Windows 98 - Tips

• Allow viewing of CHM files across the network

  Microsoft security update MS05-026 blocks for viewing compressed HTML (CHM) files placed on a network drive.

• Automatically turn off screensaver when doing defrag

  Keep the screensaver from starting when doing file defragmentation.

• Change OEM branding of System Properties

  System Properties can be modified to display company name or company pictures.

• Change path of where Windows looks for wallpapers

  Change the default wallpaper folder used when changing the wallpaper in Windows.

• Change the color of Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)

  How to change the color of the BSOD to make it easier to read or just for fun.

• Changing the background color for the login screen

  Changing the color of the desktop shown before a user has logged in.

• Command line Parameters for SCANREG

  Scanreg command line switches for checking the Windows registry.

• Configure Autorun for different drives using policies

  How to configure autorun for the different drive types.

• Configure Autorun for the CD-ROM drives in Windows 9x

  Configure whether to automatically launch application when inserting a CD or DVD disk.

• Configure Mouse Acceleration

  Mouse is accelerated when moved in a single movement to make the Windows nagivation easier.

• Configure cleanup profiles to remove unnecessary files

  How to create different profiles for cleaning up the hard disk.

• Configure drive letter for the CD-ROM Drive

  Assign specific drive letters for removable drives.

• Configure low disk space warning in Windows 98/Me

  Description of the low disk space warning and how to disable it.

• Configure the DOS prompt inside Windows 9x

  Using a batch file to configure the DOS prompt when starting it from the Windows desktop.

• Configure the DOS prompt refresh rate within Windows

  Increasing the DOS prompt refresh rate to make the display smoother.

• Configure the My Computer security zone

  Display the My Computer security zone along with the other security zones for configuration.

• Configure the Task Scheduler Log

  How to configure the location and size of the task scheduler log with all its events.

• Configure the Windows taskbar

  Changing the behavior and visual appearance of the task bar.

• Configure the caching of thumbnails in thumbs.db

  Thumbnail View uses a cache to allow quicker viewing of folders with pictures, and one can change the quality of these thumbnails.

• Configure the picture used as background wallpaper

  Configuring how the wallpaper should be displayed using registry settings.

• Configure the taskbar Start Menu

  Changing the behavior and visual appearance of the Start Menu.

• Configure zip and cab files as compressed folders

  Open zip and cab files in Windows Explorer like they were normal directory with files.

• Create keyboard shortcut to quickly launch a program

  How to configure a keyboard shortcut as a hotkey to quickly start an application.

• Create shortcut to "Run..." in the Start Menu

  The Run... option in the Start Menu can be launched using a shortcut.

• Create special folders where you want them

  Shortcuts can be created to most of the special folders available in Windows Explorer.

• Creating the Show Desktop shortcut

  The Show Desktop shortcut in the quick launch bar can be restored if deleted.

• Customization of Windows visual appearance

  Description of the different things that can be customized in Windows, and links to resources that can provide even more customization.

• Customize folders using the Active Desktop Web View

  Active Desktop enables customization of folders like they were web pages.

• Customize the default registered identity

  How to change the name and company registered as owner of the Windows installation.

• Customize the right-click menu in Windows Explorer

  Adding own actions to the context menu when right clicking a file in Windows Explorer.

• Defrag command line switches

  List of the available command line switches for defrag.

• Display the Windows version on the desktop

  When BETA testing Windows versions then it can be rather useful to easily see the build version on the desktop.

• Easter egg for Windows 98

  Easter egg that allows one to see the names of those behind Windows 98.

• Extend Folder Options to include your own tweaks

  Folder Options can be extended to easily configure other settings in Windows.

• Extend context menu with "Open with..." for all files

  Configure the context-menu when right-clicking any file to show "Open with..."

• Extend context menu with Move To and Copy To options

  Add "Copy To Folder..." and "Move To Folder..." when right-clicking a file.

• Extend the Windows Explorer context menu with Copy Path

  Make it easier to copy the location of a file to the clipboard.

• Extract files from a MSI package

  The Microsoft Installer (MSI) Package file is a compressed archive, which can be decompressed.

• Install support for zip files as compressed folders

  Extension for the Windows Explorer so zip files can be opened like a normal directory.

• Make screendump of the desktop using Print Screen

  How to use the keyboard key "Print Screen" to make a screen dump.

• Mapping folder as a virtual drive letter using subst

  Mount a file folder as a drive-letter, like a shortcut to make it easier to access the folder.

• Microsoft articles with tips for Windows 98

  Collection of links to Microsoft articles about how to improve the Windows 98 experience.

• Modify the Windows registry with registry files

  How to add and remove registry entries from the Windows registry using .reg files

• Open DOS Command Prompt Here

  Extend the right-click context-menu of a folder to open a DOS command prompt.

• Open files of an unknown type with notepad

  Configure the default behavior to use notepad, when opening a file with unknown type.

• Pro and cons for using multiple disk partitions

  Describes the benefits and the costs of using multiple partitions.

• Quick restart by holding down the shift-key

  How to use the Shift-key on the keyboard to activate faster reboot.

• Quick shutdown in Windows 98

  How to configure the fast shutdown feature in Windows 98.

• Reload the registry by restarting Explorer.exe

  How one can reload the HKEY\_CURRENT\_USER registry hive without needing a restart.

• Remove warning about modifying contents in the Windows-folder

  Active Desktop makes it posssible to customize folders, and so the Windows folder is customized to avoid messing with the Windows system files.

• Scandisk command line switches

  List of the available command line switches for scandisk.

• Show the file attributes column in Windows Explorer

  Display the file attributes in the detail view of Windows Explorer for Windows 98 Second Edition.

• Turn off the beeping from the PC Speaker

  Disable the beep from the PC speaker when Windows performs an alert.

• Using "Send To" for easy access to useful actions

  How to use the "Send To" feature to perform often used file operations.

• Using DosStart.bat to configure DOS when leaving Windows

  Load DOS drivers when leaving Windows, instead of loading them before Windows starts.

• Using file compare to see changes made to the registry

  How to see the registry changes of a certain action by using the file compare utility.

• Windows Explorer command line switches

  Windows Explorer allows one to specify what folder to display when launched.