your \Themes subfolder(s),
most of which are high-color, large size icons.
PS: You can also use the .DLL file (MYICONS.DLL) included here, which contains
83 icons (16 colors, 32x32 pixels) for popular PC Windows/DOS games/apps:
http://members.aol.com/axcel216/95.htm
MYICONS.DLL together with same 83 icons in .ICO format (individual files), are
also available separately:
http://members.aol.com/maxspeeed/MYICONS.ZIP"
RELEASE MY MODEM!
If you are using both Windows and MS-DOS based communications/fax programs,
you may experience occasional error messages such as:
"Another program is using the selected Telephony device. Try again after
the other program completes."
or:
"Cannot initialize COMx port"
This means your modem/fax device may not be properly released for further
use upon exiting a DOS based communications/fax application (running in a
DOS box/session/window). But there is a workaround.
The state of a device contention in Windows 98/95/3.1x is determined by the
"COMxAutoAssign=n" setting under System.ini's [386Enh] section, where x is
the serial (COM) port number (usually 1 to 4), and n can have any integer
value from -1 to 1000.
Windows 98/95/3.1x default setting is -1. This causes Windows to NOT
release a serial port previously used by a non Windows based application.
To enable the "hot-swapping" capability between Windows and MS-DOS based
communications/fax programs, open your System.ini file (found in your
Windows directory) with Notepad, and add/modify these entries under the
[386enh] section to read:
COM1AutoAssign=0
COM2AutoAssign=0
COM3AutoAssign=0
COM4AutoAssign=0
Save your work and restart Windows for the changes to take effect.
NEW DRIVE ICON
To change a drive icon displayed in Explorer, use Notepad to create a new
text file with the following lines:
[Autorun]
ICON=Drive:\Path\Icon Filename.Extension,Number
and save it as AUTORUN.INF into the root directory of the hard/removable
drive you want to change the icon for.
Replace the "Drive" string above with a valid drive letter, and "Path" with
your icon's folder name.
"Icon Filename" can be anything you want, but the "Extension" must be one
of the following: .ICO, .ICL, .DLL or .EXE.
If you choose an icon library with the .DLL or .EXE extension (these usually
contain more than one icon), you need to specify the position of the icon
displayed by inserting a comma (,) followed by the icon's "Number". Example:
ICON=C:\Icons\Icons.dll,3
Press F5 to refresh your desktop when done.
Now start Explorer and check out your new "drive look".
NEW FOLDER ICON
To change a folder icon displayed in Explorer, use Notepad to create a new
text file with the following lines:
[.ShellClassInfo]
ICONFILE=Drive:\Path\Icon Filename.Extension,Number
and save it as DESKTOP.INI into the folder (directory) you want to change
the icon for.
Replace the "Drive" string above with a valid drive letter, and "Path" with
your icon's folder name.
"Icon Filename" can be anything you want, but the "Extension" must be one
of the following: .ICO, .ICL, .DLL or .EXE.
If you choose an icon library with the .DLL or .EXE extension (these usually
contain more than one icon), you need to specify the position of the icon
displayed by inserting a comma (,) followed by the icon's "Number". Example:
ICON=C:\Icons\Icons.dll,3
Now you need to change DESKTOP.INI's attributes to "hidden". Run this command
from any DOS prompt:
ATTRIB +H DESKTOP.INI
You also need to change your selected folder's attributes to "system", by
running:
ATTRIB +S C:\MYFOLDER
Press F5 to refresh your desktop when done.
Now start Explorer and check out your new "folder look".
NOTE: This tip works ONLY with Windows 95/NT4 with Internet Explorer 4.0+
with the shell integration enabled or with Windows 98/NT5.
WHAT, NO MOUSE?
We are all used (maybe too much) to clicking the mouse, and we have
forgotten there are (in case of a mouse failure) some well or less known
shortcut key "combos": Alt+Tab, Alt+Esc, Alt+X, Alt+F4, Ctrl+F4 etc, that
allow us to get back into "action" without mouse support.
NOTE: To learn about the most used Windows 98/95 hot key "combos", read the
"KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS - Part 1" and "KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS - Part 2"
topics included in TIPS95.TXT.
But unfortunately NOT everything can be accomplished using the keyboard. :(
Examples of Windows 98/95 actions that canNOT be performed WITHOUT a mouse:
- Move the vertical bar that divides the Folder Tree and the File Listing
window in Explorer.
- Modify the: Filename Column size, Total Size, Free Space and Type if you
selected the Details View in Explorer.
- Display a Folder's context menu by right mouse-clicking on the icon at the
top left hand corner of that Folder's window in Explorer.
- Access Media Player's VCR control buttons: Play, Stop, Pause etc.
And now for the good news: :)
Let's presume you accidentally moved an Explorer or Control Panel window off
the screen (off the top, bottom or sides), and/or eventually changed your
screen resolution. Normally you canNOT move them back using the mouse.
There are two solutions to this problem:
A. Enlarge the screen size and drag the open window back onto the screen
(may not always work though):
1. Increase your Desktop screen resolution to the maximum setting supported
by your video card and monitor, by right-clicking on an empty spot on your
Desktop, select Properties -> Settings tab -> drag the slider all the way
up to the right -> click Apply/OK -> restart your machine (if prompted to).
2. Drag the open window to the center of the screen using the mouse.
3. Close that window.
4. Restore your screen size as described above.
B. Luckily you can move/resize an open window using only the keyboard, by
following these steps (works in all cases):
1. Hold down ALT and press Space.
2. Hold down M and press Enter to move the open window.
3. Use the keyboard cursor arrows: Up, Down, Right and/or Left to move the
window towards the center of your screen, until its title bar shows up.
4. Press Enter again when you're satisfied with your window's new position.
5. Close that window.
To be prepared for potential mouse failures, activate the Accessibility
Options in Control Panel:
1. Click the Start button.
2. Scroll down to Settings.
3. Select Control Panel.
4. (Double)-click the Accessibility Options applet (install it if not
present).
5. Click the Mouse tab.
6. Place a check mark in the "Use mouse keys" box.
6. Click on Settings.
7. Place a check mark in the "Use shortcut" box. This enables the use of
the left Alt + Shift + Keypad numeral keys in Win9x. You can also choose to
have NumLock pressed or not to activate them.
8. Click Apply/OK twice to save your changes.
From now on you can navigate the cursor on the screen using the Keypad arrow
keys (Up, Down, Right, Left) by holding down Alt + Shift. The 5 key in the
middle of the Keypad acts like a mouse left-click.
EXCLUSIVE GAME PLAY! [+]
Have you ever seen Windows 98/95 "complain" that you need to allocate more
memory or/and sytem resources to an application or game you were trying to
run?
Well, brace yourself, help is under way. :-)
There is an EXTREME solution to this problem (especially useful on systems
with less than 32 MB of RAM).
All you have to do is modify the "shell=" line under the [boot] section of
your SYSTEM.INI file (located in your Windows directory), to start another
application/game instead of Explorer. Default "shell=" line reads:
shell=Explorer.exe
Replace "Explorer" (don't type the quotes) with the program's executable that
gives you "headaches". Example:
shell=C:\Jedi Knight\Jedi.exe
In this example, Windows 98/95 will start as usual, BUT will NOT load/run ANY
other programs/drivers/TSRs specified in the Registry "Run" keys, on your
"load=" or "run=" lines found under WIN.INI's [windows] section (WIN.INI
resides also in your Win98/95 folder), or listed in your StartUp folder.
It will simply execute the Lucas Arts' Jedi Knight (Dark Forces II) DirectX
3D game (see example above) EXCLUSIVELY, with NO overhead.
You can use ANY Windows based program filename on the "shell=" line, just
make sure to type its extension (.exe).
The drawback is that when you're done playing Jedi Knight (or whatever
app/game you want), you'll have to shut down Windows by pressing Ctrl + Alt +
Del, since no other programs are running (and if Explorer is not the shell,
you don't have a Start button or menu available).
Therefore you need to be able to see the true/native MS-DOS mode prompt after
Windows shut-down, in order to edit your System.ini using EDIT.COM, the
MS-DOS text (ASCII) editor, which in this configuration is not possible from
Windows (i.e. using Notepad). To learn how to shut-down to MS-DOS, see the
"2 DOS OR NOT 2 DOS" topic in MYTIPS95.TXT.
Alternatively, you can boot directly to the native/real MS-DOS mode, by
selecting the "Command prompt only" option from Windows 98/95's Start
(bootup) Menu, or by modifying the "BootGUI=" line under the [Options]
section of your MSDOS.SYS file (located in C:\ root) to read:
BootGUI=0
Use the SYS95.BAT batch file (included with these files) to automate
Msdos.sys editing. Save the file when done and reboot.
To see the Win98/95 Start Menu at boot time and be able to choose a different
way of starting your system, modify the "BootMenu=" line under the [Options]
section of your Msdos.sys to read:
BootMenu=1
To understand the meaning of Msdos.sys lines and how to customize them, read
the "MSDOS.SYS COMPLETE REFERENCE" topic, also part of MYTIPS95.TXT.
NOTE: Network/modem game play and Internet access are DISABLED if you start
your game from the System.ini "shell=" line, therefore you can play
your game only in SOLO mode!
UPDATE:
"No rebooting is required when changing the shell line in Win98/95. With
Explorer as shell, open System.ini with Notepad or Sysedit and replace
Explorer.exe with let's say Litestep.exe, a freeware shell alternative:
http://www.litestep.net
The new shell line should now look like this:
shell=C:\Litestep\Litestep.exe
Exit all running applications. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del, then select End task with
"Explorer.exe" highlighted. The Shut Down screen will appear. Click NO. After
a few seconds a nagging screen shows up saying "this program is not
responding blah... blah...". Press End Task. The Start button and Desktop
will be gone and will be replaced by the new program you specified on the
shell line."
This update courtesy of Akmal Khamis (kamis@pc.jaring.my).
ISPS KNOWN MTU VALUES [UPDATED 10|14|98] [+]
If you connect to the Internet using:
- a 28.8 kbps (or faster) analog modem,
- an ISP (Internet Service Provider) or Online Service (i.e. AOL),
- Windows 98/95 TCP/IP Dial-Up Networking (DUN) PPP (Point to Point
Protocol),
- or/and AOL 32-bit software version 3.0, 4.0 or newer (AOL members only),
you might find useful to determine exactly the MTU (Maximum Transmission
Unit) value used by your ISP/Online Service, to change it accordingly in the
Windows 98/95 Registry for maximum performance.
Windows 95/OSR1/OSR2's default MTU, found in the Registry as "MaxMTU"
(String value), is set to 1500, if you haven't added/changed it, under your
TCP/IP "NetTrans" keys. Fortunately you can adjust the MaxMTU to ANY value,
to MATCH your ISP's at server end. Read the "HOW FAST CAN YOU GO? - Part 1"
topic in REGISTRY.TXT (included) for details.
Windows 98's default MTU, found in the Registry as "IPMTU" (String value), is
set to: Large (1500), Medium (1000) or Automatic (1500, 1000 or 576), under
the TCP/IP "IPMTU" keys, but ONLY if the Control Panel -> Network -> Dial-up
Adapter -> Properties -> Advanced -> "IP packet size" is set to "Automatic"
(changes dynamically to one of these 3 values depending on the MTU used by
your ISP/Online Service).
Win98's limitation is that it does NOT accept a MTU smaller than 576 (by
default, but I found out HOW), even if your Internet Provider uses a lower
value. :) Read the "FASTEST INTERNET 98 - Part 2" topic in TIPS98.TXT
(included) to learn how to adjust Win98's IPMTU to ANY value you want.
Therefore you will see significantly improved performance in most cases
(faster downloading speeds), IF you MATCH Win98's IPMTU or Win95/OSR1/OSR2's
MaxMTU with your provider's (used at server end).
I put together this list of known MTU values used by some popular ISPs:
ISP/Online Service Location MTU value URL
-------------------------------------------------------------------
America Online (AOL) USA 1500 [*] http://www.aol.com
America Online (AOL) Canada 1500 [*] http://www.aol.ca
AT&T Worldnet USA 576 http://www.att.net
CMG Netherlands 1478 http://www.cmg.nl
CompuServe (CS) USA 576 http://www.compuserve.com
Concentric Network USA 576 http://www.concentric.net
EarthLink USA 576 http://www.earthlink.com
FreeWWWeb USA 1500 http://www.freewwweb.com
GTE USA + Hawaii 576 http://www.gte.com
MicroSoft Network (MSN) USA 576 http://home.microsoft.com
MindSpring USA 576 http://www.mindspring.net
NetCom USA 1500 http://www.netcom.com
NetZero USA 576 http://www.netzero.net
Prodigy Internet USA 576 http://www.prodigy.com
SNiP USA 576 http://www.snip.net
TheGrid USA 576 http://www.thegrid.net
Tritium Network USA 576 http://www.tritium.net
UsitNet USA 1524 http://www.usit.net
[*] = AOL in USA/Canada: MTU = 1500. But AOL servers do NOT support the "do
not fragment bit" protocol, therefore you NEED to use MTU = 576 with AOL for
maximum performance! For details on how to tweak your AOL connection to the
MAX, read the "AOL MAXMTU REVISITED" topic in AOLTIPS.TXT (included).
NOTE: Most MTU values above were obtained by using Rob Vonk's NEW EasyMTU
v3.0, which now includes FindMTU, a PING tool [357 KB, freeware]:
http://www.rob.cybercomm.nl/easymtu.zip
You can also ask your ISP's tech support (by e-mail or phone call) to tell
you which MTU value they are using at server end. Unfortunately, some ISPs
do not release this information. :(
In this case, apply the following methods to find out your ISP's MTU:
- download and run Rob Vonk's NEW EasyMTU v3.0 for Windows 98/95/NT/AOL
[includes FindMTU, 357 KB, freeware]:
http://www.rob.cybercomm.nl/easymtu.zip
- read the "FIND YOUR ISP'S MTU" topic in TIPS95.TXT (included).
Also check out these MTU reference links for more info:
http://members.aol.com/axcel216/modem.htm
The table below contains the Win98/95 recommended Internet settings for the
following ISPs and AOL, valid in USA and Canada:
ISP MTU MSS RWIN TTL Cachesize Port speed Modem speed FIFO Buffers COMBoostTime
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AOL 576 536 3216 128 16 921,600 115,200 Full 4
AT&T Worldnet 576 536 3216 64 16 921,600 115,200 Full 4
CompuServe 576 536 3216 64 16 921,600 115,200 Full 4
EarthLink 576 536 3216 128 16 921,600 115,200 Full 4
MindSpring 576 536 3216 128 16 921,600 115,200 Full 4
MSN 576 536 3216 64 16 921,600 115,200 Full 4
Prodigy 576 536 3216 64 16 921,600 115,200 Full 4
Tritium 576 536 3216 64 16 921,600 115,200 Full 4
IMPORTANT: To learn how to modify your MaxMTU (Win95 users) or IPMTU (Win98
users) values, and many other important Win98/95 settings (DefaultRcvWindow,
DefaultTTL, cachesize, COM Port speed, COMBoostTime etc) to boost your
Internet connection to the MAX, read these related topics (included):
- "AOL MAXMTU REVISITED" in AOLTIPS.TXT: only Win9x AOL users;
- "AOL 4.0 MTU FIX" in AOLTIPS.TXT: only Win9x AOL users;
- "HOW FAST CAN YOU GO? - Part 1" in REGISTRY.TXT: only Win95 users;
- "HOW FAST CAN YOU GO? - Part 2" in REGISTRY.TXT: all Win9x users;
- "FASTEST INTERNET 98 - Part 1" in TIPS98.TXT: only Win98 users;
- "FASTEST INTERNET 98 - Part 2" in TIPS98.TXT: only Win98 users;
- "56K MODEMS @ 56K SPEED" in MYTIPS95.TXT: all Win9x users;
- "MAP YOUR HOSTS" in TIPS95.TXT: all Win9x users;
- "SPEEDUP MY DUN!" in TIPS95.TXT: all Win9x users;
- "FAST, FAST, FAST" in MYTIPS95.TXT: all Win9x users;
- "SYSTEM.INI TWEAKS" in MYTIPS95.TXT: all Win9x users.
NOTE: If you have knowledge of MTU values used by other ISPs not listed
here, recommended settings for your ISP, or have corrections regarding
this topic, please e-mail me at:
axcel216@aol.com
I will NOT post your name or e-mail address here for privacy reasons,
because some ISPs don't like to have their MTU values made available
publicly. But your time and concern are greatly appreciated!
PLAY AUDIO CDS [+]
In Windows 98/95/OSR2, you need to follow the steps below to properly be able
to play audio CDs (.CDA):
1. Make sure your CD-ROM is properly detected and present in the System
Properties applet: right-click My Computer -> Properties -> Device Manager
tab -> CDROM. You MUST NOT have a yellow exclamation sign (!) or a red X mark
next to the "CDROM" item. Try to select the optimal "Hard disk controllers"
for your system in Device Manager, until such marks dissappear, or redetect
your hardware by running the "Add New Hardware" applet from Control Panel. For
CD-ROM drives connected to a separate drive controller (SCSI or proprietary,
i.e. the one on your sound card), install the newest (current) driver releases
from your vendor/manufacturer's WWW/FTP site.
2. Make sure your sound card drivers are properly installed and configured:
right-click My Computer -> Properties -> Device Manager tab -> Sound, video
[and game] controllers. You MUST NOT have a yellow exclamation sign or a red X
mark next to the "Sound, video [and game] controllers" item. Install the
newest (current) sound card drivers (provided free) from your
vendor/manufacturer's WWW/FTP site.
3. Open Control Panel -> Multimedia -> CD Music tab. Drag the CD Music Volume
slider all the way to the right. Click OK/Apply.
4. Open Control Panel -> Multimedia -> Audio tab. Check the "Show volume
control on the taskbar" box. Click OK/Apply.
5. Double-click the Volume icon on the Taskbar. Make sure the Line in,
Main/Master/Play control and CD Audio/Digital CD volume sliders are positioned
near the top.
6. Make sure your powered speakers/earphones are properly connected, or your
sound card "Line out" jack is hooked to your stereo if using an external
amplifier, and don't forget to turn on the power switch(es) and bump up the
volume knob(s). :)
7. Restart Windows if prompted to do so, i.e. if you make changes to your
hardware settings, using the Device Manager or Add Hardware wizard.
8. Now insert an audio CD into your CD-ROM drive, and start one of the
Microsoft CD Players, included free with Windows 98/95/OSR2 (located in your
Windows folder):
- CDPLAY.EXE,
- MPLAY.EXE,
or your sound card provided, 3rd party or shareware CD Audio Player.
Microsoft Windows 9x/NT Media Player2 Update (free) also plays audio cds:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/mediaplayer/
9. Select an Audio CD track (.CDA) and click Play. You should be able to hear
the music in your speakers/earphones.
UPDATE:
Read the "CD Player Does Not Play Audio CDs" Microsoft Knowledge Base article
if you have problems playing audio CDs in Windows 95/98:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q192/9/88.asp
56K MODEMS @ 56K SPEED! [+]
If you own a 56K analog modem (as most of us do by now), connect to the
Internet using DUN (Dial-Up Networking) through PPP (Point to Point Protocol)
in Windows 9x, subscribed to an ISP (Internet Service Provider) or Online
Service (like America Online), and canNOT connect to the advertised speeds (at
least 44-46K, the ideal being 53K), there are a few things you can do, to make
sure you have done everything "humanly" possible to get the best results from
your ISA (some newer 56Ks use a PCI or USB interface) modem card:
1. Make sure your modem firmware is "flashed" with the latest BIOS upgrade
from your modem vendor, which MUST include the new ITU (International
Telecommunications Union) V.90 PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) transfer protocol
standard, no matter what proprietary 56K protocol your modem was using
(3COM/US Robotics' x2 or Lucent/Rockwell's 56KFlex) when you purchased it.
Also check your modem's vendor web site frequently (or subscribe to their
periodical e-mail newsletter/notification, if possible) for FAQs,
troubleshooting tips, solutions, software/firmware upgrades/patches, or even
free modem replacements (in case earlier models might have had hardware
problems), regarding your particular modem.
This is 3COM/US Robotics troubleshooting/upgrade web site:
http://www.usr.com/home/online/
2. Make sure your modem newest drivers (usually plain .INF files, which can
be downloaded from your modem's vendor web site) are installed under Windows
98/OSR2/OSR1/95, and that your OS recognizes the modem properly.
If you own a 3COM/US Robotics 56K modem go to:
http://www.usr.com/home/online/files.htm
and download the file that matches EXACTLY your modem model AND number, NONE
other!
Then install (upgrade) your new modem driver by running: Control Panel ->
System -> Device Manager -> Modem -> Your modem name -> Driver tab -> Update
driver...
Alternatively you can delete your modem from Device Manager's Modem list,
restart Windows 98/95, and then point to the location of your new drivers
(.INF file) when the new device is detected by the Hardware Wizard upon
restarting Windows.
3. Perform ALL steps detailed in the "SPEEDUP MY DUN!" topic, part of
TIPS95.TXT (included).
4. Try rewiring your phone lines from the terminal block back to your modem
using 2-wired shielded cable (check with your nearest Radio Shack store for
details). This will cut out interference, help improve your connection and
lower your ping time. Doing so may boost your modem throughput from a mere
28.8 to a lightning fast 53.3 kbps!
5. In this paragraph we will discuss possible causes (and their remedies) for
getting high PING values while connected to an online gaming network. [All you
quakers out there need to pay attention! :)]
There are a number of possible problems that can cause a high PING number:
A. If your phone lines (the ones running through the wall, and out to the box)
are below CAT-3 quality. This could cause the V.90 protocol to have a hard
time connecting at high speeds. So upgrade to CAT-3 wiring if possible.
B. The distance between your location and your ISP can also slow you down and
increase your PING number. Therefore you may need to shop around to find a
good ol' local ISP which provides reliable V.90 connections.
In case you are using a national ISP, you might experience signal loss, or even
frequent disconnects. Most of them provide users with local phone numbers to
avoid extra long distance costs, but their network servers are sometimes too
far away to ensure a good quality connection.
C. Precipitations (rain or snow) or cold can cause a lot of line noise
(reducing the signal speed) for your V.90 connection. Not much to do here,
just wait for a sunny day to kick your friend's butt at Quake. :)
D. If you upgraded your modem to V.90, make sure your gaming software is also
V.90 compatible. Upgrade it if necessary.
E. Higher transfer speeds may increase the PING number, because you are either
sending too many small packets, or too few large packets.
The remedy in this case is to install the latest BIOS upgrade and/or drivers
for your modem. If that doesn't seem to decrease PING times, you may need to
force your modem to drop connection speed from 56k to 33.6k. Your modem manual
should tell you which initialization strings to use.
Useful 56K links for quakers (and not only):
* Enable/disable V.90, x2 and 56Kflex strings:
http://www.56k.com/buyer/v90upfaq.shtml
* How to reduce PING times:
- Ping Page:
http://home.inreach.com/echevarr/pingpage.htm
- Lag City:
http://www.quakeworld.com/lagcity/lagcity-lag.html
- X2 Quake Workshop:
http://www.navpoint.com/~zephed/start.html
- Flying Penguin FAQ:
http://www.voodooextreme.com/flypenguin/glfaq2.htm#17
6. Call your local telephone provider (telco) and ask them to test the quality
of your phone line(s). 611 is the number to call in most cases. And while
you're at it, ask them to run a "routing check". This is to detect if there
are more than one analog-to-digital conversions along your line. If this is
true, ask your telco to reroute your line (if possible). If you have only one
analog-to-digital conversion, and you still can't connect at speeds higher
than 33K, all you can do is wait until your telco decides to upgrade their
system, or better, switch to a cable modem (if such service is available in
your area) to bypass the phone lines for Internet/Network hookups.
7. Also, depending on your phone company lines and on your location (how far
your residence is from the line booster/amplifier), you could have an older
(analog) switch. Telcos do NOT replace switches unless they fail, or IF you
order the Caller ID service. Therefore you can convince your telco into
installing a new switch by ordering it bundled with Caller ID (you may need to
wait for a special sale to get the best deal). Later you can cancel the
premium Caller ID service, and keep the new switch, counting on your telco to
leave it into place, because it might be cheaper for them to do so (but do NOT
rely on this trick 100%).
8. If you're lucky, and the switches in your area are all digital (like
Northern Telecom's DMS100 or AT&T's 5ESS), conduct a local phone line test, to
make sure your lines are truly 56K capable. 3COM/US Robotics posted such a
testing tool at their web site:
http://www.3com.com/56k/need4_56k/linetest.html
The US Robotics test line dials a long distance number (using fiber optic
lines), therefore you connect to US Robotics' test line without suffering
digital-to-analog conversions in the signal. But when you dial your local ISP
(Online Service), you're using your local telco's phone lines to connect (not
fiber optic, and probably not digital either unless you live really close to
the local central office). X2, K56Flex and V.90 modems rely on the ability of
the phone signal to reach your home in either a digital or digital-analog
hybrid format to connect at speeds over 33,600 bps. ISPs are digital at their
end, but you are not digital at your end (when using an analog modem). While
it's possible that upgrading to Caller ID could force your telco to put you on
a digital switch, your signal could still fail a digital-to-analog conversion
elsewhere in the local phone system. Go to Troubleshooting 56K Modems Central:
http://www.56k.com/trouble/
for more info.
The quality of the digital line switches affects only the PSTN (Public
Switched Telephone Network) portion of call dialing, not its transport, which
is almost always analog, unless you have a digital conversion installed, or if
you have a digital line, like ISDN or T1. Call 611 and ask your telco's
central office to consult COSMOS (a facilities assignment database used by
most BellCore telcos) to see if you are running a POTS (Plain Old Telephone
Service) line with any kind of special equipment or digital conversions.
Examples of such special equipment:
- DAML: used to digitally piggy-back a second phone line,
- Pair-Gain: digitally piggy-backed lines on systems with sufficient
facilities going the last mile to your residence, but insufficient facilities
feeding the area from the central office,
- Repeaters, Boosters or Amplifiers: used to "boost" (amplify) the signal when
your distance from the central office exceeds 20 miles (33 kilometers).
If the COSMOS database indicates that your RZ (Ring Zone) exceeds 13 (an
arbitrary scale NOT related to the mileage from the central office), then you
probably have some sort of line card repeater (i.e. a 5AReg line card).
Unfortunately, there is no way for any of these pieces of hardware to be
changed out by your telco as a result of a simple user request. In this case
the only way to upgrade your class of service is to order a digital line
(ISDN, T1, DSL etc). But this kind of service might be unavailable if you're
too far away from your telco's central office, since your local provider won't
recondition your line unless the area you're in can be served by that class of
service.
What you can do, is take your computer [including the modem :)] to a friend's
or coworker's residence located in a different local area, and see if modem
connection rates differ in any way. If they do, the bottleneck is your local
telco, and unfortunately there is not much you can do about it, except moving
to another (better) location. :(
9. Other things you can do to ensure of highest quality connections, and avoid
EMI (Electro Magnetical Interference), which might impair your connection
speed:
- make sure your computer is the FIRST, or better, the ONLY device hooked to
that particular phone line,
- make sure the wall phone jack is not too close to ANY other outlets,
- make sure your modem cable is at least a couple of inches (5 cm) away from
ANY other surrounding cables or wires,
- make sure your modem cable(s) are of good quality and in good condition,
- make sure your modem cable length is 6 feet (2 meters) or shorter,
- avoid using ANY Y-splitters, adaptors, extensions or
modem-through-phone/external fax machine hookups,
- do NOT hook your phone/external fax machine to the phone jack provided on
your modem, but to a separate cable, preferably to a separate (dedicated)
phone line, and last but not least,
- use a dedicated, good quality modem/fax line surge suppressor. I use the
Professional Dual Filter Modem Guard from Australian Protective Electronics
(the best in my opinion):
http://www.modemguard.com/lindex.htm
If everything else fails and you still can't connect at 56K (actually 53K,
limited by the FCC regulations), you can have your phone company rewire the
entire line from the pole to your box, as a last resort, but keep in mind that
this might cost you an arm and a leg!
10. You can also try adding custom initialization strings to override the
default ones used by your modem in Win9x: Control Panel -> Modems -> Your
modem name -> Properties -> Connection tab -> Advanced -> Extra settings box.
Examples of initialization strings (you might need to MODIFY them to make them
work properly with YOUR modem):
- 3COM/US Robotics 56K V.90 modems [to enable hardware flow control (&K3) and
V.90 ITU protocol (default), but NOT x2 USR protocol (S32=34)]:
AT&F1&H1&K3&I0&M5&N25S32=34
- Rockwell/Lucent 56Kflex V.90 modems [to enable hardware flow control (&K3)
and V.90 ITU protocol (default), but NOT 56Kflex Rockwell protocol (%C2)]:
AT&FE0V1&C1&D2%C2S95=47S0=0
- Hayes Accura/Optima 56K modems (and compatibles):
AT&F&C1&D2S7=50S95=0
- Motorola VoiceSurf 56K external modems [to enable hardware flow control
(&K3)]:
AT&F&C1&D2&K3\V1\N3L1S0=0
- Diamond SupraExpress 56Kflex V.90 modems [to enable V.90 ITU protocol
(default), but NOT 56Kflex Rockwell protocol (S=12,1)]:
AT&FW2+MS9=20S10=75S=12,1
- ALL 56K V.90 modems [to cut dialing delay in half (S11=50) and disable V.42
protocol selective reject (S27=64), in milliseconds]:
ATS11=50S27=64
Note that the AT string above is not necessary in the Win9x Control Panel
Modems applet Extra settings box (it is automatically added).
For more modem strings, check out these web pages:
- Modem Information + Init Strings: [A MUST!]
http://tech.newspeak.org/modems.html
- 56K Modems Central Inits + Drivers:
http://www.56k.com/inits/
- Modem Command Sets:
http://www.banjo.com/modem1.html
- Shiva Modem String/CCL Database:
http://www.shiva.com/prod/ccl/
- X2 NEWS V.90:
http://www.navpoint.com/~zephed/v90.html
- AccessOne Modem Strings:
http://www.accessone.com/support/modems/modem_init.html
- MSKB "AT Modem Command Reference" page:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q164/6/60.asp
11. READ these topics, included with my ©Tricks + Secrets files [W95-11D.ZIP],
to set the MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit), MSS (Maximum Segment Size), RWIN
(default Receive WINdow), TTL (Time To Live), COMBoostTime (COM port Boost
Time) etc, to their optimal values for your OS/modem/ISP setup:
- "AOL MAXMTU REVISITED" in AOLTIPS.TXT: only Win9x AOL users;
- "HOW FAST CAN YOU GO? - Part 1" in REGISTRY.TXT: only Win95 users;
- "HOW FAST CAN YOU GO? - Part 2" in REGISTRY.TXT: all Win9x users;
- "FASTEST INTERNET 98 - Part 1" in TIPS98.TXT: only Win98 users;
- "FASTEST INTERNET 98 - Part 2" in TIPS98.TXT: only Win98 users;
- "MAP YOUR HOSTS" in TIPS95.TXT: all Win9x users;
- "SPEEDUP MY DUN!" in TIPS95.TXT: all Win9x users;
- "MODEM INITIALIZATION STRINGS" in REGISTRY.TXT: all Win9x users;
- "FAST, FAST, FAST" in MYTIPS95.TXT: all Win9x users;
- "DON'T DROP BACK!" in TIPS95.TXT: all Win9x users;
- "SYSTEM.INI TWEAKS" in MYTIPS95.TXT: all Win9x users;
- "ISPS KNOWN MTU VALUES" in MYTIPS95.TXT: all Win9x users;
- "FIND YOUR ISP'S MTU" in TIPS95.TXT: all Win9x users.
Also check out these 56K + MTU reference links for more info:
http://members.aol.com/axcel216/modem.htm
WARNINGS:
A. Windows 98/95 reports a FALSE packet fragmentation when using the built-in
PING tool, IF your MTU (IP packet size in Bytes) Registry setting is set to
576, or any value lower than 1500. If you run (PING command line switches are
case sensitive):
PING -f -l 1500 www.your_isp_name.com
or:
PING -f -l 1500 www.your_isp_name.net
with MTU set to 576, all packets will be reported as fragmented.
B. Windows 98 adds another BUG, because the default MTU (if you have never
adjusted it) is set to "Automatic", which means it is (dynamically) set to 576
if your connection speed is below 112 kbps. In Windows 98 you need to reset
the MTU to "Large" (fixed at 1500): Control Panel -> Network -> Dial-Up
Adapter -> Advanced -> IP Packet Size -> change from "Automatic" to "Large".
Click OK as many times as necessary to save the new setting and then restart
Windows 98. Now PING your ISP (as shown above) one more time.
Therefore the recommended MTU for most ISPs/Online Services (including AOL) is
576, in Windows 98/OSR2/OSR1/95.
C. Additionally, 3COM/US Robotics 56K modems (and other newer 56K modems)
adjust connection speed aggressively according to line conditions on the fly,
falling forward (higher speeds) when permitted, and back (lower speeds) when
line noise increases. As a consequence, the initial connection speed report
doesn't matter if using such a modem. :(
TIP:
Use Ultima Online's Trace Route tool [64 KB, free]:
ftp://ftp.owo.com/pub/uo/uotrace/uotrace.exe
to determine eventual packet loss.
12. Good luck!
SERIAL MOUSE SPEED [+]
There are two ways you can make sure your serial rodent (connected to one of
your computer's serial COM ports) runs at top speed in Windows 9x:
1. This applies especially to LogiTech serial mice owners, but other users
who installed the free LogiTech MouseWare v8.20 drivers for Win9x/NT linked in
SOFTWARE.TXT (included) at the "FREE WINDOWS/DOS MOUSE DRIVERS" topic, can
benefit too.
Start Regedit and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Logitech\MouseWare\CurrentVersion\Serial\0000
Note that the "Serial" subkey above might have other values like: "SerialM",
"SerialV" or "GTI0001" on some systems, depending on your mouse hardware type.
In the right hand pane of the "0000" subkey (default, but yours might actually
be 0001, 0002 etc) scroll down to the "BaudRate" String.
Modify its value (default is 1200) by double-clicking on it. Type 9600 in the
Value Data field. Click OK.
Exit the Registry Editor. Press F5 on the Desktop to make changes take effect
without rebooting.
2. Pop in your Windows 9x Setup CD-ROM, and extract the file VCOMM.VXD.
Use the EXTRACT command lines below, presuming your CD-ROM drive letter is D
(change if necessary).
- Win95/OSR1 users:
EXTRACT.EXE D:\WIN95\WIN95_03.CAB VCOMM.VXD
- Win95 B/C OSR2 users:
EXTRACT.EXE D:\WIN95\WIN95_04.CAB VCOMM.VXD
- Win98 users:
EXTRACT.EXE D:\WIN98\WIN98_48.CAB VCOMM.VXD
Then move VCOMM.VXD to your C:\Windows\System\Vmm32 subfolder. Reboot.
This way Windows 9x will use this protected mode 32-bit driver instead of the
one built into VMM32.VXD, a "generic" Virtual eXtended Driver (VXD) file
located in C:\Windows\System, the OS created at install time, and which takes
care of the basic hardware setup. But your hardware configuration might have
changed since, therefore it's a good idea to rely on individual drivers to
rule out potential bugs, because VCOMM.VXD takes care of ALL your
communication ports, including the one your modem is connected to.
MEDIA PLAYER [UPDATED 2|23|99]
Undocumented!
You can configure Media Player (MPLAYER.EXE) located in your Win98/95 folder,
to open, play once, and then close any media clip file: .AVI, .FLI, .FLC,
.MID, .RMI, .WAV, .MPG, .MPE, .MVB, .MOV etc.
In Explorer click View, Options, and then the File Types tab. Choose the file
type you want to be played once and then closed by Mplayer (any of the media
files listed above, if listed on your Files Types list).
In the File Types window, choose for example the MIDI Sequence (RMI, MID)
files, click Edit, highlight "Actions:", click Play, click Edit, and then
Browse to find Mplayer.exe. In the "Application used to perform action:" box,
type a space after "C:\Windows\Mplayer.exe", and then type "/play /close".
The text in the box should look like this (no quotes):
C:\Windows\Mplayer.exe /play /close
Click OK three times to close all open dialog boxes. Now you should be again
in Explorer's main window, back where you first started.
You can repeat this operation with all media clip files listed above (and
more if you have any other file types installed by your audio/video software
on your machine).
From now on, when you (double)-click a .MID or .WAV file, Mplayer will play
the file once, and then exit, without prompting you for confirmation, nor
waiting for you to manually click all necessary exit buttons.
This is also useful for previewing new media files you download, or from a
new cd-rom.
HINT: You can also create a shortcut in the Startup folder, to play once
and then automatically close your favorite media clip file, when
Win98/95 loads.
Have fun!
UPDATE:
You can use the same command line above (/play /close) with Microsoft Media
Player2 Update, which can be downloaded [3.5 MB, free] from:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/mediaplayer/
Microsoft DirectX/ActiveX Media Player2 v6.0 runtime extensions: ActiveMovie,
DirectAnimation, DirectShow [4.46 MB, free]:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/contents/wuother/directxruntime/
MPlayer2 uses ActiveX controls and DirectX APIs, and can also be used as a MS
IEx/Netscape browser plug-in, to play ALL Multimedia file formats: .AVI,
QuickTime (.MOV), NetShow (.ASF), Video/Sound MPEG Layer 1 (.DAT, .MP3, .MPE,
.MPG etc), General/Extended MIDI (.MID, .RMI), Microsoft Wave (.WAV), CD
Audio (.CDA), Real Audio/Video (.AU, .RA, .RAM) etc.
This is the MPlayer2 command line used to play once and then close a
Multimedia file (default installation):
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Media Player\Mplayer2.exe" /play /close "%L"
Type the quotes to allow the proper use of Long File Names (LFNs) on the
command line.
DUAL-BOOT DLL CONFLICT [+]
In a dual-boot environment, using Windows 9x/OSR2's dual-boot menu feature,
and an older copy of Windows/WfWG 3.1x that loads on top of MS-DOS 6.xx (when
you select to boot into the "Previous version of MS-DOS" option from the
Windows 9x/OSR2 Startup menu), in certain cases you may experience conflicts
or weird error messages in Windows applications, in both Windows 9x and
Windows/WfWG 3.1x environments.
Some are due to the presence of different versions of the same resource
libraries (DLLs = Dynamic Link Libraries) in both Windows 9x/OSR2 System
subfolder (default is C:\Windows\System) and in the Windows/WfWG SYSTEM
subdirectory (default is C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM). Although on such dual-boot
computers the Win31 or Win9x default folder might have different names, to
accomodate two different versions of Windows on the same drive/partition.
This happens ONLY IF one or BOTH these \System subdirectories are mentioned
on your AUTOEXEC.BAT file PATH line, if a program has added them there during
installation, or if you have added them manually.
Example: if you installed Win95 in C:\Win95, and WfWG 3.11 is installed in
C:\WFWG, the Autoexec.bat PATH line that includes both \SYSTEM subdirectories
looks like this:
SET PATH=C:\;C:\WIN95;C:\WIN95\COMMAND;C:\WIN95\SYSTEM;C:\WFWG\SYSTEM;etc...
Notice that in such dual-boot setups there are two copies of AUTOEXEC.BAT and
CONFIG.SYS files (with different extensions) present in the root directory of
the boot drive (C:\), each being used separately by the different Windows
version at boot time.
When you boot into Windows 9x/OSR2, the startup files are renamed to:
AUTOEXEC.BAT -> Win9x/OSR2 file
CONFIG.SYS -> Win9x/OSR2 file
AUTOEXEC.DOS -> MS-DOS 6.xx file
CONFIG.DOS -> MS-DOS 6.xx file
When you boot into MS-DOS 6.xx (and start Win31), the startup files are
renamed to:
AUTOEXEC.BAT -> MS-DOS 6.xx file
CONFIG.SYS -> MS-DOS 6.xx file
AUTOEXEC.W40 -> Win9x/OSR2 file
CONFIG.W40 -> Win9x/OSR2 file
provided you have both these Operating Systems installed on your machine.
For details on properly setting up a dual-boot system, read these topics
(also included in this archive):
- "COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE" in MYTIPS95.TXT;
- "DUAL BOOT" in MYTIPS95.TXT;
- "DUAL-BOOT IN OSR2/WIN98" in OSR2TIPS.TXT.
The solution is simple: remove C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM (or whatever name you gave
your Windows System subfolder) that points to the OTHER Windows version (not
used in the current session) from BOTH Autoexec.bat PATH lines, and reboot.
Other DLL conflicts and their possible fixes are described at this Windows
Magazine page:
http://www.winmag.com/library/1999/0401/cov0050i.htm
SAFE MODE CLEANUP [+]
Each hardware component/device installed in your Windows 9x computer has its
own Registry keys, may it be PnP (Plug and Play) or not.
If you have ever made changes (and who doesn't), like moving a PCI card to
another slot, or added/removed hardware devices, like a new AGP/PCI video
controller, ISA/PCI modem, serial/PS2 mouse, PCI/ISA sound card etc, the
Windows 9x Add Hardware Wizard adds new Registry keys for every one of them.
Over time your Registry gets cluttered with such unneeded/obsolete keys.
But you can decrease (in some cases by a lot) the size of your overgrown
Registry by deleting these old keys, thus improving your system's reliability
and speeding up the Windows GUI loading process.
Just follow these steps:
1. Reboot.
2. Press F8 during the BIOS POST routine, while the bootup messages appear on
screen. This restarts your machine in "Safe Mode".
3. When the Windows 9x GUI has completed loading, right-click on your My
Computer icon -> select Properties -> click the Device Manager tab.
4. Expand each device menu one at a time.
5. Skip the FIRST item in each category, and then DELETE ALL others with
identical or similar names, EXCEPT if you have more than one device of same
type (i.e. more than one floppy/hard drives, 2D/3D video adapters etc).
6. Reboot again in "Normal Mode". [Don't touch that dial! :)]
7. Now watch for any messages like:
"New Hardware found"
"Windows has found a new device and is installing software for it"
"Please insert installation disk #1"
Follow the instructions to reinstall your hardware if necessary, inserting
your vendor provided driver cd-rom/floppies, or pointing to the drive and
folder where your drivers reside. Then restart Windows when prompted to do so.
8. Run Regedit.exe -> click the Registry item -> select "Export Registry
file..." -> browse to C:\ root, type NEW.REG in the "File name:" box, and
finally click OK or press Enter, to export your entire Registry to NEW.REG (or
call it whatever you want, just keep the REG extension).
9. Download the FixReg program [51 KB, freeware]:
http://www.walbeehm.com/files/FixReg.zip
10. Run FixReg (ONLY from Windows!) to FIX eventual Registry errors.
11. Exit Windows again to the native MS-DOS mode, and run:
REGEDIT /C C:\NEW.REG
to compact (shrink) the FIXED Registry.
12. Restart Windows by typing:
EXIT
and then pressing Enter.
13. Defragment ALL your hard drives/partitions, and if you have Windows 98,
enable the "Rearrange program files so my programs start faster" option.
14. Done.
Your Windows 9x system should load a little faster from now on.
NOTES: 1. Read the "COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE" topic in MYTIPS95.TXT
(included), for more details on bootup options.
2. Read the "SHRINK THE REGISTRY!" topic in REGISTRY.TXT (included),
for more details on how to PROPERLY compact (shrink) your Registry.
CAUTION: Do NOT change ANY device properties while in Safe Mode!
NAMELESS ICON [+]
In Windows 9x all icons need to have a name assigned, and it must not contain
only spaces, otherwise (as you may have noticed) when creating a new shortcut
or renaming an icon, it will automatically prompt you to give it a name, and
won't let you save it without one.
But you can go around this limitation by using non-printing (ASCII)
characters, which are not displayed by either Windows or DOS.
To change a Desktop icon's name to "nameless", hit F2 to rename it. Now turn
on the Num Lock key. Next hold down Alt and type 0160 or 0255 (depending on
the "blank" character supported by the icon title font) on the Numeric pad.
Finally press Enter to save the change. On some Win9x systems though, such a
combination of ASCII characters can be entered ONLY in DOS mode. :( ... But
read on, because there IS a way of doing this in Windows.
The only thing you will see from now on in the icon's name area (and ONLY IF
it is highlighted/selected) will be an empty space.
And it gets better: if you change the color of the highlighted item/icon to
MATCH the Desktop background (in case you don't use a Desktop wallpaper) you
won't see the icon title box, even when selected/highlighted.
To do this: right-click on the Desktop background (empty spot) -> select
Properties -> click the Appearance tab -> choose Selected Items in the Item:
box -> change BOTH colors here to match the Desktop color -> click OK/Apply to
save your changes.
Disadvantage: you won't see any highlighted/selected items anymore, if your
Window background color is the same. Therefore you need to change it to a
different color in the Appearance tab (see above).
You also need to change the color of the ToolTip item under the Appearance tab
(see above) to match the Desktop background color.
For those who like to see a pretty picture on the Desktop [like I do :)],
there is a solution for making "nameless" icon titles invisible: download and
install the small TransText tool for Windows 9x/NT [40 KB, freeware]:
http://www.chaossoft.com/trtext.html
TransText changes or removes and monitors the Desktop icons background and
foreground colors.
To display the ASCII character set for a particular font, open the Character
Map tool (Charmap.exe), located in your Windows folder.
Charmap may not be installed on your Win9x system. To get it: pop in your
Win9x Setup cd-rom -> open Control Panel -> select Add/Remove Programs ->
click the Windows Setup tab -> double-click on System Tools -> check the
Character Map box -> click OK/Apply twice.
To determine which font is used on your machine for icon titles: right-click
on the Desktop background (empty spot) -> select Properties -> click the
Appearance tab -> select Icon from the Item: scroll box -> look at the font
displayed in the Font: box -> choose another if you wish -> click OK/Apply to
save it if changed.
Now start Charmap and select the same font shown above in the Font: box.
Look for the last character on the map (lower right corner), which is usually
blank (empty box). It will probably display Alt0160 or Alt0255 in the
Keystroke: box.
Most fonts list only two non-displaying character codes: one is the first
character in the set which represents the Space key, and the other is the last
character described above.
Now double-click in the last blank box of your selected icon title font to
copy it to the Clipboard. Exit Charmap.
Finally highlight the Desktop icon you want to change to "nameless". Hold down
Ctrl and press V to paste the ASCII character into the title box, or
right-click on it and select Paste. Hit Enter to save the new name. Voila.
UPDATE:
"There is a freeware replacement called Extended Character Map [189 KB]:
http://aritechdev.hypermart.net/ecm.htm
It gives a larger rendering of each character in a particular font and a large
preview of a selected character. It's useful for small screen users, and those
of us who must squint at the Windows version to make out the characters."
This update courtesy of Ojatex (Ojatex@aol.com).
REGISTER ACTIVEX CONTROLS [+]
Occasionally you may get an error message while trying to run an application
that uses ActiveX or OLE2 controls or libraries in Windows 9x.
Don't dispair, you don't have to reinstall your program or the entire
operating system. Everything is cool. :)
It's all in the Registry... If a .DLL, .EXE, .OCX, .TLB or .VXD file is only
copied to the C:\Windows\System folder, but NOT properly registered, it canNOT
be used. In this case you need to make the Registry "aware" of its presence
manually.
All you have to do is type a command like this in the Start -> Run box, and
press Enter or click OK (example assuming Win9x is installed in C:\Windows):
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE /I C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SHDOCVW.DLL
And then:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE /I C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSHTML.DLL
This will register the Microsoft Internet Explorer 4/5 "Shell Doc Object and
Control Library" with Windows 9x, and will reenable the thumbnail preview of
graphic files (.BMP, .GIF, .JPG) when using the Active Desktop feature.
Note that you HAVE to type the full path, file name and file extension to the
file you want registered. File names and parameters are case insensitive.
If the operation was succesful, you'll get a confirmation message like:
"DllRegisterServer in C:\Windows\System\shdocvw succeeded."
Other examples:
- (re)register the OLE2 control:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\OLEAUT32.DLL
- reset the MS IE 4/5 cache:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\CACHEVU.DLL
- repair "branded" (slightly modified) versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer
3/4/5, like the ones installed by AOL 3.0/4.0 32-bit, Go!Zilla, MSN etc:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ACTXPRXY.DLL
and then:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE /I C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SHDOCVW.DLL
If Regsvr32.exe is not present in your C:\Windows\System folder, you need to
extract it from your Win9x Setup CD-ROM, or MS IE 4/5 Setup .CAB files.
Pop in your Win9x Setup cd-rom and run (assuming your cd-rom drive letter is
D):
- Windows 98 users:
EXTRACT /L C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM /Y D:\WIN98\WIN98_42.CAB REGSVR32.EXE
- Windows 95/OSR2 users:
EXTRACT /L C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM /Y D:\WIN95\WIN95_20.CAB REGSVR32.EXE
This will copy Regsvr32.exe to C:\Windows\System (assuming your Win9x folder
name is C:\Windows).
Another way of registering a control is to right-click on a .DLL (.OCX or .TLB
for this matter) file in Explorer -> select "Open with..." -> browse to
Regsvr32.exe and highlight it -> click OK (or hit Enter). This will create a
permanent association of ALL your DLLs (Dynamic Link Libraries) with
Regsvr32.exe.
From now on you can register ANY unregistered DLL just by double-clicking on
it in Explorer or File Manager.
A third method is to create a DOS batch file using Notepad, containing this
line:
@%windir%\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE %windir%\SYSTEM\%1
Save it as REGISTER.BAT (or whatever name you want, but keep the .BAT
extension) in a folder on your path, and just run something like:
REGISTER SHDOCVW.DLL
from now on. This applies ONLY to files located in C:\Windows\System, but most
controls are (and should be) located in the System subfolder.
To "undo" this action (unregister a control or library), run (example):
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE /U C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SHDOCVW.DLL
Similarly, to unregister a file by using a batch file, copy this line into
a new file in Notepad:
@%windir%\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE /U %windir%\SYSTEM\%1
and save it as UNREG.BAT in a folder on your path.
Then run (example):
UNREG SHDOCVW.DLL
Note that you can run these batch files ONLY from a Windows 9x DOS
session/box, NOT from the native/real MS-DOS mode.
To learn how to use all Regsvr32 command line parameters, run it by itself:
REGSVR32
UPDATE:
"There is a much simpler way to register controls via the GUI, by using Xteq
Systems' (makers of X-Setup) freeware utility named Xteq COM Reg Extension,
which allows running REGSVR32 without a command line:
- Complete info and screen shots page:
http://xteq.com/products/comr/
- Download page:
http://xteq.com/downloads/index.html#comr
- Direct download [17 KB]:
http://xteq.com/downloads/xq-comregisterex.zip"
This update courtesy of CptSiskoX@flashmail.com.
SPEEEDUP YOUR GUI STARTUP! [+]
If your Windows 9x system takes way too loooong to completely load the GUI
(Graphical User Interface) upon bootup, even if you have a fairly new CPU (300
MHz or faster), there are a few things you can do to cut down on that %$#&@!
GUI loading time.
1. Download the BootLog Analyzer tool [233 KB, freeware]:
http://www.vision4.co.uk/files/bla.zip
BootLog Analyzer checks your BOOTLOG.TXT file found in C:\ root, times and
reports about slow loading drivers, like .386, .DLL, .DRV, .VXD etc. Just
follow the guidelines in BLA.TXT to install it.
2. Edit MSDOS.SYS (also located in C:\ root) using Notepad in Windows or
EDIT.COM in DOS, and make sure you have these lines present under the
[Options] section:
BootMenu=1
BootMenuDefault=2
DisableLog=0
The "BootMenu=1" switch allows the "Microsoft Windows 95 (98) Startup Menu":
http://members.aol.com/axcel216/msdos.htm#MEN
to be displayed on your screen at boot time.
The "BootMenuDefault=2" parameter tells the OS to boot with the 2nd option
from the Startup Menu: "Logged (\BOOTLOG.TXT)".
The "DisableLog=0" entry is UNDOCUMENTED, and if its value is 0 (default), it
enables the "boot-logged" Win9x GUI startup (Windows creates a new, or updates
an existing BOOTLOG.TXT file in C:\ root), for troubleshooting purposes.
NOTE: To learn how to tweak all MSDOS.SYS parameters (even those
UNDOCUMENTED) to optimize your Win9x OS startup, read the "COMPLETE
MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE" topic in MYTIPS95.TXT (included), or for more
details, go to:
http://members.aol.com/axcel216/msdos.htm
First you need to "strip" MSDOS.SYS of its default Hidden, Read-only and
System attributes, to be able to modify it.
This can be done two ways:
A. In Windows: open Explorer -> in the left hand pane click on the C:\ drive's
root folder -> highlight MSDOS.SYS in the right hand pane -> right-click on it
-> select Properties -> click on the General tab -> uncheck ALL "Attributes"
boxes -> finally click OK/Apply.
B. In DOS: run this command:
ATTRIB C:\MSDOS.SYS -H -R -S
I recommend running SYS95.BAT (included), a DOS batch file that allows you to
perform all above operations in one swift move. SYS95.BAT opens MSDOS.SYS in
EDIT.COM for editing (after stripping it of its attributes), and after YOU
modify the file and save your changes, it reenables its default attributes.
You can also open SYS95.BAT in Notepad and replace EDIT with NOTEPAD if you
like, but in this case you will be able to edit MSDOS.SYS only from Windows,
NOT from native MS-DOS anymore. :(
3. Reboot your computer, and choose the "Step-by-step confirmation" option
from the "Windows 9x Startup Menu". Type Y for "Yes" to "Load all Windows
drivers" when prompted. Now have your stop watch ready and start timing from
the moment you press Y. Then stop the timer when the Win9x "Working in
Background" cursor stops spinning (if you are using an animated cursor, like
I am), or until it is replaced for the last time by the default "Normal
Select" cursor (if using static cursors).
4. Open BootLog Analyzer (BLA.EXE), and take a look at all the drivers that
loaded successfully. Mark down the longest times (10 seconds and above).
Possible "culprits" that you might not even need on your particular Win9x
system setup, and should consider removing (most of them located in
C:\Windows\System and/or C:\Windows\System\Iosubsys), are:
- VNBT.386
- NDISWAN.VXD
- other Networking (LAN, WAN, Novell, IBM etc) .386, .DLL, .DRV, .EXE or .VXD
drivers/executables, ONLY IF you KNOW you are NOT connecting to or using such
Networks!
- DRVWPPQT.VXD
- DRVWQ117.VXD
The first 2 drivers on this list belong to the "Microsoft Virtual Private
Networking Adapter", which is NOT setup/used on my machine.
BootLog Analyzer reported these 2 were EACH taking about 15-20 seconds to
load! Geez... Talk about watching that spinning hour-glass! So I moved them
"PRONTO" from C:\Windows\System to a backup file (.ZIP).
Further more, BootLog Analyzer reported a total loading time of 15 seconds for
all the "TAPEDETECTION" sections (about 6 of them!) in my BOOTLOG.TXT. Since I
don't use, or have any intention of getting a tape drive, I started a Registry
search using the Windows 9x built-in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe, located in
the Windows folder) for the TapeDetect string: click Edit -> select Find ->
type the text string you want in the "Find what:" box (TapeDetect in this
case).
Then I deleted ALL references (Registry keys, subkeys and values) returned by
the search (BUT I MADE A FULL REGISTRY BACKUP FIRST!), and also moved the two
.VXDs (DRVWPPQT.VXD and DRVWQ117.VXD above) from C:\Windows\System\Iosubsys to
the same .ZIP backup file.
Then I rebooted one more time. Guess what? This way I managed to "shave off"
almost an entire minute from the GUI loading time. Aha! Now we're talking!
ADDENDUM:
Read these Windows 9x BOOTLOG.TXT related MSKB articles:
- "Description of Windows Files Located in the Root Folder":
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q151/6/67.asp
- "Load Failures Listed in the Bootlog.txt File":
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q127/9/70.asp
- "Troubleshooting Windows 98 Startup Problems and Error Messages":
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q188/8/67.asp
- "Troubleshooting Windows 95 Startup Problems":
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q136/3/37.asp
... Do U feeel the neeed 4 speeed?! :)
LOCK UP THE DOS BOX [+]
If you don't use any MS-DOS based applications or games from within a
Windows/WfWG 9x/3.xx DOS box/session, and/or would like to prevent all users
that have access to your computer from running such programs for security
reasons, take a look at these simple ways of locking up all DOS sessions.
1. Add this line at the end of your Autoexec.bat file:
C:\WINDOWS\WIN.COM %1 %2 %3 > NUL
if you prefer to start Windows from Autoexec.bat.
In these examples I presumed you have Windows/WfWG installed in C:\Windows.
2. Or create a DOS batch file using Notepad (in Windows) or EDIT.COM (in DOS)
containing this single line:
@C:\WINDOWS\WIN.COM %1 %2 %3 > NUL
call it WIN.BAT, and place it in the root directory of your boot drive,
usually C:\.
For added security, you can write protect it, so casual users won't be able to
modify it (but this won't stop advanced users who know their way around), by
typing this command and pressing Enter from any DOS prompt:
ATTRIB +R C:\WIN.BAT
By running WIN.BAT, the entire screen (display = CON) output from WIN.COM will
be redirected to the NUL device, which makes it invisible every time one
tries to shell to a DOS box/session/window, even full screen.
It is known that a batch file with the name WIN.BAT is run BEFORE the Windows
WIN.COM executable if such a file exists in C:\ root, which is valid for ALL
MS-DOS executables: .COM and .EXE.
3. For added protection you can use BAT2EXEC.COM, a PC Magazine DOS tool [33
KB, free]:
ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/msdos/batchutl/bat2ex15.zip
to convert any batch (.BAT) file to a .COM (binary) executable bearing the
same name, for faster execution, and/or to hide the purpose of your converted
batch.
Example: to convert WIN.BAT (see above) to WIN.COM, just run:
BAT2EXEC WIN.BAT
from the same directory. Then place the new WIN.COM into C:\ root.
4. Now modify the PATH line in your Autoexec.bat or Config.sys (the latter is a feature supported only by MS-DOS 6.00 and newer) to start with C:\; instead of C:\DOS; (MS-DOS 6.xx and Windows/WfWG 3.xx users) or C:\WINDOWS; (Windows 9x users). Note that you need to type a semicolon (;) at the end of EACH directory listed on your PATH line, so MS-DOS/MS Win9x can process it correctly. Examples of modified PATH lines in Config.sys:
- Windows 9x [a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.xx]: SET PATH=C:\;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;etc...
- Windows/WfWG 3.xx [+ MS-DOS 6.xx]: SET PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS;etc...
Edit your startup files using Notepad in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS. Save your work and reboot when done. From now on, whenever one types WIN and hits Enter from the native MS-DOS, it starts WIN.COM from C:\ root, instead the Windows/WfWG 9x/3.xx executable (WIN.COM) located in C:\Windows (default).
LIMITATION: DOS programs that use a graphical interface can still be run this way, ONLY IF one knows the executable filename and its location. Therefore keep such apps/games directories out of your PATH to minimize this risk.
5. Windows 9x ONLY: read the "SYSTEM RESTRICTIONS" topic in
REGISTRY to learn how to modify the "Disabled" and "NoRealMode" DWORDvalues under the Policies "WinOldApp" Registry subkey, to disable completely
ALL MS-DOS Prompt modes/sessions (and more).
BYPASS SAVER PASSWORD [+]
This tip applies ONLY to 16-bit (Win16) Screen Savers written for Windows/WfWG 3.xx, and to 32-bit (Win32) Screen Savers that run on Win31 systems ONLY with Microsoft Win32s 32-bit Extensions Add-on v1.30c installed [2.7 MB, free]:
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/mslfiles/PW1118.EXE but most of them can be used also on Windows 9x systems. Most 32-bit (Win32) Screen Savers written specifically for Windows 9x/NT save their passwords in the Registry, and are discussed in the "SCREEN SAVER PASSWORD" topic in REGISTRY. In case you have forgotten one of your Screen Saver (SS) password(s), you can easily regain control by deleting it (them) from CONTROL.INI. Edit your CONTROL.INI file (located in your Windows directory) with Notepad (but back it up first!), and scroll down to the "incriminated" SS section, displayed in square parenthesis.A typical SS CONTROL.INI section looks something like this:
[Screen Saver.SSName]
Just substitute the SSName string above with your actual Screen Saver name, and change one (or both) of these lines (depending on your particular SS settings) under the SS section of your choice:
Password=#@$%& [or any other weird characters = encrypted password]
and/or: PWProtected=1 [password protection ON]
to read: Password= [leave it blank = NO password]
and/or: PWProtected=0 [password protection OFF]
Alternatively, if you'd like to get rid of a particular SS, just open Explorer (Win9x users) or File Manager (Win31 users) and search for the .SCR files, located by default in your Windows or Windows\System directories. Now delete (or move to a safe location) the .SCR file(s) you want. Some 3rd party Savers install other files in these (see above), and/or other (separate) directories, so you may want to erase/move them too, to properly remove them from your system, and keep your hard drive(s) as "clean" as possible. If a particular SS allows it, you can also (completely) remove it by:
- Windows 9x users: using your Control Panel "Add/Remove Programs" applet;
- Windows/WfWG 3.xx users: running your provided SS "Uninstall" Program Manager icon.
9X/2000/NT/MILLENNIUM/3.XX MULTIBOOT SWAP FILE [+]
If you use and multi-boot among different versions of Microsoft Windows, which include: Windows NT/2000, Windows 95/98/Millennium and Windows/WfWG 3.10/3.11, you are probably wasting a ton of disk space, because each of these Windows releases uses different names and locations for their swap file:
- Windows NT/2000 uses PAGEFILE.SYS as its permanent page file, located by default in your WinNT/2000 folder.
- Windows 95/98/Millennium uses WIN386.SWP as its permanent swap file, located by default in your Win9x/Millennium folder.
- Windows/WfWG 3.xx uses 386SPART.PAR as its permanent swap file, located by default in C:\ root, or WIN386.SWP as its temporary swap file, located by default in your Win31 directory.
But there is a way to overcome this "annoyance", and force ALL MS Windows versions on your computer to share the SAME FIXED page/swap file. Just follow these steps:
1. In Windows NT/2000: start Control Panel -> System -> Performance -> Virtual Memory -> Specify Pagefile settings -> select IDENTICAL Maximum and Minimum sizes, and change its location to point to your fastest FAT16 drive/partition.
2. Reboot into Windows 9x.
3. In Windows 9x/Millennium: start Control Panel -> System -> Performance -> Virtual Memory -> check the "Let me specify my own virtual memory settings" box -> select the SAME IDENTICAL Maximum and Minimum sizes as you did in WinNT/2000, and change the swap file location to the SAME FAT16 disk/partition you selected for WinNT/2000.
Don't reboot Windows 9x/Millennium when prompted! Click No or press Esc at the prompt dialog box.
4. Open the Windows 9x/Millennium SYSTEM.INI file (located in your Windows folder) with Notepad -> scroll down to the [386enh] section -> make sure ALL lines listed below are present:
PagingFile=X:\PAGEFILE.SYS
PagingDrive=X:
MinPagingFileSize=xxxxxx
MaxPagingFileSize=xxxxxx
Where X: is the drive/partition letter you selected for the Win9x/Millennium swap file, and xxxxxx represents both the Maximum and Minimum sizes (which should be IDENTICAL) of PAGEFILE.SYS in KiloBytes. Modify/add them to show actual values, depending on your system configuration and preferences. Example using drive E: and an 80 MB fixed swap file:
PagingFile=E:\PAGEFILE.SYS
PagingDrive=E:
MinPagingFileSize=81920
MaxPagingFileSize=81920
Now highlight and copy all these lines to the Clipboard.
5. Then open the Windows/WfWG 3.xx SYSTEM.INI file (located in your Win31 directory) with Notepad -> scroll down to the [386enh] section -> delete ALL lines listed above (you might not have them all, depending on your particular Win31 swap file settings) -> paste the lines you copied from the Windows 9x/Millennium SYSTEM.INI.
6. Reboot one more time into the Windows version of your choice.
7. Delete ALL unused (obsolete) swap files from ALL your drives/partitions: WIN386.SWP, 386SPART.PAR etc.
8. Done.
NOTES:
- Do NOT place the common swap file on a FAT32 or NTFS drive/partition! It won't be recognized by Windows releases other than the one you set it up on, because Win31 doesn't support FAT32/NTFS, Win9x doesn't support NTFS, and WinNT doesn't support FAT32! Win2000 is the ONLY Microsoft OS (to date) that supports ALL these file systems.
- Read the "SWAP FILE - Part 1" topic for details on dual-booting Win9x and Win31 using the same swap file.
- Read these topics: "SWAP FILE - Part 2" (included) and "FIXED SWAP FILE" in
TIPS95, for details on optimizing your Win9x swap file.
Windows 9x/NT4.0 Tricks, Tips,&Tweaks Index