Windows 95/98 Geek Tip:

The two ways of inserting the date and time

There are two ways of inserting the date and the time in an Office document. The first way of inserting the date that will remain the same. You can do this by:

Clicking the Insert menu at the top of the window.
Then clicking Date and Time.
Then you choose the format of your choice and click OK.

There is another way of doing this that inserts the date, and then this date is then updated to todays date. In other words, if you insert the date today and print tomorrow, tomorrow's date will be in the document. You can do this by selecting the Update automatically box before you click OK after following the steps stated above.

Windows 95/98 Geek Tip:

Making a startup application minimize after opening

To make an application start up when Windows 98 is launched, you simply drag its shortcut into the StartUp menu. If you want this application to minimize as its opened so that you don't have to minimize it later you can simply tell Windows 98 to start the program minimized.

If you already have the program in your StartUp menu all you have to do is change its Properties. To get to the shortcut:

*Click the START button.
*Select PROGRAMS.
*Click WINDOWS EXPLORER.
*Navigate your way to C:\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp
*Here are all of your StarUp shortcuts.
*Now, you simply right-click the shortcut and select Properties.
*Click the Shortcut tab.
*In the Run box select Minimized and click Apply.

Windows 95/98 Geek Tip:

How to Start in Safe Mode

On a Windows PC, restart the computer while holding down the Ctrl key. Instead of the normal startup sequence, you'll be presented with a list of options. Select Safe Mode. Once Windows starts up, you'll see the words Safe Mode in all four corners of the screen.

If your computer seems to operate properly in Safe Mode, you'll know the problem is not with Windows. However, remember that when you start the computer in Safe Mode, Windows uses default settings (VGA monitor, no network, Microsoft mouse driver, and the minimum device drivers required to start Windows) and you will not have access to CD-ROM drives, printers, or other devices.

On a Mac, go to the Extensions Manager control panel and select Mac OS Base Set from the Selected Set list. Then restart your computer.

Windows 95/98 Geek Tip:

Putting New Sounds on Your Desktop

Getting sounds into the computer is pretty simple, assuming you have a microphone and a sound card. And once you get those sounds inside your computer, you can associate them to different system events like opening a program, starting Windows, errors and more! Here's how to do it:

In Windows 98:

--Click Start >> Programs >> Accessories >> Entertainment >> Sound Recorder
--Click File >> New
--Click the red dot and start recording
--When finished recording, click the black box
--Click File and Save as
--Save file anywhere you please
--Close Sound Recorder
--Click Start >> Settings >> Control Panel
--Double click Sounds
--Click once on an event, highlighting it
--In the Sound area, click Browse
--Navigate to the file you saved
--Click the file name; click OK; close Control Panel

In Windows XP:

--Click Start >> All Programs >> Accessories >> Entertainment >> Sound Recorder
--Record as in Windows 98
--Close Sound Recorder
--Click Start >> Control Panel
--Double click Sounds and Audio Devices
--Select the Sounds tab
--To name your sound scheme, click Save As…
--Click once on an event; click the Browse button
--Navigate to the saved file and click it once
--Click OK; close Control Panel

Windows 95/98 Geek Tip:

Spring Cleaning Your Hard Drive

You want to clean up your hard drive. What files are okay to remove without causing any trouble?

There are tons. For starters, get rid of those programs you no longer use. Go to Start>>Settings>>Control Panel>>Add/Remove Programs. Depending on your version of Windows, you’ll see either an Install/Uninstall tab or a listing of programs installed on your PC. When you find a program you no longer use, select it and click Add/Remove or in Windows XP, Change/Remove.

Next, get rid of files that accumulate as you use the Internet. In Internet Explorer, select Tools>>Internet Options. On the General tab, click the Delete Files and Clear History buttons. In Navigator, open the Cache folder in your Netscape folder and delete the icons in it.

If all this sounds like too much work, a separate uninstaller program is money well spent. Symantec’ s Norton CleanSweep 2002 examines your system thoroughly to identify duplicate files, orphan files, Internet cookies, cache and history files, and files that belong to application software programs. See The Geek for details.

Windows 95/98 Geek Tip:

Make Your Own Icons

You can make your own icons for programs. Here's how:

1. Go to Start>>Programs>>Accessories, and then Paint.
2. From the Image menu, select Attributes. Enter 32 pixels in Height and Width.
3. Get creative. Make an icon using the paintbrush or pencil tools. Name and save your icon when you're done.
4. Right-click an existing icon on your desktop. Select Properties. 5. Click Change Icon and then, Browse. Find the folder containing the icon you made.
6. Look! Your work of art will now adorn your desktop!

Windows 95/98 Geek Tip:

Updating to XP

If you have Windows 98, you can save some money and buy the Windows XP Upgrade. When you install that over Windows 98, you end up with all the features of the full edition. The XP Upgrade is for people who are making the jump from Windows 98 or Windows ME. Windows 95 cannot be upgraded—those users need the Full edition. Buy the cheaper XP Home edition unless you are in a business environment with serious networking needs. Then, you’d be better served by the Professional Edition.

Before you do the upgrade, though, drop by Microsoft’s XP web site (www.microsoft.com/windowsxp). There, download the Upgrade Advisor, which will tell you if your hardware and software will work on XP. Download it overnight. It’s a 50 MB file! And if you do the upgrade, make sure you have at least 256 megabytes of RAM.

Windows 95/98 Geek Tip:

Choosing the Best CD-RW

What do the numbers mean when you look at a CD-RW drive?

The big three numbers to check are the speed making CD-Rs (single-recording CDs), making CD-RWs (rewritable CDs), and playing CDs, respectively. A CD-RW rated at 24X/10X/40X, for instance, means it writes CD-Rs 24 times speed (about 3.6 MB per second), rewrites CD-RWs at 10 times speed (about 1.5 MB per second) and plays CDs at 40 times speed. There is one more number to look at--the buffer. Make sure the drive has a 2-4 MB buffer to handle system interruptions. The bigger the number here, the better.