Windows 98 Advanced Tips, Hacks, and Tweaks

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Microsoft Windows 98
Advanced Tips, Tricks, Hacks, and Tweaks...

Shut down Windows "Short Cut"

Create a new shortcut (right click the desktop or a folder background and choose New, Shortcut.) In the Command line (or Target) field, type:

C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL32.EXE User,ExitWindows

Name the new shortcut Shutdown Windows, and you're done. Warning: This one shuts down your system without confirmation, so only double-click it when you're sure that's what you want it to do.

Note:
This does not work while either an internal or external COM port is actively sending or receiving data, such as when you're using an analog modem.

Tuning VCache

VCache is the Windows disk-caching virtual device driver. This is a very important part of Windows 95/98 as it provides excellent disk performance. It replaces all your other disk-caching drivers such as SmartDrive. Windows reserves memory for Vcache. For all we know, sometimes Windows reserves too much memory for Vcache which consumes too much system resources and sometimes to little to be sufficient and limits vcache from it's total potential. Open Run and type sysedit. Edit System.ini and find a line with something like:

[vcache]
Maximum=xxx
Minimum=xxx

Put maximum and minimum into one quarter of your actual RAM (in bytes.) That means, if you have 16 RAM, set both to 4096. If you have 32 RAM, change both to 8192

Dumping Compressed Drivers

Funny why should Windows still be eating up so much conventional memory even though you are not using big drivers. But then again, maybe you did. Windows might be still dumb enough to use compressed drivers even though you don't need it. Solution? Open/Edit MSDOS.SYS and change the following lines to :

[options]
drvspace=0
dblspace=0
BootWarn=0

Just add the line if it isn't already there. Your conventional memory should increase after the change.

Check Your Configuration Files

Autoexec.bat and Config.sys are the files imported from older versions of Windows and DOS. They are used to load drivers and other DOS components. But, you might not know that Windows can actually load without them! Yes, your sound card and CD-ROM drive can run without a glitch with Autoexec.bat and Config.sys out of the way.

However, some DOS games still requires the drivers. So edit Autoexec.bat and Config.sys and check for any redundant lines. Next check for unnecessary drivers. You will find that after trimming the list, your conventional memory might actually increase

Make Older Applications Compatible

There are still some stubborn Windows 3.x that behave poorly under Windows 95/98. It is time to teach your program some manners and behave more politely under 32-bit Windows. There is a hidden program in you C:\Windows\System\ directory.

Select Run and type: mkcompat.exe

This will launch a program called Make Compatible. First click on File, Choose Program. Select the "%&*#!" program and make your settings It is advisable that you use the Advance Settings for further customization.

Hidden COMMAND.COM Switches

To get the list of the whole COMMAND.COM switch, type the /? the command prompt. But the thing is, we now have 3 switches that are not documented at all, not even under the /? list. So, now let us have a brief explanation.

The first switch is the /D switch. COMMAND /D used on the CONFIG.SYS SHELL= line (the primary shell), or at the MS-DOS prompt (secondary shell in combination with the COMMAND /P parameter), prevents the execution of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file at bootup. Example:

SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /E:512 /D /P
The next switch is the /F. Remember the annoying "Abort, Retry, Fail" error? Most of us usually just select "Fail". This is exactly what the switch does - it will automatically reply with a "Fail" if the floppy disk drive is not ready or available. You can activate it on the CONFIG.SYS file SHELL= line. Example:

SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /E:512 /F /P
or just added to any PIF file or the DOS Prompt shortcut through "Command.Com /F"

The third switch is the /Z. This will display "errorlevel" return code messages after executing each external DOS command - which is normally used to examine the return code for use of batch files. This switch can be activated through the CONFIG.SYS file SHELL= line. Example:

SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /E:512 /P /Z
It can also be used in a Windows PIF file. You should see the below message:

"Microsoft) Windows 95
(C)Copyright Microsoft Corp 1981-1996.
Return code (ERRORLEVEL): 0
WARNING: Reloaded COMMAND.COM transient"

Running Shortcuts Under DOS

Shortcuts under Windows has been quite a convenience. However, running shortcuts under DOS Prompt can be quite a chore. Now the first thing we need to do is know how to do it.

If you create a shortcut to a folder named "mystuff" on your desktop. To run this shortcut, we need to type:

C:\Windows\Desktop\>start mystuff.lnk
The .lnk is the extension for shortcuts. Now if we want to run a shortcut to a program say "wintips.lnk". Just type

C:\Windows\Desktop\>start wintips.lnk
Now the problem arouses when you have multiple shortcuts with the same name. Of course under the same directory, Windows won't allow you to put up the same file names. But under the C:\Windows directory where there a plenty of subfolders, the filename may be a bit mixed up. To fully identify the shortcut, we will need the extension of the original file. In this case, we will have to type

C:\Windows\Desktop\start ie.exe.lnk

WIN.COM Switches

Do you know that you can configure how the way Windows should boot from DOS? WIN.COM includes a /D switch and a few options to help you achieve this for troubleshooting when Windows does not start correctly. This is the syntax:

C:\>WIN /D:[F][M][S][V][X]

These are the brief explanation of the options available:

:F
Turns off 32-bit disk access.
Equivalent to SYSTEM.INI file setting: 32BitDiskAccess=FALSE.

:M
Enables Safe mode.
This is automatically enabled during Safe start (function key F5.)

:N
Enables Safe mode with networking.
This is automatically enabled during Safe start (function key F6.)

:S
Specifies that Windows should not use ROM address space between
F000:0000 and 1 MB for a break point.
Equivalent to SYSTEM.INI file setting: SystemROMBreakPoint=FALSE.

:V
Specifies that the ROM routine will handle interrupts from the hard
disk controller.
Equivalent to SYSTEM.INI file setting: VirtualHDIRQ=FALSE.

:X
Excludes all of the adapter area from the range of memory that
Windows scans to find unused space.
Equivalent to SYSTEM.INI file setting: EMMExclude=A000-FFFF.

These options are only meant for troubleshooting purposes only. This is useful when you meet with some error upon loading Windows and back to the command prompt.

In any case you want to stick to the certain way of bootup as stated above, change the line under MSDOS.SYS:

BootGUI=0
Then use add a
WIN /D :{option}
line to your Autoexec.bat

Shutting Down To DOS

Many of us want to shut down to DOS for some certain reasons. Even though the Restart in MS-DOS mode might not be in favor because it is not the default option and it will take time to load after the drivers. However, there is a simple way.

Try deleting logos.sys ( the shut down logo ) at you Windows directory. It will make the DOS prompt available sometimes. You can always shut down if you don't need the DOS prompt like in the older versions of DOS

Speedier Swap Files

The swap files or what windows term as "Virtual Memory" is actually using the hard drive space when the actual RAM runs out. You don't usually have to bother with since Windows can handle the Virtual Memory by itself. However, tuning up the swap files might speed up things a little. Double-click the System icon in Control Panel. Click on the Performance tab and on the Virtual Memory button. Select Let me specify my own virtual memory settings. By default, the drive selected will be where you install Windows. Select the fastest drive or partition you got. If you have a faster but smaller partition, you may use that as well. Defrag the drive first. Now, set Both Maximum and Minimum values to 2 1/2 of your actual RAM available. If you have 16 RAM, set both to 40. If you have 32 RAM, set both to 80. You need to restart to take effect

Win98 Boot to a DOS Prompt

Win98 changes the way you boot to a DOS prompt. Hold down the Ctrl key while your PC is booting. This takes you directly to the Boot Menu, including Safe Mode and "Boot to command prompt only.

Multi Boot Windows 95/98 and NT Tips

"Your installations are less prone to problems if you install Windows 95 or Windows 98 before you install Windows NT and Windows 2000. This order is recommended because sometimes Windows 95 or Windows 98 replaces a Windows 2000 or Windows NT boot sector with its own boot sector. Because a Windows 95 or Windows 98 boot sector identifies the partition as a FAT16 partition, Windows NT and Windows 2000 can no longer access NTFS volumes.

Install Windows 95/98 Faster

Depending on the type of computer you have, and the speed of your CD-ROM, Windows 98 can take over an hour to install. One way to speed the process up is to copy the base files to your hard disk drive. To do this, you first want to make sure you have at least 170MB of free space on your hard disk drive. Then:

Put the Windows 98 CD in your CD-ROM, and cancel the splash screen that comes up.
Go to Windows Explorer (Start, Programs, Windows Explorer.) Go to your C: drive, and create a new directory (File, New, Folder.) Call it something like win98cabs.
Find your CD-ROM drive.
Find the folder Win98.
Highlight all the files in the folder (click once on the top file, then, while holding down the shift key, click once on the bottom file), click Edit, Copy.
Find the new directory you created, make sure it's highlighted, then paste the files into it (click Edit, Paste.)
Take the CD out of your CD-ROM drive, then double-click the Setup.exe file from the new directory you just created. Not only will this install Windows 98 faster, you will not have to put the CD-ROM into your computer every time you need to add or remove files anymore either.

Stop Windows 98 from Wildly Accessing your Hard Disk

Many users have complained about Windows 98 seizing up for up to a minute because of random, pointless disk activity. This is due to the way that Windows 98 is set to handle disk caching and virtual memory. Although Windows 98 instructs you to "let Windows handle disk cache settings" for best results, this obviously does not yield the best results. Here's how to eliminate the random disk activity and improve system performance:

Part One:
Virtual Memory "Run Disk Defragmenter first."

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 swap file, do so.)

Note:
Specify the same value for the Minimum size and the Maximum size, so Windows 98 won't spend so much time resizing the file. A good size is roughly 2 1/2 times the amount of installed RAM (i.e. create a 40MB swapfile if you have 16MB of RAM.)

Press OK, and then OK again, and confirm that you want to restart your computer.

Part Two:
Defragmenting the Swapfile

Once you've set the swapfile size to be constant (see Part One), you won't have to worry about a fragmented (broken up) swapfile again. However, you'll need to defragment it at least once for it to remain that way in the future. If you have Norton Utilities, you'll be able to optimize the swapfile with Speedisk. Otherwise, if you want to take the time, you can defragment it manually:

If you have more than one partition or hard disk in your system, defragment all drives first. Then, move the swapfile (using the configuration procedure in Part One above) to another drive, defragment the first one, and then move it back. Although it's also possible to disable the swapfile entirely while you defragment the drive (and then re-enable it so it will be recreated whole), it isn't advisable because Windows 98 may not start without a Swapfile.

Part Three:
Virtual Cache (only if you have 16 megabytes of RAM or more)

Open SYSTEM.INI for editing.
Add the following two lines to the [vcache] section (add the section if it's not there):

MinFileCache=4096
MaxFileCache=4096

These values, in kilobytes, regulate the size of the VCache, so you can stop it from filling up all available RAM and paging all loaded apps to disk. If you have more than 16 MB of RAM, then set the above values (both of them) to about 25% of the amount of installed RAM.

Part Four: RAM
You may've thought we overlooked the obvious - add more RAM! The more memory you have, the less frequently Windows 98 will use your hard disk, and the better your system performance will be. Since Windows 98 isn't very efficient or compact (by any stretch of the imagination), you'll need to feed it as much memory as you can afford. 16 megabytes is the absolute minimum, but 32 is better. If you have the money, 64 or even 128 megabytes will literally make Windows 98 fly

Unstable Windows?

This tip (sad to say) isn't for newbies; it has to do with your PCI steering settings. If your system is already stable, you can file this sucker away under the 'just in case' cabinet. Now, is your Windows on an emotional roller coaster? Right click on 'My Computer' and pull up its properties. In the Device Manager tab, expand the 'System Devices' section and open the 'PCI bus' option. In the IRQ Steering tab, uncheck every box except "Get IRQ table using MS Specification table." This will force your OS to use the MS steering table and not the others (obviously.) Why do that? Well, This seems to be the way Windows 98 likes it. Upon applying this tweak, his system has been more stable; your mileage may vary

What's Going On Here

When you check your e-mail, you're establishing a connection with a remote mail server. When you browse the Web, you're connecting with Web servers. And Instant Messaging? Yep -- you're usually hooked up directly to another person's computer. Hmmmm... that's a lot of Net activity -- is there a way to easily watch what's going on at any given time? Select the 'Run' option in your Start Menu and type: COMMAND (then hit ENTER.) At the prompt, type: "NETSTAT -n 10" (without the quotes.) The 'n' switch tells NETSTAT to display IP addresses (even those that ICQ says to hide), and the 10 asks NETSTAT to refresh every ten seconds. That number can be anywhere from 1 to infinity (in theory.) Shorten the time when you're watching your connectivity closely (when installing or running software you suspect could be accessing the Internet without permission.) Press CTRL+C to stop the infostream

Replace Desktop Shortcut

If you accidentally delete the Show Desktop shortcut from the taskbar's Quick Launch toolbar, you can restore it by going to C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch. Create a new text file with the following contents:

[Shell]
Command=
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop

Save the file as SHOWDESKTOP.SCF. This will restore the shortcut

Shortcut to the Device Manager

Here's a secret tip for creating a shortcut to the Device Manager:
Right-click on the Desktop and choose New/Shortcut. Type C:\WINDOWS\CONTROL.EXE SYSDM.CPL,,1 in the Command Line box and click on Next. Name it Device Manager (or another name of your choice), then click on the Finish button. Assign a new icon to the shortcut as you would any other.

Supplemental Cache Size

In Control Panel/System/Performance, select File System and the CD-ROM tab. Move the Supplemental Cache Size slider to the right to allocate more RAM for caching data from the CD-ROM drive, or to the left to allocate less. Multimedia programs perform better with a smaller cache because they seldom reuse data. For reading continuous data, such as AVI files, use a higher setting for Optimize Access Pattern. For reading random data, increase the Supplemental Cache Size and decrease the Optimize Access Pattern.

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