To start in Safe Mode, shutdown and restart your computer. Then, hold down the Ctrl key (98/ME) as Windows loads. (With some computers, you can hold down the F8 (95) key instead.) You'll be prompted to choose a new startup mode. Select 3 to start in Safe Mode. Safe Mode displays your screen in 640 x 480 resolution, and you'll notice that Windows loads much faster without all those extra drivers.

(Note: If you receive a "stuck key" error message, you've probably pressed the Ctrl key too early in the boot process. Try again with slightly more delay.)

First, you'll need to know the area code that requires ten-digit dialing. When you're in that area code, open your Internet Connection and click Dial Properties. Enter your present area code in the I Am In This Country/Region and then click on Area Code Rules. Check the Always Dial The Area Code box in the When Calling Within My Area Code section, and click OK twice.

If you're having trouble connecting to the Internet with your modem, you might try running Windows' Modem Troubleshooter utility as a first step. Though it addresses only a handful of the most common problems, the Troubleshooter just might have the fix you need to get back online. It's worth a try, for the desperate, anyway. 

To access the Modem Troubleshooter, go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, and select Modems. Click the Diagnostics tab and then the Help button. Modem Troubleshooter will launch in an Internet Explorer browser window (though it's accessed from your hard drive and not the Internet, naturally).

As long as your PC is connected to a telephone line via an internal modem, you can use Windows 98 to dial all your telephone numbers for you, meaning you'll never need to remember another telephone number again. The program you'll need to work this magic is a Microsoft accessory known as Phone Dialer, and you can find it by choosing Start, Programs, Accessories, Communications, Phone Dialer.

Using Phone Dialer, you can save your eight most frequently called numbers by clicking one of the Speed Dial buttons and entering a name and telephone number. Better yet, you can use Phone Dialer to keep a log of all outgoing telephone calls made with the program. To log calls, go to Tools, Show Log to display the Call Log window. Choose Log, Options and check the Incoming Calls check box. Phone Dialer will keep track of who you called and when.

Microsoft gave us a whole new way to set folder defaults in Windows 98. Open the folder for your C: drive, and without opening any other folders, arrange and configure it exactly as you'd like all your folders to appear. When you've got the C: drive folder the way you like it, choose View, Folder Options, and click the View tab. Next, press the Like Current Folder button to create the new default setting, which will be permanent (unless you hit the Reset All Folders button). You'll notice that when you deviate individual folders from these settings, those folders will retain the changed settings as long as you have "Remember each folder's view settings" checked under Advanced Settings. If you want them all to look exactly the same no matter what, remove the check beside Remember Each Folder's View Settings. 

Note: Some people report that their systems do not retain certain views, such as the Details view. But on my PCs, I have found that following these steps correctly does, in fact, make Details and other settings the default.

System Monitor (C:\WINDOWS\SYSMON.EXE or Start>> Programs>> Accessories>> System Tools>> System Monitor) lets you track an array of performance measures for your system and network. You can save the results to a text log.

My favorite is Dialup Adapter: Bytes Read / Sec. To view: From Edit menu select Add Item. From the Category list select Dial-Up Adapter and from Items list select Bytes Received / Second.

If you have more than one hard drive on your computer, you probably want Windows 98 to use the faster drive for its virtual memory capabilities. Having a faster drive for virtual memory can speed performance by decreasing the time needed to access temporarily stored information.

To change this setting, go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, System. Click the Performance tab and then the Virtual Memory button. Check the Let Me Specify My Own Virtual Memory Settings and choose the new drive from the Hard Disk pull-down menu. When you finish, click OK.

What about the viruses that look like text or picture files being sent in emails, but they're really VB Script files? You can create an added layer of protection against these viruses. (These files extensions could potentially be dangerous to your system if they're really viruses: .js, .jse, .vbs, .scr, .shs, and .shb.)

The problem arises whenever people receive these files in an email and they double-click them. BOOM! Their system gets smacked. This situation occurs because the Windows default for a double-click on these files is an 'OPEN' command. Fortunately, you can change this default to 'EDIT' so that if you double-click on the file, it won't run, but will harmlessly be displayed in Notepad where you can read it.

For Windows Me: Go to the Control Panel and select the Folder Options icon. Now, select the File Types tab and a small flashlight will appear. You may have to wait a moment. Next, when the files are displayed, find ! one with one of the extensions I listed above. Select it, and click the Advanced tab. Now, highlight Edit and press the Set Default button. That's got it!

For Windows 95/98: This scenario is a bit more difficult. Go to an Explorer window and select View, then Folder Options. Click the Files tab and scroll through the file types. You will see the extensions in the small window at the bottom. When you find a file with one of the extensions I mentioned above, click Edit. Now select Edit from within the Actions list and click the Default button. That should set you up.

A common question is how to get rid of the Windows password every time you start your computer. If you're the only user, having to press Cancel every time your computer starts is a real pain. Fortunately, it's easy to turn off the Windows password. Go to Start, Settings, Control Panel and open the Passwords icon. Then click the Change Passwords tab and click the Change Windows Password button. Make sure all three fields are completely blank and click the OK button to save changes.

If this didn't work for you, your computer might be setup for multiple users. If you're the only person using your computer and you don't need different sets of saved preferences, you'll want to change this setting. Go to Start, Settings, Control Panel and open the Passwords icon. Then click the User Profiles tab and click the All Users Of This Computer Use The Same Preferences And Desktop Settings button. Click OK to exit and save changes.

Quick Launch is one of the Toolbars that can be added to the Taskbar. Items in Quick Launch can be launched or started with one click. This is Windows Assistance's favorite Toolbar. To enable Quick Launch right-click any blank area of the Taskbar and select Toolbars>>Quick Launch.

Quick Launch shows only the Icons of items to be launched. To see the shortcut name hold your mouse pointer over the Quick Launch shortcut. The name will appear quickly.

To add items simply drag any shortcut to Quick Launch. A thick vertical bar will tell you where in Quick Launch you are placing the shortcut. 

To remove a shortcut from Quick Launch simply right-click the shortcut and select Delete.

Remember Quick Launch is just a folder of shortcuts and can be used just like any other folder. See July 26, 2001 tip on creating shortcuts to special folders such as the Quick Launch folder.

july 2001 tips