MS Windows 98 Advanced Tips for Maintaining Your Computer

Use some cool, free tools from the Windows 98 Resource Kit Sampler

The Windows 98 CD comes with some free tools and utilities in a sampler called the Resource Kit. These allow you to do such things as compare files and folders, check and delete obsolete shortcuts, read text and hypertext markup language (HTML) code in the Text File Viewer, and more. These tools don't load automatically when you do a standard installation, but they're easy to install:

1. Insert your Windows 98 CD into your CD-ROM drive.

2. Click Browse This CD.

3. From the Tools\Reskit directory, run Setup.exe.

Once installed, you can access these tools from the Start menu. Click Programs, point to Windows 98 Resource Kit, and click Tools Management Console.

Track down system problems no matter how elementary

Dr. Watson is a system tool that will give you a comprehensive picture of your software environment so that, when a problem occurs, you can use this information in conjunction with Technical Support to identify the source of the error.

To generate a system snapshot with Dr. Watson:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, and then click System Information.

2. Click Tools and then click Dr. Watson.

3. Type a brief description of the steps you took that produced the error.

4. From the File menu, click Save As, type a name for the error log, and then click Save.

How to reveal more information about your CPU

To reveal a bit more information on your CPU, try this neat little trick with Intel-based machines.

To open this Registry key using Regedit:

1. On the Start menu, click Run.

2. Type REGEDIT and then click OK.

3. Follow this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \Hardware \Description \System \CentralProcessor \0.

4. Double-click VendorIdentifier and put a space between "Genuine" and "Intel".

5. Close RegEdit, right-click the My Computer icon, and then click Properties.

There is now a bit more information about your computer listed underneath the 'Genuine Intel' line. You'll see that your CPU comes from the "x86 Family A Model B Stepping (version) C," where A, B, and C represent the appropriate values in your system. This same information is now available in the Identifier line on the path, two rows above in the Registry. When you restart Windows 98, the default information will be restored.

Boot up without the floppy drive to save time

Would you like to shorten your startup time, even if by a little bit? Tell Windows 98 not to search for your floppy drive when it starts up! You'll still be able to use the drive, but Windows 98 will only search for it when you click the floppy drive icon in My Computer, Windows Explorer, or via DOS.

Here's how to do it:

1. Right-click My Computer, click the Properties button, and then click the Performance tab.

2. Click the File System button and then click the Floppy Disk tab.

3. Clear the option to Search for new floppy disk drives each time your computer starts.

Track changes to your system files after installing software

You can use System File Checker in combination with Notepad to track any system changes that programs make during their installation.

System File Checker creates a log after each scan, which is then appended to the previous file by default; but you can also choose to overwrite it on each scan. If you choose to overwrite the log, you can easily print out the list of changes each program installation makes to your operating system files. Every time you install a program, follow by running System File Checker, open the log in Notepad, enter the name of the program at the top of the log, then print and save it for future reference.

Here's how to do it:

1. Click the Start button.

2. Point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then point to System Tools.

3. Click System Information.

4. Click Tools from the menu bar and then click System File Checker .

5. Click Start to run System File Checker.

6. When the scan is finished, click OK and you will return to its main screen.

7. Click the Settings button.

8. Click the Settings tab and then click the View Log button to view the log in Notepad. (On the Settings tab, you will also see three options in the Log file section. These let you append to the existing log, overwrite the existing log, or create no log at all.)

9. Type the name of the program you just installed at the top of the log and then click File and Print.

Note: A shortcut to starting System File Checker is to type SFC in the Run command on the Start menu.

Some straight forward talk on virus prevention

Here are some easy-to-follow rules to reduce your chances of getting a virus:

• It's a good idea to turn off any features that automatically launch programs you download or that open e-mail attachments. (Note: Though you may have heard that e-mail can infect your computer, it cannot. However, if you open an infected executable attachment from that e-mail, it can infect your computer.)

• You should always create an emergency boot disk for your PC and write-protect it in case the virus affects your computer's start-up ability.

• Set your PC to boot directly from the C:// drive and bypass the A:// drive (see the tip Boot up without the floppy drive to save timeto learn how.)

• If you have Microsoft Plus! 98, you can run the anti-virus software that comes with it.

• Update your anti-virus program to keep ahead of any new viruses.

New Safe Mode boot command

Remember how you used to press F8 after the Starting Windows prompt in Windows 95? Well, that method still works, but because Windows 98 no longer has a Starting Windows prompt, it may be a bit harder to know when to press it.

Windows 98 has made it easier. All you need to do is hold down the CTRL key at the first sign of any text on the screen during boot until the Microsoft Windows 98 Startup Menu appears.

Safe Mode is used when there may be a problem with your monitor or device drivers required to start Windows. It uses default settings and a minimum amount of device drivers to run Windows. Please note that in Safe Mode, you will not have access to CD-ROM drives, printers, or other devices.

Check your Registry if you are having software problems

The Registry stores settings for programs installed on your computer as well as for your computer's internal operation. If these get corrupted or damaged in any way, your applications, or your computer, won't run correctly.

Windows 98 comes with a utility called Registry Checker that backs up the registry each time you turn your computer on, and scans your Registry at every restart. If Registry Checker finds a problem with your Registry, it will automatically replace it with your most recent backup copy.

To run the Registry Checker at any time:

1. Click the Start button.

2. Point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then point to System Tools

3. Click System Information

4. Click Tools from the menu bar and then click Registry Checker.

To access your backup copies at any time:

Reboot your computer to the Command Prompt. (Hold down the CTRL key at restart, and choose step #5 from the Microsoft Windows 98 Startup Menu.)

1. At the Command Prompt, type -- scanreg /restore and then press Enter.

2. Registry Checker will scan your Registry again and then display a list with the five most recent backups, listed by date. Highlight which one you want to restore and then press Enter.

3. Press Enter again to restart.

Compress your drive for more space

Are you running out of room on your hard disk drive? It happens to the best of us. But with Windows 98 you have a quick and easy way to gain some extra space.

Here's what to do:

1. Open My Computer, right-click the C-drive, and then click Properties.

2. Click the Compression tab (this is not available on FAT32 partitions).

If your disk is not compressed, you will have two options for compressing it: Compress Drive or Create New Drive. For example, you may need another partition on your system, so Create New Drive would be your choice. If your disk has already been compressed, you will be shown details on what's compressed, along with options for customizing how the data is compressed. Click the buttons for your preferred choice and follow the directions.

Let the Add New Hardware Wizard resolve your device problems

If you are having problems with a particular device after installing Windows 98 or other software, try removing it and then let Windows 98 reinstall the device.

Here's how to do it:

1. On the Start menu, point to Settings, point to Control Panel, and then double-click the System icon.

2. Click the Device Manager tab.

   (The problem catagory should automatically open and a symbol should indicate which device is faulty. If it's not working properly, there will be a yellow circle with a black exclamation point inside it; if it's not working at all, there will be a red X.

3. Click once on the problem item to highlight it, and then click Remove.

4. During start up, Windows 98 should detect as missing the device you just removed and automatically run the Add New Hardware Wizard. If you recently downloaded new drivers from any of your hardware manufacturers sites, or from Windows Update, be sure to use the wizard's Have Disk option to ensure that Windows 98 installs the new drivers and not any old ones.

Hint When you download new drivers from hardware manufacturers or Windows Update, copy them to a floppy disk and label them. This way, if you ever need to re-install them, and don't have access to the Internet, they are right where you need them.

Discover the difference between folder contents with WinDiff

The Resource Kit contains a utility called WinDiff that allows you to quickly compare the contents of two folders. After you've installed the Resource Kit (see the above tip), to use WinDiff:

1. From the Start menu, point to Programs, then point to Windows 98 Resource Kit, and then click Tools Management Console.

2. Go to the \Tools A to Z\U to Z directory and double-click WinDiff.

3. From the File menu, click Compare Directories and type the path of the folders you want to compare.

4. Click OK and WinDiff will give you a line-by-line list of the differences between the contents of the folders.