Application Tips

Plus Pack users who install Office 97 will experience crashes when using the THEMES.EXE to change their desktop.
The file must be manually replaced with a new one on the Office 97 CD-ROM.
It is not done by default during the Office installation.
The warning is buried deep in the setup instructions and easily missed.

Note from Bob: You can download the patched version of the file at THEMES.EXE- Updated Themes.exe version 4.40.311

Changing File Associations

When you double click on a data file, the application associated with that file's extension is stated the the file is loaded.
To change a the application associated with a particular file extension:

Open a Folder
Go to View / Options / File Types
Scroll down until you see the particular file extension(s) you want to change. This will be in the File type details: section towards the bottom of the dialog box.
Click on the Edit button
In the Actions box, double click on Open
In Application used to perform this action:, enter the name of the application you want to open when you open a file with the extenstion. You can enter it manually or browse to it.
Click on the Ok, Ok, and the Close buttons.

Opening a Files for Editing

I would call this a Web Authoring Tip, but it has many other uses...

Adding an 'Edit' option to HTML Documents Options Menu.

When I double click my *.htm files it always fires up my browser.
Well sometimes I want to edit that document instead. I can put Notepad in the Send To Folder to ease this problem. Here is another way to deal with this that is a bit slicker:

From Windows Explorer, select View then Options
Click the File Types Tab.
Select the type you want to add edit for (in my example this would be 'Netscape Hypertext Document' or *.HTM
Click the Edit Button.
From the Edit File Type panel click the New button.
Action is: &Edit, Application used to.... is: c:\windows\notepad.exe %1
Click OK, then Close, then Close.

Now when you secondary (right) click an HTML Document select Edit
from the menu (or press E) and you are now looking at the source in Notepad.

You can use a similar process for Graphic files (JPG, GIF, etc) to send them to your favorite Graphics program.

Opening Associated Files from a DOS Box

For a file with its associated application, say Word for Windows, and a data file, FILE1.DOC

At a DOS prompt, type START FILE1.DOC (or just file1 if it's unique). Word comes up and loads the document.

Using Another E-Mail Package when Exchange is Installed

Normally when web browsing, if Exchange is installed, and you click on a e-mail address
it will default to opening up. If you want to change it to another e-mail program:

Open up a Folder
Select View / OptionsClick on the File Types tab
Scroll down to URL:MailTo Protocol
Click on the Edit button
Under Actions, highlight open
Click on the Edit button
Under Application used to perform action
From here you can browse to the e-mail program you want to use

Eudora Pro has an option to set that automatically. Other programs may have switches you need to include.

Pegasus needs a -T %1 for it to automatically insert the e-mail address

Power Surfing

This tip works especially well if you have a large monitor and run at a high resolution...

If you want to really power surf the web, open up more than one browser. Arrange them on the screen so that you can see at least part of each one at all times.

Once this is done, you can now drag links from one browser to another. This saves you from having to use the back button constantly, especially if you are on a page like a search engine, where there are lots of links and you want to try a bunch of them.

Also, if you encounter a web page with frames, and you want to break out of the frames, you can drag a link to a new browser. No more frames.

(You can also right-click a link and choose "Open in New Browser".)

Here's an example of using two browsers...
Let's say you are going to be using a search engine for the next hour or so. Start two browsers and tile them vertically. (Minimize all programs except the two browsers, and right click a blank spot on the taskbar, then choose 'tile vertically'). Now drag the edges of the browsers so that the browser on the left is about 3 inches wide. Drag the edges of the browser on the right so that it takes up the rest of the screen. Now, using the browser on the left, open your favorite search engine and do a search. When the list of hits are displayed, drag a link into the browser on the right.

This lets you see all the hits from the search engine while you are surfing those sites... no more hitting the 'back' button all day long.

Installing Windows95 OEM SR2 over an existing version of Windows

Currently, you cannot install the new OEM version of Windows95 over and existing version of Windows (3.x or 95).
In order to get around this problem, simply rename any WIN.COM file on your hard drive and install normally.
This will let you keep you current Windows settings.

It will make things easier if the location of your new version is the same as your old one.

Note: You will not be able to convert to FAT32 using this procedure. For that you need to FDISK your hard drive.

Office95 Upgrade Without Existing Version

To install office 95 upgrade version you need to own another Office like application like WordPerfect or something right ?
Wrong !!

When setup goes to find an application to upgrade from just point it to the EXCEL directory on the office CD and you're off...
Enjoy.

Extracting files from Win95's CAB files

You don't have to use a batch file to extract a file from the Win95_XX.cab files.
Just use the /A switch.

For example: To extract file1.dll from an unknown .cab file enter

extract /A x:\win95\win95_02.cab file1.dll

at the run command line.
Extract will start with the named .cab file and continue through all .cab files in the folder.
To extract to a specific folder you can add "/L destination" ("destination" is the complete path to the desired folder).

Lotus 123 Release 5 Lockup

If your Lotus 123 Release 5 for Windows grays out the spreadsheet and locks up, here's what to do:

Go to Control Panel, System, Device Manager Performance, Graphics
Move the bar to the left until the problem goes away.
You'll have to reboot and experiment each time.
When the problem goes away, go back to System and move it up one notch to tweak it.
That way you'll be going as fast as you can with the graphics limit.

ScanDisk with OEM SR2

With the new OEM version of Windows95, if the system was not shutdown cleanly,
the next time it is started, it will stop and prompt you before running ScanDisk.
New options are available for the MSDOS.SYS file to configure how ScanDisk will start.

AutoScan=0 will disable this feature
AutoScan=1 will stop and prompt you before starting ScanDisk. After 1 minute it will start automatically. This is the default setting
AutoScan=2 will start ScanDisk if needed automatically

Wildcards with DIR and File Find

In addition to the usual wildcards for doing such things as a DIR or File Find,
new options are available with Windows95. The following are a few examples:

COM - All files and folders that have COM in the extension
*ABC* - All files and folders with ABC somewhere in the name
*ABC - All files with ABC as the last characters in the name (no including the extension)
*ABC? - All files with ABC as the second to last characters in the name
?ABC* - All files and folders with ABC as the second through the fourth letters in a name
?ABC? - All files and folders with at least one letter before and after the ABC

ScanDisk Command-Line Switches

Scandskw

drive: - Drive letter of disk you want to scan
/A or /ALL - Scans all local, non-removable hard drives
/N or /NonInteractive - Start and closes ScanDisk Automatically

Defrag Command-Line Switches

Defrag

drive: - Drive letter of the disk you want to defrag
/all - Defrag all local, non-removable drives
/F - Defrag files and free space
/U - Defrag files only
/Q - Defrag free space only
/concise - Display the Hide Details view
/detailed - Display the Show Details view
/noprompt - Immediately starts Defrag

Fixing Page Fault in MPREXE.EXE

Occasionally, after Exchange is installed, you will get errors that indicate that MPREXE.EXE caused a page fault in KERNEL32.DLL
To solve the problem, delete the .PWL file associated with your login ID.
Another solution is to download the Password List Update (278 K) to repair the existing PWL file.

Auto-Dialing for 32-bit Internet Applications

If your 32-bit Internet applications do not automatically invoke your
Windows 95 Dialer, here is a way I found to enable this feature.

First, bring up an internet application such as Netscape or Internet Explorer.
Next, manually dial into your internet provider by double-clicking your connection icon.
Once connected, go to the Control Panel and double-click on the Internet icon.
Once the window open, uncheck the checkbox titled "Dial whenever an Internet Connection is needed".
Click the check box again and make sure there is a check in the checkbox.
Next, click the APPLY button.
Finally , click the OK button.

Once you do this, close your internet application and disconnect from your internet provider.
Re-start your Internet application and the Windows 95 dialer should start up.
NOTE: From my experience, all Internet applications will be effected and will automatically start the Windows 95 dialer.

DOSSTART.BAT File

There's a file name DOSSTART.BAT in the WINDOWS directory. By editing this file you will be able to configure how to start DOS whenever you exit Windows to DOS mode.
This is just like an AUTOEXEC.BAT file that starts up your system.

Fixing Corrupted Exchange Files

To replace corrupted files in MS-Exchange run
c:\program files\microsoft exchange\mlset32.exe

Normally, just removing exchange won't delete the old files.
If it should happen that one is corrupted it won't be replaced by the original from the CD when exchange is added again.
Running the program above launches the original exchange setup applet which guides you through the original install process.

Emergency Recovery Utility

Microsoft includes their Emergency Recovery Utility(ERU) on the 95 CD-ROM
This utility makes a backup of the registry and other important system files.
In some cases Windows 95 can be fixed by restoring the registry with this utility.

The ERU program is in the \OTHER\MISC\ERU directory on the Win95 CD.
If you have the floppy version of Win 95, the utility can be found at Microsoft's web site
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/download/eruzip.exe

ERU is also a good way to keep recent backups of all your important system files!

Automated Office95 Installation

There are several undocumented switches you can use to automate your Office95 Installation.
An full unattended install should only take 3-4 minutes from the CD.

/K	Enters the CD key /K "12345678" The CD key should not have the dash
/Q	0 - Quiet Install - with Exit screen 1 - No exit screen T - Shows nothing on the screen during install
/N	User's Name /N "Name"
/O	Organization Name /O "Org"
/T	Specify the STF file The default is the SETUP.STF on the root of the Office95 CD. This is an ASCII text file you can copy to a local or network drive, modify the applications you want to install and then point your installation to use that file /T X:\NEW.STF
/U	Uninstalls all apps but leaves common files in place
/UA	Uninstalls all apps and removes common files
/R	ReInstalls previously installed Office95 apps

A whole string might look something like:
SETUP /K "12345678" /Q1 /N "YOUR_NAME" /O "YOUR_ORGANIZATION" T: C:\NEW.STF

Other Windows applications use similar STF file structure.

You could have this launch automatically at the end of your Windows95 installation if you are using INF files.
See the Installation Using INF Files section.

Turning off the ending = with Exchange

When using Exchange, sometimes other e-mail packages will end
each line with a = character.

To turn this off:

Open the Control Panel
Double Click on the Mail / Fax icon
Highlight Internet Mail
Click on Properties
Click on Message Format
Uncheck Use MIME when sending messages

Using the Mouse to copy text in a DOS program

If you want to use your mouse to select an area to copy while you are in a windowed DOS program:

Right click on the icon that starts the program
Select Properties
Click on the Misc tab
Check the QuickEdit box

This eliminates the need to select text by using the pull down menu.

Using Exchange with more than one phone number

If you set up exchange to connect using the modem, you can only have one phone number listed.
If you have more than one phone number available for your provider, you would need to create another profile,
which would have your e-mail to go to two mail boxes.

To get around this problem, simply select Network for the connection.
Connect first using either phone number and then start Exchange
Then no matter what phone number you used to connect to the internet,
all your e-mail will be in one place.

Installing Windows95 and Ignoring Plug and Play

If you want to install Windows95 and have it not test for any Plug and Play devices,
simply add a /IP after the SETUP command.

Installing Win95 with no MSN or InBox Icons

If you want to install Windows95 and not have it create the MSN or Exchange InBox every time
you need to create a setup INF file. Instructions for doing this can be found later in this section under
Batch Install Program

Having created an INF file you want to use, add the following lines to remove both icons during installation:

[msn.remove]
setup.ini,desktop,,%Setup_MSN_DESC%,MSNEXCH.EXE %Setup_MSN_DESC%
[Install]
UpdateINIs= msn.remove
DelReg=NoInbox_Icon
[strings]
Setup_MSN_DESC="Set Up The Microsoft Network"
[NoInbox_Icon]
HKLM,SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\"{00020D76-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

Backing up the Registry

Use CFGBACK.EXEon the Win 95 CD. It is in the /OTHER/MISC/CFGBACK directory.
It will save up to 9 copies of the registry in*.rbk file format.
You can restore any of these when necessary.

Adding NOTEPAD to SENDTO

Create a shortcut to notepad.exe in the C:\WINDOWS\SENDTO directory.
Then, you'll have the option to view a files contents by right-clicking it and "sending" to the notepad.
Immensely useful for deciphering old set-up files (or .DOC files that aren't Word files, READ.ME etc.)

Eudora Pro for Win95

If you are using the Internet Explorer and send e-mail, Win95 defaults to using Exchange.
If you would rather use Eudora Pro as your e-mail program:

Start Eudora Pro for Win95
Select Tools
Select Options
Select Mapi
For the section Use Eudora MAPI Server, select Always

Now when you e-mail from within the Internet Explorer, Eudora will come up as your
e-mail program.

Norton Utilities

If the readings on the amount of hard drive space is showing
more than is possible

Go into Norton Recycled bin
Hit empty Norton Protected files

This will now give you an accurate reading.

Automatic Re-Dialing for Dial-Up Network

Open up My Computer.
Open up Dial-Up Networking.
Go to the Connection Menu then Settings.
Make sure Redial is checked.
Set the number of times you want to redial, up to 100 times.
Click Ok and your off !

Using EDIT

The DOS based text editor that comes with Windows95 has some advantages
over the one that came with prior versions of DOS.

It will let you load multiple files.
It will let you call wild cards from the command line (e.g. EDIT *.BAT).

EDIT can also be used on prior versions of DOS.
Just copy EDIT.COM to your old DOS directory.

Creating Distribution Lists for Exchange E-Mail

Start Exchange.
Open up the Address Book.
Create a New Entry.
Select Personal Distribution List from the menu.
Type in the Name of the List as well as any notes.
Click on the Add/Remove Members button.
Select the people you want on the distribution list.
You can use the Windows Ctrl or Shift with left mouse button to select multiple entries.
Click the next two OK buttons.
To send to your Distribution List, simply create your e-mail as usual and select it from the Address book.

Using Memmaker

Here’s a blast from the (supposed) past:

Run Memmaker from the MS-DOS prompt.
It will reboot in MSDOS mode and then run as before.
When you open DOS Prompts and DOS games they will have many of the TSRs in HIMEM
I have 637K Conventional memory for all DOS apps!

Signatures Using WordMail

If you are using WordMail that comes with Office95, you can send e-mail using Microsoft Word.
Exchange will automatically detect the addition and start WordMail when you create a new e-mail or reply to an existing one.

It will use Word's spell checker, most of the WinWord text formatting capabilities (centering, full justification, bold, italics)
a special Mail button bar and quite a few new features. It is certainly worth trying out.

This may sound like MS hype but I'm actually quite impressed

To include a signature:

Start a new message (Ctrl-N)
Type in your signature.
Highlight your signature text.
From the pulldown menu, select Edit / Autotext.
Type in signature for the name.
Click on the Add button.
Now when you send any message, this text will be added to the beginning.

Advantages are:

By adding the text to the beginning of the file, a reply will have your signature at the end of your reply, not at the end of their message.
You can format text with Bold, Italics, Underlines etc. Anyone using Exchange can also view them

Adding New Document Templates

Save a blank file with the program for the documents you wish to create the templates, into the hidden directory \WINDOWS\ShellNew.
Then open the Registry Editor and add the key "ShellNew" under the extension related to that document (ie. .BAS, .ORG, .DXF)
Add a new substring and name it Filename
Double-click Filename and type the name of the blank document you just saved.
Now you can right-click on the desktop, select New and you’ll see the option to create a document-type icon for the application you just selected.

I have found a lot of variations and options on this tip.

Dial-Up Scripting with the Plus! Pack

The Internet Jumpstart Kit that comes with the Plus! Pack allows you to script your Dial-Up Connections

Open up Programs / Accessories / Dial-Up Scripting Tool.
Select the provider (if you have more than one).
Type in the name of the script (end with .scp).
Click on the Edit Button. This will bring up Notepad.

Type in your script. A sample one follows:

proc main waitfor
  "login:" transmit "your_login_name^M" waitfor "password:"
  transmit "your_password^M" waitfor "TERM = (vt100)"
  transmit "^M" waitfor "your_logon_prompt" transmit
  "ppp^M" ; My provider requires "ppp" to be typed in.
  endproc

Remember to turn off Bring up terminal window after dialing.
You can initially have Step through script turned on for debugging.
When it is correct, check Start terminal screen minimized.
For a complete listing of all the scripting options,
read SCRIPT.DOC in the \Programs\Plus! directory.

New XCOPY Switches

There are quite a few new switches to the XCOPY command. To get a full listing, type XCOPY /?. Below are some of the additions over DOS 6.X.

/C - Continues copying even if errors occur
/I - If destination does not exist and copying more than one file, assumes that destination must be a directory
/Q - Does not display file names while copying
/F - Displays full source and destination file names while copying
/L - Displays files that would be copied
/H -Copies hidden and system files also
/R - Overwrites read-only files
/T - Creates directory structure, but does not copy files. Does not include empty directories or subdirectories. /T /E includes empty directories and subdirectories
/U - Updates the files that already exist in destination
/K - Copies attributes. Normal Xcopy will reset read-only attributes
/Y - Overwrites existing files without prompting
/-Y - Prompts you before overwriting existing files
/N - Copy using the generated short names

Batch Install Program

If you are re-installing Win95 and use the same settings and programs each time, there is a Batch Installation program in the Admin\Nettools\Netsetup directory on the CD.

You can specify what applications, network, protocol etc. to load when you install Win95. Save the file, then run SETUP FILENAME.INF when you re-install Win95. . You won't be prompted for much else

Problems with older Win 3.X programs

There is a program, MKCOMPAT.EXE in the SYSTEM directory. If allows you to change several settings that could help with problem programs.

Setup Switches

There are several switches that can be used when running SETUP

filename - Runs setup with the specified setup INF file
/id - Ignores the DIsk Space check
/is - Ignores the routine System check
/iq - Skips the test for cross-linked files
/in - Runs setup without the Network Setup Module
/IW - Bypasses needing to read the License screen - Undocumented.