Windows 95/98: Stepping Up Windows 95/98 Is This Document Right for You? This document is designed for users of either Windows 3.1 or Macintosh operating systems. If you are new to computers and want to learn either Windows 95 or Windows 98, you should take our Windows 95/98 Getting Started class (dws07). If you are already somewhat familiar with Windows 95 or 98, you may want to consider taking our Windows 95/98 File Management class (dws10) instead of Windows 95/98 Stepping Up. NOTE: This document is NOT designed for those already proficient in Windows 95. You should see our Windows 98 Features (dws15) document to learn about the differences between Windows 95 and Windows 98. Since Windows 95 and Windows 98 are very similar, most information in this document applies to both. Information specific to Windows 98 is presented in a gray box. What You See When You Start Windows 95/98 For an experienced Windows 3.1 user, turning on a computer loaded with Windows 95/98 can be disconcerting. You're looking at your desktop, but the familiar Program Manager window is gone. How do you start programs? How do you find files? Let s have a look at your new desktop. At the bottom of the desktop you'll find a tool that makes it easy to move from task to task, the Taskbar. When you run different programs, the program icons show up on the Taskbar, making it easy for you to switch between programs. Just click on an icon in the Taskbar to change tasks. At the far left side of the Taskbar is the button for the Start menu. The Start menu, as the name implies, is the place you generally go to start any programs. You can also shut down your computer from this menu. In Windows 95/98, you will usually see several icons on the left side of your desktop. Let's take a look at a few of them: You can use My Computer to manage files and folders on your hard drive (usually C:\) and any other drives to which you have access, such as a CD-ROM drive, floppy disk drive (A:\), or your Local Area Network (LAN) server. Network Neighborhood appears if you're connected to a network. From the Network Neighborhood, you can connect to other networks and printers for which you have access. The Inbox has Internet and other options provided by Microsoft. Some of the services are provided at an extra charge. As a member of the UNC-CH community, you have other Internet options, which you can learn about in the class Internet Essentials (iig01). The Recycling Bin is where you discard files. My Briefcase is a convenient tool if you use more than one computer to work on the same files, such as files you cart from home to work on a floppy disk. You can use it to "synchronize" the files quickly, so that the version on one computer matches the version on another. Other icons on your desktop include files and "shortcuts" to programs you frequently use. As in earlier versions of Windows, double-click on icons to start programs, open documents, or see the files and folders they contain.
Windows 95/98: Stepping Up Page 2 Windows Structure and Function Windows 95/98 does have some structural commonalities with Windows 3.1. For example, you still have a Title Bar (the blue area at the top of the window which contains the title of the window) and a Menu Bar (just below the Title Bar; it displays commands such as File, Edit, View, and Help). And, much like Windows 3.1, you can resize your windows by moving your cursor to the border of the window. Your cursor will change into a double-headed black arrow, and you can then click and drag your border to adjust it to the size you want. If you want to move a window, click on a blank area of the Title Bar and drag the window to its new location on your desktop. Windows 95/98 does have some differences, though. It updates its control buttons as follows: Minimize: Click on this button to shrink the window so you can see other items on your desktop. A button for the minimized window appears in the Taskbar. To work with the window again, just click on its button on the Taskbar. Maximize: Click on this button to enlarge the window so that it fills the entire screen. Restore: This only appears when a window is maximized. Clicking on this button resizes the window to the size it was before you used the maximize button. Close: Click on this button to close a file or exit a program. Here s an example that shows the four buttons we just discussed. (Look for them all on the right side): Notice the Restore button in the menu bar. As you probably recognize, the document window is maximized; if you click on the Restore button, the document window returns to its size before you used the minimize or maximize button. Also notice the two icons on the left side in the example. These icons replace the Control Box from older versions of Windows. To close the document, you can double-click on the icon in the menu bar; to close the program, you can double-click on the icon in the title bar. Help: You ll often find this button in dialog boxes beside the Close button. Click on it, and the pointer arrow becomes a question mark (?). Then click on something in the dialog box. A Help window appears, which usually explains either the specific option you selected, or the overall function of the window or dialog box, or concedes that no help is available for your selection. Ready to Start? Click on the Start button on the Taskbar. You're likely to find the following options in the Start menu: Windows Update: This option allows you to add the latest drivers, file systems, and additional software improvements for Windows 98 at no cost. Selecting this option prompts your default browser to connect directly to Microsoft's update page, http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/. After Microsoft checks out your system, you will be offered a selection of potential downloads. Here, you can choose from 'critical updates' (big bug fixers), 'recommended updates' (suggested options), 'additional features' (enhancing stuff), and 'picks of the month' (e.g., more desktop themes). Having made your choices, click the download button to acquire your new goodies. Programs: Select a program listed in this menu to start it. Later in the document we'll learn how to add customized options to the Programs menu. Documents: This menu lists up to 15 of the last documents you've worked on.
Windows 95/98: Stepping Up Page 3 Favorites: In Windows 98, this shortcut menu takes you directly to your list of Internet Explorer Favorites (known in Netscape as Bookmarks). Opening this menu will bring up the list of Web sites that you ve previously visited and saved. Settings: Your Control Panel is here, along with a separate Printers option. You can also make changes to Taskbar and Start menu settings from here. Windows 98 offers the additional options of customizing folder options or the active desktop features, so the computer can emulate the form and function of an Internet browser. We'll look at these options in a later section. Find: Use this option to search for files, folders, or if you're attached to a network, other computers. In Windows 98, this feature also provides access to finding information on the Internet. Help: Use this option to find information about Windows 95/98. Select either the Contents tab, where topics are divided by general categories, or the Index tab, where topics are divided by keywords. Windows 98 offers an Online Help resource, Web Help, which will connect you to Microsoft's technical support site, http://www.microsoft.com/support. Run: Use this application to run applications that aren't listed in your Programs menu. You can type the command line for the program or click Browse to look for the program and select it. Log Off: In Windows 98, this option lets you end your network session, so others can begin theirs. Shut Down: Choose this option to shut down or restart Windows 95/98. In Windows 95, you'll find the option to Log Off under this menu item, too. If you don't find anything in the Start menu that you like, just click outside the menu without selecting anything. The menu closes. Shortcut Menus Revealed! Using the Right Mouse Button Windows 95/98 gives the right mouse button a reason for being: it makes "shortcut" menus appear. These menus list frequently-used commands for the item you select. Just use your right mouse button to click on something, even on the desktop itself, and a shortcut menu appears for that item. Select a command from the menu just as you do from any other menu. To see an example, right-click on the desktop. Using either your right or left mouse button, select Properties from the menu that displays. The Display Properties window for your computer pops up. You can use this window to change the way your desktop looks; for example, you can change to a different desktop pattern from this window. Becoming a Task Master You can use the Taskbar for more than switching between tasks. Tidying Up the Windows on Your Desktop When you have a number of windows open on the Desktop (not minimized), you can use the Taskbar shortcut menu to arrange the windows so that they re all visible. Right click on a blank spot on the Taskbar, and choose Cascade, Tile Horizontally, or Tile Vertically. If you want a clear view of your desktop, choose Minimize All Windows from this shortcut menu. Moving and Re-sizing the Taskbar You may have moved and re-sized toolbars in applications before. In the same manner, you can move and resize the Taskbar in Windows 95/98. To move it, find a blank spot on the Taskbar, and click and drag it to the right, left, top or bottom of the screen. To change the size, move the pointer arrow to the edge of the taskbar until you see the familiar double-headed Windows re-sizing arrow. Then click and drag to change the size and shape of the taskbar.
Windows 95/98: Stepping Up Page 4 What If the Taskbar Disappears? If your taskbar disappears, it may be hiding under a large window, or the Taskbar properties may be set to Autohide so that it doesn t appear unless you re using it. Either way, you can press <Ctrl><Esc> to make the taskbar and the Start menu appear. You turn Autohide off and on in the Taskbar Properties window. Earlier, you used the shortcut method to pull up this window, so let s look at another way to get to it. Choose Settings from the Start menu, and then Taskbar (called Taskbar & Start Menu in Windows 98). File Management: Some Definitions Your computer's filing system has three basic divisions: files, folders, and drives. Everything saved on your computer is stored as a file, whether it is a letter you wrote to a friend or the wordprocessing program you used to write it. The letter you write might be a Word document, for example, or a text file. Microsoft Word, on the other hand, is an "executable" file -- that is, a file that "executes" a series of commands to do some work for you; you run this executable file so that you can, in turn, create or edit document files. Other examples of files include database files and various types of system files. You can store a file in a folder and, in turn, store that folder inside another folder. Using different folders helps you and the computer keep track of information. For example, you might save the letter to your friend in a folder named "Joe" inside another folder called "Friends." Your computer also stores files in folders. For example, all the files the computer uses to run Windows 95/98 are usually stored in a folder called "Windows." When the computer needs one of those files, it follows a "path" to the folder, and then to the file. Files and folders are stored on drives. Drives are basically like filing cabinets. Each drive is assigned a letter name. Your hard drive (the drive inside your computer) is also known as the C:\ drive. If you have a floppy disk drive, it is usually known as the A:\ drive. If you use files stored on a CD-ROM, the drive where you put the CD is assigned another letter. If you attach to a network, you can assign the network drive still another letter. (Assigning letters to drives is also called mapping. ) Basic File Management Tools Windows 95/98 gives you many file management options, including the old File Manager. We encourage you to learn to use the new tools, My Computer and Explorer, which are designed specifically for Windows 95/98. Let s look at similarities and differences among the three options, starting with My Computer. My Computer Double-click on My Computer to open it. The first window you see displays your local drives, as well as the Printers and Control Panel folders. Double-click on a drive to see the files and folders stored on it, and double-click on folders and files to open them, just as you would in File Manager. The File and Edit Menus Now, take a look at the menu bar. The menus are very similar to the ones you find in most applications: File, Edit, View, and Help. (In Windows 98, you ll also see Go and Favorites.) Depending on what you have selected, the File menu provides options to Open files, use the Windows Explorer tool (Explore), Delete files, or Rename them. Other items on the File menu that you might encounter are listed below: Send To: Send a copy of the file to a drive or program you select from the list that appears. Format: Be careful of this command! You will usually use it to erase all files on a floppy disk to prepare it for use with your computer. It is safe to choose the command and take a look at the options in the Format dialog box. To erase all files on a disk, choose Quick; to erase all files and check the disk for errors, choose Full; to copy system files to a floppy without erasing any other files on it,
Windows 95/98: Stepping Up Page 5 choose Copy system files only. Don t select the Format command in conjunction with a drive other than your floppy disk drive (A:\), though you never want to format your hard drive! Copy Disk: Not recommended. This command only appears if you select the A:\ drive and will copy the contents of one floppy disk to another. If you decide to use this option, be sure to check your disk for viruses and errors first. Create Shortcut: Creates a shortcut to a file, folder, or drive and so you can move it to a convenient location. We ll talk more about shortcuts in a few minutes. Find: This works the same way as the Find command on the Start menu. As you might expect, you can use the Edit menu to cut, copy, and paste folders and files, and best of all, to undo these actions. The View Menu You can use the View menu to choose to display files and folders as Large Icons, Small Icons, as a List of files, or to show all the file Details. These options are also available on the toolbar. (They are the last four buttons in Windows 95, or the last button as a drop-down menu in Windows 98.) If you choose the Details option, for each file you will see columns providing information on the file such as name, size, type of file, and the date it was last modified. (Windows 95 will also display file attributes.) Sometimes you will not be able to read all the file details because the fields are not wide enough. You can adjust the size of the fields easily. Simply move your pointer arrow over the line that divides one heading from another and it turns into a double-headed arrow. When you see this arrow, you can change the field size by clicking and dragging. Another way to change the size of a field is to double-click on the divider. The field becomes as large as the longest item in it. (By the way, this little trick works in other programs that use field headings, such as Excel.) You might also notice that each field title works as a button. You can click on a field name such as Size and Windows will automatically organize the files in order of increasing size. Click again, and it will reverse the order of the files. Note that Windows will not tell you the size of a folder; it considers folders to be only containers and will not display the size of the files contained in the folder. (To see how much information is contained in a folder, select the folder and then choose Properties from the File menu.) Another important tool on the View menu is the toolbar. Select View, then select Toolbar. The toolbar gives you buttons which perform many of the commands listed in the File and Edit menus; the buttons save you the step of going to the drop-down menus. Click on the folder icon in the toolbar to move up one level in the hierarchy of folders and drives. You can also use the drop-down menu to move to a different folder or drive or to display the contents of the desktop folder. To learn what other buttons do, rest your pointer arrow on top of a button and a definition appears. Windows 98 makes some slight adjustments to the View menu and the Toolbar. Using these options, you can change the appearance of individual windows to look and function like web pages--or not. Toolbars: As with the Windows 95 toolbar, you may navigate and send commands graphically. In Windows 98, you ll notice that the Toolbar is turned on by default in your windows. The typical Up one level, Properties, View, Cut/Copy/Paste and Delete icons are available. Standard buttons: Windows 98 calls the buttons that appear on the toolbar the "standard buttons." These include the buttons that appear on the Windows 95 toolbar with the addition of control buttons from Internet Explorer 4.0.
Windows 95/98: Stepping Up Page 6 Address Bar: This shows the path of your folder's location (for example, C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office). Links: Checking this provides the choice to toggle between the address and linked items like your favorite bookmarks and the channel bar (an element of the Active Desktop). Text Labels: This command adds titles to the Standard Buttons. View as Web page: Checking this item prompts the appearance of a Web border on the left side of the folder which displays the properties (e.g., name, type, date modified, and size) of any item you select within the window. My Computer and the C:\ drive will always be set to this view. The Explorer Bar: This shows a menu on the left margin. You have the choice to show search engines, favorites, history (even divided by day!), or channels. (A "channel" is a Web site that delivers content from the Internet to your computer, like subscribing to a favorite Web site. You don t need to subscribe to a site to view it as a channel, though. Viewing web sites through your channels also displays a map of the site to help you navigate.) You may notice that there is a menu item to Arrange the icons in your window as well as a Windows 95 item called Options. This menu item lets you decide whether you d like to open a separate window every time you open a folder, or whether you d like to keep your desktop neat and tidy by having only one window open at a time. Windows 98 calls this menu item Folder Options; we ll cover these options a little later in the section called Windows 98: Customizing Folder Viewing Options. Explorer You can get to Windows Explorer by going to the Start menu, selecting Programs and then Windows Explorer. Explorer has much in common with My Computer. It uses the same toolbar, and has the same menu options, with the addition of Tools. The Explorer window looks more like File Manager than My Computer does. The window is divided into two panes, with containers (folders and drives) on the left and their contents (folders and files) on the right. (You can adjust the size of the panes by dragging the dividing line left or right.) To display the contents of a folder in the right pane, double click on it. You ll see plus signs (+) next to some folders; click on the + to reveal other folders nested inside. With the folder hierarchy displayed, the folder now has a minus sign beside it. To collapse the folders again, click on the minus sign. With Explorer, you don t have the option to display a separate window each time you open a folder. You can work around this limitation. To explore multiple folders in different windows, first select all the folders you want to explore (remember, <Shift>-click to select folders right next to each other, and <Ctrl>- click to select folders that are not next door to one another). Next, right click on one of the folders, and choose Explore. An Explorer window for each of the folders pops up. File Manager To start File Manager, go to the Start menu and choose Run. Type winfile in the Open field. When the File Manager window appears, you ll notice that it has changed a little. It has a toolbar now, with some of the same buttons that the My Computer and Explorer tool bar have, and a few other buttons. One very important item is missing from the File Manager window, however: the desktop. Unless you plan to keep your desktop completely bare, you re better off using My Computer or Explorer than File Manager. A Word on Menu Options As you ve probably noticed in working with the menus in these file management tools, there are symbols next to the menu options that give you additional information about them. Check marks: A check mark indicates that a menu option can be toggled on and off. A check mark means the feature is on; no check mark means it is off. Radio buttons: These look like bullets and allow you to choose one item from among a group of options. Radio buttons let you know you can only choose one thing.
Windows 95/98: Stepping Up Page 7 Ellipses: Ellipses are the three dots ( ) which mean that you re going to encounter a dialog box before your selection takes effect. Drop-down menus: A triangle pointing downward tells you there is a drop-down list that will appear when you click on the triangle. More on File Management Moving Files Within a Drive Create a new folder (go to File, select New, and choose Folder) on your hard drive. Now move one of your files (preferably one that s not too important) into that folder by selecting the file, then clicking and dragging it into the folder (the folder will turn blue). Drop the file into the folder by releasing your mouse button. The file has now disappeared from its original location, but you can find it by opening the folder--your file will be inside. You have successfully moved this file. Copying Files Between Drives Now try the same exercise, but this time instead of moving the file to a folder within your hard drive, create the folder on a floppy disk or network drive. When you have dropped the file into the folder, you will notice that a copy of the file now exists in both locations. When working with files between two drives, the computer, by default, creates a copy of the file. Right-Clicking to Move and Copy Files What if you'd like to control whether Windows moves the file or copies it for you? This time, select the file you'd like to move by clicking with the left mouse button, then click and drag it using the right mouse button. When you take your finger off the mouse, a menu will appear with three options: Move here, Copy here, and Create Shortcut. The boldface option is the usual default (if you're moving within a drive, it is Move here; working between drives, it is Copy here). You can select whether you'd like to move or copy using either the left or right mouse button. Copying, Cutting and Pasting Files Finally, you can cut and paste files using the Edit menu. Select the file you want to work with, then use the Edit menu to select either Copy (to copy the file) or Cut (to move the file). Then select the location to which you'd like to move the file and return to the Edit menu, selecting Paste. Note that in this case, the computer will not automatically create a copy of the file for you when working between drives. You will also notice that when you use the Cut command, the file you have just cut remains in the window but looks grayed-out. Windows will not actually delete the file from its original location until you use the Paste command. This is a sort of insurance policy in case of power outage or other dastardly occurrences that would cause you to lose the file. This is very different from the way the Cut command works in applications such as Excel and Word. Deleting Files Pick up a file from your hard drive you don t need and click and drag it onto the Recycle Bin on your desktop. You can retrieve it from the Recycle Bin by double-clicking on the Recycle Bin icon and selecting the file you erased. Then simply drag it out of the Recycle Bin and place it where it belongs or use the Restore command from the File menu. But be warned: if you drag a file from a network or floppy disk drive into the Recycle Bin, you will permanently delete the file. To permanently erase all files in the Recycle Bin, rightclick on the Recycle Bin and choose Empty Recycle Bin, or select individual items, right-click, and choose Delete. Creating A Shortcut To make opening a file or starting a program more convenient, you can create a "shortcut" an icon that represents the original and put it on the desktop. First, find the original by using My Computer or the Explorer. Then try one of these two options: Right click on the file, choose Create Shortcut, and then drag the shortcut to the location you want.
Windows 95/98: Stepping Up Page 8 Right-click and drag the file to the desktop; when you release the mouse button, choose Create Shortcut from the menu that appears. When you double-click on the shortcut, you bring up the original document or program file, which may be buried deep inside folders or sub-folders. Best of all, if you later move the original to another location on one of your drives, you can still use the shortcut; Windows 95/98 will dig around to find the file and change the shortcut's settings to reflect the new location. If you later decide you don t want the shortcut anymore, you can send it to the Recycle Bin; when you get rid of the shortcut, you are not deleting the original application. Changing File Attributes To change file attributes, right click on a file and choose Properties. You can use the dialog box that pops up to make the file Hidden or Read-Only, for example. Custom-Made Windows 95/98 Different Strokes for Different Folks You can set up Windows 95/98 in a unique way to correspond to your work habits and to make getting to particular applications and files easier. Arranging Your Desktop Arrange your desktop so files and folders you use frequently are close at hand by selecting the icon you want to move and clicking and dragging it to the new location. By right clicking on the desktop, choosing Arrange, and then choosing Auto Arrange, you can force Windows 95/98 to align all items. Windows 95/98 saves your desktop setup when you shut down the program properly from the Start menu, so the desktop looks the same when you next return to Windows 95/98. Modifying the Start Menu In most cases, you'll start Windows 95/98 with program shortcuts already available to you on the Start menu. You can easily add other shortcuts to the Start menu if you like. The simplest way is to select a file, then click and drag it onto the Start button. To modify the Start menu further, right-click on a blank area of the Taskbar and select Properties from the shortcut menu. Then select the Start Menu Programs tab for a wizard to step you through the process. You have three main options: To add an item to the menu, choose Add. You can then type in the name of the file, or choose Browse to find the name. Once you make your selection and OK the change, the option appears in the Start menu. To remove files from the Start menu choose Remove from the Start Menu Programs tab. To rearrange files that are already in the Start menu, choose Advanced. You ll then work in an Explorer window for the Start menu folder. Windows 98: Customizing Folder Viewing Options Selecting Settings from the Start menu and then Folder Options lets you change the way your folders display. (You can do the same thing from any window by selecting Folder Options from the View menu.) General, the first tab that appears when you enter Folder Options, allows you to choose among Web Style (Windows 98 default settings), Classic Style (Windows 95 default settings) or Custom (a blend of the two). If you select the Custom option, you'll need to click the Settings button to specify your selections. The following four options are available: The Active Desktop allows you to display Web content on the desktop. (SeeWindows 98 Features [dws15] for further details.) If you Customize the setting, you will be given the option to go to the Display Properties menu.. The Browsing Folders command controls whether you open folders in one window or multiple windows. The View Web Content in Folder command displays folders as Web pages.
Windows 95/98: Stepping Up Page 9 The Clicking Command sets the preference for selecting and opening using either the conventional double-click or a single-click (so files and folders look and act like Internet links). The View tab provides the option to generalize the settings of an individual folder to the settings of all your folders in Windows 98, or to reset all folder views to the default. When More than One Person Uses the Same Computer: Passwords & Profiles If more than one person uses the same computer, each can have an individual profile, with a unique desktop and Start menu. Each person will have a Profile folder in the same location as the folder that stores Windows 95/98. When you use Explorer or My Computer windows, be sure you re working in your own Profile folder. To make different user profiles possible, choose Settings from the Start menu, then Control Panel. In the Control Panel window, choose Passwords, and then the User Profiles tab. Now choose the setting that allows different users to customize their Windows settings. When someone new logs onto the computer, Windows 95/98 starts a new profile for that person. Of course, having this flexibility means that everyone who uses the computer needs to be comfortable with customization, or someone knowledgeable needs to set up a basic Profile folder for each user. Again, be careful that files you are adding go into your own Profile folders. More about Control Panels Take some time to explore the other options under Control Panels. You can get to them by choosing Settings from the Start menu, then Control Panels. Some options will be familiar, but here are a few of note: Date/Time: You can reset date and time and even tell your computer to observe Daylight Savings Time. Mouse: Here, you can change your double-clicking speed, the speed and size of your pointer arrow, or your mouse buttons from right- to left-handed (you ll now right-click with your left mouse button),. If you re a laptop user, you might also want to take a look at Pointer Trails (on the Motion tab), which makes it easier to find your pointer arrow. Printers: Use this option to add printers and to troubleshoot printing jobs. To see what jobs are waiting to be printed, double-click on the icon for your printer. You can then select a print job, and pause or cancel printing by choosing the appropriate option from the Document menu. Add/Remove Programs: Use to install or remove new software. Also, look here for extra goodies that Windows 95/98 includes but doesn t set up automatically. Add New Hardware: A wizard steps you through adding new hardware. Accessibility Options: Look here for options that make Windows 95/98 more accessible to folks for whom some features present a physical challenge. Includes such options as printing messages to the screen when the computer makes an error sound, and alternatives to using the mouse. Display: This is the place to make those aesthetic changes you ve been dreaming about. Use the tabs to navigate through your options. Background: change background color, design, or wallpaper Screen Saver: choose a new screen saver, determine how long you d like the computer to wait before turning the screen saver on, and set up password protection for your work to be triggered by the screen saver; if you have an energy-saving monitor, you can also set your monitor to shut down after a certain amount of time by clicking on the Settings button Appearance: adjust the colors of your windows and the fonts displayed Plus! or Effects: change your desktop icons and make other customized changes to your desktop Settings: change the color settings for your monitor and your desktop size in relation to your monitor screen Windows 98 users will notice one additional option, Web, which contains the option to View my Active Desktop as a web page. This option makes your desktop work and act like the Web in that
Windows 95/98: Stepping Up Page 10 you ll single-click to open files and folders on the desktop; you can also subscribe to channels from the desktop view and add active content (internet content that changes on your screen, such as a stock ticker or weather map) to your desktop. The Folder Options command here is exactly the same as the one on the View menu. Help! I Can t Find My Desktop! It s easy to lose sight of your desktop under many windows. One thing you can do to dig out from under is to minimize all windows. A quick way to do this is to hold down the <Windows> key on your keyboard (you ll find it between <Ctrl> and <Alt>; it looks like a little Windows symbol) and press M. You ll probably be able to see your desktop now. You ll notice that only dialog boxes and property sheets stay open when you do this. Another solution for desktop distress is to put a button for the Desktop window on your Taskbar: 1. Open My Computer. Use the drop down list box to scroll up to the Desktop and select it. Your desktop contents should now show in the window. 2. Minimize this window. A button called Desktop now appears on your taskbar. When you want to see the desktop window, click on this button. Be sure that you minimize the window rather than closing it when you want to return to other tasks. When You Gotta Have DOS Windows 95/98 has several options for running DOS: To issue commands from the DOS command line, select Programs from the Start menu, and then choose DOS. To toggle between a full screen version and a window on the desktop, press <Alt><Enter>. Double click on a DOS program's icon. A small window should appear with DOS running in it. If you have problems, try right-clicking on the program icon and adjusting the Properties. Choose Shut Down from the Start menu and choose Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode. (This may not be an option for all users.) Exiting Windows and Turning Off the Computer Do not turn off the computer without shutting down Windows first! To shut down, first exit each open application, making sure you save any work you've done. When all of the applications are closed, choose Shut Down from the Start menu. A dialog box appears. Choose the option you want, and click Yes to exit. Once the computer has finished shutting down to Windows satisfaction, a screen will appear letting you know that it s okay to turn off the computer. Where to Get More Information If you have a modem or access to the Internet, you can get up-to-the-minute information on Windows 95/98 developments by visiting Microsoft's Windows 95/98 Information Page on the World Wide Web: http://www.microsoft.com/support/ Appendix A: Upgrading from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95/98 Windows 3.1 has had a makeover, and the results are Windows 95, the even newer Windows 98, and Windows NT (for networks). Now, with the right hardware, you will get better performance than with previous versions. Are Your Old Software and Hardware Compatible with Windows 95/98? You can still run most of your old Windows and DOS programs in Windows 95/98, although the windows they appear in will look a little different than what you are used to seeing. Of course, new applications designed
Windows 95/98: Stepping Up Page 11 specifically for Windows 95/98 take advantage of features that your older applications will not be able to use, such as long file names (discussed later). Hardware: Minimum System Requirements To run your new version of Windows along with a few other software packages (such as Microsoft Office), you will need adequate hardware: Windows 95 Processor: a 486/33 based PC or better. RAM: 8 MB of RAM, 16 MB for better performance. Size: 100 MB of hard drive space for a full installation. Drive: a double speed or quad speed CD-ROM drive (if you don t have a CD-ROM drive, Windows 95/98 is available on diskettes, but it's a little less convenient). If you usually run several applications at once or run very large single applications (such as Photoshop or other graphics packages), be sure to get the extra RAM for greater speed and better performance. Windows 98 Windows 98 brings increased efficiency and performance as long as your computer's hardware is updated to specification; while it is possible to run Windows 98 on less than the recommended levels, your computer's performance will probably be clunky and unreliable. Windows 98 requires the following hardware: Processor: A 486DX2/66 MH2 based PC or better is the minimum hardware required for Windows 98, although the more advanced technologies (e.g., video streaming) will not be available. Microsoft strongly suggests that you have a faster processor to insure a more dependable installation. Size: 275 MB of free space on your hard drive. Monitor: VGA or higher-resolution monitor. Drive: CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. RAM: Developers of Windows 98 strongly recommend more than 16MB of RAM on your computer. (Although in our experience, using 32MB is required for sanity's sake.) Greater Efficiency with Windows 98 Task Scheduler To maintain your system, Windows 98 has provided the convenience of the Task Scheduler. You can find it by opening My Computer. Use it to set your computer to optimize the hard drive on a regular basis, for example. You can specify any program to run at any specific time. You can customize which functions you want your computer to perform as well as when you want them to run like after hours on the first day of the month. The presence of the symbol to the right indicates that the Task Scheduler is ready to execute your every desire at the appointed time. Long File Names As mentioned earlier, you can use long file names in Windows 95/98, but only in applications that support them. You can t use long file names in Word 6, for example, which was designed for the earlier version of Windows. File names can be up to 255 characters and can include spaces. Be aware that if you share files with folks who are not yet equipped with Windows 95 or 98, they won t be able to read your long file names. (For example, a Windows 95/98 file named MyFilename.doc will appear as MyFile~1.doc in Windows 3.1.) Other users will, however, still be able to read your files. Upgrading Applications, Too? Watch Your File Formats If you decide to get new applications designed for Windows 95/98, be aware of your file formats. If you re sharing files with someone who is using older software, or if you anticipate working with older applications yourself on a different computer, be sure save your files in the older format so that they can be opened with the older applications.
Windows 95/98: Stepping Up Page 12 Appendix B: When Bad Things Happen to Good Files Why and How to Back Up Bad things do happen to computer files; a file can become corrupt and unreadable, sometimes for no apparent reason. To protect yourself from losing valuable files, you should "back up" files, that is, make an additional copy on a different drive or floppy disk for safe-keeping. If you normally work with a floppy, back up your files either to a hard drive or to another disk. If you normally save files to a hard drive, back up the files to a floppy disk, another drive, or a tape. If you make frequent changes to your files, be sure to update your backup files on a regular basis. To back up your files, simply copy them to the appropriate drive using one of the copying techniques described above. Avoiding Viruses Computer viruses are spread through programs and through scripting language (macros) in documents. If you are uncertain that a file is "clean," check it for viruses before you run or open it. For example, if you download a program from the World Wide Web or get a game file from a friend, run a virus checker (like McAfee VirusScan or Norton AntiVirus) before you run the file or play the game. If you put your disk in someone else's computer, run virus checking software on your disk before you use it, and again before you put the disk in your own computer. What are the symptoms of a virus? Some viruses display annoying messages to your screen, others interfere with your work, and still others destroy files. Try to avoid getting viruses in the first place, but if you do get one, use software such as McAfee VirusScan to repair the damage and destroy the virus. Most virus software is available free of charge. You can get a copy of McAfee VirusScan from our Shareware page on the World Wide Web at: http://shareware.unc.edu/. For more information, see the ATN document PC Virus Protection (dws13). This document is a publication of Academic Technology & Networks at The University of North Carolina. It may be copied for individual or non-profit use. Please send comments about this publication to CB# 3450, 402 Hanes Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3450 or to atndocs@unc.edu. Author: Anne Carter and Greg Robinson. Editor: Lanis Wilson, Jennifer Haytock, and Melissa Bostrom. Revision date: June 3, 1999. Print date: July 22, 1999. ATN Document dws08