Windows 95/98/Me Tips and Tricks
Quick fix for changing file associations in Win95/98/ME
1) Highlight the file or folder you want to associate with a particular program.
2) Hold the Shift key as you right-click the file you want to open.
In the context menu that pops up,3) Click the Open With option.
4) In the Open With dialog box, click the box labeled Always Use This Program to Open This Kind of File.
5) Then select your favorite application and click OK.
To get the same result in a different way
1) Double-click the My Computer .
2) Click the View menu's Options selection.
3) In the Options dialog box, click the File Types tab.
4) To modify the settings, scroll down to the proper file type and click on it, then click Edit.
5) In the Actions box, click Open, then click the Edit button.
6) Click the Browse button and select the application you really
want.7) When you've done that, click OK in each dialog box until
you're back to the Desktop.8) Close All Windows - To simultaneously close all the windows you have
opened, simply hold the shift key and click the X button on the right side of the folders title bar.
Desktop to Front
Need to click an /folder on the desktop? But is completely obscured
by open windows and you don't want to have to minimize them all to see
the desktop again?Just click the Start-button, choose Run...
and type a dot (.) and press Enter.
How to Move the Start Button
Here’s a neat, undocumented trick for moving your Start button to another place on the Taskbar:
1) Click on the Start button, then hit the Esc key.
2) Press Alt+- (the Alt key and, at the same time, the minus key) then let go of both.
3) Click on Movefrom the menu, then use your right-and left-arrow keys to move the button.
4) When the button is where you want it, press the Enter key.
5) Note that when you restart Windows, the Start button will be back in it's original location on the far left of the Taskbar.
Program Manager - File Manager in Windows 95/98
Program Manager and File Manager are part of Windows 95, and they work in Windows 95 exactly as they did in Windows 3.X.
Both sport unique advantages. For example, File Manager is faster than Windows Explorer.
If you miss Program Manager and File Manager, you can find PROGMAN.EXE and WINFILE.EXE in the WINDOWS folder.
Just create shortcuts to them on your desktop.
Windows 3.x to Windows 95 Application Compatibility
Windows 3.x applications sometimes don't quite work right in
Windows 95. Fortunately, Windows 95 has a utility that may help.1) Select Start/Run and type MKCOMPAT.
2) Select File/Choose Program, then click on the behaviors you'd like to induce.
What to do if you forget Windows password?
If you have forgotten your Windows password for logging into Windows 95 follow these instructions.
1) Go to Start/ Find Files/ Files or Folders, make sure you are searching the C: drive and type in *.pwl in the Named field.
2) Find the file with your user name in front of it and delete it.
3) Restart Windows 95 and insert your new information (password, and user name). You can use a new one or the same one.
Tip: If you don't want a password at all, just put in a user name and No password, and Windows will never prompt you again for a password.
How to Change Dialup Networking to Auto redial
1) Double click on the Start menu , and choose Accessories, then Dial-Up Networking.
2) Click on the Connections menu, and choose Settings.
3) Insert check in the box next to Redial.
4) Choose how long you wish to wait before Dial-Up Networking forces a re-dial, and how long it should go before giving up on the call altogether.
5) After inserting the numbers, click OK.
The Windows command Win /? Still Works
If you boot your computer in MS-DOS mode, typing WIN /? at the DOS command prompt will still work as it did in Windows 3.1.
Windows 95 has several command line options that can be used to disable 32-bit file access, limiting areas of memory that Windows 95 marks as free, and more.
This can be very helpful if you are having trouble starting the o/s shell.
How to calculate the space contained in multiple folders.
If you select multiple folders in the Explorer by holding down the control key while selecting folders, you can easily pull up the cumulative total of space used and files contained in each of these folders, as well as sub-folders contained within.
1) After selecting your folders, right-mouse click on one of them and select Properties. Windows 95 will then calculate the space and file totals.
This can be very useful if you need to figure out how much space that needs to be free on a backup device to hold your folders and files.
Restoring MCI CD Audio in Windows 95
Drivers have a mysterious way of disappearing or uninstalling themselves - or at least seeming to uninstall themselves.
Do the following:
1) Go to the control panel, then Add New Hardware.
2) Click Next, select No. Click Next.
3) Double-click Other Devices.
4) Scroll down to Microsoft MCI. Under Models, select CD Audio Device (Media Control) and continue with the install.
How to Change the Modem Init String
Whenever you use your modem to dial a phone number (such as your Internet service provider), if you use Dial-Up-Networking or the standard Windows 95/98 phone dialer, you can send initialization codes to your modem to handle such things as disabling call waiting, switching to a specific baud rate, turning on/off data compression etc. (see your modem's manual for more information on init. strings for your specific modem).
Finding where to change the init string, however can be tricky, so here are the instructions:
1) Click on the Start button, choose Settings, then Control Panel.
2) Choose Modems from the control panel..
3) Highlight the desired modem (There should only be one listed unless you have 2 modems, if you only have one modem and there is 2 listed that's a whole other problem.).
4) Click on the Properties button below the white area.
5) Click on the Connection tab.
6) Click on the Advanced button.
7) Look under Extra settings.
8) From there, you can key in any modem init. string that you wish.Then be sure and click OK.
Here is a good AT Command Reference chart.
What is the WINDOWS\SYSBCKUP Folder?
The WINDOWS\SYSBCKUP folder seems to contain just a bunch of useless duplicate files. In fact, all it contains is copies of some of the standard system files. If you are desperate for hard drive space you may have considered deleting files from this directory. DO NOT DELETE THESE FILES!
If Win95 notices that a system file is corrupted, it will check the WINDOWS\SYSBCKUP folder for a backup copy of said file. If found, Win95 will copy the backup file to the proper folder and allow you to proceed normally. Without this backup file, you will be stuck either reinstalling Win95, trying to find a backup copy of the file, or attempting to EXPAND the original from the Win95 distribution disk.
Although WINDOWS\SYSBCKUP does not contain backups of every system file, you will be thankful for this folder if you ever are in a position to need it.
Remote CD-ROM Ejector
Right-click on the CD-ROM in My Computer and select Eject from the Context menu to eject the CD from the drive.
Windows Setup Switches
By adding switches to the Setup command, you can control what the Win95 Setup utility does.
To find out what those switches are, just type SETUP /? at the command prompt.
