|
There are two
common methods for acquiring a version of Windows 95...
- As an upgrade
to Windows or
- As an original
install version.
Both versions
are available on CD or floppies. We strongly recommend the CD version
in either case.
If you already
have Windows, it would seem the obvious choice would be to opt for
the "upgrade" version. But before doing so, you may want
to consider some of the following situations that arise from using
the upgrade version.
Excess
baggage
When you install
the upgrade, you are asked if you ever want the ability to "uninstall"
and return to Windows. Even if you select "no" for this
option, the install procedure leaves many old Windows 3.x programs
and utilities behind that are not used by Windows 95. This results
in using up disk space for files that will never be used. Can
you delete these left over files manually? It is possible, but
it is not an easy task. The list is fairly long and the odds are
fairly high that you may delete a file that is needed by Windows
95 or some old application.
Checklist
To help prevent
problems, here is my checklist of things to do that are not always
listed in the installation instructions. It is very possible that
if anything goes wrong during the install process you may find
yourself without a working copy of DOS or Windows.
- Backup
your DOS and Windows directories to floppies.
- Create
a DOS emergency disk by entering SETUP
/F from the DOS directory.
- Backup
any data that is important.
- Backup
AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS from the root directory.
- Remove
any multi-configuration set-ups you may have in CONFIG.SYS
or AUTOEXEC.BAT!
- Install
Windows 95 in a different directory than your current
Windows directory. This will leave most of the DOS programs
intact.
SETUPLOG.TXT
This is a
hidden file that is created during the install process. It contains
the steps that have been completed successfully. If install fails
and you have to reboot, SETUPLOG.TXT is read to determine where
to continue with the install process. This file can be read with
the DOS EDIT utility.
DETLOG.TXT
This is another
hidden file that traces the steps that setup used to determine
what devices you have on the system. This file can also be read
with the DOS EDIT utility in case of failure.
DETCRASH.LOG
This is a
binary file that contains information on devices that did not
convert or install correctly. This file cannot be read with EDIT.
It is used by the boot process to try to attempt a safe recovery.
SAFE
MODE
If Windows
95 fails to start, a startup menu can be selected by pressing
the F8 key when
you see "Starting Windows 95". This special menu has
the ability to start Windows 95 in "safe mode." Safe
mode does not include any 3rd party drivers and allows you to
bring up the command line only. In this way you can view the files
described above to help determine what the problems are.
BOOTLOG.TXT
You can create
another text file, BOOTLOG.TXT during the safe startup option
by entering "WIN /B". This
file will contain a trace of the modules loaded during startup.
Note: The BOOTLOG.TXT file is created as a hidden file. To unhide,
go to DOS mode. Enter attrib -h BOOTLOG.TXT.
WIN
/?
There are
several other startup options or switches that can be used with
the "WIN" command. To display these, enter "WIN
/?".
top
of page
Emergency Start-up
Disk
If you ever
find yourself in a situation when your system won’t boot,
you can boot from an Emergency Start-up floppy. This will allow
you to access your hard disk and perhaps fix the problems.
To create
a boot floppy...
- open the
Control Panel
- select
Add/Remove Programs
- Insert
a blank floppy
- select
the tab Startup Disk
- click on
Create Disk
If
you haven’t done this, do it now!
Emergency Recover
Utility
This hidden
utility is similar to the above option, except it will restore
your system configuration. For preparation, you need to
- Format
a floppy using the Copy system files
option
- Open Explorer
- On your
Windows 95 CD, double click on Other\Misc\eru\eru.exe
- Follow
the instructions to create the Recovery floppy
In case of
a disaster, by booting your system with this floppy, most, if
not all, of your configuration will be restored.
There can
be a problem in creating the floppy in the fact that all of the
files may not fit on one floppy. In that case, select the "custom"
option which will allow you to omit selective files. Omit the
larger files, but keep track of which ones you omit. You can then
use Explorer to copy these omitted files to other floppies.
Backup Registry
files
Windows 95
keeps the configuration information for your system in two files,
system.dat and user.dat. These
files can not be copied with the Explorer or DOS copy command.
But there is a utility on the Windows 95 CD that will accomplish
this task.
- From Windows
95 CD, copy the files \Other\Misc\Cfgback and
\Other\Misc\Cfgback.hlp to
your c:\Windows folder
- From Explorer,
double click on c:\Windows\Cfgback.exe
- It provides
you with instructions on how to backup these two files to floppy.
Configuration
Report
Have you ever
needed a printed copy of how your Windows 95 machine was configured?
Was that a yes? This task is easy.
From the
desktop...
- Right click
on the icon My Computer.
- Select
Properties.
- Click on
the tab Device Manager.
- At the
bottom click on the Print Option.
- Select
All devices.
- Click on
OK.
You will get
a very complete print out of how your system is configured. Most
important you will get information about the interrupts (IRQs),
ports, memory usage and device driver information.
I strongly
recommend that you create this report, even if you don’t
think you need the information currently. If your system ever
fails or needs to be restored, this report can be a very handy
piece of information to help put your system back the way it was.
I also recommend
creating this report when you receive a new system and before
you have modified anything. This can serve two purposes: 1) Provide
a blueprint in case you mess something up. (All though this
hardly ever happens.) 2) Verify that the system contains the
hardware and configuration that you ordered.
So before
reading the next article (yeah, I know you are anxious to continue),
follow the above steps and do this now!
Don’t
move those folders
On several
occasions we have had to repair Windows95 installations,
as a result of customers moving or renaming folders. The same
problem could and does occur on Windows for Work Groups,
however the resulting problems are not as severe as they are easier
to fix.
When you install
software applications in Windows95, an "install
folder" location is always requested. Most often (and recommended)
the practice of using the "default folder" name is used.
Windows95 creates several entries in the "Registry"
files recording the "installed folder" location.
If, at a later
time, you think it would be neat to rename or relocate these folders,
you will discover that the application no longer runs. In some
cases, you will get a warning about moving application folders.
But like most warnings, we all have a tendency to ignore them.
Two problems
are created by moving the folders. 1) The uninstall utility can
no longer be run to allow you to remove and to re-install correctly.
2) Re-installing the software won’t always work correctly,
because some install procedures will search for an existing copy
of the software product and proceed to re-install it in the current
"wrong" folder.
If you simply
moved the entire folder(s) and can remember what the correct name
was, you can put the folder(s) back to their original name, and
everything should again work correctly. Otherwise, it is necessary
to find all of the pieces, delete everything, and re-install the
application.
You could
try to maintain the Registry, but this is strongly not recommended.
You could end up creating a bigger mess. Bottom line, if you don’t
want to create a mess, don’t move or rename those folders.
top
of page
When Windows 95
is installed, there is choice to select the "Typical
Role for this Computer". The options provided are Desktop,
Mobile or Server. What is controlled by this is the memory
size to use for name cache. Name cache is used by Windows 95 to look
up or access recently used files.
This option can
also be changed or viewed by…
- Clicking Start
- Click on Settings
- Click on Control
Panel
- Click on the
icon for System
- Click on the
tab Performance
- Click on the
button File System
The theory is
that the Mobile setting will use 4KB, Desktop 8KB and Server
16KB. But alas, there is a bug in the logic that sets the
values. If you select the Mobile or Server role, your machine
will run slower than it is capable of. Selecting the Desktop
option works fine. Luckily the default option is the Desktop role.
This bug only occurs in Windows 95 original and "a" version.
It has been fixed in the current Windows 95 "b" version.
The values can
be fixed by editing the Registry files. Because of the possibility
of incorrectly changing the Registry and really messing things up,
we have not listed the corrections here.
If you would like
more information, visit the web location: www.microsoft.com/kb/articles/q138/0/12.htm.
top
of page
If you want to
quickly load Windows 95 without loading any of the programs in the
Startup folder. . .
- Type your password
- Click OK in
the "Welcome to Windows "dialog box.
- Press and hold
down the [Shift] key.
If you're on a
network
- Type your password
- Click OK in
the "Enter Network Password" dialog box
- Press and hold
down the Shift key. If you're not logging into Windows 95 or a network,
press and hold down the Shift key when you see the Windows 95 splash
screen appear.
top
of page
If you're working
in Windows Explorer or My Computer and want to select all
but a few files in the current folder, there's a quick way to do it.
Instead of selecting
the majority of files one by one, simply select the . . .
top
of page
A fast way to
create a Windows 95 shortcut is to simply . . .
- Right-click
on an item
- Choose Copy
to send a copy of the item to the Clipboard
- Go to the location
where you want to place the shortcut
- Right-click
- Choose the
Paste Shortcut command from the context menu.
top
of page
As you may know,
when you're troubleshooting a problem in Windows 95, Device Manager
is invaluable. If you need to access it often, there's a quick way
to open Device Manager from the desktop -- simply hold down the [Alt]
key, double-click My Computer, and choose Device Manager from the
shortcut menu.
top
of page
Are your window
scroll bars too wide or too narrow? If they're too wide that take
up valuable space. If they're too narrow they may be hard to use.
Fortunately, you can easily adjust the width of your scroll bars.
To do so...
- Right-click
on the desktop and choose Properties
from the shortcutmenu
- When the Display
Properties sheet appears, click the Appearance
tab
- Click the click
on the scroll bar in the example window
- You can now
easily adjust the size of the scrollbar by using the Size
spin button
top
of page
The Windows 95
CD contains detailed information about troubleshooting printer
problems. The program asks you to describe your problem and
guides you through problem solving solutions.
To access the
printer help file on your CD...
- Open Explorer
- click on \Other\Misc\epts\epts.exe
Most Windows95
printer drivers seem to have a common problem. When installing
a printer in Windows95, by default, it sets a spooling
value to the EMF setting. This setting is supposed
to be a new improved means of spooling to a printer. Again, I
repeat supposed to be. We have cured many printer problems by
changing this value to RAW mode. If you have experienced
problems in printing on Windows95, try changing this
setting. Note: The Windows 95 b version seems to have corrected
problems.
The following
steps will guide you...
- Double click
on My Computer
- Double click
on Printers
- Single click
on the Icon for the printer you want to change
- Right click
and select Properties
- Click on the
Detail tab
- Click on the
Spool Settings button
- Click on the
down arrow and select RAW
- Click on OK
- Click on
OK
The EMF setting
is known to be a problem with HP Laser and Inkjet printers, and Word
7. There are probably some other printers and applications that don’t
work well with the EMF setting.
top
of page
When you create
shortcuts to executable files, folders, or network drives, you may
want to customize the icons Windows 95 uses for those shortcuts. Maybe
you want to use an icon that more accurately represents the task performed
by the shortcut.
Changing a shortcut's
icon is a snap. To assign a new icon to a particular shortcut...
- Right-click
the shortcut
- Select the
Properties command from the context menu
- When you see
the shortcut's properties sheet, click the Shortcut tab
- Click
the Change Icon button (If the shortcut is to an MS-DOS
program, you'll find the Change Icon button on the Program tab.)
- Select
any one of the icons in the Current icon list. To see all
the icons in the file, simply use the scroll bar.
The icons in the
Current icon list come from the SHELL32.DLL file. (If the shortcut
is to an MS-DOS program, the icons in the Current icon list come from
the PIFMGR.DLL file.) If you don't see an icon in the list that
catches your fancy, you can click the Browse button to open other
files, such as ICO, EXE or DLL files, that contain icons. The table
shown below, lists some of the Windows 95 EXE and DLL files that contain
a selection of icons.
| File
name |
Location |
| Awfxex32.exe
|
C:\Windows\System |
| Cool.DLL
|
C:\Windows\System
|
| Defrag.exe
|
C:\Windows |
| Gnaapp.exe
|
C:\Windows\System |
| Moricons.DLL
|
C:\Windows |
| Pifmgr.DLL
|
C:\Windows\System |
| Progman.exe
|
C:\Windows |
| Shell32.DLL
|
C:\Windows\System |
| Systray.exe
|
C:\Windows\System |
| User.exe
|
C:\Windows\System |
| Winpopup.exe
|
C:\Windows |
top
of page
If your desktop
icons become distorted, fuzzy, or even turn black, it's time to reset
Windows 95's icon cache. There are actually two ways
to reset the icon cache.
Method 1
- Restart Windows
95 in MS-DOS mode
- CD
C:\Windows
- del
SHELLICONCACHE
Method 2
- Access the
Display Properties sheet
- Select the
Appearance tab
- Select Icon
in the Item dropdown list.
- Adjust
the icon size up or down one notch
- Click Apply
- Change the
icon back to the original size
- Click OK
top
of page
Windows 95 lets
you secretly share both printers and folders. When
you share a resource on your network, you'll probably want to protect
it with a password. You can improve on password security by making
your shares invisible, so interlopers won't even know there's a resource
for which they might want to guess the password. This trick is easy-just
make the last character of your share
name a dollar sign. The hidden share option doesn't
prevent users who know that resources are available from using them.
top
of page
A simple way to
synchronize the system clocks across your domain is by using the net
time command.
In a Command window,
type the following line at the command prompt:
net
time \\machine_name /set
This will synchronize
the clocks for the two machines using the system time of the computer
named machine_name. You can automate the command by adding a /y
to the end of the command.
For example,
if you wanted to synchronize the machine you were on with a machine
named MAINCOMPUTER, you would type:
net
time \\MAINCOMPUTER /set /y
top
of page
You can add, delete
or rename any selections on the Windows 95 desktop. In Program Manager
for Windows 3.x, these selections were referred to as icons. In W95,
most of the time they are called shortcuts.
Deleting
Shortcuts
To delete
a shortcut, single click on the selection and press the delete
key. W95 will ask you if you are sure you want to delete the
shortcut selection. If it doesn't refer to the selection as a
shortcut, make sure you know what the selection is and that you
truly want to delete it. You can check the properties of an object
by right clicking on the object and selecting properties. This
option will provide considerable information about the selected
object. If the "Type" field is shortcut, it is safe
to delete.
This deletion,
like any of the deletions in W95, places the deleted selection
in the Recycle bin. This gives you the opportunity to restore
the deleted object in case you made a mistake.
Renaming
Shortcuts
You will find
that after you have added a new shortcut selection, the description
is prefixed by the words shortcut to. It is more
readable to get rid of "shortcut to". The rename option
can apply to any other selection where you may want to make the
description prompt more understandable to you. To rename, right
click on the selection and select rename. The prompt will
be selected and you can change it to fit your needs.
Adding
Shortcuts
There are
several methods to add a new shortcut. The easiest way is to use
a drag and drop method. You need to open your Explorer utility
first. When you find a selection that you frequently use, left
hand click and drag the selection onto your desktop. If the object
you selected was a shortcut already, this procedure will move,
i.e. not copy, the shortcut. You may not want this to happen.
In that case, hold down the control button while you perform the
click and drag procedure. This will perform a "copy"
instead of a "move."
top
of page
If you have been
using a mouse, by now you have got in the habit of clicking with the
left hand button. I think it should really be called the left side
button. You probably have been wondering why there are two buttons
on the mouse when the right hand button seldom or never gets used.
Newer software applications, especially for those packages
written for 95, have introduced many handy commands that use the right
hand button.
You can always
try clicking the right hand mouse button in different applications
to see what appears. In almost all cases, if there are selections
available with the right hand click, you will get a dialog box with
a series of options. Depending on where the mouse pointer
is located, you will get different results. Software developers
have tried to read your mind and provide the selections you are looking
for depending on the location of the pointer.
A handy and safety
feature is to use the right hand button when dragging files
within Windows Explorer. If you drag a file to another folder,
using the left hand button, you do not always get the results you
want. By dragging with the right hand button, you will get options
to choose from.
The options don't
appear until you release the right hand button after you have dragged
the file to the new folder. The common options that appear are
- Move Here
- Copy Here
- Create Shortcut
Here
- Cancel
It takes a little
practice to get used to using the right hand button and break old
habits. Try it, you'll like it.
top
of page
Windows 95 has
a handy feature where it automatically remembers the last files you
accessed in the Document folder. Besides retaining
the file name, it also tracks what application you used to create
the file. By clicking Start and going to the
Document folder, you can click on a file name and
the associated application will start and open the file in a single
step.
The problem that
arises is that occasionally you may want to delete the
files listed in the Document folder.
- Click
Start
- Move your mouse
to Settings
- Click on
Taskbar
- Click on the
tab Start Menu Programs
- You will find
an option at the bottom, Clear button, that allows
you to delete the files listed in the Document folder.
The downside
of this is that it clears all listed files, not just selective
entries. Note, this does not delete the actual documents,
just the listing of the document in the Document folder.
If you want to
delete selective listings in the Document folder, you need to use
the Explorer utility.
- Open Explorer
and under your "C" drive
- Locate the
Windows folder
- Within the
Windows folder you will find a folder labeled Recent.
Open the Recent folder
- You can now
delete individual files.
Don't ask
me why Microsoft calls this "Documents" in one place and
"Recent" in another.
top
of page
Deleted files,
by default, get placed in the recycle bin. This allows for a convenient
method to restore a file that may have been deleted by mistake. Windows
95 allows up to 10% of your total disk space to be used by the Recycle
bin. You can change this percentage by right clinking on Recycle
bin and selecting properties. You can change the percentage
setting or actually change the logic to have files deleted immediately.
We don't recommend the immediate setting unless you are really tight
on disk space.
By-Passing
Recycle Bin
Another option
available for deletion of files is the ability to skip using
the Recycle bin on a file-by-file basis. To delete a file
immediately, hold down the shift key
and press the delete
key. You will still be asked if you want
to delete the file to the Restore bin, but it doesn't do it even
you respond yes.
top
of page
Are you aware
there are four different versions of Windows 95?
Microsoft has quietly released different versions where each succeeding
version is supposed to correct problems. I say supposed to because
in most cases some problems were fixed, while new ones were created.
Finding Version
Info
There are two
methods to find the version.
Method
1
Click on
the Start button, Settings,
Control Panel and select the System
icon. In the upper right-hand corner the version number
will display.
Method
2
Go to the
DOS prompt and enter "ver
/r".
In either
case you will see the value 4.00.95 and perhaps a letter A,
B or C.
Version Difference
95
If there
is no letter value after the 95, you have the original version
of 95. In which case we strongly recommend updating the version
by installing the Service Packs available free from Microsoft.
95A
If you see
the value 95A, this is the second version of 95. The A represents
that Service Pack 1 has been incorporated.
Microsoft
labels problem fixes and improvements as "Service Packs".
Sounds better than "Bug Fix 1". The 95A version is
definitely an improvement over the original release.
95B
95B represents
that you have Service Pack 2 or 2.1 installed.
Based on our experience, the B version is the most reliable
version. If you have the B version, we don't recommend updating
to the C version.
95C
95C was
the final release for Windows 95 before the release of Windows
98. It has Service Pack 2.5 incorporated. It
also has most of the features incorporated in 98. Basically
it is Windows 98 without Internet Explorer being built into
the kernel. This results in a smaller kernel and thus requires
less memory to operate than the Windows 98 version.
Unfortunately
there is no way to downgrade to the B version.
top
of page
Don't feel all
alone if you're having those occasional strange problems with Windows
95. It was interesting to read Brian Livingston's column
in InfoWorld. Besides his column, Brian
is co-author of Windows 95 Secrets Gold
and several other books about Windows. You would think that with the
knowledge that Brian has of Windows, he wouldn't experience any problems.
Not so, Toto!
Brian relates
such problems with Windows 95 as...
- Crashing at
least once a day
- Doesn't always
recognize the floppy drive
- CD drive disappears
- Zip drive disappears
Not the fact that
these types of problems exist, but the fact that a Window's expert
has these problems is somewhat comforting to those of us who also
have problems. Brian does admit that he has been running Windows 95
starting with the pre-release version and has since updated with newer
versions. He is running three different E-mail and Web browser applications.
One theory he has to fix the problems is to start with an empty system
and re-install Windows 95 and applications. He feels this would probably
eliminate several problems.
Duplicate
DLLs
One suggestion
he had in a previous article to help eliminate problems was to
check for duplicate DLLs. DLLs are Dynamic Link Library programs.
Now you understand? No?
It is possible
and probable that you have duplicate DLLs in different directories
(folders). How do they get there? When you install programs or
updates, new DLLs are written to your hard disk. Most install
programs don't verify that a DLL already exists in another folder.
Using an older or wrong DLL program can cause weird problems.
Most DLLs are located in your Windows or Windows/Systems folder
but they can exist in any directory.
FindDups
The task is
to check your system for duplicate DLLs and to remove the older
version. Brian has found a freeware utility that will help you
perform this task. It can be downloaded from the Internet by using
the address of http://www.infoworld.com/pageone/opinions/livingst/finddups.zip.
The program,
finddup.exe, will find all DLLs on your system,
check for duplicates, prepare a list of only the duplicates and
display the version values. If duplicates are found, normally
the DLLs located in c:\Windows or c:\Windows\Systems are the most
current or active version.
Do not delete
the older DLL. Instead rename the DLL. In case you have a program
that requires the older version you can change the DLL back to
its original name.
Even if you
don't use the finddup utility to delete or rename duplicate DLLs,
the utility can be helpful to determine if duplicates exist that
could be or will be causing problems.
top
of page
The Resource Kit
can provide you with information on how Windows 95 does what
it does. This information is stored in a standard Windows
help format. You can access it directly from the CD or copy the files
to your hard disk
To
access if from the CD...
- Open Explorer
- Select Windows
95 CD
- Click on
\admin\reskit\helpfile\win95rk.hlp
To
move it to your hard disk...
- Copy the
files \admin\reskit\helpfile\win95rk.hlp
- And \admin\reskit\helpfile\win95rk.cnt
- To the folder
c:\Windows\help
top
of page
Windows 95 settings
and configuration information are stored in an area called the Registry,
which is probably similar to something like the Twilight Zone. Most
articles that discuss how to maintain the Registry also warn you not
to mess with it.
When you install
new programs, the install procedure automatically "checks in"
by making entries in the Registry. If programs are removed
by just deleting the folders and files, the Registry entries are not
removed. Sometimes this can be prevented by using an "Uninstall"
utility for the application being removed. Some applications don't
provide the uninstall selection or the uninstall utility will not
always operate correctly. This can result in a Bermuda Triangle system
where strange things can take place.
Microsoft has
provided a utility to clean up the Registry, RegClean.exe.
Unfortunately the utility is not provided with Windows 95. The latest
version 4.1a, can be downloaded from the Internet. You can find it
and more information about RegClean at http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q147/7/69.asp.
It is a little
over 400,000 bytes in size.
Before
downloading the file, create the folder where you want to store the
file. I create a folder called "install" and under
this folder create different folders to represent different applications.
In this case I created "install/win95".
After you have
downloaded the file...
There are two
phases that occur.
- The first phase
checks the Registry and creates a list of entries that can be removed.
- The second
phase, which is started by clicking on the "Fix" button
removes the garbage and creates an "undo" program.
- The Undo program
is placed in the "Program Files/RegClean" folder. Don't
do anything with it at this point.
Run your applications
and if everything runs okay after several weeks you can delete the
Undo file. If your system does not operate correctly, double click
on the "Undo" file and the entries will be put back in the
Registry.
You are then faced
with the problem of cleaning up the Registry using the RegEdit utility.
Of course, you are not supposed to use this utility or more likely
you will not know how to use it. In either case it is not recommended
that you perform this operation. It is recommended
you get a professional to perform this operation and determine what
is causing your problems.
top
of page
Open the folder
My Computer and right hand click
on the icon for the "C" drive. The information
displayed shows a pie chart of how much disk space is used and available.
This also is another way to get to defrag, diskscan, backup
tools and the file sharing set-up for a network.
Free
up disk space
You will find
several .avi files that are in the Windows\Help folder.
These are audio visual files and except for early learning, aren’t
of much value. You can safely delete these files which will free
up about 7 MB of space. It’s not much, but every bit helps.
You can also
delete any other help files for programs where you feel that you
will never use the online help.
top
of page |
Business Info 