AXCEL216's MAX Speeed UNique/Original Windows 95/98/ME + DOS 7.xx/8.00 ©Tricks, Secrets, Tweaks, Speed-Ups, Hacks, Fixes These topics refer to ALL Microsoft Windows 95, 98 + ME [a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.00, 7.10 + 8.00] final (Gold) English releases, unless specified otherwise! My UNique/Original Win9x/ME + DOS 7/8 ©tricks are also available at: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/ori.htm WARNING: FIRST BACKUP ALL YOUR HARD DRIVES TO A SAFE LOCATION BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE ANY SYSTEM CHANGES! Take EXTREME CAUTION when modifying your System settings! Faulty changes may result in computer crashes/lockups/permanent data loss, or might lead to having you REINSTALL the ENTIRE Operating System(s)! YOU are the ONLY one responsible for ANY changes YOU make! ALWAYS HAVE YOUR MOST RECENT SYSTEM BACKUP READY! BEWARE: ALL these ©tricks have been discovered and tried by me, but with NO guarantee they will also work for YOU! Please send me your comments, corrections, tips at: axcel216@aol.com MUST HAVE from SOFTWARE.TXT (included): - WINDOWS 95/OSR2/98/2000/ME/XP ESSENTIAL FREE UPGRADES + FIXES: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/web.htm - INTERNET EXPLORER 4/5/6 ESSENTIAL FREE FIXES + UPDATES: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/ietoy.htm - 400+ Windows 9x/NT/2000/ME/XP/2003 Power Toys [99.99% FREE(ware)]: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/toy.htm MYTIPS95.TXT Contents: [New "©tricks" added at the BOTTOM] 95->98->ME COMPLETE SPECS> WININFO.TXT WHICH 9X/ME VERSION/BUILD? VERSION.TXT WINDOWS DOS BOX TIPS -> MEMORY.TXT FAT16 -> FAT32 -> SECRETS.TXT WIN.COM HIDDEN SWITCHES -> SECRETS.TXT EMM386 HIDDEN SWITCHES -> SECRETS.TXT HIMEM HIDDEN SWITCHES -> SECRETS.TXT COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE [*][+] 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 FROM CAB [+] 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 FIND FAST [+] FAST, FAST, FAST SOUNDS FROM THE PAST(E) 16-BIT VIDEO FIX [+] RIGHT-CLICK ANYWHERE [+] WRONG PATH :: OR REM? DOS NOW! [UPDATED 2-25-1998] [+] ORDER, PLEASE! GIMME BACK MY SYSTEM! GOOD OL' UNDELETE [+] SPEEDUP BOOT! SYSTEM BACKUP SYSTEM DLLS OVERRIDE IO.SYS [+] BOOTUP FLOPPY [+] 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 3-30-1999] OUTSMART SMARTDRIVE [*] CLOSE'EM ALL SHELL ENVIRONMENT SIZE [*] CD-ROM DRIVERS 4 DOS [UPDATED 3-3-1998] %WINDIR% VARIABLE [UPDATED 2-14-1998] MORE FONT SPEED [+] TEMP FILES, BE GONE! [+] SHRINK THE REGISTRY! [UPDATED 3-11-1998] DOUBLE BUFFER [+][*] BLANK WIN.COM [+] RESTART AFTER INSTALL SERIAL KILLER! [UPDATED 4-24-1998] 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 10-14-1998] [+] PLAY AUDIO CDS [+] 56K MODEMS @ 56K SPEED! [+] SERIAL MOUSE SPEED [+] MEDIA PLAYER [+] 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/ME/XP/3.1X MULTIBOOT SWAP FILE [+] REPLACE SYSTEM FONT [+] WINBOOT.INI [+] WIN.INI DIRECTX + VIDEO SETTINGS [+] SCANDSKW HIDDEN SWITCHES [+] PLAY DOS GAMES WITH SOUND BLASTER LIVE! [+] REBOOT WITH DEBUG [+] URL PASSWORD [+] 95/98/ME SETUP + MEMORY MANAGERS [+][*] MS IE 5.5 SP2 + 6.0 FIX [UPDATED 9-10-2002] [+] 3D CONTROLS FOR 3D EFFECTS [+] EDIT BOOT FILES [+][*] NOTES: [*] = Memory management tips, also detailed in MEMORY.TXT (included). [+] = Apply also to Windows 95B/95C OSR 2.x, 98/98 SE, ME, NT4, 2000, XP and/or 2003, and are referred to in OSR2TIPS.TXT, TIPS98.TXT, TIPSME.TXT, TIPSNT4.TXT, TIPS2000.TXT and/or TIPSXP.TXT respectively (all included). ALL these UNique/ORIGINAL ©tricks were UNcovered by me unless stated otherwise, and you canNOT find some of them ANYWHERE ELSE! ______________________________________________________________________________ COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE [*][+] This is only a BRIEF explanation of ALL Windows 95/98/ME MSDOS.SYS entries, including the UNDOCUMENTED ones. For FULL details + links 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/?id=118579 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 see "MSDOS.SYS EDITING" below. To learn about the Windows 95/98 Startup Menu see "2 DOS OR NOT 2 DOS" further below, or for COMPLETE details go to: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/msdos.htm#MEN FYI: Microsoft removed the Startup Menu from Windows Millennium Edition (ME), but you can still access most of these options by hitting the "combo" keys at bootup! A MUST: Microsoft REMOVED COMPLETELY the access to native/real MS-DOS mode from Windows ME [a.k.a. MS-DOS 8.00], but you CAN get it back by applying the Unofficial Real DOS-Mode Patch [9 KB, freeware]: http://www.geocities.com/mfd4life_2000/ which modifies COMMAND.COM + IO.SYS (from %windir%\COMMAND\EBD) + REGENV32.EXE (from %windir%\SYSTEM), in order to be able to boot to native MS-DOS and use DOS mode startup files (AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS), the Windows 95/98 style. MSDOS.SYS consists of 2 sections and supports all following parameters: 1. The [Paths] section: ENTRY DESCRIPTION DEFAULT VALUE NONDEFAULT ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WinDir=[0] Windows 9x/ME Install Directory C:\WINDOWS ?:\????????.??? WinBootDir= Windows 9x/ME Boot Directory C:\WINDOWS ?:\????????.??? HostWinBootDrv=[1] Windows 9x/ME Boot Drive [1] C ? UninstallDir=[2] Windows 9x/ME Uninstall Directory C:\ ?:\????????.??? ______________________________________________________________________________ * LEGEND: [0] LIMITATION: The MS Windows 95/98/ME main install directory/folder MUST abide by the old MS-DOS 8.3 (????????.???) Short File Names (SFNs) rules. Trying to use Long File Names (LFNs) will generate Operating System (OS) errors, because the Win9x/ME 32-bit GUI loads on top of the 16-bit MS-DOS 7.xx/8.00 layer at bootup time, which does NOT recognize LFNs! [1] If using a disk compression utility (such as MS DrvSpace), change the drive letter on the "HostWinBootDrv=" line to point to the host drive letter (usually H). [2] "UninstallDir=" points to the path you selected during Setup, ONLY IF you have chosen to backup your old OS at install time. 2. The [Options] section: ENTRY[3] DESCRIPTION DEFAULT VALUE NONDEFAULT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ AutoScan=[4] Automatic ScanDisk after improper shutdown. 1 0 - 2 BootConfig=[5] Allow processing of alternative boot setup. N/A MYCONFIG BootDelay=[6] Initial startup delay in seconds. 2 [Win95/OSR2] 0 - 2 0 [Win98/ME] 0 - 2 BootFailSafe= Invalid parameter! Use BootSafe= instead! N/A N/A BootGUI= Automatic Windows 9x/ME GUI startup. 1 0 BootKeys= Enable startup keys: F4, F5, F6, F8. 1 0 BootMenu=[7] Hide Startup Menu (press F8 to display). 0 1 BootMenuDefault=Indicated menu option is highlighted.[8] 1 1 - 8 BootMenuDelay= Delay in seconds (1 - 99) before running 30 1 - 99 highlighted menu item (only if BootMenu=1). BootMulti=[7] Startup key F4 enabled (old OS bootup 1 0 choice enabled). BootSafe= Force Safe Mode startup. 0 1 BootWarn= Display Safe Mode startup warning and item. 1 0 BootWin=[9] Enable Windows 9x/ME as operating system. 1 0 DblSpace= Load DBLSPACE.BIN (if present). 1 0 DisableLog=[10] Create BOOTLOG.TXT in C:\ root upon bootup. 0 1 DoubleBuffer= SCSI, older ESDI/ATA drives and large FAT32 0 1 - 2 drives > 8 GB may need double-buffering.[11] DrvSpace= Load DRVSPACE.BIN (if present). 1 0 LoadTop=[12] Load COMMAND.COM or DRVSPACE.BIN at top of 1 0 conventional memory (just below 640K). Logo=[13] Display (animated) Logo while Windows boots. 1 0 Network=[14] Networking and/or TCP/IP "Safe Mode" enabled. 1 0 SystemReg=[9] Scan Registry modules on startup. 1 0 WinVer=[5] Display Windows 98, 98 SE or ME build. 4.90.3000 [WinME] 4.10.2222 [Win98 SE] 4.10.1998 [Win98] ______________________________________________________________________________ * LEGEND: [3] DEFAULT action is taken if a line does NOT appear under the [Options] section. NONDEFAULT action is opposite to DEFAULT if NOT stated otherwise. [4] "AutoScan=" applies ONLY to Windows 95B/95C OSR 2.0 - 2.5, 98/98 SE and ME. 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). See "BYPASS AUTOSCAN" in OSR2TIPS.TXT (included) for more details. [5] "BootConfig=" and "WinVer=" are specific ONLY to Windows 98, 98 SE and ME! "BootConfig=MYCONFIG" (example if using multiple boot configurations) is UNDOCUMENTED and allows alternative boot setup. To make this work properly CONFIG.SYS MUST also include this same EXACT string as a MENUITEM= under its [MENU] section: MYCONFIG and also as a section by itself: [MYCONFIG] . "BootGUI=" MUST also be set to 1 in MSDOS.SYS. Selecting MYCONFIG from the Startup Menu will force Windows 98/ME to boot with this particular option. Selecting any other option will default to native/real MS-DOS mode. [Thank you Bill (billwilliam@hotmail.com)!] See my CONFIG.SYS (included) for multi-boot [MENU] examples. [6] Delay allows time to press a Startup Menu function key or key combo (some are UNDOCUMENTED): F4, F5, F6, F8, Ctrl, Shift, Ctrl+F5, Shift+F5 or Shift+F8 (the Ctrl key can be used ONLY with Windows 98/ME). Default is 0 if "BootKeys=0". "BootDelay=" is NOT supported in Windows 98/ME (defaults to 0)! [7] If "BootKeys=0", then "BootMenu=1" and "BootMulti=0" do NOT change default action. WARNING: Do NOT boot into your old/previous OS (MS-DOS 6.xx) if using Windows 95B/95C OSR 2.x or Windows 98/98 SE(U)! 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)! See also "DUAL BOOT" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for more info. [8] Startup Menu option 3 ("Safe mode") is highlighted if a previous Windows 95/98 load failed. [9] "BootMulti=" and "BootWin=" are available ONLY IF using the dual-boot feature built into Windows 9x/ME OS, AND still using a previously installed version of MS-DOS (6.00 - 6.22). [10] "DisableLog=" and "SystemReg=" are UNDOCUMENTED! [11] Read "DOUBLE BUFFER" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for details! [12] "LoadTop=1" (default) may add incompatibilities with some older DOS programs/TSRs which need to find COMMAND.COM at the bottom of the conventional (low) memory area (below the 640K barrier). In such cases change this setting to "LoadTop=0". [13] "Logo=0" may solve 3rd party memory management conflicts if using Symantec (Quarterdeck) QEMM386, Network Associates (Helix) NetRoom RM386, Qualitas (IBM) 386MAX, Uwe Sieber UMBPCI (+ HIRAM) etc memory managers in CONFIG.SYS. See "95/98/ME SETUP + MEMORY MANAGERS" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) and MEMORY.TXT (included) for details and guidelines on using 3rd party memory managers with your Windows 9x/ME OS. [14] "Network=1" MUST be present for "Safe Mode with Network support" to appear as option 4 on the Startup Menu. * Windows 95 (98) Startup Menu key "combos" and what they do [also available in Windows ME]: - F4 = Previous version of MS-DOS (from 6.00 up to 6.22, or another 3rd party DOS OS, if any). - F5 = Safe mode without Network/TCP/IP support, bypassing CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT entirely (if any). - F6 = Safe mode with Network/TCP/IP support (ONLY IF "Network=1" present under the MSDOS.SYS [Options] section), bypassing CONFIG.SYS entirely (if any). - F8 = Safe mode (Win95/OSR1/OSR2 ONLY) or Logged mode (Win98/ME ONLY). BOOTLOG.TXT is created in the root directory of the boot drive/partition (usually C:\) in Logged mode. - Shift (or Ctrl) + F5 = Safe mode command prompt only (native/real/true MS-DOS mode with NO devices/drivers/TSRs loaded in memory). CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT are bypassed (if any). - Shift + F8 = Step-by-step confirmation of ALL CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT lines (if any). This changes the [N] box to [Y], visible ONLY IF the Startup Menu is displayed, and needs to be followed by pressing the Enter key. Then you can enable (default) or disable each individual line, by pressing Y (for "Yes") or N (for "No"). - Alt, Esc = Hold down (Alt) or press (Esc) while booting to force the Windows bootup logo to disappear (ONLY IF "Logo=1" present under the MSDOS.SYS [Options] section) and display underlying bootup messages (if any) generated by loading memory manager(s) and/or devices/drivers/TSRs. [Thank you HKMonkey (hkmonkey@lineone.net)!] * Hidden features, oddities + BUGs I discovered: ONLY IF "BootGUI=0" under the MSDOS.SYS [Options] section, you will notice these changes at bootup: - F8, Ctrl = Displays the Startup Menu ONLY IF "BootMenu=0" under the MSDOS.SYS [Options] section. - F5, F6, Shift = COMMAND.COM, DBLBUFF.SYS, HIMEM.SYS and IFSHLP.SYS load from IO.SYS, bypassing their CONFIG.SYS lines (if any). If COMMAND.COM NOT found in %winbootdir% (specified on the "WinBootDir=" MSDOS.SYS line under the [Paths] section, usually C:\WINDOWS) or in the root directory of the boot drive (usually C:\), or/and HIMEM.SYS and/or IFSHLP.SYS NOT found in %winbootdir%, the bootup routine defaults to "Safe mode command prompt only" (native/real/true MS-DOS mode with NO devices/drivers/TSRs loaded in memory). - Shift (or Ctrl) + F5 = Command prompt only (native/real/true MS-DOS mode). CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT are processed (if any). - Windows 9x/ME automatically loads the interface (GUI) ONLY IF a "SHELL=" line is NOT present in CONFIG.SYS (example): SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /E:1024 /P /F - The size of the COMMAND.COM module loaded in memory is about 2 KB smaller than if "BootGUI=1", no matter if a "SHELL=" line is present or not in CONFIG.SYS. NOTES: - The Ctrl key can be used ONLY in Windows 98/ME, NOT in Windows 95/OSR1/OSR2. - If WINBOOT.INI is present in the root directory of the boot drive/partition (C:\ by default) MSDOS.SYS is automatically bypassed. See "WINBOOT.INI" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for details. MSDOS.SYS EDITING [+] MSDOS.SYS is a Hidden, Read-only, System Windows 95/98/ME boot file, located in the root folder (directory) of your boot drive (default is C:\), and if using DrvSpace (Microsoft "disk doubler" utility) to compress your FAT16 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/ME computer boot properly with DrvSpace installed! To edit MSDOS.SYS I created a DOS batch file called SYS95.BAT (included). CAUTION: If dual-booting with MS-DOS 6.xx, make sure to NOT use DblSpace, the older Microsoft disk compression tool, which is NOT compatible with Windows 9x/ME NOR with Long File Names (LFNs)! IMPORTANT: If a WINBOOT.INI file is also present in the root directory of the boot drive (usually C:\), MSDOS.SYS is automatically bypassed by the Win9x/ME bootup routine! See "WINBOOT.INI" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for complete details! WINBOOT.INI MUST contain the SAME EXACT lines as MSDOS.SYS, so Windows can boot properly. In this case MSDOS.SYS can be moved/deleted altogether, but BEWARE of certain programs that may rely on its presence for proper operation. Therefore if editing manually, you need to edit MSDOS.SYS first, make your desired changes, and only after that you need to copy it as WINBOOT.INI (overwriting the old one), to make sure BOTH their contents remain IDENTICAL. SYS95.BAT routine detects the WINBOOT.INI presence, and performs all these necessary tasks automatically, to keep them in "sync" at all times. :) WINBOOT.INI is NOT renamed by Win9x/ME if dual-booting to an older MS-DOS version, so it can be also edited from MS-DOS 6.xx, in which case it is copied as MSDOS.W40 (which is actually MSDOS.SYS renamed by the Win9x/ME dual-boot routine). SYS95.BAT contains all necessary variables to edit MSDOS.W40 as well in MS-DOS 6.xx mode (using EDIT.COM), to avoid any possible headaches. :) If running SYS95 from native/real MS-DOS, MSDOS.SYS will be edited in EDIT.COM, and if running SYS95 from a Windows DOS box/session, MSDOS.SYS will be edited in Notepad.exe. Both EDIT.COM and Notepad.exe are installed by the Win9x/ME Setup routine in a folder listed in the path statement (default install directories): EDIT.COM resides in C:\Windows\Command and Notepad.exe is found in C:\Windows. Therefore there is no need to specify their paths in SYS95.BAT. :) Run SYS95.BAT from a PIF file (Windows MS-DOS Shortcut). To create a Win9x/ME Desktop Shortcut: 1. Right-click on your Desktop. 2. Select New. 3. Select Shortcut. 4. Browse for SYS95.BAT to the folder where it resides. 5. Double-click on SYS95.BAT. 6. Click on Next. 7. Select a name for your Shortcut. 8. Click on Next. 9. Choose an icon. PIFMGR.DLL icons are displayed by default for all MS-DOS shortcuts, but you can change its icon later, after the shortcut is created on your Desktop (see next paragraph). 10. Click Finish. To change your MS-DOS Shortcut icon: 1. Right-click on your MS-DOS Shortcut. 2. Select Properties. 3. Click the Program tab. 4. Click Change Icon. 5. Browse through your local drives/folders for your favorite .DLL, .ICO, .ICL or .EXE files containing Windows icons. 6. Select an icon. 7. Click OK when you're done. 8. Click OK/Apply again to exit and save changes. Now you'll see a new shortcut on your Desktop (called SYS95.BAT if you kept its original name): 1. Right-click on it. 2. Select Properties. 3. Click on the Program tab. 4. Check the "Close on exit" box. 5. Click the Misc tab. 6. Uncheck the "Warn if still active" box. 7. Click OK/Apply to save changes. That's it. From now on, you'll be able to view/edit MSDOS.SYS contents using your favorite text editor (all Windows 9x/ME releases install both MS-DOS EDIT.COM and Windows Notepad). Change/add MSDOS.SYS entries to customize your system, then save your changes and close the editor when you're done. You MUST reboot your machine for the new settings to take effect, ONLY IF you have modified MSDOS.SYS. No matter which text editor you are using, take a look at my MSDOS.SYS file (included ONLY as example). You might not see all these entries on your machine, depending on your Windows 95/98/ME startup configuration. I assumed your bootup drive/partition is C. EDIT.COM should also be in a folder in your path (resides in \WINDOWS\COMMAND by default). Change the drive letter if different on your system. Some (still) prefer to dual-boot: keep the ol' MS-DOS version 6.xx (+ MS Windows/WfWG 3.1x) and have Win9x/ME installed in a separate directory. This way you have the choice to boot with your Win9x/ME configuration, or with your old version of MS-DOS, and eventually use Windows/WfWG 3.1x (if you kept them) like I did. :) If you dual-boot (see "DUAL BOOT" further below for details) and choose to boot with your ol' MS-DOS version 6.xx, MSDOS.SYS is renamed to MSDOS.W40. If also using MS-DOS 6.xx make sure the DOS directory (default C:\MSDOS) is mentioned in your path (on the PATH line in your Autoexec.bat or Config.sys), and that EDIT.COM resides in your DOS directory or in a directory in your path. NOTES: - To PROPERLY dual-boot between MS-DOS 6.xx and Windows 95B/95C OSR2 or Windows 98/98 SE, YOU MUST APPLY the workaround detailed in "DUAL-BOOT IN OSR2/WIN98" from OSR2TIPS.TXT (included). - Read "COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE" above to learn everything about MSDOS.SYS parameters. - To edit ALL MSDOS.SYS parameters (including the UNDOCUMENTED ones) from a single, easy to use interface, see "FREE WINDOWS 9x/NT/2000/ME/XP BOOT TWEAKERS" in SOFTWARE.TXT (included). FYI: See the "How to Create an Msdos.sys File Larger Than 1024 Bytes" MSKB article: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=129998 2 DOS OR NOT 2 DOS [*] You might need, at some point, to exit Win95/98 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 Win95/98 at a DOS prompt (with the vmm32 module loaded in memory). That's because Win95/98 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 WIN95/98 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 (Win95/98's "DOS-in-a-box" mode provides a maximum of 615 KB of free conventional memory, by using MS Win95/98's own memory managers, which could be insufficient for some "memory hungry" DOS 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/?id=132994 - "Games (I-Q) Requiring or Performing Better in MS-DOS Mode": http://support.microsoft.com/?id=132995 - "Games (R-Z) Requiring or Performing Better in MS-DOS Mode": http://support.microsoft.com/?id=132996 So you have 3 solutions, to be able to run your favorite DOS programs/games under the Win95/98 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 (MS-DOS Program Information File), from inside Win95/98, 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 the WINSET command line. Good news: Bullfrog released the new "Magic Carpet 2" that can be played from within Win95/98'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 Win9x/ME (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 Win95/98 GUI and JUST EXIT WIN95/98 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 Win95/98 GUI interface by typing WIN and pressing Enter. To make sure you CAN exit Win95/98 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/partition 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 lots of other (lengthy) SET lines in your AUTOEXEC.BAT! 2] Move the files LOGOS.SYS + LOGOW.SYS from your Windows folder to any other location (e.g. 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 Win95/98); BootKeys=1 -> Startup keys enabled: F4-F8; BootWin=1 -> Enables Win95/98 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/TCP/IP enabled systems 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] FYI: Microsoft removed the Startup Menu from Windows Millennium Edition (ME), but you can still access most of these options by hitting the "combo" keys at bootup. "Normal" (choice 1) allows you to boot into Win95/98 GUI, option 6 "Command prompt only" boots to MS-DOS prompt without loading the "WIN" module into memory (Win95/98 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 Win95B/95C 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 (included)! 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 my dedicated SYS95.BAT batch file (included), which automates all above operations. 4] Place 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 + CONFIG.SYS [load them in upper memory with DEVICEHIGH in CONFIG.SYS and with LOADHIGH (LH for short) in AUTOEXEC.BAT]. Start Win95/98 from a batch file (or from your Autoexec.bat), by including these lines: WIN.COM 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 after you have shut down Windows. 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 Win95/98: 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 95/98 using the default choice: "Shut down the computer". Then type WIN and press Enter when you're done in the MS-DOS mode. IMPORTANT: If running Win95B/95C OSR2 or Win98/98 SE on an ATX (ACPI enabled) motherboard, you need to apply the "WIN98 ATX SHUT DOWN FIX" in TIPS98.TXT (included), to be able exit Windows to native MS-DOS, instead of shutting down your PC (default). 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 Win95/98's own HIMEM.SYS + 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 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 the EMM386.EXE line yourself. WARNING: Avoid the "HIGHSCAN" switch on the EMM386.EXE line! It could prove dangerous to your health: it may lockup your machine at bootup! The "RAM" switch does the same job 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 + MSDOSDRV.TXT located in your Windows folder, if you want to "mess" with your CONFIG.SYS + 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! More info: - MSKB: Description of Restarting Computer in MS-DOS Mode: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=138996 - Starman: How To Create a Windows 9x DOS Boot Menu System: http://www.geocities.com/thestarman3/DOS/menu/BootMenu.htm DUAL BOOT This is the step by step installation procedure to enable the dual-boot feature for MS-DOS 6.xx + Windows/WfWG 3.1x under Windows 95/98/ME + MS-DOS 7.xx/8.00. A MUST: To PROPERLY dual-boot between MS-DOS 6.xx and Windows 95B/95C OSR 2.x or Windows 98/98 SE, YOU *MUST* APPLY the workarounds detailed in "DUAL-BOOT IN OSR2/WIN98" from OSR2TIPS.TXT (included)! DrvSpace compressed drives can also be handled with this method, if used to keep running your old programs under your old DOS6/Win31 OS, while also using Windows 9x/ME. BEWARE that Win9x/ME do NOT support DblSpace (included only with MS-DOS 6.00), and that you MUST use the DRVSPACE.* files included with your Win95/98/ME release if dual-booting! Make sure your dual-boot disk/partition is formatted using FAT16, because MS-DOS 6.xx/5.00 do NOT recognize FAT32, NTFS or ANY OTHER File Allocation Table (FAT) system! Here we go: A. 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. B. 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. See "RESTORE CORRUPTED REG.DAT" in MYTIPS31.TXT (part of W31-11D.ZIP) for MORE info: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/31.htm You will also have to modify all the program groups (in Program Manager) and all items in them, to point to the new \WIN3 directory. C. Open your MS-DOS 6.xx version of AUTOEXEC.BAT in 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. Change also the IFSHLP.SYS (the Win31 32-bit disk access driver) path in your DOS6 CONFIG.SYS to point to \WIN3. If you load HIMEM.SYS and/or EMM386.EXE from your DOS6 directory, you need to modify their paths too, to point to \DOS6. Repeat this step for ANY other devices/drivers/TSRs that load from \DOS6 or \WIN3 to point to the new directories, like SMARTDRV, MOUSE etc. D. Reboot, restart Win31 and run Windows 9x Setup through Win31's Program Manager's File/Run menu. Win9x install will rename your old CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files to CONFIG.DOS and AUTOEXEC.DOS respectively. If you choose to boot with the "Previous version of MS-DOS", from the Win9x Startup Menu: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/msdos.htm#MEN Win9x renames them back to CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT, and backs up their Win9x/DOS7 versions with the .W40 extension (AUTOEXEC.W40 and CONFIG.W40 respectively). E. 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. F. The following lines MUST appear in the [Options] section of your Win9x/ME MSDOS.SYS file. If you use 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 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/ME OS. BootMenuDelay=30 => Default number of seconds to select an option. NOTE: Microsoft removed the Startup Menu from Windows ME, but you can still access most of these options by hitting the "combo" keys at bootup! 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 hidden/read-only/system file, you need to change its attributes first and then use Notepad to insert/modify the new lines. Save your file and exit Notepad when done. Optional: you can change the Msdos.sys attributes back to original: Hidden, Read-only, System. To change the attributes: right-click on MSDOS.SYS in Windows Explorer -> select Properties -> check/uncheck desired attribute boxes. G. Exit Win9x/ME 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/ME, 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 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/TCP/IP enabled systems 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] H. Any Windows programs installed after doing this will ONLY appear in the system you were running at the Win9x/ME install time! Example: if you installed MS Word (the old 16-bit version) under Win9x/ME you have to install it again under 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/ME (the 32-bit newer version, incompatible with Win31), install them into different directories: one for Win9x/ME (32-bit), installed from the Win9x/ME GUI, and another for Win31 (16-bit), installed from the Win31 GUI. FYI: - MSKB: "Multi-Boot Windows NT/2000/XP, Windows 95/98/ME + MS-DOS": http://support.microsoft.com/?id=217210 - David Bryan: Direct Boot Into WinNT/Win95/DOS: http://www.bcpl.net/~dbryan/directboot.html RESTORE DAMAGED REGISTRY [+] If at some point you end up not being able to get back into Windows 95/98 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 beginning of the boot sequence [immediately after the BIOS POST (Power On Self Test) screen] similar to selecting the "Command prompt only" option from the "Microsoft Windows 95 (98) Startup Menu": http://members.aol.com/axcel216/msdos.htm#MEN 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 [regpath1] REGEDIT [/L:system] [/R:user] /D regpath2 /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. regpath1 Specifies the starting registry key to export from. (Defaults to exporting the entire registry). /D regpath2 Specifies the registry key to delete." [Win98/ME ONLY!] ... 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 native MS-DOS mode for the purpose of backing up and restoring the Registry, when everything else fails. To make it work, load the Windows 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 9X.REG (saved by default with the .REG extension, if you type only the file name). Now go ahead and mess with the Registry to your heart content. :) If Windows doesn't restart or work properly after you have made changes to your Registry, exit Windows or reboot to native MS-DOS, and then run: REGEDIT /E E:\BACKUPS\9X.REG to backup your entire Registry to 9X.REG in MS-DOS mode. To recreate the Registry from 9X.REG, run: REGEDIT /C E:\BACKUPS\9X.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, you can also use as alternate backups, by renaming them to *.DAT in native MS-DOS mode. Win98 and WinME backup the Registry automatically upon the first boot of each new day. See "SCANREGW, SCANREG + SCANREG.INI" in TIPS98.TXT (included) for details. If you haven't backed up the Registry prior to a disaster, you have NO SAVED .REG FILE to recreate the Registry from, and/or there is NO VALID BACKUP made by Windows, 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 Win95/98 with when you first installed it. Copy it as SYSTEM.DAT to your Windows folder, using the command lines below (example): @ECHO OFF C: CD\ ATTRIB -H -R -S %winbootdir%\SYSTEM.DAT MOVE %winbootdir%\SYSTEM.DAT D:\BACKUPS ATTRIB -H -R -S C:\SYSTEM.1ST COPY C:\SYSTEM.1ST %winbootdir%\SYSTEM.DAT You can also cut & paste these lines into Notepad and save them as a DOS batch file I called 1STREG.BAT. Change the backup drive letter/folder name if different on your computer. Run 1STREG.BAT ONLY from native MS-DOS mode! And after doing this you'll have to restart customizing Windows 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/files/FixReg.zip MS-DOS PROMPT To go to the ol' MS-DOS command prompt screen from Win95/98 (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 Win95/98. Type EXIT and press Enter when done in DOS to return to the Win95/98 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 (example): 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 95/98), 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 (Win95/98 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 Win95/98, 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 Win95/98 to start ONLY in MS-DOS mode. You can go back to Win95/98'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 Win95/98 GUI. If this happens, remark the DOS=SINGLE line at the beginning of the CONFIG.SYS with a semicolon (;). Then reboot, and now you can return to Win95/98'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 Win95/98 boot drive), and add these two lines at the end: WIN MODE CO80 You can open AUTOEXEC.BAT with Notepad in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS. 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 95/98 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 Win95/98 by running the batch. What really happens: when the Win95/98 shut down sequence is over, all you see is the Win95/98 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, 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 95/98 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 Win95/98 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: See "DOS NOW!" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for more details. SET TEMP [*] If for any reason (i.e. increased speed) 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 Reboot, and you're done. ADD-ON: To "clean" your TEMPorary directory of obsolete .TMP files every time upon boot, add these lines at the end of your Autoexec.bat, AFTER the "SET TEMP=" and "SET TMP=" lines (if you included them in this file): IF NOT EXIST %TEMP%\*.TMP GOTO NO ATTRIB +A -H -R -S %TEMP%\*.TMP DEL %TEMP%\*.TMP :NO NOTES: - MS-DOS 5.00 or older allows SET <variable> commands ONLY in AUTOEXEC.BAT, but NOT in CONFIG.SYS. - If the "temp" variable is not mentioned in your Config.sys, Win95/98 OS automatically creates the default "temp" directory upon bootup, the \TEMP subfolder under your Win95/98 folder, typically C:\WINDOWS\TEMP. - To learn how to setup a RAM disk in Windows 9x/ME, see "BROWSER CACHE IN MEMORY" in REGISTRY.TXT (included). UNATTENDED DEFRAG/SCANDISK To have Defrag run unattended every time you start Win9x/ME, create a shortcut for Defrag with this command line and place it in your Startup folder: %windir%\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 Win9x/ME'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 Win9x/ME): %windir%\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. If you purchased the Microsoft Plus! Package for Windows 95, or if you have Win98/ME, you can achieve all of the above by scheduling System Agent (Task Scheduler) to do periodic unattended "runs" on all your (hard) drives using the above Scandskw and Defrag switches. WARNING: System Agent (Task Scheduler) puts a significant drain on your system resources when enabled! Windows 9x/ME Disk Defragmenter switches are 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 Win9x/ME Disk Scanner parameters, shown when you exit Windows 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 SCANDSKW SWITCH (Win9x/ME GUI mode only) to be avoided by *ALL MEANS* !!! Here it is: SCANDSKW /O /O = The letter O (ou), NOT zero (0) DELETES ALL Long File Name (LFNs) references, with NO WAY of restoring them !!! See also "SCANDSKW HIDDEN SWITCHES" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file). 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 95/98, 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 Win95/98 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 Win95/98 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. NOTE: For more info about these new DOS 7 features READ these two text files found in your Windows folder: CONFIG.TXT and MSDOSDRV.TXT. See also MEMORY.TXT (included) to learn how to MAXimize your WinDOwS memory resources. LOCALLOADHIGH [*] For maximum DOS memory in a DOS session/box/window under Windows 9x/ME/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 may 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, UMBPCI.SYS 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 -> open Windows Explorer -> highlight your CD/DVD drive icon -> go to the \OTHER\WORDVIEW folder -> run Setup. That's it. Now look in the your Start Menu -> Programs -> Accessories folder: you'll find a new icon for MS Wordview. From now on you can view all .DOC files without garble, because MS Wordpad (default DOC viewer) does not provide MS Word type filters for viewing OLE embedded icons/images into Word DOCuments. :( UPDATE: Get the updated 32-bit Microsoft Windows 9x/NT/2000/ME Word Viewer 97/2000 [3.8 MB, free]: http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/2000/wd97vwr32.aspx NOTE: MS Office + MS Word users do NOT need MS Word Viewer! CLOSE THAT BATCH! [+] To have your DOS style batch files close automatically upon completion, whenever executed from a Windows icon/shortcut or by (double)-clicking the respective program PIF (Program Information File = MS-DOS Program Properties): - WinME users: you don't need to do anything. :) PIF files are set by default to close automatically in Windows ME: the "Close on Exit" box (see below) is already checked. - Windows 95/98 users: right-click on the icon/PIF -> click Properties -> select the Program tab -> check the "Close on Exit" box -> click the Misc tab -> uncheck the "Warn if still active" box -> click OK/Apply. - Windows/WfWG 3.1x users: run the PIF Editor (PIFEDIT.EXE = located in your Windows directory) -> browse to the PIF file of your choice -> double-click on it -> click Advanced -> check the "Close on Exit" box -> uncheck the "Warn if still active" box -> click OK to apply changes. - ALL Windows 9x/ME/3.1x users: add this line: EXIT as the LAST line in ALL your DOS batch files that run in a Windows DOS session (box), to make sure they automatically return control over to the GUI (Graphical User Interface) upon completion. Edit your BATch files with Notepad in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS. EXTRACT FROM CAB [+] When you run the Windows 95/98/ME EXTRACT tool without any command line parameters from any DOS prompt, you'll see this help screen [Win98 SE(U) version shown here]: "Microsoft (R) Cabinet Extraction Tool - Version (16) 1.00.603.0 (08/14/97) Copyright (c) Microsoft Corp 1994-1997. 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." EXTRACT.EXE is a 16-bit DOS based utility, located in the %windir%\COMMAND folder (default is C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND), and used to extract (or list) any files from the installation CABinet files residing on your Win95/98/ME Setup CD-ROMs or floppies. The CABinet (.CAB) file format uses Microsoft's proprietary file compression technology, and was designed to store MS Windows 95/98/ME installation files in a smaller ("shrunken"), convenient way. These examples use EXTRACT to copy any Windows Setup file(s) from your Win9x/ME Setup CD-ROMs/floppies (presuming your CD/DVD drive letter is D = change it if different on your computer) to your local hard disk/partition (presuming your HD drive letter is C = change it if different on your computer), by running these DOS commands (make sure the respective Windows Setup CD-ROM is already inserted in your CD/DVD drive): - Win95/OSR1/OSR2 users: EXTRACT /A /L C:\EXTRACT D:\WIN95\WIN95_02.CAB *.DRV to extract all .DRV files from all WIN95_*.CAB files to C:\EXTRACT. Similar procedure if using the Win95 Setup floppies (make sure the first Windows Setup floppy diskette is already inserted in your floppy drive): EXTRACT /A /L C:\EXTRACT A:\WIN95_02.CAB *.DRV - Win98/98 SE(U) users: EXTRACT /A /L C:\EXTRACT D:\WIN98\BASE4.CAB *.DLL to extract all .DLL files from all WIN98_*.CAB files to C:\EXTRACT. - WinME users: EXTRACT /A /L C:\EXTRACT D:\WIN9X\BASE2.CAB *.VXD to extract all .VXD files from all WIN_*.CAB files to 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 CABs, I created a DOS batch file called ECD.BAT (included). From now on, whenever you need to extract a particular file, just run: ECD FILENAME.EXT Replace FILENAME with the actual name of the file you're looking for, and EXT with the respective file extension. For example: ECD VCOMM.VXD extracts VCOMM.VXD to C:\EXTRACT. WARNING: EXTRACT.EXE is a DOS based tool and is NOT Long File Names (LFNs) compliant, NOT even in a DOS box/session inside Windows, and ALL LFNs information will be LOST upon extraction! Therefore you need to respect the ol' DOS 8.3 (????????.???) Short File Names (SFNs) convention when extracting a file by using EXTRACT.EXE. Better, use Extrac32.exe to preserve the LFNs, the 32-bit Windows GUI counterpart. See "CAB EXTRACT" in TIPS95.TXT (included) for details. EXTRACT will search ALL MS Windows 95/OSR2, 98/98 SE, MS Plus! 95/98 and ME 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 (retail) Setup, use EF.BAT (also included), to extract files from the floppy CAB files. Just make sure your first Win95 Setup floppy is inserted into your primary floppy drive (usually A) before running EF.BAT. You can use DOS "wild cards" (*.* or FILE*.* or *.EXT) with these batch files to extract multiple files at the same time. Example: to extract all *.SYS files from all *.CAB files, run: ECD *.SYS Another example: to extract all files starting with AB* from all *.CAB files, run: ECD AB*.* To see the complete list of all files contained in all CABs, run CABLIST.BAT (included). CABLIST.BAT uses EDIT.COM (default MS-DOS mode text/ASCII editor/viewer) if you are in native/true MS-DOS mode or NOTEPAD.EXE (default Windows GUI mode text/ASCII editor/viewer) if you are in Windows mode to view the entire list of files contained in the CABinets, by creating CABLIST.TXT (a plain text/ASCII file) in the C:\EXTRACT directory. Beware that CABLIST.TXT is usually too large for Notepad, which is limited to a maximum file size of ONLY 64 KB. :( That's why I recommend using a better Notepad replacement able to handle huge files from this "FREE WINDOWS 9x/NT/2000/ME/XP TEXT EDITORS" list in SOFTWARE.TXT (included). I use Programmer's File Editor 32-bit (PFE32) [608 KB, freeware]: http://downloads.planetmirror.com/pub/simtelnet/win95/editor/pfe101i.zip You need to change your CD/DVD drive letter in CABLIST.BAT and/or 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. The first time you run ANY of these BATches, ALL 3 will be copied to your %winbootdir%\COMMAND folder (default is C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND), which is already listed on your PATH, to avoid typing unnecessary directory names at the DOS prompt, whenever using them thereafter. :) FYI: More info @ MSKB: - "How to Extract Original Compressed Windows Files": http://support.microsoft.com/?id=129605 - "How to Extract and Replace a Protected File in Windows ME": http://support.microsoft.com/?id=265371 LASTDRIVE [*] If you don't specify a LASTDRIVE= line in your CONFIG.SYS, Windows 95/98 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 Win95/98 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 Win95/98, but ONLY if using an extended/upper memory manager, i.e. EMM386.EXE, included by Microsoft with your operating system/environment, beginning 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 may need to rename the: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\cplfile\shell\cplopen Registry key to 'open'." [Thank you Yuri (kukina@nioch.nsc.ru)!] DITCH DRVSPACE If you don't use [and I strongly recommend NOT TO!], or have successfully and entirely uninstalled DrvSpace, the disk compression utility bundled with Windows 95 and updated by the MS Plus Pack for Win95 to version 3.0, also included with Win98/98 SE (which now recognizes FAT32 drives/partitions, but DOES NOT compress them!), it's good to free some disk space (and eventually regain some upper/conventional memory) and delete all DRVSPACE files from your hard disk(s) and all related references from your startup files. 1. Delete the following files: In Windows Explorer or File Manager, start a File Search (File Find), beginning with the root folder of your boot drive (default is C:\) 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 Win9x 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 Windows Explorer (or File Manager) to display ALL HIDDEN AND SYSTEM FILES, in order to make them "visible" to Windows. If you ARE using DrvSpace, DO NOT DELETE ANY DRVSPACE FILES YET! Better, start by upgrading your hard disk(s), because 1 GB (or larger) hard drives sell now for under $50. 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 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 REMark it 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 +A -R -H -S \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 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: "Out of all 7 PCs I'm running, 6 are using HDDs compressed with DrvSpace, and the 7th is a 4.3 GB using FAT32. The only compression problems I have encountered to date have been from old drives that have "fallen over" on me and that I have added to my pile of paperweights. DrvSpace 3 that comes with MS Plus! and Win98/98 SE can increase disk space by as much as double if used in conjunction with Compression Agent." [Thank you Brian (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 Win95/98 in special troubleshooting modes (safe, bootlogged etc) if you are having problems running and/or loading Windows on your system. Hope you'll never have to use them... 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 and can be edited using Notepad in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS, but BACK IT UP FIRST! 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. FYI: - To MAXimize your Windows performance read "SYSTEM.INI TWEAKS" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file). - To learn about the UNDOCUMENTED WIN.COM switches read "WIN.COM HIDDEN PARAMETERS" in SECRETS.TXT (included). - See the "Windows 95/98 WIN.COM Command Line Switches" MSKB article: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=142544 FIRST LOGO [+] Do you remember the logo that showed up on your screen when you booted into your freshly installed Windows 9x/ME OS for the first time? Well, Microsoft Setup routine wiped it out from your hard disk afterwards, so you can't see it anymore. :( But you can still have it displayed any time as your bootup logo. :) Just extract the SULOGO.SYS (or LOGO_02.SYS) file from your Win95/98/ME Setup CD-ROM by using EXTRACT.EXE, the Microsoft DOS mode CAB extracting tool, located by default in C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND. See "EXTRACT FROM CAB" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for more details. Start by running these commands from any DOS prompt: MD C:\EXTRACT C: CD\EXTRACT and then run this one (using D as your CD/DVD drive letter, change if necessary): - Windows 95 users: EXTRACT SULOGO.SYS D:\WIN95\WIN95_10.CAB - Windows 95B/95C OSR 2.x users: EXTRACT LOGO_02.SYS D:\WIN95\WIN95_04.CAB - Windows 98 users: EXTRACT SULOGO.SYS D:\WIN98\WIN98_46.CAB - Windows 98 SE(U) users: EXTRACT SULOGO.SYS D:\WIN98\WIN98_52.CAB - Windows ME users: EXTRACT SULOGO.SYS D:\WIN9X\WIN_19.CAB Make sure your Win9x/ME Setup CD is already present in the drive before doing this. :) Better, use the DOS style batch file ECD.BAT (included) to automate this task. If you own the floppy version of Win95 Setup you need to use EF.BAT instead (also included). Run this command line from any DOS prompt (example): ECD SULOGO.SYS ECD.BAT will create the \EXTRACT folder on your C drive/partition and extract SULOGO.SYS there. Now you need to move SULOGO.SYS (or LOGO_02.SYS) to your boot drive/partition root directory (usually C:\) and then rename it to LOGO.SYS. To do this copy & paste lines below into Notepad and save the file as ROOTLOGO.BAT (example). Then run ROOTLOGO from any DOS prompt: -----Begin cut & paste here----- @ECHO OFF IF EXIST C:\EXTRACT\SULOGO.SYS MOVE C:\EXTRACT\SULOGO.SYS C:\ IF EXIST C:\EXTRACT\LOGO_02.SYS MOVE C:\EXTRACT\LOGO_02.SYS C:\ IF EXIST C:\LOGO.SYS ATTRIB +A -H -R -S C:\LOGO.SYS IF EXIST C:\LOGO.SYS REN C:\LOGO.SYS LOGO.ORI IF EXIST C:\SULOGO.SYS REN C:\SULOGO.SYS LOGO.SYS IF EXIST C:\LOGO_02.SYS REN C:\LOGO_02.SYS LOGO.SYS EXIT ------End cut & paste here------ Note that ROOTLOGO also backs up your original LOGO.SYS (if any) by renaming it to LOGO.ORI. You can also delete the now empty \EXTRACT folder created by ECD.BAT. Next time you'll boot into Windows you'll see the new logo displayed as your startup screen. FYI: The Win98/ME bootup logo is embedded into C:\IO.SYS (Hidden, Read-only, System file), and a separate C:\LOGO.SYS file may not exist if you haven't put one in C:\ root. A MUST: To have a logo displayed while Windows 9x/ME starts up you need to add/modify a line under the [Options] section of your MSDOS.SYS (Hidden, Read-only, System file) found in the root directory of your boot drive/partition (usually C:\) to read: Logo=1 To edit MSDOS.SYS run SYS95.BAT (included) from any DOS prompt. You can also use my custom LOGO.SYS (included here) or one of these fun(k)y logos [547 KB, freeware]: http://members.aol.com/files4u/95LOGOS.ZIP as your Windows bootup logo. Just rename the .BMP file you like to LOGO.SYS, then place it in C:\ root (after backing up yours) and reboot. HINTS: - See NEWLOGO.TXT (included) for all the "gory" details about Windows logos. - See "WHERE IS LOGO.SYS?" in TIPS98.TXT and "OSR2 LOGO.SYS" in OSR2TIPS.TXT (both included) for more details. 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 95/98 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 beginning with 6.00 and including Windows 95/98/ME (a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.00/7.10/8.00). 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 [*] A MUST: See this page for COMPLETE DETAILS using ALL Win9x/ME/3.1x releases: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/lastweek.htm#SYSINI SYSTEM.INI is a Windows 95/98/ME/3.xx INItialization text file and resides in your main Windows directory/folder (%windir% = default C:\WINDOWS). 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 preceding it with a semicolon (;). Example: ; 32BitDiskAccess=ON - Windows .INI files 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/Sysedit in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS) under the [386enh] section of your SYSTEM.INI, valid ONLY for Windows 95/98/ME if not specified otherwise. And now that we've cleared it all up, let's have some fun... :) 32BitDiskAccess=ON To turn on 32-bit disk access in Windows 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 an empty (BLANK) COMxProtocol= line (see setting below): COMxProtocol= To specify whether Windows should stop simulating characters in DOS boxes/sessions after the Virtual Machine (VM) sends an XOFF character, if a DOS based communications/internet program/game 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 analog 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 (leave it empty) when performing binary transfers. ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1 Windows 98/ME ONLY: To disable the "PageFile_Call_Async_Manager" feature that allows the Memory Manager to asynchronously write out swap file buffers during VFAT idle times. This reverts swap file usage back to Windows 95 style, and forces the use of the computer's physical memory (faster) first, before the use of the slower hard disk virtual memory (swap file). Default is enabled (0). See "CONSERVATIVE SWAP" in TIPS98.TXT (included) for complete details. 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. In Windows 9x/ME this can also be done in: Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager tab -> System devices -> Direct memory access controller -> Settings tab -> check Reserve DMA buffer box -> 64 K bytes reserved -> OK -> OK. DualDisplay=ON Mandatory for compatibility with extended/expanded memory managers (EMM386.EXE, QEMM386.SYS, RM386.EXE, 386MAX.SYS etc), to allow Windows to use the B000-B7FF Upper Memory Area (UMA) on VGA, Super VGA (SVGA) and eXtended VGA (XVGA) color monitors, ONLY IF NOT using a secondary display adapter/monitor. Default value is OFF. You MUST also add/modify your memory manager CONFIG.SYS line to include this area (example): DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE I=B000-B7FF 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 IRQx=4096 CONTROVERSIAL: May or may not work! More info: http://cable-dsl.home.att.net/#SysiniTweak To increase video/audio/network/modem card Interrupt (IRQ) buffer to 4096 KB (4 MB) for more stable and faster performance, especially useful for PCI cards that share the same IRQ. IRQ steering MUST BE enabled! Default value is 1024 KB (1 MB), which in some cases is not enough. Replace x with your PCI card's IRQ number. Multiple IRQx= lines are accepted. NOTE: This decreases system RAM available to programs. More info: http://www.speedguide.net/Cable_modems/cable_irq.shtml 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 increase the amount of conventional (low) DOS memory (RAM) available to each DOS session/box to maximum. Default value is 0. See "LOCALLOADHIGH" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for more details. MaxPagingFileSize=xxxxxx To define the upper (maximum) limit of the swap file size in KiloBytes (KB). Default is 50% of available free space on target drive. Maximum allowed has to match total available free space on selected hard drive/partition, equivalent to deleting this line. See "FIXED SWAP FILE" in TIPS95.TXT (included) for more details. MinPagingFileSize=xxxxxx To define the lower (minimum) limit of the swap file size in KiloBytes (KB). Default is NONE. Minimum allowed is 0 KB, equivalent to deleting this line. See "FIXED SWAP FILE" in TIPS95.TXT (included) for more details. MessageBackColor=8 To specify the BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death) background (screen) color. Default is blue (1). See "BLUE (OR ANY OTHER COLOR) SCREEN OF DEATH" in TIPS95.TXT (included) for complete details. MessageTextColor=C To specify the BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death) foreground (text) color. Default is bright white (F). See "BLUE (OR ANY OTHER COLOR) SCREEN OF DEATH" in TIPS95.TXT (included) for complete details. MinSPs=8 To increase the spare stack pages, to prevent possible stack fault situations. Default value is 2. Read "MINSPS" in TIPS95.TXT (included) for complete details. MinTimeSlice=40 To increase the minimum time (in milliseconds) a DOS 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 4 KB page buffers number (in KiloBytes) for storing asynchronous read/write pages, and thus boost Windows fixed disk performance. Works ONLY if using 32-bit disk access (FBDA) AND a permanent swap file. Default value is 4. Maximum allowed is 32. PagingDrive=X: To specify the (permanent) swap file fixed disk location (substitute X with target drive/partition letter). Default is C:. See "SWAP FILE - Part 1", "SWAP FILE - Part 2" and "9X/2000/NT/ME/XP/3.1X MULTIBOOT SWAP FILE" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for more details. PagingFile=X:\PATH\FILENAME.EXT To specify the (permanent) swap file location: fixed disk (substitute X with target drive/partition letter), path (substitute PATH with target directory name) and filename with extension (substitute FILENAME.EXT with WIN386.SWP for Windows 95/98/ME or with 386SPART.PAR for Windows/WfWG 3.1x). Default is C:\WINDOWS\WIN386.SWP for Win9x/ME or C:\386SPART.PAR for Win31. See "SWAP FILE - Part 1", "SWAP FILE - Part 2" and "9X/2000/NT/ME/XP/3.1X MULTIBOOT SWAP FILE" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for more details. PerVMFiles=60 To increase the number of private file handles (similar to the native MS-DOS mode "FILES=" command in CONFIG.SYS) allocated to each Virtual Machine (VM), needed by DOS programs running in a DOS session. Default value is 30 for Win9x/ME. Maximum allowed is 225. The specified number (0 - 225) is added to the minimum of 30 VMFiles Windows allocates by default to each VM. In this example: 60 + 30 = 90 VMFiles. More info @ MSKB: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=269030 RemovableIDE=1 To turn on support for removable (E)IDE/ATAPI drives: Iomega, Syquest, Jazz, Shark, Orb, Zip, optical, CD, DVD, LS-120, tape etc. Default value is 0 (off). VGAMonoText=OFF To allow Windows to use the B000-B7FF Upper Memory Area (UMA) if not used by other hardware devices (monochrome video adapters) or graphics/video (VGA/SVGA/XVGA) applications. Default value is ON. If a hardware device/peripheral or an upper/extended/expanded memory manager using this memory range is installed, this area is NOT available to Windows. WindowUpdateTime=200 To decrease the time (in milliseconds) between display updates for slower non-Windows (DOS based) programs running in DOS sessions. Default value is 50. Some of these settings can be loaded at Windows startup, as command line parameters. To see which ones suit your needs, run: WIN /? from any DOS prompt. See also "WIN.COM SWITCHES" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) and "WIN.COM HIDDEN PARAMETERS" in SECRETS.TXT (included) for more details. NOTES: 1. Read the Resource Kit Help files from your Windows 95/98 Setup CD-ROMs for more details on how to improve system performance by tweaking your SYSTEM.INI settings. 2. See these Microsoft Knowledge Base (MSKB) articles to learn how to tweak your SYSTEM.INI [386enh] section settings (most are valid for ALL Windows 9x/ME/3.xx releases): - "Windows 3.1 Resource Kit SYSTEM.INI [386ENH] Section A-L": http://support.microsoft.com/?id=83435 - "Windows 3.1 Resource Kit SYSTEM.INI [386ENH] Section M-Z": http://support.microsoft.com/?id=83436 3. Download Microsoft Windows/WfWG 3.1x Resource Kits (RK) with tons of techno details and extra tweaking + monitoring tools: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=124435 - Windows 3.10 RK [3.4 MB]: http://www.dx21.com/SOFTWARE/WIN3X/DOWNLOADS/RSK/W31RSK.zip - WfWG 3.10 RK [594 KB]: http://www.dx21.com/SOFTWARE/WIN3X/DOWNLOADS/RSK/WFWRSK.zip A MUST for all Windows/WfWG 3.1x afficionados. ANYTHING GOES In Windows 95/98 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 Win95/98 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 Win95/98 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 Win95/98 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): 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 Win95/98 mouse pointers! DATE/TIME FUN Did you know that you can change the Windows 95/98 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 Win95/98 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. Win95/98 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... :-) Have fun. But this can also be done by hacking the Registry. Run Regedit and go to: HKEY_USERS\.Default\Control Panel\International Example: add/modify these String values (don't type the quotes): "sShortDate", "sDate", "sTimeFormat", "iTime". Then double-click on each of them and type in the characters below (these examples are the ones I use) to customize your date/time "looks" (don't type the quotes): "sShortDate"="M·d·yy" "sDate"="·" "sTimeFormat"="H:m:s tt" "iTime"="1" UPDATE: "In all versions of Windows 9x/ME 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 similar fashion. The same applies to the Date settings." [Thank you Brian (bkemp@hn.pl.net)!] RESTORE AFTER INSTALL Both DOS style BATch files (.BAT) described here: BACKUP9X.BAT + RESTOR9X.BAT are included. !!! *READ THIS FIRST* = VERY IMPORTANT: 1. BACKUP9X.BAT + RESTOR9X.BAT will detect if you are currently using an Operating System (OS) other than MS Windows 95 or 98, e.g. MS-DOS 5.00/6.xx or MS Windows NT/2000/XP/2003, and will ABORT, to avoid ANY system crashes. You MUST (re)boot into MS Windows 95/98 FIRST for these BATch files to WORK properly! 2. You MUST have ENOUGH disk space on your C drive/partition to accomodate a NEW COPY of Windows (created by BACKUP9X.BAT): run Windows Explorer -> left-click on your Windows folder -> right-click on it -> select Properties -> look at the reported "Size:" in MB. Write down this number! Now left-click on your [C:] drive -> right-click on it -> select Properties -> look at the "Free space:" in MB. Should be at least EQUAL to or LARGER than the size of your Windows 9x folder (in MB) displayed above! If you have partitioned your only hard disk into more than 1 partition, or own more than 1 hard disks, you can change the target backup drive letter (and eventually the directory name) to point to a different drive/partition, especially if you do NOT have enough room on your C drive/partition to accomodate a new (backed up) copy of Windows 9x. 3. Make sure to run BACKUP9X.BAT ONLY from a Windows DOS box/session WITHIN Windows GUI, NOT from native/real/true MS-DOS mode, to AVOID LOSING ALL Long File Names (LFNs)! 4. Make sure to run RESTOR9X.BAT ONLY from native/real/true MS-DOS mode OUTSIDE Windows, NOT from a DOS box/session/window (even full screen) WITHIN Windows GUI, to AVOID ANY SYSTEM CRASHES, because RESTOR9X.BAT renames your main RUNNING Windows 9x folder! 5. Make sure to run RESTOR9X.BAT ONLY AFTER running BACKUP9X.BAT, which needs to create the Win9x/DOS7 backup directories/files used by RESTOR9X.BAT to restore your original system properly! 6. IF your Windows 9x System resides on a remote/network drive OTHER than C, AND/OR IF you canNOT log on as Owner, Default (MAIN) User OR as System Administrator, OR IF you DO NOT OWN this computer, BACKUP9X.BAT + RESTOR9X.BAT WILL NOT WORK! Edit BACKUP9X.BAT + RESTOR9X.BAT (using Notepad in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS) and replace ALL (boot) drive letter instances to match yours IF OTHER than C BEFORE using them! 7. You MUST have kept ALL these files INTACT in your C:\Windows\Command folder (default) for PROPER operation, because both these BATch files use them: ATTRIB.EXE, CHOICE.COM, DELTREE.EXE, FIND.EXE, MEM.EXE, MOVE.EXE, XCOPY.EXE + XCOPY32.EXE [and also XCOPY32.MOD ONLY IF using Windows 98/98 SE(U)]. Typical Win9x setups use \WINDOWS as default folder name, but that does NOT affect how both these BATch files work, and you do NOT need to modify them, because they use the %winbootdir% and %windir% enviroment variables to preserve whatever name you gave your Win9x folder at Setup time. I realized the most reliable method of restoring the original files after a Windows program/game install/setup routine modified/replaced/deleted/added other files to the original Windows and/or Windows System folders is to create separate directories/folders and copy there ALL Windows and respectively Windows System files, before installing ANY new software, updates, drivers and/or hardware. This means you don't have to spend money to buy/try/regret any "Uninstaller", "CleanSweep", "RemoveIt", or other fancy "install watch dog" utility. :) This works wonders especially if your Win9x system crashed, or if you're locked out of Windows, i.e. after installing any "buggy" software, drivers, system updates/patches/fixes, or after "messing" with your system/registry files. :) This procedure works ALWAYS, with ONLY ONE exception that I know of: when you install the Apple Quick Time Movie Player: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/ to play .MOV (Apple Movie format) files and/or view .PIC (Apple Picture format) files, at some point during the Setup process, the Quick Time Installer will ask for your approval to delete ALL old versions of Quick Time Movie files found on ALL your hard drive(s), which means it will also ERASE the ones in your Windows BACKUP directory (including the one created by BACKUP9X.BAT), 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 (running) \WINDOWS and \WINDOWS\SYSTEM folders. To backup/restore ALL your Windows 95/98 folders/subfolders/files use the 2 batch files, both described (and included) here. The first one is BACKUP9X.BAT. What BACKUP9X basically does: copies ALL files + subfolders from your current (running) Windows 95/98 folder to C:\BAK-WIN and your Boot files from your C:\ root folder to C:\BAK-DOS: - MS-DOS 7.xx Boot files (if present): AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, WINBOOT.INI, COMMAND.COM, IO.SYS + LOGO.SYS - MS-DOS 6.xx Boot files (if present): AUTOEXEC.DOS, COMMAND.DOS, CONFIG.DOS, IO.DOS + MSDOS.DOS - Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003 Boot files (if present): CMLDR, NTLDR, BOOT.INI, NTDETECT.COM + BOOTSECT.DOS. Uninstall tools that use Shield Wizard Install features claim to remove all traces of an installed program, usually through the "Add/Remove Programs" function accessed through Control Panel, but in real life some of them leave unnecessary (orphan) files scattered throughout your hard drive(s)/partition(s), and/or "phantom"/invalid 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. :( Some buggy (older) install programs will replace .386, .DLL, .VBX, .VXD, .DRV, .EXE or/and other CRUCIAL Windows System files with their own (eventually OLDER) 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 (eventually NEWER) versions of the replaced files after such an installation! This is valid mostly 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! I found out this recovery method from a buggy install works better and painlessly. Give it a try. Start by opening a Windows DOS box/session, and ONLY AFTER THAT run BACKUP9X. Then setup/install your (trial) program, drivers, updates, etc, and if you are not satisfied with them for any reason, or if you'd like to remove them entirely from your system, exit Windows to the NATIVE/REAL MS-DOS mode, and then run RESTOR9X from there, to REVERT back to your previous Windows configuration, from before you installed the "buggy" program/game/update/driver/patch/fix/etc. The second BATch file is RESTOR9X.BAT. What RESTOR9X basically does: copies the file MOVE.EXE from C:\Windows\Command (default location) to C:\ root, then uses C:\MOVE.EXE to rename your current Windows 9x folder to OLD-WIN, and replaces it with BAK-WIN (created by running BACKUP9X), which is renamed back to your original Windows folder name (usually C:\Windows) and then overwrites your MS-DOS 6.xx/7.xx + WinNT4/2000/XP (if present) boot files (see above) from C:\ root with the ones from BAK-DOS (created by running BACKUP9X). The last step is to manually delete your (now obsolete) "trial" program's main directory (and eventually subdirectories, if any) and files, which can be done from Windows Explorer or File Manager (FM = C:\Windows\WINFILE.EXE) or by running this command from any DOS prompt (generic example): DELTREE /Y C:\PROGRAM Replace the drive letter and folder name above with the real ones found on your computer. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED: Open both these BATch files with Notepad in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS to READ ALL instructions on the ECHO lines BEFORE running them! I hope you'll find this backup/restore method as useful as I did. :) WATCH YOUR PROMPT The (SET) PROMPT command can be typed at the DOS prompt, specified in Autoexec.bat, and beginning 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, and including MS-DOS 7.00, 7.10 and 8.00, bundled with Windows 95, 98 and ME respectively, 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), 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 Computer$_$P$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 Computer$_$P$G NOTE: The "SET" prefix is not necessary in front of the "PATH" and "PROMPT" commands, ONLY IF typed at the DOS prompt or included in your Autoexec.bat, but it MUST be specified for all SET <STRING>=<VARIABLE> statements in your Config.sys! 2. THE MULTIMENU BUG: If you are using a multiconfiguration bootup menu in your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT [like I do :)], which must have the menu names in square parenthesis in your CONFIG.SYS {i.e. [MYMENU]}, and GOTO type of colon preceded menus/labels (i.e. :MYMENU) in your AUTOEXEC.BAT, then DO NOT USE THE SAME WORDS FOR YOUR MENU NAMES AS THE FIRST WORDS ON YOUR PROMPT LINES! If you do, you'll see another error message: "Label not found" Example of generic multiconfiguration menus in Config.sys using matching words for menus, using Autoexec.bat matching prompts and also using equal signs inside the PROMPT lines, to demonstrate both the PROMPT and the MULTIMENU bugs: * BUGgy Config.sys: SWITCHES=/F [COMMON] DEVICE=C:\path\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF DOS=HIGH,UMB [MENU] MENUITEM=WINDOWS,Boot to Windows <- MULTIMENU BUG: WINDOWS MENUITEM=DOS,Boot to Dos <- MULTIMENU BUG: DOS [WINDOWS] <- MULTIMENU BUG: [WINDOWS] DEVICEHIGH=C:\path\IFSHLP.SYS SET CONFIG=WINDOWS <- MULTIMENU BUG: WINDOWS [DOS] <- MULTIMENU BUG: [DOS] DEVICE=C:\path\EMM386.EXE RAM AUTO DEVICEHIGH=C:\path\VIDE-CDD.SYS /D:MYCDROM SET CONFIG=DOS <- MULTIMENU BUG: DOS * ... And corresponding (BUGgy) Autoexec.bat: @ECHO OFF SET PATH=C:\;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\STUFF;etc... GOTO %CONFIG% :WINDOWS <- MULTIMENU BUG: :WINDOWS SET PROMPT=WINDOWS=My Computer$_$P$G <- PROMPT + MULTIMENU BUGS: WINDOWS= WIN %1 GOTO END :DOS <- MULTIMENU BUG: :DOS LH C:\path\MSCDEX /D:MYCDROM /M:16 /E LH SMARTDRV 4096 16 A+ B- C+ D /N SET MOUSE=C:\path LH C:\path\MOUSE SET PROMPT=DOS=My Computer$_$P$G <- PROMPT + MULTIMENU BUGS: DOS= :END SET WINPMT=Type EXIT & hit Enter 2 return 2 Windows!$_$P$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/WfWG 3.1x. Could also very well be a limitation in Windows 95/98/ME. Till proven otherwise, I'll keep this as a Windows 9x/ME/3.1x BUG, and this topic as its FIX. 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 such programs load anyway, you can load them from the "run=" line, found in the same section of your WIN.INI, 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:\winstuff\stufftsr c:\virus\virustsr c:\scan\scantsr c:\programs\progtsr c:\blahblah\blahtsr c:\whatever\whattsr It is not necessary to specify the extension if that particular file is recognized by Windows as an executable (.386, .DLL, .DRV, .EXE, .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:\winstuff\stufftsr c:\virus\virustsr c:\scan\scantsr c:\programs\progtsr run=c:\blahblah\blahtsr c:\whatever\whattsr 2. Another solution is to load/run your Windows startup programs from the Startup group (which sometimes gets too cluttered for my taste). Edit Win.ini with Notepad or Sysedit in Windows or with EDIT.COM in DOS. 3. A third solution (my favorite) to load/run executables or/and runtime libraries (DLLs) under Win95/98, is to edit your Registry (using the Registry editor, Regedit.exe, found in your Windows 9x 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 This tip applies ONLY to MS-DOS command line afficionados! ;) You could perform these backup chores [manually :(] by using one of the free(ware) "WINDOWS 9x/NT/2000/ME/XP FILE SHRINKERS" in SOFTWARE.TXT (included), but here's the "easy" way: [:)] I included here two DOS style BATch files: ZIPHARD.BAT + 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, part of PKWare PKZIP + PKUNZIP v2.50 [202 KB, no nag shareware], THE essential DOS ZIPping/unZIPping tools, Long File Names (LFNs) compliant ONLY in a Windows 95/98/ME DOS box: http://garbo.uwasa.fi/pub/pc/arcers/pk250dos.exe Install the PKWare files in an easy to remember directory (i.e. C:\ZIP), and then add it to your path line (generic example): SET PATH=C:\;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\STUFF;C:\ZIP;etc... by editing your CONFIG.SYS (MS-DOS 6.00 or newer ONLY!) or AUTOEXEC.BAT file (both located in C:\ root) with Notepad/Sysedit in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS. Reboot when done. For convenience place the 2 batch files mentioned above into the same directory where PKZIP.EXE resides (C:\ZIP in this example). 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. ZIPFLOP is designed to make a single zip file which 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 these BAT files with Notepad in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS) if different on your system: I presumed C is your hard drive and A is your 3.5 inch (bootable) floppy. Change if necessary. FIND FAST [+] To find ANY file location (full path: drive letter + directory name) fast, in ANY DOS mode, when you know its file name, or at least some of its file name and/or file extension characters, I have created a small DOS style BATch file called FIND!.BAT (included). FIND!.BAT works ONLY with MS-DOS 6.xx, Windows 95/98/ME [a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.00/7.10/8.00] and Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 [no real DOS mode here :(], but NOT with ANY MS-DOS release earlier than 6.00, because Microsoft added the "/S" command line switch to the "DIR" command ONLY in MS-DOS 6.00 and newer, making possible to search for files/directories an ENTIRE drive/partition by using "DIR", ONLY IF the search starts in the root directory (X:\ = X represents the drive/partition letter). The only difference is that Windows 95/98/ME version of "DIR" adds the "/V" (extended View) switch, NOT available in MS-DOS 6.xx or Windows NT/2000/XP/2003. To use it, simply type this command from any DOS prompt: FIND! FILENAME.EXT and then press Enter. Here "FILENAME" is the name of the file you want displayed, and "EXT" is the file extension in MS-DOS 8.3 Short File Names (SFNs) standard. Don't type the quotes though. :) You can also find files with Long File Names (LFNs) if using Windows 95, 98 or ME, if you type a tilde ("~") after the first 6 characters in the file name, which converts a LFN into its correspondent SFN. Example: FIND! PROGRA~1.EXE To locate multiple files, use typical DOS "wildcards" ("*" or "?"). This example: FIND! *.TXT locates ALL .TXT (text) files on your current (selected) drive/partition. If your "SET PROMPT=" line contains the default string "$P$G", displayed by running the SET command from any DOS prompt: SET then you can see your current (selected) drive/partition letter by simply looking at your DOS prompt (drive C shown in this example): C:\> If you have more than 1 hard drive/partition, change to your other drive/partition letter(s) by running (example): D: each followed by your particular FIND! command. Another example: to locate all files beginning with letter "A" on your current drive/partition, run: FIND! A*.* FIND!.BAT uses the "DIR" (stands for "DIRectory") internal MS-DOS command, built into COMMAND.COM (the default MS-DOS command interpreter which loads in memory upon bootup). If your search report is longer than the standard DOS screen (80 lines by 25 columns), listing too many files to be displayed on a single screen, the BATch file stops at the end of each page [due to the use of the "/P" (Page) switch for the "DIR" command], and you need to press a key to continue to the next. To see all available command line parameters for DIR, run: DIR /? from any DOS prompt. 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 "RELEASE MY MODEM!" and "SYSTEM.INI TWEAKS" both in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file), 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 excellent software tool WinProbe 95 [discontinued :(] from the folks at Quarterdeck (makers of the famous QEMM memory manager), now owned by Symantec. Among other features WinProbe 95 has a CD-ROM and Video for Windows (VfW) AVI format testing benchmark utility. But when I tried to play one of the AVI files from the WinProbe 95 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 OSR 2.1 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, and WAS supposed to play the AVI files with the default Windows 95 multimedia video drivers installed. :( Well it didn't, but I found a way... read "workaround". :) I'm still running the 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 [drivers] section (my copy of WfWG resides in C:\WG) under the [drivers] section of my OSR2 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 the Win31 SYSTEM.INI [drivers] section, and the files themselves reside in C:\WG\SYSTEM. You NEED Microsoft Video for Windows (VfW) 1.1e 16-bit Runtime Drivers/Codecs installed in your Windows/WfWG 3.1x \SYSTEM subdirectory 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 in the future, so I didn't take any chances, and added those other VfW 1.1e lines to my Win95 System.ini [drivers] section. BEWARE that when you install a new 32-bit video driver in Windows 95/98, i.e. Microsoft Media Player2 v6.4 for Win9x/NT4 [3.5 MB, free]: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/mediaplayer/ some of these lines might be DELETED and/or REPLACED, so BACKUP 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 the Windows Explorer Copy + 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), no need to "strip" it of its attributes to be able to modify it. You also need to copy + paste (or add 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 in this example): 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]: http://www.cnunix.com/ftp/win3/WFW311/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 Windows Explorer and highlight the folder that contains your VfW 1.1e executable, assuming you've already downloaded it to your hard disk. :) WV1160.EXE will decompress (it's a self extracting ZIP executable) to copy the VfW installation files in the current folder. Then double-click on SETUP.EXE, which 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 the [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 beginning of the boot sequence to bring up the Start Menu). HINT: To learn how the Windows 95/98 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! FYI: See this IR21 Video page for another fix: http://members.aol.com/slavtrainr/STsPage.html 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 9x/ME 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 some of your Password dialog boxes... Talk about MS Windows security! :( 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 95/OSR1/OSR2 (this may NOT work if using Windows 98 or ME though). 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 in your PATH. 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 "COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE" and "2 DOS OR NOT 2 DOS", both in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file), to learn how to boot to 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 2-25-1998] [+] 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 select the default: "Shut down the computer" in Windows 95/98. No more nagging "Waiting to shut down" or "It's safe to turn off..." screens either. ... And you can also boot directly to the native MS-DOS mode if you like. :) To achieve this, you need to perform these 5 easy steps: 1. Move the LOGOW.SYS + LOGOS.SYS files [just Windows 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 have all of them depending on your Win9x setup), located in the root folder of your boot drive (C:\ is default): File Name: 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 95/98 proper operation! They were created when you first installed Win95/98 and further updated when you have made certain changes to your system configuration, or were created when your Win95/98 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 off guard, with no recent backups of your Win9x Registry files. See "RESTORE DAMAGED REGISTRY" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for more details. Just keep that floppy handy... The easiest way to move all these files is by running File Manager (FM = C:\Windows\Winfile.exe). But you can also do this in Windows 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:1536 /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 and C:\Windows\Command folders. Now reboot, so the new Command environment can take "charge". 4. Edit your MSDOS.SYS file (found in C:\ root) by using SYS95.BAT (included), and add/modify this [Options] section line to read: BootGUI=0 Save your work and exit the text editor. This setting prevents the Windows GUI from loading, and you'll find yourself at the plain DOS prompt after a (re)boot. 5. 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 3D SuperVGA DOS game [:-)] that won't run under the Win95/98 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" at [or with :)] DOS, just type WIN and press Enter to reload the Windows GUI. No need for another reboot to get back to, or out of Windows from now on. That's it. Enjoy the DOS ride! FYI: - See "WIN98 ATX SHUT DOWN FIX" in TIPS98.TXT (included), if you own an ATX motherboard and Windows 98 or 98 SE, to learn about an alternative "exit to native MS-DOS" method. - See "2 DOS OR NOT 2 DOS" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for more native MS-DOS tweaks. - See the "Description of Windows Files Located in the Root Folder" MSKB article: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=151667 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 Win95/98/ME 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 Win9x/ME vital (essential) devices load first, independent of size, and all the others follow, as the Windows 9x/ME 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, Win9x/ME 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 the Bootup/System/Registry files are located by reading the [Paths] section of MSDOS.SYS. NOTE: For MSDOS.SYS complete parameters details read "COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file). A. Win95/98/ME System/Configuration files in C:\ root (default): - MSDOS.SYS Load MS-DOS/Win9x/ME Operating System defaults. - IO.SYS Load Operating System I/O defaults. - COMMAND.COM MS-DOS/Win9x/ME 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 Win9x/ME 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 Win9x/ME 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 Win95/98/ME AND MS-DOS 6.xx dual-boot systems! 2. Windows 98/ME's IO.SYS is renamed to JO.SYS (Windows 95/OSR2 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 Win95/98's Startup Menu, option 8 (on networked or TCP/IP enabled systems): "Previous version of MS-DOS". Read "DUAL BOOT" further above, and "DUAL-BOOT IN OSR2/WIN98" in OSR2TIPS.TXT (included), to learn how to PROPERLY dual-boot with your version of Windows 95/OSR1 or OSR2/98/ME! B. Windows 95/98/ME Registry files in the Windows folder (default C:\Windows): - SYSTEM.DAT Win9x/ME Registry data file: read-only, hidden - USER.DAT Win9x/ME Registry data file: read-only, hidden - SYSTEM.DA0 Win95/OSR2 Registry backup: read-only, hidden - USER.DA0 Win95/OSR2 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 9x/ME 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=40; 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 Win9x/ME's disk compression tool, DrvSpace 3.xx); 8. IFSHLP.SYS (mandatory for Windows 9x/ME 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 Win9x/ME 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 are processed 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 v3.9x can enable up to 4 GB of extended RAM = SXMS). 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 9x/ME (MS-DOS 7.xx/8.00 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 Win9x/ME'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/8.00 (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 here: - "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). FYI: - See MEMORY.TXT (included) for guidelines on how to MAXimize your MS-DOS memory resources under Windows 95/98/ME. - MSKB: "Description of the Windows 95 Startup Process": http://support.microsoft.com/?id=174018 - MS TechNet: "Understanding the Windows 95 Boot Sequence": http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/win95/w9p9744.asp 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 Win95/98 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 Win95/98 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 Win95/98 has to be restarted for the post-install changes to take effect). Don't panic, everything is really OK, it's just that Win95/98 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, Win95/98 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 95/98 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 95/98/ME AND MS-DOS 6.xx users who take advantage of the Win9x/ME dual-boot feature, and also kept a copy of MS-DOS 6.xx and eventually Windows/WfWG 3.xx. NOTES: - To properly enable the dual-boot feature built into Win95/OSR1 OS, see "DUAL BOOT" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file)! - To properly enable the dual-boot feature built into Win98/OSR2 OS, see "DUAL-BOOT IN OSR2/WIN98" in OSR2TIPS.TXT (included)! - *MUST READ*: "LOCK IT UP!" in TIPS95.TXT (included) for more details on PROPERLY using UNDELETE.EXE with Win9x/ME OS! If you use File Manager in Windows 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 = %windir%\WINFILE.EXE) 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 Win32 (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 Setup CD-ROM (the original release, NOT Win95B/95C 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 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 Win9x/ME 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). NOTE: This doesn't seem to work with files deleted using Windows Explorer, or any other 32-bit Windows application, but that may not be true, it's only a "trial-and-error" game. ;) FYI: See "FAT32 DISK PARTITIONING, FORMATTING + RECOVERY TOOLS" in SECRETS.TXT (included) for freeware FAT16/FAT32 hard drive data recovery utilities. SPEEDUP BOOT! Below are some of my own MSDOS.SYS file (located in the root folder of your Win95/98 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 Win95/98 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 95/98 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 these lines mean, see "COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file). 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 Win95/98 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 BAK9X.BAT (included), aimed to backup your MS OS VITAL System (.INI), Registry (.DAT + .1ST) + Boot (.BAT, .COM, .DOS, .INI, .SYS + .W40) files to the C:\BAK-WIN + C:\BAK-DOS folders: - Windows 95/98 Registry + System files: SYSTEM.DAT (+ SYSTEM.1ST if present in C:\ root), USER.DAT, SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI, CONTROL.INI + PROTOCOL.INI located in your main Win95/98 folder (usually C:\WINDOWS) and: - MS-DOS 7.xx Boot files (if present): AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, WINBOOT.INI, COMMAND.COM, IO.SYS + LOGO.SYS - MS-DOS 6.xx Boot files (if present): AUTOEXEC.DOS, COMMAND.DOS, CONFIG.DOS, IO.DOS + MSDOS.DOS - Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003 Boot files (if present): CMLDR, NTLDR, BOOT.INI, NTDETECT.COM + BOOTSECT.DOS located in the root folder of your boot drive/partition (default is C:\ on non-compressed drives/partitions). The other batch file is called RES9X.BAT (also included). Its purpose is to restore ALL your backed up Win95/98, MS-DOS 7.xx, MS-DOS 6.xx + WinNT4/2000/XP (if present) System, Registry + Boot files from C:\BAK-WIN + C:\BAK-DOS (see files list above), back to their original locations. VERY IMPORTANT: - BAK9X.BAT can be run from ANY DOS prompt/box/session/window! - RES9X.BAT MUST be run ONLY from native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode OUTSIDE Windows 9x, NOT from a DOS box/session/window WITHIN Windows GUI! Therefore you need to EXIT (shut down) Windows 95/98 or REBOOT to native MS-DOS 7.xx FIRST to run RES9X! - Both these BATch files are NOT meant for and will NOT run from Windows NT/2000/XP/2003, MS-DOS 6.xx (or earlier), NOR from Windows Millennium Edition (ME)! - Open both these BATch files with Notepad in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS and READ ALL instructions from the ECHO lines BEFORE running them! If not used properly YOU MAY DAMAGE YOUR WIN95/98 SYSTEM, REGISTRY + STARTUP FILES IRREVERSIBLY and/or YOU MAY BE FORCED TO REINSTALL YOUR MS OSes! To learn how to (re)start your Win95/98 computer in native MS-DOS mode, see "COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file). 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: - The display of Long File Names (LFNs) is possible ONLY if you run DIR from a DOS box/window/session within Windows 95/98, NOT from the true/native MS-DOS prompt outside Windows. - 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 Windows 95/98/ME OS, which make possible to start (load) the GUI even without the need for any startup files (CONFIG.SYS and/or AUTOEXEC.BAT, both located in C:\ root). The Win9x/ME bootup routine begins by processing IO.SYS, a hidden, read-only, system file, located in your C:\ root folder (default bootup drive/partition), BEFORE executing your startup files: CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT, if present. But if you have placed your own customized lines for these (and other) 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 added/modified into your CONFIG.SYS for increased performance/compatibility (by using Notepad in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS): DEVICE=%winbootdir%\HIMEM.SYS DOS=HIGH,UMB,[AUTO|NOAUTO] BUFFERS=30 FILES=60 STACKS=9,256 FCBS=4 LASTDRIVE=Z DEVICE=%winbootdir%\IFSHLP.SYS DEVICE=%winbootdir%\DBLBUFF.SYS DEVICE=%winbootdir%\SETVER.EXE SET COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM SHELL=%winbootdir%\COMMAND.COM /P SET PATH=%winbootdir%;%winbootdir%\COMMAND;C:\; SET TEMP=%winbootdir%\TEMP SET TMP=%winbootdir%\TEMP The actual entries in your CONFIG.SYS might look something like this (default %winbootdir% directory is C:\WINDOWS): DOS=HIGH,UMB DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /NUMHANDLES=128 /TESTMEM:OFF /Q DEVICE=C:\UMBPCI\UMBPCI.SYS 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 SET PATH=C:\;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\BAT;C:\MAX;C:\ZIP;C:\3D; SET TEMP=D:\TEMP SET TMP=D:\TEMP Above are my own Config.sys command lines, and I found out they work best on my Windows machine. To squeeze maximum performance and for complete details on how to customize your startup files, read MEMORY.TXT (included). See my Complete UMBPCI.SYS Guide for details about using UMBPCI: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/umb.htm Change drive letters and/or folder names if different on your computer. IMPORTANT: If using Windows ME you MUST apply the Unofficial Real DOS-Mode Patch [9 KB, freeware]: http://www.geocities.com/mfd4life_2000/ which modifies COMMAND.COM + IO.SYS (from C:\Windows\Command\EBD) + REGENV32.EXE (from C:\Windows\System), in order to be able to boot to native MS-DOS and use DOS mode startup files (AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS), the Windows 95/98 style. ADD-ON: 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 Windows machine without it. To disable the loading of Setver.exe you can: move this file to another directory (Setver.exe is located by default in the main Windows folder), delete it or add/modify the Config.sys lines above (example). You do not need to back it up, because Setver.exe can be extracted from your Win95/98/ME Setup CD-ROM or floppies, by using one of these commands: - Win95/OSR1/OSR2: EXTRACT D:\WIN95\WIN95_09.CAB SETVER.EXE - Win98/98 SE(U): EXTRACT D:\WIN98\WIN98_42.CAB SETVER.EXE - WinME: EXTRACT D:\WIN9X\WIN_17.CAB SETVER.EXE Change the CD/DVD drive letter 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 (beginning with version 5.00), and to ALL MS Windows users (beginning with version 3.10), except NT/2000/XP/2003. 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, Orb, 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 95/98/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 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 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 [176 KB]: http://www.benq.com/ss_download/drivers/storage/cd-rom/drivers/dos/apicd214.exe 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. Note that the PATH line above applies ONLY to typical Windows 95/98 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.sac.sk/pub/sac/utildiag/msd301.zip - 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://cutemouse.sourceforge.net/ - MOUSE.INI (INItialization file needed by MOUSE.COM) - VIDE-CDD.SYS (Acer DOS mode "universal" IDE/ATAPI CD-ROM driver): http://www.benq.com/ss_download/drivers/storage/cd-rom/drivers/dos/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) - 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: http://download.microsoft.com/download/win31/Update/1/DOS/EN-US/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: See these included topics 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. FYI: Boot disks on the Internet: see "FREE WinDOwS CD/DVD DRIVERS + TOOLS" in SOFTWARE.TXT (included). COMMAND.COM For y'all DOS fans out there I decided to list all Win95/98/ME [a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.xx/8.00] Command.com parameters, including the ones Microsoft "forgot" to tell us about. :) When you run: COMMAND /? from 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): /D Prevents the execution of AUTOEXEC.BAT at bootup [MS-DOS 5] or disables floppy "Fail" response if using /F [MS-DOS 6/7]. /F Removes the floppy disk "Abort, Retry, Fail" message. If the floppy disk is not ready automatically goes to "Fail". /T Loads COMMAND module in low RAM and executes AUTOEXEC.BAT. /Z Displays ERRORLEVEL return code messages after executing external DOS commands. IMPORTANT: To become familiar with COMMAND.COM's documented command line switches: 1. Windows 9x/ME users: read the text file CONFIG.TXT (the "SHELL" topic), located in your Windows folder. 2. ALL Windows 9x/3.xx and DOS users: run: COMMAND /? at any DOS prompt to display the Command.com help screen above. 2. MS-DOS 6.xx users: run this command from any DOS prompt: HELP COMMAND and read the topic. The following Command.com parameters can be included on the Config.sys SHELL line (makes the command interpreter permanent until the next reboot): /E, /F, /L, /MSG, /P, /U and /Z. Example of Win9x 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 "COMMAND.COM HIDDEN PARAMETERS" in SECRETS.TXT (included) for complete details on all COMMAND.COM undocumented switches. THE RENAMING GAME This message was sent by T.J. (9675.6100@trader.com): "I want to thank you for your tips files. I am a blind computer user, and this information is very, very helpful. I have configured my system to use the dual boot feature of win95. I am confused about the files that win95 renames during boot up. The bak9x.bat file fails to detect 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? 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 Win9x/DOS 6.xx root directory boot files, and the Win9x renaming routine, when you dual-boot on a machine containing both Windows 9x (MS-DOS 7.xx) and MS-DOS 6.xx Operating Systems. Here is my answer to TJ: "I am deeply moved by your kind appreciation regarding my tips files. 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 Win9x (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." FYI: Windows 98/ME'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 Win95/98's Startup Menu, option 8 (on networked or TCP/IP systems): "Previous version of MS-DOS". Read "DUAL BOOT" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) and "DUAL-BOOT IN OSR2/WIN98" in OSR2TIPS.TXT (included), 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. MANDATORY UPGRADES: You need to install these free Microsoft communications upgrades for SysMon to detect a valid Dial-Up Networking connection: - ALL Windows 95/98 users: Dial-Up Networking (DUN) v1.4: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=285189 - ONLY Windows 95/OSR1/OSR2 users: Windows Sockets (Winsock) v2.0: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=182108 MS Winsock 2.0 MUST be installed BEFORE MS DUN 1.4! BTW: You can download System Monitor for Win95 direct from Microsoft [56 KB, free]: http://download.microsoft.com/download/win95upg/sysmon/1/W95/EN-US/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 95/98/ME DUAL-BOOT FEATURE, AND REQUIRES THAT YOU HAVE WINDOWS 95, 98 OR ME, WINDOWS/WFWG 3.1x + MS-DOS 6.xx PROPERLY INSTALLED ON YOUR SYSTEM! IMPORTANT: To properly enable the dual-boot feature under OSR2/Win98 you MUST apply the steps detailed in "DUAL-BOOT IN OSR2/WIN98" from OSR2TIPS.TXT (included)! CAUTION: UNDOCUMENTED AND DANGEROUS IF NOT DONE PROPERLY ! All different MS Windows specific issues are detailed below and all Windows versions are clearly stated: 1. Windows 95/OSR2/98/ME (Win9x/ME) AND Windows/WfWG 3.1x (Win31) users: Windows 9x/ME uses by default a permanent, resizable swap file (WIN386.SWP), found in your Windows directory (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 boot drive (usually C:\). Win31's permanent swap file CAN ALSO BE USED by Win9x/ME as its own! * FIRST BACKUP YOUR SYSTEM + REGISTRY FILES: BOTH WIN9X/ME + WIN31 VERSIONS ! 2. Part for Windows 9x/ME and part for Windows/WfWG 3.1x users: You need to edit Win9x/ME SYSTEM.INI file located in your Windows directory (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/ME's. Optionally, you can set this upper limit to your swap file (example): MaxPagingFileSize=82560 To have a 80 MB maximum swap file size under Win9x/ME. Specifying the upper limit for the swap file, allows for a less frequent hard drive thrashing, thus speeding up the reading from/writing to your fixed drive(s). Edit SYSTEM.INI with Notepad or Sysedit, save your changes and restart Windows. IMPORTANT: You have to specify the correct size of your Win31 swap file! Example: if you select a 10240 KB permanent Win31 swap file (from the 386 Enhanced icon in Control Panel), then the Win9x/ME swap file size MUST be 10320 KB! The principle is to choose a multiple of 1032 KB in Win9x/ME'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/ME 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 -> check "Let me specify my own virtual memory settings". Change the Minimum value to 10 (above example). BEWARE: Win9x/ME 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/ME from deleting the PagingFile line, add it one more time, but with a semicolon (;) in front of it. Any line beginning 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/ME 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 32-bit disk access work properly: device=*pageswap device=*pagefile device=*wdctrl ONLY for (E)IDE/ATA hard drives smaller than 528 MB (Win31 default driver). If you have one or more hard disk(s) larger than 528 MB (with more than 1024 cylinders), use one of these 3rd party Windows/WfWG 3.1x 32-bit Fast Disk Access (FBDA) drivers, compatible with ALL (E)IDE/(Ultra)ATA hard drives, ONLY up to 8 GB, with ONLY up to 2 GB per logical partition, AND ONLY IF your drives/partitions are partitioned with FAT16, because Windows/WfWG 3.1x do NOT support FAT32: device=WDCDRV.386 Western Digital driver. or: device=MH32BIT.386 Micro House driver. or: device=ONTRACKW.386 OnTrack driver. or: device=SEG32BIT.386 Seagate driver. WARNINGS: - Your motherboard chipset + BIOS/CMOS MUST support hard disk LBA (Logical Block Addressing) and ECHS (Enhanced Cylinder/Head/Sector) standards for these 32-bit drivers to work properly! - Your (E)IDE hard disk(s) MUST be connected to the motherboard built-in (E)IDE/(Ultra)ATA interface(s), NOT to 3rd party/add-on/proprietary ISA/PCI/external (E)IDE/(Ultra)ATA/RAID controllers! More info: - Micro Firmware: http://www.firmware.com/support/bios/win32bda.htm - Michael McCormick: http://users.exis.net/~gewkab/32bfafaq.html - MSKB: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=126855 Other MANDATORY lines under SYSTEM.INI's [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 AND Win9x/ME! PageBuffers=32 Increases the number of paging buffers (optional). PermSwapDOSDrive=C Default uncompressed (fastest) swap hard drive/partition. PermSwapSizeK=10240 Win31's permanent swap file size in KB. Win9x/ME's swap file size in this case MUST be 10320 KB! ... And this line under the [vcache] section of SYSTEM.INI (Win31 AND Win9x/ME): 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/ME you'll have to edit SYSTEM.INI manually and add/modify this line yourself. Optionally, you can also set the upper limit for the file cache size, to reduce hard drive thrashing, in SYSTEM.INI, the [vcache] section (Win31 AND Win9x/ME): MaxFileCache=4096 to allow the memory file cache to grow 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. See "HARD DRIVE THRASHING" in REGISTRY.TXT (included) for more details. Win31 32-bit protected mode Fast Disk drivers (all free): - Western Digital WDCDRV.386 v2.6 [129 KB]: http://www.vobis.de/bbs/firmen/wd/hrddrive/32pack.exe - Micro House MH32BIT.386 v3.10 [74 KB]: http://www.vobis.de/bbs/firmen/maxtor/main/win32bit.exe - OnTrack ONTRACKW.386 v1.03 [43 KB]: http://www.vobis.de/bbs/firmen/quantum/general/ontrk386.exe - Seagate SEG32BIT.386 v840240 [72 KB]: http://www.vobis.de/bbs/firmen/seagate/util/s32b0697.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/ME users ONLY: Reboot. Now you can safely delete the Win9x/ME default swap file (WIN386.SWP) from your Windows folder. 5. Windows 9x/ME 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: - "Corrupt Windows swap file" message when Win31 loads, and you'll have to delete it and reassign a new permanent swap file in Control Panel -> 386 Enhanced icon! - A VFAT error message or a 32-bit disk access error while loading Win9x/ME, especially if using the dual-boot feature! 6. Windows 9x/ME 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! 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/ME AND Windows/WfWG 3.1x users: Good luck! :) ... And may you have NO Microsoft crashes! FYI: - See the "Troubleshooting MS-DOS Compatibility Mode on Hard Disks" MSKB article [Win9x/ME users]: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=130179 - See "FIXED SWAP FILE" in TIPS95.TXT (included). - See "9X/2000/NT/ME/XP/3.1X MULTIBOOT SWAP FILE" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file). SWAP FILE - Part 2 [+] I found a better method to reduce hard drive thrashing while using Windows 95/98/ME. By default Windows places its swap file in your main Windows folder located by default on the boot drive (usually C:\Windows). But if you are using one or more physical hard drive(s) larger than 2 GB (and many of us do nowadays), 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 does NOT recognize partitions larger than 2 GB! Win95B/95C OSR2.x, Win98/98 SE and Millennium Edition (ME) come with FAT32, part of the improved MS-DOS version 7.10/8.00, 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, with one (minor) disadvantage: FAT32 slows down a bit drive access speed, depending on drive/partition size: larger means slower. See "FAT16 -> FAT32" in SECRETS.TXT (included) for details. FAT32 is (usually) not enabled by default, and to convert/(re)partition your disk(s) you need to run a DOS based partitioning utility in true/native MS-DOS mode, OUTSIDE the Windows GUI! See "FAT32 DISK PARTITIONING, FORMATTING + RECOVERY TOOLS" in SECRETS.TXT (included) for a review of the best non-destructive disk partitioning tools (most are freeware). So if you do have more than one hard drive letter showing in Explorer or in File Manager, you probably 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 hard drive icon in Explorer, click Properties, and look for its respective "Capacity" under the General tab. The principle is to choose the fastest/smallest drive/partition to place your Windows swap file on, preferably a different physical drive than the one your Windows OS resides on. Use a partitioning utility to resize your smallest partition to 400-500 MB (but NOT BEFORE BACKING UP ALL YOUR DRIVES), and DO NOT use this new drive to store ANY files (placing your temporary directory there is OK), EXCEPT the Windows swap file. Then I STRONGLY RECOMMEND to ScanDisk (run Scandskw.exe) for errors ALL your hard drives FIRST, and then fully Defragment them (run Defrag.exe). When you're done, 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 new 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 will be prompted to reboot. Do so, and when Windows interface shows up again, you'll be running [hopefully :)] a little faster than before. 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 toll 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, SHUTDOWN, POWEROFF, LOGOFF, RELOAD, RESTART or REBOOT Windows 95/98/ME FAST, with 1 mouse click, without the pain of going through the default 4 steps procedure: click the Start button -> click "Shut down" -> check the "Shut Down" or "Restart" box -> finally click the Yes/OK button? I know you would, 'cuz I did too... :) So here is how you do it: 1. Left-click on (highlight) an empty Desktop spot -> right-click on it -> choose New -> select Shortcut from the drop down menu. 2. In the Command line box copy & paste (Windows 98/ME only): RUNDLL32.EXE SHELL32.DLL,SHExitWindowsEx # The # flag can be any integer number between -1 and 9. Depending on the particular value substituted as parameter on the command line above, you can force Windows 9x/ME to carry out one of the following actions: * -1 = Reload Shell: close and then restart the Windows graphical shell [which by default is Windows Explorer (Explorer.exe), located in the main Windows folder] or whatever other (eventually 3rd party) shell executable you are using on the SYSTEM.INI "shell=" line, under the [boot] section. This option may prove useful for recovering from an Explorer or Kernel crash, i.e. an irrecoverable GPF (General Protection Fault) or BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death). * 0 = Logoff (similar to the Start Menu Logoff button): terminate all running processes/threads/executables/TSRs and close all open programs, then log off the current user and then restart the Windows graphical shell. * 1 = Shutdown: terminate all running processes/threads/executables/TSRs and close all open programs, then shut down the Windows GUI to the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode and then display the "It is safe to turn off the computer" graphical message on the screen, ONLY IF the Logos.sys file is present in the main Windows folder, otherwise it may [or may not :(] show this message as plain text at the MS-DOS prompt. * 2 = Reboot (similar to the Shutdown Menu Restart button): terminate all running processes/threads/executables/TSRs and close all open programs, then shut down the Windows GUI and then "cold" reboot the computer to the BIOS POST screen and then restart the Windows graphical shell, ONLY IF: the MSDOS.SYS "BootGUI=1" line is present under the [Options] section, or if the WIN command is present in AUTOEXEC.BAT, or if the WIN command is run from the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS command prompt (Windows 98 ONLY). * 4 = Forced Shutdown (unsafe: may generate data loss!): terminate unconditionally all running processes/threads/executables/TSRs and all open programs without warnings, and without "flushing" the data from the memory cache buffers back to the fixed disk(s), eventually powering off the computer if a supported ATX motherboard is detected. Avoid using this option if possible! * 5 = Exit To DOS: the "Exit To DOS.PIF" MS-DOS shortcut (Program Information File) is created ONLY IF using Windows 98 (Microsoft REMOVED completely native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode from Windows ME!), then close all running processes/threads/executables/TSRs and close all open programs, and then shut down the Windows GUI to the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode prompt, which can be "unhidden" by running the MODE CO80 command. Read "2 DOS OR NOT 2 DOS" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) to learn how to do this properly. FYI: You CAN regain access to MS-DOS mode if using Windows ME by applying the Unofficial Real DOS-Mode Patch [9 KB, freeware]: http://www.geocities.com/mfd4life_2000/ which modifies COMMAND.COM + IO.SYS (from C:\Windows\Command\EBD) + REGENV32.EXE (from C:\Windows\System) to allow Windows ME to boot to native MS-DOS and use DOS mode startup files (AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS), the Windows 95/98 style. * 8 = Poweroff (ONLY IF a supported ATX motherboard is detected): terminate all running processes/threads/executables/TSRs and close all open programs, shut down the Windows GUI to the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode, then display the "It is safe to turn off the computer" graphical message on the screen (ONLY IF the Logos.sys file is present in the main Windows folder, otherwise it may show this message as plain text at the MS-DOS prompt) and then completely power off the computer (the power cord may need to be unplugged and then plugged back in, in order to bring the power back on), ONLY on PCs with APM (Advanced Power Management) enabled, but this feature needs to be activated beforehand (if supported) in the BIOS Setup menu. NOTES: - You can add up some of these actions by using two # flags at the same time for combined effect. Example: 1 + 8 = 9, therefore you can use 9 as command line parameter, in case you wish to perform a Shutdown followed by Poweroff. - In all these cases except for option 4 (Forced Shutdown) Windows file cache routine safely "flushes" (writes) all data from the memory cache buffers back to the fixed disk(s) to avoid any information loss. CAUTION: Older, cheap, low quality, incompatible and/or defective computer hardware components, poorly written software drivers and/or programs may sometimes be responsible for undesirable lockups or data loss during the Windows shutdown/poweroff sequence. 3. Or you can use this line with all Windows 95/98/ME releases: RUNDLL32.EXE USER.EXE,ExitWindows and call it "Shutdown!" or "Poweroff!" if using Win95B/95C OSR 2.1 - 2.5 or Win98/ME, because these OSes perform also a complete poweroff on ATX motherboards supporting this feature. 4. For the Windows "Restart!" ("warm" reboot) shortcut (all Windows 95/98/ME releases) use: RUNDLL.EXE USER.EXE,ExitWindowsExec Note that you canNOT use RUNDLL32.EXE for this last command with Win98/ME because their GUI does NOT support this 32-bit DLL API redirect from the command line, and after all USER.EXE is only a "plain" 16-bit executable. :( 5. Click Continue, and name these new shortcuts whatever you like. 6. Click Finish. From now on, (double)-click on one of the shortcuts created above, and you'll be taken to the plain DOS prompt, back to the GUI, or stare at the black monitor screen in only 1 swift move. :) Don't forget to SAVE your work and close ALL open programs FIRST, BEFORE shutting down or restarting Windows! Have fun. FYI: More info on Win9x/ME shut down switches using RUNDLL redirects: - Shutdown and Reboot: http://www.robvanderwoude.com/shutdown.html - "How to Exit Windows 98/ME Automatically Using a Batch File" MSKB article: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=234216 TIME SAVERS For those who make frequent changes to their Win95/98/ME 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 system. To associate a file extension with an executable, program or runtime library (DLL), you need to follow these steps: 1. Open an Explorer window and select View from the menu. 2a. On Win95 systems without MS IE 4/5 installed select the File Types tab. Or: 2b. On Win9x/ME systems with MS IE 4/5 installed select Folder Options and then click the File Types tab. 3. Click New Type... and type "Control Panel Applet" (no quotes) in the Description of type box. 4. Type CPL in the Associated Extension box. 5. Click the New button (under the Actions menu) and Browse to the location of Control.exe (found in your Windows folder). 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: 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 beginning of this topic): C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SYSDM.CPL,System,1 or: C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SYSDM.CPL,,1 for the "System Manager" link; NOTE: To have the other System Properties tabs open automatically from separate shortcuts, replace 1 in the SYSDM.CPL command lines above with: 2 = for the Hardware Profiles tab, or 3 = for the Performance tab. C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\DESK.CPL,InstallScreenSaver for the "Display Screen Saver Preview" link; C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL32.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 yellow speaker icon displayed on your taskbar, for everybody to mess with it. FYI: 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 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 to: - Change/adjust your hardware/system configuration; - 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!; - Tame your rodent's settings: speed, animated/static cursors etc; - Pump up da volume! Have fun! UPDATE: ".CPL files are automatically by default associated with: %windir%\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL %1,%* One may need to rename the: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\cplfile\shell\cplopen Registry key to 'open'." [Thank you Yuri (kukina@nioch.nsc.ru)!] FLOPPY (OR ANY OTHER DRIVE) ACCESS ANNOYANCE! [UPDATED 3-30-1999] I'm sure you have noticed this at some point. Heck, I have received a lot of e-mail from frustrated 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, 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"). FYI: More info + tools: - Known and Unknown Autostart Methods: http://www.tlsecurity.net/auto.html - Startup Problems: http://www2.whidbey.net/djdenham/Uncheck.htm - Startup Content: http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm - Startup List Items: http://www.azpchelp.com/StartupList.htm - Startup Items List: http://www.northlanddigital.com/startup.htm - Floppy Drive Access Bug: http://www.createwindow.com/wininfo/floppybug.htm - StartupList for Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 (freeware): http://www.spywareinfo.com/files/startuplist.zip - Freeware Startup managers: "FREE WINDOWS 9x/NT/2000/ME/XP SYSTEM ENHANCERS" in SOFTWARE.TXT (included), also at: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/toy.htm#ENH 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 Windows 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 MS Windows, like Wordpad, Notepad, MS Paint, or with a huge number of commercial/retail/shareware Microsoft/3rd party apps/utilities. 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 Win95/98 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 Win95/98, 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 Win95/98/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 Power Toy [110 KB, free, unsupported] to delete the Recent folder contents automatically upon every Win9x startup: http://download.microsoft.com/download/winme/Install/1.0/WinMe/EN-US/Tweakui.exe II. You can also do an "automatic cleaning" (my favorite) every time you boot up or shut-down Windows 95/98: A. Add a line to your Autoexec.bat file, or: B. If you start Win95/98 from a dedicated batch file (like I do), add this line there: ECHO Y | DEL %winbootdir%\RECENT\*.* C. A more radical approach, which can be achieved ONLY from outside the Windows GUI, in native/real MS-DOS mode: DELTREE.EXE/Y %winbootdir%\RECENT A similar solution is described in "CLEAR DOCS & MORE...", part of REGISTRY.TXT (included). You can also use CLEAR.BAT (included here) in a Windows 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 Win95/98 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 Win95/98 virtual drivers, NOT real files, and they are needed for Windows 95/98 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\RunOnceEx 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 HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx Look in the right hand pane of each key above. You'll see a list of programs there. More info @ MSKB: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=179365 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.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 95/98 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 95/98 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, Win95/98 accesses the hard drive VERY frequently. WORKAROUNDS: I. Read "SWAP FILE - Part 1" and "SWAP FILE - Part 2", both in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file), for details on how to adjust Win95/98's swap file to your needs [see especially "FIXED SWAP FILE" in TIPS95.TXT (included), 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 Windows to cure the problem! UPDATES: 1. Maggie (choukoud@xs4all.nl) sent me her own tips on "squashing" the "drives access bugs". Many thanks for sharing, Mags! "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." NOTE: This MSKB article explains how to disable FastFind: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=158705 2. Here is another cool trick to circumvent the A: floppy drive from being accessed, courtesy of Dwayne (dwayne.pivac@team.xtra.co.nz): "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: -----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)." NOTE: See "HIDE YOUR DRIVES!" in REGISTRY.TXT (included) for details. 3. Bradford (Bradford.Bucca@compaq.com) found yet another Windows 98/98 SE(U) "floppy annoyance", and he also offers the solution: "Under System -> Performance -> File System -> Floppy Disk -> uncheck the "Search for new floppy disk drives each time your computer starts" box. But the Biggie (at least for me with tape drive backup SW installed), there are 3 VXDs in C:\Windows\System\Iosubsys: unless you have a floppy/parallel port tape drive you should rename DRVWQ117.VXD and DRVWPPQT.VXD to something like *.OLD, as these sniff the floppy/printer ports, causing unwanted floppy access at startup. Search also the Registry and *.INI files for references to them, but the renaming is quicker. And NEVER access anything from a floppy in Win95/98, copy whatever you need to a HD first." NOTE: See "SPEEEDUP YOUR GUI STARTUP!" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for details on how to do this. 4. This one comes from Richard (marich@worldnet.att.net): "While my tip correcting the floppy drive being accessed and the drive light left on during bootup annoyance by renaming HSFLOP.PDR and letting Windows use the DOS floppy driver works, I finally located the source of my problem. A patch was required so that OSR2 would handle my AMD 380 MHz CPU. That patch contains an updated floppy driver. The problem arose when the patch didn't remove the references to the old driver in: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\fdc\0000 The patch placed the new driver information under a key that contained the old floppy driver date. By deleting all entries referencing the old floppy driver (for some reason I had 5) and correcting the date in the remaining key to coincide with the subordinate listing the new driver date, the problem was solved, but ONLY AFTER doing this: Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager -> Floppy disk controllers -> Standard Floppy Disk Controller -> Properties -> disabled the hardware profile. Floppy drive works fine and the light doesn't turn on anymore." 5. Try also this one from Todd (ToddW@westcoasteagles.com.au): "This has always worked for me: in Explorer, select View -> Folder Options and choose the File Types tab. Run slowly down the list of file associations one by one with the down arrow on your keyboard, until you hear your A drive seek. Then either edit or remove the offending association (you may have more than one)." 6. This "fix" appears courtesy of Jor (Joranthalus@foxvalley.net): "If you install Aladdin DropZip: http://www.aladdinsys.com/products/ (for MAC Stuffit decompression) in Windows 98, any time you right-click on a shortcut or compressed file, it will attempt to access your A: drive. I found 2 ways around this: - uninstall the damn thing, - or use TweakAll: http://www.codeforge.co.uk/mainframes.htm to take "Add to DropZip" off your right-click menu." ADD-ON: "Here are the instructions to fix frequent floppy access with Aladdin DropZip in Win95/98 caused by a corrupt shortcut to the A:\ floppy drive located in the \Windows\SendTo subfolder: http://www.aladdinsys.com/support/techsupport/qanda.php?id=96 For Windows NT, 2000 and ME there are downloadable patches to fix this issue." [Thank you Nick (NickR@ClearSystems.co.uk)!] OUTSMART SMARTDRIVE [*] Even now, in the "modern" Windows 95/98 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 95/98 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 Win95/98'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 95/98 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 "universal" CD-ROM/DVD driver for DOS [VIDE-CDD.SYS v2.14, 176 KB, free]: http://www.benq.com/ss_download/drivers/storage/cd-rom/drivers/dos/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 "CD-ROM DRIVERS 4 DOS" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for complete details. Alternatively you can load Smartdrv from Config.sys using INSTALLHIGH, AHEAD OF ALL OTHER INSTALL/INSTALLHIGH lines, if any (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 (nag shareware): http://www.syschk.com/beta.htm - Cache Control (CC.EXE) tool, part of the InkUtils pack (freeware): http://www.inkland.f9.co.uk/inkutils/ 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 Win95/98... 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!; * 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 95/98 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! FYI: Check out these Smartdrv related pages: - The "SMARTDrive and 32-Bit Disk Access" MSKB article: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=83325 - MS-DOS 6 Commands: Smartdrv: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/msdos/comm7.asp - My UMBPCI.SYS Guide, 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 [*] This posting answers my good friend's question below, and appears here to benefit ALL WinDOwS users. NOTE: This topic applies also to MS-DOS 6.xx and Windows/WfWG 3.1x systems, with these exceptions: the /L:xxxx and /U:xxx COMMAND.COM parameters and the "winbootdir" environment string, which apply ONLY to Windows 95/98/ME [a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.xx/8.00] OSes! Q [The Captain]: "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]: "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 your Config.sys SHELL line to read: SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /E:1024 /L:128 /U:128 /P Change the path above if your Command.com copy is located somewhere else. You may want to increase the environment size, let's say to /E:1536 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 Win95/98 Command.com available parameters), run: COMMAND /? at any DOS prompt. If you don't have a SHELL line in your Config.sys, Win95/98 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 (no nag shareware): 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/95/98 and their DOS sessions also add to the length of the environment size (like the "windir" line, present only with Windows/WfWG 3.1x/95/98 started). Also, Win9x 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 Windows DOS prompt box, and press 7, which displays all 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 95/98, 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/environment 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 DOS session by starting it from a custom PIF file (MS-DOS application shortcut). All you have to do is type something like: COMMAND.COM /E:1024 /L:128 /U:128 in your PIF file's "Cmd line" dialog box, by modifying the "MS-DOS Prompt" item already present in your Start Menu (Win95/98) 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 executable (Program Information File)." UPDATE: "To determine exactly the proper size for your environment, open a DOS session under the Windows GUI, type this line, and hit Enter: SET > C:\HOWMUCH.TXT This plain text file is exactly the same size as your environment. You can open HOWMUCH.TXT (the name is of no importance) using Notepad in Windows or EDIT in DOS to see what strings your environment currently contains. Note that the environment size is different in a Windows DOS box from the native MS-DOS prompt, because Windows adds the "windir=C:\WINDOWS" variable to the SET list." [Thank you Early Bird (morning_person@yahoo.com)!] CD-ROM DRIVERS 4 DOS [UPDATED 3-3-1998] This topic applies to ALL owners of (E)IDE/ATAPI internal CD-ROM/CD-R(W)/DVD-ROM/DVD-R(W)/DVD-RAM drives using MS Windows 9x/ME/3.1x and/or MS-DOS 6.xx. 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 (5 KB), 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 "Universal" CD-ROM/DVD driver for DOS [VIDE-CDD.SYS v2.14, 176 KB, free]: http://www.benq.com/ss_download/drivers/storage/cd-rom/drivers/dos/apicd214.exe Acer CD-ROM/DVD drivers for DOS: http://www.benq.com/drivers/storage_drivers.html 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/DVD 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/IV 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 DOS mode drivers I have found is made by Teac. 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/DSPD/downloads/drivers/atapicd.exe Teac CD-ROM/DVD drivers for DOS: http://www.teac.com/DSPD/downloads/drivers/dtide_d.htm TEAC_CDI.SYS version 1.27Q works with almost ANY IDE/ATAPI CD-ROM/DVD of ANY speed! Takes only 9-13 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 13 KB 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 newer) 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: * See these pages for detailed info on ATAPI/(E)IDE CD/DVD drives: - Turtle Beach Knowledge Base: http://www.turtlebeach.com/site/kb_ftp/635.asp - BenQ (Acer) CD-ROM FAQ: http://209.218.28.213/support/faqDetail.asp?CATEGORY_ID=240000037 * All the above standard hardware settings are supported by both VIDE-CDD.SYS and TEAC_CDI.SYS DOS drivers. * To my knowledge the following internal (E)IDE/ATAPI CDs/DVDs work with VIDE-CDD.SYS and/or TEAC_CDI.SYS, ONLY IF connected to the standard IDE/EIDE motherboard controller: - most Acer and Aopen IDE 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 IDE cd-roms; - most Toshiba IDE cd-roms; - most Pioneer IDE dvd-roms; - all Imation IDE cd-roms/cd-rs/cd-rws; - some Memorex IDE cd-roms/cd-rs/cd-rws; - some Mitsumi IDE cd-roms [Thank you Roberto (robloz@iol.it)!]; - some Waitec IDE cd-roms/cd-rs/cd-rws [Thank you Roberto (robloz@iol.it)!]. Please send me e-mail at axcel216@aol.com if you have knowledge of any other internal (E)IDE/ATAPI CDs/DVDs that DO or DO NOT work with VIDE-CDD.SYS and/or TEAC_CDI.SYS. UPDATES: 1. "The BUSLink R56 internal CD-ROM drive does NOT work with VIDE-CDD.SYS." [Thank you Karl (karlschmitz@ber-dec.com)!] 2. Older proprietary IDE Matsushita CD-ROM drives (1x-2x speed) manufactured around 1993 and earlier, and sold under the brand names of Creative Labs, JVC, Panasonic, Plextor and Reveal do NOT work with the newer CD standards using more than 640 MB (> 63 minutes audio). This includes 650, 700, 740 and 800 MB CDs/CD-Rs/CD-RWs. An example is Activision's MechWarrior 2 Mercenaries CD-ROM game for Windows 9x/ME. 3. Most Pioneer internal (E)IDE/ATAPI CD-ROM drives do NOT work with Acer or Teac drivers above. Pioneer drive owners need to download: - ATAPI108.EXE for 4-24x speed CD drives [29 KB, free]: http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pioneer/Files/atapi108.exe - ATAPI307.EXE for 24x speed and faster CD drives [86 KB, free]: http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pioneer/Files/atapi307.exe 4. Certain Panasonic/Matsushita (Creative Labs) CD-ROMs do NOT support the Acer or Teac IDE/ATAPI drivers, especially if connected to a Creative Labs Sound Blaster (MKE/Panasonic) proprietary (non-standard) IDE controller. An example is the Creative Panasonic CD drive CR563. [Thank you Michael (mike.morley@zetnet.co.uk)!] 5. This update courtesy of The Captain: "TEAC_CDI.SYS or VIDE-CDD.SYS do NOT work with my Compaq Presario CDTV 510 486 class PC with an IDE/ATAPI CD-ROM drive. The only driver working in DOS mode is the one included with the computer: CPQIDECD.SYS. See Compaq Support for more info:" http://www.compaq.com/support/ 6. CD-ROM Drivers on the Internet: see "FREE WinDOwS CD/DVD DRIVERS + TOOLS" in SOFTWARE.TXT (included). 7. See this help page: http://www.bootdisk.com/readme.htm#cdromdos %WINDIR% VARIABLE [UPDATED 2-14-1998] %WINDIR% is a variable used by ALL MS-DOS 6.xx, 7.xx and 8.00 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 by default in C:\Windows\Command): XCOPY.EXE, MOVE.EXE, ATTRIB.EXE, DELTREE.EXE etc. BEWARE: The %WINDIR% variable is available ONLY with the Windows GUI started, therefore can be used ONLY in a Windows DOS session/box prompt and in batch files executed ONLY from within Windows, it canNOT be used in native/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, or use the %winbootdir% variable followed by a backslash (\) in front of your file names, to point to a valid path. Example: XCOPY <parameters> %winbootdir%\*.INI C:\WINBAK The %WINDIR% variable shows off its usefulness when you have Windows 9x/ME installed in a folder other than the default C:\Windows, and/or would like to use the same batch file(s) on multiple Windows PCs (eventually connected to a network), without having to customize it/them individually for each machine. The Windows 9x/ME directory (set <windir>) is an internal MS-DOS variable, specified in Msdos.sys (a system file located in C:\ root), which is processed by the Win9x/ME boot routine. Io.sys (which is processed first at bootup) looks into Msdos.sys's [Paths] section to determine the location of your Windows 9x/ME directory, and loads it in the MS-DOS environment memory. This Msdos.sys example uses default values: [Paths] WinDir=C:\Windows If you run the SET command from 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/ME 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$G SOUND=C:\SB16 MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E MODE:0 BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6 MOUSE=C:\MOUSE COPYCMD=/Y DIRCMD=/A/O:GEN/P/V etc... Now notice the difference if you run the same "SET | MORE" command from the native MS-DOS: winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS COMSPEC=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\;etc... PROMPT=$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 Win95/98/ME 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 [173 KB, free]: http://www.microsoft.com/typography/grayscal/smoother.htm NOTE: Do NOT install MS Font Smoother if you installed MS Plus! for 95, OSR2, Win98 or WinME! 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! [+] MS Windows 9x/ME/3.1x 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, *.CHK, *.DA1, *.DAT, *.FND, *.FTG, *.FTS, *.GID, *.INK, *.LHX, *.LOG, *.OLD, *.OUT, *.PAR, *.PRV, *.$$$, *.SYD, *.SYK, *.SWP, *.TMP, *.~MP, *.TXT, MSCREATE.DIR, *.*$, _*.*, ~*.*, *.~*, *.*_, *.*~, *.^* etc files from ALL your fixed hard drive(s)/partitions. 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/ME and when you made system changes (installed apps); - *.FTG, *.FTS, *.GID = in your Win9x/ME Help folder (usually C:\Windows\Help), whenever you clicked a "Help" button and/or used the Help Search option; - *.FND = in your Win9x/ME Desktop folder (usually C:\Windows\Desktop), whenever you saved a Search (by using the "Find" tool); - *.SYD = in your boot drive/partition root directory (C:\) and/or your Windows directory, as backups created by SysEdit.exe, a system file (Autoexec.bat, Config.sys, System.ini, Win.ini) editing tool, located in C:\Windows\System; - *.CHK = in the root directory of the drive checked for cluster/file/directory errors by using the native MS-DOS mode Microsoft CHKDSK.EXE tool bundled with MS-DOS 7.xx (a.k.a. MS Windows 9x) and MS-DOS 6.xx, can be safely erased; - WIN386.SWP = Windows temporary swap file, located by default in your Windows directory, can be safely erased ONLY from native/real MS-DOS mode! - MSCREATE.DIR = 0 Byte hidden files created by Microsoft programs at Setup time in the respective program's folder(s), can be safely erased. More info @ MSKB: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=132978 Some of these files have the read-only, hidden 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.EXE -H -R -S +A \*.OLD ATTRIB.EXE -H -R -S +A \*.PRV ATTRIB.EXE -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 directory! 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 ECHO Y | DELTREE.EXE %winbootdir%\TEMP MD %winbootdir%\TEMP It is recommended to delete your Windows temporary files ONLY from native MS-DOS, 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 W9X.BAT (included) in Notepad, to see how I keep my hard drives "filthy clean", every time I shut-down/exit Windows to MS-DOS. UPDATES: - "*.000 and *.001 are frequently used by D*Space [Drvspace/Dblspace]. Careful when deleting them, if using one of these disk compression tools!" [Thank you Yuri (kukina@nioch.nsc.ru)!] - "*.LOG files are used by some Uninstall programs to keep a log of what is installed during the process, essential for a successful uninstall." [Thank you Raymond (raymond.tau@personet.net)!] - What Can You Safely Delete?: http://www.clickopedia.com/safelydelete.htm SHRINK THE REGISTRY! [UPDATED 3-11-1998] This is a tremendous time saver. Windows 95/98 Registry database made by these two Hidden/Read-only/System files: SYSTEM.DAT + USER.DAT, both 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 .DAT files and therefore slow down Windows GUI operation. You'd be surprised how many times Win9x accesses the Registry files only by executing a routine task, like simply clicking something with your mouse. :( Happily I found a solution to this problem. All you need to do is use the Registry editor (%windir%\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. FYI: "1. The fastest way to 'shrink' the Registry in Win98/ME is to run SCANREG with the /OPT switch, in native MS-DOS mode outside Windows. It's much faster than running REGEDIT with the /E and then the /C switch. This works ONLY with single user systems, because user profiles are NOT enabled! WinME users can use either method, since both SCANREG and REGEDIT can compress USER.DAT files for multiple users (CLASSES.DAT, SYSTEM.DAT + USER.DAT). 2. The fixed REGEDIT.EXE also prevents accidental merging of REG files in Win95/OSR2. When double-clicking on a *.REG file, it will prompt whether to add the info into the Registry or not, just like the Win98/ME versions of Regedit." [Thank you Emmanuel (erpmanila3w@hotmail.com)!] MANDATORY: 1. Download the FIXed REGEDIT.EXE [53 KB, free]: http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~flibble/reg/reg.zip for ALL Win95/98 releases (NOT WinME!) and replace the executable in your main Windows folder (default is C:\Windows) with this one. A backup is NOT necessary, because ALL original REGEDIT.EXE files from ALL Win95/OSR2/98/98 SE Setup CD-ROMs are BUGgy! 2. Exit to the native MS-DOS mode C:\ 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 [regpath1] REGEDIT [/L:system] [/R:user] /D regpath2 /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. regpath1 Specifies the starting registry key to export from. (Defaults to exporting the entire registry). /D regpath2 Specifies the registry key to delete." [Win98/ME ONLY!] I created a batch file called REGSHORT.BAT (included), to do all these operations in 1 swift move. To view/edit the REGSHORT.BAT lines, open it in Notepad. No need to backup your Registry, because REGSHORT also copies your original Registry files: SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT to the newly created C:\REGBAK 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 Windows. :) Have fun! 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/?id=132064 [Thank you Wally (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/?id=131431 [Thank you Andrew (AJobes@dial.pipex.com)!] 5. To learn how to COMPACT the Registry in Windows 98/ME, READ "SCANREGW, SCANREG + SCANREG.INI" 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 95/98 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 Win95/98 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 Win95/98) 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! No matter which method you choose, both these CONFIG.SYS lines MUST be present BEFORE ANY other DEVICE(HIGH) or INSTALL(HIGH) commands! 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 Win95/98. 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 "OUTSMART SMARTDRIVE" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file). 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 Win95/98). 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 "WIN98 PHANTOM DRIVE BUG" in TIPS98.TXT (included). BLANK WIN.COM [+] I have included 3 modified versions of "WIN.COM" (MS Windows 9x executables) for ALL Win95/98 releases: - Windows 95 (retail) + 95a OSR1 (upgraded with SP1) = WIN95.COM [22,679 Bytes], - Windows 95B OSR 2.0, 95B OSR 2.1 + 95C OSR 2.5 = WINOSR2.COM [24,503 Bytes] and - Windows 98 (retail), 98 SP1 (upgraded with SP1) + 98 SE(U) [Second Edition (Updates)] = WIN98.COM [24,791 Bytes] in the WINBLANK.ZIP archive [34 KB, FREEware, separate file]: http://members.aol.com/maxspeeed/WINBLANK.ZIP More WIN.COM info @ MSKB: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=136630 USAGE GUIDE: 1. Use one of the freeware "unZIPpers" from the "WINDOWS 9x/NT/2000/ME/XP FILE SHRINKERS" list in SOFTWARE.TXT (included) to decompress WINBLANK.ZIP into an empty folder. 2. Rename your original WIN.COM (found in your main Windows folder) to something like WINORI.COM (example). 3. Rename the one (WIN95.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. Place this new WIN.COM file into your main Windows folder. The purpose of these files is to get rid of this annoying/nagging DOS message, displayed when you shut down Windows 95/98, and find yourself "starring" at the native/true MS-DOS C:\> 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 the original 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 they are present. To exit/close/shut down Windows 95/98: - Using your mouse: left-click the Start button -> select Shut down... -> check or select Shut down -> click OK. - Using your keyboard: press the Alt and F4 keys simultaneously -> hit Enter. - Using a dedicated shortcut: see "FAST EXIT | RESTART!" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file). But if you use the modified executable that matches your Windows version, the annoying DOS prompt message will be completely GONE! NOTES: - To properly exit/shut down Win95/98 to the real/native MS-DOS mode, APPLY the STEPS detailed in "DOS NOW!" from MYTIPS95.TXT (this file). - If you have an ATX motherboard you MUST load the NOOFF.COM TSR in memory (i.e. from AUTOEXEC.BAT) BEFORE starting Windows, otherwise your PC will power off before you get a chance to see the MS-DOS prompt. See "WIN98 ATX SHUT DOWN FIX" in TIPS98.TXT (included) for complete details on how to do this. How I did it: plain and simple, I opened each WIN.COM file with the old 16-bit version of Write.exe (the primitive word processor included with Windows/WfWG 3.1x), and replaced the two text lines (see above) that make up the annoying message with spaces (blanks). :) IMPORTANT: If you try to do this, keep in mind that the EXACT size of the original WIN.COM has to be preserved, otherwise Windows will lock up upon loading! There is actually another [some may say "easier" :)] way to do all this, by starting Windows 95/98 from a plain DOS BATch file, or by adding these lines at the end of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: @ECHO OFF WIN.COM %1 %2 %3 MODE.COM CO80 ... but that's no 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, Config.sys, System.ini, Win.ini, Registry etc), the only ones that would require a reboot IF modified during an installation process. In this case a computer reboot IS NOT necessary! All you need to do is restart ONLY the Windows GUI (Graphical User Interface). To do this, first answer No/Cancel to the prompt screens, whenever a particular install routine wants to reboot your system. After that you can restart Windows manually, 3 ways: I. Temporary: Click the Start button -> click "Shut Down" -> select "Restart" -> click OK or hit Enter. II. Unsafe: Click the Start button -> click "Shut Down" -> select "Shut down" AND hold down the Shift key at the same time -> click OK or hit Enter. III. Permanent: Create a DOS batch (.BAT) file with this single line: @EXIT and save it as RESTART.BAT. Next, create an MS-DOS shortcut (.PIF = Program Information File) for RESTART.BAT: 1. Right-click on an empty spot on your Desktop -> select New -> click Shortcut. 2. In the "Command line" box -> browse to the folder where RESTART.BAT resides -> name this shortcut Restart! -> click OK -> click Finish. 3. Right-click on Restart! -> select Properties -> click the Program tab -> click the "Change Icon" button -> browse to your favorite DLL, EXE, ICL or ICO file -> select the icon you want (if more than one) -> click OK/Apply. Your newly created MS-DOS shortcut (Restart!.PIF = the .PIF file extension is NOT visible by default!) should appear now on your Desktop, if you haven't changed its default location. 4. Right-click on Restart! -> select Properties -> click the Program tab -> check the "Close on exit" box -> click the "Advanced" button -> check the "MS-DOS mode" box -> uncheck the "Warn before entering MS-DOS mode" box -> check the "Use current MS-DOS configuration" box -> click OK/Apply 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 system (startup) files prompts you to reboot. To make sure there are no changes made to your system (startup) files, you can compare your old files (from before installing a new program) with the new ones (after the setup process is over). Two ASCII (plain text) files, like Autoexec.bat, Config.sys, Msdos.sys, System.ini, Win.ini, saved Registry (.REG file) etc... can be compared by opening them side by side in Notepad. HINT: Notepad will NOT open files larger than 64 KB, so you need a better text editor/viewer: I recommend Programmer's File Editor (PFE) 32-bit for Windows 9x/NT/2000/ME/XP, which opens ANY text/ASCII file of ANY size, limited only by your installed memory [608 KB, freeware]: http://downloads.planetmirror.com/pub/simtelnet/win95/editor/pfe101i.zip This implies that you have made BACKUPS (to compare to) BEFORE ANY CHANGES have been made to your system! If there are NO changes after program installation is completed, there is NO need for a reboot. :) In this case, just (double)-click on your Desktop Restart! shortcut, and when the Windows GUI shows up again, you can safely run your newly installed program. Voila. SERIAL KILLER! [UPDATED 4-24-1998] This tip is intended for all PC users who: - have a serial mouse connected to a COM port (usually COM1 or COM2); - 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: Interrupt ReQuest line (IRQ) decimal values: COM1 = IRQ 4 COM2 = IRQ 3 COM3 = IRQ 4 COM4 = IRQ 3 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 95/98 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. FYI: More info @ MSKB: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=188572 Good luck... CD-ROM NAME This BUG fix applies to all Windows/WfWG 95/98/3.1x users who own a CD-ROM/CD-R/CD-RW/DVD-ROM/DVD-R/DVD-RW/DVD-RAM/etc drive and load the MS-DOS (native/real mode) 16-bit CD/DVD device driver from Config.sys and the CD Extensions TSR (i.e. MSCDEX.EXE) from Autoexec.bat. Do NOT create/rename a directory bearing the same name as your MS-DOS CD/DVD drive name, mentioned on the Config.sys CD-ROM device driver line and on the Autoexec.bat MSCDEX line! Generic CONFIG.SYS lines for CD/DVD MS-DOS mode device drivers: - (E)IDE/ATAPI CD/DVD drive: DEVICEHIGH=drive:\path\CDROM.SYS /D:MYCDROM - SCSI CD/DVD drive: DEVICEHIGH=drive:\path\ASPIDOS.SYS DEVICEHIGH=drive:\path\ASPIHLP.SYS DEVICEHIGH=drive:\path\ASPICD.SYS /D:MYCDROM Replace all "drive", "path" (no quotes) and file names with your actual drive letter(s), directory name(s) and file name(s). See "CD-ROM DRIVERS 4 DOS" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for details on DOS mode CD/DVD drivers and (in)compatibilities. You also need to load MSCDEX.EXE (MicroSoft Compact Disc EXtensions) or a similar TSR in your AUTOEXEC.BAT, for your CD/DVD drive to be properly recognized by the system in native/true MS-DOS mode. Generic AUTOEXEC.BAT line for MSCDEX: LOADHIGH=drive:\path\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MYCDROM In this example MYCDROM is the CD/DVD drive name and MUST be IDENTICAL with the one on your CD/DVD device driver line in your CONFIG.SYS! The CD/DVD drive name specified with the /D:XXXXXXXX switch on your MSCDEX line may NOT exceed 8 characters (case insensitive), and spaces or punctuation symbols are NOT allowed! Therefore, do NOT create/rename a directory on ANY of your fixed/local drives/partitions with the name 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 XXXXXXXX.YYY file/directory" whenever you try to access any file(s) or subdirectories located in that directory, or if you try to delete/rename/move/etc that particular directory. 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/ME 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 [most 3rd party tools below are detailed in SOFTWARE.TXT (included), and they are free(ware)]: File name Icon name Applet title Installed by -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3dcc.cpl Color Settings JasMIN 3D Color Changer 98/3000 Jasmin's 3D Color Changer 98/3000 Access.cpl Accessibility Windows Accessibility Control Panels Win9x/ME Apppaths.cpl Application Paths MS Windows Application Paths Application Paths Changer Appwiz.cpl Add/Remove Programs Add/Remove Programs Properties Win9x/ME Audiohq.cpl AudioHQ AudioHQ Creative Labs SB Live!/Audigy Ctdetect.cpl Disk Detector Creative Disk Detector Creative Labs SB Live!/Audigy Desk.cpl Display Display Properties Win9x/ME Diagnose.cpl BCM Diagnostics BCM Diagnostics BCM Diagnostics Directx.cpl DirectX DirectX Properties MS DirectX SDK 5/6/7/8/9 Findfast.cpl FindFast FindFast Settings MS Office 97/2000 Iascfg.cpl Quake 2 IAS Interactive Around Sound Engine Quake 2 IAS for SB Live! Inetcpl.cpl Internet Options Internet Properties Win9x/ME + MS IE 3/4/5/6 Infrared.cpl Infrared Infrared Properties Win9x/ME Intl.cpl Regional Settings Regional Settings Properties Win9x/ME Jetadmin.cpl Hewlett-Packard JetAdmin Control Panel Applet Win9x/ME Joy.cpl Joystick Properties/Game Controllers in DirectX 5/6/7/8 Win9x/ME + MS DirectX 5/6/7/8 Lfctpl.cpl Logitech WingMan Logitech Game Controller Properties Logitech WingMan Joysticks Main.cpl Mouse Mouse Properties Win9x/ME Mlcfg32.cpl Exchange/MS Mail Microsoft Mail Configuration Library Win9x Mmsys.cpl Multimedia Multimedia Properties Win9x/ME Modem.cpl Modems Modems Properties Win9x/ME Morecon.cpl More Control More Control More Control Mp3cnfg.cpl MPEG Layer III Config MPEG Layer-3 Codec Configuration Kristal Software Divx MPEG Mswebcpl.cpl MS Web Server Microsoft Web Server Control Panel Win9x + MS Web Server Netcpl.cpl Network Network Win9x/ME Odbccp32.cpl 32-bit ODBC ODBC Data Source Administrator MS Visual Basic + MS C++ Password.cpl Passwords Passwords Properties Win9x/ME Qtw16.cpl Quick Time Quick Time Control Panel Apple Quick Time 16-bit 2 Qtw32.cpl Quick Time Quick Time Control Panel Apple Quick Time 32-bit 2 Quick Time.cpl Quick Time Quick Time Settings Apple Quick Time 32-bit 3/4/5/6 Powercfg.cpl Power Management Power Management Properties Win98/ME Prefscpl.cpl RealPlayer G2 Preferences RealPlayer 5/6/7/8/9 Sancpl.cpl SiSoft Sandra SiSoft Sandra Control Panel Extension SiSoft Sandra Startup.cpl Startup Startup Control Panel 1.0/2.0 Mike Lin's Startup applet 1/2 Sticpl.cpl Scanners and Cameras Scanners and Cameras Properties Win98/ME Sysdm.cpl System System Properties Win9x/ME Themes.cpl Desktop Themes Desktop Themes MS Plus! + OSR2 + Win98/98 SE Timedate.cpl Date/Time Date/Time Properties Win9x/ME Telephon.cpl Telephony Telephony Properties Win9x/ME Tweakall.cpl TweakAll TweakAll Abton Shed's TweakAll 1/2 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/ME Wuaucpl.cpl Windows Update Windows Update WinME Xqxsetup.cpl X-Setup Xteq X-Setup 4.x/5.x/6.x Xteq's X-Setup 4/5/6 These MSKB pages also have a comprehensive Win9x/ME .CPL files list: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=192806 and: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=149648 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, ONLY IF the .CPL files are not associated with the Control Panel executable on your system. Example: C:\Windows\Control.exe C:\YourFolder\Modem.cpl NOTE: To learn how to associate .CPL files with the Control Panel (Control.exe) read "CONTROL PANEL" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file). UPDATE: ".CPL files are automatically by default associated with: %WINDIR%\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL %1,%* One may need to rename the: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\cplfile\shell\cplopen Registry key to 'open'." [Thank you Yuri (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, then 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 Win95/98/ME counterparts for the .CPL applets mentioned above are: Win95/98/ME 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 Control Panel Applets, without moving or deleting the actual files. 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 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 Desktop, for security purposes. NOTE: For a complete list of all Win9x/ME Control Panel Applets and what they do, see "STUBBORN CONTROL PANEL APPLET - Part 1" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file). 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 may need to rename the: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\cplfile\shell\cplopen Registry key to 'open'." [Thank you Yuri (kukina@nioch.nsc.ru)!] 2. The TweakUI Power Toy can also disable selected Control Panel applets from its Control Panel tab [110 KB, free, unsupported]: http://download.microsoft.com/download/winme/Install/1.0/WinMe/EN-US/Tweakui.exe 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 9x/ME 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 (legacy, 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 9x/ME) 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 ignored and 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 Windows 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 Windows 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]: "How do I change a Control Panel icon?" A [AXCEL216]: "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 (.CPL, .DLL, .EXE, .ICL etc) the one you like. Common Windows 9x icon libraries (.DLL, .EXE, .CPL) and their default locations: - SHELL32.DLL [C:\Windows\System]: contains 80 "Microsoft" icons, selected by default for Windows applications shortcuts; - PIFMGR.DLL [C:\Windows\System]: contains 38 "fun(k)y" icons, selected by default for MS-DOS programs shortcuts; - COOL.DLL [C:\Windows\System]: ONLY if you have MS Plus! for Win95 or OSR2/Win98/WinME, contains 45 "entertainment" high-color (256 colors), large size (48x48 and 128x128 pixels) icons. These are actually small bitmaps (.BMP) converted to .ICO format and compressed in a single library (.DLL); - MORICONS.DLL [C:\Windows]: contains 106 "alternative" icons for most popular 3rd party apps/tools; - PROGMAN.EXE [C:\Windows]: contains 46 "Microsoft" icons for most used Windows/DOS programs/tools; - EXPLORER.EXE [C:\Windows]: contains 7 "system" icons; - USER.EXE: [C:\Windows\System]: contains 7 "system" icons, selected by default for warning/error messages and info/help dialog boxes; - RNAUI.DLL [C:\Windows\System]: contains 7 "communication" icons, selected by default for Dial-Up Networking (DUN) and Dial-Up Server (DUS) shortcuts; - MODEMUI.DLL [C:\Windows\System]: contains 4 "modem" icons, selected by default for Telephony shortcuts; - MMSYS.CPL [C:\Windows\System]: contains 34 "audio/MIDI/music/sound/wave" icons; - REGEDIT.EXE [C:\Windows]: contains 9 "building block" icons; - MPLAYER.EXE [C:\Windows]: contains 9 "multimedia" icons; - DRVSPACE.EXE [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 (.ICO format, 256 colors, 48x48 or 128x128 pixels), in your C:\Program Files\Plus!\Themes subfolders. PS: You can also use the .DLL file [MYICONS.DLL] included here, which contains 223 icons (16 colors, 32x32 pixels) for popular PC Windows/DOS games/apps. MYICONS.DLL together with same 223 icons in .ICO format (individual files), are also available separately here:" http://members.aol.com/maxspeeed/MYICONS.ZIP RELEASE MY MODEM! [+] This applies ONLY to dial-up (phone line based) modems connected to one of your computer's COM(munication) ports in Windows 9x/ME/3.1x. 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 9x/ME/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 up to 1000. Windows default setting is -1. This causes Windows to NOT release a serial port previously used by a non-Windows (DOS) 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 or Sysedit, 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 [+] This works with ALL Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP releases. To change a drive icon displayed in Explorer, use Notepad to create a new text file with the following lines: [Autorun] ICON=Drive:\Path\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 "Drive" above with a valid drive letter, and "Path" with your icon file's folder name. "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 Windows Explorer and check out your new drive "look". :) NEW FOLDER ICON [+] This works with Windows 95/OSR1/OSR2/NT4 ONLY with MS Internet Explorer 4/5/6 with the shell integration (Active Desktop = Web View) enabled, and with ALL Windows 98/2000/ME/XP releases. CREDITS: Corrections courtesy of Arual the Wyrd (aruwyrd@doorpi.net). To change a folder icon displayed in Windows Explorer, use Notepad to create a new text file with the following lines: [.ShellClassInfo] IconFile=Drive:\Path\Filename.Extension[,Number] IconIndex=Number and save it as DESKTOP.INI into the folder (directory) you want to change the icon for. Replace "Drive" above with a valid drive letter, and "Path" with the folder name your icon file resides into. "Filename" can be anything you want, but the "Extension" must be one of the following: .CPL, .DLL, .ICL, .ICO 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" on the "IconFile" line, or by specifying the icon "Number" on the "IconIndex" line (example): IconFile=C:\Icons\Icons.dll,3 IconIndex=3 Then you MUST change your selected folder's attributes to "Read Only" by running this command from any DOS prompt (example): ATTRIB +R C:\MYFOLDER Optionally, you can change the DESKTOP.INI attributes to "Hidden" by running: ATTRIB +H DESKTOP.INI Press F5 to refresh your Desktop when done. Now start Windows Explorer and check out your new folder "look". :) UPDATE: "The MS Windows preferred DESKTOP.INI format is: [.ShellClassInfo] IconFile=Drive:\Path\Filename.Extension IconIndex=Number The "IconIndex" line is needed for icons contained in other files. A separate icon only needs "IconFile=Drive:\Path\Generic.ico". You can also: open Windows Explorer -> right-click on any folder -> choose Properties -> check the "Enable thumbnail view" option (if available) -> click OK or press Enter. A new DESKTOP.INI file will magically appear in that folder. Open it in Notepad (after removing all its attributes except "Archive"), add/modify the icon lines, save it, and voila! Done. The correct icon number in a *.DLL may not be shown by some icon viewing utilities. If you have a *.DLL or *.ICL with lots of icons you want to use this way, it may be more convenient to make a plain text list, with numbers (corrected, if necessary) and descriptions. If there is a problem with an icon in an *.EXE file not showing as a folder icon, the icon can be extracted (using a dedicated 3rd party tool) and used separately. For folders that are deleted regularly, such as Cookies (created by MS IE 4/5/6), the icon file should be placed in a different folder, eventually create a dedicated Icons folder." [Thank you Arual the Wyrd (aruwyrd@doorpi.net)!] 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 9x/ME hot key "combos", read "KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS" in TIPS95.TXT (included). But unfortunately NOT everything can be accomplished using the keyboard. :( Examples of Windows 9x/ME 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 Windows. 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 95/98 "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 95/98 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 Win95/98 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 "2 DOS OR NOT 2 DOS" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file). Alternatively, you can boot directly to the native/real MS-DOS mode, by selecting the "Command prompt only" option from Windows 95/98'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 Win95/98 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 "MSDOS.SYS COMPLETE REFERENCE" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file). 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 Win95/98. 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 10-14-1998] [+] If you connect to the Internet using: - a 28 - 56 kbps analog modem, - an ISP (Internet Service Provider) or Online Service (i.e. AOL), - Windows 95/98 TCP/IP Dial-Up Networking (DUN) PPP (Point to Point Protocol), - or/and AOL 32-bit software version 3.0, 4.0 or 5.0 (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 95/98 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 "HOW FAST CAN YOU GO? - Part 1" in REGISTRY.TXT (included) for details. Windows 98/98 SE'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 "Net" 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 "FASTEST INTERNET 98 - Part 2" in TIPS98.TXT (included) to learn how to adjust Win98/98 SE's IPMTU to ANY value you want. Therefore you will see significantly improved performance in most cases (faster downloading speeds), IF you MATCH Win98/98 SE's IPMTU or Win95/OSR1/OSR2's MaxMTU with your provider's (used at server end). This is a 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/ CompuServe (CS) USA 576 http://www.compuserve.com/ Concentric Network USA 576 http://www.concentric.net/ EarthLink USA 576 http://www.earthlink.com/ GTE USA + Hawaii 576 http://www.gte.com/ MicroSoft Network (MSN) USA 576 http://www.msn.com/ NetZero USA 576 http://www.netzero.net/ Prodigy 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/ [*] = 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 "AOL MAXMTU REVISITED" in AOLTIPS.TXT (included). To obtain your ISP's EXACT MTU value: A. Log on to your ISP/Online Service, open a DOS box and run this PING command (parameters are case sensitive): PING -f -l MTU www.your_isp_name.com or for ISPs that have the "net" suffix instead of "com": PING -f -l MTU www.your_isp_name.net You MUST use a MTU packet size (i.e. 576) IDENTICAL with or LOWER than the one in your Registry [see "FASTEST INTERNET 98 - Part 2" in TIPS98.TXT (included) for complete details!], to obtain non-fragmented "pings". Using a MTU larger than the one in your Registry will return ALL packets as fragmented! Replace "your_isp_name" above (don't type the quotes) with your actual ISP name. Example: PING -f -l 576 www.att.net if using AT&T WorldNet as your ISP. Compare the PING times with different packet sizes and adjust your MTU for maximum speed, as described in "FASTEST INTERNET 98 - Part 2", part of TIPS98.TXT (included). NOTE: In certain cases you need to add 28 to the MTU value returned after pinging your ISP's server, because some ISPs do NOT account for the IP or ICMP header values when reporting their MTUs! B. Ask your ISP's tech support (by e-mail or phone call) to tell you the MTU value they are using at server end. Unfortunately, some ISPs do not release this information. :( C. Run Rob Vonk's EasyMTU v3.0 for Windows 9x/NT/AOL [includes FindMTU, 358 KB, freeware]: http://www.rob.cybercomm.nl/easymtu.zip D. Read "FIND YOUR ISP'S MTU" in TIPS95.TXT (included). E. Check out these MTU reference links for more info: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/modem.htm The table below contains the Win95/98 recommended Internet settings for the following ISPs and AOL, valid in USA and Canada: ISP MTU RWIN TTL Cachesize Port speed Modem speed FIFO Buffers COMBoostTime -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AOL 576 2144 128 16 921,600 115,200 Full 4 AT&T Worldnet 576 2144 64 16 921,600 115,200 Full 4 CompuServe 576 2144 64 16 921,600 115,200 Full 4 EarthLink 576 2144 128 16 921,600 115,200 Full 4 MSN 576 2144 64 16 921,600 115,200 Full 4 Prodigy 576 2144 64 16 921,600 115,200 Full 4 Tritium 576 2144 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 Win95/98 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 4.0/5.0 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 nonetheless. PLAY AUDIO CDS [+] In Windows 95/OSR2/98/ME 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 (Hi-Fi) stereo receiver/amplifier 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 these freely included Microsoft CD Players, found in your Windows 95/OSR2/98/ME main folder: CDPLAY.EXE or MPLAYER.EXE, - or your sound card provided, - or 3rd party CD Audio Player. - Microsoft Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP Media Player2 (WMP = WMPLAYER.EXE, free) also plays audio CDs: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/ 9. Select an Audio CD track (.CDA) and click Play. You should be able to hear some music in your speakers/earphones. ;) FYI: Type "cd play" (no quotes) in the "My question is:" box at the MSKB search page to read related articles if you experience problems playing audio CDs in Windows 9x/ME: http://support.microsoft.com/ 56K MODEMS @ 56K SPEED! [+] If you own a 56K analog modem, connect to the Internet using DUN (Dial-Up Networking) through PPP (Point to Point Protocol) in Windows 95/98/ME, 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 53-54K), 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/PCI/USB modem card. More info: http://www.scn.org/help/modemsp.html 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.92 PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) transfer protocol standard: http://www.itu.int/ 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. Troubleshooting/upgrade web sites: - 3COM: http://support.3com.com/software/ - US Robotics: http://www.usr.com/support/ 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 95/98/ME, and that your OS recognizes the modem properly. If you own a 3COM/US Robotics 56K modem go to 3COM/USR upgrade web pages (see above), 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 9x/ME, and then point to the location of your new/updated drivers (.INF file) when the new device is detected by the Hardware Wizard upon restarting Windows. 3. Perform ALL steps detailed in "SPEEDUP MY DUN!" [part of TIPS95.TXT (included)]. 4. Try rewiring your modem/phone lines between the terminal block (phone plug) and your modem using either 2-wired shielded cable or CAT-5 UTP (Category 5 Unshielded Twisted Pair) cable. Doing so may cut out interference, help improve your connection, lower ping times and significantly boost your modem throughput from a mere 28.8 to a lightning fast 53.3 kbps! Check with your nearest Radio Shack store: http://www.radioshack.com/ or dedicated internet based vendors for details/pricing. 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/V.92 protocol to have a hard time connecting at speeds higher than 33.6 Kbps. So upgrade to CAT-3 UTP (Category 3 Unshielded Twisted Pair) wiring whenever 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/V.92 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/V.92 connection. Not much to do here, just wait for a sunny day to kick your friend's butt at Quake/UT. :) D. If you upgraded your modem to V.90 or V.92, make sure your gaming software is also V.90 or V.92 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/V.92, x2 and 56Kflex strings: http://www.56k.com/buyer/v90upfaq.shtml * How to reduce PING times: - WAGZ Ping Guide: http://www.wagz.net/ping-guide.html - Connection Optimization: http://home.attbi.com/~c4_warhead/net_conn.htm - Lag City: http://www.quakeworld.com/lagcity/ - X2 Quake Workshop: http://www.navpoint.com/~zephed/qx2.html - Flying Penguin FAQ: http://www.soldcentralfl.com/quakecoop/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/V.92 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 for more info: http://www.56k.com/trouble/ 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. 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/V.92 modems [to enable hardware flow control (&K3) and V.90/V.92 ITU protocol (default), but NOT x2 USR protocol (S32=34)]: AT&F1&H1&K3&I0&M5&N25S32=34 - Rockwell/Lucent 56Kflex V.90/V.92 modems [to enable hardware flow control (&K3) and V.90/V.92 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/V.92 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/V.92 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). More modem strings: - Modem Help: INI Strings: http://www.modemhelp.org/inits/ - Modem Help: Command Sets + Modem Manuals: http://www.modemhelp.org/sets.html - 56K Modems Central: Inits + Drivers: http://www.56k.com/inits/ - SCN: Modems and Modem Initialization Strings: http://www.scn.org/help/modem.html - Modem Command Sets: http://www.banjo.com/modem1.html - MSKB: AT Modem Command Reference: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=164660 11. READ these included topics to set the MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit), 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; - "FASTER 56K MODEM" in REGISTRY.TXT: all Win9x 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/ME 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 95/98 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 drivers linked at "FREE WinDOwS MOUSE DRIVERS + TOOLS" from SOFTWARE.TXT (included) 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). - Win95/95a OSR1 users: EXTRACT.EXE D:\WIN95\WIN95_03.CAB VCOMM.VXD - Win95B/95C 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 [+] You can configure Media Player (MPLAYER.EXE) located in your Win95/98 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 Win95/98 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/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=11771 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. FYI: See the "DocErr: Media Player Command-Line Switches" MSKB article: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=126869 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. 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: - Read "COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for more details on bootup options. - Read "SHRINK THE REGISTRY!" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) 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/ME 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 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/2000/ME [freeware]: http://www.chaossoft.com/trtext.shtml 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/ME system. To get it: pop in your Win9x/ME 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://www.alphabetsoup.net/free.shtml 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." [Thank you 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 Then [MS IE 5 users ONLY!]: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE /I C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SHDOC401.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) and the right-click context menu 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 3.0/4.0/5.0 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 98/98 SE 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 -> check the "Always use this program to open this type of file" box -> 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 then just run something like: REGISTER SHDOCVW.DLL 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 The Captain. SPEEEDUP YOUR GUI STARTUP! [+] If your Windows 9x/ME system takes way too loooong to completely load the GUI (Graphical User Interface) upon bootup, even if you have a fairly new X86 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.dial.pipex.com/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=" entry is UNDOCUMENTED, and if its value is 0 (default), it enables the "boot-logged" Win9x/ME 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 Windows OS startup, read "COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file). 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 using SYS95.BAT (included), an optimized DOS batch file that allows you to perform all above operations in one swift move. SYS95.BAT opens MSDOS.SYS in Notepad (if running SYS95 from Windows GUI or DOS session) or EDIT.COM (if running SYS95 from native MS-DOS) for editing (after stripping it of its attributes), and after YOU modify the file and save your changes, it reenables its default attributes. 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/ME "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 (6-10 seconds and above). Possible "culprits" that you might not even need on your particular Win9x/ME system, and should consider removing, are (default locations used here): - C:\Windows\System\VNBT.386 - C:\Windows\System\NDISWAN.VXD - other Networking (LAN, WAN, Novell, IBM etc) .386, .DLL, .DRV, .EXE or .VXD drivers/executables in C:\Windows\System, ONLY IF you KNOW you are NOT connecting to or using such Networks! - C:\Windows\System\Iosubsys\DRVWPPQT.VXD - C:\Windows\System\Iosubsys\DRVWQ117.VXD The first 2 drivers on this list belong to the "Microsoft Virtual Private Networking Adapter" (VPN), which is NOT installed or used on my machine. AOLers: Beware that AOL 4.0/5.0/6.0/7.0 32-bit client for Windows 9x/ME ALWAYS installs (BUT DOES NOT USE!) the VPN component, which allows sharing [talk about privacy! :(] user information over the internet! Therefore I STRONGLY RECOMMEND, IF NOT using VPN, to delete the files above! Cable/xDSL modem users: Do NOT delete NDISWAN.VXD or ANY other Wide Area Network (WAN) related files or Registry entries! If you do, your broadband connection will STOP working! 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 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 + DRVWQ117.VXD above) from C:\Windows\System\Iosubsys to the same .ZIP backup file. And there's more: if you [like me :)] never used or intend using MS Backup, a primitive file/folder backup/restore utility, which is actually a stripped-down version of the older Seagate Backup tool (licensed by Microsoft, and included with all Win9x/ME releases), I suggest deleting (AFTER MAKING BACKUPS FIRST!) also these files and folders from their default locations: - C:\Windows\System\DRVWFFD.DLL - C:\Windows\System\DRVWCDB.VXD - C:\Windows\System\PNPWPROP.DLL - C:\Windows\Inf\PNPWPPT.INF - C:\Program files\Accessories\MSBackup and all their Registry references, by doing a Regedit search (see above) with these keywords: DRVWFFD.DLL, DRVWCDB.VXD, PNPWPROP.DLL, PNPWPPT.INF, MSBACKUP. 5. Finally, 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: * See "INCREASE NETBIOS SECURITY" in REGISTRY.TXT (included) for more GUI speeed-up tips. * See these BOOTLOG.TXT related MSKB articles: - "Description of Windows Files Located in the Root Folder": http://support.microsoft.com/?id=151667 - "Load Failures Listed in the Bootlog.txt File": http://support.microsoft.com/?id=127970 - "Troubleshooting Windows 98 Startup Problems and Error Messages": http://support.microsoft.com/?id=188867 - "Troubleshooting Windows 95 Startup Problems": http://support.microsoft.com/?id=136337 ... 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 other 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. To run all your batch file (.BAT) commands in "stealth" mode (invisible), by redirecting all standard on-screen messages from the display device (CON) to NUL, add this command as the first line (this is also recommended for Autoexec.bat): @CTTY NUL Then add this as the last line into your batch files (and in Autoexec.bat) to restore the output to the CONsole: CTTY CON This line is mandatory for making the MS-DOS prompt visible again, and this affects all DOS based programs that issue on-screen messages during operation. 3. 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 (make it read-only), 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 (CONsole = display) output from WIN.COM will be redirected to the NUL device, which makes it invisible every time one tries to shell out 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. 4. For added protection you can use BAT2EXEC.COM, a PC Magazine DOS tool [34 KB, free]: http://downloads.planetmirror.com/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. 5. 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 this starts WIN.BAT 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. 6. Moreover, you can make the entire DOS prompt disappear, both in real/native/true MS-DOS mode and/or in Windows DOS boxes/sessions. For this you need to start by adding a line to your Config.sys for the ANSI console device driver, included with all MS-DOS and MS Windows releases beginning with MS-DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.0 (example): - Windows 9x users: DEVICEHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\ANSI.SYS /X - MS-DOS 6.xx users: DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS /X I presumed that you want to load ANSI.SYS in Upper Memory Area (UMA) in order to preserve conventional RAM for other DOS programs/games (if using any). This is possible only by loading a memory manager like EMM386.EXE, QEMM, NetRoom, 386MAX, UMBPCI.SYS etc in your Config.sys file. All DEVICE, DEVICEHIGH, INSTALL and/or INSTALLHIGH lines (if any) MUST follow the memory manager line(s) in Config.sys for proper operation. In this example MS EMM386 provides upper and expanded memory: - For MS Windows 9x: DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE I=B000-B7FF D=256 RAM AUTO - For MS-DOS 6.xx: DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE I=B000-B7FF D=256 RAM AUTO Change the path if different on your computer. Now add/modify your SET PROMPT= and SET WINPMT= lines in Autoexec.bat or Config.sys (the latter supports SET <VARIABLE> commands only in MS-DOS 6.00 and newer) to read something like this (example): SET PROMPT=[0;30;40mReal MS-DOS mode!$_$P$G SET WINPMT=[0;30;40mWindows DOS box!$_$P$G The first line is what you'll see as prompt message at the plain real/native MS-DOS mode, and the second takes care of the Windows DOS session/box prompt. This is possible by using the ANSI.SYS ACSII escape sequencies to force the background (screen) color to black (30) and the foreground (text) color also to black (40), thus making all text output unreadable. The Esc character () can be typed only in EDIT.COM, because Notepad does not support extended ASCII characters: hold down the Ctrl key and then tap simultaneously P and Esc until you see a left arrow. Save your work and reboot when done so the new prompts can take effect. 7. Windows 9x ONLY: read "SYSTEM RESTRICTIONS" in REGISTRY.TXT (included) to learn how to modify the "Disabled" and "NoRealMode" DWORD values under the Policies "WinOldApp" Registry subkey, to disable completely ALL MS-DOS Prompt modes/sessions (and more). 8. Windows/WfWG 3.xx ONLY: read "RESTRICTED ACCESS" in MYTIPS31.TXT, part of W31-11D.ZIP: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/31.htm to learn how to modify your PROGMAN.INI settings to disable completely ALL MS-DOS Prompt modes/sessions (and more). Voila. :) 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 [2.4 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 "SCREEN SAVER PASSWORD" in REGISTRY.TXT (included). 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 (if available). 9X/2000/NT/ME/XP/3.1X MULTIBOOT SWAP FILE [+] If you use and multi-boot among different versions of Microsoft Windows, which include: Windows NT/2000/XP/2003, Windows 95/98/ME and/or Windows/WfWG 3.10/3.11, you are probably wasting tons of disk space, because each of these Windows releases uses different names and locations for their swap file: - Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 uses PAGEFILE.SYS as its permanent page file, located by default in your WinNT/2000/XP/2003 drive/partition root folder. - Windows 95/98/ME uses WIN386.SWP as its permanent swap file, located by default in your Win9x/ME folder. - Windows/WfWG 3.1x 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/XP/2003: start Control Panel -> System -> Advanced -> Performance -> Advanced (WinXP/2003 only) -> Change Virtual Memory -> Specify Pagefile settings -> select IDENTICAL Maximum and Minimum sizes, and change its location to point to your fastest FAT16 (or FAT32) drive/partition. You can also do this by modifying the Registry. Run Regedt32 and go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management Look (or create if not present) in the right hand pane for the "PagingFiles" MultiString Value [REG_MULTI_SZ]. Edit it with a right-click, and give it these values: 80 80 to match the ones from Windows 9x/ME/3.1x System.ini (see example below). 2. Reboot into Windows 9x/ME. 3. In Windows 9x/ME: 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/XP/2003, and change the swap file location to the SAME FAT16 (or FAT32) disk/partition you selected for WinNT/2000/XP/2003. Don't reboot Windows 9x/ME when prompted! Click No or press Esc at the prompt dialog box. 4. Open the Windows 9x/ME 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/ME 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 3.1x 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/ME 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. FYI: - 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/ME do not support NTFS, and WinNT doesn't support FAT32! Win2000/XP/2003 are the ONLY Microsoft OSes (to date) that support ALL these file systems. - Read "SWAP FILE - Part 1" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for details on dual-booting Win9x/ME and Win31 using the same swap file. - Read these topics: "SWAP FILE - Part 2" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) and "FIXED SWAP FILE" in TIPS95.TXT (included) for details on optimizing your Win9x/ME swap file. - MS Win2000: "Change the size of the virtual memory paging file": http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/en/server/help/sysdm_advancd_perform_change_vmpagefile.htm - MS Win2000: "Multibooting with Windows 2000 and Windows XP": http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/administration/management/mltiboot.asp - MSKB: "Multi-Boot Windows NT/2000/XP, Windows 95/98/ME + MS-DOS": http://support.microsoft.com/?id=217210 REPLACE SYSTEM FONT There is a way to replace the default MS Sans Serif system font that appears in text dialog boxes, pop up windows, shortcuts, Windows apps etc, and that canNOT normally be changed. This is how to do it, step by step: 1. Shell out (or reboot) to the native MS-DOS mode [as detailed in "MS-DOS PROMPT" from MYTIPS95.TXT (this file)] -> run the command below to move the two MS Sans Serif font files (SSERIFE.FON and SSERIFF.FON) to another folder (NOT in your path: I suggest C:\Windows\Config): MOVE C:\WINDOWS\FONTS\SSERIF*.FON C:\WINDOWS\CONFIG I used here the default Win9x drive letter and folder name: C:\Windows. Substitute them if different on your computer. 2. (Re)start Windows by typing WIN and pressing Enter. 3. Edit your WIN.INI file (located in your Windows directory) with Notepad or Sysedit, but BACK IT UP FIRST! Scroll down to the [FontSubstitutes] header, and add a new line right underneath this section name (example): MS Sans Serif=Arial You can replace the Arial font here with ANY other font installed on your system. There are two types of fonts you can use: - .FON = raster/display/printer/Terminal/DOS box font (not scalable) - .TTF = True Type Font (scalable) To see the complete list of installed fonts: open Control Panel -> (double)-click on Fonts -> (double)-click on the one you want -> remember its name as shown in the window title -> type its name into the new WIN.INI line you just created above after the equal sign -> save your file. 4. Restart Windows so the change can take effect. 5. Have fun. WINBOOT.INI [+] WINBOOT.INI is a temporary file created by the Windows 9x/ME installation process, and by default should be deleted from your system at the end of a successful Windows Setup. In some cases (buggy/unfinished installations), Winboot.ini can still be found in the root folder of your boot drive (C:\). Winboot.ini is the equivalent of MSDOS.SYS (Win9x/ME C:\ root system file), is not necessary for proper operation, and usually contains the same sections and settings as its sibling. The nice part is that Windows 95/98/ME bootup routine looks FIRST for (and processes ONLY) Winboot.ini in the root folder of your boot drive/partition (default is C:\), BEFORE searching for Msdos.sys, which is NOT processed anymore IF Winboot.ini is found. Therefore to speed up the OS boot routine by a second or more (depending on your CPU clock speed), create a new Winboot.ini file in C:\ root, and you will notice a shorter delay next time you boot up. To make this happen, run these commands from any DOS prompt (the 3rd line is optional): ATTRIB -H -R -S C:\MSDOS.SYS COPY C:\MSDOS.SYS C:\WINBOOT.INI ATTRIB +H +R +S C:\MSDOS.SYS Now reboot. Once Winboot.ini is created you can even delete Msdos.sys, but BACK IT UP FIRST! Better, use SYS95.BAT (included), which takes care of all necessary Msdos.sys and Winboot.ini editing chores with a simple mouse (double)-click [:)]: opens Msdos.sys with Notepad in Windows (you only need to make desired changes), and then copies Msdos.sys as Winboot.ini, in order to maintain all boot settings "synchronized" in both these files. SYS95.BAT can do the same from native/real MS-DOS mode, using EDIT.COM for editing. Thus the mere presence of Winboot.ini in C:\ root can "shave off" 1-2 seconds from your bootup sequence. :) Winboot.ini, unlike the other Win9x/ME system files from the root folder of the boot drive/partition, is not renamed if you also dual-boot using your old MS-DOS 6.xx (using the "Previous version of MS-DOS" option from the Windows 95/98 Startup Menu), because it does NOT have a correspondent into the MS-DOS 6.xx system files. Also, certain 3rd party programs may "choke" [and eventually issue error messages :(] if Msdos.sys is NOT found in C:\ root. That's why you need to keep Msdos.sys, even if also using Winboot.ini. And from now on, if you want to tweak the Win9x/ME bootup process, you can edit Winboot.ini in the same manner you would Msdos.sys. See "COMPLETE MSDOS.SYS REFERENCE" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for details. WIN.INI DIRECTX + VIDEO SETTINGS [+] If you have installed (and I STRONGLY recommend you do too!) the current Microsoft DirectX APIs + Drivers [free]: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/downloads/ on your Windows 9x/ME machine, I have a few tweaks 4 ya to enable some hidden DX features. MS DirectX 5.0 or newer (current DX release is 9.0a) is required, and they work on ALL Windows 95, 98 and ME systems, but... BACKUP YOUR SYSTEM FILES BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES! Ready? Alrighty then: 1. WIN.INI is a Windows 9x/ME/3.xx INItialization file, residing in your main Windows folder (%windir% = default C:\WINDOWS), and can be edited with Notepad/Sysedit in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS. Note that all *.INI entries are case insensitive. Here they are: [Direct3D] debug=0 [DirectDraw] debug=0 nohwblt=0 nohwtrans=0 nohwfill=0 [DirectPlay] BreakOnAssert=0 debug=0 [Debug] DMBAND=0 DMCOMPOS=0 DMIME=0 DMLOADER=0 DMUSIC=0 DMSTYLE=0 DMSYNTH=0 DINPUT=0x00 Some of these settings can be enabled/disabled also by using the DirectX Diagnostic Tool (DxDiag.exe, located in C:\Windows\System), bundled with MS DX6 and all newer versions. Most of these lines are used (if set to 1) for debugging purposes if DirectX (5.0 up to 9.0a) seems to cause GPFs (General Protection Faults), errors, lockups etc, by creating Debug.txt files, which can be sent to Microsoft support (e.g. via e-mail), together with the user's hardware/OS specs, for troubleshooting. In normal conditions it is recommended to set them all to 0, to allow MAXimum speed with all DirectX 3D apps and games, ONLY IF DirectX works properly on your Win95/98/ME machine. Most of them are NOT set to 0 by default [surprise! :)] if NOT present in Win.ini as listed above, and these default settings attract DirectX apps/games slowdown, which is unacceptable in my book. :) Therefore it is STRONGLY recommended to turn them all OFF: make sure all lines under the [Debug] section are set to 0, which disables the DX error logging ("debugging") mode. Though to create Debug.txt files, one also needs to download the separate DXInfo.exe, DXBug.exe, DXTool.exe + Directx.cpl tools, as part of Microsoft DirectX 9.0 SDK (Software Developers Kit) [222 MB, free]: http://download.microsoft.com/download/8/0/e/80ebbf72-fc51-4799-a2f4-7fcca37b8bb3/dx9sdk.exe Grab the "forbidden" DX 5/6/7/8/9 Control Panel applets (CPLs) [196 KB, free, right-click to save!]: http://www.freewebz.com/firecat/archive/dx_cpc.zip One disadvantage is that for example DXBug also creates the Dxbug.ini (unencoded, plain text) file, which contains personal user info: name, company, address, email etc. [Talk about privacy!] To my knowledge "BreakOnAssert" can be set to 1 to improve gameplay (game controller response) over the internet/network/LAN in multiplayer environment with 3D intensive games like Quake, Unreal Tournament etc. I know Quake and UT use OpenGL APIs for graphics rendering, but all newer 3D games (including Quake II and Quake III Arena) use the DirectPlay component of DX anyway for joysticks, wheels, throttles etc for direct access at hardware level, and DirectSound for direct hardware access to the sound card. The only Win9x/ME tweaking tool I know of that handles most of these DX settings is DirectControl [111 KB, freeware]: http://ftp2.nchu.edu.tw/Yesterday/hardware/setupdcontrol.exe 2. Speaking about Win.ini... 3dfx Banshee 2D+3D video card owners (especially the ones manufactured by Creative Labs) might benefit from adding these lines to Win.ini, to tweak the RGB (Red Green Blue) gamma settings to their heart content, to brighten up the display for all 2D+3D programs, including the Windows desktop GUI: [3dfx] SSTH3_RGAMMA=1.5 SSTH3_BGAMMA=1.5 SSTH3_GGAMMA=1.5 These are the recommended values for most users, if the screen appears too dark in 3D (Glide 3dfx) games/apps. Minimum - maximum RGB gamma values = 1.0 - 4.0. Each color can be changed individually, but "normal" (color calibrated) screen output is obtained by synchronizing all sliders (R, G and B) at the same level. 3. Add (if not present) a new section to your System.ini, named [Display] and these lines beneath it (example), to speed up all Windows screen (re)draws, and enhance video quality and resolution, especially in 32 (24) bit true (16 million) color modes: [Display] BlockWrite=1 DDC=1 Five6Five=1 DevBmp=0 VAD=1 OutEngine=1 SwCursor=0 Mmio=1 RefreshRate=xxx System.ini is the other "vital" Windows 9x/ME/3.xx initialization file, found also in your Windows folder, and can be also edited using Notepad or Sysedit in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS. Some of these settings are specific only to ATI and/or 3dfx video chipsets, but some can be also used on most other video accelerator brands to improve graphics performance. Try to see if they make any difference with your video board: MEANING: - BlockWrite=1 speeds up video to memory writes. - DDC=1 turns on the Display Data Channel on older (2D only) graphics boards. - Five6Five=1 forces the 5-6-5 mode in 16-bit resolution (65k colors), even if it is disabled by default on some controllers (i.e. older ATI chipsets). ATI cards are known to work better with DevBmp=0 (turns off DeviceBitmap). - VAD=1 turns on the external VGA feature connector on ATI cards, if hooked up to an MPEG, video capture or TV card. - RefreshRate=85 (85 Hz in this example) must match its Registry "twin", the "RefreshRate"="85" String Value, found under this key (as shown by Regedit): HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\Display\0000\DEFAULT The 0000 subkey can be 0001, 0002 etc, depending of your video driver location. Together these two settings force Windows to use a predefined vertical refresh rate (also known as vertical frequency), measured in Hertz (abbreviated as Hz). This allows fluorescent multi-scan CRT monitors, able to change screen resolutions, color depths and refresh rates on the fly, to take advantage of higher frequencies built into their cathode tubes, thus avoiding eye strain caused by flicker. Brief explanation: most human eyes can perceive [and can get irritated by :(] lower refresh rates (60, 70, and even 75 Hz) produced by the time interval necessary for each video/TV/monitor/kinescope/oscilloscope/etc electron beam (spot) to complete an entire horizontal sweep of the screen, from top to bottom. Windows 95/OSR1 use mainly the System.ini line, and Windows OSR2/98/ME use exclusively the Registry entry. If you experience video errors/lockups after adding these lines to your System.ini, disable them by replacing 1 with 0, or just remark them by typing a semicolon (;) in front of them. Note that ANY System.ini changes require a Windows restart to take effect. 4. Open Control Panel -> System applet -> Performance tab -> Graphics button -> drag the "Hardware acceleration" slider all the way to the right (to "Full") -> click OK/Apply -> finally reboot, to take advantage of all these video settings. But in the rare cases your video controller freezes up on the "Full" position, drag the slider back one notch to the left for more reliability, at the expense of using fewer accelerator functions (slower video performance). The default Windows 95/98/ME Graphics setting is "Full", which turns on all available graphics hardware acceleration features built into the display driver. That's why it is VERY IMPORTANT to ALWAYS install the available CURRENT (most recent) set of video drivers for your particular video controller, to take advantage of enhanced/added functions, and eventually of the patches for bugs plaguing previous driver releases. A. The first notch to the left corrects eventual mouse pointer issues (disables hardware cursor support) by adding the "SwCursor=1" line (switches to Software Cursor) under the [Display] section of System.ini, and this String value (Windows 98/ME ONLY) under the Registry key below (you can access by running Regedit): HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Config\0000\Display\Settings "SwCursor"="1" Note that 0000 might show as 0001, 0002 etc... in your Registry, depending on the specific key name your video driver is installed under. B. The second notch can correct certain display errors (disables bit block transfers to and from the video card and disables memory mapped I/O for some display drivers) by adding the "SwCursor=1" and "Mmio=0" lines under the [Display] section of System.ini, the "SafeMode=1" line under the [Windows] section of Win.ini, and these String values (Windows 98/ME ONLY) under the Registry key below: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Config\0000\Display\Settings "SwCursor"="1" "Mmio"="0" C. The third [and last :)] notch ("None") can correct severe hardware issues (i.e. the machine often stops responding to input) by adding the "SafeMode=2" line under the [Windows] section of Win.ini. This removes ALL driver hardware acceleration support, forcing Windows to use only the Device Independent Bitmap (DIB) engine rather than bit block transfers for displaying images. The "None" setting usually corrects IPF (Invalid Page Fault) error messages like: "Program X caused an invalid page fault in module UNKNOWN" that pop up upon system startup, indicating a problem between the display driver and the Windows software based DIB engine. FYI: - More info @ MS TechNet: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/win98/reskit/part5/wrkc26.asp - See "DIRECTX TWEAKS" in REGISTRY.TXT (included) for more DirectX settings. - See "SYSTEM.INI TWEAKS" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) to learn how to boost your system, communications, disk, cache, DMA, keyboard etc performance to the MAX. And of course you can use Dxdiag.exe (see above) to enable the DirectX 3D video Hardware Acceleration Layer (HAL). Though in some situations (i.e. buggy video drivers) you may want to disable HAL for slower but more stable operation, especially if you own an older (i.e. 2D only and/or ISA based) video controller. BTW: ALWAYS upgrade your video drivers to their current release from your video board vendor or chipset manufacturer web site, and try to avoid using the generic (usually older, and lacking enhanced/custom features) drivers included with your Windows 9x/ME installation disk(s). SCANDSKW HIDDEN SWITCHES [+] I finally [:)] decided to list here all hidden (some are NOT even documented!) Windows 95/98/ME ScanDisk (Scandskw.exe, located in your main Win9x/ME folder) command line parameters, you can type in when you scan your fixed drives/partitions for errors and repair them (if any), by opening the Run box from the Start menu. Valid syntax (multiple switches are accepted on a single command line): SCANDSKW [drive1: drive2: etc...] [/ALLFIXEDDISKS] [/NONINTERACTIVE] [/OLDFS] [/PREVIEW] [/SAGERUN:x] [/SAGESET:x] [/SILENT] - SCANDSKW drive1: drive2: etc... = Specify drive/partition letter(s) to scan. - SCANDSKW /A (ALL or ALLFIXEDDISKS) = Checks and repairs ALL fixed (hard) disks/partitions. - SCANDSKW /N (NONINTERACTIVE) = Starts and ends unattended without prompting for parameters. Summary screens are displayed. - SCANDSKW /O (OLDFS) = Converts ALL Windows LFNs (Long File Names) on target disk(s)/partition(s) to MS-DOS style 8.3 SFNs (Short File Names). *VERY DANGEROUS* = ALL folder AND file LFNs will be IRREVERSIBLY LOST !!! - SCANDSKW /P (PREVIEW) = Preview mode: scans, but makes NO changes to target disk(s)/partition(s). - SCANDSKW /SAGERUN:x = Starts and ends unattended using System Agent (Task Scheduler) settings from the SETn Registry key, where n = 0 - 50: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Scandisk for Windows\Setn - SCANDSKW /SAGESET:x = Displays System Agent (Task Scheduler) Settings dialog box and saves them under the SETn Registry key, where n = 0 - 50: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Scandisk for Windows\Setn - SCANDSKW /SILENT = Does NOT allow ANY command line parameters. Summary screens are NOT displayed. Registry keys used by Scandskw.exe: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Check Drive HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Check Drive\LastCheck HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Check Drive\LastSurfaceAnalysis HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Check Drive HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Check Drive Registry keys used by Scandskw.exe + Task Scheduler (System Agent): HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Scandisk for Windows HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Scandisk for Windows\Setn HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Scandisk for Windows\Result Codes System Agent also saves these settings in Schedlog.txt (located in %windir%, usually C:\Windows). More Scandisk + Scandskw info: http://www.mvps.org/serenitymacros/winprogs.html FYI: See also these topics (all included) for more ScanDisk issues: - "UNATTENDED DEFRAG/SCANDISK" in MYTIPS95.TXT [all Win9x users], - "START ME UP!" in TIPS95.TXT [all Win9x users], - "FREE SPACE BUG!" in TIPS98.TXT [only Win98/ME users] and - "NEW SCANDISK OPTION" IN TIPS98.TXT [only Win98/ME users]. PLAY DOS GAMES WITH SOUND BLASTER LIVE! [+] Do you use Windows 95 or 98? Do you own a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! PCI card? http://www.soundblaster.com/products/sblive/ Do you still play DOS based games that require native MS-DOS mode? If you answered YES to all these questions, you're in for a treat. :) First, to learn how to boot directly to native MS-DOS to play your favorite games, see "2 DOS OR NOT 2 DOS" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file). These are the necessary steps to successfully play your old DOS games that require native/true/real MS-DOS mode (and canNOT be run from a Win9x DOS box/session!) with sound enabled: It is known that the SB Live! cards (ANY flavor: Full, Value, OEM/1024, X-Gamer, MP3, Platinum etc) provide only SB16 FM synthesis emulation support in all DOS modes. This means you won't be able to play any fancy Wavetable or Extended MIDI sequences, only basic sounds, and eventually CD audio, if your software can emulate it. :( If you're a DOS die-hard fan [like I am :)], there is an alternative solution to this problem: get a Creative Labs Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold ISA card: http://www.crus.com/hardware/specs/multimedia/ljud2.html [that is if your motherboard has any ISA slots available :)], the best audio board for DOS applications/games, featuring full MIDI and Wavetable support in native MS-DOS. You can find this card for really cheap at popular internet vendor sites: http://castle.pricewatch.com/search/search.idq?qc=AWE64 If you do get one, and if this is your only ISA device in your computer, make sure you enable the "Passive Release" and "Delayed Transaction", and increase the "8-bit I/O Recovery" setting to maximum (usually 8) in your BIOS "Advanced Chipset Features" (or similar) Setup screen, to have your ISA card(s) perform without a hitch together with all your PCI devices. This is necessary because the PCI clock frequency is much faster (33 MHz) than the ISA counterpart (16 MHz), and it has to be forced to wait longer (more clock cycles) for the ISA device(s) to "catch up". Otherwise you may experience sudden machine lockups. If enabled, these settings will slow down the overall system speed a bit, but your PC will run more reliably. The BIOS configuration above applies to Abit BE6-II mobos: http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/products.php?model=119 If you have an Abit BH6 mainboard: http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/products.php?model=98 these settings are found under the "Chipset Features Setup" BIOS menu. On all Abit mobos press the Del key to access BIOS Setup when the AWARD POST (Power On Self Test) display appears. If you do NOT have any ISA devices installed in your computer (all your mobo's ISA slots are empty or your mainboard does not have any ISA slots), it is highly recommended to disable/decrease to minimum these BIOS settings, to gain maximum performance on all PCI/AGP based PCs! If you'd like to avoid "messing" with your BIOS Setup altogether, you can do this the "easy" way. :) Get TweakBIOS for DOS [freeware and $20 registered versions available]: http://www.miro.pair.com/tweakbios/ the ultimate BIOS configuration tool, which fine tunes most hidden settings not available in BIOS Setup (use with CAUTION!) without rebooting. Back to SB Live!: By default, when you first install the Win9x Live! drivers from your CD, you will be asked to setup the "Creative SB16 emulation" for DOS programs. Answer "Yes" to let Setup enable DOS support. Then edit (using Notepad in Windows or EDIT in DOS) your Autoexec.bat file (found in C:\ root), or create one if it is not present, though this should not be necessary, because the SB Live! installation routine will create one for you, and will add these lines at the top (your paths may differ): SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E MODE:0 SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6 SET CTSYN=C:\WINDOWS C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\SBLIVE\DOSDRV\SBEINIT.COM in this EXACT order. The "SET <variable>" lines MUST appear BEFORE the SBEINIT line, because SBEINIT.COM uses these environment values to determine your SB Live! DOS hardware settings. Note that drive letter/directory name and/or hardware assignments [memory address: A220, interrupt line: I5, low/high DMA channel: D1/H5 etc] may be different on your computer, depending on your custom setup. This should get you started in some cases, but [there's always a "but" :)] there are a couple of things you need to do first, to ensure that SBEINIT initializes the card correctly upon boot. Edit (using Notepad in Windows or EDIT in DOS) your Config.sys file (found also in C:\ root), or create one if not present, to include these lines at the top: DOS=HIGH,UMB DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF /Q DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE I=B000-B7FF RAM D=256 AUTO Note that SBEINIT will NOT load without expanded memory (EMS) enabled by EMM386.EXE's "RAM" parameter! And make sure your EMM386.EXE command does NOT contain the "NOEMS" switch, because this disables EMS, and SBEINIT will abort! See this MSKB article for more details: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=229186 Do NOT try to use another 3rd party enhanced/expanded memory manager like QEMM, NetRoom, 386MAX etc. SBEINIT works ONLY with Microsoft's EMM386.EXE! :( Also, you need to load SBEINIT at the beginning of your Autoexec.bat, BEFORE ANY OTHER drivers/TSRs (especially SMARTDRV or RAM disks), because it uses a huge amount of free upper memory to initialize. SBEINIT takes about 5 KB of low (conventional) RAM after loading. SBEINIT canNOT load in upper memory (UMA), therefore you may NOT use the "LOADHIGH" ("LH" for short) command. If you do, your machine will freeze, and you will have to press the Reset button to reboot. :( UPDATES: * "I load SBEINIT high without problems on my machine (Asus P2L97-S mobo, Win98 OS), but as long as the SB Live! Windows drivers change these AUTOEXEC.BAT lines (typical examples): SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E MODE:0 SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6 SET CTSYN=C:\WINDOWS C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\SBLIVE\DOSDRV\SBEINIT.COM to force the emulation driver to load into low memory, we need a workaround. There are 2 ways of loading SBEINIT into upper memory: 1. Place all AUTOEXEC.BAT lines above in your CONFIG.SYS, and load SBEINIT using "INSTALLHIGH=" in your CONFIG.SYS (example): INSTALLHIGH=C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\SBLIVE\DOSDRV\SBEINIT.COM Then skip the (now useless) AUTOEXEC.BAT lines this way (starting with the 1st line at the top, which is usually "@ECHO OFF"): @ECHO OFF GOTO SKIPSBL SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E MODE:0 SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6 SET CTSYN=C:\WINDOWS C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\SBLIVE\DOSDRV\SBEINIT.COM :SKIPSBL etc... This is necessary because if using the "REM" or "::" commands to comment them out, the SB Live routine removes the comments every time when the Windows GUI loads, reenabling these lines. :( 2. If loading SBEINIT (as explained above) from CONFIG.SYS fails, try to use 4DOS (shareware COMMAND.COM replacement): http://www.4dos.com/ and load SBEINIT from 4START.BAT, or create a separate batch file which loads SBEINIT, and call this BATch from your AUTOEXEC.BAT (example): CALL C:\SBLIVE.BAT Both methods work on my system, and I get about 622 KB of free conventional RAM after booting, and before loading Windows, using the HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE releases shipped with Windows 98 (build 4.10.1998)." [Thank you ACiD StOUt (ACiDStOUt@Thunderdome.zzn.com)!] * "I haven't had any trouble loading SBEINIT.EXE in upper memory with EMS disabled (NOEMS). I had trouble running it with SmartDrive, though. :( I'm using Win95C OSR 2.5 with HIMEM.SYS + EMM386.EXE in Config.sys. IMPORTANT: You can stop AUTOEXEC.BAT and DOSSTART.BAT from being edited by SB Live! every time you boot by moving CTSYN16.DRV from C:\Windows\System or by renaming it. The sound card works fine in Windows, but I haven't tried in DOS yet." [Thank you Martin (spiny@lost.fsnet.co.uk)!] To tweak your SB16 emulation hardware settings to your liking (but make sure to avoid a hardware conflict if another device in your computer uses the same interrupt or DMA channel!), you can use SBESET.EXE, a DOS based configuration tool, also located in the same \DOSDRV subfolder. Run: SBESET /? from native MS-DOS to display all available parameters. To see all your free hardware resources (IRQ, DMA, Base Address etc) that can be safely used by SBESET, run (with Windows GUI started!): Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager tab -> double-click on Computer -> scroll through the IRQ, DMA, I/O and Memory resources lists -> write down the ones that appear NOT to be used by ANY hardware device -> exit Windows 9x to native MS-DOS [see "DOS NOW!" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file)] -> run SBESET with the appropriate switches to reflect one of your free Device Manager resources for each setting -> reboot into Windows -> reopen the resources lists -> check for ANY question or exclamation marks. If you find any, try different settings for SBESET until all conflicts are resolved. Then reboot one more time. You can also add a line for SBESET in your Autoexec.bat to keep these settings "alive" at all times. But BEWARE: if you later add new hardware to your machine that needs an IRQ, DMA channel, I/O and/or memory address to function, or for some reason you or your OS change(s) ANY hardware resources, you need to repeat ALL above steps afterwards, to ensure "smooth" operation. :) If using SBESET from Autoexec.bat, make sure the SBEINIT line appears AFTER the SBESET command, and BEFORE the SMARTDRV.EXE [see "OUTSMART SMARTDRIVE" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file)] and/or RAM Disk, i.e. XMSDSK.EXE/EMSDSK.EXE: http://www.uwe-sieber.de/files/xmsdsk.zip lines, if any! This is my Autoexec.bat SBESET line (example) which enables SB FM emulation and the use of joystick/flight-stick (connected to the SB Live! 16 pin joystick/MIDI port) in native MS-DOS mode for all my DOS based games: E:\LIVE\DOSDRV\SBESET.EXE -d0 -j1 -w0 -A220 -I5 -D1 -H5 -J200 -P330 All SBESET command line parameters are case sensitive. Any hardware assignments altered by SBESET require a reboot to take effect. If everything goes well, you should be able to enable sound and music in your favorite DOS games from now on, by choosing the appropriate sound card (try first Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster 16, SB16, AWE32 or similar) in your game's Setup/Options menu. Wrong sound board selection may lockup your game and most likely your computer too. :( BTW: If you'd like to have more than one boot choices, for example one for running Win9x GUI without EMM386.EXE, or with EMM386.EXE but without EMS enabled (only upper and extended memory support: add "NOEMS"), and another for playing native MS-DOS games (and eventually include the SB Live! lines detailed above), you can create multi-boot Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files. Take a look at mine (included) to learn how to do this. Have fun! REBOOT WITH DEBUG [+] This tip applies to ALL Windows 95/98 [a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.xx] and MS-DOS 6.xx users who want to reboot their PCs at the touch of a single key, and can be achieved ONLY from the native/true/real/pure MS-DOS mode prompt, NOT from a Windows DOS session/box/window. A. Necessary steps: 1. The DEBUG.EXE file must be present somewhere in your path, specified by the Config.sys "SET PATH=", or by the Autoexec.bat "PATH" statement. Typical examples: - MS Win9x + MS-DOS 7.xx: SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\;C:\STUFF;etc... - MS-DOS 6.xx: SET PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS;C:\STUFF;etc... Default DEBUG.EXE locations: - MS Win9x + MS-DOS 7.xx: in the C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND folder. - MS-DOS 6.xx: in the C:\DOS or C:\MSDOS directory. Change drive letters and/or directory names if different on your PC. Now create a DOS style BATch file (using Notepad in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS) to contain these lines (the DEBUG script is responsible for rebooting): @ECHO OFF MEM.EXE/C | FIND.EXE/I "vmm32">NUL IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO W3 IF ERRORLEVEL 0 GOTO NO :W3 MEM.EXE/C | FIND.EXE/I "win386">NUL IF NOT ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO NO ECHO G=FFFF:0000 | DEBUG.EXE :NO EXIT Call it for example REBOOT.BAT, and place it in a directory in your path (see above). The other lines are necessary to have REBOOT.BAT detect whether you're in a Windows DOS box/session (in which case the BATch will abort and return to Windows GUI), or in native/true MS-DOS (in which case the BATch will proceed to reboot your PC). Alternatively you can use DEBUG.EXE to create a small (6 Bytes) COM(mand) file I named BOOT.COM. For convenience you can paste the contents of this BATch file into Notepad, and save it as BOOTCOM.BAT (example): -----Begin cut & paste here----- @ECHO OFF C: CD\ ECHO N BOOT.COM >> BOOT.! ECHO E 0100 48 50 53 CB 0D 0A >> BOOT.! ECHO RCX >> BOOT.! ECHO 0006 >> BOOT.! ECHO W >> BOOT.! ECHO Q >> BOOT.! DEBUG < BOOT.! IF EXIST BOOT.! DEL BOOT.! EXIT ------End cut & paste here------ Then just run BOOT (created in this example in C:\ root) from the native/real/true MS-DOS mode to have your PC perform a "cold" reboot. No matter which of these rebooting methods you are going to use, if using a disk caching tool like MS SMARTDRV.EXE, it is VERY IMPORTANT to "flush" (dump) the memory cache buffer contents to the hard disk before rebooting, otherwise you may experience data loss! This is the necessary command line: SMARTDRV.EXE/C Of course, both these commands can be placed into a batch file you can call for example REBOOT.BAT: @ECHO OFF SMARTDRV.EXE/C BOOT.COM Place REBOOT.BAT into a directory listed in your PATH. To display your PATH line, just run this command from any DOS prompt: PATH NOTE: Certain motherboard/chipset/BIOS configurations may NOT allow using these DEBUG scripts. In such cases use the rebooting method described at paragraph B (see further below), ONLY IF running Windows 95 or 98. 2. The ANSI.SYS driver (found by default in the same directory as DEBUG.EXE) or similar [like NANSI.SYS or ANSI.COM = see "MS-DOS 5.00 - 8.00 ESSENTIALS" in SOFTWARE.TXT (included)] MUST be loaded from Config.sys. These examples use the default Microsoft extended/upper/expanded memory managers to load the ANSI device "high": - MS Win9x + MS-DOS 7.xx: DOS=HIGH,UMB DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF /Q DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE I=B000-B7FF NOEMS D=256 AUTO DEVICEHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\ANSI.SYS /X - MS-DOS 6.xx: DOS=HIGH,UMB DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF /Q DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE I=B000-B7FF RAM D=256 AUTO DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS /X To save extra conventional RAM (up to 629 KB!), and speed up your system's overall performance, you can use UMBPCI.SYS, the best freeware upper memory extender, compatible with most Pentium, Pentium Pro/II/III/IV/Celeron/Xeon, AMD/Cyrix CPUs and motherboard chipsets. See my "Complete UMBPCI.SYS Guide" for details: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/umb.htm Note that UMBPCI.SYS does NOT provide expanded memory (EMS). Examples using UMBPCI.SYS in combination with MS HIMEM.SYS to load the ANSI device in the Upper Memory Area (UMA): - MS Win9x + MS-DOS 7.xx: DOS=HIGH,UMB DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF /Q DEVICE=C:\UMBPCI\UMBPCI.SYS DEVICEHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\ANSI.SYS /X - MS-DOS 6.xx: DOS=HIGH,UMB DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF /Q DEVICE=C:\UMBPCI\UMBPCI.SYS DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS /X The "/X" ANSI.SYS command line parameter enables independent key remapping. 3. Create a plain text file with Notepad in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS, to include the ANSI escape sequences (also called ASCII codes) for key remapping. In this example the F12 key is remapped to reboot the computer by running REBOOT.BAT: Esc[0;134;"REBOOT";13p Name this file let's say REBOOT.TXT, or whatever you want, but keep the TXT extension. 4. Add this line (example) to your Autoexec.bat, before the WIN command (which starts the Windows GUI), if any: TYPE C:\REBOOT.TXT 5. From now on, all you need to do is hit F12, to instantly reboot your machine from the native MS-DOS prompt. 6. Done. :) FYI: See "F1-F12 Remapping = MS-DOS Mode + ANSI Driver" in DOSTIPS.TXT (included) for more details. B. Windows 95/OSR1/OSR2 and 98/98 SE users (this does NOT work with the Windows ME WIN.COM release!) can use the undocumented "/WX" WIN.COM switch for the same purpose. In this case, REBOOT.BAT would look like this: @ECHO OFF COMMAND\MEM.EXE/C | FIND.EXE/I "vmm32">NUL IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO NO IF ERRORLEVEL 0 GOTO OK :OK WIN.COM /WX :NO EXIT All other steps are identical (see paragraph A above). FYI: See "WIN.COM HIDDEN PARAMETERS" in SECRETS.TXT (included) for more details. URL PASSWORD [+] This trick applies to most internet sites that use server based HTML, DHTML, XML, CSS, Java(TM) or JavaScript(TM) password boxes to allow access to their members/subscribers/users, no matter what Operating System or web/ftp browser you are using. This may or may NOT work with sites that use Active Server Page (ASP) programming or other server side (proprietary) methods for access (i.e. PHP). Note that this won't let you view such restricted WWW pages/FTP sites IF you are NOT an authorized user, but will speed up the typing process. To bypass these [annoying :)] few extra steps: type in your URL, or go there using your Bookmarks (Netscape Navigator/Communicator users), your Favorites (MS Internet Explorer users), or your URL shortcuts splattered all over your Desktop [:)], and only after that type in your User ID [Name] and Password in the appropriate boxes, just do this... Add your User ID [Name] followed by a colon (:) and your Password followed by an at sign (@) as shown below in front of your target URL (Uniform Resource Locator), after the "http://" or "ftp://" prefix. This is only a generic example, it won't take you anywhere [:)]: http://username:password@www.!.com/restricted/ opposite to the "normal" URL: http://www.!.com/restricted/ Remember: passwords are ALWAYS case sensitive! 95/98/ME SETUP + MEMORY MANAGERS [+][*] Windows 95/98/ME in all their "incarnations", especially during installation (Setup), are very "allergic" to most 3rd party (proprietary), also called "386 enhanced" memory managers, used in the good old MS-DOS days to generate extra conventional (low) RAM by "cramming" as many devices/drivers/TSRs into upper memory (UMA) as possible, and provide at the same time extended (XMS) and expanded (EMS) memory, necessary for running various DOS based apps/games. If you are still using DOS programs that require expanded memory and/or oodles of conventional RAM, then you probably still need your old 3rd party memory manager loaded from customized CONFIG.SYS/AUTOEXEC.BAT lines. Though I recommend using the Microsoft HIMEM.SYS + EMM386.EXE "combo" instead (bundled with all MS-DOS 5.xx/6.xx and Windows 9x/ME releases), to ensure 100% compatibility with ALL your programs and MS OSes (dual-boot users). Suggested EMM386.EXE 4.95 CONFIG.SYS line (applies to ALL EMM386.EXE releases beginning with 4.45), which provides maximum free conventional DOS memory and optimal compatibility with Windows 9x/ME (EMS enabled by the RAM switch): DEVICE=drive:\directory\EMM386.EXE I=B000-B7FF RAM A=64 H=120 D=256 AUTO NOTR or with EMS disabled by the NOEMS switch: DEVICE=drive:\directory\EMM386.EXE I=B000-B7FF NOEMS A=64 H=120 D=256 AUTO NOTR Replace "drive:" with your drive letter and "directory" with the directory name where your file resides [and don't type the quotes :)]. Note however that Windows ME loads HIMEM.SYS from IO.SYS, therefore before CONFIG.SYS is processed, and a HIMEM.SYS line in CONFIG.SYS will generate an error message at bootup, like: "ERROR: An Extended Memory Manager is already installed." This also prevents most 3rd party memory managers (except UMBPCI.SYS) that rely on their own memory mapping routines from working properly with WinME. Also, some newer programs written specifically for WinME will NOT work with EMM386.EXE loaded from CONFIG.SYS, especially with expanded memory (EMS) enabled by the EMM386.EXE RAM switch. In such cases try to add the NOEMS parameter to your EMM386.EXE line in CONFIG.SYS (see example above), and then reboot. If that doesn't work, remove the EMM386.EXE line completely. :( See REGIONS.TXT, MEMORY.TXT + EMM386.TXT (all included) for complete memory management details. The purpose of this article is actually to tell you that you need to DISABLE ALL your CONFIG.SYS/AUTOEXEC.BAT lines that load/enable such memory managers/emulators and/or upper memory loaders, in order to install Windows 9x/ME smoothly WITHOUT lockups, over a previous OS: MS-DOS 6.xx or an earlier version of Windows 3.xx/95/OSR2/98. And you can always reenable them after Setup has successfully completed if using Windows 95, OSR2 or 98, but NOT Windows ME, because Microsoft REMOVED COMPLETELY the access to native/real MS-DOS mode from Windows Millennium Edition (ME), a.k.a. MS-DOS 8.00. :( But you CAN get it back by applying the Unofficial WinME Real DOS-Mode Patch [9 KB, freeware]: http://www.geocities.com/mfd4life_2000/ which modifies COMMAND.COM + IO.SYS (from C:\Windows\Command\EBD) + REGENV32.EXE (from C:\Windows\System) to allow Windows ME to boot to native MS-DOS and use DOS mode startup files (AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS), the Windows 95/98 style, to be able to use your (old) MS-DOS based apps/games that do NOT work from within a Windows DOS session/box, and tweak your CUSTOM AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS files to free MAXimum conventional DOS memory. :) To REMark (disable) a command line: add a semicolon (;) in CONFIG.SYS or a double colon (::) in AUTOEXEC.BAT in the front of the respective line. To reactivate (reenable) a REMarked command line: remove the semicolon (;) in CONFIG.SYS or the double colon (::) in AUTOEXEC.BAT from the front of the respective line. Create/edit the startup files (AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS = plain text/ASCII), located in C:\ root, with EDIT.COM in DOS or Notepad/Sysedit in Windows. To be able to Setup Windows 9x/ME without a "hitch" on your computer you also need to add a line for HIMEM.SYS (the basic high and extended memory manager included with all Windows 9x/ME releases and MS-DOS 5.xx/6.xx) at the beginning of your CONFIG.SYS file (example): DEVICE=drive:\directory\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF HIMEM.SYS 3.10 is included with MS-DOS 6.xx (6.00 up to 6.22). HIMEM.SYS 3.95 is included with Windows 95/98 (a.k.a. MS-DOS 7.00/7.10). HIMEM.SYS 3.99 is included with Windows ME (a.k.a. MS-DOS 8.00), and is loaded automatically from IO.SYS, rendering the CONFIG.SYS HIMEM.SYS line obsolete. To install Windows 9x/ME from the plain MS-DOS command prompt you need to: 1. Enable your CD (Compact Disc): CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW etc... drive in native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode (presuming you have only 1 CD drive installed): A. Add a line into CONFIG.SYS for your CD DOS mode driver if not already present (examples): * IDE/ATAPI CD drive ("universal" IDE CD driver): DEVICEHIGH=drive:\directory\VIDE-CDD.SYS /D:MYCDROM Get VIDE-CDD.SYS 2.14 [176 KB, free]: http://www.benq.com/ss_download/drivers/storage/cd-rom/drivers/dos/apicd214.exe See "CD-ROM DRIVERS 4 DOS" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for details. * SCSI CD drive (typical SCSI CD drivers): DEVICEHIGH=drive:\directory\ASPIDOS.SYS and/or: DEVICEHIGH=drive:\directory\ASPIHLP.SYS and: DEVICEHIGH=drive:\directory\ASPICD.SYS /D:MYCDROM Note that all Windows 98/ME releases can create bootable floppy diskettes with CD support. B. Add a line into AUTOEXEC.BAT for MSCDEX (native MS-DOS mode MicroSoft Compact Disc eXtensions) driver if not already present (example): LH drive:\directory\MSCDEX /D:MYCDROM Note that the CD drive name on the CONFIG.SYS driver line (MYCDROM above) MUST MATCH EXACTLY the CD drive name on the AUTOEXEC.BAT MSCDEX line: maximum 11 characters allowed, case insensitive, special/punctuation symbols or spaces NOT allowed! Reboot when done. 2. Eventually (to decrease considerably installation time) copy all files from D:\WIN9*\*.* (where D is your CD drive letter; replace if different) to your fixed hard drive/partition if you have enough unused disk space (~ 200-300 MB) to hold them: run CHKDSK or DIR from any DOS prompt, and look at the number of available/free bytes. Then run Windows SETUP from there. Typical installation files directory names on Setup CDs: - Windows 95/OSR2 -> \WIN95 - Windows 98/98 SE -> \WIN98 - Windows ME -> \WIN9X Microsoft has determined that the following 3rd party memory managers are incompatible and/or cause problems/lockups with Windows 95/98/ME Setup, when a previous command line based OS (like MS-DOS, DR-DOS, PC-DOS, FreeDOS etc) is already installed: - All Charge memory manager 3.xx: ALLEMM4.SYS. - Compaq memory managers: CEMM386.SYS. - Hewlett Packard (HP) memory managers: HPEMM386.SYS, HPEMM486.SYS, HPMM.SYS. - Intel memory managers/expanded memory emulators: IEMM.SYS, ILIM386.SYS. - Maximizer memory manager: MAXIMIZE.EXE. - Network Associates (formerly Helix) NetRoom memory manager 2.xx: RM386.SYS. RM386.EXE 3.04 (current release) is compatible with Windows 9x/ME. If using Helix NetRoom 3.xx memory manager (RM386.EXE) you MUST disable CACHECLK.EXE, STACKS.EXE + SETCFG.EXE from your CONFIG.SYS/AUTOEXEC.BAT. Remove ALL SysCloak/VidCloak switches from your CONFIG.SYS RM386.EXE line. You MUST disable ALL SYSCLOAK.EXE, SYSCLOAK.SYS, VIDCLOAK.SYS + XLOAD.SYS lines from your CONFIG.SYS/AUTOEXEC.BAT. Refer to your NetRoom tech manuals (usually residing in the NetRoom directory) for further details. Suggested RM386.EXE 3.04 CONFIG.SYS line (applies to ALL NetRoom releases beginning with 3.00), which provides maximum free conventional DOS memory and optimal compatibility with Windows 9x/ME (SysCloak/VidCloak disabled!): DEVICE=drive:\directory\RM386.EXE X=F000-FFFF I=B000-B7FF AUTO H=128 NMION NOT NOTR Tweak your startup files manually by "shuffling" devices/drivers/TSRs loading order until you reach the best memory configuration for your system/needs, and avoid using the limited NetRoom Customiz tool, which may produce errors under certain circumstances. You also need to add/modify these SYSTEM.INI (found in your Windows directory) lines under the [386enh] section to allow Windows to load properly with NetRoom: [386enh] EMMExclude=A000-FFFF DualDisplay=ON Edit SYSTEM.INI with Notepad or Sysedit, and make your changes ONLY AFTER BACKING IT UP! Restart Windows so your changes can take effect. Owners of older versions can upgrade (usually for a fee) to the current release by contacting Network Associates: http://www.nai.com/ - Symantec (formerly Quarterdeck) QEMM 5.xx/6.xx/7.xx/8.xx: QEMM386.SYS. QEMM386.SYS 9.00 (current release) is compatible with Windows 9x/ME. These drivers/loaders are automatically removed by Windows Setup from CONFIG.SYS: DOSDATA.SYS, DOS-UP.SYS, ST-DBL.SYS, ST-DSPC.SYS. Remove ALL Stealth switches, turn off QuickBoot and QSetup from your CONFIG.SYS QEMM386.SYS line. Beware that DOSDATA.SYS and DOS-UP.SYS interfere with Windows 9x/ME proper operation and with the dual boot feature, forcing a Windows reboot even if the "Previous version of MS-DOS" option is selected from the Windows 95/98 Startup Menu: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/msdos.htm#MEN Therefore you need to remove these 2 QEMM drivers from your CONFIG.DOS and/or CONFIG.SYS files if using dual boot. Refer to your QEMM tech manuals (usually residing in the Technotes QEMM subdirectory) for further details. Suggested QEMM386.SYS 9.00 CONFIG.SYS line (applies to ALL QEMM releases beginning with 7.00), which provides maximum free conventional DOS memory and optimal compatibility with Windows 9x/ME (Stealth disabled!): DEVICE=drive:\directory\QEMM386.SYS X=F000-FFFF I=B000-B7FF RAM AU BE:N DM=128 HA=240 MA=128 TA=32 Tweak your startup files manually by "shuffling" devices/drivers/TSRs loading order until you reach the best memory configuration for your system/needs, and avoid using the limited QEMM Optimize tool, which may produce errors under certain circumstances. You also need to add/modify these SYSTEM.INI (found in your Windows directory) lines under the [386enh] section to allow Windows to load properly with QEMM: [386enh] EMMExclude=A000-FFFF DualDisplay=ON Edit SYSTEM.INI with Notepad or Sysedit, and make your changes ONLY AFTER BACKING IT UP! Restart Windows so your changes can take effect. Owners of older versions can upgrade (usually for a fee) to the current release by contacting Symantec: http://www.symantec.com/ - QMAPS memory manager 5.xx: QMAPS386.SYS. - Qualitas/IBM 386Max/BlueMax memory managers 5.xx/6.xx/7.xx: 386MAX.SYS or BLUEMAX.SYS. These drivers/loaders are automatically removed by Windows Setup from CONFIG.SYS: EXTRADOS.MAX, EXTRADOS.PRO. Edit your 386MAX.PRO file (residing in your 386MAX/BLUEMAX directory) and delete ALL lines starting with PRGREG, HPDAREG, STACKREG. You need to set the EXT parameter on your 386MAX CONFIG.SYS line to 64 because Windows 9x/ME Setup fails with any other EXT values. Refer to your 386MAX/BLUEMAX tech manuals for further details. I have no experience with 386MAX/BLUEMAX, therefore I have no suggested CONFIG.SYS line. :( 386MAX and BLUEMAX 7.02 and newer are compatible with Windows 9x/ME. Owners of older versions can upgrade (usually free of charge) to the current releases by contacting Qualitas: http://www.qualitas.com/download.htm Qualitas 386MAX Updates + Patches (free for owners): ftp://ftp.qualitas.com/pub/binaries/max/ - UMB PRO 1.xx: UMBPRO.SYS. FYI: Open PROGRAMS.TXT (found in your Win9x/ME folder) with Notepad and read the "THIRD-PARTY MEMORY MANAGERS" section for more info. ... And now for the good news: ;) I [and many others :)] have determined that the following 3rd party memory manager is COMPATIBLE with most Windows 95/98/ME configurations, even during Setup! This is true if you have another OS already installed, but ONLY IF using MS-DOS 6.xx or Windows 3.xx/95/OSR1/OSR2/98 as previous OS! BTW: MS-DOS 6.xx can be kept "alive" after installing Windows 9x/ME for dual booting purposes. See "DUAL BOOT" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) for details. Just make sure to BACKUP your startup files BEFORE "unleashing" the Win9x/ME Setup on your computer, because some lines will be erased/disabled during installation, or even worse: your AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS files will be DELETED ENTIRELY when setting up WinME! :( In this case just apply the unofficial WinME Real DOS-Mode Patch: http://www.geocities.com/mfd4life_2000/ afterwards, to regain control of native MS-DOS mode, and be able to use startup files. ... And the "winner" is: - Uwe Sieber's UMBPCI.SYS upper memory extender (freeware, the BEST in my opinion): http://members.aol.com/axcel216/umb.htm using Microsoft HIMEM.SYS high/extended memory manager to provide Upper Memory Blocks (UMBs), enabled by this CONFIG.SYS line: DOS=UMB which needs to appear BEFORE the UMBPCI.SYS line. UMBPCI.SYS can be used safely with ANY Windows 95/98/ME release, ALL Intel Pentium/Pro/II/III/IV/Celeron/Xeon CPUs and most AMD/Cyrix CPUs to load everything in the UMBs, but ONLY IF your motherboard chipset is supported. See the list of CPUs + chipsets supported by UMBPCI: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/umb.htm#REQ UMBPCI.SYS allows a maximum of 629 KB free low RAM, with everything loaded "high", proving also to be the FASTEST memory manager by leaving the X86 CPU (Intel/AMD/Cyrix) in "real mode". All other "enhanced" memory managers (including Microsoft EMM386.EXE, Quarterdeck QEMM386.SYS, Helix RM386.EXE, Qualitas 386MAX.SYS etc...) place the CPU into "protected mode", which is much slower. Suggested UMBPCI.SYS CONFIG.SYS line, presuming the C800-EFFF upper memory region is NOT occupied by IDE/ROM/SCSI/Video BIOS on your system (even if supported, in most situations UMBPCI doesn't need command line parameters): DEVICE=drive:\directory\UMBPCI.SYS IMPORTANT: If using Microsoft SmartDrive (SMARTDRV.EXE) to cache your drives in native MS-DOS, and if your motherboard chipset doesn't allow ISA DMA shadowing in the UMBs, make sure to disable floppy cache for ALL your floppy drives on your SMARTDRV AUTOEXEC.BAT line (example with 2 floppy drives and 1 hard disk in single partition): SMARTDRV 4096 16 A- B- C+ See this UMBPCI guide for more details: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/umb.htm#RES Consider also loading LOWDMA.SYS in conventional RAM (canNOT load in upper memory!) from CONFIG.SYS: DEVICE=drive:\directory\LOWDMA.SYS to avoid ISA DMA errors/lockups with SMARTDRV in native MS-DOS mode. LOWDMA.SYS is part of the free DOSLFN package [118 KB]: http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/hs_freeware/freew.html Moreover, if using Windows 95, OSR1, OSR2 or 98 you can take advantage of HIRAM.EXE v1.9 (freeware): http://members.aol.com/axcel216/umb.htm#HIR which allows UMBPCI.SYS to load HIMEM.SYS in upper memory, thus freeing the last byte of conventional DOS RAM. :) LIMITATION: HIRAM does NOT work with Windows ME because HIMEM.SYS loads automatically in conventional memory from IO.SYS at boot time BEFORE CONFIG.SYS is processed. :( To successfully load HIMEM.SYS in UMA, you need these CONFIG.SYS lines in this EXACT order: DOS=HIGH,UMB DEVICE=drive:\directory\UMBPCI.SYS DEVICE=drive:\directory\HIRAM.EXE DEVICEHIGH=drive:\directory\HIMEM.SYS The ONLY disadvantage is that UMBPCI.SYS does NOT provide expanded memory (EMS). But according to Uwe Sieber's guidelines, you can enable EMS in a DOS session/box under the Windows GUI (IF ANY of your native/real MS-DOS mode apps/games need EMS), by adding/changing this SYSTEM.INI (found in your Windows directory) line under the [386enh] section (edit SYSTEM.INI with Notepad or Sysedit): [386enh] EMMPageFrame=C800 provided the C800-D7FF upper memory area is CONTIGUOUS AND FREE when Windows loads. Also make sure NO OTHER expanded/extended manager loads from your CONFIG.SYS EXCEPT HIMEM.SYS, because UMBPCI.SYS is an extension to HIMEM.SYS. Want more proof? Take a look at my Windows 98 SE memory configuration in DOS9XMEM.TXT + WIN9XMEM.TXT and my startup files: AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS (all included), I also use for Windows ME. The only difference is HIRAM canNOT be used with WinME, thus forcing HIMEM.SYS to load in conventional RAM. :( Have fun! MS IE 5.5 SP2 + 6.0 FIX [UPDATED 9-10-2002] [+] As you may [or may not :)] know, Microsoft released on September 9th 2002 yet another MS IE upgrade, Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 Final [build 6.00.2800.1106] 32-bit for Windows 98/NT4/2000/ME/XP: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/evaluation/ie6sp1.asp MS IE 6.0 SP1 Features: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/evaluation/features/ See also my "INTERNET EXPLORER (IE) 4/5/6 ESSENTIAL FREE FIXES + UPDATES" in SOFTWARE.TXT (included). Windows 98, 98 SE, NT4, 2000, ME + XP (ANY version) users: it is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to install MS IE 6.0 SP1, because it fixes lots of BUGs/security vulnerabilities/risks from previous builds! Windows 95, 95a OSR1 and 95B/95C OSR 2.x (ANY version) users: you MUST install MS IE 5.5 SP2 [build 5.51.4807.2300] 32-bit for Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/ME [84.1 MB, English]: http://downloads.evolt.org.uk/browsers/ie/32bit/5.5_SP2/ie55sp2.exe the LAST MS IE release compatible with these MS OSes, because MS IE 6.0 SP1 does NOT support them! :( BTW: MS IE 5.5 SP2, 6.0 + 6.0 SP1 (ALL builds) "feature" the same BUG: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=303401 introduced "by design" according to Microsoft, and detailed below together with its FIX! ... And now that you have installed IE 5.5 SP2 or are using WinXP + IE 6.0 SP1, all is well, or at least it seems like it is, and you probably congratulate yourself for swatting swarms of Microsoft BUGs, or/and brag to all your friends/coworkers that you own the coolest MS OS to date. :) NOT quite [:(]: that is until you try to view ANY Internet based Quick Time Movie (QTM) flic (usually in .MOV format): http://www.apple.com/trailers/ UNLESS you install the Apple QTM Codecs, Movie Player, Pic Viewer + Plugins Standard Edition 6.xx 32-bit for Windows 98/NT4/2000/ME/XP [10.5 MB, free]: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/standalone/ And there is still another BUG "alive" in your "shiny" new browser: ALL MS IE 5.5 SP2, 6.0 + 6.0 SP1 builds REMOVED support for ALL Netscape style browser plugins (Netscape proprietary technology that allows compatible browsers to use small "plug-ins" for various purposes, i.e. to play/view audio/music/animations/movies in different 3rd party formats) that are NOT ActiveX enabled, otherwise available if using MS IE 5.5 SP1 [build 5.50.4522.1800] 32-bit [84.5 MB, English]: http://downloads.evolt.org.uk/browsers/ie/32bit/5.5_SP1/ie55sp1.exe for Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME, or ANY other OLDER MS IE release. But wait, I found a FIX... :) This FIX applies to ALL Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP users, and works with MS IE 5.5 SP2, 6.0 + 6.0 SP1 (ALL builds)! CAUTION: DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK! 1. WinNT4/2000/XP users ONLY: Download this MS IE 5.5 SP1 patch: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/q323759ie/ for your particular language, which among other patched MS IE files includes a fix for MSHTML.DLL [build 5.50.4731.2200], a NEWER version than the one installed by MS IE 5.5 SP1 Setup, but OLDER than the ones from MS IE 5.5 SP2, 6.9 + 6.0 SP1. This is the MS IE 5.5 SP1 English patch [2.47 MB, free]: http://download.microsoft.com/download/ie55sp1/p28_IE/5.5_sp1/W98NT42KMe/EN-US/q323759.exe For details about this patch see Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-047: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms02-047.asp 2. WinNT4/2000/XP users ONLY: Do NOT run the executable, instead extract the files from Q323759.EXE, by running this command line from the Start menu -> Run... box: Q323759.EXE /C /Q /T:C:\TEMP into the (preferably empty) folder of your choice (C:\TEMP in this example). 3. WinNT4/2000/XP users ONLY: Delete all extracted files except MSHTML.DLL, which will be used here to replace yours, located in C:\Winnt\System32 (WinNT4) or C:\Windows\System32 (Win2000/XP). Default setup folders were used in these examples, please change if different on your computer(s). 4. Win95/98/ME users ONLY: I have included here 2 files for convenience: IEBUGFIX.BAT (a DOS style BATch file) + IEBUGFIX.INF (a Win9x/ME INFormation file) to automate the installation of this FIX. To make this work properly you MUST run ONLY IEBUGFIX.BAT, NOT IEBUGFIX.INF, because the BAT file does it all for you. :) But FIRST you MUST have MS IE 5.5 SP2, 6.0 or 6.0 SP1 ALREADY installed. To verify if this is true: right-click on Iexplore.exe (located by default in C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer) -> select Properties -> scroll down to "Product Version" -> look at the build number. Should be 6.00.2800.1106 for IE 6.0 SP1, 6.00.2600.0000 for IE 6.0 or 5.51.4807.2300 for IE 5.5 SP2. More info @ MSKB: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=164539 Also, you MUST be ALREADY connected to the internet. [Duuuh! :)] If ANY of these 2 conditions are NOT met, please do so FIRST, and ONLY AFTER that run IEBUGFIX.BAT again! What IEBUGFIX.BAT actually does: A. Sets your MS Internet Explorer download folder to C:\ root. B. Starts your copy of MS IE 5.5 SP2, 6.0 or 6.0 SP1. C. Downloads MS IE 5.5 SP1 English Patch [Q323759.EXE] from Microsoft web site: http://download.microsoft.com/download/ie55sp1/p28_IE/5.5_sp1/W98NT42KMe/EN-US/q323759.exe into your C:\ root folder. D. Applies the BUG FIX with the "help" of IEBUGFIX.INF. E. Resets your MS IE download folder to your original setting. F. Restarts Windows, so the "patch" can take effect. If for any reason you wish to uninstall this FIX: open Control Panel -> (double)-click Add/Remove Programs -> scroll down to "FIX Netscape Plugins in MS IE 6.0 + 5.5 SP2" -> highlight it -> click the Add/Remove button -> done. :) What this FIX actually does: - Install: MSHTML.OLD from C:\ root is copied to C:\Windows\System and IEBUGFIX.INF is copied to C:\Windows\Inf. When you restart Windows afterwards, Wininit.exe reads the Wininit.ini file created by the FIX in C:\Windows, and renames your newer MSHTML.DLL to MSHTML.ORI, and MSHTML.OLD to MSHTML.DLL. Mow MS IE is using the older but functional DLL. :) - Uninstall: MSHTML.DLL is renamed back to MSHTML.OLD, MSHTML.ORI is renamed back to MSHTML.DLL, and MSHTML.OLD and IEBUGFIX.INF are deleted. Now MS IE is using your original DLL. [back to square 1 :)] 5. ALL remaining steps below refer ONLY to WinNT4/2000/XP users, who need to do this manually: BACKUP your current MSHTML.DLL file from %systemroot%\System32 to a safe location BEFORE replacing it! 6. SOLUTION [Thank you Captain SiskoX (cptsiskox@hotmail.com)!]: "Install the WRC (Windows Recovery Console) tool. Then boot to the command prompt and replace MSHTML.DLL along with the WFP (Windows File Protection) backup copy from the command line, reboot, and it would have nothing else to "restore" except that copy. :)" UPDATE [Thank you Pierre Szwarc (pierre.szwarc@laposte.net)!]: "The DOS prompt won't help if you have Win2000/XP installed on an NTFS partition. Workaround: download Inuse.exe [790 KB, free]: http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/tools/existing/inuse-o.asp part of Windows 2000 Resource Kit tools: http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/tools/ Inuse.exe lets you replace system files from within the running OS, i.e. from Service Packs and Hot Fixes. The actual replacement takes place at the next reboot. The Maintenance Console (see WRC above) can be run directly from the Win2000/XP Setup CD or can be installed on the hard disk. To run it from the CD, you must boot from the CD first, and then select the Repair path to get to the screen from which you can select "Repair using console". Win2000/XP Maintenance (Recovery) Console (WRC) hard disk installation: a. Login as Administrator. b. Open a command prompt. c. Change directory to \I386 on the Win2000/XP Setup CD (or to a copy of that directory on your hard disk, if you made one). d. Run this command: WINNT32 /CMDCONS WRC will be installed in the C:\Cmdcons directory. NOTE: WRC is FAT specific. If converting your boot drive/partition (C) from FAT16 or FAT32 to NTFS you MUST reinstall WRC! More info: http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBF/TIP2600/rh2661.htm From now on the Maintenance Console will be added as an extra option to the Win2000/XP multiboot menu. To be able to use it you must change the boot menu default selection delay to more than zero seconds [:)]: System Properties -> Advanced tab -> Startup and Recovery button. The WRC install process is described in the Getting Started Win2000 booklet. The Maintenance Console is a (secure) character mode only boot tool with limited capabilities, and can be used for copying, deleting or renaming system files, creating or deleting partitions, performing advanced disk scanning etc. To be able to navigate outside of the \Winnt (%systemroot%) directory and copy files to/from a removable drive, you must enable the appropriate Recovery Console policy from: Administrative Tools -> Local Security Settings (the policy name is self explanatory). Then, once booted into the console, you will have to explicitly change an environment variable (run the HELP command at the console prompt for details). The environment variable change has to be done EVERY time you start the console (variable names are also self explanatory)! BTW: The Windows File Protection (WFP) default backup location is the %systemroot%\System32\Dllcache directory." More WRC info: - MS WinXP: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/using/productdoc/en/recovery_install_console.asp - MSKB: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=314058 - MSKB: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=229716 - MSKB: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=307654 - MSKB: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=312149 - MS TechNet: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/reskit/prmc_str_bjid.asp - PixelLab: http://www.xxcopy.com/xxcopy33.htm 7. Now move your extracted MSHTML.DLL file to %systemroot%\System32 (default is C:\Winnt\System32 for WinNT or C:\Windows\System32 for Win2000/XP): see Captain's SOLUTION and Pierre's FYI above to learn how to rename your current MSHTML.DLL first, and then replace it with the extracted one. 8. Finally, reboot Windows NT4/2000/XP. 9. Done. :) From now on enjoy your restored MS IE compatibility with ALL current (and future) Netscape style browser plugins, just as you used to. KNOWN BUGs: - "This fix disables typing of new messages in MS OE 6.0 [MS IE 6.0] on my Win98 PC. The message field displays the ~ sign, the font bar is grayed out and I cannot type anythingg by left-clicking in the message field. This MS OE bug is restored after uninstalling the MSHTML.DLL fix." [Thank you Aleksandr (algart@earthlink.net)!] - "This fix may disable the Internet Explorer right-click function if using Windows ME + MS IE 6.0." [Thank you Pat (a_parent@sympatico.ca)!] - "Replaced MSHTML.DLL as suggested in WinXP Pro, which allowed the Prizm plug-in (special version from TMS Sequoia used by Boeing = renames .TIF image files to .IBO and views them in MS IE) to install. It didn't install before the fix. The plug-in associated the files properly, but these pictures are not viewable nor downloadable. :( The IE Help About screen works OK on my PC after applying the fix." [Thank you Daniel (Thody@moment.net)!] - "After applying the MS IE 6.0 bug fix I cannot fill out forms at my online banking web page anymore." [Thank you Wayne (reddoh@dingoblue.net.au)!] - "After applying the MS IE 6.0 bug fix IE systematically crashes when clicking News.com Real-Time Stock Quotes boxes:" http://www.news.com/ [Thank you Francois (frdsm@usa.net)!] - After replacing the original MS IE 6.0 MSHTML.DLL with the older one (as detailed above), the About box (which can be brought up by clicking Help -> About Internet Explorer from the File menu) pops up this error message instead of displaying the normal About credits window [:(]: "An error has occured in this dialog. Error 96: Unspecified error." NOTES: It is recommended to install the current Apple QTM Codecs/Players in case you decide to upgrade your MS IE build in the future, because it is likely that Microsoft will not bring back Netscape and/or QTM plugin support to upcoming Internet Explorer releases. :( It is also likely that some 3rd party Netscape-only style plugin developers will add MS IE ActiveX compatibility to their future releases, but I wouldn't count on that. 3D CONTROLS FOR 3D EFFECTS [+] MS Windows (ANY release beginning with Windows 3.10) 16 and 32 bit applications and games written to take advantage of displaying "3D-like" raised/depressed buttons, window borders, dialog boxes, windows etc NEED these DLLs (Dynamic Link Libraries), which NEED to reside in these directories (folders): - %windir%\SYSTEM = Win31, Win95, Win98 + WinME. - %systemroot%\SYSTEM32 = WinNT, Win2000 + WinXP. Default locations are: - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM = Win31, Win95, Win98 + WinME. - C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32 = WinNT. - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 = Win2000 + WinXP. NECESSARY STEPS: Get Microsoft 3D Controls [51 KB, ZIPped, free]: http://members.aol.com/files4u/3DCTRLS.ZIP Then use your favorite (freeware) ZIPping/unZIPping tool from: - Win9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP users: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/toy.htm#ZIP - Win31/NT3 users: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/w31toy.htm#W31 to extract all *.DLL files into an empty directory. Get Windows/WfWG 3.1x modified 3D Controls, the Windows 9x/ME style: http://www.smspower.org/maxim/16bit/ctl3d.htm DLLs in 3DCTRLS.ZIP [current releases]: - CTL3D.DLL = 16-bit 3D Controls Library V1 v2.31.000 [Win31, Win9x + WinME]. - CTL3D32.DLL = 32-bit 3D Controls Library v2.31.000 [WinNT + Win2000]. - CTL3D32S.DLL = 32-bit 3D Controls Library Extensions v2.31.000 [Win31, Win9x + WinME]. - CTL3DV2.DLL = 16-bit 3D Controls Library V2 v2.31.001 [WinNT + Win2000]. WinXP installs these XP ONLY newer versions [do NOT replace them!]: - CTL3D32.DLL v2.31.000. - CTL3DV2.DLL v2.99.000. These DLLs are NOT included with, NOR installed by: - CTL3D.DLL: Win31, Win95/OSR1/OSR2, WinNT3/NT4, Win2000 + WinXP. - CTL3D32.DLL: Win31, WinNT3, Win9x + WinME. - CTL3D32S.DLL: ANY Windows release. - CTL3DV2.DLL: Win31, WinNT3, Win9x + WinME. ONLY Win98 retail, Win98 SE (Second Edition), WinME (Millennium Edition), Win2000 and WinXP (eXPerience) install (some of) these files properly when you Setup your OS. ALL other Windows releases DO NOT include or DO NOT install (some of) these files! Therefore you need to place them into proper locations (see above) manually. IMPORTANT: You MUST DELETE ALL your (older, obsolete) 3D Control DLLs, EXCEPT the ones in your Windows System(32) directories/folders, to ensure ALL your programs/games perform properly! To do this: open Windows Explorer [C:\Windows\Explorer.exe = 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP users] or File Manager [FM = C:\Windows\Winfile.exe = 31/NT3 users] -> start a Find/Search operation on ALL your local fixed (hard) drives/partitions for CTL3D*.* -> DELETE ALL FILES you found EXCEPT the ones residing in the default locations (see top). To display any Windows file version using: * Windows Explorer: highlight a file -> right-click on it -> select Properties -> click Version tab -> in Item Name: box scroll down to Product Version -> look at the number shown in the Value: box. * File Manager: highlight a file -> click File menu -> select Properties -> look at the number shown in the Value: box. ONLY IF the files you found in default locations (see top): - are older versions: overwrite them with the ones included here; - are missing: move the ones included here to the locations above. To be able to overwrite (replace) files already in use, you may have to: - exit or reboot (eventually using an emergency bootup floppy) Win31/9x/ME to native/real MS-DOS mode and then replace the older files in your %windir%\System directory; - reboot (eventually using an emergency bootup floppy) WinNT/2000/XP to Safe mode or to Command prompt [if the Windows Recovery Console (WRC) tool is installed in Win2000/XP] and then replace the older files in BOTH your %systemroot%\System32 and %systemroot%\System32\Dllcache folders: see "MS IE 5.5 SP2 + 6.0 FIX" step 6 (SOLUTION + UPDATE): http://members.aol.com/axcel216/newtip21.htm#WRC also in MYTIPS95.TXT [part of W95-11D.EXE]: http://members.aol.com/axcel216/95.htm to learn how to replace Windows 2000/XP system files already in use. Restart or reboot Windows when done. NOTE: To be able to use CTL3D32.DLL + CTL3D32S.DLL under Windows/WfWG 3.1x you need to install Microsoft Win32s 32-bit Extensions Add-on v1.30c [2.4 MB, free]: ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/softlib/mslfiles/PW1118.EXE to allow Windows/WfWG 3.1x to run 32-bit (Win32) applications/games supporting this implementation. EDIT BOOT FILES [+][*] How many times have you typed too many characters at the DOS prompt, only to perform common/repetitive tasks over and over, that could actually be automated just by creating simple DOS based BATch (.BAT) files? I know I have. :( I'm talking here about editing your MS-DOS mode boot files (if using any!): AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS, located in the root directory of your boot drive/partition (default is C:\). MEANING: - AUTOEXEC.BAT = AUTOmatically EXECuted BATch file. - CONFIG.SYS = CONFIGuration SYStem file. See "MS Windows 95/98/ME + MS-DOS 7.xx/8.00 = *VITAL* BACKUP ISSUES" in READ1ST.TXT (included) for more details. A MUST for ALL Windows ME users: Microsoft REMOVED COMPLETELY the access to native/real MS-DOS mode from Windows Millennium Edition (ME) [a.k.a. MS-DOS 8.00]! :( But you CAN get it back by applying the Unofficial Real DOS-Mode Patch [9 KB, freeware]: http://www.geocities.com/mfd4life_2000/ which modifies COMMAND.COM + IO.SYS (from %windir%\COMMAND\EBD) + REGENV32.EXE (from %windir%\SYSTEM), in order to be able to boot to native MS-DOS and use DOS mode startup files (AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS), the Windows 95/98 style, to be able to use your (old) MS-DOS based apps/games that do NOT work from within a Windows DOS session/box, and tweak your CUSTOM AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS files to free MAXimum conventional DOS memory. :) Instead of going through all these annoying, time consuming steps: shell out to a DOS prompt window (if doing this from within Windows GUI), type something like: EDIT C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT or: NOTEPAD C:\CONFIG.SYS then press Enter, and finally type EXIT and hit Enter [again :(] to close the DOS box (if running Windows) when done, you could simply use these 2 DOS style batch files (both included): EAB.BAT + ECS.BAT, for convenience and to save precious time. Both these BATches bear suggestive names: - EAB.BAT = Edit Autoexec.Bat. - ECS.BAT = Edit Config.Sys. I strongly recommend to place them in a directory/folder listed in your PATH, to avoid changing directories in order to run them. Type PATH and hit Enter from any DOS prompt to display your current path line. Alternatively you can create a new dedicated directory/folder (example): MD C:\BATCHES but make sure to add it to your "SET PATH=" statement (if any), in CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT, which should look something like this (examples using default install locations; modify if different on your system): - Win9x/ME: SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\;C:\STUFF;C:\BATCHES; - MS-DOS 6.xx: SET PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS;C:\STUFF;C:\BATCHES; Start by creating a handy MS-DOS shortcut (.PIF = MS-DOS Program Information File) for each of them: - Windows 9x/ME users: right-click on an empty Desktop spot -> select New -> Shortcut -> browse to the directory where you have placed EAB.BAT (and when done repeat all these steps also for ECS.BAT) -> (double)-click on it -> click Next -> click Finish -> right-click on your new MS-DOS shortcut -> select Properties -> Program tab -> check the "Close on exit" box -> Misc tab -> uncheck the "Warn if still active" box -> click Apply/OK. I recommend to rename these 2 PIF shortcuts to something more suggestive: right-click on each one [one at a time :)] -> select Rename -> type "Edit Autoexec.bat" instead of EAB.BAT, and then "Edit Config.sys" instead of ECS.BAT (but don't type the quotes) -> hit Enter. Optional: if you'd like to change the default "ugly" MS-DOS icon (assigned by default to all PIF files from %windir%\SYSTEM\PIFMGR.DLL): right-click on each PIF shortcut [one at a time :)] select Properties -> Program tab -> click Change icon -> browse to your favorite icon file (.ICO) or icon library (.DLL, .EXE or .ICL) -> scroll through the icons if more than one -> (double)-click the one you want -> click Apply/OK. Note that by default the .PIF file extension is hidden in Win9x/ME, unless you use File Manager (FM = %windir%\WINFILE.EXE) to "see" it. - Windows/WfWG 3.1x users: open (if not already running) Program Manager (ProgMan = %windir%\PROGMAN.EXE) -> create/open/select desired Program Group -> click File -> select New -> check Program Item -> type "Edit Autoexec.bat" for EAB.BAT, and then "Edit Config.sys" for ECS.BAT in the Description box (but don't type the quotes) -> browse to the directory where you have placed EAB.BAT (and when done repeat all these steps also for ECS.BAT) -> double-click on it -> click Change Icon -> browse to your favorite icon file (.ICO) or icon library (.DLL, .EXE or .ICL) -> scroll through the icons if more than one -> double-click the one you want -> click OK. From now on you will be able to edit your boot files from within Windows with a single mouse (double)-click. :) If running them from native MS-DOS mode (outside Windows), just type EAB (or ECS) and press Enter. That's it. NOTES: Both EAB.BAT + ECS.BAT are "smart" enough [;)] to... * Take in consideration if you dual-boot between Win9x/ME and MS-DOS 6.xx, and open the correspondent boot files (only if present) for editing. * Use a different text/ASCII editor/viewer depending on current Windows/DOS mode: - Notepad (%windir%\NOTEPAD.EXE = MS Windows 9x/ME/3.1x default editor) if running them from a Windows DOS prompt box/session/window. - EDIT.COM (%windir%\COMMAND\EDIT.COM in Win9x/ME, or C:\DOS\EDIT.COM or C:\MSDOS\EDIT.COM in MS-DOS 6.xx = MS-DOS default editor) if running them from the native/real/pure/true MS-DOS 6.xx/7.xx/8.00 mode C:\> prompt. * Use the built-in VER command for OS detection to check for running MS-DOS and/or MS Windows versions, thus editing the proper boot files (only if present): - AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS = used by ALL MS Windows 95/98/ME + MS-DOS 6.00/6.20/6.21/6.22 OSes. - AUTOEXEC.DOS + CONFIG.DOS = MS-DOS 6.xx AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS files renamed by Win9x/ME Startup Manager when booting to MS Windows 9x/ME. - AUTOEXEC.W40 + CONFIG.W40 = MS Windows 9x/ME AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS files renamed by Win9x/ME Startup Manager when booting to MS-DOS 6.xx. * Abort and exit if using ANY MS-DOS release older than 6.00, because Win9x/ME do NOT support dual-booting with MS-DOS 5.0 or ANY other earlier build. :( * Close automatically upon completion, returning control to the running OS. * Automatically create BACKUPS of your ORIGINAL files in C:\ root, BEFORE you start making ANY changes: - AUTOEXEC.D6X + CONFIG.D6X = if using MS-DOS 6.xx. - AUTOEXEC.W9X + CONFIG.W9X = if using MS Windows 9x/ME. * Require ALL these files for proper operation: ATTRIB.EXE, CHOICE.COM, FIND.EXE, MEM.EXE, START.EXE [Win9x/ME only], NOTEPAD.EXE + EDIT.COM to reside in their DEFAULT directories/folders, which are normally listed in the system PATH! Of course, you could use the SysEdit tool (%windir%\SYSTEM\SYSEDIT.EXE) bundled with ALL MS Windows 95/98/3.1x releases to modify your AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS, but SysEdit canNOT edit boot files other than the ones used by the current OS, or with different file extensions (.DOS or .W40). :( The only advantage is that SysEdit creates backups of your original system files (BUT ONLY IF you modify them first!) with the .SYD extension: AUTOEXEC.SYD + CONFIG.SYD in C:\ root. Microsoft removed SYSEDIT.EXE from Windows ME. :( See "RESTORE SYSEDIT" in TIPSME.TXT (included) for details on how to get it back. You can view and/or further modify EAB.BAT + ECS.BAT if you wish, to adapt them to your particular needs, by opening them in Notepad in Windows or EDIT.COM in DOS. IMPORTANT: If you experience any problems/errors/lockups after modifying your boot files, you can always RESTORE your ORIGINAL AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS files (if any) from the existent BACKUPS (ONLY IF you have ALREADY used EAB.BAT + ECS.BAT!), by copying the respective *.D6X and/or *.W9X files located in C:\ root back to *.BAT, *.SYS, *.DOS and/or *.W40, respectively. Examples: - Using MS Windows 9x/ME: COPY C:\AUTOEXEC.W9X C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT - Using MS-DOS 6.xx: COPY C:\CONFIG.D6X C:\CONFIG.SYS In case your PC locks up, you can either: - (Re)boot from a bootup/startup backup floppy diskette or CD-ROM (only if this feature is supported by your motherboard BIOS) containing the system files (MSDOS.SYS, IO.SYS + COMMAND.COM) for your specific MS OS, or - Hold Shift (or Ctrl) and press F5 while (re)booting to bypass the startup files and boot "clean", without any devices/drivers/TSRs loaded in memory. Then restore your original files as described above. You MUST reboot when done. A MUST: If you DO use boot files and/or DOS based programs/games, especially certain ones that canNOT run properly from within Windows, see MEMORY.TXT (included) for detailed guidelines on how to MAXimize your memory resources and speed up the bootup sequence in Windows 9x/ME and MS-DOS 6.xx, by tweaking your MSDOS.SYS [Win9x/ME only], AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS files.Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.