Inside Windows 98

Inside Windows 98 From the web site http://www.mcp.com/personal Inside Windows 98 Table of Contents: Introduction Part I...

Author: Jim Boyce | Kyle Bryant

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Inside Windows 98 From the web site http://www.mcp.com/personal Inside Windows 98 Table of Contents: Introduction Part I Windows 98 Overview and Configuration Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter

1 2 3 4 5

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Exploring Windows 98 Installing and Starting Windows 98 Advanced Setup Troubleshooting Setup and Startup Adding and Configuring Hardware

Part II Working in Windows 98 Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter

6 - Using Windows 98 7 - Managing Files and Folders 8 - Printing and Managing Printers 9 - Configuring Display and Multimedia Options 10 - Customizing Windows 98 11 - Using Accessibility Options

Part III Optimization and Management Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter

12 13 14 15

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Managing Windows 98 Configurations Optimizing Physical and Virtual Memory Disk and File System Overview Managing Disks and the File System

Part IV Putting Windows 98 to Work Chapter 16 - OLE, DDE, and File Associations Chapter 17 - Integrating Windows 98 and DOS Chapter 18 - Automating Tasks Part V Messaging and Communications Chapter 19 - Modems and Telephony Chapter 20 - Using Outlook Express Chapter 21 - Using Dial-Up Networking and Direct Cable Connection Part VI TCP/IP and the Internet Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter

22 23 24 25

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Configuring Internet Connections Using Internet Explorer 4.0 Using Broadcast Features Using the Active Desktop

Part VII Networking Chapter 26 - Peer Resource Sharing and Security Chapter 27 - Integrating Windows 98 and Windows NT Page 1

Inside Windows 98 Chapter 28 - Integrating Windows 98 and Novell NetWare Part VIII System Management Chapter 29 - System Policies and User Profiles Chapter 30 - Using Remote Administration Chapter 31 - Support Tools Part IX Appendix Appendix A - Inside Messaging and Fax (c) Copyright, Macmillan Computer Publishing. All rights reserved. ---------* * * * *

Introduction

Acknowledgements We'd Like to Hear from You! About the Authors Who Should Read This Book How This Book Is Structured * Part I: Windows 98 Overview and Configuration * Part II: Working in Windows 98 * Part III: Optimization and Management * Part IV: Putting Windows 98 to Work * Part V: Messaging and Communications * Part VI: TCP/IP and the Internet * Part VII: Networking * Part VIII: System Management

* Conventions Used in This Book * Notes, Tips, and Stops This book is dedicated with much affection to Vickie and Zina for the truly wonderful things they do to touch children's lives every day. Acknowledgements Many people helped in the creation of this book in one way or another. Jim Boyce offers his thanks to: Stephanie Layton for the opportunity to do the project. Mark Cierzniak for all the help structuring and organizing the book. Stephanie Layton, Jeff Koch, and Jane Brownlow for their usual outstanding job of putting together and coordinating the project. Susan Ross Moore, Sarah Burkhart, Molly Warnes, and Cliff Shubbs for an outstanding job of editing and fine-tuning the book. Page 2

Inside Windows 98 Brad Lindaas, Kyle Bryant, Ron Ellenbecker, and Bryan Morgan for an outstanding job of technical editing. The book is much better because of their thoroughness and testing. The Production department of Mac-millan Computer Publishing for once again turning text and illustrations into a real book. John Schmitt, welcome back to the real world. We'd Like to Hear from You! As part of our continuing effort to produce books of the highest possible quality, Macmillan Computer Pub-lishing would like to hear your comments. To stay competitive, we really want you, as a computer book reader and user, to let us know what you like or dislike most about this book or other Macmillan Computer Publishing products. You can mail comments, ideas, or suggestions for improving future editions to the address below, or send us a fax at (317) 581-4663. Our staff and authors are available for questions and comments through our Internet site at http://www.mcp.com. In addition to exploring our Web site, please feel free to contact me personally to discuss your opinions of this book. I'm [email protected] on the Internet. Thanks in advance--your comments will help us to continue publishing the best books available on new computer technologies in today's market. Mark Cierzniak Development Editor Macmillan Computer Publishing USA 201 W. 103rd Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46290 USA About the Authors Jim Boyce, the lead author of Inside Windows 98, is a Contributing Editor and monthly columnist for Windows Magazine. Jim has authored and co-authored over 35 books about computer software and hardware. He has been involved with computers since the late seventies as a programmer and systems manager. He has a wide range of experience in the DOS, Windows, Windows NT, and UNIX environments. In addition to a full-time writing career, Jim is a founding partner and Vice President of Prairie Communications, a Midwest-based telecommunications corporation specializing in local and wide-area network design and Internet services. Kyle Bryant, Microsoft MVP for NT and Operating Systems, is the owner of a Dallas-based PC network integration firm and has over 15 years experience in the personal computer industry. He was an early advocate of the Microsoft Windows platform and continues to follow Windows technology developments under Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT. Page 3

Inside Windows 98 Michael Desmond is a senior associate editor at PC World magazine and author of Peter Norton's Guide to Upgrading and Repairing PCs. He is president of the Computer Press Assocation, an organization of working editors, writers, and producers covering computing issues and the industry. He is a contributor to both Special Edition Using Windows 98 and Platinum Edition Using Windows 98, and was coauthor of Platinum Edition Using Windows 95. Michael lives in Vermont with his wife, Anne, and two sons, Kevin and Patrick. Kevin Frank is an MCSE and is currently Sr. Project Leader at Penguin Putnam Inc. He is managing several projects including the implementation of Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 with a rollout of MS Outlook to over 1,000 workstations. Prior to this, Kevin served various Fortune 500 companies as a member of project teams that installed, supported, and customized document-imaging systems on the NT platform. He is fluent in Visual Basic as well as versed in two proprietary 4GL Lisp derivatives. He has written extensively for several business re-engineering projects. He can be reached at [email protected]. Amy Helen Johnson is a Senior Technology Editor at Windows Magazine. She is the author of How to Implement Netscape LiveWire Pro. Before she started her career in technology journalism, she earned a degree in computer science from UC Berkeley and worked as a computer programmer and IT specialist. Grant King is a software developer, author, and attorney who lives in Atlanta with his wife, Nancy, and daughter, Elizabeth. He has been either the lead author or a contributing author on several books and articles relating to 32-bit Windows operating systems and software development. He also maintains The Windows Mill, a Web site devoted to news about Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT. Grant received his B.A. from The University of the South and his J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law where he graduated magna cum laude. His email address is [email protected]. Peter Kuo, Ph.D. and president of DreamLAN Network Consulting Ltd. (home of the NDS ToolKit), is based in Toronto, Canada. He is the first Canadian Enterprise CNE, one of the world's first Master CNEs and Master CNIs, and is the world's first Novell Certified Internet Professional (CIP). Furthermore, he is a Certified Network Expert (CNX, Ethernet, and Token Ring). Peter has over 20 years of computer and related experience. He has worked with all versions of NetWare since v2.0a, including NetWare for VMS. His areas of expertise include advanced NetWare topics such as network management, Novell Directory Services, and IBM, UNIX, and Internet connectivity issues. In addition to presenting seminars at NetWorld+InterOp and NetWare Users International (NUI) conferences, Peter is a member of the Editorial Committee for NetWare Connection magazine, and has authored, co-authored, technical edited, and contributed to many computer books (such as NDS Troubleshooting, NetWare 4.1 Survival Guide, and NetWare Web Development), Novell AppNotes, and other publications. DreamLAN's home page is at Page 4

http://www.dreamlan.com.

Inside Windows 98

Robert Oliver is a Windows software development consultant and Windows NT specialist. His professional interests include Active Server Pages, NetShow streaming multimedia, and Windows NT development. When he is not busy consulting, writing, teaching, or developing Desktop Broadcasting solutions, he can be found in the local toy stores searching for Star Wars toys. Michael Porter is an Information Systems professional who owns a consulting business specializing in the troubleshooting and optimization of Microsoft operating systems, as well as integrating small businesses with the Internet. He can be reached at [email protected]. Mark A. Sportack is an experienced Information Technology (IT) professional with over 15 years experience in progressive levels of responsibility and in many facets of IT. He has an MBA in Management of Technology, and his experience includes project management, forecasting and managing multi-million dollar capital budgets, short- and long-range IT infrastructure planning, systems and applications design/development, directing implementation teams, and management of both technology and technical personnel. He is currently employed by AT&T and is an Information Technology Architect for AT&T's CIO organization. Rob Tidrow is a writer, Web site designer, trainer, and president of Tidrow Communications, Inc., a firm specializing in content creation and delivery. Rob has authored or co-authored over 25 books on a wide variety of computer topics, including Windows 95, Netscape Communicator 4, Windows NT, and Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0. He authored Windows 95 Registry Troubleshooting, Windows NT Registry Troubleshooting, Implementing and Supporting Windows 95, all published by New Riders and Windows 95 Installation and Configuration Handbook, published by Que. He is also contributing author to Special Edition Using Microsoft Office 97; Inside Windows 95, Deluxe Edition; Platinum Edition Using Windows 95; Inside the World Wide Web; and Windows 95 for Network Administrators, all published by Macmillan Publishing. He lives in Indianapolis, IN, with his wife Tammy and their two sons, Adam and Wesley. You can reach him on the Internet at [email protected]. Serdar Yegulalp has been writing both as a freelancer and staffer for a number of computer publications, including Computer Buyer's Guide and Handbook and Computer Retail Week, and has contributed to other MCP books in the past, including the Platinum Edition Using NT 4.0 and Windows 98 Installation and Configuration Handbook. He is currently Associate Technology Editor for Windows Magazine, where he writes and researches on Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows NT 5.0. Email him at [email protected]. Welcome to Inside Windows 98, your complete guide to Microsoft Windows 98. With the release of Windows 98, Microsoft has introduced an operating system geared not only toward Page 5

Inside Windows 98 ease-of-use and better performance, but one that closely integrates Internet content with the desktop. Inside Windows 98 is written for the computer-literate user who is migrating from DOS or another operating system to Windows 98, or upgrading from Windows 3.x or Windows 95 to Windows 98. Within the pages of this book you will find solid explanations of core Windows 98 features, along with expert tips and tricks for optimizing your system and Windows 98. Who Should Read This Book Inside Windows 98 is written for the experienced Windows user who wants to learn more about Windows 98. This book assumes you have some Windows experience and want to know more about Windows 98's architecture, core features, and internal functions. You can learn how to apply Windows 98's latest enhancements to your own computer work without relearning Windows concepts and functions you already know through your own experience. Specifically, this book makes the following assumptions about your Windows skill level: * You are familiar with the mouse and mouse actions. * You know how to use dialog boxes and other Windows interface objects. * You understand the concept of windowed applications, and you know how to control program windows (minimize, maximize, resize, move, and so on). * You know how to start and run applications in Windows. * You have some background knowledge in operating a PC. How This Book Is Structured Inside Windows 98 is designed as a reference to help experienced computer users find information quickly. To make finding the information easier, the book is divided into parts, each of which covers a specific group of Windows 98 concepts and features. Part I: Windows 98 Overview and Configuration Part I introduces the Windows 98 environment and explores the options you have for installing and configuring Windows 98. Within the five chapters in Part I are a tour of Windows 98, a detailed discussion of setup and configuration issues, tips on troubleshooting installation and Windows 98 startup, and an explanation of hardware detection and adding new hardware. Part II: Working in Windows 98 The Windows 98 GUI (graphical user interface) is considerably Page 6

Inside Windows 98 different from the interface in Windows 3.x, and somewhat different from Windows 95. The Windows 98 interface offers better ease-of-use, enhanced power and flexibility, and improved program and document management. Within Part II's chapters, you learn about the Windows 98 interface and how to use it, the file/folder paradigm employed by Windows 98, and how to manage files and directories in Windows 98. Other chapters explain printing, interface customization, and the use of Accessibility options. Part III: Optimization and Management Part III offers a deeper look into some of the key components of Windows 98. The chapters in this part provide a detailed look at system selection and hardware upgrades, the Registry, and how to optimize physical and virtual memory. You also learn about the disk utilities in Windows 98 and how to apply them to optimize your system's disk storage space. Part IV: Putting Windows 98 to Work Part IV helps you begin to apply some of the new, powerful features in Windows 98. The chapters in this part explain how to create and use a Briefcase for file synchronization and how to use new features in Windows 98 that support expanded multimedia capabilities. Part IV also explores how to use Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), integrate DOS applications and tools into your Windows 98 environment, and automate tasks using the new Windows Scripting Host (WSH). Part V: Messaging and Communications Windows 98 provides an excellent platform for data communications and connecting to the Internet. The chapters in Part V cover installation and configuration of modems, using Dial-Up Networking and Direct Cable Connection, and the various options for e-mail offered by Windows 98. Part VI: TCP/IP and the Internet Windows 98 builds on the Internet support in Windows 95 to improve Internet access and integrate Internet and intranet content within the Windows 98 environment and on the desktop. The chapters in Part VI show you how to configure and use Windows 98 to connect to the Internet. You'll also find extensive material on using the many TCP/IP utilities included with Windows 98 for browsing, FTP, testing, and much more. You'll also find coverage of Virtual Private Networks (VPN), which enables you to establish a secure connection to your office LAN through the Internet. Part VII: Networking Networking is considerably improved and simplified in Windows 98. Part VII provides a detailed look at configuring and using Windows 98's network features, starting with an in-depth look at Page 7

Inside Windows 98 network concepts. Also covered in detail are peer-to-peer networking with Windows 98 and using Windows 98 as a Windows NT or Novell NetWare client. Part VIII: System Management The last chapters include a discussion of system policies and user profiles, along with the remote administration features offered in Windows 98. Also discussed are all the support tools, such as the Windows Update Manager and System Information Utility. Conventions Used in This Book Throughout this book, certain conventions are used to help you distinguish the various elements of Windows 98, DOS, their system files, and sample data. Before you look ahead, you should spend a moment examining the following conventions: * Shortcut keys normally are found in the text where appropriate. As an example, Ctrl+V is the shortcut key for the Paste command. * When you see a plus sign (+) between key names, you should hold down the first key while pressing the second key, then release both keys. Shift+F12, for example, is a shortcut key for the Print command. * Onscreen, Windows 98 underlines the letters of some menu names, file names, and option names. The underlined letter is the letter you can type to choose that command or option. In this book, such letters are displayed in bold, underlined type, such as File. * Information you type is in boldface. This applies to individual letters and numbers, as well as to text strings. This convention does not apply to special keys, such as Enter, Esc, and Ctrl. * New terms appear in italics. * Text that is displayed onscreen but is not part of Windows 98 or a Windows application--such as command prompts and messages--appears in a special typeface. * At times, a line of programming code or screen output might be too long to fit on one line in the book. In these instances, the line will break to a second line, and that second line will begin with a code continuation character: A. Notes, Tips, and Stops Inside Windows 98 features many special sidebars, which are set apart from the normal text by icons. Three different types of sidebars are used: Notes, Tips, and Warnings: Page 8

Inside Windows 98 NOTE: Notes include extra information that you should find useful, but which complements the discussion at hand instead of being a part of it. Notes might describe special situations that result from unusual circumstances. These sidebars tell you what to expect or what steps to take when such situations occur. Notes also might tell you how to avoid problems with your software and hardware.

TIP: Tips provide you with quick instructions for getting the most from your Windows 98 system. A Tip might show you how to conserve memory in some setups, how to speed up a procedure, or how to perform one of many time-saving and system-enhancing techniques.

WARNING: Warnings inform you when a procedure might be dangerous--that is, when you run the risk of losing data, locking your system, or even damaging your hardware. Warnings generally tell you how to avoid such losses or describe the steps you can take to remedy them. These sidebars enhance the likelihood that Inside Windows 98 will be able to answer your most pressing questions about Windows 98 use, architecture, and performance. Although Notes, Tips, and Warnings do not condense an entire section into a few steps, these snippets will point you in new directions for solutions to your needs and problems. ----------

-1Exploring Windows 98

* What's New in Windows 98 * Reliability and Performance * Backup Utility * Setup Enhancements * Accessibility Tools * Faster Shutdown * Multimedia * Multiple Display Support * Enhanced Display Features * Broadcast Architecture * Hardware Support * File System

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Inside Windows 98 * Disk Defragmenter Optimization Wizard * Automatic ScanDisk After Improper Shutdown * Other Interface Improvements * Power Management Improvements * Remote Access Server * PC Card Enhancements * Internet and Online Integration * Integrated Internet Shell * Dial-Up Networking Enhancements * Internet Explorer Improvements * Additional Internet Programs * Management and Business Features * Windows System Update * System File Checker * Windows Tune-Up Wizard * System Troubleshooter * System Information Utility * Windows Scripting Host * A Visual Tour of Windows 98 The release of Windows 98 is not as significant an event as the release of Windows 95 because Windows 98 does not represent the same extent of change brought about by Windows 95. Windows 98 is essentially a comprehensive maintenance upgrade for Windows 95. Nevertheless, Windows 98 adds several new features and support for new technology not offered by Windows 95. So although the changes from Windows 95 to Windows 98 are not as significant as those from Windows 3.x to Windows 95, they do represent important changes in PC operating system architecture and capability. This chapter provides a quick tour of Windows 98, giving you an overview of Windows 98's new features and capabilities. The chapter takes a comprehensive viewpoint, exploring features in Windows 95 that carry through to the Windows 98 upgrade. The chapter covers the following topics: * A tour of Windows 98's key user features * A brief overview of Windows 98 architectural elements * An overview of multitasking, multithreading, and other performance improvements in Windows 98 * A visual tour of Windows 98 Significant in Windows 98's difference from Windows 95 is the active desktop, which merges Internet connectivity with the Windows 98 desktop. The following section gives you a brief look at only the most prominent features of the new interface, including the active desktop. All aspects of the Windows 98 Page 10

Inside Windows 98 interface are covered in detail in Chapters 6, "Using Windows 98," and 7, "Managing Files and Folders." What's New in Windows 98 Windows 98 provides several enhancements to existing features and also adds several significant new features. This section of the chapter provides a brief overview of these new features. Later chapters explore these features in detail. NOTE: Some of the features in Windows 98 were added to Windows 95 with the OSR/2 release, available only from OEM computer manufacturers with a new PC. Inside Windows 98 treats these features as new in Windows 98 because many Windows 95 users do not have the OSR/2 version of Windows 95. In addition, some features were added through Internet Explorer 4, and these features are treated as new in Windows 98 as well. Reliability and Performance Windows 98 includes several features to improve reliability and increase performance. The following sections describe these features. Backup Utility Windows 98 includes an updated Backup program that provides all the same features as the Windows 95 version and adds support for small computer system interface (SCSI) tape drives. Interface changes to the Backup utility make it easier to select, back up, and restore files. Wizards, for example, automate the process of selecting and backing up files. Setup Enhancements Windows 98 incorporates various changes to the Setup process that simplify upgrading to Windows 98. For example, when you upgrade Windows 95 to Windows 98, Setup retains all of the existing settings from the current installation, requiring very little interaction with the user. Windows 98 also gives you the option during installation to back up your Windows 95 files, enabling you to restore your Windows 95 installation if necessary (but only if you choose this option during setup). Windows 98 Setup also handles file version conflicts differently from Windows 95. With Windows 95, when a file being copied to the system has a lower version number than the existing file (indicating that it is older than the existing file), Windows 95 prompts you to specify whether to keep the existing file or overwrite it. Windows 98 replaces the file without prompting you, but archives the old file in the \Windows\VCM folder. The Version Conflict Manager, a Windows 98 utility, provides a means for reviewing and restoring archived files. Page 11

Inside Windows 98 Another change in Setup is that Windows 98 adds a real mode ATAPI CD-ROM driver to the Emergency Boot Disk (EBD), which makes your system's CD-ROM drive(s) available when the system is booted from the EBD. Although the driver is not guaranteed to work with all CD-ROM drives, it will work with most, and is primarily intended as an alternative when the real mode drivers supplied with your CD-ROM drive are for some reason unavailable. Windows 98 also includes support for SCSI devices on the EBD. Accessibility Tools Included with Windows 98 are two additional accessibility tools to assist users with special needs. The Accessibility Configuration Wizard helps users configure their systems to best suit their needs. Another feature is a low-end screen magnifier, which assists users who have moderate vision impairments. Faster Shutdown Most PC users familiar with Windows 95 will agree that its shutdown time can be lengthy. Some systems never reach the point where the message appears indicating that the computer can be turned off safely. Windows 98's shutdown time is considerably improved. In fact, shutdown on most systems takes only a few seconds. Multimedia Windows 98 includes several new features that provided new or expanded multimedia support and functionality. The following sections briefly explore these features. Multiple Display Support Windows 98 now supports multiple display adapters, enabling you to split your display output among various monitors. Users of computer aided design (CAD) programs, for example, can benefit from using multiple displays. The program's drawing window can be maximized on one monitor, and command windows, toolbars, and other CAD program elements can be displayed on another monitor. To use Windows 98's multiple display support, you must have two (or more) PCI video adapters installed in the system and a monitor for each adapter. Enhanced Display Features Windows 98 includes several features that were made available to Windows 95 users through the Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 add-on product as well as Microsoft Power Toys, a set of utilities written by Microsoft programmers for Windows 95 but not officially supported by Microsoft. Windows 98 adds other display features, including the capability to specify adapter refresh rate for those adapters that support it, the Display Adapter Performance slider control on the Display property Page 12

Inside Windows 98 sheet, and hardware panning for lower resolution displays. Windows 98 also includes other features formerly included with the Plus! add-on, including full-window dragging and font smoothing. With full- window dragging turned on, the entire contents of a window graphically drag onto the display rather than just the outline of the window, as is the default behavior in Windows 95. Font smoothing provides smoother-looking display fonts, making the display appear to have a higher resolution and better image quality. Broadcast Architecture Windows 98 includes some new features that support the burgeoning integration of broadcast television with the Internet. Windows 98 provides support for broadcast-enabled computers, which essentially are computers that contain circuitry to enable them to receive television signals. Broadcast architecture enhancements to Windows 98 include the capability to view television programming from cable, air, or satellite reception and to receive data broadcasts. For at least the short term, the broadcast components in Windows 98 will have limited use until broadcast-enabled computers become readily available. Hardware Support Windows 98 includes support of several new hardware technologies. These include the universal serial bus (USB) and IEEE1394 specification for serial devices. Both USB and IEEE1394 provide for high-speed connection of multiple peripherals to a PC. Windows 98 also supports accelerated graphics port (AGP) devices, advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI), Digital Video Disk (DVD), and infrared devices. Perhaps most significant is Windows 98's support of the multimedia enhancements in the Pentium MMX processors from Intel. File System Windows 98 provides a few key improvements to the file system. By far the most important new feature is the integration of FAT32, as explained in the following section. FAT32 and FAT32 Conversion Utility The file system used on DOS and Windows 3.x systems, referred to generically as the FAT (file allocation table) file system, is still supported by Windows 95 and Windows 98. This file system uses a 16-bit FAT to store folder and file information. Using a 16-bit FAT imposes a limitation on the size of the file system and offers other disadvantages explained in Chapter 14, "Disk and File System Overview." The OSR/2 release of Windows 95 added support for a new 32-bit Page 13

Inside Windows 98 FAT appropriately called FAT32. In addition to enabling a much larger file system, FAT32 offers redundancy through a change in the structure of the FAT. The only situation in which FAT32 is not a good choice is in a system containing other operating systems, such as DOS, that do not support FAT32 volumes. Such operating systems cannot read information stored in a FAT32 volume. Windows 98 integrates FAT32 support and also provides a FAT32 conversion utility that enables you to convert a FAT16 volume to a FAT32 volume without repartitioning or reformatting the drive. This enables you to retain your existing file set while also gaining the advantages offered by a FAT32 file system. Disk Defragmenter Optimization Wizard The Disk Defragmenter Optimization Wizard automates defragmentation to optimize your hard disk's performance. The Wizard maintains a log file to determine your most commonly used programs. The Defragmenter then can use this log file to place in the same contiguous disk area all of the files associated with a particular program. Placing these files in a contiguous area of the disk speeds access to the files and improves program performance. Automatic ScanDisk After Improper Shutdown Shutting down both Windows 95 and Windows 98 improperly--for example, simply turning off the computer--can result in hard-disk errors and even lost data. If Windows 98 terminates improperly, ScanDisk automatically runs at the next boot to scan for disk errors. This behavior is much like that of Windows NT and UNIX, which both test and repair the file system at each boot after an improper shutdown. Naturally, Windows 98's disk testing at boot is not as comprehensive as that of Windows NT or UNIX. Other Interface Improvements Windows 98 includes a few new features that are best classified under the heading of usability improvements. These improvements are explored in the following sections. Power Management Improvements Power management has been expanded and enhanced in Windows 98 to support revised power management standards as well as new technology. Windows 98 supports the ACPI, an open standard developed through the cooperation of Microsoft, Intel, and Toshiba. ACPI provides a standard for power management that functions across vendor and product lines. Windows 98 also supports Advanced Power Management 1.2 extensions and includes the capability to power down a disk when it is not in use, power down PC card modems, and resume functionality of a modem with an incoming call. Windows 98 also enables you to store power management settings collectively by name. Page 14

Inside Windows 98 Remote Access Server Microsoft offered an add-on to Windows 95 that enabled a computer running Windows 95 and Dial-Up Networking to function as a remote access server (Dial-Up Networking server). This capability, which is now included in Windows 98, enables users to dial into a computer to use its resources (disks, printers, and such) and also gain access to other computers onto which the Dial-Up Networking server is connected via local area network (LAN). PC Card Enhancements Included in Windows 98 are several enhancements to PC card technology (formerly referred to as PCMCIA). These include support for PC Card32 (Cardbus), which integrates 32-bit performance in the PC card form factor. Support for 32-bit PC card devices enables notebook computers to take advantage of high-performance PC cards for video capture, 100 Mbps network access, and other data-intensive applications. Windows 98 also offers support for 3.3 volt PC card devices. The previous standard has been 5 volts, and the reduction in voltage enables better power management and longer battery life when running the notebook on battery power. Also included in Windows 98 is native support for multifunction PC cards that support two functions with a single PC card device. For example, several cards are available that integrate a modem and network adapter on a single card. Other cards combine a SCSI host adapter and sound card. Integrating multiple devices on a single card makes it possible for the PC to use more devices in the limited number of PC card slots available (typically two). Internet and Online Integration One of the most significant areas of improvement in Windows 98 is its integration of Internet connectivity with the user interface and desktop. The following sections explore this area and related features. Integrated Internet Shell Windows 98 incorporates the Internet Explorer browser interface with the desktop interface, making the Internet an extension of the desktop and vice versa. The integrated Internet shell provides a unified interface for browsing local resources such as local and network disks as well as Internet resources such as Web sites. Bringing these resources together under one interface eliminates the need for novice users to learn different user interfaces for accessing these different types of resources. Figure 1.1 shows a folder window on a system configured to use the integrated shell. Each of the items in the folder acts like a hyperlink in that clicking once on the item opens it. You also Page 15

Inside Windows 98 can browse a folder structure using Back and Forward buttons, just as you do when browsing Web pages on the Internet. FIGURE 1.1 Windows 98 integrates a single unified interface for browsing local resources and Internet resources. Dial-Up Networking Enhancements An important Dial-Up Networking improvement is Windows 98's support for multilink channel aggregation. This new feature enables Dial-Up Networking to combine multiple dial-up lines and modems into a single collective connection to achieve higher transfer speeds. You might, for example, combine two 33.6 analog modem lines to effectively give you the equivalent of an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) connection. Or you can combine two ISDN lines to achieve transfer speeds of up to 128 KB. Dial-Up Networking in Windows 98 also includes the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), which enables you to establish a secure connection to a LAN through the Internet. This enables you, for example, to connect to your company LAN securely and use its resources while you are dialed into your local Internet service provider. Internet Explorer Improvements If you've been using Internet Explorer as your Internet Web browser, you'll be pleased with the interface and functional improvements in Internet Explorer 4.0 included with Windows 98. Several features such as AutoComplete (which automatically completes uniform resource locator [URL] addresses for you), better printing support, navigation history on the Forward/Back buttons, and other small improvements make Internet Explorer easier to use. Internet Explorer 4.0 also extends its support of industry standards for Web services including Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Java, ActiveX, JavaScript, Visual Basic Scripting, and security. Windows 98 also provides a mechanism to enable you to schedule downloads of specific information from the Internet, including accessing Web sites and retrieving the information contained on them without your intervention. Additional Internet Programs Windows 98 comes with a suite of programs that complement Microsoft's Internet Explorer. These programs include Outlook Express, an integrated mail and news reader; Microsoft NetMeeting, which provides Internet-based desktop conferencing for audio, data, and video; and Personal Web Server, which enables you to use your Windows 98 computer as an Internet or intranet server. Management and Business Features Page 16

Inside Windows 98 Windows 98 includes several features geared primarily toward business users and systems administrators, but many of these functions are useful for all Windows 98 users, including those who use Windows 98 in the home or in a small business. The following sections explore these features. Windows System Update Windows System Update is an ActiveX control that scans your computer's hardware and software and then compares that information to an online database to determine whether your system is using the most up-to-date drivers and other operating system components. The Windows System Update service can automatically download and install these new drivers and components to ensure that your Windows 98 installation is always as up-to-date as possible. The service includes a rollback feature that can remove a newly added component and restore the previous copy if problems occur after the update. System File Checker The System File Checker provides a means of easily verifying that the Windows 98 system files (such as virtual device drivers, dynamic link libraries, Help files) have not been modified or corrupted. The System File Checker also can repair or replace these files if they have changed or become corrupted. Windows Tune-Up Wizard The Windows Tune-Up Wizard is intended to make it easier for you to perform routine maintenance on your computer. Maintenance tasks include optimizing your hard disk (Defragmenter), scanning the hard disk (ScanDisk), and deleting unused files. The Tune-Up Wizard provides an interface for scheduling these tasks to happen automatically at the times and frequencies you specify. System Troubleshooter The System Troubleshooter provides an interface for setting startup and troubleshooting options and creating backups of your system's configuration files. The System Troubleshooter is very helpful in enabling you to troubleshoot startup and other configuration problems. System Information Utility The System Information Utility provides a considerable amount of system configuration information within a common interface. Use the System Information Utility to find configuration information about your computer such as IRQ, DMA, and other hardware settings; available resources; available memory; and so forth. You can use this information to help you troubleshoot problems with your computer or to simply learn more about your computer's performance and capabilities. Windows Scripting Host

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Inside Windows 98 The Windows Scripting Host (WSH) is a set of two programs that provide scripting capability for the Windows 98 command line and Windows 98 graphical interface. You can use WSH to automate nearly any interface action including connecting to network resources, creating shortcuts, working within application windows, and much more. In effect, WSH provides a means for automating actions within the Windows 98 environment. A Visual Tour of Windows 98 The following visual tour of Windows 98 points out some of the most prominent features new to Windows 98. These and other features are covered elsewhere in this book. Figure 1.2 shows the Windows 98 interface, including the desktop, the Start button, the Taskbar (with custom Quick Start items), and the Channel bar. You can customize each of these items to add commands and access to applications. FIGURE 1.2 Core features of the Windows 98 interface are the desktop, Taskbar, and Start menu. The My Computer folder gives you quick access to your entire PC as well as to the Control Panel folder, Printers folder, and Dial-Up Networking folder (see Figure 1.3). This organizes all your PC's resources, whether local or remote, into a single folder. FIGURE 1.3 My Computer displays all your PC's resources in a single folder. Just as the My Computer folder organizes all of your local resources into a single folder, the Network Neighborhood folder provides quick access to the entire network (see Figure 1.4). The Network Neighborhood folder contains icons for all the PCs in your workgroup. Clicking on a computer's icon displays icons for all of the resources, including printers, that the computer is sharing. You also can choose the Entire Network icon to access network resources located on PCs in other workgroups. FIGURE 1.4 The Network Neighborhood folder gives you quick access to all network resources. You can customize the Taskbar, controlling the way it appears on the desktop. You also can add commands to the Start menu to provide quick access to applications and documents. In addition, you can add items to the Quick Start menu and create other custom toolbars that can reside on the Taskbar or float on the desktop (see Figure 1.5). FIGURE 1.5 You can create your own custom toolbars. Windows 98's Explorer is tightly integrated into the Windows interface (see Figure 1.6). Explorer gives you a view of all your PC's resources, making it easy to manage files, start Page 18

Inside Windows 98 applications, open documents, and perform other common tasks. FIGURE 1.6 Many characteristics of Explorer carry over to folder windows. Enabling the Web-style view on your system causes the Windows 98 interface and objects contained therein to function much like objects in a Web browser. Rather than double-clicking on items to open them, for example, the objects act like hyperlinks and open when you click only once on them. The folder windows also contain forward and back buttons that behave just like the forward and back buttons on the Internet Explorer window. You can use these buttons to move forward and back through the file system, drilling up or down through directories as desired. Another nice feature, particularly for users with direct Internet connections, is the capability to apply a Web page as the computer's wallpaper (see Figure 1.7). FIGURE 1.7 You can apply any Web page, whether local or on the Internet, as your wallpaper. ----------

-2-

Installing and Starting Windows 98 * Overview of Setup * Windows 98 as an Upgrade to Windows 95 * Upgrading from Windows 3.x * Requirements for Setup * Hardware and Operating System Requirements * Overview of the Setup Process * Planning and Preparing Setup * Backing Up Files * Clearing Disk Space * Defragmenting the Disk * Installing Windows 98 * Booting Your System If you have experience installing other Microsoft operating systems, installing Windows 98 is a relatively simple process. With some forethought and planning, your Windows 98 installations should go quickly and smoothly. This chapter details the process for installing Windows 98 on stand-alone PCs and the process for installing Windows 98 on the local hard drive of PCs in a networked envi- ronment. This chapter primarily addresses two types of readers: those who want to install Windows 98 on a single, stand-alone PC, and system administrators installing Windows 98 on one or more networked PCs. Chapter 4, "Troubleshooting Setup and Startup," will help you troubleshoot your Windows 98 installation. The following topics are covered Page 19

in this chapter:

Inside Windows 98

* Overview of Setup * Planning and Preparing for Setup * Installing Windows 98 * Booting your System Those of you who feel confident in your ability to install Windows 98 can start immediately by turning to the section "Installing Windows 98," found later in this chapter. If you feel you require more information about installing Windows 98, the following sections provide all of the details you need for a successful Windows 98 setup. NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, throughout the book, the term Windows 3.x refers equally to Windows and Windows for Workgroups versions 3.1 and 3.11. It does not, however, include Windows 3.0. Overview of Setup As with previous releases of Windows operating systems, Windows 98 deploys the familiar Setup program for installing and configuring Windows 98 on your PC. In a stand-alone installation, the operating system is installed on the hard drive of a local computer that is not part of a network. If you are a network administrator, you might require centralized control over the Windows 98 load, in which case you can install a shared copy of Windows 98. This shared server-based installation locates the majority of the Windows 98 files on the server and a minimal set of files on the client workstation. This chapter describes the overall Setup process and explains how to perform a stand-alone installation. A server-based setup is explained in Chapter 3, "Advanced Setup." Windows 98 as an Upgrade to Windows 95 To install Windows 98 from within Windows 95, run the Setup program from the Windows 98 CD while you're in Windows 95. In most cases, all you need to do to automatically start the Setup program is insert the Windows 98 CD into the system's CD-ROM drive. This topic is discussed in more detail later in this chapter in the section called "Installing Windows 98." Upgrading from Windows 3.x When installing Windows 98 on a PC running a previous version of DOS and Windows 3.x, Setup replaces some of the existing DOS files and renames others. If you install Windows 98 into a new directory (and don't upgrade an existing Windows installation), you can boot your previous version of DOS. If you upgrade your Page 20

Inside Windows 98 existing version of Windows to Windows 98, you cannot boot to your old version of DOS. This is not a problem, however, because the DOS core included in Windows 98 is fully compatible with the DOS environment it replaces. The setup process for Windows 98 is designed to make the upgrade path seamless from either Windows 95 or Windows 3.x. You can upgrade directly from either operating system. Windows 98 Setup obtains information about the utilities that you have already installed and only updates those components. Full hardware detection during the initial setup is no longer necessary. Requirements for Setup Two different versions of the Windows 98 product are available: a full version and an upgrade version. The upgrade version is intended for PCs that already contain a copy of Windows 3.x (including Windows 3.0), Windows 95, Windows NT, or OS/2. Because previous versions of Windows relied on the DOS operating system, these systems also contain a working copy of DOS. You can't use the upgrade version to install Windows 98 on a PC unless that PC contains a copy of one of the other operating systems previously mentioned. The full Windows 98 version is intended for PCs that contain a DOS operating system but not a copy of a previous version of Windows, as well as for PCs that have no operating system installed. Therefore, you must have the full version before you can install Windows 98 on a new, unpartitioned, unformatted hard disk. The full version includes a boot disk that enables Setup to boot the PC and then partition and format the hard disk for Windows 98. When you start Setup from the boot disk, it also can read your PC's CD-ROM drive to enable you to install Windows 98 from CD. Hardware and Operating System Requirements As with most operating systems, Windows 98 requires a minimum hardware configuration. The word minimum needs to be stressed here. The following list describes the minimum requirements as well as suggested requirements. The suggested requirements assume a system with a stand-alone, local installation and a system that will, over time, take on a greater workload. * 386 or higher PC-compatible CPU, although adequate performance requires a 486 or better. Suggested: a Pentium class system. * A minimum of 4 MB of RAM. Suggested: 16 MB. * For a stand-alone installation, setup requires approximately 120 MB of free hard disk space. 45 of the 120 MB are to accommodate the temporary installation files. If you are performing a shared installation, the requirements are less. * VGA or better display.

Page 21

Inside Windows 98 * FAT file system. (Windows 98 will not install an NTFS volume, for dual boot with NT, or a HPFS partition, for upgrading from OS/2.) * If you are installing from scratch with Windows 98, you can start from a system that has just been formatted and configured with FDISK.EXE. In other words, the installation doesn't have to be an upgrade from a previous version of Windows. More on this later in the chapter section "Overview of the Setup Process." NOTE: If the system contains Windows NT or OS/2, however, you must be able to dual-boot the existing system (boot to DOS versus booting to Windows NT or OS/2), because Windows 98 Setup is a Win16 application that you have to run from real-mode DOS or Windows 3.x (except Windows 3.0). If the PC contains another operating system not yet mentioned here, such as UNIX, you can still install Windows 98. To do so, however, you must install Windows 98 into a FAT disk partition. To boot a particular operating system after you install Windows 98, use the FDISK utility (available in both UNIX and Windows 98) to make the operating system's partition active and then restart the system. In addition to the operating system requirements described previously, the hard disk on which you plan to install Windows 98 must use the FAT file system. You can't install Windows 98 in a Windows NT NTFS or OS/2 HPFS partition. Windows 98 does support FAT partitions created using FDISK on removable drives, including those from Iomega and Bernoulli. WARNING: If your PC contains an NTFS or HPFS file system in addition to a FAT partition, and you install Windows 98 into the FAT partition, you need to be aware that Windows 98 cannot read the files on the NTFS or HPFS partitions. Windows 98 supports only FAT partitions. If your disk has been partitioned using Disk Manager (DMDRVR.BIN), SpeedStor (SSTOR.SYS), or another third-party utility, Setup converts these partitions to standard FAT partitions. Overview of the Setup Process As stated previously, Setup can be used to install Windows 98 in stand-alone and shared configurations, locally or across the network. Setup can also be used to reinstall, repair, or update an existing Windows 98 installation. Optionally, you can use the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel to add and remove Windows components and Windows applications, and to create a Windows 98 boot disk (see Figure 2.1). Upgrading and repairing Page 22

Inside Windows 98 Windows 98 and creating a boot disk are explained in more detail in Chapter 4. FIGURE 2.1 Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box. While the setup process is running, various tasks are performed on the system, regardless of the type of installation you choose: * Hardware detection. Setup automatically attempts to detect your PC's hardware and configure installation options. * Verify system requirements. Setup determines whether you actually can install Windows 98 on your PC, which includes checking the amount of available disk space on the target disk. * Install files. Setup copies all necessary drivers, applications, and other files required to run Windows 98 on your PC, based on what you select during Setup. * Configure Windows 98. Setup automatically configures Windows 98 to work with your PC's hardware. * Configure the network. If you install Windows 98 on a networked PC, Setup installs and configures the necessary networking components. * Install and configure printers. Setup installs and configures printer drivers for the printers available to your PC. * Convert existing Windows 3.x environment. If you upgrade an existing copy of Windows 3.x to Windows 98, Setup imports all your Windows 3.x program groups, and creates equivalent shortcuts and makes them available in the Start menu. Setup also imports settings from Win.ini and System.ini into the Windows 98 Registry, and migrates your existing Windows applications to the Windows 98 environment so that these applications can run under Windows 98. WARNING: You must install Windows 98 over your existing copy of Windows 3.x or Windows 95 if you want to be able to run your existing Windows applications under Windows 98. If you install Windows 98 to a new directory and keep your existing Windows 3.x or Windows 95 installation, you still have to reinstall the majority of your Windows applications under Windows 98 before they run properly in Windows 98. Before you install Windows 98, you need to understand a few key points about it so you can integrate Windows 98 with your existing operating system and applications. The next section explains these key points. Page 23

Planning and Preparing Setup

Inside Windows 98

It is always a good idea to put together a plan prior to running the Windows 98 Setup. This will go a long way toward optimizing the installation. This plan addresses common issues when installing or upgrading any operating system and those specific to Windows 98. Planning insures a smooth installation while dealing with potential setup concerns ahead of time. Optimizing and preparing the system for installation of Windows 98 includes three basic steps, described briefly in the following sections. Backing Up Files Regardless of whether you are installing Windows 98 from scratch or performing an upgrade from a previous version of Windows, if the system on which you are installing Windows contains important data files, it is necessary to make a backup of those files. Though the installation of Windows 98 should go well, it is always best to prepare for the worst. To backup the data, you can use a third-part backup utility or, if applicable, Windows 98 backup utility. At the very least, backup to disk your important documents. After installation, you can use the Windows 98 Backup utility. It is a 32-bit program that you can use to back up data to tape or disk. The backup interface is very user friendly, almost identical to the one found in Windows 95, as it is structured similarly to the Explorer interface with its folder and file trees. As such, it supports dragging and dropping folders, single files, or groups of files (see Figure 2.2). FIGURE 2.2 The Microsoft Backup interface dialog box. There are three ways to perform a backup from within Windows 98: * Create a shortcut on your desktop to your chosen backup utility and simply drag and drop the data. * Click the Start button, then click Programs. Choose Accessories from the menu, click System Tools, and then Backup to run the MS Backup GUI utility. * Select the desired disk icon in My Computer or Explorer and right-click the disk icon; then select the Tools tab. Click on the Backup Now button to initiate the backup (see Figure 2.3). FIGURE 2.3 Initiating backup. The Windows 98 Backup utility enables the user to perform a full backup and restore, as well as a file comparison between volumes. In addition to supporting full and differential backups, Windows 98 allows redirecting a file restore to a different partition, as well as erasing the destination backup media prior to a backup. Backup supports the following media types and methods: Page 24

Inside Windows 98 * Floppy drives * Hard drives * Tape drives * Across the network Clearing Disk Space It is always a good idea to do a little housekeeping before installing a new operating system. Remove any files and folders that are no longer being used. This includes any redundant installations of applications and any data that can be archived. Defragmenting the Disk As files are written, read, and deleted from a disk, it is possible for them to become fragmented, which means that a disk file has different parts scattered over different areas of the disk. As files are deleted from a disk, the operating system writes new files to the newly available disk space. During this process the operating system can write different portions of a file to non-contiguous clusters, so that a single file is contained on different locations of the disk. To read a fragmented file, the operating system has to look at a record it maintains which indicates the location of the different parts of a file. This fragmentation can degrade the performance of the disk subsystem and have an impact on the overall system performance as well, especially access of the all important pagefile. You can significantly improve disk performance by defragmenting the disk, which rewrites all files on the disk in contiguous clusters and has a pronounced impact on Windows performance. Defragmenting a disk also makes nearly all free space on the disk available in one contiguous block. It is a good idea to defragment the disk of the system you are installing Windows 98 on, no matter the operating system type. If you have MS-DOS 6.x, you can use the DOS DEFRAG utility to defragment the disk. Other disk utilities, such as Norton Utilities and PC Tools, also include tools for defragmenting the disk. To use MS-DOS DEFRAG, exit the operating system you are running, boot into DOS, and enter DEFRAG at the prompt. After that, just follow the instructions. The process is simple, and you shouldn't have any trouble. Installing Windows 98 After you have done all of the necessary work to prepare your system, you're ready to run Setup and install Windows 98. The Setup process is almost totally automated. The following section explains the various options for running Setup and explores the different choices you will be presented with during the process. Page 25

Inside Windows 98 If you are planning to install Windows 98 on a freshly formatted and partitioned hard drive and have access to a Windows 95 system, you may choose to create a Windows 95 boot floppy to initiate the installation process (a DOS boot disk will suffice as another option). The steps for doing so are as follows: 1. To create a Windows 95 boot floppy, click on the Start button, click Settings, and select the Control Panel. 2. While in Control Panel, double-click on Add/Remove Programs. 3. In the Add/Remove programs Properties dialog box, click the Startup Disk tab and select Create Disk. 4. Simply follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process. After you have the start-up disk you can boot from it and run FDISK and other DOS programs such as ATTRIB, FORMAT, SCANDISK, and CHKDSK. All of these are naturally run from the command prompt A:\. The boot disk contains several other files, as seen in Figure 2.4. FIGURE 2.4 Boot disk contents. From FDISK you can partition and format the drive to your specifications. Using FDISK, do the following: 1. Delete the primary partition and all other partitions. 2. Create a new primary partition and be sure to set it to active. 3. Exit FDISK, and the system reboots automatically. 4. After the system restarts, format the C drive while transferring the system files to the drive using the boot floppy. Use this command: Format C: /s 5. After the format is finished, remove the boot floppy, and re-boot the system. At this point, you have a bootable system. Because the Windows 98 installation must proceed from the distribution files located on the CD-ROM, you need to load the MS-DOS drivers, either IDE or SCSI device drivers, for the CD-ROM. After you've accomplished that you can run Setup. SETUP.EXE is in the root directory of the Windows 98 CD-ROM. The setup process is very similar to that of Windows 95 and most Microsoft products. Setup presents you with the following common options: Page 26

Inside Windows 98 * Typical. The quickest type of installation, and configures the system for normal desktop use. * Portable. Configures Windows 98 to support portable or mobile users. * Compact. Designed for systems which have resource constraints, such as available hard drive space. * Custom. Gives the user the most control over the configuration of the system. There are four distinct phases to the installation process of Windows 98: * Initial phase. Copies files to the hard drive. These files are used for the installation. * Hardware detection phase. Begins after the necessary files are copied. The system is analyzed for system components and installed hardware. This analysis returns hardware configuration information such as the device's IRQ, I/O address, and DMA address. This information is written to the Windows 98 Registry. * Component phase. Involves the user being asked about the type of components found in the hardware detection phase. This gives the user the opportunity to add or remove certain components. * Final system configuration phase. Occurs just prior to running Windows 98 for the first time. In this phase Windows 98 confirms and, if necessary, upgrades the configuration of the system. If the system has a modem or printer attached, the user is prompted to configure these peripheral devices. Booting Your System All you need to do to boot Windows 98 is power up the computer; Windows 98 boots automatically. You can, however, control the way the system boots. Using specific function keys during the boot sequence can provide quick access to the boot options use during startup. For example, pressing F4 during display of the boot message Starting Windows 98 boots your previous version of DOS, if one exists on your system. If you want to view the list of boot options available, after booting the PC and while the Starting Windows 98 message is displaying, press F8. You should see a menu similar to the following: 1.Normal 2.Logged (\BOOTLOG.TXT) 3.Safe mode 4.Step-by-step confirmation

Page 27

5.Command prompt only 6.Safe mode command prompt only 7.Previous version of MS-DOS

Inside Windows 98

TIP: You can press F8, or any of the other boot function keys, any time after the PC completes its Power On Self Test (POST). You do not have to wait until you see Starting Windows 98. If your PC contains a SCSI host adapter, for example, you can press the boot function key when you see the message that indicates that the SCSI BIOS is loading. The following list explains the options listed in the boot menu: * Normal. This option starts the full Windows operating system and GUI. * Logged (\BOOTLOG.TXT). This option boots the full Windows 98 operating system and GUI, but also creates a boot log in the root directory of the boot disk. The boot log file, BOOTLOG.TXT, is useful for identifying and troubleshooting startup problems. * Safe mode. This option boots a minimal Windows 98 operating system and excludes the majority of drivers, except those required to boot the system (such as disk drivers). This mode uses a standard VGA display driver to help overcome startup problems caused by an incompatible or improperly configured display driver. Use safe mode when you suspect that a driver is causing a startup problem. * Step-by-step confirmation. This option is similar to the single-step boot option MS-DOS offers. Windows 98 steps through each statement in your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.SYS files, enabling you to accept or reject each line. This option is particularly useful for troubleshooting problems caused by drivers or other statements in either file. * Command prompt only. This option boots the Windows 98 command line, but does not boot the GUI or full set of drivers. If you rely on the 32-bit Windows 98 CD-ROM driver to access your CD-ROM drive, for example, you cannot use the CD-ROM drive from this command prompt because the driver does not load until the full operating system and GUI load. Booting to the command line enables you to boot a minimal operating system quickly to perform file maintenance and troubleshooting. The range of commands available with this option is similar to a standard DOS operating system command-line environment, and you also can execute DOS programs. * Safe mode command prompt only. This option boots a minimal operating system similar to the Safe mode option, except the system boots to a command prompt rather than to a GUI. Page 28

Inside Windows 98 * Previous version of MS-DOS. This option boots the system into the previous version of DOS, if one exists. TIP: If you boot the system to a command prompt, you can start the GUI and full operating system by entering WIN at the command prompt. Understanding the Boot Process Windows 98 doesn't require the CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT files. As a fully integrated operating system, Windows 98 detects the drivers and configuration settings and loads the appropriate drivers for the system as it boots. If you installed Windows 98 on top of DOS, as an upgrade from Windows 3.x or Windows 95, the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files will be present. The settings used in these files are used to set the global environment in Windows 98. AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS are used to maintain a compatible environment for any applications that require these system files to operate properly. More on this in Chapter 3. If you do have a previous version of DOS installed on the system that is being upgraded to Windows 98, Windows 98 uses a group of system files to control the boot process. The following list explains these files: * IO.SYS. This file provides a minimal real-mode operating system for the system to boot. This version of IO.SYS replaces the IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS files previously used with DOS. IO.SYS also sets various settings previously defined in CONFIG.SYS. * MSDOS.SYS. This file is included for compatibility with legacy applications (applications written for DOS and Windows 3.x). In addition, it can contain a variety of settings for controlling the boot process. * CONFIG.SYS. You can use this file to load real-mode drivers, specify the operating system settings that various applications require, and override settings set by IO.SYS. This file is not required to run Windows 98. If your system contains a bootable version of DOS, the system contains two separate CONFIG.* files, one for Windows 98 and the other for DOS. * AUTOEXEC.BAT. You can use this file to load real-mode drivers and applications, specify a PATH and other operating system settings, and specify settings that applications require. If your system contains a bootable version of DOS, the system contains two separate AUTOEXEC.* files, one for Windows 98 and the other for DOS. Page 29

Inside Windows 98 * BOOTLOG.TXT. Again, this file is created if you select option 2 (Logged) from the Boot menu. Windows creates a text file, named BOOTLOG.TXT, that contains information about the initialization of the system. By examining the BOOTLOG.TXT file, you can identify the cause of a failed boot. ----------

-3Advanced Setup

* Technical Overview of Setup * Location of Windows System Files * Choosing the Right Client Software * Push Installation Defined * Peer Resource Sharing * Server-based Setup * Fundamentals of a Server-based Setup * Important Considerations of a Server-based Setup * Automated and Push Setup * Upgrading from Windows 3.x Using a Push Installation * Using Systems Management Server in Push Installations * Incorporating Windows 98 in Multi-Boot Systems Chapter 3 explains the more technical aspects of the installation process. This involves the different phases of the Setup and Startup processes, a detailed discussion of a Server-based setup, and how to automate the setup process by "pushing" the installation from one system to another. Also included in this chapter are guidelines on deploying Windows 98 in multi-boot systems. We will cover these topics in the following order: * Technical overview of Setup * Server-based Setup * Automated and Push Setup * Incorporating Windows 98 in multi-boot systems Technical Overview of Setup The setup process consists of many options, depending on the given environment and situation. With this in mind, there are several questions to ask and answer prior to initiating the setup process, whether on a single system or several systems in a roll-out. When thinking about the technical aspects of Setup with Windows 98, you are required to determine an optimal or preferred configuration for the workstations in your organization. There are many different choices that can be made as to how the systems are put together. Page 30

Inside Windows 98 In the following sections, various configuration options for a workstation and their associated technical considerations are discussed. This information addresses certain features and defines how Windows 98 can be installed and administered in your organization. The following configuration options are discussed: * Location of Windows system files * Choosing the right client software * Push installation defined * Peer resource sharing Location of Windows System Files The location of Windows files is a critical decision affecting performance, security, and hard disk space on the client computer. Much of this depends on company "IS" policy and the need for centralized security and administration, as compared to the performance of the client computer. It also depends on the hardware resources available on the workstation. The options available here are running Windows 98 on the workstation for best performance and reduced network traffic. Conversely, you can choose to run Windows 98 from the server to reserve hard disk space on workstations and make it easier to upgrade components or drivers from a centralized location, especially if you have several workstations. This will also enable you to run "leaner," less expensive clients. Another issue regarding the location of the system files is the machine- specific location of those files. Are the boot files and system files to reside on the same or different partition? One popular approach is to load the boot and system files on the same volume and all user data files on a separate partition. In the event of a system failure that requires a reinstallation, the volume that contains the boot and systems files is rebuilt, leaving the data files intact. Choosing the Right Client Software If possible, you should always use 32-bit, protected-mode network client software. This will afford the workstation on the network the best performance and the most functionality. Being able to do this is dependent on the compatibility of the network applications you have to run. You have several options, which vary based on your network. For example, for NetWare networks, the 32-bit protected-mode client for NetWare Networks is the preferred client. Because of the performance boost, it requires no conventional memory, and increased functionality is provided by this client software. It is also easy to install and configure. Additionally, real-mode Novell NETX or VLM workstations might provide better compatibility with some of the network utilities. It is always Page 31

Inside Windows 98 the best course of action to use the latest network adapter drivers. Many of the most recent offerings provide improved performance and the ability to both load and unload the network while notifying the rest of the system. This results in less memory overhead in supporting the network drivers. Also, the NDIS 3.1 or later drivers support Plug and Play. Whether or not you can deploy the latest, greatest network driver depends on the availability and compatibility of the new driver. You really need to do your homework here because the 32-bit, protected-mode drivers provide a real performance boost and are much more reliable than older drivers. Push Installation Defined Related to a server-based installation is a push installation. A push installation enables the systems administrator to install Windows 98 on several systems without having to be physically at the workstation. This is accomplished by creating a login script that runs a setup script. You can also use a tool such as the Microsoft Systems Management Server to get the job done. Peer Resource Sharing Another critical consideration is the use of peer resource sharing in the network. Choosing this feature is really based on your site's security needs. If you enable your users to share local resources on their computers, it is possible to minimize local network traffic and save on hard disk space requirements at the server. If your network requires centralized control and you don't want users sharing resources at will, then you need to prevent them from turning on this feature (see Figure 3.1). To prevent users from activating this feature, you will need to modify system policies. This feature can be installed only on computers that use a 32-bit, protected-mode network client. System Policies and User Profiles are covered in Chapter 29, "System Policies and User Profiles." FIGURE 3.1Setting Access Control. As an administrator, you can choose to implement user-level security in order to control a variety of services beyond network resource access. These resources include file and printer sharing, remote Registry access, running backup agents, and other network and system management functions. You would choose this feature to enable users to specify what users and groups have access to local shared resources on the workstation. This includes access to the Registry. If the system is participating in either a Windows NT or Novell NetWare environment, you can leverage the user account database of either to validate the access of the resource. Users at the workstation determine the access rights to their shared resources for individuals and groups, with this access being validated based on user accounts on a Windows NT domain or a Novell NetWare bindery. User-level security is required for remote administration of the Registry and for network access to Page 32

Inside Windows 98 full user profiles. User-level security can only be used if the Windows 98 system is connected to an NT or NetWare server. Server-based Setup This section looks at the following issues specific to a Server-based Setup: * Fundamentals of a Server-based Setup * Important considerations of a Server-based Setup Fundamentals of a Server-based Setup The Server-based Setup program (NETSETUP.EXE) is used to configure the system designated as the server as the focal point of a network installation of Windows 98. This is typically the method used in a multiple system installation where the server installs to the client systems over the network the files required to run a shared installation of Windows 98. NOTE: The Server-based Setup program, NETSETUP.EXE, is located on the Windows 98 CD-ROM in the ADMIN/NETTOOLS/NETSETUP directory. After you have installed the Windows 98 source files on the server, Server-based Setup can be deployed to produce and enumerate directories that house the files necessary to support a network shared installation of Windows 98. Each of these directories contains specific configuration information for each system participating in a shared installation. Server-based Setup can also be used to participate in scripting installations of Windows 98 in an attempt to perfect the "hands-off" unattended installation. These script files are really batch files that support the automated setup process and are discussed in more detail later in this chapter. Various types of shared installations are supported by Windows 98: * Systems that boot from the local hard drive and then share a copy of Windows 98 from a server. * Systems that boot from the floppy disk and then share a copy of Windows 98 from a server. * A diskless workstation, or "thin client," that remote boots and then shares a copy of Windows 98 from a server. Important Considerations of a Server-based Setup In many situations, a shared installation can be used where users need to access different computers for various jobs such as point-of-sale data entry. Shared installations are also used in large networks with many thousands of computers with similar configurations. Page 33

Inside Windows 98 A very critical issue when deciding how to deploy Windows 98 in the enterprise environment is the current configuration for workstations running either Windows 3.x or Windows 95. If the majority of the installations are running shared copies, the upgrade from either Windows 3.x or Windows 95 is a relatively simple task. Even so, you may also decide to reconfigure a client system to run Windows 98 from the local hard disk. If that is the case, all user applications require reinstallation with the desktop settings being redone. There are many reasons to install Windows 98 on the local hard drive instead of a network, server-based installation: * Better performance. * The user is free to configure the desktop according to their work preferences. * Elimination of the server as a single point of failure--workstations can continue on their own if the server goes offline. * Less network traffic. The benefits of using a shared installation include: * Minimal hard drive space is required on the workstation. * It is easier to upgrade software components on the workstation. As with most issues in computing, there is always a trade-off in making one choice versus another. With a shared configuration it is easier to upgrade and maintain the system; it is all centralized. The trade-off is having a single point of failure in the server as well as increased network traffic. Planning for a Shared Installation In any event, if a shared installation is what you are planning to implement in your networked environment, there are several considerations to take into account. * A network logon is necessary prior to running Windows 98 on a shared installation. This is because a network connection is necessary before Windows 98 can run across the network. * Each Windows 98 system is required to have a single separate license. * Because the majority of the Windows 98 files are on the server in a shared installation, connecting to the server and establishing a session with the shared Windows 98 files generates additional network traffic. * The client systems are required to use either the 32-bit, Page 34

Inside Windows 98 protected-mode networking components or the 16-bit, real-mode components. A system cannot use a combination of both. Number of Servers in an Installation Typically, the Server-based Setup process is done on a single server in your network. You select a specific machine in which to house the Windows 98 distribution files and any user home directories created as a result of the shared installation. An interesting point to note is that the user home directories need not be located on the same system as the Windows 98 distribution files. Load balancing between two or more servers might be the way to go, especially if you have a large number of clients. This really depends on the number of clients you have and the resource configuration of the servers in question. If your situation warrants it, you might choose to use more than two servers. An example of this would be in a multi-office network running TCP/IP. Each office would be a separate subnet and have its own server for the location of the Windows 98 distribution files. To take this example a step further, if each sub-net has a large number of users, you might decide to locate the Windows 98 system files on one system and the user home directories on another. Automated and Push Setup A push installation involves using the Windows 98 Setup program along with what is called a setup script. This can be used in conjunction with login scripts and user accounts on either a NetWare or Windows NT network. You do so to create an automated, set installation process for installing Windows 98 on multiple systems in a multi-system roll-out. If it is done correctly, it will enable the installer to set up Windows 98 on a remote computer across the LAN or WAN, saving time and personnel. After you have configured the Server-based Setup and have copied the source files on one or more servers along with the setup scripts, you are ready to perform a push installation. The push installation can be deployed in the following ways: * Use a login script that includes a line which runs Setup with a setup script, automatically installing Windows 98 when each user logs on. * Insert an object in an electronic mail message that will start Windows 98 Setup with a setup script when the user clicks the object. * Use Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) to run Windows 98 Setup with a setup script as a mandatory job. * Use network management software from other vendors to install Windows 98 based on the setup scripts you create. Page 35

Inside Windows 98 Examples of these third-party offerings are HP OpenView and Polycenter AssetWorks. Upgrading from Windows 3.x Using a Push Installation If you are planning to upgrade from a Windows 3.x install base to a Windows 98 installation, the approach to handling the Windows 98 system is very different from that of Windows 3.x. To illustrate how an organization migrates from a Windows 3.x installation base to Windows 98, we will look at a fictitious example. In the following scenario, the organization in question is migrating from a Windows 3.x shared installation to Windows 98. The company in this example originally installed Windows 3.x on the network in a shared fashion using the administrative share command setup /a. Each system has its own hard drive that houses the swap file, TEMP directory, and the hardware-specific SYSTEM.INI file. Windows 3.x components are installed in each user's home directory. All systems are running the NetWare real-mode networking using ODI drivers. When a user logs on to the network, the login script runs a file called STARTWIN.BAT. This file copies the computer's SYSTEM.INI file to the user's home directory and runs Windows. The Microsoft Office is also installed on and runs from the server. In order to maintain the same functionality that the users had with their Windows 3.x systems, the systems administrator must do the following: 1. Install Windows 98 distribution files and create machine directories for each computer. This step involves using the INF Installer to make ready any other software that uses Windows 98 INF files. After that is done, the administrator must manually copy any additional networking software or applications to the Windows 98 directory used as the network share. 2. Create the setup script that specifies any custom settings. This includes installing all of the protected-mode networking components. Doing so will enable an administrator and a user to take advantage of the Windows 98 protected-mode networking features. 3. Create any applicable system policies and user profiles. NOTE: If you need some help in putting together an INF file, there is a tool you can use, called the INF Generator (IG.EXE). The IG.EXE program can help you customize the automatic installation of Windows 98 in a large networking environment. You can find IG.EXE as a self-extracting file at http://support.microsoft.com/support/downloads/ dp1974.asp. Page 36

Inside Windows 98 To install the INF Generator tool, follow these steps: 1. Download the IG.EXE file from the Microsoft Web site listed earlier to an empty folder. 2. Double-click the IG.EXE file to extract the files it contains. 3. Double-click the README.TXT file for installation instructions. On every workstation, have a login script execute that accomplishes the following: * Copy the contents of the user's home directory to C:\WINDOWS. * This is intended to copy from the home directory the Windows 3.x .GRP, .INI, and REG.DAT files. These are the files that define the user's personal preferences and working environment. Again, this procedure is specific to the scenario developed here. * Run Windows 98 Setup with a setup script. Make sure to set the %installdir%=c:\windows directory to enumerate the machine directory in the setup script. In this scenario, the Windows 98 Setup process installs the shared Windows 98 files to the local hard drive and in the machine directory for the workstation. The configuration parameters in the Windows 3.x .GRP, .INI, and REG.DAT files are copied to the Registry. The following sections summarize the procedures for running login scripts from a Windows NT server or NetWare server for push installations. Using Systems Management Server in Push Installations If you are planning a massive installation of several Windows 98 systems, you might want to consider Systems Management Server (SMS). SMS enables you to perform an automatic upgrade with zero intervention from the person doing the installation or the end user. This section provides information about Systems Management Server and how it can help you in planning for and automating a Windows 98 rollout in your organization. The initial step in the process of assuming an upgrade is to figure out the systems in the network that are appropriate for an upgrade to Windows 98. Using SMS, you query the SQL Server database that maintains all of the inventory data that SMS collects in order to locate all computers that might fit the upgrade specifications. A predefined hardware query included in Page 37

Inside Windows 98 SMS automatically examines the CPU, the operating system, the available hard disk space, and the installed RAM on the workstations. You can choose to use the automatic query or reconfigure it to return any additional inventory information required for the Windows 98 upgrade. After you have qualified the appropriate workstations, you can commence with the upgrade of the systems to Windows 98. The following list summarizes the steps required in using SMS to roll out a systems upgrade to Windows 98. 1. Create and share what is called a "package" source directory, containing the Windows 98 distribution files. 2. Copy the distribution files from the Windows 98 CD-ROM to the designated source directory. 3. If you are copying from the CD-ROM, you can use the Server-based Setup (NETSETUP.EXE, as discussed earlier) to automatically copy all of the distribution files to the package directory. Otherwise you can use the xcopy command. 4. Using the SMS CD-ROM, copy the following files to the package source directory: * WIN98.INF file from SMS\LOGON.SRV\MSTEST. * DOS2W98.EXE file from SMS\LOGON.SRV\MSTEST (if you are setting up clients that run MS-DOS). 5. Look over the INF file for the configuration, making appropriate modifications as necessary. 6. Create a package containing the Windows 98 source directory. 7. To install Windows 98 on one or more clients, create a mandatory job to distribute the package to the clients. 8. Send the job to the target computer. Push Installations on a Windows NT Network 1. Run a Server-based Setup, installing the Windows 98 distribution files on the NT server and share that directory with the appropriate permissions. 2. Create an appropriate MSBATCH.INF file that matches the installation parameters for the workstation. This file is then copied into the directory on the NT server containing the distribution files. 3. You should also create an account in the NT server that will be used by the upgrade process to log onto the Page 38

Inside Windows 98 NT server with the appropriate permissions to the distribution file directory. For example, create a user account called Install98 with a password of Install98, and grant it the permissions to access the directory. Make sure the account policy for Install98 prevents the user from changing his password and that the password never expires. 4. Create the login scripts that run Windows 98 Setup. 5. Assign the login script to the Install98 user account. The login script must be located in the %systemroot%\SYSTEM32\REPL\EXPORT\SCRIPTS directory on the computer running Windows NT Server. Push Installations on a NetWare Network 1. Run the Server-based Setup program on the NetWare server, installing the Windows 98 distribution files into a shared directory on the server. 2. Configure an MSBATCH.INF file that meets the installation requirements. Place this file into the directory that contains the Windows 98 distribution files. 3. On the NetWare server, create a user account named Install98 and set Install98 as the password. Configure the type of options for this account, making sure to enumerate that the Allow User To Change Password = NO and the Force Periodic Password Changes = NO parameters are set. 4. Assign the Install98 user account to the NetWare server the users will be accessing. 5. Write a batch file that functions as a login script and tag it to the Install98 user account user. You are required to place the login script in the appropriate directory on the NetWare server that is the directory to which the users will log on. A push installation using login scripts is the same whether you are running a network client with MS-DOS, Windows 3.x, or Windows 95. If you are using a special account to upgrade the system (in this case the Install98 account) as described earlier, these are the requirements: * For computers running Windows for Workgroups, the Install98 account has been created on the Windows NT domain or on the NetWare server, with an appropriate Install98 login script, as described earlier. * The Upgrade login script contains these principal entries: * The net use commands used to map drives and connect to the Page 39

Inside Windows 98 designated share containing the Windows 98 distribution files, whether on the NT server or the NetWare machine. * Commands to initiate the Windows 98 Setup program. These commands will probably include the renaming of the user's Startup group and copying the different Startup group from the server. * An exit command that closes out the login script so that the setup process can continue. If you decide you are going to run the logon script to initiate the push installation, you need to inform the users to log off the network, if necessary, and log back on using the Install98 user account and the relevant password. When a user logs back on to the system, assuming all is correctly configured, the Windows 98 setup process initiates automatically. This process uses the settings in the MSBATCH.INF file that are enumerated in the login script. After the files are copied, Windows 98 restarts the system and begins what are called the Run-Once operations. These operations include processing the group conversions and other essential tasks. When the Run-Once operations are complete, Windows 98 is completely installed. When the user exits Windows 98 at the end of this process, Setup writes all changes to the Registry. The user merely commences with the restarting of the system and logging on as usual with the day-to-day username and password. Incorporating Windows 98 in Multi-Boot Systems If you choose, you can install Windows 98 on a system and dual boot with Windows NT. The following section provides some information for installing Windows 98 in a dual-boot configuration with Windows NT. First of all, if you are planning to dual boot between Windows 98 and Windows NT, the entry BootMulti=1 needs to be set in the Windows 98 version of the MSDOS.SYS file, located in the root directory of the boot drive. To continue the installation of Windows 98 to dual boot with Windows NT, do the following: * Make sure that the computer is configured to dual boot between Windows NT and MS-DOS. You need the MS-DOS partition for Win-dows 98. It is a good idea to read the documentation for your Windows NT system for additional information. * Start the computer and select the MS-DOS operating system. * Run Windows 98 Setup as described in Chapter 2, "Installing and Starting Windows 98." Another thing to note is that if your computer has the Windows NT file system (NTFS) installed on any partitions, those volumes Page 40

will not be accessible to Windows 98.

Inside Windows 98

To run MS-DOS after Windows 98 has been installed, you must select the MS-DOS option from the Windows NT multi-boot menu. Then, from the Windows 98 Startup menu, select the Previous Version of MS-DOS option. You might also want to install Windows NT on a computer where Windows 98 has been previously installed. To do so, go to the command prompt, switch to the directory that contains the Windows NT distribution files, and then type winnt /w. The WINNT program is a 16-bit, MS-DOS-based application that initiates the installation process of Windows NT. It copies the Windows NT Setup files to the hard disk and uses those files to install Windows NT. The /w switch enables the 16-bit WINNT program to run under Windows 98. This switch also enables Windows NT Setup to skip the CPU detection process and the automatic restart at the end of Setup. If you already have a set of the three Windows NT setup disks, you can run the WINNT command with the /b switch. This precludes NT Setup from creating the three disks for startup, writing the installation files to a temporary location on the system's hard drive instead. All in all, it is usually not a very good idea to have systems configured for dual boot. Doing so opens up any number of hardware configuration setting conflicts and problems with installed applications and their executables. It is best to choose a single operating system for the desktop. The exception to this is the situation where you might not have the extra system to test a second operating system, or you have test systems specifically set aside for such experimentation. ----------

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Troubleshooting Setup and Startup * Troubleshooting Setup * Understanding the Setup Process * Understanding Hardware Detection * Using Safe Recovery * Verifying and Updating Your Windows 98 Installation * Tips for Specific Setup Problems * Troubleshooting Startup * Tips for Specific Startup Problems * Creating and Using a Startup Disk * General Troubleshooting Techniques * The Causes of System Trouble * Using Backups * Using System Logs * Using Startup Switches * Using Safe Mode * Using Single-Step Boot * Using a Clean Boot

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* Using the Startup Disk

Inside Windows 98

* Sources of Information for Troubleshooting In most instances, installing Windows 98 should be a trouble-free experience. As you will soon learn, Windows 98 makes it easy to recover from problems when they do occur. This chapter explains general troubleshooting techniques for the Windows 98 installation and how to specifically troubleshoot Setup and system boot. The following topics are covered: * Troubleshooting Setup * Troubleshooting Startup * Creating and using a startup disk * General troubleshooting techniques and tips * Sources of information for troubleshooting In addition to learning about techniques for troubleshooting Setup and startup, you also will find information designed to help you locate information about known bug fixes, new and updated Windows 98 files, and other sources of information that are helpful in troubleshooting your system. Troubleshooting Setup In troubleshooting it is best to begin with a detailed understanding of the Setup process. Understanding the Setup Process Setup goes through several distinct phases for the installation of Windows 98. These include the following: * Initial configuration and detection * Hardware and system detection * Startup disk and file extraction * System configuration and Setup completion The following sections detail these four Setup phases, explaining their purpose and outlining any potential problems. Initial Configuration and Detection The Setup wizard is designed to automate the Setup process. It prompts you for input during the installation process in order to determine the configuration of the Windows 98 system. As a sequence of initial configuration steps, the Setup Wizard determines which support files to copy to your system, and which Page 42

Inside Windows 98 Windows 98 utilities and applications to install. This phase of the Setup process involves the following: * Detecting any previous version of Windows. If installing Windows 98 from the DOS prompt, Setup scans the computer's local hard disk to determine if a previous version of Windows exists. If Set-up locates a previous version of Windows, it prompts you to exit Setup and run Setup from within Windows. You can continue to run Setup from DOS, or exit and run Setup from Windows. Functionally, there is no difference between the two methods. If you experience a problem running Setup from DOS, try running it from Windows instead. If you experience a problem running Setup from Windows, exit Windows and try running Setup from DOS. At this point, there is no upgrade version of Windows 98. If Microsoft releases an "Upgrade Only" version of Windows 98, it will have to be installed on a Windows 95 machine. * Minimum hardware configuration. Setup checks your hardware to determine if your computer is capable of running Windows 98. This check involves verification of adequate CPU power, sufficient memory, and enough available hard disk space. See Table 4.1 for minimum hardware requirements for running Windows 98. * Existing operating system. Setup checks your computer to verify that it contains an existing operating system that is compatible with Windows 98. For DOS systems, the operating system must be MS-DOS 3.2 or higher, or an equivalent OEM version of DOS (PC DOS, DR DOS, and so on) that supports disk partitions larger than 32 MB. Other compatible operating systems include Windows and Windows for Workgroups 3.x (which includes DOS). For the purpose of dual-booting a system OS/2 and Windows NT suffice. * Extended memory support. Setup checks your system to determine if an extended memory manager, such as HIMEM.SYS, is present. If Setup can't locate an extended memory manager, it loads its own Windows 98 version of extended memory manager. * TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) check. Setup scans your system for TSRs, drivers, and other memory-resident programs that are not compatible with Setup. If any incompatible programs are found, Setup displays a warning message, giving you the opportunity to exit Setup and remove the incompatible program from your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file before running Setup again. One example of a TSR is a disk performance monitoring utility, and another example is the DOS utility, FASTOPEN. * Install minimal Windows shell. If you start Setup from Windows, the Windows-based portion of Setup starts. If you start Setup from DOS, Setup copies a minimal Windows configuration in order to run the remainder of Setup, which is a Windows-based program. Up to this point in the Setup Page 43

Inside Windows 98 process, the processor is running in real mode. * Enable standard mode. If you start Setup from DOS, Setup switches the processor into Standard mode and makes the computer's extended memory available. * Retrieve user information. Setup requests information from you about your Windows 98 installation, including the directory in which you want Windows 98 system files installed, and the options to install. TABLE 4.1 Windows 98 Minimum Hardware Requirements CPU | 80386 or higher, or equivalent non-Intel CPU Memory | 4 MB is the minimum to install Hard Disk | At least 110 MB* Video | Minimum VGA, Super VGA recommended *Setup hard disk space requirements. The necessary amount of available drive space required by an upgrade from Windows 95 or Windows 3.x is determined by the size of the clusters on the installation partition and the number of core components already installed in the pre-existing Windows system. Windows 98 requires a minimum of 110 MB of available drive space with a system implementing the smallest cluster size and one with the minimum system components to install. This number can grow to be as much as 289 MB if installed on a newly formatted partition implementing the largest cluster size and one with all available system components selected for installation. Hardware and System Detection After the initial configuration phase, Setup begins hardware and system detection. As part of this phase, Setup checks the system for software components such as installed Windows drivers. Setup also performs hardware detection to determine the internal and peripheral components for which it must install support. NOTE: Setup prompts you before it begins hardware detection, giving you the option of bypassing hardware detection. If you bypass hardware detection, you must manually specify and configure hardware components and settings. On systems that do not have a Plug and Play BIOS (referred to as legacy systems), Setup scans the system's interrupts, I/O ports, and memory locations for hardware components that Setup can detect based on its internal database of hardware profiles. Setup also checks legacy systems for any Plug and Play compliant Page 44

Inside Windows 98 devices. On these systems, Setup checks for installed Plug and Play device support, as well as any connected Plug and Play peripherals. Although Setup often can detect a hardware conflict and step you through the resolution of the conflict, the Setup process will occasionally hang due to a conflict between devices or other problems in detecting a certain item. If Setup hangs, the status indicator will stop moving, and there will be no disk activity for an extended period of time. You then can reboot the system and Setup will restart automatically, giving you the option of using Safe Recovery. Safe Recovery enables you to bypass the hardware detection phase and specify hardware settings manually. Manual hardware configuration is explained later in the section "Overcoming Hardware Conflicts." Startup Disk and File Extraction After the configuration and detection phases are complete, Setup begins copying files from the distribution files to your system as required, based on your hardware and software selections. If, during initial configuration, you directed Setup to create a startup disk, it copies to your system the minimum number of files required for the startup disk, then creates it. (For more information on creating and using a startup disk, refer to the section "Creating and Using a Startup Disk" later in this chapter.) After the startup disk has been created, Setup continues the file extraction process, copying all required files from the distribution disks, CD, or shared network folder to your computer or home directory (in the case of shared network installations). Setup then adds settings to the Registry to support your hardware and software selections. System Configuration and Setup Completion After Setup completes the file-copying process, Setup incorporates your existing WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI settings, as appropriate, into the Registry. Setup also replaces many of your existing MS-DOS files with updated versions that are compatible with Windows 98 (particularly with Windows 98's long file names). A number of DOS files are deleted, some are renamed, and others are replaced. For more information on how Setup affects DOS, refer to the section "The Effects of Setup on DOS" in Chapter 2. If you are upgrading over Windows 3.x, you will want to become familiar with the changes made to the Win.ini and System.ini files during the upgrade. An upgrade from Windows 95 is less troublesome because the Registry on the 95 system remains intact. In addition to modifying your DOS files during the final configuration phase, Setup also uses a set of wizards to step you through the process of configuring various options such as local or networked printers, the Outlook Express messaging client, and other options. Many of these options are configured Page 45

Inside Windows 98 automatically without any input from you. After the system reboots, Setup combines individual VxDs (virtual device drivers) to create VMM32.VXD. The individual device drivers are determined by the hardware and software selections you make during the setup process. If upgrading from Windows 3.x, Setup converts Windows 3.x program groups to Windows 98 folders, creating shortcuts in the Programs menu to each program group and objects they contain. Understanding Hardware Detection As stated previously, Windows 98 divides devices into two types: Plug and Play, and legacy. Setup uses two methods to detect the hardware in your PC. On systems with a Plug and Play BIOS, Setup polls the system for installed Plug and Play devices. Setup also can identify Plug and Play devices on legacy systems that don't have a Plug and Play BIOS. To identify legacy devices, Windows 98 Setup divides hardware into different classes. Sound cards fall into one class, SCSI host adapters fall into another, and so on. Setup uses these distinctions to simplify hardware detection and reduce the possibility of hardware conflicts during detection. Through the use of an internal list of devices and their signatures, Setup detects hardware based on classification. Setup scans ROM strings, con- figuration files, and device drivers in memory to detect the signatures of various devices. These signature hints enable Setup to scan your system for various types of devices with relatively little chance of locking up the system during the detection phase. This is because the hints narrow the list of possible devices to further avoid the possibility that Setup might direct a driver to poll the wrong device. If no hints are found for a particular class of device, Setup skips detection for the entire class. If Setup finds no hint of a sound card, for example, it does not perform hardware detection to locate and identify a sound card. Microsoft uses the term safe detection to describe Setup's capability to perform detection through hints rather than direct hardware access. Setup provides safe detection for the following four classes of devices: * Network adapters * SCSI host adapters * Sound cards * Proprietary CD-ROM adapters Setup scans memory for LSL.COM and IPX.COM to determine whether to scan for network settings, and also scans the Windows, Windows for Workgroups, and LAN Manager directories for Page 46

Inside Windows 98 PROTOCOL.INI. If Setup locates PROTOCOL.INI, it extracts network settings from the file. Most SCSI host adapters do not require a driver in CONFIG.SYS (pre-Windows 98) to support a SCSI hard disk. Device drivers are typically required, however, to support other SCSI devices such as tape drives, CD-ROM drives, scanners, and other devices. Therefore, Setup scans the ROM address space for hint strings that indicate the presence of a SCSI host adapter to provide support for SCSI hard disks. Setup also scans CONFIG.SYS to provide support for other SCSI devices. Proprietary CD-ROM adapters typically require a device driver installed in CONFIG.SYS, so Setup scans CONFIG.SYS to locate hints for safe detection of these adapters. Windows 98 supports proprietary CD-ROM adapters from Mitsumi, SONY, and Panasonic. Sound cards are one type of device on which Setup relies heavily for safe detection. Rather than poll I/O addresses for sound cards, Setup scans CONFIG.SYS and SYSTEM.INI for sound card hints. If Setup finds no sound-related device drivers or other hints in CONFIG.SYS or SYSTEM.INI, it completely skips detection of sound cards. Now that you have some background in the Setup process and in how Setup detects hardware, you're ready to begin troubleshooting your Setup problems. The following section explains how to use Safe Recovery to troubleshoot and overcome a failed installation. Using Safe Recovery When Setup experiences a problem, it attempts to automatically correct or compensate for that problem. How Setup proceeds after a failed setup attempt depends on the timing of the failure. But no matter when the problem occurs, Setup relies on two log files that it creates during installation to determine the cause of the failure and overcome the problem. These log files--SETUPLOG.TXT and DETLOG.TXT--are described in the following sections. SETUPLOG.TXT and Failures Prior to Hardware Detection If the failure occurs prior to the hardware detection phase, Setup reads the file SETUPLOG.TXT to determine the point at which the problem occurred. SETUPLOG.TXT is an ASCII (text-only) file to which Setup writes status information during the installation process. When a failure occurs and you restart Setup, it scans SETUPLOG.TXT to identify processes that started but did not complete. The processes that failed are skipped. Although it is possible that Setup could fail multiple times, the fact that Setup skips failed processes on subsequent tries ensures that the installation process always progresses, even though some items might not be installed completely. The end result is that Windows 98 often can install basic support and run, enabling you to incorporate the skipped items manually. Page 47

Inside Windows 98 Unfortunately, Setup does not inform you of which items it has skipped. NOTE: Setup creates SETUPLOG.TXT in the root directory of the boot disk. If you experience a problem with Setup, check your system for a copy of SETUPLOG.TXT (this can be a large file) and scan the file to determine if you can identify the point or points at which Setup failed. If you were able to install a minimal Windows 98 configuration and boot without support for certain devices, you can open Notepad or WordPad in Windows 98 to read SETUPLOG.TXT. If Setup was unable to install a minimal working copy of Windows 98, you should be able to boot your system to DOS and use the EDIT command to read the file. If you are unable to boot the system from the hard disk, you can boot using a DOS system disk. The following list explains the majority of sections you might find in a SETUPLOG.TXT file: * [Choose Directory]. This section specifies the installation directory, information about the Windows 98 source files and directories, the type of installation you selected (typical, custom, and so on), and other general information about the Setup prior to the detection phase. * [FileCopy]. This section provides a lengthy list of the files that were copied to your system during Setup. * [OptionalComponents]. This section lists the optional components and which ones were installed. A value of 1 for a component, such as "Calculator"=1, indicates that the component was installed. A value of zero indicates that the component was not installed. * [Restart]. This section lists processes that Setup performed after it restarted the system. * [System]. This section lists your system hardware configuration, such as display type, keyboard type, and so forth. * [NameAndOrg]. This section contains the user and organization names that were entered during Setup. * [Destination]. This section lists paths that Setup uses to track file destinations. * [Setup]. This section contains a variety of settings that specify options selected during Setup. * [Network]. This section contains settings that indicate network setup options that were specified. Page 48

Inside Windows 98 * [Started]. This section contains messages and options generated during the initial startup phase of Setup. * [Detection]. This section contains status information and messages regarding the initial detection phase. In addition to the sections described in the previous list, the SETUPLOG.TXT file also can contain additional sections and settings. If you scan through SETLOG.TXT, you will notice that the entries in the file follow the logical progression of the Setup process, with initial Setup actions appearing near the top of the file and actions that occur near the end of the Setup process appearing near the end of the file. DETLOG.TXT and Failures During Hardware Detection During the hardware detection phase, Setup creates and writes to a hidden file name DETLOG.TXT, storing in DETLOG.TXT the hardware that was detected and the parameters for each device. The DETLOG.TXT file also is modified when you use the Device Manager or Add New Hardware Wizard from the Control Panel. DETLOG.TXT, therefore, serves as a common hardware detection log for each of the functions that adds hardware support for Windows 98. If a DETLOG.TXT file already exists, it is renamed DETLOG.OLD, and a new DETLOG.TXT file is created. Setup creates the DETLOG.TXT file in the root directory of the boot disk. NOTE: Hardware detection occurs only if you specify the auto-detection option in the Add New Hardware Wizard or in Setup. Otherwise, a device must be added manually. Windows 98 updates the DETLOG.TXT file only if automatic detection takes place. Although Setup can track and overcome hardware detection errors, it doesn't use DETLOG.TXT for that purpose. Instead, DETLOG.TXT serves only as a log that you can use to identify hardware detection problems. If a detection error occurs, Setup creates a binary file named DETCRASH.LOG and reads DETCRASH.LOG in subsequent installation attempts to overcome the hardware detection problem. If your system locks up during the hardware detection phase, Setup will bypass the failed device during the next installation attempt. If you want to track down the source of the problem, you can boot the system to DOS and scan DETLOG.TXT for possible problems. Table 4.2 describes settings you will find in a typical DETLOG.TXT file. TABLE 4.2 DETLOG.TXT Settings Setting | Function Parameters | Lists command-line switches that were used to Page 49

start Setup

Inside Windows 98

WinVer | Lists DOS and Windows versions detected by Setup AvoidMem | Specifies upper memory blocks that Setup avoids during detection LogCrash | Specifies whether or not a valid DETCRASH.LOG file was found DetectClass:Skip | Indicates that Setup Class found no hints for a class of devices and is skipping the class Detected | Lists a component that was detected UserOverride | Records classes that you directed Setup to skip during installation Verifying and Updating Your Windows 98 Installation In previous releases of Windows 3.x, the loss or corruption of a single system file could require that you completely reinstall Windows. Just as is the case in Windows 95, Windows 98 has a much better mechanism for recovering from damaged or overwritten files. If you run Setup on a computer on which Windows 98 has already been successfully installed, Setup detects the existing copy of Windows 98 and displays a dialog box inquiring whether you want to perform a complete setup or simply verify your current Windows 98 installation. If you indicate that you want to verify your current installation, Setup runs through the installation process, but instead of recopying all the operating system components and files, Setup verifies the files. If a file is corrupted or is a different version, Setup recopies the file from the distribution disks or CD. Tips for Specific Setup Problems The following sections provide tips for overcoming specific problems during Setup that are not discussed specifically in the previous sections. Setup Will Not Start This might occur when you are running setup from DOS and is generally due to a lack of sufficient free RAM. Setup requires a minimum of 420 KB of free conventional memory. Issue the MEM /C command at the DOS prompt to determine the amount of free conventional memory. If your system has less than 420 KB free, check CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT for device drivers and TSRs that you can eliminate to acquire enough memory to run Setup. In general, you need to retain your extended memory manager (such as HIMEM.SYS) and any device drivers that are required for your system to recognize critical devices such as CD-ROM drives (if installing from CD). If necessary, eliminate device drivers for Page 50

Inside Windows 98 nonessential devices such as sound cards. You have the following three options for eliminating the unnecessary device drivers and TSRs from memory: * Delete their entries from CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT and reboot * Comment their entries in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT and reboot * Simply reboot and bypass the entries in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT To comment an entry in CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT, place a semicolon at the beginning of the line. NOTE: If you are using a version of DOS prior to 6.x, you must comment out the lines in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT--these versions of DOS do not support single-step boot. If you don't have any device drivers in CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT that are required to access critical hardware, such as a CD-ROM drive, you can bypass your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files altogether. Setup will load its own extended memory driver and continue with the installation process. To bypass your startup files with MS-DOS 6.x, press F5 when you see the message Starting MS-DOS. With earlier versions of DOS, rename CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT to CONFIG.OLD and AUTOEXEC.OLD and then reboot. Other problems starting Setup include the lack of available extended memory and the inability to access the source disk (floppy or CD). Windows 98 requires a minimum of 3 MB of extended memory, which means that the absolute minimum amount of RAM required in a system to run Setup is 4 MB. If your PC contains less than 4 MB of RAM, you will not be able to run Setup or use Windows 98. Also, verify that you can access the drive you are using to install Windows 98. Error B1 If you receive the B1 error during Setup, you are installing Windows 98 on a 386 PC with a B1 step CPU. The B1 step chip, manufactured prior to April 1987, contains a bug that causes incorrect 32-bit math operations, rendering the chip unusable for Windows 98. You could replace the CPU with a later 386 chip, but upgrading to a faster processor is a much more effective solution. Problems During File Copy If Setup experiences problems while in the file copy phase Page 51

Inside Windows 98 (copying files from the distribution disk or CD to your hard disk), the problem could be due to virus detection and protection software. If you are running virus software, disable it and retry Setup. If your PC has virus protection built into the BIOS, run the PC's BIOS setup program and disable virus protection, then run Setup. Incorrect DOS Version If you receive an error similar to Incorrect DOS version, verify that you are running MS-DOS 3.2 or later, or the equivalent OEM version of DOS as discussed previously in this chapter. This problem also can be caused by 386MAX. If you are running the 386MAX memory manager on your system, disable 386MAX in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT, reboot, and retry Setup. Standard Mode: Fault in MS-DOS Extender This error generally is the result of a memory conflict. To overcome the problem, check your CONFIG.SYS file and remove EMM386 from the file, if one exists, and reboot. After you've re-booted, you can run setup again. Cannot Open File *.IF If you receive an error message similar to this one, you might need to free some additional memory. Exit Windows 3.x or Windows 95, remove SmartDrive from CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT, then reboot the system. Restart Windows 3.x or 95 and try again to run Windows 98 Setup. If the problem persists, make sure you are not running any other programs in Windows when you try to run Setup. Also, remove other nonessential programs and TSRs from CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. Remember that freeing-up as much memory as possible is always a good installation tactic. No Valid Boot Partition If Setup generates the error message Setup unable to find valid boot partition, you do not have a valid, bootable partition on your hard disk. Verify that you have a valid boot partition--if you can boot the PC from the hard disk, you do. Troubleshooting Startup After you get Windows 98 installed, you shouldn't encounter any problems starting it. If Windows 98 does fail to start, you can use some standard troubleshooting techniques, such as scanning the BOOTLOG.TXT file to locate the source of the problem. BOOTLOG.TXT is created the first time Windows 98 starts up. The file is hidden and located in the root directory of the system. Windows 98 uses the file to write initialization and completion status information for all aspects of the startup process. On subsequent boots, however, Windows 98 does not write to BOOTLOG.TXT automatically--you must direct it to do so. Page 52

Inside Windows 98 To prompt Windows 98 to write to BOOTLOG.TXT during startup, press F8 as the system begins to boot. This displays the boot menu. Select option 2 from the menu, and Windows 98 will create a BOOTLOG.TXT file during startup. If you are starting Windows 98 from the command prompt, enter WIN /B to start Windows 98 and to enable it to create a BOOTLOG.TXT file. Windows 98 logs the initialization of each process with an entry such as Loading, LoadStart, *INIT, or a similar indicator that a process has been started. The completion of a process is marked by an entry containing a string such as SUCCESS or DONE. Each process should therefore be marked by a pair of entries, one for the initialization and another for the completion of the process. The first two lines in a typical BOOTLOG.TXT file, for example, are the following: Loading Device = C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS LoadSuccess = C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS The secret to effectively using BOOTLOG.TXT for diagnosing startup problems is to search the file for processes for which there is a startup entry but no corresponding completion entry. For example, if you find an entry that reads Loading Device = C:\WINDOWS\DBLBUFF.SYS, but there is no entry that reads LoadSuccess = C:\WINDOWS\DBLBUFF.SYS, double-buffering for your SCSI hard disk failed to load, indicating a possible problem with the SCSI subsystem. Tips for Specific Startup Problems This section of the chapter describes problems you might encounter during Windows 98 startup and offers suggestions for overcoming those problems. System Hangs after Setup If your Windows 98 system hangs the first time it attempts to boot after installation, the problem could lie in Windows 98's capability to detect ISA-based adapters that support a limited Plug and Play capability. Windows 98 uses a software module referred to as the ISA enumerator to detect these devices, but the detection process can be hung by the ISA enumerator attempting to access a port that is in use by another device. If Windows 98 hangs the first time it tries to boot, boot the system to DOS, remove the line device=ISAPNP.386 from System.ini, and attempt to reboot Windows 98. System Registry File Missing The Registry is comprised of two files: SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT. When the Registry is modified, Windows 98 makes a backup copy of the two Registry files, naming them SYSTEM.DA0 and USER.DA0. If a problem occurs with the Registry files during startup (files are corrupted or missing), Windows 98 attempts to restore the backup (.DA0) files to create a working Registry. If Windows 98 Page 53

Inside Windows 98 is unable to restore the files, it starts in Safe mode and displays a dialog box you can use to initiate the Registry recovery. TIP: If you receive a Registry error message during startup, boot to the command line and check the MSDOS.SYS file for the setting WinDir. Verify that WinDir points to the directory where the Registry files are located. If the WinDir setting is blank or missing, correct the setting and resave the file. Then, reboot the system. Without a valid Registry, Windows 98 will be capable of only very limited functionality. If Windows 98 is unable to recover the Registry from the backup files, you must either copy the Registry file(s) from a backup set to the directory specified by the WinDir setting in MSDOS.SYS, or run Setup again to enable Setup to create a new Registry. Disabling Virus Protection in the BIOS If your system BIOS includes a virus protection feature that prevents applications from writing to the boot sector of the hard disk, you will experience problems with Setup failing near the end of the installation process and with Windows 98 not starting properly. Run your BIOS setup program and disable virus protection until you have Windows 98 installed and working properly. Then, re-enable your BIOS virus protection and retest Windows 98 to verify that it works properly. Problems with VxDs During installation, Setup copies a number of individual VxDs to the file VMM32.VXD in the \Windows\System folder. A missing or damaged VxD, whether an individual VxD or one included in VMM32.VXD, can cause Windows 98 to abort startup. Normally, you will see a message informing you of which VxD caused the problem. One solution is to run Setup again and choose the Verify option. Setup will restore the VxD. You also can simply copy the VxD to the \Windows\System\Vmm32 folder. Then, add an entry to the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI that reads device=file.vxd, where file.vxd is the name of the VXD you copied. If two instances of the same VxD are loaded, the second one takes precedence over the first and intercepts and handles all calls to the VxD. Therefore, if a copy of a VxD in VMM32.VXD is damaged, copying the individual VxD file to the \Windows\System\Vmm32 folder can overcome the problem. Running Setup again and performing a verify operation, however, is preferable because other files could have also been damaged. Creating and Using a Startup Disk During the installation process, Setup gives you the option of Page 54

Inside Windows 98 creating a startup disk. This startup disk is a bootable Windows 98 disk containing a selection of utility files and programs such as FDISK, ScanDisk, Edit, and so on. TIP: It's important that you create a startup disk to enable you to boot the computer if your hard disk fails or your Windows 98 startup files become corrupted. Hopefully, you created a startup disk when you installed Windows 98. If you did not create a startup disk, and Windows 98 is running properly, you can create one yourself. To create a startup disk, open the Control Panel and choose the Add/Remove Programs icon. Then click on the Startup Disk tab from the Add/Remove Programs property sheet to display the Startup Disk property page (see Figure 4.1). Choose the Create Disk button to direct Windows 98 to create a startup disk. FIGURE 4.1 Creating a startup disk. General Troubleshooting Techniques In addition to the specific solutions outlined in the previous sections, a number of general troubleshooting techniques exist that can help you overcome a variety of problems with Windows 98. The following sections discuss general troubleshooting and optimization techniques and offer some tips to help you get your system back in working condition. The Causes of System Trouble Unless you've been living in a vacuum, you know that Murphy's Law states "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Computer systems are to some degree subject to this "law" in that over time their performance degrades as a result of changes made to the system. These changes can either be hardware- or software-related. In other words, the system might be optimized and work perfectly well on day one of the installation, but after users have had a crack at the system, performance tends to decrease, even to the point of a total system failure. Whatever the cause of your PC's problem, following some general steps will generally help you resolve the problem and get your PC working again. As you are troubleshooting, keep the following ideas in mind: * The problem is likely being caused by a change that you or someone else has made to the system. * If the problem is caused by a hardware failure, you should be able to not only identify the problem, but to fix it. * The problem might be the result of more than one action. Don't assume that fixing one problem will solve the entire Page 55

problem.

Inside Windows 98

* You should follow some specific steps and procedures to troubleshoot the problem. The last point in the previous list is perhaps the most important for effective troubleshooting. A methodical approach generally brings results. The following sections explain some of the procedures and techniques you should use when troubleshooting a problem in Windows 98. Using Backups The Registry consists of two files: USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT. These Registry files generally reside in the Windows directory or in the directory specified by the WinDir setting in the MSDOS.SYS file (which is located in the root directory of the boot disk). If you have configured Windows 98 to support multiple desktop configurations, however, a unique USER.DAT file resides in each user's profile directory. If your user name is JoeJ, for example, your USER.DAT file resides in the \Windows\Profiles\JoeJ folder. In all cases, however, only one SYSTEM.DAT file is used. You should seriously consider backing up the Registry. If a problem does occur and Windows 98 is unable to successfully restore the Registry, you can boot the computer to the command prompt and restore the backup files yourself. Windows 98 provides two methods for backing up the registry. You can choose to use either ARCserve Agent or the Backup Exec Agent to back up the Registry. Just be sure to check the Allowed Registry to be restored box. After this is done you can then back up the system's Registry settings (see Figure 4.2). FIGURE 4.2 The Backup utility. The method you use to back up your Registry files depends entirely on your preferences and whether you perform regular backups of other files. If nothing else, back up your Registry files to a floppy disk at least once a week and always before you begin installing new hardware or software. Using System Logs One of the best tools in troubleshooting a system is to have that system thoroughly documented. Although this might not be practical with a workstation, it makes good sense on a system used as a file or print server in peer-to-peer mode (Windows 98 workstation as a server). Although few people do so, it is a good idea to maintain a set of logs for your computer. These logs should list the hardware installed in your PC, the settings of each hardware component, changes you have made to the hardware or software configuration, and any other changes, however minor, that you make to your system. When a problem occurs, you can scan the log to identify a related change that Page 56

might be causing the problem.

Inside Windows 98

TIP: Although you could easily keep a log on your PC as a Notepad or WordPad file, you should also keep a hard copy of the log in case you are unable to boot your system to read the log. Using Startup Switches Windows 98 supports a number of command-line switches you can include with the WIN command to start Windows 98 with various options enabled and disabled for troubleshooting purposes. To start Windows 98 with a command-line switch, first boot the system to the command prompt. To do so, press the F8 key while the system is booting (any time after the PC completes the power-on self test). When the Boot menu appears, select option 6, "Command prompt only," to boot Windows 98 to the command prompt, then enter WIN /D followed by the appropriate switch as described in the following sections. For example, you would enter WIN /D:F to start Windows 98 with 32-bit disk access turned off. * :F. Turns off 32-bit disk access. Using this switch is similar to the setting 32BitDiskAccess=FALSE in the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI. Turning off 32-bit disk access is necessary with drives that are not compatible with Windows 98's 32-bit disk access. * :M. Enables Safe mode and is similar to selecting option 3, "Safe mode," from the Boot menu or pressing F5 during the boot process. * :S. Prevents Windows 98 from using ROM address space between F000:0000 and 1 MB for a break point. This switch is equivalent to the setting SystemROMBreakPoint=FALSE in the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI. * :V. Specifies that the ROM routine will handle interrupts from the hard disk controller, and is equivalent to a setting of VirtualHDIRQ=FALSE in the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI. * :X. Excludes all of the UMA range from Windows 98's use, and is equivalent to the setting EMMExclude=A000-FFFF in the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI. This switch can help you identify memory conflicts in the UMA between devices. Using Safe Mode As a method of dealing with many possible problems, Windows 98 includes a Safe mode, which boots a minimal operating system environment. By eliminating the majority of drivers, Safe mode typically enables you to at least boot your system so that you can run Setup or the Control Panel to correct the problem. If Page 57

Inside Windows 98 your network adapter is improperly configured, for example, Safe mode enables you to boot the machine and use the Control Panel to remove and add drivers and configuration settings as necessary. Windows 98 actually supports two Safe modes: one without network support and one with network support. If you are experiencing a network problem, you should use Safe mode without network support. If the problem is not related to the network, you can boot using Safe mode with network support in order to access a server and driver files as necessary to correct your problem. To boot Safe mode without network support, press F5 during the boot process or press F8 to display the Boot menu and choose option 3, "Safe mode." To boot Safe mode with network support, press F6 at the beginning of the boot process or press F8 to display the boot menu, then choose option 4, "Safe mode with network support." When Windows 98 boots using Safe mode, only the minimum drivers required to get Windows 98 up and running are loaded. Windows 98 also uses a standard VGA driver to enable you to boot the system when a video driver is the problem. Using Single-Step Boot Windows 98 eliminates much of the need for a CONFIG.SYS file or loading real mode drivers in CONFIG.SYS, but some devices still require real mode drivers. If you believe that a real mode driver is causing your Windows 98 problem, you can single-step through the boot process to possibly identify errors that occur when the driver is loaded. To single-step through the boot process, press F8 at the beginning to display the Boot menu, then choose option 5, "Step-by-step confirmation." Windows 98 displays each line of your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files in turn, enabling you to confirm the execution of each one. You also can bypass entries in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT that you feel might be causing the problem. If you bypass an entry and Windows 98 boots and runs normally, it is a good indication that the bypassed driver is the cause of the problem. Using a Clean Boot If you are an experienced DOS user, you probably are familiar with the term clean boot, which means to bypass the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files altogether during boot. In DOS 6.x, you can accomplish a clean boot by pressing F5 during the boot process. In Windows 98, there actually are two ways to perform a clean boot. Booting Windows 98 in Safe Mode bypasses the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, effectively performing a clean boot. You might, however, want to bypass your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files and boot Windows 98 in Normal mode to retain Page 58

Inside Windows 98 network support or other normal Windows 98 features that are not available in Safe mode. In this situation, you need to rename your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files so that they will be bypassed during boot. For example, rename CONFIG.SYS to CONFIG.OLD and AUTOEXEC.BAT to AUTOEXEC.OLD and then reboot the system. NOTE: If you boot your system to DOS to rename the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, you must rename CONFIG.WIN and AUTOEXEC.WIN. These two files are renamed CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT when you boot Windows 98. The CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files you see when you boot the system to DOS are the DOS configuration files that are stored in CONFIG.DOS and AUTOEXEC.DOS when the system is booted to Windows 98. Using the Startup Disk The startup disk, which you can create during Windows 98 installation or after installation through the Control Panel, provides a means to boot your system from a set of known good files. To boot from the startup disk, simply insert the startup disk in your PC's boot floppy disk drive and reset the computer. The Windows 98 command line will boot from the floppy. After the system is booted, you can use the tools on the floppy disk to begin troubleshooting and clearing up your computer's problems. The startup disk includes ScanDisk, FDISK, and other utility programs you can use to fix disk and other types of problems. TIP: If your computer's boot sector becomes damaged for some reason (such as a virus infection), you can re-create the master boot record using the FDISK program on the startup disk. Write-protect the startup disk to avoid possible virus infection, then boot the system using the startup disk. Make the hard disk active, then, at the command prompt, enter A:FDISK /MBR. Remove the startup disk and reboot the system. Sources of Information for Troubleshooting Many other good sources of information can help you identify and overcome a variety of problems with your computer. The following list describes just a few of these resources: * Microsoft Knowledgebase. The Microsoft Knowledgebase is a database of over 40,000 technical documents maintained by Microsoft that detail bugs and answers to questions about Microsoft products. You can gain access to the Microsoft Knowledgebase on CompuServe (GO MSKB), and on the Internet at Microsoft's World Wide Web server, www.microsoft.com. Page 59

Inside Windows 98 * Microsoft Connection. The Microsoft Connection (GO MICROSOFT) is a collection of forums on CompuServe that offer information, files, and interaction with users of various Microsoft products around the world. * Microsoft Internet Services. In addition to the Knowledgebase, Microsoft provides access to a wide variety of information and services on the Internet at the Web site www.microsoft.com. These services include information about Microsoft products, sales, and technical support. * Keeping Your PC Alive, Special Edition. This book from New Riders Publishing gives the layman the skills necessary to troubleshoot and repair a wide variety of typical computer problems. The book also covers hardware upgrades, enabling the average user to install almost any new component, including CPU upgrades. ----------

-5-

Adding and Configuring Hardware * Understanding Hardware Configuration Issues * Improved Device Management * Improved Driver Structure * 32-Bit System Drivers * Support for PC Card Devices * Support for Docking Stations * Dynamically Loaded Device Drivers * Getting Ready to Install New Devices * Understanding Plug and Play * Installing a Plug and Play Device * Installing and Configuring Hardware Manually * Configuring and Using PC Card Devices * Using the 32-Bit PC Card Drivers * Specifying PC Card Controller and Device Settings * Hot Swapping PC Card Devices * Controlling Devices with the Device Manager * Viewing and Changing Device Properties * Changing Drivers * Changing Device Resource Assignments * Removing a Device * Setting Specific Device Properties * Printing System and Device Summaries * Using Multiple Hardware Profiles * Creating a Hardware Profile * Using Different Resource Settings * Using Real-Mode and Windows 3.x Drivers * Overcoming Device Conflicts * Using Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) Devices Page 60

* Enabling Multiple Display Support

Inside Windows 98

* Configuring and Using USB and IEEE 1394 Devices * Supporting USB Devices * Using IEEE 1394 Devices * Configuring Video Disk (DVD) Devices * Configuring and Using Power Management In DOS and Windows 3.x environments, adding new hardware to your system was often a time-consuming effort that took considerable trial and error sometimes involving substantial hardware and software reconfiguration. At times, the process exceeded the average user's knowledge and capabilities. With the release of Windows 95 the process was streamlined considerably. That trend continues with the Windows 98 release. Though not flawless, adding new devices it is simpler than ever before. Typically you simply install the device and turn on the PC, and Windows 98 automatically installs support for the device. This automatic installation works for many devices without Plug and Play BIOS support. This chapter explains the processes you use to install and configure support for new hardware in your PC, and covers the following topics: * Understanding driver and configuration issues * Understanding and using automatic configuration * Installing and configuring hardware manually * Configuring and using PC Card devices * Controlling devices with the Device Manager * Using Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) Devices * Configuring and Using USB and IEEE 1394 Devices * Configuring Video Disk (DVD) Devices * Configuring and Using Power Management You perform most Windows 98 hardware and software configuration tasks through the Control Panel, using the System object and Add New Hardware object. The following material discusses these tools and their effective use. Understanding Hardware Configuration Issues Windows 98 has features built into it that simplify the task of installing and configuring new hardware. Principal among these features is Windows 98's support for the automatic installation Page 61

Inside Windows 98 and configuration of hardware. This includes support for Plug and Play systems (those that have a Plug and Play BIOS) and for legacy systems (computers that have standard BIOS, not designed for Plug and Play). We will discuss automatic installation and configuration and as well as Plug and Play in the section "Understanding and Using Automatic Configuration" later in this chapter. For the time being it is enough to understand that in most instances, Windows 98 automatically installs support for most commercially available adapters and peripherals. This is a wonderful feature of Windows 98 as even a novice user can perform device installation with relative ease. Another beneficial feature of Windows 98 in supporting automatic installation and configuration of additional devices is the installation wizards. These wizards automate installation and configuration of devices that Windows 98 can't install and configure automatically. Installing a modem, for example, is as simple as selecting a few choices in the modem installation wizard. In most cases, Windows 98 can detect your modem to determine its manufacturer and type. In the event the device isn't detected, install the driver from the disk supplied with your modem. As well as making it easier for you to install and configure devices such as CD-ROM drives, sound cards, and video adapters, installation of printers is also a relative breeze in Windows 98, especially across the network. To install support for a network printer, you often can just drag the printer's icon from the Network Neighborhood folder to your desktop. Windows 98 automatically copies the necessary driver files from the server to which the printer is connected. (For more information about installing and using printers, refer to Chapter 8, "Printing and Managing Printers.") The following sections briefly explain some of the other improvements in Windows 98 for hardware configuration and support. Improved Device Management Windows 98 makes it easy to view, manage, and modify drivers and hardware configuration settings. Through the Device Manager, which you access by using the System object in the Control Panel, you are presented with a unified mechanism for managing your drivers and hardware settings. The Device Manager is explored in detail later in this chapter in the section "Controlling Devices with the Device Manager." Improved Driver Structure Just as its predecessor, Windows 95, Windows 98 ships with strong support for hardware devices and peripherals. So instead of relying on hardware manufacturers for the drivers of a particular device, Windows 98 implements a mini-driver architecture to support disk devices, pointer devices, video display adapters, modems, and printing devices. These Page 62

Inside Windows 98 mini-drivers are really "universal" drivers comprised of device-independent code. These additional mini-drivers simplify writing device drivers for Windows 98 and enable better driver performance through the use of 32-bit mini-drivers. Using this device driver approach provides many benefits: * Support for independent hardware vendors (IHVs). Through the mini-driver architecture IHVs are able to develop their side of the driver code (the code that controls the device) while Microsoft implements the device-independent portion of the code (the code that directly interacts with the operating system). Since there is conceivably less coding involved on the part of the IHVs, they are can bring compatible drivers to Windows 98 quickly, and spend more of their time making sure the driver code is as efficient as possible. * System reliability and stability. The device-independent driver, written by Microsoft, is base code that resides between Windows 98 as an operating system and the IHV written device-dependent code. It is "trusted code" in that it has been thoroughly tested and debugged. As such that portion of the driver is stable, rendering the system more reliable. * Support for future driver development. IHVs will be able to leverage their expertise developing mini-drivers through forward compatibility. This means that as improvements are made to the dependent mini-driver they can be implemented in a modular fashion, allowing for a faster implementation in improvements to the driver. 32-Bit System Drivers The system virtual device drivers in Windows 98 help to enhance hardware performance. By replacing many of the 16-bit system drivers found in previous versions of Windows and DOS with 32-bit virtual device drivers, overall system performance is given a boost. These device drivers include the following: * The FAT32 file system * SmartDrive disk cache * CD-ROM file system * Network clients, protocols, and services * PCMCIA driver * Virtual Share (vshare) driver to replace SHARE.EXE * Drivers for hard disks, including SCSI devices * DriveSpace support (which includes DoubleSpace support) Many of these items are described in detail in other chapters. Page 63

Inside Windows 98 Support for PC Card Devices With the proliferation of notebook computers PCMCIA is now an important issue. Now being called "PC Cards," PCMCIA Devices benefit from excellent support in Windows 98. Windows 98 uses its Plug and Play architecture to support hot swapping and auto-configuration of PC Card devices. You can remove and insert PC Card devices without powering down the system or shutting down Windows 98. You can plug in a modem, for example, and Windows 98 automatically configures the modem so that you can begin using it. Inserting a network adapter causes Windows 98 to automatically make the network available and updates the interface to show available network resources (if that system is properly configured). Support for Docking Stations Windows 98 provides support for something called hot docking. Hot docking is the dynamic docking and undocking of a notebook computer to a docking station. Windows 98 automatically detects the docking or undocking of a system and adjusts to the condition. For example, the video from one environment to another will change and Windows 98 changes its video support to match the current video. This support is dependent on the BIOS of the system which must support hot docking. Dynamically Loaded Device Drivers One nice feature for improved memory performance is Windows 98's ability to manage memory. Windows 98 supports dynamically loading device drivers, which means Windows 98 only loads a device driver when it is needed and removes the driver from memory when the driver is not needed. So if you are using a notebook computer, the PC Card drivers are dynamic loaded only when a device is inserted into a socket. When the device is removed, its driver is removed from memory. This dynamic device driver design also is implemented with other Windows 98 device drivers. Getting Ready to Install New Devices Now that we have discussed some of the changes in Windows 98 that relate to hardware installation and configuration, you're ready to begin installing and managing your hardware. The following section explains how to take advantage of Windows 98's Plug and Play support for automatic installation of non-Plug and Play devices. * Understanding and Using Automatic Configuration Windows 98 has enhanced ability to automate hardware installation and configuration. In most cases this includes providing support for Plug and Play and the automatic installation of non-Plug and Play devices (such as standard ISA adapters). As an operating system feature, Plug and Play is one Page 64

Inside Windows 98 of the most significant usability benefits in Windows 98. The following section explains Plug and Play in more detail and ways you can take advantage of it. Understanding Plug and Play Plug and Play is really a set of industry specifications that defines mechanisms by which a computer's operating system (in this case, Windows 98) can detect and configure hardware. Most hardware manufacturers now design their adapters and peripherals to support Plug and Play. Other types of systems and hardware, frequently older, that are not designed to support Plug and Play are referred to as legacy systems and hardware. As many users know first-hand, installing legacy hardware in older systems can be a frustrating experience. With older adapters, for example, you have to hard-set the card through configuring either jumpers or dip switches. You are also required to know what resources on your system are already in use and ensure there are no conflicts with existing devices. Provided you have a device that supports Plug and Play, installing and configuring new hardware in Windows 98 is a simple process. Windows 98 configures the new device using settings that do not conflict with other devices, and installs the necessary driver support for the device. Essentially, the device configures itself. Although systems that have Plug and Play BIOS are only now becoming more common, you still can take advantage of Plug and Play to an extent on legacy systems. The Windows 98 Setup process searches memory, ROM, and existing configuration files for hints of legacy devices for which it can automatically install support. Through this capability, Setup often can automatically detect and install support for a device, even if it is not Plug and Play compliant. Almost all of the systems and devices being sold today support Plug and Play. In the next section we take a look at some of the more important issues relating to these device types. ISA Devices ISA is an acronym for Industry Standard Architecture. The ISA bus and its related devices were first used in the IBM AT. Today, most PCs have three or four ISA slots, in combination with PCI support. However, the number of new systems that contain PCI local buses is gradually overtaking the number of ISA bus systems. As mention before, Windows 98 can automatically detect and install support for many ISA devices through hints and autodetection features. There is also support for legacy ISA devices and Plug and Play devices in standard ISA-based systems with or without a Plug and Play BIOS. Page 65

EISA Devices

Inside Windows 98

EISA stands for Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture. The EISA bus is an extension of the ISA bus. EISA devices typically are software- configurable, or soft set, and similar to today's new Plug and Play devices. Windows 98 supports automatic detection and configuration of EISA devices, although it does not allocate resources to the EISA devices. Instead, Windows 98 reads the EISA device's resource requirements from the device's nonvolatile RAM where its configuration information is stored. EISA systems can contain ISA, EISA, and Plug and Play devices. SCSI Devices SCSI stands for Small Computer Standard Interface. Common SCSI devices include hard disks, tape drives, CD-ROM drives, and scanners. The SCSI subsystem, the actual card and its drivers, enables multiple devices to be daisy-chained together on a single SCSI host adapter. The SCSI subsystem also works to deliver a performance boost to the overall system through the off loading of work from the CPU and main memory. SCSI host adapters and devices require manual configuration of device IDs and manual bus termination. Plug and Play SCSI host adapters and devices can be configured and terminated automatically. PC Card Devices PC Card devices are credit card-sized adapters that install in special PC Card bus slots, usually in notebook and other portable computers. PC Card adapters are now available for desktop systems, enabling you to use PC Card devices in desktop computers. The Windows 98 32-bit PC Card drivers and Card and Socket Services support Plug and Play for PC Card devices, including automatic detection and configuration and hot swapping (removing and installing PC Card devices while the system is powered up and Windows 98 is running). If your PC Card device requires a manufacturer-supplied real-mode driver, many Plug and Play PC Card features will not be available for the device. For more information on using PC Card devices, read the section "Configuring and Using PC Card Devices" later in this chapter. VESA Local Bus and PCI Local Bus Devices VESA stands for Video Electronic Standards Association. The VESA local (VL) bus provides a high-speed direct connection between the CPU and the VL device, enabling faster performance than possible with a standard ISA bus. VL bus devices are limited primarily to video adapters, although some VL bus disk adapters are available. VL bus devices are treated like legacy ISA devices in Windows 98. Page 66

Inside Windows 98 The PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus also is a high-speed bus, similar to the VL bus, that provides direct connection between the CPU and peripheral devices for increased performance. The PCI bus is used in most Pentium-based and PowerPC-based systems. PCI bus devices are handled similarly to EISA-based devices--Windows 98 does not configure PCI devices, but instead reads the resource requirements from the device's nonvolatile RAM. Installing a Plug and Play Device Installing a Plug and Play device is an easy task: power down the computer, install the device, then turn on the computer. If the system contains a Plug and Play BIOS, the BIOS recognizes the new device, as does Windows 98. Windows 98 then configures the device so that it doesn't conflict with any other devices and installs support for the device so that you can begin using it. Even if the system does not contain a Plug and Play BIOS, Windows 98 usually can properly detect, configure, and install support for the device. If the driver is not already installed, Windows 98 prompts you to insert the disk (or CD) that contains the driver. NOTE: Automatic detection and configuration of Plug and Play devices, as well as many legacy devices, occurs automatically when Windows 98 starts. After you install the device and turn on the computer, you see the standard Windows 98 logon dialog box. After you supply a valid logon name and password, Windows 98 displays a dialog box that informs you it has detected new hardware and will install support for it. If Windows 98 is unable to complete the configuration and installation process on its own, a hardware setup wizard appears to step you through installing the device. Installing and Configuring Hardware Manually In some cases, you will have to manually configure and install a device if you want to use it with Windows 98. Not to worry, even if that is the case; the procedure is relatively simple. If you install a legacy device that Windows 98 can detect, it will most likely complete the installation process on its own, prompting you for a driver disk if necessary. Sometimes Windows 98 can detect that a new device has been installed, but cannot correctly detect the device type or install support for the device. Sometimes Windows 98 cannot detect the device at all. Either way, you can use the Add New Hardware Wizard to install support for the new device. After you install or attach a device, run Windows 98, open the Control Panel and go to the Add New Hardware Wizard, and then click the Next button. At this point, you must choose whether Page 67

Inside Windows 98 you want Windows 98 to try to detect the new device (see Figure 5.1). If Windows 98 did not detect and install the device automatically, the wizard probably will not be able to detect the device. Continue with the Add New Hardware Wizard by clicking on the radio button labeled Yes (Recommended) or No, I want to select the hardware from a list. FIGURE 5.1 Add New Hardware Wizard. If you choose Yes the system will search for the best driver for your device. The Hardware Wizard attempts to detect any new devices installed on your PC (see Figure 5.2). At the completion of the hardware detection, the wizard pauses to let you view the hardware it found. FIGURE 5.2 Windows 98 ready to install the best driver for a device. If you choose Display a list of the drivers in a specific location to prevent the wizard from attempting to detect the hardware, a dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 5.3. From the hardware list, choose the type of device you want to install. Then, click on Next. The wizard displays a hardware selection dialog box you can use to specify the manufacturer and model of the device you are installing. FIGURE 5.3 Device hardware list. After you select the device you want to install, click on the Next button to enable the wizard to install the necessary drivers for the device. If the device manufacturer and model aren't listed, but the device includes a driver disk, choose Have Disk. The wizard prompts you to insert the driver disk so that it can copy the driver files to your PC and configure the device. NOTE: Although you can install nearly any device using the Add New Hardware Wizard, you also can install some types of devices using other objects in the Control Panel. The Modems object enables you to add a new modem, for example, and the Network object enables you to add a new adapter (although Windows 98 probably automatically recognizes the adapter when you start up the system after you install it). Configuring and Using PC Card Devices If your PC includes PC Card slots, Setup should automatically detect and install support for PC Card devices. If Windows 98 detects PC Card slots in your PC, the PC Card object appears in the Control Panel and a PC Card object also appears in the Device Manager (choose the System object in Control Panel to access the Device Manager). Setup also runs the PC Card wizard the first time you start Windows 98 to configure the PC Card Page 68

drivers.

Inside Windows 98

To enable PC Card support if Setup cannot do so automatically, run the PC Card Wizard (choose the PC Card object in the Control Panel or choose the PC Card controller object in the Device Manager). The PC Card Wizard adds 32-bit PC Card driver support for the PC Card devices, and removes (comments out) any real-mode PC Card drivers from any existing CONFIG.SYS file. To determine whether Windows 98 supports your PC Card controller, open the Control Panel and start the Add New Hardware wizard. If your PC Card controller is not supported by a 32-bit Windows driver, you must use the real-mode drivers for the PC Card controller supplied with the PC or controller device (and in some cases, provided with the PC Card devices). In the case of PC Card network adapters, the PC Card socket driver and network driver both must be Plug and Play-compatible to work properly. If you use an older NDIS network driver, you must use the 32-bit Windows 98 PC Card socket driver. If you use a real-mode network driver, you must use a real-mode socket driver. Windows 98 supports NDIS 4.1, a superset of all earlier NDIS specifications. Using the 32-Bit PC Card Drivers If your PC contains a PC Card controller, Setup should automatically detect it during installation. To configure your PC to use the Windows 98 32-bit PC Card socket driver, run the PC Card Wizard in the Control Panel, or double-click on the PC Card object in the Device Manager. The PC Card wizard installs the 32-bit drivers and comments out the real-mode drivers in the CONFIG.SYS file. Then restart the system so that the new drivers can take effect. To verify that enhanced PC Card support is enabled, open the Device Manager and choose the PC Card object, then click on the General tab to display the General property page. A check beside a hardware profile in the Device Usage list indicates that enhanced PC Card support is enabled. Specifying PC Card Controller and Device Settings Windows 98 uses a common set of configuration settings for the PC Card slots when you use the drivers supplied with Windows 98. This works well with most devices. These settings include IRQ and memory window (RAM address range) settings. Some devices, however, require settings different from what Windows 98 uses. If your PC Card device(s) does not work, changing the memory setting or the IRQ of the device might overcome the problem. To specify new settings for the memory window, open the Control Panel and choose the PC Card icon to display the PC Card property sheet. Click on the Global Settings tab to display the Global Settings property page. Page 69

Inside Windows 98 If the Automatic selection check box is enabled, Windows 98 automatically assigns values for the memory window. To specify a different value, clear the Automatic selection check box, then enter different start and end values in the Start and End text boxes based on the requirements specified in the documentation for your PC Card devices. Choose OK to apply the changes. You can change the settings of individual PC Card devices. Double-click on the PC Card device in the Device Manager, or select the device and choose Properties. Windows 98 displays a typical property page for the device. Choose the Resources tab, then choose the Set Configuration Manually button to display a property page. Specify the correct IRQ and memory settings for the device, and then choose OK to apply the changes. Hot Swapping PC Card Devices If your PC Card controller and devices use the 32-bit drivers provided by Windows 98, you can hot swap PC Card devices, which means you can insert and remove PC Card devices without shutting down Windows 98 or powering down your PC. If you want to temporarily remove your network adapter to use a modem, for example, you can leave Windows 98 running. Before you remove a device, however, you should shut down the device to ensure that it is not actively using resources that could become corrupted (such as an open file) or cause the system to lock up. To stop a PC Card device, choose the PC Card object in the Control Panel to display the Socket Status dialog box. Select the device you want to stop, then choose Stop. Windows 98 displays a message indicating when you can remove the device. TIP: You don't need to do a thing before you insert a PC Card in a socket. Simply verify that any necessary cables are attached to the card; then insert the card in its socket. If the device has previously been used in the computer, Windows 98 loads the device drivers for the device and enables the device. If the device has not been used before, Windows 98 detects the device and installs support for it automatically, prompting you for the location of the Windows 98 distribution disks or CD, if necessary. If you use real-mode PC Card controller drivers, however, automatic detection and installation probably will not work and you will have to use the Add New Hardware Wizard to manually add the device driver. Controlling Devices with the Device Manager The Device Manager, which is a property page on the System property sheet, enables you to view and control the devices installed in your PC. Device Manager enables you to change drivers for a device, remove devices from the system, print a Page 70

Inside Windows 98 summary of a device or all devices in the PC, and print a system summary. The following sections explain these uses. Viewing and Changing Device Properties To view and change the properties of a device or class, open the Control Panel and choose the System object. Click on the Device Manager tab to display the Device Manager property page. You can also right click on My Computer, select properties from the menu, and click on the Device Manager tab (see Figure 5.4). FIGURE 5.4 Device Manager. The Device Manager shows the devices in your PC organized by device class as a hierarchical tree, as shown in the previous figure. To view the devices in a particular class, click on the plus sign (+) next to the class name to expand its branch. To collapse the branch, click on the minus sign (-) beside the class name. A device's branch shows the devices that fall under that class. In the Disk drives branch, for example, all the disk drives listed are installed in your PC. To view the properties of a particular device, open the branch in which the device is located, then double-click on the device or select it and choose Properties. The resulting property sheet naturally varies from one device type to another because of the differences between devices. Some devices have a single property page, but others have several. All devices have a General property page that provides general information about the device (such as manufacturer), its driver, and whether the device is working properly. Most devices also have additional pages that enable you to view and set various properties for the device. For example, Figure 5.5 shows the Settings property page for a hard disk drive, and Figure 5.6 shows the Driver page for a video adapter. These all are fairly typical representations of device property pages. FIGURE 5.5 Hard drive settings. FIGURE 5.6 Video driver page. Later sections of this chapter discuss changes you might want to make to specific devices. The following sections explain changes you can make to devices in general. Changing Drivers As you have seen, if you want or need to change the driver for a device, you can use the Device Manager. If the device supports a driver change, the device's property sheet includes a Driver page similar to the one shown in Figure 5.6. Changing Device Resource Assignments Page 71

Inside Windows 98 You might need to change the resources a device uses to overcome a resource conflict or to make a resource available for a new device you install. For example, you might need to change the IRQ a device uses because it conflicts with another device. If a device supports resource changes, the device includes a Resources property page similar to the one shown in Figure 5.7. FIGURE 5.7 Device Resources property page. To change resources for a device, first open its Resources page. If the Resources page includes a Set Configuration Manually button, click on it to display additional controls on the property page that enable you to change resources for the device. Next, clear the Use automatic settings check box to enable the resource controls on the property page. Windows 98 provides multiple basic configurations for many types of devices. These basic configurations are nothing more than common combinations of IRQ, I/O, and DMA settings (where appropriate) for that type of device. You can select a configuration from the drop-down list, which changes the resources displayed in the Resource settings list. When you find the set of resources values that work for your device, choose OK to apply the changes. Removing a Device Sometimes you have to remove a driver. You may accidentally direct Windows 98 might to install two copies of a device, for example, and you need to remove the duplicate. Or, you might remove a component from your system or replace it with another device, and then you don't require the old driver anymore. To remove a device, choose the System object in the Control Panel, then click on the Device Manager tab to display the Device Manager property page. Select the device you want to remove; then choose Remove. If you select a device class from the tree, the entire class and all of its devices are removed. If you open a class and select an individual device, then choose Remove, only the selected device is removed. In many cases, removing a device requires restarting Windows 98, and you are prompted to do so when necessary. Setting Specific Device Properties Detailing every setting of every possible device type is impractical. Instead, the following sections provide an overview of the settings for common devices that you are most likely to need or want to change. The following sections do not cover changing drivers or resource settings, because these two topics are covered earlier in the chapter, in the sections "Changing Drivers" and "Changing Device Resource Assignments." Changing modem and COM port properties is explained in Chapter 19, "Modems and Telephony." Changing CD-ROM Settings

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Inside Windows 98 The Settings property page for a CD-ROM drive (see Figure 5.8) typically shows the SCSI logical unit number, defined by the SCSI host adapter, and the device ID, defined by the hardware settings on the CD-ROM drive itself. The only settings you might need or want to change on the CD-ROM Settings property page are the following: * Auto insert notification. This check box, if enabled, causes Windows 98 to receive notification when you insert a CD into the drive. If you insert an audio CD, Windows 98 opens the CD player and begins to play the CD. If you insert a program CD, Windows 98 starts the program, but only if the CD supports the Windows 98 AutoPlay feature. AutoPlay has no effect on data or program CDs not specifically developed for Windows 98 AutoPlay. * Start drive letter. This setting specifies the beginning drive letter that Windows 98 reserves for removable devices such as CD-ROM drives. The value of this setting defaults to the first drive letter available after your last hard disk drive letter. * End drive letter. This setting specifies the ending drive letter that Windows 98 reserves for removable devices. Increase the value of this setting if you want to make additional drive IDs available for removable drives. FIGURE 5.8 Settings property page for a CD-ROM. NOTE: Typically, you need not change any settings for a hard disk drive or a floppy disk drive. Setting SCSI Host Adapter Properties If your SCSI host adapter requires or can use optional command-line switches to enable special options or features, you can use the Device Manager to add those command-line switches. In the Device Manager, choose the SCSI host adapter from the SCSI controllers class, then choose Properties. Click on the Settings tab to display the Settings property page shown in Figure 5.9. Enter the command-line switches in the Adapter settings text box, then choose OK. NOTE: The command-line switches supported by a SCSI host adapter driver depend solely on the host adapter. FIGURE 5.9 SCSI controller settings. Setting System Device Properties You usually do not have to change any of the settings for the Page 73

Inside Windows 98 devices listed in the System class. In certain situations, however, you might need or want to make some changes to improve performance. The following sections explain some of the changes you can make to common System class devices in the Device Manager. Changing DMA Settings The direct memory access (DMA) controller device in the system class includes two groups of settings you can use to control how Windows 98 handles DMA. Figure 5.10 shows the Settings property page for the direct memory access control device, which you can access by double-clicking on the direct memory access controller object in the System devices class. FIGURE 5.10 DMA settings. The first of these groups, Reserved memory, enables you to specify an amount of RAM to use as a DMA buffer. This setting can be required to increase the DMA buffer size for your network adapter to function properly if you use real-mode network drivers, and also can help overcome problems with other devices that require DMA buffering. To increase the DMA buffer size, place a check in the Reserve DMA buffer check box; then specify the size of the buffer in kilobytes with the associated increment control. The Address restrictions group on the Settings property page enables you to restrict the memory area in which DMA transfers occur. To set a transfer limit, enable the check box in the Address restrictions group, then choose either the 16 MB or 4 GB option. Changing Floating-Point Coprocessor Settings The Numeric data processor device in the System devices class refers to your PC's math coprocessor, sometimes referred to as a floating-point unit, or FPU. In 386 and earlier Intel-compatible processors, the FPU is separate from the CPU. In 486- and Pentium-based CPUs (excluding the 486SX), the FPU is an integral part of the CPU. The FPU designed for the 486SX CPU is a separate chip usually referred to as the 487. The FPU handles the majority of the floating-point math operations in your PC. By performing the calculations in hardware rather than in software, the FPU significantly speeds the performance of applications that rely on math operations (if the application can take advantage of the FPU). Some applications actually require the presence of an FPU to run. Early versions of the Pentium suffer from a bug in the FPU that results in math errors. The Settings page of the numeric data processor's property sheet (see Figure 5.11) enables you to control whether Windows 98 uses the FPU in your system. Windows 98 performs a set of diagnostics on the FPU to determine whether it functions correctly. You can use the three option buttons in Page 74

Inside Windows 98 the Settings page to control whether Windows 98 uses the FPU. If you turn off the FPU, Windows 98 handles math operations in software rather than hardware. This slows down performance but ensures that an FPU error does not affect the accuracy of your applications. FIGURE 5.11 Numeric data processor Properties. Printing System and Device Summaries A useful feature of the Device Manager is the capability to print system and device summaries. A system summary includes information about your system, such as the processor type, BIOS information, machine type, Windows version, and bus type. The system summary also includes a summary of your system's IRQ, I/O port, UMA (upper memory area), and DMA usage. To print a system summary, open the Device Manager, choose the Print button to display the Print dialog box (see Figure 5.12), and then choose the System summary option. FIGURE 5.12 To print a System summary. If you select a device class from the Device Manager's list before you choose the Print button, you can choose the Selected class or device option from the Print dialog box. This option prints a report of the selected class, including the resources (IRQ, DMA, I/O port) and drivers each device in the class uses. If you select a single device in a class, this option prints a similar report of only the selected device. The All devices and system summary option in the Print dialog box prints a system summary and a report for all classes and devices in your system. TIP: You can choose the Print to file check box to print the report to a file rather than the printer. The file contains embedded printer codes for the selected printer. To print a report to an ASCII file without printer codes, use the Add Printer wizard in the Printers folder to add the Generic / Text Only printer, then print your reports to that printer. You can connect the Generic / Text Only printer to the FILE: port or enable the Print to file check box in the Print dialog box to direct the output to a file. Using Multiple Hardware Profiles Windows 98 enables you to maintain multiple hardware profiles and choose from those profiles when you boot the system. Each profile references its own set of devices (many of which are naturally duplicated in each profile), and you can enable or disable a device for a specific profile. When Windows 98 starts, it loads only the device drivers for the devices in the selected profile. Page 75

Inside Windows 98 TIP: If Windows 98 can't determine which profile your PC should use when the PC boots, Windows 98 displays a menu that enables you to choose which profile you want to use to boot the PC. Windows 98 automatically recognizes most docking stations and supports hot docking, which enables you to dock and undock your notebook computer without shutting down Windows 98 or powering down the system. For this reason, multiple hardware profiles generally are not required to support docking stations. In some cases, however, you might need to create and use profiles to support your docking station. You also might want to create multiple hardware profiles in situations in which you use a device only occasionally, and that device puts an abnormal load on the system or conflicts with other devices. In the case of a device conflict, you can remove one of the conflicting devices from each of the profiles, eliminating the conflict. (The ideal solution, however, would be to resolve the conflict within the profile by changing the resource requirements of the devices.) TIP: Although Windows 98 does not store different resource settings for a device in different profiles, you can add multiple instances of a device, specifying different resource settings for each one. You then can enable one instance for one profile, and a different instance for another profile. The methods for using different resource settings for a device are explained later, in the section "Using Different Resource Settings." Creating a Hardware Profile You cannot directly create a hardware profile. Instead, you must copy an existing profile, giving it a new name. You then can add or remove devices as necessary from your hardware profiles. To copy a profile, open the Control Panel, choose the System object, then click on the Hardware Profiles tab to display the Hardware Profiles property page shown in Figure 5.13. FIGURE 5.13 Hardware Profiles. Select from the list in the Hardware Profiles property page the profile you want to copy. By default, your system includes a hardware profile named Original Configuration. Then choose Copy. Windows 98 displays a simple dialog box you can use to enter a name for the new profile. Specify the name of your choice and choose OK. If, later, you want to rename any profile, just select the profile and choose Rename. Windows 98 prompts you for a new name. When you create a profile, Windows 98 places all the devices in Page 76

Inside Windows 98 the source profile in the new profile. You then must modify the profiles, adding or removing devices as necessary. To modify a profile, open the Device Manager property page. Then, select the device you want to add or remove from a profile and display its property sheet. If the device can be removed from the selected profile, the General property page for the device includes a Device usage group that lists all the defined hardware profiles. Beside each profile name is a check box. If the check box is enabled for a profile, the selected device driver will be used in that profile. If the check box is cleared, the device will not be used in that profile. Simply enable or clear the check boxes as necessary and then choose OK. TIP: To add a device to a profile when the device is not yet installed on the system, first run the Add New Hardware Wizard to install the device. Then, open the Hardware Profiles property page and add or remove the device in the appropriate profiles. When you remove a device in Device Manager, Windows 98 displays the Confirm Device Removal dialog box (see Figure 5.14), which enables you to remove a device from all configurations or only a specific configuration. FIGURE 5.14 Device removal. Using Different Resource Settings You cannot maintain different sets of resource settings from one profile to another for the same instance of a device. You can, however, add multiple instances of a device, then apply different resource settings to each instance. Then, you can add and remove instances of the driver from various profiles to achieve the end result of maintaining different resource settings for the same physical device. To install multiple instances of a device, run the Add New Hardware Wizard in the Control Panel and choose manual installation (bypass hardware detection). Use the process described previously in this chapter to install another copy of the device, then use the Device Manager to set its resource properties as necessary. Next, use the Hardware Profiles property page to add and remove devices from each profile as necessary. Using Real-Mode and Windows 3.x Drivers Windows 98 includes 32-bit protected-mode drivers for a wide variety of hardware, and in most cases, you won't have to use older 16-bit real-mode drivers for the devices in your PC. In certain cases in which Windows 98 doesn't include a 32-bit driver for a device, you can use another driver for a compatible device. In some situations, however, you have to continue to use the real-mode drivers that came with the device until the Page 77

Inside Windows 98 manufacturer makes a Windows 98 driver available for the device. Generally, Windows 98 leaves real-mode drivers in place for devices during setup if Setup cannot provide protected-mode driver support for the device. In these situations, the drivers are usually loaded in the CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If you need to use a real-mode driver for a device, you can install the driver in two ways. The first method is to use the Add New Hardware Wizard to install the device. Direct the wizard not to detect the device, and when the wizard displays the manufacturer and model dialog box, click the Have Disk button. Specify the path to the driver disk that was supplied with the device, then follow the remaining prompts to complete the installation process. If the device includes a device driver disk but doesn't support automatic installation by Windows 98, you still can add support for the device. Copy the driver file(s) from the driver disk to your computer; then modify your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files as necessary to add entries for the driver file(s) according to the device's documentation. NOTE: If you boot the system to DOS to modify the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, remember that Windows 98 actually maintains two sets of configuration files. When the system is booted to DOS, the Windows 98 CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, if any, are named CONFIG.WIN and AUTOEXEC.WIN. If you boot the system to the Windows 98 command line, however, the correct files to edit are CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. Overcoming Device Conflicts If two devices attempt to use the same resources, such as IRQ, DMA channel, or I/O addresses, a device conflict occurs. Device conflicts sometimes are relatively harmless. You can share IRQ values between two COM ports, for example, as long as you don't try to use the two ports at the same time. With other types of devices, however, a device conflict can cause the system to hang or even refuse to boot. NOTE: EISA and MCA bus systems are capable of sharing interrupts in hardware. If you use true Plug and Play systems and devices, device conflicts should not occur because the system can automatically detect available resources and assign them to a new device. When you use devices that do not support Plug and Play, or you use some Plug and Play devices on a legacy system, device conflict still can be a problem. Page 78

Inside Windows 98 The best solution to device conflicts is to avoid them. Before you install a new device, open the Device Manager property page and print a system and device summary for the system. Check the printout to determine available resources for the new device, then configure the device for those available resources. After you install the device, use the Device Manager to apply the correct resource settings to the device if the Add New Hardware Wizard can't detect or set the correct resources. Windows 98 also provides an automated tool to help you troubleshoot device conflicts. You can access the Hardware Conflict Troubleshooter from the Windows 98 Help index. To open the Troubleshooter, choose Start, then Help, or press Win+F1 on the Microsoft Natural Keyboard. In the Contents pane, choose the Troubleshooting topic, and then choose Windows 98 Troubleshooters. From the Windows 98 Troubleshooters tree select Hardware Conflict. You then need to click on the radio button in the right pane of the window to select "I need to resolve a hardware conflict on my computer" (see Figure 5.15). FIGURE 5.15 Hardware troubleshooting. Then click Next to start the Hardware Conflict Troubleshooter, which then steps you through troubleshooting the device conflict. Follow the prompts to identify and correct the problem. Using Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) Devices Using the accelerated graphics port (AGP) provides support for devices which can make your system more enjoyable. Windows 98 delivers new features such as enhanced television, video playback, and support for these AGP devices. These enhancements can provide the user with hours of fun. Windows 98 supports a variety of new hardware devices, such as DVD, force-feedback joysticks, digital audio speakers, and recording devices. Improved Plug and Play capabilities make installing new hardware even easier. You will also enjoy improved graphics, especially 3D graphics, and video playback. Enabling Multiple Display Support Multiple display support requires that all of the display adapters be PCI or AGP devices. The setup instructions vary according to the following two scenarios: Your motherboard has a PCI or AGP display chipset and you have a second PCI or AGP display adapter to plug in. When you use a computer with a built-in motherboard display adapter: The built-in display usually is not the primary display. The computer disables the on-board video adapter at startup time and the add-in card becomes your primary display. This is a function of the BIOS and not something you can control. Page 79

Inside Windows 98 It is important to set up Windows 98 for the first time with only your on-board video adapter in the computer. If another adapter is present before you start Windows 98 for the first time, Setup cannot initialize your on-board video properly. If you follow the instructions and your on-board video does not function correctly as the secondary display, it is likely that Setup is unable to find and read the complete ROM of the adapter to initialize it properly. In this case, you must use two add-in adapters for multiple monitor support. If your computer has built-in display chipset on the motherboard, follow these steps exactly when setting up Windows 98: * Run Windows 98 Setup with only the motherboard video in the computer. * After Setup has been completed successfully, shut down, and then install additional display adapters. * Start the computer. * In Control Panel, double-click Display, and then click the Settings tab. * Select the adapter/monitor combination from the Display dialog box, and then select the display you wish to enable. * Click the Extend my Windows desktop on to this monitor check box. NOTE: You can independently set the resolution and color depth for each display by moving the Screen area slider and choosing a new color depth in the Colors box, while an adapter/ monitor pair is selected. Configuring and Using USB and IEEE 1394 Devices USB specifications define a category of hardware that makes it easy to add serial devices to your computer. USB support is designed to the specifications in such a way as to allow future updates to support current drivers. Simply plug the cord into your system to install a USB device. The Universal Serial Bus (USB) leverages emerging technology by using a 12-megabit per second capacity bus structure, which will be standard on every Intel motherboard shipping in the not so distant future. It is replacing the standard serial port and supports Plug and Play and daisy-chaining capability; it will enable users to software-set serial devices. This eliminates the need to take the cover off systems to install peripheral cards and manually set jumpers or dip switch settings. The need for an open industry standard like USB was generated by the proliferation of telephony and other new technology products that integrate the Page 80

Inside Windows 98 phone and PC. Where it will be deployed the most, at the desktop, USB supports up to 12 megabits per second of instantaneous bandwidth. This capability is more than sufficient for telephony-based products and applications. Supporting USB Devices The Win32 Driver Model provides support for USB devices. This driver model also supports Universal Serial Bus (USB) hubs, Universal and Open host controller interfaces, and Human Interface Device (HID)-compliant USB devices. One thing to note is that Microsoft does not natively support the CMD USB OHCI host controller. If you have revision 04 of the CMD USB OHCI host controller, you will get the following message when using the device manager: "Rev 04 CMD USB controller not supported by Microsoft." If this happens, you must contact your computer manufacturer for a vendor-specific driver. Also, don't confuse USB and IEEE 1394. Although they are similar technologies, you cannot interchange USB connections with IEEE 1394 connections. Using IEEE 1394 Devices IEEE 1394 is a specification for hardware devices that streamlines the process of adding a serial device to your computer. IEEE 1394 support is designed so that future updates of Windows will support current drivers. Installing a IEEE 1394 device is as simple as plugging the cord of the device into your computer. Support for the IEEE 1394 bus includes the 1394-bus class driver and minidrivers for both the Texas Instruments PCILynx and the Adaptec AHA-8940 200 Mbps host controllers. A stream-class driver for the Sony desktop camera (CCMDS250) is also provided. This release of Windows 98 includes a 1394 bus class minidriver for host controllers that adhere to the 1394 Open Host Controller Specification (OHCI), revision .94 or greater. You can find a copy of the minidriver in \betaonly\1394OHCI. The following contacts are provided if you want to test IEEE 1394- compliant devices. * Adaptec [email protected] http://www.adaptec.com/ (800) 442-7274 * Texas Instruments [email protected] http://www.ti.com/sc/1394 (800) 317-8354 Configuring Video Disk (DVD) Devices Windows 98 supports DVD movie playback. Support is available for Toshiba DVD Infinia systems with either S3 or ATI graphics cards. You cannot upgrade a Windows 95 system. Using DVD requires a clean installation of Windows 98. All properly written DVD movies are supported on either VGA and TV displays. Support for several other DVD decoder cards will be available in the near future. Page 81

Inside Windows 98 The hardware and software requirements for DVD are listed below. * Hardware DVD-ROM drive DVD movie media DVD (MPEG/AC-3) decoder * Software DVD storage support WDM stream class driver Stream minidriver specific to your decoder hardware (not written by Microsoft) DirectShow filtergraph specific to your decoder DVD movie playback application These components allow DVD movie playback on an NTSC or PAL display provided the decoder card has that type of output. For use on a VGA display, you need a physical connection between the decoder card and the graphics adapter card and a DirectDraw HAL with VPE support written specifically for the graphics adapter. Windows 98 also supports DVD-ROM drives as storage mediums. In order to use a DVD-ROM drive, your drive must be compliant with the Mt. Fuji specification (also referred to as SFF8090). In implementing DVD Windows 98 supports a new filesystem called UDF (Universal Disk Format). This is a read-only file system. You cannot write a UDF file to a disk. The reason for UDF support is that DVD movies contain a UDF file system, but they may not contain an ISO9660 file system. The support for DVD-ROM drives requires Direct Memory Access (DMA). For Windows 98, you must enable DMA by using the following procedure. Open Control Panel, double-click on the System icon, and click the Device Manager tab. Under View devices by type, select the DVD drive, and then click Properties. On the Settings Option tab, select the DMA check box. Restart your computer. You may run into problems having a DVD-ROM that requires a WDM driver. If that is the case you may experience problems while viewing movies. To remedy this you will need to get an updated UDF.VXD from Microsoft. Using the DVD Player you can play DVD discs from a DVD drive connected to your computer, use your DVD drive to play software and music CDs. To open DVD Player after you have inserted a disc, click the Start button, Programs, Accessories, Multimedia, and then click the DVD Player. Your DVD hardware may require a decoder card and specific software. Check with your DVD and computer manufacturers for details. Configuring and Using Power Management Through the use of power management, you can minimize the power consumption of any of the devices on your system or for the entire computer. You do so through the configuration and choice of a power scheme that allows you to manage the power consumption of the system through a collection of various settings. The individual settings on your system can be adjusted in a number of ways, depending on the type of hardware you have. Page 82

Some examples of these settings are:

Inside Windows 98

* Turn off your monitor and hard disks automatically to save power. * Place your system on standby when it is idle. While on standby, your monitor and hard disks power down, and your overall system uses less power. The next time you use the computer, it wakes up and comes out of standby, restoring your desktop to the same screen as you last left it. Standby is very useful for conserving battery power in portable computers. * Place your system in hibernation. While hibernating, the computer's monitor and hard disk are turned off. In addition, everything in memory and on disk is saved, and the system is powered down. When you restart your computer, your desktop is restored exactly as you left it. One thing to note, it takes longer to bring your computer out of hibernation than out of standby. Normally, to conserve power, it is a good idea to turn off your monitor and hard disk if you are going to be away from the computer for a short period of time. If you plan to be away from your computer for a while, you can put your computer in standby mode, which puts your entire system in a low-power state. It is a good idea to put your computer in hibernation when you'll be away from the computer for an extended time or even overnight. When you restart the computer, your desktop is restored exactly as you left it. To use power management, you must have a computer that is set up by the manufacturer to support these features. Below are some important Power Management features and how to configure them. * To automatically put your computer on standby: * Open the control panel and open the Power Management icon. You will see the Power Management Properties dialog box. In Power Schemes, click the arrow, and then select the time settings for the power scheme that are displayed in System standby: Turn off monitor, and Turn off hard disks. To turn off your monitor before your computer goes on standby, select a time in Turn off monitor. If Turn off monitor is not displayed, your monitor does not support this feature. To turn off your hard disk before your computer goes on standby, select a time in Turn off hard disks. If Turn off hard disks is not displayed, your hard disk does not support this feature. You can also open the Power Management Properties dialog box by clicking Start, pointing to Settings, clicking Control Panel, and then double-clicking Power Management. * It is also a good idea to save your work before putting your computer on standby. While the computer is on standby, Page 83

Inside Windows 98 information in computer memory is not saved to your hard disk. If there is an interruption in power, information in memory is lost. If you want to, you can create a new power scheme by specifying the time settings you want and then clicking Save As. If you're using a portable computer, you can specify one setting for battery power and a different setting for AC power. * Depending on your hardware, you may or may not see all the options just discussed on this topic. The dialog box displays only the options that your hardware supports. To put your computer on standby, you must have a computer that is set up by the manufacturer to support this option. * To change the elapsed time before your computer automatically goes on standby you begin by opening the Power Management Properties dialog box. In System standby, click the arrow, and select the time you want. If System standby is not displayed, your computer does not support this feature. * You can also open the Power Management Properties dialog box by clicking Start, pointing to Settings, clicking Control Panel, and then double-clicking Power Management. * You can also configure Windows 98 to prompt for your Windows password when your computer goes off standby. To do so, click the Advanced tab, and then click Prompt for password when computer goes off standby. Again, to use this power management feature, you must have a computer that is set up by the manufacturer to support this option. * To put your computer in hibernation: * Open the Power Management Properties dialog box, click the Hibernate tab, and then select the check box. If the Hibernate tab is not displayed, your computer does not support this feature. On the Advanced tab, click When I press the power button on my computer, and then click Hibernate. If you are using a portable computer, you can click When I close the lid of my computer, and then click Hibernate. Turn off your computer. * You can also open the Power Management Properties dialog box by clicking Start, pointing to Settings, clicking Control Panel, and then double-clicking Power Management. * When you put your computer in hibernation, everything in computer memory is saved on your hard disk. When you turn the computer back on, all programs and documents that were open when you turned the computer off are restored on the desktop. You cannot put your computer in hibernation if you have a FAT32 drive. For information, click Related Topics. To put your computer in hibernation, you must have a computer that is set up by the manufacturer to support this option. Page 84

Inside Windows 98 * To set a warning alarm for a low or critical battery condition: Open the Power Management Properties dialog box. Click the Alarms tab. If the Alarms tab is not displayed, your computer does not support this feature. In Low battery alarm and Critical battery alarm, specify the settings you want by dragging the slider. Click Alarm Action to select the type of alarm notification and power level you want. You can also open the Power Management Properties dialog box by clicking Start, pointing to Settings, clicking Control Panel, and then double-clicking Power Management. If you want your computer to shut down when the alarm occurs, click When the alarm goes off, the computer will in the Alarm Actions dialog box. You can set a low battery alarm, a critical battery alarm, or both. * To manage power on a portable computer: * Through the use of power management, you can reduce your portable computer's consumption of battery power and still keep the computer ready for immediate use. While your computer is on standby, your monitor and hard disks turn off, resulting in less battery power consumption. When you bring the computer out of standby, your desktop appears exactly as you left it. You can also put your computer in hibernation. The hibernate mode turns off your monitor and hard disk, saves everything in memory on disk, and turns off the computer. When you restart the computer, your desktop is exactly as you left it. * You can open the Power Management Properties dialog box by clicking Start, pointing to Settings, clicking Control Panel, and then double-clicking Power Management. For additional information about using power management, click Related Topics. Also, it is a good idea to save your work before putting your computer on standby. While on standby, information in computer memory is not saved on your hard disk. If you have an interruption in power, information in memory is lost. To use power management, you must have a computer that is set up by the manufacturer to support these features. ----------

-6Using Windows 98

* Working with the Windows 98 Desktop * Understanding Folders * Using the My Computer Folder * Using the Network Neighborhood Folder * Using the Start Menu * Using the Programs Menu Item * The Favorites Menu

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* * * * * *

Using the Documents Menu Using the Settings Menu Using the Find Menu Using the Help Menu Using the Run Menu Shutting Down the PC

Inside Windows 98

* Using the Taskbar * Working with Toolbars on the Taskbar * Creating Your Own Toolbars * Cascading and Tiling Applications * Minimizing All Windows * Working with Status Indicators * Working with Folders * Controlling a Folder's Appearance * Selecting Objects in a Folder * Creating Your Own Folders * Copying and Moving Objects * Setting Object Properties * Introducing Windows Explorer * Creating and Using Shortcuts * Creating Shortcuts * Setting a Shortcut's Properties * Customizing the Taskbar and Start Menu * Customizing the Taskbar * Customizing the Start Menu * Using Quick Viewers * Starting Applications Automatically * Changing the Startup Group * Using the Keyboard * Using a Microsoft Natural Keyboard * Using the Recycle Bin The Windows 98 interface is very similar to the Windows 95 interface with one major exception: the integration of Web content on the desktop. If you have upgraded from Windows 95, you should have no trouble working in Windows 98. If you have upgraded from Windows 3.x, the transition will require a slightly steeper learning curve, but the basics are all the same and the transition should be relatively painless. This chapter examines the Windows 98 interface and explores the ways in which you can use Windows 98 to perform common tasks, such as starting applications and working with documents. The chapter includes the following topics: * Working with the Windows 98 desktop * Introducing Explorer

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Inside Windows 98 * Working with folders * Working with applications and documents * Using the keyboard * Using and creating shortcuts * Customizing the Taskbar and Start menu * Starting applications automatically * Using the Recycle Bin * Using new Windows 98 interface features Inside Windows 98 targets intermediate to advanced users, so this chapter assumes you have a handle on mouse fundamentals. Experience with Windows 95 or a graphical user interface (GUI), such as those found in OS/2 and many versions of UNIX, is helpful but not necessary. TIP: This chapter doesn't cover basic user interface concepts, such as moving the mouse pointer, types of mouse pointers, or working with menus and dialog boxes. Some of the interface components and concepts in this chapter are explained in brief just to give you an overview of the Windows 98 interface. These concepts are covered in greater detail where appropriate elsewhere in Inside Windows 98. If you are familiar with Windows 95, many of the topics covered in this chapter will already be familiar to you. The majority of the chapter is intended for users who are new to the Windows 95/Windows 98 interface. Working with the Windows 98 Desktop The Windows 98 interface consists of two key features: the desktop and the Taskbar (see Figure 6.1). The desktop essentially is a blank surface on which all other Windows components appear. The Taskbar provides various pieces of status information about your PC and enables you to start applications and switch among running applications. FIGURE 6.1 The primary components of the Windows 98 interface are the desktop and the Taskbar. The Windows 98 default desktop includes My Computer, Network Neighborhood, and Recycle Bin, among other objects. Before you read about these objects, you need a brief introduction to folders. Later sections explain folders in more detail. Understanding Folders

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Inside Windows 98 The objects on the desktop named My Computer, Network Neighborhood, and Recycle Bin are examples of folders. Folders provide a uniform means of organizing and displaying information. If you have used any recent operating system such as DOS (including Windows 3.x), UNIX, or OS/2, you no doubt are quite familiar with the concept of directories. Directories enable you to organize the data on your disks in a meaningful way. The Windows files, for example, reside in a number of different directories, usually all under the main \Windows directory. One type of Windows 98 folder is nothing more than a graphical representation of a directory on a disk. The objects that appear in the folder window are the files that reside in the directory. Figure 6.2 shows this type of folder window. FIGURE 6.2 Folders provide a graphical view of the contents of a directory. Windows 98 supports special folders that don't represent a directory on the disk but contain other types of objects. These folders are actually container objects for applications and other objects not necessarily related to files. The My Computer folder is an example of this type of folder. The relationship between folders and directories is explained in greater detail in the section "Working with Folders" later in this chapter. Using the My Computer Folder My Computer provides quick access to all resources on your PC, including your local hard disk, remote disks mapped to drive IDs on your PC, the Control Panel, the Printers folder, and the Dial-Up Networking folder. Figure 6.3 shows the contents of My Computer on a typical PC. All the disk resources available to your PC, locally or through disk mappings to remote network disks, appear in My Computer. To view the contents of a local hard disk, for example, just open My Computer and double-click on the disk's icon. Depending on how you configure your folder windows (explained in "Working with Folders" later in this chapter), the contents of the open folder change to show the contents of the newly selected object, or a new folder window appears on the desktop to show the contents of the selected object. If you double-click on the drive C icon, for example, the contents of drive C appear in the new folder window. FIGURE 6.3 My Computer gives you quick access to most of your PC's resources. In addition to displaying an icon for each local floppy and hard disk drive, My Computer displays an icon for each remote network drive mapped to a logical drive ID on your PC. If you connect Page 88

Inside Windows 98 logical drive F to a remote server, for example, My Computer displays an icon for drive F. Selecting the network drive's icon opens a window that displays the contents of the remote disk, just as opening a local drive displays its contents. My Computer also contains the following four folders: * Control Panel. This folder provides a variety of tools you can use to control the way your PC, its components, and Windows 98 operate, as well as tools to control the appearance and behavior of the Windows 98 interface. * Printers. The Printers folder gives you quick access to all printers available to your PC, including remote network printers. An icon represents each printer, and double-clicking the icon opens a queue window you can use to set printer options and monitor print jobs. * Scheduled Tasks. This folder contains events you have scheduled for automatic execution on your computer, such as periodic disk scan. * Dial-Up Networking. The Dial-Up Networking folder contains objects that enable you to use remote access services (RAS) to connect your PC to a remote PC or network. You can use RAS, for example, to connect your notebook PC to the office local area network (LAN) when you're out of town or at home. Inside Windows 98 covers details about the Control Panel as appropriate throughout the book. Chapter 10, "Customizing Windows 98," discusses customizing the Windows 98 interface and includes an exploration of many of the controls in the Control Panel folder. Chapter 8, "Printing and Managing Printers," explores the Printers folder, explaining how to print, how to specify printer options, how to control the print queue, and other printing issues. Chapter 18, "Automating Tasks," covers the Task Scheduler and other resources within Windows 98 that enable you to automate tasks. Chapter 21, "Using Dial-Up Networking and Direct Cable Connection," explains the Dial-Up Networking folder and Remote Access Services in detail. If you think you might want to provide or use remote services, Dial-Up Networking can help you with remote e-mail, LAN access, and other workgroup services. TIP: Renaming My Computer on your system is easy. Perhaps you prefer a name like "PC" or your PC's network machine name. To change the name of the My Computer folder (or any other folder), click once on the folder to select it. Then click once on the title text below the icon. This highlights the current Page 89

Inside Windows 98 folder name, and you can enter the new name. You can include spaces and punctuation characters in the folder name. Refer to Chapter 7, "Managing Files and Folders," for more information on using long filenames to name files and folders. Using the Network Neighborhood Folder The Network Neighborhood folder (see Figure 6.4) provides quick access to the PCs and printers on your network. It displays the resources available in your workgroup. The Entire Network folder, whose icon appears in the Network Neighborhood folder, gives you access to the resources shared by servers and PCs outside your workgroup. As you learn in more detail in Part VII, "Networking," Windows 98's strategy for providing access to network resources, such as files and printers, makes accessing and using those resources much easier. The Network Neighborhood icon is a key element of that strategy. When you open Network Neighborhood, you see icons for each of the computers that are part of your workgroup, with the name of each computer under its icon. To view the resources a particular computer shares, simply double-click on its icon, and an open folder (a folder window) appears on the desktop, displaying the resources the selected computer shares (see Figure 6.5). Shared disk resources appear as folders, with the names of the shared disks serving as the names of the folders. Shared printers appear as printer folders, with the shared printers' names serving as the folder names. FIGURE 6.4 The Network Neighborhood provides quick access to network resources, including file servers and printers. FIGURE 6.5 A remote computer's shared resources appear together in its Network Neighborhood folder. This method of resource access is easy because you no longer have to associate a local drive ID with each shared disk resource you want to access. You simply open the remote computer's folder, open the shared folder to display its contents, and choose the application or file you want to use. This can save time when you want to access a single file or application on a server you seldom use. TIP: You can easily create a shortcut to a remote computer or its shared resources on the desktop. When you need to access the remote computer's shared resources, you simply open the shortcut folder and the resources are immediately available. Creating shortcuts is covered in "Creating and Using Shortcuts" later in this chapter. Quick access to network resources carries over into the standard file dialog boxes. If you choose File | Page 90

Inside Windows 98 Open to display an application's Open dialog box, you can enter a unified naming convention (UNC) name to a resource, instead of first having to associate a drive ID with the remote disk. To open a file named report in a shared directory named docs on a server named fred, for example, you would enter \\fred\docs\report in the File Name text box. Using the Start Menu One key use of your computer is to run applications and create and manage documents. Windows 98 makes opening applications and documents easy and adds flexibility in letting you customize the way you access your frequently used applications and documents. At the bottom of the desktop is the Taskbar (see Figure 6.6). You use the Taskbar to start applications, open documents, and manage running applications. The tray, which sits at the right edge of the Taskbar when the Taskbar is at the bottom of the desktop, also serves as a status bar. FIGURE 6.6 The Taskbar provides access to applications and status information. At the left of the Taskbar is the Start button, which when clicked opens the Start menu (see Figure 6.7). Until you customize the desktop, the Start menu is the primary mechanism you use to start applications and open documents. The Start menu includes a set of standard menu items, which are discussed in the following sections. Using the Programs Menu Item The Programs menu item displays a hierarchical menu of program groups, such as Accessories and Startup. If you upgrade a copy of Windows 3.x to Windows 98, Setup migrates all your Program Manager groups to items in the Programs menu. Windows 95 programs and their Start menu entries also migrate during upgrade. To open a program, select the menu item for the appropriate group from the Programs menu. A menu of the objects in the group appears. To start the application, select its menu item. TIP: You don't have to click on a menu to open it. Just move the cursor over the menu item to highlight the item; then let the cursor rest on the item for a second. The menu opens automatically. If you prefer, you can click on the menu to open it immediately. Windows 98 includes a set of accessory programs for doing simple word processing, maintaining addresses and phone numbers, and performing other common tasks. You can find these accessories in the Programs | Accessories menu (see Figure 6.7). For example, Page 91

Inside Windows 98 to start WordPad, a simple word processor, choose Start | Programs | Accessories | WordPad. FIGURE 6.7 Windows 98 includes several accessory programs for general productivity as well as system maintenance. The Accessories menu also contains other types of menus, including the following: * Communications. This menu contains Dial-Up Networking, Direct Cable Connection, HyperTerminal, and the Phone Dialer. * Games. The Games menu contains items for a variety of games included in Windows 98. If you're addicted to Windows Solitaire in Windows 3.x, try Windows 98's FreeCell. * Entertainment. The Multimedia menu includes items that enable you to work with multimedia, including a volume control, the Media Play-er, a CD Player, and Sound Recorder. * System Tools. The System menu gives you access to a selection of system utility applications. These applications enable you to compress your hard disk, defragment and repair files on the hard disk, back up files, tune up and update your system, automate tasks, use FAT32, monitor your PC's performance, and perform other system management tasks. NOTE: The contents of your Accessories menu could be slightly different, depending on the items you have installed on your computer. The Programs menu is not limited only to those items it contains when you first install Windows 98. When you install a new application, a menu item is added to the Programs menu. If you install Microsoft Office, for example, a menu item named Microsoft Office appears in the Programs menu. The Microsoft Office menu then lists all applications you have installed as part of Microsoft Office. The Favorites Menu The Favorites menu points to the \Windows\Favorites folder and typically contains links to Web pages. You can add any object to the Favorites folder, however, and those objects will appear in the Favorites menu. You also can create folders within the \Windows\Favorites folder to help organize your favorite Internet and local resources. Using the Documents Menu The Start menu contains a Documents menu that gives you quick access to documents with which you have recently worked (see Figure 6.8). If you double-click on a document in a folder, for Page 92

Inside Windows 98 example, the document's parent application opens and loads the selected document. The name of the selected document is then added to the Documents menu. If later you want to open the document again, just choose Start | Documents and choose the document from the menu. The Documents menu keeps track of the last 15 documents you opened. FIGURE 6.8 The Documents menu gives you quick access to recently used documents. NOTE: In addition to tracking documents, the Documents menu also keeps track of disk folders you open. Using the Settings Menu The Settings menu gives you access to the Control Panel, Printers folder, and Taskbar. Choosing the Control Panel item in the Settings menu opens the Control Panel. Another way you can open the Control Panel is to open the My Computer folder and choose the Control Panel folder. The objects in the Control Panel are explained at appropriate points throughout Inside Windows 98. Choosing the Printers menu item in the Settings menu opens the Printers folder. As explained earlier in the section on My Computer, the Printers folder contains icons for each of the printers available to your PC. You can open the Printers folder from My Computer as well. Chapter 8 explains printing and working with the Printers folder. Choosing the Taskbar & Start Menu item in the Settings menu opens a dialog box you can use to customize the Start menu and Taskbar. These topics are explained in the section "Customizing the Taskbar and Start Menu" later in this chapter. Using the Find Menu The Find menu item in the Start menu enables you to search for files on your PC or on the network, for computers on the network, the Microsoft Network online service for topics, and the Internet. Applications such as Microsoft Outlook add their own items to the Find menu. Find is excellent for tracking down information, and it eliminates the need to open Explorer (or File Manager, as in Windows 3.x) to search for a file. Find's capability for locating computers on the LAN and information on the Internet and Microsoft Network adds to its usefulness. Chapter 7 covers using Find to locate files and folders, and Chapter 26, "Peer Resource Sharing and Security," explains using Find to locate computers on the network. Using the Help Menu Windows 98 has an extensive Help system. If you need help using Page 93

Inside Windows 98 Windows 98, choose Start | Help. Windows 98 displays a dialog box you can use to search the Help index for Windows 98 and get information about specific topics. TIP: For help using a Windows application, choose an appropriate selection from the application's Help menu. Using the Run Menu The Run menu item enables you to start applications that do not appear elsewhere in the Programs menu or on the desktop. To run an application, enter the path to its executable file in the Open combo box. Run maintains a list of the applications you have opened recently in the Run dialog box. If you have opened the application recently, open the drop-down list to see whether the application's path appears. Select the application and then choose OK. If you don't know the path to the application or prefer not to type the path, choose the Browse button and use the Browse dialog box to locate the application's executable file. Shutting Down the PC In addition to items that enable you to open applications and documents, the Start menu also includes an item to shut down your PC. Rather than simply shutting off your PC after you finish using it, you should use the Shut Down item in the Start menu to shut down Windows and your PC. When you choose Shut Down, Windows 98 displays the Shut Down Windows dialog box. The four option buttons in the dialog box are as follows: * Stand by. Choose this option to place the computer in a suspended mode. This option appears only if your PC supports power management. * Shut down. Choose this option when you want to shut down Windows and turn off your PC. Windows 98 will close open files and prepare your system for a safe shutdown. * Restart. Choose this option to restart the computer if you experience a problem in Windows 98 or if you have made a Windows 98 configuration change and need to restart Windows 98 for the change to take effect. This is similar to resetting the PC, except that Windows 98 first closes all files and prepares the PC to be shut down before resetting. * Restart in MS-DOS mode. Choose this option if you want to restart the PC with a real-mode MS-DOS operating system to run a DOS application that does not run well under Windows 98. The Start menu includes an item that enables you to close all Page 94

Inside Windows 98 programs and log on as a different user. Choose Start | Log Off to log off of Windows, close all programs, and log on using a different user ID. If you share a PC with another user, you should choose this option when you are finished using the PC. Windows 98 will restart with a logon dialog box displayed so the next user can log on to the system. Using the Taskbar The Taskbar, on which you find the Start menu, serves as a task switcher and status bar. The Taskbar enables you to switch quickly and easily among your running applications and control the way those running applications appear on the desktop. The default location for the Taskbar is at the bottom of the desktop. You can configure the Taskbar, however, to appear at the right, left, or top of the desktop. You also can configure the Taskbar to hide automatically when not in use. When the Taskbar is hidden, moving the cursor to the edge of the desktop at which the Taskbar is located brings it back into view. The section "Customizing the Taskbar and Start Menu" later in this chapter explains how to change the location and behavior of the Taskbar. All running applications appear as buttons on the Taskbar. A foreground application's button appears pressed. Background applications' buttons appear raised. To switch to a particular application, simply click on its button in the Taskbar and the application moves to the foreground. To use the Taskbar to open an application's Control menu, right-click the application's button in the Taskbar. The Control menu appears near the application's button. TIP: If you prefer a quicker method of switching programs than the Taskbar, hold down Alt and press Tab; then release Tab but keep Alt down. A small dialog box appears containing icons for all open applications, folders, and other objects. Continue to hold down Alt and press Tab to cycle through the icons, and choose the icon for the object you want to use. When the icon you want is highlighted, release Alt. The selected application moves to the foreground. Other keyboard shortcuts are explained later in the section "Using the Keyboard." Working with Toolbars on the Taskbar Windows 98 includes four predefined toolbars that can appear on the Taskbar. These toolbars include the following: * Address. This toolbar enables you to enter uniform resource locators (URLs) and UNC pathnames to view those resources. Entering a URL, for example, causes Internet Explorer to open and display the resource. Entering a UNC pathname opens Page 95

Inside Windows 98 a folder window that displays the contents of the specified remote folder. * Quick Launch. This toolbar contains a selection of programs you can launch simply by clicking on the button associated with the program. The Setup programs for some applications automatically place shortcuts on this toolbar to their respective programs. You can drag icons on and off this toolbar to change its contents. * Desktop. This toolbar contains icons for each of the items on the desktop and gives you an easy means of launching desktop items without minimizing or closing open program windows or folders. * Links. This toolbar contains links to Internet resources. As with the other toolbars, you can drag items on and off of this toolbar to customize it to your preferences. To use an item in a toolbar, just click on the item's icon. You also can control the way the toolbar appears. Just right-click on a blank area of the toolbar and choose one of the following items from the context menu: * View. Choose either small or large icons from this cascading menu. * Refresh. Choose this item to refresh the toolbar, such as to reflect changes to the contents of a folder displayed as a toolbar. * Show Text. Choose this item to show the name of each item beside its icon. * Show Title. Choose this item to show the title of the toolbar on the toolbar. * Toolbars. Choose this item to open a cascading menu that enables you to specify which predefined toolbars to show and to create a new toolbar. In addition to residing on the Taskbar, toolbars can float on the desktop. To move a toolbar to the desktop, click on the vertical bar at the left of the toolbar and drag it to the desktop. To redock the toolbar on the Taskbar, drag it into position on the Taskbar. You also can dock toolbars on the top or sides of the display, giving you greater flexibility in positioning them. You can size them as desired and make them hide automatically when not in use. To dock a toolbar at the side or top of the display, simply drag it to the desired side and release it. Right-click on the toolbar and choose Auto Hide to have the toolbar automatically hide when you aren't using it. The toolbar will reappear when you move the pointer to the edge of the display where the toolbar is docked. Choose Always on Top if you want the toolbar Page 96

Inside Windows 98 to remain fixed on the desktop and always be visible. When you maximize a program or folder window, that window will not obscure the toolbar. Creating Your Own Toolbars You can easily create your own toolbars for inclusion on the Taskbar. You can assign a folder or an Internet URL as the contents of the toolbar. If you use a folder, the folder can reside on your local computer or elsewhere on your LAN. Any valid Internet address will also work. Right-click on any area of the Taskbar and choose Toolbars | New Toolbar to display the New Toolbar dialog box (see Figure 6.9). Browse for and select the folder you want to use as the toolbar or type an Internet address. If you specify an Internet address, Windows 98 will connect to the Internet. When you drag the Internet resource to the desktop, the resource is displayed in a resizable browser window. FIGURE 6.9 Use the New Toolbar dialog box to create your own custom toolbars. TIP: You can add items to a toolbar simply by adding items to the folder it represents. If you use a network folder as a toolbar, for example, new items will appear in the toolbar as other users on the network add items to the folder. To view new items in a toolbar, right-click on the toolbar and choose Refresh. Cascading and Tiling Applications The Taskbar can help you quickly organize all open windows on the desktop. Assume you have a couple of folder windows and an application window open and you want to view all of them. Just right-click on the Taskbar and choose Tile Horizontally or Tile Vertically. Windows 98 arranges the open windows on your desktop accordingly. Another arrangement method is to cascade all open windows so that the windows overlap. To cascade all open windows, right-click on the Taskbar and choose Cascade. NOTE: When you choose Tile Horizontally, Tile Vertically, or Cascade, Windows 98 organizes only the windows currently open on the desktop. Minimized windows are not affected. After you tile or cascade the windows on the desktop, you can switch back to the original view. Assume you have three open windows--all of them maximized (which means you can see only Page 97

Inside Windows 98 one). You right-click the Taskbar and choose Tile Horizontally. A few minutes later you want to maximize them all again, returning them to the arrangement you had before you tiled them. After you tile or cascade windows with the Taskbar, a menu item labeled either Undo Cascade or Undo Tile appears in the Taskbar's object menu. Choose this menu item to restore the windows to their original locations and states. Minimizing All Windows When you work with more than one application or window, minimizing all the windows so you can work with shortcuts and other objects on the desktop can eat up time. If you're running four maximized applications, for example, you have to minimize each one so you can access your shortcuts and other objects on the desktop. To quickly minimize all open windows, click the Show Desktop button on the Quick Launch toolbar. TIP: If you are using a Microsoft Natural Keyboard, hold down the Windows key and press M to minimize all applications. Another way to quickly minimize all applications is to right-click the Taskbar and choose Minimize All Windows. Working with Status Indicators At the right edge of the Taskbar (if your Taskbar is at the bottom of the desktop) is the tray, which contains various status indicators. For example, the current time appears at the far right of the tray (see Figure 6.10). If you place the cursor over the time indicator, a ToolTip (a small text box) appears at the cursor to display the day and date. Other status indicators behave the same way--rest the cursor on the indicator for a second and a ToolTip appears with additional status information. FIGURE 6.10 Status indicators appear in the Taskbar tray. Other status indicators can appear in the tray, depending on your system's configuration. If your system contains PCMCIA devices, for example, a status indicator for the PC card slots appears in the tray. If Power Management is enabled, a battery indicator appears in the tray to indicate remaining battery charge. When you use Dial-Up Networking to connect to a remote LAN or PC, a Dial-Up Networking indicator appears in the tray, indicating Dial-Up Networking session activity. Double-clicking on a status indicator in the Taskbar typically provides additional information about the selected item. Double-clicking on the time indicator, for example, opens the Day/Time Properties dialog box (see Figure 6.11), which you can use to set the system's date, time, and time zone. Double-clicking on the Dial-Up Networking status indicator opens a dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure 6.12, which shows you the status of the modem and information about bytes Page 98

transferred.

Inside Windows 98

FIGURE 6.11 Use the Day/Time Properties page to set the system date and time. FIGURE 6.12 The Dial-Up Networking status dialog box provides statistics about the current Dial-Up Networking session. TIP: When you have unread mail in your Inbox, an envelope icon appears in the tray. Double- clicking on the envelope opens the Inbox so you can read the new message(s). Now that you've had a general introduction to the Windows 98 interface, you're ready to examine some of the interface components in more detail and learn to customize them to your needs. The following section explains the use of folders in more detail, including how to open applications and documents from a folder. Working with Folders You read earlier in this chapter that folders are a major component of the Windows 98 interface. Folders are really nothing more than standard windows that serve as containers for objects such as files. When you open a folder, it looks like a window. When you close a folder, it looks like a folder icon. Folders can contain files, other folders, and other types of objects. A key point to understand about folders is that they actually come in two basic types: those Windows 98 uses to display the contents of a directory and those, like the Control Panel, that actually are applications and present their information in a standard folder window. As a user, however, the distinction between these two types of folders is transparent--you work with the contents of both types of folders in the same way. Another key point about folders lies in their relationship to directories. A standard folder is nothing more than a graphical mechanism for displaying the contents of a directory. Microsoft has just changed some terminology in Windows 98; what was called a directory in the DOS and Windows 3.x realms is now called a folder. Therefore, a folder can contain other folders, just as a directory can contain subdirectories. When you open a folder, you see the contents of the directory it represents; the files that reside in the directory appear as icons in the folder window. Any subdirectories appear in the folder as additional folders. NOTE: Throughout Inside Windows 98, the terms directory and folder are used interchangeably. Some folders, however, such as the Control Panel and Page 99

Inside Windows 98 Printers folders, are not directories. These special folders are actually special container objects that appear and function like a standard folder. A folder window is very similar to other application windows--it has a border, menu, title bar, control menu, and other controls. Figure 6.13 shows a typical folder window. FIGURE 6.13 A typical folder with its components labeled. The following section explains how to turn on some of the optional components shown in Figure 6.13. Controlling a Folder's Appearance Windows 98 lets you do quite a bit to modify the appearance of a folder. By default, folder windows contain two toolbars and a menu bar. The default view includes the Standard Buttons and Address Bar toolbars, explained shortly. To display a folder's toolbar, choose View | Toolbar, and select the desired toolbar from the cascading menu. The Standard Buttons toolbar contains a number of tools you can use to select a folder, move up to the current folder's parent folder, change the way information appears in the folder, and control the folder in other ways. Figure 6.14 shows the tools in the Standard Buttons toolbar. You also can determine a folder tool's function by resting the cursor on the tool for a second and reading the resulting ToolTip. FIGURE 6.14 Use a folder's toolbar to control the appearance and function of the folder window. The following list explains the function of the tools in the Standard Buttons toolbar: * Back and Forward. Use these two buttons to browse forward and backward through the directory structure, just as you would using a Web browser to browse Web pages. * Up. Click on this button to view the contents of the folder's parent folder. For example, if you're viewing the contents of a directory, choose this button to view the contents of the parent directory. This is similar to selecting the double dots (..) in a File Manager window in Windows 3.x. Pressing the Backspace key performs the same function. * Cut. Click on this button to cut the selected object(s) from the folder and place them on the Clipboard. * Copy. Click on this button to copy the selected object(s) to the Clipboard. * Paste. Click on this button to paste the contents of the Page 100

Clipboard in the folder.

Inside Windows 98

* Undo. Click on this button to undo the previous action. * Delete. Click on this button to delete the selected object(s). * Properties. Click on this button to set the properties of the selected object(s). * Views. Click this button to cycle through four different views of the folder contents (large icons, small icons, list, or details). Or click on the small arrow beside this button to choose a specific view option. The Address toolbar, which also appears by default, enables you to quickly enter a URL, UNC pathname, or local pathname to view the contents of the specified item. If you want to view the folder C:\My Documents, for example, just type C:\My Documents in the Address toolbar and press Enter. You can browse to Internet sites just as easily by entering the URL in the address box. Enter the name of a remote LAN resource as a UNC pathname to view its contents. For example, entering \\Server\Shared\Docs would display the share named \Shared\Docs on the remote computer named Server. TIP: If you are familiar with both Windows 95 and Internet Explorer, you'll quickly realize that the new Windows 98 folder interface merges the Internet Explorer interface with the desktop. This merger offers a quick way to access Internet resources as well as local and LAN resources through a single interface. You also can choose View | Toolbars | Links to display the Links toolbar. This toolbar contains frequently used Internet resources. These links are stored in the folder \Windows\Favorites\Links. You can add additional links to the toolbar by placing shortcuts and other objects in this folder. Another useful feature of the Explorer interface turned off by default is the Explorer bar. You can configure the Explorer bar to show your Search page, your Internet favorites, browse history, or broadcast channels. Figure 6.15 shows the Explorer bar displaying the Favorites list. To specify an option, choose View | Explorer Bar, and select the content you want displayed in the Explorer bar. For more information on configuring these Internet Explorer-related items, refer to Chapter 23, "Using Internet Explorer 4.0." FIGURE 6.15 This Explorer bar is showing the Favorites list. To display a folder's status bar, choose View | Status Bar. The status bar displays information about objects currently selected Page 101

in the folder.

Inside Windows 98

TIP: To rename a folder or file, click on the object to select it; then click on the object's description (which appears underneath the object's icon). Type the new name and press Enter. If you change the name of a folder, you actually change the name of the directory it represents. (This association between folder name and directory name doesn't have any bearing on or relationship to the names of special folder objects such as My Computer or Control Panel.) Selecting Objects in a Folder If you are experienced with Windows 95 or other GUIs, selecting and working with objects in a folder will be second nature to you. To open an ap- plication or a document, double-click on its icon. If you double-click on a document and the document type is properly associated with its parent application, the application opens and displays the selected document. TIP: If you have installed an application under Windows 98, the application's document type(s) should be properly registered with Windows. See Chapter 7 for more information on registering file types with Windows. You also can select and work with multiple objects. You can use a selection box, for example, to select multiple objects. To do so, place the cursor in a blank area of the folder background (not on an icon) and drag the cursor. As you drag the cursor, a dashed box appears (see Figure 6.16). Enclose in the box all objects you want to select. You also can use the mouse and keyboard in combination to choose multiple objects. Hold the Ctrl key and click on objects to select them one at a time. Hold the Shift key and click objects to select a range of objects. FIGURE 6.16 You can use a selection box to select multiple items. What you do with multiple objects after you select them depends on the types of the objects. You can select multiple application icons, for example, and then press Enter to open all of them. If you select only documents, pressing Enter opens the parent application(s) for the documents and loads the documents into the application(s). If you want to delete multiple objects, use your preferred selection method and then press the Delete key. TIP: To open multiple applications using the mouse, select the applications' icons, hold down the Ctrl key, and double-click a blank area of the folder background (not an icon). Page 102

Inside Windows 98 For information on using the keyboard to select and open objects, refer to the section "Using the Keyboard" later in this chapter. Creating Your Own Folders Sooner or later you will want to create your own folders. Creating a folder is easy: right-click in the object where you want to create the new folder and choose New | Folder from the resulting menu. Windows 98 creates a new folder with the name New Folder. Select the folder and click on its name to highlight the text. Enter the name you want for the folder. To create a folder inside another folder, right-click on the blank background anywhere inside the folder. Then choose New | Folder. To create a folder on the desktop, right-click on the desktop and choose New | Folder. When you create new folders, remember that you're actually creating directories. If you create a folder named Frannie's Weekly Reports in the C:\ folder, you're actually creating a directory named Frannie's Weekly Reports in the root directory of drive C. If you create a folder on the desktop, you're creating a directory in the C:\Windows\Desktop directory. Copying and Moving Objects You can move an object from one folder to another in Windows 98 simply by dragging the object from the first folder and dropping it in the second fol-der. If you want to move a document file, for example, open the folder that currently contains the file and open the folder in which you want to place the file. Then drag the file's icon from one folder to another. The file moves accordingly. You also can copy objects between folders. To copy an object, hold down the Ctrl key while you drag the object from its original folder to its new folder; then release the object. Windows creates a copy of the object in the second folder. TIP: You also can copy objects between folders using the Clipboard. Select one or more objects in a folder and press Ctrl+C to copy a list of the items to the Clipboard. Then open the folder in which you want to copy the objects and press Ctrl+V to copy them to the folder. If you want to move the objects rather than copy them, select the objects and press Ctrl+X; then open the folder in which you want to place them and choose Ctrl+V. Using the Clipboard to copy and move objects enables you to copy and move objects without keeping both the source and destination folders open at the same time. Page 103

Inside Windows 98 Another method for moving and copying objects gives you other options. You can use the right mouse button (called right-dragging) to drag an object. When you right-drag an object from one location to another and then release the object, Windows displays a menu similar to the one shown in Figure 6.17. This menu gives you the option of moving or copying the object. You also can create a shortcut to the object. Shortcuts are explained later in this chapter in the section "Creating and Using Shortcuts." FIGURE 6.17 Right-drag an object if you want the option of copying, moving, or creating a shortcut to the object. TIP: To copy or move multiple objects, select the objects, right-drag one of the objects to the new location, and then choose, according to your need, Move Here, Copy Here, or Create Shortcut(s) Here. You can read more about copying and moving objects in Chapter 7. Setting Object Properties A critical concept in Windows 98 is that almost all objects have properties associated with them; for example, a file's properties include its type, name, size, modification date, attributes, and other information. You can easily change some of these properties, such as the file's attributes. You can't change certain others, however, such as the time the file was created; you can only view these properties. Other objects also have properties. The desktop, for example, has many different properties you can view and set. These properties include the screen saver, color scheme, video drivers, resolution, and much more. (See Chapter 10 for an explanation of how to set the desktop's properties and customize Windows 98 in other ways.) The easiest way to view an object's properties is to right-click on the object, which brings up a context menu for the object (see Figure 6.18). The contents of the context menu vary according to the type of object selected, but there are many similarities between context menus for various types of objects. This section explains the Properties item in the context menu. Other context menu items are explained elsewhere in this chapter and in other chapters. FIGURE 6.18 Use the context menu to work with an object and set its properties. After you choose Properties from an object's context menu, one or more property sheets appear on the display to enable you to view and set the object's properties. Figure 6.19 shows the property sheet for a typical file, and Figure 6.20 shows the Page 104

Inside Windows 98 property sheet for the desktop. You can use the controls in the object's property sheet to set the object's properties as appropriate. FIGURE 6.19 Property sheet for a typical file. FIGURE 6.20 Property sheet for the desktop. Introducing Windows Explorer You can use folders to help you access most applications and documents you use regularly. You can copy, move, find, and delete objects easily. Sometimes, however, you need a broader picture of your PC's resources, or you need to see a hierarchical view of those resources. Windows 98 includes an application called Explorer that provides that hierarchical view of your PC's resources (see Figure 6.21). You can open multiple copies of Explorer to view the objects in different folders or on different computers. FIGURE 6.21 Explorer enables you to browse and manage your PC's resources. To open Explorer, choose Start | Programs, and select Windows Explorer. If you want to open a full Explorer view of a folder--on the desktop or in another folder--hold down the Shift key and double-click on the folder. Explorer opens with selected folder contents on display. You also can right-click on the Start menu and choose Explorer to open it. For detailed information on using Explorer, refer to Chapter 7. Creating and Using Shortcuts In addition to containing files, folders, and special objects such as the Control Panel, a folder can contain a shortcut. (You also can place a shortcut on the desktop.) A shortcut is a special type of file linked to another object. You can think of a shortcut as a pointer to an object; when you double-click on the shortcut, Windows 98 checks the contents of the shortcut file to determine the object with which the shortcut is linked. Then Windows 98 opens that object. If you create a shortcut to the Control Panel on the desktop, for example, double-clicking on the Control Panel shortcut opens the Control Panel. Shortcuts are extremely useful and are the primary mechanism you can use to customize your desktop to give yourself quick access to the applications, documents, and Internet resources you use most often. Do you need to open files from a particular disk and folder? Create a shortcut on the desktop to that folder. Do you often access files in a particular volume on a server? Create a shortcut on the desktop to that volume. Do you use one or two applications often and want to have quick access to them? Create shortcuts on the desktop to the applications' executable files. Page 105

Inside Windows 98 TIP: You don't need to map a local drive letter to a remote disk resource to open that resource. You can use the remote computer's UNC pathname to create a shortcut to another user's machine or a server. When you double-click on the shortcut icon, a folder opens, displaying the resources the remote computer shares, including all shared disks and printers. Creating Shortcuts You can create a shortcut in a folder, on the desktop, or in the Start menu. There are a few different ways to create shortcuts, the easiest of which is to right-drag the object for which you want a shortcut into the location where you want the shortcut created. To create a shortcut on the desktop to drive C, for example, open My Computer; then right-drag the C drive icon onto the desktop. When you release the icon, Windows 98 displays a pop-up menu with two items: Create Shortcut(s) Here and Cancel. Choose Create Shortcut(s) Here to create a shortcut to drive C. When you double-click on the shortcut icon, Windows 98 opens a folder that displays the contents of drive C. To create a shortcut in a folder, right-drag the object into the folder, release the object, and choose Create Shortcut(s) Here. To create a shortcut of an object in a folder, right-click on the object and choose Create Shortcut. Windows 98 creates a shortcut in the folder to the selected object. You then can drag the shortcut into another folder or onto the desktop to relocate the shortcut. TIP: Some objects can't be moved or copied, but you can create a shortcut to the object. For example, you can't copy the Control Panel onto the desktop, but you can create a shortcut on the desktop to the Control Panel. Windows 98 prevents you from copying entire disks to your desktop. If you right-drag a disk icon from My Computer to the desktop, for example, the only choice that appears in the object menu is Create Shortcut(s) Here. An important point to understand about copying, moving, and shortcuts is this: You can copy or move a file onto the desktop, just as you can create a shortcut on the desktop to that file. If you copy a file to the desktop, you actually copy it to the \Windows\Desktop directory. If you move the file to the desktop, you move it to the \Windows\Desktop directory. The same holds true for folders: If you copy or move a folder to the desktop, you move or copy an entire directory and all of its contents (including subdirectories) to the \Windows\Desktop directory. You probably won't want to copy or move objects to the desktop very often. Instead, you'll want to create shortcuts on the desktop to those objects. Page 106

Inside Windows 98 WARNING: Take care that you don't move objects from remote network computers to your own computer unless you're absolutely sure you want to remove the object from the remote PC and place it on your PC. It's easy to move an important file from another computer onto yours and accidentally delete it from your PC. To be safe, create a shortcut to the file instead of moving or copying it. To help you understand the ways in which you can create shortcuts, the following list summarizes the three most common methods: * Right-drag an object. If you right-drag an object and drop it on the desktop or in a folder, Windows 98 displays a menu of options for copying, moving, or creating a shortcut for the object. Choose the Create Shortcut(s) Here item from the menu. * Right-click on the object. This displays the context menu for the object. Choose the Create Shortcuts Here item from the context menu to create the shortcut for the object in the same location (folder or desktop) as the original object. After you create the shortcut, left-drag it to move it to the desktop or to the folder of your choice. * Right-click on the desktop or in a folder. This displays the context menu for the desktop or for the folder. Choose New | Shortcut. Windows creates a new, "empty" shortcut. The description is highlighted, so type a description for the shortcut and press Enter. Then right-click on the shortcut to display its context menu. Choose Properties and click on the Shortcut tab to display the Shortcut property page. In the Link To text box, specify the name of the program file, document file, directory, URL, or UNC pathname to which you want the shortcut to refer. If the object is a program, you might also want to specify its working directory, assign it a hot key, and specify the default type of window for it to use. Use the controls in the Shortcut property sheet to set these properties. Creating Shortcuts to Network Resources If you work regularly with certain network resources, you should consider creating shortcuts on the desktop or in a folder to those remote network resources. If you often use applications on a particular server, for example, you can create a shortcut on the desktop to the server. When you double-click on the shortcut icon, a folder window opens displaying the resources the server shares. The easiest way to create a shortcut to another user's computer or to a server is through the Network Neighborhood folder. Open Page 107

Inside Windows 98 Network Neighbor-hood and locate the computer for which you want to create a shortcut. When you locate the computer, right-drag its icon onto your desktop and choose Create Shortcut(s) Here. TIP: If you often print to a particular network printer, consider creating a shortcut on the desktop to that printer. When you need to manage print jobs on that printer, you can double-click on the shortcut icon to quickly open a queue folder for the printer. For more information on working with network printers, refer to Chapters 8 and 26. Creating Internet Shortcuts You can easily create shortcuts to Internet resources such as Web and File Transfer Protocol (FTP) sites. To do so, right-click on the desktop or in the folder where you want the Internet shortcut and choose New | Shortcut from the context menu. When the Create Shortcut Wizard appears, type the URL of the Internet resource, such as http://www.microsoft or ftp://ftp.microsoft.com. Then click on Next. Specify a name for the Internet resource shortcut and click on Finish. Setting a Shortcut's Properties As with most other types of objects in Windows 98, shortcuts have various properties associated with them. By changing a shortcut's properties, you control the way in which the shortcut functions. To change a shortcut's properties, right-click on the shortcut's icon to display its context menu; then choose Properties. Shortcut property sheets include two property pages: General and Shortcut. The General property page provides information about the shortcut file, such as its name, modification date, and other file-related information. As with other files, you can set the file attributes of the shortcut file using the General page of the Shortcut property sheets. The Shortcut page of the Shortcut property sheets (see Figure 6.22) enables you to set properties that control the way the shortcut works. For example, you can associate the shortcut with a different file, specify a startup directory, assign a shortcut key to the shortcut, and change the icon associated with the shortcut. FIGURE 6.22 Control a shortcut's properties through its property sheet. To associate the shortcut with a different file, enter the path to the particular file in the Target text box. If you move the file with which the shortcut is associated to a different directory, for example, specify the new path to the file in the Target text box. Page 108

Inside Windows 98 To specify a startup directory (a directory that becomes active when you open the object associated with the shortcut), enter the path to the startup directory in the Start in text box. If you create a shortcut to your word processor, for example, and want a specific document directory to be active when you start the word processor, enter the path to the document directory in the Start in text box. You also can assign a keyboard shortcut to a program shortcut. Assume that you create a shortcut to your word processor and you want the word processor to open whenever you press Ctrl+Alt+W or another key sequence of your choice. To assign the keyboard shortcut to the program shortcut, click in the Shortcut key text box; then press the key combination you want assigned to the shortcut. Whenever you press this key combination, the shortcut activates and opens its associated file. To control the way a shortcut opens its associated file, select one of the three options from the Run drop-down list. You can open the object in a normal window--maximized or minimized. If you have programs you want to have available in the Taskbar, for example, but don't want to use them as soon as you double-click on their shortcuts, select the Minimize option from the Run drop-down list. TIP: If you're familiar with Windows 3.x, you can see similarities between a shortcut's properties and a Program Manager program item's properties. They essentially perform the same functions, enabling you to control the way an application or document opens. Shortcuts are files containing information that links them to other files. Somewhere along the line, you might need to find the file with which a shortcut is associated. You might have a shortcut on the desktop to an application, for example, and want to browse for other files in the same directory, but you don't know the original file's location. To quickly find the file with which a shortcut is associated, right-click on the shortcut's icon to display its context menu and choose Properties. When the property sheet appears, click on the Shortcut tab to show the Shortcut page. Next, choose the Find Target button. Windows 98 opens a window that displays the contents of the folder in which the original file resides. Customizing the Taskbar and Start Menu As with most aspects of Windows 98, you can control the appearance and behavior of the Taskbar and Start menu to suit your preferences. You can add new items to the Start menu to enable you to access applications and documents quickly, and you can relocate the Taskbar if you want it somewhere other than at the bottom of the display. The next section explains how to customize the Taskbar. Page 109

Inside Windows 98 Customizing the Taskbar By default, the Taskbar appears at the bottom of the desktop with the Start button at the left of the Taskbar and the tray at the right. You can easily change the location of the Taskbar so that it resides at the right, left, or top of the desktop rather than at the bottom. To relocate the Taskbar, drag it from its current location to its new location at one edge of the desktop. When the Taskbar is near its new location, Windows 98 shows the Taskbar in its new location. Release the mouse button and the Taskbar moves to the new location. Figure 6.23 shows the Taskbar located at the right edge of the display. FIGURE 6.23 You can relocate the Taskbar to any one of the four sides of the display. Here it's displayed at the right edge. TIP: To drag the Taskbar, place the tip of the mouse pointer on any blank area of the Taskbar, hold down the left button, and drag the Taskbar to its new location. When you move the Taskbar to the left or right edge of the desktop, the Start button moves to the top of the Taskbar. The tray is located at the bottom of the Taskbar. The buttons of any running programs appear horizontally below the Start button. In addition to controlling the location of the Taskbar, you can change how and when it appears on the desktop. By default, the Taskbar is always visible. If you prefer, you can hide the Taskbar to keep it from covering parts of your application windows when you're not using it. To set the Taskbar's properties, right-click on the Taskbar and choose Properties, or choose Start and then Taskbar. Either method displays the Taskbar property sheet, as shown in Figure 6.24. FIGURE 6.24 Use the Taskbar property sheet to control the Taskbar's appearance and behavior. The Taskbar Options page includes the following four check boxes that control the way the Taskbar appears and functions: * Always on top. If you enable this option, the Taskbar always appears on top of any window or other object on the desktop. Enabling this option gives you access to the Taskbar even when an application or other window might otherwise cover it up. * Auto hide. Enable this check box if you want the Taskbar to hide itself when you're not using it. When the Taskbar is hidden, it appears as a thin line at whichever edge of the display you have positioned it. To view the Taskbar, move the mouse pointer onto the line and the Taskbar appears. If your Taskbar is hidden at the bottom of the display, for Page 110

Inside Windows 98 example, move the mouse pointer to the very bottom of the display. * Show small icons in Start menu. This check box controls whether the Start menu uses small or large icons beside each Start menu item. Enable this option to use small icons; disable the option to use large icons (the default). * Show clock. Enable this option if you want the time to appear in the status area of the Taskbar. Disable this option if you don't want the time to show in the Taskbar. Customizing the Start Menu You can add your own items to the Start menu to make the items easily accessible. You also can remove items from the Start menu. For example, you can remove a program folder from the Programs menu without actually deleting the folder or its contents, which enables you to minimize the number of items on the Programs menu without deleting the objects it references. Adding an item to the Start menu only requires that you place a shortcut to the item or the item itself in the appropriate folder under the \Windows\Start Menu folder. All you have to do to delete an item is remove the object from the appropriate directory under \Windows\Start Menu. NOTE: If your system is configured to provide a separate desktop and environment for each user, the Start menu items are located in \Windows\Profiles\user\Start Menu, where user is the Windows logon name of a particular user. For the purposes of this chapter, the Start menu items are assumed to be in \Windows\Start Menu. For more information on configuring Windows 98 to support multiple users and desktops, refer to Chapter 10. When you choose Start, Windows 98 displays in the Start menu all the objects contained in the \Windows\Start Menu folder. Any new items you add to the folder automatically appear in the Start menu. If you add a shortcut to the \Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder, for example, that shortcut appears in the Programs menu. Although you can add and remove items from the Start menu manually, Windows 98 automates the process to simplify it. Essentially, this automation consists of a wizard that automates creating and deleting shortcuts. To add an item to the Start menu, choose Start | Settings | Taskbar, or right-click on the Taskbar and choose Properties. When Windows 98 displays the property sheet for the Taskbar, click on the Start Menu Programs tab to display the property page shown in Figure 6.25. FIGURE 6.25 Use the Start Menu Programs property page to add items to or remove items from the Start menu. Page 111

Inside Windows 98 To add an item to the Start menu, choose Add. Windows 98 displays the Create Shortcut dialog box shown in Figure 6.26. In the Command line text box, enter the path to the file or other object for which you want to create a shortcut, or choose the Browse button to browse for the object. After you locate the object and its entry appears in the Command line text box, choose Next. FIGURE 6.26 Specify the command or select a program to associate with the new item. Windows 98 then displays the Select Program Folder dialog box (see Figure 6.27), which provides a hierarchical view of the folders referenced in the Start menu. Locate the folder in which you want to place the new shortcut and click on Next to return to the Create Shortcut dialog box. If you like your selections, choose Finish. Windows 98 creates the shortcut in the specified directory, which causes it to be displayed in the appropriate place in the Start menu. FIGURE 6.27 Select a program folder in which to place the new item. To remove an item from the Start menu, display the Start Menu Programs page and choose Remove. Windows 98 displays the Remove Shortcuts/ Folders dialog box. Locate the folder or shortcut you want to remove; then choose Remove. Windows 98 removes the selected folder or shortcut. WARNING: If your Start Menu folder contains folders in addition to shortcuts to folders, removing a folder removes all objects it contains--just like deleting a directory and its contents. Be certain you really want to remove a folder before you remove it from the Start Menu folder. If you do remove a folder and then realize you didn't want to, look in the Recycle Bin for it. Move the folder from the Recycle Bin back into its original location in the Start Menu folder. The Advanced button on the Start Menu Programs property page provides a nonautomated method for creating, moving, and deleting shortcuts. Essentially all the Advanced button does is open the Explorer with the Start Menu folder displayed in Explorer. You then can use Explorer to create, remove, and move shortcuts and folders in and out of the Start Menu folder. Using Quick Viewers Windows 98 includes a selection of file viewing utilities called Quick Viewers. Quick Viewers enable you to view the contents of a document without opening the document's parent application; Page 112

Inside Windows 98 for example, you can view the contents of a Microsoft Word document without opening Word. To preview a document using a Quick Viewer, select the document in a folder or in Explorer and choose File | Quick View. Or right-click on the document icon and choose Quick View from the context menu. If the Quick View item doesn't appear in the File menu or context menu, the system doesn't contain a Quick Viewer for the selected document type, or a proper association doesn't exist between the document type and the appropriate viewer. The Quick Viewer document associations are stored in the Registry in \HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\QuickView. For more information on the Registry, read Chapter 12, "Managing Windows 98 Configurations." When you choose Quick View, Windows 98 opens a viewer appropriate to the selected document type. Figure 6.28 shows a Microsoft Word document displayed by a Quick Viewer. FIGURE 6.28 A Word document displayed in a Quick Viewer window. You can use a Quick Viewer to view the contents of a document. In this mode you can't edit the document. To edit the document, choose File | Open File for Editing. Or click on the Open File for Editing button on the Quick Viewer toolbar. Windows 98 opens the source application and loads the selected document. Starting Applications Automatically You might have some applications or documents you use every time you turn on your PC. To have those applications or documents open and ready when your PC boots, Windows 98 includes a Startup folder. All items in the Startup folder open automatically as soon as Windows 98 boots and you log on. If you place a shortcut to your spreadsheet application in the Startup folder, for example, the spreadsheet program opens as soon as Windows 98 starts. To start an object automatically when Windows 98 starts, simply create a shortcut for the object in the Startup folder. You can open the Startup folder and right-drag an object into the folder to create the shortcut, use the Create Shortcut Wizard (choose Start | Settings | Taskbar), or use any other method for creating shortcuts. However, you should avoid copying objects to the Startup folder to make them start automatically. For example, don't copy your spreadsheet program's executable file to the Startup folder. Instead, use a shortcut to the spreadsheet application. Using shortcuts rather than duplicating objects can save a considerable amount of disk space. NOTE: You can bypass the Startup folder during startup so that its contents do not start automatically. If you are not using a network or user profile (Windows 98 does not display a logon dialog box), press and Page 113

Inside Windows 98 hold down the Shift key while Windows 98 is starting. When the desktop appears, release the Shift key. If you are using a network or user profiles, enter your username and password when the logon dialog box appears. Then press and hold down the Shift key and choose OK to begin startup and logon. When the desktop appears, release the Shift key. Changing the Startup Group You can designate any folder as your startup folder. To specify a different folder, first open the Registry Editor. Open HKey_Current_User\Software\ Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders. Or choose Edit | Search and search for the string Startup. Edit the Startup value to point to the folder you want to use as your startup folder. The next time you start Windows 98, the objects in the specified folder will start automatically. Using the Keyboard If you don't like to use a mouse, your mouse quits working, or you simply prefer to use the keyboard for certain tasks, some keyboard shortcuts can help you navigate in Windows 98. The following list provides some tips on using the keyboard rather than the mouse to do a variety of tasks in Windows 98: * Opening a menu. Usually, one character in each menu name is underlined. To open a menu, hold down the Alt key and press the underlined letter. To open the File menu, for example, press Alt+F. If you prefer, you can press and release the Alt key and then press and release the underlined letter--it works the same as pressing the keys together. A third method is to press and release the Alt key and then use the rightor left-arrow key to highlight a menu name. When the menu is highlighted, press the down-arrow key to open the menu. * Selecting menu items. After you open a menu, you can select items from the menu by using the arrow keys to move the selection highlight through the menu. To open a cascade menu, highlight the menu and press the right-arrow key. After you highlight the command you want, press Enter. * Using keyboard shortcuts. Some commands in a menu have keyboard shortcuts listed beside them. The Open command in WordPad's File menu, for example, includes a Ctrl+O shortcut. You can press this shortcut to issue the File | Open command without even opening the menu. * Using control menus. Each program and folder window includes a control menu you can use to control the window's state (normal, minimized, maximized), close the window, and display the Taskbar. To open a program or folder's control menu, press Alt+Spacebar. Each document window also includes its own control menu. To open a document's control menu, Page 114

Inside Windows 98 press Alt and press the down-arrow key. * Resizing and moving a window. To resize or move a window with the keyboard, open the window's control menu and choose the Size or Move command. Then use the arrow keys to move and resize the window. * Opening and using the Taskbar. To open the Taskbar and display the Start menu, press Ctrl+Esc. To select a running program from the Taskbar, press Ctrl+Esc to open the Taskbar; then press Esc to close the Start menu. Press Tab and use the arrow keys to select a program from the Taskbar. * Switching between applications and folder windows. To switch between running applications, hold down the Alt key and press Tab. While you continue to hold down the Alt key, a small dialog box appears in the middle of the display; it contains an icon for each of the running applications or open folders. Press Tab to highlight the application or folder you want to use; then release the Alt key. To cancel selecting an application in this way, press Esc; then release the Alt key. * Switching between applications and folders (including dialog boxes). In addition to pressing Alt+Tab to switch between running programs, you also can press Alt+Esc. Pressing Alt+Esc does not display a dialog box that enables you to choose the application you want to use; instead Windows 98 immediately switches to the next application in sequence. If the Taskbar is not hidden, Alt+Esc also cycles through the applications in the Taskbar in addition to open windows. The primary advantage of using Alt+Esc is that it switches to open dialog boxes (such as many in the Control Panel) that Alt+Tab ignores. * Moving around in a dialog box or property sheet. To move from one control to another in a dialog box or property sheet, press Tab. To switch from one property sheet to another, use the left- and right-arrow keys, the Home key, and the End key. Using a Microsoft Natural Keyboard Microsoft has incorporated support into Windows 98 for the Microsoft Natural Keyboard, incorporating special shortcut keys you can enter on the keyboard to quickly access Windows 98 features and control the Windows 98 interface. The following list explains these shortcuts: * Applications key. Press the Apps key to display the context menu of the current window. * Windows key. Press the Win key to open the Start menu. * Windows+R. Press this combination to display the Run dialog box. Page 115

Inside Windows 98 * Windows+M. Use this key combination to minimize all open windows. * Windows+Shift+M. This key combination corresponds to Undo Minimize All, restoring previously minimized applications to windows. * Windows+F1. This key combination opens Windows 98 Help. * Windows+E. Use this key combination to open Explorer with My Computer displayed in the Explorer window. * Windows+F. This combination opens the Find dialog box to locate files. * Windows+Ctrl+F. This combination opens the Find Computer dialog box. * Windows+Tab. Use this combination to activate objects on the Taskbar, and when the object is selected (its button is pressed), press Enter to activate the object. * Windows+Break. Press this combination to display the System property page. Using the Recycle Bin Previous versions of DOS and Windows include an UNERASE feature that enables you to retrieve files you have erased. Windows 98 includes something similar, called the Recycle Bin--a standard folder in which Windows 98 places files you delete. The Recycle Bin appears as a trash can icon on the desktop. When you have items in the Recycle Bin, the icon appears as a trash can with papers in it. An empty trash can icon indicates an empty Recycle Bin. When you delete one or more files, Windows 98 places the files in the Recycle Bin instead of immediately deleting them. The files remain in the Recycle Bin until you empty it. To empty the objects from the Recycle Bin, right-click on the Recycle Bin icon and choose Empty Recycle Bin. Windows 98 prompts you to verify that you really want to delete the items in the Recycle Bin. If you choose Yes, Windows 98 empties the Recycle Bin, permanently deleting the objects it contains. Choose No to cancel the operation. If the Recycle Bin is open in a window, choose File | Empty Recycle Bin to empty it. By default, Windows 98 places deleted objects in the Recycle Bin, but you can control how Windows 98 handles objects you delete from each disk. To specify how the Recycle Bin is used, right-click on the Recycle Bin icon and choose Properties. Windows 98 displays the property sheet shown in Figure 6.29. FIGURE 6.29 Control the behavior of the Recycle Bin through its property sheet. Page 116

Inside Windows 98 TIP: To immediately delete items even when the Recycle Bin is configured to store deleted files, hold down the Shift key when you delete the objects. Instead of moving the items to the Recycle Bin, they are immediately deleted. The following list explains the controls in the Global property page for the Recycle Bin: * Configure drives independently. Choose this option button if you want to separately configure the way each disk is handled for file deletion. For example, if you want files deleted from drive C to be placed in the Recycle Bin but files from drive D to be immediately deleted, choose this option. Then you can use the drive pages of the Recycle Bin properties to control how each drive is handled. * Use one setting for all drives. Choose this option button if you want all drives handled in the same way. To place deleted files from all disks in the Recycle Bin, for example, choose this option. Also choose this option if you want all files immediately deleted regardless of the disk from which they are deleted (see following option). * Do not move files to the Recycle Bin. Enable this option if you want all files immediately deleted, bypassing the Recycle Bin. Use this setting in conjunction with the option Use one setting for all drives to cause Windows 98 to bypass the Recycle Bin for all disks. * Maximum size of the Recycle Bin. Use this slider to control the amount of disk space Windows 98 allocates to the Recycle Bin. To optimize the amount of space available on your disk, set this control to a minimum setting. The size is a percentage of total disk space, so the same percentage setting will indicate different amounts of disk space with drives of different sizes. * Display delete confirmation dialog box. Enable this option if you want Windows 98 to display a confirmation dialog box before it deletes items. If you do not want to confirm file deletions, disable this option. NOTE: Windows 98 dynamically resizes the Recycle Bin folder as necessary. Therefore, specifying a size with the Maximum size of Recycle Bin doesn't automatically allocate a specific amount of space to the Recycle Bin--it simply sets a maximum amount of space that can be used in the Recycle Bin to store deleted files. If the Recycle Bin is empty, no disk space is used other than the space used by the Recycle Bin folder itself (which is minimal). Page 117

Inside Windows 98 In addition to the Global page, the Recycle Bin property sheet includes pages for each of the hard disks in your system. If you choose the option Configure drives independently, the controls in the disk sheets are enabled, which enables you to control how the Recycle Bin handles files that are deleted from each disk. The settings you can specify on each disk property page match corresponding settings on the Global page. The only difference is that the settings on the disk pages apply only to their associated disks; settings on the Global page apply to all disks. TIP: Each disk contains a Recycled folder. When you delete one or more files from drive C, the files are placed in the Recycled folder on drive C. Files deleted from other drives are placed in the Recycled folders on those drives. The Recycled folder is located in the root directory of a disk. ----------

-7Managing Files and Folders

* Introducing Explorer * Examining the Explorer Window * Opening Objects in Explorer * Jumping to a Specific Folder * Browsing Using Explorer * Using Explorer Command Switches * Getting Quick Access to Explorer * Summarizing Explorer * Understanding and Using Long Filenames * Using Long Filenames at the Command Prompt * Disabling Long Filenames * Creating Folders and Documents * Creating Folders * Creating New Documents * Sending Objects * Formatting and Labeling Disks * Copying, Moving, and Renaming Objects * Copying and Moving Files and Folders * Using the Clipboard to Copy Files and Folders * Renaming Files, Folders, and Disks * Searching for Files and Folders * Understanding and Using Wild Cards * Finding Files and Folders * Viewing and Setting Disk and File Properties * Viewing a Disk's Properties Page 118

Inside Windows 98 * Viewing and Setting File and Folder Properties * Managing Files from the Command Line Much of the work you do on your PC probably involves files in one way or another. Many people find and manage document files every day. Windows 98 provides a program called Explorer that helps you view and manage your files and other objects on your PC. You also can manage your PC's file system with the Windows File Manager, folder windows, and other methods. This chapter examines Explorer and other file-related issues, including the following topics: * Using Explorer * Using File Manager * Formatting disks * Copying and moving files * Creating and working with folders * Searching for files and folders * Using long filenames * Managing files from the command line You can perform most file and disk management tasks without opening Explorer. You can simply open a folder window and perform the task. If you work with a large number of objects or want to copy or delete entire folders, however, using Explorer is often more practical. Explorer is only one method for managing files and folders. This chapter focuses on file management tasks rather than on Explorer. The following section provides an overview of Explorer to help you understand how it works and how to use it effectively. Later sections explain how to perform various tasks using a variety of methods, including Explorer, to format disks and manage files and folders. This chapter treats Explorer as one tool among many you can use to manage your files and folders, instead of focusing on it as a file management application. NOTE: Although Windows 98's primary file management tool is Explorer, Windows 98 also includes a copy of File Manager to accommodate Windows 3.x users who are migrating to Windows 98. To start File Manager, click Start | Run and enter WINFILE in the Run dialog box. Introducing Explorer

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Inside Windows 98 As you might have read in Chapter 6, "Using Windows 98," the Windows 98 Explorer is an application provided in Windows 98 that you can use to view and manage the resources on your PC. Explorer provides a view of other objects, including the desktop, Printers folder, Control Panel, Network Neighborhood, Dial-Up Networking folder, Recycle Bin, Briefcase, and any other objects on your Windows 98 desktop, doing more than just showing you a view of your PC's disks. Figure 7.1 shows the Explorer window with these objects displayed in the Tree pane. FIGURE 7.1 Explorer provides quick access to most of your PC's resources. TIP: To run Explorer, choose Start | Programs | Windows Explorer. To open an Explorer window of a folder, hold down the Shift key and double-click on the folder's icon. If you have a shortcut on the desktop to a folder, for example, you can open an Explorer window of that folder by holding down the Shift key and double-clicking on the shortcut icon. Examining the Explorer Window By default, the Explorer window includes two panes. The left pane--the Tree pane--arranges the resources on your desktop in a hierarchical tree that includes all objects on the desktop. Selecting an object from the tree displays its contents in the Contents pane on the right. How the objects appear in the Contents pane depends on which view options you select. You can display the objects as large icons, small icons, a simple list, or a detailed list by choosing one of the four options from the View menu or by choosing a view option from the toolbar. If you select the large or small icon view, a labeled icon represents each item. If you select the Details option, the Contents pane displays a small icon for each object to indicate its type (see Figure 7.2). FIGURE 7.2 Objects displayed as a list in Explorer. You also can display a detailed list of the objects in the selected folder by choosing View | Details or by clicking on the Details button on the toolbar. In addition to displaying an icon and description for each object, Explorer displays the object's type (a description) and the date the object was last modified (see Figure 7.3). FIGURE 7.3 A detailed list in Explorer. The Explorer window looks and functions much like any folder window. You can use the View menu to turn the toolbars and status bar on and off and to control other options. Page 120

Inside Windows 98 TIP: You can turn on the Explorer bar to show your search page, favorites, history, or channels, just as you can with a folder window. The Explorer bar appears between the tree and contents panes. Opening Objects in Explorer Objects in Explorer's tree include a small plus sign (+) beside them if they contain additional folders (refer to Figure 7.1). To expand a folder to show its subfolders, click on the plus sign. After you expand a folder to show its subfolders, the plus sign switches to a minus sign (-). To collapse a folder, click on the minus sign. Collapsing a folder makes it possible to view more objects in the tree, which is useful when you want to copy or move objects between different folders and can't otherwise see both folders in the tree. Collapsing folders also simplifies the entire tree view, reducing clutter and making it easier to locate objects. TIP: You can expand and collapse an object by double-clicking on it in the tree. If Single Click is active with Web View, you only have to click once on an object to activate it. To view the contents of a folder, click on the folder name or icon in the tree. The Contents pane changes to display the contents of the folder. If the selected folder contains other folders, their icons appear in the Contents pane even if the folder is not expanded in the tree (see Figure 7.4). To open an object inside a folder, double-click on the object or select the object with the arrow keys and press Enter. If the object is an application, Explorer starts the application. If the object is a document, Explorer starts the document's parent application and loads the document into the application. If you attempt to open a document that has no application association, Explorer issues the Open With dialog box (see Figure 7.5), which prompts you to specify the application you want to use to open the document. Select the application you want to use to open the document and choose OK. FIGURE 7.4 The Contents pane displays all subfolders and other objects in the folder. FIGURE 7.5 Use the Open With dialog box to specify which application to use to open a document. TIP: Enable the Always use this program to open this file check box if you want to associate the selected document type with the application. This places an entry for the document in the Registry and enables Page 121

Inside Windows 98 Windows 98 to use the same application in the future to open documents of the same type without any input from you. * You also can use the Context menu to open an object. Right-click on an object or select the object and press Shift+F10 to open the Context menu. If Windows recognizes the object type, the first menu item in the Context menu is Open. Choose Open to open the document. If Windows 98 does not recognize the document type, the first item in the Context menu is Open With. Choose Open With to display the Open With dialog box, and specify the application you want to use to open the document. TIP: Because Explorer windows are just like other folder windows, you have the same options for controlling the appearance of the Explorer window as you do with folder windows. To set Explorer's view options, choose View | Options. For information on setting folder options, refer to Chapter 6. See Chapter 25, "Using the Active Desktop," for more information on integrating Web content and styles on the desktop. Jumping to a Specific Folder You can open a folder in Explorer simply by selecting it from the Tree or Contents panes. Sometimes, however, this method for opening a folder is impractical. For example, the folder you want to open might be buried deep in the tree. Rather than burrow your way through the tree to find a folder, you can jump directly to it. To do so, type the folder name in the Address combo box on the Address toolbar; then press Enter. You also can use the combo box's drop-down list to select most recently used objects. Specifying a file in the Address list and pressing Enter causes Explorer to open the file. Browsing Using Explorer The Standard Buttons toolbar provides three buttons for navigating through your file system with Explorer. These buttons are the Back, Forward, and Up buttons. They perform the following functions: * Back. Click this button to move back to the folder previously displayed. For example, assume that you are viewing the root folder of drive C. You then expand the tree and click on a folder that is three levels deep under the root. Clicking on the Back button will take you back to the root folder. Page 122

Inside Windows 98 * Forward. Click this button to move to the next folder in the history of folders you have worked within the current session. For example, assume you are viewing a folder on drive C. You then view a folder on drive D, followed by a folder on drive E. Clicking Back takes you to drive D; clicking Forward takes you to drive E again. * Up. Click this button to view the current folder's parent folder. The resources you browse using Explorer are not restricted to just files and folders. You can browse the network and other items in the tree pane in the same way. Table 7.1 lists shortcuts for working with Explorer. TABLE 7.1 Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts Key | Function F4 | Opens the selected object drop-down list, after which you can use the arrow keys to select an object to view in Explorer. F5 | Refreshes the view. F6 | Switches between the Tree and Contents panes. Ctrl+G | Shortcut to the Go To command; similar to choosing Tools | Go To. Ctrl+Z | Issues the Edit | Undo command. Ctrl+A | Selects all objects in the Contents pane. Backspace | Moves the view to the parent folder. * | Expands all folders under the selection in the tree. + | Expands the tree of the current selection. - | (On the numeric keypad.) Collapses the current selection's tree. Right arrow | With tree active, expands current selection's tree if not already expanded; if already expanded, moves to the first child object in the selection. Left arrow | With tree active, collapses the current selection if expanded; if not expanded, moves to the current object's parent. Ctrl+arrow | Scrolls the tree without moving the current selection. Using Explorer Command Switches Page 123

Inside Windows 98 As with many Windows applications, Explorer supports command-line switches--optional parameters you include on the command line to start Explorer set with certain options. The easiest way to apply switches is to create a shortcut to Explorer and include the switches on the shortcut command line. The syntax for the Explorer command line follows: explorer [/n] [/e][,/root,object][[,/select],subobject] The command-line switches in this syntax example are as follows: * /n. Explorer always opens a new window, even if the specified folder is already open (see the /root switch). * /e. Explorer uses Windows Explorer view. If you specify a folder with the /root option and do not specify the /e option, Explorer opens a standard folder window rather than the Explorer window. * /root,object. This specifies the object to use as the root in the Tree pane. By default, the desktop is the root object. To open an explorer view of only one folder on a disk, specify the drive letter and folder path in place of object. To open Explorer with only the Windows directory displayed, for example, use /root,c:\windows for this option. * /select. This option specifies that the parent folder specified by the /root option is opened. If you also include the subobject option, Explorer selects the specified object in the Contents pane but does not open the object. To open \Windows as the root with the Command folder selected but not opened, use the command line Explorer /e,/root,c:\windows,/select,Command. * subobject. Specifies the object to open in the Contents pane. To open the Command folder, for example, use the command line Explorer /e,/root,c:\windows,Command. Getting Quick Access to Explorer If you use Explorer a lot, consider creating a shortcut on the desktop to Explorer (shortcuts are explained in Chapter 6. You also might want to assign a shortcut key that enables you to load Explorer with a quick keystroke. You can't assign a shortcut keystroke directly to Explorer's executable file (EXPLORER.EXE), but you can assign a shortcut keystroke to your Explorer shortcut. After you create the shortcut on the desktop to Explorer, select the shortcut and open its Context menu (Shift+F10 or right-click). In the Shortcut page of the property sheet for the shortcut, click in the Shortcut key text box; then press the shortcut key sequence you want to assign to Explorer, such as Ctrl+Alt+X. Then, whenever you need to open Explorer, just press Ctrl+Alt+X (or whatever shortcut key sequence you assign to the shortcut). Page 124

Inside Windows 98 Before a shortcut keystroke can work, however, the shortcut has to be in the \Windows\Desktop folder or, if you use multiple user profiles, in the \Windows\Profiles\user\Desktop folder. Summarizing Explorer Explorer is tightly integrated with the Windows 98 environment. Although it is a separate program, you can consider Explorer to encompass the entire desktop. When you open a folder on the desktop, you see information presented in the same way it is presented in Explorer. Explorer simply gives you a much broader view than a folder window of your PC's resources. The following sections examine common file and folder management tasks and describe various methods you can use to accomplish the tasks. The tasks are explained using non-Explorer methods and using an Explorer method as well. Understanding and Using Long Filenames * Windows 95 added support for long filenames, and that support is carried on in Windows 98. Applications written to do so can work with primary filenames of up to 255 characters. Rather than name a file MYREPORT.DOC, for example, you can create a file named First Quarter Sales and Analysis - Midwest. Long filenames enable you to use much more descriptive, easier-to-understand filenames than you can in 8.3 format. WARNING: The capability to run older MS-DOS and Windows 3.x applications on files that have long filenames without destroying the filenames doesn't apply to most backup, disk utility, and antivirus applications. In general, these types of applications destroy long filenames, although the files and their data are left unaffected. By now most PC users are familiar with long filenames. The following two sections explain two issues relating to long filenames that are not self- evident. Using Long Filenames at the Command Prompt Windows 98 updates many of your command-line applications (DOS commands) to support long filenames. The COPY command, for example, enables you to copy a file that has a long filename. This long filename support is available from command-line sessions you start under Windows 98 and when you boot the PC to the command line rather than to the graphical user interface (GUI). To use a long filename at the command prompt, simply type it as you would a short filename. If the file name contains special characters such as spaces, however, you must include the Page 125

Inside Windows 98 filename in quotation marks. The following is an example of using the COPY command to copy a file with a long filename that contains spaces: copy "This is a long filename.txt" "Yet another longfile name.txt" By default, the Windows 98 command prompt environment uses a keyboard buffer of 127 characters, which limits the length of long filenames you can use at the command prompt. If you copy a file that has a long filename to the root directory of a floppy disk, for example, the long filename is limited to 119 characters--127 minus 4 characters for "copy" and another two characters for the floppy disk ID, such as "A:". Decrease the limit by 2 more if you need to enclose the long filename in quotation marks--one character for each quotation mark. You can, however, increase the size of the keyboard buffer by using the SHELL command. To increase the size of the keyboard buffer to its maximum of 255 characters, use the /u switch along with SHELL. Edit CONFIG.SYS and add or modify the SHELL statement using the /u switch and keyboard buffer size as in the following example: shell=c:\windows\command.com /u:255 After you modify the keyboard buffer, save the changes to CONFIG.SYS and reboot the PC. The Windows 98 command line and MS-DOS sessions you create under Windows 98 then use the increased keyboard buffer size. NOTE: When Windows 98 exits to single-application MS-DOS mode, the system uses only the real-mode file allocation table (FAT) file system. You can't see long filenames created in Windows 98 or from the Windows 98 command line when you're in the MS-DOS mode. You can, however, still see the 8.3 aliases of the files that have long filenames. Disabling Long Filenames Generally you shouldn't experience any problems using long filenames. After you use long filenames, you start to wonder how you got along without them and how you could handle the constraints of the 8.3 file naming system. If by some unlikely chance you decide that using long filenames disturbs the use of your system or applications, you can disable Windows 98's use of long filenames. To disable long filenames, follow these steps: 1. First remove the long filenames by using the Long File Name Backup (LFNBK) utility located in the \admin\apptools\lfnback folder on the Windows 98 CD. 2. Run the Registry Editor (Regedit) and locate the Registry key Page 126

Inside Windows 98 Hkey_Local_Machine\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\ FileSystem. 3. Set the value of Win31FileSystem to 01. 4. Shut down and restart the computer. TIP: You can direct Setup to disable long filenames when you install Windows 98. For information on using Setup and disabling long filenames during Setup, refer to Chapter 2, "Installing and Starting Windows 98." Creating Folders and Documents Windows 98 provides a selection of methods you can use to create new folders and documents. This section of the chapter includes a discussion of why you would want to create these types of items and provides a description of the many methods you can use to create them. Creating Folders As you probably know, a folder you create in Windows 98 is really nothing more than a directory. Although you can use the MKDIR or MD command at the command prompt to create a directory (folder), you'll probably find that creating folders in Windows 98 is easier. The easiest way to create a folder is to right-click where you want the folder created; then choose New | Folder. Windows 98 creates a folder named New Folder and highlights the folder name so you can immediately enter a new name for the folder. If you right-click on the desktop, the folder is created on the desktop in the \Windows\Desktop folder or in the \Windows\Profiles\user\Desktop folder, if you configure Windows 98 to provide unique desktop environments. If you right-click in an open folder, the new folder is created in the open folder (creating a subdirectory). TIP: To use the keyboard to create a folder on the desktop, make sure that no open folder win-dow is in the foreground; then press Shift+F10 to display the desktop's Context menu. Choose New | Folder, to create the folder on the desktop. To create a folder in a folder window, choose File | New | Folder. You use a similar method in Explorer to create a folder. Right-click on the folder in which you want the new folder created; then choose New | Folder. Or select the parent folder (or the desktop) and choose File | New | Folder. Creating New Documents

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Inside Windows 98 If you have used Windows 3.x or DOS applications, you probably are used to creating documents from within an application; for example, you create the data in the application and then choose File | Save As to save the document to the disk. In Windows 98 you can start a new document without first opening the parent application for the document. If you right-click on the desktop or in a folder and choose New, a list of document types appears (see Figure 7.6). The menu lists all document types of OLE-aware applications properly registered in Windows 98. To create a new document, simply select it from the list of document types. Windows 98 creates a new document in the currently open folder or on the desktop, depending on where you right-click. FIGURE 7.6 You can create a new document without opening the parent application. As when you create a new folder, Windows 98 automatically assigns a name to the new document. If you create a new Word for Windows document, for example, Windows 98 names the new file New Microsoft Word Document. The name is automatically highlighted so you can immediately enter a document name of your choice. If a document already exists with the name Windows 98 would otherwise assign, the program adds a number to the end of the new document name, such as New Microsoft Word Document #2. When you use the preceding method to create a new document, Windows 98 does not automatically open the parent application. To edit the document, double-click on its icon, select the icon and press Enter, or simply click once on the icon if you are using Web View. TIP: Instead of right-clicking, you can choose File | New and select the document type to create. Or you can press Shift+F10 to open the folder's or desktop's Context menu. Sending Objects Windows 98 enables you to send objects to a floppy disk, Microsoft Fax, your Briefcase, an e-mail recipient, other disk locations, and printers with ease. You can right-click on a file, for example, then choose Send To and select the floppy disk to which you want to send the file (see Figure 7.7). Windows 98 then copies the file to the floppy disk. Using the Send To method is simpler than opening My Computer and dragging the file to the floppy disk icon. FIGURE 7.7 Right-click on an object and choose Send To to send the object to floppy, fax, e-mail, Briefcase, or other destination. Page 128

Inside Windows 98 * To use Send To, right-click on an object such as a file, folder, or shortcut in a folder in an Explorer window or on the desktop. From the Context menu, choose Send To, followed by the destination of the object. If Microsoft Fax and a Briefcase are configured on your system, they appear in the Send To menu along with any floppy drive(s) in your system. TIP: An alternative method of using Send To is to select the object and choose File | Send To. Or select the object and press Shift+F10 to display its Context menu. Windows 98 adds only a few items to the Send To menu, but you can easily add other items to the menu. To do so, create shortcuts in the \Windows\SendTo folder for each of the locations to which you want to be able to send objects. Any shortcuts that appear in the \Windows\SendTo folder automatically appear on the Send To menu. For example, if you want to be able to print a document by selecting it and choosing Send To and selecting a printer from the menu, add shortcuts in \Windows\SendTo for all your printers. Or you might want to create shortcuts in \Windows\SendTo to a selection of remote network folders. The following list explains how Windows 98 handles an object going to some of the possible destinations: * Floppy disk or local or remote hard disk. Windows 98 handles a Send To to a floppy as a standard file copy. If you send a folder to a floppy, all files and subfolders in the folder are copied to the floppy disk. * Mail recipient. Windows 98 opens a new message composition window and attaches the selected object to the message. * Briefcase. Choosing this option is similar to choosing the Floppy item inasmuch as Windows 98 simply copies the object. The difference is that Windows 98 copies the object(s) to the Briefcase rather than to the floppy disk. * Printer. Windows 98 opens the source application for the document and then prints it to the selected printer. This is similar to dragging a document onto a printer icon in the Printers folder or onto a printer shortcut. You can find more information about copying and moving objects in the section "Copying, Moving, and Renaming Objects" later in this chapter. For information regarding setting up, using, and managing printers, refer to Chapter 8, "Printing and Managing Printers." Formatting and Labeling Disks Page 129

Inside Windows 98 As with previous versions of MS-DOS and Windows, Windows 98 offers a few different methods for formatting and labeling disks, some of which are very similar if not identical to the methods used in MS-DOS and Windows 3.x. A significant difference, however, is that you now can format a disk in Windows 98 as you work on other tasks. You'll naturally experience some performance degradation in your other applications during formatting, but the extent of the performance hit depends on your PC's CPU type and speed. NOTE: You cannot format a disk containing open files, including the disk that Windows 98 currently is using, such as the disk from which you run Windows 98. You also cannot format compressed drives or drives currently hosting a compressed drive. To format a drive hosting a compressed drive, back up the compressed drive (if you want to keep its files), unmount it, and format the host disk. To format a compressed drive, use DriveSpace (for DriveSpace volumes) or your compression software's management program. To format a disk, open My Computer and right-click on the disk's icon and choose Format. Or select the disk's icon and press Shift+F10 and choose Format. If Windows 98 can format the disk, a dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure 7.8 appears. If Windows 98 can't format the disk for any reason previously explained, Windows 98 displays an error message to explain why it can't reformat the drive. FIGURE 7.8 The Format dialog box. You can choose one of the following options to define how to reformat the disk: * Quick (erase). Choose this option to delete the files from a previously formatted disk. This option is faster than the Full option but does not ensure that any new bad sectors are identified. * Full. Choose this option to perform a full sector-by-sector format of the disk. This option is necessary for disks being formatted for the first time, and you should choose this option if you want to verify the identifications and exclusion of bad sectors on the disk. * Copy system files only. Choose this option to copy the system files to the disk, making a previously formatted disk bootable. In addition to specifying the type of format to perform, you also must specify the capacity of the disk to be formatted. The Cap_acity drop-down list enables you to choose the capacity for which you want the drive formatted. For 3.5-inch disks, for Page 130

Inside Windows 98 example, the Cap_acity drop-down list includes 1.44 MB and 720 KB selections. Options for 5.25-inch disks include selections for 1.2 MB and 360 KB formats. If you format a hard disk, the hard disk's total formatted capacity automatically appears in the list--you can't change capacity on a hard disk, but you can use DriveSpace to double its capacity. For information on using DriveSpace, refer to Chapter 15, "Managing Disks and the File System." In addition to formatting the disk, you can add a label to it. A disk's label appears in directory listings and in Windows 3.x-style drive selection list boxes (see Figure 7.9). FIGURE 7.9 You can apply a disk label to all disk types, including hard disks. Unfortunately, disk labels have not seen the same increase in length as filenames in Windows 98. Disk labels are limited to no more than 11 characters. If you format a disk that has previously been formatted and labeled, the disk's current label appears in the Label text box (of the Format dialog box). You can use the existing label, enter a new label, or clear the text box to use no label at all. You also can enable the No label check box to specify that you want the disk to have no label. If you enable the Display summary when finished check box, Windows 98 displays a status dialog box (see Figure 7.10) after it finishes formatting. The status dialog box provides information about the amount of free space on the disk, number of bad sectors, and more. If you want to create a bootable disk, enable the Copy system files check box. In addition to formatting the disk, Windows 98 then copies the necessary boot files to the disk to enable the disk to be used to boot the PC. This is similar to the Copy system files only option button, except you use the Copy system files only option for already formatted disks; you use the Copy system files check box to create a boot disk from an unformatted disk. After you specify the necessary settings, choose Start to begin formatting. Here you can switch away from the Format dialog box to other applications and continue working during the format. FIGURE 7.10 A status dialog box with information about a newly formatted disk. You also can use the FORMAT command at the command prompt to format a disk. Generally, formatting a disk from the GUI is as easy as, or easier than, using the FORMAT command--particularly for new users. You might need to use the FORMAT command, however, to format the hard disk on which you intend to install Windows 98. For more information on preparing a disk to install Windows 98, refer to Chapter 2. You can enter FORMAT /? at the command prompt to obtain a listing of FORMAT command syntax and options, assuming FORMAT.COM is in the current directory. You Page 131

Inside Windows 98 can find FORMAT.COM in the \Windows\Command directory. NOTE: For information about partitioning a disk or formatting a disk to install Windows 98, refer to Chapter 14, "Disk and File System Overview." In addition to formatting a disk through the disk's Context menu in My Computer, you can format a disk in Explorer. Select the disk you want to format and press Shift+F10 to display the disk's Context menu or right-click on the disk's icon. From the Context menu, choose Format to format the disk. TIP: You can right-click on a disk shortcut icon to format the disk associated with the shortcut. Copying, Moving, and Renaming Objects Much file and folder management you do probably includes copying and moving objects between disks and folders and renaming objects. This section explains how you can perform these types of actions in Windows 98. Copying and Moving Files and Folders During the course of a normal week, it's a sure bet that you often copy files from folder to folder or from one disk to another. If you want to back up a couple of document files, for example, you probably copy them from the hard disk to a floppy disk or to a network disk. Moving a file is similar to copying it, except the original is deleted after it copies to its new location. Chapter 6 explains how to copy and move objects simply by dragging them from one folder to another. One of the easiest methods of copying or moving a selection of files is to drag their icons to their destination. More often than not, using Explorer is the easiest way to accomplish this because Explorer enables you to see both the source folder and the destination folder in one window. After you open Explorer, locate and select the files you want to copy or move. Then click on one of the files and drag it and the other files to the folder or disk to which you want to copy them. Whether the drag acts as a copy or a move depends on the relationship between the source and destination folders. The following list explains the relationship: * Same disk. Dragging files or folders within the same disk moves them. Holding down Ctrl while dragging the files copies them. * Different disk. Dragging files or folders from one disk to a different disk copies the files. Holding down Shift while Page 132

dragging the files moves them.

Inside Windows 98

If you want to be able to choose whether to move or copy the files, right-drag the files to their destination. This opens a menu that gives you the option of moving or copying the files or creating shortcuts to the files. TIP: You can select multiple files and folders in the Contents pane, enabling you to copy or move a selection of folders and files. Hold down the Shift key while clicking to select a range of files or folders, and hold down the Ctrl key while clicking to select objects one at a time. Often, however, you can't see both the destination folder in the tree and the source folder. The destination folder might be far removed in the folder structure from the source folder, or it might be located on another disk. The solution is to first locate the destination folder, expanding its parent folder if necessary. You only have to display the folder in the tree; you don't have to actually open the destination folder. Then scroll through the tree to locate and open the source folder. Select in the Contents pane all files and folders you want to copy; then scroll through the Tree pane to locate the destination folder. Drag the files from the Contents pane and drop them on the destination folder. NOTE: Copying a folder adds it as a folder to the structure of the destination folder. Dragging the folder \Harry to the folder \Fiddlesticks creates a folder named \Fiddlesticks\Harry. All of the files and folders in \Harry are duplicated in \Fiddlesticks\Harry. If you need to see the contents of the source and destination folders, or you want to open multiple source or destination folders, one instance of Explorer doesn't do the trick. This isn't a problem, however, because you can open as many instances of Explorer as you need. Just choose Start | Programs | Windows Explorer as many times as you want instances of Explorer on the desktop. Next, select a different view for each instance. Then select and copy files between Explorer windows as necessary. TIP: Dragging a folder to copy it also copies all files and other folders contained in that folder. To copy the Windows folder and all its subfolders and files, for example, you simply would drag the Windows folder to a new location. Before you copy a folder, make sure you really want to copy all its files and folders too. Page 133

Inside Windows 98 Using the Clipboard to Copy Files and Folders Dragging files and folders between folder windows and Explorer windows is just one method of copying files. If you look in Explorer's File menu, you might be surprised not to find a Copy command, even if you have selected one or more files or folders. This doesn't mean you can't use the menus or keyboard to copy files--the capability does exist, but it might not be where you expect to find it. If you select one or more files or folders and then open the Edit menu, you find the Copy command enabled. To copy files using the menu, select the files or folders you want to copy and then choose Edit | Copy or press Ctrl+C. Explorer copies the file and folder names to the Clipboard. Then select the destination to which you want the folders copied and choose Edit | Paste or press Ctrl+V. Explorer copies the files to the destination. NOTE: Explorer does not actually copy the files or folders themselves to the Clipboard. In fact, copying the actual files to the Clipboard would often be impractical--the contents of the Windows folder and all its subfolders, for example, would scarcely fit on the Clipboard. Explorer instead simply copies the names of the selected objects to the Clipboard in a variety of special list-based formats. When you choose Edit | Paste or press Ctrl+V, Explorer looks at the contents of the Clipboard, determines that a file list exists in the Clipboard, and then copies the files to the destination based on that list. You also can use the Clipboard to move files. Instead of copying the file and folder list to the Clipboard, however, you cut the objects and paste them into their new location. Unlike a typical cut operation, which actually removes the original to the Clipboard, Explorer treats the operation differently. When you select folders and files and then choose Edit | Cut or press Ctrl+X, Explorer dims the selected objects to indicate that they have been cut. The files and folders are removed, however, only if you select a destination and choose Edit | Paste or press Ctrl+V. If you perform any other operation, Explorer just "undims" the files and does nothing with them. To use the Clipboard to move files, therefore, first select the files and folders you want to move. Choose Edit | Cut or press Ctrl+X to cut the file list to the Clipboard. Then select the destination folder and choose Edit | Paste or press Ctrl+V. Explorer copies the files to the new location and deletes the original copies. TIP: You do not have to use Explorer to copy or move Page 134

Inside Windows 98 files with the Clipboard. You can open a folder window, select objects, and cut, copy, and paste between folder windows. Renaming Files, Folders, and Disks Renaming a file or folder is a simple process in Windows 98--one you can perform equally well in a folder window, on the desktop, or in Explorer. To rename a folder or file in any of these locations, simply select the object and click on its title, which highlights it. Type a new title and press Enter to change the title. If you have trouble selecting and highlighting the name, right-click on the object and choose Rename from its Context menu, which also highlights the name; then you can enter a new name. TIP: To use the keyboard to rename an object, select the object and press Shift+F10 to open its Context menu. Then choose Rename. Like files and folders, disks have names; a disk's label is its name. Unlike files and folders, however, you can't click on a disk's description and change the label. To change a disk's label, first select the disk's icon in My Computer or in Explorer. Open the disk's property sheet by pressing Alt+Enter. Or open the disk's Context menu by pressing Shift+F10 or by right-clicking on the icon and choosing Properties. Windows displays the property sheet shown in Figure 7.11. In the Label text box on the General page, enter up to 11 characters for the disk's label. Then choose OK or Apply to make the name change take effect. FIGURE 7.11 Use a disk's property sheet to change its label. Searching for Files and Folders Windows 98 includes an integrated search tool called Find that helps you locate files, folders, computers on the network, and topics on the Microsoft Network. This section covers using Find to locate files and folders; Chapter 26, "Peer Resource Sharing and Security," explains how to use Find to locate computers on the network. Before you begin reading about Find, however, you need to understand wild cards. The following section explains the changes to wild-card pattern matching in Windows 98. Even if you are familiar with wild cards in previous versions of DOS or Windows, you should read the following section to understand the changes to wild cards in Windows 98. Understanding and Using Wild Cards Windows 98 supports using wild cards to control pattern matching Page 135

Inside Windows 98 in filenames. Wild cards help you locate files by name or by extension quickly and easily. The two wild-card characters Windows 98 supports are the asterisk (*) and the question mark (?). You use the asterisk to represent multiple characters and the question mark to represent single characters. Aside from a few exceptions, you can use a combination of wild-card characters whenever you specify a file or folder name during a file open or search procedure. To list or find all files whose names start with the letter G, for example, specify G*.* as the filename. This will find filenames such as GOOFY.DOC, GLAD YOU CALLED, GADFLIES.XLS, and GOOD GOLLY, MISS MOLLY.WAV. To list or find all files that have a file extension of doc, specify a filename of *.DOC. This will find files with names such as ALPHA.DOC, BRAVO.DOC, CHARLIE.DOC, DELTA ECHO FOXTROT.DOC, and any other file that has a doc extension. If you need to refine the search a little, you can use the question mark rather than the asterisk. To list all files whose names begin with any letter and have the characters "older" as the rest of the filename, specify ?OLDER.*. This will find files with names such as COLDER.DOC, BOLDER.TXT, and HOLDER.WAV. To find a file that has a name such as HOLDER OF THE KEYS, you could specify a file string of ?OLDER*.*. The way in which Windows 98 differs from previous versions of DOS and Windows 3.x lies in the use of the asterisk. Previously, DOS and Windows 3.x would recognize only the first asterisk and ignore any characters that followed it, up to the period that separated the filename and extension. For example, entering *OLDER.DOC would list all files with a doc extension, regardless of their names. This was equivalent to specifying *.DOC because the system ignored the characters that formed OLDER. Windows 98, however, does not ignore the characters that follow an asterisk, and you can use multiple asterisks and question marks in a specification to further define the pattern matching. A valid search specification would be *OLDER*.*. Files found with this specification might include BOLDER21.MID, ITS COLDER IN HERE, SOLDER IS HOT.WAV, and so on. Windows 98 would find any file that contains the string OLDER. The specification ?ROUCH*.* might locate the files GROUCH.ZIP, CROUCH.DOWN.NOW, ZROUCH33, and so on. Remember, the question mark represents only one character, so a file named WHAT A GROUCH will not be found. To find such a file, use the string *GROUCH*.*. Now that you have some background in pattern matching and wild cards, you're ready to start finding those files and folders you've been missing. Finding Files and Folders You can access Find from the Start menu or from Explorer. To access Find from the Start menu, choose Start | Find and then Files or Folders. To access Find from Explorer, choose Tools | Page 136

Inside Windows 98 Find and then Files or Folders. Windows 98 displays the Find dialog box shown in Figure 7.12. FIGURE 7.12 Locate files and folders with the Find dialog box. Enter a name specification in the Named combo box, or use the drop-down list portion of the combo box to select a name pattern you have entered previously. To specify the disk or folder in which Find should search for the files or folders, choose an object from the Look in combo box or type a location such as C:\. If you want Find to search all folders in the disk or folder you specify in the Look in combo box, enable the Include subfolders check box. When you're satisfied with your search criteria, choose Find Now. Find expands the dialog box to include a search results list (see Figure 7.13). Any files or folders that match the search criteria appear in this list. TIP: To select a path or object to search, choose Browse. Use the resulting Browse dialog box to choose the object or path you want to include in the search. FIGURE 7.13 The Find dialog box expanded to show the results list. * You should understand that the search results list is dynamic and not just a static list of files found. If you want to start an application or open a document you find from doing a search, simply double-click on its name in the results list. Or if you want to delete or rename a file or folder, click on it and delete or rename it as you would in Explorer. You also can copy and move files from the results list. As you would with a folder window or Explorer window, select the files and drag them to their destination using the Shift key to move the files or the Ctrl key to copy the files. Or you can select the files in the results list and press Ctrl+C to copy them to the Clipboard or Ctrl+X to cut and move them to the Clipboard. Then paste the files or folders into their new locations. If you want to clear the search results list and begin a new search, choose the New Search button. Searching by Modification Date By default, Find searches for all files and folders that match your search pattern. You can, however, limit the search to only those files or folders modified during a certain time period. To search based on modification date, click on the Date Modified tab. The Find dialog box changes as shown in Figure 7.14. FIGURE 7.14 The Date Modified page of the Find dialog box. To include all files in the search, choose the All files option button. To limit the file search, choose the Find all files Page 137

Inside Windows 98 created or modified option. Then use one of the following three options to control the search: * between. Use this option and the accompanying text boxes to specify a range of dates to include in the search. Any file or folder modified during the time defined by the specified range is included in the search. * during the previous month(s). Use this option and the accompanying increment control to specify a number of previous months to include in the search. Any file or folder modified within the specified previous month range is included in the search. * during the previous day(s). Use this option and the accompanying increment control to specify a number of past days to include in the search. Any file or folder modified within the specified number of days past is included in the search. When your settings in the Name & Location page and Date Modified page suit your search needs, choose Find Now to initiate the search. Using Advanced Options The Advanced page of the Find dialog box enables you to refine your search even further. You can use the Advanced page to specify the types of files to be included in the search, specify that the file must contain specific text to be included in the search, and specify an upper or lower file size limit. The following list explains these items: * Of type. Use this drop-down list to specify the type of file for which you want to search. The drop-down list includes all file types registered with Windows 98. * Containing text. Specify a text string in this text box to have Find search for documents that contain the string. If you want to search for a letter to a Mr. Frazzle, for example, enter Frazzle in this text box. * Size is. Choose "at least" from this drop-down list to specify a minimum file size criteria for the search; then use the KB increment control to specify the minimum size. Choose "at most" from this drop-down list to specify a maximum file size criteria for the search, and use the KB increment control to specify the maximum size. If you use the "at least" option, Find includes in the search all files that have a file size of at least the amount you specify. If you use the "at most" option, Find includes in the search all files that have a file size of no more than the amount you specify. When you are satisfied with your search criteria, choose Find Now to initiate the search. Page 138

Inside Windows 98 Using Other Search Options The Options menu includes two options you can use to further refine your search. The Case Sensitive option causes Find to treat your search string as case sensitive; for example, the string "FindMe" would not be treated as equal to "findme" or "FINDME." The Case Sensitive option applies to text within a file if you use the Containing text option; it has no effect on filenames because Windows 98 does not treat filenames as being case sensitive. The Save Results option in the Options menu causes Find to create an icon on the desktop that contains the results of the search. You can select the icon to open a Find dialog box with the save results displayed in the results list. Enabling the Save Results option causes Find to save the results automatically. You also can choose File | Save Search to save the contents of the results window to the desktop. Viewing and Setting Disk and File Properties As with nearly all other objects in Windows 98, disks have various prop-erties associated with them. In fact, if you have read the sections in this chapter on formatting and labeling disks, you already know about one disk property--the disk label. In addition to its label, a disk has other properties, some of which you can modify and others that you can only view. Viewing a Disk's Properties To view a disk's properties, right-click on the disk's icon in My Computer or in Explorer; then choose Properties. Or select the disk's icon and press Alt+Enter. Windows 98 displays a property sheet similar to the one shown in Figure 7.15. FIGURE 7.15 The property sheet for a disk. The General property page shows the amount of space used on the disk, the amount of space available, the total capacity of the disk, and the disk's label. You can change a local disk's label by entering a new label in the Label text box. You can't change remote network disks' labels, however. The only general property you can change about a disk is its label. The capacity, space used, and space available properties simply indicate the disk's capacity; you can't affect the disk's capacity by changing any of its properties. There are, however, two other property pages for a disk. The Tools page enables you to open a variety of disk optimization tools to increase the performance of the selected disk. The Sharing page enables you to share a local disk with other users on the network. For information on sharing disks and other resources, refer to Chapter 26. Page 139

Inside Windows 98 Viewing and Setting File and Folder Properties You can view and set file properties in much the same way you view and set disk properties. Select the file or folder; then press Alt+Enter to display its property sheets. Or right-click on the object and choose Properties. The property sheets for a typical file are shown in Figure 7.16. The General property page for a folder is essentially identical to the General property page for a file. Folders have an additional property page named Sharing, which enables you to share the folder with other users on the network (see Figure 7.17). FIGURE 7.16 The General property page for a file. FIGURE 7.17 The Sharing property page for a folder. Changing File Attributes The only properties you can change for a file are its attributes. The file attributes, which appear on the General property page, are explained in the following list: * Read-only. You cannot delete or modify a file for which the read-only attribute is enabled. * Hidden. Enabling a file's hidden attribute hides it from normal view. To enable display of hidden files and folders in a folder window or Explorer, choose View | Options | View | Show all files. * Archive. The archive attribute specifies whether you should archive the file during a backup. Some backup applications use the archive attribute to determine whether a file has been backed up since it was last modified. * System. System files are files that Windows 98 requires as part of the core operating system. If an attribute check box is enabled, that attribute is enabled for the file. If the check box is clear, the attribute is not set. If multiple files are selected, the check box might be solid gray. This indicates that only some of the selected files have this attribute. To change a file or folder's attributes, simply enable and clear the attribute check boxes as necessary. Viewing Version Information Windows application and support files include version and copyright information embedded within the file. You can view these file properties in the Version property page for the file. To view the version information, select the file and press Alt+Enter to display its property sheets. Then click on the Version tab to display the Version page (see Figure 7.18). Page 140

Inside Windows 98 To view a particular property, select an item from the Item name list. The associated version information appears in the Value list. NOTE: You can't change version information for a file; you can only view the information. FIGURE 7.18 The Version property page. Version information can be extremely useful for identifying out-of-date files, replacing old files with new versions, and avoiding having to replace new files with old files. When you install a Windows application, however, Setup generally displays a message when it is about to replace a newer version of a file with an older version, giving you the option of keeping the newer file or replacing it with the older version. You should almost always keep the newer version of the file. Managing Files from the Command Line You probably will perform most of your file and folder management tasks from the Windows 98 GUI, using folder windows or Explorer. If you often work from a DOS VM (DOS session) or you have many years of experience using DOS, you might prefer to perform some of your file and folder maintenance from the command prompt. Because Windows 98 incorporates a DOS environment, it includes most of the DOS file and directory commands included with previous versions of DOS. The syntax for the majority of these commands is identical or very similar to their DOS counterparts. For help with the syntax of a command, enter the command at the command prompt, followed by the /? switch, as in the following example: XCOPY /? ----------

-8-

Printing and Managing Printers * Setting Up a Local Printer * Using a COM or LPT Port * Using Other Ports * Completing the Setup Process * Setting Up a Network Printer * Understanding Point and Print Setup * Setting Up a Network Printer * Setting Printer Options * Setting General Properties * Setting Port Properties * Capturing and Releasing Ports * Changing and Adding Drivers

Page 141

* * * * *

Specifying Timeout Settings Specifying Spool Settings Setting Sharing Properties Setting Other Properties Setting PostScript Properties

Inside Windows 98

* Printing from Windows Applications * Setting Printer Options for a Document * Printing from the Desktop * Printing from the Context Menu * Printing with Drag-and-Drop * Printing with Send To * Printing from a Folder * Using Deferred Printing * Using Deferred Printing for Local Printers * Using the Extended Capabilities Port * Printing from DOS Applications * Capturing Ports for Printers in DOS * Controlling a Printer's Queue * Viewing the Queue * Changing Queue Priority * Pausing and Canceling Print Jobs * Pausing, Resuming, and Purging the Printer * Controlling a Network Printer Queue * Using Image Color Matching Windows 98 supports a truly impressive array of printers from numerous manufacturers. Windows 98 makes getting the most out of your printer easier than did Windows 3.x. One quite welcome feature, for example, is the ease with which you can configure a remote network printer for use on your computer. You don't even need a driver for the printer; Windows 98 copies the driver from the remote computer to which the printer is connected. Windows 98 also offers expanded drag-and-drop printing, improved queue management, and many other new printing features. This chapter explains how to set up, configure, use, and manage local and remote printers. The topics covered include the following: * Setting up and configuring printers * Printing from Windows applications * Printing from the desktop * Using deferred printing * Using the extended capabilities port (ECP) Page 142

* Printing from DOS applications

Inside Windows 98

* Controlling a printer's queue * Using PostScript printers * Setting advanced printing options * Using image color matching * Printing in Novell NetWare environments * Troubleshooting printer problems This chapter aims to help you begin printing as soon as possible. The first few sections explain how to set up and configure a printer and print from Windows applications. Later sections explain some more complex printer issues, such as setting up and using print server hardware and software. Setting Up a Local Printer When you run Setup to install Windows 98, Setup migrates all your existing printers to the Windows 98 environment, copying to your system any new Windows 98 drivers necessary to support your installed printers. Therefore, you might not have to do anything more to begin printing under Windows 98 than configure the printers' settings. If you do have to install a new printer driver, however, the process is simple. This section explains how to install a local printer (one connected to your PC). The section "Setting Up a Network Printer" later in this chapter explains how to set up printers for use across the network. The Printers folder, located in My Computer, gives you access to all your installed printers. The Printers folder also contains a wizard that helps you install a local or remote printer. Open the Printers folder in My Computer and select the Add Printer icon. The Add Printer wizard starts and displays an informational message about the Add Printer wizard. Click on Next to continue. Add Printer then prompts you to choose how the printer is connected to your computer. Choose the Local printer option to install a driver for a printer connected to your PC, or choose Remote printer to install a remote network printer. Choose the Local printer option; then click on Next. The Add Printer wizard provides a list of printers, separated by manufacturer, that Windows 98 supports (see Figure 8.1). From the Manufacturers list, choose the manufacturer of the printer you want to install. Then, from the Printers list, choose the model of printer connected to your PC. If you can't find the exact model in the list, check your printer manual to see whether your printer is compatible with one of the printers shown in the list. If so, choose it. Page 143

Inside Windows 98 FIGURE 8.1 Select the printer's manufacturer and model. NOTE: You should try to use a driver included with Windows 98 unless none of them will work for your printer. If your printer includes a disk that contains printer drivers for Windows 95 or 98, choose the Have Disk button and the Add Printer wizard will step you through adding a driver from the disk. If you don't have a driver disk and can't find your printer model or manufacturer listed, determine whether your printer is compatible with one of the printers supported by Windows 98. Then select the compatible printer from the Manufacturers and Printers lists. After you choose a printer model and click on Next, Add Printer prompts you to select the port to which the printer is connected (see Figure 8.2). The following section helps delineate your port choices. FIGURE 8.2 Select the port to which the printer is connected. Using a COM or LPT Port The ports listed in the Add Printer Wizard dialog box include your PC's local serial communications (COM) ports and local physical parallel (LPT) ports. The name of any driver already associated with a COM port appears beside the COM port in the list. If you've configured a modem to use COM2, for example, the modem's name appears beside COM2 in the list. If no device is associated with the port, the title Communications Port appears beside the port name. Most printers use an LPT port (explained next), but some output devices include support for both COM and LPT ports. Many of the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printers, for example, include both a COM and an LPT port, which enables you to connect the printer to both port types. Some output devices don't support LPT ports. Many plotters, for example, include a COM port and a Hewlett-Packard Interface Bus (HPIB) port but not an LPT port. If you need to connect your output device to a COM port, you should verify that no other devices use that COM port. Sometimes, however, you can connect your printer to the same COM port assigned to another device, but that capability depends on the type of device. If the other device is another printer or a modem, for example, you should be able to associate and use your new printer with the same COM port without any problems. However, this assumes that you use an external serial port switch to connect all the devices to the COM port. Otherwise you have to disconnect one device from the port and connect the other whenever you want to use it. If you decide to use a COM port for your output device, you need to configure the settings for the port. To do so, select the Page 144

Inside Windows 98 port you plan to use; then choose the Configure Port button. Add Printer then displays a property sheet for the port, as shown in Figure 8.3. FIGURE 8.3 Specify settings for the COM port on its property sheet. The following list explains the settings on the COM port property sheet: * Bits per second. Select a bits-per-second (bps) rate for the device. This setting specifies the speed at which data courses through the port. The appropriate setting depends on the capability of the device you attach to the port. The higher the setting, the faster the output goes to the device, so check the manual for the output device to determine the correct setting. * Data bits. This setting specifies the number of data bits in one data word. Generally, the correct value is 8 or 7, depending on the device. Check the manual for the device to determine the correct setting. If you're not sure, try the default setting of 8. If that doesn't work, try 7. * Parity. This setting defines the type of parity-checking mechanism the port uses to validate data between the PC and the output device. The available settings are even, odd, none, mark, and space. Choose the appropriate setting according to your output device (refer to the device's manual). * Stop bits. This setting specifies the number of stop bits included in each data word and actually is a timing mechanism. Use the setting your output device's manual recommends. * Flow control. This setting specifies the type of mechanism that controls data flow between the PC and the output device. Use the setting your output device's manual recommends. * Advanced. Choose this button to change the trigger levels for the port's FIFO buffers (16550 UARTs only). For a more in-depth explanation of FIFO buffers and these settings, see Chapter 19, "Modems and Telephony." * Restore Defaults. Choose this button if you want to restore all the settings in the property sheet to their default values. Generally, the default settings do work, but you might want to increase the bps rate to speed up printing. If your printer is connected to one of your PC's LPT ports, select an appropriate LPT port from the list. Note that the dialog box lists only the LPT ports present in your system. Page 145

Inside Windows 98 Windows 98 can, however, address virtual LPT ports from LPT1 through LPT9. These virtual ports do not physically exist in your PC, but Windows 98 can treat them as local ports for associating remote network printers with logical LPT ports on your PC. Using virtual LPT ports is explained in the section "Setting Up a Network Printer" later in this chapter. When you set up a local printer to use an LPT port, you must specify the physical port to which the printer is connected. Nothing can prevent you from specifying the same LPT port for more than one printer. For example, you might have two or three printers connected to an LPT switch box that in turn is connected to your LPT1 port. When you need to use a particular printer, you select it in Windows 98, change the printer switch to the appropriate printer, and print. LPT ports have only two port settings to configure in the Add Printer dialog box. Choose an LPT port; then choose Configure Port. Add Printer calls up the dialog box shown in Figure 8.4. FIGURE 8.4 The Configure LPT Port dialog box. The Spool MS-DOS print jobs check box enables you to determine whether print jobs that originate from DOS applications are spooled through the same 32-bit print spooler that the Windows 98 applications use. This option is enabled by default because spooling DOS print jobs through the Windows 98 spooler results in better background printing for the application and eliminates device conflicts between DOS applications and Windows 98 applications that might otherwise attempt to access the port at the same time. Therefore, you should leave this option enabled unless you experience unlikely problems printing from the DOS application and determine that the problem lies in the DOS application's inability to use the Windows 98 spooler. The Check port state before printing check box, when checked, causes Windows 98 to check the state of the LPT port prior to printing to the port. When this check box is cleared, Windows 98 prints to the port without first checking its status. FILE: Port The port selection list in the Add Printer Wizard includes a port named FILE:. This entry does not reference a physical port but rather, enables you to direct a print job to a file. The resulting file contains not only the document data but also printer control commands. You then can use the COPY command from a command prompt to send the file to the printer. Or you might be using a third-party print spooler that requires you to place the print jobs in a spool directory. Associating a printer driver with the FILE: port enables you to do that. TIP: If you want to print data to an ASCII text file, install and use the Generic/Text Only printer. Page 146

Inside Windows 98 When you print to a printer associated with the FILE: port, Windows 98 issues a Print To File dialog box. This dialog box is similar to a typical Save As dialog box and includes controls you can use to select the disk, folder, and filename by which to save the file. After you enter a filename and choose OK, the file prints to the file rather than to a printer. Using Other Ports You probably can see port entries in the Add Printer dialog box other than just the COM, LPT, and FILE: port entries. You use the FAX: and PUB: ports, for example, to configure a printer driver for Microsoft Fax. In addition to the Microsoft Fax ports, you might see other ports listed in the Add Printer dialog box. If you have installed WinFAX, for example, a port entry named FaxModem probably appears in the dialog box. An entry for ECP appears in the dialog box if your system contains an ECP. The section "Using the Extended Capabilities Port" later in this chapter discusses the ECP. Completing the Setup Process After you specify the port to which your printer is connected, Add Printer prompts you for a name for the printer. This name appears under the printer's icon in the Printers folder. The dialog box also includes a prompt that asks whether you want to use this new printer as the default Windows printer. If you choose Yes, the printer becomes the default Windows printer. Unless you choose a different printer in the Windows application, the application prints to the default printer. If you click on the Printer button in the Word for Windows toolbar, for example, output automatically goes to the default printer. Next, Add Printer asks you whether you want to print a test page. You always can benefit from printing a test page to verify that the printer is connected and configured properly. Choose Yes to print a test page or No to skip printing the test page; then click on Finish to complete the printer setup process. Add Printer then copies the necessary drivers from the Windows 98 CD or distribution disks and adds an icon to the Printers folder for the new printer. Setting Up a Network Printer Windows 98 makes the process of installing a network printer almost automatic. And unlike Windows 3.x, Windows 98 does not require that you have a driver for the network printer. Windows 98 simply copies the driver and any other required files across the network from the computer that shares the remote printer. This makes quickly installing and beginning to use a network printer possible--even if you don't have the driver on your computer or the Windows 98 distribution disks (or CD-ROM). Page 147

Understanding Point and Print Setup

Inside Windows 98

Automatic setup of network printers is called Point and Print in Windows 98. Windows 98's Point and Print attempts to determine the type of printer you want to install and copies the necessary driver and support files from a computer sharing the printer, from another location on the network, or from a local source (Windows 98 CD or disks). The files required for a particular printer are defined in the Windows 98 Inf files. If Windows 98 can't determine from the server which printer you are installing, or if the print server doesn't support Point and Print, you can use the Add Printer wizard to install printer support for the remote printer. If the print server supports unified naming convention (UNC) names, you don't have to associate the remote printer with any of the PC's local printer ports. If the print server doesn't support UNC names, however, you can easily associate one of the local PC's printer ports with the network printer. This local port can be a virtual port, which means it does not have to physically exist in the PC. If you have only one printer port in the PC--LPT1--you still can associate LPT2 through LPT9 with the remote printer. Windows 98, Windows NT, and Novell NetWare servers all support Point and Print. You can automatically set up across the network printers shared by servers running any of these three operating systems. Setting Up a Network Printer Windows 98 provides more than one method for setting up network printers, all of which are designed to simplify the process so that a user can install support for a network printer as easily as possible without assistance from a network administrator. One of the easiest ways to install support for a network printer is simply to print to the printer; Windows 98 automatically detects the absence of the required printer driver and installs the necessary files. You can install support for a network printer in a variety of ways. The following list explains two of the most common ways: * Drag a document to the printer's icon. Open the Network Neighborhood folder and choose the computer to which the remote printer is connected. The computer's resource window shows icons for the computer's shared disk resources and printers. Drag a document onto the printer's icon to make Windows 98 install the necessary printer drivers and print the document to the printer. * Double-click the printer's icon. Locate and double-click the printer's icon in the Network Neighborhood. Windows 98 automatically installs support for the printer, prompting you for information such as the name by which you want the printer shown on your PC, whether to print a test page, and other minor details. Page 148

Inside Windows 98 You also can use the Add Printer wizard to set up a network printer. Open the Printers folder and start the Add Printer wizard. When Windows 98 prompts you to choose between a local and remote network printer, choose the Network p_rinter option and click on Next. Windows 98 then prompts you for the pathname of the shared printer. In the Network p_ath or queuename text box, enter the path to the shared printer. The path consists of the name of the computer sharing the printer and the name by which the printer is shared. To specify a printer shared as hpnetprint on a computer named aardvaark, for example, enter \\aardvaark\hpnetprint. If you don't know the name of the printer, choose the Browse button. Windows 98 provides a Browse for Printer dialog box you can use to browse the network for the printer (see Figure 8.5). FIGURE 8.5 The Browse for Printer dialog box. The Browse for Printer dialog box resembles the Network Neighborhood, showing all the computers in your workgroup in an expandable tree. To view the printers connected to a particular computer, click on the plus sign beside the computer's name. To locate a printer connected to a computer outside your workgroup, expand the Entire Network branch and locate the computer and printer you want to use. After you find the printer, select it and choose OK. The Add Printer wizard returns to the Add Printer dialog box. The rest of the printer setup process is similar to setting up a local printer. Work through the Add Printer wizard to complete the printer setup process. After you finish, Windows 98 adds an icon in the Printers folder for the network printer. You then can print to the network printer as if it were connected locally to your PC. Later sections of this chapter explain network-related issues for printing to NetWare servers. After you configure a printer, be it local or remote, you probably need to set a few options for the printer to control the way it prints. The following section examines the most common types of settings you can specify for various printers. Setting Printer Options Most printers enable you to control a wide range of options that define how the printer functions, including the amount of memory installed in it, the paper source it uses, the port to which it is connected, how it handles graphics and fonts, and much more. These options vary from printer to printer, but many are common to all printers. You use the Printers folder to set these options globally for a printer. You can override most of the settings when you print a document, however, by specifying options in the application's Print dialog box. To set a printer's options, open the Printers folder, select the printer, and open its Context menu (right-click on the printer and choose Properties, or press Shift+F10). Windows 98 then Page 149

Inside Windows 98 displays a set of property pages for the printer. Figure 8.6 shows the property pages for a typical printer--the HP LaserJet IIIP. FIGURE 8.6 The General property page for a typical printer. The General, Details, and Sharing property pages apply to most printers (a Sharing page appears only if your computer is connected to a network). The following sections explain these and other property pages individually. Because covering all the printers Windows 98 supports is impossible, the following sections use common printers to explain various settings. For specific help with settings for your printer, click on the question mark button on the property sheet; then click on the setting control about which you need information. Windows 98 displays a small text box that contains a description of the control's function. You can also consult your printer manual for more information. Setting General Properties The General property page, shown in Figure 8.6, contains only a few controls. The Comment text box enables you to enter a comment for the printer. You can enter any information you like in the Comment text box, but one typical use is to provide information about the printer for other users who access the printer across the network. For example, you might enter the office location. Using a Separator Page The Separator page combo box enables you to print a job separator page between each print job. Separator pages help you organize your own print jobs if you print many different documents to the printer. Separator pages also help separate print jobs that other users on the network print to your printer. You can choose from three standard options: None, Full, and Simple. If you select None, no separator page prints between print jobs. The Full option creates a graphical separator page that contains the document name, user name, and print date and time. The Simple option creates a text-only printout of the same information that prints when you use the Full option. TIP: You can assign a separator page only on a printer connected to your PC. You can't assign a separator page on a remote network printer. For more information on sharing printers and other resources, refer to Chapter 26, "Peer Resource Sharing and Security." Besides the None, Full, and Simple separator page options, you can use any Windows metafile (WMF) file as a separator page. This enables you to use a custom image for the separator page that might include your company logo or other information. Choose the Browse button to search for a WMF file, or enter the Page 150

Inside Windows 98 path to the file in the text box area of the Separator page combo box. NOTE: Although you can use a custom WMF file as a separator page, Windows 98 does not include any other information on the page; for example, your custom separator page does not include user, document, or time-printed information. If you specify a separator page on a shared network printer, consider using the Full option or the Simple option to be sure to include user information on the separator page, enabling you to route the completed print jobs to their intended recipients. Setting Port Properties The Details property page (see Figure 8.7) contains settings that enable you to control port, driver, and spooler settings. The Print to the following p_ort drop-down list box enables you to select the port you want to associate with the printer driver. If you want to switch the printer from LPT1 to LPT2, for example, select LPT2 from the drop-down list. You can also select a network printer path from the drop-down list to associate the printer driver with a printer located elsewhere on the network. FIGURE 8.7 The Details property page for a typical printer. The Add Port and Delete Port buttons enable you to make additional local and remote ports available to your printers and to remove existing ports. Typically, Windows 98 automatically recognizes new physical ports. If you install a new input/output (I/O) adapter that contains a second LPT port, for example, Windows 98 recognizes the new port as soon as you turn on and boot the system. However, you might want to add a new network printer to your list of available ports. To do so, choose Add Port, which displays the Add Port dialog box (see Figure 8.8). FIGURE 8.8 The Add Port dialog box. To add a network printer, choose the Network option button. In the accompanying text box, enter the path to the network printer resource. The path must include the remote computer's name and the name of its shared printer. To specify a shared printer named netprint on a computer named horatio, enter \\horatio\netprint in the text box. Or choose the Browse button to search the network for a printer. To add a different type of port, choose the Other option button; then select a port from the accompanying list. To add a local printer port, for example, select Local Port from the list and choose OK. Windows 98 then prompts you for the name of the port you want to add. Specify the port name; then choose OK. Page 151

Inside Windows 98 To delete a port, choose the Delete port button from the Details property page. Windows 98 displays a list of the available ports. Select the port you want to delete and choose OK. You also can set various properties for a selected COM or LPT port. To set port properties, choose the Port Settings button. The Spool DOS Print Job check box in the Configure LPT Port dialog box enables you to control whether print jobs generated by DOS applications are spooled or sent directly to the printer. If you want superior printing performance, you should configure the port to enable spooling of print jobs from DOS applications. If the DOS application cannot print correctly through the spooler for some reason, turn off this option. The COMx Properties dialog box (see Figure 8.12) enables you to specify settings for a COM port. These settings are typical for a COM port, regardless of the type of device connected to it. Chapter 19 covers these settings in detail. Capturing and Releasing Ports If the network client you use doesn't support UNC names, you must associate a local LPT port with the remote printer. Associating a local printer port with a remote network printer is called capturing the port. If you print from DOS applications, you also might need to capture local ports for remote network printers. The DOS applications then can print to the remote printers as if they were connected to local LPT ports. You can capture any LPT port--physical or virtual. If your PC contains only one LPT port, for example, that port probably is configured as LPT1. However, you can capture ports LPT2 through LPT9, associating them with remote network printers. The printer isn't connected locally to the PC, so it doesn't matter that the port the network printer captures isn't present on the computer. The port simply serves as a logical object Windows 98 can use to control the printer internally. And you can assign the same LPT port to more than one printer, just as you can when you use local printer ports. As long as you don't try to print to two printers that share a printer port at the same time, duplicating ports shouldn't cause any problems. TIP: If your PC contains physical LPT ports, don't capture those ports for network printers; just use the first available virtual LPT port. To capture a port for a remote network printer, first use one of the methods described earlier in this chapter to install the printer. Then call up the printer's Details property page and choose the Capture Printer Port button. Windows 98 displays the Capture Printer Port dialog box, as shown in Figure 8.9. FIGURE 8.9 The Capture Printer Port dialog box. Page 152

Inside Windows 98 From the Device drop-down list, select the port ID that you want to associate with the remote network printer. Then use the Path combo box to specify the path to the network printer. You can manually enter a path in the text box portion of the combo box or use the drop-down list to select a previously used path. By default, Windows 98 does not automatically capture the port and assign it to the remote network printer each time you log on. If you want the port to be associated with the remote printer each time you log on to Windows 98, thereby making the printer available automatically, enable the Reconnect at logon check box. TIP: You can capture multiple printer ports for a remote printer, although doing so is seldom necessary. For example, you can capture LPT2 and LPT3 for the same printer. Applications that print to either port have their output redirected to the same remote printer. In addition, capturing a port for a remote printer does not affect the existing UNC connection. An application still can print to the printer using its UNC name rather than the captured port. A Windows application, for example, would print using the UNC name, whereas a DOS application would print through the captured port. You sometimes have to disconnect a remote network printer from a local LPT port or release the port. To release a port, display the printer's Details property page and choose the End Capture button. Windows 98 displays the End Capture dialog box. From the Printer list, select the printer port you want to release and choose OK. Changing and Adding Drivers The Details property page also enables you to change the driver associated with a printer so that you can change driver types without changing other information such as port settings, and it enables you to provide support for a different printer type without running through the entire process of installing a new printer. You can use a currently installed driver or install a new driver. To associate an existing driver with the printer, simply select the appropriate driver from the Print using the following driver drop-down list. To add a new driver, choose the New driver button. Adding a new driver from here on out is the same as when you use the Add Printer wizard to install a driver. Specifying Timeout Settings If you select a local printer port for the printer, you enable the two controls in the Timeout settings group: Not selected and Page 153

Inside Windows 98 Transmission retry. The Not selected setting specifies the amount of time Windows 98 waits for the printer to acknowledge that it's online before Windows 98 generates an error message. The default setting is 15 seconds. Increase this setting if the printer typically is not yet available after 15 seconds (if you wait until after you issue the print job before turning on the printer, for example). The Transmission retry setting specifies the amount of time Windows 98 waits for the printer to come back online and accept more data after the printer's buffer fills, an error occurs, or another situation occurs. The default is 45 seconds. You might want to increase this setting for PostScript printers, which typically take longer to return online because of additional printer setup and font downloading that occur during a print job. You also might want to increase this setting if you print large print jobs to non-PostScript printers. NOTE: Only the Transmission retry setting applies to printers connected to COM ports. The Not selected setting does not apply to printers connected to COM ports. Specifying Spool Settings You can specify a number of settings that control the way data spools to the print queue, which enables you to balance system response against print speed. To specify spool settings, choose the Spool Settings button from the Details property page to display the Spool Settings dialog box (see Figure 8.10). FIGURE 8.10 The Spool Settings dialog box. Spooling enables Windows 98 to provide better application response during printing. With a typical spooler, a print job is created as a series of temporary files on disk. The operating system--here, Windows 98--then takes over sending these temporary files to the printer, working as a background task. By separating the sending of the data to the printer from the source application, the application becomes available to you much more quickly and enables you to continue using the application after you issue a print job. The application completes the print job very quickly. Spooling typically provides the best overall performance because you can continue to use your computer while print jobs are completed. If you need to print a 200-page document, for example, you don't have to wait until each of those 200 pages prints before you can resume using your computer. In a select few situations, however, turning off spooling is beneficial. For example, you might have to turn off spooling if your disk is nearly full and doesn't have sufficient space to accommodate the temporary print files. Page 154

Inside Windows 98 Four settings in the Spool Settings dialog box enable you to control whether print jobs go directly to the printer or spool to disk and, if they spool, when spooling actually begins. The four settings are explained in the follow- ing list: * Spool print jobs so program finishes printing faster. Choose this option button to enable spooling, which causes print jobs to spool to disk and then go to the printer as a background task. If you enable this setting, you can use the following two settings to specify when spooling begins. * Start printing after last page is spooled. If you choose this option, Windows 98 does not begin sending data to the printer until the last page spools to disk. Choosing this option can return control of the application to you more quickly because Windows 98 isn't trying to spool data to disk and send data to the printer at the same time. Instead, all the data spools to disk, control of the application returns to you, and the printing begins in the background. * Start printing after first page is spooled. If you want the job to begin printing immediately, choose this option. Windows 98 spools the first page to disk and then begins sending that page to the printer. At the same time, it continues spooling the additional pages to disk. * Print directly to the printer. Choose this option to disable spooling. If you enable this option, Windows 98 sends print jobs directly to the printer instead of spooling them to disk. You don't regain control of the application until the entire print job goes to the printer's buffer. You can speed the printing process slightly by disabling spooling, but you still can't use your PC during the print job. Understanding Enhanced Metafile Format One major change in Windows 98 printing is the format in which data is sent from the spooler to the printer. In Windows 3.x, the printer driver sends raw printer data to the printer. In Windows 98, you can use enhanced metafile format (EMF), rather than raw format, to send the data to non-PostScript printers. Metafiles contain graphical data and are a common file format for Windows drawing applications. Unlike bitmaps, which define an image as a series of dots, metafiles define an image as a collection of graphical objects, such as lines and circles. The advantage metafiles offer over bitmapped images is that you can scale and resize metafiles without affecting the image quality. Although some restrictions do apply to resizing, scaling, clipping, and other actions on standard metafiles, transformed metafiles come out as much better images than do transformed bitmapped images. EMF adds new features to the metafile format to make it much more useful and remove the restrictions for scaling and sizing that previously hindered the use of standard Windows 3.x metafiles. Although EMF was developed primarily to overcome the Page 155

Inside Windows 98 limitations in standard metafiles for developers of drawing applications, EMF enhances printing in Windows 98. Before you can truly understand EMF, you need to understand the function the graphics device interface (GDI) performs in Windows 98. The GDI is a core Windows 98 component that handles most graphical I/O in Windows 98--from painting the screen to sending output to printers. The GDI supports a variety of drawing commands for rendering graphical objects and text. EMF files use those same drawing commands. In fact, a metafile really amounts to little more than a file that contains the GDI commands, palette, and other information needed to render the image defined by the GDI commands. When you print from a Windows application, the printer driver filters the data through the GDI. The GDI renders the data in the background and sends it to the print spooler. The EMF format enables the GDI to process and send the data to the spooler more quickly because the EMF format is native to the GDI. Instead of converting the data from the application to raw printer format, the GDI simply generates the GDI drawing commands necessary to render the print job on the printer. This decrease in rendering time returns control of the application to you more quickly. NOTE: If you print to a printer attached to a Windows 98 server, the EMF rendering occurs on the server rather than on the client computer that generated the print job. This reduces the client computer's workload, further increasing the benefit of using EMF. If you print to a server running Windows NT or Novell NetWare, EMF rendering occurs locally on the client computer and the rendered data is then sent to the server. When you print to a local printer, all rendering naturally occurs on the local computer. The Spool data format drop-down list on the Spool Settings dialog box enables you to specify the data format that Windows 98 uses to send data to the print spooler. You can choose RAW to direct Windows 98 to send the information to the printer in raw format or EMF to direct Windows 98 to send the data to the spooler in enhanced metafile format. Using Bidirectional Support Many newer computers include bidirectional printer ports that enable information to flow not only from the computer to the output device (such as a printer) but also from the printer to the computer. Bidirectional ports provide three main benefits, described in the following list: * Simplified installation. Windows 98 can query the printer to determine its model and configuration, enabling Windows 98 Page 156

Inside Windows 98 to automatically configure the printer properly during installation. * Device configuration identification. Windows 98's capability for querying the printer about device configuration issues, such as amount of memory and fonts installed, enables it to display and manage printer configuration information. * Device status updates. Because the printer can send information to Windows 98, a bidirectional port enables the printer to inform Windows 98 about printer conditions--such as lack of paper or toner, paper jams, and so forth--which enables Windows 98 to bring these problems to the user's attention. If your PC contains a bidirectional parallel port, you can choose the Enable bidirectional support for this printer option button to enable bidirectional support for the printer. Or you can choose the Disable bidirectional support for this printer option button to disable bidirectional support. NOTE: Even if your LPT ports support bidirectional transfer, they might not be configured as such. Run your system's basic input/output system (BIOS) setup program and check the port settings to determine whether the ports are configured for bidirectional use. You don't need to make any changes in Windows 98 other than to enable bidirectional support for the printer, as specified previously in this section. Setting Sharing Properties The Sharing page of a printer's property sheet, which appears only if File and Print Sharing is turned on, enables you to share the printer with other users on the network. To share a printer, first configure all its other settings and print a test page to verify that it is working properly. Then, display the Sharing page of the printer's property sheets. Choose the Shared As option button to enable sharing; then enter a name for the printer in the Share Name text box. This name appears to other users when they browse the network for resources. You also can add an optional comment in the Comment text box. The comment appears as additional information in the Network Neighborhood folder if the user configures the folder for a detailed view. TIP: To protect the printer with a password to restrict its use, enter a password in the Password text box. Any user who tries to access the printer must answer a prompt to enter the password. Chapter 26 offers a detailed explanation of sharing resources and using shared resources. Page 157

Inside Windows 98 Setting Other Properties You also can set properties for a printer other than those described in the previous sections. These options vary from printer to printer, but many types of settings are common among most printers. The property sheets for a printer, therefore, often include pages that enable you to control options for graphics, fonts, device settings (such as memory installed in the printer), and other settings. The most common property pages are described in the following list: * Paper. Use the Paper property page to specify the type of paper, the default paper tray or bin, number of copies to print, printable area, and output mode (landscape or portrait). * Graphics. Use the Graphics property page to specify settings that control the way the printer handles graphics. Typical settings include printer resolution, intensity (darkness), and how the printer dithers images. * Fonts. This property page enables you to specify the font cartridges installed in the printer, download fonts to the printer, and install new fonts. You also can specify how the printer handles TrueType fonts--either printing the fonts as graphics or as fonts downloaded to the printer. * Device Options. The Device Options page contains settings that enable you to control various printer properties, such as the amount of memory installed in the printer. These settings vary from one printer to another. TIP: Jobs typically print faster if you set the printer to download TrueType fonts to the printer (use soft fonts) rather than print the fonts as graphics. If you use many different fonts scattered throughout the document, however, printing the TrueType fonts as soft fonts can increase printing time because of the excessive font downloading that has to occur. In such a situation, printing the TrueType fonts as graphics can actually decrease printing time. Setting PostScript Properties PostScript printers include options that other types of printers don't require. These PostScript-only settings are scattered throughout the PostScript printer's property sheet, although PostScript printers also include a PostScript property page (see Figure 8.11). FIGURE 8.11 The PostScript property page. The following list explains some of the most common settings Page 158

that apply to PostScript printers:

Inside Windows 98

* PostScript output format. Windows 98 supports a selection of different PostScript formats. Use this drop-down list to select a format that suits your situation. * PostScript header. Each PostScript print job requires that header information be sent to the printer to configure the printer for page layout and other characteristics. If the header information doesn't change from one print job to another, you don't need to download the header for each job. The PostScript Header group contains the following controls: * Download header with each print job. Choose this option if you want the header information to download to the printer for each print job. * Assume header is downloaded and retained. Choose this option to prevent the header from being downloaded for each print job. * Send Header Now. Choose this button to download the header to the printer immediately. * Print PostScript error information. PostScript printers can report various errors that Windows 98 can't recognize. Choose this option if you have printer problems and want a printout of the errors, if any. * PostScript timeout values. These values are similar to the Timeout values you set for the printer's LPT port. They include the following settings: * Job timeout. This setting specifies the amount of time a print job can take to transmit from the computer to the printer before the printer terminates the print job. Increase the setting for large, complex print jobs, or specify a setting of 0 to cause the printer to wait indefinitely. * Wait timeout. This setting specifies the amount of time the printer waits for the computer to send additional data before it terminates the print job. Large, complex jobs might require a higher setting, or you can specify a value of 0 to cause the printer to wait indefinitely. Printing from Windows Applications Printing from a Windows application is relatively simple. Each Windows application that supports printing includes a Print command in its File menu. When you choose Print, a Print dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure 8.12 appears. Figure 8.12 shows a typical application-derived Print dialog box, which in this example is from Word for Windows. The controls in the Print dialog box vary from one application to another but are very similar. Page 159

Inside Windows 98 FIGURE 8.12 The Word for Windows Print dialog box. One printer in Windows 98 is always the default printer. Windows 98 uses the default printer to print a document unless you specify a different prin-ter. If you click on the printer button in an application's toolbar, for example, the application typically sends the current document to the default printer without prompting you for any additional information. To specify a different printer, choose File | Print; then select the printer from the Name drop-down list. Some of the options in the Print dialog box will change to reflect the change in printers. NOTE: Some applications change the default printer when you select a different printer. Most applications, however, simply print to the selected printer without changing the default printer. If you print from an application that changes the default printer each time you select a different printer, you can easily restore the original default printer. After you issue the print job, choose File | Print again, select the printer you want to assign as the default printer, and then cancel the print job. You also can set the default printer from the Printers folder. Select the printer you want to assign as the default printer, display its Context menu, and then choose Set As Default. Setting Printer Options for a Document You can set options globally for a printer by using its properties in the Printers folder. You also can set properties for the printer according to the document. After you choose File | Print (activating the Print dialog box), choose the Properties button to display a set of property pages for the printer (see Figure 8.13). These property pages make up a subset of all the printer's property pages, showing the properties you can set on a per-document basis. FIGURE 8.13 Property pages for setting printer properties for a document. If you need to change a property not made available in these property pages, cancel the print job and open the Printers folder and set the printer's properties as necessary. NOTE: If you experience printing problems and have access to the World Wide Web, visit the Microsoft Online Printer Troubleshooting page at http://www.microsoft.com/. This page leads you through a series of questions and then gives you tips on ways to correct the printing error. Page 160

Inside Windows 98 Printing from the Desktop In addition to printing a document from an application as described in the previous section, Windows 98 provides the capability to print documents directly from the desktop. This capability simplifies printing a document. You can use one of four primary methods to print documents from the desktop. All these methods are similar and are described in the following sections. Printing from the Context Menu Using the document's Context menu is one of the easiest ways to print a document. You can open the folder that contains the document, right-click on the document's icon to display its Context menu, and choose Print. Windows 98 opens the document's parent application, prints the document to the default printer, and closes the document. If the parent application is open before you initiate the print job, Windows 98 does not close the application, but it does close the document. If the application is not open before you issue the print job, Windows 98 closes the application after the job spools. NOTE: If the document resides on the desktop, you print in the same way. Select the document and display its Context menu; then choose Print.

TIP: If you select a document type not associated with an object linking and embedding (OLE) compliant application, the Print command will not appear in the document's Context menu. You will have to open the document and print it manually. Printing with Drag-and-Drop Another method for printing from the desktop is to drag a document onto a printer. Open the folder that contains the document and drag the document from the folder to a printer in the Printers folder or to a printer shortcut on the desktop or in a folder. Windows 98 opens the parent application, prints the document to the default printer, and closes the document. You also can drag a document into a printer queue window to print the document. For example, open the Printers folder, double-click a printer icon to open its queue window, and drag a document from the desktop or a folder into the queue window. The document prints on the selected printer. TIP: You can't drag and drop an object onto a button on the Taskbar. If you drag the object over the button Page 161

Inside Windows 98 and hold it there for a second, however, the application the button represents opens on the desktop and you can drag the object into it. Therefore, you can open a printer's queue window and minimize it and place the queue on the Taskbar. Then drag a document onto the queue's button and hold it over the button for a second. When the queue window opens on the desktop, drag the document into the queue window and release the document to print it. You can use this same method to open a document. Rather than drag the document onto a printer queue, drag it onto an application. Printing with Send To The third method of printing from the desktop relies on the Send To menu. One of the menu items in a Context menu is Send To. Choosing Send To displays a list of the objects in the \Windows\SendTo folder or, if Windows is configured to support multiple desktops, the \Windows\Profiles\user\SendTo folder. To use the Send To menu to enable printing, simply place shortcuts to printers in the \Windows\SendTo or \Windows\Profiles\user\SendTo folder. Next, select a document and open its Context menu. Then choose Send To, followed by the shortcut for the printer to which you want to send the document. Windows 98 opens the parent application, prints the document to the selected printer, and closes the document. Printing from a Folder In addition to using a document's object menu, drag-and-drop, or Send To to print a document, you can start a print job from a folder window. Simply select the document and choose File | Print. Windows 98 opens the document's parent application, prints the document, and closes the document. Using Deferred Printing Windows 98 adds new features for printing--one of those being deferred printing. Deferred printing enables you to issue a print job even when the printer you want to use is offline. You can print to a network printer from your notebook computer, for example, even when your PC is not connected to the network. After you bring your PC back into the office, you can connect to the network, and the queue begins to send the print jobs to the printer. Essentially, deferred printing means that the queue is placed offline until the printer becomes available. For the most part, Windows 98 handles deferred printing automatically. After you boot Windows 98, the operating system determines the available printers. The icons of any printers not available across the network are dimmed in the Printers folder, indicating offline printers. If you print to an unavailable printer, the print job spools to the queue, where the job remains until the printer and queue are back online. Page 162

Inside Windows 98 You also can manually place a queue offline, enabling you to use deferred printing even if the printer is available. You also have to place a queue offline if the printer becomes unavailable after you boot Windows 98. To place a queue offline, open the Printers folder and select the printer whose queue you want to place offline. Open the printer's Context menu; then choose Work Offline. Any jobs you send to the printer's queue are held in the queue until you place the queue back online. To place the queue back online, open the printer's Context menu and clear the Work Offline option. During your PC's boot, Windows 98 detects the offline queues and prompts you to specify whether you want to begin printing the jobs in the queue. You can choose Yes to place the queue back online and begin printing the jobs, No to leave the queue offline, or Cancel to cancel the print jobs. Therefore, when you bring your notebook into the office, connect it to the network, and boot the system, Windows 98 should automatically place the queue back online and begin printing the jobs in the queue. TIP: Deferred printing is not limited to Windows 98 applications. Any Windows application--16-bit or 32-bit--can use deferred printing because the same spooler handles all printing. DOS applications also can use deferred printing if the printer is configured to spool DOS print jobs (explained earlier in this chapter in the section "Setting Up a Local Printer"). Using Deferred Printing for Local Printers If you open the Context menu for a local printer, you might notice the absence of a Work Offline command in the menu. Nevertheless, you can defer printing on local printers. You might wonder, however, why you would want to do so. Well, assume you have a docking station in your office for your notebook computer and that you have a printer connected to the docking station. When you remove your notebook from the office, you don't have your local printer anymore. You still can print to the local printer's queue while the printer is unavailable and then place the queue back online when you dock the notebook. To defer printing on a local printer, open the printer's Context menu and choose Pause Printing. Print to the printer as if it were available. You can shut down the PC with the jobs pending in the queue, and when you boot the PC again, those jobs are still held in the queue. As it does with network printers, Windows 98 detects the pending jobs in the local printer's queue at startup and asks you if you want to begin printing the pending jobs. Verify that the printer is connected and turned on; then choose Yes to begin printing. Choose No to leave the queue in its offline state and retain the jobs in the queue. Choose Cancel to clear the queue of all pending print jobs. Page 163

Using the Extended Capabilities Port

Inside Windows 98

Many newer PCs include an enhanced parallel port called an extended capabilities port (ECP). The ECP supports bidirectional communication and increased throughput. These capabilities not only enable faster printing but also make it practical to use some of the new devices, such as CD-ROM drives and sound adapters that use a parallel port interface. Generally, enabling the ECP on a PC requires changing BIOS settings. For example, your BIOS might enable you to configure the port as a standard unidirectional LPT port, bidirectional LPT port, or ECP. Before Windows 98 can recognize your ECP, you must first change the BIOS settings for the port to enable it as an ECP. The way in which you perform BIOS setup varies from one PC to another (depending on the BIOS type and manufacturer). Check your system manual to determine how to run your PC's BIOS setup program and enable ECP support for the port. TIP: On some systems, you enter BIOS setup by pressing F1 after the power-on self test (POST) finishes. On other systems, pressing the Del key after the POST enters the BIOS setup program. And on other machines, pressing Ctrl+Alt+Esc from the DOS prompt enters BIOS setup. To provide ECP support in Windows 98, first run your BIOS setup program and enable the ECP. As the BIOS setup program runs, note the base address, IRQ, and DMA values for the ECP. You need these settings to configure the ECP in Windows 98. After you configure the ECP in the system BIOS, start Windows 98 and open the Control Panel. Choose the System icon; then click on the Device Manager tab to display the Device Manager property page (see Figure 8.14). Your Device Manager page will resemble the one shown in Figure 8.14, but you'll see differences owing to the hardware installed on your PC. FIGURE 8.14 The Device Manager property page. Expand the tree labeled Ports (COM and LPT) to list the installed ports. Then remove the existing LPT port for which you want to enable the ECP. If you want to enable the ECP for LPT1, for example, remove LPT1. Removing the LPT port is necessary because the LPT port shares the same settings as the ECP (because they are the same physical port). After you remove the LPT port, restart the PC. Windows 98 will automatically detect the port and install support for it. If you prefer, you can use the Add New Hardware wizard to have Windows 98 recognize and install your computer's ECP port. Open the Control Panel and double-click the Add New Hardware icon. Click Next, then Next again to have Windows 98 search for the new hardware. Page 164

Inside Windows 98 The Add New Hardware wizard then displays a dialog box that lists the resource requirements for the ECP. These are the same base address, IRQ, and DMA channel resource settings you need to note during BIOS setup when you configure the PC to use the ECP. You can't use the wizard to specify new settings; instead you can use the Device Manager to change the settings before you reboot the PC. To complete the process so that you can open the Device Manager and change the settings, click on Next and then Finish. Windows 98 displays a message that you must shut down the computer to install the new hardware and asks whether you want to shut down the computer now. Choose No. To specify the proper settings for the ECP, open the Control Panel and choose the System icon; then click on the Device Manager tab. Expand the Ports (COM and LPT) branch, select the ECP Printer Port item, and choose Properties. Windows 98 displays a set of property pages for the ECP port. Click on the Resources tab to display the Resources property page (see Figure 8.15). FIGURE 8.15 The Resources page in the ECP Printer Port property sheet. Windows 98 includes several basic configurations for ECPs, but you can modify any of the four to suit the requirements of your hardware. If your ECP doesn't require a DMA channel but does require an IRQ, for example, start with basic configuration 1, which includes settings for address range and IRQ. Next choose the setting from the Resource type settings list that you need to change to accommodate your ECP; then choose the Change Setting button. Windows 98 displays a dialog box you can use to specify the new setting. Choose the setting that matches your hardware; then choose OK. Repeat the process for the base address range, IRQ, and DMA, as applicable. After you specify the correct settings, choose OK to close the ECP Printer Port property sheets. After you close the ECP Printer Port property sheets, Windows 98 asks whether you want to shut down the computer. Choose Yes to shut down the computer and restart the PC after it shuts down all the way. After Windows 98 boots, the ECP is enabled and ready for use in Windows 98. Other than associating the ECP with the driver for the printer connected to the port, you don't need to make any additional changes to begin using the ECP. Refer to the section "Setting Up a Local Printer" earlier in this chapter for more information on configuring ports and printer drivers. Printing from DOS Applications In Windows 3.x, DOS applications do not use the Windows spooler and sometimes cause conflicts with Windows applications that attempt to use the printer while the DOS application is printing. In Windows 98, however, DOS applications can spool their print jobs through the Windows 98 spooler, which offers some strong advantages. Page 165

Inside Windows 98 First, spooling DOS application print jobs through the Windows 98 spooler results in smoother printing and multitasking performance. You no longer have to wait for the DOS application's job to finish printing before you can begin working in another application. Instead, the job spools from the DOS application to the print queue, just as it does for Windows 98 applications. This restores control of the PC to you more rapidly. Spooling DOS print jobs through a common spooler also eliminates conflicts between DOS applications and Windows 98 applications that attempt to print at the same time. You can open a DOS application and start a print job, for example, and then switch to a Windows application and start a second print job. Both are spooled to the queue without conflict. Therefore, you no longer have to configure Windows to give control of the printer port to Windows 98 or to DOS; both environments can have equal access to the print spooler. Spooling DOS application print jobs is enabled by default. If you have a DOS application that can't print properly through the Windows 98 spooler, you can disable DOS spooling. To do so, open the Printers folder and display the Context menu for any printer connected to the port for which you want to disable spooling. Choose Properties to display the printer's property sheet; then click on the Details tab. Choose the Port Settings button to display the Configure LPT Port dialog box, clear the Spool DOS Print Job check box, and choose OK to close the dialog box and OK again to close the printer's property sheet. NOTE: Even though DOS applications use the Windows 98 spooler, DOS applications do not use Windows 98 printer drivers. You must continue to use the printer drivers supplied with your DOS applications. Also, DOS applications do not take advantage of EMF format spooling. The primary advantages of spooling DOS print jobs to the Windows 98 spooler are the elimination of device conflicts and improved multitasking. Capturing Ports for Printers in DOS You can capture a port for a remote network printer using the method explained earlier in this chapter in the section "Capturing and Releasing Ports." Capturing a port is necessary if your network client doesn't support UNC pathnames. You also can capture ports from the DOS command line. To capture a printer port, open a DOS session and enter the command NET USE LPTn: \\ server\printer, where LPTn: is the name of the port you want to capture and \\server\printer is the path to the printer. To capture LPT1: for a printer named Laser on a computer named PrintServer, for example, use the command NET USE LPT1: \\PRINTSERVER\LASER. On NetWare systems, use the command CAPTURE Page 166

LPTn:.

Inside Windows 98

Controlling a Printer's Queue Previous sections of this chapter deal primarily with installing and configuring printers and various methods for printing from Windows and DOS applications. Your control over the printer and print jobs doesn't end when you start printing in an application. You can view and manage the print queue, giving you control over such things as the order in which jobs print. The following sections explain how to view and manage a printer's queue and explain the differences in control you have over local printers versus network printers. Viewing the Queue Viewing a printer's queue is simple; just open the Printers folder and double-click on the printer whose queue you want to view. Or select the printer and press Enter. A window similar to the one shown in Figure 8.16 appears. FIGURE 8.16 A typical queue window showing jobs pending. The queue window lists all the pending jobs, as well as the current job (the one currently being sent to the printer). The queue lists various pieces of information about each print job, including the user who initiated the job, the status of the job, its size, and so forth. The jobs are listed in the order in which they are sent to the printer, with the currently printing job at the top of the list. Changing Queue Priority Occasionally, you might decide to move a print job located low in the queue to higher in the queue to make it print sooner. Assume you have a number of jobs pending. You realize that you need to print a copy of a report for a meeting scheduled in 10 minutes. You can print the report and then open the queue and move the report from the bottom of the queue to the top to make it print after the current job finishes. To change job order in the queue, simply drag the job into its new position and release it. Pausing and Canceling Print Jobs In addition to changing queue order, you sometimes will want to pause printing and cancel print jobs. Consider the previous example of an urgently needed report: What if the current print job still has 50 pages to print? Even if you move the report near the top of the queue so that it prints next, printing the 50 pages of the current job plus your report document probably will take longer than the 10 minutes you have left before the meeting. Therefore, you need to pause the current print job and cancel it so you can print your report. To pause a print job, select the job from the queue window; then Page 167

Inside Windows 98 choose Document | Pause Printing. Windows 98 pauses the print job, but any pages already sent to the printer's buffer still print. Unfortunately, you can't pause a job that's printing, move another job ahead of it to print, and then resume the paused job. If you pause the current job, the effect is the same as pausing the queue altogether. None of the other jobs can print until you resume or cancel the paused job. You can, however, pause jobs not currently printing. If you pause a few jobs in the middle of the queue, any jobs higher in the queue will print. Then jobs lower in the queue than the paused jobs will print. If you make no other changes to the queue, all the nonpaused pending jobs will print, leaving only the paused jobs in the queue. Pausing, Resuming, and Purging the Printer Sometimes you need to pause the entire queue rather than just one print job; for example, you might want to pause printing if the printer runs out of toner (or the equivalent for nonlaser printers) or jams before the job finishes. To pause the queue, choose Printer | Pause Printing. Any pages already in the printer's queue still print, but no other pages are sent to the printer. To pause the pages in the buffer, place the printer offline. To resume printing, first place the printer online. Then choose Printer | Pause Printing to remove the check from the Pause Printing menu item. If you want to remove all print jobs from the queue, choose Printer | Purge Print Jobs. All pending print jobs are removed from the queue and are not sent to the printer. Controlling a Network Printer Queue You can view and manage the queue of a network printer in much the same way as a local printer. Some restrictions, however, do impede your ability to manage jobs in a network queue. When you open the printer's queue window, you see all the print jobs pending for the printer, regardless of who originated each one. You can pause and cancel your own print jobs, but you can't pause or cancel other users' print jobs. Unlike in a local queue, you can't change the order of print jobs in the queue whether the jobs you want to change are your own or another user's. To effectively move one or more of your print jobs to a lower position in the queue, simply pause the job(s). As jobs continue to be sent to the printer, those below your paused jobs in the queue "jump over" your jobs and are printed. Also, you can't pause or unpause the printer nor purge the queue. The person who logs onto the computer to which the printer is attached can manage the queue in all ways. If your printer is shared on the network, for example, you can move print jobs Page 168

Inside Windows 98 around in the queue, pause jobs, and cancel jobs, even if other users initiate those jobs. You also can pause and resume the printer and purge the queue. NOTE: Before you cancel other users' print jobs or purge the queue, note the users' names and the descriptions of their print jobs. Then you should send an e-mail message to those users to inform them that you are canceling their print jobs. Using Image Color Matching Windows 98 includes support for Image Color Matching (ICM), which enables applications to provide consistency between the colors of objects on the display and the color of those objects after they're printed. ICM enables you to see on the display the color output that will be rendered on the printer. ICM is based on technology that Microsoft has licensed from Eastman Kodak and relies on color format standards defined by InterColor 3.0, a standard developed by a consortium of companies including Eastman Kodak, Microsoft, Apple Computer, Sun Microsystems, Silicon Graphics, and others. InterColor 3.0 provides for standard and consistent definition of color properties of display and output devices across vendors and platforms. ICM relies on color profiles that define the color properties of monitors, printers, scanners, and other output devices. The manufacturer of the ICM-compliant device provides ICM profiles. Windows 98 places the ICM profiles in the \Windows\System\Color folder when you install support for the device during setup. To use ICM during printing, you must set the appropriate printer properties. (Naturally, only color printers offer support for ICM.) To control ICM properties for a printer, first open the printer's property sheet. Then choose the Graphics tab to display the Graphics property page. If the printer supports ICM, the Graphics property page will be similar to the one shown in Figure 8.17. FIGURE 8.17 The Graphics property page of an ICM- compliant printer. NOTE: The description of ICM options in this section is based on the Kodak ColorEase PostScript printer. Other output devices naturally have different capabilities and corresponding options. Therefore, the options for a particular output device will differ somewhat from those described in this section. The Kodak ColorEase example simply gives you a general understanding of ICM capabilities in Windows 98. Page 169

Inside Windows 98 If color matching doesn't affect a job you are about to print, you can turn off color matching. To turn off color matching, choose the No image color matching option button. If you do want to use ICM, choose the Use image color matching option button. Because of the additional overhead and color matching computation, printing will be slower using the color matching option. If you decide to use ICM, you can specify a few options that control the way ICM matches and renders the colors of the output. After you choose Use image color matching, choose the Choose image color matching method button. Windows 98 displays a dialog box similar to the one shown in Fig- ure 8.18. FIGURE 8.18 Set ICM options in the Image Color Matching dialog box. The controls in the Image color matching method group enable you to control where the color matching takes place. The options are explained by descriptions in the dialog box. The following list provides an overview of these three options: * Perform image color matching on the host. Choose this option to have color matching performed by the input device (essentially, on the computer). Choosing this option generally results in the best color matching, although processing time increases. * Perform image color matching on the p_rinter. Overall performance increases, but the color match isn't likely to be as accurate. * Print using printer calibration. Choose this option if you have previously downloaded a color dictionary with Perform image color matching on the Printer option. Performance improves even further because you eliminate the processing time required to define the color dictionary and download it to the printer. Color accuracy is the same as with the Perform Image Color Matching on the Printer option. You also can control the rendering process to tailor it to specific end results. The options in the Rendering intent group in the Image Color Matching dialog box control the color output. Each of the three options in the Rendering intent group includes a description that explains the option's purpose. Choose the Saturation option to optimize the output for color saturation, which generally is ideal for presentation graphics. Choose the Contrast option to optimize the output for contrast, which generally is ideal for reproducing photographic images. If color accuracy is most important, choose the Colormetric option. Windows 98 adds additional control of color matching over Windows 95 by including support for color management profiles. The Color Management property page (see Figure 8.19) provides a means for you to specify predefined color profiles to provide Page 170

Inside Windows 98 color matching for the printer. The profile you specify in the Color Management property page of the printer's property sheet controls the way colors print on the selected printer. The Color Management page of the Display Properties sheet (see Figure 8.20) controls the way colors appear on the display. FIGURE 8.19 The Color Management page of the printer's property sheet controls color matching for the printer. FIGURE 8.20 (No figure available) The Color Management page for the display controls color matching for the display. Color profiles match onscreen colors with output colors so that what you see on the display is an accurate rendition of what will print. Windows 98 includes color profiles for some printers and monitors, and hardware vendors can develop and include their own color profile files. To associate a color profile with a printer, right-click on the printer and choose Properties. If the printer supports color management, the printer's property sheet includes a Color Management page as shown in Figure 8.20. On the Color Management, page click the Add button to display the Add Profile Association dialog box (see Figure 8.21). FIGURE 8.21 Use the Add Profile Association dialog box to choose a color profile for a printer. To view additional information about a profile, right-click on the profile's filename in the list and choose Properties. Windows 98 displays a property sheet for the profile. Click the Profile Information tab to view the property page shown in Figure 8.22. FIGURE 8.22 View the description of a profile on the Profile Information page. When you locate the profile you want to associate with the printer, select it from the file list in the Add Profile Association dialog box; then choose Add. Choose OK on the printer's property sheet to apply the new color profile to the printer. ----------

-9-

Configuring Display and Mmultimedia Options * Configuring Display and Video Options * Changing Desktop Properties and Schemes * Modifying Taskbar Elements * Using Desktop Themes * Applying and Changing Desktop Themes * Using Multiple Displays * Overview of Multiple Display Support

Page 171

* Adding a Second Video Adapter * Configuring Multiple Display Options

Inside Windows 98

* Configuring Sound Options * Assigning Sounds to Events * Using Sound Schemes * Configuring and Using the Volume Controls * Configuring Audio Device Options * Configuring Music CD Options * Configuring CD Device Options * Assigning Drive Letters * Using AutoInsert Notification (AutoPlay) * Optimizing CD-ROM Performance * Configuring DVD Options * Configuring DVD Device Options * Assigning Drive Letters * Using AutoInsert Notification (AutoPlay) Windows 98 improves video and multimedia support over previous versions of Windows, giving you better control over its appearance and in some cases better functionality. Windows 98 also includes additional features, such as support for multiple display devices, that make it a better platform for graphics-related and multimedia applications. This chapter explores the video and multimedia features in Windows 98, covering the following topics: * Configuring display and video options * Using multiple displays * Configuring sound options * Configuring CD-ROM options * Configuring DVD options Configuring Display and Video Options Although many of the video and display settings you can control with Windows 98 have no direct bearing on the operating system's productivity (or your own), you no doubt want to tweak the desktop and other options to suit your preferences. In addition, some changes, such as modifying your Taskbar, can have a positive impact on your productivity. Other features such as Windows 98's support for multiple displays can be a boon for graphics editors, Web designers, or anyone else who needs a little more desktop space. Changing Desktop Properties and Schemes One of the first elements of Windows 98 you might notice is the recurring color scheme--such as gray windows capped by blue menu bars. All the text is the same font and the interiors of the Page 172

Inside Windows 98 windows are white. This overall layout is referred to as a color scheme. Any (or all) of these individual elements can be changed to your liking. You can change the color of menu bars, the fonts on the Title bar, and even the size of the scroll bars to whatever you choose. Setting Desktop Element Characteristics To change a desktop element, select the Display icon from the Control Panel; then choose the Appearance tab (see Figure 9.1). Selecting the Item drop-down menu allows you to choose which element you wish to modify. Some items allow you to change only color, some only size. Some let you change size and type of Font, and others let you modify everything. Feel free to experiment. After you've developed a look that suits your fancy, you can save this overall layout as a scheme by choosing Save As and typing a name for your scheme. FIGURE 9.1 Use the Appearance page to change the appearance of the desktop. Using Desktop Schemes Windows 98 comes with a variety of built-in schemes. To view them, choose the Scheme drop-down list. Any scheme you've developed and saved will also be accessible from this list. Selecting a name will result in a preview of that scheme in the larger window above. If you find one you wish to use, simply choose Apply. Modifying Taskbar Elements Most people discover rather quickly that they can move the Taskbar around the screen (left, right, top, or bottom) to wherever is most convenient for them. You also can increase the Taskbar's size by grabbing its edge and dragging it to the size you wish. Windows 98 also allows you to add toolbars to the Taskbar. Right-clicking on the Taskbar and selecting Toolbar displays a list of toolbars you can turn on and off. Address places an address field on the Taskbar for quickly entering Web addresses. Links adds a toolbar that displays the same quick links you have defined in Internet Explorer. Desktop creates toolbar copies of all your desktop icons. New Toolbar allows you to place any other folder on the Taskbar or, if you wish, the entire listing under My Computer. Choosing Quick Launch turns the Quick Launch toolbar on and off (see Figure 9.2). FIGURE 9.2 Choose Quick Launch to turn the Quick Launch icons on and off. You can change icons on the Quick Launch toolbar for each user who has a profile by creating a shortcut in the folder \Windows\Profiles\USERNAME\ Application data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch, where USERNAME is the name by which the Page 173

Inside Windows 98 user logs onto Windows. Note that if you do not have user profiles enabled, the folder is located in \Windows\Application data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch. Simply create shortcuts in this folder to add items to the Quick Launch menu. Using Desktop Themes One of the most welcome additions to Windows 98 is the set of desktop themes formerly included only with Microsoft Plus. These themes, ranging from various sports items to a tour inside your computer, turn the otherwise mundane Windows 98 desktop into a more pleasing environment. Themes encompass collections of desktop bitmaps, icons, mouse pointers, fonts, and sound files. Put together, they transform your desktop into a virtual art gallery. Windows 98 includes several themes, and others are available from various locations on the Internet. WARNING: Although most themes can run in 256 colors, some require 16-bit, high-color (65,000 colors) displays. For optimal clarity, high-color themes should not be run on a 256-color desktop. High-color themes try to use more colors than the 256-color palette supports, so when a high-color image is displayed, the Windows Palette Manager has to shift the system colors around to accommodate the high-color graphic. If you have not yet installed the Desktop Themes software, you must do so before applying a desktop theme. To install the software, follow these steps: 1. Open the Control Panel, and then open the Add/Remove Programs object. 2. Click the Windows Setup tab; then scroll through the list of Windows 98 elements and place a check mark beside Desktop Themes (you will need the Windows 98 CD-ROM or floppy disk set to complete the installation). 3. Click the Details button, and from the resulting dialog box choose the themes you want to add to your system. 4. Choose OK and follow Windows 98's prompts to complete the installation of the software. Applying and Changing Desktop Themes You can change themes easily from the Control Panel's Desktop Themes object (open the Control Panel and choose Desktop Themes). The Desktop Themes dialog box (see Figure 9.3) enables you to customize nearly every aspect of a theme. FIGURE 9.3 Themes control several desktop objects. Page 174

Inside Windows 98 To apply a theme to the desktop, click the Theme drop-down box for a list of the available themes on your system. To select a theme, simply click a theme name from the list. After you select a theme, the preview area of the Desktop Themes dialog box updates to reflect the changes to your desktop configuration. The right side of the dialog box contains more options for customizing themes. The Settings group enables you to select the components you want to update. If you want to apply the Sports theme, for example, but retain your own custom icons, disable the Icons check box to apply all theme components except for the theme icons. You also can preview certain components not shown in the Previews area, including mouse pointers, system sounds, and screen savers. To view these pieces before you apply the theme, click on the appropriate button--Screen Saver, Pointers, sounds, and so on--to open a tabbed dialog box in which you can view and modify icons and sounds. After you decide on a theme, choose OK or Apply to close the Desktop Themes dialog box. Using Multiple Displays A welcome enhancement to the Windows 98 environment is the capability to add additional monitors to increase desktop space. Let's say you normally view your screen resolution at 800Y600 and wish to add another display. Adding an additional monitor set to the same resolution would increase your desktop size to 1600Y600. This new desktop space will display immediately to the right of your existing desktop. You can drag files or open windows anywhere on both screens, but maximizing a window will cause it to take up the maximum space on only a single display. You can, however, drag a window across several screens and make it as large as you want. Windows 98 allows you to add up to eight displays, but we will cover settings for just two. Overview of Multiple Display Support For each display you add, your system will require an additional video adapter. Your video adapters need not be the same brand, but they must all be PCI cards. Windows 98 does an even better job of detecting and installing plug-and-play devices than its predecessor, Windows 95. Adding a Second Video Adapter After you have added your new display adapter, Windows 98 will autodetect most video cards automatically and install the appropriate driver. If Windows fails to detect your card, you can force it to look again by opening the Control Panel and selecting the Add New Hardware icon. This action will result in Windows 98 running the Add New Hardware Wizard. Figure 9.4 shows one of the search dialog boxes from the wizard. FIGURE 9.4 The Add New Hardware Wizard searches your system for Page 175

new hardware.

Inside Windows 98

Configuring Multiple Display Options You can customize this new display the same way you would your primary display. Choose the Display icon within the Control Panel and then select the Settings tab (see Figure 9.5). After selecting the display of your choice, you can manipulate its settings just like normal. For more detail on how to change resolutions and other display settings, see Chapter 10, "Customizing Windows 98." FIGURE 9.5 Select which display you want to change. TIP: You can quickly access your display settings by right-clicking anywhere on your desktop and choosing Properties from the drop-down menu that appears. Configuring Sound Options Windows 98 makes it quite easy to monitor system events by allowing users to assign sounds to them. It can be quite useful to be informed of the completion of a file download, or an impending battery failure while working on an unrelated project. It can also be fun to dress up the everyday sounds of Windows 98 with something that fits your personality. Assigning Sounds to Events Quite a few events already have sounds assigned to them from the first time you start Windows 98. You can change any of the assigned sounds by selecting the Sounds icon from the Control Panel. This launches the Sounds Properties window (see Figure 9.6). FIGURE 9.6 The Sounds Properties sheet. Selecting an event from the Events box will display the Name of the corresponding sound and will allow you to preview the sound by clicking on the play button (right arrow). You can change the sound assigned to this event by simply choosing Browse and then selecting a replacement sound file from anywhere on your computer. Selecting Details brings forth the sound's properties window. Using Sound Schemes After you have assigned custom sounds to the events of your choice, you might wish to save them as a scheme. You can do this with the Save As option. After saving, you can recall an entire scheme whenever you wish or bring back the Windows default. Most Windows Themes have sound schemes of their own built into them. For more information on themes, see the section "Using Desktop Themes" earlier in this chapter. Page 176

Inside Windows 98 Configuring and Using the Volume Controls Should you wish to quickly adjust or mute your speakers' volume, you can do so by clicking on the speaker icon located on your Windows 98 Taskbar. For a more detailed control, right-click on the same speaker icon and select Open Volume Controls. This brings you to the Speaker window (see Figure 9.7) and allows you to adjust speaker balance as well as the volume. Choosing Properties from the Options drop-down menu allows you to select or unselect which volume/balance controls you wish to have displayed in the previous window. FIGURE 9.7 You can control the volume for several different sound elements. Configuring Audio Device Options You can configure audio devices in more detail by selecting the Multimedia icon within the Control Panel (see Figure 9.8). The Audio tab allows changes to the playback or recording options, such as the addition of an alternate audio card. If you decide to enhance your existing speaker setup, you should select Advanced Properties and choose a more appropriate speaker setup from the drop-down list box. Configuring Music CD Options Selecting the CD Music tab allows you to determine the way Windows 98 will use your CD-ROM to play CD music. If your computer contains more than one CD-ROM drive, you can decide which one will be used as Default to play CD music. Selecting the drop-down list will display available drives (see Figure 9.9). You can adjust CD music volume with the slider bar. Placing a check mark in the box will tell Windows 98 to use digital playback instead of analog Whenever possible. FIGURE 9.8 The Multimedia Properties sheet. FIGURE 9.9 Specify music CD options from the CD Music page. * Configuring CD-ROM Options From time to time, most notably when adding or removing drives, it might become necessary to modify your existing CD-ROM options, such as reassigning a drive letter or shutting off the Windows 98 AutoPlay feature. These options are explained in the following sections. Configuring CD Device Options From the Control Panel select the System icon and choose the Device Manager tab. You will want to make sure the View devices by type option is selected. From the device list displayed, click on the plus sign to the left of the drive marked CD-ROM. This will display all the installed CD-ROM devices on the Page 177

Inside Windows 98 system. To list the options available to configure on a CD device, first select the device and then choose Properties. The General tab will tell you basic information about this drive and let you know whether it is configured properly. Choosing the tab labeled Driver will show you what device driver (if any) is currently installed. You can Update the Driver from this tab as well. Selecting the Settings tab (see Figure 9.10) will display more information about the selected device, such as the Target ID, logical unit number, firmware version, and current drive letter assigned to this drive. FIGURE 9.10 You can set a variety of settings for a CD-ROM drive. Assigning Drive Letters To assign a different drive letter to the selected CD-ROM drive, select an available letter from the Start drive letter drop-down menu. Make sure the End drive letter is the same and choose OK; restart the computer for the changes to take effect. Using AutoInsert Notification (AutoPlay) If you would like to prevent Windows 98 from automatically launching every CD placed in the selected drive, you can do so quite simply. Make sure you've selected the settings tab of the device properties window and clear the check mark next to Auto insert notification. This will disable AutoPlay on the selected drive only. If you have more that one CD-ROM device, you must disable each drive separately. Optimizing CD-ROM Performance In System Properties (right-click on My Computer and choose Properties) select the Performance tab. Under the Advanced Settings heading choose File system. From the File System Properties window, choose the tab marked CD-ROM. From here you can adjust the amount of Supplemental cache Windows 98 uses by moving the slide bar (see Figure 9.11). You can also Optimize the access pattern for your CD-ROM drive by selecting the most appropriate drive from the drop-down menu. FIGURE 9.11 Use the CD-ROM page to control advanced CD-ROM settings. Configuring DVD Options It might become necessary to modify your DVD-ROM options, such as reassigning a drive letter, to prevent it from interfering with an existing CD-ROM or shutting off the Windows 98 AutoPlay feature. Changing these options is very similar to modifying a regular CD-ROM. Configuring DVD Device Options From the Control Panel, select the System icon and choose the Page 178

Inside Windows 98 Device Manager tab. You will want to make sure the View devices by type option is selected. From the device list displayed, click on the plus sign to the left of the drive marked CD-ROM. This will display all the installed DVD-ROM and other CD-ROM devices on the system. To list the options available to configure on a CD device, first select the device and then choose Properties. The General tab will tell you basic information about this DVD-ROM drive and let you know whether it's configured properly. Choosing the tab labeled Driver will show you what device driver (if any) is currently installed. You can Update the Driver from this tab as well. Selecting the Settings tab will display more information about the selected device, such as the Target ID, logical unit number, firmware version, and current drive letter assigned to this drive. Assigning Drive Letters To assign a different drive letter to the selected DVD-ROM drive, select an available letter from the Start drive letter drop-down menu. Make sure the End drive letter is the same and choose OK. Restart the computer for the changes to take effect. Using AutoInsert Notification (AutoPlay) If you would like to prevent Windows 98 from automatically launching every CD placed in the selected DVD-ROM drive, you can do so quite simply. Make sure you've selected the settings tab of the device properties window; then clear the check mark next to Auto insert notification. This will disable AutoPlay. ----------

- 10 Customizing Windows 98

* Personalizing the Desktop and Display * Changing Background and Wallpaper * Changing the Startup Graphic * Using a Screen Saver and Energy-Saving Features * Changing Interface Colors and Fonts * Changing Standard Icons * Changing Display Driver Settings * Setting Date and Time Options * Setting Keyboard Options * Setting Keyboard Response * Setting Language Options * Setting Mouse Options * Setting Pointer Options * Controlling Mouse Motion * Specifying Regional Settings * Setting Security Options

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Inside Windows 98 * Setting Power Management Options * Supporting Multiple Configurations and Users * Customizing the Start Menu and Program Groups * Customizing Network Neighborhood and Desktop Settings * Applying User Restrictions Windows 98 is a very rich environment that offers numerous ways to customize the interface and operating system. This chapter explains the many ways you can change Windows 98's appearance and operation. The chapter covers the following topics: * Personalizing the desktop and display * Setting time and date options * Setting keyboard options * Setting mouse options * Specifying regional settings * Setting security options * Setting power management options * Setting network options * Supporting multiple users and configurations Most of the changes in look and function you can make to Windows 98 are simple to make. Most users like to customize the interface. Personalizing the Desktop and Display Windows 98 makes changing display resolution and other operating system parameters an easy task. One significant feature is that Windows 98, like its predecessor Windows 95, enables you to maintain multiple desktop configurations. Windows 98 can maintain a unique desktop for each user, making it possible for multiple users to share a single PC while providing a unique, custom desktop for each user. First you should learn about the changes you can make to the user interface because those potential changes apply to both single- and multiple-user profiles. NOTE: For a more complete discussion of user profiles, refer to Chapter 29, "System Policies and User Profiles." Changing Background and Wallpaper You can change two aspects of the desktop: the background and Page 180

Inside Windows 98 the wallpaper. Most users want to change the background. Changing the Background Pattern The background is a pattern you can apply to the Windows 98 desktop. You also can create your own patterns. You are restricted to two colors for the desktop pattern: black and the color of the desktop. TIP: Because the pattern is applied as black on top of the desktop color, specifying a background color of black makes the pattern invisible. To specify a predefined background pattern, right-click on the Windows 98 desktop and choose Properties to display the property sheet for the desktop. Or, with no items selected on the desktop, press Shift+F10 to display the property sheet. On the Background page, click the Pattern button to display the Pattern dialog box (see Figure 10.1). FIGURE 10.1 Use the Pattern dialog box to choose or edit a background pattern. TIP: You also can open the Display property sheet by choosing the Display icon from the Control Panel. The Pattern dialog box enables you to choose from Windows 98's predefined background patterns, edit an existing pattern, or create a new pattern. To use an existing pattern, simply select a pattern from the Pattern list box. Windows 98 then displays a sample of the pattern. Choose OK or Apply to apply the pattern to the desktop. If you want to edit an existing pattern or create a new pattern, first choose a pattern from the list; then choose the Edit Pattern button. Windows 98 provides a Pattern Editor dialog box (see Figure 10.2) that you can use to modify the pattern. Click on the squares in the Pattern box to change the pattern. After you establish a pattern that satisfies you, choose Done to save the modified pattern or enter a new name in the Name combo box and choose Add to add the new pattern. FIGURE 10.2 Use the Pattern Editor dialog box to modify existing patterns and create new ones. Using Wallpaper Besides adding a background pattern to the desktop, you can apply a wallpaper image. The wallpaper image appears on top of the desktop pattern. If the wallpaper covers the entire desktop, it also hides any existing pattern. Page 181

Inside Windows 98 Wallpaper can be nothing more than a bitmap (BMP) image applied to the desktop. You can use any BMP or device-independent bitmap (DIB) file as wallpaper. You also can use run-length encoded (RLE) files--compressed bitmap files--as well as Graphical Interchange Format (GIF), JPG, PNG, and even Web page files in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format. To assign a background file as wallpaper, open the Display property sheet. On the Background page, select a file from the Wallpaper list. This list references all the available background files in the Windows directory. Or click on the Browse button to choose a background file from a different disk or directory. NOTE: Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 includes a feature that enables you to quickly use a graphic from a Web page as your desktop wallpaper. To do this, right-click on the image and select Set as Wallpaper from the Context menu. This sets the selected graphic as the wallpaper and names it Internet Explorer Wallpaper in the Wallpaper list. If the background image is small, you probably want to tile the image across the desktop, as shown in Figure 10.3. If you have a large background image, such as a photograph, you probably want to center it. Choose the Center or Tile option accordingly. FIGURE 10.3 You can tile wallpaper across the desktop. In addition to centering and tiling wallpaper, you also can stretch it to fit the desktop. This is handy if the wallpaper image is somewhat smaller than the desktop (a 640Y480 image used on a 800Y600 desktop, for example). To stretch the wallpaper image to fit the desktop, choose the Stretch option from the Display drop-down list. TIP: The Registry contains a handful of settings you can use to control wallpaper in the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/desktop. The values for TileWallpaper and WallpaperStyle essentially have the same effect. A value of 1 for either setting tiles the wallpaper, and a value of 0 for either setting centers the wallpaper. You can give either setting values other than 0 or 1--even numbers have the same effect as 0, and odd numbers have the same effect as 1. Changing the Startup Graphic If you're tired of looking at the wallpaper that displays when you start and exit Windows 98, you can replace it with your favorite bitmap. First, back up the files LOGO.SYS (found in the Page 182

Inside Windows 98 root folder), LOGOW.SYS, and LOGOS.SYS (found in the WINDOWS folder). Next, open the bitmap you want to use as the startup graphic in Paint, size it to 320Y400 pixels, and save it as 256-color bitmap. Name it LOGO.SYS. Do the same for the closing bitmaps and name them LOGOW.SYS and LOGOS.SYS. Each of these bitmaps must be 320Y400, 256 colors, and 127 KB in size. Because Windows stretches the image to fill the entire screen, the image you choose might look distorted when it finally displays onscreen. Allowing Web Features on Your Desktop If you have a LAN-based Internet connection, you might wish to enable Items on the Active Desktop. You can accomplish this from the Web property page of the Display property sheet (see Figure 10.4). FIGURE 10.4 Use the Web property page to enable and configure active desktop content. You can add almost any Web-type file (including live tickers on remote Web sites) by simply clicking New and typing the URL (Website address); or you can Browse to the local area on your system that contains a Web file. For an example of how this works, place a check in the View my Active Desktop as a Web page check box on the Web property page. Place a check in the Internet Explorer Channel Bar check box and click OK. The Channel Bar will appear on the desktop and you can move it or resize it like any other window on your desktop. Clicking on a button on the Channel Bar will quickly bring you to the selected channel (you must have an active Internet connection for this to function properly). Using a Screen Saver and Energy-Saving Features The Screen Saver property page of the Display property sheet (see Figure 10.5) enables you to configure Windows 98 to use a screen saver and to configure your monitor's energy-saving features (if any). Screen savers came into being to prevent burn-in, which can occur when the same image remains on the display for an extended period of time. Most of today's computer monitors are not susceptible to burn-in and don't require a screen saver. But screen savers have become a novel way to personalize your PC, and they offer you an additional layer of security. You can configure the screen saver to have a password and engage the screen saver when you need to leave your PC unattended. To turn off the screen saver and regain access to the PC, you or anyone else must enter the correct password. FIGURE 10.5 Use the Screen Saver page to specify screen saver options. Windows 98 includes a selection of screen savers. To view a screen saver, choose one from the Screen Saver drop-down list in the Screen Saver property page. A sample appears in the sample Page 183

Inside Windows 98 display. To view a sample of the screen saver on the entire display, choose the Preview button. Move the mouse or press Esc to cancel the preview and return to the property page. Use the Wait spin control to specify the amount of time in minutes you want to elapse before the screen saver engages. If the screen saver engages and you have not set a password, moving the mouse or pressing any key on the keyboard turns off the screen saver and returns you to Windows. Most of the screen savers supplied with Windows 98 include settings you can use to control the way the screen saver functions. After you select a screen saver, choose the Settings button to specify settings for the screen saver. The settings vary from one screen saver to the next. To password-protect your PC, click on the Password protected check box in the Screen Saver property sheet. Then choose the Change button to specify a password. Choose a password you can remember easily but which other users would have difficulty guessing. TIP: If you forget your password and the screen saver engages, turn off the computer and restart it (be aware that you might lose data in documents you haven't saved; always save your documents before you leave your system for any period of time). When Windows 98 restarts, display the property sheet for the desktop and choose the Screen Saver page. Clear the Password protected check box and choose OK. If you want to reinstate a screen saver and password, open the Screen Saver property page, enable the Password protected check box, and choose Change to specify a new password. Setting Monitor Power-Saving Options If your PC supports power management for your monitor, the Screen Saver property page includes options that enable Windows 98 to reduce or turn off power to the PC's monitor. The Low-power standby check box, if enabled, causes Windows 98 to reduce power to the monitor after the specified amount of time passes. The Shut off monitor check box, if enabled, causes Windows 98 to turn off power to the monitor after the specified amount of time passes. If your PC doesn't support power management for the monitor, these check boxes are disabled (dimmed) on the Screen Saver property page. Changing Interface Colors and Fonts Windows 98 gives you a lot of control over its desktop's appearance. The Appearance property page (see Figure 10.6) enables you to change the color, size, and font of almost any component of the Windows 98 interface; you can change desktop Page 184

Inside Windows 98 colors, icon title fonts, scroll bar sizes, and much more. The Appearance property page enables you to select from predefined color schemes or create your own. FIGURE 10.6 The Appearance property page. The simplest way to change interface properties is to choose a predefined scheme from the Scheme drop-down list box to provide a starting point. Then use the other controls on the Appearance property page to customize individual settings. You can use the Bold and Italic buttons to apply character formatting to some of the font options. As you make changes to various components, the sample components showing in the upper half of the property page change accordingly. You also can click on a component in the sample to select it and display its current settings. After you configure the display according to your preferences, choose OK or Apply to apply the changes. TIP: Most interface changes are purely aesthetic and don't affect your productivity in Windows 98. Other changes, however, can make Windows 98 easier to use. If you have trouble using the scroll bars, for example, making the scroll bars larger might make them easier for you to use. Making the icon font size larger makes the icon descriptions on the desktop and in folder windows easier to read, particularly on higher-resolution displays. You also can use the Registry Editor to change interface components. All component settings are stored in the Registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER/ Control Panel; the desktop colors settings, for example, are stored in HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Colors (see Figure 10.7). Most other settings for font and object size are stored in HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/ desktop/WindowMetrics. Generally, using the Appearance property page is easier for changing interface characteristics. Modifying the settings directly in the Registry, however, enables you to control settings individually that you can control only as groups if you use the Appearance property page. You can adjust the colors for each of the parts of the command buttons separately in the Registry, for example, but only as a group from the property page. FIGURE 10.7 Font settings are stored in the Registry. Changing Standard Icons The Effects page of the Display property sheet (see Figure 10.8) enables you to change graphic representations (or icons) for My Computer and Network Neighborhood as well as both the full and the empty Recycle Bin. This sheet also allows you enlarge all the icons displayed anywhere on your desktop and limit the number of colors those icons display. Page 185

FIGURE 10.8 The Effects property page.

Inside Windows 98

To change one of the standard icons, click on it and click the Change Icon button. Windows 98 will respond with a Change icon dialog box that contains your current icon (highlighted) and a horizontal-scrolling window of several more choices. If none of the displayed icons suit your fancy, you can always Browse your computer for others. If your icons seem too small, simply click on the Use large icons check box. You can also reduce the number of colors by clearing the check mark in the box titled Show icons using all possible colors. Changing Display Driver Settings Other changes you can make to the Windows 98 interface using the Settings property page are display resolution, number of colors supported, and monitor type (see Figure 10.9). Changing Display Resolution The Screen area slider enables you to control the Windows 98 display's resolution, and the available settings depend on the capabilities of the display driver for which Windows 98 is configured. Setting the display to a higher resolution gives you more room to work on the display by reducing the relative size of all objects on the display. You can fit more cells of a spreadsheet into a window, for example, because the relative size of the font used in each cell is smaller than on a lower-resolution display. FIGURE 10.9 The Settings property page. To change display resolution, choose the resolution you want to use with the Screen area slider. The first time you change to a particular resolution, you'll probably need to restart Windows 98 before the change can take effect. Unlike Windows 3.x but like Windows 95, Windows 98 can change resolution without restarting if you select a resolution that has been used on the computer before. In such a case, Windows 98 simply changes resolution and asks you whether you want to continue to use the new resolution. If you choose Yes, the change remains in effect and you can continue working at the new resolution. If you answer No, Windows 98 switches back to the previous resolution. TIP: The maximum resolution Windows 98 can use depends on the combination of display adapter, video driver, and monitor you use. The display adapter, for example, might be capable of supporting a higher display resolution than the monitor. Also, high-resolution displays can be difficult to read on some monitors because of the size and sharpness of the image. Experiment with display resolution until you find one that suits your monitor and your ability to read the Page 186

display.

Inside Windows 98

Changing Color Density The Colors drop-down list, which varies according to the installed video driver, enables you to specify how many colors the display driver uses. Increasing the number of colors often gives you better-looking images and a wider choice of colors but also requires more memory and can slow down performance. Also, supporting a large number of colors generally is important only when you use applications for creating, viewing, or editing graphics images. If optimizing speed and memory are your primary concerns, use the minimum number of colors and lowest practical resolution. If you have a relatively fast computer, however, you might barely notice the decrease in performance that using a high-resolution, high-color display can cause. Experiment with the settings to find the combination that suits your situation. NOTE: To change the number of colors you want your display driver to use, choose an option from the Colors drop-down list. You must restart Windows 98 before the change can take effect. Windows 98 can't change the color palette on the fly the way it sometimes can change the resolution. If the current Windows 98 display driver supports font size selection, the Font size drop-down list and Custom button are enabled on the Settings property page. These two controls let you control the overall size of the system font, which Windows 98 uses for such things as menus, buttons, dialog boxes, and other general text that contributes to the Windows 98 interface. You can select a font size from the Font size drop-down list or choose Custom to use the Custom Font Size dialog box to specify a custom size (see Figure 10.10). Changing the font size is particularly useful if you use a high-resolution mode and have trouble reading the text on the display (a typical problem on 14-inch monitors). If you use a standard video graphics adapter (VGA) display at a resolution of 640Y480, consider reducing the size of the system font to reduce the amount of display space required for dialog boxes, menus, and other components. Although changing font size isn't as effective as changing resolution to give you more room on the desktop, it can help. Changing the Display Type You can choose the Advanced button on the Settings property page to bring up the Advanced Display Properties dialog box and specify the type of display adapter and monitor your PC uses. FIGURE 10.10 You can specify font size to control the size of Page 187

display elements.

Inside Windows 98

You sometimes need to change the adapter type to take advantage of some of the graphic adapter's capabilities, such as high-resolution modes. Setting the monitor type correctly enables special features for the monitor. You can replace the existing display adapter (or monitor type) by clicking the Change button from the appropriate tab in the Advanced Display Properties dialog box. This will allow you to choose an alternate driver (see Figure 10.11). If your monitor isn't listed, you can choose (Standard monitor types) from the Manufacturers list and then select the appropriate generic monitor from the Models list. FIGURE 10.11 Choose the appropriate monitor type. Setting Date and Time Options On Windows 3.x and DOS systems, you can set the system date and time by using the basic input/output system (BIOS) setup program, the DOS command line, or the Control Panel. In Windows 98, you use the Date/Time object in the Control Panel to set the system time, date, and time zone. Choosing the Date/Time object opens the Date/Time Properties sheet (see Figure 10.12). FIGURE 10.12 The Date/Time Properties sheet. TIP: You can quickly get to the Date/Time menu by right-clicking on the time display located on the far right of the Windows 98 Taskbar and choosing Adjust Date/Time. The Date & Time property controls are self explanatory. Use them to set the current month, day, year, and time. As you change settings, the calendar and clock on the property page change accordingly. The Time Zone property page enables you to specify the time zone in which your PC is located. You also can configure Windows 98 to automatically adjust for daylight saving time by enabling the Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes check box. Setting Keyboard Options The Keyboard item in the Control Panel enables you to control various options for your keyboard, such as key response and repeat rate. Choosing the Keyboard item displays the Keyboard property sheet, which controls options described in the following sections. Setting Keyboard Response The Speed property page enables you to control your keyboard's responsiveness. You can use the Repeat delay control to specify Page 188

Inside Windows 98 the amount of time a key must be held down for Windows 98 to begin repeating the character and the Repeat rate control to specify how rapidly Windows 98 repeats the character. After you use the Repeat delay and Repeat rate controls to specify settings, click in the associated text box; then press and hold a key to test the repeat delay and rate. TIP: The Cursor blink rate control enables you to specify the rate at which the text cursor blinks. Increasing the value can make finding the cursor easier in some applications. Setting Language Options The Language property page (see Figure 10.13) enables you to install support for multiple languages and keyboard layouts so you can quickly switch between them as you work. FIGURE 10.13 The Language property page. Use the Add button if you want to add new languages and/or keyboard layouts to your Windows 98 environment. To specify the keyboard layout for a particular language, select the language and choose the Properties button. Windows 98 issues a simple dialog box you can use to specify the keyboard layout to associate with the language. The Switch languages group on the Language property page contains three options you can use to control your ability to switch languages with a keystroke. Pressing the selected keystroke causes Windows 98 to cycle to the next installed language while you work, which makes it possible to switch almost instantly to a different language and keyboard layout. In addition, you can check the Enable indicator on taskbar check box to display a language indicator in the Taskbar's tray (status area). Clicking on the language indicator in the tray displays a pop-up menu of installed languages (see Figure 10.14), and you can switch to a language simply by choosing it from the menu. FIGURE 10.14 Choose the language indicator on the tray to choose a language. Setting Mouse Options The Mouse object in the Control Panel enables you to change various settings that affect the mouse and screen pointers. You can use the Buttons property page, shown in Figure 10.15, to shift the left and right buttons and change the double-click speed. If you have trouble clicking fast enough for Windows 98 to recognize a double-click, try reducing the double-click speed setting. Test the setting by double-clicking on the Test area box. A jack-in-the-box pops up or down if Windows 98 recognizes your mouse action as a double-click. Page 189

Inside Windows 98 FIGURE 10.15 The Mouse Properties sheet. TIP: Some three-button mice, such as those from Logitech, enable you to use a single click of the middle button as a double-click. You must modify a setting in the Registry to configure Windows 98 to recognize a single click of the middle button as a double-click event. To program the Logitech mouse's middle button, open the Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Logitech/Mouseware/ MouseMan/0000 and set DoubleClick to 001. If you are using a different three-button mouse, search the Registry for the string DoubleClick or check the mouse's documentation to determine how to program the middle button for a double-click. Setting Pointer Options The Pointers property page enables you to customize the pointers Windows 98 uses for various actions. You can choose from predefined schemes or create your own pointer schemes. To use a predefined scheme, select one from the Scheme drop-down list. You then can choose OK or Apply to apply the new pointer scheme or further customize your pointers. To specify a pointer for a particular action, select the action from the pointer list; then choose Browse. Windows 98 gives you a standard Browse dialog box you can use to locate standard cursor files (*.CUR) and animated cursor files (*.ANI). NOTE: If you select the (None), 3D Pointers, Windows Standard (large), or Windows Standard (extra large) predefined schemes from the Schemes drop-down list, you lose your default animated cursors (assuming your computer supports animated cursors). Selecting the (None) option doesn't restore the animated cursors. To restore the animated cursors, set the Working in Background pointer to c:\windows\system\appstart.ani and the Busy pointer to c:\windows\system\hourglas.ani. Windows 98 changes the pointers after you choose OK or Apply. You can also open the Registry Editor and locate HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Cursors. Set the value of AppStarting to c:\windows\system\appstart.ani and set the value of Wait to c:\windows\system\hourglas.ani. If you change pointers by editing the Registry, however, you have to restart the computer or log on as a different user before the change takes effect. Controlling Mouse Motion

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Inside Windows 98 The Motion page enables you to control the mouse's responsiveness and turn pointer trails on and off. Use the Pointer speed slider control to control the acceleration of the mouse. Slide the control toward Slow to slow down the pointer's motion or toward Fast to speed up the pointer's motion. The Pointer trail group enables you to turn pointer trails on and off. When you turn on pointer trails, ghost pointers shadow the real pointer as you move it on the display, creating a trail of pointers. Turning on pointer trails comes in particularly handy on monochrome and passive-matrix LCD displays, on which finding the pointer often proves annoyingly difficult. To turn on pointer trails, enable the Show pointer trails check box. Then use the associated slider control to control the relative appearance of the pointer trail. Sliding the control to the left results in fewer ghost pointer images, and sliding the control to the right increases the number of ghost pointer images. After you arrange the settings to your liking, choose OK or Apply to actualize the change. Specifying Regional Settings The Regional Settings object in the Control Panel enables you to customize your Windows 98 settings for specific countries. Choosing the Regional Settings icon opens the Regional Settings property sheet, shown in Figure 10.16. The regional settings include format for date, time, currency, and other country-specific settings. You can adjust a wide variety of settings at one time by selecting a country from the drop-down list on the Regional Settings page. Selecting a country loads a settings scheme for the selected country. You then can use the other Regional Settings property pages to view and modify individual settings. TIP: You can select a country from the global map on the Regional Settings page. The bright green area shows the currently selected country. The dark green areas represent countries supported by another set of regional settings. The aqua-colored countries do not have predefined settings, but you can select a country that has similar settings and modify individual settings as needed. FIGURE 10.16 The Regional Settings Properties page. To set individual settings, choose the appropriate property page. The settings on each property page are self explanatory and you should have no trouble choosing the settings you need. Setting Security Options The Passwords object in the Control Panel enables you to control Page 191

Inside Windows 98 various security settings for your PC. Choosing the Passwords icon displays the Passwords property sheet, shown in Figure 10.17. FIGURE 10.17 Passwords Properties page. The Change Passwords page enables you to change the password you use to log on to Windows 98. If you choose the Change Windows Password button, Windows 98 displays a dialog box in which you can enter your current password and a new password. Simply enter your old password and new password in the appropriate text boxes. If you use your computer to access other password-protected services, such as a Windows NT domain or NetWare server, clicking on the Change Windows Password button issues a dialog box prompting you to change passwords. If you have the same password for the domain or server as you have for your Windows 98 logon password, choose from the dialog box the service for which you want to change passwords. Windows 98 changes the password not only for your Windows 98 logon but also for the other selected services. TIP: To specify a logon method, choose the Network object on the Control Panel to open the Network property sheet. Select your network client from the list of installed clients, adapters, services, and protocols; then choose Properties. Windows 98 displays a property page you can use to specify logon parameters for the client. You also can change the passwords of other password-protected services separately from your Windows 98 password. To do so, choose the Change Other Passwords button from the Change Passwords property page. Windows 98 displays a dialog box in which you can specify the service for which you want to change passwords. NOTE: The Remote Administration page enables you to configure your PC to be managed remotely by an administrator. The User Profiles page enables you to configure your PC to support multiple user profiles. User profiles enable each user of a PC to have a unique desktop environment. Profiles also enable you to maintain different desktop environments for yourself--each tailored to different uses. User profiles are explained later in this chapter in the section "Supporting Multiple Configurations and Users." Setting Power Management Options Most notebook PCs and an increasing number of desktop PCs Page 192

Inside Windows 98 support some level of power management that enables Windows 98 to shut down the PC's resources--including the hard disk, display, and even the CPU--after the system has been idle for a specified amount of time or at your direction. If your PC is configured to support power management (generally configured in the BIOS setup program), you can use the Power object in the Control Panel to control power management on your PC. Choosing the Power icon brings up the Power Management Properties sheet, shown in Figure 10.18. FIGURE 10.18 The Power Management Properties sheet. The Power Management Properties sheet allows you to choose the power scheme for your computer. Use the Power schemes drop-down list to select the most appropriate settings. After the computer type is selected, the Turn off monitor and Turn off hard disks drop-down lists options provide additional controls that enable you to delay the power-down of devices until the system is idle. Otherwise, devices are powered down after their associated activity timeout value comes to pass. Choosing the Advanced tab allows you to select whether or not the power meter appears on the Taskbar. Supporting Multiple Configurations and Users Windows 98 includes a feature that makes it much easier for multiple users to share a single PC. This feature, called user profiles, also enables a user to have the same desktop configuration regardless of the network node from which the user logs onto the network. You also might want to use multiple configurations even if you are the only person using the PC. When writing this book, for example, I used two configurations: one for regular work (writing) and another with a simplified desktop configuration for capturing figures. TIP: If your children use your PC at home, profiles can help you make it easier for them to use the PC without getting into areas they shouldn't get into or running applications they shouldn't be running. You can configure a unique desktop environment for each child containing only those objects to which they should have access. For instructions on how to restrict user access, refer to the section "Applying User Restrictions" later in this chapter. Profiles work in conjunction with the Windows 98 logon process. When you log on, Windows 98 builds your desktop environment from the shortcuts and other objects stored in a profile that matches your logon name. If your logon name is freddy, for example, Windows 98 uses the shortcuts and other objects in the \Windows\Profiles\freddy folder. The desktop, for example, is based on the objects in \Windows\Profiles\freddy\desktop. If you don't use profiles, this information comes instead from the Page 193

\Windows\desktop folder.

Inside Windows 98

To configure your PC to support multiple user profiles, open the Control Panel, choose the Passwords icon, and click the User Profiles tab to display the property page shown in Figure 10.19. FIGURE 10.19 The User Profiles property sheet. To enable user profiles, choosing the second option button on the User Profiles page, labeled Users can customize their preferences and desktop settings. This configures Windows 98 to provide a unique user profile for each user logon name. The two check boxes in the User Profile Settings group control the way the profiles are maintained. These check boxes are explained in the following list: * Include desktop icons and Network Neighborhood contents in user settings. Enable this check box if you want the icons on the desktop and contents of the Network Neighborhood folder to be stored with each user's profile. Changes the user makes to the desktop by adding or removing shortcuts and changing network connections in the Network Neighborhood folder are then stored in the user's profile folder. This prevents changes by one user from affecting other users' profiles. * Include Start menu and Program groups in user settings. Enable this check box if you want changes to the Start menu and Program groups to be stored in each user's profile. If the user customizes the Start menu or adds new items to the Programs menu (usually by installing new applications), these changes are stored in the user's profile and do not affect other users. Customizing the Start Menu and Program Groups If you configure Windows 98 to support user profiles, and you also enable the Include Start menu and Program groups in user settings check box, the shortcuts for new applications a user installs will not be added to the Programs menu for all users. Instead, the shortcuts will only appear in the Programs menu for the user who installed the program. It's relatively easy, however, to make those shortcuts available to all users of the PC. To make the shortcuts of newly installed applications available to other users, open an Explorer window and locate the shortcut(s) in the profile folder of the user who installed the application. If user Angie installed a program named Froboz, for example, there should be a shortcut for the program in \Windows\Profiles\angie\Start Menu\Froboz. Copy the Froboz folder to the Start Menu folder for each of the users to whom you want to make the program available. Customizing Network Neighborhood and Desktop Settings Page 194

Inside Windows 98 By default, the Network Neighborhood folder contains the Entire Network icon, icons for each computer in the user's workgroup, and icons for special services, such as HP JetDirect printers. Windows 98 automatically generates these objects in the Network Neighborhood folder. In addition, you also can place your own shortcuts in the Network Neighborhood folder. On a single-user system, these shortcuts reside in the \Windows\NetHood folder. On a multiple-profile system, however, these shortcuts reside in the \Windows\ Profiles\user\NetHood folder, where user is the user's logon name. To make shortcuts available in the Network Neighborhood folder for multiple users, place copies of the shortcuts in each user's \Windows\Profiles\user\NetHood folder. You can associate the contents of the desktop with the user profile. On a single-user system, the desktop shortcuts and objects are stored in the \Windows\Desktop folder. On multiple-profile systems, the desktop objects are stored in the \Windows\Profiles\user\Desktop folder. To make desktop objects available to multiple users, place copies of the objects or shortcuts in each user's Desktop folder. TIP: Each user's profile folder contains a unique User.dat file, which represents part of the user's Registry. Each profile, therefore, has a unique Registry. Even if you use a single profile, you might want to configure Windows 98 to use multiple profiles and create a second logon account for yourself that is identical to your regular working account. By creating a secondary account (called backup, for example), you effectively create a backup Registry that you can use if your regular account and Registry become corrupted or damaged. Applying User Restrictions Windows 98 supports a variety of Registry settings you can use to restrict access to objects and features on the desktop. These settings enable you to prevent a user from accessing any object or file other than those you make available directly on the user's desktop. For example, you can use these settings on a home computer to prevent children from opening or deleting files they shouldn't or accessing programs that should be off limits. You also can use these settings on an office computer to prevent new users from unintentionally corrupting their desktop, applications, or other resources. NOTE: The method for adding restrictions explained in the remainder of this chapter is similar to the use of user and system policies and enables you to apply user restrictions on a stand-alone computer and on networked computers not served by a Windows NT or NetWare server. The use of policies, however, requires Page 195

Inside Windows 98 a Windows NT or NetWare security server. This chapter does not cover the use of system or user policies. For information on using system policies with NT or NetWare, refer to Chapter 29. To apply user restrictions on a computer, first configure the computer to support user profiles, as explained previously. Next, log onto the computer as the user for whom you want to apply restrictions. Then run the Policy Editor, which is included on the Windows 98 CD in the \Tools\Apptools\ Poledit folder as the file Poledit.exe. After you start the Policy Editor, choose File | Open Registry to open the Registry of the user under which you are logged on. Set the restrictions as desired. If you need a more detailed explanation of restrictions or use of the System Policy Editor, refer to Chapter 29. ----------

- 11 Using Accessibility Options

* Using the Keyboard * Using StickyKeys * Using FilterKeys * Using ToggleKeys * Controlling Sound * Using High-Contrast Desktop Schemes * Setting Mouse Options * Using Large Pointers * Setting General Accessibility Options * Using a SerialKey (Alternate Input) Device * Using Enhanced Accessibility * Using the Accessibility Wizard * Using the Microsoft Magnifier Windows 98 includes a number of features that enable people with disabilities to use Windows 98 more easily and effectively. The Windows 98 accessibility features provide special controls for using the mouse, keyboard, sound, and display. This chapter explains the following accessibility topics: * Using the keyboard * Controlling sound * Using special display options * Setting mouse options * Setting general accessibility options Page 196

Inside Windows 98 * Using the Enhanced Accessibility features All the accessibility features in Windows 98 are enabled and controlled through the Accessibility Options object--a wheelchair icon--in the Control Panel. Double-click on this icon to display the Accessibility Properties sheet, shown in Figure 11.1. FIGURE 11.1 The Accessibility Properties sheet. NOTE: The accessibility options do not install automatically. During setup, you can specifically select the accessibility options as one of the options to install. If you need to install accessibility options after installing Windows 98, open the Add/Remove Programs object in the Control Panel; then click on the Windows Setup tab. You will see the accessibility options in the list of components you can install. The following sections explain how to set up and configure these options. Using the Keyboard Most people interact with the computer through the keyboard, but this tool can pose significant challenges for some users, and Windows 98 offers features to help overcome these challenges. The accessibility options in Windows 98 include features that enable you to control the key repeat rate, how the Ctrl and Alt keys function, and other keyboard options. The following list explains the keyboard's new options: * StickyKeys. The StickyKeys option is useful if you find it difficult to hold down the Shift, Alt, or Ctrl key while also pressing another key. With StickyKeys on, for example, you can enter the keystroke Shift+Alt+F10 by pressing and releasing Shift, pressing and releasing Alt, and pressing F10. * FilterKeys. FilterKeys enables you to control how Windows 98 handles repeated keys in two ways. You can direct Windows 98 to ignore repeated keys, which eliminates repeated characters when you leave a key pressed for too long. You also can direct Windows 98 to recognize key repeats but slow down the key repeat rate. * ToggleKeys. Turning on ToggleKeys causes Windows 98 to issue a beep when you press the Caps Lock, Num Lock, or Scroll Lock keys. This will help you recognize when you have pressed one of these keys. * Keyboard help. Enabling this option causes some applications to display additional Help information about using the Page 197

keyboard.

Inside Windows 98

Using StickyKeys As explained previously, StickyKeys enables you to make the Shift, Alt, and Ctrl keys "stick down" when you press them. Rather than hold down the Shift key while you press G to get a capital G, for example, you can press and release the Shift key and then press G. Windows 98 considers the Shift key to be pressed until you press another key, which results in the equivalent of pressing Shift+G. To turn on StickyKeys, enable the Use StickyKeys check box on the Keyboard page of the Accessibility Properties sheet. Then choose the Settings button to customize the way StickyKeys works. The Settings for StickyKeys dialog box appears as shown in Figure 11.2. FIGURE 11.2 The Settings for StickyKeys dialog box. The following list explains the options in the Settings for StickyKeys dialog box: * Use shortcut. Enable this option if you want to be able to turn StickyKeys on and off using a keyboard shortcut. If this option is enabled, pressing Shift five times consecutively switches StickyKeys on and off. If this option is disabled, you must open the Control Panel and use the Accessibility object to turn StickyKeys on or off. * Press modifier key twice to lock. Enable this option if you want to be able to lock the Shift, Alt, or Ctrl key down. If this option is enabled, pressing the modifier key (Shift, Alt, or Ctrl) twice causes it to remain pressed, even after you press another key. To enter the keystroke Alt+F, Alt+Q, for example, press Alt twice to lock it down; press F, press Q, and press Alt once to unlock it. This option is similar to having the Alt Lock and Ctrl Lock keys to go along with the Caps Lock key. If this option is turned off, pressing the modifier key twice simply switches its state (on, then off, in this example). * Turn StickyKeys off if two keys are pressed at once. When enabled, this option causes StickyKeys to be turned off if you press another key while pressing a modifier. If you hold down the Alt key and press Tab, for example, StickyKeys is turned off. This feature is designed primarily for situations in which more than one user works on the PC; if you press Alt+Tab, for example, Windows 98 assumes you don't need StickyKeys and turns them off. * Make sounds when modifier key is pressed. Enable this option if you want Windows 98 to issue a beep when you press Shift, Alt, or Ctrl. * Show StickyKeys status on screen. Enable this option if you Page 198

Inside Windows 98 want an indicator to appear in the tray (status area of the Taskbar) when StickyKeys is turned on. Using FilterKeys FilterKeys enables you to control the way Windows 98 treats repeated characters. FilterKeys is particularly useful if you have difficulty releasing the keys quickly enough to prevent characters from being repeated. You can direct Windows 98 to ignore repeated keys or ignore quick key presses and extend the key repeat interval. To turn on FilterKeys, open the Control Panel and choose the Accessibility Options icon. From the Keyboard property page, enable the Use FilterKeys check box; then choose the Settings button to display the Settings for FilterKeys dialog box, shown in Figure 11.3. FIGURE 11.3 The Settings for FilterKeys dialog box. As with the shortcut key option for StickyKeys, the Use shortcut check box on the Settings for FilterKeys dialog box enables you to turn FilterKeys on and off using a shortcut key. If the shortcut key is enabled, holding down the right shift key for eight seconds or more turns the FilterKeys feature on and off. Setting Filter Options The controls in the Filter Options group enable you to specify how Windows 98 handles keys that are pressed for an extended period and the key repeat rate. These options are explained in the following list: * Ignore repeated keystrokes. Choose this option to have Windows 98 treat keystrokes that are from 1/2 to 2 seconds in length as a single keystroke rather than as a repeated keystroke. Choose the Settings button beside this option to open an advanced settings dialog box (see Figure 11.4) in which you specify the time limit. FIGURE 11.4 The Advanced Settings for FilterKeys dialog box. * Ignore quick keystrokes and slow down the repeat rate. Choose this option to turn off key repeat altogether or to specify time limits for repeat delay and repeat rate. Choose the Settings button beside this option to display an advanced settings dialog box that enables you to specify the following options: * No keyboard repeat. Choose this option to turn off keyboard repeat altogether. If this option is turned off, holding down a key does not generate multiple characters. You must release the key and press it again to repeat the character. * Slow down keyboard repeat rates. Choose this option to specify repeat delay and repeat rate values from .3 to 2 Page 199

Inside Windows 98 seconds. The Repeat delay value specifies the amount of time the key can be pressed before Windows 98 treats it as a repeated keystroke. The Repeat rate value specifies how often Windows 98 repeats a keystroke when the key is held down. If the value is set to 2 seconds, for example, continuing to hold down the key results in the character being repeated once every 2 seconds. * Keys must be held down for. This setting in the SlowKeys group specifies the amount of time a key must be held down before it is recognized as a valid keystroke. If this setting is set to 2 seconds, for example, you can press and hold down a key for less than 2 seconds and Windows 98 ignores the keystroke altogether. Two other controls on the main Settings for FilterKeys dialog box control sound and status information for FilterKeys: * Beep when keys are pressed or accepted. Enable this option if you want Windows 98 to beep each time a key is pressed and accepted as a repeated key. * Show FilterKey status on screen. Enable this option to display an indicator on the tray in the Taskbar when the FilterKeys feature is enabled. Using ToggleKeys The ToggleKeys feature produces a beep when you press the Caps Lock, Num Lock, or Scroll Lock keys. To turn on ToggleKeys, open the Control Panel and choose the Accessibility Options icon. In the Keyboard property page, enable the check box labeled Use ToggleKeys. The Settings button on the Keyboard page displays a dialog box containing a single option that lets you turn a shortcut key to activate ToggleKeys on and off. If the shortcut key is enabled, you can press and hold down the Num Lock key for 5 seconds to turn ToggleKeys on and off. If the shortcut key is disabled, you must use the Accessibility Options object in the Control Panel to turn ToggleKeys on and off. Controlling Sound In addition to special keyboard support, Windows 98 includes special accessibility options for sound. Windows 98 can display a visual indicator when a sound is played to help hearing-impaired users know when a sound event has occurred. You also can configure Windows 98 to display a text caption when applications generate sounds, giving the user additional visual cues that a sound event has occurred. As with the keyboard features, accessibility options for sound are controlled through the Accessibility Options object in the Control Panel. Choose the Accessibility Options icon in the Control Panel. Then click on the Sound tab on the Accessibility Properties sheet to display the Sound property page, shown in Figure 11.5. Page 200

Inside Windows 98 FIGURE 11.5 The Sound property page. The Use SoundSentry check box on the Sound property page, if enabled, causes Windows 98 to display a visual indicator when a sound event occurs. Windows 98 can flash the title bar of the current application when a sound is played, for example, providing a visual cue to the user that the sound event has occurred. To specify the visual cues Windows 98 uses to indicate sound events, choose the Settings button on the Sound page to display the Settings for SoundSentry dialog box. With the controls in the Settings for SoundSentry dialog box, you can specify a visual cue for windowed programs and full-screen DOS programs. The available selections for both of these program types varies from one to another. To assign a visual cue to one of the two program types, choose an option from its associated drop-down list box. The Use ShowSounds check box on the Sound property page, if enabled, causes Windows 98 to display text captions for sounds generated by programs, effectively making them closed-captioned. A program must be specifically written to support captioning, however, so many of your existing programs probably do not support captioning. The only setting for captioning is Use ShowSounds, which turns the feature on and off. Using High-Contrast Desktop Schemes Windows 98 provides a number of features designed to improve the usability of the display for users who have difficulty reading a standard Windows 98 display. These features include large menu text, high-contrast color schemes, and control over other desktop color and font settings. Chapter 10, "Customizing Windows 98," explains the use of desktop schemes and how you can customize colors and fonts used for various components of the Windows 98 display. Windows 98 also has some predefined high-contrast desktop schemes designed to help users who have limited vision read the display. These high-contrast schemes also make use of large text for menus, dialog boxes, and other interface components as well as larger buttons and other items. To use these high-contrast schemes, choose the Accessibility Options icon in the Control Panel. Then click on the Display tab to open the Display Properties page. The Display Properties page contains only one check box, labeled Use High Contrast. Enable this check box to use a high-contrast display. Then choose the Settings button to open the Settings for High Contrast dialog box, and choose a scheme. With the Use shortcut check box, you can enable the shortcut key for a high-contrast scheme. This means you can press the shortcut key to change from a standard scheme to a high-contrast scheme without opening the Control Panel. The shortcut key for Page 201

Inside Windows 98 enabling and disabling the high-contrast scheme is Left Alt+Left Shift+Print Screen. The controls in the High Contrast color scheme group enable you to choose from predefined high-contrast schemes or to create your own custom scheme. The name of the control group is a little misleading, however, because the high-contrast schemes not only control colors but also use larger display fonts and other screen components. Figure 11.6 shows the black-on-white high-contrast scheme, and you can see from the illustration that the scheme includes enlarged screen fonts and control buttons. Both the black-on-white and white-on-black high-contrast schemes use larger fonts, control buttons, and other interface objects. Choosing a scheme from the Custom drop-down list selects a standard Windows 98 desktop scheme, which is no different from specifying a desktop scheme in the Display Properties sheet. Some of the standard desktop schemes, however, use larger fonts and display components. These large-component schemes are typically denoted by the words "large" or "extra large" in the scheme name. FIGURE 11.6 The black-on-white high-contrast scheme. To choose a predefined high-contrast scheme other than black-on-white or white-on-black, select a scheme from the Custom drop-down list. If you want to create your own scheme, open the Control Panel and choose the Display icon. Then create a custom scheme from the Appearance property page as explained in Chapter 10. In addition to changing the interface components previously described, it is often advantageous to change the mouse pointer. The following section explains techniques for making the mouse pointer easier to use for users with impaired vision and for users who need to use the keys rather than the mouse to control the pointer. Setting Mouse Options The Mouse page in the Accessibility Properties sheet is where you can turn the MouseKeys feature on and off, which enables you to use the numeric/cursor keys on the numeric keypad to control the mouse. Enable the Use MouseKeys check box to turn on MouseKeys; then choose the Settings button to display the Settings for MouseKeys dialog box, shown in Figure 11.7. FIGURE 11.7 The Settings for MouseKeys dialog box. NOTE: MouseKeys enables you to control the pointer with the cursor keys on the numeric keypad and does not support pointer movement with the other cursor keys. Page 202

Inside Windows 98 The Use shortcut check box enables and disables the shortcut key for MouseKeys, which is Left Alt+Left Shift+Num Lock. If the Use shortcut check box is enabled, you can turn MouseKeys on and off by pressing the assigned shortcut key, which is particularly useful if you share the PC with another user. The Pointer speed control group enables you to control the speed and acceleration options for the pointer. The Top speed slider controls the overall speed of the pointer; slide the control toward High to increase pointer speed or toward Low to decrease pointer speed. The Acceleration slider controls the acceleration of the pointer. Acceleration defines how quickly the pointer begins to accelerate to top speed when you hold down a cursor key to move the pointer. In general, a slow setting is preferable for users who have difficulty controlling the pointer. TIP: MouseKeys can be a useful feature on a notebook computer if you don't have an input device such as a trackball connected to the computer or if you don't want to use the notebook's built-in trackball. The check box labeled Hold down Ctrl to speed up and Shift to slow down enables you to use the Ctrl and Shift keys as modifiers to speed up or slow down the pointer. If neither key is pressed and you press a cursor key to move the pointer, the pointer accelerates to the rate set by the Top speed and Acceleration keys. If you hold down the Ctrl key and press a cursor key, the pointer jumps in larger increments. Holding down the Shift key while pressing a numeric cursor key causes the pointer to jump in smaller increments. By default, MouseKeys is on when Num Lock is on. If you need to use MouseKeys but also want to be able to use the numeric keypad to enter numbers, you also can configure MouseKeys to be on when Num Lock is off. The On and Off option buttons on the Settings for MouseKeys dialog box enable you to specify which Num Lock state will turn on MouseKeys. If you want to enter numbers with the numeric keypad while MouseKeys is active, choose Off. If you want to use the cursor keys when MouseKeys is active, choose On. The last control on the Settings for MouseKeys dialog box--Show MouseKey status on screen--enables and disables a MouseKeys indicator for the Taskbar tray. Using Large Pointers In some situations the pointer can be difficult to see even for users who do not have visual limitations. On passive-matrix LCD displays, for example, locating the pointer can be very difficult. To overcome the problem of locating the pointer, you can increase the size of all the pointers on a global basis. To do so, open the Control Panel, choose the Mouse icon, and click on Page 203

Inside Windows 98 the Pointers tab to display the Pointers property page shown in Figure 11.8. To use larger pointers, choose the Scheme drop-down list. Then select either the Windows Standard (large) or Windows Standard (extra large) options. The large pointers are approximately 50% larger than the default Windows pointers, and the extra large pointers are approximately 10% larger than the large pointers. TIP: You also might want to turn on pointer trails to make the pointer easier to locate. Pointer trails are enabled through the Motion page of the Mouse Properties sheet. When this feature is enabled, a set of ghost pointers follows (trails) the cursor to help you locate the cursor. Setting General Accessibility Options In addition to specific accessibility options, there also are general settings that affect accessibility options globally. To set these general options, open the General page (see Figure 11.9) from the Accessibility Properties sheet. FIGURE 11.8 The Pointers property page. FIGURE 11.9 The General page of the Accessibility Properties sheet. The controls in the Automatic reset group control whether changes to the accessibility options are effective only for the current Windows 95 session or for all sessions. Enable the check box labeled Apply changes to this Windows session only to have accessibility option changes affect just your current Windows 98 session. Clear this check box if you want accessibility option changes to apply to all Windows 98 sessions, including those of other users. The other check box in the Automatic reset group, Turn off accessibility features after idle, enables you to specify an idle time limit after which accessibility options are turned off and Windows 98 returns to its normal settings. This feature is useful if you share the computer with other users and only some of them use the accessibility options. Clear this check box if you want the accessibility options to be on until you specifically turn them off through their shortcut keys or through the Control Panel. The Notification group on the General property page turns on and off visual and audio cues that inform you when accessibility options are turned on and off. By default, a dialog box appears whenever you turn on an accessibility feature through its shortcut key. To have the accessibility features turn on without Windows 98 displaying this dialog box, clear the check box labeled Give warning message when turning a feature on. Also by Page 204

Inside Windows 98 default, turning an accessibility feature on and off generates a tone. Turning on a feature generates an ascending tone, and turning off a feature generates a descending tone. If you do not want these audible cues, clear the check box labeled Make a sound when turning a feature on or off. Using a SerialKey (Alternate Input) Device A number of special input devices are now available for users who can't use a standard keyboard or mouse. Windows 98 provides support for these alternative input devices through the General page of the Accessibility Properties sheet. In Windows 98, these alternative input devices are referred to as SerialKey devices. To use a SerialKey device, enable the check box labeled Support SerialKey devices on the General property page. Then choose the Settings button to display the Settings for SerialKeys dialog box shown in Figure 11.10. FIGURE 11.10 The Settings for SerialKeys dialog box. SerialKeys devices connect to one of the PC's serial (COM) ports. The only settings you need to specify for the device are the COM port to which it is connected and its baud rate. Generally, a higher baud rate means better performance, but it is limited by the capabilities of the device. Check the device's manual for more information on the correct baud rate to use. For a more detailed description of baud rate and other serial communications issues, refer to Chapter 19, "Modems and Telephony." Using Enhanced Accessibility Windows 98 adds a new Accessibility feature called Enhanced Accessibility to help make Windows 98 easier to use for people with physical challenges. Enhanced Accessibility includes two features: the Accessibility Wizard, which makes it easier to configure Accessibility options, and the Microsoft Magnifier, which magnifies the display to make it easier to see. Enhanced Accessibility does not install by default, however. To install these two Accessibility features, follow these steps: 1. Open the Control Panel and open the Add/Remove Programs object. 2. Click the Windows Setup tab and place a check beside the Accessibility item (if it has not already been checked). 3. Click the Details button; then, on the Accessibility Properties page, place a check beside the Enhanced Accessibility item. 4. Choose OK and follow the prompts to complete the installation of the necessary software. Using the Accessibility Wizard

Page 205

Inside Windows 98 The Accessibility Wizard helps automate the process of configuring the various Accessibility options. In essence, the wizard prompts you with questions and applies settings to your computer based on your responses. For many settings the wizard displays a menu of choices with examples of how the selected element will appear or function. Like most wizards, the Accessibility Wizard is generally self explanatory. To start the wizard, click Start | Programs | Accessories | Accessibility | Accessibility Wizard. Using the Microsoft Magnifier The Microsoft Magnifier is an excellent addition to Windows 98's Accessibility features. The Magnifier opens a window on your desktop in which the area surrounding the pointer is magnified by the amount you specify. This tool is very helpful if you have trouble reading the display. It's also handy for examining graphics and other elements in detail, even if you don't have a problem reading the display. You have the option of turning on the Magnifier through the Accessibility Wizard. To start the Magnifier manually, click Start | Programs | Accessories | Accessibility | Magnifier. You will see a magnifier window and an option dialog box, as shown in Figure 11.11. FIGURE 11.11 The Magnifier consists of a resizable window that contains a magnified view of the desktop. The options listed in the Microsoft Magnifier dialog box are explained in the following list: * Magnification level. Use this control to set the magnification level from 1 to 9. The higher the number, the greater the magnification. * Follow mouse cursor. Place a check in this box if you want the Magnifier window to update continually as you move the mouse pointer. If you leave this box unchecked, the magnifier window updates only when you select an object or click on the desktop. * Follow keyboard focus. Place a check in this box if you want the Magnifier window to update when you use the keyboard for desktop navigation (such as using the arrow keys to select icons on the desktop). * Follow text editing. Place a check in this box to have the Magnifier follow your keyboard text entries. Use this option, for example, to have the Magnifier follow and magnify the text you type in a document. * Invert colors. Choose this option to invert the desktop colors. Page 206

Inside Windows 98 * Use High Contrast scheme. Choose this option to switch to a high- contrast color scheme. When you're satisfied with the Magnifier options, choose OK to close the dialog box. To open the dialog box again, simply click on the Microsoft Magnifier button on the toolbar. Click the Exit button in the Microsoft Magnifier dialog box to close the Magnifier. TIP: You can resize the Magnifier window simply by dragging its bottom border. ----------

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Managing Windows 98 Configurations * History of the Registry * Windows 3.1 * Windows NT * Windows 98 * Registry and INI Files in Windows 98 * The Purpose of INI and Startup Files in Windows 98 * Files That Make Up the Registry * Registry Data * Registry Keys and Contents * HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT * HKEY_CURRENT_USER * HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE * HKEY_USERS * HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG * HKEY_DYN_DATA * Using the Registry Editor * Finding Information in the Registry * Importing and Exporting from the Registry * Printing Registry Information * Backing Up Configuration Files * Using the Emergency Recovery Utility * Using Microsoft Configuration Backup * Other Registry Maintenance Techniques * Copying Configuration Information to Multiple Machines * Recovering from Corrupted or Unusable Registry Files * Customizing and Troubleshooting Windows 98 with the Registry * Restarting Windows Using Your Last Best Boot * Updating Registry Keys * Correcting Registry Errors when Detecting Your Hardware * Correcting Errors with Remote Registry Service * Changing Windows 98 Setup Source Path * Disabling the Save Settings On Exit Option Page 207

Inside Windows 98 * Improving Video Speeds * Changing User Name and Company Name * Getting Your System Back on its Feet with System Recovery * Running System Recovery * Making System Recovery More Flexible The Registry is the central information storage area for all the data Windows 98 and its applications need. It contains all hardware, software, and operating system configuration information, including all information about any Plug and Play devices ever attached to the computer, object linking and embedding (OLE) information for the system, and all applications that support embedding and drag-and-drop, network configuration and bindings, and individual user profiles. This chapter describes the Windows 98 Registry and how Windows 98 uses Ini files by covering the following topics: * Registry features * INI files in Windows 98 * Backing up the Registry You can use software applications, such as Control Panel applets, to modify the Registry. You also can use the Windows 98 Registry Editor to manually modify the Registry. You shouldn't attempt the latter, however, unless you know exactly what you're doing. WARNING: The Registry contains dynamic information that the hardware, operating system, and applications that run in Windows 98 all use. Incorrectly modifying this information can cause hardware, applications, and Windows 98 to run improperly or fail to run at all. Don't modify the Registry unless absolutely necessary, and always make a backup before you make any changes. You can use the Microsoft Configuration Backup (CFGBACK) utility and Emergency Recovery Utilities (ERU) located on the Windows 98 CD-ROM to back up the Registry. See the section "Backing Up Configuration Files" later in this chapter for more information. PC software and the people who use it have become more sophisticated over the years. Applications interact with each other in ways they never did before, and the Windows operating system keeps increasing the features it provides to applications. The Windows 98 Registry grew over time in response to the increasing interaction between applications and between applications and the operating system. History of the Registry

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Inside Windows 98 Before Windows 3.1, there was no system Registry. SYSTEM.INI stored system configuration information and WIN.INI stored application configuration information. This led to the following major problems: * Difficulty finding and changing application configuration information in WIN.INI. Information in the INI files is not hierarchical and is arranged arbitrarily. Editing WIN.INI manually can be difficult, dangerous, and necessary all too frequently. * Ini files are limited in size to 64 KB--far too small for the WIN.INI file, which can contain information for any number of applications. Further confounding matters, information in the WIN.INI file rarely is removed because most applications currently don't come with a deinstallation utility. Windows 3.0 solved these problems to some extent by providing applications the capability to create and maintain their own INI files, which unfortunately created the following new problems: * Most applications create one or more INI files when you install them, and these are not deleted automatically after the application is removed. Determining which INI files go with which application often proves quite difficult. Obsolete INI code unnecessarily clutters the Windows directory and uses up disk space. * Applications that rely on their own INI files to maintain configuration information cannot share information. Applications that use dynamic data exchange (DDE) or OLE must place information such as the location of OLE servers in a globally accessible area (an OLE server is an Exe or dynamic link library [DLL] file that supports the OLE functions for a particular application). Windows 3.1 The Windows 3.1 Registry was created to solve these problems, and its basic structure is similar to the Windows NT and Windows 98 Registries. It's a hierarchy similar to the file system: Registry keys are analogous to directories, Registry values are analogous to files, and Registry data is analogous to the information inside a file. Each key can contain other keys and a single value. Registry keys are identified much like file directories are. For instance, there is a Network key inside the Enum key, which is inside the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE root key, which is in the Registry of My Computer. The path to the Network key is My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum\Network. The Windows 3.1 Registry's main function was to provide a single place in which the system and applications could find shared Page 209

Inside Windows 98 information, such as DDE commands and OLE server locations. Windows NT Windows NT expanded the idea of the Registry, going a long way toward cleaning up the morass of INI, CONFIG.SYS, and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. NT's Registry contains all the information that used to be in the INI, CONFIG, and AUTOEXEC files. The NT Registry also contains Program Manager information that Windows 3.1 stored in GRP files. The NT Registry's hierarchical structure is more complex and robust than the Windows 3.1 Registry and provides backward compatibility via the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT tree, described later in this chapter in the section "Registry Keys and Contents." Windows 98 Windows 98's Registry is both more and less than the NT Registry. In fact, Microsoft says it's a completely different implementation that supports the same functions--if not all the same keys and features. Here are the three primary differences: * The Windows 98 Registry supports Plug and Play, whereas the NT Registry does not. * The NT Registry supports security features (NT has robust security built into the operating system), whereas the Windows 98 Registry does not. * The Windows 98 and Windows NT Registries are different in physical structure. The Windows 98 Registry comprises two files: USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT. The NT Registry comprises a different set of files. Registry and INI Files in Windows 98 One of the necessarily unfortunate outcomes of creating Windows 98 is the awkward way in which Registry and INI files work together. Windows 98 represents a transition away from old-style initialization files and their problems to a better, more robust way of maintaining system configuration information. This section describes how the old and new methods work together. The Purpose of INI and Startup Files in Windows 98 If the Registry contains all configuration, initialization, and startup information, INI and startup AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files are no longer necessary, right? Well, true--technically. Windows 98 doesn't need those files, although it can use them if they're present. If you never install DOS, for instance, Windows 98 never needs startup files. It can access the Registry for all the information it needs about device drivers, the last network drive, and so on. The same goes for the INI files. If they don't exist, Windows 98 doesn't mind just searching the Registry for whatever information the INI files otherwise would contain, such as VxDs, mouse preferences, and so on. Page 210

Inside Windows 98 Practically speaking, however, INI and startup files are going to be around for a while. Older 16-bit applications (many of which people will use for years to come) require WIN.INI, WINFILE.INI, and SYSTEM.INI. Many 16-bit applications create their own INI files, which Windows 98 cannot directly translate into Registry entries. Most users also probably will continue to want DOS installed on their Windows 98 systems, which requires AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files. If you install Windows 98 over an existing Windows 3.1 system, the installation program copies information from CONTROL.INI, PROGMAN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI, and other INI files to the Registry. Later in this chapter a section describes the actual INI file entries that are copied to the Registry. Some entries are not copied to the Registry so that the INI files can remain backward compatible with older 16-bit applications. In this case, Windows 98 needs the INI files so that those older applications can run properly. To manipulate all these entries, you can use graphical tools in Windows 98, such as Control Panel applets, to change the entries in the INI files without resorting to manual editing. Some INI settings also are not copied to the Registry by the Windows 98 installation procedure and cannot be modified using graphical tools. Windows 98 needs these entries to run some applications properly, but you should never need to modify the entries directly. Ideally, all applications are 32-bit applications, no one runs DOS because all Windows applications run perfectly, every Windows 98 installation is a clean installation rather than an upgrade, and you need never worry about any INI or startup files. Until that utopian day, however, anyone who maintains configuration information needs to keep the old configuration files in mind. Files That Make Up the Registry The Registry is a single data store existing across a number of files the system and applications can access and use to modify configuration information. The three file types that store all Registry information are SYSTEM.DAT, USER.DAT, and policy (POL) files. SYSTEM.DAT is the only file of that name on each machine. USER.DAT occurs at least once on each machine and possibly more. A given machine can have zero, one, or more policy files. Each time Windows 98 shuts down, it makes a copy of SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT in the Windows directory and all other USER.DAT files in other directories. These files are named SYSTEM.DA0 and USER.DA0. You can rename and reuse them if the Registry becomes corrupted. DAT files are marked as hidden files. You must display the hidden files in the Windows directory to see them. The next three sections describe these files. Page 211

SYSTEM.DAT

Inside Windows 98

When you boot Windows 98, it locates and accesses SYSTEM.DAT before any other part of the Registry. SYSTEM.DAT belongs in the main Windows 98 directory (C:\Windows on most systems) and contains all hardware- specific configuration information for the machine on which it resides. USER.DAT You generally find USER.DAT files in the main Windows 98 directory. Windows 98 reads USER.DAT right after it reads SYSTEM.DAT. Other USER.DAT files can reside in the individual profile directories for each user who can log onto a machine. John Doe's USER.DAT, for example, might be in directory C:\Windows\Profiles\Jdoe. These DAT files contain user-specific information, such as passwords and individual application preferences. The USER.DAT files in the profile directories load after the USER.DAT file in the Windows directory. If there are conflicts between these two files, the conflicting information in USER.DAT from the profile directives takes precedence. The main USER.DAT file in the Windows directory contains system configuration information, such as Control Panel settings, application settings, Start menu (Program Manager) groups, desktop files, and locations of postoffice files (such as the personal address book and personal information storage files). The USER.DAT in the profile directories contains much the same information and takes precedence over information in the USER.DAT from the Windows directory. Hence, entirely different configurations can exist for multiple people on a single machine, including e-mail, Control Panel settings, and desktop file locations. WARNING: The Registry remembers the onscreen location of desktop files for each user but keeps only one list of the files (or link files) on the desktop. If one user has a copy of MYFILE.LNK in the upper-right corner of the desktop and another user has the same file in the middle of the screen, deleting the file from either account removes it from both. This is a limitation of Windows 98 security. If anybody deletes a file, it's gone (into the Recycle Bin, at least). Windows 98 doesn't distinguish between who owns the file and who deletes it. CONFIG.POL CONFIG.POL files are system policy files that override some information in the Registry. These files are used to force machines on a network to have the same configuration or to enable roving users to keep their same configuration when they log onto different machines on the network. Page 212

Inside Windows 98 CONFIG.POL files are created and modified using the System Policy Editor, which comes with the Windows 98 Resource Kit. Use for the System Policy Editor and how to maintain policy files is described in the Resource Kit documentation. Registry Data The Registry contains three types of objects: keys, values, and data. The Registry hierarchy that uses this information resembles the file system with which most people are familiar. Keys are analogous to directories, values are analogous to files, and data is analogous to the information within a file. Keys Keys can contain one or more other keys and values. Each key and value must have a unique name within a key or subkey. As with the Windows 98 file system, keys are case aware but not case sensitive. A key name can contain any visible characters, including spaces and symbols, except for the backslash (\), because it delimits hierarchy paths in the Registry, such as paths in the file system. Keys and subkeys contain at least one value with the special name (Default) for backward compatibility with the Windows 3.1 Registry and old 16-bit applications. The (Default) value might not contain any data, in which case the data field reads (value not set). Figure 12.1 uses the Registry Editor to display nested Registry keys in the left pane, the written Registry path in the status bar at the bottom of the window, and the default, unused value for the key in the right pane. FIGURE 12.1 The Registry Editor uses two panes to display the structure and content of the Registry. Note the path in the status bar. The root key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and the subkey HKEY LOCAL MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\Classes contain a superset of the information in the Windows 3.1 Registry (they actually point to the same Registry data). Because the Windows 3.1 Registry can have only one value per key, the Windows 98 default value is the value that would be in the Windows 3.1 Registry for that key, so 16-bit applications look to the default value to find DDE and OLE information. Default values are rarely used in other root keys. WARNING: Don't modify the default value under these keys unless you know exactly what you're doing. These values are placed there by software applications and the operating system, usually when they are first installed. If this information becomes corrupted, the only way to fix it is to reinstall the application or Page 213

Inside Windows 98 operating system or recover old Registry files. Values The Registry can represent three types of data: strings, binary information, and double word (DWORD) values. The default value is always a string, although it appears as (value not set) until it contains data. If data is removed from the default value (by using the Registry Editor, for instance), the data appears as a null string (") rather than (value not set). In other words, (value not set) only appears in the Registry for values that have never had data entered into them. Viewing and editing Registry values are explained in the section "Using the Registry Editor" later in this chapter. Data Registry data is always contained in a value. A piece of data cannot be lar-ger than 64 KB. * String. A string is a variable-length null-terminated set of characters: words, phrases, pathnames, or any other text. The value of a string appears under the data heading of the Registry Editor surrounded by double quotes. * Binary. A binary value is a variable-length set of hexadecimal digits (0-9 and A-F). Hexadecimal information appears under the data heading of the Registry Editor. Each byte is represented by two hexadecimal digits. * DWORD. A DWORD, or double word, is a single 32-bit value (8 hexadecimal digits). DWORDs appear under the data heading of the Registry as an 8-digit hexadecimal number. For instance, the hexadecimal number 13 (decimal 19) is represented as 0x00000013(18). Registry Keys and Contents This section describes a number of the important keys in the Registry. The Registry contains thousands of keys whose values can change at any time. Applications also can add and change keys and values whenever and wherever they want, but Microsoft has delineated standards for when and how applications should modify the Registry. As a result, it's impossible to compile a complete list of keys and their possible values. This section describes all the root keys, some important subkeys, and some keys that serve as examples of Registry usage. The discussion centers around how keys are set up and affect the Registry but does not describe how to set key values for system or application functions, such as DDE and shell extensions. The best way to view this information is through the Registry Editor. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Page 214

Inside Windows 98 The HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT provides backward compatibility with Windows 3.1 for OLE and DDE support. It also contains OLE and DDE information specific to Windows 98, such as shell extension keys and values. In reality, this key acts as a pointer to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes. The information underneath these keys is the same. Microsoft made HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT a pointer to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes because it makes this common information easier for applications and the operating system to access, and it makes compatibility with Windows 3.1 easier. Registered Document Types All the subkeys under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT refer to document types associated with the applications installed on the system (except for the * subkey, which is associated with all application document types). The file extension subkeys point to document description subkeys, which in turn point to class ID subkeys. These trails of keys contain DDE, OLE, shell, and shell extension information, as well as the file locations of the OLE servers that support the document type. NOTE: This section uses font files for a simple example of registering document types. Other document types vary in complexity, depending on the supporting application. To locate the DDE, OLE, and shell information about a document, first find the document extension subkey under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT--.fon, for in-stance. The default value for this key is fonfile. Locate the fonfile subkey under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. The default value of this key, Font file, is the description of the document type. In the case of this document type, there is only one OLE function, which is also a shell extension. Under the shellex subkey is the IconHandler subkey. The default value shows the OLE class ID (CLSID). Under the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID subkey, locate the subkey with the same number as the font file icon handler subkey. The default value describes which type of OLE handler the subkey is. The InProcServer32 subkey has a default value, which is the location of the file that contains the icon handler. Wild-Card Keys The first subkey of HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, *, is a wild-card key. The Windows 98 shell extensions use this special key. Shell extensions are OLE servers (usually in DLL files) that provide extra user interface functionality to Windows 98. The wild-card key specifies shell extensions that apply to all applications--not just a single application. This means, for instance, that you can add information to the Context menus of all icons, or you can add property pages to all property sheets shown in the shell. Page 215

File Extension Subkeys

Inside Windows 98

Windows 98 begins searching for information associated with a document type by looking for the key name that matches the file extension. The main purpose of these keys is to indicate another key in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT that describes the document type in greater detail. The default value of the key is the name of the document definition subkey. Document Definition Subkeys The subkeys of the document definition subkey provide most of the OLE, DDE, and shell extension attributes of the document type. The default value is a text string that gives a one-line description of the document type. Some document definition subkeys point to a CLSID subkey, for which the default value is a long string of numbers. These are OLE class identifiers, which match the CLSID subkeys under the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID key. CLSID All subkeys underneath HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID are OLE class identifiers. The class identifier for a particular document type is guaranteed to be unique across all PCs in the world. The default value of the key is a description of the OLE class. The location of the file that contains the OLE implementation for that class is usually located in the InProcServer32 subkey (for a DLL) or LocalServer32 (for an EXE). If the document is supported by older 16-bit OLE applications, the location might also be in InProcServer or LocalServer subkeys. HKEY_CURRENT_USER HKEY_CURRENT_USER is another Registry key that points to another key--to the subkey of HKEY_USERS for the user currently logged onto the PC. This user profile information ensures that Windows 98, the individual application setup, and the user interface all operate identically on whichever machine the user works, as long as the user's profile is available on every PC on which the user works. Figure 12.2 shows the Registry Editor with the HKEY_CURRENT_USER and HKEY_USERS\jruehlin keys open. HKEY_CURRENT_USER is the same as HKEY_USERS\jruehlin (it's actually a pointer to KEY_USERS\jruehlin) because jruehlin is the logon name of the current user. FIGURE 12.2 Image of HKEY_ CURRENT_USER and HKEY_USERS\ username. Most applications should place Registry information for this key under the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\.Default\Software subkeys. The intent is for these keys to contain information formerly placed in the INI files of specific applications. When identical information exists between HKEY_CURRENT_USER and Page 216

Inside Windows 98 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, the information in HKEY_CURRENT_USER takes precedence. Table 12.1 explains the subkeys for HKEY_CURRENT_USER. TABLE 12.1 Subkeys for HKEY_CURRENT_USER Subkey | Contents AppEvents | Subkeys that contain paths to current and past sound files that play when a system event occurs (such as a system beep). Control Panel | Subkeys that contain information set using the Control Panel. Much of this information was stored in WIN.INI and CONTROL.INI under Windows 3.1. Keyboard Layouts | Current keyboard layout set using the Keyboard icon in the Control Panel. Network | Subkeys that define the current state of the network. RunMRU | A list of the most-recently run applications. Software | A pointer to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software. The subkeys describe settings and options for the current user's installed software. This application-specific information was previously stored in WIN.INI or application-generated INI files under Windows 3.1. StreamMRU | Values pointing to recently used documents. Applications will add more subkeys when installed to keep track of information specific to those applications. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE stores the following non-user-specific hardware and software configuration information for the local PC, which applies regardless of who logs onto the system: * Config subkey. A PC can be set up for multiple configurations. This is useful in a few circumstances, such as when a portable PC has one configuration in a docking station and another configuration when undocked. * A new hardware configuration is created from the System Control Panel applet under the Hardware Profiles tab. Subkeys for those configurations are listed under the Config subkey as 0001, 0002, and so on. The user-defined name for a new configuration is placed by the applet under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\ IDConfigDB subkey. The user-defined name for Config\0001, for instance, is the data string in the FriendlyName001 subkey. Page 217

Inside Windows 98 * Figure 12.3 shows the key for hardware configuration 0001 and the location of the user-defined name for that key. The name "Original Configuration" is in the value FriendlyName0001, so the system knows it's the name of configuration 0001. FIGURE 12.3 Picture of 0001 subkey and IDConfigDB subkey. * Enum subkey. A bus enumerator, which is a new type of software device in Windows 98 designed to build the hardware tree, assigns a unique ID code to each device on the bus and then retrieves configuration information for that device from the Registry or from the device itself. Enum's subkeys list classes of devices and their configuration information. * Hardware subkey. The Hardware subkey contains information about the hardware attached to the system, such as serial ports, modems, floating-point processors, and so on. Information in this branch can originate from hardware that uses the Windows 98 Plug and Play functions or from software that uses the standard Registry Application Programming Interface (API) functions. * Network subkey. The Network subkey contains network information created when a user logs on to a network, including logon name, logon validation status, primary network provider, logon domain, and other network-specific information. NOTE: The Network subkey enumerates network bindings, protocols, and services. It does not enumerate network adapters. * Registry subkey. This subkey contains a DefaultUser value, which contains the binary equivalent of a string of ASCII numbers. * Security subkey. Windows 98 does not maintain a security subkey. This subkey holds network security information. * Software subkey. This key contains software configuration information for the local computer. Application vendors should create a subkey under this key to store configuration information for all their products that can run on the local system. The Microsoft subkey is an example of this. * Figure 12.4 shows how Microsoft places information in the Software subkey. FIGURE 12.4 The HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE\Software\ Microsoft subkey. * Classes subkey. This is identical to the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT key. See the section "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT" earlier in this chapter for more information. Page 218

Inside Windows 98 * Microsoft subkey. This subkey contains information about software that directly supports Windows 98 services. * System subkey. The System subkey contains startup-related information that must be stored (rather than created on the fly during startup). In other words, much of the information in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT from Windows 3.1 is now stored here. Real-mode drivers and terminate-and-stay-resident (TSRs) must still be kept in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. HKEY_USERS The HKEY_USERS root key contains all user profiles. As described earlier, the HKEY_CURRENT_USER root key points to the HKEY_USER subkey that holds the profile information for the current user. Information in individual user profile subkeys is described under HKEY_CURRENT_USER. HKEY_USERS always contains at least the .Default subkey. .Default is used to create a user profile for a user who logs onto the system without one. This might be someone whom the system administrator adds to the system or who signs onto the PC via a domain controller. HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG This key points to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Config subkey. It makes accessing information within that key easier for applications. HKEY_DYN_DATA This key holds information that must be stored in RAM at all times. Normally information in the Registry is flushed at regular intervals or by applications that write information to the Registry. During a Registry flush the information is written to the SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT files. However, some information must always be available immediately. This is the information pointed to by HKEY_DYN_DATA. Config Manager Subkey The Config Manager subkey is also referred to as the hardware tree. It is a record in RAM of the current hardware configuration. This information can be updated and changed at any time so that Plug and Play devices can be supported. This information is created during system startup and is updated whenever the system configuration changes. PerStats Subkey This subkey maintains performance information for network components. Performance statistics can be viewed through the SYSMON application, which will probably be either an optionally installed component of Windows 98 or part of the Windows 98 Page 219

Resource Kit.

Inside Windows 98

Using the Registry Editor The Windows 98 Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE), located in the Windows directory, provides a fairly straightforward means for directly editing the Registry, although using a software tool or application, such as a Control Panel applet, offers a safer and often more convenient means. Using indirect editing tools greatly reduces the chances of inadvertently corrupting the Registry. The Registry Editor displays a single, two-paned window. The left pane is a hierarchical list of keys and subkeys, and the right pane is a list of value names and the data for the values. To expand a key, click on the plus sign to the left of the folder. If you don't see a +, you can't expand the key because it doesn't have any subkeys. You can expand or shrink both frames by choosing View|Split or by using the mouse to move the splitter bar in the middle. Table 12.2 lists the Registry Editor's shortcut keys for navigation and viewing. TABLE 12.2 Registry Editor Navigation and Viewing Shortcut Keys Key | Action Plus sign | Expand the selected key one level if it has subkeys. Minus sign | Collapse the selected key one level. Up arrow | Move up to the next key. Down arrow | Move down to the next key. Left arrow | Collapse the selected key if it's open; otherwise move up to the next key. Right arrow | Expand the selected key if it has subkeys; otherwise move down to the next key. Tab | Move to the other pane. TIP: Clicking on a key or value with the right mouse button opens a Context menu that contains all its allowable operations, including renaming, deleting, modifying, and creating new objects. Finding Information in the Registry To locate information in the Registry Editor, choose Edit | Find Page 220

Inside Windows 98 (Ctrl+F) or Edit | Find Next (F3). You can search for keys, values, data in values, or any combination of these. Search values can be text or numbers. When Registry information is located, the item that matches the search criteria is highlighted. Any nested subkeys are opened in the left pane so that the information can be properly displayed. Unfortunately, when a value or data item is located, it's often difficult to tell which key it belongs to. The Find operation displays an open folder in the left pane for the key associated with the value or data in the right pane; but there can be many folders showing, and it's difficult to pick out the one that looks "open." When value or data items are located, the open folder is usually at the bottom of the left pane, as shown in Figure 12.5. FIGURE 12.5 Image of value located and open folder at the bottom. Importing and Exporting from the Registry Import and Export options store and retrieve Registry information. They provide a good way to back up Registry keys and subkeys before you make significant changes to them. They also provide a convenient way to send information from a Registry on one machine to another. Registry information is imported from and exported to Reg files, which are editable text files. To export a key and all its subkeys, values, and data, select the key and choose Registry|Export Registry File. To import Registry information, choose Registry|Import Registry File; then select the REG file to import from the File Open dialog box. TIP: You can easily import the information in a REG file into the Registry by double-clicking on the REG file icon. Printing Registry Information To print Registry information, select the key you want to print and choose Registry|Print. The Printer Options dialog box appears. From this dialog box you can choose to print all information contained within the selected key or all information in the Registry, or you can type a different key name and print all information contained in it. When you prepare to print the Registry, think about which part you want to print. You should not print the entire Registry because of its length. On just a normal Windows 98 installation, for instance, the Registry can be over 500 laser-printed pages long. Instead of printing the entire Registry, select a Registry branch to print. TIP: A quick way to access many of the features of the Page 221

Inside Windows 98 Registry Editor is to select a key or value with the right mouse button. A Context menu appears that offers features available for the selected item. Backing Up Configuration Files It's a good idea to periodically make backups of your system's configuration files. By backing up the configuration files, you make it possible to restore a system's configuration if it becomes corrupted. It's a good idea to back up your configuration files on a regular basis, and you should always back them up prior to installing any new software. If the system becomes unstable after the installation, you simply remove the new application and restore the configuration files, and your system should be right back to normal. In general, you should back up your Registry and other configuration files prior to installing or removing any software. In the case of removing software, back up the configuration files again after you remove the software and verify that the system is working properly. Windows 98 includes two tools for backing up configuration files. These two utilities are explained in the following sections. Using the Emergency Recovery Utility The first of Windows 98's configuration backup utilities, called the Emergency Recovery Utility (ERU), is designed to back up not only the Registry but also several other configuration files. These files include the following: * CONFIG.SYS * AUTOEXEC.BAT * WIN.INI * SYSTEM.INI * PROTOCOL.INI * USER.DAT * SYSTEM.DAT * IO.SYS * COMMAND.COM * MSDOS.SYS ERU is a Windows application (see Figure 12.6) that enables you to select the files to be backed up as well as the location for Page 222

Inside Windows 98 the backup. ERU functions essentially as a wizard, stepping you through the process of selecting the files and the backup location. FIGURE 12.6 Use ERU to back up your system's configuration files. There are two primary considerations when using ERU--which files to select and where to put them. By default, ERU will select all the files listed previously, which include the two files that make up the Windows 98 Registry (USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT). Generally you'll want to back up all of the files. If you are backing up the files to a floppy disk, however, you might need to select a subset of the files because the entire set might not fit on the disk. If this is the case, you can run ERU multiple times, selecting a different subset each time until you have all the files backed up onto a set of floppy disks. Alternately, you can back up the files to a folder on the hard disk. TIP: You can create multiple backup sets by placing each backup set in a different folder. For example, you might create a folder called Backup, then create individual folders within it using the date of the backup as the folder name (or some other descriptor). When you create a configuration backup set using ERU, ERU places not only the configuration files in the backup target folder but also places a command line program named ERD.EXE. The ERD.EXE program is the tool you use to restore the configuration files. If you need to restore your configuration files, boot the computer to a command prompt, change to the folder containing the configuration backup, and execute the ERD.EXE program. After the files are restored, reboot the computer and boot Windows 98 normally. TIP: To boot Windows 98 to a command prompt, locate the file MSDOS.SYS in the root folder of your boot drive (typically drive C). Remove the Read-Only and Hidden attributes so you can edit the file. Open the file in Notepad or another text editor and add the setting BootMenu=1 to the [Options] section of the file. The next time you boot the computer, a boot menu will appear giving you several options, including the option to boot to a command prompt. Using Microsoft Configuration Backup If you want to back up just the Registry, you can use another utility included with Windows 98 called Microsoft Configuration Backup (CFGBACK). This utility is located in the \Tools\Misc\Cfgback folder on the Windows 98 CD and, like ERU, is a Windows application (see Figure 12.7). Page 223

Inside Windows 98 FIGURE 12.7 Use Configuration Backup to back up the Registry. Although Configuration Backup will back up only the Registry, it enables you to back up as many as nine copies of the Registry. CFGBACK operates fully as a Windows program, enabling you to both back up and restore Registry files from within Windows. Backing up and restoring Registry files with CFGBACK is simple and requires no explanation. Just follow the prompts the program provides. Other Registry Maintenance Techniques This section describes some techniques to help you maintain and enhance your Registry. Copying Configuration Information to Multiple Machines You can maintain identical configuration information for numerous users across multiple machines. This enables those users to share the machines while keeping their familiar configuration settings such as desktop appearance and passwords. To copy John Doe's configuration information from an old PC to a new one, perform the following steps: 1. On the new PC, create a new subdirectory in the C:\Window\Profiles directory with the same name as John Doe's logon name, JDOE (the Profiles subdirectory is in the directory Windows 98 was installed into, which is usually C:\Windows). 2. Locate the directory C:\Windows\Profiles\JDOE on the old PC. Copy the USER.DAT file from this directory to the C:\Windows\Profiles\JDOE directory you just created on the new PC. When John Doe logs onto the new PC, he will have the same configuration he has on his old PC. Recovering from Corrupted or Unusable Registry Files You can run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE) from real mode if Windows 98 doesn't start. If the system is too corrupted to run, you also can run REGEDIT.EXE from a Windows 98 startup disk to diagnose the problem. Table 12.3 contains command-line parameters for the Registry Editor. TABLE 12.3 Registry Editor Command-Line Parameters Command | Description regedit /e export.reg | Exports entire Registry to EXPORT.REG. HKEY_USERS\.Default | Exports subkey HKEY_USERS\.Default and all its subkeys to EXPORT.REG. Page 224

Inside Windows 98 regedit /i export.reg | Imports the file EXPORT.REG into the Registry. regedit /c export.reg | Replaces entire Registry with EXPORT.REG. WARNING: When you use Regedit in real mode, do not import a Registry branch into the Registry using the /C switch. If you do, your complete Registry file will be overwritten with just the branch you specify. When you use the /C switch, make sure you specify a complete Registry filename. Whenever Windows 98 boots successfully, SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT files copy during bootup to SYSTEM.DA0 and USER.DA0, which are always the last known good files and, consequently, files you can use to restore Registries that become terminally corrupted. Customizing and Troubleshooting Windows 98 with the Registry Many power users got intimate with the INI files found in Windows 3.x. Now that INI files are being replaced by Registry entries in Windows 98 applications, power users have had to find new ways to troubleshoot and customize their applications. Although the Windows 98 Registry offers many benefits to the user and system administrator, one of the problems with the Registry is that it is not always easy to find a setting to edit to make something work better. For troubleshooting problems associated with hardware, many of the best solutions can be found by learning how to use the Device Manager and Control Panel (see Chapter 5, "Adding and Configuring Hardware," for information on using the Device Manager). The Device Manager and Control Panel let you see which resources are allocated for each hardware device, which device drivers are loaded, and which device drivers let you change these options in a much more intuitive interface than Windows 3.x enabled you to. Sometimes, however, you need to obtain information to edit the Registry to make a device work better. Likewise, you can use the Control Panel to modify some software problems you might be having. You might, for instance, have problems with system or application sounds that you can alter by using the Sounds icon in the Control Panel. Other times, however, you might have to use the Registry to make adjustments for an application or Windows 98 to run more smoothly. The following sections describe some specific troubleshooting problems and customization instructions that use Registry values. Restarting Windows Using Your Last Best Boot Windows 98 is designed to boot into Windows even if something goes wrong, such as if a device is missing, the wrong device driver is installed, or the Registry was not properly updated Page 225

Inside Windows 98 during the last session. This latter problem sometimes occurs if you don't properly run the Windows 98 Shut Down program. Windows 98 Safe mode is designed to let you boot into Windows with a very basic Windows configuration so you can modify configuration settings to make Windows boot properly. In practical experience, however, sometimes you boot your system and get an error that Windows has encountered a problem accessing your Registry. One solution is to run the real-mode REGEDIT application as described earlier in the section "Recovering from Corrupted or Unusable Registry Files." If that doesn't work and you've tried everything except reinstalling Windows 98 (which should be your last resort), use the following steps: 1. Boot the computer to a command prompt. 2. Choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu. 3. Change to the WINDOWS folder using the CD command. 4. Type attrib -s -h -r system.dat and press Enter. 5. Rename the SYSTEM.DAT file to a name such as REN SYSTEM.DAT SYSTEM.BAD, and press Enter. 6. Restart Windows 98. After booting up, Windows 98 looks for the SYSTEM.DAT file (which is no longer there because you renamed it in step 5) and uses the backup file SYSTEM.DA0 and names it SYSTEM.DAT. In many cases, the SYSTEM.DA0 file is not corrupted and should boot you into your last best boot. If this does not work, use the following steps: 1. Do steps 1 through 4 as in the preceding steps. 2. Rename SYSTEM.DAT to SYSTEM.XXX to a name such as ren system.dat system.xxx and press Enter. 3. Type cd\ and press Enter. 4. Type attrib -s -h -r system.1st, and press Enter. 5. Copy the SYSTEM.1ST file to the SYSTEM.DAT file, such as copy system.1st c:\windows\system.dat, and press Enter. 6. Type attrib +s +h +r system.1st and press Enter. 7. Restart Windows 98. If Windows 98 does not start up properly, use the following steps to reinstall Windows 98 and re-create the Registry files: Page 226

Inside Windows 98 NOTE: Back up any files on your system you do not want to lose. You might have to do this at the DOS command line. 1. Restart the computer and press F8 to display the Startup menu. 2. Choose Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu. 3. Rename all of your Registry files. The following shows how you might do this: cd \windows attrib -s -h -r system.1st ren system.1st system.old attrib -s -h -r system.dat ren system.dat system.ol1 attrib -s -h -r system.da0 ren system.dao system.ol2 4. Reinstall Windows 98. Updating Registry Keys Sometimes the Registry values are not updated properly when you double-click on a file with a .REG extension. What might happen during these times is that Windows 98 mistakenly adds the values as new values instead of updating the old values. In the Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q136783, Microsoft attributes this problem in some cases to trailing spaces on one of the values. To correct this problem, simply edit the new value so it matches the old one, removing any trailing spaces from the values. You might need to reboot Windows 98 for the change to be noticed by your application. Correcting Registry Errors when Detecting Your Hardware If you receive the following error message, you know your Registry is damaged: SMDErr (80000003): Registry access failed. You might see this error when Windows 98 is attempting to detect one of your hardware devices. To correct it, use the following steps: 1. Restart the computer and press F8 when the Starting Windows 98 message displays. 2. Select Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu. Page 227

Inside Windows 98 3. Type regedit /e reg.txt at the DOS command line and press Enter. NOTE: If a message about missing data is displayed, don't worry. You can ignore it because you already know your Registry file is corrupted. 4. Type regedit /c reg.txt and press Enter to regenerate the internal Registry structures. 5. Restart the computer to start up Windows 98. Correcting Errors with Remote Registry Service The following error message can occur if you are running an older version (such as a beta version) of the Remote Registry Service: Error Starting Program: REGSERV.EXE Linked to Missing Export KERNEL32.DLL;Vxdcall3 To correct the problem, install a new version of the Remote Registry Service using the following steps: 1. In the Control Panel, double-click on the Network icon. 2. On the Configuration tab of the Network dialog box, highlight the Microsoft Remote Registry option and click Remove. Confirm that you want to remove this service. 3. Click the Add button on the Configuration tab to display the Select Network Component Type dialog box. 4. Select Service and click the Add button. 5. From the Select Network Service dialog box, click Microsoft from the Manufacturers list, and select Microsoft Remote Registry from the Network Services list. Click OK twice. You might need to use your Windows 98 setup CD-ROM. 6. Shut down and restart Windows 98. Changing Windows 98 Setup Source Path Many users have encountered the annoying problem of Windows 98 looking for its source disks in only one place--specifically from the same source from which you installed Windows 98. If, however, you want Windows 98 to look to a different source from where you installed Windows 98, you need to modify the Registry. You might, for example, have installed Windows 98 from floppy disks and then obtained the Windows 98 Setup CD-ROMs. Or perhaps you have plenty of space on your hard disk and have placed the Page 228

Inside Windows 98 Windows 98 source files on the hard disk so you have access to them without the CD-ROM. Use the following steps to change the source path: 1. In the Registry Editor, locate the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Setup 2. Locate the SourcePath value and change it to the path you want to use, such as "D:\WIN98\" (make sure to include the quotation marks). 3. Shut down and restart Windows 98. TIP: If you have Microsoft Plus! installed, you can change its source path by modifying the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Plus!\Setup key. Change the SourcePath value and delete the file SETUP.TDF in your C:\PROGRAM FILE\PLUS!\SETUP folder in Explorer. Disabling the Save Settings On Exit Option Windows 98 does an excellent job of saving all your settings when you exit Windows, as long as you use the proper shutdown procedure. But sometimes you might have a system on which you don't want settings to be saved, such as a computer you use for training or one you use for display purposes. In those situations, you don't want users changing a setting and then rebooting the system. Use the following steps to turn off the option of saving settings on exit: 1. In the Registry Editor, locate the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\Explorer 2. Change the NoSaveSettings from 0x00000000 to 0x00000001. 3. Shut down and restart Windows. The following items are now not saved when you exit Windows 98: * Open windows when you exit * Any resizing or repositioning of the Taskbar * Any icons you move on the desktop Improving Video Speeds If you have a slow video card, you can increase the speed at Page 229

Inside Windows 98 which Windows displays onscreen objects by turning off the animation effects. The following steps show you how: 1. In the Registry Editor, locate the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\desktop\WindowMetrics. 2. Select Edit | New | String Value. 3. Name the new value MinAnimate. 4. Double-click the MinAnimate value and specify a value of 0. 5. Exit the Registry Editor and restart Windows 98. Changing User Name and Company Name If you ever inherit a system from someone at work and get tired of seeing that person's name appear on your system, you can change the system name and company name in Windows 98. Use the following steps: 1. In the Registry Editor, locate the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion 2. Modify the RegisteredOrganization value to the new one and the RegisteredOwner value to your name. 3. Shut down and restart Windows 98. You can change literally any aspect of Windows by directly manipulating the Registry. Generally, however, you should use the tools provided in Windows (such as the Control Panel) to modify the Registry. In addition, it's a good idea to make backups of your system Registry to use in the event that it becomes corrupt. Getting Your System Back on its Feet with System Recovery Despite your best maintenance efforts, your system may crash hard enough that a simple recovery becomes impossible. In that case, you have no alternative but to format (or replace) your hard drive and start from scratch. However, that doesn't mean you have to laboriously reinstall Windows 98 and your applications. With some advance planning, you can use the new System Recovery utility to both reinstall Windows 98 and return your hard drive to its pre-crash state. System Recovery consists of three pieces: PCRESTOR.BAT. After you format your hard drive, you boot from your startup disk and then run this batch file. PCRESTOR.BAT performs several chores, but its main task is to start the Windows 98 Setup program with various switches and parameters. Page 230

Inside Windows 98 MSBATCH.INF. This is an information file that specifies a number of settings and parameters used by Setup. In particular, this file tells Setup to run the System Recover Wizard (see the following). When PCRESTOR.BAT starts Setup, it tells the program to use MSBATCH.INF. System Recovery Wizard. After Windows 98 is reinstalled, this Wizard loads automatically to take you through the rest of the recovery process, including restoring the files from your system backup. NOTE: HOW DOES IT WORK? How is Setup able to run the System Recovery Wizard automatically? The key (literally!) can be found inside MSBATCH.INF, where you'll find the following settings: [RegistrySettings] HKLM,%KEY_RUN%,BatchReg1,,"%11%\srw.exe" [Strings] KEY_RUN="SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" These settings modify the following Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Run This key is used to specify programs that run automatically at startup. In this case, the program SRW.EXE--the System Recovery Wizard--is added to the key. To use System Recovery successfully, you must assume your machine will crash one day and so make the necessary preparations. Specifically, you must follow these guidelines: * Create a Windows 98 startup disk. * Perform a full backup of the hard disk that contains the Windows system files. * Your main Windows 98 folder must be C:\WINDOWS. Running System Recovery System Recovery is one of those tools that you hope you never use. However, if the day does come when your system needs to be recovered, you'll be glad to know that doing so takes just a few steps: 1. Boot your system using the startup disk. Make sure you enable CD-ROM support. Page 231

Inside Windows 98 2. Format drive C if you haven't done so already. 3. Insert your Windows 98 CD-ROM. 4. Create a folder named WIN98 on your hard disk and then copy the Windows 98 Setup files (that is, all the files in the WIN98 folder of your Windows 98 CD-ROM) into that folder. 5. In your Windows 98 CD-ROM, head for the folder named \TOOLS\SYSREC and copy PCRESTOR.BAT and MSBATCH.INF to the root folder of the same hard disk that you used to create the WIN98 folder in step 4. 6. In the root folder of your hard disk, run PCRESTOR.BAT and, once you've read the welcome message, press any key. Windows 98 Setup begins. 7. Once Setup is complete, the System Recovery Wizard loads, as shown in Figure 12.8. The initial dialog box offers an overview of the process, so click Next. System Recovery prompts you to enter your name and company name. 8. Enter your name and (optionally) your company name and then click Next. System Recovery lets you know that it is about to restore your system. FIGURE 12.8 The System Recovery Wizard takes you through the process of restoring your system to its pre-crash state. 9. Insert the backup media that contains your full system backup. 10. In the final wizard dialog box, click Finish. System Recovery launches Microsoft Backup. 11. Use Backup to restore your files. (Make sure you choose to overwrite all files.) When Backup asks if you want to restore the Registry and the hardware and software settings within the Registry, make sure you select Yes. 12. When the restore process is done, Backup will ask if you want to restart. Click Yes and, when Windows 98 restarts, your system will be completely recovered. Making System Recovery More Flexible As you've seen, System Recovery is quite rigid about a few things. For example, it will only reinstall Windows 98 into C:\WINDOWS, and it will only install from a hard disk. System Recovery would be a much more useful tool if it enabled you to overcome these and other limitations. However, although Microsoft does not recommend or support customized System Recovery procedures, it is possible to improve upon the basic Page 232

Inside Windows 98

process.

The reason System Recovery is so inflexible is that most of its options are set in advance within the PCRESTOR.BAT and MSBATCH.INF files. These are just text files, however, and text files can be edited, albeit with a modicum of caution and a nod to common sense. Here are a few techniques you can try: Reinstalling Windows into a Different Directory The installation directory is governed by the InstallDir setting within the [Setup] section of MSBATCH.INF. If you prefer to install Windows 98 on drive D, for example, you must modify this setting as follows: InstallDir="D:\Windows" Customizing the Network Logo If you're on a network, Setup prompts you to log on to the network during the reinstall. However, System Recovery uses a generic user name of "System Recovery" and a generic workgroup name of "WORKGROUP," which is also used as the logon domain. System Recovery also sets up a generic computer name of "Windows 98 User." You can customize all four values using the following settings in MSBATCH.INF (note that these values assume a Microsoft Networking login): [NameAndOrg] Name="System Recovery" [Network] ComputerName="Windows 98 User" Workgroup="WORKGROUP" [VREDIR] LogonDomain="WORKGROUP" Reinstalling Windows from the CD-ROM The reason you must reinstall Windows from a hard drive is that PCRESTOR.BAT launches Setup from a WIN98 directory that's in the same drive as PCRESTOR.BAT: cd\ cd win98 setup.exe c:\restore\msbatch.inf /is /id /iq /im /id /ie /IW To start Setup from another location, you must modify the first two lines. For example, if you want to run Setup from the Windows 98 CD-ROM in drive D, modify the first two lines as follows: d: cd\win98 ----------

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Inside Windows 98 Optimizing Physical and Vvirtual Memory * Understanding Memory Concepts * Measuring Memory * Understanding Memory Size Terms * Examining the Different Types of Memory * Conventional Memory * Extended Memory * Expanded Memory * Virtual Memory * Enhancements over Windows 3.x * Examining Virtual Memory * Physical Memory * Logical Memory * Virtual Memory Manager * Virtual Address Translation * Mapped File I/O * Protection * Memory Alignment in Windows 98 * Understanding Virtual Memory and the Swap File * Examining System Resources * Performance Tuning * Examining Windows 98 Self-Tuning Features * Understanding the Zero Conventional Memory Components of Windows 98 * Conventional Memory Compatibility * Single MS-DOS Application Mode * Improved Memory Protection * 32-Bit Applications versus 16-Bit Applications Understanding computer memory often proves less than easy, even for experienced computer users. This chapter helps sort out conventional memory, memory addressing, virtual memory, and Windows 98's memory model. The chapter emphasizes virtual memory, owing to its significance in Windows 98 memory management. Finally, the chapter shows you how to organize Windows 98 memory for optimum performance. Many of Windows 98's memory management features are automatic; Windows 98 constantly searches for ways to refine and "groom" itself for performance advantages. After initial setup, therefore, you might not need to concern yourself with memory issues very often. If memory does become an issue, however, you'll find familiarity with the concepts this chapter discusses quite useful. In this chapter, you examine the following memory concepts: * Basic memory concepts

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Inside Windows 98 * Measuring memory * Different types of memory * Windows 98's 32-bit memory model * Virtual memory * Physical memory * Memory pages * Optimizing memory * Virtual memory swap files With a basic understanding of these memory concepts, you should be able to handle most of the memory-related issues that might arise during your use of the Windows 98 operating system. At the very least, you will be able to recognize memory-related problems and have a good start toward solving those problems. Understanding Memory Concepts Random-access memory (RAM) refers to the volatile storage area in which your applications, data from those applications, and the operating system are stored during use. All computer programs must load into RAM memory before you can run them. Any active data in applications on which you work, such as text in a word processor document, also resides in RAM. RAM memory qualifies as volatile because you lose the data in RAM if the power to the computer is interrupted in any way, shape, or form. You can see why you should know what portions of your data and programs you lose if you don't save them to disk before you turn off your computer or experience an unexpected calamity. The opposite of volatile memory is permanent memory, commonly referred to as storage. Storage refers to areas to which data is written and saved, even when the computer is off--usually a floppy disk or hard drive. Chapter 14, "Disk and File System Overview," discusses storage issues. Measuring Memory A bit constitutes the primary unit of all computer information and memory. A bit is actually an electronic register that is either on or off. (As discussed later, in computer programming lingo, this model of storage is described as binary code--the register is a 1 or 0.) Bits are grouped together into bytes (eight bits per byte). A byte represents one character of information, such as a letter or a numeral. Bits are organized in a system called binary Page 235

Inside Windows 98 language. Binary language organizes eight bits (on or off--1 or 0) into a system that represents characters. The 8-bit code 01000001, for example, is conventionally used to represent the character A. Understanding Memory Size Terms The basic memory size terms further define how memory is organized in large amounts: * Kilobyte. 1,024 bytes of memory, commonly abbreviated KB or K; for example, 640 kilobytes (640 KB) = 655,360 bytes (640 Y 1,024). * Megabyte. 1,024 kilobytes of memory, commonly abbreviated MB or M, and commonly referred to as megs; for example, 20 megabytes (20 MB) = 20,480 KB (20 Y 1,024). * Gigabyte. 1,024 megabytes of memory, commonly abbreviated GB or G, and commonly referred to as gigs; for example, 9 gigabytes (9 GB) = 9,216 MB (9 Y 1,024 = 9,216). Examining the Different Types of Memory All memory is not equal. Computers use different portions of memory in different ways and certain software applications use different areas of memory for different operations. The four main types of memory are conventional memory, extended memory, expanded memory, and virtual memory. The following four sections cover these types of memory in turn. Understanding these types of memory will help you understand software manufacturer's requirements for memory use. For example, if a program requires a certain amount of free conventional memory, after reading these sections, you will understand how to be sure you have sufficient memory to run the program. Conventional Memory Conventional memory is the first 1,024 KB of memory available on your computer system, divided into two regions: system memory (the first 640 KB) and high memory (between 640 KB and 1,024 KB). MS-DOS programs use conventional memory more often than any other type of program. In fact, many MS-DOS programs require a significant amount of the system memory area (as much as 610 KB) to be free--that is, not used by any other programs--before you can load and run them. TIP: Many programs require certain amounts of conventional memory, so you might get an out of memory error message from a program that purports to require only 500 KB of memory, even though you have 8 MB of RAM in your system. For example, if you have a CD-ROM driver program, a mouse driver, and a sound card Page 236

Inside Windows 98 driver loaded into memory, then you attempt to run an MS-DOS program (especially games that require 16-bit sound card drivers) that requires a large amount of conventional memory, you might get an out of memory error, even though you have free memory in other memory areas. Therefore, when you examine new programs, you should consider the total amount of conventional memory the program requires. MS-DOS programs must also share conventional memory with other programs, such as device drivers, which are small programs that control certain of your system's components (like your sound card or video monitor). Because this region of memory is so small (compared to the total memory in your system), many MS-DOS programs have problems loading all the necessary information into conventional memory. Extended Memory Extended memory is all memory beyond 1,024 KB. (The maximum amount of extended memory you can have on a Windows 98-configured computer is 4 GB.) Extended memory is accessed linearly, which makes it faster to use than expanded memory. It is not accessed via paging. (Extended memory can't be accessed by the computer more than a few kilobytes at a time. The whole process by which the range of extended memory is accessed freely is called paging.) Expanded Memory Expanded memory refers to memory mapped in the high memory area (HMA) by certain software, called expanded memory manager (EMM) software. Only applications designed to work with an EMM can use this type of memory. Expanded memory is mapped via the EMM pager. The memory pager tracks every page of memory in HMA, so it has a large overhead. NOTE: Expanded memory's popularity has diminished today, owing to the performance penalty you suffer from paging all expanded memory out of the HMA. EMM also gives applications limited amounts of expanded memory at a time, further impeding application performance. Some DOS-based games still require expanded memory to run, but no Windows 98 applications require expanded memory. Virtual Memory Virtual memory actually involves writing pages of information that normally go into volatile memory onto a hard disk drive, thus emulating RAM memory. Mainframe operating systems have done this for years, but only recently has it become popular on PC Page 237

Inside Windows 98 operating systems. Virtual memory is limited only by the amount of available hard disk space. NOTE: Windows 98 uses virtual memory extensively. Virtual memory is used by an application via a pager. This pager tracks the amount of RAM used by the computer, and when the need for more memory arises, the pager swaps memory pages (such as blocks of memory) onto disk, thus emulating the existence of more memory. The application is unaware of the type of memory that is being used because the pager handles all the memory operations. * Examining the New 32-Bit Memory Model in Windows 98 Perhaps one of Windows 98's most exciting features is its memory model--the same model Windows NT uses--called demand-paged virtual memory. It uses 32-bit addresses to access a flat linear address space. Each application, including the Windows 98 operating system, uses pages, which are pieces of this virtual address space. Demand paging refers to the method by which information (data) moves in units (pages) from physical memory to a disk file, called a paging file. As a given process needs its paging file's information, its information pages back into physical memory, a page at a time. The memory pager tracks in physical memory all the pages in the virtual address space and maps them to their respective processes. The memory pager acts as a buffer between the application and the computer's memory. Besides increasing speed, the memory pager prevents applications from overwriting each other in memory space. The pager also keeps the different machine processes separate and hides the actual layout of the memory pages in physical memory from the application or process using the memory. Enhancements over Windows 3.x Windows 3.x, a 16-bit operating system, uses a memory structure based on memory segments. Segments, 64 KB in size, reference memory using 16-bit segment addresses and 16-bit offset addresses within the segment. The small size of segments constricts the performance when applications need to access data across many segments. Using the 32-bit capabilities of 80386 and faster processors, Windows 98 supports a flat, 32-bit, linear memory model. This model supports a 32-bit operating system and 32-bit applications (Win32 apps). Linear addressing greatly increases operating system and application performance by doing away with the segmented memory model. Less instructions and less CPU time are needed to get to a particular piece of memory, which means faster performance. Page 238

Inside Windows 98 Linear memory addressing is the process whereby the memory manager creates a seemingly endless stack of memory and renders it available to the applications and operating system. The stack of memory is actually made up of chunks of physical memory (or RAM) and virtual memory (or disk space). It is considered linear because the VMM handles the memory issues and determines whether to use physical or virtual memory and hide this process from the application, so all the application sees is a stack (line) of memory that is available on the system. It's also not quite endless; it's limited by available disk space and physical memory size. Linear addressing enables Windows 98 to use up to 4 GB of addressable memory space for the entire 32-bit operating system and component combined. Each 32-bit application can access up to 2 GB of addressable memory space! Examining Virtual Memory Virtual memory acts as the heart of the Windows 98 memory management system. Virtual memory is the label for the process of moving information that applications need into and out of physical memory (RAM chips) and the disk cache area, or swap file, to form logical memory. Virtual memory entails using the usually large amount of hard disk space available to handle memory-related functions, thereby enabling more information to be processed, and more complicated processes. In Windows 98, memory is accessed using a 32-bit linear addressing scheme. A 32-bit addressing system can access up to 4 GB of memory. Thus, in Windows 98 when an application attempts to access memory, it simply specifies a 32-bit memory address. (The minimum allocation of virtual memory is one 4 KB page.) Virtual memory can include a physical structure or a logical structure, as discussed in the following sections. Physical Memory Physical memory--your RAM chips or memory modules--is organized as a series of one-byte storage units that make up the machine's physical address space of the machine. Only the amount of RAM on the motherboard limits the number of physical addresses on a machine. NOTE: Physical memory (RAM) resides on your system's memory modules, which consist of one or more computer chips, usually of the single in-line memory module (SIMM) standard. When you purchase extra "memory" for your system, you purchase such modules. Logical Memory Page 239

Inside Windows 98 Logical memory is the key to the virtual memory process. It includes both physical memory and the swap file, or disk-cached memory. In essence, logical memory simply labels the way in which applications actually use memory. Using logical memory and the virtual memory process, some of the contents of physical memory can be moved onto the hard disk in a paging file when memory becomes scarce--when a process tries, for example, to access more memory than physically available on your computer system. In other words, when an application tries to use more RAM than the computer can offer, virtual memory closes the gap. As a practical matter, the virtual memory capacity available on a computer equals the space that the Virtual Memory Manager can use to store data swapped out to the hard disk. If you have a 1.2 GB hard drive with 200 MB of free hard drive space, you have only 200 MB of possible virtual memory space. Still, those 200 MB can enable you to run applications of a power and dimension that were not available to a DOS or Windows 3.x user. Virtual Memory Manager Windows 98's Virtual Memory Manager (VMM) controls allocating physical and logical memory. When you launch a new application, the Virtual Memory Manager initializes the virtual address space. Programmers historically have designed applications to use as little memory as possible, given most systems' limited physical memory. Windows 98's VMM can address up to 4 GB, including space on your system's hard drives, however, so now programmers can write programs to exploit large amounts of memory without worrying about the type of memory or the amount of memory available. Windows 98's Virtual Memory Manager provides this large, virtual memory space to applications via two memory management processes: paging, or moving data between physical RAM and the hard disk, and translating physical memory addresses to virtual memory addresses or mapped file I/O. Paging and Page Faults When a set of information, for example a file, exceeds in size available RAM, the Virtual Memory Manager uses paging to move data between RAM and the hard disk by dividing all physical memory and virtual memory (the memory applications use) into equal-sized blocks or pages (4 KB each). When a request is made to access data not in RAM, the Virtual Memory Manager swaps a page from RAM with the desired page from the paging file (a file on the hard disk used solely by the Virtual Memory Manager for memory pages). Page states are registered in the virtual page table. A page both in physical RAM and immediately available to its application is marked as valid. Pages currently already in the paging file are marked as invalid. When an application tries to access an invalid page, the CPU generates a page fault. The Page 240

Inside Windows 98 Virtual Memory Manager intercepts page faults, retrieves pages from the paging file, and places them into RAM. If RAM doesn't have enough room to store a new page, the VMM moves a valid page out of RAM into the paging file. When an application accesses a virtual address in a page marked invalid, the processor uses a system trap called a page fault. The virtual memory system locates the required page on disk and loads it into a free page frame in physical memory. When the amount of available page frames runs short, the virtual memory system selects page frames to free and pages their contents out to disk. Paging occurs transparently for the user and the program or application. Paging Policies Three policies dictate how the Virtual Memory Manager determines how and when to page: * Fetch. A demand-based paging algorithm is used to retrieve (or fetch) memory pages. The Virtual Memory Manager waits until a process thread attempts to access an invalid page before it loads the page into RAM. Because page faults and disk access are both somewhat slow, additional pages load along with the desired page in a process called clustering. VMM chooses the additional pages according to their proximity to the desired page, which reduces the number of page faults generated and the amount of disk operations, the theory being that the process might need information that spans several consecutive pages. * Placement. Placement refers to the location of a page stored in RAM. The Virtual Memory Manager places a page in the first free page in RAM it finds. * Replacement. If the placement policy fails because RAM contains no free pages, VMM uses the replacement policy to determine which page to move from RAM to the paging file. Each process has a group of valid pages in RAM, called the working set. For simplicity, VMM uses a first-in, first-out (FIFO) algorithm. When a page replacement is required, VMM moves the oldest page in the working set to the paging file to make room for the new page. Because the replacement scheme applies only to the working set of the current process, other processes are guaranteed that their pages will not be replaced by other processes. Virtual Address Translation Windows 98 transfers data in 32-bit addresses. Windows 98 divides each 32-bit address into three groups: two groups of 10 bits each, and one group of 12 bits. It uses each group as an offset into a specific page of memory: the first 10 bit groups as an offset into the page directory; the second 10 bits as an offset into the page table; and the third 12 bits to address a specific byte in the page frame. Page 241

Inside Windows 98 Every page of memory falls into one of three categories: page directories, page tables, or page frames. * Page directories. Each process has a single, unique page directory in the Win32 system. The directory is a 4 KB page segmented into 1,024 values of 4 bytes each, called page directory entries. This is the first 10 bits of the address. * Page tables. The second 10 bits of the 32-bit segment address reference a 4-byte page table entry in the same way as the page directory. This table points to actual pages in memory called page frames. * Page frames. The final 12 bits of the 32-bit virtual address reference a specific byte of memory in the page frame identified by the page table. Locking Pages For time-sensitive applications and those with other special memory performance requirements, the VMM enables a user subsystem or process with special privileges to lock selected virtual pages into its working set to ensure that a critical page is not be paged out of memory during the application. Such applications could include games and MIDI applications (which require precise synchronization to both the system clock and to outside devices). Reserved versus Committed Memory The VMM uses a two-level process for memory allocation: it first reserves the pages and then commits them. Reserved memory is a set of virtual addresses that the VMM reserves for future use. Reserving memory (virtual addresses) is fast in Windows 98. No memory actually is used, but another application asking for a memory allocation cannot use the reserved virtual addresses. A committed page has physical storage (RAM memory or virtual memory on disk) allocated for its use. When the VMM allocates memory for use by an application, it can reserve and commit memory simultaneously, or it can simply reserve the memory, committing it later when the application needs the memory. When a particular range of addresses is not being used, the VMM can decommit them, thus freeing space in the paging file. Mapped File I/O If an application attempts to load a file larger than both the system RAM and the paging file (swap file) combined, Virtual Memory Manager's mapped file I/O services are used. Mapped file I/O enables the Virtual Memory Manager to map virtual memory addresses to a large file, inform the application that the file is available, and then load only the pieces of the file that the application actually intends to use. Because only portions of Page 242

Inside Windows 98 the large file are loaded into memory (RAM or page file), this greatly decreases file load time and system resource drainage. It's a very useful service for database applications that often require access to huge files. Protection The Windows 98 memory management system provides a new, enhanced level of protection for applications running on the system. In Windows 3.x, for example, a 16-bit application gone bad can easily bring down the entire system, and with it all other applications running on the system, potentially causing serious data loss. Likewise, if under Windows 3.x you ran a 16-bit application, then launched an MS-DOS application, the MS-DOS application could actually seek to use the 16-bit application's memory area, thereby bringing about system failure. In Windows 98, each type of application--16-bit, 32-bit, or MS-DOS--is protected from the other. Although 32-bit based applications benefit the most from system memory protection, the improvements present in Windows 98 result in a more stable and reliable operating environment for all applications than in Windows 3.x. This doesn't mean that it's not possible to "hang" or crash a Windows 98 system. A badly written program, either 16- or 32-bit, can still lock the system up and require a hard reset. Windows 98 does feature more safeguards against this sort of thing happening casually or for no real reason. 16-bit-based applications run within a unified address space, and cooperatively multitask as they do under Windows 3.x. The improvements in overall system-wide robustness, owing to better system memory management support underneath the application, greatly enhance the system's capability to recover from a hung application and reduce the likelihood for application errors. The Windows 98 memory system also helps segregate applications from other applications and from their own memory segments. General protection faults (GPFs) in Windows 3.x usually result from applications attempting to write over their own memory segments, instead of from applications overwriting memory belonging to another application. Windows 3.x does not recover gracefully when an application crashes or hangs. When a GPF halts an application in 3.x, the user must restart the system by rebooting the computer, and loses any unsaved work prior to the GPF. Due to improved protection in Windows 98, a rebellious 16-bit-based application cannot easily bring down the system as a whole, nor can it bring down other MS-DOS applications or 32-bit applications. However, crashing 16-bit applications still can affect other running 16-bit based applications. Each type of application--16-bit, 32-bit, or DOS--has a corresponding Virtual Machine Manager. If a 16-bit application locks up for some reason, it can stop the whole 16-bit process; all 16-bit applications are stopped from working because the 16-bit Virtual Machine Manager is locked up. Sometimes this requires a reboot, Page 243

Inside Windows 98 especially if the system uses drivers that require 16-bit access. Protection improvements also include the use of separate message queues for each running 32-bit application. The use of a separate message queue for the 16-bit address space and for each running 32-bit application provides for better recovery of the system as a whole and doesn't halt the system should a 16-bit application hang. Memory Alignment in Windows 98 Windows 98 has another key memory-management improvement over Windows 95, which is designed to work in conjunction with FAT32 and programs compiled specifically for Windows 98. When a user runs a program in Windows 95, the operating system makes two copies of the program: one in the disk cache, and another in the area of memory staked out to run the program. When the program is copied from the cache to active memory, it does so in 4 KB blocks. The reason for the 4 KB blocks is because a 4 KB block is the minimum amount of memory that the virtual-memory manager can address at once. This creates a kind of redundancy: two copies of the program are, for all intents and purposes, in memory at once. Windows 98 has a more efficient way of making use of the disk cache where programs are involved. If a program is already pre-aligned into 4 KB boundaries, which must be done when it is compiled, then Windows 98 can run the program directly from the cache, which saves both CPU time and memory, since it doesn't have to perform a copy operation. Most programs shipped today come aligned on 4 KB boundaries, but Microsoft also has a utility called WinAlign (WALIGN.EXE, in \WINDOWS\ SYSTEM) that can take an existing program and realign it on 4 KB boundaries. Keep in mind that some programs will experience compatibility problems if you do this--make a backup copy in case the aligned version doesn't run. How does FAT32 play a part in this? The 4 KB cluster size in FAT32 matches the boundary alignments perfectly, so there is less chance that unneeded information from a given cluster will be read. This happens often in FAT16 drives, where 16 KB or 32 KB clusters cause a great deal of unneeded information to be read from the disk. Therefore, using FAT32 adds even more performance gains for 4 KB-aligned software. Understanding Virtual Memory and the Swap File In implementing the virtual memory process, Windows 98 creates a hard disk swap file to which it writes information that will not fit into physical (RAM) memory. Windows 98 contains several improvements to the virtual memory swap file implementation provided in Windows 3.x. These improvements have corrected some problems and removed some limitations present in the previous systems. Page 244

Inside Windows 98 In the earlier versions of Windows, you face many complex choices and configuration options when arranging a swap file. You must decide whether to use a temporary swap file or a permanent swap file, how big to make the swap file, whether to use 32-bit disk access, and with version 3.11, whether to use 32-bit file access. Users benefit from a temporary swap file in that the swap file does not need to be contiguous, and Windows allocates space on the hard disk during bootup and frees up the space when you close out Windows--but this also makes starting Windows slower. A permanent swap file provides the best performance, but it demands a large amount of disk space that will not be freed up when you exit Windows. Windows 98's swap file simplifies configuration by combining the best features of the Windows 3.x temporary and permanent swap files in improved virtual memory algorithms and access methods. Windows 98's swap file is dynamic, and can shrink or grow, based on the operations performed on the system. (The Windows 98 swap file still has to be "created" during system startup if it doesn't already exist, slowing startup time.) You still can adjust the parameters for defining the swap file in Windows 98. The intelligent use of system defaults, however, reduces your need to do so. Generally configuring Windows so that you prevent it from automatically managing the size of the swap file provides no benefits. Figure 13.1 shows the new, simplified swap-file configuration options, which enable the user to specify the minimum and maximum swap file size to use. FIGURE 13.1 The new swap file configuration window enables you to allocate how much disk space is to be used for the swap file or allows the user to leave the exact amount to be decided by Windows 98. Note that turning off the swap file completely can degrade performance. WARNING: Disabling virtual memory completely is not recommended. Doing so can cause the system to lock and also can prevent the computer from rebooting properly. In addition, overall system performance decreases dramatically. If you have multiple hard drives, you might want to change the location of the swap file to the fastest hard drive, or, if all drives are the same speed, you probably want to use the drive that contains the most free space. Be careful not to change the location of the swap file to a network drive. Access to network drives can be very slow, and using one for the host of your virtual memory file can adversely affect system performance. Examining System Resources Page 245

Inside Windows 98 You probably have seen Out of Memory error messages while running multiple Windows-based applications under Windows 3.x, even though the system still reported several megabytes of available free memory when you consulted the Help About dialog box. What you encountered, although you probably didn't know it, was a condition in which the system could not allocate an internal memory resource in a Windows API function call because it didn't have enough space available in the memory heap. Windows 3.x maintains heaps for system components called GDI and USER. Each heap is 64 KB in size and is used for storing GDI or memory object information allocated when an application calls a Windows API. The GDI (Graphic Device Interface) space is used to describe and "tag" objects like windows, dialog boxes, icons, and so on. USER space is used to control input and output for device drivers, such as the keyboard, video card, and printer. Both USER and GDI only have a finite amount of memory assigned to them, but Windows 98 has more and better USER and GDI memory allocation than either Windows 3.x or Windows 95. TIP: The amount of space available in the combination of these two heaps is identified as a percentage of system resources that are free, and are shown in the Windows 3.x Help About dialog box. In Windows 95 and 98, that information has been left out. The amount of space available in the combination of these two heaps is identified as a percentage of system resources that are free, and are shown in the Windows 3.x Help About dialog box. The percentage of free system resources reported in the Help About dialog box actually is the aggregate percentage of free memory in the GDI and USER heaps. When the free system resources percentage drops to a low number, it normally produces an out of memory error message, even though the amount of free memory shown in the Help About dialog box still is quite high. This error results from low memory in the GDI heap or the USER heap. To help reduce this system resource limitation, a number of the data structures stored in the 16-bit GDI and USER heaps in Windows 3.x have been moved out and stored in 32-bit heaps in Windows 98, leaving more room for the remaining data elements to be created. You will notice this mostly from the fact that you do not encounter such a rapid decrease in system resources as you did with Windows 3.x. Windows 98 improves the system capacity for the USER heap by moving menu and window handles to the 32-bit USER heap. Windows 98 also raises the total limit of these data structures from 200 in Windows 3.x to 32,767 menu handles and an additional 32,767 window handles per memory process (instead of 32,767 handles for the whole of the system). The improvements in Windows 98 that facilitate cleaning up the Page 246

Inside Windows 98 system of unfreed resources also help the system resource limitation problem. Windows 98 cleans up and deallocates leftover data structures after it determines that the other processes no longer need the resources in memory. This minimizes the problem of "memory leaks" due to poorly-written programs, although it does not eliminate it completely. There is still a burden on the programmer, as there should be, to write code that manages memory as efficiently as possible. Windows 95 and Windows 98 do not have any differences in terms of how USER or GDI resources are allocated, but they are significantly different in how they manage memory in general, as described above in the section entitled "Memory Alignment." Performance Tuning Even though Windows 98 handles memory much more efficiently than its predecessor systems, you might still need to enhance your system's performance. If so, you can use some of the following performance suggestions. TIP: Enhancing the performance of the Windows 98 operating system is easier than in Windows 3.x. Many of the following performance suggestions are more effectual because of Windows 98's "self-tuning" nature. * Adding more RAM. This is always the knee-jerk reaction to poor system performance under Windows 3.1 or Windows 95, and it's usually justified. After adding a certain amount of memory the performance "payoff" begins to drop significantly. The theory is, the more memory you add, the faster the system works. This is true to a point. But with problems such as a low GDI heap, the amount of memory you add doesn't matter because the heap eventually still runs low and drags down system performance. * In Windows 98, adding more RAM to your system does more good. The caching system performs better as you add more memory to your system. Windows NT, however, still remains the best breed of Windows to make the most use of RAM sizes above 64MB, because it isn't required to make any concessions to 16-bit space * Faster hard drive. Hard drives have two performance features you should consider when you shop for drives: access time, measured in milliseconds; and buffer size, measured in kilobytes. The lower the access time, the faster a hard drive finds data. The larger the buffer size, the better the overall performance. Because your hard drive is a critical component of Windows 98 virtual memory system, a better hard drive not only enhances pure data exchanges, but increases memory performance as well. * Higher generation of CPU. Because Windows 98 relies heavily Page 247

Inside Windows 98 on 32-bit code, it performs much better if you run it on systems that use a 486 or Pentium processor. Running Windows 98 on a 486-based computer is possible, but Pentium, Pentium II or Pentium Pro processors greatly increase the system performance benefits you can derive from the use of 32-bit code in Windows 98. WARNING: The Pentium II and Pentium Pro processors are designed to exploit 32-bit addressing and performance. Many users who use Windows 95 with the Pro (and occasionally the II, depending on the application in question) have reported that some games or 16-bit based applications do not perform reliably, or perform erratically, on these processors. Because the Pro is generally designed to be used in servers, it's unlikely that a Windows 98 machine would come shipped with it, but it is good to be conscious of these issues when deploying Windows 98 on a new machine. * Bus type selection. Windows 98 can make full use of faster bus speeds. PCI type bus motherboards and peripheral cards have a much greater data throughput speed than ISA-based motherboards and peripheral cards. The video performance of a PCI system makes the largest contribution to the overall performance boost of Windows 98. Also, Windows 98 is designed to exploit the power of AGP (Advanced Graphics Port) hardware, which provides a discrete bus architecture for high-speed graphics. With it, three-dimensional images can be rendered at frame and polygon rates previously impossible for PCI. Many design, 3D graphics, and game programs are being rewritten to exploit AGP graphics standards. Examining Windows 98 Self-Tuning Features Windows 98 is designed to monitor itself and perform certain actions to fine-tune itself. Windows 98 does several things automatically to enhance system performance, including the following three more noticeable ones: * Dynamic caching. As you add more memory, Windows 98 automatically uses it in caching. This new dynamic caching feature (VCACHE) eliminates manually reconfiguring the swap file settings. It also eliminates the need for such contrivances as RAM disks, which were developed largely as a manual way of speeding up access to commonly-used files. * 32-bit disk and file access. The 32-bit file and disk access system enables Windows 98 to access the hard disk without going through the system's BIOS (and consequently slowing down operations). * Background print rendering. If memory allows, Windows 98 can print in the background while the system returns to the application faster after you issue the print request. Page 248

Inside Windows 98 Windows 98 actually creates an Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF) file on the hard disk and then feeds this file to the printer, which enables you to return to the application more quickly. In addition to these features, Windows 98 includes a handy utility called the Memory Troubleshooter (see Figure 13.2), actually a Windows 98 wizard you can find in the Help system. As do most Windows 98 wizards, the Memory Troubleshooter guides you through a series of steps--in this case, steps that help you diagnose a variety of memory problems. (Some of these steps include shortcuts to other Windows 98 utilities, such as ScanDisk.) FIGURE 13.2 The Memory Troubleshooter asks a series of questions to help determine the cause of a given memory-related problem. To activate the Memory Troubleshooter, click on the Start button and select Help. In the Help index, look up the entry "memory, problems with, troubleshooting." The Memory Troubleshooter will start in the right-hand panel of the Windows Help browser. When first activated, the Memory Troubleshooter asks the user about the nature of the memory problem--blue screen crashes, inaccurate memory size reportage, or Out of Memory errors. By further narrowing down the symptoms with additional questions, the Memory Troubleshooter eventually produces a list of possible reasons for the problem, and a list of instructions to follow which might alleviate the problem. If the recommended action doesn't solve the problem, then the user can elect to try another set of possible fixes. Understanding the Zero Conventional Memory Components of Windows 98 Windows 98 helps provide the maximum conventional memory available for running your existing MS-DOS-based applications. Some MS-DOS-based applications will not run under Windows 3.x because after all the MS-DOS device drivers, TSRs, MS-DOS-based networking components, and the Windows 3.x operating system were loaded, not enough conventional memory was available to load and run the software. To help alleviate these problems, Windows 98 provides 32-bit protected-mode components that replace many of the 16-bit real-mode counterparts. These 32-bit protected-mode components, called virtual device drivers, provide the same functionality while improving overall system performance by using no conventional memory. Table 13.1 provides a partial list of 16-bit real-mode device drivers that are replaced by 32-bit virtual device drivers in Windows 98, including the approximate file sizes. TABLE 13.1 16-Bit Real-Mode Drivers Eliminated in Windows 98 Page 249

Description | File(s) | Memory Saved

Inside Windows 98

Microsoft Network client software | NET.EXE | 95 KB Novell NetWare client software | Various | 155 KB MS-DOS extended file sharing | SHARE.EXE | 17 KB Adaptec SCSI driver | ASPI4DOS.SYS | 5 KB Adaptec CD-ROM driver | ASPICD.SYS | 11 KB Microsoft CD-ROM Extensions | MSCDEX.EXE | 39 KB SmartDrive disk caching software | SMARTDRV.EXE | 28 KB Microsoft Mouse driver | MOUSE.COM | 17 KB As Table 13.1 shows, you can save a significant amount of memory by using 32-bit protected-mode components. Conventional Memory Compatibility Some MS-DOS-based applications don't run properly under Windows 3.x. Some MS-DOS applications, for example, require lots of available free conventional memory, and thus won't run in a DOS virtual machine (VM), owing to large real-mode components such as network drivers or device drivers. Other MS-DOS-based applications will not run under Windows 3.x because they require direct access to the computer hardware and conflict with Windows' own device drivers. One goal in Windows 98 is to provide better support for MS-DOS-based applications. In doing so, the designers have attempted to provide support for not only "clean" MS-DOS-based applications (those that run well under Windows 3.x) but also those "bad" MS-DOS-based applications that try to take over the hardware or require machine resources unavailable under Windows 3.x. Many graphics-oriented MS-DOS-based games assume that they are the only application running in the system, and, therefore, they attempt to directly access and manipulate the underlying hardware. As a result, they do not run well, if at all, in an MS-DOS VM under Windows 3.x. In fact, games are the most notorious class of MS-DOS-based applications that do not get along well with Windows 3.x. Some of these applications write to video memory directly, manipulate the hardware support resources, such as clock timers, and take over hardware resources, such as sound cards. Windows 98 provides better support for running MS-DOS-based applications that interact with the hardware, including better virtualization of computer resources, such as timers and sound device support. In addition, 32-bit protected-mode device drivers benefit MS-DOS-based applications by providing more free Page 250

Inside Windows 98 conventional memory than is available under Windows 3.x, enabling a class of memory-intensive applications to run properly. Different MS-DOS-based applications require varying levels of support from both the computer hardware and from the operating system. Some MS-DOS-based games require close to 100 percent use of the CPU to perform properly, for example, and other MS-DOS-based applications modify interrupt addresses and other low-level hardware settings. Windows 98 provides several different levels of support for running these MS-DOS-based applications. These levels of support take into account that different applications interact with the hardware in different ways. By default, MS-DOS-based applications are preemptively multitasked with other tasks running on the system, and can run full-screen or in a window. Generally, MS-DOS applications that attempt to use graphics hardware directly should be run full-screen for the best speed, best compatibility, and best pointer behavior. Single MS-DOS Application Mode To provide support for the most intrusive set of MS-DOS-based applications that work only under MS-DOS and require 100 percent access to the system components and system resources, Windows 98 provides a mechanism equiv-alent to running an MS-DOS-based application from real-mode MS-DOS, called single MS-DOS application mode. Although fewer MS-DOS-based applications need to run in this mode because of improved compatibility support, this mode provides an escape-hatch mechanism for running applications that run only under MS-DOS. To run an MS-DOS-based application in this mode, you can set the Single MS-DOS Application Mode property from the Program page on the MS-DOS property sheet for the application. In this mode, Windows 98 removes itself from memory (except for a small stub) and provides the MS-DOS-based application with full access to all the resources in the computer. Before you run an MS-DOS-based application in this mode, Windows 98 prompts you to tell it whether it can end other running tasks. Upon your approval, Windows 98 ends all running tasks, loads a real-mode copy of MS-DOS, and launches the specified application--kind of like exiting Windows 3.x and running the specified MS-DOS-based application under MS-DOS. After you exit the MS-DOS-based application, Windows 98 restarts and returns the screen to the Windows 98 desktop. There are many advantages to this methodology. By removing most of the Windows 98 components from memory, the vast majority of the machine is made available for the program in question. Also, the CPU overhead previously used by Windows 98 is returned to the program itself. Lastly, the program has more direct access to hardware. Page 251

Inside Windows 98 There are some drawbacks to this scheme. Multimedia hardware, for instance, generally has to rely on 16-bit real-mode drivers to operate; 32-bit protected-mode Windows 98 drivers for sound cards, video accelerators, and so forth, can't be used in Single MS-DOS Application mode. These have to be provided in the shortcut that activates Single MS-DOS Application Mode for the stated program. Improved Memory Protection To support a higher level of memory protection for running MS-DOS-based applications, Windows 98 also includes a global memory protection attribute on the Program property page that protects the MS-DOS system area from "rogue" MS-DOS-based applications. When the global memory protection attribute is set, the MS-DOS system area sections are write- protected so that applications can't write data into this memory area and corrupt MS-DOS support and MS-DOS-based device drivers. In addition to the system area protection, Windows 98 performs enhanced parameter validation for file I/O requests issued through the MS-DOS INT 21h function, providing a higher degree of safety. This option is not enabled by default for all MS-DOS-based applications due to the additional overhead associated with providing improved parameter and memory address checking. You need to set this flag manually if you constantly encounter difficulty running a specific MS-DOS-based application. 32-Bit Applications versus 16-Bit Applications A 32-bit Windows application generally requires more virtual memory than the original 16-bit Windows application. However, the 32-bit version of the application can have a smaller working set. (Recall from the section on virtual memory paging that the working set is the certain number of pages that the Virtual Memory Manager must keep in memory for a process to execute efficiently.) The lower the working set of an application, the fewer pages of virtual memory are needed and the less RAM is used. Sometimes it might seem that the 32-bit version of an application running on Windows 98 requires more RAM than the 16-bit version of the same application running on the same computer system. This is because segments of a 16-bit application are loaded only as they are referenced or needed, whereas the address space is reserved for the 32-bit application and all its dynamic link libraries when the program is initially loaded. This is why the memory count that appears in the Help About dialog box can be misleading. The free memory reported for 16-bit applications is reduced only by the number of segments actually loaded in memory, not the total number of segments. On the other hand, the free memory reported for 32-bit applications Page 252

Inside Windows 98 is reduced by the total address space required for the application--that is, the total amount that the VMM reserves for the application upon initial program load. However, this free memory represents only the virtual address space that all applications share, not the amount of RAM actually used. ----------

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Disk and File System Overview * Understanding Disk and File System Structure * Clusters * Primary Partitions * Extended Partitions * The FAT * VFAT, CDFS, and VCACHE * FAT32 * Converting an Existing Drive to FAT32 * Converting a FAT32 Drive Back to FAT16 * Optimizing Partition and Cluster Size * Choosing Partition Sizes and Types * Creating Partitions * Understanding Disk Compression * Disk Compression in Windows 98 * Using DriveSpace and Compressing Disks * Formatting a Compressed Volume * Viewing and Setting Volume Properties * Mounting and Unmounting Volumes * Uncompressing a Volume * Using Compressed Floppy Disks As operating systems and applications have become larger, and the number of applications you use has become greater, disk space has become increasingly more important. Ten years ago, 40 MB hard disks were common on the average PC; today's PCs often contain hard disks that have capacities equal to 10 or 20 times that amount. A complete installation of Windows 98, without the optional administration tools, requires more than 120 MB of disk space, and Windows 98 accesses your disk often. Therefore, optimal hard disk performance is essential if you want optimum Windows 98 performance. This chapter examines both flavors of the FAT file system, FAT16 and FAT32, that Windows 98 uses and explains the utilities included in Windows 98 that enable you to compress and manage your disks. The chapter covers the following topics: * Understanding disk and file system structure * Optimizing partition and cluster size Page 253

Inside Windows 98 * Understanding and using disk compression Although you don't have to understand how your disks and the Windows 98 file system work before you can use the Windows 98 disk and file utilities, possessing such an understanding can help you use your disks and the disk tools more effectively. This chapter explains disk and file system structure to help you maximize your computer's disks and file system. Understanding Disk and File System Structure In the past, understanding how your disks and file system worked wasn't very important, because you just couldn't do much about your disk's performance. The increase in drive capacities and the proliferation of disk compression has changed that--now, understanding the computer's disks and file system potentially can save wasted disk space and help you get the most out of your computer. NOTE: For the most part, Windows 98 uses the same disk and file structure as DOS. Therefore, most of the material that describes disk and file structure applies to DOS as well as Windows 98. The exceptions to the case will be noted and explained. The first thing you should understand is the physical structure of the disk and how data is partitioned on the disk. Instead of containing a single disk like a floppy disk, a hard disk contains multiple rigid platters (disks), all spinning together on a common spindle. These platters most often are made of aluminum or glass, and are coated with a magnetically sensitive material. Above the surface of each platter rides a read-write head that reads data from and writes data to the disk. The disk needs some form of map to enable the disk controller to position the heads to locate any given piece of data on the disk. Therefore, each of the platters is magnetically formatted in circular rings, called tracks. Tracks are further divided into segments, called sectors. A sector is the smallest unit of storage on a disk. The corresponding tracks on the disk's platters form a cylinder. Essentially, tracks and sectors break the data space on the disk into manageable, logical chunks. NOTE: The number of sectors in a track depend on the type of disk. With IDE drives, the number of tracks per sector is stored in your computer's CMOS settings. SCSI drives, however, maintain their configuration information in their own BIOS chips. Just dividing a disk into cylinders, tracks, and sectors doesn't provide a way to locate information on the disk. Therefore, each sector is referred to with a unique number. In addition, every Page 254

Inside Windows 98 platter in the disk contains two surfaces, each of which is serviced by a read-write head. The cylinder number references the track, the head number identifies the surface read from or written to, and the sector number defines the exact location of the data. For example, "cylinder 0, head 1, sector 14" represents a unique and specific sector on the disk. This three-dimensional location data defines the disk's absolute sectors. Windows 98 then allocates a relative sector number to each absolute sector. Relative sector 0 (which corresponds to cylinder 0), head 1, sector 1, defines the disk's boot record location. The boot record contains information about the partitions on the disk and other information that enables Windows 98 to boot the system. Relative sector 1, the first data sector, corresponds to the absolute sector at cylinder 0, head 1, sector 2. Other data sectors are numbered sequentially as relative sectors 3, 4, 5, and so on. Clusters Windows 98, as with DOS before it, allocates disk space in clusters. A cluster is a group of sectors on a disk. The number of sectors in a cluster varies according to the drive type and partition size, as shown in Table 14.1, which lists cluster and sector relationships for common PC drive types. When Windows 98 stores a file on disk, it doesn't store the file on a sector-bysector basis. Rather, Windows 98 allocates enough clusters to contain the file. As you learn later in this chapter, in the section "Optimizing Partition and Cluster Size," Windows 98's method for storing a file can lead to a considerable waste of disk space. TABLE 14.1 Cluster and Sector Relationships Type of Disk | Cluster Size (in bytes) | Sectors per Cluster 3 1/2-inch floppy | 1,024 | 2 1.2 MB floppy | 512 | 1 0-15 MB partition* | 4,096 | 8 16-127 MB partition* | 2,048 | 4 128-255 MB partition* | 4,096 | 8 256-511 MB partition* | 8,192 | 16 512 MB-<1 GB partition* | 16,384 | 32 1 GB or more* | 32,768 | 64 *Also applies to similarly sized disks consisting of a single partition and to logical drives in an extended partition. Page 255

Inside Windows 98 TIP: A little division in Table 14.1 shows you that the size of one sector is 512 bytes, regardless of disk type. (Divide the cluster size by the number of sectors per cluster; you will get 512 each time.) Each sector also contains a 59-byte sector ID header that includes head, cylinder, and sector numbers; an address mark to indicate where the sector begins; and cyclical redundancy check (CRC) information to enable error detection in the sector ID header. The 59 bytes that comprise each sector are part of the reason that a formatted disk contains less storage space than its theoretical unformatted capacity. Primary Partitions A hard disk is partitioned in logical storage areas. A partition is a series of clusters on the disk that provides a way to group clusters into logical, collective units so that the clusters can be recognized as a logical drive represented by a drive letter, such as C, D, and so on. A partition has a starting sector and an ending sector, and the number of sectors in between defines the capacity of the partition. You can use the UNFORMAT command from the Windows 98 command line to display the partition tables for each disk in your computer. You also can use the FDISK command to display partition information, but UNFORMAT is safer because, unlike FDISK, UNFORMAT does not have the capability to remove your disk partitions. To use UNFORMAT to view your partition information, enter the command UNFORMAT /PARTN /L at the Windows 98 command prompt. You should see output similar to the following: Hard Disk Partition Table display. Drive # 80h has 1010 cylinders, 60 heads, 34 sectors (from BIOS). The following table is from drive 80h, cylinder 0, head 0, sector 1: Total_size Start_partition End_partition Type Bytes Sectors Cyl Head Sector Cyl Head Sector Rel# ---------- ---------------- ---------------- -------------------------HUGE Boot 1006M 2060366 0 1 1 1009 59 34 34 Drive # 81h has 998 cylinders, 38 heads, 17 sectors (from BIOS). The following table is from drive 81h, cylinder 0, head 0, sector 1: Total_size Start_partition End_partition Type Bytes Sectors Cyl Head Sector Cyl Head Sector Rel# ---------- ------------------ ----------------- ----------------- --------HUGE 315M 644691 0 1 1 997 37 17 17 NOTE: UNFORMAT is a DOS command and is not included with Windows 98. If your system does not include a set of files from your previous version of DOS, you will not have the UNFORMAT command on your computer. Page 256

Inside Windows 98 The preceding sample output comes from a computer that has two physical disks, each of which contains only one partition. The first disk, which indicates "Boot" in its Type listing, is drive C. The other disk is drive D. The listing for both drives includes the starting and ending sectors specified by the cylinder (track), head, and sector number. NOTE: A primary partition can contain only one logical drive, such as C or D. Extended partitions, explained in the next section, can contain multiple logical drives. Extended Partitions A PC's disk also can contain extended partitions. The disk must contain a primary partition, but that primary partition can contain extended par-titions. Unlike a primary partition, an extended partition can contain multiple logical drives. You use the FDISK command to create primary and secondary partitions. The FAT With so many clusters on a disk, Windows 98 needs some way to keep track of where each file and directory resides. Essentially, Windows 98 needs to know the starting and ending cluster for each file. The file allocation table, or FAT, provides that information. The FAT contains an entry for every cluster on the disk, and Windows 98 uses the FAT to keep track of which clusters are allocated to which files and directories. The FAT is the key that enables Windows 98 to locate, read, and write files on the disk. A FAT cluster entry can contain any one of the entries listed in Table 14.2. TABLE 14.2 Possible FAT Cluster Entries Entry | Meaning 0 | Cluster is available BAD | Cluster contains bad sector and can't be used Reserved | Cluster has been set aside for use only by Windows 98 system files EOF | Marks the last cluster of a file ### (numbers) | Number identifying the next cluster in the file The FAT isn't very useful by itself. Windows 98 uses the root directory table in conjunction with the FAT to locate a file. Page 257

Inside Windows 98 The root directory table contains the name of the files in the root directory (including subdirectory entries) and the starting cluster number of each file. To understand how the two tables work together, take the following example: Assume you open Notepad and then open a text file located in the root directory. To read the file, Windows 98 first looks in the root directory table and finds that the file (for the sake of the example) starts in cluster 200. Windows 98 reads the data from cluster 200. Then, Windows 98 reads the FAT entry for clusters 200 and finds the value 201, which indicates that the next data cluster is 201. Windows 98 reads the data from cluster 201. Windows 98 then returns to the FAT to read the entry for cluster 201 so it knows where to go next. The FAT entry for cluster 201 reads 340, indicating that the next data cluster for the file is cluster 340, so Windows 98 reads the data from cluster 340. Next, Windows 98 goes back to the FAT to read the entry for cluster 340 and finds the value to be EOF, indicating that cluster 340 represents the end of the file. The file read operation is complete. The root directory table also contains entries for any subdirectories directly under the root directory. Subdirectory entries in the root directory reference the starting cluster of the subdirectory's file list. The subdirectory file list indicates the starting cluster for each of the files in the directory. Windows 98 then uses the information in the FAT to locate the file according to its starting cluster. VFAT, CDFS, and VCACHE DOS and Windows 3.x interact with the disk's FAT in real mode. Windows for Workgroups introduced VFAT, a virtual installable file system driver that provided a 32-bit interface between applications and the file system. An expanded and improved version of VFAT is an integral part of Windows 98. VFAT operates in protected mode, enabling Windows 98 and applications, 16-bit or 32-bit, to access the file system without switching the processor from protected mode to real mode, which significantly improves performance. NOTE: VFAT simply serves as an interface between applications and the FAT on the disk. There is no difference between the disk's FAT under Windows 98 or DOS. Working in conjunction with VFAT is a virtual cache called VCACHE, a 32-bit protected-mode disk cache. A disk cache improves file I/O performance by caching recently used data and reading it from memory rather than disk on subsequent requests for the data. A cache also postpones disk writes until the system is inactive, which improves system performance. VCACHE replaces SmartDrive, the 16-bit disk cache used with Windows 3.x. Unlike SmartDrive, VCACHE provides a dynamically resizable Page 258

Inside Windows 98 cache to improve memory utilization. Windows 98 automatically sizes the cache at any given time according to the demands on the system. In addition to VFAT and VCACHE, Windows 98 includes a 32-bit protected-mode CD-ROM file system driver, called CDFS. Like VFAT, CDFS improves file I/O by enabling applications to read from the CD-ROM drive in protected mode rather than requiring the system to switch to real mode to read the CD. CDFS replaces the 16-bit MSCDEX program included with DOS and Windows 3.x. For more information on CDFS, refer to the section "Improving CD-ROM Performance" later in this chapter. FAT32 One of the by-products of the exponential increases in hard drive sizes has been the revelation of the rather rigid limits of the FAT file system. When FAT was originally developed, it wasn't intended to be used on anything larger than a floppy disk, and some retrofitting was required to make it work with hard drives. This required the use of hybrid 16-bit addressing, and the FAT system as we know it now is also known as FAT16. FAT16 has considerable problems when it's used on larger disks. First of all, it can't address a singe partition larger than 2 GB in size. Now although it's certainly possible to partition a disk into one or more 2 GB (or smaller) logical slices, there's also the added problem of wasted space in clusters. A 2 GB FAT partition cannot use a cluster size smaller than 32 K, which means that on the average disk there will be a great deal of wasted space. Also, there will be users who might not want to break the disk into more than one partition, logical or otherwise. More details on how cluster size and partition size affect the amount of free space remaining on the disk can be found below, in the section named "Optimizing Partition and Cluster Size." When Windows 95's Service Release 2 was issued, it featured an add-on which remedied many of the problems of FAT16. This add-on was FAT32--a 32-bit version of the FAT file system, specifically designed to address many of the grievances many users were having with FAT16 and large disks. FAT32 gets its name by using a 32-bit addressing scheme instead of a 16-bit one, enabling a greater number of clusters to be placed on the disk, and therefore allowing smaller initial cluster sizes for bigger disks. FAT32 also handles the root directory differently than a FAT16 drive. On a FAT16 drive, the root directory must be located in a fixed segment at the front of the disk, forcing the root directory to have a maximum of 512 entries (files or directories). FAT32 enables the root directory to live anywhere on the disk and be as long as it needs to be. FAT32 also keeps redundant backups of more critical disk information, making FAT32 partitions less susceptible to failure or data corruption. FAT16 keeps a backup copy of the file Page 259

Inside Windows 98 allocation table and checks against each copy to protect against corruption, but is still susceptible to corruption of directory trees, for instance. FAT32 improves on FAT16 in a number of ways. First of all, FAT32 supports big disks. The single largest partition that FAT32 can support is 2048 gigabytes, or 2 terabytes. This should be more than enough space to satisfy even the most disk-hungry power user! Second, FAT32 uses space more efficiently than FAT16. Its cluster sizes are smaller, because its 32-bit addressing scheme can directly address more of them. FAT32 has many drawbacks as well as advantages. The first downside of FAT32 as opposed to FAT16 is speed. FAT32 is slightly slower in performing many common file operations. However, the difference is so marginal as to be not even noticeable--a matter of hundredths of a second. The difference becomes more pronounced for file operations that take cumulatively longer periods of time--such as thousands of write operations--but for general-purpose operations, the delay is not noticeable. The second downside is backwards compatibility. A whole host of appli-cations and procedures will not work with FAT32 partitions. Also, your motherboard or disk controller's BIOS must fully support logical block addressing (LBA) mode extensions for drives larger than 1,024 cylinders (512 MB). For partitions larger than 8 GB on an IDE or SCSI drive, the BIOS must support INT 13 extensions. People with older computers or hard drives should check the manufacturer's specifications to determine if there will be any compatibility problems. Anyone who has to keep these reverse-compatibility issues in mind should only use FAT32 if they are confident they will not encounter such trouble. Also, compressed drives cannot be formatted as FAT32, and removable drives should not be formatted as FAT32. Laptops will not be able to perform any suspend-to-disk functions on FAT32 drives, and if the reader's PC supports power management hibernation, it will be turned off if the drive is formatted to FAT32. Finally, a drive using FAT32 cannot have Windows 98 uninstalled. Converting an Existing Drive to FAT32 If you have an existing FAT16 drive that you want to convert to FAT32, the best way to do that (if you don't want to erase and recreate the partition in question) is to use the FAT32 Converter. The FAT32 Converter comes with Windows 98 and is installed as a program in the Accessories / System Tools folder, which you can bring up through the Start button. If the FAT32 Converter isn't installed on your Windows 98 system, you can install it through the Windows Setup tab of the Add/Remove Programs applet (found in the Control Panel). Figure 14.1 shows Page 260

Inside Windows 98 the drive selection screen of the FAT32 converter. WARNING: FAT32 cannot be installed on any drive less than 512 MB, and no drive that uses less than 512 MB of space can be converted to FAT32. FIGURE 14.1 The FAT32 Converter lists all the partitions in your system that can be converted to FAT32. If no drives are eligible to be converted to FAT32, the FAT32 Converter will inform you of this. You need at least one 512 MB FAT16 partition in order for anything to show up in the display. After you select the drive you want to convert, the computer will set to work performing the conversion. The entire conversion process takes time--the larger the drive, the more time will be needed. If you're converting a 1 GB drive, expect the process to take several hours. After the conversion process ends, Windows 98 automatically runs Disk Defragmenter. Because of the changes in the cluster structure, the conversion process always causes a disk to become fragmented by a certain amount. If you want, you can stop Disk Defragmenter and run it at another time, but the system will not perform at its best until then. The defragmentation process will take upwards of a few hours because the changing of cluster sizes causes all the continuity between clusters to be disrupted. The defragmentation process can be halted and restarted at another time, but for the best performance it's a good idea to run the complete defragmentation cycle at some point. Converting a FAT32 Drive Back to FAT16 Because of compatibility concerns, there might come a point when you need to convert a FAT32 drive back to a FAT16 drive. Windows 98 does not have any built-in way of doing this, short of erasing the partition in question and rebuilding it from scratch. To accomplish this end, you will need a third-part program that enables you to manipulate disk partitions non-destructively, such as PowerQuest's PartitionMagic or Quarterdeck's Partition-It. These programs have the capacity to nondestructively change a FAT32 partition back to FAT16. The conversion process also takes place very quickly: A 512 MB partition takes less than a minute to change back. TIP: A good preemptive measure when working with partitions is to set up a small empty primary partition at the front of the disk. Format this partition as FAT16 and make it a bootable partition. This way, you can place disk partition utilities, like FDISK or the previously mentioned third-party programs, into the partition. The partition can also Page 261

Inside Windows 98 be hidden and made non-bootable through FDISK if needed. Optimizing Partition and Cluster Size Now that you have some background in disk and file system structures, you're ready to begin optimizing your disk in Windows 98. One very important consideration if your computer contains a large hard disk is the size of the partition(s) you create on the disk. At face value, the information in Table 14.1 might mean very little to you in practical terms. The relationship between clusters, sectors, and disk size, however, is extremely important when you go to determine how efficiently your computer's disks store data. By simply changing your disk partition method, you can recoup a huge amount of disk space that you might otherwise waste. You might wonder where to find that wasted space, and then, how to recover it. First, you need to understand that Windows 98, like DOS and Windows 95 before it, allocates disk space by clusters. When a file needs to be written to the disk, Windows 98 allocates just enough clusters to contain the file. Assume that you want to store a 60 KB file (61,440 bytes). If you store the file on a 3 1/2-inch disk, which uses a cluster size of 1,024 bytes, Windows 98 allocates 60 clusters for the file. All the sectors contain data, and there are no leftover empty sectors, nor any wasted space (60 clusters Y 1,024 bytes per cluster = 61,440 bytes). Now, assume that you store that same 60 KB file on a 1 GB hard disk that has a single partition, which uses a cluster size of 32,768 bytes, 64 sectors per cluster (refer again to Table 14.1). One cluster doesn't provide enough space to accommodate the file. Therefore, Windows 98 allocates two clusters, totaling 65,536 bytes--4,096 bytes more than the file requires, leaving 8 empty sectors in the second cluster (4,096 bytes / 512 bytes per sector = 8 sectors). Unfortunately, Windows 98 can allocate space only by clusters, not by sectors, so those 8 sectors can't be reassigned and so are wasted. In this example, almost 7 percent of the space the 60 KB file uses is wasted. NOTE: "Sector slack," or wasted sectors, is not unique to Windows 98. DOS and Windows 95, which rely on essentially the same FAT-based file structure as Windows 98, suffer from the same problem. Many other operating systems also suffer from sector slack, although NetWare 4.x and Windows NT are exceptions, allocating space much more efficiently. The actual amount of wasted space on a disk as a result of unfilled sectors in a cluster depends on the number of files on Page 262

Inside Windows 98 the disk, the size of the files, and the disk type (which defines the sector and cluster sizes). When you consider the large number of files probably stored on your hard disk and the potential for wasted space each one offers, you can see that your disk could contain plenty of empty sectors. Using the 7 percent waste in the previous example, you would lose roughly 73 MB of space on a 1 GB disk. If your files used as much as 20 percent wasted space, it would amount to nearly 200 MB of wasted space. Even larger percentages of wasted space are possible, so cluster size is a very important issue if you want to optimize your hard disk's space. The solution is to reduce the cluster size so that Windows 98 allocates disk space in smaller chunks, which reduces wasted space. Wasting half of a 4,096-byte cluster is much better than wasting half of a 32,768-byte cluster. Unfortunately, the only way to change cluster size is to change the size of the partition. The only way to change the size of the partition is to delete the partition and re-create it. When you delete a partition, you lose all data in the partition. If you back up your entire disk, deleting and re-creating the partition is not a problem because you can simply restore the files after you re-create the partition. Backing up an entire disk, particularly a high-capacity disk, can be time-consuming, however, if you don't have a high-capacity (and generally expensive) tape backup system. If you are willing to back up your entire system, deleting the partition and re-creating it is a good way to recover a significant amount of free space from your disk. The following sections offer advice on how to go about it. TIP: Before you begin to repartition your disks, you should understand that an alternative exists--DriveSpace, the compressed disk structure Windows 98 supports. DriveSpace allocates space in a compressed volume on a sector-by-sector basis, rather than by clusters, effectively eliminating cluster slack space. This makes DriveSpace volumes the most efficient mechanism in Windows 98 for optimizing the use of your hard disk's space. DriveSpace volumes are limited to a compressed size of no more than 512 MB. If a maximum size of 512 MB is adequate for your needs, however, creating DriveSpace volumes is considerably easier and quicker than repartitioning the disk. Refer to the section "Increasing Disk Capacity with DriveSpace" later in this chapter for a complete discussion of the advantages, disadvantages, and use of DriveSpace in Windows 98. Also bear in mind that when you use DriveSpace, there's a performance penalty. The computer has to take time out to compress and decompress the data, and that will result in a slower-moving machine. Depending upon file sizes, a conversion to FAT32 on a large Page 263

Inside Windows 98 drive may increase storage space by 40%--a much better approach than DriveSpace. Another alternative to destroying and recreating partitions, as mentioned earlier, is to use a third-party program that can resize disk partitions on the fly. The only drawback to this method is that it requires the purchase of another software program, but any user who is either working with multiple operating systems or is experimenting to find the best partition size for their needs will find it a worthy investment. Choosing Partition Sizes and Types Reducing the size of your current partition reduces the partition's capacity. To get full use of the disk, therefore, you need to create multiple partitions. If you have a 1 GB disk, for example, the cluster size for a single partition is 32,768 bytes. If you create four partitions of 256 MB each, the cluster size in each partition is one-fourth that size, or 8,192 bytes. Reducing the partition size by 1 megabyte to 255 MB results in a cluster size of 4,096. You can see that reducing the partition size results in a reduction in cluster size and a potential savings in disk space that you otherwise would lose to unfilled clusters. A PC's disk is limited to no more than four partitions. If you want to reduce the cluster size on a large disk, an alternative to creating multiple partitions is to create an extended partition, then create logical drives in the extended partition. You could, for example, create a primary partition of 255 MB, then create an extended partition that uses the rest of your hard disk's available clusters. Then, you would create multiple logical drives in the extended partition. The size and configuration of drives you ultimately choose depend on the size of your drive and the cluster size you want to achieve. Whether you configure a new system or repartition your existing system, look at the applications you plan to install on the disk. Try to group the applications so they fit on a disk without much wasted space. NOTE: Mixing partition types is potentially troublesome, but there are times when it can be beneficial. For instance, Windows 98 can read both FAT16 and FAT32 partitions, but of those two partition types, Windows 3.x and Windows NT can only read FAT16. If you wanted both of these operating systems to be able to read each other's partitions, the most sensible choice of partitions would be FAT16, because all operating systems can read and write FAT16 transparently. If you wanted the Windows 98 and Windows NT or Windows 3.x installations to be as discrete as possible--for instance, if you knew that you didn't want the Windows NT and Windows 98 Page 264

Inside Windows 98 partitions to have any crossover for security reasons--it would then make sense to make the Windows 98 partition FAT32. Also, Windows NT uses the NTFS disk format, which cannot be read by either Windows 95 or Windows 98. If you have Windows NT sharing a system with Windows 98, NTFS partitions should not be used to store data that both operating systems will need to access. Windows NT 4.0 and higher can read and write FAT16 interchangeably. The upcoming Windows NT 5.0 is expected to support FAT32, as well as FAT16 and of course NTFS. Creating Partitions The FDISK program enables you to view, create, and delete partitions and logical drives. Before you use FDISK, however, you must back up your existing data on the disk, because repartitioning destroys all data on the disk. WARNING: Backing up your existing data is an extremely important step. Also, remember that repartitioning the disk deletes your backup program from the disk. If you use a Windows 3.x-based backup program, you need to reinstall Windows 3.x and the backup program before you can restore your files after you reformat the disk. If you use a DOS-based backup program, you have to reinstall the backup program after you reformat the disk. And, if you use the Backup utility in Windows 98 to back up the system, you have to reinstall Windows 98 before you can restore the data. Plan the entire process carefully to make sure you can restore your data with the least amount of effort, and verify that you have the source files for the Backup utility on disk or CD so you can reinstall it. If you currently have Windows 98 on the system and want to repartition the disk to use its space more effectively, back up the entire system, including all logical disks. Then, back up to disk a copy of your Registry files, SYSTEM.DAT, and USER.DAT, so you can restore them later from a new Windows 98 installation and recover all your previous Windows 98 settings. Although the Backup utility does back up the Registry files, you still should make a copy on disk. The section "Completing the Process" later in this chapter explains how to restore your Windows 98 files after you repartition a disk. Partitioning a New Disk If you have purchased a new computer or hard disk and Windows 98 is not installed on the disk, you must have a bootable Windows 98 disk or a bootable DOS disk that contains the FDISK and Page 265

Inside Windows 98 FORMAT programs. To partition the disk, insert the boot disk in drive A and turn on the computer. When the system boots, enter FDISK at the command prompt to start the FDISK program. After you start FDISK, you should see a menu similar to the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive Set active partition Delete partition or logical DOS drive Display partition information Change current fixed disk drive

Select menu item 1, then on the next menu select item 1 again to create a primary DOS partition. FDISK displays a prompt similar to the following: Current fixed disk drive: 1 Do you wish to use the maximum available size for a Primary DOS Partition and make the partition active? (Y/N) If you have a large disk, you probably do not want to use the maximum available space for the partition, because that would give you a large cluster size. Instead, answer N to create a primary partition of a size that results in the cluster size you want. You use the remaining space on the disk to create an extended partition and logical drives. After you answer N, FDISK presents a message similar to the following: Total disk space is nnn Mbytes (1 Mbyte = 1048576 bytes) Maximum space available for partition is nnn Mbytes Enter partition size in Mbytes or percent of disk space (%) to Create a Primary DOS Partition In this example, nnn represents a value that FDISK displays, based on the disk capacity. Enter the size, in megabytes, for the primary DOS partition. Specify a size that results in the cluster size you want (use the information in Table 14.1). NOTE: If you intend to install Windows NT on your computer in the future, you might want to leave partition space available for an NTFS partition. Note, however, that neither Windows 98 nor DOS can read NTFS partitions. NT, however, can read the Windows 98 (DOS) partitions. Also note that Windows NT cannot at this time read or write FAT32 partitions. If you have a computer that boots to more than one operating system--such as Windows 98 and Windows NT--and you plan to share data between operating systems, you cannot use NTFS, HPFS, or FAT32 as the drive to hold the data in question. Page 266

Inside Windows 98 After you create the primary DOS partition, FDISK restarts. Because the disk has not yet been formatted, you still need a bootable disk in drive A. After the system boots, run FDISK again. Then select menu item 2 to create an extended DOS partition. If you don't want to add a NTFS or HPFS partition in the future, use all remaining space on the disk for the extended partition. After you create the extended partition, you must create logical drives in it. Follow the FDISK's prompts to create an appropriate number of logical drives in the extended partition. Remember that the size of each logical drive determines its cluster size, so choose a drive size that will give you the cluster size you want. Repartitioning an Existing Disk If you want to repartition an existing drive to change the partition size or divide the disk into smaller logical drives, you first must back up the entire disk. If the disk contains multiple logical drives or multiple partitions, you must back up all drives and partitions. After you back up the disk, make sure you have a copy of the backup program you used so you can reinstall it after you re-create the partition(s). WARNING: Before you run FDISK, be sure to back up all your hard disks because FDISK will destroy all files on the disk. After you back up the disk and ensure that you have an installable copy of the backup program, you're ready to delete the existing partition(s) and create new ones. First, make sure that you have a bootable Windows 98 or DOS disk that contains the FDISK and FORMAT programs. Then, run FDISK (you can run FDISK from the command prompt without booting from the floppy--you use the bootable disk after you remove the existing partition). At the FDISK menu, select menu item 3, "Delete partition or Logical DOS Drive." FDISK then displays a new menu similar to the following: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Delete Delete Delete Delete

Primary DOS Partition Extended DOS Partition Logical DOS Drive(s) in the Extended DOS Partition Non-DOS Partition

If your disk currently contains an extended partition, select option 2 to delete the extended partition and all its logical drives. If your hard disk already has a small enough primary DOS partition to give you the cluster size you want, leave the primary DOS partition in place and simply create a new extended partition; then re-create smaller logical drives in the extended partition. If the existing primary DOS partition is larger than Page 267

you want, delete it.

Inside Windows 98

After you delete the existing partitions, you need to create a new primary DOS partition, an extended DOS partition, and new logical drives in the extended partition. Use the procedure explained in the previous section, "Partitioning a New Disk," to create the primary DOS partition. Size the partition to achieve the cluster size you want. For a cluster size of 4,096, for example, create a primary partition of 255 MB or less. Then, use the remaining available space to create an extended partition. In the extended partition, create logical drives of whatever size results in the cluster size you want for each drive. NOTE: There are third-party programs, such as PowerQuest's PartitionMagic and Quarterdeck's Partition-It, that allow you to resize a partition or change its cluster size without destroying the data on it. These programs have been tested and shown to be very reliable, although having a backup of any important data is still recommended before you use them. At the time of this writing, PartitionMagic 3.0 supports the resizing and translating of NTFS, FAT16, and FAT32 partitions. Partition-It does not support any file system except FAT16. Formatting the Disk After you create the partitions, exit FDISK to reboot the computer using the boot floppy. After the computer boots, use the FORMAT command to format the boot drive, which should be drive C. To do so, enter FORMAT C: /S at the command prompt. FORMAT formats the disk and transfers the system files to the disk. Then, use FORMAT to format each of the logical drives you created in the extended partition. You need to use the /S switch only for drive C--you don't need to format the other logical disks as system disks. Completing the Process After you format the disks, you can install an operating system on the disk. How you proceed here depends on whether you want to set up a new system or upgrade an existing system. For a new system, simply begin the Windows 98 Setup process and install Windows 98 as explained in Chapter 2, "Installing and Starting Windows 98." Then you can install your applications. NOTE: If you are upgrading from an existing Windows 95 installation, all your applications and settings should be preserved. The only exception to this is if you've chosen to make a "parallel" installation of Windows 98--that is, if you've installed Windows 98 in a separate directory instead of migrating your existing Windows 95 installation. A parallel Page 268

Inside Windows 98 installation requires that you reinstall your existing applications. If you need to upgrade an existing system from DOS or Windows 3.x to Windows 98, however, you need to decide whether to reinstall DOS and Windows 3.x, or install Windows 98. Unfortunately, you can't just install Windows 98 and then restore your applications. You have to install Windows 98 over an existing copy of Windows 3.x or reinstall all your applications before they can function properly in Windows 98. TIP: You don't have to reinstall DOS applications before they can function in Windows 98. You also generally do not need to reinstall Windows applications that do not require settings in SYSTEM.INI or WIN.INI--you can restore them from the backup set. You need to reinstall only Windows 98 applications that modify the SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI files, or that use OLE, to work under Windows 98. Therefore, you might not need to reinstall all your applications. You can restore some from the backup set. If you have a number of applications that you think you need to reinstall to work under Windows 98, restore your previous copies of DOS and Windows 3.x to the disks, and rearrange them on the new disks as you want (you should, however, restore DOS and Windows 3.x to drive C). Reboot the system to verify that it works properly. Then, run the Windows 98 Setup program to upgrade your existing copy of Windows 3.x to Windows 98 (refer to Chapter 2). If you have already installed Windows 98 on the system, backed up the system using Windows 98 Backup, and repartitioned the disk to make more efficient use of space, reinstall a minimal copy of Windows 98, including the Backup utility. Next, use Backup to restore all files to the disk; then reboot the system to the command prompt. Copy your Registry files from the disk copies you made previously to the hard disk to restore all your Registry settings from the previous Windows 98 installation. Then, reboot the system to start Windows 98. Adding a Disk If you add a new disk to a computer that contains an existing hard disk, you don't have to back up your existing disk, although doing so regularly is a good idea. When you install a second disk, you can retain the existing disk as the boot disk or install the new disk as a boot disk. You also need to consider a few items when you install a second disk, to ensure that it doesn't conflict with the existing disk. If you install a second IDE drive, check the documentation for Page 269

Inside Windows 98 the disks to determine how to set the drive to be a slave or a master drive. Set the boot disk as the master and the second as the slave. If you install a new SCSI disk, be sure to set the SCSI ID of the new disk so that it does not conflict with the SCSI ID of the existing disk or any other SCSI devices, such as CD-ROM drives, tape drives, scanners, and so forth. If you decide to install the new disk as a secondary disk (not the boot disk), just install the drive and boot the system. Run FDISK to create the necessary partitions on the disk, then use FORMAT to format the disk(s). Then you can begin using the new disk. WARNING: When you use FDISK to partition the new hard disk, make sure you do not select the original hard disk by mistake. If you decide to install the new disk as the boot disk, first install the drive as a secondary disk. Use FDISK to partition the disk; then use FORMAT /S to format the new disk as a bootable disk. Then, use XCOPY source destination /E /H /K to copy all files from the old disk to the new disk. To copy all files from drive C to drive F, for example, use the command XCOPY C:\*.* F: /E /H /K. Then, shut down the system, swap the drives (resetting their master/slave or SCSI ID status), and restart the system. You can use Explorer or File Manager to complete the file transfer process if you need to copy additional disks. NOTE: Some IDE drives cannot be configured as slave drives, so you might be unable to install the new drive as a second drive. Instead, you will have to use the new drive as the master drive and the existing drive as the slave (assuming the existing drive can be configured as a slave drive). Understanding Disk Compression MS-DOS 6.0 introduced disk compression integrated with the DOS operating system, and MS-DOS 6.22 introduced DriveSpace, a functional equivalent to DoubleSpace. These disk compression tools enable DOS to compress existing data or create a new compressed disk using some or all empty space on a hard disk. With Windows 95, the disk-compression subsystem was rewritten to work properly under Windows, and enable Windows 95 to support compressed volumes transparently. Windows 98 includes support for DriveSpace-compressed volumes. If you install Windows 98 on a system that contains these types of compressed volumes, Windows 98 automatically recognizes and supports the compressed volumes. If your disk(s) does not yet contain compressed volumes, you can use the DriveSpace utility Page 270

Inside Windows 98 in Windows 98 to compress the disk. Compressing a disk can increase its capacity by a factor of as much as 3:1 or more, depending on the types of files you store on the disk. This section of the chapter explains disk compression and DriveSpace in Windows 98. NOTE: Windows 98 supports other disk compression utilities, such as Stacker (Stac Electronics), through real-mode drivers. If you use a disk compression product other than DoubleSpace or DriveSpace, contact the manufacturer to find out whether new Windows 98 versions of the product or new Windows 98 drivers are available to support the compressed disks without using a real-mode driver. Generally, however, it's a good idea to uncompress existing drives before upgrading to Windows 98 and then recompress them with the native drive- compression technology in Windows 98. Disk Compression in Windows 98 Although disk compression might seem mysterious, a compressed volume is really nothing more than a hidden file located on a host disk (explained shortly). DriveSpace provides two methods for creating these compressed volumes: You can compress an existing disk, or create a new compressed disk. If you compress an existing disk, DriveSpace first changes the drive letter of the drive being compressed. Assume that your computer contains one logical hard disk, C. DriveSpace changes the drive letter of the existing drive from C to H. Drive H becomes the host drive for the compressed volume, which DriveSpace creates as a hidden file on the disk. DriveSpace then compresses the uncompressed files on drive H, the original hard disk (C), and writes them in this hidden file. The operating system (Windows 98) then treats this hidden file as a logical disk, assigning to it the drive letter C. Windows 98 and your applications then treat the hidden volume as a regular disk. You also can use the available space on a disk for creating a new compressed volume. Consider the previous example in which your PC contains a single, uncompressed disk recognized as C. Assume that drive C is a 340 MB disk, and about half of the space on the disk, or about 170 MB, is available. You can use DriveSpace to compress that available space on the disk, which has an average capacity of double its uncompressed size. The result is a new, empty drive D that has a capacity of 340 MB, and an existing drive C that has a capacity of 170 MB (with only a small amount of available disk space). You have increased your PC's total disk capacity from 340 MB to 510 MB. If you have more available space on the disk with which to work, the capacity will be greater. There are arguments both for and against using DriveSpace, Page 271

Inside Windows 98 especially on systems with slower CPUs and slower disk drives. Users who still have a 486 or a slow Pentium (less than 100 MHz) should steer clear of DriveSpace and use FAT32 instead, since FAT32 provides more efficient disk storage than FAT16 with much less processor overhead than DriveSpace. However, if you have a fast machine and a fast disk drive, and work with many large, compressable files (bitmaps, long documents, and so forth), then a DriveSpace partition in conjunction with a FAT32 partition will yield good results. TIP: If you still are concerned about data security on compressed volumes, here is a compromise: Place Windows 98 and your documents on the uncompressed disk, and place all your applications on the compressed volume. After you place the applications on the compressed volume, back up the volume to tape, a network disk, or writable CD, if possible. If you do experience a problem with the compressed volume, you can easily restore its files from the backup or reinstall the applications.

WARNING: Although your compressed volumes are relatively safe, you still can destroy the volume. If you erase the hidden file that contains the compressed volume, you lose all the files. DriveSpace volumes have a file name of DRVSPACE.NNN, where nnn is a number, such as 001. DoubleSpace volumes have similar file names, such as DBLSPACE.001. Do not delete these types of files unless you want to delete the entire compressed volume and all its files. Using DriveSpace and Compressing Disks As with other Windows 98 disk utilities, you can run DriveSpace from the Windows 98 command prompt or within the Windows 98 GUI. To start DriveSpace in Windows 98, choose Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | DriveSpace. DriveSpace displays the initial window shown in Figure 14.2. FIGURE 14.2 The initial DriveSpace 3 window lists all the available compressed and uncompressed drives in your system. To start DriveSpace from a Windows 98 command prompt, enter the DRVSPACE command at the command prompt, followed by any optional switches or other parameters. The switches supported by DriveSpace are explained later in this chapter, in the section "Using DriveSpace Switches." You can compress an existing disk, or create a new compressed disk using most or all available space on the existing disk. Although you can perform either function from the command prompt, starting and using DriveSpace in the Windows 98 GUI is Page 272

easier.

Inside Windows 98

Compressing an Existing Disk To compress an existing disk, start DriveSpace, select the disk you want to compress, and then choose Drive | Compress. DriveSpace displays a dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure 14.3, which gives you information about the drive and its parameters for after it is compressed. The Compress a Drive dialog box displays information about your disk as it is now, and estimates the amount of free space to be available on the disk following compression. The dialog box also indicates the drive letter to be assigned to the new disk. To specify options or change the drive letter, choose the Options button, which displays the Compression Options dialog box (see Figure 14.4). FIGURE 14.3 The DriveSpace disk-compression dialog box gives before-and-after compression information for the selected disk. FIGURE 14.4 The DriveSpace Compression Options dialog box lets you choose the drive letter and free space available for the host drive. Use the Drive letter of the host drive drop-down list to specify the drive letter to be assigned to the compressed volume's host drive. If you are compressing drive C, for example, and use H as the host drive's ID, your existing drive C is assigned drive letter H. The new compressed volume then is recognized as drive C. You can assign any unused drive letter to the host drive. You also can adjust the amount of free space that will remain on the host drive. You might prefer to have more uncompressed space available on the host drive to enable you to store other files on the drive. Or, you might want to leave less uncompressed space on the host drive, to make more space available in the compressed volume. Reducing the free space on the host drive by 10 MB, for example, results in roughly 20 MB more available space on the compressed volume. The Hide host drive check box controls whether the host drive still shows up in the My Computer and Network Neighborhood folders and File Open and Save dialog boxes. If you compress an existing disk and leave only a minimal amount of free space on the host disk (2 MB, for example), you don't need to hide the host drive because you can't store additional files on the host drive. Instead, the new files go into the compressed volume. If you leave a more sizable amount of free space on the host disk, you probably want the drive to be visible so that you can store files on it. Set the Hide host drive check box accordingly. WARNING: Do not hide the host drive if you want to continue to use it to read or write files other than in the compressed volume. If you hide the host drive, Page 273

Inside Windows 98 its logical drive letter will no longer be visible and you will be unable to reference the drive to access it. After you set options for the compressed volume, choose OK; then choose Start in the Compress a Drive dialog box. DriveSpace begins to compress the drive, which might take a number of hours if you have a very large drive. NOTE: DriveSpace can't compress a full drive. If the drive is the boot hard disk drive, the drive must contain at least 2 MB of free space. Other disk drives must contain at least 512 KB of free space (including hard disks and floppy disks). Therefore, DriveSpace can't compress 360 KB floppy disks. Creating a New Compressed Volume You also can create a new, empty compressed volume by compressing some of the available space on a disk. To create an empty compressed volume, open DriveSpace and select the drive that contains the available space you want to use for the compressed volume. Then, choose Advanced | Create Empty to display the Create New Compressed Drive dialog box. Use the controls in the Create New Compressed Drive dialog box to specify the parameters for the new disk, including its drive ID. The three size controls on the dialog box work together--if you specify a different amount in the using text box, the other two text boxes change accordingly. Specify the amount of free space you want to use for the new compressed volume, or specify the compressed capacity of the new volume. TIP: When you specify values to create the compressed volume, remember that DriveSpace can use no more than 256 MB of space to create the volume. Specifying a compressed volume size of 800 MB, for example, does not cause DriveSpace to use 400 MB of free space for the compressed volume. Instead, DriveSpace defaults to the maximum 256 MB. After you specify options for the new compressed volume, choose Start. DriveSpace begins to create the new, empty compressed volume. The length of time varies according to the size you select for the compressed volume, but is much shorter than that required to compress an existing disk and all its data. After DriveSpace creates the volume, it prompts you to restart the system so that the new drive can be properly recognized. Formatting a Compressed Volume Page 274

Inside Windows 98 Unlike with standard uncompressed disks, you do not have to format a compressed volume before you can use it. As soon as DriveSpace creates the new disk and restarts the system, you can begin using the new volume. DriveSpace does, however, have an option you can use to format a compressed volume. As with an uncompressed disk, formatting a compressed volume removes all files from the volume and makes all space on the disk available in a contiguous block. If you want to format a compressed volume, select the compressed volume from the DriveSpace window, then choose Drive | Format. DriveSpace displays a warning message that formatting the volume will delete all files. Answer Yes to format the volume, or No to abort the format operation. NOTE: DriveSpace cannot format an uncompressed disk. If you try it, an error message dialog appears. Formatting a compressed volume does not affect or format its host drive, but rather, affects only the hidden file that contains the compressed volume. Viewing and Setting Volume Properties You can view the properties of a compressed volume to learn how much available space it contains, the estimated compression ratio for the volume, and other information. To view a compressed volume's properties, select the compressed volume from the DriveSpace main window, then choose Drive | Properties. DriveSpace shows you a dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure 14.5. FIGURE 14.5 The properties for a compressed drive include free space, used space, and compression ratio. You can change only a handful of properties of a compressed volume, but these properties have a major impact on the volume's capacity and other parameters. The following sections explain the ways in which you can modify an existing compressed volume. Adjusting a Volume's Size After it is created, a compressed volume does not have to remain at a fixed capacity. Depending on the amount of available space on the host disk and in the compressed volume, you can adjust the size of the compressed volume. If the host disk contains more available space, you can increase the size of the compressed volume. Or, you might want to reduce the size of the compressed volume to make more uncompressed space available on the host disk. To adjust a compressed volume's size, start DriveSpace and select the volume you want to change. Then, choose Drive | Adjust Free Space to display the Adjust Free Space dialog box (see Figure 14.6). Page 275

Inside Windows 98 You can specify the amount of space to make available on the host disk, or the amount of compressed space for the compressed volume. You can enter the sizes directly in the two Free space text boxes or use the slider control to change the free space values. After you have the settings the way you want them, choose OK. FIGURE 14.6 Adjusting the free space available on a compressed disk. Changing a Volume's Compression Ratio The amount of data that can fit in a compressed volume depends heavily on the types of files you place in the volume. Some types of files can be compressed very much, but other files can be compressed very little. The compression ratio of a compressed volume is just a factor that DriveSpace uses to report the amount of potential free space left in the compressed volume. Adjusting the compression ratio does not make the files compress any more or less, but it does change the amount of free space DriveSpace reports as being available in the volume. TIP: Increasing the compression ratio is helpful if you are confident that an application you are attempting to install on the volume will fit, but the setup program is reporting the disk doesn't contain sufficient free space. To adjust a volume's compression ratio, select the drive in the DriveSpace main window, and then choose Advanced | Change Ratio. DriveSpace displays a Compression Ratio dialog box that shows the actual compression ratio of the data on the drive as well as the estimated compression ratio. Use the slider control to adjust the estimated compression ratio to suit your needs; then choose OK. TIP: If the actual compression ratio DriveSpace reports falls very close to the estimated compression ratio, you might want to reconsider changing the compression ratio. Unless you place highly compressible files in the volume, you have no reason to think that the files you place in the volume in the future will compress any further than the files already there. Using the Compression Agent to Change Compression Type Windows 98 comes with a utility entitled Compression Agent, which lets you modify the type of compression used to store Page 276

Inside Windows 98 files in a compressed volume. You can get better compression ratios on your compressed drives by choosing the type of compression that suits your needs best. The three types of compression algorithms used in a compressed Windows 98 drive are: * UltraPack. UltraPack uses the highest possible compression ratios available to get the most compression possible in a compressed drive. However, UltraPack is also the slowest compression algorithm, meaning that if many files being compressed or decompressed with UltraPack, there will be a noticeable slowdown in system performance. Using UltraPack to compress the majority of the files on a drive is only a good idea if the system is fast enough that the speed issue isn't important in the first place (such as on a Pentium 166 or above). * HiPack. HiPack works at the best possible compromise between speed and compression size, and is the best "generic" compression algorithm possible. If HiPack can provide the maximum possible compression for a file without doing an inordinate amount of work (for instance, for bitmaps), it will do so. HiPack is the best choice for people who use compressed drives on a regular basis. * No compression. It is possible to store data in a compressed volume without actually using compression. This is useful if the compressed volume is being used to store data that is pre-compressed in some way--for instance, JPG picture files, or ZIP or CAB archives. Compression Agent is installed with DriveSpace 3, and can be launched through the Start Button, Programs, Accessories, System Tools menu. An example of the main Compression Agent screen can be seen in Figure 14.7, which lists the amount of space that will be gained or lost by switching to different varieties of compression. FIGURE 14.7 The main Compression Agent screen. Compression Agent Settings To choose how you want to apply the various compression algorithms, click the Settings button, which brings up the Compression Agent Settings window (see Figure 14.8). FIGURE 14.8 The Compression Agent Settings. The Settings window lets you choose which files will be UltraPacked and HiPacked, and uses the following choices: * Do not UltraPack any files (maximum performance). This setting disables the use of the UltraPack algorithm entirely, and makes for the fastest compression and decompression possible. This option should only be used if Page 277

Inside Windows 98 you are running a slow machine (or a slow disk drive). * UltraPack all files. This option forces DriveSpace to use UltraPack compression on all files, regardless of the performance drain on the computer. This option should only be used on fast machines (such as a Pentium 166Mhz or better). * UltraPack only files not used in the last __ days. This setting gives you a way to selectively archive little-used files by applying the UltraPack algorithm to files that have not been accessed within a certain number of days. The default setting is 30 days. The user can specify how many days by either clicking on the arrows within the text box to raise or lower the number, or by clicking on the box itself and typing in a number directly. The Do you want to HiPack the rest of your files? option can be answered either Yes or No. Yes means that any files not covered by the above options will be HiPacked. No means that any files not covered by the above options will be left uncompressed. Finally, the Save these settings as the new default settings box, when checked, will cause the current settings to be preserved for future use. Compression Agent File Exceptions It's possible to get even more specific about how to apply compression, right down to the directory and file level. If you want to specify how to compress specific files or folders full of files, click on the Exceptions button in the Compression Agent Settings window, which brings up the Exceptions window as seen in Figure 14.9. The Exceptions window contains a list of files and folders, as well as the specific compression schemes that are going to be applied to them. You can freely mix compression types--for instance, a folder that's compressed with HiPack can have files within it that are specified to use UltraPack. To add a file or folder, click the Add button, which brings up the Add Exceptions window (see Figure 14.10). FIGURE 14.9 The Compression Agent Exceptions window. The Add Exceptions window contains a text box, which can hold either a pathname, a filename, or a file wildcard, and the options and choices you need to provide to specify the compression for a given file or folder. FIGURE 14.10 The Compression Agent Add Exceptions window. * File. The object specified is a single file. * Folder. The object is a folder; all files within that folder will be compressed the same way. Page 278

Inside Windows 98 * All files of specified extension. The object is a wildcard (such as *.BAK), which will compress all files that match that wildcard. The final three buttons let you choose which compression scheme to apply to the object in question: UltraPack, HiPack, and No Compression. To add a file or folder, click the Browse button to bring up an Explorer-style dialog box. This will let you browse to a specific file or folder; click OK to select the item in question and return to the Exceptions window. When you have selected an exception item, click Add to add the item to the Exceptions list. The Add Exceptions window doesn't go away when you add an item; this is normal, and lets you add many items in rapid sequence. When you're finished adding items, click Cancel to return to the Exceptions list. Click OK or Cancel to leave the Exceptions list and return to the Compression Agent Settings window. The Change button on the Compression Agent Exceptions window lets you change the settings for the highlighted exception, and brings up a window similar to the Add Exceptions window. The Remove button deletes the highlighted exception from the list. Advanced Compression Agent Settings The Compression Agent Settings window has another button, Advanced, which brings up the Advanced Settings window, which governs the lesser-used functions of Compression Agent. See Figure 14.11 for an example of the Advanced Settings window. Right now there are only two options, but when adjusted properly, they can have a significant impact on the efficiency of the compressed drive. FIGURE 14.11 The Compression Agent Advanced Settings window. * Do not reduce any file's compression level if there is less than xx MB of free disk space. This option forces Compression Agent to retain the compression levels for files if there is little disk space left. The default setting (indicated by xx here) is 20 MB. You should move this setting higher if you plan on expanding the disk's size later but want to retain the same compression on existing files. The user can specify how many days by either clicking on the arrows within the text box to raise or lower the number, or by clicking on the box itself and typing in a number directly. * Leave all UltraPacked files in UltraPack format. This forces Compression Agent to leave all UltraPacked files as they are, regardless of all exceptions. Click the OK or Cancel button to return to the Compression Agent Settings Window. Page 279

Inside Windows 98 When you have finished making all changes to Compression Agent's settings, click the Start button on the main Compression Agent menu to execute the changes described. This process can take a long time on larger compressed drives, and also a longer time depending on what kinds of compression settings are being used. More use of UltraPack will certainly result in a longer wait. At the end of the program's run, Compression Agent will display a report that indicates how the efficiency of the drive's compression has been changed. The report lists the amount of space used in each type of compression, and whether that space has been gained to save space or lost to improve performance. Changing a Volume's Drive Letter Another property of a compressed volume you can change is the volume's drive letter. You might want to change the drive letter to make that letter available for a different compressed drive or new physical drive you intend to add to the system. Or, you might simply want to swap the letters assigned to two different compressed volumes. To change a compressed volume's drive ID, open DriveSpace and select the drive whose letter you want to change Then, choose Advanced | Change Letter to display the Select Drive dialog box (see Figure 14.12). From the drop-down list, select the drive letter you want to assign to the compressed volume; then choose OK. DriveSpace changes the drive's volume and then prompts you to restart the computer so that the change can be properly recognized. FIGURE 14.12 To change the drive letter for a compressed volume, simply select it from the displayed box. TIP: If you want to swap the drive letters for two compressed drives, you actually have to change drive letters three times. Assume that one compressed volume is drive H, and another is drive I; you would need to change drive H to J, change I to H, and then change J to I. Although DriveSpace prompts you to restart the computer after each change, you can wait until the last change is complete before you restart the computer. Mounting and Unmounting Volumes Before you can use a compressed volume, you have to mount it. Mounting establishes a logical link between the volume's disk letter and the volume file. Generally, DriveSpace automatically mounts compressed volumes, so the only time you need to manually mount a volume is if you have unmoun-ted the volume. Only a few reasons exist for unmounting a compressed volume. You Page 280

Inside Windows 98 might want to move the volume to a different host disk, or you might be experiencing problems with the compressed volume and want to run ScanDisk on the volume file from the Windows 98 command prompt (outside of the GUI) to check the volume. You cannot unmount a volume that contains open files. The first step in unmounting a disk, therefore, is to close all applications and files that reside on the disk. Then, open DriveSpace and select the drive you want to unmount. Choose Advanced | Unmount. If the volume contains no open files, DriveSpace unmounts the volume. You do not have to restart the system after you unmount a compressed volume. To mount a volume so that you can use it again, open DriveSpace and select the volume's host disk. If the compressed volume is stored on C, for example, choose drive C. Then, choose Advanced | Mount. If the selected drive contains any DriveSpace- or DoubleSpace-compressed volume files in its root directory, DriveSpace opens the Mount Drive dialog box (see Figure 14.13). Choose the volume file you want to mount, specify the drive letter you want to assign the volume, and then choose OK. You don't need to restart the system after you mount a compressed volume. FIGURE 14.13 The Create New Compressed Drive dialog box gives you the full range of options to create a new uncompressed drive. TIP: If you use the Change Letter command in DriveSpace's Advanced menu to change the drive letter of a compressed volume, Windows 98 has to restart. One method for changing drive letters that does not require a system restart is to unmount the volume and then mount it again using a different drive letter. Uncompressing a Volume Unlike DoubleSpace, the first disk-compression utility in DOS, DriveSpace in Windows 98 enables you to uncompress a volume. Naturally, you can uncompress a volume only if your disk contains enough available uncompressed space to contain the files in the compressed volume. Also, DriveSpace does not uncompress a compressed volume if any file names conflict between the host disk and the compressed volume. If you have files that have the same name in the root directory of the host disk and the compressed volume, for example, DriveSpace generates an error message and refuses to uncompress the volume. To uncompress a disk, select the compressed volume you want to uncompress, then choose Drive | Uncompress. DriveSpace first checks the volume for conflicting file names and the host disk for available space. If DriveSpace does not detect any errors, it displays a dialog box that reports the state of the disk before and after compression (refer to Figure 14.13). Choose Start to begin uncompressing the disk. Page 281

Inside Windows 98 Using Compressed Floppy Disks You can compress a floppy disk, increasing its capacity. Any system on which you use the compressed floppy disk must have DriveSpace or DoubleSpace installed, but this means you should be able to use the compressed floppy disk on any system that uses MS-DOS 6.0 or later, or Windows 98. NOTE: You cannot create an empty compressed volume on a floppy disk. Instead, you must compress the floppy disk. Unlike when you compress a hard disk, you can't hide the floppy disk's host drive. To compress a floppy disk, insert the disk in one of your PC's drives, then open DriveSpace. In DriveSpace, select the floppy disk you want to compress, then choose Drive | Compress. DriveSpace displays a dialog box that gives information about the disk in its uncompressed and compressed states. The reported compressed capacity of the disk might not be accurate, however, but DriveSpace displays another more accurate report after it's done. During compression, DriveSpace places a file named READTHIS.TXT on the floppy disk outside the compressed volume (essentially, on the floppy disk's host drive). This file contains instructions on how to mount the floppy disk. By default, Windows 98 automatically mounts all removable compressed volumes, which means you can insert the disk and begin using it without first manually mounting the disk. You can use DriveSpace to turn on or off automatic mounting of compressed volumes. To change this setting, open DriveSpace and choose Advanced | Settings to display the Disk Compression Settings dialog box. The Disk Compression Settings dialog box shows the current compression driver and includes a check box you can use to turn on or off automatic mounting of compressed volumes. Enable the check box if you want Windows 98 to automatically mount new compressed volumes after you create or insert them. Using DriveSpace Switches As with the other Windows 98 disk utilities, DriveSpace supports a number of command-line switches you can use to control the way the program runs. You can add these switches to the Command line text box of a shortcut to DriveSpace, or enter the DRVSPACE command at the command prompt. The syntax of the DRVSPACE command is as follows: drvspace drvspace drvspace drvspace drvspace

/compress d: [/size=n| /reserve=n] [/new=e:] /create d: [/size=n | /reserve=n] [/new=e:] [/cvf=nnn] /delete d:\d??space.nnn /format d:\d??space.nnn /host=e: d: Page 282

drvspace drvspace drvspace drvspace drvspace drvspace drvspace drvspace

Inside Windows 98 [/info] d: /mount {[=nnn] d: | d:\d??space.nnn} [/new=e:] /move d: /new=e: /ratio[=n] d: /settings /size[=n| /reserve=n] d: /uncompress d: /unmount d:

In these syntax examples, d: and e: represent drive IDs, n represents an integer value, and nnn represents the numeric file extension on a compressed volume file (such as 001). D??space.nnn represents the volume file name, such as DBLSPACE.001, DRVSPACE.001, and so on. The switches supported by DriveSpace are explained in the following list (syntax for each described in the previous syntax examples): * /compress. This switch directs DriveSpace to compress a hard disk or floppy disk. You must specify the drive to compress. You also can specify the size of the compressed volume, the amount of free space to leave on the disk, and the drive letter to assign the new compressed volume. * /create. This switch directs DriveSpace to use space on another disk to create a new compressed volume. You must specify the host drive. You also can specify the size of the new compressed disk, the amount of space to reserve on the host disk, the drive letter to assign the compressed volume, and the file extension of the CVF (Compressed Volume File). * /delete. This switch directs DriveSpace to delete a compressed volume. You must specify the drive and file name of the CVF. DriveSpace does not delete CVFs that contain open files. * /format. This switch directs DriveSpace to format a compressed volume. You must specify the drive and file name of the CVF. * /host. This switch directs DriveSpace to change the drive letter of a compressed volume's host drive. To change drive H to J, for example, enter DRVSPACE /host=J: H:. * /info. This switch directs DriveSpace to display information about a compressed volume. If you omit the drive ID, DriveSpace displays information about the current drive. * /mount. This switch directs DriveSpace to mount a CVF. You can specify just the extension of a CVF located on the current drive, as in DRVSPACE /MOUNT 001. Or, specify the path to the CVF. You also can specify the drive letter to assign the volume by using the /new switch. * /ratio. This switch directs DriveSpace to change the Page 283

Inside Windows 98 estimated compression ratio for a volume. * /size. This switch directs DriveSpace to change the size of a compressed volume. * /uncompress. This switch directs DriveSpace to uncompress a volume. * /unmount. This switch directs DriveSpace to unmount a volume. ----------

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Managing Disks and the File System * Analyzing and Repairing Disks with ScanDisk * Running ScanDisk * Setting Advanced ScanDisk Options * Checking a Compressed Drive * Running ScanDisk Automatically at Startup * Using ScanDisk Switches * Using ScanDisk for Windows at the Command Prompt * Using ScanDisk for Windows in Batch Files * Checking ScanDisk Exit Codes * Using SCANDISK.EXE * Defragmenting a Disk * Using Disk Defragmenter * Setting Disk Defragmenter Options * Using Switches with Disk Defragmenter * Running Disk Defragmenter from the Command Prompt * Using Defrag Exit Codes * Defragmenting Compressed Volumes * * * *

Using Task Scheduler for Periodic Maintenance Improving CD-ROM Performance Using Troubleshooting Options Preserving Long Filenames * How LFNBK Works * Using LFNBK

Owning and using a computer is in many ways something like owning and using a car. Cars have to be serviced regularly to keep functioning in tip-top shape. A computer is no different, although the type of care required is different and it's easy to forget that care is even needed sometimes. Also, like a car, a PC can be adjusted to run faster and more efficiently. This chapter describes the procedures and utilities in Windows 98 that help you do just that: The chapter covers the following topics: * Analyzing and repairing disks by using ScanDisk Page 284

* Defragmenting a disk

Inside Windows 98

* Optimizing disk defragmentation * Improving CD-ROM performance * Preserving long filenames * Using troubleshooting options * Automating tasks with the Task Scheduler Analyzing and Repairing Disks with ScanDisk MS-DOS 6.x includes a utility called ScanDisk that you can use to scan a disk for defects and repair many of those defects. Windows 98 includes a new version called ScanDisk for Windows that runs as a Windows 98 application. Windows 98 also includes a command-line version of ScanDisk, which is typically run when Windows 98 is being executed in command-line mode only. The command-line version of ScanDisk also appears on the reboot after Windows 98 has been improperly shut down. The Windows 98 version of ScanDisk has support for FAT32 volumes, where the Windows 95 version doesn't. Using the Windows 98 versions of ScanDisk rather than any previous version you might have on your system is extremely important. Not only does the Windows 98 version of ScanDisk ensure the security of long filenames, but ScanDisk for Windows offers the capability to scan and repair disks as a background task while you work with other applications. Using a previous version of ScanDisk will destroy your system's long filenames if you allow it to repair any disk errors it finds. ScanDisk can detect and repair a number of types of problems with your computer's file system, including the following: * FAT (file allocation table) errors * Invalid long filenames * File system structure problems, such as lost clusters and cross-linked files * Directory tree errors * Bad tracks (physical surface errors) * DriveSpace and DoubleSpace headers, file structure, compression structure, and signature problems TIP: ScanDisk performs the functions of the DOS CHKDSK utility, eliminating the need to use CHKDSK. If you run CHKDSK, it will execute and produce a report about your drive, will not fix any error, but will print an Page 285

Inside Windows 98 advisory note on program termination that ScanDisk does a better job of detecting and fixing a wider range of disk problems. The graphical user interface (GUI) version, ScanDisk for Windows, is contained in the file SCANDSKW.EXE. The DOS version is contained in the file SCANDISK.EXE. If you open a DOS session in Windows 98 and enter SCANDISK.EXE at the command prompt, Windows 98 starts the GUI version, SCANDSKW.EXE, instead. The two are functionally equivalent, but they support different command-line switches that modify the way ScanDisk runs. These command-line switches are explained later in this chapter, in the section "Using ScanDisk Switches." Running ScanDisk All Windows 98 disk utilities are located in the Start/Programs/Accessories/ System Tools menu. To start the GUI version of ScanDisk, click on the Start button; then choose Programs | Accessories | System Tools | ScanDisk. The ScanDisk dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 15.1. FIGURE 15.1 The ScanDisk dialog box. TIP: You also can start ScanDisk for a specific disk by opening the disk's property sheet and selecting the Tools page. The Tools page indicates the number of days since you last ran ScanDisk to analyze the disk. ScanDisk offers two modes for disk detection and repair--Standard and Thorough. The Standard option causes ScanDisk to check the file system structure, including the FAT, directory entries, long filenames, and other file system parameters. The Thorough option causes ScanDisk to perform a surface analysis of the disk in addition to the standard detection and repair. To check a disk, select it from the drive list; then choose Standard or Thorough. If you choose Thorough, you can choose the Options button to specify options for the additional surface scan. Choosing Options displays the Surface Scan Options dialog box, shown in Figure 15.2. FIGURE 15.2 The Surface Scan Options dialog box. The following list explains the options in the Surface Scan Options dialog box: * Areas of the disk to scan. Use this group of options to specify which areas of the disk to scan for defects. You can direct ScanDisk to scan the system area, data area, or both. * Do not perform write-testing. If you clear this check box, Page 286

Inside Windows 98 ScanDisk reads and writes each sector of the disk to check its integrity. If you enable this check box, ScanDisk reads the sector data only and does not rewrite the data. * Do not repair bad sectors in hidden and system files. By default, ScanDisk repairs bad sectors in hidden and system files by writing these sectors to a new location. A few older applications require the sectors of their hidden and system files to be in a specific sector to run the program (as a copy-protection scheme). Enabling this check box prevents ScanDisk from relocating the sectors of hidden and system files to new locations, even if their sectors are bad. By default, ScanDisk prompts you with various dialog boxes when it encounters a disk error. If you prefer that ScanDisk automatically repair all errors without input from you, enable the Automatically fix errors check box and choose Start in the ScanDisk dialog box. WARNING: Enabling the automatic error repair option is not a good idea if you have never run ScanDisk on a drive before. You will want advance notice of any problems ScanDisk encounters so you can decide whether to correct them manually and take measures to ensure they don't return. For instance, one of the errors that ScanDisk reports is if a complete filename (that is, the pathname plus the MS-DOS filename) is greater than 64 characters, which makes it inaccessible from MS-DOS-based programs. This error generally isn't worth correcting unless you have MS-DOS-based programs that require access to those files (in which case the best solution is to move the problem files up to a folder off the root directory and therefore shorten the pathnames). You can avoid this particular error by unchecking the "Enable MS-DOS mode name errors" box in the Advanced Options dialog box of ScanDisk. In general, don't enable automatic error correction unless you're sure that there will be no untoward circumstances. Setting Advanced ScanDisk Options ScanDisk includes a number of advanced options you can set to control the way the program runs, detects errors, and repairs those errors. To set these advanced options, choose the Advanced button to display the ScanDisk Advanced Options dialog box, shown in Figure 15.3. FIGURE 15.3 The ScanDisk Advanced Options dialog box. Display Summary Page 287

Inside Windows 98 The three options in the Display summary group control whether ScanDisk displays a summary dialog box after it finishes the detection and repair phase. Choose Always if you want ScanDisk to always display a summary report, regardless of whether it detects and fixes any errors. Choose Never if you don't want ScanDisk to display a summary report. Choose the Only if errors found option if you want ScanDisk to generate a summary report only if it detects errors during its scan. Log File The three options in the Log file group control the way ScanDisk logs detection and repair information. If you configure ScanDisk to create a log, it will create the file SCANDISK.LOG in the root directory of the disk it checks. This log file contains a report of the errors ScanDisk finds and the actions ScanDisk takes regarding those errors. Log files are useful if, for the sake of troubleshooting, you want to get an idea of what happens during a disk scan. Choose Replace log if you want ScanDisk to create a new log each time it runs, replacing any existing copy of SCANDISK.LOG. Choose Append to log if you want ScanDisk to append new log entries to the end of the existing log. Choose the No log option if you don't want ScanDisk to create a log. Cross-Linked Files A cross-link occurs when two or more files use the same cluster. Typically, the cluster really belongs to only one of the files. Sometimes the cross-linked cluster might really belong to neither file. Therefore, repairing cross-linked files usually results in only one file remaining usable. The options in the Cross-linked files group control the way ScanDisk handles any cross-linked files it finds during detection. If you choose the Delete option, ScanDisk deletes any files that have cross-linked clusters. Choose the Make copies option if you want ScanDisk to retain the files. ScanDisk will create a separate copy of the cluster for each file. Although this removes the link between the files, it does not ensure that either file ends up usable. Choose the Ignore option if you want ScanDisk to ignore cross-linked files. TIP: If you decide to let ScanDisk correct the cross-linked files, your best option usually is to choose the Make copies option. By making separate copies of the cross-linked cluster for each file and retaining the files, you make it possible to recover at least one of the files. Lost File Fragments Clusters can become "lost," which means that they are not marked Page 288

Inside Windows 98 in the FAT as being available, although they are not in use. ScanDisk can recover lost clusters and convert cluster chains into files or simply allocate the clusters as free, making them available. Converting the lost cluster chains to files enables you to recover files accidentally lost through disk errors. Most often, however, the lost clusters are simply improperly allocated and can be returned to the pool of available clusters. The options in the Lost file fragments group enable you to specify how ScanDisk treats lost cluster chains. Choose the Free option if you want ScanDisk to mark the clusters in the lost chains as available for use. Choose the Convert to files option if you want ScanDisk to convert those lost cluster chains to files. If you use the Convert to files option, ScanDisk reads the cluster chains and writes them to the root folder (root directory) of the drive using the filename format FILEnnnn, where nnnn is a number. "Check Files For" The check boxes in the Check files for group enable you to specify the types of errors for which ScanDisk scans. If you enable the Invalid file names option, ScanDisk detects invalid filenames and attempts to repair them. Invalid filenames can prevent you from opening the associated file. The Invalid dates and times option, if enabled, causes ScanDisk to check the creation and modification dates and times of each file. An invalid date or time can cause a file to sort incorrectly and can cause problems with file backup and file restore operations. The Duplicate Names option, if enabled, makes ScanDisk check for files that have the same names in the same directory, and rename one of the offending files automatically. "Check Host Drive First" The option Check host drive first, if enabled, causes ScanDisk to always check the host drive of a DriveSpace- or DoubleSpace-compressed volume before checking the integrity of the compressed volume. If compressed drive F is stored on drive C, for example, and you enable this option, running ScanDisk against drive F causes ScanDisk to first check drive C for errors. Generally, leaving this option enabled is a good idea because errors on the host disk can cause errors in the compressed disk. Usually the only reason to disable this option is if you have just finished checking and repairing the host disk and now want to check the compressed disk. Report MS-DOS Mode Name Length Errors The option "Remote MS-DOS mode name length errors" will force ScanDisk to check for files whose total length--the pathname plus the file name--exceeds 63 characters. If you have files living in deeply nested directories, you may have this error. Page 289

Inside Windows 98 This is important if you are still using MS-DOS-based programs, since they will not be able to read such files. If you're not relying on MS-DOS-based programs, then the 63-character limit doesn't apply, and you can disable this option. Checking a Compressed Drive In addition to checking standard disks, ScanDisk also can scan and repair problems with DriveSpace- and DoubleSpace-compressed volumes. DoubleSpace volumes are supported by MS-DOS 6.0, and DriveSpace volumes are supported by MS-DOS 6.2x. Windows 98 also enables you to create and use DriveSpace volumes. A DriveSpace (and DoubleSpace) volume is a hidden file that resides on a host drive. If your PC contains a single hard disk that has a single partition (containing logical drive C), you can compress some of the free space on drive C to create a new drive D. The compressed drive D actually resides in the hidden file DRVSPACE.001. When the system boots, Windows 98 mounts the hidden file as drive D, enabling you to work with it as if it were a regular, physical disk. A detailed discussion of disk compression can be found in Chapter 14, "Disk and File System Overview." TIP: You also can use DriveSpace to compress floppy disks and use those disks in any PC. Windows 98 also supports using compressed disks created with DoubleSpace in MS-DOS 6.0. The information in this section refers to DoubleSpace volumes as well as DriveSpace volumes. As with physical disks, compressed volumes can become corrupted or contain invalid file and directory entries. Therefore, checking your PC's compressed disks is as important as checking the physical disks. Before checking the compressed volume, you should direct ScanDisk to check the host drive. If the Check host drive first check box is enabled in the ScanDisk Advanced Options dialog box (refer to Figure 15.3), ScanDisk automatically checks the host disk of the DriveSpace volume before it checks the DriveSpace volume. Alternatively, you can manually direct ScanDisk to check the host disk and then direct it to check the compressed volume. Either way, it treats compressed volumes like any other disk. Simply open ScanDisk, select the compressed volume's logical disk ID from the list of mounted disks, and choose Start. Running ScanDisk Automatically at Startup Many DOS users run CHKDSK or an equivalent utility each time their PCs start, resulting in a regular check of their computer's hard disk. You might want to run ScanDisk for Windows on a regular basis on a Windows 98 system for the same reason--to ensure that your disks always perform at their best. Page 290

Inside Windows 98 To automate ScanDisk so that it runs automatically each time you start Windows 98, you can add it to your Task Scheduler folder. All applications and documents in the Startup folder open automatically when Windows 98 starts. The process for automating ScanDisk requires two steps. The first step is to place a shortcut to ScanDisk in the Startup folder. To do so, use the following procedure: 1. Right-click on the Taskbar to display its Context menu, choose Properties to display the Taskbar property sheet, and click on the Start Menu Programs tab to display the Start Menu Programs property page. 2. Choose Add to display the Create Shortcut Wizard. 3. Choose Browse, locate and select the file SCANDSKW.EXE in your Windows folder, and choose Open. Or enter C:\WINDOWS\SCANDSKW.EXE in the Command line text box in the Create Shortcut dialog box. 4. In the Create Shortcut dialog box, click on Next to display the Select Program Folder dialog box. 5. In the Select Program Folder dialog box, select the Startup folder; then click on Next. The wizard prompts you for a name for the shortcut. You can leave the existing name and choose Finish to create the shortcut. TIP: If your PC is not configured for multiple user profiles, your Startup folder is located in \Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup. If your PC is configured for multiple user profiles, your Startup folder is located in \Windows\Profiles\your user name\Start Menu\Programs\ Startup. The second step in running ScanDisk automatically at startup is to add a couple of switches to the command line in the ScanDisk shortcut you just created in the Startup folder. All the ScanDisk command-line switches are explained in the following section. For now, however, just understand that you need to add the /N switch to the ScanDisk command line to cause ScanDisk to start and end automatically. To add a switch to ScanDisk's command line, open the Startup folder and right-click on the ScanDisk shortcut to display its Context menu; then choose Properties. Click on the Shortcut tab to display the Shortcut property page. Click in the Target text box, move the cursor to the end of the command line, and add the switches so that the command line reads as follows: C:\WINDOWS\SCANDSKW.EXE /A /N Page 291

Inside Windows 98 The preceding command line causes ScanDisk to scan all nonremovable hard disks and to do so noninteractively (automatically). You might want to restrict ScanDisk to analyzing only one or two disks. The following command line would cause ScanDisk to scan drives C and D automatically: C:\WINDOWS\SCANDSK.EXE C: D: /N After you set the command line according to your preferences, choose OK to apply the changes to the shortcut. If you want to use other command-line switches with ScanDisk, read the following section, "Using ScanDisk Switches," to learn about the additional switches ScanDisk supports. TIP: ScanDisk for Windows uses the settings stored in the Registry to determine which options to use when you run the program noninteractively. Therefore, you can run ScanDisk for Windows interactively, set options as you want, and then close ScanDisk. When you run ScanDisk for Windows from the command line, it uses the same settings. For example, if you want ScanDisk to automatically check for invalid file dates and times when you run the program noninteractively, enable the Invalid dates and times check box in the ScanDisk Advanced Options dialog box; then close ScanDisk. The next time you run the program, ScanDisk will check for invalid dates and times. Using ScanDisk Switches ScanDisk for Windows supports a number of program switches that modify the way the program works or automates its operation. The format for the ScanDisk for Windows command line is as follows: SCANDSKW [drive1 drive2 drive3...] /A /N /P You can add command switches to the command line if you start ScanDisk from a command prompt, or you can create a shortcut to SCANDSKW.EXE and add the switches in the Command line text box on the shortcut's property sheet. The ScanDisk for Windows switches are summarized in the following list: * Drive. Specify the drive ID for the disk(s) you want ScanDisk to check. You can specify multiple disks. For example, to check disks C and D, type SCANDSKW C: D:. * /A. This switch directs ScanDisk to scan all nonremovable disks, such as C, D, E, and so on. The /A switch does not cause ScanDisk to scan CD-ROM drives, floppy disks, or other removable media. For example, to scan all disks, type SCANDSKW /A. * /N. This switch causes ScanDisk to operate noninteractively. When you include this switch, ScanDisk opens and starts detection automatically and closes automatically after it checks the last disk. For example, to scan all disks Page 292

Inside Windows 98 noninteractively, type SCANDSKW /A /N. * /P. This switch causes ScanDisk to run in Preview mode, which means that ScanDisk appears to fix errors but does not. Instead, ScanDisk simply reports the errors but does not write changes to the disk. Using ScanDisk for Windows at the Command Prompt You can run ScanDisk for Windows when your computer is running the full Windows 98 operating system and GUI, from the GUI, or at a command prompt. You can run SCANDISK.EXE, however, only from the command prompt and only if the GUI is not running (when you boot the system to the command prompt). TIP: If you open a command-line session from the GUI and run SCANDISK.EXE, located in the \Windows\Command folder, the GUI version of ScanDisk, SCANDSKW.EXE, starts. The command-line version runs only if you boot the system to the command prompt. You also can run the command-line version of ScanDisk from a batch file that you run in a DOS box under Windows 98. The following section offers some tips on running ScanDisk for Windows in batch files. Read the section "Using SCANDISK.EXE" later in this chapter for information on using the command-line version of ScanDisk in batch files. WARNING: If you use a version of ScanDisk from DOS 6.x, you lose your long filenames and also might damage your file system. Use only the Windows 98 versions of ScanDisk on a system that contains Windows 98. Using ScanDisk for Windows in Batch Files You can include ScanDisk for Windows in batch files to automate disk scanning and repair. To use ScanDisk in a batch file, simply add the command in the batch file. The following sample batch file uses the START command to start ScanDisk and check drive C noninteractively and returns a message based on ScanDisk's completion code: echo off start /w scandskw.exe c: /n If errorlevel 255 goto termerror If errorlevel 254 goto cancelled If errorlevel 253 goto onedrive If errorlevel 252 goto notfixed If errorlevel 251 goto memory If errorlevel 250 goto diskmaint If errorlevel 1 goto allfixed

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Inside Windows 98 If errorlevel 0 goto noerrors :termerror echo Check was terminated because of an error goto end :cancelled echo Check was cancelled goto end :onedrive echo At least one drive could not be checked goto end :notfixed echo Errors found, but at least some were not fixed goto end :memory echo Could not start - insufficient memory goto end :diskmaint echo Could not start - cannot load or find diskmaint.dll goto end :allfixed echo Errors found, all fixed goto end :noerrors echo Drive checked, no errors found goto end :end NOTE: Notice in the batch file that the START command is used to issue the ScanDisk command. You can use START to start a Windows or DOS application from the command line. The /w switch, used with the START command, causes the batch file to wait until the called application (in this case, ScanDisk) finishes before it proceeds with the rest of the batch file. Checking ScanDisk Exit Codes ScanDisk for Windows generates a result code when it finishes its work. You can base your batch file's conditional operation on the result code ScanDisk generates by testing for errorlevel, as indicated in the batch file in the previous section. Table 15.1 shows the result codes for ScanDisk for Windows. TABLE 15.1 ScanDisk for Windows Result Codes RESULT CODE | MEANING 0 | Drive checked, no errors found 1 | Errors found, all fixed 250 | Check could not start--cannot load or find DSKMAINT.DLL 251 | Check could not start--insufficient memory Page 294

Inside Windows 98 252 | Errors found, but at least some were not fixed 253 | At least one drive could not be checked 254 | Check was canceled 255 | Check was terminated because of an error Using SCANDISK.EXE The Windows 98 DOS version of ScanDisk, SCANDISK.EXE, is useful for checking the disks when you boot the computer to a previous version of DOS or to the Windows 98 command prompt. Using the DOS version of ScanDisk included with Windows 98, rather than the older version of ScanDisk included with DOS, ensures that you retain your long filenames. You also can use SCANDISK.EXE in batch files you run in a previous version of DOS or from the Windows 98 command prompt. The DOS version of ScanDisk included with Windows 98 also supports a number of switches. The format of the SCANDISK.EXE command is as follows: SCANDISK [drive: | /ALL] [/CHECKONLY | /AUTOFIX [/NOSAVE]] [/SURFACE] The switches supported by SCANDISK.EXE are described in the following list: * /ALL. ScanDisk checks and repairs all local drives. * /AUTOFIX. ScanDisk repairs disk errors without prompting. * /CHECKONLY. ScanDisk checks a drive but does not repair any damage. * /CUSTOM. ScanDisk runs based on the settings stored in SCANDISK.INI. * /NOSAVE. Used with the /AUTOFIX switch, ScanDisk deletes lost clusters instead of saving the clusters as files. * /NOSUMMARY. Used with the /CHECKONLY or /AUTOFIX switches, ScanDisk doesn't stop at summary screens. * /SURFACE. ScanDisk does a surface scan after completing other checks. * /MONO. This switch configures ScanDisk for use on a monochrome display. You also can use SCANDISK.EXE to scan an unmounted DriveSpace volume, something for which you cannot use ScanDisk for Windows. The format for the ScanDisk command to check an unmounted DriveSpace volume is as follows: SCANDISK drive:\DRVSPACE.nnn [/CHECKONLY | /AUTOFIX[/NOSAVE]] Page 295

Inside Windows 98 The drive: parameter specifies the location of the unmounted volume's file, and the DRVSPACE.nnn parameter specifies the actual name of the file. For example, the following command would check the first DriveSpace volume file stored on drive C: SCANDISK C:\DRVSPACE.001 You also can use ScanDisk to examine a DriveSpace volume file for fragmentation. To do so, use the following syntax: SCANDISK /FRAGMENT [drive:][path]filename Include the drive name, pathname, and filename for the DriveSpace volume file on the command line, as in the following example: SCANDISK /FRAGMENT C:\DRVSPACE.001 Undoing ScanDisk Repairs When ScanDisk detects an error, it displays a prompt and gives you the opportunity to write a record of the changes to a disk. You can use this record later to undo the changes ScanDisk makes. To undo repairs ScanDisk makes, use the following syntax: SCANDISK /UNDO [drive:] Replace the drive: parameter with the drive ID on which the Undo information is located. Defragmenting a Disk Because of the way DOS and Windows 98 allocate space for files on the disk, a file can get fragmented, or scattered around the disk. Instead of residing in contiguous (side-by-side) clusters, the file is spread out to noncontiguous clusters. Fragmentation doesn't pose a problem for DOS or Windows 98 because both are equally capable of following the FAT entries to locate the fragments of the file. The disadvantage of a fragmented disk is that locating and reading an entire file can take considerably longer because Windows 98 must jump around the disk, requiring multiple spins of the disk to locate the file's data. It can't read the entire file in a single pass. Fragmentation, therefore, can greatly impact Windows 98's performance, particularly for applications that access the hard disk extensively. MS-DOS 6.x includes a utility called DEFRAG that defragments the disk, writing all the files in contiguous clusters and thereby improving disk performance. Windows 98 also includes a utility, appropriately called Disk Defragmenter, to defragment the disk. Disk Defragmenter is a Windows 98 application, which means you can defragment the disk as a background task while you continue to work with other applications. Your ability to continue working while Disk Defragmenter works, however, depends highly on your system's speed. On slower 486 and all 386 systems, Page 296

Inside Windows 98 continuing to work while Disk Defragmenter works on the disk is unlikely to prove practical. Faster Pentium and Pentium II systems make it easier to do this, thanks to a combination of the speed of the processor and the hard drive; the defrag process can be better interleaved with the rest of the machine's functions. WARNING: When Setup installs Windows 98 over DOS, it deletes the old DOS DEFRAG program and replaces it with a batch file named DEFRAG.BAT (if you install Windows 98 in your existing Windows 3.x directory). DEFRAG.BAT simply contains instructions on how to run the Windows 98 Disk Defragmenter. Setup deletes DEFRAG from your DOS directory to ensure the security of your long filenames. Therefore, you should never run an old DOS version of DEFRAG on a disk that contains long filenames. The Disk Defragmenter can defragment local floppy disks and hard disks, including any compressed volumes Windows 98 supports. Disk Defrag-menter cannot defragment CDs, remote network disks, other removable or nonwritable media, locked disks, or disks created using ASSIGN, SUBST, or JOIN. NOTE: Defragmenting a disk is not a once-only task. File fragmentation is an ever-present problem, and you should periodically defragment the disk to optimize its performance. See the section later in this chapter titled "Using Task Scheduler for Periodic Maintenance" for more on this. Using Disk Defragmenter To start Disk Defragmenter, choose Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Defragmenter. The Select Drive dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 15.4. You also can start Disk Defragmenter from a command prompt by typing START DEFRAG in the Run box (available from the Start button). The Select Drive dialog box lists all the disks Disk Defragmenter can defragment. Select the disk you want to defragment; then choose OK. FIGURE 15.4 Disk Defragmenter's Select Drive dialog box. TIP: To defragment all your computer's hard disks, choose All Hard Drives from the Select Drive dialog box. If fragmentation of the disk remains below a certain percentage, Disk Defragmenter indicates in its prompt that you do not need Page 297

Inside Windows 98 to defragment the disk. Even so, you can still defragment the disk if you want. Doing so might not improve disk performance significantly, but it will improve it at least slightly. The most noticeable improvement from defragmenting a disk comes when you defragment a heavily fragmented disk. If you want to defragment the selected disk, choose the Start button. Disk Defragmenter displays a status dialog of its progress, as shown in Figure 15.5. If you prefer a more detailed report, choose Show Details to display an expanded disk window. FIGURE 15.5 The Disk Defragmenter status dialog box. Setting Disk Defragmenter Options You can specify various options that control the way Disk Defragmenter functions. To set these options, choose the Advanced button in the Disk Defragmenter dialog box to display the Advanced Options dialog box (see Figure 15.6). FIGURE 15.6 The Settings dialog box for Disk Defragmenter. The Defragmentation method group enables you to specify how Disk Defragmenter defragments the disk. The following list explains the options in the Defragmentation method group: * Rearrange program files so my programs start faster. This option, which is covered in detail in a later section in this chapter titled "Using Disk Defragmenter," allows you to keep together all the files related to a given program. This allows the program in question to start faster because the head on the drive doesn't have to travel as far to read all the needed files. * Check the drive for errors. This option causes Disk Defragmenter to run the equivalent of ScanDisk before performing the defragmentation. If there are errors on the disk, Disk Defragmenter will catch them now and force the user to run ScanDisk before allowing a full defragmentation to be performed. The two option buttons, This time only and Every time I defragment my hard drive, determine whether to save the Defragmentation method option and the Check drive for errors option for future Disk Defragmenter sessions. Using Switches with Disk Defragmenter Like ScanDisk and other Windows 98 utilities, Disk Defragmenter supports a number of command-line switches you can use to modify and automate the way Disk Defragmenter runs. You can create a shortcut to Disk Defragmenter and add these switches to the shortcut's Command line property. Or you can start Disk Defragmenter from the command line and add the switches at the end of the command you use to start Disk Defragmenter. Page 298

Inside Windows 98 The syntax of the Disk Defragmenter command line follows: defrag [drive: | /all] [/F | /U | /Q] [/noprompt] [/concise | /detailed] The following list describes the command-line parameters and switches that Disk Defragmenter supports: * drive. Specifies the disk to defragment. * /all. Defragments all local disks (except those not supported by Disk Defragmenter, as explained previously). * /concise. Displays the Hide Details view (the default display mode). * /detailed. Displays the Show Details view. * /noprompt. Runs in Unattended mode, which prevents stopping to display confirmation messages. You can include the Disk Defragmenter command-line switches in the Command line text box of a shortcut to Disk Defragmenter. Using the shortcut to start Disk Defragmenter uses the switches in the Command line property. You can create multiple shortcuts to Disk Defragmenter, each using different command-line switches, which makes possible running Disk Defragmenter in different ways simply by choosing a particular icon. You also can use command-line switches when you start Disk Defragmenter from the command line. The following section explains this. Running Disk Defragmenter from the Command Prompt As with other Windows 98 utilities, you can start Disk Defragmenter from the Windows 98 command prompt (DOS session started under Windows 98). To start Disk Defragmenter, open a DOS session and enter START DEFRAG, followed by any optional switches. The following example starts Disk Defragmenter to defragment, in unattended mode, only files on drive C: start defrag c: /u /concise /noprompt You also can use the DEFRAG command in batch files. If you want the Disk Defragmenter program to complete operation before execution continues in the batch file, use the /w switch with the START command to cause the batch file to wait until Disk Defragmenter completes operation. The following example starts Disk Defragmenter, in Unattended mode, on files and free space on drive D and waits for completion of the operation before continuing execution of the batch file: start /w 95 defrag d: /f /concise /noprompt Using Defrag Exit Codes Page 299

Inside Windows 98 Like ScanDisk, Disk Defragmenter returns an error code after it's done. You can use the If errorlevel statement to test the value of the return code and conditionally branch in a batch file based on the code. Table 15.2 lists the codes Defrag returns. TABLE 15.2 Disk Defragmenter Return Codes RESULT CODE | MEANING 0 | No errors reported 2 | No free clusters, no clusters large enough (16 sectors) 4 | General error, run ScanDisk 5 | Error reading cluster, run ScanDisk 6 | Error writing cluster, run ScanDisk 10 | Invalid disk type 15 | Write protected 26 | Cannot access the drive 103 | Locking problem 105 | Defrag could not get a lock on a drive 109 | Protect mode compression driver is required Refer to the section "Using ScanDisk for Windows in Batch Files" earlier in this chapter for an example of a batch file that tests error level and conditionally branches according to the value of the return code. You can use a similar batch file for Disk Defragmenter. Defragmenting Compressed Volumes Because DriveSpace allocates space sector by sector, a DriveSpace volume can contain relatively small fragments. Because only very small files can fit in these small fragments, DriveSpace volumes suffer performance degradation to a higher degree than do uncompressed disks. For that reason, you need to periodically defragment your DriveSpace volumes to ensure the best possible performance when accessing those volumes. You don't have to do anything special to defragment a compressed volume. Disk Defragmenter treats the volume just like any other disk, at least in terms of the program interface. Simply select the compressed volume you want to defragment, choose OK, and then choose Start. NOTE: Unlike ScanDisk, Disk Defragmenter only Page 300

Inside Windows 98 defragments mounted compressed volumes. You can't defragment an unmounted compressed volume. If you need to defragment the volume, first use DriveSpace to mount the volume. Using Task Scheduler for Periodic Maintenance Task Scheduler is a very powerful Windows 98 applet that resides in the System Tray and allows the user to schedule specific programs to run once at a given time or at regular intervals. Task Scheduler is a good way to schedule regular disk scans or defragmentations, and a conscientious user should make use of it to run Disk Defragmenter and ScanDisk at regular intervals. Once a week for a conventional desktop system is a good interval; once every three days for a system where a great many files are constantly being added or deleted is also good. See Chapter 18, "Automating Tasks," for more information on how to make use of Task Scheduler to keep your system tuned. Improving CD-ROM Performance Access to CD-ROM drives in MS-DOS is supported by a DOS extension named MSCDEX, which enables the system to read the CD-ROM drive. Like all DOS components, MSCDEX is a 16-bit, real-mode driver. Windows 98 improves CD-ROM performance by providing a 32-bit CD-ROM file system called CDFS. CDFS eliminates the need to use MSCDEX, increasing CD-ROM performance by reducing access time and increasing throughput. CDFS is a dynamically loadable driver. If Windows 98 detects a CD-ROM drive in the system, it automatically loads CDFS to enable the operating system to read the CD-ROM drive. Like the other disk drivers in Windows 98, CDFS supports long filenames and use of VCACHE to further improve CD-ROM performance by caching often-used data. The cache CDFS uses is separate from the hard disk cache. This allows Windows 98 to store the CDFS cache on the hard drive when the CD-ROM is idle, and thus conserve memory. Using a separate cache also prevents the hard disk cache from being flushed when a large data stream is read from the CD. NOTE: To further improve performance, CDFS reads ahead of the application that uses the CD, typically resulting in smoother playback and fewer pauses during playback. Windows 98 enables you to specify the cache size for CDFS and optimize the cache for the type of CD-ROM drive in the system. To set these parameters, open the Control Panel and choose the System object. In the System property sheet, click on the Performance tab to display the Performance page. Then choose the File System button to display the File System Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 15.7. Page 301

Inside Windows 98 FIGURE 15.7 The File System Properties dialog box. The CD-ROM Optimization group of controls enables you to specify the cache size and optimize it for your CD-ROM drive. Use the Optimize access pattern drop-down list to specify whether the CD-ROM drive in your system is a single-, double-, triple-, or quad-speed drive. Then use the Supplemental cache size slider control to change, the size of the cache based on the amount of RAM in your system. Use Table 15.3 as a guide to set the cache size. TABLE 15.3 CDFS Cache Size versus RAM Installed RAM | Cache Size 8 MB or less | 64 KB 8 MB-12MB | 626 KB 12 MB or more | 1,238 KB The minimum and maximum cache sizes you can set using the Supplemental cache size slider change, depending on the selection in the Optimize access pattern drop-down list. Choosing a slower CD-ROM speed from this drop-down list results in smaller minimum and maximum cache sizes. Choosing a faster speed results in larger minimum and maximum cache sizes. Therefore, you should specify the CD-ROM drive type first; then specify the cache size. Although you can set the cache size to the maximum for your type of CD-ROM drive, doing so might not provide significant performance improvements over a smaller cache. If your system contains plenty of RAM, you can set the cache to its maximum. Otherwise, set the cache size to a low or medium setting. When you have the settings the way you want them, choose OK; then choose OK again to close the dialog box and property sheet. Using Troubleshooting Options Windows 98 includes a selection of settings that you can turn on and off to troubleshoot file system problems. Because some file system problems can prevent you from starting and running Windows 98, you can use command-line switches to enable some of these troubleshooting options when you start Windows 98. These WIN command-line switches are explained in the section "Using Startup Switches" in Chapter 4, "Troubleshooting Setup and Startup." You also can turn on and off the troubleshooting options within Windows 98. To do so, open the Control Panel and choose the System object. On the System property sheet, click on the Performance tab to display the Performance page. Choose the File System button to display the File System property sheet. Then choose the Troubleshooting tab to display the Troubleshooting Page 302

page.

Inside Windows 98

The following list explains the options on the Troubleshooting property page: * Disable new file sharing and locking semantics. This option disables the exclusive locking and file-sharing components in Windows 98. Using this option might overcome file-sharing and locking conflicts. * Disable long name preservation for old programs. This option turns off tunneling, the mechanism Windows 98 uses to retain long filenames when standard applications (word processors and others) write to a file. You must turn off tunneling before you can use the LFNBK utility (described in the next section). * Disable p rotected-mode hard disk interrupt handling. This option causes the hard disk controller to handle hard disk interrupts instead of causing Windows 98 to use its protected-mode drivers to handle them. This setting is equivalent to the WIN /D:V command used to start Windows 98 and to the setting VirtualHDIRQ=False in the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI. * Disable all 32 bit protected-mode disk drivers. This option causes Windows 98 to use real-mode disk access rather than the VFAT, CDFS, IFSHLP, and other 32-bit disk driver components. This setting is equivalent to the WIN /D:F command used to start Windows 98 and to the setting 32BitDiskAccess=False in the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI. * Disable write-behind caching for all drives. This option disables write-behind caching, which means that rather than wait for idle time to write disk changes, Windows 98 immediately writes disk changes as they occur. For additional help with troubleshooting problems in Windows 98, refer to Chapter 4. Preserving Long Filenames All the disk utilities included in Windows 98 support long filenames. Older utilities, such as the DEFRAG utility in MS-DOS 6.x, pre-Windows 98 versions of Norton Utilities and PC Tools, and other pre-Windows 98 disk repair and backup utilities are not compatible with Windows 98's long filenames. What's more, they destroy long filenames if you use these utilities on a Windows 98 system. Sometimes, however, you might need to use one of these disk repair or backup utilities on a Windows 98 system. With that possibility in mind, Microsoft developed a utility that enables you to back up and restore long filenames: LFNBK, included on the Windows 98 CD in the \tools\reskit\ file\ folder. Page 303

How LFNBK Works

Inside Windows 98

LFNBK renames each file that has a long filename to a short filename alias. LFNBK records each file's short name and long filename in file Lfnbk.dat, stored in the root directory of the drive being processed. This data file enables LFNBK to later rename the files using their previous long filenames. LFNBK does have some limitations. The following list explains these limitations and some issues to remember when you use LFNBK: * You can't use LFNBK to repair problems with long filenames. Such problems require ScanDisk. * LFNBK might not be able to rename files in which the first seven characters of the long filename aliases are identical. Consequently, you can lose these long filenames. * After you run LFNBK and then restart Windows 98, the default Windows 98 Start menu appears, rather than your custom Start menu. After you run LFNBK again and restore long filenames, your custom Start menu appears. * You can't change the directory structure disk after you run LFNBK and still restore the long filenames. Do not remove directories or change directory structure, or allow disk utilities to do so, before you restore the long filenames. * Do not delete the file LFNBK.DAT from the root directory of the disk. After LFNBK finishes restoring long filenames, it deletes the DAT file itself. * After restoring the old long filenames, some of the short filenames might be different because Windows 98, not LFNBK, assigns these filenames. * Run the restore process immediately after you run your disk repair or backup utility so that no file or directory changes occur before you restore the long filenames. * If your disk repair or backup utility displays a message that indicates that it cannot run in a multitasking environment, boot Windows 98 (or DOS) without any of Windows 98's protected-mode drivers, such as IFSHLP.SYS. Using LFNBK To protect long filenames with LFNBK, you first run LFNBK to back up the long filenames on the disk. Then you run the incompatible disk utility, which results in the long filenames being lost. You then run LFNBK again to restore the long filenames. To run LFNBK, first copy the LFNBK.EXE program file from the source disk to the Windows directory. Then you must turn off long filename tunneling, which causes Windows 98 to preserve Page 304

Inside Windows 98 long filename entries when standard applications read and write to the files. To turn off tunneling, open the Control Panel and choose the System object. In the System property sheet, click on the Performance tab; then choose the File System button. On the File System property sheet, click on the Troubleshooting tab to display the Troubleshooting property page. Then place a check in the Disable long name preservation for old programs check box, choose OK, and choose OK again. The system will prompt you to reboot, and you should allow it to reboot before continuing. After you turn off tunneling, close all running programs. Open an MS-DOS session and enter an LFNBK command based on the following syntax: LFNBK [/v] [/b | /r | /pe] [/p] [drive:] The following list explains the switches and parameters you can specify with LFNBK: * /v. This switch directs LFNBK to use Verbose mode, reporting all actions to the display. * /b. This switch directs LFNBK to back up and remove long filenames. * /pe. This switch directs LFNBK to extract errors from backup database LFNBK.DAT, created in the root directory of the drive processed by LFNBK. * /r. This switch directs LFNBK to restore backed-up long filenames. * /nt. This switch directs LFNBK to not restore backed-up file dates and times. * /p. This switch directs LFNBK to find long filenames but not convert them to short filenames. * /force. This switch forces LFNBK to run even if LFNBK detects that it is not safe to run. ----------

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OLE, DDE, and File Associations * Understanding Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) * Understanding Container and Object Applications * Linking and Embedding Objects * One-Way Links * Two-Way Links * Creating Compound Documents * Using Drag-and-Drop to Create Compound Documents * OLE Menu Commands Page 305

* * * * *

* * * * * * *

Inside Windows 98 Understanding OLE Interfaces Looking at the Structured Storage System for Objects Understanding DCOM Understanding DDE Understanding DDE Functions * Initiate * Other DDE Functions Initiating a DDE Conversation Requesting Information Sending Information Sending Commands Terminating DDE Conversations Comparing DDE and OLE Modifying File Associations and Objects

One of the most powerful features of Windows 98 is Object Linking and Embedding (OLE). With OLE you can move information from one application to another quickly and easily. An example of OLE is dynamically linking information from an Excel spreadsheet to a Word document. This can be a tremendous time saver. An in-depth knowledge of the technology behind OLE isn't necessary for one to begin taking full advantage of Windows 98's powerful data exchange capabilities. With only a basic knowledge of OLE, a user can transfer data from application to application transparently. Of course, understanding OLE concepts in detail will help you use your Windows 98 applications more efficiently. This chapter introduces the main components of OLE 2.0, DDE, and file association, covering the following topics: * Linking and embedding objects * Creating OLE compound objects * DDE terminology * DDE function codes * Understanding DCOM Understanding Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) OLE enables you to create data (called an object) in an application. An object can be almost anything, such as a bitmap, an audio file, a video clip, or a spreadsheet. You can then embed or link that object data to other data created with another application. You don't have to exit the original application to make necessary refinements even when editing the object within your original application. Editing becomes much more convenient because you can then edit from within the Page 306

compound document.

Inside Windows 98

An OLE object is a finite unit of information created by using an OLE- compatible application. Bitmaps, text, line art, charts, and spreadsheets can all be considered objects. Objects can be divided into two components: presentation data and native data. Presentation data is that which allows the object to appear onscreen and to communicate with a printer. Native data is the information needed to edit or maintain the object (such as toolbars and controls). Scrap objects (see Figure 16.1) are special objects that Windows 98 enables you to create. They are sections of text from the word processor that you can place directly on the desktop. The desktop then functions as a visible Clipboard. FIGURE 16.1 A scrap object. The procedure for the creation of a scrap object is as follows: 1. While you are in a document, select the text or graphic of the object you want to copy (for example, a Word document). 2. Drag the selected object or area onto the Windows 98 desktop by using the left mouse button. 3. The scrap object on the desktop has the same properties as any other item on the desktop. If you right-click the scrap object, the Context menu will appear. Select Properties to view the properties page of the scrap object (see Figure 16.2). FIGURE 16.2 The Scrap Object Properties dialog box. You can use OLE container applications to create and manage compound documents. Compound documents are containers that hold objects created using another application. Productivity is greatly enhanced by this OLE feature. The term compound document encompasses a wide variety of possibilities. For example, a compound document can be any container of objects, such as a spreadsheet that contains a word processing document or a presentation that contains a sales forecast from a spreadsheet. Another example could be a Word document that contains a sound file. These containers are documents that can seamlessly incorporate objects of different formats. Sound clips, spreadsheets, text, and bitmaps are all examples of objects commonly used in compound documents. Each object is created and maintained by its object application, although Object Linking and Embedding allows for the integration of services of different objects. When you are using a compound document, your computer acts with the functionality of a single application for each object application. Page 307

Inside Windows 98 You should familiarize yourself with the terms presented in Table 16.1 to get the most out of this chapter. TABLE 16.1 OLE Terms and Definitions Term | Meaning Objects | Information created by OLE-compatible applications Native data | All of an object's information needed to display, control, and edit the data Presentation data | That portion of an object's information necessary to display the object Compound document | An OLE document made up of objects created with more than one application and linked with OLE Drag and drop | Moving objects from one application or document to another using the mouse (or keyboard) to grab the object and drag it to the new location Container | The application that is used to hold the various objects that make up a compound document DDE | Dynamic Data Exchange Visual editing | (Also called in-place editing) The capability to edit an object embedded in another application without having to switch between applications Scrap objects | Special OLE objects that can be placed directly on the Windows 98 desktop Windows 98 uses OLE 2.0. Windows 95 and Windows 3.1 also used OLE 2.0, but all previous versions of Windows used OLE 1.0. The material in this chapter refers to OLE 2.0. The technology behind OLE 2.0 has enabled software vendors to use the object concept to facilitate the creation of sophisticated applications. These new applications provide a new level of application interoperability. What this means is that different applications can work in cooperation with each other in better harmony, even when the applications are developed by different software venders. This new level of application integration in OLE is achieved by the creating and defining of a set of standard interfaces through which one application accesses the services of another. This standard is based on the Component Object Model, which specifies how data objects interact. The Component Object Model defines a standard for object implementation independent of programming language. This provides the basis for OLE 2.0 functionality. Regardless of which particular software developer's product is used to create a component object, the software conforms to the Component Object Model by implementing and using the interfaces that support object interaction. Understanding Container and Object Applications OLE objects are stored and maintained in a container application. (The application doesn't have to be associated with Page 308

Inside Windows 98 the object application.) The container document is the part of the container application that holds the embedded object. NOTE: Previous versions of OLE referred to container applications as "client applications." The communication between the container application and the object application takes place through interfaces available through the OLE library file's process intercommunication. An object application acts as a server that provides the data object. (In previous versions of OLE, these applications were sometimes referred to as server applications.) Object applications also can use OLE interfaces to communicate with container applications. Linking and Embedding Objects You can use OLE to link or embed an object into a document. Linking uses less storage space. Linking is the process by which you place only the object's presentation data and a pointer to its native data in a document. The native data for this object does not exist in the container but is in some other location, such as a file on the disk. There is a limitation of linking versus embedding. This is because of the fact that the native data for a linked object resides separately on the disk; linking limits the object from traveling outside the local file system. Linking is actually more efficient in terms of system overhead requirements when it can be used instead of embedding. An example of this concept is an Excel worksheet linked to a Word document. If the worksheet is moved onto a disk and taken off the local computer system, the link between the worksheet and the document is broken. Because the worksheet and document are linked, however, the Word document does not contain the native data of the worksheet--just the presentation data--so the file size is smaller, providing greater efficiency. To link an object to another document, follow these steps: 1. Open a document from which you want to establish a link--for example, a Word text document. 2. Place the mouse pointer at the position in the document at which you want to establish the link. 3. Open the application for the object you want to link--for example, an Excel spreadsheet. 4. Select the data you want to link. 5. Open the Edit menu and choose Copy. 6. Switch back to Word. Page 309

Inside Windows 98 7. Choose Edit, and then click Paste Special, which pastes the selected data into the Word document. Your application might open a dialog box after you select Paste Special, such as the one shown in Figure 16.3. If so, choose the Paste or Paste link option. An example result of the link is shown in Figure 16.4. FIGURE 16.3 Choosing Paste link in the Paste Special dialog box. FIGURE 16.4 The linked object. When you link an object, the linked object remains part of the original (or source) document and simply is tied to the compound document via the OLE link. Thus, whenever you update the source document, it automatically updates the compound document. Consider the steps described previously, for example. Following those steps creates a link from the Word document to the Excel data. If you now open the Excel application and change the data, the next time you open the linked Word document, the changes automatically appear in that document as well. WARNING: If you link an object to another document, then use the object's original application to delete that object, you effectively delete the object from the container document, too. Links can be constructed in different relationships. The following section explains these two types of relationships. Embedding an object involves placing the object's presentation data and native data in the container document. Now the container document has all of the necessary information it needs for editing the object. Embedding makes sure that this information travels with the compound document. If the document travels to another file system, all the object's application services travel with it. By embedding, you have placed both the native and presentation data in the container file; the file is now much larger than it would have been had you simply linked the object to the container document. Remember, when you link the object to the container document, only the object's presentation data travels to that document. To embed an object into another document, follow these steps: 1. Open a document, such as a Word text document. 2. Place the mouse pointer at the place in the Word document where you want to embed the new object. 3. Choose Insert, Object, which opens the Object dialog box (see Figure 16.5). Page 310

Inside Windows 98 4. Depending on the application you are using, you might need a command other than Insert, Object to access this dialog box. In some applications you embed objects from the Edit menu. 5. In the Object dialog box, you can create the type of data that you want (such as an Excel chart) or use the Create from File panel to embed a previously created object (see Figure 16.6). FIGURE 16.5 Creating a new object. FIGURE 16.6 Creating an object from a file. To edit the embedded object within the container document, simply double-click on the embedded object. You will then have access to the object's native data (toolbars). You can see that the embedded object has effectively become a part of the new or container document. One-Way Links When a source document shares its data with a container document, this is termed a one-way link. Because of that link, changes to the source document automatically affect the container document accordingly. One-way links can link an object to multiple destinations. A logo created in Microsoft Paint, for example, might be linked to an Excel spreadsheet and to a letterhead document in Word, as well as to a PowerPoint presentation. Anytime you modify the logo in Paint, all the one-way links are recognized and updated automatically, and the new logo appears when you open the linked document, spreadsheet, or presentation. Two-Way Links Two-way links consist of the source document sharing its data (the object) with the destination document and the destination document sharing its own data back to the object source document (see Figure 16.7). FIGURE 16.7 * A two-way link. This can be a powerful tool that is best illustrated with an example. You could have a Word document pertaining to a sales forecast. This Word document could link to an Excel spreadsheet document. From the sales forecast in the Word document the spreadsheet in Excel creates a chart. A two-way link then links the newly created chart in Excel back to the original Word document. This two-way link means that if the source data (in Word) changes, the Excel spreadsheet is updated as well. Because Page 311

Inside Windows 98 the Excel chart is based on this data, Excel in turn updates the information in the chart. Finally, the two-way link updates the OLE object (the chart) in the Word document. This example of a two-way link illustrates the strengths of two applications: Excel's capacity to create charts and Word's capacity to present narrative and data in a readable format. Examine the time-saving benefits of this particular two-way link. Because of the OLE two-way linking of information, the chart in the Word document (part of the end product) responds to any editing you make to the text data in the very same document. After you establish the two-way link, the changes to the chart in the source document appear to occur directly; that is, you might not see Excel's intervention as changes in the Word data cause changes in the chart. (Also, note that in this scenario, the source document acts simultaneously as a container document.) The great thing about the usefulness of OLE is that it is not necessary to have a vast knowledge of the underlying forces behind this tool. Knowing about source documents and container documents is useful to the understanding of OLE principles, but it is not essential for productive usage. TIP: OLE's power is its capability to manipulate data between applications, without even thinking about which applications you are using. Future applications might in fact eliminate visible distinctions between applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, database applications, and so on. Creating Compound Documents Compound documents are documents that seamlessly incorporate objects of different data types from different applications. You can integrate sound clips, spreadsheets, bitmaps, and text all into a single compound document. You can create and edit these objects using their respective object applications; however, you can use OLE to integrate each of these services into the compound document. Using a compound document in this manner affords you the luxury of not having to switch back and forth between objects and applications. You can give full concentration to the compound document, avoiding the distraction of switching between documents. You might have had the need in the past to create different types of information, by using different applications and then manually integrating the information. You could have created a spreadsheet showing sales figures, for example, then manually attached a hard copy of that sheet to a word processed narrative of your sales program. In Windows 98 you can now seamlessly integrate these two objects from different applications, through the use of OLE technology. Page 312

Inside Windows 98 It is as simple as opening the spreadsheet and selecting the information you want and then dragging that information into an open word processing document. From within this newly created compound document you can edit any of the information in the document without changing applications. Using Drag-and-Drop to Create Compound Documents Figures 16.8 and 16.9 show the ease with which you can use the drag-and-drop method to create OLE compound documents. When you select the Excel chart on the right, then drag and drop it into the Word document on the left, you get a compound document: you now have embedded the chart into the document. FIGURE 16.8 Documents prior to drag and drop. OLE Menu Commands Windows applications that support OLE links and objects have the following commands (located in the Edit menu) to support placing and editing embedded objects: * Copy. Copies selected data from a source document to the Clipboard, which an object application then can use to create an embedded object or link it to the source document. FIGURE 16.9 Documents after drag and drop. * Cut. Removes data from a source document and places it on the Clipboard, which an application then can use to create an embedded object. * Paste. Places data from the Clipboard into the destination document. * Paste Link. Inserts a DDE link between a document and the file that contains the object. The object appears in the destination document, but the original data that defines the object is stored in the source document. * Paste Special. Opens a dialog box in which you can choose the format of the data for the object on the Clipboard and choose to paste a link or paste the data without making it an object (that is, create a "static" entry). * Insert Object. Opens a dialog box so that you can choose which server application to start, then embeds the object the server produces into the destination document. (This is the same as running the object application, copying the data to the Clipboard, and then pasting it into the destination document.) Some applications also have a second panel that enables you to use this option to embed an object already created in another application. Note that you don't always find all of these commands in all Windows OLE applications. Page 313

Inside Windows 98 Understanding OLE Interfaces In order to access object services, for example, saving the object or visually editing an object, an interface is provided. This interface provides a means for OLE to gain access to the object's native data. While interfaces are defined by OLE, they can be implemented by OLE, the object application, or the container application. The services that the interface is providing determine which application provides the interface. OLE 2.0 provides interfaces that implement the services that are standard for all applications. Applications use these standard interfaces to make calls to the member functions. Application-, document-, or object-specific services (such as pasting from the Clipboard) are supported by interfaces implemented by the respective application. Implementation involves providing code for each of the member functions defined for the interface. Both the container application and the object application implement interfaces that enable you to use their services or functions. If you are using the container application and want to edit an embedded object, for example, the container application makes a function call to the appropriate interface implemented by the object application. Likewise, after the object application completes an operation, such as resizing an object, it calls functions that the container application implements to change the layout of the object. The OLE library maintains communication between the container and object applications. The library intercepts calls and provides a variety of services through its interfaces. Among the many services provided by the OLE library interfaces are the storage of objects and the packaging and sending of parameters between the different process spaces. Interfaces fall into one of four general categories: * Communication between objects * Infrastructure support * Basic linking and embedding * Advanced features The implementation of only a few interfaces from those in the first two areas are needed for an application developer to achieve basic OLE functionality. The specific interfaces required differ somewhat, depending on whether the application acts as a container, an object, or both. A developer can implement the appropriate additional interfaces as more features are required. Looking at the Structured Storage System for Objects Embedded objects are stored in a hierarchical OLE storage Page 314

Inside Windows 98 system. This storage system is actually a miniature file system within a file, in that it implements in every compound document. The purpose of this storage system is to keep track of all the information necessary to maintain the embedded object, such as file type, native data location, presentation data location, and certain directory information. There are two levels of storage in the OLE object storage system, categorized as follows: * Storage objects. You can view storage objects at the directory level in a typical file system. A storage object can contain streams and/or other storage objects. Each OLE object is assigned its own storage object. * Stream objects. You can view stream objects at the file level. A stream object is the part of this mini-file system that contains the data. The data can be a bitmap, text, worksheet cells, or any other OLE data. OLE provides a set of interfaces through which access to the objects and data within OLE storage system is reached. The OLE storage system provides for efficient access to the object data. This saves time and streamlines the method of access. The efficiency is carried out by the use of compound documents. Although OLE applications do not have to use compound files, compound file usage is common because the OLE object storage system provides efficient access to object data. The storage system interfaces enable objects to be read from disk to memory without loading an entire file, which is very handy when you load a compound document that contains a large number of objects or compound documents that contain a single large object such as a video clip. Loading only the data the application currently needs is more efficient because applications don't have to wait for unnecessary data to load before they can make the needed data available. The storage system includes a two-phase commit operation specifically for those applications that require the capability to undo changes you make to a document during editing. An application that saves in Transacted mode keeps both the old and new copies of the document available until you decide to save or undo the changes. If your particular application does not need this feature, you can save in a direct mode where editing the document and its objects are incorporated as you make the changes. Understanding DCOM Traditionally, when software vendors wanted to increase their applications' functionality, they simply created the necessary code and added it to the application's EXE file. This method of adding to the programs' functionality has two distinct disadvantages. The EXE file can become quite large, and it forces the inclusion of several other support files. Page 315

Inside Windows 98 If a developer created a program for just simple word processing and wanted to add features, such as a graphing feature to create charts within the application, he had to add this functionality to the base word processor by generating additional code to the original EXE file. This makes the executable file quite large. Another software developer, wanting to add graphing capability to a spreadsheet application, would add the same functionality to that application by building onto its executable file as well. Windows 98's OLE technology now enables application developers to implement additional features in their software without adding additional code to the original EXE file. If a word processor application and a spreadsheet application both need graphing capabilities, a mini-OLE server can be created that contains all the graphing capabilities, which both applications can share. This technology is based on Component Object Modeling. Component Object Modeling enables developers to reduce the amount of redundant code that is used in their applications. It also enables more interoperability between applications--the different functions, such as graphing, work the same way because they are the same mini-application. NOTE: Microsoft has released an update to the OLE model, named ActiveX. ActiveX is designed to let developers create applications to be distributed over the Internet and World Wide Web. ActiveX can be combined with COM, Win32, and Direct X multimedia services to create objects, scripts, media feeds, and applications that can be integrated in World Wide Web pages to create dynamic (or active) documents. For information on ActiveX, see Microsoft's ActiveX Resource Area Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/activex/default.htm. A few documents you might want to read for background information on ActiveX include "What Is ActiveX" and "Activating the Internet with ActiveX Technologies." The document "What Is ActiveX" explains what ActiveX is, its benefits, and who supports it. The document "Activating the Internet with ActiveX Technologies" reads like a press release, but gives you a nice overview of how ActiveX can be used in real-world scenarios. The Component Object Model provides several advantages. First, if you need to add graphs into a container document, the applications use the same graphing OLE miniserver and apply the same user interface, reducing the need to learn two separate graphing features. Second, each base executable file is smaller and the separate objects (OLE miniservers) are not duplicated on the hard disk, Page 316

which saves drive space.

Inside Windows 98

NOTE: Again, this configuration leads to greater efficiency because the separate objects are installed in a common directory so that they can be called easily from each base application. This prevents the base application from having to hunt through several directories to find the needed object. Third, because of the reduced EXE file size, the base applications can load faster. The application does not need to load the graphing or drawing functionality until you call for it. These factors combine to give faster overall system performance. Finally, this method facilitates better interoperability between applications. Applications that participate in this technology appear seamless, because they share the same sub-components. The Microsoft Office package is a good example of a group of applications built on this model. MS Office contains a word processor, spreadsheet application, presentation graphics application, and database application. All of these individual applications use the same group of mini-OLE servers. For example, if you create a voice annotation in Excel (the spreadsheet application), you will use the same object that would be used if you were to create the voice annotation in Word (the word processing application). The interface that is used and the steps taken are identical for these two different applications; this is because of the fact that the mini-OLE server that is utilized is the same. Understanding DDE The Windows Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) system is actually a protocol (or set of guidelines) that enables DDE-compatible Windows applications to share data easily with other compatible applications. You can use DDE to perform one-time data transfers or ongoing conversations. In ongoing real-time conversations, applications send updates to one another as new data becomes available. You should first familiarize yourself with the following basic DDE terms in order to better understand DDE concepts (and the examples later in this chapter): * Conversation. A DDE conversation simply refers to two Windows applications using DDE to exchange data. * Channel. DDE conversations are conducted through channels, which are the computer links between the applications. * Client application. The DDE client is the application that initiates a conversation. Page 317

Inside Windows 98 * Server application. The DDE server is the application that responds to the DDE client. * Application names. Each Windows-based application that supports DDE has a unique DDE application name, usually the name of the executable file for that application minus the EXE extension. Application names are used when referencing the application in a DDE command. If you aren't sure about an application's DDE application name, check its property sheet for its filename. Also, don't forget that application names are not case sensitive. * The following list provides application names for some popular Microsoft applications: Application | DDE Application Name Microsoft Access | MSAccess Microsoft Excel | Excel Microsoft FoxPro | FoxPro Microsoft Project | Project Microsoft Word for Windows | WinWord * Task identification number. A task identification number (also known as a task ID) is a unique number that identifies one particular copy of an application when several copies of that application run at the same time. The task ID is appended to the application name to identify the application (for example, Word5661). * Item. A DDE item refers to a piece of data (such as a range of cells in a worksheet, a chart, or a bitmap) that two applications engaged in a DDE conversation can pass between them. * Topic. A DDE topic is information that defines the subject matter of the DDE conversation and represents some unit of data that is meaningful to the DDE server conversation. For applications that can save and retrieve files, a topic is the file name (for example, SALES.XLS). * System. System is a special DDE topic that many applications recognize. Unlike some other topics, which might or might not be available, depending on whether a file is open, the System topic always remains available and provides a list of the other topics currently available, as well as other information about the application. Understanding DDE Functions All DDE communications occur in a channel between applications. Page 318

Inside Windows 98 DDE functions Initiate and Terminate open and close the channel. The client application controls the channel and requests services from the server. Word for Windows will be used in the following discussion to serve as the sample application from which transactions are issued. Most other DDE- compatible applications function similarly. There will be examples from other applications that follow later in the chapter. Initiate The Initiate function opens a DDE channel from the client application to the server application. This function has two parameters: the server application name and the topic. The application name is the server program name minus the EXE extension; for example, Excel. (If the server application is not running, the Initiate function launches the application.) Initiate returns a channel number to the client application (in addition to opening the channel). The channel number is used as a parameter in all other DDE functions subsequent to identifying the channel. Calling the Initiate function several times can open more than one channel. Each channel is numbered after the Initiate function is called. An error message will appear if the server application is not running and cannot be started. The same error message will appear if the topic is not valid. Other DDE Functions Additional DDE functions include Terminate, Request, Poke, and Execute, summarized in the following list: * Terminate. Closes a DDE channel. The parameter for this function is the channel number of the DDE channel to close. You get an error if the channel number is not valid. * Request. Retrieves data from the server application. The parameters this function uses are the channel number and the item. The channel number is the value the Initiate function returns. The item identifies the actual data to be returned. The server application returns the desired data. You receive an error message if the channel number is not valid, the item is not valid, or the server cannot find the desired data. * Poke. Sends data to the server application. The parameters are the channel number, the item, and the data. The item identifies the type of data being sent. The data is the actual data to be sent to the server. * An error is returned if the channel number is not valid, the item is not valid, or the server is not able to accept the data. Page 319

Inside Windows 98 * Execute. Sends commands to the server application. The parameters are the channel number and the execute string. The channel number is the value returned by Initiate. The execute string contains the command to be executed by the server. Several commands can be sent to the server. * Different server applications support different commands. The commands that can be sent to an application are the commands in that application's menus. An error is returned if the channel number is not valid, or if any errors occur when the server executes the commands in the execute string. Initiating a DDE Conversation The client and server applications must be running before a DDE conversation can occur. Therefore, a macro to initiate a DDE conversation usually should include instructions that carry out the following three steps: 1. Determine whether the server application that the client is calling is running. 2. Start the application if it is not running. 3. Initiate the DDE conversation. You can use the AppIsRunning() function to determine whether an application is running, using the following syntax: AppIsRunning(WindowName$) WindowName$ is the name of the application as it appears in the title bar of the application window. For example, you would use the following syntax to determine whether Microsoft Excel is running: status = AppIsRunning("Microsoft Excel") WARNING: The WindowName$ for an application is not the same as the DDE application name. If the server application is not running, you can use the Shell statement to start it. The Shell function requires the actual application filename with the extension; for example, EXCEL.EXE. (If the application you want to start is not in the current directory or path, you must specify the path as well as the filename.) For example: Shell "C:\Excel\Excel.exe" To open a document at the same time you start the application, you can add a parameter that specifies a document filename with the application file- name or just the document filename, assuming the filename extension has been associated with the Page 320

application you want to start:

Inside Windows 98

Shell "C:\Excel\Examples\Budget.xls" Here is another example of how you might use AppIsRunning() and Shell together: If AppIsRunning("Microsoft Excel") = 0 Then Shell "Excel.exe" After you establish that the application you want to use as the server is running, you can use DDEInitiate() to initiate the DDE conversation, as follows: DDEInitiate(Application$, Topic$) Application$ is the DDE application name of the application with which you want to initiate a conversation. Topic$ is the name of a topic the application currently supports. For example, the following instruction initiates a conversation with Microsoft Excel on the System topic: chan = DDEInitiate("Excel", "System") If DDEInitiate() successfully initiates a conversation with the specified server application and topic, it returns a channel number. You then can use this channel number as an argument in other DDE statements and functions to refer to this particular DDE conversation. An error occurs if the application is not running or if the application does not recognize the topic. If you specify Microsoft Excel as the application name and BUDGET.XLS as the topic, but BUDGET.XLS is not open, for example, Windows 98 generates an error. Requesting Information Now that you have initiated a DDE conversation with another application, you can use the DDERequest$() function to obtain information from an item within the specified topic, using the following syntax: DDERequest$(ChanNum, Item$) ChanNum is the number of a channel the DDEInitiate() function returns. Item$ is an item the DDE conversation's topic supports. The following is an example of a DDERequest$() to query the System topic in Microsoft Excel to produce a list of the currently supported topics: If AppIsRunning("Microsoft Excel") = 0 Then Shell "Excel.exe", 1 chan = DDEInitiate("Excel", "System") topics$ = DDERequest$(chan, "Topics") "Topics" is an item in the System topic that lists all the Page 321

Inside Windows 98 topics currently available. You can add a MsgBox instruction if you want to display the list of topics in a message box. Topic names are separated by tab marks, which appear as spaces in the message box. For example, C:\ Excel\ Examples\ Amortize.xls, C:\ Excel\ Examples\ Budget.xls, and Sheet2 are the names of open Microsoft Excel documents that can be accessed as topics in DDE conversations. If the specified channel number does not refer to an active DDE conversation, DDERequest$() generates an error. You also get an error if the other application does not recognize the specified item. Note that because DDERequest$() is a string function, it always returns information to the Word macro in the form of a string. Sending Information Although the client in a DDE conversation usually obtains information from the server, the client also can send information to the server, using the DDEPoke statement with the following syntax: DDEPoke ChanNum, Item$, Data$ ChanNum is the channel number returned by the DDEInitiate() instruction that began the DDE conversation. Item$ is the name of an item supported by the DDE conversation's topic. Data$ is the information, in the form of a string, that you want to insert into the item. (All numbers must be first converted to strings using the Str$() function.) The following example "pokes" the numeric value 100 into the first cell of the Microsoft Excel worksheet that is the topic of the DDE conversation. The Str$() function converts the value into a string: DDEPoke chan1, "R1C1", Str$(100) Sending Commands You use the DDEExecute statement to send a command recognized by the server application: DDEExecute ChanNum, Command$ ChanNum is the channel number DDEInitiate() returns. In Microsoft Excel and many other applications that support DDE, Command$ is a statement or function in the application's macro language. For example, in Microsoft Excel the XLM macro statement that creates a new worksheet is NEW(1). To send the same command through a DDE channel, use the following: Page 322

Inside Windows 98 DDEExecute chan1, "[NEW(1)]" Most DDE applications, such as Microsoft Excel, require that each command received through a DDE channel be enclosed in brackets. You can send more than one command through a single DDEExecute instruction by enclosing each command in brackets. For example, the following instruction instructs Microsoft Excel to open and close a worksheet: DDEExecute chan1, "[NEW(1)][FILE.CLOSE(0)]" Sending multiple commands can speed up the DDE macro a great deal. The preceding instruction is equivalent to the following two instructions: DDEExecute chan1, "[NEW(1)]" DDEExecute chan1, "[FILE.CLOSE(0)]" Some commands require arguments in the form of strings enclosed in quotation marks. Because the quotation mark indicates the beginning and end of a string in WordBasic, you must use Chr$(34) to include that quotation mark in a command string. In order to send the Microsoft Excel macro instruction OPEN("Sales.xls"), you would use the following instruction: DDEExecute chan1, "[OPEN(" + Chr$(34) + "Sales.xls" + Chr$(34) + ")]" Terminating DDE Conversations DDE channels do not close automatically until you exit the client application. If you do not close a channel, it remains open, even after the macro ends. Because each channel uses system resources, you should always close channels after you no longer need them to improve overall system performance. You use DDETerminate to terminate a DDE conversation, as follows: DDETerminate ChanNum ChanNum is the channel number DDEInitiate() returns. After you close Word, it automatically terminates all active DDE conver-sations. However, you might want to terminate all conversations without closing Word. WordBasic includes the DDETerminateAll function as a shortcut to close channels one by one. DDETerminateAll terminates all active DDE conversations that Word initiates. Still, it does not terminate DDE conversations that another application might have initiated with Word as the server. Comparing DDE and OLE DDE actually is the foundation on which OLE technology is built. You can perform many DDE functions more easily by using OLE. An example would be using the "paste-link" process described in Page 323

Inside Windows 98 Chapter 16, "OLE, DDE, and File Associations," to establish a link between a word processing document and a spreadsheet, instead of including a macro (such as the one described earlier in this chapter) in your document. You might find this more convenient most often. Situations might arise, however, particularly if you engage in even basic application programming, in which you need to exercise more control over the link between applications. You might then find DDE better suited to the task. Additionally, OLE can tie up substantial amounts of your system's resources in establishing links. Using DDE enables you to exercise more control over the data exchanges and, in the process, determine the appropriate levels of data exchange. Modifying File Associations and Objects File Association works to tell Windows 98 that a particular filename ex- tension is linked to a specific program. When a file is opened, it has an extension associated with a given application; the operating system automatically starts the application and then loads the file. To open an application, you double-click a related document file, and the file's type must be defined in the Window 98's Registry to be valid. As such, it appears in a list of file types that you can associate with an application. For more information about associating a file type with a specific application so that the application runs as you double-click a file, see the online Help. If a file type has been associated with an application, you can re- associate the file type with a different application. The steps involved in re-associating a file are listed below: 1. Double-click My Computer, and then click the View menu. 2. Click Folder Options, and then click the File Types tab. 3. Click the type of document you want to re-associate, and then click Edit. 4. In the Actions list, click Open, and then click Edit. 5. In the Application used to perform action field, type the path to the application you want to associate with the file type, as in Figure 16.10. In some applications, such as Microsoft Excel, you can associate multiple extensions with a file type. For example, a Microsoft Excel file is associated by default with an .XLS extension. Problems may result if the user attempts to change which application opens a particular file type. To re-associate a file type with an application in this situation, you are required to Page 324

Inside Windows 98 delete all extensions registered to that application. You must then re-associate each file type with an application. In addition, you must also redefine the Open, Print, and DDE commands for each file type. To do this, in My Computer or Windows Explorer, click the View menu, click Options, and then click the File Type tab. FIGURE 16.10 The application used to perform an action. If you select New from the File menu when in Windows Explorer or in the Context menu, a list of objects appears. For example, a folder or Microsoft Excel 5.0 worksheet may be listed. Clicking an object creates a new object in Windows Explorer or on the desktop. You can add an object to this list by using the Registry Editor and adding a key called ShellNew to the related file extension for the related filename extension: Hkey_Classes_Root\.ext After you have created the ShellNew key, you will need to add a string value called FileName. That string value will have a data value that is the same as the path name to a template file in the ShellNew subdirectory. For example: FileName="c:\windows\shellnew\excel.xls ----------

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Integrating Windows 98 and DOS * DOS Application Settings * The General Property Page * The Program Property Page * Advanced DOS Application Options * MS-DOS Mode * Selecting an Icon for the DOS Application * The Font Property Page * The Memory Property Page * The Screen Property Page * The Misc Property Page * The DOS Application Window * DOS Application Toolbar * Copying and Pasting Data in the DOS Application Window * The DOS Command Line * DOS Commands * Starting Applications from the Command Line Like Windows 95 before it, Windows 98 does not retain the concept of the Windows environment running on top of the DOS operating system. Until the advent of Windows 95, you couldn't have Windows if you didn't have DOS. Windows 3.x was basically DOS wearing a nicer, more colorful interface; DOS was the Page 325

Inside Windows 98 necessary operating system--no two ways about it. With Windows 95, and now with Windows 98, you get the capabilities of DOS within Windows. Windows 98 is an operating system--separate and distinct--in its own right and does not need DOS. The core functions of DOS, however, still exist in Windows 98. Windows 98 provides better support for DOS applications than any previous Windows versions and adds greater functionality to the DOS command line, which remains part of Windows 98. This chapter explores DOS issues related to Windows 98, including running applications and the DOS command line. The chapter covers the following topics: * Windows 98 support for DOS applications * Elements of the DOS application PIF file * Working in the DOS application window * Using the DOS command line in Windows 98 * Exchanging data through common file formats * Understanding DOS data exchange * Exchanging DOS data through the Clipboard * Embedding DOS applications in Windows documents DOS Application Settings Windows 98 supports DOS applications by providing numerous options for running the application and configuring the application's run-time environment. Among the options you can specify for your application is the name of a batch file that runs just before your application, which might set up some environment variables. You also can specify the amount of extended, expanded, conventional, and protected-mode memory to allocate to the application and more. You can use the property sheet for the shortcut to the application to view and change the options. The settings are stored in the application's PIF file, which Windows 98 automatically associates with the application. To view the properties for a DOS program, right-click on the DOS application's icon and choose Properties from the Context menu. This section presents each of the options on the six property pages. The General Property Page The General property page (see Figure 17.1) provides information about the shortcut to the DOS application and the PIF file shortcut references. FIGURE 17.1 The General property page for a DOS application. Page 326

Inside Windows 98 NOTE: Some of the information you see in the application's property sheet varies depending on how you have set up the application. If you are looking at the properties for the executable file, the properties apply to that file. If instead you right-click on a shortcut to the application, some of the information in the property sheet--such as file creation date--applies not to the executable file but to the PIF file associated with the executable file. The information and options presented in the General property page are explained in the following list: * Icon. When you click it to activate the application, it's visible near the top of the General property page below the horizontal row of menu buttons. The caption for the icon appears beside it. You can change both from the Program property page. * Type. Tells you the type of object you selected. (In the case of a DOS application, the type is either Application or Shortcut to MS-DOS Program.) * Location. Shows the name of the folder in which the object you selected resides. * Size. Shows the size of the file the icon represents. In the case of a shortcut to a DOS application, the size of the PIF file storing information about the DOS application is displayed, not the size of the shortcut file. * MS-DOS name. Shows the MS-DOS short filename of the application or PIF file. * Created. Shows the time and date at which the application or PIF file for the DOS application was created. * Modified. Shows the most recent time and date at which the PIF file for the DOS application was modified. As such, this field indicates the last time any of the properties for the DOS application were modified. * Accessed. Shows the last time any of the property pages for the DOS application were opened. * Attributes. The four check boxes in the Attributes section enable you to set the file attributes for the associated file. The Read-only option determines whether users can change the file. The Hidden option determines whether users can see the file while viewing the contents of the directory in which the file resides. The System option determines whether you consider the file a system file. The Archive option determines whether the archive bit for the file is set. Note that you can set the file attributes separately Page 327

Inside Windows 98 for the executable file, its PIF, and any shortcuts. The Program Property Page The Program property page (see Figure 17.2) enables you to specify the basic information for the DOS application, such as the name of the file that starts the application. You can choose the Advanced button if you want to customize the environment in which the DOS application runs, and you can choose the Change Icon if you want to specify a different icon for the application (or shortcut). These options are covered individually in the section "Advanced DOS Application Options" later in this chapter. FIGURE 17.2 The Program property page for a DOS application. The following list explains the settings in the Program property page: * Title. In the text box next to the icon, you can enter the label that will appear in the application's title bar. * Cmd line. Specify the full path, filename, and any switches necessary to launch the DOS application in this text box. * Working. Some DOS applications enable you to specify a directory--other than the directory from which you launch the application--in which to store runtime information for the application. If so, you can specify that directory in the Working text box. * Shortcut key. To specify a shortcut key (a key or key combination that switches you to the DOS application when you press it), you select this text box and press the key(s) you want to use. You can specify a single key, such as F6, or a combination of keys, such as Alt+F2. The key(s) you press will appear in the text box. * Batch file. If you want a batch file to execute just before the system launches the DOS application (this batch file might load device drivers, or it might set environment variables), specify the pathname for the file in the Batch file text box. NOTE: The Batch file text box enables you to specify a batch file that executes just before the system launches the DOS application. If you run a DOS application in MS-DOS mode, however, you can specify CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT settings for the DOS application to use. For information about MS-DOS mode, see the following section, "Advanced DOS Application Options." * Run. To specify the initial appearance of the window that houses the DOS application, you use this drop-down list to select Normal, Minimized, or Maximized. Page 328

Inside Windows 98 * Close on exit. If you enable this check box, the window in which the DOS application runs closes after the application terminates. If this check box is left cleared, the application will terminate but the window will remain open with the title bar displaying the text "Finished--application name," where application name corresponds to the entry in the Title text box. Configuring the application to terminate in this way is helpful when you want to see the results of the application (closing output, and so forth) before the window closes. Advanced DOS Application Options DOS applications are among the most sensitive to their runtime environment, so running a DOS application in Windows 3.x is not always easy. In fact you have no guarantee that a DOS application can run smoothly on a PC even under DOS. In Windows 98, in addition to the settings on the six property pages described in this section, you can use a set of options designed to help you run the most finicky DOS applications. You access these options by choosing the Advanced button on the Program property page, which displays the Advanced Program Settings dialog box shown in Figure 17.3. FIGURE 17.3 The Advanced Program Settings dialog box enables you to set runtime options for sensitive DOS applications. Many DOS applications run normally in Windows 98 as long as you choose the correct options from the six standard property pages. When you have more sensitive DOS applications, the options in the Advanced Program Settings enable you to specify more stringent runtime options, further isolating the DOS application from Windows 98. One such option is using the setting that controls whether DOS detects Windows. To prevent possible problems related to running their application under Windows, some DOS applications developers code their applications to detect Windows at runtime. If the application detects Windows, it doesn't run. Windows 98 overcomes this problem by providing a switch that prevents DOS applications from detecting Windows at runtime. If you choose the Prevent MS-DOS-based programs from detecting Windows option, MS-DOS-based applications cannot detect Windows. The most sensitive DOS applications necessitate use of Windows 98's MS-DOS mode. If you run an application in MS-DOS mode, Windows 98 disappears from memory, except for a small anchor point that enables Windows 98 to return after the DOS application closes. You can specify for Windows 98 to let you know whether it thinks MS-DOS mode would benefit the DOS application. Unfortunately, this setting applies to individual applications; you must enable the Suggest MS-DOS mode as necessary option for each DOS application for which you want Windows 98 to make its recommendation concerning MS-DOS mode. The following section discusses the different options you can specify for MS-DOS mode. Page 329

Inside Windows 98 MS-DOS Mode To run an application in MS-DOS mode, you must enable the MS-DOS mode check box in the Advanced Program Settings dialog box. Checking this box activates the other MS-DOS mode options in the dialog box and deactivates the options to detect Windows and suggest MS-DOS mode. The reverse happens when you clear the MS-DOS mode check box. You can customize the DOS environment for the application with the options in the MS-DOS mode group. Keep in mind that the settings you specify here override any other comparable settings in the system. The following are the MS-DOS mode options you can specify: * Warn before entering MS-DOS mode. Enabling this check box displays a dialog box when you run the application that warns you that all other applications will close if you run this DOS application. It gives you the opportunity to shut down any open applications yourself. If you do not check this option, no warning occurs. * Use current MS-DOS configuration. Use this option to have the DOS application use the configuration specified in CONFIG.SYS as it was when you booted Windows 98. Rather than execute AUTOEXEC.BAT, Windows uses the environment created by AUTOEXEC.BAT at startup and also executes DOSSTART.BAT. This file is located in the Windows folder. * Specify a new MS-DOS configuration. This option enables you to specify new CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT settings for the DOS application. Choosing this option activates the scrollable text boxes for CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. You can edit or remove existing settings, and you can add new lines. TIP: In the Windows folder are two sample PIFs for running DOS games using MS-DOS mode. The names of both PIFs begin with "MS-DOS Mode for Games." You can use these PIFs as a basis for customizing the way the game runs. Copy the appropriate PIF from the Windows folder to the folder containing the DOS game; then rename the newly copied PIF so its name matches the name of the application's executable file. Then right-click on either the PIF or the application and fine-tune the MS-DOS mode configuration settings as needed. More MS-DOS mode options become available when you choose the Configuration button, which activates the Select MS-DOS Configuration Options dialog box (see Figure 17.4). These options use the virtual device drivers described earlier in this chapter. FIGURE 17.4 The Select MS-DOS Configuration Options dialog box. Page 330

Inside Windows 98 The following list describes the options you can specify in the Select MS-DOS Configuration Options dialog box. * Expanded Memory (EMS). Loads the EMM386 driver to provide simulated expanded memory to the application. * Disk Cache. Loads Microsoft's SmartDrive disk cache software, making it available to the DOS application. * MS-DOS Command Line Editor (Doskey). Loads the DOS command-line editor, making recalling and editing past command-line directives easy. * Direct Disk Access. Gives the DOS application direct access to the disk, enabling it to view and modify data structures on the disk. Selecting an Icon for the DOS Application You can specify the icon that appears for the shortcut to the DOS application. Select the icon from the Change Icon dialog box (see Figure 17.5), which appears after you choose the Change Icon button on the Program property page. FIGURE 17.5 You can use the Change Icon dialog box to specify an icon for the shortcut to the DOS application. The icons that appear in the Current icon list box are those available from the PIFMGR.DLL file, which controls all the property pages. You can select one of the icons that appears in the list box, or you can choose an icon from another file. To choose an icon from another file, type the name of the file in the File Name text box and choose OK. Icons typically are stored in dynamic link library (DLL), EXE, and ICO files. If you need help selecting a file, choose Browse to display the standard file selection dialog box in Windows 98. After you select a file and choose Open, any icons stored in that file appear in the Change Icon dialog box. Windows 98 informs you whether the file you select stores no icons. The Font Property Page The Font property page (see Figure 17.6) enables you to specify font settings for the DOS application and to preview how the fonts appear. The options are valid only when the application is running in a window; they have no effect when the application runs in full-screen mode. You can specify a bitmap or TrueType font, or both, depending on the size you select. You also can select the size of the font from the property page. Two windows on the property page (Window preview and Font preview) preview for you the font type and size selections you make. If you select Auto in the Font size list box, Windows 98 automatically resizes the contents to display the entire window based on how you size the screen. FIGURE 17.6 The Font property page for a DOS application. Page 331

Inside Windows 98 The Memory Property Page The Memory property page (see Figure 17.7) provides you with numerous options to configure the memory environment for the DOS application. You can specify the amount of conventional, expanded, extended, and protected-mode memory available to the DOS application when it runs. FIGURE 17.7 The Memory property page for a DOS application. The following list explains the options in the Memory property page: * Total conventional memory. This setting specifies the amount of conventional memory (in kilobytes) allocated to the DOS application. Conventional memory is the first 640 KB of memory on your system. If you set this option to Auto, Windows 98 determines the amount of memory to allocate based on the application's needs. * Initial environment. You specify the amount of memory allocated to the MS-DOS command interpreter (in kilobytes) in this list box. This value also applies to any batch file application. This setting is comparable to the size parameter of the SHELL= statement in a CONFIG.SYS file. * Protected. Use this check box in the Conventional memory area to have the system protect the MS-DOS system area, which includes support for DOS applications as well as DOS drivers. This switch essentially makes those areas read-only. Although this option does provide increased stability for DOS applications, the additional overhead degrades performance. * Expanded (EMS) memory. The Total list box enables you to specify the amount of expanded memory to allocate to the DOS application. Expanded memory is either found on an expanded memory board on your system or is simulated with existing memory. * Extended (XMS) memory. This Total list box enables you to specify the amount of extended memory to allocate to the DOS application. Extended memory starts at the 1,024 KB address space and extends upward. * Uses HMA. This check box in the Extended (XMS) memory area enables you to specify whether Windows 98 makes the high memory area available to your application. The high memory area represents a portion of the memory address space that exists between conventional memory at 640 KB and the start of extended memory at about 1 MB. * MS-DOS protected-mode (DPM) memory. This drop-down list enables you to specify the amount of protected-mode memory to allocate to the DOS application. Page 332

Inside Windows 98 The Screen Property Page * The Screen property page (see Figure 17.8) enables you to specify how the screen and video behave during a DOS application. You can specify options such as whether the toolbar appears in the DOS application's windows and whether Windows uses its own video ROM services with the application. FIGURE 17.8 The Screen property page for a shortcut to a DOS application. The following list explains the options in the Screen property page: * Usage. You can use the Full-screen and Window options in the Usage group to specify how the DOS application window appears. * Initial size. Use this list box in the Usage group to specify the number of lines that appear in the DOS application window during full-screen mode. Setting the size to more lines displays more information, but the text size is smaller. * Display toolbar. You use this check box in the Window area to specify whether the toolbar appears in the DOS application window. If you enable this option, however, the toolbar appears only in Window mode. For more information on the DOS window, refer to the section "The DOS Application Window" later in this chapter. * Restore settings on startup. Enable this check box in the Window area if you want Windows 98 to restore certain screen settings to their last value the next time you run the DOS application. These settings include the Display toolbar option setting and the font type and font size on the Font property page. If you do not check this option, these settings return to their default value the next time you run the DOS application. * Fast ROM emulation. Enable this check box in the Performance area if you want to improve the DOS application's performance. When you enable this option, Windows 98 uses its own virtual device drivers to simulate video ROM services for the DOS application. Choosing this option does improve performance, but if the DOS application or the video hardware bypasses standard procedures in accessing ROM, you might experience problems running the application. * Dynamic memory allocation. Enabling this check box in the Performance area makes memory dynamically available to the rest of the system if the DOS application uses both text and graphic modes. If you choose this option, Windows 98 dynamically supplements or reclaims memory available to Page 333

Inside Windows 98 other applications as the DOS application switches between video modes. The Misc Property Page The Misc property page (see Figure 17.9) contains eight options that enable you to apply the finishing touches to your customized DOS application and environment for running in Windows 98. The options on this property page range from dictating Windows 98's sensitivity to inactivity in the DOS application to reserving special shortcut key combinations for Windows 98. FIGURE 17.9 The Misc property page for a shortcut to a DOS application. The following list explains the options on the Misc property page: * Allow screen saver. Clear this check box in the Foreground area to specify that no screen saver be activated during while the DOS application is active; enable it if you do want a screen saver to be activated during the application. Among the occasions when you might want to disable the screen saver is when the screen saver interferes with the DOS application's graphics processing. Also, if you are using a screen-capture program, you might want to disable the screen saver to ensure that the screen saver does not activate at the time when you capture a screen. * QuickEdit. Enable this check box in the Mouse area if you want to use the mouse to mark data to copy elsewhere in the DOS application window. If you don't enable this option, you can't use the mouse to copy data; you have to use the Mark option on the toolbar. * Exclusive mode. Enable this check box in the Mouse area to specify that the mouse work only with the DOS application; as long as the DOS application runs, other applications cannot use the mouse pointer. * Always suspend. Enable this check box in the Background area to specify that the DOS application free up its use of system resources when it is not running in the foreground. * Warn if still active. Enable this check box in the Termination area if you want Windows 98 to always warn you when you try to close the window in which the DOS application is running. * Fast pasting. Use this check box option in the Other area to tell Windows 98 to use a different set of algorithms to paste data into the DOS application. * Idle sensitivity. Use this slider to specify Windows 98's degree of sensitivity to inactivity in the DOS application. Page 334

Inside Windows 98 Keyboard input signals activity to Windows 98. The closer you specify to High, the less time Windows 98 waits before it decides that the DOS application is idle and reallocates resources to other applications. The closer you specify to Low, the more patiently Windows 98 behaves. * Windows shortcut keys. Each shortcut key combination shown in this area represents specific functionality in Windows 98. Ctrl+Esc, for example, displays the Start menu. If the DOS application uses any of these key combinations, you can disable their activation from Windows 98 by clearing the corresponding check box. Table 17.1 shows the use for each shortcut key combination. TABLE 17.1 Windows Shortcut Keys Shortcut Key | Combination Function Alt+Tab | Displays list of running applications Alt+Esc | Switches in order through each running application Ctrl+Esc | Displays the Start menu PrtSc | Copies the entire screen image to the Clipboard Alt+PrtSc | Copies the current window or dialog box to the Clipboard Alt+Enter | Switches an application between full-screen and window mode Alt+Space | Activates an application's Control menu The DOS Application Window Windows 98 provides the DOS application window, a useful and somewhat-customizable window for running DOS applications when the DOS application window is not in full-screen mode. The DOS application window features TrueType fonts that scale as you resize the window and a toolbar that gives you access to some useful features, such as changing the font size and displaying the DOS application's property sheet. This section examines the toolbar options and copying and pasting data to and from the DOS application window. DOS Application Toolbar Figure 17.10 shows the DOS application window with labels for each of the buttons on the toolbar. To display the toolbar, you must enable the Display toolbar option on the Screen property page. FIGURE 17.10 Toolbar buttons on a DOS application window. The toolbar buttons are explained in the following list: Page 335

Inside Windows 98 * Font size. This drop-down list contains the same choices as the Font Size list box in the Font property page. The list enables you to specify the size of the text that appears in the window. * Mark. Enables you to select text in the DOS application window. * Copy. Copies the data selected in the window to the Clipboard. * Paste. Inserts the contents of the Clipboard into the cursor location in the window. * Full screen. Switches the DOS application window to full-screen mode. * Properties. Displays the property pages for the DOS application. * Background. Moves the application to the background. * Font properties. Displays the Font property page for the DOS application (you can use this button to access the other four property pages too). Copying and Pasting Data in the DOS Application Window When the DOS application window is in window mode, you can copy and paste data to and from the window the same as you can with a Windows application. To select and copy text that appears in the DOS application window, click on the Mark button on the toolbar; then use the mouse to click and drag over the text you want to copy. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard to select text. To do so, move the cursor to the beginning of the text you want to copy. Then press and hold the Shift key as you use the cursor keys to select the text you want. After you select the text, click on the Copy button on the toolbar to copy the data you selected to the Clipboard. To paste data into the DOS application window, position the cursor at the point to which you want to copy the data; then click on the Paste button on the toolbar. NOTE: If you enable QuickEdit mode on the Misc property page for the DOS application, you can use the mouse to highlight and copy text. Click and drag over the text you want to copy. After you highlight all the text, right-click to copy the text to the Clipboard. The DOS Command Line Although much of Windows 98's user functionality is built into Page 336

Inside Windows 98 its new graphical design, users who prefer to use DOS command-line functionality can still do so in Windows 98. The MS-DOS prompt is a standard choice in the Program group of the Start menu, so the DOS command line is just a menu choice away. The DOS command-line functionality Windows 98 provides has been modified to include new commands and tools and is streamlined by the removal of inappropriate, obsolete commands. DOS Commands Table 17.2 shows the commands you can issue at the DOS command line. The table includes those commands you can use to configure Windows 98 in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT, as well as batch file utilities. To get help with any of these commands, type the command, followed by /? at the DOS prompt; then press Enter. Table 17.3 shows the commands you can no longer use in Windows 98. Not included in these tables are the commands you use with the TCP/IP protocol. TABLE 17.2 Windows 98 DOS Commands ATTRIB | BREAK | BUFFERS | CALL CD | CHCP | CHDIR | CHKDSK CHOICE | CLS | COMMAND | COPY COUNTRY | CTTY | DATE | DEBUG DEFRAG | DEL (erase) | DELTREE | DEVICE DEVICEHIGH | DIR | DISKCOPY | DOS DOSKEY | DRIVPARM | DRVSPACE | ECHO EDIT | EMM386 | ERASE | EXIT EXPAND | FC | FCBS | FDISK FILES | FIND | FOR | FORMAT GOTO | IF | INCLUDE | INSTALL KEYB | LABEL | LASTDRIVE | LH LOADFIX | LOADHIGH (lh) | MD | MEM MENUCOLOR | MENUDEFAULT | MENUITEM | MKDIR MODE | MORE | MOVE | MSD NET CONFIG | NET DIAG | NET INIT | NET LOGOFF NET LOGON | NET PASSWORD | NET PRINT | NET START NET STOP | NET TIME | NET USE | NET VER

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Inside Windows 98 NET VIEW | NLSFUNC | NUMLOCK | PATH PAUSE | PROMPT | RD | REM REN | RENAME | RMDIR | SCANDISK SET | SETVER | SHELL | SHIFT SMARTDRV | SORT | STACKS | START SUBMENU | SUBST | SWITCHES | SYS TIME | TYPE | VER | VERIFY VOL | XCOPY | | TABLE 17.3 Obsolete DOS Commands APPEND | ASSIGN | BACKUP | COMP DOSSHELL | EDLIN | EGA.SYS | FASTHELP FASTOPEN | GRAFTABL | GRAPHICS | HELP INTERLINK | INTERSVR | JOIN | MEMCARD MEMMAKER | MIRROR | MSAV | MSBACKUP POWER | PRINT | PRINTER.SYS | QBASIC RAMDRIVE.SYS | RECOVER | REPLACE | RESTORE ROMDRIVE.SYS | SHARE | SMARTMON | TREE UNDELETE | UNFORMAT | VSAFE | Starting Applications from the Command Line * The DOS command line has been extended in Windows 98 to provide support for starting applications. You can start a Windows-based or a DOS-based application from the command line using the START command. To start an application, type the following: START Typing START WINWORD.EXE, for example, launches Microsoft Word for Windows. You also can launch an application and open a file at the same time from the DOS command line. Windows 98 launches the application that it associates with the filename. To do so, type the following: START <document name> Page 338

Inside Windows 98 Typing START EXPENSES.XLS, for example, launches Microsoft Excel for Win-dows because Windows 98 associates the XLS extension with Excel. You can launch a DOS application the same way. To launch the DOS editor, type the following: START EDIT To get help with the START command, or to see any of the options for the command, type START /? at the command line. You've probably realized in reading this chapter that much of what used to be known as DOS has been incorporated into the Windows 98 operating system. Most of the DOS commands and utilities still exist, however, and are readily available for those users who still find the DOS prompt a comfortable means of interacting with their computers. If you require additional information about any of the DOS commands included with Windows 98, simply open a DOS prompt and issue the command followed by the /? switch. Most of the DOS commands respond with a description of their function and optional parameters. ----------

- 18 Automating Tasks

* Understanding Task Scheduler * Automating Tasks with the Task Scheduler * Deleting and Modifying Tasks * Task Scheduler Limitations * Scheduling Tune-Ups with the Maintenance Wizard * Maintenance Wizard and Improved System Performance * Using Disk Cleanup to Remove Files * Defragmentation and Windows 98 * A Brief Look at ScanDisk * The FAT32 Conversion Wizard * The Windows Scripting Host * Becoming Familiar with Windows Scripting Host Windows 98 makes significant changes in the ways disk and file maintenance operations are performed in comparison to previous versions of Windows. Scheduling with Task Scheduler means you can run jobs routinely--they are never forgotten or ignored. The Maintenance Wizard helps you configure utilities to keep your computer running smoothly. Also new to Windows 98 is Windows Scripting Host, a robust mechanism that is designed to help you automate basic desktop functions. Understanding Task Scheduler Task Scheduler is a background application that loads each time you start Windows 98. You use Task Scheduler to schedule routine hard disk maintenance operations or to schedule any other tasks Page 339

that you need to run on a recurring basis.

Inside Windows 98

You can access Task Scheduler in the following ways: 1. Double-click the Task Scheduler icon in the Notification Area of the Taskbar. 2. Open My Computer. Choose the Scheduled Tasks folder. 3. Click the Start button, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scheduled Tasks. During installation, Windows 98 creates three scheduled tasks for you as shown in Figure 18.1. FIGURE 18.1 Windows 98 automatically sets up ScanDisk, Defragment, and Disk Cleanup scheduled tasks. Before you set up your own scheduled tasks, it is important to understand the concept behind Task Scheduler. Task Scheduler can only launch program files, data files from registered application programs, or script programs. Think of Task Scheduler as an automatic way of using the Windows Run Command dialog box at a prearranged time. See Table 18.1 for a list of files types supported: TABLE 18.1 Task Scheduler File Types File Type Description | General Description Executable files | File extensions .COM and .EXE. Command line switches are allowed. DOS batch files | File extension .BAT. Windows application files | Any Windows program data file with a registered file type extension. Windows Scripting Host | File extensions .JS and .VBS. Scheduled tasks are inserted into the Task Scheduler application where you carry out all scheduling and task modification functions. From the Task Scheduler, you will be able to: * Check the status of a running task * Modify runtime properties of a task * Check the log file of a task * End a running task * Add new tasks * Delete tasks Page 340

Inside Windows 98 Automating Tasks with the Task Scheduler Scheduling tasks to run on a regular basis will help improve your productivity. Think about the different routines you perform manually in Windows. Is there an icon you click regularly to generate a report? Do you open a spreadsheet the same time every day? Maybe you use a Zip disk to back up files on your hard disk every day. Here are some examples of the types of tasks that you can schedule: * Open documents or spreadsheets on certain days of the week, or every month. * Run applications off-hours that use macros or print reports. * Run batch files. * Map a network drive during non-peak periods to copy a file to your computer. NOTE: Task Scheduler is an updated version of the Microsoft Plus! System Agent. All System Agent scheduled events present on your system were automatically converted to Task Scheduler during the Windows 98 installation routine. Using the Scheduled Task Wizard You add all tasks and set all basic properties of a task through the Scheduled Task Wizard. The Scheduled Task Wizard uses a step-by-step approach to walk you through scheduling tasks and setting all of the run-time properties necessary for tasks to execute. To add a new task to Task Scheduler, double-click the Task Scheduler icon in the Notification Area of the Taskbar. Click the Add Scheduled Task icon. The Scheduled Task Wizard program is launched as shown in Figure 18.2. FIGURE 18.2 Add a scheduled task with the Scheduled Task Wizard. Press Next to continue. The wizard presents a list of registered Windows application programs found on your PC, as shown in Figure 18.3. By default, all registered applications appear in the program selection box. Select the program you want to schedule. Click the Browse button to search your hard disk for other applications not found in the program selection box such as DOS programs or batch files. FIGURE 18.3 Select the program you want to schedule. Click Next. Accept the default task name or replace the name of the task with a more friendly name describing the program to be used or the task to be scheduled, if desired. Choose from the Page 341

Inside Windows 98 Perform this task list an interval (frequency) or event from which to trigger the execution of the task as shown in Figure 18.4. FIGURE 18.4 Name the scheduled task and specify and an interval or event. Depending on the interval or event you have chosen for your task, you will be presented with a different dialog box for each setting. Your available choices are shown in Table 18.2. TABLE 18.2 Scheduled Task Intervals and Events Task Interval | Interval Options | Values | Start Options Daily | Every day | Date | Weekdays only | | Number of days between runs | 1-365 Weekly | Every number of weeks | | 1-52 Days of the week | Mon.-Sun. | Monthly | Day of the month | | 1-31 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or last day | Mon.-Sun. | One Time | | | None System Startup | | | None Logon | | | None Choose an interval or event. Click Next. The Scheduled Task Wizard tells you that your task has been successfully scheduled, as shown in Figure 18.5. FIGURE 18.5 The scheduled task is ready to be entered into your Windows schedule. Enable the Open advanced properties check box if you want to further customize settings at the conclusion of the wizard. These advanced properties are optional. To view the advanced properties later, right-click on a scheduled task; then choose Properties. Click Finish to end the Scheduled Task Wizard. Your new scheduled task now appears in the Scheduled Tasks window, as shown in Figure 18.6. FIGURE 18.6 The Scheduled Task Wizard has added the new task to your Windows schedule. Deleting and Modifying Tasks

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Inside Windows 98 Each task in Task Scheduler can be modified or deleted. Right-click on a task and choose Properties to modify its settings, as shown in Figure 18.7, or choose Delete to remove the task from the Scheduled Tasks window. FIGURE 18.7 You can easily modify the settings or properties of a scheduled task. TIP: To run a task immediately, right-click on the task and choose Run. Task Scheduler Advanced Options The Scheduled Task Wizard enables you to set job intervals to run as frequently as every day. As shown in Table 18.3, from Task Scheduler Advanced properties you will be able to schedule down to the minute. The Optional settings enable you to configure Task Scheduler to perform a post-task delete, run a task only when the computer is idle, or enable power-management options. TABLE 18.3 Task Scheduler Advanced and Optional Settings Advanced Schedule Options | Optional Settings Start and End Date | Task Completed Options Repeat Task Options | Idle Time Settings Stop Time | Power Management Options Advanced schedule properties are not set through the Scheduled Task Wizard. Right-click a scheduled task, choose Properties, and then select the Schedule tab. Click the Advanced button. Tailor the Advanced Schedule Options to meet your task's requirements, as shown in Figure 18.8. FIGURE 18.8 Set advanced schedule options to meet your requirements. TIP: Tasks are stored on your hard disk in the C:\Windows\Tasks folder. This is a special Windows system folder. To view the contents of this folder, use Windows Explorer or navigate to the folder from the MS-DOS command prompt. A task is assigned a .JOB file extension. To edit a task from Windows Explorer, right-click the task and then choose Properties. From the Advanced Properties tab, you can specify the following optional settings: Page 343

* Start date

Inside Windows 98

* End date * Repeat interval (minutes or hours) * Repeat task duration (hours and minutes) * Running task stop time You can set the Scheduler to repeat a task by the minute or by the hour for any duration. Or you can repeat a task until a specified time. After the duration has been reached, you can elect to terminate the task. Advanced options are used to set the scheduler to stop a job before a particularly resource-intensive task starts. For example, you can make sure that ScanDisk or Defragmenter stops before you start Disk Cleanup. Click on a scheduled task's Properties Settings tab to control task completion and idle time, and to enable power management features as follows: * Scheduled Task Completed. Choose to delete the task after it runs. You can also tell the scheduler to shut the task down after a certain number of hours. This is useful if you schedule a job to run over a weekend and the job becomes idle for some reason. * Idle Time. Tell the Scheduler to run the task only after your computer has been idle a certain number of minutes. Another option is to stop the task if the computer is in use. This is a good option for maintenance utilities such as ScanDisk and Defragment. * Power Management. You can prohibit tasks from running if you are on battery, or stop them if battery mode begins. Also tell scheduler to wake the computer to run the task. Task Scheduler Limitations You will undoubtedly find ways to schedule multiple jobs to suit your needs. In that regard, Task Scheduler helps you become more efficient and more productive. However, Task Scheduler only runs programs; it does not interact with them. After Task Scheduler launches your application, its job is finished. If, for example, your application must display a dialog box because user intervention is required (a choice or selection must be made), the program will halt. Task Scheduler is not a macro-like program designed to supply keystrokes or enter other information. It might be possible to use a third-party batch or macro language program to create the needed steps to activate a Page 344

Inside Windows 98 program, then step through the required commands. This macro or batch program could then be entered as a scheduled task. NOTE: An application waiting for a response will sit indefinitely unless you set the scheduler option to terminate the job after a specified period of time. Scheduling Tune-Ups with the Maintenance Wizard Think of the Maintenance Wizard as an office manager. Someone who must schedule and coordinate clerks to organize the files, make sure the custodial service empties the trash, and periodically send someone to inspect the building foundation for any sign of weaknesses. The Maintenance Wizard consists of three components, as shown in Table 18.4. TABLE 18.4 Maintenance Wizard Utilities Programs Name | Description Disk Defragmenter | Logically organizes files and folders on your hard disk for faster access ScanDisk | Checks your hard disk for file system problems Disk Cleanup | Deletes unnecessary files on your hard disk These maintenance utilities have already been set up in your Scheduler Tasks folder as a part of the Windows 98 installation routine. You can however start the Maintenance Wizard at any time to collectively run the maintenance programs or to modify program settings. To start the Maintenance Wizard, use either of the two following methods: * Click Start, then choose Run. In the Open text box type tuneup then press the Enter key * Click Start, then choose Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Maintenance Wizard. * The Maintenance Wizard dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 18.9. FIGURE 18.9 Perform maintenance now or change settings/schedule. TIP: You can edit each Maintenance task manually from the Task Scheduler folder. You are presented with two options--either perform maintenance now or change your settings or schedule. To tune your system now, enable the Perform Maintenance Now radio button; then click OK. To customize how the Maintenance Wizard functions or to Page 345

Inside Windows 98 change settings and schedules, enable the Change My Maintenance Settings or Schedule radio button and then click OK. The most complete way to schedule maintenance is to select the Custom option. If you choose this route, you will be required to make a number of choices about the way your computer will be optimized. The choices available to you are: * When do you want Windows to run maintenance? * Which programs, if any, do you want to eliminate from Windows StartUp? Windows will start up faster if no programs load from the Windows StartUp folder. * Whether or not to enable Disk Defragmenter * Do you run a Standard or Thorough ScanDisk test? * Should ScanDisk automatically fix errors? * Which types of unnecessary files should be deleted during Disk Cleanup? Now that the jobs are scheduled on a regular basis, a certain amount of planning might be necessary. Depending on the size and number of hard disks and the other jobs you have running, if you were to run a thorough ScanDisk every night, you should probably make sure that it isn't going to conflict with other tasks. You also wouldn't want it to interrupt you when you are working on your computer. Maintenance Wizard and Improved System Performance Any solid disk management program for your computer should include backing up files regularly, running ScanDisk to check the integrity of your disk(s), and using Defrag to keep the files on disk in order. The key is running these on a regular basis. Chances are, on most computers without scheduling, these tasks do not get done as regularly as they should. It is also a part of good disk management to make sure you delete temporary files and any leftover files from setup applications. With the exception of a backup, the Maintenance Wizard schedules all of these system activities as regularly as you need. Using Disk Cleanup to Remove Files Disk Cleanup is new utility used to remove several different types of unnecessary files on your hard disk, as shown in Table 18.5. In prior versions of Windows these files had to be removed manually to conserve disk space. To start Disk Cleanup click the Start button; then choose Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup. TABLE 18.5 Disk Cleanup Can Delete Many Unnecessary Files File Type | Description

Page 346

Inside Windows 98 Temporary Internet Files | Web browser cache files Download Program Files | Web page temporary ActiveX controls and Java applets Recycle Bin | Recycle Bin contents Temporary Files | Temporary program and other installation-related files Choose a hard disk from the selection list. Click OK. After Disk Cleanup has searched all of your folders, it calculates the amount of space you can save, as shown in Figure 18.10. FIGURE 18.10 Disk Cleanup is ready to remove unnecessary files. To use the default Disk Cleanup settings to remove the unnecessary file types listed in the Files to Delete text box, click OK. To potentially free additional disk space, click the More Options tab. Make your selections to remove optional Windows components or to uninstall programs that are no longer needed. Click the Settings tab to control when Disk Cleanup will run based upon detected low disk space. Defragmentation and Windows 98 Disk Defragmenter improves file access times by storing files in contiguous sectors. An enhancement to Windows 98 is its ability track program and file usage to speed program execution based upon the user's activities. To launch Disk Defragmenter, click the Start Button, then choose Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter. The Disk Defragmenter program starts, as shown in Figure 18.11. To begin hard disk defragmentation with the default program settings, click the OK button. To select miscellaneous file arrangement and error checking options, click the Settings button. It is usually not necessary to change these default settings. Depending upon the size of your hard disk(s), the defragmentation process may take a considerable amount of time. It is best to schedule defragmentation when you plan to be away from your computer. FIGURE 18.11 Run Disk Defrag-menter regularly to keep your hard disk in top-notch shape. NOTE: Disk Defragmenter and ScanDisk, discussed in the next section, do not run well as background tasks. Any disk activity will interfere with the execution of these programs. Schedule these tasks for times when your computer is idle. A Brief Look at ScanDisk

Page 347

Inside Windows 98 ScanDisk checks the integrity of your hard disk and can make an attempt to repair it if logical errors are found. ScanDisk can perform two types of integrity checks: * Standard. ScanDisk checks files and folders only for errors. * Thorough. ScanDisk not only checks files and folders for errors, but also performs a surface test on the physical disk itself. ScanDisk checks for file system problems as follows: * File allocation table * Directory tree structure * Invalid file names, dates and times * File system structure (cross-linked files, lost file fragments) * Long file name errors To launch ScanDisk, click the Start button, then choose Programs, Accessories, System Tools, ScanDisk. The ScanDisk program starts, as shown in Figure 18.12. FIGURE 18.12 ScanDisk checks your hard disk for logical errors. To begin a hard disk scan, select the type of test to be performed, Standard or Thorough. If you select the Thorough test, you might optionally set Surface Scan Options criteria by clicking the Options button. The Automatically fix errors check box is enabled by default. If you want to be prompted by ScanDisk prior to an error repair attempt, disable this setting. When you are ready to begin the ScanDisk operation, click Start. Depending on the size of your hard disk(s), the test may take a considerable amount of time. It is best to schedule ScanDisk when you plan to be away from your computer. The FAT32 Conversion Wizard Of all the new system utilities in Windows 98, the one that you should probably hope to run the least is the FAT32 Conversion Wizard. If you were previously running Windows 95 4.00.950 B, also known as Win95 SR2, you might have already addressed issues of software and hardware compatibility with the FAT32 system, if not, this section covers some cautionary guidelines of converting to FAT32 and a run-through of the FAT32 Wizard. NOTE: To verify which file system is installed on your computer, open My Computer, right-click on your hard drive, then select Properties. The hard drive Page 348

Inside Windows 98 properties dialog box will display a File system field indicating either FAT16 or FAT32. Although FAT32 is a more efficient, higher performance file system than its predecessor, FAT16, you might encounter some compatibility problems with legacy programs. Other compatibility issues include: * Windows 98 Hibernation power management features are not operative on a system formatted for FAT32. * FAT32 cannot be installed on a hard disk with less than 512 MB. * FAT32 might require you to upgrade third-party disk utilities, anti-virus, and other software programs to FAT32-compliant versions. * There is no supported dual-boot capability. * You cannot uninstall Windows 98 with a FAT32-formatted hard disk. FAT32, on the other hand, is superior to FAT16 in the following areas: * Smaller cluster sizes, no disk size restrictions * Supports partitions larger than 2GB * More efficient at storing data * Substantially improved overall hard disk performance To start the FAT32 Converter click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, FAT32 Converter. The Drive Converter (FAT32) Wizard starts, as shown in Figure 18.13. FIGURE 18.13 Convert your FAT16 file system to FAT32 for more efficient hard disk operation. Select the hard disk you want to convert from the drive listing in the Drive text box. You might be prompted to remove anti-virus programs. You will also be warned that any other versions of Windows will not recognize FAT32. The FAT32 converter checks to see if there are programs on the drive that will not work with Windows 98. In the event that there are not, you can elect to run a backup with MS Backup. The Wizard will resume when it is complete. The last step of the Wizard informs you that it needs to start in MS-DOS mode to continue. The system restarts and the conversion begins. Conversion time varies by computer--the speed of your CPU, size of your hard disk, and number of files and Page 349

folders can be factors.

Inside Windows 98

After the conversion is complete, Windows 98 restarts again and the Wizard resumes to execute Disk Defragmenter. You are then notified that the conversion process completed successfully. The Windows Scripting Host By formal definition, Windows Scripting Host (WSH) is a language- independent scripting host for Microsoft 32-bit Windows platforms. As it relates to Windows 98, this means that scripts that heretofore could be run only by being embedded into HTML (Web) pages can now run directly within the Windows 98 operating system. This section is not intended to be a full and complete exploration of Windows Scripting Host. In fact, the topic could easily cover several long chapters, or even a whole book. This section is intended only to introduce you to the Windows Scripting Host concept from an overview perspective. Though you might have noticed that Windows Scripting Host is classified by Windows 98 Setup as being an "Accessory," nothing could be further from the truth. When you think of Windows Accessories, programs such as Notepad or WordPad may come to mind. To launch an accessory program such as Notepad, you would click the Start button, choose Accessories, then Notepad. But Windows Scripting Host is not a program in same sense as Notepad is a program. You do not launch Windows Scripting Host to be greeted by a main program window. Windows Scripting Host is more like an environment supplied by Windows 98 in which scripts can run. If you have ever designed a Web page that included a script, you might be somewhat familiar with scripting programs. Your script was designed to be a part of a Web page. The Web browser would interpret and execute the script code in the context of displaying the Web page for you. Without a browser the script was useless. Windows 98 changes this principle. Scripts no longer need to be embedded in Web pages and only acted upon by a browser. Scripts may be run from the Windows 98 Desktop or from a command line. NOTE: Windows 98 ships with 11 sample scripts. During installation these scripts are installed in the C:\Windows\Samples\Wsh folder. There are two executables files that are used in conjunction with Windows Scripting Host: * WSCRIPT.EXE is used to run scripts from within Windows. * CSCRIPT.EXE is used to run scripts from the command prompt. Page 350

Inside Windows 98 The benefit of Windows Scripting Host over MS-DOS batch files is simple; a scripting language is far superior because it uses more advanced structured programming constructs, such as if-then-else and for-next-loop processing techniques. This greatly enhances a programmer's ability to work inside of a script. But scripting languages are not just for programmers; most users should adapt easily to the syntax. Additionally, the scripting language can manipulate all registered applications. This creates possibilities for many different interactions with an application. Windows Scripting Host (WSH) executes scripts written in either the JavaScript, Jscript, or VBScript languages. Microsoft calls Windows Scripting Host a "universal" hosting engine because it has the capability to automatically recognize the type of script and process it properly. In that regard, Windows Scripting Host is simply a mechanism for passing the contents of a script file to the registered processing engine. Windows Scripting Host determines which engine to pass the text to based on the extension of the file. Scripts can be run from the desktop by clicking on a script file and can be viewed or edited with a text editor such as Notepad or WordPad. Becoming Familiar with Windows Scripting Host Open the sample script folder that is located at C:\Windows\Samples\Wsh, as shown in Figure 18.14. FIGURE 18.14 Windows 98 ships with 11 sample scripts. Right-click on the script sample named SHORTCUT.VBS. Choose Edit to view the script. Notepad opens to preview for script for you. Even if you are not an accomplished script programmer, just take a few moments to look at the script. Close Notepad to return to the sample script folder. SHORTCUT.VBS is a very simple example script designed to create a desktop shortcut to Notepad on your Windows desktop. To see how you interact with a script, click SHORTCUT.VBS. Click OK to create the shortcut on your desktop. Click OK again to exit the script. Notice that a new shortcut to Notepad now appears on your desktop. Assume for the moment that you are in charge of software deployment within a department at your office. Some of your users need an industrial-strength word processing application such as Microsoft Word 97, and others who only occasionally type two-line memorandums need a simpler word processor such as WordPad. Rather than teaching your users how to locate word processor executable files in order to create shortcuts to their desktops, Page 351

Inside Windows 98 deploy a folder to each desktop that contains two script icons. The user chooses the word processor of his choice with one click of the mouse. To make the process even easier, use the sample SHORTCUT.VBS as a template. SHORTCUT.VBS is based on creating a Notepad shortcut. Edit the script to use WordPad instead. Create another script based on Word 97. Copy both of these new scripts to a new desktop folder named Choose Your Preferred Word Processing Program. Creating a desktop shortcut is just one very simple example of how a script can be employed. Because JavaScript, JScript, and VBScript are very powerful scripting languages, your scripting possibilities are endless. ----------

- 19 Modems and Telephony

* Installing and Configuring Modems and COM Ports * Configuring COM Ports * Installing a Modem * Configuring a Modem * Specifying Connection Settings * Setting Advanced Options * Testing a Modem * Configuring and Using Telephony Services * Specifying Dialing Properties * Editing the Toll Prefix List * Using the Phone Dialer * Tips for Optimizing Communications * Using Special Settings * Changing Modem Registry Keys Windows 98, like Windows 95 before it, improves the way you and your applications configure and use modems. Many of the data communications features in Windows 98 require 32-bit communication programs, but even your existing 16-bit programs can take advantage of some of the improvements in Windows 98. This chapter explains the features in Windows 98 that support data communications, including the following topics: * Installing and configuring a modem * Configuring and using telephony services * Tips for optimizing data communications The first step in using your modem is naturally to install and configure the modem. Page 352

Inside Windows 98 Installing and Configuring Modems and COM Ports Your modem and communications (COM) port work hand-in-hand. Therefore, you must set both properly for your modem to work at its best. Your COM ports probably were configured properly when you installed Windows 98. But you might want to modify some of the COM port settings, such as changing IRQ or other values. The following section explains how to use the Device Manager to configure the COM ports. Configuring COM Ports To configure your system's COM ports, open the Control Panel and choose the System object. Then open the Device Manager property page and expand the Ports branch. Select the port you want to configure and choose Properties to display the Communications Port Properties sheet shown in Figure 19.1. FIGURE 19.1 A typical COM Port Properties sheet. The General property page, shown in Figure 19.1, provides information about the port and enables you to specify with which hardware profiles the port will be used (refer to Chapter 5, "Adding and Configuring Hardware," for more information on hardware profiles). To specify settings for the port, click on the Port Settings tab to display the Port Settings page, shown in Figure 19.2. FIGURE 19.2 The Port Settings property page. The settings on the Port Settings page control parameters such as bits per second, stop bits, parity method, and number of data bits, explained earlier. You also can specify the flow control method for the port, explained later in the section "Setting Advanced Options." In the case of a modem, you really don't have to configure the port settings to match the modem's requirements because the modem settings override the port settings. If you occasionally use other devices on the same COM port, however, you need to configure the port according to those other devices' requirements. To change the IRQ or input/output (I/O) base address of the port, click on the Resources tab to display the Resources page; then specify the new I/O address and IRQ values. If you are unsure how to accomplish the change, refer to Chapter 5, which explains how to use the Device Manager to set resources. Table 19.1 provides a list of common IRQ assignments for your reference in configuring your computer's COM ports. NOTE: Although some of the IRQ lines listed in Table 19.1 indicate that they are available, these interrupts might not be available on your system. If your PC contains a network adapter, sound card, or other devices, these IRQs might already be assigned to these devices. For an explanation of how to scan the Page 353

Inside Windows 98 system for IRQ assignments, refer to Chapter 5. TABLE 19.1 Common IRQ Assignments IRQ Number | Typical Assignment NMI | Nonmaskable interrupt, reports parity errors 0 | System timer 1 | Keyboard 2 | EGA/VGA and cascaded interrupt for second IRQ controller (IRQ9-15) 3 | COM2, COM4 4 | COM1, COM3 5 | LPT2 (printer port 2) 6 | Floppy disk 7 | LPT1 (printer port 1) 8 | Real-time clock 9 | Software redirected to IRQ2 10 | Available 11 | Available 12 | Available 13 | Math coprocessor 14 | Hard disk controller or host adapter 15 | Available, or hard disk controller Installing a Modem If you have a modem connected to or installed in your PC, when you install Windows 98 with the modem on, Setup will probably automatically recognize and install support for the modem. If you change modems or add a new modem, you can use the Modems object in the Control Panel to install support for the modem yourself. To install a new modem, open the Control Panel and choose the Modems object. From the General page of the Modem Properties sheet, choose the Add button. Windows 98 starts a modem installation wizard. You have two options for installing the modem. By default, the wizard automatically scans your PC's COM ports for a new modem. Or you can place a check in the check box labeled Don't detect my modem, which enables you to choose a Page 354

modem from a device list.

Inside Windows 98

If your modem is installed and turned on (if, for example, you have an external modem), leave the check box cleared, which enables the wizard to search for the modem. If you have not yet installed the modem, place a check in the check box, which bypasses the detection phase and enables you to select your modem from a list (see Figure 19.3). If you direct the wizard to detect the modem and the wizard doesn't find a new modem, the wizard will tell you it can't find a new modem and displays this same dialog box, enabling you to select the modem manually. FIGURE 19.3 A modem selection dialog box. Search through the Manufacturers list to select your modem's manufacturer; then select the model from the Models list. If the list doesn't include your modem, select Standard Modem Types from the Manufacturers list and select the model from the Models list that matches the maximum speed of your modem. If yours is a 28.8 Kbps modem, for example, choose the 28,8000 model from the Models list. TIP: If your modem isn't listed, it might be compatible with a model from another manufacturer or with a different model from the same manufacturer because the command sets for the modems might be the same. Choosing a compatible modem rather than one of the standard types could make additional features available that the standard models don't support. If you can't find a compatible model, however, the standard types should provide adequate support in most situations. Or you can check with the your modem's manufacturer to determine whether the manufacturer has a Windows 98 driver available for your model or can suggest a compatible selection. Check the modem's manual to determine whether it is compatible with a specific type of modem. After you specify the modem model and click on Next, the wizard prompts you to specify the port to which the modem is connected. Choose the appropriate port; then click on Next. The wizard then copies any required files and installs support for the modem. NOTE: You can install multiple modems for a single COM port. When you configure a Win32 application that uses the Windows 98 communications Application Program Interfaces (APIs) and Telephony Application Interface (TAPI), you select which modem to associate with the application. Installing two or more instances of the same modem driver enables you to use different sets of settings for various applications. You might configure one set of settings to use compression, for example, but configure another to disable compression. Page 355

Inside Windows 98 Configuring a Modem When you install a new modem, the modem installation wizard uses an appropriate set of default parameters for that modem. You might need to change those settings to optimize the modem's performance or tailor it for specific applications. To configure a modem, open the Control Panel and choose the Modems object. From the General modem property page, select the modem you want to configure; then choose Properties. Windows 98 displays a property sheet for the modem, as shown in Figure 19.4. FIGURE 19.4 A typical modem property sheet. The General property page enables you to specify the port to which the modem is connected, the volume level for the modem's speaker, and the connection speed you want to use for the modem. To specify the port, just select the appropriate port from the Port drop-down list. To set the modem's volume, move the Speaker volume slider control. Most modems support four volume levels: off, low, medium, and high. Set yours according to your preference. When you set the Maximum speed for the modem on the General property page, you need to take your modem's capabilities into account. If you set the speed too high, you could experience problems with the modem. To determine the optimum setting, run the diagnostics on the modem as explained in the section "Testing a Modem," later in this chapter. One value the diagnostics reports is the maximum speed for the modem. In general you shouldn't go any higher than the diagnostics-specified maximum. TIP: If you want the modem to connect only at the highest possible speed and not renegotiate the connection to a lower speed, enable the check box labeled Only connect at this speed. If you want to connect to your pay-per-use online service only at the highest possible speed, for example, enabling this option will prevent a connection from taking place at a lower speed. Specifying Connection Settings The Connection property page (see Figure 19.5) enables you to specify a variety of settings that control the port and other connection options. Some of these settings--Data bits, Parity, and Stop bits--override similar settings in the Port Settings property page for the selected COM port. FIGURE 19.5 The Connection property page. Page 356

Inside Windows 98 The following list details the other settings on the Connection property, located in the Call preferences group: * Wait for dial tone before dialing. If your modem supports dial tone recognition (most do), enable this check box to prevent the modem from dialing if it can't detect a dial tone. If you have trouble with the modem detecting a dial tone that should be present, or you manually dial the phone, clear this check box. * Cancel the call if not connected within n secs. Use this check box to control whether Windows 98 cancels the call if a connection is not established within the specified amount of time. * Disconnect a call if idle for more than n mins. Use this control to enable Windows 98 to hang up the modem if no activity occurs on the modem for a specified amount of time. If you perform a lengthy unattended download, for example, enable this check box and specify an appropriate time limit to cause Windows 98 to hang up the connection after the specified amount of time expires. NOTE: Some online services and remote dial-up connections disconnect you automatically after no activity occurs on the connection for a specified amount of time. Setting Advanced Options In addition to the standard settings in the Connection property page, you can use a few advanced settings to control other parameters for the modem. To set these advanced settings, choose the Advanced button from the Connection property page to display the Advanced Connection Settings dialog box. The following list explains the settings in the Advanced Connection Settings dialog box: * Use error control. Enable this check box if you want the connection to use the modem's error-correction capabilities (V.42 or MNP-4, for example). You almost always benefit from using error correction. * Required to connect. This option, if enabled, requires that the connection be established using error correction. If the modem cannot establish a reliable connection, the connection is refused. If you want to ensure that the connection uses error correction, enable this check box. * Compress data. This option, if enabled, causes the connection to use the modem's error compression protocol, such as V.42bis or MNP-5. You should enable this selection for text transfers and binary transfers, but disable it when Page 357

you transfer compressed files.

Inside Windows 98

* Use cellular protocol. This option, if enabled, causes the connection to use the modem's cellular error-correction protocol. Cellular error correction is becoming increasingly common in faster PCMCIA modems, enabling you to use your cellular phone to establish data connections. This option is dimmed if the selected modem does not support cellular protocols. * Use flow control. This control specifies whether the connection uses flow control. If enabled, the connection uses the flow control method specified by the accompanying Modulation type setting (explained next). For best performance, use hardware flow control (RTS/CTS) whenever possible. To specify a flow control method, choose the Hardware (RTS/CTS) or the Software (XON/XOFF) option button. * Modulation type. This setting specifies the type of modulation the modem uses to establish the connection. The available settings depend on the modem type, but most often they are either Standard and Non-Standard. The Standard setting uses the ITU-TSS standards (V.32bis, V.32, and so forth) and the Non-Standard uses the Bell and HST protocols. The Standard setting usually will work, but if you have trouble connecting, try the Non-Standard option. * Extra settings. Use this text box to specify additional modem setup commands, such as setting the dialing speed, modem response mode (text, numeric), and other parameters, such as disabling call waiting. For tips on these settings, refer to the section "Tips for Optimizing Communications" later in this chapter. * Record a log file. Enable this check box if you want Windows 98 to create a log file that tracks connection status and events. Windows 98 creates the log, MODEMLOG.TXT, in the Windows 98 folder, and it can be very useful for troubleshooting and fixing connection problems. * View Log. Click this button to view the modem log file. After you specify the necessary advanced settings, choose OK to exit the Advanced Connection Settings dialog box. Testing a Modem In addition to providing controls that enable you to configure the modem and its COM port, Windows 98 enables you to perform troubleshooting on the modem. If you click on the Diagnostics tab on the Modems Properties sheet, the Diagnostics page appears, as shown in Figure 19.6. To test a modem, select the modem from the list by clicking on its assigned port; then choose More Info. Windows 98 attempts to communicate with the modem, and if successful, displays a More Page 358

Inside Windows 98 Info dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure 19.7. The More Info dialog box contains information about the COM port and modem, including the interrupt, I/O base address, UART type, and recommended maximum speed, as well as modem commands the diagnostic utility sends to the modem and the responses it receives. FIGURE 19.6 The Diagnostics property page for modems. FIGURE 19.7 The More Info dialog box. NOTE: Some responses in the More Info dialog box might read ERROR, which does not necessarily indicate a modem error. The modem might not support the related command. If the diagnostic utility reports more than a few ERROR states, however, you probably have a problem with the modem or are using the wrong driver for the modem. If Windows 98 can't communicate with the modem, an error message appears, followed by a More Info dialog box that reports the COM port information (interrupt, base address, and UART) but no other information. TIP: The modem diagnostic utility is a 16-bit application, which means that it can't test the port if you're using the port. If Microsoft Fax is monitoring the port for incoming calls, for example, you must set the answer mode to Don't Answer, making the port available to the diagnostic utility. And because the diagnostic utility is a 16-bit application, it can't test for parallel-port modems. At this point, you should have your COM ports and modem(s) configured and working properly. In addition, you might need to configure a few telephony options, which includes specifying the location from which you dial. The following section explains how to configure telephony services and also discusses one of Windows 98's telephony-aware accessories, the Phone Dialer. Configuring and Using Telephony Services In addition to providing support for features such as call routing, call waiting, conference calls, and other call functions, the telephony services in Windows 98 simplify dialing in various ways. You no longer have to use cryptic setup strings to program your modem to dial your calling card number for credit calls, for example. You now can provide Windows 98 with the calling card number and let TAPI do the rest. TAPI also simplifies using a modem from a variety of different locations, such as hotels and businesses, that require you to dial a special prefix to get an outside line. The following section Page 359

Inside Windows 98 explains these and other dialing parameters you can set for a connection. Specifying Dialing Properties Each modem definition in Windows 98 has associated with it various dialing properties. These dialing properties control the way the modem dials the number you specify for the connection. Dialing properties are associated by dialing location, which enables you to create different sets of dialing properties for each location from which you use the modem. You might have one configuration for your office, another for your home, and a third for dialing from hotels. The office location might require you to dial a 9 for an outside line, whereas the home location would not. The hotel location might require you to dial an 8 for an outside line, and you also might want to use a credit card to charge all calls that you make from a hotel. Dialing properties enable you to configure as many unique dialing locations as you need. NOTE: Dialing properties affect only Win32 applications that use TAPI to access the modem. Dialing properties do not affect Win16 or DOS applications. These applications control the modem themselves, and the application must handle any special dialing functions separately. You usually can specify dialing properties from within the Windows 98 application that uses the modem. In the Phone Dialer application, for example (choose Start | Programs | Accessories | Phone Dialer), you can choose Tools | Dialing Properties to specify dialing properties. You also can use the Modems object in the Control Panel to set dialing properties. To do so, choose the Modems object from the Control Panel, select the modem you want to change, and then choose Dialing Properties. Windows 98 displays the Dialing Properties sheet shown in Figure 19.8. (If this is the first time you are setting dialing properties, Windows 98 will prompt you for your current area code before displaying this property sheet.) FIGURE 19.8 The Dialing Properties sheet. Windows 98 creates a set of default dialing properties stored with the Default Location. You can modify this group of settings or create a new dialing location. To create a new location, type a new location name in the I am dialing from box; then choose the New button. Windows 98 creates a new set of dialer settings with the specified name. Next, set any special properties required for the dialing location. The following list describes the settings on the Dialing Properties sheet: * I am dialing from. This is the name of the dialing location. Page 360

Inside Windows 98 To change the name, click in the text box portion of the combo box and type the new name. * I am in this country_/region. Choose the country of the location from which you are dialing. This enables Windows 98 to recognize when special codes are needed for international calls and also helps define the modulation protocol used. * Area code. Enter the area code of the location from which you are dialing to help Windows 98 differentiate between local and long distance calls. You might also need to specify toll prefixes (prefixes in your area code that are long-distance calls, explained later). * For local calls, dial. Specify the access number, if any, you must dial to get an outside local line. At many businesses, for example, you must dial a 9 for an outside local line. * For long distance calls, dial. Specify the access number, if any, you must dial to get an outside long distance line. This access number is in addition to the 1 used in 1-plus dialing, which Windows 98 adds automatically if necessary. An example is the 8 required at most hotels to place credit-card long distance calls. * To disable call waiting, dial. Enable this check box if your phone line supports call waiting. Then choose the appropriate method for disabling call waiting from the associated drop-down list. The predefined choices include *70, 70#, and 1170. If the prefix you need to enter to disable call waiting is different, click in the text box portion of the combo box and enter the necessary characters. Specifying the correct parameters enables Windows 98 to turn off call waiting, which prevents incoming calls from disrupting modem connections. * For long distance calls, use this calling card. If you enable this check box, Windows 98 displays a dialog box you can use to specify the type of calling card you are using, the card number, and other information. Setting up a calling card is explained in the next section. * Tone dial and Pulse dial. Choose the dialing method your phone system uses. Configuring Calling Card Options If you are making a connection from a pay-per-use phone, such as from a hotel or airport, you probably want to charge toll calls to your phone calling card. DOS and Win16 applications typically complicate using a calling card in a dialing string, and making connections often is difficult to accomplish. On the other hand, it's relatively simple with Win32 applications and TAPI. Each dialing location can use a different calling card setup. To Page 361

Inside Windows 98 define the calling card parameters for a dialing location, first enable the For long distance calls use this calling card check box. After you click on the check box to enable it, click the Calling_ Card button to display the dialog box shown in Figure 19.9. FIGURE 19.9 Use the Calling Card page to define the options for credit card calling. To use a credit card, select from drop-down list the carrier and dialing method you want to use. Unless the option you select is a direct-dial option that does not require a credit card, Windows 98 enables the Personal ID Number text box. Enter your calling card number in the text box. After you specify the calling card and card number, choose OK. Then close the Dialing Properties and Modems Properties pages. The next time your Win32 application (such as HyperTerminal or Phone Dialer) uses the calling location with which you have associated your calling card options, the call will be directed to the carrier you have specified and will use your calling card number to make the call. The following section describes how this process works. Creating a New Calling Card The Calling Card dialog box contains many predefined calling cards and methods used in different parts of the world. You also can create your own calling card, which enables you to customize the way the calling card connection is made. To create a new calling card, open the Modems object in the Control Panel, select the modem, and choose Dialing Properties. Enable the check box labeled For long distance calls use this calling card, or if it is already enabled, choose the Calling_ Card button to activate the Calling Card dialog box. Next, choose New. Windows 98 displays a simple dialog box that prompts you to enter a name for the new calling card. Enter a unique name and choose OK. Next, specify the dialing rules to be used for your new calling card entry. Enter the personal ID (usually the calling card number) access numbers as appropriate. Choose Long Distance Calls to activate the Calling Card Sequence dialog box). Use the drop-down lists provided to specify the sequence of events to dial with this card. Editing the Toll Prefix List Although some of the prefixes in your area code probably are local numbers, most aren't. In many areas of the country, you must also dial your area code even when you call within your own area code. Windows 98 keeps track of which numbers in your area code must be treated as long-distance numbers (requiring the area code) and which can be treated as local calls (no area code) through a toll prefix list. Unfortunately, the capability to edit toll prefixes directly has Page 362

Inside Windows 98 not been added to Windows 98. Nevertheless, a couple of methods remain that enable you to edit the toll prefix list relatively easily. The Dialing property sheet includes a Dial as a long distance call check box (located at the bottom of the page). Enable this check box to tell Windows 98 to treat the call as a long-distance call and add the prefix to the toll list. You also can use the Phone Dialer to edit the toll prefix list. Open the Phone Dialer and enter a seven-digit phone number in the Number to dial combo box. Then choose Tools | Dialing Properties to open the Dialing Properties page. Enable the Dial as a long distance call check box to add the prefix to the toll list or disable it to remove the prefix from the toll list. Using the Phone Dialer Windows 98 includes a TAPI accessory program you might find useful. The Phone Dialer (see Figure 19.10) enables you to store often-used phone numbers and have your modem automatically dial for you. It stores only eight numbers in its speed dial list, but you still might find it useful. FIGURE 19.10 The Phone Dialer dialog box. The Phone Dialer is nearly self explanatory. To enter a number in the speed dial list, click on an empty button. Phone Dialer displays a simple dialog box in which you can enter the name for the speed dial entry and the phone number. Enter the name and number, then choose Save. Phone Dialer adds the name to the button. Repeat the process for any other blank speed dial buttons you want to program. When you're ready to dial the number, just click on its button. To edit an existing speed dial button, choose Edit | Speed Dial. Click on the entry you want to change. Then enter the new name and number in the appropriate text boxes. Besides the speed dial buttons, you can use the keyboard or the key buttons on the Phone Dialer to enter a number. The Phone Dialer keeps track of the numbers it dials, and you can select previously dialed numbers from the Number to dial combo box. Tips for Optimizing Communications This section provides tips on using special modem settings. They will help you configure your modem properly and make the most of your time online. Using Special Settings Sometimes you might want to include special initialization settings for the modem. You might want to include the command ATS11=50, for example, to speed up the rate at which the modem dials. To make the modem use special initialization commands, choose the Modems object from the Control Panel, select the modem, and choose the Properties button. From the Connection Page 363

Inside Windows 98 property page for the modem, choose the Advanced button. Enter the special modem string in the Extra settings text box; then choose OK. TIP: Windows 98 stores your special initialization string in the Registry in the UserInit subkey for the modem. Changing Modem Registry Keys The Modems object in the Control Panel enables you to select which modem to use, but it doesn't enable you to directly modify the initialization string or many other settings for the modem. Instead, Windows 98 uses a group of settings defined by your modem type. You can, however, use the Registry Editor to modify modem configuration settings directly. The modem settings are stored in \Hkey_Local_Machine\ System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\Modem\modemID, where modemID is the identifier for your modem (such as 0001). By modifying modem settings, you can tailor the way Windows 98 uses the modem. If Windows 98 doesn't include a driver specifically for your modem, modifying the Registry settings enables you to customize the settings of a partially compatible driver to be fully compatible with your modem. The following list describes the main subkeys for the modem: * Answer. This subkey specifies the command the modem uses to answer an incoming call--usually ATA. * Hangup. This subkey specifies the command the modem uses to hang up a call, usually ATH. * Init. The first key entry in the Init subkey typically specifies the command Windows 98 uses to "wake up" the modem, generally AT. Other keys specify the initialization string(s) for the modem. * Monitor. This subkey specifies the command Windows 95 uses to place the modem in auto-answer mode--usually ATS0=0. * Responses. The key entries in this subkey define the response strings for the modem. * Settings. This subkey contains key entries that define many of the modem's commands for specific functions. Table 19.2 describes these key entries. TABLE 19.2 Modem Configuration Keys Subkey | Description | Example Page 364

Inside Windows 98 Blind_Off | Detect dial tone before dialing | X4 Blind_On | Do not detect dial tone before dialing | X3 CallSetupFailTimer | Specify call setup time-out | S7=<#> Compression_Off | Compression disabled | S46=136 Compression_On | Compression enabled | S46=138 DialPrefix | Dial command prefix | D DialSuffix | Dial command suffix | ; ErrorControl_Cellular | Cellular protocol enabled | \N3-K1)M1-Q1*H1 ErrorControl_Forced | Error control required to connect (reliable) | +Q5S36=4S48=7 ErrorControl_Off | Error control disabled (normal mode, not direct) | +Q6S36=3S48=120 ErrorControl_On | Error control enabled (auto reliable) | +Q5S36=7S48=7 FlowControl_Hard | Hardware flow control | &K1 FlowControl_Off | No flow control | &K0 FlowControl_Soft | Software flow control | &K2 InactivityTimeout | Specify inactivity time-out | S30=<#> Modulation_Bell | Use Bell modulations for 300 and 1,200bps | B1 Modulation_CCITT | Use CCITT modulations for 300 and 1,200bps | B0 Pulse | Use pulse dialing | P SpeakerMode_Dial | Speaker on during dial and negotiation | M1 SpeakerMode_Off | Speaker always off | M0 SpeakerMode_On | Speaker always on | M2 SpeakerMode_Setup | Speaker on only during negotiation | M3 SpeakerVolume_High | High speaker volume | L3 SpeakerVolume_Low | Low speaker volume | L1 SpeakerVolume_Med | Medium speaker volume | L2 Page 365

Inside Windows 98 SpeedNegotiation_Off | Connect only at default modem speed; do not fall back | N0 SpeedNegotiation_On | Use lower DCE speed to connect, if necessary | N1 Terminator | Configuration command suffix | Tone | Use tone dialing | T NOTE: The settings for your modem might be different from those shown in Table 19.2. ----------

- 20 Using Outlook Express

* Overview of Outlook Express * Installing and Starting Outlook Express * Configuring E-mail Accounts * Creating an E-mail Account * Modifying an Account * Setting the Default Account * Configuring News Accounts * Creating a News Account * Modifying a News Account * Configuring Directory Service Accounts * Creating a Directory Service Account * Modifying Directory Service Accounts * Performing a Directory Search * Using Advanced Outlook Express Features * Using Stationery and Custom Fonts * Using a Signature * Working with Business Cards (vCards) * Using Distribution Groups * Using Security Features * Understanding Digital IDs * Acquiring a Digital ID * Using Encryption and Digital Signatures * Using Security Zones Windows 95 included a mail client program called Microsoft Exchange that Microsoft later renamed Windows Messaging to differentiate the client program included with Windows 95 from its Windows NT-based Exchange Server product. Windows Messaging serves as an e-mail client for Microsoft Mail, Internet Mail, and CompuServe Mail. It also offers the capability to send and receive faxes. Page 366

Inside Windows 98 Windows 98 replaces the Exchange client with a new program called Outlook Express that adds considerable new functionality. One good example is Outlook Express's capability to handle multiple e-mail accounts. With a single click you can send and receive messages through as many e-mail accounts as you like without having to switch any settings. Outlook Express also supports rules to enable you to filter and process your messages. These two features alone make it an attractive alternative to other e-mail applications. This chapter explores Outlook Express, covering the following topics: * Installing and configuring Outlook Express * Creating and modifying accounts * Using advanced Outlook Express features Windows 98 does not install Outlook Express by default, so you must install it either as an option with Internet Explorer or by itself. Before installing Outlook Express you should understand its capabilities. The following section provides an overview of Outlook Express. Overview of Outlook Express For many people, e-mail is an important, if not time-consuming, aspect of each day. Some people have not one e-mail account, but two or even several. You might have an e-mail account at work and a private e-mail account that you access through your Internet service provider (ISP) from home. Keeping track of messages in one account can be a chore. When you add multiple e-mail accounts, newsgroups, and directory services to the resources you work with on a regular basis, keeping track of all of them can be a real headache. One of the primary advantages to using Outlook Express is its integration of most of your messaging services into a single interface. You can include your Internet e-mail, newsgroups, and directory services in a single program. Better yet, Outlook Express enables you to maintain and process multiple e-mail accounts with a single Inbox folder. You no longer have to use separate e-mail programs for your various e-mail accounts. Figure 20.1 shows the Outlook Express interface. FIGURE 20.1 Outlook Express integrates e-mail, newsgroup, and directory service capability into a single interface. Outlook Express is geared toward serving primarily as an e-mail client for Internet mail through its support for Internet mail standards such as Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3), and Internet Mail Access Protocol 4 (IMAP4). If your local area network (LAN) contains a mail server that supports these Internet standards, however, Outlook Express Page 367

Inside Windows 98 can function as your LAN e-mail client. The advantage of using such a server is that it can process external Internet e-mail as well as local, in-house e-mail, all using a single client--Outlook Express. NOTE: Currently, Outlook Express does not support Microsoft Fax, the Fax send/receive program included with Windows 98. Microsoft Fax requires that Windows Messaging, Microsoft Exchange client, or Microsoft Outlook (included with Microsoft Office) be installed on the client computer. Integration is just one of Outlook Express's many important features. The following list summarizes several key features in Outlook Express: * Advanced message formatting. Outlook Express supports rich message formatting through Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the same formatting language used for Web page development. HTML support in Outlook Express enables you to add character and paragraph formatting to your messages, along with other formatting such as background images, bulleted lists, and so on. * Support for vCard. Outlook Express supports data exchange using the vCard format, a standard for exchanging contact information. This support enables you to exchange electronic business cards with others who have e-mail applications that support vCard. * Support for user profiles. You can maintain separate e-mail settings for different users on a single machine through Outlook Express's support for Windows user profiles. * Enhanced Inbox rules. You can configure Outlook Express to automatically process messages using several different criteria. For example, you can filter out and delete unwanted messages from specific individuals without ever downloading them from the mail server. * Security. Through its support for secure multipurpose Internet mail extensions (MIME), Outlook Express enables you to digitally sign and encrypt messages. You also can verify that a message has been sent to you from a specific individual through its digital certificate. * Browser integration. Outlook Express integrates Web content with your Inbox, enabling you to send and receive Web pages as e-mail. You also can use Outlook Express to receive subscription and channel content to be delivered to you through Outlook Express. And you can use Outlook Express to maintain contact information and initiate NetMeeting connections with others through the Outlook Express address book. Page 368

Inside Windows 98 These are just some of Outlook Express's key features. In addition, the program provides many additional features that make it an excellent e-mail and newsgroup client. The following sections explain how to install Outlook Express and use many of these key features. TIP: You can view additional information about Outlook Express by visiting the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/products. Choose Outlook Express from the list of products to jump to the Outlook Express pages. Installing and Starting Outlook Express Depending on the options you select when you install Windows 98, Setup can automatically install the Internet Explorer interface along with Outlook Express. If you need to install Outlook Express manually, you can do so through the Control Panel. The following steps explain the process: 1. Open the Control Panel and double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. 2. Click the Windows Setup tab. Windows will scan the system to catalog installed software. 3. Scroll through the list of software and locate Microsoft Outlook Express. If the check box already contains a check, Outlook Express is installed on your system. If not, place a check in the check box and choose OK. 4. Windows 98 will install Outlook Express, prompting you to insert the Windows 98 CD if needed. TIP: If you intend to store your messages in a home folder on a network file server, establish the connection to the file server prior to running Outlook Express for the first time. Part of the configuration process for Outlook Express is to specify the location of your message files. After Outlook Express is installed, an icon for the program appears in the Taskbar near the Start menu. The icon shows an Explorer "E" with a small envelope below it. Clicking on the icon launches Outlook Express. If you prefer to use the Start menu to launch Outlook Express, choose Start | Internet Explorer | Outlook Express. The first time you run Outlook Express, the program displays a wizard to help you configure a connection to the Internet. As Page 369

Inside Windows 98 you can see in Figure 20.2, you have three options: locate an ISP, configure the computer for an existing account, or use an account already established on your computer. FIGURE 20.2 The Internet Connection Wizard helps you establish or choose an Internet account for Outlook Express. Choosing the first option will cause the wizard to dial a toll-free number to locate ISPs that either have a local access number in your area or that offer toll-free access to the Internet. The wizard will help you through the process of establishing the necessary account. The second and third options the wizard provides apply if you already have an Internet account through your employer or an ISP. Choose the second option if you have an account but have not set up the necessary Dial-Up Networking connection on your computer to access the account. Choose the third option if you have already configured and tested the Dial-Up Networking connection on the computer for your Internet account. After you specify the Internet connection for Outlook Express to use, Outlook Express prompts you to specify the location in which to store your messages files. Choose the desired folder (including a home folder on a network server, if you wish) and click OK. When Outlook Express starts, it displays what essentially is a Web page (see Figure 20.3) that gives you quick access to most of the resources in Outlook Express, including the Inbox, newsgroups, address book, and directory. If you prefer, you can configure Outlook Express to go directly to your Inbox on startup. Choose Tools | Options and place a check in the check box labeled When Starting Go Directly to My Inbox Folder. Configuring E-mail Accounts As mentioned previously, you can use Outlook Express to manage multiple e-mail accounts. The first step in using Outlook Express as your e-mail client, whether for one or many e-mail accounts, is to create the account(s) in Outlook Express. This section explains how to create and configure e-mail accounts in Outlook Express. FIGURE 20.3 Outlook Express uses a Web page as its startup page, giving you access to most features. NOTE: The term account in this section refers to a collection of named settings in Outlook Express that enable you to connect to and use a specific Internet mail service. The term does not refer to your actual e-mail accounts that are located on their respective mail servers. You cannot create or manage a mail account located on a mail server. Instead, you create the group of settings that enable you to use that mail Page 370

account.

Inside Windows 98

Creating an E-mail Account To create or manage your existing accounts, choose Tools | Accounts to open the Internet Accounts property sheet (see Figure 20.4). This property sheet gives you access to Mail, News, and Directory Service account settings. FIGURE 20.4 Use the Internet Accounts property sheet to create and manage account settings. To create or manage e-mail accounts, click on the Mail tab to display the Mail property page (see Figure 20.5). This page lists all existing account settings and enables you to you create new accounts or manage the existing ones. FIGURE 20.5 Create and manage e-mail accounts through the Mail properties page. To create a new e-mail account, choose Add | Mail. Outlook Express starts a wizard to help automate the process of creating the mail account. Through its various pages the wizard prompts for the following information: * Display Name. This is the name that will appear in the From field when others receive messages from this account. Generally, you specify your name, but you can enter a different identifier if you wish. * E-mail Address. Specify your full e-mail address, which consists of your mail account name and the mail domain, such as jboyce@ prairietech.net. * My incoming mail server is a POP3/IMAP server. From this drop-down list, choose either POP3 or IMAP, depending on the type of mail server on which the account resides. If you're not sure, leave it at the default of POP3, the most common type. * Incoming Mail (POP3 or IMAP). Enter either the Internet Protocol (IP) address or the name of the domain name server (DNS) that stores your incoming mail, such as mail.mydomain.com. If you are not sure what to enter, contact your ISP or network administrator. * Outgoing Mail (SMTP). Specify the IP address or DNS name of the mail server that processes your outgoing mail. Usually, the incoming and outgoing mail servers are the same, but this is not always the case. Contact your ISP or network administrator if you are unsure about what to enter. * Log on using. Choose this option button if your mail server requires you to log on with a specific user name and password. Unless instructed otherwise by the mail server Page 371

Inside Windows 98 administrator, enter your e-mail account name as the POP Account Name. Typically, this is the first part of your e-mail address without the @domain portion. For [email protected], for example, the account name is jboyce. If you want Outlook Express to save your password, enter it in the Password text box. If you want Outlook Express to prompt you each time you check your mail, leave the Password box blank. * Log in using Secure Password Authentication (SPA). Choose this option if your mail server requires SPA as the authentication method. Outlook Express will prompt you for the user name and password when you connect to the e-mail server. * Internet Mail Account Name. The wizard prompts you to specify a "friendly" name for the e-mail account. This name appears on the Mail property page to identify the account and differentiate it from any other accounts you have defined. You can use any identifier, but a good option is to specify the name of the domain or even the e-mail address associated with the account. * Connection Type. The wizard prompts you to specify the type of connection you use to access the mail server, whether through Dial-Up Networking or your LAN. Choose the appropriate connection. After you complete the steps in the wizard, the account name you selected will show up on the Mail page of the Internet Accounts Properties sheet. Modifying an Account If you need to review or change settings for your e-mail account(s), choose Tools | Accounts, then click on the Mail tab to display the Mail property page. Select the account you want to view or change and click on Properties. You'll see a property sheet similar to the one shown in Figure 20.6. NOTE: Many of the settings on the property pages for an e-mail account are self-explanatory. This section examines some features that might not be as obvious to you. FIGURE 20.6 Use the account property sheet to change settings for the account. The General page shown in Figure 20.6 provides general information about your e-mail account. If you want to use a reply address that is different from the address you use to send mail, specify the reply address in the Reply address field in the form [email protected]. If you want Outlook Express to automatically check mail through this account when you click the Page 372

Inside Windows 98 Send and Receive toolbar button or choose Tools | Send and Receive | All Accounts, place a check in the check box labeled Include this account when doing a full Send and Receive. The Servers page (see Figure 20.7) stores information about the e-mail server associated with the account. In addition to specifying the name or IP address of the incoming and outgoing mail servers, the Servers page also enables you to specify your mail account name, password, and authentication method. FIGURE 20.7 Specify mail server and account settings with the Servers page. The Connection page (see Figure 20.8) contains the settings that define the way Outlook Express should connect to the Internet to access the account. Note that if you use Windows 98's Dial-Up Networking to connect to the Internet, the option Connect using my phone line is the correct option to choose. Choose the option labeled Connect Using Internet Explorer's or a 3rd Party Dialer if you use a modem to connect to the Internet but do not use Dial-Up Networking. If you choose the Connect using my phone line option, specify the Dial-Up Networking connection to use in the Modem control group. FIGURE 20.8 Specify how to connect to the server from the Connection page. The Security page (see Figure 20.9) contains settings that enable you to use digital IDs with your e-mail messages. Digital IDs (also called certificates) provide a mechanism for ensuring that someone else can't send e-mail that appears to have come from you when it did not. Digital IDs consist of a public key, a private key, and digital signature. These digital IDs enable the recipient of a message to ensure that the message was actually sent by the person named and that the message has not been tampered with. For more information on using digital IDs, refer to the section "Using Security" later in this chapter. The Advanced property page (see Figure 20.10) contains settings that specify certain server characteristics and determine how messages are handled on the mail server. FIGURE 20.9 Use the Security page to specify digital ID (certificate) settings for secure and encrypted e-mail. FIGURE 20.10 Use the Advanced page to specify advanced server and message options. The following list explains the settings on the Advanced property page: * Server port numbers. The settings in this control group specify the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/IP port numbers through which outgoing and incoming mail commands are processed on the server. Generally, the default settings will be the correct ones. Change these only if instructed to Page 373

Inside Windows 98 do so by your ISP or network administrator. If the server requires a secure socket layer (SSL) connection for added security, enable the corresponding check box. * Server timeouts. Use this slider control to specify the length of time (up to 1 minute) that Outlook Express should wait for responses from the mail server. If you are connecting to a very busy server or have a slow connection to the Internet, increasing the timeout period can overcome problems accessing the server. * Delivery. The controls in this group determine whether copy of your messages will remain on the server. Generally, most ISPs will limit the amount of space available for you on the server, so you should leave this check box cleared so that after you download your messages to Outlook Express they will be deleted from the mail server. This will make more space available for new messages. If you choose to leave a copy of your messages on the server, use the additional controls in the Delivery group to specify when those messages should be deleted from the server. * Sending. The controls in this group enable you to break large messages into multiple units smaller than the specified size. Some older servers can only handle messages smaller than 64 KB. Generally you should not have to use this feature. Setting the Default Account If you maintain multiple e-mail accounts in Outlook Express, one must be the default account. The only real significance of the default account is that it is used as the account through which you send your outgoing mail. To specify which account to use for outgoing mail, select the account on the Mail page of the Internet Accounts property sheet; then click the Set as Default button. TIP: If you want to send mail through a different mail server from your default account, temporarily set the desired account as the default account. Configuring News Accounts In addition to serving as an e-mail client, Outlook Express also serves as a newsgroup reader. Newsgroups are publicly available discussion forums that cover a staggering range of topics. Currently, roughly 30,000 different newsgroups exist within the framework of the Internet. Messages can include binary files, and several newsgroups cater to the exchange of images, applications, and other binary types of data. Outlook Express enables you to read messages from the newsgroups and post your own messages to them, including accessing these binary attachments. Page 374

Inside Windows 98 Configuring a news account is even easier than setting up an e-mail account because it involves fewer steps and options. The following section explains how. Creating a News Account Outlook Express provides a wizard to help you configure a news account. To create an account, choose Tools | Accounts to display the Internet Accounts property sheet. Click on the News tab to display the News property page. Then choose Add | News to start the Internet Connection Wizard to create a news account. Through the wizard, Outlook Express will prompt you to provide the following information: * Display name. This is the name that will appear in the From field of messages you post to newsgroups. Generally, this should be your real name, but due to the content of some newsgroups, people often use aliases or fictitious "handles" rather than their names. * E-mail address. This is the e-mail address where you want replies to your posted message to be sent. The e-mail address shows up within the message header when others view the newsgroup. * News (NNTP) server. This is the IP address or DNS name of the news server to which you are connecting. * My news server requires me to log on. Some news server administrators configure their news services to require you to log on, thus preventing unauthorized use of the news server (use by noncustomers, for example). If your news server requires you to log on, place a check in this check box. * Log on using. If you check the box mentioned in the previous item, the wizard prompts you to specify the user name and password to use to connect to the news server. * Log on using secure password authentication (SPA). If your news server requires SPA to authenticate your access to the news server, place a check in this check box. * Internet news account name. This is the name by which this group of settings will be listed in your Internet account list. Specify a name that will help you identify it from any other news servers you use. * Connection type. The wizard prompts you to specify whether you will use a Dial-Up Networking, LAN, or manual Internet connection. Choose the appropriate option. Modifying a News Account Page 375

Inside Windows 98 After you create a news account, you can modify the settings as needed. To do so choose Tools | Accounts. Click on the News tab in the Internet Accounts property sheet to display your news accounts. Select the account you want to modify and click Properties to display its property sheet. The settings on the General, Server, and Connection pages are explained in the previous section. The Advanced page (see Figure 20.11) enables you to specify a few advanced settings for the news server. FIGURE 20.11 Use the Advanced page to set timeout criteria and other advanced features. The following list describes the settings on the Advanced property page: * Server port number. Use the text box in this control group to specify the TCP port number through which the remote news server responds. The default value, which you should not have to change, is 119. Use the check box to specify whether the server requires a secure connection via SSL. * Server timeouts. Use this slider control to specify the amount of time that can transpire before Outlook Express times out waiting for the server. If the server is a busy one, increasing this value can overcome access problems. * Descriptions. Use the check box in this control group to specify whether or not to download newsgroup descriptions when you download or update the list of newsgroups from the server. Clearing this check box will decrease the length of time needed to download the groups. With a fully populated news server (one that handles all public newsgroups), clearing this check box could save several minutes of download time. * Posting. Use the controls in this group to specify whether or not Outlook Express should break up messages larger than the specified size. Most of today's servers support large messages and do not require this setting to be changed. Configuring Directory Service Accounts In addition to providing e-mail and newsgroup support, Outlook Express enables you to retrieve information from directory servers. These directory servers typically offer the capability to look up names, e-mail addresses, and other personal information. If you have someone's e-mail address but not their name, you can use a directory service to find their name, provided they are listed in the directory. Many mail servers are now supporting directory searches, which makes the personal information associated with a mail account available to anyone who has access to that mail server. Depending on how the directory service is configured, accessing the directory can require that you supply a user name and password to log onto the directory service to retrieve Page 376

Inside Windows 98 information from it. This helps prevent just anyone from accessing internal office or address information to which they are not authorized. Other directory services are by their nature public and freely accessible, just like the telephone book. Creating a Directory Service Account As with e-mail and news accounts, Outlook Express uses a wizard to help you create a directory service account. To create an account, choose Tools | Accounts to open the Internet Accounts property sheet, then click on the Directory Service tab. Choose Add | Directory Service to start the wizard, which will prompt you for the following information: * Internet directory (LDAP) server. Specify the IP address or DNS name of the directory server. * My LDAP server requires me to log on. Place a check in this check box if the directory server requires authentication rather than offering public access. If you enable this check box, the wizard will prompt you for a username and password or to use Secure Password Authen- tication (SPA) security. * Check e-mail addresses. Choose Yes if you want Outlook Express to verify e-mail addresses through a directory server when you send new messages. Choose No if you don't want Outlook Express to perform this check. In general, you would only want to have Outlook Express perform this check if you are sending messages on a LAN or within a single service because performing the check can add a significant amount of time to the message creation process. * Internet directory service name. This is the name by which the account will be listed in Outlook Express. Modifying Directory Service Accounts Directory Service accounts offer a few advanced settings that you can modify to control the way the account works. To change these settings, choose Tools | Accounts, and click on the Directory Service tab. Select the account you want to modify and click on Properties to display its property sheet. Click on the Advanced tab to display the Advanced page (see Figure 20.12). FIGURE 20.12 Use the Advanced page to specify extra Directory Service account settings. The following list summarizes the settings on the Advanced page: * Directory service (LDAP). Specifies the TCP port used by the directory server. The default is 389, which you should rarely have to change. * This server requires a secure connection (SSL). Place a check in this check box if the directory server employs SSL for security. Page 377

Inside Windows 98 * Search timeout. Use this slider control to specify the timeout value for the server. Increase this value if you have problems with the server not responding rapidly enough to your queries. * Maximum number of matches to return. Use this control to specify the maximum number of matches the server should return for each query. * Search base. Use this text box to specify the root for the directory search, such as state, country, organization, and so on. Some servers don't require or support this option. * Use simple search filter. Place a check in this box to use a simpler search criterion to help narrow a search. Performing a Directory Search A directory server can be a real help when you know the domain a person uses for his or her e-mail but don't know the specific address. With the directory server you can search the domain using the person's name to determine his or her e-mail address. Or if you know the person's e-mail address, you can find his or her name. To use the directory, first create a directory account for the directory server as described in the previous section. Then follow these steps to look up an entry in the directory: 1. In Outlook Express, choose Edit | Find People to display the Find People dialog box. 2. From the Look In drop-down list, choose the directory server that serves the user's e-mail domain (typically, the user's e-mail server). 3. If you know the person's name, enter it in the Name text box. If you know the person's e-mail address, enter it in the E-mail text box. 4. Click Find Now to perform the directory search. 5. If a match is found, the dialog box expands and the matching entries appear in a list. If no match is found, a message box advises you of that fact. If you don't know a person's full name or are unsure how the name is listed in the directory server, enter the last name. The directory server will return all addresses that are associated with the specified name. Using Advanced Outlook Express Features Using Outlook Express to send and receive e-mail messages and to read and post newsgroup articles is a simple enough process that Page 378

Inside Windows 98 you should have no trouble figuring out those tasks, particularly if you have used any other e-mail or newsgroup client. This section of the chapter focuses on many of the more advanced or unique features in Outlook Express. Using Stationery and Custom Fonts Although most e-mail is static, dry text, it doesn't have to be so. You can choose the type of font properties to use for your messages. You also can use a feature in Outlook Express called stationery to jazz up your e-mail and newsgroup messages. Stationery enables you to apply specific font characteristics to your messages as well as background graphics and text. In fact, you can use any Web page as your stationery because Outlook Express uses the same type of file format for stationery. Changing Fonts To specify a font for your e-mail or newsgroups messages, choose Tools | Stationery to display the Stationery property sheet. The Mail and News pages of the property sheet are identical in the settings they contain, with the only difference being the message type they modify. Simply choose the appropriate page depending on the type of message for which you want to change properties. Click the Font settings button to specify new font characteristics for messages. A standard Font dialog box will appear, enabling you to choose a font name, style, and size and other font characteristics. Using Stationery As explained previously, stationery is nothing more than an HTML file (Web page) that you assign as the background of the message. Message text can appear within the context of the page. To choose one of Outlook Express's predefined stationery styles, open the Stationery property sheet, choose the appropriate page (Mail or News), and choose the This Stationery option button. Then click Select to display the Select Stationery dialog box (see Figure 20.13). As you can see in the figure, you can preview the stationery prior to selecting it for use. When you're satisfied with your selection, choose OK. FIGURE 20.13 Use the Select Stationery dialog box to choose a predefined Web page for your messages. The Select Stationery list by default shows the HTML files located in the \Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Stationery folder. Click the Browse button to browse for additional HTML files located in other folders (such as HTML files you have created yourself). If you wish, you can edit the stationery files to suit your needs. Select the desired file in the Select Stationery dialog box; then click Edit. Windows 98 then opens the default editor Page 379

Inside Windows 98 for HTML files (FrontPage Express if you have no others installed) to enable you to modify the HTML file. Modify the file as desired; then save it and return to Outlook Express to use it. If creating HTML files is not your strong suit, you might want to check out Microsoft's Web site for additional stationery files. The easiest way to get to the site is to open the Select Stationery dialog box and click the Get More button. Outlook Express will launch your Web browser and point it to the appropriate site where you can download additional stationery. Using a Signature A signature is a string of text you can add automatically to your messages. Some people include their full e-mail, address, phone, and fax information as the signature for their messages. Others attached quotes, jokes, other text, or an HTML file. In any case, the signature you define is appended automatically to all outgoing messages. To define signature text, choose Tools | Stationery to display the Stationery property sheet. Then select either Mail or News depending on the type of message with which you want to associate a signature. Click the Signature button to display the Signature dialog box (see Figure 20.14). FIGURE 20.14 Use the Signature dialog box to assign text and/or a business card to outgoing messages. To assign some text as the signature, place a check in the Add his signature to all outgoing messages check box; Then choose the Text option button and type the desired text in the associated text box. If you prefer, you can select a file (text or HTML file) as the signature. To do so, select the File option button and click the Browse button to browse for and select the desired file. If you don't want the signature added to message replies and messages you forward to others, place a check in the Don't add signature to Replies and Forwards check box. With this option selected, Outlook Express will append the signature to new outgoing messages only. Working with Business Cards (vCards) The vCard provides a standard by which programs and digital devices can exchange data using a business card format. Through its support for vCard, Outlook Express enables you to exchange electronic business cards with others through e-mail and newsgroup messages. You also can append your vCard to outgoing messages. The vCard data is stored in the Outlook Express Address Book. To create your vCard data, open the Address Book and create an entry for yourself and fill in whichever fields you want as a Page 380

Inside Windows 98 part of your vCard. With the Address Book entry completed, close the Address Book and open the Stationery property sheet. Then click the Signature button to display the Signature dialog box (refer to Figure 20.14). TIP: If you prefer, you can create your vCard Address Book entry from the Signature dialog box by clicking the New button on the dialog box. Outlook Express opens the Address Book and lets you create a new entry. From the Card drop-down list, choose your vCard entry. The items shown on the Card list come from your Address Book. If you want to review or modify the data, click the Edit button. Outlook Express then opens the same property sheet you use in the Address Book to create and view Address Book entries. When you are satisfied with the vCard information and are ready to begin appending the information to your messages, place a check in the Attach card to all outgoing messages check box on the Signature dialog box. Using Rules If you have been using e-mail for any length of time, you've probably received at least some spam--the junk mail of the computer age. Outlook Express offers support for rules that enable you to effectively filter out unwanted messages. Rules also provide your PC with the capability to perform other message filtering tasks, such as redirecting messages from specific people or that meet other specified criteria. You define rules in Outlook Express through the Inbox Assistant. To work with the Inbox Assistant, choose Tools | Inbox Assistant. You'll see a dialog box like the one shown in Figure 20.15. FIGURE 20.15 Use the Inbox Assistant to define filters to help you process messages. To add a new rule to your Inbox, click the Add button on the Inbox Assistant dialog box. Doing so opens the Properties dialog box shown in Figure 20.16. Use the Properties dialog box to define the new message-filtering rule. FIGURE 20.16 Use the Properties dialog box to define a new message rule. The following list summarizes the options on the Properties dialog box: * To. This setting specifies the person to whom the message was sent (typically your e-mail address). * CC. This setting specifies a carbon copy address to which Page 381

the message was also sent.

Inside Windows 98

* From. This setting specifies the e-mail address of the person who sent you the message. * Subject. This setting specifies the subject of the incoming message. * Account. This setting allows you to specify the e-mail account through which the message was received. By including this information you can, for example, filter messages from certain people that come through one account but not another. * Larger than. This setting specifies the size of the incoming message. You might use this setting to exclude large, unwanted binary files or prevent their download. * Move To. Use this control to specify that the message should be moved to a different folder. * Copy To. Use this control to specify that the message should be copied to a different folder. * Forward To. Use this control to specify that the message should be forwarded to another e-mail account. * Reply With. Use this control to generate an automatic reply to the message (often referred to as an auto-responder). You might use this option in combination with the All messages check box to send automatic replies to your e-mail when you are out of the office or on vacation. * Do Not Download from the server. Choose this check box to prevent messages that meet the specified criteria from being downloaded from the server. * Delete off server. Choose this check box to cause messages that meet the specified criteria to be deleted from the server. Rules in Outlook Express offer sufficient flexibility that they enable you to perform a wide variety of message filtering functions. The following list describes just a few possibilities: * Exclude unwanted messages. If you receive unwanted messages from a specific person or organization, create a rule that includes the person's e-mail address in the From field. Use the Do not download from the server or Delete off server option to keep the message from being read. * Route messages to others. You might want to route a message from a certain person or regarding a specific subject to someone else. For example, you might want to redirect certain messages to your assistant to be handled for you. Specify the incoming message criteria (From, Subject, and so Page 382

Inside Windows 98 forth), and use the Forward To option to specify your assistant's e-mail address. * Route messages to specific folders. You might receive specific types of messages and want them routed to specific folders depending on who sent the message or its subject. Use the Move To and Cop_y To options to move or copy the incoming message to the desired folder. * Create an automatic response to messages. A feature or rule that automatically responds to messages is often called an auto-responder. You might be going out of town and want everyone who sends you mail to know you'll be gone for a while and unable to respond in person to their messages. Use the Reply With option to specify the content of the message reply. As you might have guessed, you can create multiple rules using the Inbox Assistant to handle any number of message sorting and handling tasks. Using Distribution Groups Sometimes you might need to send a message to the same group of people. For example, you might send a weekly status report to a group of colleagues. Although you could select each recipient's e-mail address individually when you compose the message, a distribution group is a better solution. A distribution group is a collection of e-mail addresses grouped together and known by a common name. For example, you might create a distribution group that contains the e-mail addresses of everyone else in your workgroup. When you need to broadcast a message to all of them, you compose the message and select the distribution group for the To field in the message. Outlook Express takes care of generating the proper e-mail address list. To create a distribution list, choose Tool | Address Book. In the Address Book, choose File | New Group or click the New Group button on the Address Book toolbar. Outlook Express displays the Group property sheet shown in Figure 20.17. FIGURE 20.17 Use the Group property sheet to create a distribution group. In the Group Name text box, specify the name for the group. This is the name that will appear in the Address Book for the distribution group. To create a new address to be added to the group, click the New Contact button. Outlook Express displays a standard address property sheet you can use to create the address. Click the Select Members button on the Group property sheet if you want to select existing addresses to add to the distribution group. When you're satisfied with the distribution group, click OK. To use the distribution list, begin composing the message. In Page 383

Inside Windows 98 the To field type the distribution list name or click the card icon next to the To field and select the distribution list from the Select Recipients list, just as you would for an individual address. Using Security Features Outlook Express provides a handful of security features that enable you to ensure that your messages are secure from interception and can be verified as having come from you and not someone posing as you. Others can use these same benefits for messages they send to you. The following sections explain these security features in more detail. Understanding Digital IDs A digital ID comprises three components: a public key, a private key, and a digital signature. The public and private keys provide a means for messages to be encrypted. When you send your digital ID to someone, you actually are giving that person your public key. The recipient's e-mail client then uses your public key to encrypt his or her message to you. When you receive the message, Outlook Express uses your private key to decrypt the message so you can read it. Encryption prevents someone from intercepting the message and reading it (actually someone could intercept it, but not read it without your private key). The private and public keys that are part of your digital ID, then, serve as two complementary parts of your message encryption capability. The digital signature included in your digital ID uniquely defines you. When included with an outgoing message, your digital signature identifies the message as having come from you rather than someone simply using your e-mail address. Acquiring a Digital ID Before you can begin using message encryption or digital signatures, you need to acquire a unique digital ID. Unfortunately, you can't simply create your own. You need to acquire one from one of several companies that offers digital IDs. This ensures that your digital ID is completely unique to you. An easy way to get a digital ID is to follow the links on Microsoft's Web site to retrieve one. With Outlook Express open, choose Tools | Options and click on the Security tab to display the Security property page (see Figure 20.18). FIGURE 20.18 The Security page enables you to specify security settings. Click the Get Digital ID button to open your browser and jump to Microsoft's Web site. The resulting page lists companies that offer digital IDs. Choose the link to the company whose ID you would like and follow the instructions at the company's site to Page 384

Inside Windows 98 get your ID. Whether or not you'll incur a charge for the ID depends on the company. Using Encryption and Digital Signatures Outlook Express enables you to encrypt messages to prevent them from being intercepted and read by unauthorized persons. You also can digitally sign messages to prove to the recipient that the message actually came from you. As soon as you acquire a digital ID you can begin sending encrypted messages and using digital signatures. First, however, you have to associate the digital ID with your e-mail account. Choose Tools | Accounts to open the Internet Accounts property sheet. Select the e-mail account to which you want to assign the digital ID; then click Properties. Click on the Security tab to display the account's Security page. Place a check in the Use a digital ID when sending secure messages from check box. Click on the Digital ID button and choose the digital ID to associate with the account. You can digitally sign a single message or have Outlook Express sign all outgoing messages. To sign a single message, begin composing the message. In the New Message window, choose Tools | Digitally Sign. You also can encrypt individual messages or encrypt all messages. To encrypt a single message, choose Tools | Encrypt. To configure Outlook Express to digitally sign or encrypt all your outgoing messages, choose Tools | Options to open the Options property sheet, then click on the Security tab to display the Security property page. In the Secure Mail control group are two settings that control these two capabilities. These settings are explained in the following list: * Digitally sign all outgoing messages. Place a check in this check box to have Outlook Express append your digital signature to all outgoing messages. * Encrypt contents and attachments for all outgoing messages. Place a check in this check box to have Outlook Express encrypt outgoing messages using your digital ID. For someone to send you encrypted mail, the sender must first have your digital ID. It's a simple matter to send your digital ID to him. Just compose a quick message telling the person that the message contains your digital ID, digitally sign the message, and send it. Outlook Express takes care of sending along your digital ID with the message. When the recipient receives your signed message, he'll be able to encrypt messages to you. To send encrypted messages, you need to have the recipient's digital ID. You have two ways to obtain the digital ID: send an e-mail to the person requesting it or look up the user's ID from Page 385

Inside Windows 98 a directory service that supports digital IDs. If you know the person has a digital ID from VeriSign, for example, use Outlook Express to connect to VeriSign's directory server (see "Creating a Directory Service Account" earlier in this chapter). Search the directory service for the person's name and/or e-mail address. When you locate the person in the directory, click the Add to Address Book button to add the address and digital ID to your address book. Using Security Zones Security zones enable you to categorize content you receive through e-mail in Outlook Express into different security categories depending on the level of trust you have in the site's content (ActiveX controls, scripts, and Java applets, for example). Using security zones enables you to protect against receiving malicious scripts through HTML content in messages. Security zones apply not just to Outlook Express but also to Internet Explorer. When you modify security zone settings in Internet Explorer, the changes apply to Outlook Express and vice versa. There are four security zones: * Local intranet zone. This zone includes all sites you have defined as residing on your local intranet. Generally, your intranet should be secure, but you still might want to apply some security restrictions. * Trusted sites zone. This zone includes all sites you have defined as being trustworthy. Generally, the trusted sites zone will employ lesser security than other zones. * Restricted sites zone. This zone includes all sites you have defined as offering some security risk. * Internet zone. The Internet zone includes all sites not defined within the other three zones. Outlook Express only allows you to specify one of two zones for e-mail content. These zones include the Internet zone and the restricted sites zone. To specify which zone to apply to e-mail, choose Tools | Options; then click on the Security tab to display the Security property page. In the Security Zones group, select the desired security zone from the Zone drop-down list. Click the Settings button if you want to view or modify the settings for the selected zone. Outlook Express displays the Security dialog box shown in Figure 20.19. FIGURE 20.19 Use the Security dialog box to change zone settings. From the Zone drop-down list, choose the zone whose settings you want to modify. Choose High, Medium, or Low if you want to use predefined settings. Choose Custom if you want to specify your own collection of settings. Choosing Custom displays the Page 386

Inside Windows 98 Security Settings dialog box shown in Figure 20.20. You can use the option buttons within this dialog box to control a wide variety of security settings. FIGURE 20.20 Use the Security Settings dialog box to supply custom security settings. ----------

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Using Dial-Up Networking and Direct Cable Connection * Overview of Dial-Up Networking * Understanding the Dial-Up Networking Client * Support for RAS Servers * Understanding Security * Installing and Configuring Dial-Up Networking * Planning Your Installation * Installing Dial-Up Networking * Installing the Dial-Up Adapter * Creating a Dial-Up Networking Session * Using Session-Dependent TCP/IP Settings * Using Remote LAN Resources * Using SLIP and CSLIP Connections * Selecting and Using SLIP and CSLIP * Connecting to the Server * Creating Dial-Up Scripts * Creating and Editing Scripts * Working with Scripts * Script Command Reference * Setting Up a Windows 98 RAS Server * Configuring the Dial-Up Networking Server * Using Direct Cable Connection * Understanding Direct Cable Connection * Setting Up Direct Cable Connection * Using a Direct Cable Connection Windows 98 includes a feature that enables you to use your computer to dial into a server to connect to remote networks, including the Internet. Windows 98's collective name for this feature is Dial-Up Networking. Windows 98 also includes a feature called Direct Cable Connection that enables you to connect PCs using serial or parallel cables to create a mini-network. With Direct Cable Connection you can network computers through their serial or parallel ports rather than through a network interface card (NIC). This chapter explains Dial-Up Networking and Direct Cable Connection, covering the following topics: Page 387

Inside Windows 98 * Using Dial-Up Networking and remote resources * Using SLIP and PPP connections * Creating dial-up scripts * Setting up a Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking server * Networking computers with Direct Cable Connection In addition to enabling you to connect to remote computers and LANs, a server module included with Windows 98 enables you to use your Windows 98 workstation as a Dial-Up Networking server. This enables other users to dial into the computer to gain access to your local resources or to your LAN. Overview of Dial-Up Networking The capability to dial into a remote computer or network to use the computer's or network's resources is called remote access. In Windows 98 and Windows NT, the capability to dial into a remote system or act as a dial-in server is generally termed remote access services, or RAS. The computer that dials in is called the RAS client. The computer that provides access is called the RAS server. NOTE: The terms Dial-Up Networking and Remote Access Services are used interchangeably in this chapter. Windows 98 includes a RAS client that Microsoft has named Dial-Up Networking. You can use Dial-Up Networking to connect to a RAS server to gain access to the server's shared resources and gain access to the network to which the server is connected. If you have a RAS server connected to your office LAN, for example, you can dial into the server from your home or hotel and access the LAN as if you were sitting in your office with your computer connected directly to the LAN. You can use the dial-up connection to access directories and files, send mail, perform scheduling, and even print. You are limited only by the speed of the connection. The Windows 98 RAS client also enables you to connect to the Internet through a dial-up Internet service provider. If your office LAN is connected to the Internet, you can dial into a RAS server at the office to access the Internet, provided the RAS server supports IP routing. To use the Dial-Up Networking client in Windows 98, you must have the following: * A Windows 98-compatible modem * Approximately 3 MB of disk space to accommodate the Dial-Up Networking software Page 388

Inside Windows 98 * File and printer sharing service (if you want to share the Dial-Up Networking server's resources with dial-in users) To use Windows 98 as a Dial-Up Networking server, you must have the Dial-Up Networking server software, included on the Windows 98 CD. Understanding the Dial-Up Networking Client The Dial-Up Networking client in Windows 98 (see Figure 21.1) uses the Dial-Up Adapter driver supplied with Windows 98 to enable the computer to connect to remote servers through a modem. The Dial-Up Networking client supports the following selection of connection protocols: FIGURE 21.1 A typical Dial-Up Networking property sheet. * Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). The PPP protocol is rapidly becoming a standard protocol for remote access. Windows 98, Windows NT 3.5x or later, and many other remote access clients and servers support PPP. Many Internet service providers offer PPP support for their dial-in Internet access services. * Novell NetWare Connect. NetWare Connect (also called NRN) is a proprietary RAS protocol that enables RAS clients to connect to a NetWare Connect server and remotely access resources on a NetWare LAN. * Windows NT 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11 RAS. These servers use asynchronous NetBEUI; Windows 98 supports connections to these servers. The server and client must both run NetBEUI. * Serial Line Interface Protocol (SLIP). SLIP is a remote access protocol standard that originated in the UNIX environment. Windows 98 supports SLIP connections, which enables you to connect to UNIX servers through a dial-up connection. The software you need before you can establish a SLIP connection with Windows 98 is included on the Windows 98 CD. Using SLIP requires that the server and client run TCP/IP. The Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking server does not support using Windows 98 as a SLIP server. * Compressed SLIP. This version of SLIP uses IP header compression and is most commonly used on UNIX hosts. You can use the Dial-Up Networking client for a variety of purposes, including accessing remote LANs, connecting to the Internet, sending and receiving mail remotely, and sharing files and printers with other non-networked users. If you simply want to share a few files with a friend, for example, one of you can configure your Windows 98 workstation as a Dial-Up Networking server, and the other can use the Dial-Up Networking client to connect to the server to copy files between the systems. Dial-Up Page 389

Inside Windows 98 Networking also is the mechanism Windows Messaging (Exchange) and Outlook Express use to enable you to process remote mail--sending and receiving mail from a LAN-based Microsoft Mail postoffice or POP3 account. Dial-Up Networking also makes possible dialing into a UNIX mail server to send and receive mail. If you use an online service, such as America Online or CompuServe, you can use Dial-Up Networking to connect to an Internet provider or your LAN IP server, and then connect to the information service through the dial-up connection. If you don't have a local CompuServe access number, for example, but your office LAN is tied to the Internet, you can dial into your LAN's server to establish a TCP/IP connection to the Internet; then use WinCIM to establish a connection to CompuServe over that TCP/IP connection. TIP: You must have a dial-up server that routes TCP/IP protocol before you can use the Windows 98 RAS client to establish a dial-up connection to the Internet. Windows NT and UNIX dial-up servers support IP routing. The Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking server cannot route IP, which prevents a Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking server from acting as a TCP/IP gateway. Support for RAS Servers The Dial-Up Networking client software is included with Windows 98. You can use this RAS client to dial into one of several types of RAS servers using a variety of protocols, including NetBEUI, IPX/SPX, and TCP/IP. The following sections describe the types of RAS servers to which you can connect using Windows 98, and explore some of the advantages and limitations of each one. TIP: Windows 98 includes Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), which enables you to establish a security network connection to a PPTP server across the Internet. Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking Server The Dial-Up Networking server for Windows 98 is included on the Windows 98 CD and can be added easily through the Control Panel. This Dial-Up Networking server enables you to use your Windows 98 workstation as a RAS server (see Figure 21.2), which enables other users to dial into your computer to access its resources and to access your LAN. The Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking server enables only one dial-in connection at a time. The Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking server supports NetBEUI, IPX/SPX, and TCP/IP protocols for dial-in clients, but does not support IP routing or PPTP. Clients that dial in using TCP/IP, therefore, can Page 390

Inside Windows 98 access only the resources shared by the dial-up server, but not other resources on the LAN to which the server is connected. These clients can gain LAN access by running the NetBEUI or IPX/SPX protocols, in place of or in conjunction with TCP/IP. FIGURE 21.2 You can use Windows 98 as a RAS server. TIP: The Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking server provides a limited capability to monitor and administer the server through system policies. If you use a Windows NT RAS server instead, you can administer the server remotely through a dial-up connection or LAN connection. The Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking server supports the following clients: * Windows 98 (and Windows 95) * Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and Windows NT 3.1 * Windows 3.1 RAS Client * PPP (Windows NT 3.5x or later, and others) Windows NT 3.5x / 4.x RAS Server The Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking client supports connection to a Windows NT Server or Windows NT Workstation version 3.5x or later RAS server. These servers use the standard PPP protocol, enabling Windows 98 and other PPP-capable clients to connect through the RAS server. PPP is the default protocol used by the Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking client. TIP: Unlike the Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking server, a Windows NT RAS server can support up to 256 simultaneous connections. Windows NT 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11 RAS Server The Dial-Up Networking client in Windows 98 can connect to a Windows NT 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11 RAS server. These servers use the RAS asynchronous NetBEUI protocol, which Windows 98 supports. In addition, clients that run Windows for Workgroups 3.11 or Windows NT 3.1 can use their RAS clients to connect to a Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking server. Novell NetWare Connect Novell NetWare Connect is a proprietary NetWare RAS server. The Windows 98 dial-up client can connect to a NetWare Connect RAS server to access NetWare servers on the remote LAN. To access Page 391

Inside Windows 98 NetWare servers remotely, however, you must run a NetWare client, such as Client for NetWare Networks, which is included with Windows 98. SLIP SLIP, which stands for Serial Line Interface Protocol, is the standard dial-in protocol many UNIX systems use. SLIP enables you to dial into a TCP/IP-based network served by a UNIX dial-up server running TCP/IP. Your client also must be running TCP/IP. Understanding Security The Windows 98 RAS client and server support pass-through security, which enables the dial-in server or another server on the network to handle remote user authentication. If you use a Windows 98 RAS server, the server can use share-level security to authenticate dial-in access. When a user dials into the server, the user provides a password, which you have assigned in the Dial-Up Networking server's configuration. If the passwords match, the dial-in user is connected and can begin to use the resources on the server or on the network to which the server is connected, provided the user has the necessary passwords for the resources. The Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking server also can use pass-through, user-level security to authenticate access to the server and to the LAN. When the server is configured for user-level security, a Windows NT server authenticates user logon, just as it does for LAN clients who attempt to access user-level, security-protected resources on the LAN. The user dials into the Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking server, which then transmits the authentication request to the Windows NT-based security server on the LAN. If the server responds with security authentication, the dial-in user is connected and can begin to use the Dial-Up Networking server's resources and other shared resources on the LAN for which the user has passwords or access permission. If the security server denies authentication, the dial-in connection is denied and the connection fails. The security that other types of dial-up servers provide depends on the operating system and dial-up server software. For information on using share-level and user-level security, refer to Chapter 26, "Peer Resource Sharing and Security." Installing and Configuring Dial-Up Networking Now that you have some background regarding RAS in Windows 98, you're ready to install and configure the Dial-Up adapter and software. The following section explains how to configure the dial-up adapter. Planning Your Installation Before you install the Dial-Up Adapter, you should determine which network transport protocol(s) you want to use with the Page 392

Inside Windows 98 Dial-Up Adapter. If you intend to use Microsoft TCP/IP, you should read Chapter 22, "Configuring Internet Connections," to determine the necessary TCP/IP settings. If you plan to use the Dial-Up Adapter to provide remote sharing of resources, you also need to install a suitable client, such as Client for Microsoft Networks or Client for NetWare Networks. The following list provides a guideline for installing protocols, clients, and services to support a dial-up connection: * Internet only. If you want to use the dial-up connection only to access the Internet, you need to install only the TCP/IP protocol. You do not need to install a file- or printer-sharing service or a network client. If you do not install a network client, however, Windows 98 will not save your password from session to session, but will save your username. * Windows-based network access. If you want to dial into a network that consists of Windows 98 and/or Windows NT computers, and you want to be able to access shared resources on those computers, you must install an appropriate protocol. Generally, NetBEUI is best because it is Windows 98's default protocol and requires no configuration. However, you must match the protocol you use to the protocol that the remote computers use. If you want your computer's resources to be available to users on the remote LAN when your computer connects, you must also install File and Printer Sharing Services for Microsoft Networks on your computer. * NetWare-based network access. If you want to dial into a network that contains NetWare servers, and you want to access those servers, you must install the IPX/SPX protocol and the Client for NetWare Networks. * Internet and remote LAN access. If you want to dial into a server to access the remote LAN's resources and also gain an Internet connection, install the Microsoft TCP/IP protocol and the protocol required to access the LAN's resources. If you connect to a Windows-based network, for example, install the Microsoft TCP/IP and NetBEUI protocols. In addition to installing the necessary network protocols and services, you also should install the modem you will use for Dial-Up Networking before you install Dial-Up Networking and the Dial-Up Adapter. Installing Dial-Up Networking Dial-Up Networking might already be installed on your computer. To determine if it is, open the Control Panel and double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. On the Add/Remove Programs Properties sheet, click the Windows Setup tab. Scroll through the list of installed components and double-click the Communications item. If Dial-Up Networking has a check beside it, the necessary software is already installed. If not, place a Page 393

Inside Windows 98 check beside Dial-Up Networking and choose OK. Windows 98 will prompt you for the Windows 98 CD if needed. TIP: Also place a check beside the Dial-Up Networking Server item if you want to use your computer as a Dial-Up Networking server. Installing the Dial-Up Adapter Before you can begin to use RAS in Windows 98, you must install the Microsoft Dial-Up Adapter. This adapter driver, which is included with Windows 98, serves as a virtual network interface card between your computer and its modem. The Dial-Up Adapter serves much the same purpose as a physical network adapter. The primary difference is that rather than connect your computer to others through a LAN cable, the Dial-Up Adapter provides the link through your computer's modem. TIP: Windows 98 installs the Dial-Up Adapter automatically when you install Dial-Up Networking. As explained in this section, you need to install the Dial-Up Adapter only if you have removed it from your network configuration. To install the Dial-Up Adapter, open the Control Panel and choose the Network object, or right-click the Network Neighborhood and choose Properties. From the Configuration page of the Network property sheet, choose the Add button to open the Select Network Component Type dialog box. Select Adapter from the list, then choose Add. Select Microsoft from the Manufacturers list. The only entry in the Microsoft list is Dial-Up Adapter. Select the Dial-Up Adapter from the Network Adapters list, and then choose OK. The Dial-Up Adapter provides three property pages you can use to configure the adapter after you install it. To set the adapter's properties, open the Network object in Control Panel, select the Dial-Up Adapter from the network components list, then choose Properties to open the Dial-Up Adapter property sheet (see Figure 21.3). The Driver Type property page enables you to specify which network driver you want to use with the Dial-Up Adapter. You must choose a client that is a protected-mode driver. FIGURE 21.3 The Dial-Up Adapter property sheet. The Bindings property page (see Figure 21.4) enables you to specify which network protocols the Dial-Up Adapter uses. Based on which protocols you decide to use (see "Planning Your Installation" earlier in this chapter), place checks in the check boxes for the protocols you want to bind to the Dial-Up Page 394

Inside Windows 98 Adapter. If you installed only one protocol, only that one protocol appears in the list and is selected automatically. FIGURE 21.4 The Bindings Property page. NOTE: You must use at least one protocol with the Dial-Up Adapter, even if you do not use a network client. The Advanced property page (see Figure 21.5) enables you to set several advanced settings for the Dial-Up Adapter. The Record a log file option enables you to specify whether Windows 98 maintains a log file of your dial-up connections. If you choose Yes, Windows 98 creates a log named Ppplog.txt in the Windows folder and stores PPP session information in the log file. The Ppplog.txt file can be very useful for troubleshooting connection problems. If you are not experiencing any problems, however, choosing No improves performance slightly. FIGURE 21.5 The Advanced property page. The setting labeled Use IPX Header Compression specifies whether Windows 98 compresses IP packets. If you connect to a CSLIP (Compressed Serial Line Interface Protocol) server, enable this setting; otherwise, you can leave it disabled. The IP Packet Size setting determines the size of network packets Windows 98 uses. Changing this setting can improve performance but requires a knowledge of your ISP's MTU value. The remaining settings apply to PPTP and VPN. After you specify the necessary settings on the Dial-Up Adapter property sheet, choose OK to apply the changes. Windows 98 prompts you to restart the system for the changes to take effect. Creating a Dial-Up Networking Session After you install the Dial-Up Adapter, you can use Dial-Up Networking. You access Dial-Up Networking in Windows 98 through the Dial-Up Networking folder, located in My Computer. The Dial-Up Networking folder contains a wizard you can use to add new dial-up connections, as well as connections you have already defined (see Figure 21.6). FIGURE 21.6 The Dial-Up Networking folder contains all your dial-up connection settings. To define a new Dial-Up Networking connection, run the Make New Connection Wizard by selecting it from the Dial-Up Networking folder. The wizard prompts you for a name for the connection and enables you to choose which modem you want to use for the connection. You also specify the phone number to dial, and can specify the COM port settings for the connection if you want to use settings other than the default port settings. If you're not Page 395

Inside Windows 98 familiar with configuring a COM port, refer to Chapter 19, "Modems and Telephony." After you specify the connection data, the wizard creates an icon in the Dial-Up Networking folder with the name you specified for the connection as the icon's description. To change the connection's properties, open the icon context menu and choose Properties. Windows 98 displays a property sheet similar to the one shown in Figure 21.7. FIGURE 21.7 The property sheet for a Dial-Up Networking connection. Most of the controls on the property page are self-explanatory. To configure the COM port, choose the Configure button. To specify the type of server to dial into, choose the Server Types tab to display the Server Types page (see Figure 21.8). FIGURE 21.8 The Server Types page. From the Type of Dial-Up Server drop-down list, select the type of server protocol you want to use. By default, the list contains three choices: NRN NetWare Connect, PPP, and Windows for Workgroups and Windows NT 3.1 (RAS). If you have installed the optional SLIP driver, the list also contains options for CSLIP and SLIP. Select a server type based on the protocol the dial-up server uses. If you connect to a Windows 98, Windows NT, or other PPP server (such as an Internet service provider), select the PPP option. If you connect to a NetWare Connect RAS server, select the NRN option. For connection to a server that uses the asynchronous NetBEUI protocol, select Windows for Workgroups or Windows NT 3.1 server. For uncompressed SLIP connections to UNIX servers, select SLIP. For compressed SLIP, select CSLIP. Some additional options in the Server Types dialog box enable you to control the way the connection is established and the protocols used for the connection. The settings in the Advanced options group are explained in the following list: * Log on to network. Enable this check box if you want to be logged on to the network as soon as the connection is established. If you disable this check box, you are connected to the server but not logged on to the network. If you dial a Windows 98 server, for example, you have access to the resources on the server but not to resources on its network. If the server uses pass-through security, however, you must log on to the network before the server grants access to its shared resources. Generally, you do not have to log on to connect to the Internet through an ISP. * Enable software compression. Enable this check box if you want the connection to use data compression. If you transfer a number of compressed files, clear this check box to provide better transfer time (using compression when transferring compressed files actually slows down transfer Page 396

Inside Windows 98 speed). Both the server and the client must support compression to enable compression to function. * Require encrypted password. If you leave this check box blank, your password is sent unencrypted. For best security, enable this check box so that Windows 98 encrypts your password before it sends it. The server must support password encryption for this feature to work. In addition to setting advanced options, you also must choose which protocols to use during the connection. The selections include NetBEUI, IPX/SPX Compatible, and TCP/IP. Enable the check boxes for only those protocols you want the dial-up connection to use. Using Session-Dependent TCP/IP Settings The TCP/IP Settings button in the Server Types dialog box enables you to specify TCP/IP settings for the connection that differ from your global TCP/IP settings for the adapter. Each Dial-Up Networking connection can use a different IP address, DNS servers, and other options. Choosing the TCP/IP Settings button displays the TCP/IP Settings dialog box, shown in Figure 21.9. FIGURE 21.9 The TCP/IP Settings dialog box. If you want the server to assign your IP address, using DHCP or another method, choose the Server assigned IP address option button. If you need to provide an explicit IP address, choose the Specify an IP address option button, and then enter your IP address in the IP address text box. If you're not sure what IP address to use or whether you should use an explicit address or rely on a server to supply the address, read Chapter 22 for an explanation. If you rely on DHCP to define the DNS servers, choose the Server assigned name server addresses option button. If you need to specify explicit DNS and/or WINS server IP addresses, choose the Specify name server addresses option button and enter the IP addresses of the primary and secondary DNS and WINS servers in the text boxes. The TCP/IP Settings dialog box contains the following two additional check boxes: * Use IP header compression. Enable this check box if you connect to a CSLIP server or other server that requires IP header compression. Leave this disabled for all other servers. * Use default g ateway on remote network. Enable this check box if you want the connection to use the default gateway on the remote network to route IP packets. Page 397

Inside Windows 98 NOTE: If you specify TCP/IP settings through the Network object in the Control Panel, those settings take precedent over the Dial-Up Networking TCP/IP settings. Typically, you can leave the TCP/IP settings in the Network Control Panel object blank and rely only on the Dial-Up Networking TCP/IP settings to provide a working connection. Some servers do not provide dynamic configuration information properly to Windows 98 and Windows 98 clients, however, and with these servers you must specify the settings in the Control Panel. Dial-Up Networking provides two additional property pages for each connection. The Scripting page enables you to associate a logon script with the connection. Refer to the section "Creating Dial-Up Scripts" later in this chapter for an explanation of scripting and the Scripting property page. The Multilink page enables you to configure channel aggregation, which makes it possible to use multiple communications devices concurrently (such as multiple modems) to improve performance. Using Remote LAN Resources After you define a Dial-Up Networking connection, you can connect to the remote server in various ways. You can open the Dial-Up Networking folder, for example, and double-click the icon of the connection you want to use. Windows 98 opens a dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure 21.10. FIGURE 21.10 The Connect To dialog box. Enter your username and password in the User name and Password text boxes. If you need to modify the phone number for the connection, make the change in the Phone number text box. From the Dialing from drop-down list, select your dialing location. If you need to define dialing properties such as a calling card number, prefix dialing numbers, disable call waiting, or set other dialing options, choose Dial Properties. If you're not familiar with defining or using dialing locations or options, refer to the section "Configuring and Using Telephony Services" in Chapter 19. When you are ready to make the connection, click the Connect button. Windows 98 dials the server and attempts to establish a connection. After the connection is established, a status dialog box appears giving you information about the connection. TIP: If Windows 98 doesn't give you the option of saving your password (the Save Password check box is dimmed), you probably don't have a network client installed. Open the Network object in Control Panel and add the Client for Microsoft Networks, then reboot the computer. You should then gain the ability to save your Dial-Up Networking passwords. Page 398

Inside Windows 98 Windows 98 also can make remote connections automatically. The following list describes situations in which Windows 98 automatically starts a Dial-Up Networking connection: * No network. If you try to access a remote resource using a shortcut or UNC name when no network is loaded, Windows 98 automatically opens a Dial-Up Networking connection for the resource. * UNC name not on the LAN. If you specify a UNC name in an application, and the name can't be identified on the LAN, Windows 98 opens a Dial-Up Networking session. * Distributed COM (DCOM or Remote OLE). If you reconnect or activate a remote OLE object, Windows 98 opens a Dial-Up Networking connection to the OLE server or object. Windows 98 caches remote server names and their resources for future use. If Windows 98 can't determine which Dial-Up Networking connection to use to access a resource, Windows 98 prompts you to choose a connection from the Dial-Up Networking folder or enter a server name. If the connection is successful, Windows 98 associates the server and remote resource name so that it can automatically establish the connection in the future. TIP: Sometimes Dial-Up Networking is completely automatic from session initiation to termination. If you use remote preview in Exchange to access a remote mail server, for example, Exchange establishes the connection, downloads your mail headers, and terminates the connection, all automatically. After a remote connection is established, you can use remote resources as if they were located on your LAN or local computer. Remote nodes with which you share a workgroup name appear in the Network Neighborhood folder. You can access other workgroups and servers on the remote LAN through the Entire Network folder. Essentially, accessing a remote resource through a Dial-Up Networking connection is exactly the same as accessing it through a LAN connection, except the Dial-Up Networking connection is slower. For more information on how to connect to remote resources, map resources to local drive IDs and ports, and share resources, refer to Chapter 26. Using SLIP and CSLIP Connections Although the number of networks connected directly to the Internet continues to increase, many networks do not have a direct connection to the Internet. And the number of home-based users or users who have non- networked standalone workstations and want access to the Internet is also growing rapidly. Page 399

Inside Windows 98 Windows 98's Dial-Up Networking supports the TCP/IP protocol stack, which enables you to dial into various types of remote access servers and Internet service providers to gain access to the Internet. Many Internet service providers use Point-to-Point protocol (PPP) to provide dial-up Internet connections. PPP is Dial-Up Networking's default protocol in Windows 98 and is used when you connect to a Windows 98 or Windows NT RAS server. Many UNIX servers, however, use Serial Line Interface Protocol (SLIP) or Compressed SLIP (CSLIP). Windows 98 supports SLIP and CSLIP, which enable you to use Windows 98's Dial-Up Networking to connect to SLIP and CSLIP servers. Windows 98 installs support for SLIP and CSLIP automatically when you install Dial-Up Networking. Selecting and Using SLIP and CSLIP You select SLIP or CSLIP for use when you create or modify a Dial-Up Networking connection. Use the steps specified earlier in this chapter to create the Dial-Up Networking connection for the SLIP or CSLIP server to which you want to connect. After you use the Make New Connection wizard to create the connection, open the connection icon's context menu and choose Properties to display its General property page. Click the Server Types tab to open the Server Types page. From the Type of Dial-Up Server drop-down list, select CSLIP:UNIX Connection with IP Header Compression if you want to connect to a CSLIP server, or select SLIP:UNIX Connection if you want to connect to a SLIP server. Set the logon and TCP/IP options according to your server's requirements, and then choose OK. Now you can begin to use the SLIP or CSLIP connection. Connecting to the Server When you connect to a SLIP or CSLIP server, the server generally prompts you for a user logon name and password. When you use Dial-Up Networking to connect to a SLIP server, Windows 98 displays a Post Dial Terminal Screen dialog box after the connection is established, which enables you to enter your username and password to log on and receive the IP addresses of the server and your workstation. Write down the IP addresses, and then choose F7. Windows 98 displays a SLIP IP Connection Address dialog box in which you must enter the IP address the SLIP connection has assigned your computer. After you enter the IP address, choose OK to begin using the SLIP connection. You might think the method described above for connecting to a SLIP server could be easier. You're right. Fortunately, you can use a script to automate the process. The next section explains how to use scripting with Dial-Up Networking to automate connections. Creating Dial-Up Scripts Page 400

Inside Windows 98 Many RAS servers and service providers require you to respond to prompts or choose from a menu of options to establish a connection. If you have the Windows 98 CD, you can use an optional scripting component to automate connections to any type of server, regardless of the type of protocol it uses. If you connect to CompuServe through Dial-Up Networking, for example, you can use scripting to automate the CompuServe logon process. Windows 98 installs scripting support automatically when you install Dial-Up Networking. Windows 98 places some sample Dial-Up Networking scripts in the \Program Files\Accessories folder. You use the Scripting property page to associate a script with a Dial-Up Networking connection and debug the script, which you learn later. Right now, you need to learn how to create and edit scripts. Creating and Editing Scripts You can use Notepad, WordPad, or any ASCII file editor to write and edit Dial-Up Networking scripts. A script consists of various statements that set the port properties, transmit a string to the server, wait for a string from the server, retrieve IP address information, and perform other tasks that help automate the logon and connection configuration process. Each script includes a procedure named main, which defines the entry point (starting point) of the script. The main procedure contains statements that automate the connection or other task you use the script to accomplish. The scripting language used in Scripting for Dial-Up Networking resembles the scripting languages that many communications programs use. If you're not familiar with scripting or writing scripts, the easiest way to begin to understand scripting is to open and view one of the sample scripts provided with Scripting for Dial-Up Networking. You can use these scripts as starting points for your own scripts, modifying them as necessary to suit your needs. The following is the CompuServe script (CIS.SCP) provided with Scripting for Dial-Up Networking: ; This is a script file that demonstrates how ; to establish a PPP connection with Compuserve, ; which requires changing the port settings to ; log in. ; Main entry point to script ; proc main ; Set the port settings so we can wait for ; non-gibberish text. set port databits 7 set port parity even transmit "^M" waitfor "Host Name:" transmit "CIS^M" Page 401

Inside Windows 98 waitfor "User ID:" transmit $USERID transmit "/go:pppconnect^M" waitfor "Password: " transmit $PASSWORD transmit "^M" waitfor "One moment please..." ; Set the port settings back to allow successful ; negotiation. set port databits 8 set port parity none endproc This script is fairly simple. It sets the data bits and parity of the connection, then transmits a carriage return (Enter) to CompuServe and waits for the Host Name: prompt. After the script receives the Host Name: prompt, it transmits a command to CompuServe (/go:pppconnect^M) to establish the PPP protocol. Then the script waits for the Password: prompt, and re-sponds with the password when the prompt is received. After the connection is established, the script changes the port settings again. The endproc statement ends the script. Browsing through this script shows you that the script relies on some variables for the user ID and password. Scripting for Dial-Up Networking supports a couple common variable names that define Dial-Up Networking variables, as follows: * $USERID. This variable corresponds to the username you enter in the Dial-Up Networking connection's dialog box when you start the connection process. * $PASSWORD. This variable corresponds to the user password you enter in the Dial-Up Networking connection's dialog box when you start the connection process. Later in this section is a script command reference that explains the script commands that Scripting for Dial-Up Networking supports. The next section explains how to associate a script with a Dial-Up Networking connection and debug the script. Working with Scripts The Scripting property page for a Dial-Up Networking connection (see Figure 21.11) enables you to select a Dial-Up Networking connection with which to associate a script, change the properties of a Dial-Up Networking connection, and control a few properties that define how the script runs. To associate a script with a Dial-Up Networking connection, right-click the Dial-Up Networking connection and choose Properties. Click the Scripting tab. Then enter the path and file name of the script file in the File name text box or use the Browse button to browse for the file. Page 402

Inside Windows 98 FIGURE 21.11 The Scripting property page. If you want the terminal window to appear minimized, place a check in the Start terminal tcreen minimized check box. Otherwise, the terminal window appears on the desktop so that you can monitor the progress of the connection (see Figure 21.12). To debug the script, enable the Step through script check box. The script executes one line at a time and you verify each line, which enables you to monitor the script's success. FIGURE 21.12 The Post-Dial Terminal Screen dialog box. TIP: To remove the script associated with a connection, simply highlight the script filename and press Del. Script Command Reference The following sections explain the Dial-Up Networking scripting commands supported by Windows 98. proc This statement begins a script procedure, where name is the name of the procedure. Every script must have a procedure named main that serves as the entry point of the script. Processing of the script begins with the proc main statement and ends with the main procedure's endproc statement. Example: proc main endproc This statement ends a script procedure. When the endproc statement for the main procedure is reached, Dial-Up Networking starts PPP or SLIP, depending on the server type selected for the connection. delay This statement causes the script to pause for the specified number of seconds. Example to delay four seconds: delay 4 waitfor "<string>" This statement causes the script to pause until it receives the specified string of characters. The waitfor statement is case sensitive. Page 403

Inside Windows 98 Example to wait for the string Select menu item: : waitfor "Select menu item: " transmit "<string>" | $USERID | $PASSWORD This statement transmits a string to the server. You also can use transmit to send your username and password as defined by the $USERID and $PASSWORD keywords. These keywords correspond to the username and password stored with the Dial-Up Networking connection's properties. Example to transmit the string 3 and a carriage return, followed by your password: transmit "3^M" transmit $PASSWORD NOTE: Windows 98 appends a carriage return to the $USERID and $PASSWORD variables when it transmits them. set port databits This statement sets the number of data bits in each data word (byte) and can be set to a value from 5 to 8. If you don't specify a value for data bits, Dial-Up Networking uses the setting specified by the Dial-Up Networking connection's properties. Example to specify 7 data bits: set port databits 7 set port stopbits This statement changes the number of stop bits for the port and can be 1 or 2. If you don't specify the number of stop bits with the set port stopbits statement, Dial-Up Networking uses the port settings specified by the Dial-Up Networking connection's properties. Example to specify 2 stop bits: set port stopbits 2 set port parity none | odd | even | mark | space This statement specifies the type of parity checking used for the connection. If you don't specify the parity method, Dial-Up Networking uses the parity method defined in the Dial-Up Networking connection's properties. Example to specify odd parity:

Page 404

Inside Windows 98 set port parity odd set ipaddr This statement specifies the IP address of your node for the session. You generally use this statement after you use the getip statement to retrieve your computer's assigned IP address from the server. In other words, you use the getip statement to retrieve your IP address from the server, then use set ipaddr to tell Dial-Up Networking to use that IP address for the session. getip "<delimiter>" This statement reads an IP address from the server. For delimiter, specify the character that separates the IP address from the characters that surround it to enable Dial-Up Networking to parse the IP address from the field. Here's an example of retrieving the IP address when a comma is used to separate the address from other text: set ipaddr getip "," Comments Text on a line preceded by a semicolon acts as a comment, which the script processor ignores. To create a comment, therefore, start the line with a semicolon. Example: ; This is a comment To transmit a carriage return, include ^M in the transmit string, such as transmit CIS^M or transmit CIS. To send only a linefeed character, use in the string, such as transmit . To transmit a carriage return and linefeed, use , as in transmit . Setting Up a Windows 98 RAS Server Windows 98 includes the components necessary for you to configure your Windows 98 workstation as a remote access server. To install the Dial-Up Networking Server software, open the Control Panel and double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. Click the Windows Setup tab, and then double-click the Communications object in the components list. Place a check beside the Dial-Up Server item and choose OK. Follow Windows 98's prompts to complete the installation. After you install the Dial-Up Server, your Windows 98 workstation can act as a RAS server for Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows for Workgroups, and other clients that use the PPP or asynchronous NetBEUI RAS protocols. Windows 98 also can act as a gateway for IPX/SPX and NetBEUI network transports, enabling Page 405

Inside Windows 98 dial-in users to access the LAN to which the Windows 98 RAS server is connected. A Windows 98 RAS server cannot serve as a gateway for TCP/IP, however. If you want to dial into a remote network to gain access to the Internet or perform IP routing on the remote LAN, the RAS server must be capable of IP routing, as are Windows NT, Shiva LanRover, and other RAS servers. TIP: Dial-Up Networking Server does not support SLIP or CSLIP as a server, nor does it support the NetWare NRN protocol for dial-in. Dial-Up Networking Server supports only the PPP and asynchronous NetBEUI protocols for dial-in clients. How you configure your Windows 98 RAS server depends on the type of access you want users to have. You cannot prevent access to the LAN by specifically limiting access to the dial-in server. If a user dials into the server using the proper network and RAS protocols and has the necessary permissions to access resources on the network, the user can do so through the RAS server. Therefore, you need to configure the Windows 98 RAS server to use share-level or user-level security if you want to be able to restrict access to resources on the server and on the LAN. You can implement share-level security without requiring a security server, because Windows 98 directly supports share-level security. To employ user-level security, however, the network must include a NetWare or Windows NT server that can act as the security server by authenticating accounts, passwords, and permissions. For detailed information on share-level and user-level security, refer to Chapter 26. Whichever method of security you choose, remember that you must configure the Windows 98 RAS server for that type of security before you can configure it as a RAS server. To specify share-level or user-level security, choose the Network object in the Control Panel and use the Access Control property page to specify the security method. Configuring the Dial-Up Networking Server Configuring your Windows 98 computer to act as a RAS server is easy. After you install Dial-Up Server, a new menu item appears in the Connection menu of the Dial-Up Networking folder. To configure the Dial-Up Server, open the Dial-Up Networking folder and choose Connections, and then Dial-Up Server. Windows 98 displays a Dial-Up Server property sheet similar to the one shown in Figure 21.13. Figure 21.13 The Dial-Up Server property sheet with share-level security enabled. The appearance of the Dial-Up Server property sheet depends on whether you use share-level security or user-level security on the RAS server. If the server uses share-level security, the property sheet appears. If the server employs user-level Page 406

Inside Windows 98 security, a slightly different property page appears. To enable dial-in access, choose the Allow caller access option button. If you use share-level security, choose the Change Password button to open a dialog box in which you can specify a password for dial-in access to the server. The password you specify applies to all users who dial in to the server. If the server employs user-level security, choose the Add button to add usernames and permissions from the security server. If you need help configuring user permissions, refer to Chapter 26. After you specify the password or user-access list, choose the Server Type button to open the Server Types dialog box. If you choose Default from the Type of Dial-Up Server drop-down list, the Dial-Up Networking Server attempts to use the PPP protocol to establish the connection, and if the connection fails, it attempts to use the asynchronous NetBEUI protocol. If you select a specific protocol from the Dial-Up Networking Server drop-down list, the Dial-Up Networking Server only tries the selected protocol and terminates the connection if the protocol fails. If you want the server to allow software compression for transferring data, place a check in the Enable software compression check box. If you want to require encrypted passwords for added security, place a check in the Require encrypted password check box. After you specify the necessary settings in the Server Types dialog box, choose OK. Then in the Dial-Up Server property page, choose OK to initiate the RAS server. TIP: While the RAS server waits for calls, the Status text box on the Dial-Up Server property page displays the message Monitoring to indicate that Dial-Up Networking is monitoring the modem line for incoming calls. When dial-in access is turned off, the Status box displays the message Idle. As a connection is being negotiated, other messages appear in the Status text box to indicate the status of the connection. Occasionally, you might need to terminate a caller's access to the Windows 98 RAS server. If the user forgot to log off before leaving his computer, for example, you can terminate the call from the server. Or, you might need to terminate connections for security reasons. To terminate the current connection, open the Dial-Up Networking folder and choose Connections, Dial-Up Server to bring up the Dial-Up Server property page. Choose the Disconnect User button to disconnect the current connection. Disabling dial-in connections is equally easy. Simply open the Dial-Up Server property page and choose the No caller access option button. When you choose OK, the Dial-Up Networking Server stops monitoring the modem for incoming calls, and users cannot dial into the server. Page 407

Using Direct Cable Connection

Inside Windows 98

One major improvement in Windows 98 over Windows 3.x is in connectivity. Windows 98 offers many different methods for you to connect together two or more PCs to share files and printers. One of the easiest methods is Direct Cable Connection, which enables you to connect together two PCs using a null-modem serial or parallel cable. Although Direct Cable Connection was designed to make it possible to share resources between notebook and desktop PCs, you can use Direct Cable Connection to connect any two Windows 98 PCs to create a small network. Understanding Direct Cable Connection Microsoft's Dial-Up Adapter enables Windows 98's Dial-Up Networking software to connect to a remote access server or other Windows 98 PC through a modem connection. The Dial-Up Adapter also serves another purpose: it enables you to connect together two PCs using a serial null-modem cable or a parallel cable. Using the Direct Cable Connection software included with Windows 98, the two PCs can share files and printers, just as if they were connected by network cards and cables. Although transfer speed isn't as fast with Direct Cable Connection as it is with a standard network connection, the cost is minimal: less than $15 for the cable. There are no other gadgets or software to buy. In a Direct Cable Connection between two PCs, one PC acts as a host and the other acts as a guest. The host system "listens" to the serial or parallel port, waiting for a guest to request a connection. When the guest makes that request, the host validates the connection, authenticating the logon password (if you've configured Direct Cable Connection to require one). Then the guest can connect to resources shared by the host in the same way you connect to resources on a LAN--you can map resource IDs (such as drive letters) on the guest to resources on the host, or use the Network Neighborhood to browse for resources. You then can transfer files between the two PCs and print from the guest to the host PC's printer(s). Direct Cable Connection also can provide connectivity to your LAN. If the host PC is connected to a LAN, the guest PC will gain access not only to the host's resources, but also to the shared resources on the network. Essentially, the host computer acts as a gateway to the LAN for the guest. NOTE: Direct Cable Connection doesn't support connection by computers on the LAN to the guest PC. The guest can access the LAN, but not the other way around. Direct Cable Connection uses the same types of security as the Windows 98 network. You can access shared resources with user-level security or share-level security, depending on how Page 408

Inside Windows 98 the host and guest are configured. For this reason, access to the network using Direct Cable Connection is the same as it is with a PC connected directly to the LAN. You must either have the required share-level passwords to access a shared resource, or if user-level security is active, your user account must be validated by a security server on the LAN. NOTE: If you want to connect your two PCs using a parallel cable, both PCs' parallel ports must be configured as bidirectional ports. For best performance, the two ports should also be configured as ECPs (Enhanced Capabilities Ports). You configure a computer's parallel port options through the PC's BIOS Setup program. Check your PC hardware manual if you're not sure how to run the BIOS Setup program. Setting Up Direct Cable Connection The first step in using Direct Cable Connection is to install the software for it. Like other Windows 98 components, Direct Cable Connection can be installed through the Add/Remove Programs object in the Control Panel. Use the following steps to add Direct Cable Connection to the host and guest PCs: 1. On the host PC, open the Control Panel and double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. 2. Click the Windows Setup tab to display the Windows Setup page. 3. Select the Communications item, then click the Details button. 4. Place checks beside Direct Cable Connection and Dial-Up Networking (Direct Cable Connection requires the use of the Dial-Up Networking adapter). 5. Choose OK, and then OK again to install the software on the host PC. 6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 on the guest PC. The next step is to configure the Dial-Up Adapter, network protocol, and network client. Configuring a Protocol and Client Like a real network adapter, the Dial-Up Adapter used by Direct Cable Connection relies on a network transport protocol and network client. Windows 98 adds the Dial-Up Adapter and associates with it the Client for Microsoft Networks, Client for NetWare Networks, NetBEUI protocol, and IPX/SPX protocol. If you're connecting to a NetWare-based system, these selections will work. If you're using a Windows 98- or Windows NT-based Page 409

Inside Windows 98 network, however, you can remove the NetWare components. The following steps explain how: 1. Open the Control Panel and double-click the Network icon. 2. On the Configuration page, click the Client for NetWare Networks icon; then click Remove. 3. Click the IPX/SPX-compatible protocol, and then click Remove. 4. Choose OK. Windows 98 will prompt you to restart the system. TIP: Although you can use TCP/IP for Direct Cable Connection, the host won't transport TCP/IP packets for the guest, which prevents the guest from accessing resources beyond the host (such as on the LAN). Consider using NetBEUI instead. Configuring Sharing In addition to configuring the necessary protocol, you also need to configure the PCs to share files and printers. The guest can access resources shared by the host, and the host can access the guest's shared resources, but only after you configure the two computers appropriately. It's important to note that you don't need to enable file and print sharing on a PC to access shared resources located on another PC. Adding the appropriate network client gives you that ability. If you want to share resources on a PC with other users, however, you must enable sharing on that PC. To enable sharing on either the host or guest, follow these steps: 1. Open the Control Panel and double-click the Network icon. 2. On the Configuration property page, verify that a file and printer sharing service (such as File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks) is not shown in the list of installed components. If a sharing service is listed, skip to step 7. 3. Click the Add button. 4. Select Service from the Select Network Component Type dialog box, and then click Add. 5. From the Manufacturers list, choose Microsoft. 6. From the Network Services list, choose File and Print Page 410

Inside Windows 98 Sharing for Microsoft Networks if you're using the Microsoft client. Choose File and Print Sharing for NetWare Networks if you're using the NetWare client. Then click OK. 7. On the Configuration page, click the File and Printer Sharing button to display the File and Print Sharing dialog box. 8. To enable the PC to share its files, place a check in the check box labeled I want to be able to give others access to my files. 9. To enable the PC to share its printer(s), place a check in the check box labeled I want to be able to allow others to p rint to my printer(s). 10. Choose OK to close the File and Print Sharing dialog box. 11. Choose OK on the Network property sheet. Windows 98 will prompt you to restart the system. You must do so before the changes will take effect. You can move files to or from the host from the guest if you only enable sharing on the host. However, you can only access files that are located in shared folders on the host, and you can only place files from the guest in those shared folders. If your host PC isn't connected to a LAN, consider sharing the root folder of each hard disk, which will enable you to access any host folder from the guest. If your host is connected to a LAN, however, you should take a different approach for security: share the root folders of each disk on the guest, and then perform all your file operations from the host. The host will be able to copy files from the guest, and place the files in any of the guest's folders. Because Direct Cable Connection doesn't support access by other machines on the LAN to the guest, sharing the guest's entire file system doesn't place the files at risk for unauthorized access. Just remember to disconnect the guest when you're finished so no one else can sit down at your host PC and access its files. For a detailed explanation of how to share files and printers and ensure security for your data, refer to Chapter 26. Connecting the Cable The next step in setting up a Direct Cable Connection is to connect the cable between the two PCs. You can use a null-modem serial cable or parallel cable. The only restriction (other than using a cable that's supported by Direct Cable Connection) is that you must use the same port on each computer. If you connect the cable to COM1 on the guest, for example, you must connect the cable to COM1 on the host. TIP: In almost 20 years of working with PCs, I've never experienced a problem connecting a serial or parallel cable to a running PC. There is the off chance that something could be damaged, however, so I Page 411

Inside Windows 98 recommend you shut down and turn off the PCs before connecting them. The following cables are compatible with Direct Cable Connection: * Standard serial null-modem (RS-232) cable. * Standard or Basic 4-bit cable, including LapLink and InterLink cables available before 1992. * Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) cable. This type of cable works on a computer with ECP-enabled parallel ports, which must be enabled in BIOS. This kind of parallel cable enables data to be transferred more quickly than a standard cable. * Universal Cable Module (UCM) cable. This cable supports connecting different types of parallel ports. Using this cable between two ECP-enabled ports enables the fastest possible data transfer between two computers. Be aware that not all serial cables advertised as null-modem cables will work with Direct Cable Connection. NOTE: Q: I only have one serial port on my notebook, and I have an external pointing device (mouse or trackball) connected to it. How can I use the pointing device and Direct Cable Connection at the same time? A: You can't use the serial pointing device and a serial Direct Cable Connection at the same time, because you only have one port. You have two options. If your notebook includes a PS/2 mouse port (most do), you can connect the pointing device to the PS/2 port with an adapter that probably came with the pointing device. If you don't have such an adapter, check with your local computer store for one or contact the pointing device's manufacturer to see if one is available. The best option, however, is to use the parallel port instead of the serial port. Using a Direct Cable Connection After you configure and connect the two PCs, you can begin using Direct Cable Connection. The following section explains how set to up the host and guest. Setting Up the Host and Guest The first step in using Direct Cable Connection is to set the host to begin listening for a connection on the appropriate port. Then you set the guest to attempt a connection to the host. To start Direct Cable Connection on either the host or the guest, choose Start, Programs, Accessories, Communications, and Page 412

Direct Cable Connection.

Inside Windows 98

The first time you run Direct Cable Connection, a wizard steps you through the process of configuring the PC as either a host or guest (see Figure 21.14). Select either the Host or Guest option button, and then choose Next. FIGURE 21.14 Specify whether the PC will act as a host or as a guest. Next, the wizard prompts you to select the port to use for the connection (see Figure 21.15). Choose the appropriate port, and then click Next. FIGURE 21.15 Choose the port to which the cable is connected. If you're setting up the host, the wizard asks you if you want to use password protection. If password protection is enabled, the guest must specify the correct password to connect to the host and use its resources. To enable password protection, place a check in the Use p assword protection check box, then click the Set Password button. The wizard displays a simple dialog box in which you enter and verify the connection password. When your password settings are ready, click the Finish button. Direct Cable Connection will initialize the port and begin listening for a connection from the guest. If you're setting up the guest, the wizard prompts you for the port to use, just as it does when setting up the host. After you select the port and click Next, click Finish to attempt a connection to the host. Direct Cable Connection will initialize the port and attempt a connection to the host. While it is attempting the connection, you should see the message Verifying user name and password on the host as well as the guest. When the connection is established, the guest begins searching the host for shared folders. If no connection or browse errors occur, a window containing all of the shared folders appears on the guest. The next section, "Using Shared Resources," gives you a brief explanation of how to use those shared resources. If Direct Cable Connection is unable for some reason to browse the host for shared resources, Direct Cable Connection on the guest PC opens a simple dialog box that prompts you to specify the name of the host PC. Type the name of the host computer, such as DESKTOP, and then choose OK. TIP: If you close the shared resource window on the guest, you can cause Direct Cable Connection to browse the host again by clicking the View Host button on the Direct Cable Connection dialog box.

NOTE: Q: When I try to connect to the host, the guest can't automatically browse for shared folders on the Page 413

Inside Windows 98 host. Direct Cable Connection prompts me to specify the name of the host. Is there some way to make it browse automatically? A: If you have more than one protocol bound to the Dial-Up Adapter on the guest or the host, the multiple protocols could be preventing Direct Cable Connection from browsing the connection. Reduce the protocols for the Dial-Up Adapter on the guest to only the NetBEUI protocol, and then try again (the system will have to restart after you change protocols). To remove a protocol, open the Control Panel and double-click the Network icon. Select the protocol from the list of installed components, and then click Remove. Click OK to close the property sheet. If reducing to one protocol on the guest doesn't enable the guest to automatically browse the host, try removing all but the NetBEUI protocol for the Dial-Up Adapter on the host, and then try the connection again. Q: Direct Cable Connection is unable to connect, and I'm sure the cable is OK. What else could be wrong? A: Open the Control Panel and double-click the Network icon. Verify that the Dial-Up Adapter is installed and has the right protocol bound to it (Microsoft strongly recommends NetBEUI). Also verify that NetBEUI is defined as the default protocol for the Dial-Up Adapter. To do so, click NetBEUI Dial-Up Adapter, and then verify that the appropriate client is enabled on the Bindings page. Then click the Advanced tab and place a check in the check box labeled Set this protocol to be the default protocol. Close the property sheet and let Windows 98 restart. Then test the connection again. Using Shared Resources You can use folders on the host from the guest without mapping a guest drive ID to the remote folder. When Direct Cable Connection establishes the connection, browses for resources, and displays a window containing those resources, just double-click the shared folder you want to use. Its files and sub-folders will appear in a window just as if you were browsing through a folder on your own system. If you want to associate a drive ID on the guest to the shared folder on the host, use one of the following techniques: * Right-click a shared folder, and then choose Map Network Drive. Windows 98 prompts you to choose the drive ID you want to associate with the remote folder. From the Drive drop-down list, choose a drive letter. If you want the guest to try to reconnect to the shared folder each time the guest Page 414

Inside Windows 98 starts Windows 98, enable the Reconnect At Logon check box. Then, choose OK. * Right-click the Network Neighborhood folder and choose Map Network Drive. In the Path text box, type the UNC name of the shared resource, such as \\DESKTOP\C, where DESKTOP is the name of the host computer and C is the shared folder name. Or, click the drop-down button and choose a connection name you've previously used. Then click OK. For a more detailed explanation of how to share files and printers, read Chapter 26. ----------

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Configuring Internet Connections * An Overview of TCP/IP and the Internet * TCP/IP * The Internet * Understanding TCP/IP * Understanding IP Addressing * Using Subnet Masks * Acquiring an IP Address * Understanding Gateways and Routing * Using Dynamic Address Assignment * Understanding Domains and Name Resolution * Issues for NetWare * Preparing to Install TCP/IP * Installing and Configuring TCP/IP in Windows 98 * Installing Microsoft TCP/IP * Configuring IP Addressing * Configuring a Gateway * Using DNS * Using WINS * Binding the TCP/IP Protocol * Using Hosts and Lmhosts Files * Using the Hosts File for Name Resolution * Using the Lmhosts File for Name Resolution * Adding an Entry to Lmhosts * Using a Proxy Server Although the Internet has existed for many years, only in this decade has it become widely popular outside academic, government, and military circles. The Internet's explosive growth has stimulated a strong demand for support of TCP/IP and Internet-related utilities and programs. Windows 98 offers a set of core components and general utilities that make it an excellent platform for TCP/IP internetworking. Page 415

Inside Windows 98 This chapter helps you understand, configure, and use TCP/IP to provide connectivity between computers on your LAN as well as a connection to the Internet. The chapter covers the following topics: * An overview of TCP/IP and the Internet * Understanding TCP/IP * Installing and configuring TCP/IP in Windows 98 * Using Hosts and Lmhosts files for name resolution * Using proxy servers This chapter helps you configure and use TCP/IP and begin connecting to the Internet. To learn about the TCP/IP and Internet utilities included with Windows 98, refer to Chapter 28, "Integrating Windows 98 and Novell NetWare." NOTE: This chapter provides a general overview of TCP/IP to help you understand how to configure and use TCP/IP. If you require a more technical description of how TCP/IP works, consult the Microsoft Windows NT Resource Kit, Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit, one of the many resources and FAQs (Frequently Asked Question documents) available on the Internet, or Inside TCP/IP by New Riders Publishing. For information on how to connect to the Internet using PPP and SLIP protocols through the Dial-Up Networking service in Windows 98, refer to Chapter 21, "Using Dial-Up Networking and Direct Cable Connection." An Overview of TCP/IP and the Internet The two primary topics in this chapter--TCP/IP and the Internet--generally are closely related; you need the TCP/IP protocol to connect to and use the Internet. But even if you don't need to access the Internet, TCP/IP still offers an excellent means of interconnecting disparate operating systems on a single network. This section of the chapter provides a brief overview of TCP/IP and the Internet. TCP/IP TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. TCP/IP, which actually comprises two protocols--TCP and IP--serves as a network transport protocol widely supported by a majority of operating systems, including all versions of UNIX, Windows NT, Windows 98, Novell NetWare, Macintosh, Open VMS, and others. Originally, TCP/IP was developed through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to support defense-related projects. TCP/IP offers a number of advantages Page 416

Inside Windows 98 that make it an excellent network transport protocol, particularly for connecting dissimilar computers and for enabling wide-area networking. The TCP/IP protocol included with Windows 98, dubbed Microsoft TCP/IP, operates as a 32-bit, protected-mode transport that you can use as your only network protocol or in conjunction with another protocol. You might use NetBEUI within your LAN, for example, and use TCP/IP to connect to the Internet through a router or dial-up connection. The following list describes some of Microsoft TCP/IP's features and advantages. * 32-bit protocol. As a 32-bit, protected-mode network protocol, Microsoft TCP/IP uses no conventional memory. You also can use Microsoft TCP/IP in conjunction with other network protocols, enabling your computer to connect to a variety of systems. * WinSock 2. Windows 98 supports the Windows Sockets (WinSock) 2 specification, which enables you to use WinSock-based TCP/IP programs without requiring an additional WinSock driver. * DHCP. Microsoft TCP/IP supports Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), which enables a DHCP server, such as a Windows NT server, to automatically assign IP addresses to workstations on the network, including computers that connect to the network through a dial-up connection. DHCP enables you to more efficiently manage a pool of IP addresses for a given set of workstations. * WINS. Microsoft TCP/IP supports Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS), which provides automatic resolution of IP addresses into logical computer names. * Protocol support. Microsoft TCP/IP supports Point-to-Point (PPP) and Serial Line IP (SLIP), enabling remote access to TCP/IP-based servers through dial-up connections. It also supports Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), enabling secure, virtually private network connections across the Internet. * Core TCP/IP utilities. Windows 98 includes a number of TCP/IP applications for file transfer, terminal emulation, troubleshooting, and other general tasks. Although setting up TCP/IP is not difficult per se, it can prove to be a complex task. The Internet The Internet began as a small group of interconnected LANs and has grown into a world-wide network that spans many thousands of networks and millions of computers. Although the Internet began primarily as a defense- and education-related network, it has grown to encompass government and commercial networks and users, Page 417

Inside Windows 98 as well as individual users. The Internet really is nothing more than a huge wide area network. On this network, however, you can access an amazing variety of services and data. You can send and receive email around the globe, transfer files, query enormous databases, participate in special-interest groups, and much more. There are many ways to access the Internet. If you have a user account on one of the popular online services, such as CompuServe or America Online, or are a member of the Microsoft Network (MSN), you can gain access to the Internet through those services. Or, your network at work might be connected to the Internet through a dedicated or dial-up connection. You might connect from your computer to an Internet service provider through a dial-up connection. Regardless of the method you use to connect to the Internet, you can't do it without TCP/IP. Understanding TCP/IP is critical to configuring and initiating your Internet connection. The next section provides an examination of some key issues for TCP/IP networking. Understanding TCP/IP TCP/IP is versatile but also complex. Before you can set up a TCP/IP network and correctly configure the computers and other devices on the network, you must understand many key issues. The following sections explain these issues, beginning with IP addressing. Understanding IP Addressing On a TCP/IP network, a host is any device on the network that uses TCP/IP to communicate, including computers, routers, and other devices. Each host must have a unique address, called an IP address (IP stands for Internet Protocol). An IP address identifies the host on the network so IP data packets can be properly routed to the host. IP data packets are simply data encapsulated in IP format for transmission using TCP. Every IP address on the network must be unique; conflicting (identical) IP addresses on two or more computers prevent those computers from correctly accessing and using the network. An IP address is a 32-bit value usually represented in dotted-decimal notation, in which four octets (eight bits each) are separated by decimals, as in 198.87.118.1. The IP address actually contains two items of information: the address of the network and the address of the host on the network. How the network and address are defined within the address depends on the class of the IP address. IP addresses are grouped into three classes, A, B, and C. These classes are designed to accommodate networks of varying sizes. Table 22.1 describes the IP address classes, where the variables w.x.y.z designate the octets in the address structure. TABLE 22.1 IP Address Classes Class | ID | Network Host ID | Available Networks | Page 418

Available Hosts per Network

Inside Windows 98

A 1-126 | w | x.y.z | 126 | 16,777,214 B 128-191 | w.x | y.z | 16,384 | 65,534 C 192-223 | w.x.y | z | 2,097,151 | 254 TIP: The address 127.x.x.x is reserved on the local computer for loopback testing and interprocess communication, and therefore is not a valid network address. Addresses 224 and higher are reserved for special protocols, such as IGMP multicast, and can't be used as host addresses. Host addresses 0 and 255 are used as broadcast addresses and should not be assigned to computers. You can always reference your local LAN card by the address 127.0.0.1 for testing. As Table 22.1 shows, class A networks are potentially quite large, encompassing as many as 16,777,214 hosts. If you set up your own TCP/IP network, yours most likely falls into the class C network category, which is limited to 254 hosts. You might wonder what's so important about an IP address. Routing data packets between computers is impossible without an IP address. By referencing the network portion of your IP address, a sending computer can route packets (with the help of intermediate routers and networks) to your network. The host portion of your IP address then routes the packet to your computer when the packet finally reaches the network. Using Subnet Masks A subnet mask is a 32-bit value expressed as a series of four octets separated by periods, just like an IP address. The subnet mask enables the re- cipient of an IP data packet to strip (mask) the IP address to which the IP packet is being sent into network ID and host ID. Basically, the subnet mask enables the IP address to be broken into its two component parts. Table 22.2 shows the default subnet masks for standard class A, B, and C networks, with each subnet mask shown in binary and dotted-decimal forms. TABLE 22.2 Default Subnet Masks Class | Bit Value | Subnet Mask A | 11111111 00000000 00000000 00000000 | 255.0.0.0 B | 11111111 11111111 00000000 00000000 | 255.255.0.0 C | 11111111 11111111 11111111 00000000 | 255.255.255.0 Page 419

Inside Windows 98 TIP: The subnet masks described in Table 22.2 are not the only masks you can use. Sometimes you have to mask only some of the bits in an octet. The network address and subnet mask must match, however, for every host on a local network. In addition to enabling an IP address to be resolved into its network and host components, subnet masks also serve to segment a single network class address space into multiple subnets. For example, subnetting enables you to divide a single class C address space into multiple, separate networks. Instead of having one subnet that contains 254 hosts, for example, you might divide the class C address space into two separate subnets. Each subnet would act as a unique network. Using a mask of 255.255.255.224, for example, creates six subnets with a maximum of 30 hosts per subnet. Here's an example of when you might use subnetting: Assume that you want to build a wide area network (WAN) that encompasses multiple divisions of your company. You have two different sites and need to route traffic between them. You have been assigned only one class C address space, however. To set up routing between the different divisions, the IP addresses of the routers must be in different subnets. So you divide your single class C address space into two subnets, one for each division. Without subnetting, class A and B networks would be too large to be practical. A class A address space, for example, contains enough addresses to accommodate 224 - 2 hosts. It's unlikely that anyone would want to build a network with that many hosts, so subnetting is employed to break the class A network into separate smaller networks with fewer hosts. In addition, subnetting hides the internal structure of a network from external routers. To reach a host on a subnetted network, an external router needs only to know the IP address of the router that serves the class B network. This significantly reduces the size of public routing tables and makes routing much more efficient. When you are applying a subnet mask to a computer, keep in mind that the subnet mask effectively places the computer on a specific subnet. The subnet mask must therefore match the subnet mask of all other hosts on the same subnet. If it does not match, routing will not occur properly for that computer. The subnet mask you use is dependent on the logical design of your network. If you aren't sure which subnet mask to use, consult your network administrator. TIP: Calculating subnet masks by hand is difficult. A good utility that simplifies subnet calculation is the IP Subnet Calculator developed by Net3 Group, Inc., of St. Paul, MN, U.S. You can find a copy of the program at http://www.tucows.com. Page 420

Inside Windows 98 Acquiring an IP Address Although theoretically you could arbitrarily assign your own IP network address for your network, any address you might choose probably would already be assigned to someone else's network. If your network is self- contained and not connected to the Internet, duplicate addressing shouldn't cause any problems. If your network is connected to the Internet or you decide to connect it in the future, however, duplicate addressing causes serious routing problems for both networks. To assure uniqueness of network addresses, a governing organization known as InterNIC (Internet Network Information Center) is responsible for assigning and maintaining IP addresses. If you set up a TCP/IP network, you should contact InterNIC to obtain a unique network IP address for your network. You can contact InterNIC at the following address or phone number. You also can register through the Internet by sending a registration request to [email protected]. If you want more information about InterNIC and IP addressing, you can connect through the Internet to is.internic.net, log on as anonymous, and browse the directory /INFOSOURCE/FAQ for more information. Or, you can point your browser to http://rs.internic.net. To contact InterNIC through standard mail, phone, or fax, use the following information: Network Solutions InterNIC Registration Services 505 Huntmar Park Drive Herndon, VA 22070 703-742-4777 Fax 703-742-4811 Understanding Gateways and Routing To interconnect and provide routing of data packets, TCP/IP subnetworks interconnected with one another or connected to the Internet use gateways (routers). Generally, a default gateway is a computer or router that maintains the IP address information of remote networks (networks outside its own network). Default gateways are required only on interconnected networks--standalone TCP/IP subnets do not require default gateways. Before a host transmits an IP packet, IP inserts the originating and destination IP addresses into the packet. It then checks the destination address to determine whether the packet is destined for the same local network as the originating host. If the network addresses match (based on the subnet mask), the packet is routed directly to the destination host on the same subnet. If the network addresses don't match, the packet is sent to the subnet's default gateway, which then handles routing of the packet. The default gateway maintains a list of other gateways and network addresses, and routes the packet accordingly. Although the packet might pass through many gateways, it eventually reaches its destination. If yours is a standalone subnet, you don't need a default Page 421

Inside Windows 98 gateway. Otherwise, you need at least one functioning default gateway to communicate outside of your subnet. If for some reason your default gateway becomes inoperative (a router fails, for example), you can't communicate outside your subnet, but you still can work within your subnet. If you need to ensure a connection, you might want to consider using multiple default gateways. TIP: You can use the route utility from the command prompt to specify a static route and override the default gateway. Using Dynamic Address Assignment In TCP/IP networks that comprise relatively few nodes, or in which the network configuration is static (computers do not access the network remotely and the number of hosts doesn't fluctuate), IP address administration is relatively easy. The network administrator simply assigns specific IP addresses to each host. On large or dynamic networks, however, administering IP addresses can be difficult and time consuming. To help overcome this problem, Windows 98 supports Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, or DHCP, which enables a host to automatically obtain an IP address from a DHCP server when the host logs on to the network. When you move a host from one subnet to another on your network, the host automatically receives a new IP address, and its original IP address is released, making it available for other connecting hosts. By providing dynamic addressing, DHCP enables you to manage a pool of IP addresses for a group of hosts. Assume that your company has 100 employees who often dial into your subnet from remote locations, but not at the same time. At any one time, 25 to 30 remote users might be connected to the network, but your subnet has only 50 available subnet host addresses. If you assign IP addresses manually, you can accommodate only 50 of the remote users. You can't assign the same IP address to 2 users, because if they both connect to the network at the same time, routing problems prevent them from using the network. Through DHCP, you can allocate a pool of 50 IP addresses to be assigned automatically to the dial-in users. When a user dials in and connects, DHCP assigns its host a unique IP address from the pool. As long as no more than 50 users attempt to log on to the network remotely and acquire IP addresses, you can accommodate all 50 with unique addresses. If the number of users who need to connect exceeds the number of available addresses, the only solution is to expand your pool of available addresses or modify the subnet mask to accommodate more than 50 addresses. DHCP in Windows 98 relies on a Windows NT DHCP server (or hardware-based DHCP server) that can assign IP addresses to Page 422

Inside Windows 98 hosts on the local subnet when the hosts start Windows 98, and can assign IP addresses to hosts that connect to the network remotely. In addition to using DHCP, Windows 98 can request an IP address from a PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) dial-up router. Whether you use DHCP or connect to a PPP dial-up router, you use the same configuration option to configure dynamic address assignment. Understanding Domains and Name Resolution Computers have no problems using IP addresses to locate other networks and hosts. The average user, however, can have trouble remembering those dotted-decimal addresses. Domain names and computer names make specifying the addresses or other networks or hosts much easier. A domain name is a unique named formatted much like an IP address, except that the domain name uses words rather than numbers. The domain name identifies your network and is associated with your network's IP address. If your company is Foo Fang Foods, Inc., for example, your departmental subnet might be known as sales.foofang.com. The first portion, sales, identifies your subnet. The second portion, foofang, identifies your corporate network. The last portion, .com, specifies the type of organization, and in this example, indicates a commercial network. Other common designators are .gov for government, .edu for education, .mil for military, .org for noncommercial organizations, and .net for networking organizations. TIP: As with your IP address, your domain must be unique. If you connect your network to other networks or to the Internet, contact the InterNIC to apply for a unique domain name. A computer name specifies a host on the subnet. Your host computer name is combined with your domain to derive your Internet address. Your host name doesn't have to match your computer's name that identifies it in its workgroup, but it can. By default, Windows 98 uses as your host name the NetBIOS computer name you specify during setup, but you can specify a different name when you configure TCP/IP. Whatever name you specify as the computer name in the TCP/IP configuration is registered with the network when Windows 98 starts. NOTE: The computer name you specify for your computer when you install Windows 98 is its NetBIOS name. A computer's NetBIOS name bears no relationship to its host name under TCP/IP. The two names can be different or the same. No direct translation or correlation exists between IP addresses and domain names and host names. Some method, therefore, is Page 423

Inside Windows 98 required to enable computers to look up the correct IP address when a user specifies a name rather than an IP address. Your Windows 98 host can use one of two methods: DNS or WINS. NOTE: For a technical discussion of DNS and WINS, you can consult volume 2 of the Microsoft Windows NT Resource Kit, Windows NT Networking Guide, or the Windows 98 Resource Kit on the Windows 98 CD-ROM. Understanding DNS DNS stands for Domain Name System and is a distributed database system that enables a computer to look up a computer name and resolve the name to an IP address. A DNS server maintains the database of domain names and their corresponding IP addresses. The DNS server stores records that describe all hosts in the name server's zone. If you use DNS for your Windows 98 workstation, you specify the IP address of one or more DNS servers in your TCP/IP configuration. When your workstation needs to resolve a name into an IP address, it queries the DNS servers. If the server doesn't have an entry for the your specified name, the name server returns a list of other name servers that might contain the entry you need. The workstation then can query these additional name servers to resolve the name. TIP: You can define multiple DNS servers in your Windows 98 TCP/IP configuration. Besides a DNS server, you can use the Hosts file to resolve host.domain- formatted names to IP addresses. Understanding WINS WINS stands for Windows Internet Name Service. WINS provides a dynamic database for managing name resolution. WINS relies on a Windows NT server to act as a WINS server. When you install TCP/IP on your workstation, the client software necessary to connect to a WINS server is installed automatically. One advantage of using WINS is that it's dynamic, rather than static like DNS. If you use DHCP to assign network addresses, WINS automatically updates the name database to incorporate DHCP IP address assignments. As computers move from one place (and address) to another on the network, the WINS server automatically updates and maintains their addresses. Another advantage of using WINS is that it includes NetBIOS name space, which enables it to resolve NetBIOS names into IP addresses. Assume that your computer's NetBIOS name is joeblow, your computer's TCP/IP host name is JoeB, and your domain name Page 424

Inside Windows 98 is bozos.are.us. A DNS server could only resolve JoeB.bozos.are.us, but a WINS server could resolve JoeB.bozos.are.us and joeblow.bozos.are.us into the correct IP address. TIP: The Microsoft Windows NT Resource Kit contains a good technical explanation of other advantages WINS offers. When you configure TCP/IP in Windows 98, you can specify the IP addresses of up to two WINS servers to handle name resolution. If your network uses DHCP, you can configure your workstation to resolve the addresses of WINS servers dynamically using DHCP. If you don't have a WINS server available to provide name resolution of NetBIOS computer names to IP addresses (such as resolving your computer's name to its IP address), you can use the Lmhosts file to resolve NetBIOS names. Issues for NetWare The NetWare client provided with Windows 98, Client for NetWare Networks, supports the IPX/SPX protocol also included with Windows 98. The IPX/SPX protocol provides full compatibility with NetWare networks and replaces the NetWare IP protocol. The Client for NetWare Networks, however, doesn't support NetWare IP protocol. Also, the Microsoft TCP/IP protocol stack that comes with Windows 98 does not support any NetWare clients owing to differences in the protocol implementations of TCP/IP and NetWare IP. Therefore, you must use the IPX/SPX protocol or a NetWare-supplied protocol for NetWare connectivity. Even though you can't use Microsoft TCP/IP for NetWare connectivity, you can use Microsoft TCP/IP to provide internetworking for other clients and services. You might use IPX/SPX for connectivity with NetWare servers on the network, for example, and use Microsoft TCP/IP for connectivity and resource sharing with Microsoft- or UNIX-based servers. Or, you might use Microsoft TCP/IP for Internet connectivity through a router or a dial-up networking connection. If you use only a NetWare client (because you have a homogeneous NetWare environment with no other server types), and want to use Microsoft TCP/IP for connectivity through a router or dial-up connection to the Internet, you don't have to install any other networking clients or services to enable that TCP/IP connection. TCP/IP connectivity to the Internet does not require a network client or sharing service of its own. Preparing to Install TCP/IP Now that you have a little background in how TCP/IP works, you're almost ready to install, configure, and begin using TCP/IP on your Windows 98 workstation. Before you begin the Page 425

Inside Windows 98 installation procedure, however, you need to gather together the information you must provide when you configure TCP/IP. In particular, you need to know the following information: * Network address and domain. If you set up a new TCP/IP network that you intend to eventually connect to the Internet, you must register with InterNIC for a unique domain name and network IP address. Even if you do not plan at this time to connect the network to the Internet, you still should acquire a unique domain name and network address from InterNIC for future compatibility. * IP address. Determine whether your workstation will use static IP addressing or will obtain an IP address from a DHCP server. If you require a static address, contact your system administrator for an address, or if you are the administrator, assign an available address for the workstation. If you plan to use DHCP to acquire an IP address dynamically, or you dynamically acquire an IP address from a PPP dial-up router, you do not need to know the IP address of the DHCP server or router. * Subnet mask. You must know the appropriate subnet mask for your subnet. If yours is a standard, full class C network with fewer than 254 hosts, your subnet mask should be 255.255.255.0. If you're not sure what your subnet mask should be, contact your system administrator. * WINS. Determine whether your network provides one or more WINS servers for name resolution. If so, you need to know the IP address of the primary WINS server, as well as the IP address of a secondary WINS server if you choose to use a secondary server. If your workstation uses DHCP, however, you need not know the IP addresses of the WINS servers--DHCP automatically resolves them. If your network uses NetBIOS over TCP/IP, you might need a scope ID. If you're not sure, check with your system administrator. * Default gateway(s). If your subnet is connected to other networks or to the Internet, you need to know the IP address of the gateway (router) through which IP routing is accomplished. If your network has access to multiple gateways, you can specify multiple gateways to provide fault tolerance and alternative routing. * Domain name resolution. You must know the domain name of your network, as well as the host name you use. The host name defaults to the computer name assigned to the computer at startup, which you specify through the Identification property page for your Network settings. If you use DNS for name resolution, you must know the IP addresses of the DNS servers you use. * Bindings. You must know which clients and services use the TCP/IP protocol. If you dial into a server for TCP/IP access (such as dialing into an Internet service provider or an NT Page 426

Inside Windows 98 Server) to gain Internet access, you do not need to bind TCP/IP to any clients or services. If you use TCP/IP as your only protocol and want to dial into a server to access files and other shared resources, or you want to share your resources, you must bind TCP/IP to the appropriate client and service, such as Client for Microsoft Networks and the File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks (or corresponding client and service for NetWare networks). If you use TCP/IP over a LAN, and no other protocol provides sharing services, you need to bind TCP/IP to your network client and sharing service. TIP: If you are configuring TCP/IP for use only with dial-up networking, you do not have to worry about configuring any TCP/IP settings through the Network object in the Control Panel. You set these values through the Dial-Up Networking connection properties. Installing and Configuring TCP/IP in Windows 98 Before you can begin taking advantage of TCP/IP, you have to install it. Of all network protocols, TCP/IP is the most complex to install and configure owing to its many settings and options. This section explains those settings and options, beginning with the installation process. NOTE: If you have not read the previous section of this chapter, you should do so to learn what items of information you need before you install and configure TCP/IP. Installing Microsoft TCP/IP Microsoft TCP/IP installs like any other network transport protocol--through the Control Panel. To install TCP/IP, open the Control Panel and choose the Network object. From the Configuration property page, choose the Add button. Windows 98 displays a Select Network Component Type dialog box from which you can choose the type of network component you want to install. Select Protocol from the supplied list, and then choose Add. Windows 98 displays a Select Network Protocol dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure 22.1. From the Manufacturers list, select Microsoft. Then, from the Network Protocols list, select TCP/IP. FIGURE 22.1 Choose the TCP/IP protocol from the Network Protocols list. After you choose OK, Windows 98 adds the TCP/IP protocol to your PC, copying files as necessary from the Windows 98 distribution disks or CD. After it copies the files, the TCP/IP protocol appears in the installed components list on the Configuration Page 427

Inside Windows 98 property page. If you have more than one adapter, Windows 98 adds TCP/IP to each one. If your workstation contains a network adapter, for example, and you also use the Dial-Up Adapter for remote access, Windows 98 binds TCP/IP to both adapters. If you need TCP/IP on only one adapter, select the instance of the TCP/IP protocol that you don't need, and then choose Remove. Next, you need to specify a number of settings to properly configure TCP/IP, beginning with the IP address. To do so, select the TCP/IP protocol from the Configuration property page, and then choose Properties to open the TCP/IP property sheet. The following sections explain how to set the values on the property pages for the TCP/IP protocol. TIP: You can configure and use multiple sets of TCP/IP settings. You can use one configuration for your LAN TCP/IP connection, for example, and specify different settings for each dial-up connection you use. For information on using TCP/IP over a dial-up networking connection, refer to Chapter 21. Configuring IP Addressing When Windows 98 first displays the property sheet for the TCP/IP protocol, the IP Address page appears (see Figure 22.2). If you use a static IP address for your workstation, choose the Specify an IP address option button; then enter the IP address and subnet mask for your workstation in the IP address and Subnet mask fields. If you want to rely on a DHCP server or PPP server to assign an IP address automatically for your workstation, choose the Obtain an IP address automatically option button. You do not have to specify the IP address of the DHCP server. FIGURE 22.2 Specify the IP address or choose DHCP for automatic assignment. If you specify an explicit IP address, take the time to verify that you have entered the correct address and subnet mask before you continue to the other configuration steps. Configuring a Gateway If your subnet is connected to other subnets, to other networks, or to the Internet, you must specify at least one default gateway. To do so, choose the Gateway tab to open the Gateway property page (see Figure 22.3). FIGURE 22.3 For many connections you must specify a default gateway. TIP: Your network's router typically is the default gateway. Page 428

Inside Windows 98 If your network is connected to multiple gateways, you can specify as many gateways as necessary to allow for fault tolerance if one gateway becomes unavailable. To add a gateway, enter its IP address in the New gateway field, and then choose Add. Windows 98 adds the gateway's IP address to the Installed gateways list. If you add multiple gateways to the list, the IP address at the top of the list serves as the default gateway. Other gateways in the list are used only if the default gateway is inaccessible. Unfortunately, you can't simply drag the IP addresses in the Installed gateways list to prioritize them. Instead, the gateway addresses are placed in the list in the order in which you add them. To prioritize a set of gateways, write down the gateway addresses, remove the addresses, and add them back in using your preferred order of priority, adding the default gateway first. Using DNS If your workstation requires Domain Name System (DNS) services, click the DNS Configuration tab to open the DNS Configuration property page shown in Figure 22.4. To enable DNS, choose the Enable DNS option button. FIGURE 22.4 You use DNS to resolve names into IP addresses. TIP: If your computer needs to use Lmhosts to resolve network names, you must enable DNS. Specifying Host and Domain Names After you enable DNS, you need to specify some additional items of information. First, you need to specify the host name for your computer in the Host text box. By default, the host name is your computer's name as specified in the Identification property page of the Network property sheet. You can use any host name, however; you might use your name as the host name, for example. You can use any combination of letters and numbers--a dash, or a period, but not a space or underscore character--in the host name. Next, specify the domain name for your network in the Domain text box. TCP/IP combines the host name you specify with the domain name you specify to derive a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) for your computer. If your host name is JimB and your domain name is newriders.mcp.com, the FQDN for your computer is JimB.newriders.mcp.com. NOTE: Some TCP/IP utilities use your host name, domain name, and FQDN to authenticate your computer name. Note that a computer's FQDN is not the same as a user's e-mail address. Although the FQDN might be JimB.newriders.mcp.com, the e-mail address might be [email protected]. Also, a DNS domain name and Page 429

Inside Windows 98 a Windows NT or LAN Manager domain name are in no way related. Specifying DNS Server IP Addresses If you do not use DHCP to define IP addresses, you must provide the IP addresses of the DNS servers you use. If you do use DHCP, the DHCP server can automatically provide the IP addresses of the DNS servers. You can specify up to three DNS server addresses in the DNS Server Search Order group of controls. First, determine the IP address of the DNS server you want to use by default. Then, enter the server's IP address in the IP address text box and choose Add. Enter a second IP address if you want, and then choose Add. Enter a third IP address in the same manner if you have a third DNS server. NOTE: The DNS server IP addresses are placed in the list in the order in which you add them. Therefore, you should enter the DNS server with the highest priority first, followed by any other servers in descending order of priority. To change priority of DNS servers in the list, you must remove and re-add the IP addresses. Windows 98 uses the secondary and tertiary DNS servers only if the primary DNS server does not respond. If the primary DNS server responds that the requested name is not recognized, Windows 98 does not query the secondary or tertiary DNS servers. If you know the name is correct, you can use the Hosts file to enable proper resolution of the name, as explained later in the section titled "Using Hosts and Lmhosts Files." Adding Domain Suffix Entries Normally, DNS appends the domain name specified in the Domain text box to your host name to resolve the FQDN of your computer. You can specify up to five additional domain suffixes that DNS can use if it can't resolve the FQDN using the default domain name. A DNS server attempts to resolve the FQDN using these additional suffixes in alphabetical order (which is how they appear in the list after you add them). To add additional domain suffixes, enter a domain name in the Domain Suffix Search Order text box, and then choose Add. Repeat the process to add up to five domain names. Using WINS If your network includes one or more Windows NT servers configured as WINS servers, or access to WINS servers, you can configure your Windows 98 TCP/IP stack to use WINS to resolve Page 430

Inside Windows 98 names. WINS offers numerous advantages over DNS, particularly in conjunction with DHCP. To configure WINS, click the WINS Configuration tab to display the WINS Configuration property page shown in Figure 22.5. FIGURE 22.5 WINS is similar to DNS in many respects. To enable WINS for your computer, choose the Enable WINS Resolution option button. You can specify a primary and a secondary WINS server by entering their IP addresses in the fields provided for that purpose on the property page. If your computer uses DHCP to resolve names, however, you can leave the IP address fields blank and choose the Use DHCP for WINS Resolution option button, and Windows 98 queries the DHCP server for the WINS server addresses. Binding the TCP/IP Protocol If you use TCP/IP for resource access and/or resource sharing, you must bind the protocol to the necessary network client and/or resource sharing service. To do so, click the Bindings tab to open the Bindings property page (see Figure 22.6). Enable the check box beside the client or service to bind the protocol to the client or service. FIGURE 22.6 Use the Bindings page to bind protocols to a client or service. NOTE: If you use TCP/IP only to provide access to the Internet and use a different network protocol to provide local resource sharing, you don't have to bind TCP/IP to your clients or services. Using Hosts and Lmhosts Files DNS name servers resolve FQDN names provided in the host.domain format to IP addresses. A WINS server can resolve IP host.domain names to IP addresses, and it also can resolve a computer's NetBIOS name into its address name. Sometimes, however, being able to resolve names locally, without relying on a DNS or WINS name server, comes in handy. You might not have a DNS or WINS name server available to you, for example, or the server might be temporarily unavailable. Windows 98 provides two methods for resolving names to IP addresses locally, which you can use in conjunction with or in place of DNS and WINS name resolution. Both methods rely on simple ASCII files to store database entries for names and corresponding IP addresses. The first of these files, Hosts, resolves DNS-formatted names, and works with or in place of DNS. The second file, Lmhosts, resolves NetBIOS names into IP addresses and works with or in place of WINS. The following section explains the Hosts file. The Lmhosts file Page 431

Inside Windows 98 is explained in the section after the following section. Using the Hosts File for Name Resolution If you can't access a DNS server, or you want to supplement a DNS server with your own entries, you can use the Hosts file to maintain a database of host names and their corresponding IP addresses. The Hosts file is called a host table because it contains a table of host names and their IP addresses. Windows 98 can look up entries in the Hosts file to resolve names. When you install Microsoft TCP/IP, Windows 98 creates a sample Hosts file named Hosts.sam in the Windows folder. The Hosts.sam file is an ASCII file that you can edit using Notepad, WordPad, Edit, or any other ASCII editor. You should copy Hosts.sam to Hosts (omitting a file extension) and retain the sample file for future reference in case your Hosts file becomes corrupted or is accidentally deleted. The following lists the contents of the Hosts.sam file: # Copyright (c) 1994 Microsoft Corp. # # This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Chicago # # This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. # Each entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address # should be placed in the first column followed by the correspond # ing host name. The IP address and the host name should be sepa # rated by at least one space. # # Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on indi# vidual lines or following the machine name denoted by a `#' # symbol. # # For example: # # 102.54.94.97 tools.acme.com # source server # 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host 127.0.0.1 localhost The Hosts file uses the same format as the hosts file used on 4.3 BSD UNIX, stored in the /etc/hosts file. The Hosts.sam file contains comments identified by a leading # character and a single address entry for localhost. The localhost entry is always 127.0.0.1 and is used for loopback testing. You should not change the IP address for localhost or remove it from the Hosts file. To add an entry to the Hosts file, enter the IP address, tab to the second column and then enter the host name. You can specify more than one host name for an IP address, but you must use multiple entries for the different domains, each with the same IP address, as in the following example: 102.54.94.97 tools.acme.com 102.54.94.97 TOOLS.ACME.COM 102.54.94.97 fooyang.gruel.com

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Inside Windows 98 Entries in the Hosts file are case sensitive. The two entries for tools.acme.com and TOOLS.ACME.COM would enable the correct host name resolution if you specified the host name in lowercase or uppercase. You can include a single host name for each entry or specify multiple host names for a single IP address. The following, for example, are valid entries: 198.87.118.72 me theboss jboyce.somewhere.com 198.87.118.50 TheServer theserver THESERVER Each of the entries in this example specifies three host names for each IP address. Windows 98 parses the entries in the Hosts file in sequential order until it finds a match. If you have a large Hosts file, you can speed up lookup time by placing the most-often-used host name entries at the top of the file. Using the Lmhosts File for Name Resolution If you want Windows 98 to be able to resolve NetBIOS computer names to IP addresses, you need to use a WINS or Lmhosts file. NetBIOS names are the computer names assigned to computers on Microsoft-based networks, such as the name you assigned to your computer through the Identification page of the Network property sheet. As explained previously, your computer's NetBIOS name is not equivalent to your TCP/IP host name, although the two can use the same name. Windows 98 automatically resolves NetBIOS names for computers running TCP/IP on a local network. To resolve IP addresses of computers on other networks to which yours is connected by a gateway (when a WINS server is not available), you need to use Lmhosts. NOTE: Like Hosts, Lmhosts is an ASCII file, and the format of an entry is similar to entries in a Hosts file. The Lmhosts file, however, supports special keywords, which are explained later in this chapter. Windows 98 includes a sample Lmhosts file named Lmhosts.sam, located in the Windows folder. To use Lmhosts, copy Lmhosts.sam to Lmhosts without a file extension, and then modify Lmhosts to add entries. Microsoft TCP/IP reads the Lmhosts file when you start the computer. As it does the Hosts file, Windows 98 parses each line sequentially, which means you should place often-accessed names at the top of the file for best performance. You also need to place entries that contain special keywords at specific locations in the file (these placement rules are explained later in the chapter). First, here are a few rules for structuring a Page 433

Lmhosts file:

Inside Windows 98

* Each entry must begin with the IP address in the first column, followed by its computer name in the second column. Any additional keywords appear in subsequent columns. Columns must be separated by at least one space or tab character. Some Lmhosts keywords follow entries; others appear on their own lines (explained later). * Place each entry on a separate line. * Comments must begin with the pound (number sign) Lmhost file comments (#) character, but special Lmhosts keywords also begin with the # character. Keeping comments to a minimum improves parsing performance. Place often-accessed entries near the top of the file for best performance. * The Lmhosts file is static, so you must manually update the file you need to create new entries or modify existing entries. TIP: Although Microsoft TCP/IP reads the Lmhosts file at system startup, only entries designated as preloaded by the #PRE keyword are read into the name cache at startup. Other entries are read only after broadcast name resolution queries fail. You can use any or all of six special keywords (described in the following list) in a Lmhosts file: * #PRE. This keyword causes the associated entry to be preloaded into the name cache, rather than read-only after broadcast resolution queries fail. If you want names stored in a remote Lmhosts file to be added to the name cache at startup, use the #INCLUDE and #PRE statements in combination, such as the following: #INCLUDE \\server\pub\lmhosts #PRE * #DOM:<domain>. This keyword designates a remote domain controller and enables you to identify Windows NT domain controllers located across one or more routers. Entries that use the #DOM keyword are added to a special internetwork group name cache that causes Microsoft TCP/IP to forward requests for domain controllers to remote domain controllers as well as local domain controllers. The following example identifies a domain controller named appserver in a domain named thedomain, and also causes the entry to be preloaded into the name cache at startup: 184.121.214.2 appserver #PRE #DOM:thedomain #This is a comment * #INCLUDE. Use this keyword to include entries from Page 434

Inside Windows 98 a separate Lmhosts file. You can use #INCLUDE to include your own set of entries stored on your own computer, but you most commonly would use #INCLUDE to enable use of a centralized, shared Lmhosts file for multiple users. The following example includes a Lmhosts file from a local drive and directory: #INCLUDE c:\mystuff\Lmhosts #Includes local file NOTE: If you reference a remote Lmhosts file on a server outside your network in a #INCLUDE statement, you must include an entry for the IP address of the remote server in the Lmhosts file. The server's entry must be inserted in the Lmhosts file before the #INCLUDE statement that references it. You also should not use #INCLUDE to reference a Lmhosts file on a redirected network drive, because your drive mappings might be different from one session to another. Use the UNC path for the file instead. Centralized Lmhosts files should never use drive-referenced entries, because the drive mappings in the file probably will not apply to all users who might use the file. * #BEGIN_ALTERNATE. This statement signals the beginning of a block of multiple #INCLUDE statements (called a block inclusion). The statements within the block designate a primary and alternate locations for the included file. The alternate locations are checked if the primary file is unavailable. The successful loading of any one entry in the block causes the block to succeed, and any subsequent entries in the block are not parsed. You can include multiple block inclusions within a Lmhosts file. The following is an example of a block inclusion: * #BEGIN_ALTERNATE #INCLUDE \\server\pub\lmhosts #Primary source #INCLUDE \\othersrvr\pub\lmhosts #Alternate source #INCLUDE \\somewhere\pub\lmhosts #Alternate source #END_ALTERNATE * #END_ALTERNATE. This statement signals the end of a block of multiple #INCLUDE statements. * \0xnn. This keyword enables you to specify nonprinting characters in NetBIOS names. You must enclose the NetBIOS name in quotation marks and use the \0xnn keyword to specify the hexadecimal value of the nonprinting character. The hexadecimal notation applies to only one character in the name. The name must be padded to a total of 16 characters, with the hexadecimal notation as the 16th character. Example: 109.88.120.45 "thename \0x14" #Uses special character Adding an Entry to Lmhosts Page 435

Inside Windows 98 NetBIOS computer names of computers on your LAN are resolved automatically. To resolve remote names when a WINS server is not available, add the NetBIOS names and their corresponding IP addresses to the Lmhosts file. To add an entry, use Notepad, WordPad, Edit, or any other text editor that enables you to edit and save ASCII files. Each line consists of the IP address and NetBIOS name, and also can contain optional keywords and comments as explained previously. The following are examples of Lmhosts entries: 192.214.240.2 me #Alias for #my computer 198.87.118.72 tower #Fred's computer 198.87.118.50 rli-server #PRE #Application server 120.89.101.70 server #PRE #DOM:tigers #Some comment here 182.212.242.2 sourcesrvr #PRE #Source for shared #Lmhosts 182.212.242.3 source2 #PRE #Source for shared #Lmhosts 182.212.242.4 source3 #PRE #Source for shared #Lmhosts 187.52.122.188 images #Imaging server #INCLUDE c:\mystuff\lmhosts #My private Lmhosts #file #BEGIN_ALTERNATE #INCLUDE \\sourcesrvr\pub\Lmhosts #Lmhosts #INCLUDE \\source2\pub\Lmhosts #INCLUDE \\source3\pub\Lmhosts #END_ALTERNATE

#Primary central #Alternate source #Alternate source

In the preceding example, only the rli-server, server, sourcesrvr, source2, and source3 entries are preloaded into the name cache at system startup, because only they include the #PRE keyword. Other entries are parsed only after broadcast name resolution requests fail. TIP: The addresses of servers you specify in a block inclusion must be preloaded through entries earlier in the file. Any entries not preloaded are ignored. Using a Proxy Server A proxy server is a device that serves as an intermediary agent (a proxy) between a client and server resources. The proxy server software might run on a server (such as Windows NT), or it might reside within a piece of networking equipment such as a router. In any case, the proxy server performs two primary functions: it acts as a security barrier to help isolate an internal LAN from the outside world (such as the Internet), and can also serve to limit the types of resources that client machines on the LAN can access. Page 436

Inside Windows 98 A proxy server typically resides on two subnets. One side resides on the LAN, and the other resides on the Internet side. The proxy server is referred to as a multihomed system for this reason, and contains two (or more) network interface cards. Figure 22.7 shows an example of a proxy server implementation. FIGURE 22.7 A typical proxy server implementation. Because the proxy server sits between the Internet and the LAN, it can serve as an intermediary between the Internet and clients on the LAN for specific types of IP traffic. When a client requests a Web page, for example, the client passes the request to the proxy server. The proxy server then passes the request to the remote Web server, substituting its own address for the client's. When the Web page is returned to the proxy server, the proxy server passes the page to the client. The same behavior occurs for other proxied services such as FTP, Gopher, and so on. The other function the proxy server performs is to isolate the LAN addresses from the Internet. The proxy server requires one valid IP address on the Internet side, but the LAN addresses can comprise essentially any range of IP addresses. These LAN-side addresses can duplicate those at other sites on Internet without generating routing conflicts because those LAN IP addresses are never broadcast past the proxy server. With a proxy server in place, you can essentially "pull IP address assignments out of the air." You don't have to worry about being allocated address space from InterNIC for your LAN. You only have to have a valid, unique IP address for the Internet side of the proxy server and, of course, for your router and any other hosts on the Internet side of the proxy server. In a sense, the proxy server acts as a router and performs limited firewall functions. Because the proxy server does not generally perform advanced packet filtering, however, it does not offer the full capability of a firewall. Proxy servers can, however, be an important security tool. Windows 98 enables you to configure your workstation to work through a proxy server. To configure proxy settings, right-click the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop and choose Properties or double-click the Internet object in the Control Panel. The Internet Properties sheet appears. Click the Connection tab to display the Connection page shown in Figure 22.8. FIGURE 22.8 You access proxy server settings through the Connection page. In the Proxy server control group, place a check in the Access the Internet using a proxy server check box. In the Address field, specify the IP address of the proxy server. Specify the TCP port for proxy services on the server in the Port field. If you have intranet resources on the LAN that you can access without going through the proxy server, place a check in the Bypass the proxy server for local (intranet) addresses check box. Page 437

Inside Windows 98 If your network provides multiple proxy servers, each handling a different type of protocol (HTTP, FTP, and so on), you can configure each one separately. Click the Advanced button to display the Proxy Settings dialog box shown in Figure 22.9. FIGURE 22.9 You can specify unique settings for each proxied service. If you use the same proxy server for all protocols, place a check in the Use the same proxy server for all protocols check box. Otherwise, specify the address and port for each protocol in its respective text box. One additional configuration you can perform through the Proxy Settings dialog box is to specify addresses for which Windows 98 should bypass the proxy server. These would be addresses for local intranet resources that you do not have to go through the proxy server to access. Separate each entry with a semicolon. You can use wildcards to specify ranges of addresses or match multiple domains. For example, using 205.219.134.* would cause Windows 98 to bypass the proxy server for all addresses within the specified subnet. You also can specify DNS names such as *.mydomain.com. When you are satisfied with the settings, choose OK, and then OK on the Internet Properties sheet to close the sheet. Now that you have a better understanding of TCP/IP, you're ready to begin putting TCP/IP to work for you. The remaining chapters in this section explore the many TCP/IP utilities and programs included with Windows 98 for file download, troubleshooting, and browsing the Web. ----------

- 23 Using Internet Explorer 4.0

* Configuring Internet Explorer * Picking an ISP and Creating a Dial-Up Connection * Working on a LAN * Using a Previously Established ISP Account * Keeping an Existing Internet Connection * Setting Up Internet Mail * Setting Up News * Configuring IE4 Using Internet Options * General * Security * Content * Programs * Advanced * Customizing the Internet Explorer Interface * Toolbars * Explorer Bars * Favorites and Subscriptions

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* Channels

Inside Windows 98

* Navigating the Web by Amy Helen Johnson, Senior Technology Editor, Windows Magazine Unlike previous versions of Windows, Windows 98 has a browser embedded in the operating system. This browser is functionally the same as Internet Explorer 4, Microsoft's stand-alone browser that works with Windows 95. Internet Explorer 4 not only enables you to surf the Web, but it also changes the familiar Windows shell into a browser-based interface--that is, you use the same kinds of commands and mouse controls to view your files and folders as you do Web pages. This interface, dubbed Active Desktop, is covered separately, in Chapter 25, "Using the Active Desktop." This chapter covers: * Setting up dial-up Internet connections * Configuring Internet Explorer's mail and news-reading capabilities * Using Internet Explorer's Options menu to customize the browser * Personalizing Internet Explorer 4 so that it suits your surfing style * Using the major features and commands to surf the Internet Configuring Internet Explorer Internet Explorer installs automatically when you upgrade to Windows 98; if you buy a machine with the operating system loaded, then it should be pre-installed, too. If you're adding it on later, don't worry. Microsoft worked hard to make the Internet Explorer installation as easy as possible. Just follow the screens and make a selection when asked. The hard work comes later, when you tailor the program for your particular Internet access method, using the Internet Connection Wizard, and to your personal taste, by using the Internet Options feature of the browser. If someone else--the company from which you bought your computer, or a network administrator--hasn't already configured IE4 for you, then when you first launch IE, you are asked for the information needed to set up an Internet connection, as well as your mail and news services. An Internet connection is a set of instructions that tells the computer to connect to the Internet in a certain manner, using certain parameters. You can create multiple connection instructions. For example, you might have a laptop with a docking station at your desk in the office, where you connect over a LAN; when you take that laptop on the Page 439

Inside Windows 98 road, you'll use a dial-up connection. To make another connection, run the Connection Wizard again. You'll find it on your Start menu, in the Internet Explorer group. NOTE: The program behind that shortcut is LCWCONNL.EXE, which is in the Connection Wizard folder within your Internet Explorer folder. Before you get to the Connection Wizard, however, Windows 98 asks you to select the country in which you're located and then asks you to enter the area code and any access numbers you need to make an outside call. For example, if you're using Windows 98 at work and need to dial 9 to reach someone outside your company, this information would be entered at this point. This latter question is a set-it-and-forget-it convenience. It tells IE to automatically add that code number to any phone numbers you provide for dial-up networking; you don't have to retype it every time you dial out. You have to answer this question only once; if you move your machine at a later date, you can use the location record to tell Windows 98 that you're in a different area code or a place with different access codes. Now begin the Internet Connection Wizard, a step-by-step procedure that gets you on the Internet. It recognizes four situations, as shown in Figure 23.1. FIGURE 23.1 Select the radio button that matches your situation; the second option covers two situations--when you already have Internet access established via an existing ISP account, or when you have Internet access over a LAN. * You need to go through the whole process and pick an ISP as well as configure a new dial-up Internet connection. * You are using a LAN to access the Internet. * You need to set up a Internet connection for an account you've already established with an ISP. * You have an Internet connection already stored on your machine. Picking an ISP and Creating a Dial-Up Connection If this is your first dial-up Internet connection, the wizard will begin an automatic setup script. It first hunts for your modem. It'll use the Hardware Wizard, which looks for plug-and-play devices, and then moves on to other types of hardware peripherals. Another benefit of letting Windows 98 do the work for you is that it also configures the device and install drivers if they are available on the Windows 98 setup disk. Windows 98 is able to detect and install drivers for products Page 440

Inside Windows 98 from the major modem vendors--Hayes, U.S. Robotics/3Com, Motorola, and so on. If you use an off-brand modem or an older model, you might need to install your drivers by hand. In this case, use the driver disks that came with your modem, or download drivers from the modem manufacturer's Internet site. After Windows 98 is done with the hardware setup, it asks you for the prefix (first three digits) of your phone number, and then dials into a Microsoft server. Based on your prefix, it will suggest ISPs for you to use and then lead you through setting up an account. Working on a LAN If you use a LAN-based connection, via your office's network, for example, then you'll need to talk to your network administrator to find out if your company uses a proxy server. A proxy server is a security mechanism that filters transmissions between your network and the Internet. Instead of sending requests directly to the Internet, IE gives them to the proxy server to pass along. IE needs to know the address of this proxy server to work properly. Enter the appropriate address in the proxy to use field, as shown in Figure 23.2. Your network administrator can supply this address and determine whether this same proxy server will also handle Internet requests for data other than Web pages. FIGURE 23.2 If your LAN places a proxy server between your machine and the Internet, you must enter the proxy server's address for IE4 to work properly. Using a Previously Established ISP Account You can also establish an account with an ISP over the phone, before you install Windows 98, or continue to use an existing account. If you're using an account you already own, then dig out the configuration instructions your ISP gave you. You'll need them to specify items such as domain name server addresses and mail server names. The first information you need to input is the phone number for your nearest access point. This is known as your POP (point of presence). If you have a choice, pick the one that is physically closest to your location, so you don't run up long-distance charges when you're online. Next, enter your login name and password. CAUTION: If you choose the option to let Windows 98 Dial-up Networking remember your password, then anyone who uses your machine can access the Internet using your account. If you're worried about security, skip the password at this point; Windows 98 will ask you to enter it each time you want to go online. Page 441

Inside Windows 98 The next screen offers you a chance to fiddle with the connection's advanced settings. If you have the cheat sheet your ISP gave you, then respond with yes; you can just copy the information from the cheat sheet into the appropriate places in the configuration screens. If you respond with no, then you go straight to picking a name for this connection so you can remember it easily. However, if you choose to configure the advanced settings yourself, then you must specify the type of connection you have. Most all ISPs use point-to-point protocol (PPP). The answer to the next question, about your logon procedures, is almost always that you don't need to type anything to log on. ISPs want to make the process as simple as possible and usually avoid having customers run scripts. But if yours is an exception, change the specifications here. Next, specify an IP address. Most ISPs use dynamic addressing, which Windows 98 characterizes as "My Internet service provider automatically assigns me one." However, if you have a special account that gives you a fixed IP address, type it in the appropriate space. The next question refers to the IP address of the domain name service (DNS) server. Copy down the information your ISP gave you. Now you're ready to name the connection. Keeping an Existing Internet Connection If you already have dial-up Internet access configured on your computer, Windows 98 will read that access information and use it if you so desire. Just tell the wizard that you already have a connection established and don't want to change it. Setting Up Internet Mail Unless you're keeping an existing Internet connection, you'll be asked to configure your mail account. Your ISP will usually give you a mail account (as well as the necessary information to configure it), or your network administrator will have the details. If you don't want to use Internet mail--if, for example, you have a corporate mail account that you prefer to use--then select no when you are given the option to configure an account, and you'll be done. NOTE: You might be required to install Outlook Express, Windows 98's mail and news program, separately. If you don't see it within your default Windows 98 installation, use your Windows 98 CD to add it to your system. * The mail account is linked to your connection, but separate in its own right, so that you can use the same mail configuration for multiple connections. If you've already created a mail account and given it a memorable name, then you can select it from the list presented in the Internet Mail account screen, shown in Figure 23.3. Page 442

Inside Windows 98 After you're asked to confirm its settings, you are done. If you want to make a new mail account, then the Wizard will ask you for your name and an e-mail address. Your next task select the type of mail server you use--this is the type of protocol, such as IMAP or POP3--and the names, which allows Outlook Express to identify and communicate with the mail server. The next screen asks you for your logon name and password; again, you might choose to type it in every time. The last screen gives you the opportunity to give it a proper name so that you can identify it later. FIGURE 23.3 You can associate an existing mail account with your Internet connection, or create a new one. Setting Up News Your final setup chore is to configure your news server. Again, you can use an existing newsgroup configuration, or start from scratch. The steps are similar to those of configuring your mail server: name, e-mail address, and server name. (There's no need to provide a server type; Windows 98 knows you'll be using the NNTP protocol.) The check box at the bottom of the Internet News Server Name screen (see Figure 23.4) gives you the option to set up any login information. Many news servers don't ask you to log in; if you don't need to log in, then ignore it. Otherwise, mark the check box and provide login information on the following window. You end, as usual, by giving this news connection a name you'll remember. FIGURE 23.4 All that's required to set up a news feed is the name of the NNTP server to which you'll be connecting. Configuring IE4 Using Internet Options To find Internet Options, choose View | Internet Options. It can also be accessed by opening the Start Menu, then selecting Settings | Control Panel | Internet. You can also right-click the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop, then select Properties from the context menu. Launch it, and you'll get a window with six tabs. They will be covered one at a time. General The general tab, shown in Figure 23.5, enables you to control your home page, cache, and surfing history. The home page you choose will be the site IE4 accesses when it is first launched. You can set it to the current URL shown in IE4, the default, which is the Microsoft site, or blank. Blank is best if you dial up to the Internet; IE4 won't assume you're already connected and try--unsuccessfully--to hit a site. FIGURE 23.5 Use the options on the General tab to configure your home page and your cache, and manage your browsing history. Temporary Internet files is a synonym for what is commonly Page 443

Inside Windows 98 called "cache." It's the place on your hard drive where copies of pages are stored. IE4 stores copies so that it can read them from your hard drive when you return to a page (like when you hit the Back button), which is faster than going out on the Internet, and enables you to see previously viewed content from the Internet even when you're not connected. Clicking the Settings button brings up the Settings dialog box, as shown in Figure 23.6. The only one that makes a real difference to your browsing experience is your choice of when to check the freshness of the content in your cache. If you choose Every visit to the page, then you risk a drop in performance; IE4 will compare the page in cache with the Internet page every time. If you pick Never, then you risk seeing old content because IE4 will always serve you the cached page. The default choice, Every time you start Internet Explorer, results in IE4 checking the Internet once per session. This is a good compromise because pages usually don't change from minute to minute. However, if you keep your computer turned on all the time with IE4 constantly loaded, then you might have problems because IE4 won't have a chance to check. The solution is to use the Refresh button every so often to make sure that you get the newest pages, and to clear your cache--you do this by pressing the Delete Files button on the General tab--so that IE4 loads new copies when you request pages. FIGURE 23.6 The most important cache option is the one that sets the frequency at which to compare pages in cache to those on the Internet. The number of pages you can store in cache is related to the size of the cache. The slider enables you to set cache size; if you keep a lot of subscriptions or you have free disk space to burn, you can bump up the size. Otherwise, only devote a few percent of your disk to cache. It will be enough to hold several dozen pages--more if they're not loaded with large graphics. You can change the default cache folder by clicking the Move Folder button. The View Files button opens an Explorer window that shows the cache folder. The View Objects button enables you to see what's stored in a folder called c:/Windows/Downloaded Program Files. It contains IE4 components--classes, script parsers, and so on. You can fiddle with them if you want, but there's little reason to do so. The History folder is where IE4 stores a record of the URLs you've recently visited. You control the age of the list. You can empty the list by clicking on the Clear History button. The buttons at the bottom of the page--Colors, Fonts, Language, and Accessibility--enable you to customize those features. The dialog boxes that appear are fairly self explanatory. For the vast majority of people, these options never need to be changed. Security Page 444

Inside Windows 98 Microsoft added a new concept, security zones, to IE4 and Windows 98. Zones enable you to configure different rules for downloading content for each zone, enabling you to run the gamut from strict security measures to open-door policies, based on the type of site you're browsing. The theory is that some places--such as a company intranet--are inherently more secure than others, while some--such as the Internet--are inherently less secure. You can set the security level for each zone--there are four, as shown in Figure 23.7--or use the default rules. All but the Internet zone allow you to place specific sites within their zone. Click on the Add Sites button to get a dialog box that lists the current members of the zone and enables you to type in a URL to add to the list. FIGURE 23.7 You can set the security level for any zone, and place sites within a zone for all but the Internet zone. Windows 98 gives you four choices for security levels: high (the default), medium, low, and a custom option that enables you to specify your preferences for each security item. Security is concerned with potentially damaging Web content, like ActiveX controls, Java applets, and downloaded files, as well as the usage of built-in security measures like passwords and encryption. You can reset any zone to the default rules at any time by highlighting the appropriate zone and clicking the Reset button. The restrictions for each default setting are: * Trusted sites. Low security. Ask before running suspicious ActiveX controls; allow automatic logon anywhere. * Local intranet. Medium security. Allow signed ActiveX controls to run; enforce Java permissions; allow automatic logon to an intranet; require permission before sending unencrypted data; ask to install active desktop items; and keep an eye on push channels. * Public Internet and Restricted sites. High security. Don't run most ActiveX controls and plug-ins; restrict Java; disable file downloads; ask for logon codes; require permission before sending unencrypted data; refuse to install active desktop items; and be strict about push channels. Content The Content tab, shown in Figure 23.8, is misnamed. It does help you deal with content, but it also lets you manage your security certificates, your profile, and your commerce mechanisms. FIGURE 23.8 The Content tab helps you protect children from Internet smut and manage your digital IDs and shopping information. Page 445

Inside Windows 98 The top section, the Content Advisor, is a built-in children's site blocker. If you click the Enable button and set up a password, you'll see a set of tabbed dialog boxes that enable you, through the use of simple sliders, to set the level of language, nudity, sex, and violence in permissible sites. Then, when you surf, only those sites that are rated as being within your acceptable range are viewable. The ratings are determined by the Recreational Software Advisory Council; if you want to use other rating services, go to the Content Advisor's Advanced tab and install them. The General tab enables you to set up a supervisory password so you're the only one who can enable, disable, or bypass the ratings scheme. The Certificates section of this tab enables you to acquire and manage digital certificates. These are electronic IDs that give you the ability to prove your identity. They're useful when doing online transactions that involve money or secure logins; it tells the server that you are you, and prevents someone else from impersonating you and hijacking any accounts you might have set up. Conversely, you also need to feel confident that the server you're dealing with is authentic. The Authorities button enables you to designate certain certificate authorities as trusted, and therefore designate anyone bearing an ID issued by that authority as trustworthy. The Publishers button deals specifically with software publishers. By designating trusted publishers, you give Windows 98 permission to download software--applications and controls--to your machine in the belief that the software is not malicious. The Edit Profile button within the Personal Information section gives you a chance to fill out details about you--your name, address, e-mail account, favorite video conferencing directory, and digital IDs. Internet Explorer will share this information, with your permission, with Web sites that want contact information about you. You can rescind that permission with the touch of a button; just click on the Reset Sharing button. Microsoft Wallet is a component of Internet Explorer that enables you set up secure payment methods to use when you shop over the Internet. In Wallet, you can securely store private information like credit card numbers and shipping addresses. Using the Wallet saves you the chore of typing everything repeatedly. Connection Setting up an Internet connection using the Connection Wizard was previously covered. On the Connection tab, shown in Figure 23.9, the Connect button launches that wizard. The Settings button gives you the opportunity to edit the settings of your connections. A list of options appears when you click the button. FIGURE 23.9 This dialog enables you to configure an Internet Page 446

Inside Windows 98 connection, change your access options for any Internet connections you've previously established, and tell IE about any proxy servers it needs to go through to reach the Internet. If you place a check mark in the Access the Internet using a proxy server check box, you must provide an IP address and port number so that Windows 98 knows which machine is serving as your proxy. Check with your network administrator to see if you should mark the option to bypass the proxy server for intranet addresses. The proxy server often protects only the gateway between the LAN and the outside Internet. Performance problems might occur if IE4 is routing page requests through the proxy server when it's accessing an internal Web server. The automatic configuration section is for those people within a corporate environment whose IT department is using the Internet Explorer Administration Kit. The kit enables an administrator to set up a default configuration for your browser at a central location, as well as set up everyone's machine so that IE4 uses that configuration. The kit is useful for organizations that have particular security needs, provide internal browsers channels, and so forth. As an end user, the automatic configuration button can return you to a known set of vetted options if you make inappropriate changes or find yourself having access or performance problems. Programs The Programs tab is where you select which companion applications you want to use with Internet Explorer 4. The standard installation assumes that you will be using the bundled Outlook Express program for mail and news, and the bundled Address Book to maintain your contact list. These are filled in by default, as shown in Figure 23.10. FIGURE 23.10 You can customize the browser's companion applications for handling mail, news, conferencing, and an address book. You can pick another option from the list, which means that the application you request--for example, by choosing File | New | Message from the IE4's menubar--is the program that you'll use. You can use Microsoft applications or a third-party program. For use with Internet Call, Microsoft gives away free an application called NetMeeting, downloadable from the Microsoft Web site. Schedule+ is Microsoft's long-time calendar program. If you choose to set the option to ask IE to check whether it is the default browser, you're asking IE to check the registry each time it launches to make sure that it is still registered. Whether you want to take this option depends on whether you plan to install other browsers on your Windows 98 machine. If you don't plan on putting other Internet software on your computer, then it makes no difference whether or not you choose this Page 447

Inside Windows 98 option. But, if you install another browser, it might declare itself to be the default, which means that when you double-click on an HTML file, the other browser will launch to display the page. If you have this option checked, then the next time IE4 launches and finds itself displaced, it will ask whether you want to reregister it as the default. If you don't--if you're content to have another browser as the default--having this prompt pop up every time can be annoying, so erase the check mark. If you want an opportunity to reregister IE4, then check this option. Advanced The Advanced tab gives you the opportunity to fully personalize your browser. In this tab is a big list of options that you can turn on or off, as shown in Figure 23.11. FIGURE 23.11 To truly personalize Internet Explorer 4, go to the Advanced tab and choose the Internet options you want to use. The options on the Advanced tab are grouped by category. The groups contain options that let you set your preferences for the following: * Accessibility. Displays ways to enable people who are visually impaired to browse. * Browsing. Displays the behavior of the browser, Active Desktop, and channels. * Multimedia. Shows whether IE4 downloads images, audio, video, and animation content. * Security. Shows the security protocols used, and what to do with cookies, saved pages, and certificates. * Java VM. Shows how to handle Java content. * Printing. Displays the format of printed pages. * Searching. Shows whether to complete URLs with top-level domain extensions and how to handle a failure to find a requested URL. * Toolbar. Displays options for the look of the toolbar * HTTP 1.1 settings. Shows whether to use the older HTTP 1.1 protocol. The most important of these options are the ones that affect performance and enable features. Although you can have a successful experience on the Internet by sticking with the defaults, you should be aware of and make a decision about your preference regarding these options in particular. * Using Autocomplete. Takes a good guess, based on URLs you've Page 448

Inside Windows 98 entered in the past, as to what the rest of the address is. This is especially useful if you frequently go to pages deep in a site's hierarchy--the URLs. Its default is enabled. * Enable scheduled subscription updates. Enables you to set up your subscriptions and enjoy the convenience of having the browser do the work of downloading content while you do something else. Its default is enabled. * Play animations, videos, and sounds. Disabling these will speed up your performance, especially if you're dialing in on a modem. You can also opt to skip images, but the sheer number of sites that use image maps makes this a frustrating choice. Its default is set to enable all multimedia content. * Cookies. If you're concerned about what is written to your hard disk, disable cookies. However, many sites that ask you to register put your login information in a cookie so you can automatically enter the site. If you disable your cookies, you'll do a lot of typing--and need to remember your password. Its default is that all cookies are accepted. * Autoscan common root domains. This enables you to type in just the central domain name and have IE4 fill in the www and the extension. IE actually runs through the common extensions--.com, .edu, .gov, or .net--in an attempt to determine the correct URL. This is a great convenience. Its default is enabled. Customizing the Internet Explorer Interface You're probably familiar with the layout of Internet Explorer 4. It has a menubar, three toolbars, a status line, and a large area where you view Web pages. When Internet Explorer 4 is first installed, the screen looks like Figure 23.12. However, you have a lot of control over how it looks. Here's how to customize the look of your screen. FIGURE 23.12 This is what you see when you launch Internet Explorer for the first time; this interface is highly customizable. Toolbars Although Figure 23.12 shows the menubar and the three toolbars layered each below the others, you can collapse them onto one line. Just drag one over another and drop it; they'll end up sharing the same screen real estate, which gives you more area to view pages. When toolbars share the same area, one will scoot out of the way so that you can see the items on the other. To expand and collapse a toolbar, double-click on the far left side of the bar, where you see the 3D vertical line. You can also reorder the toolbars when all are showing; again, drag one, but this time drop it beyond or between its companions. Page 449

Inside Windows 98 In the View menu, you'll see an entry for Toolbars. This is where you choose which ones to view. You can turn any toolbar off and leave yourself with just the menubar. The Status Bar entry gives you the option of turning the status bar on and off, as well. IE4 also has options for the appearance of the toolbars. You can use the buttons with both icons and text, or you can eliminate the text and surf with just small icons. The other thing you can change, which will also give you a bigger viewing area, is going into full-screen mode. Again, the option is available under the View menu. Full screen uses only the bars you want. Right-click on the menu area at the top of the screen and choose which toolbars you want to use. The right-click menu also provides an option to Auto Hide. This means that the toolbars do not show up on screen unless your cursor is at the top of the screen. You can switch between full screen and regular screen by pressing F11 or clicking on the fullscreen icon on the button bar. You can also customize the toolbars by putting your personal choices on the Links bar. The items on the Links bar are shortcuts stored in a specially named folder. You can edit them by going into the favorites area--select Favorites | Organize Favorites from the menubar--and opening the folder named Links. You can move, rename, or delete the existing shortcuts. To add new ones of your own, just drag a URL to the Links bar, or add it to your Favorites list as usual, except specify that it's to be stored in the Links folder. Explorer Bars * One of the new features of IE4 is the Explorer Bar--a left-side pane that contains lists of URLs. The lists are either search results, favorites, your surfing history, or subscriptions and channels. The left-hand pane doesn't appear unless you request it, by clicking on one of the buttons on the button bar or by selecting View | Explorer Bar from the menu. (See Figure 23.13 for an example of the Channel Explorer Bar in action.) FIGURE 23.13 The Explorer bars are an easy way to see lists of URLs, such as search results, history, channels, or favorites. You can also use the Explorer Bars in full-screen mode. The major difference is that the left-hand pane slides out of the way until your mouse hovers over it. You can fix the pane in the open position by clicking on the push pin and tacking to the display area. Favorites and Subscriptions Favorites have already been touched upon, in terms of customizing the Links toolbar. Now we're going to go over them in detail. Favorites are the ultimate way to personalize IE4. Page 450

Inside Windows 98 They provide one-click access to the places you like to visit the most. The easiest way to add a favorite Web site to your list is to hold the left mouse button on the IE page icon on the Address Bar and drag it over to the menubar, on top of the Favorites entry. You'll see a drop-down list appear and you can place it anywhere within your Favorites hierarchy. The alternative is to go to a page that you want to mark as a Favorite and then select Favorites | Add to Favorites from the menubar. The advantage adding your favorites this way is that you get a dialog box that offers you the chance to change a Favorite--essentially just a list of URLs--into a subscription. Subscriptions enable you to set IE4 to download content on a schedule, without your intervention. The three types of Favorites/Subscriptions are shown in Figure 23.14: 1. Plain old Favorite. Makes a note of the URL; you can return to that page by clicking on its entry in your list of Favorites. 2. Update notification. Marks a site as a Favorite and tells you, via a red gleam on its entry in your Favorites list, that there have been changes made to the page since you last visited. Does not download any content. 3. Subscription. Enables you to set a schedule for automatic download of the page, and others linked to it. This saves you time--you don't have to be present and wait for the download--and gives you the ability to grab pages for later viewing from your hard disk, which is faster and more flexible because you don't have to be connected to the Internet when you want to view the pages. FIGURE 23.14 The Add Favorite dialog box enables you to create a regular bookmark as well as subscribe to a site. Channels Channels are a variation on subscriptions, except that the Webmaster at the site determines the content of the channel; with a subscription, you get to control the type and amount of information that you receive. To receive a channel's information, you must subscribe to that channel. To help you find out which ones area available, Microsoft provided a Channel Guide. Figure 23.13 shows the initial contents of your Channels folder. The top entry, labeled Microsoft Channel Guide, takes you to a page on the Microsoft Web site that lists close to 1,000 channels. Page 451

Inside Windows 98 The default IE4 installation also lists a subset of the channels available; as previously mentioned, you aren't subscribed to a channel until you specifically ask for it. So you can easily get rid of the entries shown in Figure 23.13. Just right-click an item and select Delete. Subscribing to a channel is easy. If you find a channel you want within the Guide, then click on the Add Active Channel button. You might also find these subscription buttons at other people's Web sites, too. It launches a wizard that walks you through the process of subscribing. The biggest decision you have to make is the download schedule. The Webmaster will have suggested one, but you can change it to one that best suits you (see Figure 23.15). The things to remember when picking a schedule is that for a download to happen you need to have your machine powered on, and you shouldn't request a download during a peak work time when you want all your computer's power devoted to other tasks. FIGURE 23.15 You can either take the Webmaster's suggested download schedule or pick another one. IE4 has some basic schedules--daily, weekly, and monthly--and also enables you to create custom schedules, like the one shown here. To improve the performance of downloads, IE4 enables you to specify the maximum amount of data to download and which types of content to ignore. The former choice enables you to manage your cache; subscriptions are stored in cache and you don't want to overwhelm it, especially if you have several subscriptions. If the cache does get too full, IE4 will swap old content for new content, so the latest information will always be available. A channel's properties offer you the chance to choose not to download multimedia content like images and sound, which can take up a lot of disk space. (Right-click its entry, choose Properties, open the Receiving tab, and then click on the Advanced button.) Eliminating multimedia components makes the subscription download faster and saves disk space. Be careful, however, to keep those elements that are important to the channel; images, especially, might be an important element. Navigating the Web If you've ever browsed the Web before, then you'll quickly grow accustomed to the IE4 interface. It consists of a menubar and three toolbars. Now that you know how to customize these bars, you should know the commands contained within each of them. Table 23.1 provides the commands and a description of the actions each command provides. TABLE 23.1 Menubar Commands Menu Heading | Command | Description File | New | Spawns a new browser window, or opens Outlook Express or the Address Book, depending on the sub-command you choose. Page 452

Inside Windows 98 Open | Calls up a dialog box with a space for typing in a URL. Save | Saves the HTML page to your hard drive or the network. Save As | Saves the HTML page to your hard drive or the network, with a new name that you specify. Page Setup | Configures the printer. Print | Makes a hard copy of the current Web page. Send | Affects the current Web page; depending on the subcommand you choose, either sends someone the whole page or the URL over email, or places a shortcut to this URL on your desktop. Properties | Identifies properties of the current URL. Recent URLs | These words aren't on the file menu; rather, you see a set of page names, which are the most recent pages you've viewed. The one you're currently viewing has a check beside it. Click an entry to return to that page. Work Offline | When checked, assumes you're not connected to the Internet and searches for pages in your cache. Close | Exits Internet Explorer. Edit | Cut | Deletes the highlighted material. Copy | Copies the highlighted material. Paste | Inserts material. Select All | Highlights all the material on a page. Page | Launches FrontPage Express, which enables you to modify the contents of current page. Find (on this page) | Searches the current Web page for the words or phrase you supply. View | Toolbars | Brings up a submenu listing the three toolbars and the text-labels item. A check next to an entry means it's in use. Status Bar | Turns the status bar on and off. A check indicates it's in use. The status bar shows information like the URL, during a page load; a progress bar; and to which security zone the page belongs. Explorer Bar | Opens one of the four Explorer Bars. If none is marked, then the Explorer Bars aren't currently in use. Fonts | Enables you to easily change the size of the screen Page 453

fonts or switch to another alphabet.

Inside Windows 98

Stop | Stops loading the current URL. Refresh | Goes out to the server and grabs a fresh copy of the current page. Source | Opens Notepad with the HTML code that creates the current page loaded into the editing area. Full Screen | Switches the interface to full-screen mode. Internet Options | Discussed earlier. These are the configuration options available to you; they control the appearance and behavior of IE4. Go | Back | Go back one page in your surfing history. Forward | Go forward one page in your surfing history. Up One Level | Go to the next higher level within the file hierarchy. If you're viewing a Web page, you see a list of files on your hard disk. Home Page | Go to your designated home page. Channel Guide | Go online and find the Microsoft Channel Guide. Search the Web | Go online and find the Microsoft Search Page. Mail | Launch Outlook Express. News | Launch Outlook Express. My Computer | Browse your hard disk. Address Book | Launch the Address Book. Favorites | Add to Favorites | Stores a shortcut to the current URL in your list of Favorites. A dialog box pops up enabling you to specify whether to download content, what title to give the Favorite, and where to store it within your Favorites hierarchy. Organize Favorites | Calls a dialog box that enables you to rename, delete, and reorganize the shortcuts and folders that comprise your Favorites hierarchy. Manage Subscriptions | Opens a window that contains the contents of your Subscription folder. The window shows the status of the subscription, when it was last updated, the next scheduled update, and its associated URL. You also have commands available that enable you to immediately update any or all subscriptions. Update All Subscriptions | Connects to the Internet and Page 454

Inside Windows 98 downloads all subscriptions immediately, regardless of their update schedule. Favorites Hierarchy | You don't see these words. Instead, you see a list of Favorite shortcuts and any folders you've created to organize them. Help | | Gives you access to various help resources, both local and online. You can check which version of IE4 you're running by choosing the About Internet Explorer item. The next toolbar, the Button Bar, is the one that is most different from the one in IE3. The workhorse navigation buttons--Back and Forward--are still there, and Microsoft added some new commands. TABLE 23.2 Button Bar Commands Icon | Name | Command Back | Takes you to the previous page. Hover over this button and you'll see a description of the page. Click on the arrow to the right to get a pick list of sites. Forward | Takes you to the next page. Hover over it and you'll see a description of the page. Click on the arrow to the right to get a pick list of sites. Stop | Stops loading the page. Refresh | Goes out to the server and loads a fresh copy of the page. Home | Goes directly to your home page. You can customize this button by selecting View | Internet Options and opening the General tab. Search | Opens an Explorer Bar and takes you to a special Microsoft page that offers a selection of search engines. Search results show up in the left-hand pane. Favorites | Opens an Explorer Bar containing a list of all sites you've marked as Favorites. History | Opens an Explorer Bar that contains a list of sites you've recently visited. The view is organized by date. Channels | Opens an Explorer Bar showing all the channels to which you've subscribed. If you click on one, you will see its content. Fullscreen | Changes the IE4 interface to full-screen mode. Click on it again to return to the previous view. F11 also cycles you between these modes. Mail | Provides a drops-down list of mail options, including Page 455

Inside Windows 98 reading messages, composing messages, reading newsgroups, and sending links and pages through email. Print | Prints the current Web page. Edit | Opens FrontPage Express. Loads the current page into the application so that you can modify it locally. The third bar, the Address Bar, is fairly simple to use. Its components are described from left to right. You can follow along on Figure 23.16. FIGURE 23.16 The Address Bar lets you type in a URL and go directly to that Web page. On the far left side of the Address Bar is the vertical line that expands and contracts the bar. Click and drag it to the position you want, or double-click to snap the address bar to its minimum and maximum width. Within the Address field, the Web page icon represents the current URL. Click and drag it to create a shortcut to that page. You can drag it to the Links Bar or hover it over the Favorites menu item and place the shortcut wherever you want within your Favorites hierarchy. If you click the down arrow at the right of the Address field, you'll see a drop-down list of recently visited URLs. Select one to go to that page. If you're looking at a page from your hard disk, the drop-down list contains your file hierarchy. On the far right, the "Flying Windows" icon--the Internet Explorer logo--is a shortcut to the Microsoft Web site. The Links Bar is pretty straightforward. It contains a set of shortcuts. To personalize this bar, go through the Organize Favorites dialog box. Right-click on one of these links; you should see a list of actions. The interesting actions are: * Edit. Opens FrontPage Express to the page pointed to by the shortcut loaded for editing. * Properties. Brings up an information dialog box that provides you with information such as its size, the date it was created, and to where the shortcut points. But one neat option is the Change Icon button on the Shortcut tab. You can pick from any installed icon and use it to replace the default IE page icon. ----------

- 24 Using Broadcast Features

* Overview of Broadcast Features * Automating Web Delivery

Page 456

* Subscribing to Web Content * Introducing Channels * Activating Your Desktop

Inside Windows 98

* Using Broadcast Features in WebTV * Using the Program Guide * Changing Channels * Full-Screen or Window? * Other TV Options Time was, an operating system busied itself with file transfers, print jobs, and other mundane tasks. Windows 98 casts its net much further afield, adding TV broadcast and automated Web delivery support to its long list of features. These capabilities let you use Windows 98 to pull news and other content from desired Web sites, as well as to watch TV programming on your PC. In this chapter we will discuss the following issues: * Windows 98's capability to automate delivery of Web content * Using the offline browsing feature of Internet Explorer 4.0 * Using WebTV to watch television programs on your PC Overview of Broadcast Features In many ways, Windows 98 is an incremental upgrade from Windows 95, but big changes are happening in the way the operating system receives data from the Internet and other sources. From Web-based programming to television shows, Windows 98 enables your PC to act as a powerful media center. Enhancements to Internet Explorer 4 (IE4) promise to add intelligence to your Web browsing. With Windows 98, you can automate Web content downloads so that regularly scheduled downloads occur at off hours or immediately when a site is updated. The data is then stored on your hard disk for so-called offline browsing, speeding navigation and reducing time spent online. Perhaps more significantly, Windows 98 introduces a Microsoft-driven system to package and deliver content--called channels. Web content providers can publish Internet Explorer channels, which users then subscribe to by clicking an icon at the Web site. As with automated downloads, users are able to set up download schedules, notification, and other options--or they can choose the default provided by the publisher. Like the morning newspaper, the latest site content can be delivered to your desktop at a set time every morning. Beyond the Web, the WebTV feature lets Windows 98 display television programming. Just be warned that you need a TV tuner card in your PC to view programs. WebTV also leverages the Page 457

Inside Windows 98 Internet, allowing you to download programming schedules, which you can search for by date, category, or keyword. Automating Web Delivery Anyone who has used IE4 might already be familiar with Windows 98's capability to subscribe to Web sites, allowing you to schedule downloads and view sites offline. Rather than having to manually go to each site and search out information, you simply have Windows 98 download sites of interest, either in whole or in part, so you can view them from your hard disk later. Because you no longer must wait for sites to update, your browsing can happen much more quickly. There are several concepts behind the new features. Most important among them is the idea of subscribing to Web sites. When you subscribe to a site, you are telling Windows 98's Internet browser to keep an eye on that site and to possibly download updated information and even tell you when changes occur. In addition, you might want to subscribe to so-called channels--packaged content set up by Web site designers. Subscribing to a channel is somewhat akin to signing up for a cable channel in that you now receive content directly from the provider. Subscribing to Web Content When you subscribe to a Web site, you are telling your PC to automatically grab updated content. Basically, this feature offers the same services offered by so-called offline browsers, letting you dial up and download at night so you can view pages on your hard disk the next morning. Setting Up a Subscription To subscribe to a Web site, you'll need to first connect to your Internet service Provider (ISP) and fire up IE4 in Windows 98. When the program is running, do the following: 1. Go to the site you wish to subscribe to. 2. Click Favorites | Add to Favorites. 3. In the Add Favorites dialog box shown in Figure 24.1, click the second radio button to be notified when the Web page is updated, or click the bottom radio button to have the entire page downloaded to your hard disk. FIGURE 24.1 You can choose to download subscribed Web pages to your PC or to simply get a warning that new information has been posted to the page. 4. Click the Customize button to limit your downloads (because they can get very large). Click the top radio button to download only the open Web page, or click the lower radio button to download the page and any pages Page 458

linked to it. Click Next.

Inside Windows 98

5. If you selected the lower radio button in the previous dialog box, you must now tell Windows 98 how far into the Web site the automated download should go. Enter a number in the spinner control and click Next. 6. If you want to be notified by e-mail when a change occurs at this Web site (say, if there is extremely time-sensitive information there), click the Yes radio button. Otherwise, click No. If you select Yes, use the Change Address button to provide a specific e-mail address. Click Next. 7. At the next screen (see Figure 24.2), use the pick list at the top to set a download schedule based on daily, weekly, or monthly schedules preset by IE4. Note that you can tweak the existing schedule or create a new one from scratch. Finally, click the Manually radio button to limit updates to when you start them by clicking Favorites | Update All Subscriptions from the IE4 menu bar. FIGURE 24.2 IE4 provides preset download schedules based on daily, weekly, and monthly cycles. Or you can create a schedule of your own. 8. If the site requires a password, click the Yes radio button, and enter your username and password in the boxes. Click Finish. 9. You now return to the Add Favorites folder. If you wish to place this item in a specific favorites folder, click the Create in button to reveal a directory tree. Create a new folder or open an existing folder. Finally, give the subscription a meaningful name (the text picked up from the site can look mysterious) by entering it in the Name text box. 10. Click OK to subscribe to the site. Managing Subscriptions You will probably want to change or update your subscriptions down the road. To do this, click Favorites | Manage Subscriptions in IE4. You will see a list of your subscribed Web sites, as shown in Figure 24.3, including information on the last update, the update schedule, and the date the subscription was first set up. FIGURE 24.3 The Subscriptions dialog box lets you take inventory of your automated Web downloads. To edit, remove, or update a subscription, simply right-click the desired item to see a Context menu. To remove a subscription, click Delete from the Context menu. To update a Page 459

Inside Windows 98 subscription from this view, click Update Now from the Context menu. Changing Subscriptions To make detailed changes to your existing subscription, select the subscription you wish to change and select File | Properties from the menu. Then do the following: 1. Click the Subscription tab to see information about your current setup and click the Unsubscribe button to unsubscribe from the page. 2. Click the Receiving tab to change download settings. If you want to only be notified about changes (but not receive the pages), click the Only radio button at the top of the page. To actually have data sent to disk, click the Notify radio button. 3. Click the Advanced button to bring up the Advanced Download Options dialog box, and use the spinner control to set the depth of linked pages to download. Uncheck the Follow check box if you don't want IE4 to grab material from outside the page's Web site. 4. Downloads can be very large, but you can uncheck the check boxes called ActiveX Controls and Images, Sound, and Video. You can also set the maximum size of downloads by clicking the Never download more than check box and entering a maximum number of kilobytes in the text box. Click OK. 5. Click the Schedule tab to determine how often sites are downloaded to your PC. Use the calendar control to set frequency. Check the check box at the bottom to limit downloading to when your PC is not in use. 6. Click OK to save the changes. Browsing Previously Viewed Sites To browse subscribed sites on your hard disk, simply click File | Work Offline from the IE4 menu bar. A bullet will appear next to the Work offline menu command. When you open the subscribed page by clicking Favorites and selecting it from the list, the page will load from the hard disk. If you need to go to a page on the Web, you'll have to click File | Work Offline again to deselect this option. The next time you try to activate a link or load a Web page, IE4 will initiate an online session. Introducing Channels A little more in depth than subscribing to Web sites is the concept of channels. IE4 in Windows 98 provides support for Page 460

Inside Windows 98 focused Web content, which developers are able to deliver to the browser by using channel development tools. When you sign up for a channel, you are able to have the content sent to you, either on a time-scheduled basis or when some event dictates an update. No more will you have to browse to the site, fish for your information, and wait for updates. The packaged information is sent straight to your PC--for immediate browsing or for viewing later--on a regular basis. Adding Channels There are several ways to sign up for channels with IE4. Many users will sign up for a channel subscription when they see channel offerings on a site they are browsing. Under a Microsoft program, sites offering IE4 channels feature a standard-looking channel subscription button. Click that button, and IE4 will subscribe to the channel and allow you to set up scheduling and other details. Another way to subscribe to a channel is to browse through Microsoft's index of available channel content. Doing this in Windows 98 is easy. On the left side of the Windows Taskbar, just to the right of the Start button, are several small icons. The icon that looks like a satellite dish is the View Channels icon. To add a channel to your setup, do the following: 1. Click the View Channels icon on the Taskbar. The Microsoft Channel Guide opens. 2. In the scrollable channel list to the left, you can click the item you want or click on featured services or topics displayed in the main frame. The main frame will display text and graphics from the provider you eventually select. 3. To subscribe to a service, click the Add Active Channel icon that appears in the main frame. It might take a while for the Channel update to complete. 4. In the Modify Channel Usage dialog box, shown in Figure 24.4, click the bottom radio button to have your system automatically download new content from the channel. FIGURE 24.4 If you want to view content downloaded overnight or at other times, you'll want to click the third radio button. 5. Click the Customize button to go to the Subscription Wizard dialog box shown in Figure 24.5. Click the top radio button if you want to download only the channel's home page and its links, or click the bottom radio button to download all the subscribed content. Click the Next button. FIGURE 24.5 If you have the disk space to spare, go ahead and download all the channel content. Otherwise, updating just the Page 461

Inside Windows 98 home page will simply draw you to updated content on the site. 6. The next dialog box asks whether you want to receive an e-mail notice if a page is updated. Click the No or Yes radio button as appropriate; then click Next. 7. If you use Dial Up Networking to dial into an ISP, click the Dial in as needed radio button to have Windows 98 automatically dial in for updates. 8. By default, you are set to the Publisher's recommended schedule (in this case, updating every four days). But you can set a weekly, daily, or monthly update schedule, as shown in Figure 24.6, from a pick list. Automated downloads work best with always-on connections such as those on office networks, but Windows 98 can also automatically dial in if you check the Dial as needed check box. You can also arrange for manual updates. FIGURE 24.6 Tell IE4 how often to download subscribed content. TIP: If you use a dial-up connection, automated updates can pose a problem--particularly if you share a voice and data line for your Internet access. You might want to simply prompt channel updates yourself. Click the Manually radio button to tell IE4 to update only when prompted. 9. To customize the preset update schedule, click the Customize button. 10. In the Custom Schedule dialog box, you can choose to optimize the frequency and timing of channel updates. In all cases, the check box at the bottom allows IE4 to move up or delay updates to avoid Web or intranet traffic. Click OK. 11. Click the Finish button to return to the Subscribe Channel dialog box. Click Next. 12. If the service you are subscribing to includes content tailored for the Active Desktop, the Channel Screen Saver dialog box prompts you to replace the current Windows 98 screen saver with one that displays content from the service. Click Yes to do so or No to retain your screen saver settings. You are now subscribed. Setting Up Channels As Your Screen Saver You can set up channels to appear as your Windows 98 screen saver. Doing this causes channel content to be displayed when your system is idle. Here's how you set up a channel to display Page 462

as your screen saver:

Inside Windows 98

1. Right-click the Windows 98 desktop and select Properties from the Context menu. 2. In the Properties dialog box, click the Screen Saver tab. 3. In the Screen Saver list, click the Channel Screen Saver entry. 4. Click the Settings button to open the Screen Saver Properties dialog box. 5. In the Channels list box, click the check box next to the services you want to appear on your screen saver display. 6. If you indicate multiple services, enter the number of seconds each should appear in the Display each channel spinner control. 7. Click the appropriate radio button to choose how you will close the screen saver: either on a mouse movement or with a click of the close button. Click OK. 8. Set the standard controls for screen saver delay and power savings as desired. Click OK to make the new screen saver take effect. Activating Your Desktop If you are particularly brave and can spare the processing power, consider subscribing to so-called Active Desktop channels. This feature lets you display Web content directly on the Windows 98 desktop, turning Windows 98 into a portal to the Internet. News, stock prices, and sports scores can appear in real time, right alongside your program icons, as shown in Figure 24.7. Better yet, this information can be updated automatically. FIGURE 24.7 Active Desktop channels mean you don't even have to launch your browser to view the latest information on the Web. NOTE: The Active Desktop feature requires a lot of resources, particularly if you have a number of complex elements running on your desktop. If you notice frequent problems or if system startup simply becomes too slow, you might want to scale back on the number of active elements or turn off the Web features entirely. The easiest way to do this is to right-click the Windows 98 desktop, click Active Desktop, and then click View As Web Page. Page 463

Adding Active Desktop Channels

Inside Windows 98

Not all channels can exist on the Active Desktop. Providers must tailor their content for delivery on the desktop. How do you know what is available? When you are visiting a content provider's channel resources Web page, you see a standard icon called Add Desktop Channel. Clicking the icon initiates the configuration of an Active Desktop element. To set up a channel to appear on your desktop, do the following: 1. Right-click the Windows 98 desktop. 2. In the Properties dialog box, click the Web tab. 3. Click the New button. 4. The Web sheet of the Display Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 24.8. The list of subscribed Active Desktop services appears in the scrolling list box--with a check denoting those that are currently visible. FIGURE 24.8 The Web sheet of the Display Properties dialog box is your one-stop shop for adding, removing, and editing Active Desktop items. 5. To add an Active Desktop channel, click the New button. You are prompted to search the Microsoft site for Active Desktop services. Click the Yes button to go to the Microsoft Active Desktop gallery, located at http://www.microsoft.com/ie/ie40/gallery/. Listed there are Active Desktop channels from a wide variety of sources. 6. Follow the instructions to browse and subscribe to Active Desktop content. Managing Active Desktop Channels When you have Active Desktop channels working, there are some things you can do to keep your content in order. When you add an item to your Active Desktop, you see it on your display. To move it to a different spot on screen, hold the cursor above the Active Desktop element. A gray border appears, including a slim header bar along the top. To move the item, click the header bar, drag it to the desired location, and release. To close an item, click the small x that appears in the right-hand corner of the header bar. Likewise, you can hide Active Desktop elements from a dialog box interface. Follow these steps: 1. Right-click the Windows 98 desktop and click Active Desktop. Then click Customize my desktop from the fly-out menu. Page 464

Inside Windows 98 2. On the Web sheet of the Display Properties page, visible Active Desktop elements are denoted by a checked box to the left of the entry. To hide a channel, click the check box and click OK. 3. To reveal a hidden channel, click the empty box so that a check appears in it. Click OK. 4. The Windows 98 desktop reflects the changes. You can manually update your Active Desktop elements so that they grab the latest data on command. Although manual updates are most useful for those with dial-up connections, they are also useful if you want to grab the latest information between scheduled downloads. To update all your desktop elements, perform the following steps: 1. Right-click the Windows 98 desktop. (Make sure you don't right-click an Active Desktop element by mistake.) 2. Click Active Desktop from the Context menu, and click Update Now from the fly-out menu. 3. Windows 98 pulls down fresh data for the Active Desktop elements. Using Broadcast Features in WebTV Windows 98 includes an application called WebTV that turns a properly equipped PC into a functioning television set. This feature allows you to view TV programming side-by-side with applications and to capture clips or still images from the broadcasts. It also lets you download detailed broadcast listings from the Internet so you can browse and search programming. There's a catch. Your PC must have a TV tuner card installed so that it can pick up broadcasts. However, an Internet connection is useful for downloading the latest TV listings and schedules. A standalone TV tuner can cost between $120 and $200, although some specialty graphics cards come with a TV tuner built in. To install the WebTV software, do the following: 1. Click Start | Settings | Control Panel, and select the Add/Remove Software icon. 2. Click the Windows Setup tab. Wait a moment while Setup searches for installed components. 3. In the Components box, scroll down to the WebTV item and put a check in the box to the left. 4. Click OK. Page 465

Inside Windows 98 5. You might be prompted to insert the Windows 98 CD-ROM if the required data is not stored on your hard disk. You will have to restart your system once or twice before all the changes take effect. 6. When the software is installed, a small television icon will appear on the Taskbar in the group next to the Start button. To watch a program, simply launch the WebTV application and go to the channel you wish. There are two ways to launch WebTV: * Click the TV icon on the left side of the Windows 98 Taskbar. * Click Start | Programs | Accessories | Entertainment | WebTV. Using the Program Guide The WebTV application launches the Program Guide, which displays the available channels in the main window. Use the scroll bar on the right side to browse through the channels, and the scroll bar across the bottom to see what's on at different times during the day. A timeline across the top of the window shows the time of day for the programs being displayed. Just above the display window, you can set the Program Guide to display programming for a specific date, time of day, or subset of channels, as shown in Figure 24.9. Clicking these will reduce the amount of data displayed in the window, making it easier to find the program you want. In addition, you can search for specific programming by clicking the Search tab at the top of the Program Guide window. A list of programming categories is displayed along the left side, while the results of your searches are displayed in a window in the center. You can click on one of the categories to see all the programs fitting that definition, or you can enter text into the Search box at the lower left to look for a specific word or description. Enter the text and click the Search button at the bottom to see the results in the main window. FIGURE 24.9 The Program Guide includes filters to let you limit the number of programs you see on the schedule. You can further winnow searches from the pick list controls at the top of the screen, shown in Figure 24.10. The leftmost control lets you filter by days or by programs that are broadcast at the moment. The rightmost control lets you sort the resulting search by time or by title. FIGURE 24.10 Use the Search screen to find programs by category, time of day, and keyword. To view a program, simply select it from the results window. If Page 466

Inside Windows 98 the program is on, the WebTV application will tune to the appropriate channel and display it. Changing Channels There are several ways to select a channel to view under WebTV. For most of these, you must access the TV Toolbar, which runs across the top of WebTV screen. To evoke the TV Toolbar, click the F10 or Alt keys. To change the channel, do one of the following: * Click the arrows on the spinner control in the left corner of the TV Toolbar, which appears across the top of the screen. * Enter the number in the channel control on the TV Toolbar by dragging the cursor over the current entry and typing the new channel over it. Press Return to go to the channel. * Click one of the preselected channel icons on the TV Toolbar. * You can also use a remote control (provided your system supports one) to enter channel changes. Full-Screen or Window? By default, WebTV launches in full screen mode, meaning you cannot see other programs while watching TV. To adjust WebTV so that it only takes up part of the screen, do the following: 1. Click F10 or Alt to invoke the TV Toolbar. 2. Click the small double-box icon that appears on the upper-right corner of the TV Toolbar. (Be sure not to click the X icon by accident. That closes WebTV!) 3. The WebTV screen will shrink to take up a portion of the screen. Move the icon so that is hovers above a corner of the window and turns into a double arrow. 4. Click the corner and drag the window to the desired shape and size. Repeat on the other corner if necessary. Other TV Options WebTV mates some of the best features of the PC with its broadcast capabilities. For example, if a broadcaster provides data signals embedded in the broadcast, you can display running text, graphics, and other information that display alongside the program. A football broadcast, for example, might display the scoring statistics of a team that has just taken the field. You can tell whether a particular broadcast is enhanced if WebTV places a blue icon next to the entry in the TV Guide window. A red circle icon indicates that the programming is unenhanced. Page 467

Inside Windows 98 The icons also appear for programs shown on the TV Toolbar banner. By default, WebTV enables the enhanced content--you must turn it off if you wish to simply view the broadcast. To turn off the enhancements on a broadcast, do the following: 1. Click F10 or Alt to invoke the TV Toolbar. 2. Click the blue icon that appears on the far-right side of the TV Toolbar banner. 3. In the Context menu that drops down, click the Enhancements item (it should have a check mark next to it). 4. The Enhancements will now be disabled. To reenable this feature, click the blue icon again and click the Enhancements item. WebTV also supports closed captioning, which displays running text along the bottom of the screen. You can even have WebTV look for specific words and phrases in the text stream--say, "President Clinton"--and have the program take an action, such as turning up the volume for you to hear. To turn on closed captioning, do the following: 1. Click F10 or Alt to bring up the TV Toolbar. 2. Click the Settings icon. 3. In the Settings dialog box, click the Show closed captioning check box. A check should now appear in the box. 4. Click OK. ----------

- 25 Using the Active Desktop

* Overview of the Active Desktop * Configuring the Active Desktop * How Folder Options Affect the Active Desktop * Active Desktop Customization Options * Getting the Most Out of the Active Desktop * Turning the Desktop On and Off * Adding Active Components to the Desktop * Updating Your Active Desktop Components * Computer Performance and Bandwidth Considerations Page 468

Inside Windows 98 by Amy Helen Johnson, Senior Technology Editor, Windows Magazine The Active Desktop changes your Windows shell from a passive expanse of shortcuts into an interactive realm of real-time information delivery. It allows you to use your desktop as a window to the Web and gives you access to your personal computer and network if applicable. The Active Desktop might not be for everyone--one size does not fit all. For this reason, Microsoft made the Active Desktop configurable. It not only offers you a choice of components to extend the desktop's capabilities, but it gives you choices about the features of the desktop itself (such as the behavior of the mouse). You can even turn the Active Desktop off if you don't want to use it. This chapter will cover the following topics: * What the Active Desktop is * How to configure your Active Desktop * How to get the most out of your Active Desktop Overview of the Active Desktop Windows 98 gained a wealth of new features and options with the inclusion of Internet Explorer 4 (IE4). The most notable changes involve its desktop interface. One new feature of the interface is its capability to display Web-based content on the desktop, which Microsoft named the Active Desktop. This gives the desktop itself--the expanse of space that is your main workspace--a much more prominent role in Windows 98. Instead of being a passive bulletin board where you stick up shortcuts to important files and applications, like crumbled checkout coupons and your kid's fingerprint drawings, the Windows 98 desktop is interactive. You stick up active components that automatically display information in real-time, more like a TV set constantly providing you with a changing stream of relevant data than a static bulletin board. This data stream can be active--based on a live Web connection--so that it changes periodically. Weather watchers, for instance, are a popular desktop component; they display the current temperature and weather information periodically on your desktop, without any intervention from you. The Active Desktop is also interactive; for example, you can install the Address toolbar, a type of query component that allows you to send requests for information without opening an application. In the case of the Address toolbar, you can request a list of the contents of a folder or ask to see a Web page without needing to be in Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer. The Active Desktop will automatically launch those applications for you to display the results of your query. Other available Page 469

Inside Windows 98 components allow you to do different interactive tasks without opening a Windows utility or full-blown application. A section later in this chapter will point you to a place on the Internet where you can find these components. The Windows 98 component-enabled desktop's capability to be active and interactive make it much more flexible than that of Windows 95. In its former state, the desktop was a lot of wasted real estate. Now the desktop is a sophisticated interactive display. For example, you can stay instantly up-to-date on things like stock quotes, receive regular delivery of downloads from Web sites, or send search requests through an applet without paying the overhead of launching an application (see Figure 25.1). FIGURE 25.1 The Windows 98 desktop is component enabled, which allows you to add HTML pages, ActiveX components, IE4 channels, and Java applets to your desktop for interactive information delivery. The types of components you can place on the Windows 98 desktop include Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages, ActiveX components, IE4 channels, and Java applets. You can also use graphics for background images as in Windows 95, except that the range of file formats available to you is wider. In addition to the standard bitmap graphics, you can also pick a Joint Picture Experts Group (JPEG) or Graphical Interchange Format (GIF) image. This means that when you're using Windows 98's Active Desktop capabilities, your interface looks vastly different than when you have it turned off. In fact when you turn it off, Windows 98 can be hard to distinguish from Windows 95. There's a static background, perhaps a color or custom wallpaper, and shortcuts--just like Windows 95. You see the same Start menu, the same Taskbar with an icon tray for resident utilities, and the same large area containing shortcuts for applications and files. But your first clue that things are different is on the Taskbar; it usually contains a new toolbar with four icons that allow you to quickly launch several Windows 98 utilities. There are more changes underneath the exterior of the screen in front of you; they involve added functionality to familiar items, a new look and feel to utilities, and new ways to control those utilities and the contents of your desktop. One example of these new features is that all browsers, whether file or Web browsers, include Back and Forward buttons. The Windows 98 desktop interface also has many configuration options like the choice of using single- or double-clicks to launch applications, the choice of which toolbars to use, and different ways to expand the default set of applications you can access through the Taskbar. Furthermore, the browsers are context sensitive, which means it offers you different options depending on the task you're doing. This new way of interacting with files and folders is called Web style. Before you get too deep into learning about the Active Desktop, Page 470

Inside Windows 98 you first need to understand the major changes that appear in the desktop interface's file managers and Taskbar. Therefore, it's important that you read the chapter explaining the new capabilities of the Windows 98 desktop and when and why they become available, if you haven't already done so. You'll find this information in Chapter 6, "Using Windows 98." This chapter covers how to use folders, Taskbars, and the Start Menu most effectively. It's important to understand that the Web-style Windows 98 interface and its Active Desktop are separate but dependent. You must use Web style if you want the Active Desktop, but you don't have to use the Active Desktop if you choose to enable the Web-style interface. We'll discuss the dependencies between these two features later in this chapter. NOTE: The rest of this chapter assumes that you have read Chapter 6, which gives you the foundation you need to successfully configure and use the Active Desktop. Configuring the Active Desktop You can set configuration options whether the Active Desktop is turned on or off, but you must enable it to experience the benefits of your work configuring it. To double check whether the Active Desktop is indeed active, right-click anywhere on the desktop and slide your mouse up the Context menu to the Active Desktop entry and open the submenu. If the entry on the submenu titled View As Web Page has a check mark next to it, the desktop is activated. Although the Active Desktop is distinct from the Web style of folder options, the two interfaces are dependent. The first part of this section explains how the choices you make for folder options affect your ability to have an Active Desktop enabled. The second section goes into the details of setting all the customization options, under the assumption that you're using a folder style that supports Active Desktop and that the desktop is activated. How Folder Options Affect the Active Desktop In Chapter 6 you learned how to set your folder options for the way you viewed files and folders. You reach folder options several ways; this chapter discusses only one so you can double-check your settings to make sure they don't interfere with your ability to use the Active Desktop. You can reach folder options through the Active Desktop by right-clicking on the desktop, scrolling up to Active Desktop, and selecting Customize My Desktop. You'll see a dialog box like the one shown in Figure 25.2. Click the Folder Options button in the lower right corner. Select Yes when Windows 98 asks you, Page 471

Inside Windows 98 "Would you like to save and close the Display Properties and view the Folder Options instead?" You have three choices for your folders' style, as shown in Figure 25.3. Two of them enable you to work with your desktop activated; one does not. We'll discuss each of the three and explain how they affect the Active Desktop. FIGURE 25.2 You can reach Folder Options through the Active Desktop configuration dialog when you need to doublecheck your settings for the Web-style folders. FIGURE 25.3 Of the three states for folder options, only two of them allow you to use Windows 98's Active Desktop features. * Web style. When you choose this option, you can always enable your Active Desktop. * Classic style. This option does not allow you to activate your desktop. If your Active Desktop is enabled, it will be automatically turned off when you switch to Classic style. However, if you go back to your desktop, right-click to bring up the Context menu, and put a check mark next to View as Web Page, your active desktop will be restored. The Folder Options, on the other hand, will automatically change to Custom style. * Custom. Whether you can enable your Active Desktop depends on the individual settings you've chosen. Click on the Settings button; you'll see the screen shown in Figure 25.4. FIGURE 25.4 Choosing custom settings for your folder options might allow you to enable the Active Desktop, depending on your specific choices for individual settings. If you're using the Custom style because you've enabled your Active Desktop while in Classic mode, the Settings choices are automatically set correctly, as shown in Figure 25.4. If you're picking your settings yourself, make sure that, of the mutually exclusive pair of radio buttons offered for Active Desktop, you've picked Enable all Web-related content on my desktop. TIP: If you click the Customize button, shown in Figure 25.4, you'll return to the Active Desktop configuration dialog box, shown in Figure 25.2. Active Desktop Customization Options Now that you've set up your Folder Options so that you can enable your Active Desktop, you're ready to consider customization options for the desktop. The desktop for Windows 98 is capable of running any ActiveX controls, Web pages, or applets placed on it. This chapter will show you how to manage those components as well as control newly Web-enabled elements Page 472

like wallpaper and screen savers.

Inside Windows 98

The main controls for the Active Desktop are under the Display utility. This is traditionally the utility with which you pick your preferred settings for your monitor (things like number of colors and resolution) and for your desktop (things like your Windows color scheme). In Windows 98, you also use this utility to set your options for the Active Desktop. There's a new tab in Display Properties titled Web, and there are different choices available from the Background and Screen Saver tabs. Setting the Desktop's Web Options The new Web tab within the Display Properties dialog box contains the options for your newly interactive desktop. You can get to this tab through any of the following methods: 1. Right-click on the desktop and select Active Desktop | Customize my Desktop. 2. Right-click on the desktop and select Properties; select the Web tab. 3. Open the Start Menu and select Settings | Active Desktop | Customize my Desktop. 4. Open the Start Menu and select Settings | Control Panel | Display; select the Web tab. * Whichever method you choose, you will see a dialog box like the one shown in Figure 25.5. Figure 25.5 shows the default Active Desktop configuration built into Windows 98. You start out with the Active Desktop enabled and one component, the Internet Explorer Channel Bar, placed on the desktop. FIGURE 25.5 You can change the appearance of your desktop using the Web tab of the Display Properties sheet. The monitor screen on this tab is a simple depiction of the elements on your desktop, their sizes, and relative positions. In the area below the monitor, the most important item is the one labeled View my Active Desktop as a web page. You must check this for your desktop to be active. Below this item is a list of all the elements you have installed on your desktop. Each item has a check box next to it. If there's a mark in the check box, that item is active. A blank check box indicates that the item is not enabled. It does not appear on the desktop, but it does not disappear from your list of installed components, as shown in Figure 25.6. The difference between installing and enabling a component is an important concept to understand. You can install all the components you want, but unless they're enabled you don't get to Page 473

Inside Windows 98 use them. You can also disable any of the components, but that doesn't delete them from your desktop; they're still there if you choose to re-enable them. FIGURE 25.6 An item can be installed on your Active Desktop, but unless it has been enabled by checking the box next to its entry on the component list, it is not available for use. The buttons next to this list affect the items on the list. They include the following: * New. This item lets you add an element to the desktop by browsing for an appropriate file or uniform resource locator (URL). You can also add items directly if you run across a button on a Web page labeled Add to Active Desktop. To find a set of elements you can use, click New and answer Yes when Windows 98 asks whether you want to go to Microsoft's desktop gallery. You can also point your IE4 browser to http://www.microsoft.com/ie/ie40/gallery/ to get to the gallery. The section "Adding Active Components to the Desktop" later in this chapter explains adding desktop elements in detail. * Delete. This option entirely erases the highlighted item and removes it completely from your desktop, as opposed to merely turning it off. You can turn off an element simply by removing the check mark next to it. This keeps the item installed on your desktop but inactive. Only use the delete function when you're sure you don't want that element anymore; there is no Undo function. Of course you can always replace it on your desktop, so all is not lost. * Properties. This item shows you the properties of the highlighted element. Clicking on this button brings up a dialog box with three tabs. The first tab (see Figure 25.7), labeled Subscription, gives you general information about the components on your desktop--things like name, URL providing the information, update schedule, status of last update, and date and time of next update. You can't change anything here except whether to unsubscribe to the desktop component. FIGURE 25.7 The Subscription tab of a component's properties gives you information about its update schedule and originating URL. * Reset All. Returns your desktop to its installation configuration, which includes generic Windows 98 wallpaper displayed, the Channel Guide installed, and all other active elements removed. Again, there's no Undo function, so be sure you want to reset your desktop before you choose this option. The Receiving tab (see Figure 25.8) contains details about how your computer receives information via the desktop component. If you choose to merely be notified that new data is available, Page 474

Inside Windows 98 you'll have to manually update the component to receive the content. If you've chosen to subscribe, the data will automatically download to your desktop. You can also choose to have an e-mail message sent to you as a reminder that the site feeding the component has new content. This is a convenience more than anything; no data is delivered via e-mail. You can set the e-mail address to anything you want by clicking on the Change Address button. FIGURE 25.8 The Receiving tab has many useful options for setting reminders that new content is available and for initiating unattended downloads from password-protected sites. One useful feature of these components is that they have built-in intelligence that will automatically log on to a protected site. This is a necessary feature for some paid content and for intranets with security. By clicking on the Login button, you can set up an account name and password, leaving the component free to perform unattended content downloads. Selecting the Advanced button on the Receiving tab allows you to set limitations on how much content comes to your desktop (see Figure 25.9). This is useful if you have a component that will download a lot of data or very bandwidth-intensive data like movies. The top portion of this dialog box allows you to specify how much of the originating site to bring to your desktop, in terms of link levels. A link level of 1 means Windows 98 will follow every link on the originating page and download the pages it finds. A link level of 2 means it will follow every link on every referenced page. As you might guess, the number of pages can increase exponentially, so be careful setting your link levels. Also be careful when choosing to load external links. They can add to your download burden and might not be of interest. You can often eliminate a lot of the bulk of a download by choosing to ignore large items like sound files, movies, images, ActiveX controls, and Java applets. You need to decide whether these types of content are necessary to receive the information available through the desktop component. FIGURE 25.9 The Advanced Download Options allow you to tailor exactly how much content you receive from a component. This dialog box also gives you the ultimate protection from bloated components: the ability to set a maximum download size. By setting a reasonable limit here, you won't be bothered with downloads that go on forever. This item overrides all the other choices you have made. When it reaches the update limit, Windows 98 won't accept any more data, no matter how many more link levels it is supposed to follow. The Schedule tab (see Figure 25.10) gives you the opportunity to reset the component's update schedule. See the section "Adding Page 475

Inside Windows 98 Active Components to the Desktop" later in this chapter to set up a schedule. For now, you need to know that you have the choice of creating a new schedule, switching to an existing schedule, or modifying an existing schedule. This tab is also where you indicate that you want Windows 98 to dial into your Internet service provider (ISP) to update your desktop. This feature allows you to save connect charges by enabling you to stay offline except for those minutes when your computer is receiving updates. If you don't wish to have Windows 98 perform an automatic update, you can always opt to place components on manual update status. This requires you to initiate the download yourself, either through the desktop or this dialog box, if you want the information updated. An Update Now button provided on this tab allows you to do this easily. FIGURE 25.10 The Schedule tab lets you modify the day and time a component performs an update. The Don't update this subscription when I'm using my computer option allows you to reserve idle times for component updates. Because many of these components can download several hundred kilobytes of data, you might experience a performance drop while Windows 98 attends to the update. If you have a bandwidth-hungry component, you can set this option to ensure that you'll have the power you need to perform your regular work tasks. This is also a useful option if your computer is an older model. The last button, Folder Options, takes you to the dialog that allows you to configure the behavior of your file managers. Chapter 6 explains that dialog box in detail. The remaining buttons, OK, Cancel, and Apply, are standard choices for setting dialogs. OK initiates your changes and exits the dialog box. Cancel exits the dialog box without modifying your previous settings. Apply implements your changes without exiting the dialog box. Setting the Desktop's Background There are two other tabs on the Display Properties sheet that you'll want to visit before you're through configuring your desktop. One is the Back-ground tab. You can now use Web graphic-format files--JPEGs and GIFs--as wallpaper. Click on Browse to search for a suitable image (see Figure 25.11). The Pattern and Display options give you choices for filling out your desktop area if the image is too small to fit the full screen. You only get Pattern options if you pick Center as the Display mode. Pattern fills in the blank area surrounding the centered image with a predefined pattern. The other two display options, Tile and Stretch, fill the display area completely, so no pattern is necessary. Page 476

Inside Windows 98 FIGURE 25.11 The Background tab in the Display Properties sheet allows you to choose HTML files and Web-format image files for your desktop background. Using a Web Page as the Desktop Another option you have for selecting a background image is to use an HTML page (refer to Figure 25.11). You can set it by selecting an entry from the list provided on the Background tab or by browsing. Picking an HTML page doesn't give you pattern and tiling options. You can also pick an image on a Web page to use as wallpaper. This is such a common occurrence that there's a right-click option that allows you to do so. When you're in Internet Explorer looking at a Web site, hover over an image, right-click, and select the Save as Wallpaper option. Setting the Desktop's Screen Saver * You can now use IE4 channels as screen savers (see Figure 25.12). You must subscribe to a channel to do so. A list of channels is available through the Microsoft Channel Guide at www.iechannelguide.com. When you're going through the subscription process, you'll see a dialog box pop up to inform you that the channel has been set up to act as a screen saver. Choose Yes when you're asked whether you want to take advantage of this capability. FIGURE 25.12 You can set up a channel to which you subscribe as your screen saver. Getting the Most Out of the Active Desktop Ninety percent of the effort of using the Active Desktop goes into configuring it; when you have it set to your liking, there's little you need to do in terms of maintenance or usage. However, there are a few tricks and miscellaneous tools you should know about to get the most out of Windows 98. Turning the Desktop On and Off You can turn the desktop on and off easily. Don't be afraid to go back to a static desktop; Windows 98 will remember all the interactive items you've placed on the desktop and revive them as soon as you reactivate it. The easiest way to turn the desktop on and off is to right-click anywhere within the desktop area. From the Context menu, select Active Desktop | View As Web Page. If this item has a check mark beside it, the desktop is Web enabled. If not, you're using Classic mode. What You Get When the Active Desktop Is Turned Off As already discussed, when you turn off your Active Desktop, any Page 477

Inside Windows 98 active components do not display. They do remain in their previous state, however. This means that if you had a component enabled (with a check mark next to its entry in the component list on the Web tab of the Display Properties sheet), then it is still enabled. But because the desktop in total is disabled, the component doesn't display. If your background wallpaper is set to an HTML file, then turning off the desktop makes the wallpaper revert to the previous non-HTML-file choice. The channel screen saver still operates, however. Adding Active Components to the Desktop Now that you have your Active Desktop initialized and configured, you'll want to put some elements on it. There are two ways to go about this. First, visit the Microsoft Active Desktop Gallery (see Figure 25.13) at http://www.microsoft.com/ie/ie40/gallery/. This page contains links to dozens of components that perform tasks like searching the Web, supplying weather information, delivering fresh news, and playing a stock ticker. You can easily reach the gallery through the Web tab in the Display Properties sheet. Click on the New button and you'll be taken directly to the gallery. It's simple to add a component; just find the component you want and then click on the Add to Active Desktop button. FIGURE 25.13 The Active Desktop Gallery is your first stop for finding components that will work with your Windows 98 Active Desktop. There are some security considerations involved with adding components to your desktop, as Figure 25.14 demonstrates. Windows 98 will ask you whether you want this component installed, and you will see a security certificate identifying the organization that created the component. This is a security issue because adding an active component means copying software to your computer--a potentially hazardous undertaking if the person who wrote the software is a malicious programmer. The purpose of the security certificate is to allow you to identify the source and decide whether you wish to trust it. Answer Yes if you want to continue; otherwise, no component will be installed. FIGURE 25.14 The security certificate you see when you ask to add a component to your desktop gives you an opportunity to learn about the source of the software and decide if you trust it enough to copy the software to your computer. When you see the dialog box shown in Figure 25.15, you're nearly done. If you want, you can select OK at this point and your component will install with default options. Page 478

Inside Windows 98 FIGURE 25.15 By selecting OK in this dialog box, your active component will install on your desktop. Your other choice is to click Customize Subscription and tailor the component's behavior to your needs. Your first option is to set a different update schedule. The publisher of your component will set a default schedule, as shown in Figure 25.16. However, you can modify it, create a new schedule, pick another existing schedule, or manually update the component. FIGURE 25.16 If you don't want to accept the publisher's schedule, this dialog box lets you set one of your own. To create your own schedule, click on New; you'll see the creation dialog box shown in Figure 25.17. To set your custom schedule, you merely need to pick a day and time to launch an update. The other way you will find Active Desktop components is to peruse the channels. Many channels come in component form. You can tell by looking at the add buttons, as shown in Figure 25.18. The Add Active Channel button makes the site an IE4 channel. Click the Add to Active Desktop button to get the same security and scheduling dialogs already discussed. FIGURE 25.17 All it takes to create a custom schedule is to set a day and time for your update. FIGURE 25.18 You can also turn a channel into a desktop component if the publisher has provided that option. Updating Your Active Desktop Components There are several ways you can update your Active Desktop components. The easiest is to set a schedule, as explained in the previous section. But there are also several manual methods. The most obvious one is to right-click anywhere on the desktop, scroll up to the Active Desktop submenu on the pop-up menu, and select the Update Now sub-option. This will update every component you have, so it's not ideal if you want to initiate an update for just one item. A full update will occur if you click on the Start menu, select Settings | Active Desktop | Update Now. If you want to update just a single component, you can open the Web tab of the Display Properties sheet, right-click an entry, and select Properties. On an individual item's properties menu, the Schedule tab has an option for manually updating just that element (refer to Figure 25.10). There's another way to reach the Display Properties sheet directly from a component. If you hover at the top of a desktop element, a gray bar appears. On the left side of this bar is a Page 479

Inside Windows 98 down-arrow. Click it and a small menu appears; one of its entries is Properties. You can also update desktop components from the Subscription window. The first entry, named Desktop, refers to a desktop component whose properties you saw displayed in Figure 25.7. Because Windows 98 considers Active Desktop components and channel subscriptions to be nearly equivalent, you can manage both through this window. Just highlight the entry for your desktop component; then either right-click on it and select Update Now or click on the Update button on the toolbar. You can get to the Subscription Manager by clicking on the Favorites menu in either Windows Explorer, My Computer, or Internet Explorer and then selecting Manage Subscriptions from the drop-down menu. Computer Performance and Bandwidth Considerations * Before you get overly enthusiastic about loading a bunch of Web-enabled components on the desktop, you first need to think about how much load your computer and your Internet connection can handle. The problem is that Active Desktop controls, depending on their purpose, take cycles and bandwidth to deliver data to your desktop. If you have plenty to spare, don't worry. But if you have an older machine and a dial-up connection, you should think before you put Web-enabled items on your desktop. When figuring out whether your system can handle another Active Desktop element, consider these questions: * Is this a live Web component? A live component--one that streams data to your desktop in real time--works best if there's always an Internet connection available. If you're accessing the Internet through your company's LAN, you can just log onto the network and keep that connection open all day. If you use a dial-up connection, then consider whether you want to tie up the phone line all day and how to keep the connection alive during periods of inactivity when your ISP might kick you off. * Will your computer have enough cycles to meet your other performance needs while it's chewing on the incoming data? Usually this depends on the processor you have. Naturally, a 133MHz Pentium isn't nearly as powerful as a 200MHz Pentium. The answer also depends on how the component was written. Most of the content providers who make live Active Desktop elements streamline them. A stock-quote request specifically directed at a particular server doesn't put a big load on the computer. But if you're not using a live component, you could have trouble. For example, an ActiveX control that performs a search upon request doesn't necessarily have any restrictions on the number of simultaneous queries it issues. If you're searching your corporate databases, you could be using a control that tries to speed up the process by hitting several databases at once. Your single task is Page 480

Inside Windows 98 now multiplied into four or five simultaneous tasks. * Does your everyday work require all your computer's processing power? It's one thing when your computer is downloading a Web page and you're in the middle of word processing, which is not performance intensive. But if you perform complex recalculations of an Excel spreadsheet every half hour, that's not the time to ask for an update on baseball scores. In this situation, when you're subscribing to an element, customize your update schedule so that it doesn't interfere with your regular work. You can also set a prohibition from updating a component while you're working. To do so, go to the Properties sheet, open the Schedule tab, and check the Don't update this subscription when I'm using my computer option. * Do I have all the bandwidth I need? This depends on how much data you want to download from your Internet connection. For example, if you want to use a stock ticker, all you're asking for is a few hundred bytes of stock quotes every second. The amount isn't large; it's the fact that it's arriving continuously that makes the ticker useful. But if you add up the bandwidth needs of a dozen of these compact components, you could arrive at a total that places a noticeable load on your computer. The problem gets worse if you want components that deliver a bigger data stream, like audio and video feeds. You might need to juggle your update schedules so that big-bandwidth components aren't interfering with one another. * How often do I need this information updated? When you subscribe to a content provider's Active Desktop component, you get to set the schedule. The publisher will provide one, but perhaps you're not as eager to check the weather as the publisher thinks. You can set your own schedule. By stretching out the interval between updates, you can reduce the total amount of data you need to download within a given period of time. On the other hand, you might be desperate to know every hour if the weather's changing; you can create a schedule that lets you find out. * How am I going to establish a dial-up connection when an update is scheduled to occur? If you have a dial-up connection, you need to provide an Internet connection for the desktop components that take information from the Web. If there's no connection established, scheduled updates can create a connection; you can specify that option when you subscribe. However, no component can start a connection if your computer is turned off. If you want to download information when you're least busy (for instance, at night), then remember to leave your computer on and your modem plugged in. You can also opt to update the control manually. This gives you the opportunity to connect to the Internet first; then use the Update now feature to grab the information you need. This process also has the benefit of allowing you to pick a time when you know you'll have the Page 481

Inside Windows 98 processing power and the empty bandwidth you need. * What's the timing overlap among my desktop updates? By fiddling with the schedules for all your components, you can ensure that no two launch simultaneously, so each one has the full use of your computer and Internet connection. If you're having problems with your Active Desktop components slowing down your computer or hogging all the bandwidth, remember that you have the ultimate solution at your fingertips: turn off or delete the control. The Active Desktop is all about what you want to include on your system. There's no reason to keep using a component that causes problems. ----------

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Peer Resource Sharing and Security * Sharing and Using Disk Resources * Setting Up for Sharing * Sharing Disks, Folders, and CDs * Creating a Hidden Share * Using a Shared Disk Resource * Browsing on Microsoft Networks * Mapping Drives to Remote Resources * Creating Shortcuts to Remote Resources * Using Pass-Through Security * Sharing and Using Printer Resources * Sharing a Local Printer As a peer-to-peer network operating system, Windows 98 enables you to share resources such as disks and printers on your PC with other users on the network. Windows 98 can serve as your entire network operating system, or it can function in concert with another network operating system, such as Novell NetWare. Even if you use another network operating system, however, you still can take advantage of the peer-to-peer networking in Windows 98. This chapter explains how to share resources in Windows 98, as well as how to access and use shared resources across the network. The chapter covers the following topics: * Sharing and using disk resources * Sharing and using printer resources Sharing and Using Disk Resources One of the primary functions of any network is to enable users to share folders and files. Windows 98 enables you not only to access folders and files on a network file server but also to share your local disks and access disks shared by other Windows Page 482

Inside Windows 98 98 users. This section explains how to share your local disk resources and how to access disk resources shared by other users. Setting Up for Sharing Before you can share your resources with other users, you must enable resource sharing on your computer. To do so, open the Control Panel and choose the Network object. From the Configuration property page, choose the File and Print Sharing button to open the File and Print Sharing dialog box shown in Figure 26.1. FIGURE 26.1 The File and Print Sharing dialog box. The check boxes on the File and Print Sharing dialog box enable you to control whether you can share your local resources with other users. Enable the check boxes as appropriate for your situation. Sharing Disks, Folders, and CDs You can use Windows 98 to share an entire disk (hard disk or floppy disk), one or more directories, or a CD. If you have used Windows for Workgroups, you're familiar with the process; the primary difference is that Windows 98 makes it much easier. Rather than use the File Manager to share a disk resource like you would in Windows for Workgroups, you can share the resource from My Computer, Explorer, or any folder window. To share an entire disk, simply share its root directory. Open My Computer and right-click on the icon of the disk you want to share to display its context menu. Choose Sharing to open the Sharing property page for the disk as shown in Figure 26.2. FIGURE 26.2 The Sharing property page. TIP: You can share a disk from Explorer. Select the disk, and choose File, Properties, or press Alt+Enter to display its property sheet (including the Sharing page). If the property sheet doesn't include a Sharing page, your computer is not configured for sharing. Use the Network object in the Control Panel to enable sharing on your computer. Choose the Shared As option button to enable the sharing controls on the property page. In the Share Name text box, enter the name by which you want the resource shared. By default, Windows 98 suggests the drive's logical ID, such as C or D, as the share name. You can accept the default name or enter your own. For example, you might share the disk using a name such as Applications. Another user browsing the network for resources sees a folder named Applications on the computer sharing the disk. Opening the Applications folder displays icons for all of the directories on the shared disk. Page 483

Inside Windows 98 TIP: Share names can be up to 12 characters long and can contain letters, numbers, and the following characters: !#$%&()-.@^_`{}~ You should choose a share name that makes sense to users who browse the network. Whereas the name QR2RPTS might make sense to you, Reports_2ndQ might make more sense to others. You also can enter an optional comment string in the Comment text box. If a user browses from a Windows NT or Windows for Workgroups node, the comment appears next to the resource name in the user's Browse dialog box. If the user browses from a Windows 98 node, the comment appears in the property page for the resource (which only appears if the user selects the resource's icon, then displays its properties). The comment also appears in folder windows and other Windows 98 browse-related objects (such as common File Open and Save dialog boxes) if these objects are configured to show a detailed list rather than icons or a simple list. Controlling Access Also on the Sharing property page is a group of controls that enables you to specify share-level access rights and passwords for the shared resource. You can configure to share the resource as read-only, which enables other users to read but not modify the objects in the share. Or you can grant full access to the resource, which enables other users to read and modify the objects in the share. If you prefer, you can parcel out access based on the user-supplied password, enabling some users to gain read-only access and others full access to the resource. To grant full or read-only access based on password, choose the Depends on Password option button. A user who supplies the read-only password gets read-only access to the share; a user who supplies the full access password gets full access to the share. WARNING: If you share an entire disk (by sharing its root directory) and grant full access to the share, other users can modify every file and directory on the disk. You should, therefore, use some form of password protection. After you specify the access method by which you want to share the resource, enter a password in the appropriate text box. Choosing Depends on Password as the access method enables both the Read-Only Password and Full Access Password text boxes. Enter different passwords in each one and choose OK to begin Page 484

sharing the resource.

Inside Windows 98

TIP: You can create a hidden share that does not show up in browse lists or the share window of the computer that shares the resource. Refer to the section "Creating a Hidden Share" later in this chapter to learn how to create hidden shares. To learn how to share resources on a user basis rather than share basis, see "Using Pass-Through Security" later in this chapter. Sharing One or More Directories In general, you probably don't want to share an entire disk. Sharing individual directories enables you to share part of your disk and prevent access to the rest. When you share a directory under Windows 98, however, any subdirectories in the shared directory also are shared. Unlike Windows NT, NetWare, and other network operating systems, Windows 95 does not enable you to control access to subdirectories separate from a shared parent directory. To share a directory rather than an entire disk, open Explorer or a folder window to the directory's parent. Select the icon of the directory you want to share and display its property sheet. Use the Sharing property page to share the directory as explained previously. Sharing a Floppy Disk You can share a floppy disk just as you can any other disk. You do so the same way you share a hard disk, except you can easily remove the floppy disk, whereas you can't so easily remove most hard disks. Sharing a CD You can share CD-ROMs in the same manner you share hard disks, including sharing only a selection of directories on the CD if necessary. The 32-bit CD file system in Windows 98 enables sharing CDs without any special configuration. Generally, all you have to do to share the CD is open My Computer or Explorer, select the CD's drive letter, and use its Sharing property page to share the CD. Because CD-ROMs are read-only devices, users can't gain full access to the CD. They can, however, read the CD. If necessary, you can password-protect the CD just as you can any other shared resource. TIP: Normally, you don't need to use Mscdex in Windows 98 to access a CD-ROM drive on your system. Mscdex is the real-mode CD-ROM driver supplied with DOS. If Windows 98 does not support your CD-ROM drive's host adapter, however, you might have to use Mscdex to Page 485

Inside Windows 98 access your CD-ROM drive. If so, add the /S switch to the end of the Mscdex command line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to enable Mscdex to support CD-ROM sharing. Creating a Hidden Share Sometimes it's useful to create hidden shares, which do not appear in the browse list or folder windows when users browse your computer for shared resources. To access a hidden share, the user must specify the hidden share name directly in a UNC path or when mapping one of the local drive IDs to the hidden share (see Figure 26.3). This means that the user must know not only the password for the hidden share, but also its name, which the user has no means of determining on his own. FIGURE 26.3 Connecting to a hidden share. To create a hidden share, just add a dollar sign ($) character to the end of the share name. To share drive C as a hidden share, for example, you could use the share name "C$." Or you could use any other valid share name that ends with the $ character. Using a Shared Disk Resource Some of the most useful and welcome changes in Windows 98 are those in the presentation of network resources. These changes make it extremely simple for you to access shared network resources and eliminate the need to map local drive IDs to remote network resources to use. The keys to these improvements are the Network Neighborhood and Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path names. The Network Neighborhood is a typical folder you open to display icons for each of the computers in your workgroup. Selecting a computer's icon from the Network Neighborhood displays all the resources that computer shares, including disks, printers, and Microsoft Fax directories (used for sharing a fax modem, as explained in Chapter 29, "System Policies and User Profiles"). If a shared resource is not password-protected or your password cache already contains the correct password for the resource, you can begin using it just as you do local disks, folders, and files. If you double-click a shared folder icon, for example, Windows 98 opens a folder window showing the contents of the folder, including its files and other folders. You can open a network folder and start an application by double-clicking its icon, or you can open a document file the same way. If you want to copy files from the remote computer to your own, you simply select the files and drag them to a local folder or to your desktop. You also can work with the Network Neighborhood in Windows 98 applications' File Open dialog boxes. This common Open dialog Page 486

Inside Windows 98 box (see Figure 26.4) works much like a mini-Explorer window, enabling you to open the Network Neighborhood like a local folder, drilling down through its objects until you locate the file you want to open. The Save and Save As dialog boxes also work in the same way. By enabling you to open a remote network computer's shared resources as if they were stored in a local folder, Windows 95 eliminates the need for mapping those resources to a local drive ID. FIGURE 26.4 The Network Neighborhood in a typical Open dialog box. You also can use UNC path names to access remote shared folders and files. A UNC path name consists of the name of the computer sharing the resource, the resource's share name, and optionally, a filename. To open the file named THIRD QUARTER REPORT.DOC in a shared folder named QtrReports on a server named Sales, for example, you would enter \\Sales\QtrReports\ Third Quarter Report.Doc in the Open dialog box. Being able to access folders and files in this way enables you to navigate very quickly to shared network resources. TIP: One very useful tool is the capability to create folders from within the Save and Save As (and Open) dialog boxes. If you want to create a new folder on a local or remote disk, you can simply right-click in the folder/file list in the dialog box and choose New | Folder. After you create the folder, you can rename it if necessary and then select files to store in it without leaving the dialog box. Browsing on Microsoft Networks If you use the Client for Microsoft Networks, your primary mechanism for browsing the network is the Network Neighborhood. When you browse the network, you see the following types of computers in the Network Neighborhood (and Entire Network): * Computers running Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows NT Workstation, and Windows for Workgroups * Windows NT Server domains and servers * Windows 95, Windows for Workgroups, and Windows NT workgroups * Computers running Workgroup Add-On for MS-DOS as peer servers * LAN Manager 2.x domains and servers NOTE: If your network contains NetWare servers and you also run the Client for NetWare Networks, NetWare Page 487

Inside Windows 98 servers and computers running the File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks service also appear in your Entire Network folder. Note, however, that you can't run the File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks and the File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks services on the same computer. You can, however, use both the Microsoft and NetWare clients to access Microsoft- and NetWare-based servers. To provide a structure to the browse mechanism, Microsoft networks such as Windows 98 employ master browse servers. The master browse server maintains the master list of computers in a workgroup, domains, and workgroups, with one master browse server for each protocol used. Backup browse servers also serve to offload some of the overhead. Generally, there is one master browse server for every 15 computers in the workgroup. When you open the Network Neighborhood, your computer communicates with the browse server(s) to obtain a list of computers, workgroups, and domains. The master browse server is assigned automatically by the network. When a computer first starts up, it checks the workgroup to determine if a browse server is available. If one is not available, a master browse server is elected. The master browse server then designates backup browse servers as necessary. Although designation of master and backup browse servers usually happens automatically, you can control whether your computer can become a browse server. Typically, the only reason to change the browse server status of your computer would be to control network performance. If your computer is slow or has little available RAM, you should exclude it from acting as a browse server. If your computer is one of the faster ones on the network and has plenty of RAM available, consider allocating it as the master browse server. To control browse services for your computer, open the Network object in Control Panel, choose File and printer sharing for Microsoft Networks, and then choose Properties. The Advanced property page appears, as shown in Figure 26.5. FIGURE 26.5 Use the Advanced property page to control browsing. The Property list in the Advanced property page contains two settings: * Browse Master. This setting determines whether your PC acts as a browse server. Select Automatic to enable your PC to be elected as master browse server or designated as backup browse server. Select Enabled to designate your PC as the browse server for your workgroup. Select Disabled to prevent your PC from acting as a browse server. Page 488

Inside Windows 98 NOTE: At least one computer in each workgroup must use a setting of Automatic or Enabled for browsing to function normally. Windows 98 does not designate computers connected to the network by a RAS connection as browse servers. * LM Announce. This setting determines whether your PC announces its presence in the workgroup for LAN Manager 2.x domains. If your network contains a LAN Manager 2.x domain, select Yes. If your network doesn't contain a LAN Manager 2.x domain, set it to No. Setting LM Announce to No does not prevent Windows 98 Windows NT or Windows for Workgroups clients from seeing your computer on the network. LAN Manager clients, however, cannot see your computer on the network but can access and connect to your computer by using UNC path names. Adding and Removing Computers from the Browse List When a PC starts Windows 98, the computer announces itself to the master browse server for its workgroup. The master browse server notifies the backup browse servers that an updated list is available, and the backup browse servers then request an update as network traffic and their own CPU load allows. For this reason, a computer appearing in a workgroup browse list can take as long as 15 minutes, although the time is generally much shorter unless the workgroup has considerable network traffic or numerous computers. Even though a computer doesn't appear in the workgroup, users can connect to it through UNC path names or previously configured persistent connections. When you shut down computers in a workgroup, their names eventually disappear from the browse list. If you shut down the computer normally (choose Start, Shut Down), the computer announces to the browse master that it is shutting down. The browse master updates its browse list and advertises to the backup browse servers that an update is available. Again, it can take time for a computer to be removed from all browse lists. If the computer hangs or shuts down improperly for some reason, it doesn't have an opportunity to announce its shutdown. For this reason, the computer might continue to show up in the browse list until its name entry "times out," which can be as long as 45 minutes. Browsing on TCP/IP Subnetworks The browsing mechanism in Windows 98 supports browsing on TCP/IP subnetworks. To enable browsing for TCP/IP, the network must include a WINS server (such as provided by Windows NT), or the Lmhosts file(s) must include #DOM entries. #DOM is a special keyword used in Lmhosts to control how browse and logon services function in a TCP/IP network. For information on configuring browsing and setting up Hosts and Lmhosts files, refer to Chapter 22, "Configuring Internet Connections." LAN Manager Compatibility in Other Networks

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Inside Windows 98 Some third-party network operating systems are compatible with Microsoft LAN Manager. These network operating systems include IBM LAN Server and Microsoft LAN Manager for UNIX. On these network operating systems, resources on Windows 98, Windows for Workgroups, and Windows NT computers appear in the browse list. NOTE: As with Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows NT, and Windows for Workgroups, you can use the Windows 98 GUI interface (Network Neighborhood) or the NET VIEW command from a command prompt to browse for resources on LAN Manager-compatible networks. Other LAN Manager-based networks, such as DEC PATHWORKS, and Microsoft-compatible networks, such as AT&T StarLAN, do not support browsing. You can, however, connect to resources on these networks using their normal connection interfaces. Mapping Drives to Remote Resources Although you can easily use disk resources through UNC path names without associating (mapping) local drive IDs with those resources, you still can map those drive letters if necessary. If you have a Windows 3.x program that doesn't support UNC path names, for example, mapping to the remote resource offers the only means of accessing the resource from that program. Or your computer might require specific mappings to remote drives for configuring a mail server, file server, or other reason. Generally, you can map drive letters through any folder window for the resource, such as Network Neighborhood, Explorer, or Entire Network. To map a local drive letter to a remote disk resource, display the folder that contains the resource, select the object to which you want to connect, and open its context menu. From the context menu, choose Map Network Drive. If you prefer not to use the context menu, choose File | Map Network Drive, or click on the Map Network Drive button in the toolbar, which opens a Map Network Drive dialog box. To map a local drive ID to a remote resource, select the drive ID you want to use from the Drive drop-down list, then enter the path to the server in the Path combo box. You can select the drop-down button to select from previously used connections or type a new path name. You can specify a UNC path name or a NetWare-style path name (such as SERVER/SYS). If you want the drive association to last only as long as your current Windows 98 session, clear the Reconnect at logon check box. If you want the connection to persist so that it reconnects for each of your Windows 95 sessions, enable this check box. The connection to the resource uses the same drive letter in each Windows 98 session. Page 490

Inside Windows 98 NOTE: Persistent connections are not permanent. You can disconnect a network resource, which prevents it from being mapped on subsequent Windows 98 sessions. If you associate a local drive ID with a directory on a NetWare server, the Map Network Drive dialog box contains an additional check box, the Connect as root of the drive check box. You enable this check box to map the selected directory as the root directory of the selected drive. This corresponds to the NetWare MAP ROOT command. Creating Shortcuts to Remote Resources Although the Network Neighborhood makes browsing for resources easy, drilling down through a list of workgroups, servers, and resources to find a resource you use often can prove time-consuming. A great solution is to create a shortcut to the resource, in a folder you create or on your desktop. You can then access the resource simply by double-clicking its shortcut icon. You create a shortcut to a remote resource in the same way you create shortcuts to local objects. Open the Network Neighborhood folder and locate the object to which you want to create a shortcut. Right-drag the resource's icon to the desktop and choose Create Shortcut(s) Here. When you double-click the shortcut icon, Windows 98 determines whether the password for the resource is stored in your password cache. If so, Windows 98 opens a folder on the desktop for the resource. If not, Windows 98 prompts you for the correct password. Using Pass-Through Security In addition to allowing you to use share-level security to protect shared resources, Windows 98 also enables you to use pass-through security, also referred to as user-level security. Rather than validate user access based solely on the passwords assigned to the shared resource, pass-through security relies on user validation by a security server such as Windows NT or NetWare servers. If you run the File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks service, you must specify the name of a Windows NT domain or Windows NT workstation as your security server. If you run the File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks service, the security server must be a NetWare server or NetWare 4.x server running bindery emulation. Here is how pass-through security works: A user attempts to connect to a shared resource on your computer. Windows 98 sends a message to the security server asking for verification of the user's right to access the resource. The security server validates the user's account and password, and if both are valid, sends confirmation of the user to your computer. Your computer then grants access to the resource based on the rights assigned to the user. Page 491

Inside Windows 98 TIP: You can't use share-level security if you use only the File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks service; in that case, you must use pass-through security or use a Microsoft network client and sharing service. The list of users who can access the resource and their access levels is stored on your computer. The user accounts and passwords, however, are stored on the security server. You can add user accounts and passwords to the security server only by running the account management utility the server provides (such as User Manager on Windows NT, or SYSCON or NETADMIN on NetWare), but you can run these utilities from your Windows 98 workstation if you have sufficient access rights on the server and access to the management utility. Regardless of your security level on the server, you can add names to the share list for resources you share on your PC. The following section explains how to share a resource with user-level security. Sharing Resources with User-Level Security To employ user-level security on your computer, you first must enable user-level security through the Control Panel. Open the Network object in the Control Panel and click the Access Control tab to open the Access Control property page shown in Figure 26.6. On the Access Control property page, choose the User-level access control option button. In the Obtain list text box, type the name of a Windows NT domain, a Windows NT workstation, or NetWare server that you want to act as security server. Choose OK, and Windows 98 prompts you to restart the computer to make the change take effect. NOTE: Any directories your computer currently shares are removed from sharing when you enable user-level security. You must reshare the directories after Windows 98 restarts. Also, Windows 98 doesn't support the use of NetWare domains or NetWare Name Service to support user-level security, although it does support NetWare 4.x with bindery emulation. After you configure your computer for user-level security and restart Windows 98, you can share directories with user-level access. To do so, open a folder or Explorer window that contains the folder you want to share or choose a disk you want to share and then open the object's context menu. Choose Sharing to display the Sharing property page shown in Figure 26.7. Notice that this Sharing property page differs from the Sharing page you see during share-level access. FIGURE 26.6 The Access Control property page. Page 492

Inside Windows 98 FIGURE 26.7 The Sharing property page with user-level security enabled. Choose the Shared As option button and enter the share name and optional comment in the Share Name and Comment text boxes. You must then add account names to the list of users who can access the shared resource. To do so, choose the Add button to open the Add Users dialog box, which shows the Add Users dialog box you see if you use a Windows NT domain for security services. You can assign read-only, full, or custom access to the shared directory. To assign an access type to a user or group of users, select the user or group name from the list and choose the Read-Only, Full Access, or Custom buttons. Windows 98 adds the selected names to their respective groups. After you add all the groups or users to whom you need to give access to the directory, choose OK. If you have specified Custom for any of the users or groups, the Change Access Rights dialog box appears. TIP: If you use the Custom button to add multiple user or group names, all those groups and users share the same custom access rights (explained next). If you want to assign different custom rights to specific users or groups, choose OK to add the current selection of users and then choose the Add button to select other users and assign a different set of custom access rights. After you assign rights to a selection of users, groups, or both, you can edit individual group or user access rights without affecting the rights of any other users or groups you might have added at the same time as the one you're editing. Unlike share-level security, which enables you to share a directory only as read-only or full access, user-level security enables you to apply a fine degree of control over the types of access users and groups have to your shared resources. The check boxes in the Change Access Rights dialog box enable you to specify one or more access rights for each user to whom you assign custom access rights. Table 26.1 lists common file operations and the access rights required to enable those operations. TABLE 26.1 User Level File Operations and Access Rights File Operation | Access Rights Required Change access rights | Change access control Change directory or file | Change file attributes attributes Copy files from a directory | Read, list files Page 493

Inside Windows 98 Copy files to a directory | Write, create, list files Create and write to a file | Create files Delete a file | Delete files Make a new directory | Create files Read from a closed file | Read files Remove a directory | Delete files Rename a file or directory | Change file attributes Run an executable file | Read, list files Search a directory for files | List files See a filename | List files Write to a closed file | Write, create, delete, change file attributes Enable or clear the appropriate check boxes to assign the necessary access rights to the selected users and groups and choose OK to apply the access rights. After you apply access rights, the Sharing property page lists the users and groups and their respective rights. To edit a user's or group's access rights, select the user or group from the Sharing property page and choose Edit. To remove a user or group from the access list, select the user or group and choose Remove. TIP: Windows NT and NetWare both enable you to set access rights on individual files on the server. Because Windows 95 relies on the FAT file system, you can't assign access rights to individual files--you can assign access rights only at the directory level. Access rights for a shared directory also pass down to its subdirectories. Configuring Security under NetWare User accounts, groups, passwords, and access rights are stored under NetWare 3.x on a NetWare server in a database called the bindery. NetWare 4.x uses bindery emulation to make it appear that each NetWare server contains a bindery. Each server contains a separate bindery. If you use more than one NetWare server in your network environment, you might experience problems with user-level security because your Windows 95 workstation can use only one server as the security server. The solution is to add all user Page 494

Inside Windows 98 accounts and related information to one NetWare server on the network, and then use this server as the security server for all user-level access security by all Windows 95 workstations on the network. Sharing and Using Printer Resources Windows 98 enables you to share printers with other users on the network in much the same way you share disks and directories. Shared printers appear in a remote computer's folder when you access the folder through the Network Neighborhood or Entire Network folders. Unlike Windows for Workgroups and other network operating environments, you don't have to map a local printer port to a remote printer before you can print it; you can simply use the printer's UNC path name to print. Or you can associate a remote printer with a local printer port if you need to support printing from DOS and Windows 3.x applications. Sharing a Local Printer The Sharing page of a printer's property sheet enables you to share the printer with other users on the network. To share a printer, first configure all its other settings and print a test page to verify that the printer works properly. Next, display the Sharing page of the printer's property sheet. Choose the Shared As option button to enable sharing and enter a name for the printer in the Share Name text box; this is the name that other users see when they browse the network for resources. You also can add an optional comment in the Comment text box. This comment appears as additional information in the Network Neighborhood folder if the user configures the folder for a detailed view. TIP: To password-protect the printer to restrict its use, enter a password in the Password text box. Users are to enter the password when they attempt to access the printer. Note that the Password text box appears on the property page only if you are employing share-level security. Printers offer no varying levels of access rights--a user either can or cannot print to a printer. If you use share-level security, you can specify a single password in the printer's Sharing property page to protect access to the printer. If you use user-level access, you can add groups and users to the access list for the printer, assigning full access to each. Applying user-level security and configuring the user list is nearly the same for printers as for disks. Simply open the printer's Sharing property page and use the same methods described in the section "Sharing Resources with User-Level Security" earlier in this chapter. Chapter 8, "Printing and Managing Printers," explains how to install a network printer so you can access it across the Page 495

Inside Windows 98 network. For help capturing a local printer port and associating the port with a remote network printer, refer to Chapter 8's section "Capturing and Releasing Ports." ----------

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Integrating Windows 98 and Windows NT * Examining Windows 98 Networking Features * Brief History of Windows and Networking * Windows 98 Networking Architecture * Obtaining Client Access Licenses * Systems Management Overview * Installing Networking Components * Installing and Configuring Network Adapters * Configuring Client for Microsoft Networks * Configuring Logon for Clients for Microsoft Networks * Setting Up Peer Resource Sharing * Using User Profiles * Setting Up Roving Users on Windows NT Server 4.0 * Using System Policies * Browsing with Windows 98 on Windows NT Networks * Overview of the Master Browse Service * Using Network Neighborhood * Examining Windows 98 Network Security * Understanding Share-Level Security * Understanding User-Level Security * Understanding the Windows 98 Password Cache * Setting System Policies to Enforce Password Security by Mark A. Sportack Many corporations and smaller businesses are running Windows 95 as a client on their Windows NT network. Windows 95 provides numerous benefits to both users and administrators. For end users, Windows 95 provides an enhanced 32-bit operating system and easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) on which to run older 16-bit applications and new 32-bit applications. Administrators appreciate the built-in support for networking, remote tools for monitoring networks, and enhancements in other areas of client administration. Windows 98, the successor to Windows 95, builds on this tradition of success by more fully integrating support for networking. In fact the entire desktop has been enhanced with ActiveX technologies to create an "Active Desktop." This chapter discusses the following topics: * Windows 98 networking features Page 496

Inside Windows 98 * Installation of Windows 98 networking components * Using Windows 98 to browse Windows NT network resources * Understanding Windows 98 security Examining Windows 98 Networking Features PCs and their operating systems were originally designed as standalone computing devices. Not surprisingly, the original Windows operating systems (releases 3.0 and 3.1) offered very little native support for networking. As PCs matured, their role in a distributed client/server architecture evolved. In response to this changing role, PC operating systems added support for networking. Brief History of Windows and Networking With the release of Windows for Workgroups 3.1 and 3.11, Microsoft took an incremental step toward solving the Windows networking problems by providing networking as a core component of the operating systems. Windows for Workgroups enabled users to set up peer-to-peer networks with ease as well as to hook into Windows NT and NetWare more easily than previous Windows releases. Some of the key advantages of Windows for Workgroups included allowing users to share drives and printers, to send e-mail to other users, and to use Microsoft Schedule+ to set up and manage meetings across the network; it also offered the support of multiple protocols. Although Windows for Workgroups appeared on many desktops, it did not revolutionize the way managers set up their network environments. What users wanted was a stable and robust operating system to run on the client desktop. However, the majority of the program copies sold came bundled with new computers or were used to connect two computers in small office or home environments. Another client operating system released during this time was Windows NT Workstation. This operating system combined the standard Windows interface with the networking power of Windows NT Server, without the administrative features. The strengths of Windows NT Workstation are its ease of integration with an NT-networked environment and its full 32-bit, multitasking operating system. Despite these significant advantages, there was a downside to Windows NT Workstation. Its hardware and system requirements were much greater than previous Windows client operating systems. Thus, a hardware upgrade was usually a prerequisite to migrating to NT Workstation. Consequently, many users and organizations chose not to invest in Windows NT Workstation. Instead, they continued to use their traditional Windows 3.0 or 3.1 client operating systems. When Microsoft released Windows 95 in August 1995, many of these Page 497

Inside Windows 98 problems were solved. For users who didn't want the overhead of Windows NT Workstation or the complexities of integrating Windows 3.1 into their networks, Windows 95 was an excellent solution. Windows 98 expands on the success of Windows 95 and adds even more networking components and administrative tools. These components and tools make it even easier to configure and administer Windows 98 clients on Windows NT networks. Some of the major features of Windows 98 networking include the following: * Web integration. The most significant, new feature of Windows 98 is its fully Web-enabled user interface. Virtually every aspect of the user interface now relies on a browser and hyperconnectivity. * Active Desktop. New to Windows 98 is the Active Desktop. ActiveX and browsing technologies are incorporated extensively throughout the user interface. The browser is quite literally an integral part of the operating system's shell. It is no longer a discrete application. The Active Desktop allows you to automatically keep in touch with content changes on your favorite Web sites. By incorporating Web elements into your desktop, they can be updated automatically and viewed immediately. * Easy network installation. Windows 98 makes extensive use of Plug and Play as well as installation wizards and dialog boxes to make installing new network protocols, adapters, and services easy. Administrators don't have to spend time editing Ini, Registry, and configuration files manually. This is done automatically with Windows 98. * Resource sharing. Users can share files and printers when using the Client for Microsoft Networks. Modem and fax services can also be shared using the Windows 98 Outlook client. * Long filename support. Windows 98, much like earlier Microsoft operating systems, enables you to use long filenames. Long filenames in Windows 98 can be up to 250 characters long and can include more than one period, have spaces, and use other characters not supported with the MS-DOS file allocation table (FAT) file system. * E-mail and messaging. Each copy of Windows 98 comes with Microsoft Outlook Express for electronic mail, faxing, and messaging tasks. With Outlook Express, users can send rich-text formatted (RTF) messages, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) formatted messages, and binary files to other users. * NetMeeting. With Windows 98 and NetMeeting, you can hold conversations, and even multiparty meetings, over the net. Given the proper hardware, NetMeeting will also let you hold face-to-face videoconferences. More importantly, NetMeeting Page 498

Inside Windows 98 allows you to send mes-sages and actively collaborate on shared documents or a white board. * Multiple protocol support. Windows 98 includes support of many protocols, including Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), NetBEUI, Microsoft DLC, IPX/SPX, Novell IPX ODI, and PC-NFS. In addition, you can have simultaneous connections to as many networks as allowed by your networking software. * Virtual private networking (VPN). Mobile users, remote users, and extranet-connected business partners can all benefit from the integration of support for VPN in Windows 98. VPN uses compression, encryption, and Microsoft's Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) to create a virtually private networked connection through an otherwise public network, such as the Internet. To create a VPN connection, you must connect to a Windows NT Server 4.0 that is configured as a PPTP Server and that is PPTP-enabled. * No DOS. Windows 98 is a true operating system and does not rely on MS-DOS. This means, among other benefits, Windows 98 networking does not consume conventional memory, leaving more for applications and services. Windows 98 uses 32-bit protected mode drivers to make network transfers much faster over Windows 3.x installations. In the past, network device drivers needed to load into conventional memory, often leaving very little memory below the first 640 KB to use for applications and terminate-and-stay resident (TSR) programs. With Windows 98, you lose very little memory to network drivers. * Dial-Up Networking. Windows 98 includes remote access software to connect to TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, and Point-to-Point Protocol/Serial Line Internet Protocol (PPP/SLIP) networks with a dial-up connection. With the Windows NT 4.0 Server Remote Access Services (RAS) support, you can use Windows 98 to dial up a Windows NT server and access file and printer resources. NOTE: RAS is the physical basis for virtual private networking. To establish a VPN connection, you must first make a physical dial-up connection using PPP. PPTP can only create a logical connection through a preexisting PPP dial-up connection. * Broad support for networking hardware. Windows 98 includes drivers for a number of network adapters, including 3COM, Artisoft, Compaq, Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), Linksys, Novell-Anthem, Thomas-Conrad, Xircom, and others. Windows 98's Plug and Play support enables you to add or remove PC cards (PCMCIA) on-the-fly and lets Windows 98 assign resources automatically without rebooting the computer. (The card must use an NDIS 3.1 driver for this to work.) Page 499

Inside Windows 98 * Network services. You can install a number of network services under Windows 98. These include file and printer sharing, remote Registry, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent services, Cheyenne ARCserve Agent support, and the Arcada Software Backup Exec Agent service. You also can use the Hewlett-Packard JetAdmin printer service. * System policies and user profiles. Windows 98 enables you to set up system policies to control how a user's system behaves when logging onto the network. You can use system policies, for instance, to disable the Control Panel on users' desktops so they cannot modify system settings on their computers, including network settings. You also can use user profiles to set up customized configurations for individual users so each time they log onto a computer, regardless of the computer they use, the same configuration displays. For installations that include networks other than Windows NT, you'll find that Windows 98 fits comfortably with the following networks: * Windows networking, including Windows NT, Microsoft LAN Manager (the precursor to Windows NT), and Windows for Workgroups 3.x * Novell NetWare 3.11 and later * SunSoft PC-NFS version 5.0 and later * DEC Pathworks * Artisoft LANtastic version 5.0 and later * Banyan VINES 5.52 and later As you can see, Windows 98 makes an ideal workstation client in any network, especially a Windows NT 4.0 network. Windows 98 Networking Architecture Windows 98 includes built-in peer-to-peer networking capabilities that make it easy to run a small, peer-based network between Windows 98 computers. You also can take advantage of these peer-to-peer services when you have a Windows NT 4.0 network. By using these built-in capabilities with your Windows NT network, you can relieve some of the burden put on the server by letting Windows 98 handle some of the resource sharing requests. Windows 98 includes the following peer-to-peer services: * File sharing. Enables you to share hard disks, files, folders, and CD-ROM drives on the network. Three protected-mode 32-bit files control file sharing on Windows Page 500

Inside Windows 98 98. VSERVER is the primary device driver in Windows 98 that handles network requests. It is a virtual device driver that can handle multiple requests simultaneously. The Microsoft Share Point User Interface (MSHRUI) enables the workstation to share resources on a network. MSHRUI is a dynamic link library (DLL) file. Finally, the Installable File System (IFMS) directs requests from VSERVER to the local file system driver (FSD) or to a network FSD, depending on the request. * Printer sharing. Most network installations have shared printers running on a print server. This allocation of printers is fine for installations that can afford dedicated print servers and software. With Windows 98, users who have local printers attached to their computers can share those printers with everyone else connected to the workgroup. This makes it handy for offices to share printers dedicated to certain printing tasks, such as printers filled with company letterhead, plain paper, and shipping forms. The key to sharing printers on the network under Windows 98 is that print jobs run in the background. This reduces much of the system drain on a computer when it receives a print job from another computer. The computer handling the print job doesn't come to a complete stop just to service the print job. * Access control. Windows 98 enables you to control who has access to file and printer sharing on the network. You can assign user IDs and passwords for users to gain access to a shared device or file. This is called user-level security. You also can use share-level security, which enables you to designate which resource gets shared. You might, for instance, enable everyone in the workgroup to access all printers connected to workgroup computers. There might, however, be some times when a printer is off limits to the staff due to special print runs--say a mail merge using letterhead from the company president. In these cases, the person connected to that printer can turn off the share-level rights to deny access to that printer to everyone else. Obtaining Client Access Licenses If you use the following Windows 98 network services with Windows NT, you must obtain client access licenses: * File services for file sharing, file managing, and disk storage * Print services, including sharing and managing printers * Remote access services, which enable you to access the server from a dial-up client You can obtain a per-seat license or a per-server license, depending on your situation. A per-seat license is used to Page 501

Inside Windows 98 license each workstation on the network that will access the server. It enables you to have as many computers connected to the server as you want, as long as each has a client access license. The per-server license is used to license each server on the network and then assign to each one a certain number of licenses. NOTE: To obtain licenses or ask questions about client access licenses, contact Microsoft Sales Information at (800) 426-9400. Systems Management Overview Windows 98 includes several features that make it easy for the Windows NT system administrator to manage Windows 98 clients. The system administrator can use remote management tools to oversee almost all aspects of a remote Windows 98 workstation. This is handy when an administrator cannot physically sit in front of a computer to monitor it or modify configuration settings. Also, you can use the remote tools to log onto the network through a dial-up connection and monitor the system from there. The system management tools enable you to monitor operating system software such as device drivers, user interface items, and configuration settings. You also can access the Device Manager to modify and repair hardware settings and watch out for possible conflicts. The following are the key system management tools in Windows 98: * Remote Registry editing. When running Windows 98 as a client on a Windows NT network, administrators can use the Microsoft Remote Registry service to administer Windows 98 Registry settings on remote computers. With remote Registry capabilities, you can manage remote file systems, share or restrict network folders across the network, and modify Registry settings. The primary advantage of this is that it gives managers a way of viewing and modifying a workstation's Registry from a remote site. It also lets the administrators make global Registry changes to several workstations in less time than it takes to walk from workstation to workstation to make the changes. * Windows 98 contains a Registry Checker that automatically finds and fixes Registry problems. This utility works by automatically backing up the Registry daily and scanning the Registry for inconsistent data structures. If it finds a problem with the current version of the Registry, Registry Checker will either fix the problem or restore the Registry from a backed-up version. Registry Checker is launched each time you start Windows 98 as well as every time you upgrade your operating system. Page 502

Inside Windows 98 * Managing user profiles. You read earlier about Windows 98's user profiles. The power of a user profile is realized when a user can log onto the network and always have the same configuration (including desktop icon arrangement, desktop colors, and other personal settings) regardless of the computer he or she is using. One of the keys to using user profiles on a network is to store the profiles on the server so users can always have access to them. Managers can also use a mandatory user profile (called USER.MAN) that forces each user to use the same configuration settings. You might use this if you are setting up a classroom in which consistent interfaces and desktops are required for the start of each class. You might also use USER.MAN if your organization uses a standard configuration for different divisions, such as accounting, sales, or administration. * Managing system policies. You can use the System Policy Editor to set up system policies to control system settings. These settings can include a number of restrictions and limitations, such as restricting access to network resources and limiting workstation features (such as the Printer folder) on a computer. You can use the System Policy Editor from a remote computer to establish system policies for specific computers. These policies are downloaded from the server when a user logs on from that workstation. You might, for instance, create a system policy that restricts a workstation to run only certain applications. * Network Monitor Agent. This agent enables you to monitor network traffic and troubleshoot network problems. Network Monitor Agent works with NDIS 3.1-compliant protected-mode network adapters as well as the Microsoft RAS server. * Net Watcher. Net Watcher is useful when you want to see who is currently using shared resources on the network. For Net Watcher to work, you must have file and printer sharing enabled and you must be using share-level security. * Password List Editor. If you need to remove a service from an individual user profile, you can do so using the Password List Editor in Windows 98. * Network backup agent. Windows 98 includes built-in support for Cheyenne, ARCServe, and Arcada Backup Exec backup software. These applications enable you to back up workstations from across the network. * System Monitor. This tool monitors several workstations on a network. Among other things, it receives statistics on client performance and network traffic congestion. * SNMP Agent. If you use SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) on your network, you can install the SNMP Agent available with Windows 98 to provide systems management support so your Windows 98 workstations are displayed on the SNMP console you're using. Page 503

Inside Windows 98 Many of these systems management tools are provided with Windows NT 4.0 Server as well. Installing Networking Components The easiest way to add networking components to your Windows 98 workstations is during its initial installation. If you are upgrading Windows 95 to Windows 98, the Install Wizard will automatically detect this upgrade and preserve your existing service, protocol, and adapter configurations. Often, you might have to add Windows 98 networking components after you've installed and set up your Windows 98 clients. This might be because you've already upgraded your workstations to Windows 98 before establishing a Windows NT Server 4.0 network or you are adding a new workstation to the network. The process for doing so is actually very easy and is explained in the following sections. In general, the steps are as follows: 1. Install and configure network adapters (NICs). 2. Install and configure Client for Microsoft Networks, including binding protocols to the client and adapter. 3. Set up permissions. 4. Set up shares, including file and printer shares. 5. Set up user profiles and system policies. Although you are not required to set up shares, you will probably want to do so to take advantage of Windows 98's peer resource sharing across the LAN. Likewise, not every network administrator will use user profiles or system policies. Installing and Configuring Network Adapters Before you begin the process of installing networking client software on your Windows 98 machines, you need to install and configure a network adapter for each machine. Overall, Windows 98 makes it easy to add hardware devices to your machine, and installing network adapters is no different. By following Windows 98 onscreen wizards, you can quickly set up the adapter and configure computer resources for it. These resources include IRQ, memory address, and input/output (I/O) port. If the network adapter conforms to the Plug and Play specification, installing it usually means inserting the card into your computer, rebooting the computer, and letting Windows 98 find the new adapter. When found, Windows 98 automatically assigns resources to the adapter according to the hardware specifications detailed in the device itself. If you have non-Plug and Play devices installed that have specific resource requirements, Windows 98 attempts to eliminate device conflicts by freeing up any required resources that might be assigned to Page 504

other Plug and Play devices.

Inside Windows 98

The following steps show you how to install a non-Plug and Play network adapter in Windows 98: 1. Make any adjustments to hardware settings, such as jumper blocks or dip switches, according to the specifications provided with the adapter. 2. With the computer turned off, insert the adapter into your computer using the instructions provided with the adapter. 3. Boot the computer into Windows 98. Select Start | Settings | Control Panel, and double-click the Add New Hardware icon. 4. Click Next on the Add New Hardware Wizard screen. 5. When the Windows 98 prompt asks whether you want it to locate the new hardware device automatically, click No (see Figure 27.1). If you click Yes, Windows 98 attempts to find the network adapter for you. This is OK, but usually takes several minutes and you can do it faster manually. Click Next to continue. FIGURE 27.1 Select No if you want to manually tell Windows 98 what type of network adapter you're installing. 6. From the Add New Hardware Wizard screen, double-click the Network adapters option. The Select Device dialog box appears. 7. In the Manufactures list, double-click the manufacturer of the Network Information Center (NIC) you are using. If it is not on this list, select the Have Disk button and tell Windows 98 the location of the setup disk(s) for your NIC. Click OK. 8. The next wizard screen to appear shows you the resource and settings Windows 98 will attempt to use to set up the device. If you know these settings conflict with other settings, you cannot change them now. You need to use the Device Manager after the NIC is installed and manually change the settings. You can print these settings now by clicking the Print button and following the instructions onscreen. You should write down these settings in case you need to refer to them later during device conflicts. NOTE: To launch Device Manager, open Control Panel and double-click the System icon. From the System Properties page, select the Device Manager tab. You can usually find resource information for your NIC Page 505

Inside Windows 98 in the user guide or documentation bundled with your adapter. 9. Click Next to continue the setup process. During this phase, Windows 98 copies files from the Windows 98 Setup CD-ROM. If you do not have this disk in your computer, you are prompted to insert it at this point. NOTE: During this copying phase, Windows 98 might discover that a file (usually a DLL or VxD) on your computer is newer than one being copied from the Setup disks. You are prompted to indicate whether you want to keep the current one or copy over it using the older version. In most cases, you should keep the current file and answer Yes. If you answer No, you run the risk of copying over a file installed on your computer from a newer program or device that might not work with the older file. It would be good to write down this file in case your NIC does not work after Windows 98 installs the software. You might need to go back and install the older version to make your NIC work properly. In previous versions of Windows, applications and devices usually copied over these newer files, sometimes rendering applications and hardware useless. This built-in safety measure in Windows 98 warns you that a file is being shared by at least two devices or applications. 10. When Windows 98 finishes installing the software for the network adapter, a screen displays letting you know it's finished. Click the Finish button. The System Settings Change dialog box displays. 11. Click the Yes button on the System Settings Change dialog box to restart your computer now. Click No if you want to return to Windows 98 without restarting the computer. You must restart your computer for the new device to work. After your system restarts, you're ready to install the Client for Microsoft Networks support. Configuring Client for Microsoft Networks When your network adapter is installed and working, you need to install the Client for Microsoft Networks to enable the Windows 98 clients to connect to the Windows NT Server. When you get ready to install the Windows 98 networking components, have the Windows 98 CD-ROMs available. You also should have information about the Windows NT Server, such as domain name and IP information if you're installing TCP/IP. Page 506

Inside Windows 98 To install the client software, follow these steps: 1. Open Control Panel and double-click on the Network icon. The Network dialog box appears (see Figure 27.2). FIGURE 27.2 The Network dialog box shows all the network devices, protocols, clients, and adapters installed on the workstation. 2. Click the Add button. The Select Network Component Type dialog box appears (see Figure 27.3). FIGURE 27.3 Select the Client option to install networking clients. 3. Double-click the Client option to display the Select Network Client dialog box. 4. Click the Microsoft option on the Manufactures list. In the Network Clients list, select Client for Microsoft Networks (see Figure 27.4). Click OK. You should see the client listed in the Network properties sheet. You now need to install a protocol for your client. In some cases, you might have more than one protocol you want to set up, such as IPX/SPX, NetBEUI, and TCP/IP. The NetBEUI protocol is the default protocol Windows 98 uses for peer-to-peer networking as well as Windows NT's client/server networks. FIGURE 27.4 The finished Select Network Client dialog box. The following steps show you how to set up a protocol for your Windows 98 client: 1. On the Network Properties sheet, click the Add button. 2. Double-click the Protocol option in the Select Network Component Type dialog box. Click Add. 3. In the Select Network Protocol dialog box (see Figure 27.5), select Microsoft from the Manufacturers list and the protocol you want to install from the Network Protocols list. In the example in Figure 27.5, the NetBEUI protocol is selected. FIGURE 27.5 NetBEUI, TCP/IP, and IPX/SPX are common protocols from which to choose. 4. Click OK. You might be asked to reboot the computer at this point. You can click Yes to do so immediately or No if you want to wait. In most cases, you should click No so you can go ahead and set up logon information for the client, which is explained in the next section. Page 507

Inside Windows 98 The protocol displays in the Network Properties sheet. You should now have the following components installed: client (Client for Microsoft Networks), an adapter, and protocol(s). Now you're ready to configure your Windows 98 client to work with the Windows NT 4.0 network, as explained in the following section. Configuring Logon for Clients for Microsoft Networks Before you can connect to a Windows NT server or other Windows 98 workstation on the network, you need to configure the Client for Microsoft Networks components. The items you need to configure include the following: * Primary network logon * Computer identification * Domain information The primary network logon selections enable you to choose the default network you log onto when starting the Windows 98 client. For this case, you want to use the Client for Microsoft Networks option, which is located on the Primary Network Logon drop-down list on the Network Properties sheet. NOTE: The Windows Logon option on the Primary Network Logon drop-down list can be used when you want the workstation to boot into Windows without logging onto the network. When the user attempts to access network resources such as files or printers, the user's request fails and the operating system declares that the user is not logged on. The computer identification information is located on the Identification tab (see Figure 27.6). On this screen, you need to fill in identification information for that Windows 98 client so it can be found on the network. Each computer must have a unique computer name and can be part of a defined workgroup. The following list explains each of the fields to fill in: FIGURE 27.6 Fill in the Windows 98 workstation's computer name, workgroup name, and optional computer description. * Computer name. Identifies the computer on the network. The computer name must be unique and can contain up to 15 characters without spaces. The computer name is not the same name as the username for that computer. * Workgroup. Identifies the workgroup to which this workstation belongs. Workgroups are collections of computers running Windows 98, Windows NT, or Windows for Workgroups. Page 508

Inside Windows 98 Every computer on a network running Client for Microsoft Networks must belong to a workgroup or domain (see the following Note for information on domains), even if there is only one computer (itself) in the workgroup. Workgroups are usually set up in logical groupings, such as company divisions, departments, or user levels. One workgroup, for instance, can include all the marketing staff and be called something like MARKETING. Another workgroup on the network can include all accounting staff and be called something like ACCOUNTING. Computers in a workgroup differ from those in a domain in that the workgroup handles its own security and doesn't rely on the server to handle it. * Computer Description. Includes additional information or comments about the computer for others to see when accessing shared resources on the client. This field is optional. You can include, for instance, the primary user's name here, or use a description of the types of resources available on it. If this workstation contains the master schedule for booking office resources, such as conference rooms and audio visual equipment, you might use a name like DEPARTMENT RESOURCES. NOTE: A domain is a collection of computers on the network in which the security of the computers is controlled by Windows NT Server 4.0. By itself, Windows 98 cannot set up a domain; you must connect to a Windows NT 4.0 computer. On the Windows NT Server, information such as passwords and user and group information is stored for central access to all computers on the network. This way users can roam between different client machines but still access custom user profiles. After you fill in the Identification tab, click on the Configuration tab to set up domain information for a client. To do this, click on the Client for Microsoft Networks option and click on the Properties button. The Client for Microsoft Networks Properties page appears. On this page, you set up logon validation for the Windows NT domain for this Windows 98 client. You also set up the way you want this client to log onto the domain. Figure 27.7 shows a completed page. The following list explains the various choices: FIGURE 27.7 Use the Client for Microsoft Networks Properties page to fill in the domain name. * Log onto Windows NT domain. Select this check box to enable domain verification. * Windows NT domain. Fill in this field with the Windows NT 4.0 domain name. The information you include here is verified with the domain when you log onto the network. * Q uick logon. Use this option if you want this Windows 98 Page 509

Inside Windows 98 client to log onto the network but not have network drives available until they are accessed. This option (which is the default logon option) is useful for workstations not always needing access to drives and resources upon logon but still needing access to the network, such as for e-mail. Because network resources are not actually connected during the logon process, the Windows 98 logon time is significantly faster than when network connections are established at logon time (see the next option). This is balanced by the time it takes to access a resource when a user needs it. Users might see a slight lapse between the time they request a resource and the time it becomes available because the connection was not established at logon time. * Logon and restore network connection. Use this option to have Windows 98 connect to network resources at logon time. This is referred to as restoring persistent connections. During logon time, the user might have to wait a few moments while all network connections are made. The upside to this waiting is that when the user needs access to a resource on the network (such as a shared CD-ROM drive), the connection is already established so there is no delay in accessing it. Click OK after you fill in this page. Setting Up Peer Resource Sharing You read earlier that you can take advantage of Windows 98's peer-to-peer networking features even if you're running a client/server NOS like Windows NT Server 4.0. The following resources can be shared on the network: * CD-ROM drives * Printers * Files To set up peer resources sharing, use the following steps: 1. Double-click the Network icon on the Control Panel to display the Network Properties sheet. 2. Select the Client for Microsoft Networks option in the components list. 3. Click the File and Print Sharing button. This displays the File and Print Sharing dialog box (see Figure 27.8). FIGURE 27.8 Many networks combine client/server resources with peer-to-peer capabilities, such as file and print sharing in Windows 98. 4. Select I want to be able to give others access to my files in the File and Print Sharing dialog box to enable Page 510

Inside Windows 98 other users on the network to access files on this client. Select I want others to be able to print to my printer(s) to enable printer sharing capabilities. 5. Click OK to close the dialog box. 6. Click OK on the Network Properties sheet. You must restart the computer for the changes to take effect. You can now access file and printer resources across the network. Using User Profiles Windows 98 offers several customizable features to the user, including wallpaper files, screen savers, desktop preferences, and application settings. Everyone, including the top-level management information systems (MIS) director, can customize Windows 98 to work best for them and look the way they want it. Historically, the problem with setting user-specific preferences has been that as users move from one machine to another, the settings did not follow them. With Windows 98, you can set up user profiles that save configuration settings to use on other machines. The user profile is stored in the user's WINDOWS\PROFILES\ subfolder or on the network server. User profiles have several parts. Their components are described in the following list: * Start Menu folder. Contains shortcuts, folders, and applications from the user's Start menu * Recent folder. Contains shortcuts to the last items from the most recently used folder * NetHood folder. Contains Network Neighborhood folder shortcuts * USER.DAT and USER.DA0. Contains user settings in the Windows 98 Registry database * Desktop folder. Contains shortcuts to desktop items for the logged-in user * Start Menu\Programs folder. Contains shortcuts to programs in the Start menu's Programs folder * Start Menu\Programs\Startup folder. Contains programs in the Startup folder NOTE: Users can optimize their profiles to include specific applications, documents, or files that launch automatically depending on who they are. A profile is created for the first time after the user or system Page 511

Inside Windows 98 administrator enables the User Profiles feature on the Password Properties sheet on the Control Panel. To enable user profiles, use the following steps: 1. Double-click the Passwords icon on the Control Panel and click the User Profiles tab (see Figure 27.9). FIGURE 27.9 Select the User Profiles tab to activate user profile capabilities in Windows 98. 2. Click the Users can customize their preferences... option to activate the User profile settings options on the bottom half of the User Profiles tab. 3. Click the options under the User profile settings to tell the Windows 98 workstation what to include in each profile. Your options are * Include desktop icons and Network Neighborhood contents in user settings. * Include Start menu and Program groups in user settings. 4. Click OK to save your selected settings. Windows 98 will then inform you that it has detected the system settings change but that you will need to restart the computer before they take effect. To restart your computer now, click the Yes button. Otherwise, click the No button. When you reboot the system, you will be asked to log on using a username and password. If a password is not set for this user, create and confirm a new one now. NOTE: A nice feature that network administrators can set up is mandatory user profiles. Known as roaming profiles, these profiles exist on the NT Server and apply whenever a client logs onto the network server. These mandatory user profiles (named USER.MAN) cannot be modified by the user. When a user logs onto the network, the USER.MAN file is used instead of the USER.DAT file. USER.MAN (MAN is short for mandatory) contains settings used every time the user logs onto the network, regardless of any changes the user made the last time he or she used Windows 98. Users cannot save changes they've made to their desktop or environment to the USER.MAN file. Only the administrator has rights to do so. Creating a USER.MAN file is relatively easy. Enable user profiles in Windows 98 and customize the desktop to be how you want it for all users who will be assigned the mandatory profile. Next, for each user, copy this new USER.DAT file (it's still a .DAT file at Page 512

Inside Windows 98 this point) into the user's home directory on the Windows NT Server. To finish, rename the USER.DAT file to USER.MAN in each of the users' home directories. Reboot Windows 98 and log on for the mandatory profile to be activated. Setting Up Roving Users on Windows NT Server 4.0 To set up roving users on your network, you must perform some specific steps. Use the following steps for setting up Windows NT after you've enabled user profiles on all the attached Windows 98 computers: 1. In Windows 98, double-click the Network icon on the Control Panel. 2. In the Primary Network Logon list, make sure Client for Microsoft Networks is selected. 3. Switch to the Windows NT Server 4.0 computer and ensure that the roving user is set up and has an assigned home directory. The path for this is \\server_name\home_directory. 4. Use the NET TIME command to synchronize the clocks on all computers on the network. The following is the syntax for the NET TIME command: NET TIME \\computer_name | /WORKGROUP:workgroup_name /SET /YES Specify the computer name to check on or to synchronize with using the computer_name parameter. WORKGROUP tells Windows to use a time server in another workgroup. The workgroup_name parameter defines that other workgroup. Use the SET switch to synchronize the clocks, and YES to have NET TIME automatically perform the command without prompting you for information or confirmation. The user profiles are automatically stored on the Windows NT Server in the appropriate home directories when the user logs off the server. Using System Policies System policies are files that establish configurations (stored in the Windows 98 Registry) on a computer when a user logs onto the network. System policies can be applied to users, groups of users, or specific computers. You can use system policies to customize the desktop, limit the number of Control Panel applets a user can use, configure network settings, and other actions. Administrators can set, change, and maintain these settings for each entity on the network. You can control the type of environment and rights a user has by combining policies assigned to a certain user, the machine he or she is logged onto, and any Page 513

groups the users might belong to.

Inside Windows 98

The purpose of the System Policy Editor is to create system policy templates, which are then placed on the network to be automatically downloaded to the computer when a user logs on. You can find the System Policy Editor on the Windows 98 CD-ROM in the \ADMIN\APPTOOLS\POLEDIT directory. Microsoft also provides predefined policies you can choose from to create your own system policies. You also have the option of creating your own customized policies to fit your specific needs. Two types of files are used when you create policies: ADM and POL files. ADM files are template files that establish the scope of administrative polices. POL files enforce the policies you create. Each are explained in the following list: NOTE: System polices overwrite USER.DAT Registry settings; therefore, POL files take precedence over a user's profile. Remember this when you decide to create user profiles or system policies. * ADM files. These files do not create the policy but allow you to create a policy file. ADM files are templates that determine the limits for the policies defined by POL files. When System Policy Editor is launched, it looks for an ADM file. You can copy the sample ADM files provided by Microsoft from the ADMIN\APPTOOLS\POLEDIT folder on the Windows 98 Setup CD-ROM. * POL files. POL files store the configuration information and any limitations you want to set up for a user, machine, or group. POL files implement the system polices based on the options you select on the ADM templates. You create a POL file by using the System Policy Editor. When it's created, you store it on the network server so it can be downloaded to a computer when a user logs on. By default, Windows 98 looks for POL files in the \WINDOWS folder for computers not networked to a Windows NT 4.0 network or in the NETLOGON folder in Windows NT 4.0 for computers networked to Windows NT 4.0 servers. NOTE: After you create the POL file, you need to provide a pointer to its new location. You can do this by adding an entry in the default location and changing the Registry so that it looks in the correct location. You can do this by editing the following Windows 98 Registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Network\Logon. To use the System Policy Editor, you must install it from the Windows 98 CD-ROM. You must install the ADMIN.ADM, POLEDIT.EXE, and POLEDIT.INF files from the Windows 98 CD-ROM. These files Page 514

Inside Windows 98 are located in the ADMIN\APPTOOLS\POLEDIT folder. When you install these files, the ADMIN.ADM file is placed in the INF folder in your Windows 98 folder. This file provides the system policy templates for you to use in the System Policy Editor. After you install these system policy files, you can install the GROUPPOL.INF files to enable you to create group system polices. When you do this, the GROUPPOL.DLL is placed in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM folder. You must have this file installed in the directory for each client on your network. Group policies can be created only for Windows NT and NetWare networks that already have existing groups set up. You cannot, for instance, use the System Policy Editor to create a new group for either of these networks. The System Policy Editor is placed on the Start menu under Programs | Accessories | System Tools folders. Figure 27.10 shows you what the System Policy Editor looks like. FIGURE 27.10 The System Policy Editor for local computer properties. Browsing with Windows 98 on Windows NT Networks A network isn't worth much unless you can use it for sharing resources. In some cases, users might not spend much time accessing the network server unless files and applications are stored there. But when it's time to get something off the server or to use another resource on the network, you don't want to spend all your time training end users on how to find what they need. With Windows 98, browsing the network has never been easier. Users can use Network Neighborhood, for instance, to view shared files and printers in Explorer-like displays. The following sections give an overview of the browsing technologies available in Windows 98. Overview of the Master Browse Service Windows 98 uses the master browse service technology found in Windows NT Server. The master browser maintains a list of the domains, workgroups, and computers in a workgroup. For browsing tasks, the browse service in Windows 98 minimizes network traffic by providing an updated browse master list to applications. You can see the browse list in the Connect Network Printer and Map Network Drive dialog boxes. You also can view it using the NET VIEW command at the DOS command line. Only one master browse server is available in a workgroup. There can be more than one backup browse server in a workgroup, however. You can control the way a Windows 98 workstation is used as a browse master by using the following steps: 1. Double-click the Network icon from Control Panel. 2. Click on the File and printer sharing for Microsoft Networks option in the network components list of the Network Properties sheet. Page 515

Inside Windows 98 3. Click Properties to display the File and printer sharing for Microsoft Networks Properties dialog box (see Figure 27.11). 4. Click the Browse Master option in the Property list. In the Value drop-down list, select one of the following options: * Automatic. Specifies that this workstation can become a backup browse master or a browse master. * Disabled. Specifies that this workstation cannot become a backup browse master or a browse master. * Enabled. Specifies that this workstation will become the browse master when it connects to the network. 5. Click OK to have your selection saved. FIGURE 27.11 You can control how a Windows 98 workstation is used as a browse master. Although this process allows you to configure a Windows 98 computer to be a browse master, it doesn't guarantee that it will actually function in that capacity. The browse master function will default to the network's primary domain controller (PDC) and then to any NT servers or workstations (in that order) before a Windows 98 computer is considered. Using Network Neighborhood The Network Neighborhood program browses every resource and server on the network. The key to Network Neighborhood is that it makes all shared resources and servers look as if they are local resources. Users do not have to map drives to access servers. They just need to click on the name of the server in the Network Neighborhood window (see Figure 27.12) and the server displays its shared resources. FIGURE 27.12 Network Neighborhood makes it almost too easy for users to browse the network. You also can use Windows 98's shortcut feature to create a shortcut of a network resource on the desktop. To do this, simply open Network Neighborhood, locate the resource you want to create a shortcut to, and right-click on it with the mouse. Next, drag and drop the resource onto the desktop and select Create Shortcut Here from the Context menu that displays. Now, you can double-click the shortcut to use the resource like a local resource. (Of course if you log off the server, or the computer that contains this resource is disconnected, the shortcut will not work.) Examining Windows 98 Network Security Compared to Windows NT Server 4.0, Windows 98 has very little Page 516

Inside Windows 98 security. In fact, the lack of security in Windows 98 makes administrators for corporate and large installations wary of using Windows 98 for housing vital information and resources. If you need a highly secure operating system for your organization, Windows NT Server 4.0 and Workstation are better suited to meet those needs. Windows 98 provides share-level and user-level security on the network, as discussed in the following sections. Understanding Share-Level Security Share-level security is set up by requiring passwords for each shared resource on the network. This means that if a workstation has a shared CD-ROM drive attached to it, you can assign a password to that CD-ROM drive, requiring all those who want to access it via the network to enter the password to use it. Likewise, you can assign the same or a different password to another shared resource on the same workstation (such as a printer). Each Windows 98 workstation maintains the list of passwords for its shared resources, making it difficult for administrators to control the types of re-sources being configured with share-level security. You might, for instance, want to have all root drives (the C:\ drive, for instance) on workstations to have share-level security set up. If you have relatively few workstations, walking around to each computer and setting this up is not a burden. However, for large installations it can be a huge time sink. Also, you do not have control over users at the workstation disabling the share-level access. To set up share-level security, use the following steps: 1. Make sure the File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks is installed (see the earlier section in this chapter called "Setting Up Peer Resource Sharing"). 2. Double-click the Network option in the Control Panel. On the Network Properties sheet, select the Access Control tab. 3. Select the Share-level access control option (see Figure 27.13). This is the default setting. FIGURE 27.13 You should use share-level security only when all you require is a password for someone to have access to a shared resource. 4. Click OK. Now you can assign a password to any shared resource, such as a printer, as shown in the following steps: 1. Locate the resource you want to share and right-click on it. This displays a Context menu with several choices Page 517

on it.

Inside Windows 98

2. Select Sharing. The properties page for that resource appears, with the Sharing tab selected. 3. Click on the Shared As option, which activates the rest of the Sharing tab (see Figure 27.14). FIGURE 27.14 The Sharing tab lets you add share-level security to a resource. 4. Fill in the information in the Shared As section. Some resources, such as files, include options that let you assign access-type rights to the shared resource. These access types include read-only rights, full rights, and password-dependent rights. You then can assign separate passwords to full and read-only rights. For the latter case, the password the user enters when accessing the resource determines the type of access granted. For instance, you might have some users who need only read-only rights to a resource, while others need full access. Set the Depends on Password option and then distribute passwords to users accordingly. The information in the Comment field appears in the Comment column in the Network Neighborhood browser window. It can be used to provide additional information about a shared resource, such as times and days when the resource is available. (Remember that a shared resource on a workstation is probably disconnected from the network each evening when the main user goes home.) 5. Click OK to save your settings. Understanding User-Level Security User-level security uses a list of users and groups that can access a resource and then has the password and usernames authenticated by a security provider when a user requests to use a resource. For user-level security, you must be running a Windows NT domain (or NetWare server) and have user groups set up on the domain. The list of user accounts and passwords assigned to each resource is maintained on the Windows NT Server. This eliminates the need for each Windows 98 workstation to maintain separate lists. To set up user-level security in Windows 98, use the following steps: 1. Make sure File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks is installed. 2. Double-click the Network option on the Control Panel. On the Network Properties sheet, select the Access Control tab. Page 518

3. Select the User-level access control.

Inside Windows 98

4. Enter the name of the domain or Windows NT workstation where the user accounts are stored. 5. Click OK. If you set up any share-level security on any resources, these will be deleted because you're changing to a user-level security. You might have to reboot your computer to make this changes take effect. After your computer reboots, you can set up user-level security on shared resources, as shown in the following list: 1. Locate the resource you want to set up by using Explorer or My Computer. Right-click on the resource and select Sharing. The properties page for that resource displays, with the Sharing tab selected. 2. Click the Shared As button and insert a name for the resource. You also can add a comment to the Comment field. Click the Add button. The Add Users dialog box displays (see Figure 27.15). FIGURE 27.15 The Add Users dialog box enables you to assign users and groups access rights to resources. 3. In the Name list, select a user or group and assign it an access right by clicking on access rights options, such as Read Only, Full Access, or Custom. The rights you can assign are determined by the resource you are setting up. For printers, users or groups can have access or no access. For folders being shared, users can have read-only, full, or custom access. Custom rights lets you assign read, write, create, change file attributes, change access rights, see a list view, and delete files rights. 4. Click OK to return to the properties sheet of the shared resource with names and access rights displayed on the Sharing tab (see Figure 27.16). FIGURE 27.16 The list of users and groups for a shared resource using user-level security. If you included any users or groups in the Custom access rights area, the Change Access Rights dialog box displays (see Figure 27.17). In this box, you can select custom access rights, as explained in step 3. Select the access rights you want to give that user and click OK. You return to that shared resource properties sheet. 5. You can delete user or group names by selecting them and clicking on the Remove button. If you want to modify the access right for a user or group, select the one you want to change and click on the Edit button. You then can change the access rights from the Change Access Page 519

Rights dialog box.

Inside Windows 98

6. Click OK to save your changes. FIGURE 27.17 The Change Access Rights dialog box. Understanding the Windows 98 Password Cache Windows 98 stores passwords in a password list file, which has the extension of PWL. The PWL file contains passwords for workstations that use Windows 98 share-level security, password-protected applications that use the Master Password Application Programming Interface (API), NetWare servers, and Windows NT computers not in a domain. The password cache is activated when you first log onto Windows 98. If you bypass that initial logon screen by clicking Cancel, you won't be able to access network-attached resources. You will have to log off and then successfully complete the logon process before you can access resources via the network. You can have the password cache save your password the first time you access a password-protected resource. Then, when you return to that resource, you don't have to remember the password for that resource. This eliminates the problem of users forgetting passwords for resources they need access to. When you install Windows 98, password caching is enabled, but you need to select the Save this password in your password list option when you first access a password-protected resource to have the password saved in the cache list. Setting System Policies to Enforce Password Security One way to add more security to your Windows 98 workstations is to use some of the system policy settings devoted to security. In Passwords policies you can set the following: * Hide share passwords with asterisks. Displays asterisks (****) in the password text fields when users enter their passwords. This setting is for share-level security only and is checked by default. You should leave it set this way for most situations. * Disable password caching. Prevents Windows 98 from saving the share-level passwords for resource applications. By default, this option is not selected, but you might want to check it for a tighter level of security. * Require alphanumeric Windows password. Requires that users logging onto Windows 98 use passwords that include both numbers and letters. * Minimum Windows password length. Requires that Windows 98 passwords be a specific length, such as six characters long. You also can use the System Policy Editor to disable password Page 520

Inside Windows 98 caching, as shown in the following example: 1. Double-click the Local Computer icon in the System Policy Editor. 2. Select the Local Computer Properties and choose Network. Next, click Passwords. 3. Click the Disable password caching option. 4. Save your settings and exit System Policy Editor. ----------

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Integrating Windows 98 and Novell Netware * Overview of NetWare Networks for Windows 98 Clients * Overview of IntranetWare Client * Which NetWare Client to Use? * Setting Up Windows 98 Clients for NetWare Environments * Installing Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks * Installing the Microsoft Service for NDS * Installing Novell IntranetWare Client for Windows 98 * Configuring the Clients * Logging On to the NetWare Network * Using the Novell NetWare Client * Novell GUI Login Script Tips and Tricks * The NetWare Provider * Browsing Network Resources * Accessing NetWare Resources Using Explorer * Accessing NetWare Resources Using Network Neighborhood * Printing in NetWare Environments * Installing a Shared Printer via the Add Printer Wizard * Printing to a Network Printer * Configuring an Installed Network Printer * Using Point-and-Print with a NetWare Server Novell NetWare is the most popular network operating system, having more than 60% of the worldwide market share. Therefore, chances are good that you will need to know how to connect Windows 98 workstations with NetWare servers. This chapter will provide you with in-depth information on the following topics: * NetWare Client software features * Installation and configuration of NetWare Client software * Using NetWare Client software

Page 521

Inside Windows 98 * Printing in NetWare environments Overview of NetWare Networks for Windows 98 Clients NetWare is a client/server-based network operating system. This means in order for the Windows 98 workstation to gain access to a NetWare server you need to first load some client software on the workstation. Included with Windows 98 is the Microsoft's 32-bit NetWare client, called Client for NetWare Networks. You can obtain, at no charge, Novell's 32-bit NetWare client for Windows 98 (called NetWare Client for Windows 98, previously known as IntranetWare Client 32 for Windows 95) from Novell; this client software is not included with NetWare 3.12 or IntranetWare/NetWare 4.11 because Windows 98 was released after these products started shipping. However, the NetWare Client for Windows 98 will be included with NetWare 5 and available for free download from Novell's Web sites. NOTE: In this chapter and much of the Novell literature, you will find the terms NetWare Client and Client 32 used interchangeably.

TIP: You can download the latest NetWare Client for Windows 98 over the Internet, at no charge, from the following Novell sites (note that this is a 9+ MB download): http://www.novell.com/download ftp://ftp.novell.com/pub/updates/nwos http://support.novell.com (For the latter, use the Knowledgebase search engine.) Alternatively, if you have a subscription to the Novell Support Connection (NSC) CD-ROM, the latest clients for all platforms can be found on the latest monthly update. Microsoft's NetWare client supports NetWare 3.x, and it supports NetWare 4.x if the server has Bindery Services enabled. However, if you need to access a NetWare 4 network using Novell Directory Services (NDS), you need to use either Novell's IntranetWare Client for Windows 98 or install the Service for NetWare Directory Services from your Windows 98 source disk (see "Setting Up Windows 98 Clients in NetWare Environments," later in this chapter.) NOTE: Although it is possible to use Novell's 16-bit NetWare VLM clients with Windows 98, you are better off using the newer 32-bit clients because you get much better performance and more features than what is Page 522

Inside Windows 98 available from VLM. Windows 98 is not compatible with VLM Client Kit version 1.21 or later. Novell's 32-bit clients have an advanced architecture that's very different from the previous NetWare DOS Requester (the VLM-based client) design and some discussion about its design is warranted. Overview of IntranetWare Client The architecture of the IntranetWare Client, more commonly referred to as Client 32, has been completely redesigned to take full advantage of the 32-bit capabilities of the 80386 and higher microprocessors; this also means this client will not run on pre-386 workstations. Client 32 combines the best elements of Novell's previous client architectures (the NETX Shell and the NetWare DOS Requester, or VLM client) and adds some significant enhancements of its own. In particular, Client 32 for Windows 98 extends the Windows 98 desktop by fully integrating with NetWare 2.x, 3.x, and 4.x services, including Bindery Services and NDS. The VLM drivers are a set of modules dynamically loaded into and unloaded from the workstation's memory by the VLM manager (VLM.EXE). In essence, they are a combination of terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) modules and overlay programs. As a result, VLMs can be memory hungry. On the other hand, the new architecture used by the 32-bit clients lets the client software run in protected mode (thus the requirement for 80386 or better workstations). This requires less than 4 KB of conventional or upper memory while providing a larger cache. The remaining portion of the client is loaded into XMS memory. The IntranetWare Client requires HIMEM.SYS or an equivalent memory manager. The XMS memory requirement for the client is about 800 KB, excluding cache memory. Several fundamental changes were made in the design of the IntranetWare Client requester. The new requester is made up of two fundamental parts: the NetWare I/O Subsystem (NIOS) and client NetWare Loadable Modules (NLMs). The NIOS insulates the core client modules from the host operating system by providing an OS abstraction layer (much like the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) used by Windows NT) that core modules can use to access system services. Instead of making OS calls to directly access system services, IntranetWare Client core modules make NIOS calls. In addition, NIOS provides services to manage client NLMs, using dynamic, self-configurable parameters where possible. For example, if the number of open IPX sockets is increased, IPX.NLM dynamically allocates more memory to handle the extra sockets. WARNING: Files used by IntranetWare Clients have the Page 523

Inside Windows 98 extension of NLM. However, these NLMs are not compatible with those used by NetWare servers; nor are they the same. Conversely, server NLMs are not compatible with those of IntranetWare Clients'. There are some NLMs with the same name, but they are not compatible. On the other hand, the CLIENT32.NLM module used with Windows 98 is the same one used by the DOS/Windows Client 32.

NOTE: There are certain things that all the NLM modules (both server-based and client-based) have in common: * They are dynamically loadable and unloadable. * They both use the NLM executable format. * They both use .NLM as the file extension. * They run in a 32-bit flat memory model. * They allocate memory that is guaranteed not to move or be discarded. Similar to the Microsoft 32-bit client, IntranetWare Client uses the Windows 98 Network Device Installer (NDI) and .INF script files to ensure full integration with the Windows 98 environment. In addition, Novell's IntranetWare Client installation program incorporates Windows 98 property pages that have been created specifically for setting and changing IntranetWare Client configuration parameters (such as name of the preferred server) stored in the Windows 98 Registry. Because IntranetWare Client saves its configuration settings in the Registry, you can also manage IntranetWare Client parameters by using Windows 98's System Policies Editor. NOTE: In order to use the Windows 98 Policy Editor, you need an ADM file specifically designed for the NetWare Client. Novell provides a CLIENT32.ADM file with their client software. IntranetWare Client uses Microsoft's implementation of Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), NetBIOS, WinSock, and Named Pipes, which are included in Windows 98. This means you can switch between Microsoft's NetWare client and Novell's IntranetWare client without having to change anything. Because IntranetWare Client uses the Microsoft protocol stack, it can coexist with Microsoft's Client for Microsoft Networks--a requirement if you have a mixture of NetWare and Microsoft networks in your networking environment. Page 524

Which NetWare Client to Use?

Inside Windows 98

Both Novell's IntranetWare Client and Microsoft's Client for NetWare Networks perform equally well under most circumstances. However, depending on your particular network requirements and environment, you might prefer to use IntranetWare Client because it has the following features not found in Client for NetWare Networks: * Support for multiple NDS tree access. * Complete Novell Directory Services access. * A graphical user interface (GUI) login utility that lets the user execute a user or system login script, update search drives, and update environment variables. IntranetWare Client supports bindery and NDS connections. * Support for auto-reconnect. After a network failure has been repaired, IntranetWare Client reestablishes the entire network environment, including connections, drive mappings, printer captures, open files, and file locks. Not only does IntranetWare Client automatically detect errors and rebuild lost connections and drive mappings, it also restores open files, file locks, and other user state information. This improves the overall reliability of the client and minimizes the effects of a network failure on the end user. * Support for client-side caching. To improve client performance, the requester caches files, directories, and file locks. * Enhanced packet burst and Large Internet Packet (LIP) support. Both protocols have been optimized for overall network performance, including wide area network performance. * Support for multiplexing of NetWare Core Protocol (NCP) connections. In the past, if a user had a pending request on an NCP connection, the user had to wait for a reply from that connection before using other NCP connections. IntranetWare Client can service multiple NCP connections simultaneously, without having to wait for the reply to be completed from other requests. * Support for packet signatures. Packet signing means that when the client and server communicate, each one "signs" packets with a unique signature before transmitting the packet. The receiver then compares the received packet to a private key and rejects it if the signature doesn't match the key. This feature thereby precludes the possibility of an intruder forging a packet from a client or server. * Support for login script execution if logged in from Network Neighborhood, through the use of the GUI Login utility. Microsoft client performs an "attach" rather than a login, Page 525

Inside Windows 98 so no login scripts are executed by the Microsoft client if you log in from Network Neighborhood. * Support for Novell's LANalyzer for Windows (a software-only protocol analyzer). * Support for industry standard Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). Novell includes NWHOSTX.MIB, an extension to the Host Resources MIB (RFC 1514), as part of the client software. * Support for Novell's NetWare/IP environment. * Support for Novell's BorderManager software. * Support for native IP and mixed IP-IPX environments available in NetWare 5. * Better integration with Windows Explorer and Network Neighborhood. NOTE: Many Novell-supplied utilities--such as NetWare Administrator (NWAdmin)--and third-party NDS-aware applications--such as Cheyenne's ARCserve Manager--will not run with the Microsoft client. That is because the Microsoft client is missing some library files (DLLs), such as NWCALLS.DLL and NWNET.DLL, which are only included with the Novell client. You can find detailed information about the installation and use of Novell's IntranetWare client and Microsoft's NetWare client later in this chapter. NOTE: Install Novell's NetWare client where possible. You will find it to be a full-featured client software that is tightly integrated with the Windows 98 desktop and functions seamlessly. Setting Up Windows 98 Clients for NetWare Environments Windows 98 comes with several clients, but you can also add third-party clients (such as Novell's IntranetWare Client for Windows 98, discussed earlier in this chapter). Assuming you have already installed and configured the network adapter, the next two sections will show you how to install Microsoft's NetWare client and Novell's NetWare client. The Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks is included in your Windows 98 package. If you need to connect to a NetWare 4 network with NDS connections, you should also install the Service for NetWare Directory Services, which is also included Page 526

Inside Windows 98 with Windows 98. The Novell implementation of the 32-bit NetWare client for Windows 98 is called IntranetWare Client for Windows 98. Installing Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks The steps for installing the Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks are very similar to those for the Client for Microsoft Networks. The only difference is that when you get to the Select Network Client dialog box, highlight Microsoft in the Manufacturers list; in the Network Clients list, highlight Client for NetWare Networks. Installing the Microsoft Service for NDS If you need to connect the Windows 98 workstation to NetWare 4 and use NDS connection, you need to install the Microsoft NetWare Client update to provide NDS support. The update is installed as a service rather than as a client. Here are the steps to follow: 1. Open the Network icon from Control Panel. 2. Click the Add button to display the Select Network Component Type dialog box. 3. Highlight Service and then click Add. The Select Network Client dialog box appears. 4. In the Manufacturers list, highlight Microsoft. 5. In the Network Services list, highlight Service for NetWare Directory Services. 6. Click OK. Windows 98 adds the client to the list of network components. Installing Novell IntranetWare Client for Windows 98 As you will find out in this section, the installation procedure for Client 32 is slightly different and, in some respects, easier than the procedure for installing the Microsoft client. WARNING: If Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks is already installed, Novell's installation program will remove it before installing the IntranetWare Client. You can obtain the Novell client in two formats: one for floppy disk installation and one for server (or hard disk) installation. Because of the size of the uncompressed files (over 20 MB), using the server installation method is recommended. Alternatively, you can put the files on the local hard disk of your Windows 98 workstation and install from there. The following steps assume the software is located on your hard Page 527

drive:

Inside Windows 98

NOTE: If you have the latest IntranetWare Client CD-ROM, after you insert the CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive of the Windows 98 workstation, a language selection screen is displayed. Select the desired language and product from the list, and proceed to step 4 below. 1. Obtain the IntranetWare Client files from Novell, and create the installation disks, if necessary, according to its instructions. 2. Make sure the Network Properties dialog box is closed. 3. Start the SETUP.EXE program from the \PRODUCTS\WIN98\IBM_ENU folder. 4. The License Agreement dialog box appears. Click Yes to continue. 5. You now have the choice of doing a Typical install or a Custom install. The Typical selection (recommended) installs the client software and the Novell Remote Access Dialer. If you choose this option, skip to step 7. The Custom option enables you to select the following services to install (see Figure 28.1): FIGURE 28.1 The components available under the Custom installation option. Novell Distributed Print Services (NDPS). NDPS enables two-way communication in real time between your workstation and your network printer. Novell NetWare/IP Protocol. This protocol sends and receives IPX packets in IP format. NetWare/IP enables networked applications that use only IPX to communicate over TCP/IP networks. It also provides a way for separate IPX networks to communicate across IP-based internetwork connections, such as the Internet. Novell IP Gateway. This component enables WinSock applications to communicate with IP hosts through a Novell IP-IPX Gateway server. This enables all Internet traffic to use only one IP address on the Gateway server, significantly reducing the cost and time associated with maintaining individual workstation IP addresses. Novell SNMP Agent. This software enables you to monitor, from an SNMP console such as ManageWise, remote connections to computers running Windows 98. Host Resources MIB for the Novell Clients. This component is an Page 528

Inside Windows 98 implementation of the Host Resources Management Information Base (MIB) as defined by Request for Comment (RFC) 1514 and Novell's extensions to it. The HostMIB NLM uses the services provided by the SNMP agent. Management consoles, such as Novell's ManageWise console, can use the SNMP protocol to communicate with the HostMIB NLM to obtain information such as size of local drives and printers installed. Network Management Responder for Windows 98. This component is an application service that returns general workstation configuration information beyond what is normally available through SNMP. Novell Target Service Agent for Windows 98. The target service agent (TSA) allows automatic backup of selected local hard drives from a server. Novell Remote Access Dialer. This component installs NWCAP, PhoneBook, and NWAdmin PhoneBook Snapins. 6. The Custom Options dialog box also has a check box named Upgrade NDIS driver to ODI automatically. When this option is activated, the installation program installs an ODI local area network (LAN) driver if it finds one for your network adapter. If your system can't use ODI LAN drivers, the installation program disables this check box. 7. Click the Install button to start the installation process. The necessary IntranetWare Client files are copied to the C:\NOVELL\CLIENT32 directory and subdirectories. 8. At the end of the installation process, a dialog box appears with a recommendation that you set some properties for the client. You can click Yes to perform this customization now (see the next section to learn how to customize the Novell client) or click No to defer the operation. 9. From here, you have three choices: Reboot. Click this button to restart Windows 98 and log in using the new client. Return to Windows. Click this button to shut down the installation program and return to the desktop. Customize. Click this button to configure the client. Note that the IntranetWare Client installation program also makes the following changes to your system: * A new command is added to your Start menu for logging into the network: Start | Programs | Novell | IntranetWare Login. Page 529

Inside Windows 98 * The Start | Programs | Novell menu gets a new Dialup submenu (if you installed the Novell Remote Access Dialer), which contains two commands: Remote Access Password and Update Dial-Up Connections. * The Network properties sheet shows two new installed components: Novell IntranetWare Client and IPX 32-bit Protocol for the IntranetWare Client. Note that the default Windows 98 IPX/SPX- compatible protocol remains installed. Do not remove this protocol because it's required when using IntranetWare Client with either NDIS or ODI drivers. * The Primary Network Login is changed to Novell IntranetWare Client so that when you restart Windows 98, you will first see the NetWare GUI login screen. Configuring the Clients To customize the Novell IntranetWare Client, you have three ways to get started: * When the IntranetWare Client installation programs asks whether you want to customize the client, click Yes (as described in the previous section). * In the final Windows 98 Client installation dialog box, click the Customize button. * On the Network properties sheet, highlight the Novell IntranetWare Client components and then click Properties. Whichever method you use, you see the Novell IntranetWare Client Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 28.2. FIGURE 28.2 This tab configures options for the general IntranetWare Client user login information. To configure your login, use the following tabs: * IntranetWare Client. This is the tab where you specify your Preferred server (if NetWare 2.x/3.x), Preferred tree, and Name context (if NetWare 4). You also specify the DOS drive letter to be used for your First network drive; the default is F. This tab also displays the Client Version. * Login. From the Login tab, shown in Figure 28.3, you can select the type of connection (bindery or NDS) to be made by the client workstation to the NetWare server. You can also specify whether the login scripts are to be executed, whether alternative login scripts are to be used instead, and whether the results of the login scripts are to be displayed on screen. * Check the box next to the page(s) you want to add to the default GUI login screen: Connection, Script, and Variables. Page 530

Inside Windows 98 FIGURE 28.3 The options in this tab cover the login connection and login script information. NOTE: The login options you can configure here correspond to keys in the Registry database. The path is HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE | Network | Novell | System Config | Network Provider | Graphical Login. Below are the key names with their default values (0=OFF, 1=ON): Name Value Connection tab 0 Script tab 0 Variables tab 0 * Default Capture. This tab, shown in Figure 28.4, sets up the print capture defaults for the workstation. For example, this is where you specify whether a banner page should be printed and whether a form feed should be sent at the end of each print job. * Advanced Settings. You can use this tab to change the various settings that might affect how IntranetWare Client functions. For example, from this sheet you can turn Packet Burst on or off. If you are accustomed to the VLM drivers and the NET.CFG file, you will find that this sheet contains similar parameters. FIGURE 28.4 This tab defines the printer capture information. The configuration for the Microsoft NetWare client is much simpler than that of Novell's because you have only two tabs to work through, as shown in Figure 28.5. From this properties sheet, you configure options such as the Preferred server, the First network drive, whether you want the login script to be executed during login, and so on. FIGURE 28.5 The properties sheet for the Microsoft NetWare Client. Logging On to the NetWare Network With networking installed and enabled on a Windows 98 workstation, every time you restart the machine you will be prompted with a login dialog box. Here's how it works. Upon startup, Windows 98 checks to see whether a network client is loaded. In the case of Client 32, the workstation will have an initial attachment to a NetWare server at this point. Windows 98 then calls the corresponding network provider (NetWare's in this example) to perform its login function, which in this case is supplied by the GUI Login utility. Page 531

Inside Windows 98 After you log in to NetWare, Windows 98 requires you to log in to the workstation itself. NetWare Client 32 caches the login information so that, if the user's Windows 98 name and password are the same as those for the network, the Windows 98 login will not be invoked. (If no network client is detected during the Windows 98 startup, only the Windows 98 login is displayed to log the user into the workstation.) A Windows 98 workstation can support concurrent connection to a number of different network operating systems (such as NetWare and Microsoft Network). Each of these network operating systems (NOSs) has a different login dialog box. However, with Windows 98's password caching capability previously described, it is possible to have a single login for all your networks, including Windows 98 itself. The first time you start Windows 98, however, you will have to deal with the different login dialog boxes. The key to a single login is to assign the same password for each login. TIP: The Windows 98 Password utility (available on the Control Panel) can be used to synchronize all your networking passwords. Using the Microsoft Client for NetWare When using the Microsoft NetWare client, the login prompt looks somewhat similar to the standard Windows 98 login. If you are logging in to a NetWare 3 server or to a NetWare 4 network using a bindery connection, simply enter your username and password. If you are logging in to a NetWare 4 network using an NDS connection, enter your username using the full NDS name (such as .peter.toronto.dreamlan) if a name context is not set. Using the Novell NetWare Client When using Novell's Client 32, the GUI login prompt will look similar to the one shown in Figure 28.6. Depending on the configuration specified on the Client 32 properties sheets, as described earlier, you might have only the Login tab or up to four tabs from which you can enter login information. FIGURE 28.6 The Novell client GUI login dialog box. NOTE: The GUI Login utility, LOGINW95.EXE, can only be run from the workstation's local hard drive. It cannot be executed from a copy placed on a server. Use the Login tab to enter your username and password. The Connection tab is where you can choose and specify the following (see Figure 28.7): * The name of the NDS tree or the name of a NetWare server you Page 532

want to log in to.

Inside Windows 98

* If the connection is an NDS connection or a bindery one. * The name context if you are performing an NDS login. FIGURE 28.7 Novell GUI Login utility's Connection tab. If you have already configured the necessary information through the Client 32 properties sheets, you will not need to access any of the other tabs (such as Connection or Login Script) while logging in, unless you wish to change the defaults. TIP: To ensure that your users cannot bypass the login scripts, where you might have put some conditional checks, turn off the display of the Login Script tab using the Client 32 Properties sheets. Novell GUI Login Script Tips and Tricks When you log in to a NetWare server or network using either the Microsoft client or the Novell client, the various login scripts are executed. With the Novell client, if the option is selected, you can see the result of the login script execution. This is very useful in troubleshooting login script problems. For the most part, the Microsoft client processes the login script in the same manner as the Novell client. However, there are some enhancements in the Novell GUI Login that are not available in the Microsoft client. The following are some tips and tricks to be aware of when using the GUI Login utility with NetWare Client 32 for Windows 98: * Executing External Commands (@). External commands can be executed from within a login script by using the # command or the @ command. LOGINW95.EXE uses @ to spawn a process for the command to run and then will continue with the login script. The # command waits for the process to complete before going on. NOTE: The GUI Login for NetWare Client 32 for DOS/Windows also has the capability to process the @ command. However, the LOGIN.EXE command line utility ignores the @ command in the login script. * Logging In to Multiple Trees. To log in to multiple NDS trees when using the GUI Login utility, use the following syntax in your login script: TREE /<.full.NDS.name> For example, Page 533

Inside Windows 98 TREE WEBSITE_FOR_NETWARE/.webmaster.dreamlan * Playing .WAV Sound Files. Longtime NetWare users and administrators might be familiar with the FIRE PHASERS login script command. It generates a sound during the processing of the login script. Client 32 ships with a PHASERS.WAV sound file that is played by default when the FIRE PHASERS command is issued in login script. If you want a different sound to be heard, you can specify another .WAV file by specifying the filename in the login script as follows: FIRE FILENAME.WAV or FIRE PHASERS FILENAME.WAV * You can also rename your .WAV file to PHASERS.WAV if you want that .WAV file to play every time. One word of caution about multitasking while logging in: Although Windows 98 allows you to perform other tasks while Client 32 processes a login script, you should avoid doing so because it can cause errors. For example, opening Network Neighborhood while Client 32 is processing a login script might cause the Multiple Provider Router (MPR.EXE) to produce a general protection fault (GPF). The NetWare Provider Windows 98 allows users to access any number of different networks simultaneously. Each of these networks must have a provider--a piece of software that provides network services through the Windows 98 interface. The provider is not a standalone application with its own interface; rather, it is integrated into the Windows 98 desktop environment. When users access a Windows 98 utility such as My Computer, Explorer, or Network Neighborhood, requests for network services are routed through the Multiple Provider Router to the appropriate network provider. * The NetWare Provider for Windows 98 is the network provider Novell has developed for use with Client 32 for Windows 98. The NetWare Provider takes full advantage of the Windows 98 user interface and is fully integrated with Microsoft's My Computer, Explorer, and Network Neighborhood utilities. Furthermore, Novell's NetWare Provider extends the functionality of these utilities to include features specific to NetWare and NDS. With the NetWare Provider, Client 32 users can browse and access network resources--even resources on multiple NDS trees. The NetWare Provider establishes connections to NetWare servers, volumes, directories, and files, as well as to print queues, Page 534

Inside Windows 98 either through unified naming convention (UNC) paths or through map and capture functions. The following subsections begin with an overview of how to browse network resources using the three Windows 98 utilities (My Computer, Explorer, and Network Neighborhood) and the services of the NetWare Provider. Then the focus expands into the various NetWare tasks you can perform through Explorer and Network Neighborhood. Our discussion of network printing occurs in its own section later in this chapter. Browsing Network Resources In Windows 98, you can browse the resources available to your computer through three different utilities: * My Computer. Browses through your computer. * Explorer. Browses through folders in a hierarchical fashion. * Network Neighborhood. Browses through the entire network. Browsing Using My Computer When you start up My Computer, it displays all of the physical devices available on your computer (floppy drives, local hard drives, network drives, and so on). It also displays the Control Panel folder and a folder for printers installed on your computer. To view lower levels within a network drive, simply double-click on the drive's icon. For example, double-clicking on the F: icon shows the contents of the drive. You can drill down a directory tree simply by double-clicking on the appropriate icon; double-clicking on a folder shows its contents, double-clicking on a data file opens it, and double-clicking on an application runs it. The print queue icons behave slightly differently. Double-clicking on a print queue icon shows the print queue if that printer has been previously installed on the workstation. Otherwise, Windows 98 asks whether you would like to set up the selected print queue. This is discussed further in a later section. Browsing Using Explorer When you launch Explorer by selecting Start | Programs | Windows Explorer, you will see a window displaying all folders on the local and network drives. The list on the right displays the contents of the folder currently selected at the left. Explorer operates similarly to File Manager in Windows 3.x. To browse through the directory hierarchy, double-click on a folder or drive icon. Browsing by exploring simplifies copying and moving files. Another way to access the Explorer is to right-click on any folder or object and select the Explore option from the Page 535

Inside Windows 98 resulting menu. Figure 28.8 shows the result of right-clicking on a NetWare volume icon and selecting Explore. FIGURE 28.8 Exploring a NetWare volume. Browsing Using Network Neighborhood Network Neighborhood allows you to browse not only through your own computer but also through other computers in your workgroup and through your entire network. When you start up Network Neighborhood, it shows icons for the following: * The entire network * Your current NDS tree * Your default context in that NDS tree * Servers to which you are authenticated and licensed through NDS * Servers to which you are bindery authenticated To browse all network resources, click on the Entire Network icon. The network resources are categorized under Novell Directory Services and IntranetWare Servers folders, as shown in Figure 28.9. FIGURE 28.9 Network resources as seen in Network Neighborhood. The Novell Directory Services folder is designed for users on a NetWare 4 network, whereas the IntranetWare Servers folder is designed for NetWare 3.x and earlier. NetWare 4 users can choose either folder, depending on how they prefer to view network resources. When you double-click on the Novell Directory Services folder, you see a list of NDS trees that exist on your network. To log into a particular tree, either double-click on the tree or right-click on the tree and select the Login to NDS Tree option. You will be prompted for a username and password. After you are authenticated, you can "walk" the tree by selecting containers one level at a time. The Provider displays the NDS Volume and Print Queue objects that exist in the current container, as shown in Figure 28.10. FIGURE 28.10 NDS objects as seen by Network Neighborhood. Alternatively, from Entire Network you can choose the IntranetWare Servers folder, which allows you to browse through servers, volumes, directories, files, and print queues. When you double-click on the IntranetWare Servers folder, you see a list of servers available on the network. You can view the resources on a given server by drilling down on the server icon. Accessing NetWare Resources Using Explorer

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Inside Windows 98 You can perform a number of NetWare-related tasks from within Explorer. To access this functionality, first highlight a network drive and then select the Tools option from the menu bar at the top of the window. Three options are available: * Find. Search for a file. * Map network drive. Map a network directory to a drive letter. * Disconnect network drive. Unmap a previously mapped drive. TIP: You can also access these and additional Client 32-specific options by right-clicking a network volume. You can also view volume information from within Explorer. These tasks are explained in the following sections, starting with mapping and unmapping drives. Mapping and Unmapping a Network Drive You can map a network drive in one of three ways. From the Tools menu, select the Map network drive option. The next available drive letter is displayed in the Drive entry box. You can select another drive letter by clicking on the pull-down arrow button to the right of the Drive entry box. If you want the drive to be reconnected at login, activate the Reconnect at login check box. Enter the path of the directory to which you wish to map in the Path entry box, using the UNC syntax. Click OK and the mapped drive shows up as a networked drive icon. The second method to map a drive is to first locate the directory you want to map. Highlight this directory and then select the Map network drive option from the Tools menu. The next available drive letter is displayed in the Drive entry box. You can select another drive letter by clicking on the pull-down arrow button to the right of the Drive entry box. If you want the drive to be reconnected at login, activate the Reconnect at login check box. Click OK and the mapped drive shows up as a networked drive icon. NOTE: All network drives connected using the above method are automatically "map rooted." You can also map the drives using the Novell NetWare Provider extension. As before, first locate the directory you want to map. Highlight this directory and then right-click to bring up a menu similar to the one shown in Figure 28.11. In this menu, an N to the left of the option indicates it is an extension. Page 537

Inside Windows 98 TIP: Depending on the color and resolution setting, you might or might not see the N easily. Using the NetWare Provider extension, you have the capability to map network drives (with or without them being map rooted, as shown in Figure 28.12) as well as mapping search drives. The search drive mapping capability is not available with the Microsoft client. FIGURE 28.11 NetWare Provider extensions are shown with an N on the left of the option. FIGURE 28.12 You have the option of mapping a NetWare network drive as "map rooted." You can undo an existing drive mapping in one of two ways. The first method is to select the Disconnect network drive option from the Tools menu. A window listing the currently mapped drives appears. Highlight the drive you want to unmap and click on OK. The other method of unmapping a network drive is to highlight the drive letter you wish to disconnect, right-click to bring up the menu, and select the Disconnect option. Finding a File You can easily search for a file (or group of files) on the network by selecting the Find option from the Tools menu and then selecting Files or Folders. A dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure 28.13 is displayed. NOTE: You can also use Start | Find | Files or Folders to locate a file. FIGURE 28.13 The Find All Files dialog box. Type the name of the file you want to locate in the Named entry box; you can use wildcard characters (* and ?) in the name. Click on the pull-down arrow button to select from a list of name options. Enter the text you wish to search for (if any) in the Containing text entry box. Specify the path you want to search in the Look in box. Clicking on the pull-down arrow button displays a list of drives (network and local) you can choose from. Check the Include subfolders box if you want to search in all subdirectories of this directory (it is checked by default). Under the Date tab, you can specify date ranges for the search. For example, you can look only at files that were modified between September 1, 1997, and March 1, 1998. You can also specify a search for files that haven't been modified for a Page 538

Inside Windows 98 certain period of time. The Advanced tab lets you refine the search parameters even further, specifying that you want to search by file type or for files of a certain size. Viewing NetWare Volume Information You can easily look up information about a particular NetWare volume. Right-click on the drive icon for the volume and select Properties from the resulting menu. You will see a window of information. There are a total of four tabs available; the default is the General tab. The IntranetWare Volume Information tab displays the volume number, the total and available space in KB, and the total and available number of directory entries. The IntranetWare Folder and IntranetWare Rights tabs can be used to assign NetWare attributes (such as Read-only) or trustee assignments. Accessing NetWare Resources Using Network Neighborhood You can perform numerous NetWare tasks from within Network Neighborhood instead of using NetWare utilities, such as NetWare Administrator or FILER. For example, you can view connection information, log in and out of servers, view properties of servers and trees, send messages, map network drives, and view information about volumes, directories, and files. You can also manage file system trustee rights and attributes using a more intuitive graphical interface than the command-line utilities previously used (RIGHTS, GRANT, REVOKE, and so on). This section shows some of the many tasks you can perform in Network Neighborhood with the services of the NetWare Provider. Changing Default NetWare Connections The NetWare Provider allows you to change your default NDS tree and server at any time during your current session. To do this, right-click on Network Neighborhood and select IntranetWare Connections. You will see a screen similar to Figure 28.14. FIGURE 28.14 Current connection information. An asterisk (*) precedes the names of your default NDS tree and server. To change the current default, highlight the one you want and click on the Set Current button. Note that changing the default tree or server affects Network Neighborhood's entire view of the NetWare servers. For example, when you change to a different default NDS tree, Network Neighborhood will display only objects that exist in that tree. Sending Messages Newer versions of the NetWare Provider allow you to send broadcast messages to users on the network. To do this, click on Network Neighborhood, right-click on the server that the users are connected to, and then choose the Send message option. Type Page 539

Inside Windows 98 the message you want to send in the Send message to the selected user(s) entry box. Select the individual users or groups to receive the message and click on Send. You can only send messages to users who are currently connected to the server. The groups shown are those listed in the server's bindery. The maximum length of your message is 250 characters, including the "From: <Username>(##)" string placed at the beginning of the message. <Username> is your NetWare user account name and ## is your connection number. NDS Tree-Related Tasks A number of tasks related to the NDS tree, such as changing the NDS name context, can be easily performed from within Network Neighborhood. The menu options can be accessed from the list of NDS trees you see after you start Network Neighborhood and choose Entire Network and the Novell Directory Services folder. Highlight an NDS tree and right-click on the mouse. A menu of options appears. For example, to change your NDS context in Network Neighborhood, right-click on an NDS tree and select the Change context option from the resulting menu. The resulting window shows your current context and allows you to change to a different default context. Type the new context in the entry box and click on the Change button. Also, you can easily find out information pertaining to your connection using the WhoAmI option: Selecting the WhoAmI option after right-clicking on an NDS tree will display information concerning your username, context, and NDS tree name. NetWare Server-Related Tasks * A number of tasks related to NetWare servers, such as logging in and out of a server, can be easily performed from within Network Neighborhood. The set of tasks in the following subsections can be performed from the list of NetWare servers you see after you start Network Neighborhood and choose Entire Network and the IntranetWare Servers folder. When you highlight a server and right-click on the mouse, a slightly different menu of options is displayed than for an NDS tree. Logging In to and Out of a Server To log in to a NetWare server in Network Neighborhood, double-click on the server icon or highlight the server and right-click with the mouse. Select the Authenticate option for an NDS login or the Login to server option for a Bindery-based login. The GUI login utility will be launched, asking you to enter your username and password. To log out from a server, highlight the server you are logged into and right-click the mouse. Select Logout from the resulting Page 540

menu.

Inside Windows 98

WARNING: You will not be prompted to confirm whether you are sure you want to log out from the highlighted server. Viewing Server Properties You can look up information about a NetWare server (you do not need to be logged in to it first), such as number of licensed connections. To see the properties of a server, right-click on the server icon and choose Properties from the pull-down menu. Viewing Volume Information and Properties To view a server's resources (volumes and print queues), simply double-click on the server's icon. If the server is a bindery-based server and you are not already attached, the Provider will first try your Windows 98 username and password to log in. If that fails, you will be prompted for your NetWare username and password. NOTE: As with servers and other objects, right-clicking on a volume displays a menu of options. You can easily look up information about a particular NetWare volume. Right-click on the volume icon and select Properties from the resulting menu. Although the volume information dialog boxes are similar between Explorer and Network Neighborhood, Explorer's has four tabs and Network Neighborhood's has only three tabs available. The default is the IntranetWare Volume Information tab; there is no General tab. The IntranetWare Volume Information tab displays the volume number, the total and available space in KB, and the total and available number of directory entries. The IntranetWare Folder and IntranetWare Rights tabs can be used to assign NetWare attributes (such as read-only) or trustee assignments. Mapping a Network Drive To map a drive to a volume, right-click on the volume icon and select Map Network Drive. This time the path is filled in for you, so you simply need to specify the drive you want to map it to. To have this mapping automatically reestablished when you start Windows 98 and log into NetWare, check the Reconnect at login box. Click OK when finished. Printing in NetWare Environments

Page 541

Inside Windows 98 NetWare Client 32 for Windows 98 supports "deviceless" printing. That means it is no longer necessary to associate an LPT port with a specific printer and use a print capture to redirect the output to a network printer. Instead, GUI applications send print data directly to a Windows 98 printer device (such as a NetWare print queue), which points to a network printer. When you set up a printer, Windows 98 writes all the printer configuration information to the Registry. To use the printer, simply click the printer's icon. To provide backwards printing support for MS-DOS and Windows 3.x applications, Windows 98 still allows you to set up an LPT port capture and redirect output to the network printer specified in the capture. If you do a capture at an MS-DOS prompt, the capture exists under the GUI; if you do a capture in the GUI world, it exists for MS-DOS boxes. However, any flags you set up under a DOS capture cannot be translated into the GUI world. There's no way to associate a Windows 98 printer device with an LPT port. Client 32 for Windows 98 also supports point-and-print to simplify printer setup for users. Point-and-print allows you to store the printer driver files for a network printer in a publicly-accessible network directory (such as SYS:PUBLIC directory on the NetWare server). When users want to use the printer, they can install it quickly without having to know the printer manufacturer/model and the location of the printer driver. This section will cover the following topics: * Installing a shared printer * Printing to a network printer * Configuring an installed network printer * Setting up point-and-print for network printers Installing a Shared Printer via the Add Printer Wizard Similar to installing a local printer for your Windows 98 workstation, you can also use the Add Printer Wizard to install a network printer. Use the following steps: 1. Open the Printers folder by double-clicking the Printers icon on the Control Panel, or select Start | Settings | Printers to open the Printers folder. 2. Start the Add Printer Wizard by double-clicking the Add Printer icon. 3. Click Next. 4. Select the Network printer option and click Next. The Page 542

Inside Windows 98 wizard prompts you for a network path/queue name. 5. Enter the appropriate UNC path for the network printer in the Network path or queue name entry box. You can use the Browse button to locate an available network printer. 6. Continue with the installation in the usual manner. NOTE: The installed network printer will appear in the Printers folder along with any local printers you might have. The only difference between the two types of printers is that a cable appears underneath a network printer's icon. Printing to a Network Printer There are three ways in which you can print to a network printer--from within an application, or using a printer shortcut: * Printing from within an application. You can print from within an application in Windows 98 in the same manner as with Windows 3.x. The only noticeable difference in the print dialog is the absence of an LPT port in the Where designation in the Page Setup dialog box, as shown in Figure 28.15. FIGURE 28.15 A network printer does not show an LPT port. * Capturing a printer port. In the same way that you can map a shared network drive or folder and have it appear as though it were a local resource, you can map a shared network printer and have it appear as a local printer port. You can capture a printer port in one of four ways: Using Network Neighborhood. Highlight a shared printer and select File | Capture Printer Port, or right-click the printer and select Capture Printer Port from the pop-up menu. Using Explorer. Highlight a shared printer and select File | Capture Printer Port, or right-click on the printer and select Capture Printer Port from the pop-up menu. Using the printer icon. From the properties sheet of a shared printer, display the Details tab, and click the Capture Printer Port button. Using CAPTURE.EXE. Use the Novell-supplied CAPTURE utility to redirect a printer port to a network print queue or NDS printer object. * Printing using a shortcut. In Windows 98, shortcuts allow you to copy an icon that relates to any program, document, or printer and move the icon to the desktop or to another Page 543

Inside Windows 98 folder for quick access to frequently used resources. For example, you can create a printer shortcut icon and place it on the desktop for easier access. * When a printer shortcut is set up, you can simply drag and drop a file onto the printer shortcut icon. The shortcut will automatically open the associated application and execute the print command. NOTE: To create a shortcut to a printer, simply drag the appropriate printer icon from the Printers folder to the desktop. Configuring an Installed Network Printer It is easy to modify the settings of a network printer after it is installed. To configure a network printer, right-click on the printer's icon in the Printers folder; the resulting menu lists several options for the printer: * Open. Opens the printer's print queue and displays current print jobs. * Work offline. Stores print jobs until the printer is turned online, when the user clicks the Work offline option again. This option is available only for portable computers or for computers using a network printer. For local printers, use the Pause printing option. * Set as default. Makes the selected printer the default printer. * Create shortcut. Creates a shortcut icon for the printer. * Delete. Deletes the printer definition. * Rename. Allows you to rename the printer. * Properties. Sets printer properties and allows you to capture a printer. TIP: If you want to set default printer settings for all future print captures, use Control Panel | Novell NetWare Client 32 | Properties | Default Capture tab. The settings entered on that tab page will affect existing captures after you restart your computer. They do not affect captures made from a login script or from the command line. Using Point-and-Print with a NetWare Server Use the following steps to set up point-and-print for a network Page 544

Inside Windows 98 printer and store the printer information on a NetWare 3.x or 4.x server: 1. Log into an NDS tree or NetWare server as Admin/Supervisor or equivalent user. (This should be the tree or server where you want the path to the printer driver files to be located.) 2. In Network Neighborhood, browse the network until you find the NetWare printer or print queue you want to set up. Right-click on the queue and select Properties from the resulting menu. 3. On the properties sheet, select the Setup Point and Print tab. Note that if you are not logged in with sufficient rights, you will not see this tab. 4. Ensure that the path listed under Path from which clients can download printer driver files is a valid UNC path. If it isn't correct, deactivate the Use Preferred Path check box, and enter the correct path. The default path is SYS:PUBLIC\WIN95\DRIVERS. 5. Click the Select Printer Model button. 6. Select the manufacturer and model from the standard print setup selection boxes as appropriate for your printer. 7. Click OK to copy the printer driver files. 8. After the driver files are copied, click OK to close the Point-and-Print setup window. 9. Make sure that the users will have at least Read and file scan rights to the directory in which the printer driver files were copied. To access this print queue, you now need to add the queue to the Printers folder by using the Add Printer Wizard. Follow these steps: 1. Use Network Neighborhood or Explorer to locate the print queue of interest. 2. Drag the print queue over to the Printers folder and drop it. 3. Follow the Add Printer Wizard as it prompts you to set up printing. When you're done, the Printers folder is updated to show the new printer. Windows 98 automatically copies the printer driver files (.RV, .DLL, .HP, and so on) from the server to the Windows 98 SYSTEM directory. Page 545

Inside Windows 98 The Add Printer Wizard is only one of the few methods available for installing a printer. The point-and-print feature also lets you install a remote printer by using the following techniques: * In Explorer or Network Neighborhood, either highlight a shared printer and select File | Install, or right-click the printer and select Install from the context menu. * In Explorer or Network Neighborhood, drag a shared printer and drop it inside the Printers folder. * Drag a document and drop it on the remote printer's icon in Network Neighborhood. When Windows 98 asks whether you want to set up the printer, click Yes. After the printer is installed, the document you dropped will print. * In the Run dialog box, enter the UNC path to the shared printer, and click OK. When Windows 98 asks whether you want to set up the printer, click Yes. In each case, a scaled-down version of the Add Printer Wizard appears. Follow the prompts to install the printer. ----------

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System Policies and User Profiles * Understanding Profiles and Policies * Understanding User Profiles * Understanding System Policies * Understanding Mandatory Profiles * Enabling User Profiles * Manual Setup of User Profiles * Configuring Automatically for User Profiles * Using the System Policy Editor * Installing System Policy Editor * Running System Policy Editor * Understanding Policy Editor Template Files * Creating and Using System Policies * Specifying Default User Settings * Specifying Default Computer Settings * Adding Individual Users * Adding Individual Computers * Adding Groups * Saving the Policy File * Configuring User Accounts for System Policies * Supporting Roaming Users Like Windows 95 before it, Windows 98 supports user profiles that enable multiple users to share a single workstation and Page 546

Inside Windows 98 still maintain individual settings and desktop properties. You also can use system policies to force settings and restrictions on users that prevent them from changing various desktop settings. You can even remove various desktop objects to help prevent access to local and network resources. Finally, system policies enable you to support roaming users. These users can log onto the network from any workstation but still retain their own desktop configurations that follow them to each logon workstation. This chapter explains how to implement system policies and user profiles in Windows 98, covering the following topics: * Understanding system policies and user profiles * Working with user profiles * Using the System Policy Editor * Supporting roaming users * Controlling resource access and applying restrictions Before delving into system policies and the tools you use to create and manage them, you need a basic understanding of system policies and user profiles. Understanding Profiles and Policies Windows 98 uses two mechanisms to control a user's desktop and working environment, as well as the resources that the user can access both locally and on the network. These two mechanisms are explained in the following sections. Understanding User Profiles User profiles define the working environment and desktop for a particular user. These include installed applications, desktop shortcuts, wallpaper, and other desktop properties and resources. In Windows 98, these settings are stored in USER.DAT, one of two files that make up a user's Registry. The other file, SYSTEM.DAT, contains system-related settings that do not change from user to user. User profiles also comprise a set of folders that contain the user's desktop environment. By default, these folders are located in the Windows folder and include the Desktop, Start Menu, Cookies, Application Data, History, NetHood, and Recent folders. These folders collectively store your desktop and working resources (desktop shortcuts, for example). The USER.DAT portion of the Registry and these folders work in concert to provide the interface you see when you work under Windows 98. You can configure a Windows 98 to support separate user profiles, enabling a single workstation to support multiple users, each with a unique desktop environment. When Windows 98 Page 547

Inside Windows 98 is configured to support these unique user profiles, each user has a unique USER.DAT file and a set of custom folders to contain his or her working environment. These folders are created under \Windows\Profiles\username, where username is the name under which the user logs on to Windows 98. If your Windows 98 logon name is joeb, for example, your profile folders would be located in \Windows\Profiles\Joeb. This folder would contain the Desktop, Start Menu, and other folders mentioned previously. When you log on to a Windows 98 workstation, Windows 98 determines whether you have ever logged on to the system before. If you have not, and multiple user profiles have not been enabled, Windows 98 simply creates a password cache file using your user name and the extension PWL to name the file and places the file in the Windows directory. If multiple profiles are enabled, Windows 98 performs the additional step of creating the directory structure under the \Windows\Profiles folder to contain your custom desktop settings. The next time you log on to that workstation, Windows 98 will use your USER.DAT file and profile folders to define your desktop and working environment. The process described above applies to log on to a specific workstation. You also can have your user profile follow you wherever you roam on the network. These are called roaming profiles. Configuring and using roaming profiles is explained later in this chapter in the section "Supporting Roaming Users." Understanding System Policies System policies, which are stored in a special policy file (typically, CONFIG.POL), enable Windows 98 to override various settings in the user's Registry, both for the user and for the system. Policies also enable a system administrator to restrict access to specific Windows 98 interface objects and network resources. You can, for example, prevent users from changing display settings or configuring other hardware settings. You can remove such elements as the Network Neighborhood folder from the desktop. You can remove the Entire Network object from the Network Neighborhood folder to prevent browsing to network resources outside of the workgroup or domain. Several (or all) accounts can use the same policy file, or you can associate specific groups with specific policy files or even use a separate policy file for each user. You create system policy files using the System Policy Editor, which is explained in detail later in this chapter in the section "Using the System Policy Editor." For now, just understand that you can use the System Policy Editor as an interface to define a collection of settings that are stored in a special policy file that is applied to one or more users to control their Windows 98 environment. A policy file can contain several different groups of settings. When you create a new policy file, the System Policy Editor Page 548

Inside Windows 98 creates Default User and Default Computer settings by default (see Figure 29.1). The properties associated with these two objects apply to all users who do not have their own unique set of properties stored in the policy file. Figure 29.2 shows an example of the type of restrictions you can apply within a policy file. FIGURE 29.1 By default system policies include settings for all users and computers not otherwise specified in the policy file. FIGURE 29.2 You can apply restrictions to specific users or groups of users through the policy file. NOTE: User settings in a policy file correspond to the settings in USER.DAT. Computer settings in a policy file correspond to SYSTEM.DAT. A system policy file therefore controls both system- and user-specific settings. At this point the key to understanding policy files is that although you create a single file, that single policy file can contain unique settings for individual users, groups of users, or all users. You might, for example, create a policy file in which you modify the Default User and Default Computer objects to contain the settings desired for all users, then add individual user and computer objects for any user or computer for which there should be exceptions to those defaults. In addition to a system policy file, you also need the appropriate network client for your network environment in order to implement system policies. For NT networks, use the Client for Microsoft Networks. Use the Client for NetWare Networks for NetWare networks. Understanding Mandatory Profiles In place of system policies you can use mandatory profiles. A mandatory profile is really nothing more than the USER.DAT portion of the Registry that has been renamed USER.MAN. You place the USER.MAN file in the user's home directory on the logon server. When the user logs on, Windows 98 downloads the USER.MAN file, using it in place of the USER.DAT file residing on the client's computer. Therefore, USER.MAN (the mandatory profile) functions as the user portion of the Registry. Mandatory profiles are different than system policies in that mandatory profiles control all user settings. System policies enable you to control a subset (or all) of the users' settings, with the users having control of the remaining settings. Mandatory profiles also differ from system policies in that mandatory profiles control only user-level settings and not system-level settings. You can use mandatory profiles or system policies, but not both. Page 549

Inside Windows 98 If a mandatory profile is in place for a user and Windows 98 also detects a system policy file at logon, the system policy file takes precedence over the mandatory profile. To create a mandatory profile, you log on to a Windows 98 workstation and create the desired desktop environment. In addition to manually manipulating the desktop, you can use the System Policy Editor to modify the workstation's registry to apply any desired restrictions. When you save the Registry from the System Policy Editor, the Registry is saved as two files, USER.DAT and SYSTEM.DAT. You then use the resulting USER.DAT file as the mandatory profile. To do so, you copy USER.DAT to USER.MAN, placing the USER.MAN file in the user's home logon folder. In the case of Windows NT, this is the home folder specified in the user's account. In the case of NetWare, the user's mail folder is used to store the mandatory profile. Enabling User Profiles The first step in using either system policies or mandatory profiles is to configure the workstation for user profiles. You can perform this operation manually from each workstation, or if you are going to be using system policies, you can force the change to user profiles through those system policies. The following sections explain both approaches. Manual Setup of User Profiles You can configure a Windows 98 workstation to employ user profiles through the Passwords object in Control Panel. Open the Control Panel and double-click on the Passwords icon and click on the User Profiles tab to display the User Profiles page shown in Figure 29.3. FIGURE 29.3 Enable user profiles through the Passwords object in the Control Panel. The following list summarizes the controls on the User Profiles page: * All users of this computer use the same preferences and desktop settings. Choosing this option (the default) turns off user profiles. * Users can customize their preferences and desktop settings. Choosing this option turns on user profiles. * Include desktop icons and Network Neighborhood contents in user settings. Place a check in this check box if you want to include the users' desktop icons and custom contents of the Network Neighborhood in their profiles. Changes they make to these items will be included in their profile. A user who adds a program shortcut to his desktop, for example, will see that same shortcut regardless of the Page 550

workstation from which he logs on.

Inside Windows 98

* Include Start menu and Program groups in user settings. Place a check in this check box if you want to include custom Start menu items and program groups in the users' profiles. Configuring Automatically for User Profiles Rather than configuring each workstation individually for user profiles, you might prefer to have them configured automatically when your users log on to the network. You can accomplish this through system policies. Refer to the section "Creating and Using System Policies" later in this chapter to learn how to create a system policy file. In the System Policy Editor, double-click on the Default Computer icon to display the Default Computer Properties sheet. Expand the Windows 98 System branch and then expand the User Profiles branch. The property sheet should be similar to the one shown in Figure 29.4. Place a check in the Enable User Profiles check box. Save the system policy file in the appropriate folder (NETLOGON for NT or sys\public for NetWare). Configure user accounts to use the system policy file, as explained later in the section "Creating and Using System Policies." FIGURE 29.4 The User Profiles branch enables you to force the implementation of user profiles at logon. Using the System Policy Editor The System Policy Editor is the tool you use to create and modify system policy files. You also can use the System Policy Editor to modify a workstation's registry. The System Policy Editor is a Windows 98 application and must be run on either a Windows 98 or Windows 95 workstation. You must use a Windows NT version of the System Policy Editor on a Windows NT computer when creating policies for NT users. Installing System Policy Editor The System Policy Editor files are located on the Windows 98 CD-ROM in the \Tools\Apptools\Poledit folder. To install the software, log onto the Windows 98 computer from which you want to run the Policy Editor. Open the Control Panel and double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon and then click on the Windows Setup tab. After Windows 98 completes its search for installed components, click the Have Disk button. Browse and select the \Tools\Apptools\Poledit folder on the CD-ROM and choose OK. Choose OK in the Install from Disk dialog box to display the Have Disk property page shown in Figure 29.5. FIGURE 29.5 Select which components to install for Policy Editor. Page 551

Inside Windows 98 Choose the System Policy Editor check box to have Windows 98 install the System Policy Editor and associated files. If you intend to assign policies by groups, also enable the Group Policies check box. This causes Windows 98 to install the files necessary to support group policies (explained in the section "Using System Policies"). Choose Install to complete the software installation. Running System Policy Editor To start System Policy Editor, choose Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Policy Editor, or execute the file POLEDIT.EXE in the Windows folder. The System Policy Editor will start and display a blank work area. You then can start a new policy file, open an existing policy file, or open a registry, either on the local computer or on a remote computer. NOTE: Remote computers must be configured to allow remote administration to enable you to open their registries across the network. They also must be running the Remote Registry Service and be configured for user-level access. Choose one of the following commands from the File menu, as appropriate to your situation: * New Policy. Choose this command to start a new policy file containing Default User and Default Computer objects. * Open Policy. Choose this command to open an existing policy file. Browse to the location containing the file and select it. * Open Registry. Choose this command to open the Registry from the local computer to change policy settings contained in the Registry. * Connect. Choose this command to connect to a remote computer to load its Registry for policy setting changes. Understanding Policy Editor Template Files The System Policy Editor uses a template file to control the settings that you can modify through the System Policy Editor's interface. The default template file, which Windows 98 places in the \Windows\Inf folder, is named WIN98.ADM. You can modify the contents of WIN98.ADM to add other features and their corresponding registry settings to the policy file. You also can add other template files to the System Policy Editor so that it reads these template files at startup and incorporates their contents into the System Policy Editor interface. In addition to the default WIN98.ADM template, the Windows 98 includes a template file name PWS.ADM that enables you to Page 552

Inside Windows 98 specify policy settings that control Personal Web Server. PWS enables a Windows 98 computer to act as a Web server for its local content. Adding the PWS.ADM template to the System Policy Editor enables you to control each user's Web server (if installed). System Policy Editor makes it easy to add new template files. Follow these steps to add or remove template files: 1. Start the System Policy Editor and make sure that no policy file is open. 2. Choose Options, Policy Template to display the Policy Template Options dialog box shown in Figure 29.6. 3. If adding a template, click Add, and browse for and select the template file you want to add. 4. If removing a template, select the template from the list and click Remove. 5. Choose OK to close the dialog box. FIGURE 29.6 Use the Policy Template Options dialog box to add and remove template files. You also can manually add policy templates to your System Policy Editor configuration. Follow these steps: 1. Close System Policy Editor if it is running. 2. Verify that the desired ADM file exists in the \Windows\Inf folder; if not, copy it there. 3. Open the Registry Editor, and then open the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\ Poledit. 4. Right-click on PolEdit in the tree pane and choose New, String Value. Registry Editor creates a new string value in the Contents pane. 5. Rename the new Registry setting created in step 4 to TemplateN, where N is the next available template number. If you have only one other template (Template0), for example, name the new setting Template1. 6. Double-click on the new template setting to open the Edit String dialog box to specify its value. Specify the path to the new template file, such as c:\windows\inf\pws.adm, and choose OK. 7. Close the Registry Editor. 8. Start System Policy Editor.

Page 553

Inside Windows 98 TIP: If you have user profiles enabled on your computer, the Registry Editor will add identical settings for the new template files to the Registry key for the username under which you are currently logged on. If you are logged on with the username jane, for example, new values for the templates will be created in HKEY_USERS\jane\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Applets\PolEdit. Creating and Using System Policies Creating a system policy file comprises several steps, some of which are optional depending on whether you want to assign policies to specific users or groups. These steps are summarized in the following list: * Specify Default User settings. These user settings apply to all users who do not have their own user entry in the policy file. * Specify Default Computer settings. These system settings apply to all users who do not have their own computer entry in the policy file. * Add individual users. Each user for whom you want to have a unique set of user settings requires a user entry in the policy file. * Add individual computers. Each user for whom you want to have a unique set of computer settings requires a user entry in the policy file. * Add groups. Each group entry contains the desired user settings for users who reside in the specified group. * Save the policy file in the appropriate location. The location of the policy file depends on the type of network environment used. * Configure user accounts as desired to use the policy file. You must apply certain settings to each user account to incorporate system policies. The following sections explain each of these steps. Specifying Default User Settings In a policy file you can have several objects that contain groups of settings. The Default User object contains the policy settings that are applied to all users who do not have their own user object in the policy file. Page 554

Inside Windows 98 The Default User object contains settings that control the following user-related areas: * Sharing. This group enables you to allow or disallow file and printer sharing. You might want some users to be able to share their files and printers, but restrict other users from doing so. * Shell. The settings in this group enable you to specify the path to custom folders for programs, startup programs, Network Neighborhood, desktop, and a handful of other folders. Other settings in this group enable you to apply restrictions, such as removing the Run option from the Start menu and customizing the Start menu in other ways, hide drives from My Computer, remove specific items from the Network Neighborhood, and apply other, similar restrictions. * Control Panel. The settings in this group enable you to control the objects that the user can access within the Control Panel. You might, for example, want to prevent the user from being able to access the Display object in the Control Panel to change screen resolution, color depth, and so forth. * Desktop Display. Use the settings in this group to force wallpaper and color schemes. * Restrictions. The settings in this group enable you to prevent users from running the Registry Editor, prevent them from running non-Windows applications, and disable the MS-DOS prompt and MS-DOS mode. The settings within each of these groups really requires no explanation because the purpose of the settings is made plain in the System Policy Editor. At this point, simply understand that you use the settings in the Default User object to control the user settings (as defined previously) for any user who does not have his or her own user object in the policy file. Specify the settings in the Default User object accordingly, as desired. Specifying Default Computer Settings The Default Computer object in the policy file enables you to set hardware- and system-related settings that will apply to all computers that do not have their own computer object specified by name in the policy file. The settings you can control with the Default Computer object include the following: * Access Control. Use this group to turn on or off user-level access control (as opposed to share-level control). * Logon. This group controls what the user sees at logon and whether authentication is required to access Windows locally. * Password. These settings determine the requirements for Page 555

Inside Windows 98 sharing and Windows passwords for the computer. * Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks. This group controls preferred server, automatic NetWare login, and support for long file names. * NetWare Directory Services. Use this group to specify a variety of settings that control NDS functionality. * Microsoft Client for Windows Networks. These settings control domain and workgroup membership and related settings for Windows NT- and Windows 98-based network environments. * File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks. This group enables you to enable and disable SAP advertising. * File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks. Use this group to enable and disable file and printer sharing on the remote computer. * Dial-Up Networking. Use this group to disable dial-in to the remote computer. * Update. These settings enable and configure the Windows 98 Remote Update feature on the remote computer. * User Profiles. Use this group to enable and disable user profiles for the remote computer. * Network Paths. Use these settings to specify the network path for Windows 98 Setup and the Windows 98 Tour. * SNMP. This group controls SNMP management settings for the remote computer. * Programs to Run. Use this group to specify programs to run at startup and as services on the remote computer. As with the user-related settings described in the previous section, the computer settings are generally self explanatory to an administrator (and most to the average user, as well). The key point to understand is that the settings in the Default Computer object apply to all computers that do not have their own, specific object in the policy file. Specify the settings in the Default Computer object accordingly, as desired. Adding Individual Users You can apply policy settings to individual users, as well as assign them by default through the Default Users object. To do so, open the policy file and choose Edit, Add User. System Policy Editor prompts you for the name of the user to add. Specify the user's account name and click OK. System Policy Editor creates an object in the policy file for that user (see Figure 29.7). Page 556

Inside Windows 98 FIGURE 29.7 System Policy Editor creates a separate object to contain the user's settings. The settings you can specify for individual users are the same as for the Default User object. Specify the settings that you want applied to the specified user. Adding Individual Computers As with individual users, you can add objects to the policy file to accommodate settings for specific computers. These settings are used when any user logs on from that particular computer. This enables you to control settings by computer, as well as by user. To create a computer object in a policy file, choose Edit, Add Computer. System Policy Editor prompts you for the name of the computer. Enter the name and click OK. A Property object for the computer is added to the policy file. Simply double-click on the object to set its properties, just as you would for the Default Computer object. The settings available in each are identical. Adding Groups In addition to assigning properties and restrictions through individual user objects and the Default User object, you can create group objects that assign properties and restrictions based on the users' group membership. Using group policies requires installing group policy support on the user's workstation. To install group policy support, follow these steps: 1. On each workstation, open the Control Panel and double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. 2. Click on the Windows Setup tab and wait for Windows 98 to scan the system for installed programs. 3. Scroll through the list and double-click System Tools. 4. In the list of tools, locate and place a check mark beside the Group Policies item. 5. Choose OK; then OK again to install the necessary files. This installation process installs the GROUPPOL.DLL to the \Windows\System folder and modifies the computer's Registry to enable group policy support. If you experience problems installing group policy support using the previous steps, run through the process again, but at step 3, click Have Disk instead. Browse to the \Tools\Apptools\Poledit folder and choose OK, then OK a second time. Click the Install button to complete the installation. A single user can be a member of several groups, each of which Page 557

Inside Windows 98 might have different policy settings. Group policies are downloaded from the server starting with the group that has the lowest priority and moving to the group with the highest priority. In this way, the policy settings for the highest priority group overrides previously loaded policies. If an individual user object exists in the policy file for the user, those settings are used instead of the settings in any group policies. Saving the Policy File For Windows 98 clients, the policy file is stored not on the local workstation but instead on the logon server. In the case of a Windows NT server, the policy file is stored in the NETLOGON share on the primary domain controller (\\primary domain controller\netlogon), which by default is located in \Winnt\System32\Repl\Import\Scripts on the PDC server. In NetWare environments, the CONFIG.POL file is stored in \\preferred server\sys\public. After you have configured the policy file as desired, save it to whichever of these directories is appropriate, using the file name CONFIG.POL. Configuring User Accounts for System Policies When a user logs off, Windows 98 automatically places a copy of the user's USER.DAT file, with all policies applied, to the user's home directory. The first step in configuring user accounts for system policies is to specify in the user's account his home directory. In Windows NT, you do so from the User Environment Profile dialog box (see Figure 29.8), which you access through User Manager for Domains. Under NetWare, you use the SysCon utility. FIGURE 29.8 Specify the home directory in the User Environment Profile dialog box. TIP: Although the User Environment Profile dialog box provides a control for specifying that a drive letter on the client computer be mapped to a remote share, this setting works only for Windows NT clients. Although it does set the user's home folder property, it does not cause the specified drive letter to be mapped to the folder. You must perform the desired drive mapping through the user's logon script with the appropriate NET USE command in addition to specifying the home directory in the User Environment Profile dialog box. By default, Windows 98 supports automatic downloading of the system policy file at logon. The method described previously enables automatic downloading. When a large number of users log on at once, you might experience slow performance if only one policy file is used. To help overcome this potential problem, Windows 98 supports load balancing, which causes the workstation Page 558

Inside Windows 98 to pull the policy file from the current logon server rather than specifically from the PDC. Follow these steps to take advantage of load balancing: 1. Place the policy file in the NETLOGON share of the PDC. 2. Replicate the policy file to all other logon servers (BDCs). 3. Open the system policy file in System Policy Editor and then open the Default Computer object. 4. Open Windows 98 Network and expand the Update branch. 5. Place a check in the Remote Update box, set Update mode to Automatic, and place a check in the Load Balance check box. 6. Save the policy file. 7. Replicate the policy file to the BDCs. In some cases it is necessary to implement manual downloading of the policy file. You might want to specify a different policy file location for some users, or some workstations might be using real-mode network clients, such as NETX or VLM. In these case you need to configure the computers for manual downloading. To do so, enable the Remote Update policy for the Default Computer object as explained in the previous steps, but choose Manual for the update mode and specify the UNC path to the policy file. NOTE: Systems using a real-mode network client require that the policy file be placed on a mapped drive rather than a UNC path. Supporting Roaming Users A roaming profile is one that follows the user wherever he logs on to the network. With a roaming profile, all desktop and working environment properties follow the user to each computer he uses on the network. NOTE: Roaming profiles enable a user to move from one Windows 98 or Windows 95 workstation to another, but do not follow the user to Windows NT workstations because the two profiles are not compatible with one another. Enabling roaming profiles is a simple task, and this chapter has already covered how to accomplish these steps. To enable roaming Page 559

profiles for a user, follow these steps:

Inside Windows 98

1. Configure the workstations on which the user will log on to use user profiles. 2. Specify a home directory on the server within the user's logon account on the Windows NT or NetWare server. 3. Configure the user's working environment either by saving a copy of the appropriate USER.DAT file to the user's home directory through a system policy object, or by simply configuring the current workstation according to the user's preferences (then log off). 4. Log on to the network to test the user's profile. When you log off, Windows 98 automatically stores the USER.DAT file in the home directory. ----------

- 30 Using Remote Administration

* Enabling Remote Administration * Using the Network Monitor Agent * The Network Monitor Agent * Running the Network Monitor Agent * The Network Monitor Tool * Using SNMP * Installing the Windows 98 SNMP Agent * Configuring SNMP * Using the Password List Editor * Editing Remote Registries * Using the Network Neighborhood for Administration * Network Backup Agents If your Windows 98 machine participates in a networked environment of any appreciable size, remote administration of its operating system and network services will likely be an important asset. The ability to remotely administer a network computer from another computer can mean the difference between lengthy service calls and tech support and the quick resolution of problems. Windows 98 builds upon the remote administration features of Windows 95 and enhances user-level security for remote access to the computer. This means that network user and group accounts can be assigned authority to remotely administer the Windows 98 computer, while all other users are restricted. For instance, if your Windows 98 machine participates in a Windows NT domain, you may want to grant the Domain Admins group remote administration access. Page 560

Inside Windows 98 This chapter is targeted toward both the intermediate Windows 98 user and the Windows NT network administrator who must configure Windows 98 machines for the network. Many of the remote administration techniques and tools for Windows 98 work and coexist with the Windows NT network operating system and services. What can be accomplished with remote administration of the Windows 98 computer? Some examples of remote administration scenarios follow: * Your network administrator wants to view the incoming and outgoing network traffic on your Windows 98 computer from her Windows NT workstation on another floor. * You want to view the property of a shared directory on a remote Windows 98 computer and disconnect a user from that share. * You have a third-party backup software package on your network and want to configure your Windows 98 computer to back up the Registry and certain system files across the network. * Your administrator in another building needs access to your Windows 98 machine's Registry to remotely change system configuration information. These tasks can all be performed using the existing tools in Windows 98 or packaged with Windows 98 on the CD-ROM. This chapter covers the following remote administrative tools and procedures: * Enabling Remote Administration * Using the Network Monitor Agent * Using SNMP * Using Net Watcher * Using the Password List Editor * Editing remote Registries * Using the Network Neighborhood for administration * Network backup agents Enabling Remote Administration Windows 98 can be configured to designate certain people to administer the computer remotely. Windows NT domain global groups and users can be individually assigned remote administrative control of the Windows 98 machine. Page 561

Inside Windows 98 To view your Windows 98 machine's remote administration configuration, open the Password tool in Control Panel and click on the Remote Administration tab. Figure 30.1 shows the Remote Administration tab: FIGURE 30.1 The Remote Administration tab with Remote Administration enabled and the Domain admins group given administration privileges. By enabling Remote Administration, you give the specified groups and users the ability to administer the computer, using all of the methods detailed in this chapter, including network performance monitoring, remote Registry editing, and backups. Check the check box to enable Remote Administration. Click the Add button and choose individual groups and users to add them to the Remote Administrators list. Typically, you will want to include the Domain admins group. You may also want to grant remote access permissions to the actual user(s) of the Windows 98 machine, but only if he normally administers the machine. For instance, if the user is simply trained to use office applications and has no other networking or computer experience, he doesn't need to be added to the Remote Administration list simply because it's his machine. Always be cautious in assigning Remote Administration privileges. Using the Network Monitor Agent Microsoft's Network Monitor Agent enables your Windows 98 computer's incoming and outgoing network traffic to be analyzed using special network monitoring tools. Although they aren't automatically installed, the Network Monitor Agent and protocol driver can be installed from the Windows 98 CD-ROM. The protocol driver and related executable file enable you to monitor traffic statistics for NDIS 3.1-compliant protected-mode network adapters. You can use this protocol and software to monitor traffic not only on LANs and WANs, but also on the Microsoft Remote Access Server. Network Monitor Agent is particularly useful in troubleshooting network problems. By using the Network Monitor Agent, you can configure your Windows 98 computer to allow remote network traffic monitoring using the Network Monitor tools, including Microsoft Systems Management Server. The Network Monitor Agent and protocols should not be confused with the Network Monitor tools, which are not included with Windows 98. This section details how to install the Network Monitor Agent and protocols and briefly introduces the Network Monitor tool. NOTE: The Network Monitor Agent is also provided as a component in the Microsoft Systems Management Server, a separate retail network management tool. Page 562

Inside Windows 98 The Network Monitor Agent You can install the Network Monitor Agent in two ways. The first is to install both the agent and the protocol driver, which enables you to use the agent to monitor network traffic and to conduct troubleshooting. To perform this type of installation, follow these steps: 1. Click the Network icon in the Control Panel. 2. Click the Add button in the Configuration tab. 3. In the Select Network Component Type dialog box, click on Service in the list box and then click the Add button. 4. In the Select Network Service dialog box that appears, click the Have Disk button and enter the following path in the Install From Disk dialog box and then click OK: TOOLS\RESKIT\NETADMIN\NETMON 5. When the Select Network Service dialog box reappears, click on the Microsoft Network Monitor Agent. 6. Click on the OK button. Windows 98 copies and installs the appropriate files. 7. Click on OK to close the Network dialog box and update the settings. Windows 98 prompts you to restart the computer. The other method is to install only the protocol driver, in which you use the System Monitor application to monitor network performance. To install only the protocol driver, perform the following steps: 1. Click the Network icon in the Control Panel. 2. Click on the Add button in the Configuration tab. 3. In the Select Network Component Type dialog box, click on Protocol in the list box and then on the Add button. 4. In the Select Network Protocol dialog box that appears, click on the Have Disk button and enter the following path in the Install From Disk dialog box and then click OK: TOOLS\RESKIT\NETADMIN\NETMON 5. When the Select Network Protocol dialog box reappears, click on the Microsoft Network Monitor Agent Page 563

in the Models list box.

Inside Windows 98

6. Click on the OK button. Windows 98 copies and installs the appropriate files. 7. Click on OK to close the Network dialog box and update the settings. Windows 98 prompts you to restart the computer. The Network Monitor Agent can be run either as a service or as an executable file. To run it as a service, follow these steps: 1. Using the Registry Editor, select Hkey_Local_Machine\Software\ Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce. 2. Select New from the Edit menu and then select String Value. 3. Enter a value for the label name. You could use nm_agent, for example. 4. Select the string value you just created, open the Edit menu, and click on Modify. 5. In the Value Data text box of the Edit String text box, enter nmagent.exe. 6. Click on the OK button and exit the Registry Editor. Running the Network Monitor Agent Running the Network Monitor Agent as a Windows 98 service ensures the availability of Network Monitor Agent at all times Windows 98 is running. If you would rather run Network Monitor Agent only when needed, you should run it as an executable. You can run the Network Monitor Agent as an executable file by clicking on the Start button and selecting the Run option. Enter NMAGENT.EXE in the Run dialog box and click the OK button. The agent starts operation. If you ever need to stop the Network Monitor Agent, click on the Start button and select Run. Enter nmagent -close in the dialog box and click on OK. The agent stops operation. Note that the Network Monitor Agent does not provide a graphical interface or feedback and is not the same program as the Network Monitor tool in Windows NT and Microsoft System Management Server. The Network Monitor Tool If you are a Windows NT systems administrator, you may already have a working knowledge of the uses and capabilities of the Network Monitor tool in either Systems Management Server (SMS) or the scaled-down version offered with Windows NT Server 4.0. Page 564

Inside Windows 98 To remotely monitor your Windows 98 computer with the Network Monitor tool, you must use the one provided with SMS; the version included with Windows NT Server 4.0 monitors only the local NT Server. The Network Monitor tool can be used to monitor network traffic information on the Windows 98 system with Network Monitor Agent installed and running. Some statistics the Network Monitor can capture and analyze follow: * Network utilization * Network card statistics * Frame capture statistics * Network error statistics Another benefit of using the Network Monitor is its information-capture and filtering features. Complex statistics reports can be designed on a per-computer basis and saved for future use. Figure 30.2 shows the Network Monitor tool at work. FIGURE 30.2 The Network Monitor tool captures and filters network traffic information from a Network Monitor Agent-enabled remote computer. This can be a valuable method of troubleshooting network and bandwidth problems. Using SNMP If your network uses the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to provide management services, you can use the SNMP agent provided with Windows 98 to facilitate managing Windows 98 computers attached to the network. This section outlines the two basic methods of configuring SNMP: using the Windows System Policy Editor and editing the Windows Registry. SNMP is a standard protocol for network management and makes remote administration much easier and more universal. The Windows 98 computer configured to use SNMP responds to remote SNMP queries and broadcasts event notifications to an SNMP console. Windows NT Server 4.0 includes tools that help configure remote systems that use SNMP. Many third-party network software packages and operating systems support SNMP. You are not limited to Windows NT Server 4.0's SNMP management; other packages and network operating systems offer SNMP management consoles. Installing the Windows 98 SNMP Agent After installation, the SNMP agent makes Windows 98 computers visible to your SNMP console. To install the SNMP agent, follow these steps: 1. Click on the Network icon in the Control Panel. Page 565

Inside Windows 98 2. Click on the Add button in the Configuration tab. 3. In the Select Network Component Type dialog box, click on Service in the list box and then on the Add button. 4. In the Select Network Service dialog box that appears, click on the Have Disk button. Enter the following path in the Install From Disk dialog box and click OK: TOOLSF\RESKIT\NETADMIN\SNMP 5. You are asked to reboot your computer. Do so before continuing with SMNP configuration. Configuring SNMP After installing the SNMP agent, your Windows 98 computer will be visible to the system administrator's SNMP console. SNMP configuration is accomplished by editing your Windows 98 computer's system policies. You can configure the SNMP agent by editing system policies using one of two methods: * Open the System Policy Editor (installable from the Windows 98 CD-ROM) * Edit the Windows 98 Registry to set the system policies Using the System Policy Editor You can use the System Policy Editor on your Windows NT server to create a new system policy for your computer. The System Policy Editor, shown in Figure 30.3, is used to create user, group, and system policies for your Windows 98 computer. System policies help network administrators to define the level of usability of the Windows 98 machine, including network settings, network shares, and the level of control the user has over the Windows desktop. System policies override any user profiles on the Windows 98 machine. FIGURE 30.3 The System Policy Editor is used to configure policies for users, groups, and computers on the network. It can be used to configure SNMP policies for a local or remote system. NOTE: Windows NT Server 4.0 also includes a System Policy Editor that can be used to remotely configure computers on the existing Windows NT domain. If you are a Windows NT network administrator and want to create a system policy for your Windows 98 computer, the configuration steps are similar. For more information, view the online help in Windows NT. Installing the System Policy Editor

Page 566

Inside Windows 98 If the System Policy Editor is not already installed on your Windows 98 machine, you will need to follow these steps to install it from the Windows 98 CD-ROM: 1. Open Control Panel and double-click on the Add/Remove Programs icon. 2. Choose the Windows Setup tab and click the Have Disk button. 3. Specify the following directory for the Policy Editor installation files on the Windows 98 CD-ROM: TOOLS\RESKIT\NETADMIN\POLEDIT 4. Click OK to install. 5. Click OK to exit the Add/Remove Programs applet. Creating a System Policy To create an entry for your Windows 98 computer in the System Policy Editor, follow these steps: 1. Click on the System Policy Editor icon in the Administrative Tools menu on your NT server. 2. If an entry for the computer doesn't already exist, click the Add Computer icon or choose Add Computer from the Edit menu. 3. In the Add Computer dialog box, either type the network name of your Windows 98 computer or click Browse to find it on the network. 4. You should now have a new icon in your System Policy Editor corresponding to the computer you just added. To use the System Policy Editor to configure SNMP settings on your remote Windows 98 computer (see Table 30.1 and Figure 30.4), double-click on the corresponding icon and open the System branch on the list; next click the SNMP and notice the options on the expanded branch. TIP: The System Policy Editor is the easiest and safest way to configure the SNMP agent. TABLE 30.1 System Policies to Set for the SNMP Agent Policy | What to Set Communities | Add the host or group of hosts that may query this SNMP agent. These are the hosts that may administer the Page 567

SNMP agent.

Inside Windows 98

Permitted Managers | Add the IPX or IP addresses of the consoles that may display information about this computer. Traps to Public Community | Add the IPX or IP addresses of hosts in the public community to which traps should be sent. Internet MIB (RFC 1156) | Add the contact name and location for Internet MIB. FIGURE 30.4 The policy created for the Windows 98 computer, being used to edit the system's SNMP properties. Using the Registry Editor to Configure SNMP You also can edit the Registry to set the SNMP policies. To do so, open the Registry Editor and follow these steps: 1. Select the key Hkey_Local_Machine\System\CurrentControlSet\ Services\SNMP\Parameters\TrapConfiguration. 2. Choose New from the Edit menu and select the Key item on the cascading menu. 3. Enter the name for the new community then press Enter. 4. Select New from the Edit menu and select the String Value item on the cascading menu. Enter a Value Name of 1 in the Name edit field that appears in the right-hand pane. Press Enter. 5. Select the new name in the right-hand pane. Choose Modify from the Edit menu. 6. In the Edit String dialog box that appears, enter the IPX or IP address for the SNMP console to which traps should be sent. Click on the OK button. 7. Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6 for each SNMP console to which you want traps sent. 8. Exit the Registry Editor. Net Watcher The Net Watcher application enables you to view shared resources on network computers and to perform certain actions in relation to these resources. The Net Watcher window shows you three types of resources (see Figure 30.5): * Connections. You can view a list of each network user connected to your machine's various resources (shares, files, and so on). Page 568

Inside Windows 98 * Shared folders. View shared directories, their share properties, and access rights. * Open files. View individual files that remote users are currently using. FIGURE 30.5 The Net Watcher window shows connections, shared folders, and open files on a remote computer. You can select the resource you view from the View menu or by clicking buttons on the toolbar. By using the buttons on the toolbar or selecting options form the Administer menu, you can: * Disconnect a user from resources on your computer. For instance, disconnecting users from a shared folder on your system. You should give the users adequate warning and time to save any application information. * Close a file to disconnect a user from an individual file. Again, you should give the users adequate warning to save their information before closing the file. * Set shared folder properties. You can specify a new name for the shared folder, as well as the access rights. Shared folders can be set to either Read Only or Full access. You can also specify a password for either or both access options. Before attempting to connect to a remote computer with Net Watcher, you should make sure that: 1. The remote computer has file and printer sharing enabled. 2. Your computer is running at least share-level security. If the remote computer is also a Windows 98 computer, you can determine whether it has file and printer sharing enabled by using the Network applet in Control Panel. Likewise, you use the Network applet in Control Panel to configure your Windows 98 computer to run share-level security. NOTE: On NetWare networks, two limitations apply. You can connect only to other computers that have enabled file and printer sharing for NetWare networks, and you cannot close files on remote computers. Using the Password List Editor Windows 98 uses PWL files to store lists of resources and their related passwords. As long as a password list file is unlocked, you can edit it with the Password List Editor. You must install Page 569

Inside Windows 98 the editor first, however, because it is not installed in the normal setup for Windows 98. To install the Password List Editor, follow these steps: 1. Open the Control Panel. 2. Click the Add/Remove Programs icon, select the Windows Setup tab, and click on the Have Disk button. 3. When the Install From Disk dialog box appears, click on the Browse button. Enter the following path and then click OK: \TOOLS\RESKIT\NETADMIN\PWLEDIT 4. In the Have Disk dialog box, click Password List Editor in the list box, and then click Install. Windows 98 copies the appropriate files to your disk. After you install the Password List Editor, running it presents a window that contains a list of all the password-protected services the computer accesses (see Figure 30.6). You cannot add resources or edit the actual passwords. You can, however, remove such services from a particular user's profile. Select the service in the list box and click the Remove button. FIGURE 30.6 The Password List Editor enables you to edit the list of password-protected services available to individual users. Editing Remote Registries If you need to have complete control over a remote computer's Registry, you should access that computer by using the Registry Editor. (You can use the System Policy Editor to manage a remote Registry, but you get access only to a subset of the keys.) To manage Registries from a remote location, you need to install the Remote Registry Service. To do this, perform the following steps: 1. Click on the Network icon in the Control Panel. 2. Click on the Add button in the Configuration tab. 3. In the Select Network Component Type dialog box, click on Service in the list box and then on the Add button. 4. In the Select Network Protocol dialog box that appears, click on the Have Disk button. Enter the following path in the Install From Disk dialog box and then click OK: \TOOLS\RESKIT\NETADMIN\REMOTREG Page 570

Inside Windows 98 5. When the Select Network Service dialog box reappears, click on the Microsoft Remote Registry in the Models list box. 6. Click the OK button. Windows 98 copies and installs the appropriate files. 7. Click OK to close the Network dialog box and update the settings. Windows 98 prompts you to restart the computer. You must install the Remote Registry Service on both the administrative and the local computers. These two computers must have at least one network protocol in common. After installing the Remote Registry Service, you can connect to a remote Registry by following these steps: 1. Open the Registry Editor. (Type regedit in the Run box from the Start button, or the command prompt.) 2. Choose Connect Network Registry from the Registry menu. 3. In the dialog box, enter the name of the computer you want to administer remotely and click OK. 4. You may use the Registry Editor, shown in Figure 30.7, to administer the remote Registry just as you would the local Registry. Figure 30.7 The Registry Editor can be used to remotely configure and administer the Windows 98 computer's Registry if both client and server machines have the Remote Registry Service installed. Using the Network Neighborhood for Administration The Network Neighborhood tool enables you to view information about other machines on your network, including network servers and other host machines. In the Network Neighborhood folder, you can complete certain administrative tasks for the computers shown. When you right-click on any computer's icon and select Properties from the Context menu, you are shown the dialog box in Figure 30.8. FIGURE 30.8 The properties shown in Network Neighborhood for the selected remote computer. The buttons in this dialog box enable you to take the following actions: * Net Watcher button. Enables you to access the Net Watcher application. From this application, you can view and manage shared resources on the computer. Page 571

Inside Windows 98 * System Monitor button. Enables you to start the System Monitor application, which allows you to view performance statistics for the computer. * Administer button. Enables you to access the remote computer's hard disk for administration tasks. Network Backup Agents If you use network backup software, such as that provided by Arcada (Backup Exec) or Cheyenne (ARCServe), you can use the backup agents provided with Windows 98 to allow backup of individual workstations. To enable such backups, you first must install the agents on each workstation, which you can do during setup or from the Network icon in the Control Panel. To install the agents from the Control Panel, perform the following steps: 1. Open the Network icon in the Control Panel. 2. Click the Add button in the Configuration tab. 3. In the Select Network Component Type dialog box, click Service in the list box and then the Add button. 4. In the Select Network Service dialog box that appears, click on the manufacturer in the Manufacturers list box (either Arcada or Cheyenne) and the appropriate backup agent in the Network Services list box. 5. Click on the OK button. 6. When the Select Network Service dialog box reappears, click on the SNMP agent in the Models list box. 7. Click on the OK button. Windows 98 copies and installs the appropriate files. 8. Click on OK to close the Network dialog box and update the settings. Windows 98 prompts you to restart the computer. Each backup agent must be configured to perform the operations you desire. While the Network dialog box is still open, select the Configuration tab and select the backup agent in the list box. Click on the Properties tab to display the property sheet for the agent. For both agents, it is important to set the controls to enable network backup to determine whether the Registry for the computer is backed up and to set an appropriate password. In addition, these property sheets enable you to select the folders that will be backed up and choose from some other agent-specific features. ----------

- 31 Page 572

Support Tools

Inside Windows 98

* Where to Find the System Tools * Using Dr. Watson * Loading Dr. Watson * Taking a Snapshot * Setting Options in Dr. Watson * Viewing Detailed Information * Creating Subsequent System Snapshots * Using Windows Update * The Update Wizard * * * * *

Using the System Information Utility Using the Version Conflict Manager Using the Signature Verification Tool Using the System Monitor Using the System File Checker * Checking Files for Errors * Extracting System Files * A Possible Limitation

* * * * * *

Using Using Using Using Using Using

the System Resource Meter the Automatic Skip Driver Agent the ActiveX Control Viewer the System Configuration Utility Windows Help the Windows Report Tool

Although Windows 98 is another great step forward in the history of Windows operating systems, it is quite possible that you'll experience at least one or more software or hardware problems with your use of Windows 98. Although Windows 98 was thoroughly tested by users at Microsoft and thousands of other locations for over a year, it is almost impossible to eliminate all problems an operating system might encounter. Millions of personal computers throughout the world will be using Windows 98, and they all have different software and hardware installed. You might eventually run into a problem you would like to solve on your own, if possible, rather than pay for a technical support call. Furthermore, even if you decide to request technical support, the person helping you might need to get some rather detailed information about your particular computer configuration to best determine what is causing your problem. Here is where Windows 98 support tools come into play. In this chapter we will discuss the following topics: * The updated Dr. Watson tool * Windows update * The System Information tool and related tools such as the System Monitor, the System File Checker, the System Resource Page 573

Inside Windows 98 Meter, and the Automatic Skip Driver Agent * The ActiveX Control Viewer * The new HTML-based Windows Help You can use the support tools supplied with Windows 98 to track down problems or to simply find out more information about your system. By using the tools discussed in this chapter, along with the other tools (such as those used for disk maintenance) previously discussed in this book, you can also keep your computer in top shape and help avoid any potential problems down the road. Where to Find the System Tools Many of the tools discussed in this chapter are in the System Tools program group, which you can access by navigating from the Start button, as shown in Figure 31.1. To make sure that all the support tools are installed on your computer, choose Add/Remove Programs from the Control Panel and click on the Windows Setup tab. Click on the System Tools category and click on the Details button. Make sure all tools listed there have a check mark beside them; then click OK to close the Control Panel and install any tools not already present on your system (you will be prompted to insert the Windows 98 CD-ROM if you wish to install any additional tools). Some of the system tools discussed in this chapter must either be loaded from the Run menu (found off the Start button) or launched from within the System Information tool discussed later in this chapter. Each of the following sections that describe the various system tools also include information as to where you can find the tools. FIGURE 31.1 The System Tools program group contains many of the system components discussed in this chapter, along with various network and disk tools. Using Dr. Watson With Windows 98, Microsoft is breathing new life into one of the older and more familiar support tools. Dr. Watson is a memory-resident tool that monitors your system and jumps into action whenever an application performs an illegal operation or crashes. The Dr. Watson utility derives its name from the notion of having someone constantly monitoring the health of your computer system and advising you about any problems it might be experiencing. Although Dr. Watson was included with previous versions of Windows, its use and capabilities were fairly limited. Assuming that it worked properly in its previous incarnations, Dr. Watson would bring up a dialog box any time an application crashed and would inform you that it was creating a log of the information associated with that crash. The information in the Page 574

Inside Windows 98 log, of which few users could make heads or tails, could then be conveyed to a technical support person to assist in determining why the program failed. In Windows 98, Dr. Watson has evolved into a full-fledged system information and support tool. Unlike its previous versions, Dr. Watson can now give you a wealth of information about applications and device drivers running on your system, making it easier to diagnose problems yourself as well as to provide detailed information to support personnel. Loading Dr. Watson As in previous versions of Windows, Dr. Watson does not automatically load when you boot your computer. You also won't find it listed anywhere on your Start button menu or in the Support Tools program group. You must load Dr. Watson from the command line or from the System Information tool, or you can set it up to automatically load each time you start Windows 98. To start Dr. Watson, either open an MS-DOS prompt window or choose Run from the Start button menu. Type drwatson and press Enter. This will execute the DRWATSON.EXE application found in your Windows 98 root folder, which by default is usually C:\WINDOWS. When you load Dr. Watson for the first time, it should scan your system for configuration information. Note that although you can keep Dr. Watson running all the time on your computer, in most cases it doesn't make sense to do so because the monitoring Dr. Watson performs will slow down your system to some degree. Although this system degradation might not be noticeable on a fast computer, in most cases Dr. Watson is usually best reserved for use when troubleshooting. Thus, if you notice that an application is crashing on a regular basis, you might load Dr. Watson so that it can intercept the problem the next time the application causes a fault. Taking a Snapshot When you run Dr. Watson, it will analyze all the software and device drivers running on your system and create a snapshot of everything running on your system. After it has finished this process, which might take as much as a minute or two depending on the speed of your computer, it will open a window advising you of whether it found any noticeable problems with your system (see Figure 31.2). In this default window you can enter any relevant information into the large text box located in the bottom half of the window. Any information you place here will be kept along with the rest of the snapshot information that was generated. If you later experience system or application faults that cause Dr. Watson to create a snapshot, you should enter information into this text box that indicates what you were doing at the time this fault occurred--such as trying to print a document or access a Web site. You can send this information, along with the rest of the snapshot, to a technical support person to assist in Page 575

determining the cause of the error.

Inside Windows 98

FIGURE 31.2 This is the default window that Dr. Watson shows when it creates a system snapshot. After the snapshot is created and you have entered any information you want into the text box on the default window, choose Save from the File pull-down menu. A standard Windows Save dialog box will then appear, asking where you want to save the file. Select a name for your Dr. Watson log file and save it in the directory of your choice. Dr. Watson will then make a log entry of all this information in a file in the directory you selected. This log file will have a .WLG extension. You can view it directly within Dr. Watson. Thus, if you double-click on a log file, or if you select the file by choosing Open from the File pull-down menu in Dr. Watson and navigate to the location of that log file, Dr. Watson will load the file and display it just as it appeared when the program made the snapshot. Setting Options in Dr. Watson Although the default settings in Dr. Watson will suffice for many users, you might want to configure the program to keep a detailed history of logs and to display the log file with more information than that shown in the default window. To enable these and other capabilities, choose View | Options. The Options window appears, as shown in Figure 31.3. The main items you might want to change here are the Log Files and View settings. The Log Files setting allows you to determine how many snapshots will be maintained in the Dr. Watson log. You might want to decrease this number if you want to save disk space, or alternatively you might increase this amount if you want to track a long history of system configuration snapshots. FIGURE 31.3 You can customize Dr. Watson according to your needs through the Options window. However, the item you most likely will want to change in this Options window is the View settings. The Standard view is enabled by default. When using the Standard view, only the main Dr. Watson screen will be displayed whenever a system snapshot is generated (refer to Figure 31.2). By selecting the Advanced view option, you can see the large amount of system information Dr. Watson logs and tracks. Viewing Detailed Information Although the default window displayed by Dr. Watson will supply you with some basic information about any problem you might experience, you must choose the Advanced view option to see all of the wealth of information generated by the snapshot. You can Page 576

Inside Windows 98 view your snapshot in Advanced view either by choosing that option from the Options window shown in Figure 31.3 or by choosing View | Advanced View. In either event, the default window will change to a multitabbed window from which you can choose among items of information gathered by the snapshot (see Figure 31.4). Note that the tabs that appear in Advanced view will differ somewhat from computer to computer based on the configuration of each system. Therefore, the tabs shown in Figure 31.4 and discussed in this section might be different than those on your computer. The System Tab The first tabbed window in Dr. Watson after the Diagnosis tab (which is the main default window shown in Standard view) is the System tab. This tab displays information about the version of Windows 98 you are using and other related data. Windows 98 is actually version 4.1 of Microsoft Windows, and any additional numbers refer to the build number, or interim version, of Windows 98. Thus, the display of "Microsoft Windows 98 4.10.1691" means you are using build 1691 of Windows 98. This information can help technical support personnel determine the exact version of Windows 98 that you are using so that they can help narrow their attempts to find or duplicate your specific problem. This is necessary because the Windows 98 system will behave differently based on which version you are using. FIGURE 31.4 The Advanced view option allows you to see all the information Dr. Watson logs when it creates a snapshot of your system. This System tab shows the type of installation that was performed, such as an upgrade from a previous version of Windows. It also displays your username, which might be relevant if you have configured Windows 98 to be used by more than one person. The System tab further displays information about your hardware, such as the type of processor and the amount of random access memory (RAM) on your computer. Finally, this tab shows what level of system resources were available when the snapshot was made. The Tasks Tab If you have ever wanted to review all the software components running on your computer at any given time, you are going to love the Tasks tab. Within this window is displayed virtually everything you would want to know about each and every application and system process running on your computer (see Figure 31.5). FIGURE 31.5 The Tasks tab shows every application running on your system, including some system programs you probably didn't even realize were loaded. Page 577

Inside Windows 98 Moving from left to right in this tab's window, the first thing displayed is the actual filename of the program that is running. Following that is the version number of the application and the name of the company that developed the software. A user-friendly description for the application is also provided. Both the file version and description information are pulled from data placed in the application's executable file by the software development company. This window also provides you with the exact path for this file so that you can navigate to it if necessary. Finally, this window displays the main program with which the application is associated. The Startup Tab When your computer boots up, Windows 98 automatically loads a number of applications. Many of these applications are located in the Startup programs group located off the Start menu, but others are loaded based on settings in the system Registry file. The Startup tab, shown in Figure 31.6, identifies all programs loaded by default each time Windows 98 boots. This tab lists the name of the application or system file that is loaded and then identifies whether the program is launched from the Startup group or from settings in the Registry. Finally it tells you the command executed to launch that application. FIGURE 31.6 By selecting the Startup tab, you can see which programs are normally loaded each time you start Windows 98. TIP: You can prevent applications in your Startup group from loading when you boot into Windows 98 by holding down the Control (CTRL) key on your keyboard while Windows 98 is booting. However, this does not prevent applications whose launch settings are maintained in the Registry from loading. If you wish to remove or add programs from the Startup group, you can do so by using the System Configuration Utility as discussed later in this chapter. The Kernel Drivers Tab By clicking on the Kernel Drivers tab (see Figure 31.7), you can view the virtual device drivers and related system files loaded on your computer. These files are used in connection with various application and system processes and also provide the means by which various hardware components interact with the operating system. Moving from left to right, this window shows the name of the driver followed by its version number and manufacturer. It then displays a description of the driver to help you determine with which application, process, or hardware device the driver is associated. It also tells you how the driver is loaded--for Page 578

Inside Windows 98 instance, from a Registry setting--and whether the driver is static or dynamic. You will notice that most of the Plug and Play drivers are dynamic because these are loaded and unloaded depending on whether their related process or hardware device is currently running on your computer. Finally, this window shows whether the driver is provided as part of the operating system files or is supplied by an independent hardware or software vendor. FIGURE 31.7 The Kernel Drivers tab displays the wide variety of drivers running on your system that enable applications and hardware to function properly. The User Drivers and MS-DOS Drivers Tabs When you select the User Drivers tab (see Figure 31.8) you will see a number of multimedia drivers loaded on your system, such as drivers for the DirectX Windows 98 components. This window displays the filename for the driver, the version number and manufacturer, a description of the driver's purpose, the exact path for the driver's location, and the system component (operating system or otherwise) the driver is part of. Following the User Drivers tab is the one for MS-DOS drivers. As shown in Figure 31.9, when you select this tab a list of any device drivers that run in MS-DOS environments will be displayed. These drivers are used for MS-DOS programs that run within Windows 98. Any drivers for hardware devices that require real-mode MS-DOS drivers can also be listed here. FIGURE 31.8 For information on multimedia drivers, look in the User Drivers tab. FIGURE 31.9 A list of all MS-DOS device drivers is displayed on the MS-DOS Drivers tab. The 16-bit Modules Tab Although Windows 98 is a 32-bit operating system, it retains and supports 16-bit modules to attain a high degree of backward compatibility with software and hardware designed, either in whole or in part, for use on 16-bit operating systems such as Windows 3.1. Therefore, there will always be quite a number of 16-bit modules on your computer. The 16-bit Modules tab (see Figure 31.10) displays the modules running on your system. Like the previous tabs, this window displays a variety of information about each module running on your system at the time the snapshot was taken. You can use this information to identify each module and determine its physical location within your system. FIGURE 31.10 The 16-bit Modules tab identifies components on your system that employ 16-bit system processes. Creating Subsequent System Snapshots

Page 579

Inside Windows 98 When Dr. Watson is loaded in memory, you can create a system snapshot at any time by double-clicking on its icon in the system tray. If you have Dr. Watson loaded in memory on your system, it will also automatically appear and create a snapshot whenever an application performs an invalid operation or crashes. Be sure to save this log file for future reference by choosing File | Save in Dr. Watson. After you have run Dr. Watson for the first time during any Windows session, it will remain resident in memory until you unload it. If you wish to stop running Dr. Watson, simply right-click its icon in the system tray and select Exit Dr. Watson. Using Windows Update One of the new features in Windows 98 is Windows Update (see Figure 31.11). This tool is a one-stop shop for getting the latest Windows 98 drivers and system components and for searching the Microsoft KnowledgeBase for references to a problem you might be experiencing. FIGURE 31.11 Windows Update provides an easy way to connect to Microsoft resources on the Internet. WARNING: Web sites often change in terms of look and content. It is possible that the Windows Update Web site may look different than what is described here. Windows Update is a gateway for obtaining two main types of help from Microsoft over the Internet: the Update Wizard and Technical Support. By using these resources you can solve many problems yourself and can also keep your system up-to-date. To access Windows Update, simply click on the Start button and select Windows Update from the Start button menu. This will open a Web page in Internet Explorer, so you should be connected to the Internet before starting Windows Update. When Internet Explorer opens, the Windows Update page on Microsoft's Web site will automatically load. After this page loads, you should see a window similar to the one shown in Figure 31.11. When you load the Windows Update page for the first time, your Web browser will likely download one or more ActiveX controls used to check your computer for available updates. During this process you will be presented with a pop-up window asking you whether you want to install each control. Click on the Yes button to install the control so that the Update Wizard will function properly. TIP: Like all ActiveX controls that you download from the Internet or an intranet, the control used by the Page 580

Inside Windows 98 Update Wizard can be removed manually later if you wish. If you want to remove this control, open the Downloaded Program Files folder within your Windows 98 directory and remove the Conveyor Control. For more information on removing ActiveX controls from your system, see the "Using the ActiveX Control Viewer" section later in this chapter. Although the rest of this section focuses on the Update Wizard, you can also access Microsoft Technical Support over the Internet by choosing that link from the main Windows Update page. The Update Wizard The Update Wizard contains newer versions of Windows 98 components and drivers from Microsoft. Note that although the Update Wizard will notify you of any new components available from Microsoft, you might still need to check with hardware and software manufacturers from whom you purchased your computer and any accessories to obtain any updated drivers or software for their products. When you open the Update Wizard page within Windows Update you are presented with two links: Update and Restore. Clicking on Update will download a list of available updates and will then scan your computer to see whether it can use any of them. For instance, if there is an updated driver available for a DVD drive but you don't have that drive, you won't be notified of its availability. Windows 98 will determine whether any of the available updates are of use to you, making it a lot easier than having to manually look through a list of all available updates and trying to determine which files are necessary for your particular system. Conversely, choosing Restore will uninstall any components you choose that you have previously installed through the Update Wizard. Both the Update and Restore functions are fairly straightforward and require little effort on your part. NOTE: To use the Update Wizard you must first electronically register your copy of Windows 98 with Microsoft, using the online registration process. If you have not previously registered your copy of Windows 98, you will be prompted to do so when you try to use the Update Wizard for the first time. After you have successfully registered using the Registration Wizard, Windows 98 will automatically proceed to the Update Wizard page. Update If you click on the Update link on the Windows Update page, another browser window will appear and a separate Update page Page 581

Inside Windows 98 will be loaded into that browser. When that window loads, it will automatically download a file containing all available updates and will begin scanning your computer to see whether any of the available updates apply to your computer, as shown in Figure 31.12. FIGURE 31.12 The Update Wizard will scan your computer to determine whether any of your files need to be updated. After that process has completed, which might take several minutes, a list of all available updates for your computer will appear in the left window of this page. As shown in Figure 31.13, if you click on any of the available updates in the left window, the Update Wizard will download a brief description of the update and display that information in the right window. If, after reviewing the description of the file, you decide you want to download and install the update, click the Install link found in the upper-right portion of this page. FIGURE 31.13 You can select any of the available updates to get additional information to help you determine whether to install the update. NOTE: When you elect to install an update, the previous version of the related file stays on your computer. Thus, if you later decide to remove the upgraded component, you can have the Update Wizard reinstall the previous version. When you click Install, the ActiveX control used to download and install the component you selected will present a separate window informing you that you have chosen to install the component (see Figure 31.14). The main purpose of this window is to allow you to confirm that in fact you want to install the component. The name of the component you selected for installation should also appear in this window. Click the OK button to proceed or click Cancel to return to the Update Wizard page without installing the upgrade component. FIGURE 31.14 Windows Update uses an ActiveX control to download and install any components you elect to update. After you click on the OK button, a progress bar will appear on the Update Wizard page that will inform you of the status of downloading the selected component. After the upgrade has been successfully downloaded and installed, a dialog box will appear notifying you that the installation is complete. Although the Update Wizard should have identified all available updates the first time it scanned your computer when loading the update page, you can check again to make sure that there are no other available updates. To do so, click on the Rescan link. The Update Wizard will then perform another full scan of your system to make sure you have all of the available updates. Page 582

Inside Windows 98 Restore After installing an update, you might decide later that you want to uninstall it. The most common reason for doing this would be if an updated driver or component you installed is not working properly on your computer. In such an event, choose the Restore link from within the Update Wizard page (see Figure 31.15). FIGURE 31.15 Windows 98 makes it easy to uninstall any component you have updated through the Update Wizard. When you select Restore, the wizard will then display a list of all installed upgrades in the left window of the page. After you select the component by clicking on it, choose the Uninstall link to remove this updated component from your system. The previous version of this file will then automatically be restored to your computer in place of the newer version. Using the System Information Utility The System Information utility, which is available from the System Tools program group, provides real-time information about your system on a wide variety of hardware and software settings. If you want a detailed list of which files and system processes are running on your system, or if you want detailed information about hardware settings and potential conflicts, System Information can often provide enough information to help you diagnose a problem. If you find that you need technical support for Windows 98 or other applications, the support engineer with whom you speak might very well ask you to run System Information to get some specific information about your system. Although System Information was included with previous versions of Windows, it has been enhanced to provide even greater detail in Windows 98 (see Figure 31.16). One of the best features of System Information is that it is a central application from which you can launch many of the system tools found in Windows 98, including several that do not appear in the System Tools program group. These other applications are available from the Tools pull-down menu and include such relatively obscure tools as the Signature Verification Tool, the Automatic Skip Driver Agent, and the Version Conflict Manager, all of which are discussed later in this chapter. FIGURE 31.16 System Information can provide a wealth of detail about the hardware and software on your com-puter. Using the Version Conflict Manager You can run the Version Conflict Manager by selecting it from the Tools pull-down menu in the System Information utility. This tool, shown in Figure 31.17, tracks certain files that were updated when you installed Windows 98 and provides a means by which you can restore the old version to your computer. Page 583

Inside Windows 98 FIGURE 31.17 You can use the Version Conflict Manager to return to a previous version of a file. To restore a file that was backed up by Windows 98, simply select it from the list of available files and click on the Restore Selected Files button. As with many other Windows applications, you can select multiple files by holding down the Control (CTRL) key on your keyboard as you select each file. After you have restored files, you might need to reboot your computer before the changes take effect. Using the Signature Verification Tool This tool can check any file on your computer to determine whether it has been signed by the company that developed the file. Windows 98 allows the operating system to automatically check a driver, application, or other file for a signature before installing it on your system. Code signing is an important element of the Windows Update tool, which can be set to prevent the installation of unsigned code. All Microsoft drivers and software components distributed via the Windows Update Web site are signed by Microsoft. To run this tool, select it from the Tools pull-down menu in the System Information utility. Using the System Monitor The System Monitor is a tool that can be used to track any number of different operations on your computer, from processor usage to the data transfer rate on your network or dial-up connection. Like all system monitoring tools, in most cases you would not want to run it all the time because it will cause some level of system degradation, although on a fast computer it probably would not be noticeable. Usually you will only want to use the System Monitor for a certain period of time, such as a few hours or days, to analyze your system performance and troubleshoot any problems or bottlenecks. To run the System Monitor, select it from the System Tools program group. You can use it to keep track of a wide range of system elements, as shown in Figure 31.18. Although System Monitor will usually add one element (processor usage) by default, you can add any system elements you want it to monitor by either clicking on the Add button on the toolbar or by choosing Edit | Add Item. A two-pane window will appear containing all of the processes you can monitor (see Figure 31.19). FIGURE 31.18 You can use the System Monitor to track the perform- ance of any number of different system functions. FIGURE 31.19 You can select from a wide range of system processes to monitor. When you click on a category in the left window pane, all of the associated elements that can be monitored for that category are Page 584

Inside Windows 98 displayed in the right pane. After you have selected one of these items and clicked the OK button, the main System Monitor window will be refreshed. In addition to displaying any other elements previously being monitored, it will now also contain the new item you selected. Note that the categories and items available for monitoring will vary from computer to computer based on their configurations. Therefore, the choices available on your computer may be different from those shown in Figures 31.18 and 31.19. After you have selected the system processes you want to monitor, you might want to change the way that the System Monitor displays the results of its monitoring. Although the default is to use line charts (refer to Figure 31.18), you can elect to have the results shown as bar charts or numeric charts. To select these chart displays, you can either click on the toolbar buttons for these options or select them by choosing these chart types from the View pull-down menu. One of the other options available from the toolbar and pull-down menus is to edit the display and other elements of each system process being monitored. To do this, either click on the Edit button located on the toolbar or choose Edit | Edit Item. This brings up another window from which you can select the item you want to edit; then click OK. You will be able to change the color and other elements used in the graph for that process. If you like, you can have the System Monitor keep a log of the processes it is monitoring in a file to which you can refer later. To enable logging, choose File | Start Logging. You are prompted to name the file and determine where to store it. When you have done this, click the Save button and System Monitor begins logging. When you want to stop logging, simply choose that option from the File pull-down menu. Using the System File Checker You can use the System File Checker (see Figure 31.20) to periodically scan the system files on your computer to make sure they have not become corrupted and that the wrong version of a file hasn't been copied over the previously existing file. You can also use this tool to extract a system file from your Windows 98 CD-ROM. FIGURE 31.20 In addition to checking your system files for errors, the System File Checker makes it much easier to extract system files from the installation disk. Checking Files for Errors If you want to have System File Checker check your system files for errors, choose that option and click on the Start button located in that window. It will then scan your files and, in all likelihood, simply bring up a dialog box telling you how many files were examined and providing you with some other related Page 585

Inside Windows 98 information. However, depending on the tool's settings that you have selected using the Settings button, if the System File Checker notifies you that one or more of the files has some type of error, you can use it to extract a copy of that file from the installation disk. Although a system file can be corrupted sometime after installation, it is also possible that either you or some application might accidentally delete one or more system files from your computer. System File Checker can notify you of any such potential problems and prompt you to extract the file to reinstall it on your system. Before examining the file extraction capabilities of this tool, you should click on the Settings button found in the main window of this tool. This will bring up a separate tabbed window containing a number of different options from which you can choose. Here you can specifically tell the tool to check for changed and deleted files. You can also expand or limit the scope of files the utility checks, and you can create a custom verification data file that the tool will use to check system files for errors. Extracting System Files If you have ever tried to extract a system file from a Windows 95 CD-ROM, you will be grateful for the ease with which you can extract system files using the System File Checker. Windows 95 requires users to run the Extract utility from the command line and use the proper syntax to successfully extract a file from the installation disk. The main problem with using Extract, however, is that you must know the cabinet file from which you want to perform the extraction. A cabinet file is a compressed set of files grouped together and having a .CAB extension. In most cases you do not know which cabinet file has the system file for which you are looking. Therefore, most people cannot extract system files without a lot of help. The System File Checker makes this extraction process painless. You don't need to know which cabinet file the file you need is located in. All you have to know is the name of the file for which you are looking. Windows 98 should even recall the CD-ROM drive letter and the subdirectory on the Windows 98 CD-ROM on which the file is located. To extract a file, simply choose the option from the installation disk and enter the file's name into the text box, as shown previously in Figure 31.20. Click on the Start button and System File Checker will walk you through the steps needed to extract the file. The corrupted file will be backed up in case you want to reinstall it, and the extracted file will be placed in the appropriate location within your Windows 98 directory. A Possible Limitation Although the System File Checker is a handy tool for detecting and fixing corrupted or missing system files, it has at least Page 586

Inside Windows 98 one limitation. Because some Windows 98 system files will be updated over time, the version of some of the system files on your installation disk will eventually become outdated. Therefore, unless you know that the system file you are extracting is the latest version, you might inadvertently extract an older version of that file in place of the newer file that has been deleted or corrupted in some way. This is a significant limitation because some applications will probably require the newer version of that system file to function properly (or to function at all). If you encounter such a problem with a file you have extracted, you should try using the Update Wizard found within the Windows Update tool to check and see whether a newer version of that file is available from Microsoft. If so, you should download and install that update; this should then put your system back in proper working order. Using the System Resource Meter One of the best system monitoring tools for everyday use supplied with Windows 98 is the System Resource Monitor. When loaded on your computer, this tool places an icon in your system tray that constantly updates you as to the level of system resources available for use by your computer. If you either double-click on the icon or right-click on the icon and choose Details, a window will appear that displays the current level of available resources. Although this window displays the system resources tracked by this application, you can get a general idea of the level of available resources by looking at the Resource Meter's icon in the system tray. As the level in that icon goes down, you know that your system resources are getting lower. You can also get a reading of these resources without opening the Resource Meter window by moving your mouse over the icon in the system tray, at which time a ToolTip will appear containing the system resource levels, as shown in Figure 31.21. FIGURE 31.21 You can keep an eye on your system resources at all times by using the System Resource Meter. If you notice the level of system resources getting very low, you might try closing one or more open applications to see whether the resource level increases. If the color of the icon changes to yellow, you should immediately take action to close open applications and determine why your resources are getting low. It is important to act at this point because if the icon changes to red, it might be too late to close your open applications before the operating system freezes up, resulting in possible data loss. After the icon reaches yellow, but before it turns red, Windows 98 should bring up a warning and prompt you to close some of your open applications. Sometimes programs with memory leaks and other such bugs can cause your system resources to steadily decrease over time while those programs are open. By using the System Resource Meter, you Page 587

Inside Windows 98 can be alerted to potential problems relating to such bugs so that you can take corrective action before your system crashes. Using the Automatic Skip Driver Agent One of the common problems associated with personal computers is hardware conflicts. These conflicts can have any number of causes, such as corrupted or poorly written device drivers, more than one hardware device set to the same IRQ setting, and other such problems. Unfortunately, when these conflicts arise they can prevent all or part of your operating system from functioning properly. To help provide a short-term fix for such problems, Microsoft has included a new utility in Windows 98 known as Automatic Skip Driver Agent. As the name might imply, this utility acts as a system agent that monitors the loading of hardware drivers on your system and looks for problems associated with such drivers. If a hardware device fails to respond during the installation or loading of Windows 98, this agent will display a dialog box informing you that there is a problem with the hardware device that could cause your system to stop responding. It will then ask you whether you want to automatically skip the loading of this driver from now on when you boot your computer. If you agree to this, Windows 98 will disable that driver and it will not be loaded until you attempt to fix the problem, such as by checking the System settings in the Control Panel. Like some of the other tools discussed in this chapter, one way to load this utility is from the Tools pull-down menu in System Information. You can also load this program by clicking on the Start button and choosing Run. Enter asd in the text box that appears and click the OK button. Unless you have previously been notified of a problem, when you run this utility you will likely get nothing more than a simple dialog box stating that there are no current ASD critical operation failures on your computer, meaning that everything appears to be running fine. Using the ActiveX Control Viewer If you have used Internet Explorer 3.0 or 4.0, the latter of which comes with Windows 98, you might be familiar with ActiveX controls. These objects are used on Internet and intranet sites to display data and graphics in advanced ways that you would normally expect to see only in a Windows application. The reason these objects might look like they are part of a Windows program is that, in many instances, these same objects are also used in Windows applications. One problem with the use of ActiveX controls is that, unlike traditional Web page content, they have to be loaded and installed on your computer like most other system files. Additionally, over time they can accumulate and take up space on your hard drive; yet because of their data type they are not purged from your system when you clean your browser's cache file (which is referred to by the term "Temporary Internet files" in Page 588

Internet Explorer).

Inside Windows 98

The solution for this problem is the ActiveX Control Viewer. You won't find this tool within any program group on your computer. Rather, this is the official name for the tool used to display ActiveX control information within a special folder in Windows Explorer. To use the ActiveX Control Viewer, use Windows Explorer to open the Downloaded Program Files folder located within your Windows 98 directory. Here you will likely see several ActiveX controls listed. These are controls that were downloaded over the Internet or your intranet when you viewed a Web page that used these controls. To find out more information about any control shown here, right-click on its icon and choose Properties. This will bring up a multitabbed Properties window containing information about this control (see Figure 31.22). FIGURE 31.22 The Properties window displays additional information about each control to help you decide whether it is needed for your system. The main page in this window displays such information as the control's name and size. It might also contain a listing for the codebase for the control, which is usually an Internet or intranet address from which the control can be downloaded. When you open this Properties page, the class ID for the control is highlighted by default. If you are a Web page developer you can right-click on this highlighted information, choose Copy, and paste this information into the related Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) address on your Web page. This is an easy way to add an ActiveX control to your Web page without having to type out each character in the class ID. If you determine you no longer need an ActiveX control found in this folder, right-click on the control's icon and choose Remove. Windows 98 will then uninstall the control (which requires a change to your system's Registry file) and delete it from your computer. If there are any other system files related to this control that are not used by any other application, you might also be prompted to remove those files as well. Using the System Configuration Utility If you want to change some portions of the Windows 98 startup configuration, such as stopping it from loading some of the programs in your Startup group, you should consider using the System Configuration Utility. This tool lets you edit the Windows 98 startup files (WIN.INI, CONFIG.SYS, SYSTEM.INI, and AUTOEXEC.BAT), edit the contents of the Startup group, and use advanced settings to selectively load any or all of these elements. To launch this utility, select it from the Tools pull-down menu in the System Information tool. Select each of the tabs to see what programs and other elements are loaded each time you start Page 589

Inside Windows 98 Windows 98. You can stop any of these from running when you boot up by deselecting them. If you choose the Advanced button on the main tab in this utility, you can make additional configuration changes to help troubleshoot problems in your system. However, you shouldn't make any changes unless you know what you are doing because the changes you make could result in serious problems, such as preventing your computer from booting into Windows 98. Using Windows Help Windows 98 introduces a new version of Microsoft's on-line help: HTML-based Help. Although previous Windows and Windows NT operating systems use 16- and 32-bit versions of the WinHelp online help application, Windows 98 is the first Microsoft operating system to use this new form of help file built around the HTML programming language used in Web pages. When you load Help by selecting it from the Start menu, you will note a new look and feel for this help format (see Figure 31.23). The left pane of this window contains Contents, Index, and Search tabs that allow you to find and select help content, which is then displayed in the right pane. Both panes make liberal use of hyperlinks and other HTML features you might have seen on Web pages. FIGURE 31.23 If you are accustomed to navigating within Web pages, you will feel right at home in the new HTML-based Windows Help. The toolbar contains Back and Forward buttons similar to those found in a Web browser. By using these buttons, you can move back and forth between help pages you have viewed. The Options button allows you to do such things as print the displayed help article. If you don't like seeing the left pane and you would prefer to work solely in the right pane, click on the Hide button and the left pane will disappear. You can make it appear again by selecting the Show button (which replaces the Hide button). Clicking on the Web Help button will cause a page to appear in the right pane with links to Microsoft's technical support Web site. Using the Windows Report Tool If you experience a problem with Windows 98 that you can't solve on your own through Windows Help and the tools discussed in this chapter, your next step before calling for technical support might be to report the problem to Microsoft by using the Windows Report Tool. Although you will find links that launch this tool within Windows Help, you can also launch this application at any time by choosing Run from the Start button, entering winrep into the text box that appears, and then clicking the OK button. To use this tool, simply press the Tab button on your keyboard to move from field to field and enter the requested information, as shown in Figure 31.24. When you are done, click on the Next Page 590

Inside Windows 98 button and a browser window will appear from which you can submit the report to Microsoft (you will need to be connected to the Internet before sending this file). FIGURE 31.24 The Windows Report Tool allows you to send information to Microsoft about a problem you are experiencing. ---------Appendix A Inside Messaging and Fax * * * * *

Read This First Identifying the Features of Microsoft Fax Fax Modem Requirements of Microsoft Fax Installing Microsoft Fax Configuring Fax Modem Options * Configure Advanced Fax Modem Settings * Setting Dialing Properties * Setting Toll Prefixes and Retry Options * Configuring Message Options

* Configuring a Shared Fax Modem * Setting Up a Fax Server * Setting Up a Fax Server Client * Setting Up Security * Setting Up Key Encryption * Sharing Public Keys * Receiving Public Keys Read This First One of the most popular communications components of Windows 95 is Microsoft Fax. With Windows 98, however, Fax is not an option to install. To use Fax under Windows 98, you must have previously installed Fax under Windows 95. During the Windows 98 Setup process, Fax is left intact. You can then use Fax to send and receive fax messages. This appendix assumes you want to be able to run Microsoft Fax under Windows 98, but you have not installed Windows 98 yet. You need to work through this appendix before running Windows 98 Setup. This appendix also assumes you have Windows 95 running and that Windows Messaging (formerly called Microsoft Exchange in early releases of Windows 95) is installed. If you don't have Windows Messaging installed, refer to your Windows 95 documentation. WARNING: If you uninstall Microsoft Fax under Windows 98, you cannot re-install it under Windows 98. You must re-install Windows 95, install Fax, and then upgrade to Windows 98 again. Page 591

Inside Windows 98 Identifying the Features of Microsoft Fax Microsoft Fax enables you to send and receive faxes through your fax modem on your computer. You can use Microsoft Fax on a separate computer to service one user, or connect it to a network to use it as a fax server in a workgroup environment. Microsoft Fax is part of the Windows Messaging architecture and can replace any fax software you might already have installed on your computer, such as WinFax Pro. Microsoft Fax enables you to create fax messages, add cover pages, and send the messages to another fax machine or fax modem device. Because Fax is a MAPI (Messaging Application Program-ming Interface)-compliant application, you can use other applications, such as Microsoft Word for Windows 97, to send faxes. Also, if you use Microsoft Fax to send a fax to a fax modem, you can encrypt it with a password to provide a layer of security for the document. TIP: Microsoft Fax includes fax printer drivers so you can print to a fax modem from within any Windows application. You also can use Microsoft Fax to receive fax messages. A message can be faxed to you by the sender calling your fax number and delivering the fax. Or, if you use fax-back services to receive technical support information, sales information, or other data, you can dial the service and have it download the document to your fax modem using Microsoft Fax. TIP: You can store fax messages in the Windows Messaging Inbox. A Microsoft Fax message can be sent in one of two ways: * Binary file * Hard copy fax The latter option is the traditional way in which fax messages are sent and received via a fax machine, known as a Group 3 fax machine. The limitation of sending faxes this way is that the recipient cannot edit the document or use it as a binary file, unless the document is scanned or keyed into a file. A binary file is simply a file created in an application, such as Word for Windows or Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows. Another frustrating aspect of paper faxes is that they can be difficult or impossible to read. When you use Microsoft Fax to send a binary file to another fax modem, the recipient can view and edit the fax in the Page 592

Inside Windows 98 application in which it was created and modify it. This feature is handled by Microsoft Fax's Binary File Transfer (BFT) capability. BFT was originally created for Microsoft's At Work program and is now supported by Windows Messaging so that you can create a mail message and attach a binary file to it. Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and other Microsoft At Work enabled platforms also can receive BFT messages. One way in which you can take advantage of the BFT feature in Microsoft Fax is to use it with other applications, such as Microsoft Word for Windows. You can, for example, create a Word document and send it as a Microsoft Fax message to another user who has Microsoft Fax installed (and Word for Windows). The recipient receives the message and can read it as a Word document. If the recipient doesn't have a fax modem card and Microsoft Fax and instead has a Group 3 fax machine, Microsoft Fax automatically prints the Word document as a printed fax image. A problem with sending files this way is the transmission speed and compression feature of the recipient fax machine. Fax machines are much slower than fax modems, so a large binary file (such as a 50-page Word document), can take a long time to transmit and print on the recipient's fax machine. Before you send a large attached document to someone's fax machine, you might want to test this feature first. Fax Modem Requirements of Microsoft Fax Besides having Windows 98 and Windows Messaging installed, you must have a fax modem installed. Your fax modem must meet the following requirements: * High-speed fax modem, such as a 14.4 or higher Kbps fax modem * Phone line * Minimum requirements of Windows 95, but Pentium-based computer with 16 MB of RAM is recommended When you install Microsoft Fax on a network, your system must meet the following requirements: * High-speed fax modem, such as a 14.4, 28.8, or 33.6 Kbps fax modem * Phone line * At least an 80486-based computer with 8 MB of RAM * If the computer will be used as a workstation, at least 12 MB of RAM Regardless of the way in which you set up Microsoft Fax, either as a standalone or networked fax service, make sure that your Page 593

Inside Windows 98 fax modem is compatible with Microsoft Fax. The following lists and describes the compatible fax modems and fax machines you can use with Microsoft Fax: * Class 1 and Class 2. You need Class 1 or Class 2 fax modems to send BFT messages with attachments. These classes of fax modems also are required to use security features in Microsoft Fax. * ITU T.30 standard. This standard is for Group 3 fax machines, which are traditional fax machines common in many business environments. Microsoft Fax converts any BFT fax messages to a T.30 NSF (nonstandard facilities) transmission to enable compatibility with these types of fax machines. (ITU is the International Telecommunications Union.) * ITU V.17, V.29, V.27 standards. These types are used for high-speed faxes up to 33.6 Kbps. * Microsoft At Work platforms. You need Windows 95, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, or another Microsoft At Work-compatible platform to use Microsoft Fax. After installed on Windows 95, Fax will work on systems that are subsequently upgraded to Windows 98. WARNING: Check the fax modem documentation to ensure that it adheres to the preceding requirements and works with Microsoft Fax. Be aware that some fax modems on the market today do not work with Microsoft Fax.

NOTE: How can I diagnose problems with Microsoft Fax and my modem? One of the ways to see whether your fax modem is working correctly is by selecting Modems from the Control Panel. In the Modem Properties sheet, select the Diagnostics page. In the list of ports, select the port to which your fax modem is connected. Click More Info to run a diagnostic of your fax modem. If everything is okay, you get a report of your modem's properties. If your fax modem is awaiting a call, you receive a message saying that the port is already opened. You need to exit from Windows Messaging and rerun the modem diagnostics to get an accurate reading. If you still experience problems, you need to open the Modem Properties sheet and change some of the advanced settings. You might have to experiment with these settings before you find one that works for your modem. You also should make sure that you have a Microsoft Fax service set up for Windows Messaging. If not, see the following section, "Installing Microsoft Page 594

Fax."

Inside Windows 98

Installing Microsoft Fax To configure Microsoft Fax, you first need to install the Microsoft Fax software onto your system using the Add/Remove Programs Wizard under Windows 95. You need to have your Windows 95 installation disks or CD-ROM to add these files. Use the following steps to do this: 1. Select Start, Settings, Control Panel. 2. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel to display the Add/Remove Programs Properties sheet. 3. Click the Windows Setup page (see Figure A.1). FIGURE A.1 Make sure that the Windows Setup tab is active. 4. Scroll down the Components list box and select Microsoft Fax. Be sure not to click any other component that is already selected, or you will inadvertently remove those programs from your Windows 95 setup. If Windows Messaging is not installed, Windows displays a message asking if you want to install it as you install Microsoft Fax. Click Yes. 5. Click OK. 6. When Windows 95 prompts you for a specific Windows 95 Setup disk or CD-ROM, place it in the disk drive. Windows 95 copies the files onto your hard disk and returns you to the desktop when it finishes. Now that you have Microsoft Fax on your system, you can configure it as a Windows Messaging information service and start sending faxes. You can do this in one of two ways: by using the Control Panel or by using Windows Messaging. Just follow these steps: 1. Select Start, Settings, Control Panel. Double-click the Mail and Fax icon. The Windows Messaging Settings Properties sheet appears (see Figure A.2), in which you can configure the Microsoft Fax service. NOTE: If you do not see this sheet, click Show Profiles on the Services page to reveal the Windows Messaging Settings Profiles set up on your system. Select the Windows Messaging Settings profile and click Properties. Page 595

Inside Windows 98 FIGURE A.2 The Windows Messaging Settings Properties sheet contains all the services you configured during Windows 95 setup or when configuring Windows Messaging. 2. Select Microsoft Fax and click the Properties button. The Microsoft Fax Properties sheet displays (see Figure A.3). FIGURE A.3 The Microsoft Fax Properties sheet enables you to configure Microsoft Fax. 3. Select the User page (see Figure A.4). 4. Fill out the User sheet with the information you are asked for. For the most part, the text boxes are self-explanatory. The only text box that might need some explanation is the Mailbox (optional) item. The Mailbox (optional) item in the Your Return Fax Number section pertains to in-house mailboxes that you might have set up to receive fax messages. To fill in this box, type the name your administrator has assigned you, which might be your name, e-mail name, or some other identifier. Otherwise, leave this item blank. FIGURE A.4 Fill out the User page so that your fax recipients know who you are. NOTE: According to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulation Part 68, Section 68.318(c)(3), you must include the following items on all fax transmissions either on the top or bottom margins of all pages or on a cover page: * Date and time fax is sent * Identification of the business, "other entity," or the name of the sender * Telephone number of the sending fax machine 5. After you fill out the User page, click the Modem page to set up your fax modem to work with Microsoft Fax (see Figure A.5). If your fax modem already has been configured for Windows 95 (which it should be if you have an Internet or online service set up), your modem should already appear in the Available Fax Modems list. If your modem does not appear in the Available Fax Modems list, click the Add button. From the Add a Fax Modem dialog box, select Fax Modem and click OK. You then are walked through the Install New Modem Wizard. Page 596

Inside Windows 98 6. If more than one modem appears in this dialog box, click the modem you want to use as the default fax modem and click the Set As Active Fax Modem button. FIGURE A.5 You need to assign a fax modem to work with Microsoft Fax from this page. Configuring Fax Modem Options Microsoft Fax is a sophisticated application that you can set up to answer your phone automatically after so many rings, let you answer it manually, or not answer your phone at all (if you tend to send rather than receive most of your faxes). As part of the configuration process, you need to tell Microsoft Fax how to behave during a call, whether it's a received or delivered call. As in most other Windows components, you do all this by configuring Microsoft Fax's properties. TIP: You also can configure these options after you've upgraded to Windows 98. Use the following steps: 1. On the Modem page, select your fax modem in the Available Fax Modems list and click Properties. This displays the Fax Modem Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure A.6. 2. Set up each option, as described in the following list: * Answer after. Set this option to have Microsoft Fax answer a fax call after a certain number of rings. For some reason, you cannot set this value for 1 ring or for more than 10. A good number to set this to is 2 or 3. FIGURE A.6 Set the Microsoft Fax properties for your fax modem. * Manual. Use this option if you want Microsoft Fax to display a message on-screen when a call comes in. You then answer the call manually. As a recommendation, use this option only if you have one phone line that you use for both voice and fax. Otherwise, select the Answer After option. * Don't answer. Why have a fax modem if you don't want it to answer incoming faxes? The reason is because you might have to share COM ports with another device. Activate this option if your fax modem shares a port with another device, such as a mouse. * Speaker volume. It's not a bad idea to set this value to about the middle of the scroll bar so that you can hear when Page 597

Inside Windows 98 a fax is being received. If it's set too high (such as Loud), your ears might start bleeding when a fax begins transmitting. * Turn off after connected. Make sure that a check mark is in this box, unless you enjoy listening to two fax devices talk to each other. * Wait for dial tone before dialing. For most phone systems, this option needs to be selected to instruct Microsoft Fax to wait until a dial tone is heard before making an outgoing call. * Hang up if busy tone. Leave this option selected so that your fax modem doesn't stay on the line if the number you're calling is busy. * After dialing, wait x seconds for answer. Many fax machines and fax modems take a few seconds to synchronize after they've been called. This option sets the number of seconds Microsoft Fax waits for the receiving machine to get "in synch" after it answers the call. The default is 60 seconds, which is a good starting number. Increase this number if you notice Microsoft Fax canceling calls too soon. TIP: Disable the Turn off after connected option if you want to hear if your fax transmission is still connected. After you fill out this screen, click OK to save these configuration settings and to return to the fax modem properties screen. If you want to configure more advanced fax modem settings, click the Advanced button and read the next section. If not, skip to the "Setting Dialing Properties" section. NOTE: How do I turn off the fax modem speaker? Double-click Mail and Fax in the Control Panel. Click Microsoft Fax on the MS Windows Messaging Settings Properties sheet and click the Properties button. Select the Modems page and click the Properties button. In the Speaker Volume area, move the slider bar to the Off position. Configure Advanced Fax Modem Settings In the Advanced dialog box (see Figure A.7), you have the option of configuring more sophisticated fax modem settings. FIGURE A.7 Use the Advanced dialog box to troubleshoot fax modem problems that you might be experiencing. Page 598

Inside Windows 98 These options are detailed in the following list: * Disable High Speed Transmission. High speed transmissions are anything over 9600 bps. If your fax modem is rated for higher speeds, such as 33.6 bps, you might experience transmission errors communicating with other devices. Keep this setting disabled (unchecked) unless your outgoing and incoming faxes are not being handled reliably. Select this option to slow down your transmission speeds. * Disable Error Correction Mode. Fax transmissions demand a great deal of cooperation between the sending fax device and the receiving fax device. You need built-in error-correction procedures to make sure that the fax you send is received properly. This option is used to direct Microsoft Fax to send noneditable faxes, either to a fax machine or as a bitmap file, without using error correction. Keep this option disabled unless you cannot send or receive faxes reliably. * Enable MR Compression. Select this option to compress faxes you send or receive, decreasing the amount of time you're online. This option appears by default and is grayed out if your fax modem does not support MR compression. WARNING: Compressed faxes are more susceptible to line noise and interference. If a transmission experiences too much line noise or interference, your fax might become corrupted, or your fax modem connection might be lost. * Use Class 2 If Available. Select this option if you have problems sending or receiving messages using a fax modem that supports Class 1 and Class 2 fax modems. The default is to leave this option disabled. * Reject Pages Received With Errors. Most fax transmissions have some sort of problem occur during sending or receiving. You can set Microsoft Fax to have a high tolerance (more errors can occur during transmission), medium tolerance, low tolerance, and very low tolerance (fewer errors can occur during transmission) for errors before rejecting the page being received. The default is to have a high tolerance for errors. WARNING: If you select the Use Class 2 If Available option, you cannot use error-correction, or send or receive editable faxes. Click OK when these settings are ready. Click OK to return to the Modem Properties dialog box. Page 599

Setting Dialing Properties

Inside Windows 98

Now that you have Microsoft Fax set up to work with your fax modem, you need to start setting user-specific information, such as how Microsoft Fax should dial your phone. Click the Dialing page in the Microsoft Fax Properties sheet. To begin, click the Dialing Properties button to display the My Locations page (see Figure A.8). FIGURE A.8 Set your dialing options, such as area code, calling card numbers, and other user-specific options, in the My Locations page. NOTE: The My Locations information might already be filled in if you set up your modem to make an outgoing call or if any of your Windows Messaging services previously dialed online services, such as the Microsoft Network. Microsoft Fax enables you to use several different configurations depending on where you are when you send a fax. If your computer always stays in one place (such as in your office or home), you generally need only one location configured. If, however, you use a portable PC and travel from work to home and to other places, you can configure several different locations to dial using different configuration settings. When you are in your office, for instance, you might not need to use a calling card to make a long distance phone call to send a fax. You can set up Microsoft Fax to use a configuration that doesn't require a calling card to be entered first. On the other hand, your office phone system might require you to dial an initial number to get an outside line (such as 9). You can place this in the Microsoft Fax configuration settings that you use from your office. Another scenario where you use a different dialing procedure is when you stay in hotels. For these calls, you might always place them on a calling card. Set up Microsoft Fax to use your calling card number to place these calls. All your configurations are saved in Windows 95 (and eventually Windows 98 when you upgrade to it) and can be retrieved each time you use Microsoft Fax. The following steps show you how to create a new dialing location in Microsoft Fax: 1. Click the Dialing tab on the Microsoft Fax Properties sheet. 2. Click the Dialing Properties button and click New. The Create New Location dialog box appears (see Figure A.9). Page 600

Inside Windows 98 NOTE: Depending on the version of Windows 95 you have, you might not receive the Create New Location dialog box. Instead, you just enter the new location name in the I am dialing from drop-down box. FIGURE A.9 Enter a name for your new location in the Create New Location dialog box. 3. Enter a new name for the location, such as Office or On the Road. Click OK. You return to the Dialing Properties sheet (refer to Figure A.8). 4. In the area code is text box, enter the area code from which you are calling. You might need to change or update this if you are not sure of the area code in which you are staying, such as when you are traveling. To instruct Windows on which phone numbers in your area code to dial as long distance, click the Dialing Rules button (or Area Code Rules button, in which case your dialog box will differ slightly from the one shown in Figure A.10) to display the Dialing Rules dialog box (see Figure A.10). Click the New button and enter the prefix of the phone number Windows should dial as long distance. Click OK. Click OK again to return to the Dialing Properties page. TIP: If there are any phone numbers in other area codes that you dial as local numbers, click the New button at the bottom of the Dialing Rules dialog box. Fill out the New Area Code and Prefix dialog box. Click OK twice to return to the Dialing Properties page. FIGURE A.10 For phone numbers in your area code that Windows should dial as long distance, fill out the Dialing Rules dialog box. 5. Select the country in which you are calling. 6. Enter the number (if any) you need to dial to get an outside line (such as 9) and to make a long distance call (usually 1). 7. Click the Dial using Calling Card option to enter your calling card information. Click the Change button to display the Calling Card dialog box (see Figure A.11). Click the drop-down list and select your card name. Fill out the Calling Card Phone Number and PIN Number fields. Click OK. Page 601

Inside Windows 98 TIP: Depending on the version of Windows 95 you have, the Calling Card dialog box might display instead of the Change Calling Card dialog box shown in Figure A.11. If the Calling Card dialog box does display, you need to also fill out the PIN Number field. FIGURE A.11 Microsoft Fax can use calling card numbers to place your fax calls. NOTE: To set up calling scripts for your calling card, click the Long Distance Usage or International Usage buttons to display the Calling Card dialog box. In this dialog box, select an action from the Dial drop-down box, such as Calling Card phone number. Next, select a time or tone action in the Then Wait For drop-down list, such as 10 seconds. Continue selecting actions and times to create your calling script. As you create a script, you might need to walk through the process and write down each step. 8. Click the This location has call waiting. To disable it, dial option if your phone line uses call waiting. From the drop-down list, select the code your phone system uses to temporarily turn off call waiting. You need to obtain this code from your local phone company because each system uses a different code. Microsoft Fax provides three common codes in the drop-down list box next to this option: *70, 70#, and 1170. After you finish faxing and your fax modem hangs up, call waiting is turned back on. NOTE: Most hotels use their own phone system to get outside lines, so you need to enter those numbers when you know what they are. 9. Select Tone dialing or Pulse dialing to indicate which type of phone service your phone line uses. 10. Click OK when you have this location set up. You can create as many locations as you need. Setting Toll Prefixes and Retry Options Now that you have the locations set up, you need to tell Microsoft Fax which numbers in your local calling area require you to dial as a toll call. To do this, click the Toll Prefixes button on the Dialing page. In the Toll Prefixes page (see Figure A.12), click all the numbers from the Local phone numbers list to the Dial 1-xxx first list (xxx is your area code) that require you to dial your area code first. Click the Add button to place numbers from the list on the left to the list on the Page 602

Inside Windows 98 right. Click OK when you finish with this dialog box. FIGURE A.12 Tell Microsoft Fax which prefixes in your local calling area code are long distance calls. Every time you call a fax number, you're not going to be lucky enough to get through. You'll get busy signals. The fax on the other side of the line won't be ready to accept your call. Or your fax modem and the recipient's fax device won't synchronize properly. In these cases, you need Microsoft Fax to keep retrying the number you're calling. In the Dialing dialog box, set the Number of Retries option to the number of times you want Microsoft Fax to dial the number before quitting. The default is three times. You also need to tell Microsoft Fax the amount of time you want it to wait before it tries the number again. In the Time Between Retries box, set this time in minutes. The default is two minutes. Now that you've taken care of the dialing options, you are ready to configure the default settings for your fax messages. Click the Message page. Configuring Message Options The Message page (see Figure A.13) has three main areas: * Time to Send * Message Format * Default Cover Page FIGURE A.13 Microsoft Fax lets you customize the way your default fax message looks by using settings in the Message page. The following sections discuss these options in detail. Setting Time to Send Options You might not always want to create a fax message and then zip it off to your recipient. You might want to create a message, or several messages, and then send them at specific times, such as when you are going to lunch or when long distance rates are lower. Microsoft Fax enables you to set the time you send fax messages in one of three ways: * As soon as possible. This is the default selection; use this option to send faxes immediately after you create one. * Discount rates. Use this option to send your fax message(s) during predefined hours when long distance tolls are lower. Click the Set button to set the discount rates start and end times. On the Set Discount Rates dialog box, the default discounted rate hours are set between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. Page 603

Inside Windows 98 Click OK when you set the appropriate times for your long distance carrier, or keep the default settings. * Specific time. Set this option to an exact time to send any fax messages you have in the outbox. Configuring Fax Message Formats Microsoft Fax can send fax messages in two primary formats: editable formats (as a binary file) and noneditable formats ("hard copy" faxes). Editable fax messages can be manipulated much the same as a word processing document can be changed. A Microsoft Fax editable fax can be received and edited only by a recipient who also has Microsoft Fax installed. A noneditable fax can be received from a "regular" facsimile machine. In the Message format area, you set the default way in which your messages are sent. Select the Editable, If Possible option when you send faxes to both fax modems and regular fax machines. This is the default selection. If your fax messages always must be edited by the recipient, or if you want to encrypt your fax message with a password, enable the Editable Only option. (See "Setting Up Security" later in this chapter for information on using security options in Microsoft Fax.) This sends all your fax messages as binary faxes. When using this option, if the recipient does not have Microsoft Fax installed, the fax is not sent. Microsoft Fax places a message in your Windows Messaging Inbox folder telling you that the message was not sent. When you're sure that your recipient doesn't have Microsoft Fax installed, or you don't want your fax to be edited, send it as Not Editable. Even if the receiving device is a fax modem, the fax message is sent as a bitmap image, so the recipient cannot directly edit the message. If, however, the user has an OCR (optical character recognition) program, he or she can export the faxed image or text as a file to edit in another application. With the first and third options, you also can specify the type of paper used to print your fax message. Click the Paper button to display the Message Format dialog box and adjust paper settings, such as size, image quality, and orientation. For most faxes, the default settings are fine. Click OK when your paper settings are configured. Configuring Default Cover Pages You can opt to send a cover page with your fax message. Click the Send Cover Page option to send a cover page with all your fax messages. Microsoft Fax includes four standard cover pages you can use: * Confidential * For Your Information! * Generic

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Inside Windows 98 * Urgent Select a cover page that suits your needs. Generic is the default. As Microsoft Fax creates your fax message and prepares it to be sent, it fills in data fields on the cover page with information, such as recipient name and fax number, your name, and so on. TIP: Select a cover page name and click Open to see what a cover page looks like. The New button is used to create new cover pages by using Microsoft Fax's Cover Page Editor. Also, the Browse button can be used to locate cover page files (denoted as CPE) on your computer. Finishing Configuring Message Options One final option on the Message page is Let Me Change the Subject Line of New Faxes I Receive. Use this option to change the subject line of any faxes you receive. Because all incoming faxes are stored in the Windows Messaging Inbox, the subject (if it contains a subject) appears in the subject field there. This option gives you control over what appears in the subject field, enabling you to organize your messages as they come in. On the other hand, you must perform one more action as each fax message is received. The default is to leave this option disabled. Click OK to save all the Microsoft Fax properties and to return to the MS Windows Messaging Setting Properties dialog box. Congratulations! You're ready to send a fax using Microsoft Fax. Configuring a Shared Fax Modem To reduce the number of fax devices and dedicated phone lines for fax services, many businesses have one centralized fax machine that everyone shares. Because of their convenience and ease of use, most people do not complain too much about walking to a fax machine to send a message or document to another fax machine. Microsoft Fax enables you to extend this sharing of fax devices by letting users in a network environment share a fax modem. NOTE: You must have File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks to share a fax modem across the network. See Chapter 5, "Adding and Configuring Hardware," for information on enabling File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks. The computer that contains the shared fax modem is called the Page 605

Inside Windows 98 fax server and is not required to be a dedicated PC. A fax server can be anyone's computer that is set up in a workgroup of other Windows 98 users. When a fax is received on the fax server, it then is routed to the recipient in the workgroup via Windows Messaging (or by attaching it as an email message using an email application such as cc:Mail). WARNING: Microsoft Fax cannot automatically route fax messages to workgroup recipients. They must be manually delivered to their recipients. Setting Up a Fax Server Again, make sure that Windows Messaging is installed and that a fax modem is installed and working on the fax server before completing these steps. Start Windows Messaging by double-clicking the Inbox icon and then perform the following steps: 1. Choose Tools, Microsoft Fax Tools, Options. The Microsoft Fax Properties sheet appears (refer to Figure A.3). 2. Select the Modem page. 3. Click the Let Other People on the Network Use My Modem to Send Faxes option. 4. If the Select Drive dialog box appears, select the drive that the network fax will use from the drop-down list and click OK. 5. Enter the name of the shared directory in the Share Name text box. 6. Click the Properties button to configure the shared modem's properties. The NetFax dialog box appears, in which you tell Microsoft Fax the name of the shared fax modem folder (see Figure A.14). The NetFax dialog box also enables you to set up passwords for users to connect to the fax server. FIGURE A.14 Use the NetFax dialog box to set the shared fax folder and other settings for sharing a fax modem. NOTE: If the Properties button does not work, switch to Control Panel and double-click the Network icon. Click the File and Print Sharing button on the Configuration page of the Network sheet. Next, select both options in the File and Print Sharing dialog box for the Microsoft network service. You then need to restart Windows 95 (or Windows 98 if you've upgraded Page 606

Inside Windows 98 to it) for these settings to take effect. These settings enable sharing on your system, so you can share the fax modem with other users in your workgroup. 7. In the Share Name field, type the name of the shared folder for the fax server. Microsoft Fax displays the name of the network fax shared directory as the default. When a user in your workgroup wants to use this folder, he or she searches for this folder on your computer on your network. 8. In the Comment field, enter a string that helps users identify the shared fax. 9. In the Access Type section, select the type of access you want users to have to the shared folder. The default is Full. Select Read-Only if you want users to read, but not modify, items in the folder. The Depends on Password option is used if you want to give different people different rights to the shared folder. You can give one password--the Read-Only Password--to users who can have only read rights. You then can give another password--the Full Access Password--to users who can have full access to the folder. 10. Fill out the Passwords section as necessary, based on your selections in Step 9. 11. Click OK. For users in the workgroup to access the fax server, they must know the fax server's full network name. The name is formed by joining the server's computer name (defined in the Network option in Control Panel) with the shared folder name; for example, \\RTIDROW\FAX. Setting Up a Fax Server Client Not only must you configure a fax server to share a fax modem, but you also must configure the client's access to the server. The clients are those users who want to share the fax server. Start Windows Messaging on the client machine and then follow these steps: 1. From Windows Messaging, choose Tools, Microsoft Fax Tool, Options. 2. In the Microsoft Fax Properties sheet, click the Modem page. 3. In Modem properties, click the Add button to display the Add a Fax Modem dialog box (see Figure A.15). 4. In the Add a Fax Modem dialog box, select Network Page 607

Inside Windows 98 Fax Server and then click OK. The Connect To Network Fax Server dialog box appears, as seen in Figure A.16. FIGURE A.15 The Add a Fax Modem dialog box includes the types of fax modems to which you can connect. FIGURE A.16 To set up a client to use a shared fax server, enter the path of the shared fax server in this dialog box. 5. In the Connect To Network Fax Server dialog box, type the network name of the fax server, such as \\RTIDROW\FAX. If you do not know the network name, ask your network administrator. Click OK. 6. In the Microsoft Fax Properties dialog box, click the server name and then click the Set as Active Fax Modem button. 7. Click OK. You might have to reboot your computer for the settings to take effect. Setting Up Security One of the most discussed topics in the computer industry is security. You hear about security and the Internet. You hear about LAN security. You hear about voice mail security. Microsoft Fax enables you to securely send fax messages using public key encryption developed by one of the leaders in security, RSA Inc. Microsoft Fax also enables you to password encrypt and use digital signatures on your messages with confidence. The security features, of course, extend only to sending digital messages and files, not to printed or hard copy faxes. These types of faxes are still subject to the eyes of anyone who happens to be walking by the fax machine when your transmission comes through. NOTE: A digital signature is an electronic version of your signature. For most business transactions, such as purchase requests and employee time sheets, a signature is required to process the request. You can use a secure digital signature to "sign" requests, time sheets, and other sensitive documents. One way to secure your fax messages is to password-protect them as you send them. As you create a fax message and the Send Options for This Message dialog box appears, set the type of security you want to have for your fax message. Click the Security button to display the Message Security Options dialog box (see Figure A.17). FIGURE A.17 You can set the type of security for your fax message in this dialog box. Page 608

Inside Windows 98 TIP: Share your password so that the recipient can open and read your fax message. If you have not set up public key encryption, you have to before you can use the Key-Encrypted option or use a digital signature on your message. You can, however, secure the fax message with a password by choosing the Password-protected option. Figure A.18 shows the Fax Security-Password Protection dialog box that you need to fill out when you want to send a message with a password. FIGURE A.18 To password-protect your faxes, enter a password in this dialog box. Setting Up Key Encryption A key-encrypted message uses a public key to unlock the message for viewing. This public key is made available to your fax recipients (who must also have Microsoft Fax installed) so that only they can open your document. You must create a public key in Windows Messaging. To do this, choose Tools, Microsoft Fax Tools, Advanced Security. The Advanced Fax Security dialog box appears (see Figure A.19). In this dialog box, if this is the first time you have created a public key, the only option you can choose is the last one, New Key Set. FIGURE A.19 Create a public key. In the Fax Security-New Key Set dialog box, type a password in the Password field and then retype it in the Confirm password field (see Figure A.20). As you would expect, the password is not displayed; only a string of ***** denotes your password. Don't forget this password; it is now your public key. Click OK to have Windows Messaging create a new public key set on your system. An information box appears, telling you that it might take a few moments to create your key set. FIGURE A.20 You need to enter a new password to create a new public key. Sharing Public Keys After you create a public key set, you need to distribute it to your fax recipients for them to read your key-encrypted messages. Do this by clicking the Public Keys button in the Advanced Fax Security dialog box (choose Tools, Microsoft Fax Tools, Advanced Security if you've already closed this dialog box). The Fax Security-Managing Public Keys dialog box appears, from which you need to click Save. This saves your public key to a file so that you can send it to other recipients. In the Fax Security-Save Public Keys dialog box, click the name Page 609

Inside Windows 98 or names of the public keys you want to share. As a minimum, you should click your name here. Click OK, and in the resulting window, select a name and folder in which to store the keys. This file has an AWP extension. To finish, you need to send this file to your recipients either via an attachment to a Windows Messaging message or on a floppy disk. Receiving Public Keys When you send your public key to a list of recipients, they will need to import the AWP file into Microsoft Fax. Likewise, when you receive a public key from someone, you need to import it into your Microsoft Fax settings and add it to your address book. This enables you to read key-encrypted messages from those users. After you receive an AWP file from someone, store it on your system and click the Add button in the Fax Security-Managing Public Keys dialog box. Locate the file name that contains the public keys and click Open. Click the key or keys that you want to add. ---------End of Document

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