Miscellaneous Tips


Getting Item Properties - Submitted 4/19/97
Starting Win95 Without Running Apps in the Startup Folder - Submitted 4/5/97
Removing a program from the Control Panel - Submitted 3/12/97
Using FIND to Search Across Multiple Drives - Added 2/19/97
RUNDLL Error Message - Submitted 1/28/96
Upgrading Without a Previous Version of Windows Installed - Submitted12/21/96
Automatically Delete Files Sent to Recycle Bin - Submitted 11/29/96
The Simplest Multi-Boot - Submitted 11/24/96
Increasing Performance - Added 11/19/96
Enabling Telephony Controls - Submitted 11/3/96
Disabling CDs AutoRun - Added 10/20/96
Windows95 Files in the Root Directory - Added 10/20/96
Control Panel CPL Files - Added 10/19/96
Reserving Resources from Plug and Play Devices - Added 10/6/96
Viewing System IRQ, I/O, Memory and DMA Utilization - Added 10/6/96
Installing with an INF File - Added 9/1/96
Automatically Deleting Files in the Recycle Bin - Submitted 8/5/96
Increasing your Sound Card's Bass and Treble - Added 6/8/96
ATI Video Card and COM4 conflicts - Submitted 5/3/96
System Policies when logging on to an NT Domain - Submitted 4/28/96
Changing to Win 3.x Shell - Submitted 4/28/96
Quickly Opening Text Files - Submitted 4/23/96
Changing your Modem's Initialization String - Added 4/9/96
Saving memory by adjusting your CD Cache - Added 3/30/96
Easy File Deletes - Submitted 2/19/96
Update to DTC 2278 D Controller and CD ROMs - Submitted 2/15/96
HP Print Failures - Added 1/27/96
Eliminate banner page from printing when running HP 4 & 5 printer - Submitted 1/26/96
Designating Drive Letter for CD ROMs and other removable media - Added 1/20/96
Upgrading with Pro Audio Spectrum Cards - Submitted 1/16/96
Bypass starting Windows95 - Submitted 1/14/96
Quick Format a Floppy Disk - Submitted 1/13/96
Creating a Boot Menu - 12/27/95
Selecting non-recognized modems - 12/25/95
Creating PRN File Types - 12/13/95
Refresh SCSI Devices - 11/28/95
DTC Controller I/O Problems - 11/18/95
Removing programs listed in Control Panel's Remove Programs - 11/4/95
Drivespace and Memory - 11/1/95
Booting to DOS - 10/2/95
Turning off Numlock - 9/13/95
Restarting Win95 without a warm boot - 9/12/95
S3 Video and COM 4 - 9/9/95
Potential problems with 16-bit WINSOCK.DLL's - 9/1/95
Speeding up your double-speed CD-ROM - 8/31/95
Copying Graphics
Read the TIPS.TXT File


Getting Item Properties

Submitted 4/19/97

To get to the properties screen for just about anything, hold the ALT key down while double clicking on it's icon.


Submitted by Matt Neville


Starting Win95 Without Running Apps in the Startup Folder

Submitted 4/5/97

To start Win95 without loading anything in the startup group, just hold down the shift key (either one) when Win95 is loading.
Keep holding it down until the desktop is complete with a pointer.

If any application is still loading, it's because it's in registry under
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.

Submitted by Marc Lanman


Removing a program from the Control Panel

Submitted 3/12/97

Run the Windows Explorer and go to the Windows/System directory. Find the appropriate CPL file (file with the extension CPL) and delete it.

Note from Bob: If you want them still available but not showing up in the Control Panel itself, you can also move them to another directory.
To invoke them, type CONTROL \path\cpl_file where path is the full path where they are located and cpl_file is the name of the CPL file.
For example, if you don't want users to see the Network icon in the control panel but still want to be able to make changes, you could move the NETCPL.CPL
file to another directory. Then type CONTROL \path\NETCPL.CPL.

A listing of all the CPL files can be found later in this section at: Control Panel CPL Files

Submitted by Neil Ragone


Using FIND to Search Across Multiple Drives

Added 2/19/97

When you use Find from the desktop (F3), you can normally only search on one drive.
To search across multiple drives and directories, separate your searches with a semicolon (;)
For example, to search from the root of C: and the root of D:, you would enter
C:\;D:\ as your look in location

To search from different directories, you can enter them as well


RUNDLL Error Message

Submitted 1/28/96

If when you start your computer you get a RUNDLL error message in a dialog box here is what you do.
First use RegEdit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / MICROSOFT / WINDOWS / CURRENT VERSION / RUN
and delete the string that appears in the dialog box this will remove the string and everything will be groovy!!

Shannon N Lekas


Upgrading Without a Previous Version of Windows Installed

Submitted 12/21/96

Improved Upgrading without a previous version of Windows installed

If you need to install Windows 95 Upgrade on your computer and you no longer have Windows 3.1,
you can simply create the following file on your hard disk:
WIN386.EXE
and the Upgrade will install.

The easiest way to create this file is to type the following at the command prompt:
ECHO [some random characters] > WIN386.EXE

Submitted by Eric Tetz
[email protected]

Another way to Upgrade without a Previous Version of Windows Installed

Submitted 9/1/96

If you are a Windows 95 "UPGRADE" user and you must reinstall Windows 95 for any reason,
you don't need to have a copy of Windows 3.x installed on your computer first.
Just place the first disk into your drive and during the install of Windows95 it will find the necessary files.

Submitted by Edward Garner
[email protected]


Automatically Delete Files Sent to Recycle Bin

Submitted 11/29/96

To automatically delete files sent to the recycle bin, do the following:

  1. Right click on the recycle bin icon
  2. Choose Properties
  3. Choose Global
  4. Check the Remove files immediately upon delete

Submitted by Don Hunter
[email protected]


The Simplest Multi-Boot

Submitted 11/24/96

Forget about "restart in ms-dos mode"
Use DOS=SINGLE
In your CONFIG.SYS put:

[menu]
menuitem WIN95, Windows 95
menuitem NORMAL, DOS - Normal
menudefault WIN95, 3

[WIN95]

[NORMAL]
DOS=SINGLE
[common]

Submitted by Adam
[email protected]


Increasing Performance

Added 11/19/96

If you have 24 Megs or more of RAM, you can increase your performance.

  1. Right Click on My Computer
  2. Select Properties
  3. Click the Performance tab
  4. Click on File System button
  5. Select Network Server with Full Read-ahead Optimization

If you do not see a performance increase, occasionally the NameCache and PathCache values
are written to the registry incorrectly for the Network Server.
To fix the problem:

  1. Start Regedit
  2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\FS Templates\Server
  3. Make sure the following values are being used:

Enabling Telephony Controls

Submitted 11/3/96

If you are using telephony based modems (unimodem) you can
enable the telephony controls in control panel by renaming
TELEPHON.CP$ to TELEPHON.CPL in the SYSTEM directory.
This will allow you to do diagnostics as well as configure your modem.

Submitted by Rick Munday
[email protected]


Disabling CDs AutoRun

Added 10/20/96

If you want to disable Windows95's ability to automatically start CD's when they are inserted:

  1. Open the Device Manager
  2. Open CD ROM
  3. Double-click on your CD Player
  4. Click on the Settings tab
  5. Un-check Auto insert notification

Windows95 Files in the Root Directory

Added 10/20/96

The following link to Microsoft's Knowledge has the description of all the files Windows95
will create in the root of your boot drive as well as a description of each.
http://www.microsoft.com/kb/articles/q151/6/67.htm


Control Panel CPL Files

Added 10/19/96

The following are the files that display icons in the Control Panel.
The reside in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory
They can be run individually by typing Control followed by the CPL file.
If you are missing any icons in the Control Panel, you want to make sure the CPL file is in the SYSTEM directory.

Access.cpl - Accessibility properties
Appwiz.cpl - Add/Remove Programs properties
Desk.cpl - Display properties
FindFast.cpl - FindFast (included with Microsoft Office for Windows 95)
Inetcpl.cpl - Internet properties
Intl.cpl - Regional Settings properties
Joy.cpl - Joystick properties
Main.cpl - Mouse properties
Mlcfg32.cpl - Microsoft Exchange Service properties
Mmsys.cpl - Multimedia properties
Modem.cpl - Modem properties
Netcpl.cpl - Network properties
Odbccp32.cpl - Data Sources (32-bit ODBC)
Password.cpl - Password properties
Sysdm.cpl - System properties
Themes.cpl - Desktop Themes (available with Microsoft Plus!)
TimeDate.cpl - Date/Time properties


Reserving Resources from Plug and Play Devices

10/6/96

If you want to make sure Windows95 doesn't assign certain resources (IRQ, I/O etc.) to you Plug and Play Devices

  1. Open up the Device Manager
  2. Double click on Computer
  3. Click on the Reserve Resources tab
  4. Click on the Resource you want to reserve
  5. Click on the Add button
  6. Enter the value
  7. Click on the OK button

Viewing System IRQ, I/O, Memory and DMA Utilization

Added 10/6/96

To view what resources are currently being used by your system.

Open up the Device Manager

Double click on Computer
You can now see what IRQ, I/O, Memory and DMA addresses are in use.


Installing with an INF File

Added 9/1/96

By default, when you double click on an INF file, Windows95 opens it with Notepad.
To change that so it will install the INF file:

  1. Open any folder
  2. Click on View / Options / File Types
  3. Scroll down the Registered File Types to Setup Information
  4. Pressing the S key will start you off faster
  5. Click on the Edit button
  6. In the Actions box, highlight Install
  7. Click on the Set Default button

Automatically Deleting Files in the Recycle Bin

Submitted 8/5/96

An economical way to use the Recycle Bin is to use it as normal but insert the lines:

CD\Recycled
Echo Y | Del *.*
CD\

in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
This way every time you restart your computer your recycling bin is cleaned.

Submitted by Michael Gilligan
[email protected]


Easy way to open up DOS prompt in a specific directory

Added 6/20/96

With the advent of long directory names, it can be difficult to open up a DOS box and CD to the directory you want
particularly if it is several layers of long names deep.

An easy way is to:

  1. Open up Explorer and highlight the directory you want to be in
  2. Select Run / Command from the Start Menu
  3. Your DOS prompt will now be in the directory you highlighted in Explorer

Increasing your Sound Card's Bass and Treble

Added 6/8/96

If you want to boost your sound card's bass or treble:

  1. Double click on the speaker icon on your task bar
  2. Click on the Advanced button
  3. Move the slider bars to the right

ATI Video Cards and COM4 Conflicts

Submitted 5/3/96

ATI cards use I/O address 02e0 -02ef & 03b0-03bf.
This is in conflict with the default for COM4.

Submitted by Marty Roth
[email protected]


System Policies when logging on to an NT Domain

Submitted 4/28/96

CONFIG.POL, when copied to winnt35\system32\repl\import\scripts, is
then offered in the share netlogon. This files is the only file
needed to establish policies for users in an NT user accounts data
base or SAM. Set up a default user and default computer plus any
more restrictive setting for specific users, groups or computers and
Microsoft 95 system policies will be in place. In addition, if you
force a logon by the client and disable a DOS session, this will be
a very tight security scheme.

Submitted by Bob Rapp
[email protected]


Changing to Win 3.x Shell

Submitted 4/28/96

Do you miss Program Manager?
If so, edit the SYSTEM.INI file in the \WINDOWS directory.
Under [Boot] change:
shell=c:\windows\explorer.exe
to
shell=c:\windows\progman.exe Submitted by Brad Hedlund
[email protected]


Quickly Opening Text Files

Submitted 4/23/96

To speed up opening files, if you know the file contains text, but it
it has an extension that isn't recognized, here's what you do:

  1. Open up Windows Explorer
  2. Change directories to C:\WINDOWS\SENDTO
  3. Create a shortcut to Notepad or drag its shortcut to this directory.

Now you'll have an easy way to open documents!
Another helpful thing to do is to do the same thing with the recycle bin.

Submitted by Anthony Keller
[email protected]


Changing your Modem's Initialization String

Added 4/9/96

  1. Start REGEDIT
  2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ Class \ Modem \ 0000 \ Init
  3. Change the settings to the values for your modem

Saving Memory by adjusting your CD Cache

Added 3/30/96

If you don't use your CD player that often, your system might be assigning
memory for it's cache which you could reclaim.

  1. Right click on My Computer
  2. Select Properties
  3. Select Performance
  4. Select File System
  5. Select CD ROM
  6. Note how much memory you are assigning to the CD cache and adjust as you would like

Easy File Deletes

Hate deleting files out of the Recycle Bin in Windows 95.
Hold the shift key down then drop the file on the icon then its gone.

Submitted by Brian West
[email protected]


Update on DTC 2278 D Controller Card

Submitted 2/15/96

They do have a beta driver out now for 95 but it will not work with a CD-ROM on the secondary port.
The work around is:

  1. Load the new DTC driver for the Primary IDE
  2. But load the original 95 Standard IDE/IO for the secondary port
  3. Then you can play music CD's etc..
  4. Then you can remove the DOS Driver and the old Win3.1 driver from the SYSTEM.INI
  5. The performance does seem a little faster after doing all of this.

They also have a web site at http://www.datatechnology.com

Submitted by Jeff Pennington
[email protected]


Restarting Windows95

If you have a network installed, you can restart Windows 95 by choosing:

Submitted by KJ King
http://www.snowcrest.net/kjking/


Hewlett Packard Printer Failures

Added 1/27/96

If you attempt to print a document that contains complex graphical images to a non-PostScript Hewlett-Packard Laser Jet 4 or Laser Jet 5 printer,
the document may not be printed due to lack of memory installed in your printer.
According to Microsoft, this problem is known to occur with the
Hewlett Packard Laser Jet 4, 4M, 4 Plus, 4M Plus, 4L, 4ML, 4P, 4MP, 4Si, 4Si MX, 4V, 4MV, 5P, 5MP. The work-around:

  1. In Control Panel, double-click the Printers icon.
  2. Right click on the printer
  3. Select Properties
  4. On the Details tab, click Spool settings, and then select RAW in the Spool Data Format box.
  5. On the Graphics tab, click the Use Raster Graphics option.
  6. On the Fonts tab, click the Print True Type As Graphics option.
  7. On the Device Options tab, move the Printer Memory Tracking slider all the way to the right (to the Aggressive setting).
  8. Verify that the Printer Memory setting matches the amount of memory installed in the printer.
  9. If the Page Protection check box is not unavailable, click the check box to clear it if it is selected, or click the check box to select it if it is cleared. The check box may be unavailable, depending on the printer model you are using and the amount of memory installed in the printer.

Eliminate banner page from printing when running HP 4 & 5printer

  1. Rename file to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\LPT.VXD to LPTOLD.VXD
  2. Go to MS/Dos prompt
  3. Put in Win 95 CD
  4. Go to D:\DRIVERS\PRINTER\LPT and copy lpt.vxd to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
  5. Save it also to a floppy if you have to reload system
  6. Info banner page glitch starts with "%-12345x@PJl and then 5 more lines of info

The readme file points out that this is typically on Compaq Prolinea or Deskpro models

Submitted by Sid Lieberman
[email protected]


Designating Drive letters for CD ROMs and removable media

Added 1/20/96

If you want to specify the drive letter for your CD ROM, Zip Drive, Bernouli, or Syquest drive:

  1. Right click on My computer
  2. Select Properties
  3. Click on the Device Manager tab
  4. Click on the + by Disk Drives
  5. Double click on the drive you want to set
  6. Click on Settings
  7. Type the Start and End letter you want to use for this drive.
  8. Reboot when requested

Pro Audio Spectrum Cards

Submitted 1/16/96

When upgrading from Win 3.1, remove or rename all .386 and .drv's related to the sound card BEFORE installing Win 95.
Leaving the drivers in place will prevent he new drivers from running properly.

The drivers are:

Submitted by Andy McConnell
[email protected]


Bypass Windows95 Startup

Submitted 1/14/96

To bypass starting Win95 at startup without pressing F8,
modify the line in the hidden C:\MSDOS.SYS file:

The next time the computer is started, You will return to the DOS prompt after the
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files load.

It's useful when you hate waiting for your slow computer to start
Windows 95 every time you turn on your computer.

Submitted by Keith Lau [email protected]


Quick Erase Floppy Disks

Submitted 1/13/96

  1. Select My Computer
  2. Right click on floppy you wish to use
  3. Select Format
  4. Select Quick Erase or Format

Submitted by George Neill
[email protected]


Creating a Boot Menu

Submitted 12/27/95

  1. Go to the DOS prompt.
  2. Type: ATTRIB MSDOS.SYS -r -a -h -s
  3. Edit MSDOS.SYS, adding the following lines under [Options]
  4. Type Alt-F then S to save your file.
  5. Close the editor
  6. Type: ATTRIB MSDOS.SYS +r +a +h +s
  7. Reboot.

Note: BootGUI needs to be set to 1
if you have the menu running, otherwise even if you select 1 (Normal), it will not go to the GUI.

P.S. Supposedly Drvspace=0 nd Dblspace=0 under the Options section saves on RAM, but I haven't been able to confirm this.

Submitted by Stephen Gipson
[email protected]


Modem Selection

Submitted 12/25/95

When Win95 doesn't recognize your modem
Don't use "Standard 14400 bps modem" or "Standard 28800 bps modem"
Why %3F because this doesn't enable hardware data compression and correction.
(In other words, your modem doesn't work at full speed)
Solution : choose any other modem in the list that's compatible
with you modem and has about the same specifications (speed, V32, V34, ...).
Hayes is very likely to be compatible, as it is used as a standard

Submitted by Pedro Tytgat
[email protected]


Creating PRN File Type

Submitted 12/13/95

If You often print *.PRN files, you can associate it with batch file like this:
@copy %1 LPT1

  1. Open any directory window
  2. Select View/Options
  3. Select the File Types tab
  4. Define nw file type. In desecration put "Printer file" or something.
  5. In extensions of course PRN with Open as default action.
  6. It will speed up your print jobs

Submitted by Waldek Golebski
[email protected]


Refresh SCSI Devices

Added 11/28/95

If you had any SCSI devices that were powered off during the booting of Win95
they will not show as available, even after turning them on.
For example, I often forget to turn on my Zip drive before starting Win95.

In order to use them, without restarting Win95:

  1. Turn on your SCSI device(s)
  2. Open the Device Manager
  3. Highlight SCSI Controllers
  4. Click on the Refresh button

The SCSI device(s) should now be available for use.


DTC 2278E I/O Controller Problems

Submitted 11/18/95

When using the DTC 2278E I/O controller card, beware of how it sets up your drives.
When you install the Win 95 drivers, Win95 will set up all of your drives in a SCSI format.
This may disable your ability to play music on your IDE CD-ROM drive if you are using it off the secondary port.
I had multiple problems with my Mitsumi 4X until i discovered this.

Go to System in the Control Panel, click on your drive type, click on the drive itself and disable the SCSI options in the
drive settings section.

This I/O card will not allow me to use my Iomega Zip drive (parallel port interface) with the CD-ROM as well.
I haven't figured out how to fix this problem yet.

Submitted by Bob Frenz [email protected]


Removing Programs listed from the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs Section

Added 11/4/95

If you remove an installed program and its files by deleting the files,
it may still show up in the Add/Remove programs list through the control panel.
In order to remove it from the list (so you don't need to re-install in order to just remove it again).

  1. Start the Registry Editor
  2. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Uninstall
  3. Delete any programs here.

This will only delete them from the list, not delete the actual programs.
Only programs designed for Windows95 will show up here in the first place.


Using Drivespace

Added 11/1/95

If you are using Drivespace, check if Windows is wasting 109K of conventional memory.

In graphical windows, type 'mem/c/p' in a Dos box
if you see 'drvspace.bin' or dblspace.bin' you are wasting memory.
That is the *real mode* driver and it is supposed to be unloaded when the GUI starts.
See MS Knowledge base article #Q134364 for how to fix it.

Even if you fix the driver unloading in the GUI, if you boot to Dos, it will happen again if you start windows by typing 'WIN'.

Submitted by Travis B. Jennings
[email protected]


Booting to DOS

Added 10/28/95

I have a phone controlled switch I use to turn on my computer and have it boot a DOS version of qmodem in host mode.
The switch shuts the computer off 5 mins after I hang up.
When I moved into Win95 I need a way to do this without going into Windows.
Answer, The MSDOS.SYS in Win95 is a text file.
Change the BootGUI=0 to BootGUI=1 and you boot into DOS.
You can always type WIN to start Win95 from there.

Submitted by Jim Crosson
[email protected]


Turning off Numlock

Added 9/13/95

By default, Win95 has the Numlock key turned ON
To have it be OFF, simply add the line:
numlock=off
to the CONFIG.SYS file.


Restarting Windows 95 without a Warm Boot

Added 9/12/95

  1. Select Shutdown
  2. Click the Restart Computer option
  3. While holding down the SHIFT key, click YES
  4. Windows 95 will now restart without executing a complete warm boot

Submitted by Jim Blazevski
[email protected]

In addition to the tip regarding the ability to avoid a warm boot while restarting windows by shift-clicking the yes button,
the same method can be used to avoid a warm boot when restart in MS-DOS mode is selected.
The result is an exit to DOS much like win 3.11. However, regardless of click or shift click. The result is still a DOS Shell, not true DOS.

Submitted by Michael Reach
[email protected]


S3 Video and COM 4

Added 9/9/95

If you are using a S3 video accelerator card, I believe the Windows 95 documentation says
DO NOT INSTALL YOUR MODEM ON COM PORT 4.
The modem will appear to work fine in DOS mode but will not respond in Windows.
The only two solutions are to change the COM port and IRQ for the modem or get a new video card.

Submitted by Robert Frenz
[email protected]


Potential problems leaving 16-bit winsock.dll's

Submitted 9/1/95

If you re having problems getting some of your winsock applications
to work under Win95, make sure you delete any old 16-bit winsock.dll's.

If this file is in the directory were the application resides, it could
cause problems. Programs that could have problems like this are:

We found that if the software listed above is in the same directory as the
Trumpet Winsock.dll file, then they will NOT work under the MS-TCP/IP stack.

Submitted by Ken D. Walters
[email protected]


Speed up your Double Speed CD ROM

Submitted 8/31/95

  1. Go into control panel
  2. Click on System
  3. Go to Performance tab
  4. Under Advanced settings click on the File System button
  5. Click on the CD-ROM tab
  6. Set the Cache to max
  7. Set Optimize Access pattern for Quad-speed or higher

Submitted by John Knappers
[email protected]


Copying Graphics

You can copy graphics from a DOS box as well as you can text. For example, while running a graphics game, you can press

  1. Alt-Enter to make a DOS window
  2. Click on the upper left hand corner
  3. Select Edit/Mark
  4. Select a region with the mouse
  5. Select Edit/Copy or press the Enter key
  6. You can then paste it into another program

Thomas tried it on Heretic. I tried in on DOOM2. Everything worked fine

Submitted by Thomas Kadlec
[email protected]


TIPS.TXT

There is a file TIPS.TXT in the directory where Win95 is installed. There are a lot if little hints and shortcuts there.


If you would like to add your Tips, please e-mail me.
Be sure to include your name and e-mail address so credit can be given.


If you have any additions or comments, please

mailto:[email protected]