A Faster, Better Behaved Windows 98

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The items in this box are bits of news, announcements, and other odds & ends that seemed to fit better here than elsewhere on the page.

"Windows 98 + ME *still* alive campaign Spread the word"

Ok I said I wouldn't be adding new stuff to this page anymore, but I thought the link below was important enough that it should go here.
Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98 Threat Mitigation Guide (Microsoft): "This guide identifies security issues in networks that include computers running the Microsoft® Windows NT® 4.0 and Windows® 98 operating systems, and explains the best hardening strategies that an organization can use until they are able to upgrade these operating systems."

"Roll your own Windows 98 Support & Installation Kit", by "Geek Girl".  Though Windows 98's assisted support time has been extended to 2006, you might still want to follow the steps laid out here.

This InformationWeek article by Fred Langa (published in Dec 2003) is still well worth your time.  It's "Three Important End-Of-Year Tasks" which goes into cleaning up, backing up, and applying updates to your version of Windows, including Windows 98.

Due to overwhelming demand (mostly from me) I have written my own how-to for getting a Windows 98 PC to boot up fast, shut down fast, and generally run fast and reliably, without having to buy/upgrade anything.

In grade six Health class, we were taught how the heart is central to good health.  To quote the teacher, "If the heart doesn't work well, nothing works well."  So it goes with Windows.  If Windows 98 is ailing and poky, you can count on other programs to act the same way.  On the other hand, if Windows 98 is in good shape, its applications tend to work better too.  Some people would say that Windows is the brain rather than the heart.  But Windows is not a brain, nor does it have a brain.  Like all operating systems, Windows 98 is a fool that can't even grunt without specific instructions.  Yet Windows can crash and do other flaky things, seemingly without any user input whatsoever.  How's that for a paradox?

If it feels like your once-slick Windows 98 box is running like molasses on the night side of Pluto, and crashing just for the hell of it, you're not imagining things.  Windows 98 needs a regular oiling and it just won't do much on its own-- a human (you or whoever) will have to step in.  And it may as well be you-- it's going to be you sooner or later anyway.

At times like this, people will tell you that you need to upgrade something or other-- faster hard drive, more memory, better video card, newer CPU, newer OS, bla bla boring fricken bla etc etc.  Some of them mean well-- they might even be right sometimes, some are fibbing (salespeople do that... ok, maybe fibbing isn't the right word-- how about lying), some haven't met Richard-- they don't know Dick.

But you can cure many of Windows 98’s performance ills at a cost slightly less than nothing.  The info here is free, along with all the programs mentioned.  The theory is that you've already spent a lot of money on your computer, the OS, maybe an office suite as well... And between now and the next upgrade, you'd like to spend your money on other things.

<rant>  On the subject of things that aren't free: Many computer magazine articles and PC help shows just love to recommend commercial products, like good little hookers being true to their sponsors, ignoring any no-cost/low-cost alternatives that might be available.  No, they don't have your best interests at heart.  Money talks-- your money, which they want to make their money, by getting you to buy stuff you probably don't need, all to keep the corporate economy on the bloat.  Money grubbing is money grubbing, whether it's done by a wino or a software vendor. /<rant>

To keep things moving along, I'll try not to over explain; instead, I'll pass a lot of the buck by mentioning other links (like at the bottom).  I mean really, there are lots of times when I don't know anything either, and so let others pick up where I leave off.

Btw, if you're looking for stuff on other versions of Windows, there are lots-- I mean LOTS-- of places to visit.  Just go to Axcel216, The Elder Geek, Kelly's Korner, MVPs.org, Geek Girl, Toejumper.net, WinGuides, Annoyances.org-- these spots alone will dish out enough Windows baked goods to last you until the spring after hell freezes over, possibly longer.  Some of the links at the bottom might even help... but there I go trying to guess.

Last of all, the following are how *I* run things.  Some of the pointers are a bit drastic.  Use the tips with care, some with extra care.  There, I warned you.
 


1) Start Menu/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disk Cleanup.  This is where you can offload a good chunk of the junk files on your system.  I put a checkmark next to everything.  If you have a lot of files built up, Disk Cleanup will take a while.  I once got rid of 300MB worth of deadbeat files on a friend's computer, using Disk Cleanup alone.

2) Another place to get delete-happy is in Start Menu/Settings/Control Panel/Add-Remove Programs.  Whatchya got in there?  NetMeeting? Netscape SmartUpdate?  Net2Phone?  RealPlayer 4.0?  AOL Instant Messenger?  You use those?  No?  Kill them.  Puke Nukem Lords Of Vomit?-- not even your kid plays that one anymore.  Office 97, WordPerfect 7, 8 and 9?  Pick your pet word processor and off the rest.  If it looks trivial (some programs reveal their pointlessness by their names alone), take it for a car ride, one way.  Some of these uninstallers might ask you to reboot Windows after they're done.  Do it.

Also in Add-Remove is the Windows Setup tab.  Click it and go through it.  I removed everything except Volume Control and Audio Compression in the Multimedia category.  Your list will differ though.

3) Once I'm done there, it's off to Start Menu/Find/Files or Folders.  There I look for any remaining files and folders of the programs I just uninstalled.  Guess what I do with them.  I've read that you shouldn't delete the files and folders of programs you've uninstalled, but I haven't found a convincing reason not to.  I've had no trouble after wiping out such leftovers.  If you're going to remove something like Real One player for example, why on earth would you want its folders to stay behind?  Furthermore, I've found that In some cases, there are space savings to be had by picking up after an uninstaller.

Disk Cleanup won't get rid of everything, so you might want to try these free alternative apps: CCleaner, II System Wiper and Empty Temp Folders.  Another system cleaner-upper is HD Cleaner.  Or, if you'd like to try the command line approach to cleaning up, Fred Langa has a few batch files you can use and customize to your needs.

CCleaner recently bundled their program with the Yahoo Toolbar.  If that's a worry, there are older versions of CCleaner here.


4) Sometimes I use Kevin Solway’s Clean System Directory app to remove useless files from the Windows system folder.  It depends on how much software I've been adding and deleting, or how long since I last used the tool.  CSD won't delete the files from your hard drive, rather it puts them into a backup folder in case you need to restore them later.

5) Not to be too nosey, but how many fonts do you have installed?… More than 50 maybe?  100?… 200?  More?…  Know how they got there?…. It's not all Windows 98’s fault…Word or Word Perfect may be to blame, maybe a 3D-text creator or web page maker, or some graphics/drawing program you installed and forgot about… Possible?  Whatever the cause, you may be left with the fonts even after the programs are gone.  Windows has to keep track of these, which can tie up resources and make things more sluggish than need be.  I can't recommend exactly which fonts to uninstall, except to point to Microsoft's List Of Default Fonts Included in Windows 98.

A good idea is to look your font list over (Start Menu/Settings/Control Panel/Fonts), see which ones you can do without, and go from there.  I confine deletions to TTF (true type) fonts-- and leave most of the .FON files alone, namely the ones MS puts there.  Some of the core fonts are needed by Windows itself, to keep it looking presentable.  For example, keep hands off MARLETT.TTF<- delete this font and watch some key Windows elements (like the arrows on your Start Menu folders) turn into god knows what-- DON'T DO IT.

See also:


6) Clean and compact the Registry… not hard, and might only take 20 minutes to do all of what follows.  In my opinion, just doing one or two of these is not enough, especially if the Registry hasn't been scrubbed in a while, or ever.  First though, play it extra safe and make a backup of your Registry as it is now.  Here is a Microsoft doc entitled How to Back Up the Registry in Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition.  Now on to the cleaning part.

    a) Easy Cleaner can scan the Registry for errors and remove duplicate and unnecessary files.
    b) MS RegClean will probably find bad Registry entries that Easy Cleaner missed.
    c) Ole Clean may find yet more.
    d) JV16 RegCleaner: very powerful… It always turns up crud that the other three miss.
    e) RegSeeker has several functions, Registry cleaning among them.  It tends to find even more bad entries that the other tools don't.

(All of these apps make backups of the registry entries they remove, so you can always undo the changes they make.)

Compacting is the last step.  To do it, go to Start Menu/Shutdown/Restart in MS-DOS Mode, then type:

        scanreg /fix
        and press ENTER
        ...wait while scanreg does its thing... this could take a while, go raid the fridge
        press ENTER again when Scanreg shows this message:
                "Registry repair results...
                Windows successfully fixed your Registry...
                OK"
        then type:
        scanreg /opt
        and press ENTER
        ...wait a little more...
        (bored yet?  hope not)
        last, type EXIT and press ENTER to restart Windows

< I read here that the /opt and /fix switches can be combined into one command, and I think I believe the source, though I haven't actually tried it. >

What you get for all this, is a trimmed and slimmed Registry that should really help Windows 98 to run faster and with fewer error messages… You know, like those illegal operations, general protection faults, fatal exceptions, blue screens... makes me tired just thinking about it.

7) Make friends-- and stay friends-- with a program called MSCONFIG.  Get to it by typing MSCONFIG in the Run box and pressing ENTER.  You'll see Run near the bottom of the Start menu.  In MSCONFIG, click the Startup tab on the far right.  I disabled everything except Zone Alarm, TweakUI, Task Monitor, and Read Please (my favorite screen reader), though you may not see most of these listed.  Moreover, you may have antivirus components such as AVG's update manager and resident shield listed here.  If so, leave them be.  It's nasty these days on the net, getting nastier... an antivirus program like AVG is one of the best things you can have on hand.

Adware/spyware/slimeware also love to stash things in the startup list.  Use MSCONFIG to revoke their privileges.  (See item #17 for a few free spyware removal apps.)   Don't worry about unchecking things; if you screw something up, you can always recheck it on the next reboot.

AnswersThatWork has a section on Task List Programs where startup items are listed alphabetically and explained.  Two other good startup references are Startup Programs Database at BleepingComputer and WinTasks Process Library.

You could also use MSCONFIG to disable all or parts of four configuration files: Autoexec.bat, Config.sys, Win.ini, and System.ini.  I do it differently with the first three (see further down), and I usually leave System.ini alone, mainly because I never found anything there-- besides the vcache settings-- that could really help with performance.  And even those I leave alone most of the time, staying with the Windows 98 defaults.  To keep things simple and brief, you could just take the checkmarks away from the files under the General tab.  If it turns out you made a mistake, put the checkmarks back and reboot and you're back in business.

People use programs like Kazaa and Morpheus, run Antivirus blobs like Norton and McAfee, and wonder why things are so slow.  Have a look in MSCONFIG and you'll find some of the culprits.  As for AV software, I use F-Prot Antivirus for DOS, which works fine in and out of Windows 98.<See the bottom of this page for the latest F-Prot definitions> F-Prot needs to be started and updated manually, the only real catches, but it does the job-- and it doesn't plop itself in the background and bog things down.  If you need an antivirus app to run on autopilot, you could try Grisoft's free version of AVG.  It's very highly regarded and it works well, though it may slow your system down, depending on which parts of AVG you enable during installation.

Autoruns, Startup Control Panel and StartupRun are good alternatives to MSCONFIG.  They peer into the more out-of-the-way crevices of Windows, without requiring you to go into the Registry with tweezers.  If you *really* want to get indepth on what's loading in Windows, there is also Process Explorer (see bottom of page for download) and StartupList (scroll down that page to see the download for this program and many other excellent anti-malware tools).

If you'd like to add a few ounces of prevention to the mix, Startup Monitor and WinPatrol are two more programs to consider.  Don't try running more than one of these at once.  You might think of them as firewalls for your startup process.  Among other features, they warn when programs try to insert themselves as startup items, and let you choose whether or not you want that to happen.

8) Download and get to know TweakUI.  Use it to do all kinds of gratifying things like disable a few cute Windows 98 effects including smooth scrolling and menu animations that can drag a system down.  From TweakUI you can also turn off the Active Desktop and Shell Enhancements.  But If you need Quick Launch and the other Toolbars, best to leave these alone.  Check out all the tabs... TweakUI has some handy ways of making Windows 98 act in a way more to your liking.

9) Enable DMA (Direct Memory Access) on the hard drive.  DMA can up disk speed by allowing the drive and RAM to talk directly, as opposed to taking the scenic route through the CPU.  To see available settings, right click My Computer, choose Properties, Device Manager and look over the Properties/Settings for CD/DVD and disk drives listed there.  A checkbox labeled DMA might be available, hopefully not grayed out.  For more information and help with DMA, you might want to read these:


10) Stop Autoexec.bat and Config.sys files from being processed at bootup.  Do this by deleting or renaming them.  Be safe, rename.  Be safer, back them up somewhere.  They're in the root directory (c:\).  I don't need any special DOS environment settings, memory management tweaks, nor do I use any software that demands their presence, so out they go.  I've heard about some brands of antivirus software which require one or both of these system files.  Some older DOS based games may also need config.sys and autoexec.bat, possibly older versions of Word Perfect for DOS as well.  So before you toss your copies of these files, check their contents with the TYPE command (i.e. TYPE c:\config.sys and press ENTER or TYPE c:\autoexec.bat and press ENTER).  Press the ESC key get back to the command prompt.  You could also use SysEdit, Notepad, or the DOS editor (edit.com) for editing.  By the way, all of these file editors can be started by typing their names in the Run box and pressing ENTER.

11) In the Windows folder (usually c:\windows) is a configuration file called Win.ini.  Open it with Edit, SysEdit, or Notepad. I have Load= and Run= blanked out, meaning there is nothing to the right of either entry.  They're at the very top, under the heading [Windows].  For safety (or is that paranoia), you might want to back up the file first.

12) In Msdos.sys (another configuration file, this time in the root directory, c:\), there is-- or should be-- a setting under [Options] called BootDelay.  If not, create it and set it to 0 (zero), like so:

        BootDelay=0

Microsoft chose to be difficult by making Msdos.sys a read-only file but you can change that at least temporarily by doing this:

       click Start Menu/Programs/MS-DOS Prompt
       ...type
       attrib +a –s –h –r c:\msdos.sys
       ...then type:
       edit c:\msdos.sys

Make the changes, save, then get out and reboot… On the next go-round, you should notice a reduction in the time it takes for Windows to get to the Desktop.

Author's Msdos.sys file:

        [Paths]
        WinDir=C:\WINDOWS
        WinBootDir=C:\WINDOWS
        HostWinBootDrv=C

        [Options]
        BootMulti=0
        BootGUI=1
        Logo=0
        DisableLog=1
        BootKeys=1
        BootMenu=0
        BootMenuDelay=5
        BootDelay=0
        Network=0
        DBLSpace=0
        DRVSpace=0
        DoubleBuffer=0
        AutoScan=1

13) Scandisk:  Sometimes you'll run it (Start Menu/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/ScanDisk), sometimes Maintenance Wizard/Task Scheduler will, sometimes it happens after a crash or a bad shutdown.  However it gets done, it's a must.  I prefer to do mine outside of Windows: Start Menu/Shut Down/Restart in MS-DOS Mode…. then type Scandisk, press ENTER, tell it what to do, how to do it, etc, go out for coffee, come back and reboot.  If you're planning to run Scandisk from within Windows, you'll either have to reboot in Safe Mode, or make sure that nearly every application / process is shut down.  More on that in the next item.

14) Defrag: I do one every couple of months, sometimes more often.  Windows is a bit of a slob… it leaves things all over the place, bits of files of which it must keep track, no matter how far flung they are.  After a while (certainly if you have an older computer), this fragmentation makes itself known in the form of system slowdown. One other side affect is extra wear on the drive as its heads are forced to look hither and thither for... well whatever they're looking for.  Defrag (MS calls it Disk Defragmenter-- they're such a bunch of squares) is in Start Menu/Programs/Accessories/System Tools.

People are always having problems with Defrag taking forever to finish, or not finishing at all.  When I run Defrag, I shut down all other programs-- ALL of them… umm… except for Windows of course, as represented by the Explorer entry in the task list.  First, use whatever close / exit / disable options you can find in the Taskbar and System Tray to shut off everything that Alt+F4, File/Exit or a caption button won't cover.  Then press CTRL+ALT+DEL (remember, don't kill the Explorer process when you're there) and get rid of whatever else might still be running.

If you'd prefer to let a utility help with closing things down, EndItAll might be just what you need <-- (The direct download comes from this area, courtesy of "The Old Sea Dog")   Another option comes from an issue of Fred Langa's newsletter, called Win98/ME Systray Cleanup.

If you use Power Management and a screen saver, these will likely have to be shut down as well, plus your virus scanner.  Turn off the screen saver by right clicking a blank spot on the Desktop and choosing Properties, then the Screen Saver tab, choose 'None' from the Screen Saver list box, click Apply, then OK.  You'll find Windows 98's Power options under Start Menu / Settings / Control Panel / Power Management.  I chose 'Never' for all the list boxes in the lower half of the Power Management Properties screen and saved them under a new Power scheme called "ON".  Generally I don't use Power Management, except maybe when I'm bored and want to pretend that my computer can think for itself.  Other than that, I keep it turned off, at both the Windows and BIOS levels-- probably not a good idea for a laptop though.  As for the screen saver, best one I've ever used is beneath the display, lower right corner. :)  The firewall (Zone Alarm in this case) gets shut down too, along with the Net connection.  This is done by pulling the plug on my cable modem.  If you're on dialup, make sure that's turned off by right clicking the modem icon in the System Tray and choosing Disconnect.  Along with these, I also disable virtual memory, then reactivate it when Defrag is finished.

To save some bother, you could try using Defrag in Safe Mode, though it will run like a hungover turtle there.  But it still gets to the end…eventually.

Pssst... want a faster defrag?  I found a link to the WinME version of defrag, which not only runs on Windows 98, but finishes more quickly as well.

15) The Swap File (Virtual Memory).  Right click My Computer / Properties / Performance tab / Virtual Memory (the tab in the lower right corner).  Don't ask me what the optimal settings are-- I don't know… and I've read so many different opinions, that I don't care anymore.  What I finally did was take the RAM I had (160MB), times that by 3 (480, a comfortable margin for me at least), and stick that number in both the Minimum and Maximum boxes.  It sucks up some disk space, but I have some to spare.  You may not need such a big number, or you may need something bigger.  The idea is to stop Windows from having to grow and shrink the swap file in the background.  The less time Windows has to do that, the more time it will have to spend with you…. Ah…. Touching, no?

16) While we're in the Performance pane (pain maybe?), look at the File System and Graphics tabs.  In File System, I have "Typical role of this computer" set to Network server" and "Read-ahead optimization" all the way to the right.  Same thing for "Hardware acceleration" under Graphics.  Windows 98 may have maximized them by default, but it never hurts to check.  Also in File System/Floppy Disk tab-- uncheck the box next to "Search for new floppy disk drives each time your computer starts".

A note concerning the "typical role" setting:  If you have less than 64mb of RAM, you might want to leave yours at "Desktop computer" or "Mobile or docking system".   The Network Server option seems to work better for systems with more memory.  This link explains further:

- Definition of the "Typical Role of This Machine" Setting 

On a similar note, there is a tweak you might want to try, here at an url called the Windows 98 Optimization Guide.  A little down the page is a heading called "Powerful PC" with a brief explanation and a key to download and merge with the Registry.  I tried this once, didn't make a bit of difference on my machine, but it might be another story for you.  Also check out the other Windows 98 tips there.

<A warning if you depend on a screen reader to help you navigate web pages, or if you like to copy/paste text from Internet Explorer into other apps--  The author of the page above is using a script that might block you from copying text, unless you: 1) disable a few of IE's Java and active scripting options in Tools / Internet Options / Security... or 2) view the page with Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, or some other browser.>
17) Evict the adware/spyware/scumware with Spybot and/or Ad Aware.  You might also want to look at Spyware Blaster, one of those programs that tries to prevent trouble before it starts.   Hijack This! is a free Windows / Internet Explorer hijack cleaner-upper, not the easiest thing to use at first but you'll probably be glad you made the effort.  Spywareinfo is one of the best places to learn about spyware and how to rid yourself of it.

18) Can you manage without the Microsoft Sound, the one that announces your arrival at the Desktop at the end of bootup?  Maybe you can do without all of them.  If so, go to Start Menu/Settings/Control Panel/Sounds and set Schemes to No Sounds, click Apply, then OK.  You've just relieved Windows of yet another chore, and yourself of a bunch of noises that got old about 5 seconds after you first heard them.  And worry not, this step won't disable Windows audio, so your tunes will play as before.

19) Sometimes Windows 98 has better things to do than keep checking for disks in CD drives.  Alas, the OS is too dumb to know that.  So if you like, right-click My Computer / Properties / Device Manager / CD-ROM, choose the drive, click Properties, then the Settings tab, and remove the checkmark from Auto Insert Notification.

20) There are no multiple users on this computer, no network either, so I turn off the password dialog normally seen at Windows startup.  Go to Start Menu/Settings/Control Panel/Network, and change "Primary Network Logon:" to Windows Logon.  Click OK.  Windows might want to reboot at this point.  Let it.  Then look in the Windows folder for any files with .pwl extensions and delete them.  Then edit the system.ini file (usually found in c:\windows) and delete all the names listed in the [Passwords] section.  On next reboot, you might see the password logon box again... if that happens, press ENTER (not ESCAPE), and that should be the last time you see the dialog.  You may become all nostalgic and teary-eyed at this point.... this will pass.

More on #20 I got an email from Brian Fonnesbeck.  To quote: "...There is a quicker and easier way for #20...  Instead of doing all the extra stuff you mention, just change the Primary Network Logon to Windows Logon, and then when the box comes up on the next restart put in a username of . (period) with no password.  A single period is Windows name for the "default" user.  You can verify this by checking in the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USERS, and you will see that the default profile's real name is a . (period) ..."  Thank you Brian.

Another email from a fellow named Jack Dempsey: "I found 1 other thing I needed to do after following your directions for removing multiple users #20. I still got the (empty) logon box after the reboot. I found that I also had to go to Start/Settings/Control Panel/Passwords and select the "All users of this computer use the same preferences and desktop settings" radio button on the User Profiles tab. Pressing OK forces a reboot, and the logon box is gone."  Thanks Jack.

21) Once, way back whenever, I would have been quicker to suggest this one-- which is to reduce the color depth of your display by right clicking the Desktop, choosing Properties and then the Settings tab.  But to be blunt, even 256 Colors looks like crap, while 16 Colors isn't good enough to be crap.  True, dropping to 256 or 16 Colors might speed things up, but what's the good of that if your Desktop is ugly, boring and a strain on the eyes?  On the other hand, True Color might be overkill for you, overwork for your computer... so you might want to set the display to "High Color (16 bit)", or leave it be if it's already there.

22) This one gets mentioned everywhere but I'll repeat it: If all you want is to restart Windows (not the whole system), go to Start Menu/Shut Down, select Restart, and hold down the SHIFT key while pressing the ENTER key (or clicking OK).  That should cut the restart time by several seconds.... and seconds mean something to people who have no patience.... you know anyone like that? :)

23) Here are two more ways to warm-reboot Windows 98 in a hurry.  I've seen these mentioned elsewhere, probably lots of places, but it never hurts to repeat them.  Both do a log-out / log-in routine that gives the Windows 98 desktop a quick refresh, but more importantly, any changes you may have been making to the Registry will be put into effect using one of these methods.  But both may not be available on your system.

    a) First make sure all your data is saved and their applications closed.
    b) Press CTRL+ALT+DEL, click the Explorer entry in the task list, then click the End Task button in the lower left corner.  When the Shutdown menu appears, click the Cancel button.  You'll need to wait a few seconds for the dialog box to reappear.  When it does, click the End Task button once more.

The second way requires that there be a "Log off" option available in your Shutdown menu.  If you don't see the entry, TweakUI has an option that might make it visible.  Now click Start / Shut Down / Log off / OK.  The username & password dialog will appear.  Give the required password if there are multiple users on your system.  In any case, make sure a username is given for the first field, then press OK-- NOT the ESC button.  You're back.

24) This one is also splattered around the Net-- a shortcut that lets you shut down a Windows 98 computer with a double click.  Don't have it?  Want it?  Right click a blank spot on the Desktop, choose New > Shortcut, and copy/paste this into the command line box:

C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE user.exe,exitwindows

(If you like typing, remember not to put a space between the comma (,) and exitwindows  -- but remember to put a space between RUNDLL.EXE and user.exe)

Name the new shortcut whatever you want and that's it.

Warning: This shortcut doesn't stop to ask questions, so make sure you really want to shut down Windows before using it.

25) This isn't a performance tip, more like a productivity tip, which also gets mentioned a lot elsewhere.  It's one of the first things I do after a Windows 98 reinstall.  Create a cascading Control Panel menu and put it in a nice handy place like at the top of the Start menu.  Right click the Start button, choose Open, right click a blank spot in the folder that comes up, choose New > Folder and name it this:

Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}

By the way, only the "Control Panel" part will be displayed when you're done.

Click this link at Windows-Help-Net if you want to pull the cascade trick with other Windows 98 components like Printers, Dialup Networking, Recycle Bin and others.  Note that some menus are NOT updated automatically; you have to add stuff manually.  Read the notes over when you're there.

26) Here are some ideas on using shortcuts and key combinations.  Place shortcuts to most frequently used programs at the top of the Start menu.  Give each shortcut its own letter in the alphabet.  Failing that, use numbers to uniquely name shortcuts.  The idea here is to launch your favorite apps with as few keystrokes as possible.  In my case, it's usually two.  For example, if I want to launch Internet Explorer, I tap the Windows key, followed by the letter i.

I don't care for homemade shortcut key combinations, the ones you can create from a shortcut's Properties panel; I'm too likely to forget the keys required, and they get to be awkward when three keys are involved.  The exception is the combo I use to start the command prompt.  In that case, I use ALT+M, for the reason that ALT and M are close to each other; I can hold down ALT with the thumb of my left hand while pressing M with the right index finger and I'm at the prompt right away.  For some reason, Windows lets me get away with just two keys in this example... maybe Windows makes exceptions for DOS programs... I haven't experimented to find out for sure; Command Prompt is the only DOS app I use within Windows anymore.  But other than ALT+M, I don't use combos to launch programs.  I prefer using combos to kill them off instead.  Two of my favorites are ALT+F4 and CTRL+W.  But the difference is that these are two-key combinations, hard wired into Windows or Windows applications, not the three-key sequences that Windows usually forces on you when you want to make your own.  Just try to make a two-key shortcut to a program and Windows will likely push you into using combinations of CTRL, SHIFT, and ALT as modifiers.  The exceptions are function keys and keys on the numeric keypad.  This paragraph is coming dangerously close to saying nothing, so I'll break it off and hope I didn't spill too much black dye into the muddy water. :)

27) One more productivity tip.  I haven't seen this trick mentioned elsewhere, so until Microsoft or someone else comes along to beat me about the head with clubs, I'm going to call it mine.  (Btw, if you're a hunt-&-peck typist, this probably won't work for you.)  You may already know that if you're in a folder with miles of files in it (like the System directory), you can type the first letter of a filename you're looking for and get into that file's general neighborhood, assuming the list has been sorted by name.  But if your fingers are fast enough to type the first three, four, or more letters of a file's name, then you'll zero in on that file much faster.  E.g. When using Explorer to navigate C:\Windows\System, type "she" (without the quotes), "shel", or "shell", you'll get to files like shell.dll and shell32.dll a lot faster than by just typing the letter s.  This also works on folder names and Registry keys.  E.g. If the Windows folder is highlighted in Windows Explorer, typing "syst" will park you in the System directory sooner than typing the letter s.

If you're after more shortcuts, Microsoft has a few you might like, in a doc called Shortcuts for Windows 98.


These next tips have less to do with your Windows computer than with you and whom or what you let near it.

28) Keep the number of 'experts' who 'fix' your computer to a bear minimum, preferably just 1-- you.  Second and third opinions can help sometimes but when there's a big problem to be solved, one too many self-styled Windows gurus can turn a problem into a catastrophe.  I was one of these sorts of people in a misadventure where I tried to unscrew something that someone else had screwed up, only to screw it up even more.  Then along came one more guru who fixed everything with System Restore.  Sheesh!  Well I learned my lesson, at least until the next time I'm asked to help. :)

29) If you can avoid it, DO NOT SHARE YOUR COMPUTER WITH ANYONE. I don't believe in multiple users on a single computer... it takes away from the meaning of the word 'personal'.  A network is one thing, even your special significant other might be ok, but when you, your family, your in-laws and your dog are all piling data and preferences onto the same machine, trouble will come, and it will come much sooner than if it were just you.

30) Last, have as few programs installed and running on your computer as possible.  The less software you have around, the less Windows will have to cope with, the fewer problems you'll have... and dare I promise, the happier you'll be. :)

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At this point, I declare incompetence and give a few links:


Windows 9x & Windows ME guides at Geek Girl's Plain English Computing: I wish that a resource like this one had been around when I took my first dive into Windows in 1992.  Geek Girl has help for absolute Windows beginners and advanced users alike.  GG speaks to the visitor in ordinary, helpful, non patronizing English.

"Windows 98 - Computer Tips And Tricks For Novices":  There are more than one or two ways to explain how to clean house in Windows 98.  Check out The Old Sea Dog's step-by-step guide.

Serenity Macros: "resources, tips, registry customisation, programs for MS Word and Windows 98"

Windows 98 Tips & Tricks: (news, tips on Getting Started, Fine Tuning, Communication, Troubleshooting, and other information about Windows 98)...This one's from HelpWithWindows.

"Axcel216 Speed WinDOwS ©Tricks · Secrets · Bugs · Fixes" is a massive and excellent resource.  There are mountain ranges of free tips/tweaks/fixes for Windows here.

Toejumper's Troubleshooting and Resource Guide for Win 95/98/ME/XP: lots of helpful and entertaining articles here, better and funnier than the condescending stuffed shirts who write Windows/PC how-to's in some of the mags I've read.  Smart Computing comes to mind.

Windows 95, 98 & ME at Windows Support Center

Fred Langa's "Ten Ways to Make Windows 98 Run Better": This article is about as old as Win98 itself, also some links don't work.  But there is still salvageable material here.

Resource Leaks: Part One (by Fred Langa) "Crashes can sometimes be traced to sloppy programs that leak memory"  Also, Resource Leaks, Part Four - "Once you've plugged the leaks, take the time to fine-tune your setup"

Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit (MS)

Windows 95/98 message area at Computing.Net

Windows 95/98/ME Forums at Tech Support Guy

Windows 98 at ComputerHope

Windows 98 Resource Channel at Experts Exchange

Windows 98 section at Malektips

Windows 9x/ME/XP/NT/2000 Tweaks Pages at MyDesktopHelp

More Windows 98 Tips at PC Magazine

Windows 95/98/ME/XP/2000 Annoyances: what they are (some of which you already know) and how to fix them.

Windows 98 Tips at Windows-Help-Net

Windows 95/98 Tips at Active Windows

Windows 98 links at Yahoo

Want to really drill into Windows 98?  Here are some links you might enjoy:

-- X-Setup: the most powerful tweaking tool there is.  The link goes to v6.3.  X-Setup became shareware at version 7.
-- IEradicator: a truly extreme program.  Turn it loose and it will strip most Internet Explorer/Active Desktop/Web components from Windows 98.  If you use one of the alternative browsers, can do without Internet Explorer, and don't need Windows 98’s web-like elements, dig in.
-- Check out 98Lite if you want to strip down Windows 98 during its installation.
-- Also see "How to remove Internet Explorer from Windows 98" at CNN.
 

Email if you have any corrections to point out, things I missed, dead links, or if you just want to say hello.

Happy computing. –Gord Braun

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This page is Copyright © Gord Braun 2006