Windows 98 From A to Z

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Calculator

Microsoft provides a calculator within Windows 98. The Calculator program offers two types of calculators:

To use Calculator, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, choose Programs, Accessories, Calculator, as shown in Figure C.1.

Figure C.1

2. The standard calculator, shown in Figure C.2, opens. This calculator works just like the one you have at home, except that you use the mouse pointer rather than your fingers to click its keys. The standard calculator contains all the basic arithmetic and memory functions, along with a few extras--such as the capability to calculate square roots, percents, and the reciprocal of a number.

Figure C.2


NOTE: In addition to being able to use your mouse to click numbers on the calculator, you can type numbers by using your numeric keypad.
3. To switch to the scientific calculator, click the View menu option and then click Scientific.
4. The scientific calculator offers a host of features and functions that are probably better explained in a math book than here. To switch back to the standard calculator, just click the View menu option and then choose Standard, as shown in Figure C.3.
5. To close Calculator, click the Close button (x) in the upper-right corner of the program's window.

Figure C.3

CD Player

To use the CD Player feature of Windows 98, you must have the following four things:

If you have not yet installed your CD-ROM drive and speakers, refer to the "Add New Hardware" entry along with any documentation accompanying your CD-ROM drive and speakers. To operate the CD Player, follow these steps:

1. Put your music CD into your CD-ROM drive.
2. Start the CD Player software by clicking the Start button, and choosing Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, CD Player, as shown in Figure C.4.
3. The Windows 98 CD Player window opens (see Figure C.5).


NOTE: The total length (in minutes and seconds) of the music CD is displayed in the lower-left corner of the CD Player window.
4. Display the toolbar by clicking the View menu and selecting Toolbar. The toolbar appears along the top of the CD Player window, as shown in Figure C.6.

Figure C.4

Figure C.5

Figure C.6

5. To begin playing the CD, click the Play button. (This button resembles the Play button on a VCR; it resembles an arrowhead pointing to the right.)
6. To change the volume, click on the View menu option and then select Volume Control. This opens the Volume Control window, shown in Figure C.7.

Figure C.7

7. Click the Options menu option and select Properties to open the Properties dialog box, shown in Figure C.8. This window shows you
the available types of audio options:

Figure C.8

8. Select your options and return to the Volume Control window by clicking the OK button.

9. To close the Volume Control window, click the Close button (x) in the upper-right corner of the screen.
10. To close CD Player, click the Close button (x) in the upper-right corner of the screen.

Channels

In Windows 98 terminology, a channel is a web site designed to push its content to your PC according to the schedule you set. Channels enable you to regularly receive updates to certain Web sites without having to navigate around the Internet to find them.

The Channel bar should already be present on the Active Desktop, as shown in Figure C.9. If it is not, refer to the section titled "Active Desktop Environment" to learn how to display it.

Figure C.9

Hover your mouse pointer over a button in the Channel bar, such as the Channel Guide button. As shown in Figure C.10, Windows 98 automatically displays information about the feature you are pointing to.

Figure C.10

To use the Channel bar, follow these steps:

1. Make sure that you are connected to the Internet (see the section titled "Dial-Up Networking" for information about creating a dial-up connection to the Internet), and then click the Channel Guide button in the Channel bar.
2. This opens the default browser (usually Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4) and displays the Microsoft Active Channel Guide as the default site (see Figure C.11).

Figure C.11

3. Click any channel category that appears along the left side of the window. (I have selected the Lifestyle and Travel category, as shown in Figure C.12.)

Figure C.12


TIP: Hover over a channel to view information about it, as shown in Figure C.12.
4. Right-click a channel from within the channel category you selected in step 3 (I selected Discovery Channel Online) to view the menu shown in Figure C.13. Click the Subscribe command to start the channel subscription process.
5. As a result, various files will be copied to your PC. The progress of this operation is shown in Figure C.14.
6. In the Modify Channel Usage dialog box, shown in Figure C.15, you are asked whether you want to subscribe to this Internet channel and, if so, at what level. To subscribe to the channel and to customize how often downloads occur, select the third radio button, and then click the Customize button.

Figure C.13

Figure C.14

Figure C.15


NOTE: Keep in mind that the technology on which these channels are designed tends to stuff a lot of useless files onto your hard-disk drive in short periods of time. You might quickly find yourself running out of disk space unless you keep your number of subscriptions low and their options minimized.
7. The first screen of the Windows 98 Subscription Wizard, shown in Figure C.16, opens. Specify whether you want to download only the channel's home page or all of the channel's content, and then click the Next
button.

Figure C.16

8. If you want to be notified via email when the page has changed, click the Yes option. If you do not want to be notified, choose No, as shown in Figure C.17. Click Next after you have made your selection.

Figure C.17


TIP: To change the default email address, click the Change Address button. You will be prompted to enter another email address along with the SMTP email server name, which you must obtain from either your ISP or your company's system administrator. Click the OK button to return to the Subscription Wizard screen shown in Figure C.17.
9. In the screen shown in Figure C.18, click the Scheduled button and select an automated schedule from the adjacent drop-down list. Alternatively, click the Manually button to set your own pace. Click the Finish button to complete the wizard and return to the Web browser screen.

Figure C.18

10. Right-click the channel you just subscribed to in order to view the shortcut menu, as shown in Figure C.19.

Figure C.19

11. Click the Open Channel option. The channel you chose appears within your web browser window, as shown in Figure C.20. When you are finished, close the browser by clicking the Close button (x) in the upper-right corner of the browser window.

Figure C.20

Character Map

The Windows 98 Character Map offers an easy way to quickly add special characters to whatever application you might be using, such as a word processor, spreadsheet, or graphics tool. To use the Character Map, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, choose Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Character Map, as shown in Figure C.21.
2. Click a symbol in the Character Map window to make it larger and easier to view. To place a character in the Characters to Copy text box, either double-click the character, or single-click to select it and then click the Select button. Figure C.22 shows the heart character enlarged for view and in the Characters to Copy text box.
3. Click the Copy button to copy the character in the Characters to Copy box onto the Windows 98 clipboard (see the section titled "Clipboard" for further details).

Figure C.21

Figure C.22

Check Box

In Windows 98 terminology, a check box is a function that permits you to make selections within various Windows 98 accessories, components, and applications. Check boxes normally appear just after the text that explains the purpose of the selections shown.

To select a feature, just click its corresponding check box; a check mark or times sign (x) will usually appear. To deselect a feature, click its check box so that the mark disappears. Many Windows 98 dialog boxes utilize the check box function.

Clipboard

The Clipboard is used as a holding or staging area for graphics or text that has been copied to it. Think of the Clipboard as a spot within the memory of your computer that holds information that you have copied or cut (perhaps through a copy-and-paste or cut-and-paste operation), but have not yet pasted to its new location.


NOTE: Even though you might have pasted whatever was in the Clipboard, a copy remains there until you either copy something else or shut down Windows 98.

The Clipboard Viewer (discussed next) is the Windows 98 utility that permits you to see exactly what is in the clipboard holding area. This can make it easier for you to manage your cutting and pasting operations.

Clipboard Viewer

The Microsoft Clipboard Viewer for Windows 98 enables you to see what items you have copied to the clipboard. Items copied to the clipboard can then be pasted into other Windows applications, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, and the like. To use the Clipboard Viewer, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, choose Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Clipboard Viewer, as shown in Figure C.23.

Figure C.23

2. The Clipboard Viewer window, shown in Figure C.24, opens. The screen shows all the special characters and graphics presently saved on the Clipboard.

Figure C.24


TIP: Whenever Windows 98 is shut down or restarted, all the contents of the Clipboard are discarded. Be sure to save the Clipboard's contents to a Windows application before shutting down your system.

Codec

Codec refers to compression/decompression (see how they derived this acronym?). A codec is used for audio and video files in such a manner that it permits your computer to more effectively manage its multimedia functions. You need not worry about codecs; the operating system automatically handles these files for you. But if you want to impress your friends by talking about codecs, one of the more popular codec formats is MPEG.

Communications

As illustrated in Table C.1, Windows 98 comes complete with a variety of communications tools--eight, to be exact--that serve an assortment of functions.

Table C.1  Windows 98 Communications Tools

Tool Description
Dial-Up Networking This enables you to connect to other computers via a telephone line using a modem. It supports the TCP/IP, NetBEUI, and IPX/SPX network communications protocols.
Dial-Up Server This feature enables you to dial in to your PC from another computer.
Direct Cable Connection Using a parallel- or serial-connected cable between two PCs, you can transfer data files between the two computers.
HyperTerminal This accessory enables you to connect to other PCs and online services through a modem.
Microsoft Chat 2.1 This software package enables you to conduct chat sessions with other people connected to the same chat server. (This is the client-side piece of software.)
Microsoft NetMeeting Through NetMeeting, you can call other people on the same LAN or across the Internet. Once connected, you can share files, use a shared whiteboard, and chat.
Phone Dialer This telephony software permits you to dial a telephone through the modem.
Virtual Private Networking VPN allows for secure connections to private networks, even though the data is traveling across public networks such as the Internet.

To install any or all of these features, use the Add/Remove Programs option from the Control Panel (refer to the section titled "Add/Remove Programs" for further details about this option):

1. Click the Start button, choose Settings, Control Panel, as shown in Figure C.25.

Figure C.25

2. In the Control Panel window, shown in Figure C.26, double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.

Figure C.26

3. In the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box, shown in Figure C.27, click the Windows Setup tab, select the Communications option, and then click the Details button.

Figure C.27

4. In the Communications dialog box, shown in Figure C.28, check any items you want to install and then click the OK button. Windows 98 will install the appropriate software files and drivers.

Components

Microsoft tosses around two terms: accessories and components. Now, to the average person, these might seem to be similar terms, but in Windows 98 terminology, they are not. Accessories refers only to those features listed in the Accessories area in the Windows Setup tab of the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box; components refers to everything else. As shown in Table C.2, components fall under 10 categories.

Figure C.28

Table C.2  Components of Windows 98

Categories Components
Accessibility Accessibility Options Accessibility Tools
Communications Dial-Up Networking
Dial-Up Server
Direct Cable
Connection HyperTerminal
Microsoft Chat 2.1
Microsoft NetMeeting
Phone Dialer
Virtual Private Networking
Desktop Themes Desktop Themes (this component offers 16 graphical themes, including Baseball, Jungle, and Windows 98, as well as the support files for these themes)
Internet Tools Microsoft FrontPage Express
Microsoft VRML 2.0 Viewer
Microsoft Wallet
Personal Web Server
Real Audio Player 4.0
Web Publishing Wizard
Web-Based Enterprise Mgmt
Microsoft Outlook Express Microsoft Outlook Express (includes the Windows Address Book)
Multilanguage Support Baltic
Central European
Cyrillic
Greek
Turkish
Multimedia Audio Compression
CD Player
DVD Player
Macromedia Shockwave Director
Macromedia Shockwave Flash
Media Player
Microsoft NetShow Player 2.0
Multimedia Sound Schemes
Sample Sounds
Sound Recorder
Video Compression
Volume Control
Online Services America Online (AOL)
AT&T WorldNet Service
CompuServe
Prodigy Internet
The Microsoft Network (MSN)
System Tools Backup
Character Map
Clipboard Viewer
Driver Converter (FAT32)
Group Policies
Net Watcher
System Monitor
System Resource Meter
WinPopup
Web TV for Windows Wave Top Data Broadcasting
Web TV for Windows

To install any or all of these Windows 98 components, use the Add/Remove Programs program feature of the Windows 98 Control Panel (refer to the "Add/Remove Programs" section of this book for more details).

Compression Agent

Compression Agent enables you to free hard drive disk space without a adding an extra hard drive. You free disk space with Compression Agent by compressing your files or by altering the level of the current compression rate.


NOTE: Although you can use Compression Agent to compress files, there is a catch: You cannot compress drives using the FAT32 storage format (see the section titled "FAT32 Converter" for more details about FAT32). FAT32 is better than FAT16 in that FAT32 stores information on hard drives much more efficiently, which gives you more drive space. If your hard-disk drive is less than 512 MB (tiny by today's standards), however, FAT16 might be more efficient or at least as efficient as FAT32.

To use Compression Agent, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, and choose Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Compression Agent, as shown in Figure C.29.

Figure C.29

2. The Compression Agent window, shown in Figure C.30, opens. To start the compression process, click the Start button.

Figure C.30

3. This tool can take several hours to run; you should not use your computer for any other functions while this utility is operational.

Control Panel

The Windows 98 Control Panel is the heart of the configuration area for the operating system. In it, you will find all the major system components and the tools required for their initial configuration and usage. To use the Control Panel, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, and choose Settings, Control Panel, as shown in Figure C.31.
2. The Control Panel window, shown in Figure C.32, contains icons representing a number of tools (discussed in Table C.3).

Figure C.31

Table C.3  Windows 98 Control Panel Tools
Tool Description

Add New Hardware This Windows 98 wizard helps you properly install the necessary software drivers for new hardware components.
Add/Remove Programs This Windows 98 wizard helps you properly install the necessary software programs for new Windows 98 applications.
Date/Time This component helps you set the time, date, and time zone for your personal computer.
Desktop Themes This component installs as a part of the Desktop Themes accessory. It is used to set up fancy colors, fonts, sounds, backgrounds, and mouse pointers for your PC.
Display This component prompts you with the Display Properties dialog box, where you configure such features as the monitor, screen saver, Active Desktop, and color schemes.
Find Fast This Microsoft Office component speeds your computer's capability to locate all of your Microsoft Office-created files.
Fonts Use this feature to add, change, or delete screen and printer fonts from the Windows 98 operating system.
Game Controllers Use this feature to configure joysticks, steering wheels, and so forth for use with the Windows 98 operating system.
Internet Use this feature to configure the Internet Explorer 4 web browser.
Keyboard Use this feature to configure the language, click blink, and character-speed rate of the PC keyboard for use with the Windows 98 operating system.
Mail and Fax Use this function to control the property settings of the Inbox, including email, fax, Exchange mail, personal folders, and the Microsoft Outlook client software configurations.
MegaDial This is a Cypress Research Corp. component that installs as a part of that telephony application. This component does not ship with the Microsoft Windows 98 operating system software; rather, it is an add-on component provided by the OEM manufacturer of my home computer.
Microsoft Mail Postoffice Use this feature to set up and configure an email post office for use with a peer-to-peer Windows 98 network group.
Modems Use this feature to confirm modem settings, as well as to perform basic diagnostic checks on already-installed modems.
Mouse Use this feature to modify the manner in which the attached PC mouse works, including its pointer attributes.
Mpact Mediaware This Dolby Laboratories component installs as a part of a multimedia application. This component does not ship with the Microsoft Windows 98 operating system software; rather, it is an add-on component provided by the OEM manufacturer of my home computer's multimedia features.
MS DTC This icon is used to modify the transactional DTC client software configuration that was created for use with the Windows 98 Personal Web Server.
Multimedia Use this feature to modify the manner in which the attached audio, video, MIDI, CD music, and other multimedia devices map through the PC system.
Network This Windows 98 component is required for the configuration of any networking function, including peer-to-peer, Dial-Up Networking, and connecting a Windows 98 PC to the Internet, or to a NetWare, Windows NT, or Banyan VINES system.
32-bit ODBC This Microsoft Office component, which is installed as part of the Office software, might also appear in the Control Panel as a result of other installed 32-bit computer applications that require Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) features.
Passwords Windows 98 passwords, some network passwords, Windows 98 Remote Administration, and user profiles can all be configured through this component.
Power Management This component is best used with corporate or mobile computers, in that power-saving modes are configurable for hard drives, monitors, and the Windows 98 computer system as a whole. For the home user, this component is probably best left off because it can be rather annoying.
Printers Windows 98 printers can be configured through use of this Control Panel function. This feature operates in the same manner as the Printers feature that appears in the Start menu.
Regional Settings This component controls the localization of the Windows 98 operating system, including the system language; time, dates, and currency formats; and the number and calendar types.
Sounds Windows 98 system event sounds are configured via this Control Panel option.
System Use this option to configure full system components such as hardware devices, hardware startup profiles, system performance, cache sizes, and the viewing of system information including IRQs, I/O ports, DMA channels, and memory addresses.
TelePath for Windows with X2 This 3Com component installs as a part of that modem application. This component does not ship with the Microsoft Windows 98 operating system software; rather, it is an add-on component provided by the OEM manufacturer of my home computer's modem.
Telephony The telephony feature permits you to predefine calling cards, and to configure telephony software drivers and Dial-Up Networking options.
Tweak UI This Windows 98 component installs as a part of the Windows 98 Resource Kit. It enables you to modify Windows 98's look and feel by changing the desktop and IE4 policies, and so forth. Tweak UI is not a supported Windows 98 component, meaning that you cannot call Microsoft's Technical Support line and expect someone there to answer any of your questions or help you with any configuration issues. Tweak UI is aimed at power users who want easier access methods to some of the less- customizable functions of the Windows 98 operating system.
Users Use this feature to set up a PC for use with multiple users. It has a wizard feature that walks you step-by-step through its installation process.
Accessibility Options Use this feature to modify the Windows 98 for users with vision, hearing, or dexterity problems.

Figure C.32


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