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Windows 98 What
is it? Click here
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You
suspect that your system contains a slew of broken or dead links. These are shortcut files
that no longer have a file associated with them.
The Windows 98 Resource Kit includes a free tool called Link Check Wizard (Checklinks.exe)
that scans all the link files on your system. If a link file's associated file isn't
found, the Wizard lists it as dead and gives you the option to remove it. The trick is
that you first have to install the Resource Kit. To do so, insert your Windows 98 CD,
double-click on Setup.exe from the \tools\reskit folder, and follow the instructions from
there.
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You
print different types of documents from the same printer. Changing the printer settings
each time you print, though, can be a hassle.
SOLUTION: Set up multiple copies of your printer in the Windows Printers
folder. First, open your Printers folder (Start, Settings, Printers) and double-click on
the Add Printer icon. Use the Add Printer Wizard to create a copy of your printer, then
right-click on the new printer, choose Rename, and apply a descriptive name such as
Two-Sided Printing. Next, right-click on the new printer again and choose Properties. Set
the various options, then click on OK.
Repeat this process for each configuration. The next time you print, changing settings
will be as easy as selecting the appropriate printer from the printer list.
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Notepad is a small, can't-even-really-call-it-a-word-processor program that comes with Windows 98. It isn't fancy, but it does have one unique feature: log files. Type .LOG at the top of a Notepad file, and it becomes a log file, just like a journal. From then on, every time you make an entry in the file, Notepad adds a time and date stamp. You'll see the stamp the next time you open the file.
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PROBLEM: You set up
Windows 98 SE's Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) feature, but now whenever you use
NetMeeting you can't share applications, use the whiteboard, chat, or
transfer files.
SOLUTION: The best workaround to this common problem is to temporarily
disable ICS on the host computer. First, run the Internet Connections applet in the
Control Panel. Click on the
Connections tab, click on the Sharing button, and clear the "Enable Internet
Connection Sharing" check box. Click on OK, then click on OK once more.
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PROBLEM: You want to replace the default
name and organization entries that appear on the preinstalled programs that came with your
computer. (Please note, this tip requires you to edit your system registry.
Errors in editing could result in loss of information or the inability for your computer
to boot properly. Always use extreme caution when entering anything into or deleting
anything from the registry)
SOLUTION: Right-click on the My Computer icon on the Windows Desktop and
choose Properties. On the General tab of the System Properties dialog box there is a
section called Registered To. These are the properties you can change through the
Registry.
There are two keys in the Registry that control the name and organization information:
My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion/
RegisteredOwner
and
My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion/
RegisteredOrganization.
Simply double-click on the Namefield, and when the Edit String window opens,
replace the
existing entry (if any) with your own info.
Note: Always create a backup of the Registry before you make
changes to it; this can be accomplished from within the RegEdit program.
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Do you find the scrollbars in your applications and dialog boxes too small to grab onto? Windows 98 lets you make them as big (or as small) as you want. Right-click the desktop, select Properties, and click the Appearance tab. Under Item, select Scrollbar, adjust the Size using the up arrow, and watch your change in the preview. When you like what you see, click OK to keep the change.
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PRINT FROM THE DESKTOP
Need to print a file that's sitting on the desktop (or inside an open window)? Don't
waste time opening the file and selecting the application's Print command. Windows 98 will
do all of that for you.
Simply right-click the item you want to print and select Print in the resulting menu.
Done.
(Note: If you don't see the Print command, no go--sorry. Certain file types don't support this feature.)
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SHORTCUT TO ICON PROPERTIES
When you want to know all about an icon--file, folder, whatever--you right-click the icon and select Properties. Getting tired of dragging your pointer all the way down to the bottom of that context menu to the Properties command? Next time, hold down the Alt key as you double-click the icon. Properties dialog box, at your service.
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ADJUST KEYBOARD REPEAT DELAY
Have you ever noticed that when you press an arrow key to move your cursor in one direction or another, the cursor thinks about it for a second and then goes? Hel-LO! Can we shake a leg here?
Light a fire under that cursor by adjusting your keyboard delay. Open the Control Panel (Start, Settings, Control Panel), double-click Keyboard, and on the Speed tab, move the Repeat Delay all the way right, to Short. While you're at it, adjust that Repeat Rate to Fast, if it isn't already. Now take your cursor for a test spin in the white text box.
That's more like it. Click OK to keep the change.
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RIGHT-MOUSE KEYBOARD
EQUIVALENT
Tired of having to reach for your mouse? You can do just about anything without it--even "click" something with the right-mouse button.
The next time you need to right-click the desktop, an active window, or a highlighted
shortcut, press Shift-F10 instead. Magic.
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FORCE FILE TO OPEN IN DESIRED
PROGRAM
Don't want to open a file in the application with which it's associated (the one that
appears if you double-click the file)? As long as you know how to invoke the Open With
command, you can open
that file in any application you want.
Highlight the file you're about to open, then hold down the Shift key as you right-click it. In the resulting menu, select Open With. Select an application, make sure Always Use This Program To Open This Type Of File is deselected (unless that's what you want), then click OK.
An even better and easier way is to add the shortcut to the program to your, "Send
To", command.
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USE SHIFT-DELETE TO BYPASS
RECYCLE BIN
More than once, the Recycle Bin will save your life, and you'll kiss the desktop it
sits on. However, deleting everything twice can be a real bother, especially things you
know you'll never need again in a
million years.
If you're sure you want to ditch something the first time around, skip right over the
Recycle Bin. Just highlight whatever it is you want to get rid of, hit Shift-Delete, and
kiss it goodbye. It's not as
dangerous as it sounds, because you'll still get one of those polite messages asking if
you're sure. (The danger is in getting so comfortable that you delete this way all the
time and get hasty
and...D'oh!)
A 32-bit patch for a 16-bit GUI shell running on top of an 8-bit operating system written for a 4-bit processor by a 2-bit company who cannot stand 1 bit of competition (but it's better than a Mac)
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