Webhead on Windows® 95
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What is so new about the Windows® 95 operating system?

Windows® 95 is different from DOS operating systems that shipped on older computers, in that, it controls your hardware and software within the graphical user interface with protected-mode drivers. These protected-mode drivers are different than drivers found in a DOS operating system, in that, protected-mode drivers load within the graphical user interface (GUI). This feature is unlike DOS that uses a CONFIG.SYS and an AUTOEXEC.BAT to load the real-mode drivers for your system's peripherals.

In older systems, you could control Windows through the SYSTEM.INI and the WIN.INI. Within Windows® 95, there are several user interfaces you can use to control not only Windows, but the peripherals for your computer.

In Windows® 95, the Registry is a unified storage repository for application and data configurations. The Registry holds protected-mode driver information and Plug-and-Play information for your system's components and applications. If you purchased an off-the-shelf version of Windows® 95 as an upgrade for Windows 3.1, then Windows 95 used INI files, such as the WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI, to build the Registry. Your system will still have the older CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files to load real-mode drivers; however, these files are not essential to run your Windows® 95 operating system.

Can I edit my Registry to make changes for Windows® 95?

Every version of Windows® 95 includes a Registry editor. This editor can be used to change the functionality of Windows 95 and other Windows related applications. Although it is possible to use the Registry editor to repair a problem with Windows® 95, using the Registry editor is extremely complicated, and not recommended for most customers. Neither your computer supplier or Microsoft usualy support editing the Registry.

What is the Device Manager?

Within Windows® 95, you can control your hardware and peripherals through the Device Manager. To access the Device Manager, right-click on the My Computer icon, and then choose Properties from the pull-down menu. Now, click on the Device Manager tab. You can also access the Device Manager through the Windows 95 Control Panel. Click on the System icon, and then click on the Device Manager tab.

Once you access the Device Manager, you can view and control the properties for your system's devices. Click to highlight the device from the list of hardware, and then click on the Properties button. You can control the driver, Direct Memory Address (DMA), and Input/Output (I/O) address for most of your computers hardware.

How do I change the display features for my computer in Windows 95?

Often, you may find it essential to change the display settings for your computer. To access the Windows® 95 Display settings, right click on an empty area on the Windows® 95 Desktop, and then choose Properties from the menu. Now, you can click on the Background, Screen Saver, Appearance, and Settings tabs to control the settings your computer's display features. To change the settings for the color palette, desktop area, and/or the font size, click on the Settings tab. You can use the slide bar and the pull-down menus to make the adjustments to fit your needs. You can also change the driver for your system's display adapter, or choose the appropriate monitor selection for your computer by clicking on the Change Display Type... button.

What is the Windows® Explorer?

Within Windows® 95, you can use the Explorer to control the files and folders in your computer. The Windows Explorer is similar to the Program Manager found in Windows 3.x. To access the Explorer, click on the Start button, and then choose Programs from the menu. Now choose Windows Explorer from the expanded menu.

Through the Windows Explorer, you can drag and drop files and applications. Through the various selections on the taskbar (File, Edit, Tools, View, Help), you can control applications, map drives, and even get additional help on using Windows® 95. Although you can move and remove programs through the Windows Explorer, we recommend that you use caution before you make any changes to the system. Windows uses file sharing for many of its applications. If you delete or move a file that is shared with another application, then you run the risk of damaging the other application.

How do I install a printer in Windows® 95?

Follow this procedure to install a printer driver that is included with Windows® 95:

  1. Click on the Start button; choose Settings from the menu, and Printers from the expanded menu.
  2. Double-click on the Add Printer icon. You will see the Windows Setup Wizard.
  3. Click on the Next> button to begin your printer selections.
  4. Choose either the Local Printer or Network Printer option button.
  5. Select the printer manufacturer from the "Manufacturer:" dialog box.
  6. Choose the printer type from the list of printers in the "Printers:" dialog box.
  7. Click on the Next> button to register your selection.
  8. Select the appropriate port you want the printer to use. If you do not know what port to select, consult the documentation that came with the printer.
  9. Enter a name you want to use for the printer, and then choose the Yes or No option button to select if you want your Windows-based applications to use this printer as the default printer.
  10. Choose the Yes or No option button to select if you want to print a test page.
  11. Click on the Finish button to register your selections.

If your printer included a driver disk, then follow this procedure:

  1. Click on the Start button; choose Settings from the menu, and Printers from the expanded menu.
  2. Double-click on the Add Printer icon. You will see the Windows Setup Wizard.
  3. Click on the Next> button to begin your printer selections.
  4. Choose either the Local Printer or Network Printer option button.
  5. Click on the Have Disk... button.
  6. Enter the appropriate drive letter in the "Copy manufacturer's files from:" field.
  7. Use the Browse... button if you want to search your system's drives for the driver.
  8. Follow any additional step-by-step information included with the printer driver.

If your printer is not listed in the "Add Printer Wizard" screen and you did not receive a printer driver diskette, then your printer may emulate another printer. Consult the documentation that came with your printer for more information on which printer to select.

How do I create a new folder in Windows® 95?

You can follow this procedure to create a new folder in Windows 95:

  1. Right-click on an empty area on the Windows® 95 Desktop.
  2. Click on New from the pull-down menu.
  3. Click on Folder from the expanded menu. You will see a new folder icon on the Windows Desktop.
  4. Enter a name for the folder.
  5. Drag and drop any files or applications to this folder.

How do I install a new application in Windows® 95?

There two different ways for you to install an application in Windows® 95. Follow this procedure to add a new program using the Windows® 95 Add/Remove Programs utility:

  1. Click on the Start button; choose Settings from the menu, and then choose Control Panel from the expanded menu.
  2. Double-click on the Add/Remove programs icon.
  3. Double-click on the Install... icon.
  4. Insert the floppy disk or CD-ROM disk you want to use to load the new application, and then click on the Next> button.
  5. Enter the name of the command line Windows should use to install the application. If Windows does not detect the appropriate executable to install the application, then you can use the Browse... button to locate the executable.
  6. Follow any additional steps provided in the Windows Installation Wizard to successfully install the application.

Please note, you can always safely remove any application you installed through the Add/Remove Programs utility. The programs that you added through this utility are listed in the dialog box at the bottom section of the Install/Uninstall tab.

Another way to install an application in Windows® 95 is through the Run... line on the Windows Start Menu. Simply, click on the Start button, and choose Run... from the menu. Now, enter the command line to install the application. If you do not know the command line, you can click on the Browse... button to search for the appropriate executable.

How do I add or remove a program that came with Windows® 95?

  1. Click on the Start button; choose Settings from the menu, and then choose Control Panel from the expanded menu.
  2. Double-click on the Add/Remove programs icon.
  3. Click on the Windows Setup tab.
  4. Click on the Details... button if you want to install specific aspects of a Windows component.
  5. Add or remove a check in the box next to the Windows component to install the feature.

How do I create a shortcut for an application in Windows® 95?

As you add applications to your computer, you may want to quickly access the application through the Windows® 95 Desktop. You can create shortcuts on your Windows® 95 Desktop that will allow you to double-click on the icon to begin application. To create an application shortcut, right-click on an empty area on the Windows 95 Desktop, and then choose New from the menu. Click on Shortcut from the expanded menu; you should see the Create Shortcut screen. Enter the command line for the application in the dialog box. If you do not know the name of the executable, you can click on the Browse... button to locate the appropriate file.

I expanded the Documents menu in the Start menu. Can I clear the documents from this expanded menu?

Within Windows® 95, you can access documents that have been recently accessed through the Documents menu. At a certain point, you may want to clear this menu. You can follow this procedure to clear this menu:

  1. Right-click on an empty area of the Windows® 95 Taskbar, and then choose Properties from the Menu.
  2. Click on the Start Menu Programs tab.
  3. Click on the Clear button in the Documents menu to empty the Documents menu.

How do I download and extract an executable (*.EXE) file in Windows® 95?

  1. Create a new folder.
  2. Download the file, and then move this file to the empty folder.
  3. Double-click on the executable file. This will expand the compressed files contained within you downloaded.
  4. View the README.TXT file for further information to create the disk for the file or driver.

My monitor is Energy Star compliant. How can I take advantage of these features in Windows® 95?

Depending on which computer system you own and the capabilities of your monitor, you can control energy-saver features of the monitor in Windows® 95. To adjust these features in Windows® 95, right-click on an empty area on the Windows® 95 Desktop, and then choose Properties from the menu. Now, click on the Screen Saver tab. You can enable and disable these features through this screen. Additionally, you can use the up and down arrows to set the amount of time to enable the energy saving features.

I upgraded to Windows® 95; why do I not hear my modem dial?

Often modem sounds will disappear after you upgrade to Windows® 95. To regain this feature, follow this procedure:

  1. Double-click on the speaker icon on the Windows® 95 Taskbar.
  2. Click on the Options menu, and then choose Properties...
  3. Make sure all options are checked under Show the Following Volume Controls, and then choose OK.
  4. Check the PC Speaker section of the mixer screen, and make sure you select the appropriate volume level.

If the speaker icon is not on the Taskbar, follow this procedure:

  1. Click on the Start button, and choose Settings.
  2. Choose the Control Panel from the expanded menu.
  3. Double-click on the Multimedia option.
  4. Choose the Show Volume Control on the Taskbar option.
  5. Click on OK to register the changes.

  You can also use the following AT commands to adjust the modem's volume:

Use the following commands in HyperTerminal to adjust the modem volume:

You can also use 1 or 2 for intermediate ranges.

How do I copy a floppy disk in Windows® 95?

Rather than using the COPY command in a DOS session, access the My Computer icon. Click the right mouse button on the disk drive that contains the diskette you want to copy and then choose the Copy Disk... option from the menu that appears. Select the appropriate drives in the Copy From: and Copy To: boxes and press the Start button.

Note: You can also access the Copy Disk... option from the Explorer utility.

How do I format a floppy disk in Windows® 95?

To format a disk in Windows® 95, access the My Computer icon. Click the right mouse button on the drive that contains the media you want to format and choose the Format... option. Select the format parameters that you want to use and choose Start.

Note: You can also access the Format... option from the Explorer utility.

How do I add icons or shortcuts directly to the Start menu?

To add a shortcut to the Start menu, right-click on an unoccupied area of the Taskbar and choose the Properties option from the menu that appears. Select Add from the Start Menu Programs tab and follow the on-screen instructions.

How do I clear the contents of the Documents folder?

You can clear the contents of the Documents folder by right-clicking on an unoccupied area of the Taskbar. Choose the Properties option and then select the Start Menu Programs tab. From the Documents Menu option box, click on Clear and the contents of this folder will be removed.

How do I change the Desktop's background (Wallpaper) in Windows® 95?

Although a number of different ways exist to change the desktop's appearance, the easiest way to change the wallpaper is to:

  1. Right-click anywhere on the Windows® 95 desktop and choose the Properties option.
  2. Select the Background tab and find the .BMP file you wish to use.
  3. Once you have chosen the background you desire, click on Apply and then OK.

After upgrading to Windows® 95, can I still access the Program Manager Groups?

To access the Program Manager Groups, click the right mouse button on the Start button. Choose Open and then double-click on the Programs Group.

These steps will open the \WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs window and allow access to all of the software similar to Windows 3.x's Program Manager.

After upgrading to Windows® 95, do I still need an AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS file?

If the Protected Mode Device drivers fully support the hardware in your system, these files are no longer needed. However, if Windows® 95 cannot recognize some of the devices in your system, you may need to continue using an AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS file.

Can I use my backup sets from Microsoft Backup 6.0 and 6.22 with the Windows® 95 Backup Utility?

Unfortunately, the Windows® 95 version of the MS Backup software is not backwards compatible with previous versions.

How do I setup an MS-DOS application to run from Windows® 95?

Consider the following procedure to launch an MS-DOS program from Windows® 95:

  1. Open Explorer or the My Computer utility.
  2. Using the right mouse button, select the MS-DOS application's executable file name with the right mouse button.
  3. Choose Properties and then select the tab labeled Program.
  4. Click on the Advanced option and make the changes required for the application.

How do I access the Windows® 95 Volume and Mixer Controls?

To access the Windows® 95 volume controls, launch the Multimedia Mixer utility with the following procedure:

  1. Click on the Start button in the Taskbar.
  2. Position the arrow on Programs and then select the Multimedia option from the Accessories menu.
  3. Select the Volume Control utility and the Multimedia Mixer will appear on your screen.


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