Deleting a file in use by Windows
How to hide desktop icon titles
One of Windows Me's most heavily publicised features is its ability to boot quickly. However, older flavours of Windows can be coaxed into booting nearly as fast by tweaking a file called C:\Msdos.sys. Simply open a command prompt and type the command:
ATTRIB -R -S -H C:\MSDOS.SYS
Then type:
NOTEPAD C:\MSDOS.SYS
Scroll down to the section labelled [options] and add the following lines:
DoubleBuffer=0
DrvSpace=0
DblSpace=0
Logo=0
BootDelay=0
DisableLog=0
SystemReg=0
Line 1 keeps Windows from loading a low-Ievel device driver that's generally only needed if you have an Isa Scsi card.
The next two lines keep Windows from trying to determine whether you need drivers for disk compression. Fat32 isn't compatible with disk compression anyway, so there's no point.
The fourth line turns off the logo, which increases boot time unbelievably.
The next turns off Windows' default two-second boot delay. The default gives you a little more time to hit Ctrl at bootup to get a boot menu.
The penultimate line turns off logging; while logs can be a useful diagnostic tool, more often than not they're just slowing down the boot process.
The last line keeps Windows from scanning the Registry at bootup for hardware profiles. Unless you have a laptop you're probably not using these. After you've added these lines, save the file, then enter the command:
ATTRIB +R +H +S C:\MSDOS.SYS
at the command prompt. With these modifications, I've made even Pentium 200s boot in 15 seconds. This modification improves Windows Me as well, but only slightly. My Windows Me system boots in 17 seconds unmodified, but in 15 seconds with the modifications. This suggests that only the BootDelay line is doing any good on my system. Your mileage may vary.
A subdirectory on a Windows PC is just like a file folder: the more stuff that's in it, the longer it takes to find anything. Your C:\Windows directory is so crucial to system performance, yet it's loaded down with garbage. After a fresh Windows Me installation, one of my systems had 198 entries in that critical directory. Eighteen of those files were text files no-one ever reads. Another 13 were corny BMP files intended for desktop wallpaper. And somehow the Channel Screen Saver found its way into that directory as well.
Deleting those files, deleting the backup copies of Autoexec.bat and Config.sys that end up in the root directory (and any other junk that accumulates there), then running Defrag can significantly speed up a PC. Don't forget to run Defrag -without doing that, the files' directory entries remain, so file access remains slow even though the files are gone.
How to hide desktop icon titles
I know you can get rid of the name that appears under each icon on your desktop, but can't remember exactly how to do it. I know it involves editing the name and typing a number code while holding down some other key. I did this once and would like to do it again, but can't find any documentation. Can you help?
In standard Windows fonts, character number 160 displays as a blank, though it's not the same as a space character. To change an icon's title to this character, click the title twice slowly to enter editing mode. Hold down the Alt key and tap out '160' on the numeric keypad, then release the Alt key and press Enter.
If you have desktop wallpaper installed, you'll still see a tiny rectangle where the title is. You can completely hide the icon title by using the free PC Magazine utility, SeeThru. To download this file, go to www.pcmag.com, search for Seethru and click on the filename under Downloads. SeeThru makes the background of icon titles invisible. Your special title, which is nothing but background, effectively disappears.
I really liked being able to replace the Windows 95 splash screen and putting my company logo there instead. But in Windows 98 there's no Logo.sys file to replace. Can you help me with this?
Windows 95 and 98 handle the logo bitmap in the same way. If a good LOGO.SYS exists, Windows uses it. If not, Windows extracts the default logo from Io.sys. (Io.sys should never be modified.) LOGO.SYS must be a 320 by 400 pixel, 256 colour Windows bitmap file. Windows stretches the image to 640 by 400 pixels for display. LOGO.SYS resides in the boot drive's root directory or, if the drive is compressed, in the root directory of the host for the boot drive.
You can use PC Magazine's free LogoMania utility (www.pcmag.com/PCtech/content/16/06/ut1606.001.html) to create your own animated logo bitmaps. Despite the help file's reference to Windows 95, LogoMania works in Windows 98. You'll also find many themed startup and shutdown bitmaps on the Internet, usually at sites that specialise in desktop themes.
diet
When I right-click a folder and move the mouse down the menu to New, my system takes an extremely long time to open the list of possible new file types. The list is incredibly long and full of types whose parent programs are no longer on my computer. Is there any way to get rid of the useless types?
Windows builds the New menu by scanning the Registry for file associations. You can get rid of useless items in the New menu by deleting invalid file association by using PC Magazine's free Freedom of Association utility. You'll find this by clicking on the F-to-L link above the title on the Free Utilities page at www.pcmag.com/utilities/ Freedom of Association will identify invalid file associations and let you delete them, thereby speeding display of the New menu.
If you want to remove valid file types from the New menu, you can use Microsoft's free (and support-free) TweakUI utility. Launch TweakUI from Control Panel, then click the New tab and it's a case of simply unchecking the unwanted items.
Restoring the check mark later will restore the item to the New menu. If you don't have TweakUI, download the PowerToys utility collection from www.hotfiles.com or from your favourite download site.
company screen saver
Here's a tip that's sure to impress your boss and fellow workmates. First, get a bitmap image of your company logo from a scanner or the Web-you can even fax it to your PC. Right-dick the desktop and choose Properties. Click the Screen Saver tab and select the screen saver called 3D Flying Objects. Click Settings, and in the Style menu select Textured Flag. Next click Texture... and browse to the location of your bitmap logo. You can change the size and resolution of the image using the sliders. When you're set click okay and then Preview. You now have a flag screen saver with your company's logo proudly fluttering on your monitor.
If the 3D Flying Objects screen saver isn't present in your Screen Saver dialog box, you can install it using the Windows Setup tab of Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs applet. Open Accessories, open Screen Savers, and check off OpenGL Screen Savers.
To deploy the screen saver to another system, first copy the company bitmap to the same location on that machine. Copy the [Screen Saver.3DFlyingObj] section from the source machine's Control.ini to the same section in the target machine's Control.ini. In System.ini, change the SCRNSAVE.EXE= line to SCRNSAVE.EXE= C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\3DFLYI~1.SCR. Now other users in the office can follow your lead.
Every time I work with a folder, I have to go into the View menu and set up the display format I prefer. Can I have my folders use this view automatically?
When you use the View menu or the toolbar's View icon (the small down arrow beside the icon lets you select your view), you change the display format of icons, file information, or both. To save the view for the current folder, go into Folder Options (usually under the Tools menu). Click on the View tab and put a check next to Remember each folder's view settings then click ok. If you want all your folders to use the same view, find and click the Like Current Folder button.
When I search for duplicate files on my Windows 98 system, I often find duplicate DLLs. Is there a common directory where I can keep only one copy of each D LL? I'd like to use C:\Windows\System. Is there any downside to this strategy?
C:\Windows\System is the correct location for shared DLLs. If you find identical duplicates, you can delete all but the copy in C:\Windows\System (move a copy there, if necessary). Now run all of the applications found in the folders that contained duplicates. If one of them fails, copy the DLL back into that application's folder. If the DLLs aren't identical, move the newest one into C:\Windows\System and the rest into the Recycle Bin. Determine the newest files by checking the version numbers, if available, or the file date/time if not. Now run each application that resides in the folder where a copy of the DLL was found. If one fails, just restore its particular copy of the DLL from the Recycle Bin.
Deleting a file in use by Windows
I want to delete a file that got downloaded to my computer without my knowledge. When I try, though, I get a message saying that 'the specified file is being used by Windows'.
If you're using Windows 95, 98, or ME, you can use WININIT.INI to delete this file. Check your Windows folder to see whether WININIT.INI already exists. If not, use Notepad to create a file containing just two lines:
[Rename]
nul=D:\PATH\FILENAME.EXT
The portion of the second line after nul= should be the full pathname of the file you want deleted, using short filenames (for example, c:\progra~l... rather than C:\ Program Files...). To delete a folder, use dirnul= instead of nul=. If WININIT.INI already exists, simply add the appropriate line to the [Rename] section. Now restart Windows. The file will be deleted during the startup process, as will wininit.ini itself.
Under Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0, deleting a file that's in use is rather more difficult. Your best bet here is to restart Windows and try to delete the file before you do anything else.
I've had a problem with the Windows 98 Start/Programs menu for some time now. The way Windows dumps newly installed program shortcuts into the programs menu was annoying at best. However, if you rightclick on any item within the list, you can select 'sort by name'. Now I have an alphabetically sorted programs list and one less headache.
What is really annoying to me is the way the Programs list only shows one column. So that entries soon disappear off the bottom of the screen, instead of showing the excess in a second column as Windows 95 used to do.
The answer is to rearrange the shortcuts into sensible folders by right-clicking on the Start button and then choosing Explore. You can then create new folders for groups of similar applications (Utilities, Games and so on) and simply drag the shortcuts into the place you want them to appear. At the same time, you can tidy up those annoying applications which create their own folder with just one shortcut in. Simply drag the shortcut to another folder and then delete the unwanted folder.
I was most interested to read Kay Ewbank's article ('Trouble Shooting', Shopper 142) on how to stop programs starting automatically with Windows.
However, I was most disappointed to discover that the article was aimed at Windows 98 and not Windows 95. Please could you explain how I can stop about a dozen programs from starting with Windows 95? This greatly slows down the startup of my computer.
In this respect, Windows 95 and 98 are actually identical. To help you out, here are the places to look:
1. Start menu, Programs, Startup;
2. win.ini file load= and run= lines
3. Windows Registry (run REGEDIT)
HKEY Local Machine, Software, Microsoft, Windows, Current version Run and Run Services folders.
4. Registry as above, except under HKEY Current User
There may also be some utilities which load themselves as low-level Vxd drivers. These can be a pain to get rid of, but search the registry for their names.
You mentioned in an article on PC customisation ('Personalise Your PC', Shopper 144) something about rotating the theme of Microsoft Plus/desktop themes monthly. Where is this option on the version of Microsoft Plus that was included on Windows 98 (first release version 4.10.1998)? Is it added when the Plus 98 add-on is installed on your system? Or is it a variation which Win98 release 2 adds?
Actually, this is a feature of the extra cost package Plus! 98. Although Windows 98 includes some features that were originally in the Windows 95 Plus! pack, and hence has a 'Plus' folder, these features are not in the standard release of Windows 98.
In my opinion, Plus 98! is just another way to put still more of our money into Bill's pockets. There are plenty of free or shareware alternatives available. Sometimes these are still called 'wallpaper changers' though 'theme manager' is fast being the standard term. Try Media Changer Deluxe at www.xmission.com/~myq or XTheme Manager at www.vclxx.com/~kuan
You'll find plenty more similar programs at any shareware reviews site. In particular,
www.softseek.comhave a good section on theme changers.
Is there a switch to turn off the feature that stops me looking at the contents of the Program Files and other folders in Windows 2000, without subjecting me to a homily about how I don't need to look at these files?
Given what some people are capable of doing to their systems, I understand why Microsoft implemented the feature. Fortunately, there's a simple way to dodge this problem, and it all hinges on some code in a file called FOLDER.HT1. This is a hidden file, and there's a copy of it in each of the folders that produces the Show Files hyperlink and the warning message, these being:
Program Files Winnt
Winnt\System
Winnt\System32
Dive into any of those folders, make sure you have the capability to view hidden files, then right-click FOLDER.HTT and open it into Notepad. As you'll see, it's full of script code. The bit you're looking for is the Load function, and it looks like this:
function Load() { Initialize(L-Intro-Text) ;
Info.innerHTML = L_Intro_Text + L-Barricade_Text;
window.onresize = ResizeBarricade;
ResizeBarricade() ; if (gShowFiles)
ShowFiles ();
}
The bit you need is the section that starts 'if (gShowFiles)' and the three lines following it.
If you look above the Load function in FOLDER.HTT, you'll see that there's another function called ShowFiles, which gets invoked when you click on that Show Files hyperlink, having read your warning message. What we're going to do is invoke the ShowFiles function immediately, rather than have it wait for you to click on the hyperlink, by removing three lines of code, two of which are just those curly brackets < { } > , so delete the line with 'if (gShowFiles)', the curly bracket < { > directly below it, and the curly bracket < } > directly below the 'ShowFiles();' line. After you've tidied the formatting, you should be left with code like this:
function Load() {
Initialize (L_Intro_Text) ;
Info.innerHTML = L_Intro_Text + L Barricade_Text;
window-onresize = ResizeBarricade;
ResizeBarricade() ; ShowFiles ( ) ;
}
I've left everything else untouched so that the warning message will still appear on the side, but you'll go straight into the files now. Obviously, anyone can do this, but be aware that the warning message was put there for a reason, so if you really don't need to do this, you're better off not doing it at all.
On the context menu for all folders I have the entry: 'Add to playlist'. This was left by an audio player (Sonique) and was not removed when the program was uninstalled. It cannot be removed from the Folder options, File types, File folder entry, because the remove button is greyed out. Is there a Registry key that I could delete to get rid of this annoying entry?
Yes -having made sure you have a recent Registry backup, run regedit and go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell. There you'll find the' Add to playlist' key (a folder icon in the left pane) which you can delete.
Colleagues of mine have a Windows 98-style user interface on their Windows NT4 workstations (they have the Quicklaunch toolbar plus the drag and drop capability on the start menu). I can't find this add-on anywhere on the Microsoft website, or on the Win NT distribution discs. Where can I get it from?
This is a very interesting question as it's one that I've come across before - why do some Windows NT4 machines have these features while others don't? I guessed that it was down to an updated version of Internet Explorer, so my initial advice was to check what versions of the browser he and his work colleagues were running. But then he came back with the answer - we need more readers like him! Rooting around the Microsoft website he came across the solution. The answer was fairly convoluted - basically you need to downgrade then upgrade Internet Explorer. According to Microsoft's instructions, you need to uninstall Internet Explorer 5.0 (and above) and install lE4.01 (which is on the Windows NT4 Service Pack 5 disc). Select the Active Desktop option during install, and then re-upgrade to IE 5.5. He reveals that this does work, even though it involves at least five interminable reboots. He puts the missing features down to the removal of Active Desktop Internet Explorer 5 and above, which might have had something to do with the Doj case. What a star!
I'm running Windows 98 SE with the World's Traveller desktop theme from 98 Plus. The screensaver that comes with this has some really amazing pictures. Can I use one of these as my desktop background and if so, how?
Yes - if you press the Print Screen key while the screensaver is operating, you'l1 capture a snapshot of the screen to the clipboard. When you 'wake up' Windows, you can then paste this in to the image-editing program of your choice - including Windows Paint. You can then edit, crop or resize the image (or part thereof) to suit, and save this as a bmp file in your Windows folder. If you have the Active Desktop enabled, you can also save as a space-saving jpg file. Then, just right-click on the Desktop, choose Properties, go to the Background tab, and select your file from the list.
I have Windows 98 Second Edition installed on my computer. Does it have an Easter Egg?
There's an easy way to launch Windows 98's Easter egg. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Welcome. Right-drag the file Weldata.exe to the desktop, then choose Create shortcut(s) here. Right-click the new shortcut and choose Properties. In the Shortcut tab, append You_are_a_real_rascal to the text in the Target box. Finally, in the Run pull-down list, select Minimised then click on OK. When you launch the shortcut, it will activate the Windows 98 Easter egg.
Where in the Registry can I find the settings that make programs run when I load Windows? This used to be so easy with the Run = and Load = in WIN.INI, but it's not so obvious in the Registry, as I feel that there's more than one location I should be looking in. Is that the case?
Indeed it is. Here are three Registry locations that you might examine to locate the entries that launch programs automatically:
HKEY-LOCAL-MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY-LOCAL-MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices
HKEY-CURRENT-USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Is there any way of working out which are the default fonts installed with Windows 98? I want to clear my Fonts folder, but don't wish to remove the default fonts.
The date stamps on them can identify the default fonts. This will vary depending on which version of Windows 98 you're using:
Windows 98 (4.10.1998): 11/5/98
Windows 98 SE (4.10.2222Ar) 23/4/99
I've lost the ability to make a Thumbnail view in a folder. I used it yesterday on a folder without any difficulty, but when I restarted the system this morning the menu item was missing.
This can happen because the folder the Thumbnail view was set in is write-protected, or the THUMBS.DB file has become corrupt. Follow these steps to get your images back:
1 Create a new folder at the same level as the one failing to display thumbnails.
2 Name that folder Temp_picture_store.
3 Copy all of the graphics files excluding the THUMBS.DB file into the new folder.
4 When you've copied all the graphics files, delete the old folder.
5 Rename the temp folder to the name of the old folder.
You can now set the new folder's Properties to Thumbnail view, and you should find that your thumbnails have been restored.
I've read through some former issues of PC Pro, but I wasn't able to find any reference to how to set Windows Explorer in Windows 2000 Professional to open all folders in a particular view mode (details or list).
Having to change every folder manually would be tedious, but fortunately you can set all folders to a particular view and then switch any individual ones back to the default view by hand later. To change all the folders to Details view, follow these steps after opening Windows Explorer.
1 Go to the View menu, and select the Details menu option.
2 Next, go to the Tools menu, select Folder Options, and then click on the View tab. 3 At the top of the tab you'll see a frame with two buttons in it. Click on the one labelled 'Like Current Folder', then click on Apply and then OK.
You should now find that all your folders will open in Details view. If you want to make other changes from the Advanced Settings list, you can do those too if you like. However, I recommend making one change at a time, as it gets less confusing if you want to change back after modifying a folder Display option. If there are any folders you don't want to open in Details view, you can modify those manually when you open them.
I'm a home worker running a Pentium II with NT 4 Workstation (I'm my own' Administrator), Office 97 plus other miscellaneous applications. When I click on Start I Programs, I've a long list I want to tidy up. There's a separator bar part way down and I don't understand why or how NT has placed things. Above the separator bar are a selection of applications and utilities (these have icons of a folder with a small box in front with a red and blue star), plus icons for Command prompt, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Shortcut Bar, Outlook Express, and so forth. Below the separator bar is a long list of applications and utilities, printers, shortcuts and so forth. The icons here are a folder with a small PC in front. What do these signify?
What I don't understand is why some of these are above or below the separator bar. My help line wasn't sure, but thinks it may have something to do with the Administrator assigning them. However, I have two or three applications that appear on both sides. For example, Word has an icon on both sides. Adobe has a section with PhotoShop LE appearing on both, plus different things. Epson has a section both sides with different bits of my photo 750 printer installation. Is this right? Surely everything to do with this printer should be together? Serif is the most mixed up with the following:
Above the bar: Clipart browser, Draw + 2 and 4, Page + 6,
Install Acrobat reader
Below the bar: Clipart browser, Draw + 2, plus on-line manual, Page + 3, Mega Resource Pack galleries and Readme, Serif Readme, Install Acrobat Reader.
I believe I've installed earlier versions of Serif applications directly under the C drive, while later versions have gone straight under Program files, but I don't understand the rationale behind why NT has put some things above the line and others from the same 'stable' below. Can I get these 'duplicate' applications all located under 'Program files', and likewise get rid of the duplicate Word icon? If so, which side of the bar should it be? Or should I just leave well alone?
As you know, one of the attractions of NT 4 is that its a multi-user operating system, and what you're seeing here is a manifestation of that feature. If you go to the Start button and right-click on it, you'll see that there are some menu options that are them-selves separated by a bar. Above the line is a menu item that reads 'Open', and below the line is a menu option that reads 'Open All Users'. These match the contents above and below the bar in your Programs menu.
If you select both those menu options, you'l1 see that when the folders open, you'll have two icons labelled 'Programs', but the icon itself is different. This is again to tell you that you're looking at different areas of your system.
In theory, what's supposed to happen is that applications are installed either for use by all users of the system or for the person doing the install. However, if the person doing the installation also has administrator status, or is logged in on Administrator account and uses that account as their user account, programs will install in either area, depending on how the installation program is set up. That's why you're seeing your applications scattered across the User/ All Users boundaries. But in my experience, some files you might have expected to find in a users personal area are instead found in the All Users area, for no particular reason that I can see. I'm afraid its something you'll have to put up with. I found that when I upgraded my Desktop from NT 4 to Windows 2000, the separator bar vanished and I just had a Programs menu that listed everything alphabetically.