Maximize the web browser window when
viewing this page [using at least 1024 by 768 screen
resolution].
{Computer Tips page links: (part 1) (part 2)}
Fast Restarting the Computer
(aka. Restart Windows): (for Windows 95 & 98 only)
For those who are still using either
Win95 or Win98, and are tired of seeing the computer go through
the
whole boot process after selecting
the Restart the Computer option in the Shut Down menu, choose
the
'Restart the Computer' shutdown
option [if using Win95 without Active Desktop] or the 'Restart'
option (if
using Win95 with Active Desktop or
Win98), hold the Shift key and click on OK to make the computer
restart Windows instead of restarting
the computer. This tip does not work with other Windows
OSes (not
even under Windows NT4, 2000, ME, XP
& higher). And this tip is meant for very slow
computers less than
an Intel Pentium 2 processor with
inadequate amount of RAM installed. Using this tip on
superfast PCs
regardless of Windows OS may
occasionally hang them so just perform a full restart than a
fast restart.
Performing a "full shutdown" of
Windows: (for Windows 8, 8.1, 10 & 11 only)
See this wintips.org
page on how to do a full shutdown of Windows rather than a
fast or hybrid shutdown.
Removing the annoying 'Shortcut
to' prefix on shortcuts: (for all versions of
Windows except Vista/Win7)
For those using Win95, 98, NT4, 2000
or ME, install the TweakUI 1.33 powertoy from this MS
site.
Then run TweakUI from the Control
Panel and click on the Explorer tab. On the Settings
section of the
Explorer tab uncheck the box that has
the option 'Prefix "Shortcut To" on New Shorcuts'.
Then click on
the OK button to save settings.
There's NO way whatsoever to perform this trick by editing the
Registry
with Registry Editor or other 3rd
party registry tools. Windows XP users should get the MS
TweakUI 2.0
Powertoy at this MS
page. Windows XP with at least Service Pack 1 &
Windows Server 2003 users
should get TweakUI 2.1 at this MS
site. In TweakUI 2.0 & 2.1 click on the Explorer
option (do not click
on the Explorer branch) and in the
Settings section, scroll to all the settings until you find the
option
that says 'Prefix "Shortcut To" on
new Shorcuts'. Uncheck that box and click OK. You
can also do this
under Windows Vista, Seven (7), Eight
(8.x) & Ten (10.x) by using Vista
Shortcut
Manager.
Removing those annoying shortcut
arrows on shortcut icons: (for all versions of
Windows)
For those using Win95, 98, NT4, 2000
or ME, install the TweakUI 1.33 powertoy from this MS
web
site.
For those using WinXP original only
(WinXP without SP1 or higher installed) install the TweakUI v2.0
powertoy from this MS
site. For those using at least WinXP SP1 or
WinServer 2003, get the TweakUI 2.1
powertoy at this MS
site. In TweakUI 1.33, run TweakUI from the Control
Panel and click on the Explorer
tab. In the Shortcut Overlay
section choose None and click on OK to save changes. In
TweakUI 2.0 & 2.1,
expand the Explorer branch and click
on the Shortcut option and do the same thing as with TweakUI
1.33.
No more shortcut arrows on those
shortcut icons as they are permanently gone.
Warning:
If Win9x/NT4 users install the Security Update of March 7,
2002 (mentioned on MS security bulletin
MS02-014 &
MS support KB article 313829) OR if Windows 98 users install
the unofficial SHELL32.DLL
2Gb-4Gb Copy
patch (SHELL98.EXE),
you will no longer have the ability to remove the shortcut
arrows
on shortcut
icons regardless of what setting you choose in TweakUI or in
any 3rd party tweaking tools
that customizes
the user interface like Tweaking Toolbox. There are
methods of resolving this minor
problem and all
are found at Axcel216's Windows 98/98 SE
Tricks + Secrets - Part 5 page.
Follow the
directions at his page very carefully. Those using
Windows 2000 with SP3/SP4, WinME, XP &
Server 2003 are
not affected by this minor problem as they can safely remove
the shortcut arrows using
TweakUI or any
other tweaking tools.
Sidenote: The
NT4 versions of the MS04-037/KB841356 updates include the
latest releases of the shell32.dll
file for NT4
systems with and without the IE Desktop Update. The
MS04-037 and the MS04-024 shell32.dll
security
updates for NT4 do prevent TweakUI from changing or
removing the arrows on shortcut icons if
the IE Desktop
Update for NT4 is installed as I have tested myself on an NT4
machine.
For those using
WinVista/WS2008 & higher: Download the Vista
Shortcut
Manager tool and run it to
remove or
change the arrows on those shorcut icons on Vista &
greater.
Removing the EFS [encrypting file
system] feature from Win2k Pro & WinXP Pro Systems:
Read this
article on how to remove the EFS feature from Windows 2000
Professional or Windows XP
Professional systems. EFS is
not available on Windows XP Home Edition, even if you are using
the NTFS
file system under XP Home edition.
Viewing and Extracting the
contents of MSU Update Packages for Windows Vista, Server 2008
& Higher:
Read MS article
928636 on how to view and extract the contents of MSU
packages for Windows Vista
and Windows Server 2008. Even
though the article does not mention either Win7 or Win8, the
method may
also apply to those new Windows
versions.
Note: The
latest versions of 7-Zip
and WinRAR can now
recognize the contents of MSU files.
Viewing and Extracting the
contents of Windows Installer MSI and MSP files:
You can view and extract the contents
of any MSI or MSP package using some recent versions of 7-Zip.
You can also try using lessmsi to view and
extract the contents of MSI files.
Optimizing Dial-Up Networking
[DUN] Internet Connections: (for 56k modem &
ISDN modem users only)
Click
here to view my dunfast.htm file on tips to make your
dialup connections better. Before trying out the
the tips, install the very latest
drivers and firmware updates for your modem. Also set the
transmit &
receive buffers (from the Advanced
Port Settings dialog box) to the higest setting. In Win9x,
NT4, XP &
Win2003, set the slider all the way
to the right; in Win2k & ME set both the transmit &
receive buffer
settings to Maximum. To reach
the Port Settings box, double-click on the Modem control panel
applet,
select the modem, click on the
Properties button, click on the Connection tab & click on
the Port Settings
button and after you set both
settings at maximum, click on the OK button and on the remaining
prompts
to save your settings (if you get
disconnected a lot or have major connection problems, lower the
transmit &
receive buffer settings by one unit
or set them at their second highest setting and click OK).
Requirements for Windows 95 before
trying out the tips:
Dial
Up
Networking (DUN) 1.4 upgrade for Win95 (which provides
128-bit security) and the Winsock
2.2
update. Install either the DUN
1.4 update and then the Winsock 2.2 update. I have now
confirmed
that the Winsock 2.2 patch does not
overwrite crucial system files from the DUN 1.4 update for
Win95.
Other Win95 updates to consider
before making DUN connections more faster & reliable are the
updated Win95
Unimodem V drivers and the TAPI 2.1 update for Win95 (download
here).
Requirements for Windows 98 1st
& 2nd editions before trying out the tips:
Dial
Up
Networking (DUN) 1.4 update for Windows 98 first edition
(which provides 128-bit security).
Dial
Up
Networking (DUN) 1.4 update for Windows 98 second
edition. For Win98se users with USB modems
or PCI modems using WDM modem
drivers, get the Win98
WDM
Modem Kit & the Win98se Q308349
update.
Requirement for Windows ME
(Millennium edition) before trying out the tips:
The WinME Q272016
update for those using USB or PCI modems using WDM modem
drivers.
Caution: The
tips of optimizing dialup internet connections may not
work if you use PeoplePC Acclerated
Editon or
NetZero Hi-Speed Edition (or even some other internet service
provider apps that supported Win9x)
as these "accelerated" software may already optimize your
dialup connections.
Optimizing Broadband High-Speed
Internet Connections: (great for cable modem & DSL
modem users)
Click
here to view my cabledsl.htm file on tips to make your
broadband connection more efficient.
Enabling Scandisk for Windows to
recheck bad clusters/sectors: (for Win95, 98 & ME
systems only)
If you have lots of bad clusters or
bad sectors on floppy & hard drives [after reformatting them
or checking
them with Scandisk or other disk
checking utilities] and want to use the space taken up by bad
clusters
open the Registry Editor program and
go to the following key:
'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Check
Drive'
Double-click on the Settings variable
and change the last two binary digits to 04 (ex. if the Settings
value
is '91 03 00 01' change it to read
'91 03 00 04'), close Registry Editor and run Scandisk for
Windows &
select the Thorough option when
checking floppy or hard disks. When it encounters a bad
cluster it will
prompt you whether to leave it alone,
remove the bad cluster mark or retest the bad cluster. Note: This
setting is used
once & when you close Scandisk the setting is not saved so
you will have to repeat this trick
again when
running Scandisk again. This tip does not enable
rechecking bad clusters for the DOS
version of
Scandisk. Also be careful after using this tip as
clearing some bad clusters on disks may become
defective again
(aka. turn bad again later on) when rechecking them with
Scandisk or other disk utilities.
Caution: This
tip enables the option under the current user only [if user
profiles are enabled]. If you log on
as a different
user, you will have to open Regedit and modify the binary
value & then run Scandisk.
See MS support
article 127055
for more information. Also, Win98 users should have
already applied the
Q243450&
Q263044
updates before trying out this tip on large hard drives that
are 30Gbs or greater
as the GUI
edition of Scandisk has problems checking the physical areas
of 32Gb+ hard drives.
Using
Windows ME versions of Scandisk for Windows & Disk
Defragmenter under Windows 95 & 98:
I've noticed
when running the Windows ME versions of Scandisk
[scandskw.exe] and Disk Defragmenter
[defrag.exe]
under a Windows ME system, they run faster than the Windows
95/98 versions of those
programs.
To use the WinME versions of Scandisk & Disk Defragmenter
under Win95 or 98, copy the
Scandskw.exe
& Defrag.exe files files from the Windows ME CD onto the
Windows folder and overwrite
the Win95 or 98
versions. If you don't have the WinME CD, you can
download 'scanfrag.exe'
from here.
Run the
scanfrag.exe file to install the ME defrag.exe &
scandskw.exe files onto the Windows folder.
Before running
Scandisk or Defrag, always close any programs running
in the background, disable any
screen savers
& temporarily turn off power management functions and
close any antivirus programs that
are
active. For WinME users, temporarily disable System
Restore to free up a lot of space (the Disable
System Restore
option is listed on the Troubleshooting tab when clicking on
the File System button on
the System
properties dialog box; note that turning off System Restore
deletes all restore points created
by System
Restore). Otherwise, Scandisk or Defrag will start all
over from the beginning when being
interrupted by
another program. Also, disable System File Protection
(Statemgr) and the PC Health
Scheduling
Application (Pchschd) programs from the System Configuration
utilties Startup tab before
running the
Defrag utility. To see Disk Defragmenter in action, run
Defrag and after you select the
drive you want
to optimize, click on the Show Details button.
Note that fragmentation occurs in EVERY
version of FAT,
including FAT32 and slows down performance either slightly or
significantly, depending
how fast your
computer is & how fast and big your hard drive is.
If you have major problems running
WinME defrag
under Win95, 98 or ME under normal mode, try running WinME
defrag in Safe mode.
Note:
There had been some reports on the web that running Windows
Disk Defragmenter or any third party
defragging
software does not improve performance. ABSOLUTELY
NOT TRUE! Defragging a hard drive
boosts
performance, even by a little bit and possibly extends the
life of a hard drive. Hard drives should
be defragmented
at least once every month and only after
copying/deleting at least 500Mb worth of files.
Disabling
System File Protection in Windows 2000, ME, XP & Server
2003:
Click
here to view my sfpoff.htm file on how to turn off the
System File Protection feature in Win2000, ME, XP
and Server
2003. Note that it may be harder to shut off SFP in
Win2k with SP2 to SP4 installed and with
WinXP and
Win2003 with any of their respective SPs installed.
Turning Off
CD Autoplay: (in all versions of Windows)
For those using
Win95, 98 or ME, open the Device Manager [right-click on the
My Computer icon on the
desktop and
choose Properties (or open the Control Panel & double
click on the System icon) and then
click on the
Device Manager tab]. Expand the CD-ROM drives tree and
double click on your CD-ROM
drive. On
its Settings tab if the option 'Auto insert notification'
checkbox is checked click on it to turn it off
and click OK on
all dialog boxes (and reboot). You can also use the MS
TweakUI Powertoy to disable
Autoplay
(especially for those who are using NT4, 2000, XP & 2003
because the 'Auto insert notification'
feature is not
included in those versions of Windows). In Windows
Vista, Seven (7) & higher you can choose
the Autoplay
options from the Control Panel for CD/DVD drives and removable
storage devices.
Compacting/Shrinking
the
Windows Registry: (for all versions of Windows)
Click
here to view my regsmall.htm file on how to compact the
registry. Because the Windows registry files
never shrink on
their own & always grows, using the tips from the
regsmall.htm file will shrink the registry files
and perhaps
make Windows load a little faster. Those using NT-based
versions of Windows should use
either NTRegOpt
or RegCompact to compress the registry files.
Cheats
& Hidden stuff in the Microsoft 3D Pinball game:
(from Windows 95 to XP only)
See this
ActiveWin.com page for the cheat codes for the MS
Pinball game.
Cheats
& Hidden stuff in the Windows Minesweeper game: (from Windows 95 to
XP only)
Click
here to view my winmine.htm file on cheats & some
easter eggs for the Minesweeper game. These
cheats &
hidden features are not found in Windows Vista & Windows 7
because the Minesweeper
game in these versions of Windows has been redesigned,
however, a hidden
debug menu can be
revealed to show where the mines are located in the Vista/Win7
version of Minesweeper.
Showing
hidden and 'non-present' devices in Device Manager in
Win2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, etc.:
See Microsoft
support KB article 315539 on setting the
"devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1"
variable to allow Device Manager to show the hidden or "ghost"
devices.
Adding
"Long Filename" Support for Windows 95/98/ME's File Manager
[Winfile.exe] program:
Install the FMLFNS
tool from the Wincorner.com web site. This shareware app
will add the ability for File
Manager to
display long file names. However, read the FAQ page
on any issues with FMLFNS installed
when copying or
moving files with long filenames.
Using
Windows NT4's File Manager [Winfile.exe] program under
Windows 2000, XP, 2003 & higher:
The File
Manager tool from Windows NT4 is not included in Windows 2000
& higher NT-based Windows
versions but
you can use it under either of those two versions of Windows.
If you upgrade from WinNT4 to
Win2000, XP or
2003, the File Manager files are not deleted but you can still
use File Manager under the
newer NT-based
version of Windows. To get the File Manager applet
(winfile.exe) extract that file from
the full
Windows NT4 Service Pack 6a package.
Caution: File
Manager will not save the Toolbar settings if used under
Win2000 & higher versions of Windows.
The bug also
occurs on NT4 systems when IE 5 or higher is installed.
This is not resolved in the NT4 SP6
release of File
Manager, so any version of NT4 File Manager with IE 5 or
higher installed has the bug. All
other settings
will be saved. This minor problem is mentioned in MS article 242114. MS won't
fix this minor
bug so don't
worry about it.
<>
Warning: The File Manager program from NT4 does NOT work under
Windows Vista, 2008, Windows 7
and higher as
it will crash with an error message pointing to a missing
SheConvertPathW function in the
SHELL32.DLL
file of Vista, Win7 & later.
Note: David S.
told me by email that he's found a way to get the WinNT4 File
Manager program to run
under
Vista/WS2008. Go here
and read the instructions on how to get the File Manager tool
to work under
Windows Vista
and Windows Server 2008. The steps to make File Manager
run under Vista/WS2008
will also work
under Win7 but users with Win7 or Win2008 R2 may have to
perform some additional
steps to make
the File Manager run correctly. And you may have to
either disable the user account control
[UAC] feature
or run this old File Manager program with full administrative
privileges so that it will show the
contents of the
Windows folder and its subfolders.
Warning: The Access Control List
(ACL) Editor feature does not work when using the old File
Manager tool
under Windows 8.1, 10 & higher, even after performing
the steps to make the ACL Editor work (ACL option is
disabled or grayed out); so the additional
steps of making ACL Editor work with File Manager only works
with Windows Vista, 7 & 8.0. Contact David S about
the problem with the File Manager ACLs not working
correctly under Win8.1/Win10, which may require newer &
revised ACL wrappers for these Windows OSes.
Another problem is that the NT4 File Manager "Help" files
are in the much older HLP format, which versions
of Windows between Vista & Win8.x can't support without
installing the WinHlp32.exe program from the
KB917607
update, and HLP files are not supported (and
deprecated) under Windows 10 as no WinHlp32.exe
program will be made for Windows 10, although an unofficial
Winhlp32.exe package was made for
Windows 10 users from the RAX
Software page, when using the "modified" File Manager
app from NT4.
Note for Win10 Users: Microsoft has
recently offered the old File Manager program from the
Windows 3.x
era as "open source" and is recently available on this
Github page for Win10 users, along with a compatible
CHM help file for the File Manager program. Win10
users must install at least the Visual C++ 2015 runtime
package (download
here) to run this version of File Manager.
Also note that this version of File Manager is
available in both 32bit & 64bit editions and may work
with older Windows versions as early as Vista.
Using the
exFAT System and its drivers under Windows XP & Windows
Server 2003:
Windows Vista
Service Pack 1, Server 2008 & higher have added support
for exFAT formatted partitions
and/or
removable high capacity devices (especially with modern usb
flash drives that are 32Gb & greater).
Note: Microsoft
has released the KB955704
update on January 27, 2009 which adds full read/write
exFAT
support for
Windows XP SP2/SP3. For those using Windows Server 2003
SP2, download the
KB955704 update which was
released on August 26, 2009. Note that the exFAT file
system is currently
not compatible
with Win9x, 2000, ME & NT4. So to access exFAT
formatted volumes, use at least
WinXP SP2/SP3, or Win2003 SP2 with the KB955704 update
installed. And for those using the X64 (64bit)
version of WinXP/WinServer 2003 SP2, get this
version of the KB955704 update.
Caution: The KB955704 update does not
add exFAT support to XP/2003's Disk Management console.
If you want to format your storage device or drive as exFAT
you will need to use either the "format" command
line tool or the format tool from Windows Explorer to do so.
Restoring
the "Start Menu" & "Start Button" in Windows 8.x:
Microsoft
removed the Start Button & Start Menu beginning with
Windows 8. Download and install
Start Menu X to restore the familiar start button &
menu. Works with Windows 8 & 8.1. You can also
use the Classic Shell
program to also use a Start button & Start menu on Windows
8.x. The IOBit
Start
Menu 8 app is still available but it is causing active
program windows in Win8.1 to sometimes
automatically minimize at random times without user
intervention; contact IOBit to see if they have
released an updated version of the Start Menu 8 program that
does not have this problem. Otherwise,
uninstall IOBit Start Menu 8 from the Win8.x OS and use either
Classic Shell or Start Menu X.
Note: the Classic Shell program is no
longer being developed but Open
Shell was made as an
improvement over Classic Shell.
Blocking
"forced" Automatic Windows Updates in Windows 10/11:
See this
Computerworld article on how to block "forced" automatic
updates under Windows 10, especially
for those using the "Core" or Home editions of Windows 10
& newer.
Disable
"Fast Startup" in Windows 8.x & Windows
10/11:
See this AddictiveTips
article on how to turn off the "fast startup" option in
Windows 8, 8.1, 10 & 11.
Disabling & Enabling FTP
Folder View under IE 6.x: [for Win98, ME & NT4 only]
IE 6 does not include the
option to enable/disable Folder View for FTP sites and even if
it does the option
(whether enabling or disabling it in
IE 6 & higher) does NOT work (the FTP Folder view option
first appeared
in IE 5 on the Advanced tab of the
Internet Options control panel applet). To really disable
FTP Folder View,
locate the 'msieftp.dll' file in the
Windows System folder:
('c:\windows\system' for Win98 &
ME; 'c:\winnt\system32' for WinNT4)
Rename the msieftp.dll file to
something like msieftp.000 or msieftp.--- [do not delete the
msieftp.dll file
because you might need it later on if
you decide to use FTP Folder view] and now try browsing any FTP
sites in IE 6 (you now have the
regular view for FTP sites instead of the folder view). To
enable Folder View
for FTP sites simply rename that file
back to 'msieftp.dll' and view any FTP site in the IE 6
window. This is
not a problem for Windows XP &
Server 2003 users as the FTP 'Folder View' option works
correctly with
IE 6 under Win2k, XP &
Win2003. Note that this tip may not work properly under
WinME if you installed IE 6
on top of IE 5.5 with the SFP feature
enabled. In that case find and rename all traces of the
'ie_extra.cat'
file and then try to rename the
msieftp.dll file & you should get the regular HTML view for
FTP sites in WinME.
Installing Windows Desktop Update
with the IE 5.x or 6.x setup program: [under Win9x/NT4
systems only]
If you want to install (or upgrade) the Windows
Desktop Update under IE 5.x or IE 6 without having to
remove either
one & then installing IE 4.01 SP2 and
re-installing IE 5.x or IE 6.x, and NOT using the IE
Administration Kit (IEAK) under
Win9x/NT4 follow these steps (I now have 3
methods, only use one of them since IE 4.01 SP2 is no
longer available for
download & MS no longer supports any version
of Internet Explorer earlier than IE 6 under WinXP/2003):
Method 1 - Installing the Desktop Update by
running IE 5.x setup using special parameters
[requires Internet Connection]:
1.
[For Windows 95 users] Run the IE 5.x setup program from the
Run dialog box with the following line with the quotes:
"C:\Windows
Update Setup Files\ie5setup.exe" /c:"ie5wzd /e:IE4Shell_WIN
/I:Y" (if the IE 5.x setup program is stored
in
the 'c:\windows update setup files' folder)
[For
Windows NT 4 users] Run the IE 5.x setup program from the
Run dialog box with the following line with the quotes:
"C:\Windows
Update Setup Files\ie5setup.exe" /c:"ie5wzd
/e:IE4Shell_NTx86 /I:Y" (if the IE 5.x setup program is
stored
in
the 'c:\windows update setup files' folder)
[If
the IE 5.x setup program file is in a different folder
mentioned here substitute the name of the folder where you
kept
the
'ie5setup.exe' file OR run the IE 5.x setup program from the
DOS Prompt inside Windows from the folder where you
kept
the installer file using either of those two commands]
2.
Choose your installation options and let the setup program
download the necessary files (including the 'ie4shl95.cab'
file
if
using Win95 or the 'ie4shlnt.cab' file if using WinNT 4)
3.
Watch carefully at the progress dialog box when the IE 5.x
setup program downloads & installs the desktop update
and
by the time you reboot, you'll have the desktop update
(although you'll want to disable viewing both Folders and
the
Desktop as Web pages after the desktop loads)
Note
that
this method requires an Internet connection because the IE
5.x setup program always downloads the
'ie4shl95.cab'
or
'ie4shlnt.cab'
file even if you already have the required installation file
for the Desktop Update. Do NOT use the above
method
if
the IE 5.x setup files are on the CD. If you already
have all the required files on the CD or local hard drive
use the
next
method
below. This method will not work if you are upgrading
the Desktop Update under Windows 98 1st & 2nd editions.
I
found the method mentioned above posted at this
Anandtech.com
site.
Method 2 - Adding the Windows Desktop Update
option as an IE 5.x installation option [definitely
recommended when
installing
IE
5.x directly from the CD or from a local hard drive &
have all the required files especially the Desktop Update
setup
file
(either
the 'ie4shl95.cab' or 'ie4shlnt.cab' file)]:
1.
Run the IE 5.x setup program normally (not typing those
extra parameters).
2.
When the License screen appears, open Windows Explorer and
browse to the 'C:\Windows\temp\ixp000.tmp' folder (if
using
Windows 95/98) or the 'C:\WinNT\temp\ixp000.tmp' folder (if
using Windows NT 4.0) and look for the 'iesetup.cif'
file
[do not click on the Next or Cancel button in the IE
5.x setup dialog box].
3.
Edit the 'iesetup.cif' file in Notepad or Wordpad and locate
either the [IE4Shell_Win] or the [IE4Shell_NTx86] section.
Under
either one look for the line that says 'UIVISIBLE=0'.
Change it to read 'UIVISIBLE=1' (Win98 users should
change
the line above the UIVISIBLE string that says
'Platform=Win95' to 'Platform=Win95,Win98' in the
[IE4Shell_Win]
section)
and save your changes.
4.
Now accept the License Agreement, click the Next Button,
choose the Install Minimal or Customize Your Browser
option
and the Windows Desktop Update option will appear.
Click on the checkbox to select it and click the Next
button
to install or upgrade the Desktop Update (yay!).
Note
that
the Desktop Update option will no longer be there if you
rerun the IE 5.x setup program. You'll have to use
this
method
again
if you plan to reinstall IE 5.x & the Desktop
Update. I found this method posted at this
Windows
IT Pro site.
Method 3 - Using a batch file (*.bat) to
install or upgrade the Desktop Update [requires IE 5.x
or IE 6.x already installed] <>
1.
Open the ie4shl95.cab or ie4shlnt.cab file in Winzip or any
archiving utility and extract all the files inside onto a
temporary
folder (for example 'c:\temp\ie4shl95' for Win9x;
'c:\temp\ie4shlnt' for WinNT4).
2.
Create a batch file in Notepad with the following lines:
@echo
off
start
/w RUNDLL32.EXE ADVPACK.DLL,LaunchINFSection
ie4shell.inf,DefaultInstall
cls
3.
Save the file as an 'install.bat' file and place it onto the
temporary folder where you store the IE Desktop Update
setup
files.
4.
Double-click on the INSTALL.BAT file to install the Desktop
Update. Do NOT restart the computer yet!
5.
Go to the Control Panel, click on Add/Remove programs, click
on Internet Explorer and Internet Tools and choose the
option
to Repair Internet Explorer and click on OK to repair
IE. Then click on OK again to restart the computer and
the
Desktop
Update should work properly after reboot.
<>
Caution:
This method may require repairing Internet Explorer 5.x/6.x
on Win95/NT4 systems after performing this method
of
installing
the Desktop Update; the Start button, when clicked, may not
display anything; so that means the Desktop Update
was
not
functioning properly. To repair IE, double-click on
the My Computer icon, then double-click on the Control Panel
icon,
double-click
on
Add/Remove Programs, select the Internet Explorer and
Internet Tools entry, choose the option to Repair Internet
Explorer
and
restart the computer. This will create some missing
Quick Launch icons & register the Desktop Update.
Now
the
newer
Explorer interface should work under Win95/NT4. This
problem happens when installing the Desktop Update on top
of
the
old Win95/NT4 Explorer-Shell interface. Using this
method will cause the loss of the ability to
remove/un-install IE as
some
of
the un-install data for IE will be missing. You
will no longer have the ability to un-install Internet
Explorer and the
Active
Desktop
Update.
These methods only work if using either Windows
95, 98 or NT 4.0. Windows 98 Second Edition
[4.10.2222] includes version
4.72.3609.2400
of
the Desktop Update while Windows 98 First Edition
[4.10.1998] has version 4.72.3110.1 of the Active
desktop
component
(IE 4.01 SP2, IE 5.x & later have version 4.72.3612.1700
of the Desktop Update). And to add the
"Show
File
Attributes In Detail View" option in the View tab of the
Folder Options dialog box once you install the Desktop
Update
with
the IE 5.x setup program, view the attrib9x.txt
file from my site, copy all the info on there, save the file
as a
'attrib9x.reg'
file
and double-click on the file to add File Attributes
option. You may also need that file after performing a
'clean'
install
of Win98 2nd Edition or using Win98 SE. Both methods
of installing the IE Desktop Update can also work
with
the
IE 6.x setup program but under Windows NT 4 only (replace
ie5setup.exe with ie6setup.exe). IE 6.x includes the
Desktop
Update
for NT4 and not for Win9x [and IE 6.x will never work under
Win95].
Also note that before installing the March 7, 2002
[MS02-014] Security Update under Windows 98, 95/NT4 with
Active Desktop
(yes,
the
update DOES install under Win95 with Active Desktop
from at least IE 4.01 SP1) the Desktop Update must first be
installed
from
IE 4.01 SP1, SP2 or even at least IE 5.x and there's no
need to view the Desktop as a web page. The patch
only
requires the Desktop Update installed in order for the patch
to work and the patch does NOT care whether the View As
Web
Page
option for Active Desktop is enabled or not (the patch won't
work under a Win95 system without Active Desktop).
Use
the
tip mentioned above to install Active Desktop with the IE
5.x or IE 6.x setup program and then apply the MS02-014
security
patch;
NT4 users can ditch the MS02-014 update and install the
MS04-037 update which includes the latest shell32.dll
security
fixes.
[click here to go to part 2 of My Computer Tips for Windows page]
[click here to go to my Main page]
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2022 Noel Piring [aka. the ERPMan]
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