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I
am putting this page up to list some of the most common bugs and/or
annoyances with Win 95/98 and provide some tip's and workarounds to
solve them WARNING
! Some of these methods
involve directly editing the system registry and should not be attempted
by the faint of heart or weak of mind, you should always back-up your
registry before
attempting any modifications to it ! - you will also find a few
performance tweaks here, Good Luck !
(disclaimer)
I can not and will not be held responsible for any system degradation or
data loss resulting from the improper use of these instructions, you do so at
your own risk , I have tried them all on several systems and they work
Ten Ways To Make Windows 98 Run Better
( from an article written by Fred Langa of WinMag.com )
http://www.winmag.com/library/1999/0701/fea0047.htm
(1)
Reduce the load
You probably have more applications running than you think: Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to bring up the Close Program box. Even with all the obvious, top-level apps shut down, chances are you'll still see a bunch of invisible background applications running.
Each running app eats a little of your CPU time, with a net result of slowing things down. Some apps are worse than others. Microsoft Office's Find Fast is a notorious CPU hog, as are many anti-virus and "disk doctor" apps that run constantly in the background. For programs like these, use the Custom option in each program's Setup applet to control what runs in the background. Use Win98's System Configuration Utility (\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSCONFIG.EXE) to control which system-level tasks load at startup.
(2)
Pick Up the Pieces
Defragging is always a good idea, but it's triply beneficial in Win98. The Defrag applet (\WINDOWS\ DEFRAG.EXE) performs three tasks to enhance performance: It places the pieces of all your files into fast-loading contiguous areas of your hard disk, moves your most frequently used files to the front of the disk where they'll load fastest, and groups your applications' separate pieces into the most efficient load-order. Defrag often.
(3) Do
an Alignment
Win98's WAlign (\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\WALIGN. EXE) can restructure programs on your hard drive for the fastest-possible access once they're loaded into RAM and your CPU's cache: You can see load times improve by 20% or more. But on its own, WAlign only works on Microsoft Office programs. To align other apps, you either need to spend
about $70 for the full Win98 Resource Kit (which has a more powerful version called
WinAlign)
(4) Take Out the Trash
Win98 is a packrat. As you work, it collects a prodigious number of temporary files, and it does so for good reason: The \WINDOWS\TEMP, \WINDOWS\TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES and Recycle Bin files all exist to give you fast access to items you might need again. But there's a point of diminishing returns. And you can end up with hundreds of megabytes of these files, wasting space and decreasing performance as the operating system tries to wade through the rubbish. To keep the trash to a manageable minimum, periodically run Disk Cleanup from Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools.
(5) How's Your Memory?
Win98 wants to manage your swap file (virtual memory) on its own. Windows is good at doing that for routine use: The swap file can grow or shrink as needed, and it doesn't have to be all in one place. But Win98 will work faster if the file is all in one place, and if the operating system doesn't have to constantly take time to enlarge or reduce the swap file area as you work. Right click on My Computer/Properties/Performance/Virtual Memory and select "Let me specify my own virtual memory settings." If you have more than one hard drive, place the swap file on the fastest drive you have. Now choose a minimum size for the swap file; a good starting point is to specify at least 2.5 times your system's RAM. Setting a large minimum size means the swap file will usually be large enough for your needs. Reboot when asked, and run Defrag to ensure the swap file's all in one piece. After you're done, you should experience noticeably less disk-thrashing.
(6) Get your Fat
Many systems that came with Win98 or were upgraded from Win95 still run the old-style 16-bit File Allocation Table, or FAT16. Win98 also supports FAT32, which is better for several reasons. It makes far more efficient use of large hard drives. It can recover from some kinds of damage to the root directory or to other critical data structures on your disk. It allows programs to load up to 50% faster due to its better use of disk space. And it allows Defrag to relocate portions of your applications and their supporting files in the actual order they're called, for the fastest possible loading. If you're still running FAT16, select Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Drive Converter(FAT32) and follow the on-screen directions. If you're not sure which FAT you're using, launch the Driver Converter and click on Next.
(7) Change
Roles
Windows retains some internal performance settings carried over from the days when RAM was expensive. Today they're obsolete and even counterproductive. For example, in My Computer/Properties/Performance/File System, the Typical role is usually Desktop Computer. But if your PC has more than 32MB of RAM, it'll operate slightly faster if you select Network Server even if it isn't really a server. (The Network Server setting uses a little more RAM for various disk buffers and caches to speed disk operations.) For most systems with abundant RAM, it makes sense to use the server setting.
(8) Tune your DUN
By default, Windows' networking protocols are optimized for LAN-based communication. If you connect to the Web via a LAN, you're probably fine. But not if you use Dial-Up Networking. LANs and the Internet use different packet sizes, so the resulting packet fragmentation slows you down. Other default settings may slow you down as well, but all can be fixed by changing several Registry settings. The freeware application EasyMTU (available at most download sites) can do it all for you in seconds, and get your dial-up sessions operating at top speed.
(9) Tweak
it Up
TweakUI lets you improve your PC's responsiveness by setting faster menu speeds, adjusting your mouse's double-click sensitivity, turning off time- and CPU-cycle-wasting animations, and much more. On most Win98 CDs, you'll find TweakUI in the \TOOLS\RESKIT\POWERTOY directory. Right-click on TWEAKUI.INF and select Install. After it installs, open Control Panel, click on the TweakUI icon and tweak away.
(10) When All Else Fails ...
Sometimes, subtle problems can put the brakes on Windows. if all else fails, it's time for a reinstall. But relax, you don't have to do a full reformat.
providing you are reinstalling the same version just go ahead and reinstall over
top of your original installation to save yourself the time of backing up all
your apps. Reinstalling is the last resort, but it's still the ultimate fix for sluggish Windows.
Getting
Rid of browser Customizations
Have you ever installed a custom version of Internet Explorer from your ISP or other supplier and was shocked to see what it had done to your Browser ? here's how to fix many of the common customizations ...
(1) unlocking homepage setting
Have you installed a custom version of Internet Explorer and now find you can no longer change your HomePage setting ? here's how to fix it !
Click on "start", then "run". type in regedit then click on "ok". Expand the following folders ... HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel.
In the right hand pane find the value for "HomePage", double click on it and enter a 0 (zero) in the "value data" box.
close the registry editor and you should now have re-enabled the option to change your homepage. (may require a re-boot for changes to take effect.
(2) Removing or changing toolbar background
Click on "start", then "run". type in regedit then click on "ok". Expand the following folders...
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ Toolbar. In the right hand pane find the value for "BackBitmap", double click on it and clear or change the filename to your preference in the "value data" box.
close the registry editor and you should now have removed or changed the toolbar background picture. (may require a re-boot for changes to take effect.
(3) Remove the "Supplied by........" text from the Internet Explorer title bar.
Click on "start", then "run". type in regedit then click on "ok".Expand the following folders ..
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software \Microsoft\InternetExplorer\Main. In the right hand pane find the value for "Window Title", double click on it and clear or change the text to your preference in the "value data" box. (default is Microsoft Internet Explorer)
close the registry editor and you should now have removed or changed Title bar text. (may require a re-boot for changes to take effect.
(4) Remove the "Supplied by........" text from the Outlook Express title bar. NOTE : The {67DB6EC0-DED5-11D2-80BF-0080C8C0EA0B} part of the registry key tends to vary on individual systems, check this with regedit and adjust accordingly.
Click on "start", then "run". type in regedit then click on "ok". Expand the following folders...HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities
\ {67DB6EC0-DED5-11D2-80BF-0080C8C0EA0B} \Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express\5.0.
In the right hand pane find the value for "Window Title", double click on it and clear or change the text to your preference in the "value data" box. (default is Outlook Express)
close the registry editor and you should now have removed or changed Title bar text. (may require a re-boot for changes to take effect.
(5) Restore or change your default search page / home page
Click on "start", then "run". type in regedit then click on "ok".
Expand the following folders ... HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
In the right hand pane find the value for "Search Bar", double click on it and change the filename to http://home.microsoft.com/search/search.asp in the "value data" box.
In the right hand pane find the value for "Search Page", double click on it and change the filename to http://home.microsoft.com/access/allinone.asp in the "value data" box.
In the right hand pane find the value for "Start Page", double click on it and change the filename to
http://home.microsoft.com or whatever you want to make your start page in the "value data" box.
close the registry editor and you should now have changed the search and start page preferences in your browser. (may require a re-boot for changes to take effect.
CD Rom Support for your Win95 Boot Disk
Computers crash all the time, and when you reboot after a crash, your PC may not recognize its CD-ROM drive. That Start Up disk you created in Windows 95 does not include CD drivers. So how are you supposed to
restore your computer from the Windows 95 CD if your computer won't recognize the CD-ROM? You've got to have CD drivers on your floppy. Just as you would backup your files, you should have a boot disk available and tested for emergency situations.
How to create a boot disk.
Here's how to create a boot disk that will allow you to reboot the system with CD support
1. Create a Start Up disk. Go to the Control Panel under Settings. Select Add/Remove programs. Select the StartUp disk tab. Put a blank floppy in your A drive and hit OK.
1a. If you're using Windows 98, you're done. Windows 98 creates a true startup disk - that is, a disk that you can start the machine from and still access your CD-ROM. If you're using Windows 95, read on.
2. Copy mscdex.exe, Microsoft CD Extensions, from the Commands Directory within the Windows Folder ("c:\windows\commands\mscdex.exe" in most cases) onto the boot floppy.
3. Open up Notepad, type in the following and save it as a:\autoexec.bat.:
a:\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD001 /M:15
4. Now comes the hard part. You'll need to locate. the specific driver for your CD-ROM drive and copy it to the floppy. You may already have an entry that refers to the driver in the CONFIG.SYS file on your C: drive. Look for a line that looks something like this: "DEVICE=sonycd.sys". If you have such an entry, you'll need only to copy the file named (sonycd.sys, for example) to the a:\ drive. Otherwise you'll have to find the driver on the original install disks that came with your drive. Don't have the disks? You may be able to find the driver at http://www.windrivers.com. You'll need to know the name of the drive's manufacturer and the specific model number. That information will probably be written on the drive itself if you can't find it elsewhere. You need the DOS drivers (sometimes called the "real mode drivers.") Once you've got the right driver, copy it to the floppy.
5. Start a new file in Notepad, and type in the following:
DEVICE=A:(your cd driver) /D:MSCD001
For example, device=a:atapi_cd.sys /d:mscd001
Save this file as a:config.sys.
6. Now all you have to do is test the floppy. Reboot your system with the floppy in the drive and a loaded CD. At the prompt, type in the drive letter for your CD (D: in most cases) and hit return. If you can see the drive, type DIR and return. See a list of files? Then all is well. You have successfully created a boot disk!
Miscellaneous
Tips
In Device Manager/Disk Drives, select any CD-ROM
and Hard Disk Drive and click on Properties. On the Settings tab if DMA isn’t grayed out, check the DMA box if it is not grayed out. This will allow the drives to access your computer’s DMA buffer so it can run with a lot less CPU power.
Make sure your drivers are up to date and specific to the hardware. If it’s not clear who made the card, look for the FCC ID: number and enter the number at
http://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid/ . Then you can track down the manufacturer on the Web to find the proper driver. And be careful not to mistake the maker of the chip with the maker of the card.
Run your Win95/98 system on four partitions: C for OS and OS utilities; D for the swap file; E for applications; and F for files. This reduces fragmentation, as well as the chance of accidentally deleting an OS or application file. It also makes it easier to keep things organized.
Almost every Win 98
machine I have looked at seems to have this little bug of the icons in
the quick launch tool bar changing randomly, no major deal but
annoying none the less, all I have read on the subject says you can
correct this by refreshing the toolbar, it does work but only
temporarily this apparently is a problem with the default icon
cache set to low, here is how to fix it permanently, click on the
start button, then run, type in regedit this will open the registry
editor, expand the folder titled (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE) then
Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer click on the
explorer folder to highlight it, then in the right pane you will right
click on a empty spot choose new string value, then name it "Max
Cached Icons" exactly as typed here without the quotation marks.
now right click on the new value choose modify then in the value data
box you enter "2048" without the quotation marks, now close
regedit restart windows and you should never see those icons with a
mind of their own again.
Included on the Win 98 CD but not installed by default is a must have little utility called Tweak UI, it gives you enormous control over small aspects of the user interface, some of the tabs include Mouse, Explorer, IE 4.0, Desktop, My Computer, Control Panel, Network and Boot, here are just a few that cut back on annoyances, Mouse tab: you can adjust the speed that your menu's open, I don't recommend you change this one much unless you have a slow computer. you will need to experiment with this one to get what suits you best. General tab: you can turn off all those cute little windows animations that slow your system down, and turn off mouse hot tracking effects to eliminate overkill pop up labels for icons such as the X close box in the upper right hand corner of every program folder window. Explorer tab: turn off the all to cute animated "click here to begin" arrow on the task bar, also uncheck the prefix "shortcut to" on new shortcuts to save having to rename them all the time. Desktop tab: offers an easy way to turn off or on the desktop icons. IE 4.0 tab: One of my favorites, you can uncheck the IE 4.0 enabled tab here to have your Win98 look substantially like your old Win 95 interface, you can also get rid of the Favorites, Documents and Log on buttons from the start menu. Paranoia tab: If you like that last one you will love this, from here you can clear documents and run history at log on, turn off auto run feature of data or music CD's or both which is considered annoying by many users. You can find this utility on the CD in Tools\Reskit\Powertoy look for tweakui.inf, right click on the file and choose install, there is one tricky part to the installation process, so follow these tips. At one point you will see a help screen and the installation progress bar will stall on introducing Tweak UI setup, you will have to close the help screen for the installation to continue, after installed you will find the new tool in the control panel. Win 95 users can find their version of this free utility at. http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/default.asp.
Microsoft is forever hiding some of the best tools in out of the way places, one good example and a great tool is the "system configuration utility" included with Win 98, but you will have to hunt for it, definitely worth checking out, from here you can disable start up items that are not wanted or needed with the click of a mouse, also makes editing your autoexec.bat and system.ini files very simple, you can enable/disable lines with a simple mouse click in a check box, one of the biggest resource hogs you may find in your start up group if you have Microsoft Office installed is the "fast find" utility, if you want to improve performance, I recommend you disable this. Here is where to go…. Click on the start button then accessories, system tools, Microsoft system information, go to the tools tab, then system configuration utility.
You can speed up the process of logging on to your ISP, Open your dial up networking folder then right click on the connection for your ISP, choose Server Type, in Advanced Options. Uncheck "Log on to Network." under Allowed Network Protocols, uncheck NetBEUI and IPX/SPX Compatible. be sure "Use Software Compression" is not checked, in fact if you are not connecting to a Network, the only option checked here should be TCP/IP.
You can significantly increase download times by adjusting the registry settings that control Maximum Transmission Units (MTU), Maximum Segment Size (MSS), and Default Receive Window (Rwin), rather than go thru all the gory details here, I am providing a couple of links that will help you out tremendously with this "Must Have" tweak, http//www.mjs.u-net.com/mike.htm will take you to a site where you can download a nifty little program called MTUSpeed Pro, which will take care of all of the registry changes for you with a simple point and click interface, you can also go to http://www.cnet.com/Content/Features/Howto/Netspeed/ss09.html to learn all the details of this great internet speed tweak.
These Tips and Tricks have been gathered from around the Web.
I am in no way shape or form claiming ownership.
If you see something here that you feel is yours, and you don't feel I should
share it here, please feel free to contact me and it will be promptly removed.
This Page Last Updated On 09/21/05