Newsgroups: comp.os.ms-windows.win95.misc,comp.os.ms-windows.setup.win95,comp.os.ms-windows.networking.win95,comp.os.ms-windows.apps.compatibility.win95,comp.os.ms-windows.apps.utilities.win95,comp.answers,news.answers
Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news-out.internetmci.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!204.174.67.209!news.bctel.net!srv4.reelwest.bc.ca!not-for-mail
From: gordonf@intouch.bc.ca
Subject: Win95 FAQ Part 3 of 14: Usage
Message-ID: <19980107.8D7D740.134F7@ras2com20.reelwest.bc.ca>
Date: Wed, 7 Jan 98 21:55:03
Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU
Followup-To: comp.os.ms-windows.win95.misc
Summary: These postings list many questions asked in said newsgroups,
         and answers them as best as I can.  I make references to other
         Web sites and FAQs when appropriate.  Visit the WWW home of
         this FAQ (http://www.orca.bc.ca/win95) for the appropriate
         links.  This section is the 3rd: Usage
Organization: Personal and Win95 FAQ maintainence
X-NoSpamWanted: This address is not for unsolicited commercial e-mail
X-ImNotKidding: By sending UCE to this address you agree to pay $50.00 CDN
X-pensive-Spam: Payable to G. Fecyk, c/o P.O. Box 373 Oakville, MB  R0H 0Y0
Lines: 663
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu comp.os.ms-windows.win95.misc:291355 comp.os.ms-windows.setup.win95:63474 comp.os.ms-windows.networking.win95:44642 comp.os.ms-windows.apps.compatibility.win95:15795 comp.os.ms-windows.apps.utilities.win95:51906 comp.answers:29581 news.answers:120366

Archive-name: windows/win95/faq/part03
Last-Modified: 1998/01/07
Posting-Frequency: Every two months
URL: http://www.orca.bc.ca/win95/faq3.htm

3. Basic Win95 usage 

     * 3.1. ...vs Windows 3.x
     * 3.2. ...vs MS-DOS (tm)
     * 3.3. What is this "Explorer" thing?
     * 3.4. How do I...
          + 3.4.1. ...find my old Win 3.x programs?
          + 3.4.2. ...make a program read a file I click on?
          + 3.4.3. ...change what program opens what kind of file?
               o 3.4.3.1. How can I add or remove file extensions from
                          a file type?
          + 3.4.4. ...run Windows 3.x programs? (including Windows
                   games)
               o 3.4.4.1. How do I run Win 3.1 after installing
                          Win95?
               o 3.4.4.2. How do I install Win 3.1 fresh in a Win95
                          system?
          + 3.4.5. ...run MS-DOS apps?
          + 3.4.6. ...run MS-DOS utilities? (Xtree (tm), Norton
                   Utilities (tm), etc)
          + 3.4.7. ...run MS-DOS games?
          + 3.4.8. ...format or copy disks?
          + 3.4.9. ...search for files?
          + 3.4.10. ...add my own items to the Start Menu?
               o 3.4.10.1. The Desktop, Start Menu, and shortcuts
          + 3.4.11. ...change my display resolution?
          + 3.4.12. ...change my display driver?
          + 3.4.13. ...disable the "Full window drag" feature of MS
                    Plus?
     * 3.5. Some MS-DOS utilities are missing. Where can I get them?
     * 3.6. Should I buy these new fancy utilities for Win95?
          + 3.6.1. ...Norton Navigator (tm) ?
          + 3.6.2. ...un-installers?
          + 3.6.3. ...anti-virus programs?
          + 3.6.4. ...Microsoft Plus (tm) ?
          + 3.6.5. ...RAM compression programs?
          + 3.6.6. ...crash-proofing utilities?
     * 3.7. Top ten mistakes running Windows 3.x programs
     * 3.8. Top ten mistakes running MS-DOS programs and games 
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   3.1. Basic Win95 usage vs Windows 3.x 
   
   Win95 sports the cool new Explorer Desktop, in an attempt to be more
   Mac-like. Try to forget what you know about Program Manager, File
   Manager, Print Manager, etc because very little of it applies!
   
   Win 3.1 programs will run like they used to; the window might look a
   bit different, and there might be some extra buttons on the border,
   but they will work otherwise.
   
   Get used to using your right mouse button. On an Amiga, the right
   button was a "menu" button, which brought up a hidden menu. On
   OS/2, it brings up menus for each object you click on. On Win95,
   it acts like the OS/2 right-click except it pretty much works on
   anything; window title bars, the Start Menu, any kind of icon,
   properties sheets, whatever.
   
   Win 3.1 programs run in a single process under Win95, cooperatively
   multitasking as they always did since Windows/386. This means one Win
   3.1 app can suspend the entire Win 3.1 session. In fact, one Win 3.1
   app can suspend all of Win95! This is purely for compatibility.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   3.2. Basic Win95 usage vs MS-DOS (TM) 
   
   Microsoft kept DOS for compatibility and nothing else. Win95 includes
   MS-DOS 7.0, which under Win95, is a multitasking DOS. DOS programs run
   in protected sessions like Win95 programs do, and the system
   pre-emptively task-switches between Win32 sessions, DOS sessions, and
   the single Win 3.1 session.
   
   COMMAND.COM is now a multitasking command prompt. Win95 can unload it
   on command, unless a DOS program is running from it. Some Win32
   character-based programs can run from COMMAND.COM, if they don't
   depend on Windows NT features. Outside of Win95 though, COMMAND.COM,
   and the rest of DOS, is just DOS.
   
   The biggest difference between old DOS and DOS 7.0, is it does not
   allow direct disk writes, to prevent filename corruption and virus
   infection. Effectively, if a program tries to write to the disk
   directly while outside of Win95, you will get an evil message telling
   you to restart your computer. Normally this is good, but some "good"
   programs (like Windows 3.1 running 32-bit disk access, which DOES work
   in DOS 7.0 by the way) need to access the disk directly. If you can
   trust such programs, type:

LOCK C: (or whatever drive letter)

   before running the program. Notice, however, that LOCK C: only works
   outside of Win95 (like when you "Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode"
   for example), and within Win95, no direct writes are allowed under any
   circumstance.
   
   Some DOS TSRs no longer supported under Explorer are PRINT and SUBST
   (though SUBST seems to work in 32-bit mode once you finish installing
   Win95). As a general rule, don't run any DOS TSRs that fiddle with the
   disk handler or require direct access to hardware (like PRINT).
   
   4.00.950B users will notice their DOS apps will report their DOS
   version as MS-DOS 7.10. This version of DOS supports FAT32 file
   systems (The "32" refers to the number of bits the File Allocation
   Table supports, and as such it can support smaller cluster sizes on
   larger (> 1 GB) drives. FAT32 file systems will not work with DOS
   utilities designed for older versions of DOS. DOS 7.10's SCANDISK does
   fix serious problems, and Win95 Defrag still does a great job of
   infragmenting FAT32 drives.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   3.3. What is this "Explorer" thing? 
   
   Like I wrote above, it's Win95's new default shell. Explorer actually
   has two big parts and several little ones. The two biggest parts you
   will see right away are the Desktop and the Taskbar. I won't go into
   details, because Microsoft has lots of basic stuff about these two
   devices.
   
   I will go into details on the little pieces, however. Microsoft
   combined the functionality of many utilities (including File Manager,
   Control Panel, Print Manager, Remote Access, Windows Setup, PIF
   editor) into it. Control Panel is pretty obvious and works much the
   way it did back in Win 3.1. The others were completely renamed and
   re-worked, and it'll just take some "Exploring" (pun intended) to
   learn them.
   
   Running "EXPLORER.EXE" with Explorer running will merely open a File
   Manager style window, with directory trees and split displays.
   "Exploring" directories like this is great for power users who need to
   find something fast. Right-click on any folder or drive and select
   "Explore" to begin "Exploring" from that point. You aren't running
   multiple processes of Explorer; you're merely opening another Explorer
   window separate from the Desktop.
   
   Print Manager got replaced by the Printers folder in "My Computer".
   You create and maintain printers here, though there is a shortcut to
   it from Control Panel, for compatibility. When you create printers
   here you may use Win 3.1 printer drivers (though I don't recommend
   this) or Win95 drivers. Microsoft claims NT drivers will install here
   as well, but I couldn't get any of the NT drivers working.
   
   Remote Access gets replaced by Dial-up Networking, which is now a
   general network connection through modems. Dial-up Networking covers
   regular RAS connections, Internet connections, and connections to
   NetWare Connect servers for remote NetWare log ins. Dial-up Networking
   also supports null modems and parallel port cables with Direct Cable
   Connection.
   
   Windows Setup is kinda scattered all over the place, but you'll find
   the main components in the Control Panel's Add New Hardware,
   Add/Remove Programs, and System programs.
   
   PIF files are now "Shortcuts to MS-DOS Programs", and you bring up a
   DOS program's properties to edit its PIF file. Check out How to
   run DOS programs in Win95 for details.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   3.4. How do I... 

     * 3.4.1. ...find my old Win 3.x programs? 
       
   Win95 Setup copied all your group files (.GRP) from Program Manager
   into a directory called (what else), "Start Menu". It copied the icon
   groups into little directories which you can view by pressing the
   Start button, and selecting "Programs".
   
   One notable exception to this, is Setup eliminated the "Main" program
   group entirely. It'll relocate Main items into the root of the Start
   Menu, and remove icons that no longer apply (like File Manager).
   
   If a program installer just copied a .GRP file to the hard disk,
   rather than add the icons through the Windows APIs like it's supposed
   to, you can add that group to the Start Menu by finding the .GRP file
   itself, and opening it (double-clicking it). If programs also try to
   change PROGMAN.INI, which contains the group listings, Win95 will move
   them to the Start Menu the next time you restart.

     * 3.4.2. ...make a program open a file I click on? 
       
   Explorer lets you browse your hard drive and click on documents, as
   well as programs. This works exactly like clicking on documents in
   File Manager; simply double-click on the document to launch its
   associated app.
   
   If you click on a file with an extension it doesn't recognize,
   Explorer offers up a list of programs and lets you choose which one
   you want. You can also give a descriptive name to the file type (such
   as "Doom data file" for .WAD files). You may further edit the file
   type with the View/Options... menu in any Explorer window and
   selecting the "File Types" tab.

     * 3.4.3. ...change what program opens what kind of file? 
       
   To edit file types, select the View menu and Options in any Explorer
   window. Hit the "File types" tab and you can edit, add, or delete
   known file types. Some file types are hidden from this display (such
   as "System File") to keep you from hurting them. I'll tell you how to
   find them later.
   
   You can do much more than Open a document. Some document types have
   more options than Open if you right-click on them. For example, .BAT
   files have an "Edit" command which brings up Notepad. To add this
   functionality to your own documents, go back to the "File types" tab
   and find the file type you want to add this to, and hit Edit. You can
   then Add an action, such as "Edit", which launches a separate program
   and opens that file. This worked great for me; I have an "Edit" option
   added to all my HTML documents which launches MS-Word, an extra "Edit
   as Text" option to use Notepad instead, so I can remove the extra crap
   that Internet Assistant put in, and "Open" launches Mosaic to view the
   document.
   
   You can also use the File Types tab to disable CD Audio auto-play (by
   turning off "play" as its default action), hide or show extensions for
   particular file types, enable or disable QuickView (provided you
   installed QuickView in Add/Remove Programs / Windows Setup), and
   remove file types completely.

     * 3.4.3.1. How can I add or remove filename extensions from a file
       type?
       
   This is not immediately simple, but you can accomplish this two ways:
    1. Run WINFILE.EXE (File Manager) and use its Associate... menu to
       add extensions to an already existing file type. The file types in
       WINFILE corespond with the file types you see in Explorer. I
       recommend this method.
    2. Edit the Registry using REGEDIT.EXE. You'll find all the filename
       extensions in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT along with the matching file
       types. Simply add a new key with the extension as its name (such
       as ".HTM") and change that key's (default) value so it contains
       the same name as the other extension's default value (such as
       "NetscapeHypertext"). You may also add a second String value named
       "Content Type" to specify a MIME type for this filename extension.
       
   In both cases, when you exit the respective program, press F5 to cause
   Explorer to refresh its display. All files with the new extension will
   change icons and properties to match the file type you assigned it.
   This also works in NT 4.0, but you will need to restart your computer
   to effect the change.

     * 3.4.4. ...run Windows 3.x programs? (including Windows games) 
       
   If there's an icon in the Start Menu, you can run it from there. When
   you install apps in Win95 that create icons the "proper" way, Explorer
   will build up entries in the Start Menu. You can also find the
   executable itself by browsing the hard drive, then opening it.
   Self-installing archives, such as Win95 Service Pack 1, are one kind
   of Windows program you'll need to run by browsing and opening.
   
   If you don't see your old program group on the Start Menu, or if a
   program just copied a group file (.GRP) to the hard disk, just find
   the .GRP file it installed and Open it. This runs a converter that
   builds Shortcuts for the Start menu.
   
   Windows programs will even run from a DOS session under Win95. Type
   the name of the executable like you would for any DOS program. You can
   open documents from the DOS session with the START command (just like
   the Start Menu "Run" command). "START MyDocument.doc" will run
   Microsoft Word, and load MyDocument.doc into memory.
   
   A handful of Win 3.1 and Win 3.0 programs won't recognize that you
   have a newer version of Windows, and report an error like, "This
   program requires Windows 3.1 or better". Well, you have a "Setver"
   kind of workaround for such programs in Win95; the [Compatibility]
   section of WIN.INI. For example, to install Outpost 1.0 on Win95, you
   can edit WIN.INI so "INSTALL=00020000" instead of 00040000; that
   number is a Windows version reporting number. This will make
   INSTALL.EXE think it's running in Win 3.1. Later on, if the main
   program acts the same way, you can add entries to WIN.INI with that
   version ID that matches Win 3.1. A handful of entries exist already,
   for known programs.
   
   NOTE: Win95 will restore any changes you make to programs called
   INSTALL or SETUP in the [compatibility] section of WIN.INI. When you
   make your changes, do them from SYSEDIT, and not from any other file
   editor, then run your installer. Win95 instantly changes the entry
   back to 00040000 after the program finishes installing.
   
   There's a cute utility for real dumb Win 3.1 programs; MKCOMPAT.EXE,
   in your Win95 directory. Run this program to turn on compatibility
   switches to make dumb programs work. This is a last resort, and I'd
   rather you insist the program's publisher fix it.

     * 3.4.4.1. ...install and run Windows 3.1 on a system now running
       Win95? 
       
   If you installed Win95 in a separate directory (You smart person you),
   you can do a very cute trick: Hit Start/Shut Down... and "Restart
   computer in MS-DOS Mode". This will take you straight to a DOS prompt.
   From here, change to your Win 3.1 directory and just type WIN.
   
   This little trick works because Win95 DOS (DOS 7.0) already loaded the
   necessary HIMEM.SYS XMS driver, which is all Win 3.1 really needs to
   load. Performance will be poor, because there's no disk caching active
   at this time, and no fancy network stuff will probably work either,
   because you aren't using Win 3.1's version of IFSHLP. To get these
   working, check out the tricks used to run MS-DOS games and prepare
   special PIF files for, what MS calls, "Single mode MS-DOS". Be
   sure to include the Win 3.1 versions of IFSHLP.SYS, MSCDEX, and NET
   START, and Win95 versions of other base drivers such as EMM386. Also
   include LOCK C: to let 32-bit disk and file access work.

     * 3.4.4.2. How do I install Win 3.1 fresh in a Win95 system? 
       
   First, Shut Down, and Re-start the computer in MS-DOS mode. If you
   have a CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file (Which you don't need really),
   copy these to a safe place.
   
   Next, insert your Win 3.1 setup disk 1 and run SETUP.EXE from it. This
   performs a normal Win 3.1 or WFWG 3.11 install. When prompted for your
   Windows directory location, be EXTRA CAREFUL to use a different
   directory name than your Win95 installation!!!!!!
   
   Next, let Win 3.1 Setup proceed as normally. When it finishes, copy
   any changed CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT it made up and save them with
   different file names, and restore the previous versions of these
   files.
   
   Next, return to Win95 by typing EXIT. Look for WIN.COM in the Win 3.1
   directory you installed it in, and right-click on it. Select
   "Properties". Then use the same techniques I mentioned above for
   setting up a special PIF file for Single Mode DOS. This way, you can
   specify a proper Win 3.1 startup sequence and avoid polluting your
   Win95 configuration. You can also use Win 3.1 versions of IFSHLP, NET,
   and MSCDEX as required. Now, when you launch this version of WIN.COM
   from Win95, it will re-start your computer using that special
   configuration. When you exit Win 3.1, Win95 re-starts.

     * 3.4.5. ...run MS-DOS apps? 
       
   You can either run a DOS session by hitting Start/Programs/MS-DOS
   Prompt and run the DOS program from there, or open it from Explorer.
   If it's a DOS program, Win95 will start a DOS session and load the
   program into it.
   
   NOTE: If you launch a DOS program from Explorer, it will create a PIF
   file for it (Also called a "Shortcut to MS-DOS Program"). If it can't
   write to the directory where the program resides, it will write the
   PIF file to %WINDIR%\PIF.
   
   If you want to avoid making four hundred PIF files, run the MS-DOS
   Prompt first, then run the program within that session. It will use
   the program properties built into the default PIF (DOSPRMPT.PIF)
   instead of making one.

     * 3.4.6. ...run MS-DOS utilities? (Xtree (TM), Norton Utilities
       (TM), etc) 
       
   Like any other MS-DOS program, but avoid utilities that do direct disk
   writes, like DOS versions of SpeedDisk, Norton Disk Doctor, DiskEdit,
   etc as these won't work in DOS sessions, because Win95 won't let you
   perform direct disk writes in a DOS session.
   
   If you have to run utilities that access the disk directly (like
   sector editors), you must exit to DOS (Restart computer in MS-DOS
   mode) and LOCK the hard drive you will edit (LOCK C:). This will allow
   the direct disk access to work.
   
   Utilities to avoid include DOS versions of ScanDisk, Defrag, and all
   their cousins. Win95 comes with Windows version of these utilities
   that work with long filenames etc, and Peter Norton has Win95 versions
   of his utilities, too.
   
   4.00.950B users should be extra careful not to use any utilities
   designed for previous DOS versions. Period. I don't know enough about
   FAT32 file systems to know what works and what doesn't, so I can't
   make any suggestions here.

     * 3.4.7. ...run MS-DOS games? 
       
   I go into a whole whack of detail on this subject, but to make life
   real simple, run your games in DOS sessions under Win95, like you
   would any DOS application. A handful of useful Properties settings to
   turn on include, "Protected" (Memory tab), "Prevent DOS programs from
   detecting Windows" (Program tab/Advanced), "Full Screen" (Display),
   and "Always Suspend" (Misc).
   
   DOS games can work with protected mode CD-ROM, sound, and network
   drivers easily. All the real mode hooks are there. Basically, you
   don't need to load any DOS drivers for anything to make a game run.
   This includes CD-ROM games as these are looking for MSCDEX hooks to
   play CD Audio, and these exist in DOS sessions. One user reported that
   some DOS based Audio CD players won't work, but this is because
   they're trying to directly access a real mode CD-ROM driver rather
   than MSCDEX.
   
   For more details, jump to the Running MS-DOS Games section.

     * 3.4.8. ...format and copy disks? 
       
   Right-click on the floppy drive in "My Computer" and select "Format".
   To copy disks, right-click on the drive and select "Copy..."
   
   Don't forget that right mouse button.
   
   NOTE: Win95's smart enough to stop you from copying the new DMF disks
   (1.8 MB or whatever) and keep you from copying the commercial software
   that comes on it. So don't ask me how to pirate these disks.

     * 3.4.9. ...search for files? 
       
   Explorer has a nifty file find tool built in. Right-click on where you
   want to start searching and select "Find...". You could also hit Start
   Menu/Find.
   
   You can search your entire computer (including floppy drives and net
   drives), or a single drive for a file. Type in the filename (or part
   of the filename) and hit Find. Wildcards (*, ?) are permitted but not
   required. Don't forget you're dealing with long filenames now, so keep
   spaces and other non-standard characters in mind. Use filenames in
   quotes (such as "Long file name for my document.doc") if they have
   spaces.
   
   You can search text within files, search for files with certain dates,
   certain sizes, even search for computers on a network. To do this, hit
   the Advanced tab and enter the text you're searching for. You can
   combine the properties of all three tabs to narrow your search and
   reduce searching time.

     * 3.4.10. ...add my own items to the Start Menu? 
       
   The Start Menu's filled with shortcut files. The easiest way to add an
   item is to drag an icon on top of the Start button. This creates a
   shortcut in the root of the Start Menu.
   
   If you're a bit more selective on where you want to put the shortcut,
   right-click on any open Taskbar space and hit Properties. Select
   "Start Menu Programs" and you can add or remove items. The Shortcut
   Wizard helps you find the item you want to make a shortcut to. For the
   ultimate control over the Start Menu, right-click on the Start button
   and hit Open or Explore, and the drag shortcuts and folders around at
   will.

     * 3.4.10.1. The Desktop, Start Menu, and shortcuts 
       
   The Desktop and Start Menu are directories on your hard drive, filled
   with .LNK files, or Shortcuts. They may also have regular files in
   them, but Start Menu items have to be .LNK or .PIF files.
   
   If you right-click on the Start button, you can Open the Start Menu
   like any other disk directory and move stuff around.
   
   NOTE on .LNK, .PIF, and .URL files: Win95 hides these extensions
   always, regardless of your "Hide all extensions" settings. If you want
   to change such an extension you'll need to do so from a DOS prompt.

     * 3.4.11. ...change my display resolution? 
       
   Right-click on any empty Desktop space and select "Properties". You
   can change the wallpaper, screen saver, appearance of windows, and
   display mode. If you change display resolution without changing the
   colour depth, Win95 will re-size the desktop and ask you if it's OK to
   use it. If you change the display's colour depth (like 8-bit to 16-bit
   for example) Win95 will restart.
   
   Many advanced display drivers (such as ATI's DirectX Drivers) will add
   extra tabs to this properties sheet. Take advantage of them. Still
   others (like Diamond's S3 drivers) will let you change display depth
   (number of colours) without rebooting. Unlike Win 3.1 drivers however,
   these utilities use hooks in Win95 set aside by Microsoft for this
   purpose. Get a proper Win95 display driver to take advantage without
   damaging your system.

     * 3.4.12. ...change my display driver? 
       
   In Display Properties, select the settings tab. Hit the "Change
   Display Type" button. This will let you change the video driver and
   monitor driver.

     * 3.4.13. ...disable the "Full window drag" feature of MS Plus? 
       
   Microsoft Plus' "Display Enhancements" are a bit of a processor hog.
   You can turn off the Full Window Drag by hitting the "Plus" tab in
   Display Properties, and just turning it off.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   3.5. Some MS-DOS utilities are missing. Where can I get them?
   
   You might be looking for QBASIC or some other item from DOS 6 missing
   here. These are available on the CD-ROM version. They're in
   OTHER\OLDMSDOS, and you'll find a batch file that will copy them to
   your %WINDIR%\COMMAND directory. After a reboot they'll be available.
   You need to reboot because these are direct copies of DOS 6.22
   programs, and the batch file SETVER's them to that version.
   
   If you installed Win95 on top of old DOS, your DOS directory will
   still be in your path, and you can run the old DOS utilities without
   having to install them from the CD-ROM. Setup will conveniently add
   them to the SETVER table.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   3.6. Should I buy these new fancy utilities for Win95? 

     * 3.6.1. ...Norton Navigator (TM) ? 
       
   If you used Norton Desktop you'll instantly miss FileAssist and those
   cool toys. I suppose it's OK, but a system running Navigator requires
   more RAM than Win95's Explorer does by itself. Expect additional disk
   swapping after installing this.
   
   New users should just try Explorer for a while first. There's no real
   point to buying a shell extension when you don't know how to use the
   default shell. After all, why would Microsoft spend so much time
   developing this interface, only to have you buy enhancements for it?
   Such shell extenders are really for power users only.

     * 3.6.2. ...uninstallers? 
       
   A must-have, if you run many old Win 3.1 programs. Make sure you
   obtain a Designed for Windows 95 version; Win 3.1 uninstallers
   don't recognize the Registry, where Win95 stores most of its
   configuration info.
   
   Be very careful of installing Win95 programs with such an uninstaller
   active. Designed for Win95 apps include their own uninstaller, and if
   you use the utility's uninstaller instead of the program's own, the
   uninstaller can remove more than it's supposed to. It could also
   remove less. CleanSweep 95 (TM), for example, warns you to this
   effect. Heed that warning!
   
   The publishers of uninstallers are preying on the fear of new Win95
   users that they HAVE to use a "professional uninstaller" for even
   Designed for 95 apps. Get serious. If a program can't uninstall itself
   it doesn't deserve the logo. Complain to them, or to Microsoft, who
   awarded the logo rights to them.

     * 3.6.3. ...anti-virus programs? 
       
   Again, Designed for Windows 95 is the key. Otherwise, run the
   anti-virus software outside of Win95.

     * 3.6.4. ...Microsoft Plus (TM) ? 
       
   Also a must-have, if you have a fast machine. System Agent makes up
   most of the purchase price by itself, running maintenance programs
   like ScanDisk and Defrag unattended.
   
   The other cool stuff that comes with it are for power users only,
   though its web browser will get you started on The Internet with
   minimal fuss. Later on you can install Netscape Navigator or MS
   Internet Explorer 2.0, or even NCSA Mosaic like me, to replace
   this cheap web browser.
   
   4.00.950B users should turn off the DriveSpace 3 and Internet Tools
   from MS Plus's setup, because the 950B versions are newer (MSIE 3.0
   and DriveSpace 3).

     * 3.6.5. ...RAM compression programs? 
       
   Yeah right. Build Washboard Abs in three weeks. "I was a 98 pound
   weakling until I installed SoftRAM 95." RAM compression only works
   when there's a defined API for accessing data RAM, as there is a
   defined API for accessing disks, and there is no such thing in Win95.
   At least, there's no way to regulate how the program accesses any RAM
   it allocates.
   
   Save yourself the hundreds of dollars of invested time and buy more
   RAM instead. These programs were great for Win 3.1, where they fixed
   inadequacies in the operating system. Win95 has considerably more
   horsepower by itself, but it thrives on a 16 MB system for running the
   big mainstream apps. MS Works 4.0, however, will run on an 8 MB system
   effortlessly. Try the techniques in Swap file & caching theory to
   speed up the system and run more programs.
   
   If you really need the power to run 100 programs at once, buy a big
   computer and install Windows NT, which will run all the Win95 apps
   anyway. Then you'll have no resource limitations, no swap file
   limitations, in fact, no DOS limitations.

     * 3.6.6. ...crash-proofing utilities? 
       
   Fear mongering fuels the sales of utilities that promise to keep your
   system crash-proof. Here's my own analysys of some of their claims:
    1. "Stops programs from crashing so you can save your work." OK, I
       can buy this one. Only trouble is, what state is your work in
       during mid-crash?
    2. "Warns you in advance of HD failures." So can ScanDisk if you run
       it daily (Buy MS Plus for 1/2 the price of some of these utilities
       and get a lot more!)
    3. "Takes the risk out of adding new programs and cards." So does the
       Designed for Windows 95 logo. Speaking of which, how many of
       these crash-proofing utilities bear the logo? I can count them
       without any fingers. :-)
    4. "Your personal 24-hour a day expert." Just read this FAQ and
       others.
       
   I can also refute a lot of these claims with two words: "Broken
   Computer." If your computer is in such a state that it's constantly
   crashing, your HD's failing, and you can't add new cards or software,
   it's probably broken. A visit to your service centre with warranty
   slip in hand will probably cost a lot less than one of these packages.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   3.7. Top ten mistakes running Windows 3.x programs 
   
   10. Installing a Win 3.1 uninstaller
   
   9. Installing a Win 3.1 communications program (replacing Win95
   COMM.DRV)
   
   8. Installing a Win 3.1 utility pack
   
   7. USING a Win 3.1 utility pack
   
   6. Installing a Win 3.1 app that replaces core system files
   
   5. Installing a Win 3.1 backup program, especially since Win95 backup
   programs are here for FREE
   
   4. Installing Norton Desktop for Win 3.1 and expecting it to work
   
   3. Installing a RAM compression program for Win95
   
   2. Installing a RAM compression program for Win 3.1
   
   1. USING a RAM compression program for Win 3.1
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   3.8. Top ten mistakes running MS-DOS programs and games 
   
   10. Loading CTMM16.SYS (SB16 driver) in Win95 because a game manual
   said to do it
   
   9. Loading MSCDEX.EXE in Win95 because a game manual said to do it
   
   8. Making a boot disk before realizing how .PIF files work, because a
   game manual said to do it
   
   (I think you get it by now)
   
   7. Installing QEMM 8.0 (or any version) just because you can't get one
   game to work
   
   6. Adding EMM386.EXE to CONFIG.SYS before learning how PIF files work
   
   5. Letting a "techie" friend add EMM386.EXE (or any other real mode
   driver)
   
   4. Letting a "techie" friend make your game work before he reads this
   FAQ
   
   3. Running Norton SpeedDisk 6.0 and forgetting you have long filenames
   now!
   
   2. Making a boot disk for a game before seeing the "Prevent DOS
   programs from detecting Windows" switch, or before specifying a
   special DOS config for that program
   
   1. Running Win95 with a host of DOS drivers and memory managers.
   
   (Get Win95 drivers for your stuff and make Win95 perform like Win95!)
     _________________________________________________________________

--
==============================================================================
= I am Gordon of Winterpeg. Junk mail is futile.          Post MakeMoneyFast =
= Find out why: http://spam.abuse.net/           Or eat pink meat from a can =
= World's best computer: http://www.amiga.de/          they're both the same =
= Win95 FAQ: http://www.orca.bc.ca/win95/ http://www.clark.net/pub/rolf/mmf/ =
==============================================================================

