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Windows 98

File Management

If you've ever tried to get the Recycle Bin icon off your desktop by right-clicking it and looking for Delete, you know that it's not that easy. You can beat Win98 if you want to, though!

• Start the Registry Editor by going to Start >> Run and typing regedit
• Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
  Software
  Microsoft
  Windows
  Current Version
  explorer
  Desktop
  Namespace
• Double-click on Namespace to see its subvalues
  Click the {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} key (if you want to make sure you've got the right one, click on it and you should see "Recycle Bin" under Data in the right-hand window pane)
• If you decide you want the Recycle Bin back sometime, you have to put the info you are about to delete back into the Registry. You could do it by hand, but you'd have to have it all written down somewhere and you'd have to remember to put the String Value in, etc. The easiest way to avoid all that potential human error is to backup the key before you delete it. So before you continue, do this:
  
  Back it up by going to Registry >> Export Registry File and giving the backup file a name an location (remember the location!). Before you export make sure the Selected branch radio button in the Export range box at the bottom of the window is marked
• Delete the key {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
• Exit the Registry Editor
• Hit the F5 key--this updates your Desktop, and the unsightly Recycle Bin should now be gone

You haven't destroyed the Recycle Bin, you've just removed it from the desktop. Thus, you can still put files there by using My Computer or Windows Explorer.

Eliminating the Shortcut arrow

Sick of those annoying little curvy arrow things that take up the lower left corner of your shortcut icons? Here's how to ditch 'em.

1. Start >> Run >> Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
3. Click on lnkfile
4. Delete the String Value named IsShortcut in the right-hand pane
5. Go to piffile, also in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
6. Delete the String Value named IsShortcut
7. Close Regedit, restart Windows, and the little arrows should be all gone.

Okay, so this is just a cosmetic change, but I like the way it makes my desktop look :

Backup files by right-clicking

Open RegEdit and highlight the HKEY_CLASSES_ ROOT\Directory\shell\ key.
Create a key (Choose Edit >> New >> Key) under Shell called Backup.
Create a key under Backup called Command

Now you'll change the Command key's default value:
Highlight the Default thing in the right-hand pane, click Edit, choose Modify

Type in one of these statements:

COMMAND.COM /C XCOPY /S %1 C:\BACKUPS (hard drive)--you can make it wherever you want

or

COMMAND.COM /C XCOPY /S %1 A: (floppy)

You can also use XCOPY parameters on the command line to customize.

Opening a file automatically with Notepad

I use Notetab Lite as a replacement for the somewhat inadequate MS Notepad.

But, if you want to add a "right-click" option so you can Open with Notepad, try the following:

Open regedit (Start >> Run >> regedit) and go to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell

If you can't find open under *, create it.

Once you have created that "folder," create a new key in there and call it open.

Next, edit the string (Default) to read Open With Notepad. Actually, you could call it anything, e.g.: Gimme a look on paper.

Under open, create a new key called command and edit the string (Default) to read "notepad.exe %1".

Now when you right-click on a file you should see Open With Notepad as one of the options (or Gimme a look on paper, as the case may be).

Fixing Open with...

Have you ever screwed up when the Open with... box comes up? For example, you decide to open all your .gif files with Word or something--just for fun--but you forget to uncheck the Always Open With option. You're painfully stuck viewing all your .gif files in Word. (That's no fun!).

To redeem yourself, right-click on a file of the type you inadvertenly set (.gif in this case) while holding down the SHIFT key.

What's this?? Now you can select the Open with... option. It's a blessing from heaven--you can fix that problem. Just change the program you would like to open .gif files with and you're all set.

Keeping program and system files separate

If you would like to keep your program files separate from your system files when you are setting up a machine, this tip is for you.

Partition your drives using fdisk or NT disk administrator. A gig is usually more than enough for system files on your C partition. Use the rest of it for a D partition or more if you desire.

1. Open up Regedit (go to Start/Run and type regedit without quotes).
2. Go to Edit/Find
3. Type in ProgramFilesDir without quotes (not case sensitive).
4. After it is done searching, click Edit/Modify or just hit Enter to modify the field. It should be defaulted to C:\Program Files.
5. Change the drive letter to D or whichever partition you want and click OK
6. Within the same key is the value for CommonFilesDir which is defaulted to C:\Program Files\Common Files. You can change the value for this using the same process. I think it is a good idea to do both at the same time.

This tip will save you the effort of changing the location of where your software will install, as it will default to D:\Program Files\directory (or whichever drive letter you specify). The other advantage is keeping your applications separate from your system files.

Enjoy!

Using Send To

View any file

To view any file you want:
1. Start Explorer and go to C:\windows\SendTo
2. Add a new shortcut to Notepad, Wordpad, Word, or any other text-viewer.

Voilà! Now you can view any file by right-clicking on it and choosing Send To.

Winamp and other programs

When you right-click and use Send To, the program (e.g., Notepad) will try to open the selected file that you right-clicked on. If you have a shortcut to Winamp in C:\windows\SendTo, you can play MP3s by right-clicking on an MP3 file, choosing Send To, and then Winamp.

Try other files and programs, too (e.g., jpg->Photoshop, doc->Word, wav->mplayer)

Copy files with Send To

When you make a shortcut in C:\windows\SendTo, try to type a drive or a folder (e.g., C: or C:\temp) in the Command line field. If you select a file and choose Send To A:, the file will be copied to A:

NOTE: If the destination of Send To is in the same partition as source, the file will be MOVED and not COPIED.

Smoke your partitions

Kill off your hard drive partition data. Be careful with this one!

1. From a DOS / command prompt type Debug
2. Type the following

-F 200 L 1000 0
-A CS:100
xxxx:0100 MOV AX,301
xxxx:0103 MOV BX,200
xxxx:0106 MOV CX,1
xxxx:0109 MOV DX,80
xxxx:010C INT 13
xxxx:010E INT 20
xxxx:0110 [Hit Enter - blank line]
-G

Then you'll see "Program Terminated Normally" and you can hit Ctrl-Alt-Del. This will destroy all partition data on the hard drive.

Viewing *JPGs in Windows Explorer

If you lost the ability to preview your *.JPG files in Windows Explorer (when using Viewed as Web Page):

Click Start then Run, and type the following command in the Open box: regsvr32.exe /i shdocvw.dll

Press Enter.

With Windows 98's tighter Internet integration, normal folders can now be displayed as Web pages. In fact, if you check out the Windows directory, you'll see a little trick that prevents you from inadvertently meddling with your Windows directory: Windows warns you about the possible consequences of modifying files in the directory and forces you to click on a link in order to view the files.

This little trick can be used elsewhere. The code for this is stored in folder.htt, a normally hidden file in the current directory. Look at the file and find the appropriate code (it's JavaScript). In another window, open the folder you'd like to "protect." Select View then Customize This Folder and select the Web page option. A folder.htt will be generated from the template--open it. Copy and paste the significant lines from \Windows\folder.htt into the new folder.htt, modifying as desired. A bit more exploration will turn up all sorts of interesting little secrets.

If you can find out where the template folder.htt is stored (as a new folder.htt is automatically generated from that template which is supposed to be in %TEMPLATEDIR%/folder.htt), then you can apply all sorts of other cool effects to your computer. Check it out. And mail me if you find out: [email protected].