
Windows 98 From A to Z


- S -
ScanDisk
ScanDisk is used for examining and repairing problems on
your hard drive. To use ScanDisk, do the following:
- 1. Click the Start button, choose Programs, select Accessories,
click System Tools, and then choose ScanDisk, as shown in Figure S.1.
Figure S.1
- 2. Click the Advanced button in the ScanDisk window (see Figure
S.2).
Figure S.2
- 3. The ScanDisk Advanced Options dialog box, shown in Figure S.3, enables
you to specify various advanced options, such as whether to use log files and how
to deal with lost file fragments and cross-linked files. Select the check boxes and
radio buttons as needed, and then click the OK button to return to the main
screen.
Figure S.3
NOTE: It's recommended that you select
the Append to Log option instead of the default Replace log option in the
Log File area. That way, you will have a running history of ScanDisk usage
on your PC. In addition, it is useful to configure ScanDisk to check for invalid
dates and times because such files tend to result in cross-linking of files down
the road.
A cross-linked file is a file that contains pointers to multiple locations. For
example, suppose you own two identical cars (one is yours and one is your spouse's).
You tell your kid to wash your spouse's car, but because they are identical, he has
no way of figuring out which one to clean. Cross-linked files are like your identical
cars; your computer may not know which one to open (or may open the two at once as
a single file).
- 4. Click the Start button in the main ScanDisk window to run the
ScanDisk application for the highlighted hard drive (you can select a
different drive by clicking it). You will be notified when the program
finishes.
Screen Saver
Screen savers provide a series of graphics that hide the application that's open
on your computer. The original purpose of a screen saver was to help prevent screen
burn-in, in which a faint image of your screen's former contents remained
visible even after you turned off your monitor or moved to new contents. Although
some people still use screen savers for this purpose, they are used mostly for their
entertainment value only.
To designate one of Windows 98's built-in screen savers for use, do the fol-lowing:
- 1. Right-click a blank portion of the desktop and choose Properties,
as shown in Figure S.4.
Figure S.4
- 2. Click the Screen Saver tab in the Display Properties dialog
box to view the screen shown in Figure S.5.
- 3. Click the down-arrow button to the right of the Screen Saver field
and select a screen saver from the drop-down list. To set the options for a specific
screen saver, click the Settings button to view that screen saver's Options
dialog box. (The one shown in Figure S.6 shows the options for the Curves and Colors
screen saver.)
Figure S.5
Figure S.6
- 4. After you set your screen saver's options, click OK to return
to the Screen Saver tab of the Display Properties dialog box. Click the Preview
button to view a full-screen preview of the screen saver; click or move the mouse
to end the preview session.
- 5. To password-protect the screen saver, check the Password Protected
check box and click the Change button. This opens the Change Password dialog
box, shown in Figure S.7.
Figure S.7
- 6. If you have never added a password to a screen saver, you will be prompted
to enter and confirm the new password (as is the case in Figure S.7). Otherwise,
you will need to know the original password before you can change it to a new one.
Fill in the text fields as necessary.
- 7. Click the OK button to return to the Display Properties dialog
box, and then click OK again to accept all changes and return to the desktop.
Serial Mouse
A serial mouse is simply a pointing device that is connected directly to one of
your computer's serial communications ports, more commonly referred to as COM:x
ports (where the x equals the port number). For more information on mouse
devices, refer to the section titled "Mouse."
Serial Printer
A serial printer is one that is connected to your computer's serial communications
port. A serial communications port is better known as a COMx port (where
x equals a number, usually 1 or 2). Because a serial printer tends to operate
at a slower rate (9,600bps) than a parallel printer (roughly 232,000bps), you do
not see many serial printers these days.
Shortcuts
A Windows 98 shortcut is also known as a link. It permits you to access
a file or application without having to navigate to it on your hard drive. Shortcuts
on your Windows 98 desktop are represented by icons containing a small curved arrow
in the lower-left corner (see Figure S.8).
Figure S.8
To view information about a shortcut on your desktop, do the following:
- 1. Right-click a shortcut and choose Properties from the shortcut
menu, as shown in Figure S.9.
Figure S.9
- 2. The Properties dialog box for the shortcut you've selected opens (in
this case, it's the Publish Properties dialog box, shown in Figure S.10). The Target
text field on the Shortcut tab contains the shortcut's path and executable file.
(If the shortcut is to a folder and not a program, there is no executable file at
the end of the target statement.)
Figure S.10
- 3. Click the Find Target button to go to the folder containing
the shortcut. Figure S.11 shows the target folder for the Publish shortcut.
Figure S.11
- 4. Close this window to return to the Shortcut tab of the Properties dialog
box, and then click the Change Icon button to alter the shortcut's icon. This
opens the dialog shown in Figure S.12.
Figure S.12
- 5. Select the icon you want to use, or click the Browse button
to find other icons. After you have selected the icon you want, click the OK button.
- 6. Click on the General tab to view the screen shown in
Figure S.13. Here you can determine the shortcut's MS-DOS name and other specific
properties (such as the dates it was created, modified, and last accessed).
Figure S.13
NOTE: You can make a shortcut hidden or
read-only by clicking the applicable check box in the Attributes section at the bottom
of the General tab.
- 7. To accept changes and exit, click the OK button in the Properties
dialog box.
To create a shortcut from scratch, do the following:
- 1. Right-click any blank spot on the desktop and, in the ensuing shortcut
menu, choose New and then Shortcut, as shown in Figure S.14.
Figure S.14
- 2. The Create Shortcut Wizard starts. In the first screen (shown in Figure
S.15), either type the full path including the target file for your shortcut, or
click the Browse button to find the file on your computer. Click Next
to continue.
- 3. In the wizard's second screen, shown in Figure S.16, type a descriptive
name for your shortcut (this is the name you will see on the desktop).
- 4. In most cases, the shortcut will be assigned a default icon, which
appears on the Windows 98 desktop. In other cases, the Select an Icon screen
may appear (see Figure S.17). To select an icon, click the one of your choice.
Figure S.15
Figure S.16
Figure S.17
- 5. Click the Finish button to complete the wizard and return to the desktop.
As you can see in Figure S.18, the newly created shortcut appears.
Figure S.18
Shutting Down Windows 98
Because Windows 98 performs so many tasks in the background (including caching
memory prior to saving it), it is imperative that you turn off your PC in a structured
manner. If you were to simply cut the power to your PC, you might lose data that
you thought you had already saved to the hard drive. To properly shut down Windows
98, do the following:
- 1. Click the Start button and choose Shut Down, as shown
in Figure S.19.
- 2. Select the Shut Down option button in the Shut Down Windows
dialog box. Then click OK. Your computer will automatically shut itself down
and, in some cases, power itself off (if your computer's internal BIOS supports such
a function, which most laptop and newer desktop PCs do).
Figure S.19
Sound Recorder
The Windows 98 Sound Recorder enables you to play, record, and edit sound (WAV)
files.
NOTE: If you do not have a sound card
with speakers, this feature will not work on your PC.
NOTE: A microphone, which usually plugs
into the back of the sound card, is necessary for recording live sound.
To use Sound Recorder, do the following:
- 1. Click the Start button, choose Programs, select Accessories,
click Entertainment, and then choose Sound Recorder, as shown in
Figure S.20.
Figure S.20
- 2. This opens the Sound Recorder window, shown in Figure S.21. To configure
your version of Sound Recorder, click the Edit menu and choose Audio Properties.
Figure S.21
- 3. Make any necessary changes in the Audio Properties dialog box, and
then click OK to return to the Sound Recorder screen.
NOTE: Most computers have only a single
configurable option on the Audio Properties screen.
- 4. Open the Effects menu to view your choices for editing existing
WAV files (see Figure S.22).
- 5. To record using the microphone, click the Record button (the
one with a circle on it). The status bar in the center of the screen begins to move
(see Figure S.23), indicating that recording has begun. Start talking, singing, or
making whatever sounds you want to record.
Figure S.22
Figure S.23
- 6. Click the Stop button (the one with a rectangle on it) to stop
the recording process.
NOTE: No matter what you record, Sound
Recorder will limit your time to roughly 50 seconds.
- 7. To listen to what you just recorded, click the Rewind button
(the leftmost button), and then click the Play button (the one in the middle).
Start Menu
The Windows 98 Start menu consists of all those menu options that appear above
the Start button when you click it. They include Run, Help, Find, Settings, Documents,
Favorites, Programs, and any shortcuts you may have added. To examine and manipulate
the contents of the Start menu, do the following:
- 1. Start Windows Explorer and navigate to the C:\Windows\Start
Menu folder, as shown in Figure S.24. (For more information about navigating
in Explorer, refer to the section titled "Windows Explorer.")
- 2. Click the Start Menu folder in the left pane, and its contents will
appear in the right pane. Using standard Explorer techniques, you can delete, move,
or add any of the Start menu's contents.
Figure S.24
Starting Windows 98
Starting the Windows 98 operating system is simple: Just turn on your PC and let
it boot directly into the Windows 98 graphical user interface (GUI). If you are unable
to get in, try using your Windows 98 startup disk.
If you ever wind up at a DOS prompt and cannot get back into the Windows 98 GUI,
try typing the command win and pressing the Enter key. If that doesn't
work, try turning your PC off and then turning it back on.
Startup Disk
The purpose of the Windows 98 startup disk is to enable you to recover in the
event that something dreadful happens to your PC (for example, if you turn on your
computer one morning and get the error message No operating system found,
you are in deep trouble). If you have a startup disk (think of it as an emergency
repair disk), you can pop it into the A: drive and reboot the system.
To create a startup disk, sometimes called a boot disk, do the following:
- 1. Click the Start button, choose Settings, and then select
Control Panel, as shown in Figure S.25.
- 2. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel
window, as shown in Figure S.26.
- 3. In the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box, click the Startup
Disk tab to view the screen shown in Figure S.27.
Figure S.25
Figure S.26
NOTE: Note that you must have a formatted
3 1/2-inch high-density (1.44MB) floppy disk available in order to complete this
process.
- 4. Click the Create Disk button, and the system begins to prepare
startup disk files. (The Startup Disk tab changes to display a status bar, as shown
in Figure S.28.)
NOTE: You may be prompted to put the Windows
98 CD-ROM into an available CD-ROM drive bay. Simply follow the prompts.
Figure S.27
Figure S.28
- 5. You will be prompted to insert a floppy disk into the A: drive (see
Figure S.29). Insert the disk and click OK.
- 6. The process will continue and will probably take several minutes. When
it is complete, you will be returned to the Startup Disk tab of the Add/Remove Properties
dialog box. The disk is now complete and ready for use. Close the dialog box.
Figure S.29
Suspending a Windows 98 Session
Suspending a Windows 98 session is like putting the machine into hibernation.
Your computer is not turned off; rather, it is suspended exactly where you left off,
waiting for you to begin using it again. (Of course, your PC must be able to support
this feature in order for you to use it.)
To place your Windows 98 PC into suspend mode, simply click the Start button
and click Suspend (if this menu selection does not appear, you cannot suspend
your computer session).
System Information
The System Information utility for Windows 98 does exactly what its name implies:
It provides you with information about your computer. To use this utility, do the
following:
- 1. Click the Start button, choose Programs, select Accessories,
click System Tools, and then choose System Information, as shown in
Figure S.30.
Figure S.30
- 2. The Microsoft System Information screen, shown in Figure S.31, opens.
The pane on the right contains basic information regarding your PC's its resources.
The left pane breaks the system information into three categories: hardware
resources, components, and software environment.
Figure S.31
- 3. Click the plus symbol next to any of these categories to reveal even
more data. Figure S.32 shows the details of the Hardware Resources category.
Figure S.32
- 4. Click any option within a specific category to reveal detailed information
about that topic.
- 5. Open the Tools menu to access these other Windows 98 utilities:
- The Update Wizard Uninstall Tool
- The Signature Verification Tool
- The System File Checker
- The Registry Checker
- The Automatic Skip Driver Agent
- Dr. Watson
- The System Configuration Utility
- ScanDisk
- The Version Conflict Manager
NOTE: Although these tools will certainly
aid any information systems professional, they will probably cause information overload
for the basic Windows 98 user.
- 6. To save your system information data to a separate file, click the
File menu option and choose Export. This opens the Save As dialog box,
shown in Figure S.33.
Figure S.33
- 7. Navigate to the folder where you want the file to be saved, type a
name for the file you're exporting (it will be saved in a text format), and click
Save. Even on fast computer systems, this process takes several minutes to
complete.
System Monitor
The Windows 98 System Monitor enables you to more closely track how specific resources
are being used within your PC.
NOTE: Probably 90% of the System Monitor's
available options will soar directly over your head if you are a general user; this
tool was designed for information systems professionals.
To use this utility, do the following:
- 1. Click the Start button, choose Programs, select Accessories,
click System Tools, and then choose System Monitor, as shown in
Figure S.34.
- 2. The System Monitor window, shown in Figure S.35, appears. Click the
File menu and choose Start Logging. This starts the System Monitor
utility.
- 3. To add a system process to be monitored, click File and then
Add. This opens the Add Item dialog box, shown in Figure S.36. Select a category
from the Category list, and then click an item in the Item list. Click
OK to confirm your choices.
Figure S.34
Figure S.35
Figure S.36
- 4. You are returned to the System Monitor window, where the item you selected
in the previous step is visible. Open the View menu to change the manner in
which the monitors are graphically presented (see
Figure S.37).
Figure S.37
- 5. To add, remove, or edit items, click the Edit menu option, click
the appropriate command, and then follow the prompts.
System Properties
The System Properties screens of Windows 98 provide raw information about the
hardware installed on your computer system, as well as a starting point for troubleshooting
hardware configurations gone wrong.
warning... A word of warning: If you incorrectly make changes on any of these
screens, you can mess things up so badly that reinstalling the Windows 98 operating
system is your only hope for recovery.
To use the System Properties screens, right-click the My Computer icon
on the desktop and choose Properties from the shortcut menu (see Figure S.38).
The System Properties dialog box contains several tabs:
- General. This informational tab, shown in Figure S.39, contains information about
your system, including how much memory you have installed in your PC.
Figure S.38
Figure S.39
Device Manager. This tab, shown in Figure S.40, lists all your hardware devices
and their connection points.
Figure S.40
NOTE: If an icon is overlapped with a
black exclamation point in a yellow circle, the hardware device represented by the
overlapped icon may or may not work properly. Whether this indication is accurate,
however, varies from system to system.
- Hardware Profiles. This screen, shown in Figure S.41, enables you to create separate
boot profiles for your hardware devices. For example, suppose you use a notebook
computer. When you are using it at work, it plugs into a docking station with network
cards, modems, and the like. When you are using it at home, it sits on a table with
a separate monitor, keyboard, mouse, and Yamaha sound system connected to it. Keeping
track of all these hardware devices in a single configuration would drive you mad.
Using the Hardware Profiles tab, you can create separate hardware configuration schemes;
this is similar to the multiple boot options that a lot of people had under DOS 6.x.
- Performance. The top area of this tab, shown in Figure S.42, is for informational
purposes. The three buttons along the bottom--File System, Graphics, and Virtual
Memory--enable you to modify key elements of your computer system.
Figure S.41
Figure S.42
NOTE: If you do not completely understand
what you are doing in the File System, Graphics, and Virtual Memory areas, stay with
the settings that the Windows 98 operating system installed for you (they are probably
adequate). Failure to make the correct selections--which will vary from PC to PC--can
cause intermittent computer system deficiencies.
System Tools
The System Tools folder contains many applications that are necessary for tuning
and maintaining the Windows 98 operating system. To access this folder, click the
Start button, choose Programs, and then select System Tools,
as shown in Figure S.43.
Figure S.43
Many of the items in the Systems Tools folder are covered in detail elsewhere
in this book. If you can use only one of these tools on your computer, make it Backup,
which provides everything you need to avoid system failure and data loss. If you
use the Windows 98 Backup tool regularly, you will always have a copy of your vital
files and applications in case of system loss.


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