Note: Some user comments are appended with permission. Windows95 Annoyances This page contains a list of annoying "features" of Windows95, and workarounds for most of them. Note that these workarounds apply to the last two "final" beta releases of the operating system, as well as the final shipping version. Microsoft may or may not have gotten around to fixing some of the problems by the time you read this. This is meant as a forum for Windows95 users who seek answers to annoying questions or have helpful tips they wish to share with the rest of the world. This is not a place for Microsoft-bashing, although bad design is always recognized as such. This is also not a technical support line, nor is it a place for whining. Special thanks to the folks that run the U.C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility (ocf) who have worked hard to make these services possible, despite a very limited budget and having to deal with the University. Note: if this page is inaccessible in the future, it is because the server is down, and not because the page has been removed. Click here to find out the motivation for a page like this. Check back often, and reload if necessary, as this page is frequently updated. Yes, you'll have do some actual reading; sorry Macintosh folks - you won't find any pictures here. Please feel free to email any comments, questions, solutions, gripes, or annoyances with Windows95. Enjoy! Note: these pages are enhanced for Netscape. Last modified: September 21, 1995 Reducing Clutter Get Rid of the Network Neighborhood Icon Get Rid of the Inbox Icon Get Rid of the MSN Icon Turn Off the PC-Speaker Turn Off the Documents Menu Get Rid of the Little Yellow Speaker in the Tray Get Rid of the Little Flashing Modem in the Tray Windows95 Keeps Making Program Files and Progra~1 Directories What to Throw Away Customize - Customize - Customize Turn off Delete Confirmation Rename the Recycle Bin Replace the Ugly Startup and Shutdown Screens Boot directly into DOS Make Control Panel Applets More Accessible Coping with Windows95 Set Default Sort in Explorer Sort by Extension in Explorer Copy or Move to Specified Path Move or Copy Files at Will Use Quick View with Any File Refresh the Desktop without Restarting Windows Switch to the Desktop or TaskBar with the Keyboard Get rid of WinHelp's Contents Screen Change Screen Resolution Without Rebooting Restart Windows without Restarting your Computer Get Find to Look Where You Want Prevent Programs From Changing Your File Types Using .CAB Files Using the DMF Diskette Format Right-Click with the Keyboard Force Windows95 to Remember Window Positions Just Plain Annoying Turn Off the CD-ROM Autorun Turn Off "Zooming" Windows Turn Off the Bouncing Click Here to Begin Arrow What to do if You Hate Explorer Get rid of WinHelp's Contents Screen What to do if You Hate the Start Menu Networking, Shmetworking Add Scripting to Dial-up Networking Turning on Auto-redial in Dial-Up Networking Bypass the "Connect To" Dialog box Getting the new 32-bit Winsock Apps to Work Should I be using Microsoft's Internet Explorer? Remove Microsoft's Internet Explorer Will Windows95 Disable My Netscape? Get Rid of the Logon Screen Getting it All to Work Unsupported Devices Under Windows95... Getting Windows95 Backup to Work with Your Tape Drive Windows95 Keeps Deleting My Applications Do I still need CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT? What to Do With a Corrupted Registry Stop Windows95 from Searching the Floppy Drive when Launching a Program Stop Windows95 from Detecting Devices Stop Windows95 from Wildly Accessing your Hard Disk Understanding Windows95 What to Tell Those Who Ask, "Should I upgrade to Windows95?" The Windows95 Easter Egg Hunt Top Ten reasons for the Media Blitz Miscellaneous Reader Comments... Related Windows95 Information Fine-tuning Windows95 Contents of the Windows95 MSDOS.SYS File Third-Party Annoyances Get rid of the Norton Navigator Splash Screen Turn off Norton Protect Windows95 Stories If Operating Systems were Airlines... "Star Trek Lost Episodes" Transcript... La bustina di Minerva (Espresso)... Microsoft Buys 1995... If Cars Were Like Computers... Bill Gates in Afterlife... Microsoft Bids to Acquire Catholic Church... Write to us! Getting Rid of the Network Neighborhood Icon If you have installed dial-up networking, Windows95 thinks that you need the Network Neighborhood icon on your desktop. It actually doesn't do anything for dial-up connections, but dragging it into the recycle bin doesn't work. Here's how you do it: Load up the System Policy Editor (poledit.exe). In the build 347 CD, it's in the Admin\Apptools\Poledit folder, and in build 490, it's in the Mig_kit\Admin95\Apptools\Poledit folder. If you are asked to "Open a Template File," choose admin.adm in the same folder, and click OK. Select Open Registry from the File menu. Double-click on the Local User icon. Open Local_User\Shell\Restrictions. Check Hide Network Neighborhood. Click OK, and select Save from the File menu. Click on the desktop, and press F5 to refresh the desktop so that this change will take effect. (Click here for more info.) Getting Rid of the Inbox Icon In build 347, one could simply drag the Inbox icon into the Recycle Bin, and be done with it. In build 490, this doesn't work, and Microsoft says there's no way to get rid of it without removing Microsoft Exchange from the system entirely. However, the following procedure does the trick: Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE). Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ explorer\ Desktop\ NameSpace\. Look for the key 00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046, that has a default value of Inbox. Delete the entire key (not just the default value), and close the Registry Editor. Click on the desktop, and press F5 to refresh the desktop so that this change will take effect. (Click here for more info.) - submitted by Scott Askew Getting Rid of the MSN Icon In build 347, one could simply drag the MSN icon into the Recycle Bin and be done with it. In build 490, the icon can not be removed directly from the desktop. Follow the steps enumerated below to remove the icon. In both builds, after removing the initial MSN icon, every time one starts MSN, the icon reappears on the desktop. The reasoning behind this behavior remains a mystery, but this icon can just be thrown into the recycle bin. There is not yet a solution for stopping the reappearing MSN icon, except for not using MSN. To remove the initial MSN icon from the desktop (build 490 only), open Explorer. Move to the top of the tree and select the Desktop. Select the MSN icon from the right pane, and choose Delete from the File menu. Turn Off the PC-Speaker Most of us who are irritated by the beeps and sputters of our sound cards and the good 'ol PC Speaker have turned off most of the "event" sounds using Sounds in Control Panel. However, on some computers, turning off all of the WAV files, means that the PC-Speaker is used instead for the default beep. Microsoft says this is a bug in the motherboard!?!?!! I doubt it. There is no way to permanently remove the PC Speaker driver from the Device Manager, nor is there any way of turning off the PC Speaker for good, short of yanking the thing out of the computer. No solution. Turn Off the Documents Menu The Documents Menu is a clever idea - it displays a list of the last dozen-or-so programs and files opened from the Explorer. You can clear the menu temporarily; the only problem is that there's no way to turn it off permanently. This can be seen as a lapse in security, and the lack of a way to turn it off is confusing. Microsoft calls this a "feature," and claims that there is no way to disable it - we have come up with a way around it: To clear the menu temporarily, follow the following directions: Right-click on an empty portion of the taskbar. Select Properties from the menu that appears, and click on the Start Menu Programs tab. Click Clear to clean out the menu. Note this is only temporary until you launch another file. To make the documents menu always empty, follow the following directions: Right-click on the Recycle Bin on the Desktop, and select Properties from the menu. Under the Global Tab, select Use one setting for all drives. Turn on the option labeled Do not move files to the recycle bin. Next, run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE). Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ explorer\ Shell Folders. At the right side of the window, there should be a list containing one or more of your "special" folders. If an entry named Recent doesn't already exist, select New from the Edit menu, and then select String Value. Rename the new item to "Recent." Next, double-click on Recent, and under Value Data, type c:\recycled. Press OK and then close the Registry Editor. Click on the desktop, and press F5 to refresh the desktop so that this change will take effect. (Click here for more info.) Note: In order for this to work, you must set the Recycle Bin so it deletes files instantly, or you'll have a bunch of old files in your Documents menu. Click here for more info. Turn Off the CD-ROM Autorun When a Windows95-aware CD-ROM is inserted into a CD-ROM drive, Windows95 automatically launches the program contained on the disk, whether you want it to or not. Similarly the audio CD player pops up whenever you insert an audio CD and starts playing it immediately. This is cute the first or second time, but soon gets annoying. If you hold down the Shift key when inserting the CD, this doesn't happen. This is especially irritating on slower computers, where you have to wait for what seems like an eternity for it to load some ridiculous welcome screen. To turn this "feature" off so you don't have to press keys while you're putting disks in your computer, follow the following instructions (strangely enough, the folks at Microsoft had no idea how to do this): Right-click on the My Computer icon (or whatever you've renamed it - hopefully something less cute and more meaningful than "my computer," such as "Bart"). Choose the Device Manager tab. Open the CD-ROM branch, and select the entry for your CD-ROM drive. Click Properties, and then choose the Settings tab. Turn off the Auto insert notification option. Click OK, and then OK again. Note: although you can't explore the contents of a CD-ROM with Autorun by double-clicking on it in My Computer, you can right click on it and select Open. Otherwise, you need to open the Explorer to navigate the CD-ROM. The lack of a provision to turn this feature off is pathetic. Turn Off "Zooming" Windows Although the zooming windows (the animation you see when opening, maximizing, or minimizing windows) is cute when you first install Windows95, it can quickly get tiring. Additionally, on slower video cards, the title bars flicker when zooming. Here's how to turn the zooming windows on and off (from reader submission): Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE). Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Control panel\ desktop\ WindowMetrics. Select New from the Edit menu, and choose String Value. Type MinAnimate and press Enter. Double click on the new entry to change it's value. Enter a value of 0 for "off" or 1 for "on." Press OK and then close the Registry Editor. You'll have to restart Windows for this change to take effect. Turn Off the Bouncing Click Here to Begin Arrow The Click Here to Begin arrow that bounces off the start menu when you first start Windows95 was irritating right off the bat. I suppose it's useful for those folks who can't figure out what Start means, but I think it's pretty stupid. Microsoft claims that it is impossible to get rid of the little bouncing arrow. No solution. Getting Rid of the Little Yellow Speaker in the Tray The little yellow speaker in the lower-right of the screen, next to the clock (which you can remove by right-clicking on the taskbar, by the way), lets you display the volume control by clicking on it. For those of us who have volume controls elsewhere, or simply do not need to repeatedly change the volume, there is a way to remove the icon. Open Control Panel by selecting Settings from the Start menu. Double-click on the Multimedia icon. Under the Audio tab, in the Playback section, turn off the Show volume control on the taskbar option. Click OK. Getting Rid of the Little Flashing Modem in the Tray If you have configured Windows95's built-in dial-up networking, you have probably noticed the tiny modem icon that appears in the tray whenever you make a connection. To remove this icon, follow these instructions: Open up Dial-Up Networking - it's somewhere in the Start menu. (For some unknown reason, this setting cannot be found in the Modem settings in Control Panel.) Right-click on the connection you wish to change. If you have more than one, you guessed it - repeat these steps for all of them. In the Connect using section, click on Configure... (This displays a box similar, but not identical to the modem settings in Control Panel.) Click on the Options tab, and turn off Display modem status in the Status control section. Click OK, then click OK again. Turn Off Delete Confirmation One of the most annoying "features" of the Windows95 Recycle Bin is the inability to configure the recycle bin to immediately delete a file without several nag windows. The traditional response to such nag windows is "if I didn't want to delete the file, I wouldn't have dropped it in the Recycle Bin." It would also be nice to be able to turn off the confirmation to delete .EXE files - Windows doesn't prompt you to delete .DLL files, even though they are just as necessary to run a progam as are .EXE files. (another example of thoughtless design) If you're not getting these "confirmation" screens, it's likely that any files you're deleting aren't really being deleted, but are rather eating away at your precious disk space. Follow the following steps to delete files immediately after they are dropped: Right-click on the Recycle Bin on the Desktop, and select Properties from the menu. Under the Global Tab, select Use one setting for all drives. Turn on the option labeled Do not move files to the recycle bin. (For some unknown reason, decreasing the Maximum size of Recycle Bin to 0% doesn't do the trick.) Notice that the option labeled Display delete confirmation dialog is greyed out at this point, meaning that there is no way to truly delete files in Windows95 without a confirmation dialog. Also, if you have files waiting in the Recycle Bin, they will not be deleted until you do so manually, even after changing this setting. Microsoft has no solution at this time for overcoming this limitation. Rename the Recycle Bin To rename the Recycle Bin to something more interesting, such as Garbage, Trash, Disposal, or Hazardous Materials Dump Site, follow the following directions: Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE). Open HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ CLSID. Select Find from the Edit menu, and search for "Recycle Bin." Double-click (Default), and type the new name. Press OK and then close the Registry Editor. Click on the desktop, and press F5 to refresh the desktop so that this change will take effect. (Click here for more info.) Replace the Ugly Startup and Shutdown Screens The pictures that tell you to "Please wait while Windows is shutting down" and that "It is now safe to turn off your computer" seem to get uglier with ever successive beta version of Windows95. Here's how to replace these with your own designs: Make duplicates of the files LOGOS.SYS and LOGOW.SYS in a temporary folder. These files are located initially in your Windows folder. LOGOW.SYS is the one that reads "Please wait while...," and LOGOW.SYS is the one that reads "It is now safe to...," These files are just standard bitmaps, so rename the extensions of these duplicates to .BMP. You can use any graphics editor to edit these files, such as MSPaint, Photoshop, or Paint Shop Pro. The files are 256-color windows bitmaps (RGB-encoded), 320 x 400. Since the dimensions of these files are not standard 4:3, like most computer screens, the bitmaps will appear vertically elongated. To make your new design conform to this aspect ratio, resize the bitmap to 534 x 400 while you're working on it. Make sure to resize them back to 320 x 400 when you're done. Save your changes, and rename the extensions of your new files back to .SYS. Last, copy the new files back into your Windows folder. It might be smart to back up your original files. While you're at it, you can create a startup screen as well (using the above method). Just call the file LOGO.SYS, and place it in the root directory of your boot drive (usually C:\). Click here to be the first on your block to have official Creative Element startup and shutdown screens (67k). Click here to download original underwater photos by Jeffrey A. Karp, turned into Startup and Shutdown screens (242k). To rempove the logo altogether, edit the file C:\MSDOS.SYS, and add the line LOGO=0 to the Options section. Note: for more information, see Contents of the Windows95 MSDOS.SYS File. Use Quick View with Any File A handy tool that comes with Windows95 is the Quick View application. By right-clicking on some files, you'll see an option called Quick View, that will allow you to view the contents of a file without opening the application. The problem is that this doesn't work with just any file. To get your favorite files to work with the Quick Viewer, follow these steps: Solution #1: Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE). Open My Computer\ HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\. Look for an key that reads "*" - if it isn't there, add it (select New, Key from the Edit menu). Under this key, add a new key named "QuickView." Set the value of the "(Default)" value to "*" and close the Registry Editor. This should work for all files with extensions, except (for some reason) for PCX files. - submitted by Markus Becker Solution #2: Double-click on the My Computer icon, and choose Options... from the View menu. Click on the File Types, and choose a file type or extension from the list. Click Edit..., turn on the Enable Quick View option, and press Ok. If the file you want to add to Quick View is not listed, press New Type... to add the extension of the desired file to the list. You'll have to do this for every file you want to use with Quick View. Note that Quick View may not have a filter for every file you view, but sometimes viewing the raw data is better than nothing at all. Solution #3: Add a shortcut to QUIKVIEW.EXE (in your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ folder) to your \WINDOWS\SENDTO folder. This way, Quick Viewer will be accessible from the Send To submenu when you right click on any file. Note: if you got Windows95 on floppies, Quick-View was not included. You can download it here. Set Default Sort in Explorer In DOS, as well as third party file managers (such as XTree), one can set the default sort option (by date, extension, name, etc.). However, in Explorer, the files are always unsorted until you manually choose a sort option from the View menu. A similar limitation that plagued DOS was fixed 13 years after DOS 1.0 was released - a sign of things to come? As of yet, there is no way to set the default sort option for Explorer. No solution. The Norton Navigator has this functionality. (recommended) Sort by Extension in Explorer In Windows95, files are classified by their File Type, which is one step beyond the file extension. However, there are circumstances where it is advantageous to sort by file extension, and not file type. While sorting by file type and extension yield similar results, they are not identical. A temporary, although impractical solution to this limitation is to rename all your file types to mirror the extension names (such as *.TXT = "TXT file," *.WPD = "WPD file). As of yet, there is no way to sort the files in Explorer by the actual extension. No solution. The Norton Navigator has this functionality. (recommended) Add Scripting to Dial-up Networking Although Windows95 includes support for dial-up networking, allowing computers to connect to remote hosts, there is no provision for scripting. This makes the dial-up networking virtually useless for most users. To add scripting capabilities to Windows95's dial-up networking, follow these steps: Obtain a copy of the RoboDUN 6.1 utility (44k). Microsoft's Plus Pack also has this functionality, but at about $45, it's a little steep for something that should've been included in the operating system in the first place. Copy or Move to Specified Path To copy or move a file in Windows95, both the source folder and the destination folder must be open and visible to copy files with drag-drop. For some reason, there is no provision for specifying a destination folder to a copy or move a file, making this task impossible without a mouse. To add this functionality, follow these steps: Obtain a copy of the Windows95 PowerToys (94k). Install the Other Folder utility. The Norton Navigator has this functionality. (recommended) Getting Windows95 Backup to Work with Your Tape Drive Windows95 comes with a Backup utility that supports tape drives, as well as floppies. For some reason, however, Backup does not support the majority of tape drives available today. If you have a SCSI or IDE tape drive, one of the new Travan tape drives, or about half of the available floppy-based drives, you're out of luck. Since there doesn't seem to be any provision whatsoever for adding a tape drive to Backup, and the Device Manager doesn't recognize tape drives, you're best bet is to look to a third-party solution. The following backup programs have been tested successfully with Windows95, although none support long filenames yet: Central Point Backup 2.0 for Windows (highly recommended; compatible with SCSI tape drives). Norton Backup 3.0 for Windows (compatible with SCSI and IDE tape drives). Cheyenne ARCsolo V3.02 for Windows (compatible with SCSI tape drives and Novell networks). Note: The Windows NT version will not work on Windows95. The tape backup software that comes with Adaptec's EZ-SCSI software is also compatible with Windows95. Note that if your tape backup software does not support long filenames, all long filenames will be lost when restoring the files. To back up your long filenames, Microsoft has included a command-line utility on the CD version, called LFNBK, located in \MIG_KIT\ADMIN95\APPTOOLS\LFNBACK. They call it "Temporary Compatibility," as it is only for use with programs that don't yet support long filenames. Read the included text file for more information. Refresh the Desktop without Restarting Windows The results of some of the procedures explained here will not take effect until you either restart Windows, or refresh the desktop. These include any changes to the system registry or any system folders. To refresh the desktop without restarting Windows, follow these directions: Click on any open area of your Desktop or any icon on your desktop with the left mouse button. Press F5 to refresh the desktop. Stop Windows95 from Wildly Accessing your Hard Disk Many users have complained about Windows95 seizing up for up to a minute because of random, pointless disk activity. This is due to the way that Windows95 is set to handle disk caching and virtual memory. Although Windows95 instructs you to "let Windows handle disk cache settings" for best results, this is not correct. Here's how to eliminate the random disk activity and improve system performance: Part One: Virtual Memory Right click on My Computer, and select Properties. Click the Performance tab, and then click Virtual Memory Choose Let me specify my own virtual memory settings. If you want to choose a different drive for your swapfile, run Disk Defragmenter first. Specify the same value for the Minimum size and the Maximum size, so Windows95 won't spend so much time resizing the file. A good size is roughly 2 1/2 times the amount of installed RAM. Press OK, and then OK again, and confirm that you want to restart your computer. Note: if you have Norton Utilities, you'll be able to optimize the swapfile. If you want to take the time, you can optimize it manually by exiting windows, deleting the swapfile, defragmenting the drive, and restarting. Once you've set the swapfile size to be constant, you won't have to worry about a defragmented (broken up) swapfile again. Part Two: Virtual Cache Open SYSTEM.INI for editing. Add the following two lines to the [vcache] section (add the section if it's not there): MinFileCache=0 MaxFileCache=4000 These values, in kilobytes, regulate the size of the VChache, so you can stop it from filling up all available RAM and paging all loaded apps to disk. - submitted by Robert Lauriston Switch to the Desktop or TaskBar with the Keyboard Although graphical environments such as Windows have come a long way in terms of usability from the days of DOS and Unix, the average developer has forgotten that the primary input device is the keyboard (try writing a letter in WordPerfect with the mouse!). Most of us have discovered Alt-Tab for switching between running applications, but to switch to the Taskbar or the Desktop, follow these instructions: Press Ctrl-ESC at any time to bring up the Start Menu. Once the Start Menu appears, press ESC to close the menu while keeping the Taskbar active. Then, press Tab to switch to the row(s) of running applications on the Taskbar. Press Tab again to switch to the Desktop. While the either the Taskbar or the Desktop is active, use the cursor keys for navigation. What to Tell Those Who Ask, "Should I upgrade to Windows95?" In the next few months, lots of users will be shelling out the cash for Windows95 (while others use other means). Here are a couple of hints to help you (and others) decide if it's worth upgrading. 1.) Drivers - does Windows95 support every card, drive, printer, pointing device, etc. that you have? If even one device is not yet explicitly supported in Windows95, it may not work at all!! Click here for a growing list of devices that Windows95 doesn't support. 2.) Hardware - I wouldn't recommend running Windows95 on anything less than a 486dx-33, although slower machines (even 386's) might be acceptable with enough RAM. If you plan to get any work done, you MUST have at least 8 Megabytes of RAM. Windows95 needs about 65 megabytes of hard disk space, but you still have applications, files, and megabytes of screensavers - have a minimum of 100 megabytes free hard disk space. 3.) Software - although Windows95 will run nearly all your current Windows 3.1 and DOS software, you will be required to purchase some new programs. For example, none of your old Norton Utilities will work. Your backup software won't work with your long file names. Lastly, you'll do something stupid, like upgrade to the new version of the truly-awful Microsoft Word, instead of waiting for the 32-bit version of the infinitely-superior WordPerfect. 4.) Patience - if you don't have the patience to install, debug, and learn a new operating system, and you're happy with what you've got now, don't bother. 5.) Performance - if you have a fast computer (486dx4-100 or faster), you'll see better overall speed, disk access (up to 300%), and especially multitasking. However, since Microsoft's Directdraw doesn't work yet, you'll see a decrease in video performance of about 30% if you have a graphics accelerator. For some reason, printing with Windows95 is much slower than with Windows 3.1. 6.) Windows 3.1 - if you've got about a day to fuss around with it, and you're tired of Windows 3.1's lackluster performance, constant crashing, or lousy handling of system resources, do it. 7.) The Alternatives - Windows NT is slow, expensive, memory hogging, and not very well supported, and has the old Windows 3.1-poor-excuse-for-an-operating-system interface. OS/2 might be great in some people's eyes, but so was the Betamax. And, the Mac is, well, still the Mac. There's always DOS... 8.) DOS Programs - All DOS programs require traditional DOS circumstances (the 640k barrier, extended and expanded memory), meaning that Windows95 can't do anything special for your DOS programs. Windows95 must recreates these circumstances in DOS sessions so that DOS programs can run, although virtually no DOS device drivers are required in Windows95, so you should have more available DOS memory. What's different is that every DOS window can have it's own CONFIG.SYS, so each program loads just the drivers it needs. 9.) Plug & Play - Well, it's here, and it works. Most of your hardware (more than you think) will be automatically detected and set up. IRQ's and IO addressses are switched for you (on newer PNP-compatible devices) and the drivers are installed without any work at all. As more vendors come out with cooperating devices, this feature will be more useful. Click here for a list of devices that won't work with Windows95 right out of the box. This, and its Windows 3.x software support, help make Windows95 the most compatible OS there is. What to do if You Hate Explorer Explorer is an improvement over the old File Manager, but not by much, and the cute little yellow folders everywhere just remind us why we didn't buy a Macintosh. Here's what every red-blooded Windows power-user should be using: Obtain the Norton Navigator by Symantec. It includes the newest version of XTree for Windows (not the dreaded 4.0), with built-in ZIP and FTP!! Recommended Power users might still prefer XTree for DOS. Getting the new 32-bit Winsock Apps to Work Let me guess: you've downloaded the newest version of the marvelous Netscape, for example, and thought it would be a good idea to get the 32-bit version since you're using Windows95. Now, to your dismay, it doesn't work at all. The problem is that although you now have a 32-bit operating system that will run 32-bit applications, you're probably still using a 16-bit Winsock stack (such as Trumpet 2.0). Here's the solution: You need a 32-bit stack, like the one that comes with Windows95. Take a look at the Windows95 Dial-Up Networking White Paper for more information. Note: yes, it's worth the trouble. Get Rid of WinHelp's Contents Screen The new Help System in Windows95 has some great new features, such as the ability to search a help file for text. One of the new design characteristics (for new help files only) brings up an outline (which they call Contents) of the help file Instead of displaying the familiar introductory page, and providing an option to view the outline, you are forced to go through the Contents window, whether you want to or not. The design flaw here is the lack of a provision to turn this "feature" off. This is a recurring theme in Microsoft's design, and is worsened by their insistence that all other developer's follow suit. Lastly, inexperienced users respond much better to well designed, friendly, informative help screens, rather than small pop-up windows with hierarchies, buttons, and options. So much for Microsoft's User Labs. No solution. Turning on Auto-redial in Dial-Up Networking For some unexplained reason, auto-redial in Windows95 Dial-Up Networking is turned off by default. Many readers have asked about this, so follow the following directions to turn this feature on: Open the Dial-Up Networking window. Select Settings from the Connections menu. Turn on Redial, and set the desired parameters. Press OK. To enable auto-redial when disconnected, download Recon.zip. Bypass the "Connect To" Dialog box If you use dial-up networking built-in to Windows95, you've probably made a shortcut for your service provider by dragging the icon out of the window, and onto the desktop or Start Menu. Unfortunately, the Connect To box still pops-up to make sure you really want to connect, as though you weren't sure when you double-clicked on the icon in the first place. Anyway, to get rid of this useless box, do the following: Obtain the Keep Goin' utility. Top Ten reasons for the Media Blitz Unless you've been living in a cave for the past few months, you've noticed the $200,000,000 advertising budget that Bill Gates has set aside for the promotion of Windows95. Most of us are pretty annoyed by it, but you may be asking yourself why Microsoft is spending so much money. If IBM's failure with OS/2 isn't enough of a reason, take a look at the top ten reasons: 10. Microsoft CEO, Bill Gates discovered he was on "a mission from God." 9. Kevin Costner talked Gates into it. 8. Gates saved up the cash by letting his personal hygiene go. 7. They struck oil in Redmond: black gold - Texas tea! 6. It's a way to mask Bill's deep inner conflict and low self-esteem. 5. They've got some extra pocket change since Bill's wife blocked 1-900 numbers from their home. 4. It worked for Ross Perot, didn't it? 3. Bill Gates misinterpreted a recent fortune cookie, telling him to "Pay more attention to matters of consequence" ('attention' was covered with soy sauce). 2. Gates' image consultant said he would be loved by children everywhere. 1. A television-evangelist, the original recipient of the money, was brought up on charges. Note: nothing personal, Bill... Windows95 Keeps Deleting My Applications A few users have reported that Windows95 has deleted entire applications (directories and all!) without warning. I have personally had Wordperfect 6.1 for Windows deleted four times by Windows95. As of yet, Microsoft has no explanation for this phenomenon, although Microsoft products seem to be immune to this spontaneous deletion. No solution. Note: Backup often! Note: yes, this really happened. Windows95 Keeps Making Program Files and Progra~1 Directories Some new Microsoft applications do not let you choose where they are installed, but rather just install themselves into a directory called Program Files. It never occurred to the folks at Microsoft that one might want to choose the installation location, say, if the disk containing Program Files was full. This design was bred from the same mentality that puts speed-bumps right next to stop signs. Actually, Microsoft applications for Windows95 are notorious for littering your hard disk with hundreds of extraneous directories. For this, and many other reasons, try to avoid Microsoft Office - Novell's PerfectOffice is much better (no, I don't work for them). If you've decided to clean up your hard disk and remove the Program Files directory, new Microsoft apps might be causing this and many other extraneous directories to be created. To try to keep this from happening, follow these instructions: Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE). Replace every occurrance of Program Files and PROGRA~1 with C:\WINDOWS (or whatever your Windows directory is), or another desired location. Restart Windows. Note: for some reason, it never occurred to the guy who made the Registry Editor to include a Search & Replace feature, so you'll have to do this manually. Should I be using Microsoft's Internet Explorer? Microsoft has jumped on the bandwagon with America Online and Compuserve and come out with their own World Wide Web Browser. Unfortunately, it's feeble compared to what else is out there, and not really worth the download (especially not worth the $45 or so some folks are paying for this free software). Here's the best alternative: Get yourself a copy of the truly superior Netscape. It's free! Click here to dispell the myth that Netscape is not compatible with Windows95. If you're using Windows95 and the built-in Dial-Up Networking you can get the 32-bit version, otherwise you'll have to use the 16-bit version. If you've already installed the Internet Explorer, click here for instructions describing how to remove it. Click here for more information on File Types. Change Screen Resolution Without Rebooting When changing the resolution or color depth of your display, Windows95 usually wants to restart the computer. Not too useful. However, you can install a small utility (written by Microsoft - God forbid they should just include it in the operating system) that allows you to change resolution on the fly. To add this functionality, follow these steps: Obtain a copy of the Windows95 PowerToys (94k). Install the QuickRes utility. Restart Windows without Restarting your Computer Choosing Shut Down from the Start Menu gives you several choices, including restarting your computer. However, to restart Windows without restarting your computer, saving time and aggravation, follow this step: Hold down the Shift key while pressing OK in the Shut Down box. This functionality is also available in the Windows Interface Enhancement, Route 1 Pro. What to do if You Hate the Start Menu Nobody liked Program Manager, the shell that came with Windows 3.1. If you're dislike the Start Menu as well, or just want to try something different, try this: Obtain a copy of Route 1 Pro. Move or Copy Files at Will Intuitively, when you drag a file from one place to another, it would seem reasonable that the file will be moved, not copied. That is, when you see an object disappear from a location, it shouldn't still be there next time you look. One of the worst inconsistencies in Windows95 is what actually happens to files when they're dragged. Dragging from one place to another on the same disk ends up moving the files, while dragging from one disk to another copies them. If you're just dragging EXE files, a shortcut is created, and the file is neither copied nor moved. The only consistency here is that this same design flaw is duplicated on Macintosh and OS/2. To cope with this, follow the following instructions: To copy a file under any situation, hold the Ctrl key while dragging. To move a file under any situation, hold the Shift key while dragging. To choose what happens to dragged files, drag them with the right mouse-button, and a menu will appear when the files are dropped. The Norton Navigator has many file management functions. (recommended) Note: notice that the mouse cursor changes depending on the action being taken. A small plus (+) appears when copying, and a curved arrow appears when creating a shortcut. Note: there is no way to set the default action when dragging files - a glaring omission. Note: a handy and well-designed utility, WinZIP 6.0, utilizes the right-drag menu to ZIP and unZIP files. Get Find to Look Where You Want The Find feature included with Windows95 is quite handy for finding files on your hard disk or network. The problem is that when accessing it from the Start Menu, it always defaults to looking just on your Windows drive. There is no way to set the default search location for the Find command in the Start, although these other solutions might be helpful: Solution #1: Right-click on the My Computer icon, and select Find... Solution #2: Open the folder in which you want to search, such as My Computer. Press F3 to search that folder and all folders beneath it. If using Explorer, you can select Find from the Tools menu. Solution #3: Open the Find window in any of the usual ways, and choose the desired find location. Choose Save Search from the File menu. This will put a .fnd file on the desktop. Store the .fnd file someplace safe, such as your Windows directory, and create a shortcut to it on the desktop (drag the file onto the desktop with the right mouse button, and choose Create Shortcut). Rename the shortcut to something more informative, such as "Find" - submitted by David Griffeath Remove Microsoft's Internet Explorer Once you've installed the Internet Explorer, it's not easy to get rid of. There are files scattered everywhere, tons of new file types, and dozens of entries in the Registry. Additionally, if you had been using another World Wide Web browser previously, such as the superior Netscape, all your associations were overwritten by Internet Explorer's installation. Although an Uninstall utility is placed in Add/Remove Hardware, it doesn't completely restore your system to the way it was before. To remove all traces of Internet Explorer (recommended), follow these steps. Drag the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop into the Recylce Bin. (doesn't that feel better already?) Open the Program Files folder, and drag the Internet Explorer folder into the Recycle Bin. Select Options from the View menu in the open folder, and choose the File Types tab. Remove all entries beginning with URL or Internet, and press OK when finished. Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE). Select Find from the Edit menu. Search for the words "URL" and "Internet". If the text is found in a key associated with Microsoft or Internet Explorer, delete the key. If you're not using the Microsoft Network, you can also search for and remove and key containing "Favorites." Close the Registry Editor when finished. If you've removed keys containing "Favorites," you must restart Windows95 so it will allow you to remove the Favorites directory from the Windows directory. Note: if this sounds like a pain in the neck, go ahead and write Microsoft a note telling them how you feel. Prevent Programs From Changing Your File Types This annoying and troublesome problem has been around far longer than Windows95. Some thoughtless, selfish programmers have set up their applications to change around your File Types Without Asking, so that double-clicking on an associated file launches their program. The problem is that any File Types that you had set up previously are ignored and overwritten. For example, say you had configured Windows to launch a certain graphics viewer every time you double clicked on a GIF file. Then, you decide to install a new program, and it's installation program changes your File Types so that the new program is launched every time you double-click on a GIF file. Or, worse yet, the File Types are changed every time the program is launched! For some applications that use proprietary file types (like .XLS for Excel files), this isn't a problem, but many applications use many common file types, and should be thoughtful of their users. Feel free to write to the authors (see below) of any such programs and tell them you don't like it. As of yet, there is no way to prevent these applications from screwing up your File Types No solution. Note: here is a short list of such applications and their careless programmers, whose applications change File Types without asking: Internet Explorer by Microsoft - HTML and HTM extensions Paint Shop Pro by JASC, Inc. - all graphics file extensions PhotoPaint by Corel - all graphics file extensions Sound Gadget Pro by Nigel R. Magnay - some sound file extensions QModem Pro for Windows95 by Mustang Software - some graphics file extensions Norton Navigator for Windows95 by Symantec - ZIP files LView Pro for Windows95 by Leonardo Loureiro - all graphics file extensions Wordpad by Microsoft - DOC files Note: Make sure to let these authors know how you feel about this carelessness. A shortcut for choosing a new program to be used with a certain file type is to hold the Shift key while right-clicking on a file, and choosing Open With... Using .CAB Files When using a complex operating system with hundreds of support files, like Windows, every once in a while you'll need to get one of the files off of the distribution diskettes. Microsoft's new diskette format (Click here for more information on this diskette format) uses .CAB (Cabinet) files, which contain all of the compressed distribution files (similar to .ZIP files). To extract files from the Cabinet files, follow these instructions: Obtain a copy of the Windows95 PowerToys (94k). Install the CAB File Viewer utility. Not only will you be able to view CAB files, but drag-drop them out of the archives as well just by double-clicking on any .CAB files. Using the DMF Diskette Format Most of Microsoft's new products are shipping on their new DMF (Distribution Media format) disks. This new format can hold about 1.7 megabytes (compared with 1.44 for normally formatted floppies). Click here for more information on .CAB files used to compress distribution files on these DMF floppies. The following programs have been reported to format and/or copy these disks: FDFO (email) Disk Duplicator v5.0 (dskdupv5.zip) CopyQM 3.20 by Sydex (Ph: (503) 683-6033) WinImage 2.1 (wimant21.zip) Do I still need CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT? Windows95 comes with Plug-&-Play, as well as drivers for most of your hardware. This means, quite simply, that you can throw away most of the contents of your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files (despite what the folks at Apple tell you). The problem with the driver's you've got already loaded in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT, is that they're most likely real mode, 16-bit drivers for DOS. The drivers that come with Windows95 offer easier installation, better compatibility, plug-&-play, and better performance. Follow these guidelines for removing the old drivers from your start-up files (experienced users only): Ideally, you should delete CONFIG.SYS altogether, and should have nothing but your PATH in AUTOEXEC.BAT. Generally, your CONFIG.SYS includes drivers for your disk cache, CD-ROM, sound card, syquest drive, scanner, as well as a myriad of parameters like Files=50, Buffers=20, and so on. Windows95 replaces most of these. Make sure you back up both files before doing anything. Otherwise, you'll be sorry. Start off by putting the word "rem" in front of every entry in CONFIG.SYS, and restart your computer. (this turns the lines into "remarks") When Windows95 starts, it automatically scans your computer for any device without a driver, and install drivers as needed. The only problem is when Windows95 doesn't have the correct drivers. See the note below regarding CD-ROM drivers. Once in Windows95, try out all your devices. If a device works, take out the driver from CONFIG.SYS. If not, remove the "rem" text you've placed in front of it. The same process applies to AUTOEXEC.BAT, with the exception of the PATH statement. For some mysterious reason, it never occurred to the folks at Microsoft to include Windows support for the good 'ol PATH. (refer to your DOS manual for more information on the path statement.) Slowly, as manufacturers release native Windows95 drivers for their hardware, you'll be able to do away with both CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. Note: If you have a CD-ROM drive, odds are that you have a CD-ROM driver in CONFIG.SYS. However, when you go to remove the driver, Windows95 asks for the original installation disks so that it can install it's own CD-ROM driver. However, this doesn't work too well if you're installing from CD-ROM! To get around this design flaw, copy all of the .CAB files (or just the one with the correct driver, i.e., Win95_04.cab for Disk 4) from your Windows95 CD-ROM into a directory on your hard disk. When Windows95 asks for the driver, point to that directory. Note: Click here for a growing list of unsupported devices in Windows95. What to Do With a Corrupted Registry The Registry contains most of the settings for Windows95 and many applications. If the Registry is damaged in some way, or screwed up by another program, you may not be able to start Windows at all. Here's how to keep this under control: Back up your system Registry, comprised of USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT, both located in your Windows directory. Windows95 also backs up your Registry files, as SYSTEM.DA0 and USER.DA0, both in the Windows directory as well. However, since they get backed up every time you exit Windows, they most likely have the same problems (if any) as the original files. In case you didn't get it the first time, back up your system Registry. It isn't hard; they'll even fit on a floppy, but it will save your hours of work, customizing, and troubleshooting. Note: these files are hidden, which means you normally won't see them in Explorer. To see hidden files in Explorer, choose Options from the View menu, choose the View tab, and click on Show All Files. Boot directly into DOS In previous versions of Windows, you needed to load DOS before running Windows. In Windows95, DOS is still there, kindof, but the command prompt is skipped when loading Windows95. To go to the Command Prompt before loading Windows, follow these instructions. Open the file C:\MSDOS.SYS with a text editor, like notepad. You'll probably have to remove the Read-only, System, and Hidden attributes of the file before editing it. Find the line that reads BootGUI=1, and change it to BootGUI=0. Save the file and reboot your computer. Type Win to start Windows95. Note: for more information, see Contents of the Windows95 MSDOS.SYS File. Right-Click with the Keyboard In Windows-95, you can set the properties for almost any visible item by right-clicking on it, and selecting Properties. Objects that respond to this include drives, folders, files, windows, tasks, the desktop, and other miscellaneous icons. To invoke this action with the keyboard, do the following: To right-click with the keyboard, make sure the desired object has the focus, and press Shift-F10. Stop Windows95 from Searching the Floppy Drive when Launching a Program A strange bug has popped up in Windows-95, where the floppy drive (or drives) is searched every time an application is launched. Although this doesn't seem to be limited to Explorer, research suggests that the real culprit is Norton Navigator. If there are any other reports of this, please write. Try removing Norton Navigator. The Windows95 Easter Egg Hunt Many programs have hidden messages (Easter Eggs) placed in their code, viewable only after several obscure keystrokes. To look at the one in Windows95, do the following: Right-click on the desktop, and select Folder from the New menu. In the name field, type the following exactly as shown: and now, the moment you've all been waiting for Press Enter. Then, right-click on the folder again, select Rename, and type the following exactly as shown: we proudly present for your viewing pleasure Again, press Enter, right-click on the folder, select Rename, and type the following exactly as shown: The Microsoft Windows 95 Product Team! Double-click the folder to open it. Get rid of the Norton Navigator Splash Screen If you've installed the Norton Navigator, you've undoubtedly noticed how Symantec thinks you want to look at their flaming letters every time you start Windows95. Here's how to remove this Splash Screen, both when starting Windows, and when starting the Norton File Manager: Obtain NOSPLASH.ZIP, two patches for the registry. Unzip the two .REG files within NOSPLASH.ZIP, and double-click on each of them. - submitted by Neil Whitelaw Turn off Norton Protect When you install the Norton Utilities for Windows95, a program is configured, whether you want it to or not, to "protect" files that you have deleted. So, even if you've configured your Recycle Bin to delete your files immediately, so that they don't take up precious disk space, Norton Utilites goes behind your back and keeps deleted files on your hard disk anyway. Without you knowing it, your Recycle Bin may be taking up many megabytes of files you thought were deleted. There is minimal documentation on this, but aside from deleting the Norton Utilities altogether, here is how to disable this "feature": Right click on the Recycle Bin, select Properties, and choose the Norton Protection tab. You'll have to manually disable protection from each drive, since it lacks any quick method for disabling the program altogether. What to Throw Away When you install (or upgrade) to Windows95, there are many files placed in your root and Windows directories that can be deleted. These include: In your root directory: Anything with the extensions *.TXT, *.PRV, *.LOG, *.OLD, *.- - -, and *.DOS (unless you use the dual-boot feature) In your Windows directory: Anything with the extensions *.LOG, *.OLD, *.- - -, *.BAK, and *.000, *.001 (and so on...) Fine-tuning Windows95 Here are several little modifications you can make to improve Windows95 performance: Speed up system restart: Add BootDelay=0 to the [Options] section of C:\MSDOS.SYS Speed up the Start Menu: In the Registry Editor, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Control Panel\ Desktop, and add a key named MenuShowDelay with a value of 1 (fastest) to 10 (slowest). More free memory in DOS windows: Add LocalLoadHigh=1 to the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI Note: for more information, see Contents of the Windows95 MSDOS.SYS File. Will Windows95 Disable My Netscape? Although the media is hyping a rumor that Windows95 will disable the unequaled Netscape Navigator, it will stop here. The Netscape Navigator is completely compatible with Windows95. I doubt that Microsoft didn't have a hand in this media hype, perhaps hoping to get more people to shell out $45.00 for the "Plus Pack", which contains the inferior Internet Explorer, a self-proclaimed rival to Netscape. If, for some reason, your copy of Netscape becomes unusable after installing Windows95, follow these instructions: Re-install Netscape. Note: better yet, get the newest version of Netscape Navigator here. Note: the installation of Microsoft's Internet Explorer might be responsible for any incompatibilites. Click here for instructions describing how to remove it. Get Rid of the Logon Screen Many users on a Local-Area Network don't really need the little log-in screen that comes up when starting Windows95. To remove this prompt, follow the following directions: Open Control Panel, and double-click on the Network icon. From the list entitled Primary Network Logon:, choose Windows Logon, and press OK. Force Windows95 to Remember Window Positions When you close a folder in Windows95, it is natural to assume that it's size, position, and sort order will be the same the next time the folder is opened. This is not always the case. Sometimes folder settings are saved, only to be forgotten in a couple of days. The rules governing this behavior are not exactly clear, nor consistent. To help save folder settings, perform the following actions: Hold Ctrl while closing each window. Make Control Panel Applets More Accessible When you open the Control Panel, you are presented with a few dozen icons allowing you to control many aspects of the Windows environment. Here is a tip that not only makes these Control Panel Applets more quickly accessible, but allows you exclude the ones you don't want, and add your own custom icons: Open Control Panel and Explorer. Make a new folder directly underneath the Start Menu called "Control Panel". Select some or all of the icons in Control Panel, and drag them into this new folder. Windows will make a shortcut to each icon you drop into the folder, forming a new menu right off the Start Menu. Not only can you rename or remove any of the entries you wish, but you can add non-Control Panel items to the list, such as the Volume Control and Dial-up Networking (which should have been in the Control Panel in the first place). Make Control Panel Applets More Accessible When you open the Control Panel, you are presented with a few dozen icons allowing you to control many aspects of the Windows environment. Here is a tip that not only makes these Control Panel Applets more quickly accessible, but allows you exclude the ones you don't want, and add your own custom icons: Open Control Panel and Explorer. Make a new folder directly underneath the Start Menu called "Control Panel". Select some or all of the icons in Control Panel, and drag them into this new folder. Windows will make a shortcut to each icon you drop into the folder, forming a new menu right off the Start Menu. Not only can you rename or remove any of the entries you wish, but you can add non-Control Panel items to the list, such as the Volume Control and Dial-up Networking (which should have been in the Control Panel in the first place). Stop Windows95 from Detecting Devices Although there is no way to prevent Windows95 from detecting and installing drivers for some devices, you can disable certain devices that may be causing conflicts. The lack of a feature to remove an item from the list of detected devices is quite irritating and confusing, but usually problems can be averted by following these steps: Right-click on My Computer, and select Properties. Click the Device Manager tab, and select the device you wish to disable. Click the Properties button, un-check Original Configration, and click OK. Related Windows95 Information Most of the pages you'll find on the World Wide Web simply contain links to other pages. Not too useful. Here are some of the better pages, as long as we're on the subject: Using Route 1 Pro with Windows 95 Windows95 Dial-Up Networking White Paper Dylan Greene's Windows95 Home Pages Windows95 Software Archive Windows95 Stuff Connecting Windows95 to the Internet The Windows95 Page Windows95 Survey (ZD Labs) Windows95 32-bit Shareware Global Computing - lots of links Windows95 FAQ Running DOS Games Under WINDOWS 95 Windows95 QAID Windows95 Keyboard Shortcuts Windows95 Anti-Hype Home Page Windows 95 Troubleshooting Information Microsoft Windows Knowledge Base Microsoft Windows95 Software Library Unsupported Devices Under Windows95 If you have answers or alternate solutions to any of the above annoyances, or have questions of your own that we may be able to answer, feel free to send email. Please keep in mind that THIS IS NOT A TECHNICAL SUPPORT LINE!!! If you are having problems with specific applications or hardware, CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER. (Hint: 95% of all problems can be solved by getting the latest drivers!) Disclaimer: The products discussed on these pages are all trademarks of their respective makers. Endorsement or criticism of any particular products is supported solely by research, experience, and personal preference, and in NO WAY influenced by funding, special favors, or covert influence of any kind from any third party. Oh, yea; Creative Element is not responsible for any mishappenings because of the use or misuse of the information on these pages. Disclaimer #2: Kudos are due Microsoft for it's hard work and dilligence to bring a product like Windows95 to market. Aside from all it's faults, there are many things that make it the operating system of choice, not the least of which is the largest installed base and the most complete software library of any platform in the world. Frankly, it's amazing the thing works at all. Windows95 Annoyances, Copyright © 1995 Creative Element. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited. ---------- Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 22:55:24 EDT From: IVIikeV@aol.com To: empower@smart.net Subject: WOW, what a great site! I just found it and I'm in Love! I've never seen a site this informational before. I don't know how often you update this site and I can see you have a lot of things to update, but I just read the Windows 95 Annoyances and noticed a few things worth mentioning. Here they are: 1. You can also get rid of Network Neighborhood with PowerToys. 2. I'm pretty sure there's a way to shut off/mute the volume of your PC speaker. Most times I've found it to be in your BIOS. I've also found that Sound Blaster 16 and higher software's Mixer function allows you to change the volume of the PC speaker as well as turn it off. 3. I definitely know a much better way to get rid of the contents of the Documents menu. With PowerToys comes a plugin to the Control Panel called "Tweak UI". Although I haven't the slightest idea what that stands for, the program has lots of little functions. It allows you to configure a lot of things in Win95, including a tab called Paranoia, which allows you to clear several "histories" upon logon, such as the document menu, run history, Internet Explorer history, etc... 4. Turning off Windows "Animation" or zooming can also be done with Tweak UI or MS Plus. 5. Tweak UI will also let you turn off that annoying Click Here to Begin arrow at startup, which leads me to believe it must be configurable by editing the Registry. 6. In the section that talks about LOGOs, I found a typo. Second paragraph there's a sentence that reads "LOGOW.SYS is the one that reads "Please wait while...," and LOGOW.SYS is the one that reads "It is now safe to...,"" It should read "LOGOW.SYS is the one that reads "Please wait while...," and LOGOS.SYS is the one that reads "It is now safe to...," 7. A question about backup utilities. Shouldn't tape drives don't come with Backup programs compatible for the latest OSs? I thought Jazz drives came with software that is compatible with Win95 and more specifically, long file names. 8. How can you get each DOS program to use it's own CONFIG.SYS file? One final comment, again I know that you have a lot to update and that was the biggest reason I decided to write you this email, because I know you have too much to do to do the editing yourself. I hope you don't take me as one of those nags you just wants to point out your mistakes, that's not at all what I'm trying to do. I think your site is GREAT and am just trying to help. In closing, I found that most of these annoying bugs should have been fixed by the all mighty MS themselves and that they should not be getting away with charging people another $45 dollars for an after market program to fix their bugs. As a matter of fact, I'm surprised they gave away PowerToys and disappointed that it wasn't made more public upon it's release. Thank you for having a site like this. I for one am very greatful and will be sharing this url with many! Good Bye, Mike Velders ---------- End of Document