Windows Your Way

The ultimate collection of secrets and undocumented tips: 49 ways to navigate, upgrade, and customize Win 95/98, Me, and 2000.

Yael Li-Ron

How much time do you spend in front of your PC? Thousands of hours a year? And how long have you been using a PC? Five years? Ten? More? For most of us, the daily computer routine begins and ends with a logo of a squiggly window on a sky-blue background. Our tool of choice may be a word processor, a spreadsheet, or an image editor, but we all share Windows. And though we may consider ourselves well acquainted with the operating system after all these years, a world of functionality lies buried beneath Windows' layers of cascading menus and tabbed dialog boxes. That's the hidden Windows these tips will reveal--the one that allows you to cut and paste faster, change your icons, create custom menus (or customize existing ones), and eliminate repetitive dialog boxes.

Though Windows has hundreds (if not thousands) of features, it lacks many important ones. These are holes that third-party utilities step in to fill. You'll find profiles of several of these tools in the "Essential Additions" page. Full or trial versions of all of them can be downloaded from PCWorld.com's Downloads.

Most of the following tips work for Windows 95, 98, and Millennium Edition, and many also work in Windows NT and 2000. For additional Windows Me tips, see "Windows Me Start-Up Kit." For Win 2000 tips, see "Windows 2000: Up Close and Personal."

When you're done fine-tuning your operating system, the time you spend with Windows will be more personal, more productive, and maybe even a little more fun. It will be Windows your way.

Do-It-Yourself User Interface

Your living room doesn't look like it did five years ago, so why should your PC's interface? Let's give Windows the look you like.

An Icon by Any Other Name

All Versions: "My Computer"? "Network Neighborhood"? "My Network Places"? You know what they say about familiarity. Those contemptible, old object names are overdue for a change. Right-click any icon on your desktop (or in an Explorer or folder window) and choose Rename. Be as creative as you want, but don't overdo it--after all, you're going to have to remember what these folders are for. Note: Don't try to rename "Recycle Bin"--it's a fixed system name.

A New Name Deserves a New Look

Win 98, Me, 2000: Now that Windows' lame, default names are history, it's time to change the default icons, too.

To replace a system icon (such as My Computer, My Documents, or Recycle Bin) right-click the desktop, select Properties, and then click the Effects tab (it's labeled Plus in Windows NT). Select an icon and click Change Icon. Choose the Browse button, and look for icons on your system. If you can't find any, head to PCWorld.com's Downloads and type the keyword icons. We have hundreds of icons of every style and description. Note: Windows 95 users who want to make these changes must find the Microsoft Plus pack for their version of the OS (good luck--there aren't many of those around anymore).

In With the New (Menu)

Win9x, Me: Right-click inside a folder or on the desktop and then select New, and you'll get a menu listing the document types you're (theoretically) likeliest to want. Unfortunately, the only practical choices are Folder and Shortcut. We can fix that. Note that this tip requires Tweak UI, which is discussed as an "Essential Addition." You'll find it on the Windows 98 system disk, or you can download it from PCWorld.com's Downloads.

Select Start, Settings, Control Panel and choose Tweak UI. Click the New tab and uncheck any item you don't want to see in that pop-up menu. If you decide to restore a document type you removed from the New menu, go back into Tweak UI and reselect it. To remove a choice from the list of document types, highlight the item and click the Remove button.

Light at the End of the (Carpal) Tunnel

All Versions: Many users prefer keyboard shortcuts to mouse clicks (and drags), but few people know that they can use the keyboard to move as quickly around the screen or within a document as they do with a mouse. The Accessibility Options applet in Control Panel can take some of the strain off your poor, aching hands and wrists. Select Start, Settings, Control Panel, choose Accessibility Options, click the Mouse tab, and select Use MouseKeys. Write down the hot-key combination for activating the feature. From now on, you can use your numeric keypad to control the pointer movement on your screen. Hold down the Ctrl key while you move to speed up the pace, or hold down the Shift key to slow things down.

Have You Used the Taskbar Today?

Win9x, Me, 2000: You can launch applications in Windows from the Start menu, from icons on the desktop, from the application's folder, or from the Quick Launch toolbar on the taskbar. This last method is the least-commonly used, yet it is the most efficient way to work. Just add shortcuts to that bar, and voila: You have easy, one-click access to your favorite applications.

Before you start, it's best to remove any icons you don't need (Windows or its applications automatically installed most of these). To remove an icon, right-click it and then select Delete. Note: The Desktop icon--which looks like an ink blotter with pencil and paper on top of it--is very useful, so don't delete it.

To add an icon to the taskbar, drag a shortcut from the desktop or any folder or Explorer window and drop it into an empty space in the Quick Launch area. Of course, the taskbar will quickly become too crowded to be useful if you're not careful. To increase the space available, first place your pointer at the top edge of the bar. Then, after the pointer turns into a double arrow, click and drag the edge upward until you're happy with the results.

You're not limited to adding icons to the Quick Launch toolbar, however--you can construct your own toolbar, too. To manage this, right-click the empty space on the taskbar and select Toolbars. If you select Links, you'll get the Links bar from Internet Explorer, and clicking Address generates a field that you can use to enter an Internet address or a local path (for example, 'C:\Windows'). If you select Desktop, all the icons will move from your desktop to the taskbar. Select the New Toolbar option to create a toolbar view of any folder. If you decide later that you'd like to make a change to the layout of any toolbar, click the vertical handle at the left of the bar you want to move, and then drag it right, left, up, or down. Alternatively, you can double-click it for quick maximum, minimum, and to-fit sizing. If you need to clear more room on your desktop, all you need to do is right-click an open space next to any toolbar and uncheck Show Title and/or Show Text.

If you want to relocate the taskbar to the top, left, or right edge of the screen, first click an empty spot on the taskbar, and then drag the taskbar to its new location. In Windows Me, you may have to alter the taskbar's settings: Right-click the taskbar, select Properties, choose the Advanced tab, and check Enable moving and resizing at the end of the 'Start menu and Taskbar' properties list.

Take Out the Trash

All Versions: As odd as it may sound, deleting a file doesn't necessarily result in a deleted file. On the other hand, sometimes it does. That's why Microsoft did not place an icon on your desktop named 'Trash' but chose the more politically correct 'Recycle Bin.' If you drag an item from the desktop to the Recycle Bin, you're actually putting it in temporary storage until you select Empty Recycle Bin from the icon's right-click menu or in Windows' Disk Cleanup dialog box. To open Disk Cleanup, choose Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup.

All the files that you delete by pressing the Delete or Backspace key are transferred to this state of suspended access as well. There are a few exceptions, however: Files on floppies, network drives, and other external drives are never sent to the Recycle Bin when erased; they're deleted immediately.

If you're trying to regain hard disk space by deleting files, a speedy way to do it is to hold down Shift and press Delete, which removes the file immediately without parking it in the Recycle Bin. If you always want to delete completely, with no fail-safe storage in the Recycle Bin, right-click the Recycle Bin icon and select Properties. Click on the appropriate drive tab at the top, such as C:, and put a check in the box next to the line Do not move files to the recycle bin. Do this only if you're absolutely, positively sure about what you are deleting.

To reclaim more hard disk space, specify the proportion of each drive allocated to Recycle Bin files. The default is 10 percent, but you need only half that much if you have a large hard drive. In the Recycle Bin Properties dialog box, move the slider to specify the amount of space you want to devote to temporarily deleted files.

Troubleshooting Windows

William Butler Yeats wasn't referring to the reliability of the Windows OS when he said "Things fall apart," but he could have been.

Feeling Sluggish?

Win9x, Me: If your system slows to a snail's pace for no apparent reason, you can do more than just twiddle your thumbs. Here are a few things you should check:

1. Does the clipboard contain an especially large item? The clipboard can hold only one object at a time. (Note: Office 2000 has a multiple-item clipboard.) If the last item you copied (or cut) was a large image or text file, see whether replacing it by copying one word reinvigorates your system.

You can view the item in the clipboard if you don't want to flush it sight unseen. Select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Clipboard Viewer. If the Clipboard Viewer isn't installed by default, open Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs, click the Windows Setup tab, choose Accessories (Windows 95) or System Tools (Windows Me) in the Components list, select Details, check the Clipboard Viewer box, and click OK.

2. Are your system resources running on empty? To find out, add the useful-but-underused Resource Meter to the taskbar's system tray. Select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Resource Meter. Be sure to watch the gauge closely: When it drops and changes color from green to yellow (or even--gasp!--red), close a few of the applications you're running right away to avert a possible system freeze.

3. If you're using Windows 95, 98, or Me, close all running applications and restart your system at least once a day. Windows 2000, however, doesn't seem to need the extra attention.

Old Standbys

Win9x, Me: If you've emptied your clipboard, checked the Resource Meter, and closed applications, but your system is still as slow as molasses in January, it may be time for a hard-disk spring cleaning. Run ScanDisk (Start, Programs, Accessories, ScanDisk), and Disk Defragmenter (Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter).

You may want to configure ScanDisk to run several times to catch any errors it misses on its first pass over your hard disk. To do so, locate the file Scandisk.ini in the Windows\Command folder, open the file with Notepad, find the line that starts with 'NumPasses', and replace the default value of 1 with 10. Then move to the line below it (which begins with 'LabelCheck'), and make sure it reads On instead of Off. This instructs ScanDisk to check your disk volume labels for invalid characters. Save and exit.

Get Past the Password

Win9x, Me: A faster-loading Windows won't do you much good if you have to enter a password to log in every time Windows starts. If you believe you can do without the password protection, click OK without entering a password the first time you see the box. Thenceforth, you won't have to deal with a log-in screen each time you start Windows. If you currently enter a password whenever Windows starts, you can remove the log-in screen.

First, make sure Windows Logon is the primary log-on: Right-click either Network Neighborhood or My Network Places, choose Properties, and under the Configuration tab select Windows Logon from the Primary Network Logon list. Click OK to close the dialog box. Select Start, Settings, Control Panel, open Passwords, and click the Change Passwords tab. Choose Change Windows Password and click OK. Enter your current Windows password under 'Old password' in the Change Windows Password dialog box, but leave the 'New password' and 'Confirm new password' boxes blank. Then click OK, close the Control Panel, and restart Windows.

In Windows Me, this process requires an extra step. Select Change Other Passwords, then choose one of the services listed and click Change. Now type your current Windows password under 'Old password' and leave the 'New password' and 'Confirm new password' boxes blank. Click OK, return to the Password Properties dialog box, click Change Windows Password, and follow the steps described above for Windows 9x.

If this procedure doesn't do away with the Windows password dialog box, an old version of the Tweak UI tool (one of our Essential Additions) may have overridden your Windows settings. You can download a Windows Me-compatible version of Tweak UI from PCWorld.com's Downloads.

File Management Your Way

Gigabytes of PC storage mean more (and bigger) files. Keeping order on your various drives has never been more important.

Copious Copy Options

All Versions: There's more than one way to copy, cut, and paste files and folders from one location to another. Choosing Cut, Copy, or Paste from the Edit drop-down menu is probably the best-known method. Here are all the other ways you can perform these operations in Windows and in many applications that run in Windows.

• To make a copy of text, an icon, or some other object, select it and press Ctrl-C. To paste it somewhere else, simply move the cursor to the new location and press Ctrl-V.
• To move a file, folder, or other object, select it, press Ctrl-X, place the cursor in the new location, and press Ctrl-V. You can also use Ctrl-X to delete an object (just skip the paste).
• Right-click any object and select Copy, Cut, or Paste.
• Right-click and drag an object to a new location; then select Copy Here, Move Here, or Create Shortcut(s) Here from the menu that appears.

You don't have to open a folder to paste an object into it. Just right-click the folder's icon and select Paste.

Use the Find Tool to Automate Backups

All Versions: You can use Windows' Find tool (in Windows Me and 2000 it's called Search) for file-management tasks other than finding. If you often search for specific files on your system (say, all the.doc or.mp3 files that you created within the past day), you can save your search settings and repeat the task whenever you need to back up those files to a Zip disk or other removable media. Click Start, Find, Files or Folders (in Windows 9x and NT) or Start, Search, For Files or Folder (in Win Me and 2000). In the Named field (it's called 'Search for files or folders named' in Windows Me and 2000), type *.doc, *.mp3, or whichever file type you're looking for. Choose the Date (Windows 9x and NT) or Data Modified (Win Me and 2000) tab and click the radio button next to 'during the previous day'.

Click Find Now (Windows 9x and NT) or Search Now (Win Me and 2000). Even if no files match these criteria, you have the parameters for future searches.

Now click the File menu and select Save Search. You might think that nothing's happened, but the next time you view your desktop ('My Documents' by default in Windows Me and 2000), you'll see an icon titled 'Files named @.doc.fnd'. You can rename the icon by right-clicking it, selecting Rename, and typing the new name of your choice. Run this search at the end of each workday, and copy or drag all the files it finds to your backup medium or elsewhere.

Two Ways to Find the Find Tool

All Versions: You may know that pressing Ctrl-F in any folder activates the Find tool. But on the desktop, you must press F3 to achieve the same results. (By the way, F3 works in all folders.)

Menu Clutter? Sort It Out

Win9x, Me, 2000: The Programs submenu under the Start menu becomes more unwieldy the more programs you add to your system: Entries appear in the order in which they were created rather than alphabetically. To change that arrangement in Windows 98 SE or later, select Start, Programs, right-click anywhere within the Programs list, and select Sort by Name. Groups--or submenus--will appear at the top of the list (alphabetically) and individual items will follow below them, also in the desired order. You can always consolidate the files and folders on the Start menu into higher-level folders to reduce the clutter and increase manageability.

An Easier Way to Print a Directory Listing

Win9x, Me: Windows doesn't provide any way for users to print a list of all the files in a folder. But there is a quick-and-dirty method you can use to overcome this deficiency. First, navigate to the folder, then click Start, Run (or press Windows-R), type command /c dir>prn, and finish by pressing Enter. If you are connected to a network printer, be sure to use its network name. For instance, you could use the name \\server/laser, instead of using 'prn'.

Will the Real Explorer Please Stand Up?

Win9x: I'll bet you didn't know that you have been using the same program to browse the Web that you use to access and to manage your files. Many people assume that Windows Explorer, which you use for viewing and managing files on your local system, and Internet Explorer, which you use for Web browsing, are different programs. But they're actually the same inside, though their interfaces change depending on which environment you select. If you type c:\windows in the Web browser's Address field, for example, the underlying program switches you to folder mode; on the other hand, if you type an Internet address into a folder's Address field, you get Home, Favorites, History, and other typical browser buttons.

To turn a folder window into a two-pane Explorer view, right-click its Control menu (the upper-left button on the title bar) and select Explore, or click the Folders button on the Standard Buttons toolbar (in Windows 2000 and Me). Now look at the left pane: If you double-click the Internet Explorer icon near the bottom of the pane, you'll find yourself on your home page; and assuming it's an Internet page or 'about:blank' (Windows HTML-based Help system), the buttons on the toolbar will be Web-related. If you prefer the two-pane Explorer to the minimalist folder view, you can make it your default interface by editing the Registry. Before you do so, however, be sure to back up the Registry by making copies of the system.dat and user.dat files in your Windows folder. Feel free to put these backup files anywhere other than in your Windows folder. Now you're ready to make the necessary changes.

Select Start, Run, type regedit, and press Enter to launch the Registry editor. Locate the key HKEY_CLASSES_ ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002 B30309D}. Right-click the Shell key under this key, and select New, Key. Type Open, and then right-click the Open key and select New, Key. Type command, and in the right pane double-click the name {Default}. In the Edit String dialog box that appears, type c:\windows\explorer.exe in the 'Value data' box, press Enter, and then press Alt-F4 to close Regedit.

Windows Me Start-Up Kit

If you've been using Windows for awhile, you'll find Microsoft's new Me version very familiar. But like a new pair of shoes, Win Me needs some breaking in before you'll feel comfortable with it. Here are a few pointers for getting off on the right foot. For tips on how to transit from 98 to Me, see this month's Upgrade Guide.

Hidden Menu Options

Windows Me hides options on the Start menu's Programs list that you haven't used recently. They're not deleted--they're just filed away so the menu won't spread across the screen. To see the full menu, click the double down arrows at the end of the shortened menu, or hover the mouse over the menu. To disable the feature, click Start, Settings, Taskbar & Start Menu, and uncheck Use personalized menus.

Hardware/Software Compatibility

Microsoft claims that Windows Me is compatible with anything that works with Windows 98--and more. Of course, no new operating system is bug-free. Before upgrading, check the list of Win Me-compatible hardware. You can also check Microsoft's list of compatible programs and a dedicated Windows Me help page. The Windows Me installation CD-ROM has a file called Add-ons/Document/Textfile/Programs.txt that discusses Windows Me-related issues with software such as Photoshop, CuteFTP, and NetSonic. If you've installed Win Me already, find Programs.txt in the Windows folder.

Clipboard Viewing

Few people know that Windows has a Clipboard Viewer for reviewing images and text that have been cut from or pasted into any application. That's because no version of Windows--including Windows Me--installs it by default. To set Clipboard Viewer up, select Start, Settings, Control Panel, and choose Add/Remove Programs. Next, under the Windows Setup tab, select System Tools, and click Details. Scroll to and select Clipboard Viewer, and then click OK until Windows installs the component. (To accomplish this step, you may first have to put the Windows CD-ROM in its drive.) To view the contents of the clipboard, select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then click the Clipboard Viewer item.

System Health, Speed

If your system takes a noticeable performance hit when you install Windows Me, a system-health setting called System Restore is probably responsible. This feature monitors and preserves your system settings, so when something goes wrong you can roll your system back to a date when it worked. The monitoring slows down PCs with lower-end CPUs and slow hard drives--and it's switched on by default (unless your disk or Windows System partition has less than 200MB of free space). To turn it off, select Start, Settings, Control Panel, choose System properties, click the Performance tab, and click File System. Under the Troubleshooting tab, make sure that Disable System Restore is checked. To create a system restore point manually, pick Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore, select Create a restore point, click Next, and follow the instructions.

Music, Maestro

Whenever you load a music CD or open an.mp3 file, Windows Me loads the same program: Windows Media Player 7. It's bigger and more powerful than the older versions of Media Player--and it takes longer to load. If this delay has you tapping your feet for the wrong reason, install or restore a less-demanding application such as WinAmp to control your CD audio, WAV, MP3, and other sound formats. The quickest way to do this is to install the smaller app so that it associates itself with the relevant file extensions.

DOS Is for Dummies

The new party line at Microsoft is that booting to DOS is a bad thing, so you can't do it under Windows Me. Deleting this option shaves a couple of seconds from the operating system's load time, but some system-level tools (such as BIOS upgrade patches) won't work unless you boot to DOS. Windows Me gives you only one way to do this: Insert the start-up floppy disk you made when you installed the upgrade. If you've lost it, make a new one: Click Start, Settings, Control Panel, select Add/Remove Programs, click the Startup Disk tab, and slip a formatted disk into your floppy drive. Windows Me does the rest.

Automatic Updates

Windows Me downloads its own updates automatically during slack online time; then it notifies you when the updates are ready for installation. This is a great relief to some users--it's certainly more responsive than Windows 95/98's approach--but it wigs out other people who feel that it exposes their systems to forces beyond their control. Sensibly, Microsoft provides three Update settings to suit all paranoia levels. The default setting lets Windows Me automatically download updates and then ask if you're ready to install them. Under the second option, the OS checks whether any updates are available and asks your permission to download and install them. The third setting turns off all automatic updating and requires a visit to Microsoft's Windows Update page to update your OS. To change the default, select Start, Settings, Control Panel, and click Automatic Updates.

--Matt Lake

Windows Me (Too): The Features Without the Upgrade

Can't upgrade to Windows Me? Don't want to pay for another 9x bug fix? You can get many of the enhanced features Microsoft has been touting in the Millennium Edition without the bother of an upgrade, and without having to abandon the Windows 9x operating system you've come to know (if not love) so well.

Show Tunes

Windows Me offers better music playback, more compact ripping (digital recording) of CD audio tracks, and enhanced jukebox features. It owes its audio prowess to Windows Media Player 7, a free Microsoft download that also works with Windows 98 and 2000 (though not with Windows 95). Windows Media Player isn't the only free media player in town, however: WinAmp makes fewer demands on system resources; and MusicMatch Jukebox can rip and encode CD audio tracks in the MP3 format. Windows Media Player uses the WMA format, which MusicMatch, RealPlayer, and other players currently can't read. In addition, WMA files play on far fewer platforms than MP3 files do.

Better Net Experience

Some of Windows Me's vaunted online enhancements--including its automatic updates--are due to features in Internet Explorer 5.5, which is freely available for use under Windows 95 and 98.

You've Got Chat

IE 5.5 also has MSN Messenger, which runs from the system tray whenever Windows Me starts up. Many people prefer AOL Instant Messenger to MSN Messenger: More people use AIM, and AIM makes it easier to keep unwanted chatters out of the conversation. And for the mouse-driven day traders in the audience, AIM does a natty job of delivering stock-ticker information. You can download AOL Instant Messenger from PCWorld.com's Downloads.

What's New, Pussycat?

As discussed in "Windows Me Start-up Kit," Windows Me automatically downloads system updates from Microsoft's Web site and asks you for permission to install them. You can't get automatic updates under Windows 98 or Windows 95, but you can receive automatic notification of critical new OS updates. The Critical Update Notification program is available from the Product Updates page at Microsoft's site. To download it, select Start, Windows Update. Doing this opens Microsoft's Windows Update page in your browser. Click Product Updates (you may then be prompted to download Active Setup--if so, do so). Microsoft then scans your system to determine which of the available updates are "Critical" and which are "Recommended." It may offer a grab bag of other programs as well, but don't try to download too many different items at one time or even in one PC session. One program listed under "Recommended" is Windows Critical Update Notification. If you download and install this program, it will check Microsoft's site periodically for updates when you're online and will let you know while critical ones are available for download.

--Matt Lake

Windows 2000: Up Close and Personal

Windows 2000 is almost a year old, and in many ways it hasn't lived up to its hype. But for many business PC users, the OS's melding of Windows NT's stability with Windows 9x's usability makes it the best choice (just hope you can find all the device drivers you need). These tips will help you make Win 2000 the operating system of your PC dreams.

Let Windows Decorate for You

The easiest way to customize a folder is to open a folder window and choose View, Customize This Folder (or right-click in an empty part of the window to choose this command). Click Next and follow the wizard's prompts to make the changes you want. To get one of Microsoft's custom looks (which are new and improved compared with those of previous Windows versions), check Choose or edit an HTML template for this folder.

Customize the Start Menu

Right-click an empty area of the taskbar and choose Properties. Click the Advanced tab. Use the buttons at the top of this tab to add, remove, and sort items in the Start menu hierarchy. The check boxes at the bottom let you customize the menu to create cascading menus for Control Panel or Printers, view your favorites on the Start menu, or choose either a scrolling or expanding (multipanel) Programs menu, among other features.

Stop the Funky Menu Shuffle

If you don't like having the items on your menus appear and disappear depending on how often you use them, simply right-click on an empty area of the taskbar, choose Properties, uncheck Use Personalized Menus, and click OK.

Put the Eject Button on the Taskbar

If you keep your computer under your desk or in some other hard-to-reach location, you can make opening the CD-ROM tray a bit easier: Choose Start, Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, CD Player. Click the Options button and choose Preferences. Check Show control on taskbar and click OK. Whenever you need to open or close the CD-ROM drawer (to insert or remove any disc, not just audio), right-click the CD icon in the taskbar and choose CD Player, Eject.

Customize Folders in Details View

For any folder in Details view (choose View, Details if necessary), you can add and remove the categories of information displayed. Just right-click a column heading (such as Name or Size) and check or uncheck the items you want to add or remove, respectively.

Make Setup Boot Disks for a Rainy Day

Don't wait for trouble to find you: Get four blank formatted floppy disks, insert your Windows 2000 CD-ROM, choose Browse This CD on the window that appears, open the Bootdisk folder, and click makeboot to launch the creation program. Follow the on-screen prompts, and then create an emergency repair disk (see the tip below). If Windows 2000 is already DOA, take your CD-ROM to another Windows or DOS computer and make your boot and repair disks on that machine.

Create an Emergency Repair Disk

Once you have a way to boot your computer, an emergency repair disk can help you restore damaged start-up files, fix a corrupted Registry, or do other PC rescue chores. Select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Backup. Choose Tools, Create an Emergency Repair Disk. When prompted to do so, check the option to back up the Registry (the backup is stored on your hard disk). Insert a floppy disk, click OK, and follow the prompts on screen. If you have any trouble starting Windows 2000, you can boot up using the Setup boot disks (see the previous tip), then choose the repair option, and insert the repair disk when prompted.

Make Cascading Folder Menus

To see a folder as a menu (with subfolders shown as cascading submenus), drag it to the Start menu button or to any menu within the Start menu.

Keep Secrets Safe

If your disk is formatted with NTFS (the NT/2000 file system), you can encrypt folders on the disk by right-clicking them and choosing Properties. Under the General tab, click Advanced and check Encrypt contents to secure data.

--Scott Dunn

An Explorer Makeover: Manage Files Your Way

The second-most familiar Windows screen for most users (after Desktop) is Explorer. It's where we do the nitty-gritty work of moving, deleting, copying, and (sometimes) opening files. The Explorer interface has come a long way since its inception as File Manager in Windows 3.0, but you may not be aware of the many new interface options in more recent versions of Windows. Here's a rundown on how to give Explorer the look you want.

Standard Buttons These are used to navigate between folders, to map and delete network drives, and to perform such standard operations as undo, cut, copy, and paste. Windows 98 only lets you add text labels to the icons, and Windows 95 doesn't let you do that, but in Me and 2000 you can add and delete buttons by right-clicking the toolbar and selecting Customize. The resulting dialog box lists the available toolbar buttons and your current button set. Drop-down menus let you choose from three text options (shown below) and two icon options. You can change the order of your buttons by selecting one and clicking the up or down arrow (or the Move Up or Move Down button in Windows 2000).

Show text labels.

Selective text on right.

No text labels.

View To the four standard folder views in Windows 98 (Large Icons, Small Icons, List, and Details), Windows Me and 2000 add the useful Thumbnails view, which shows a miniature version of graphics files (see below). For nongraphics files it displays the file type's large icon (like the W for Word) but enclosed in a box.

The Go To Command This option appears on the menu bar in Windows 98's Windows Explorer, but in Internet Explorer, Windows 2000, and Win Me folders and in Windows Explorer windows, it becomes Go To, an option on the View menu. The Go To command displays the nine folders or Web sites you opened most recently, together with options that let you move backward, forward, up one level, or to the home page.

The Go button located just to the right of the Address bar in Internet Explorer differs from the Go menu that appears when you open a folder or Windows Explorer. (If the Go button isn't there, you can obtain it by right-clicking a blank area of the bar and selecting Go Button.) The View, Go To options in Windows 9x, 2000, and Me are entirely different.

Details For any folder in Details view (choose View, Details if necessary), you can add and remove the categories of information displayed. Right-click a column heading (such as Name or Size), and check or uncheck the items you want to add or remove. Alternatively, you can select View, Choose Columns and make your selections there. Back in the folder, you can drag column headings to change their right-to-left order, and drag or double-click a column heading's right border to resize that column.

Essential Additions

Tweak UI

No self-respecting Windows user should work without Microsoft's Tweak UI. This collection of diagnostic and interface tools ought to be part of Windows, but it's not. Microsoft includes it with the Windows 98 CD, but Win 95 users must download it from PCWorld.com's Downloads. The most recent Tweak UI release works with all versions of Windows. Among the utility's most-appreciated features: It gives you the ability to turn off the annoying "Shortcut to..." preface to shortcut names.

Sync-It

If you have to reset your PC's clock at least once a week because of a mysterious slowdown in your system's time, download Sync-It. This program features Atom, a utility that synchronizes your system's timepiece with the most accurate clocks in the world. Add it to your StartUp folder so it launches whenever you boot up.

X-Setup

If Tweak UI has whetted your appetite for powerful Windows-enhancing utilities, download X-Setup, a Windows add-on that's popular among techno-geeks and intermediate users. This Tweak UI on steroids permits you to specify such preferences as what text IE's title bar should include (see screens below), and whether to send your global unique identifier (GUID) to Microsoft (which some people claim compromises the user's privacy).

AkFontViewer

See if this describes you: You have hundreds of fonts, but you can't recall what any of them look like. Instead of double-clicking each TrueType font in the Windows\Fonts folder to look at each font, download the free AkFontViewer utility and view them all in one scrollable window (see below).

TurboBrowser

Users have lodged innumerable grievances against Windows Explorer, but TurboBrowser 2000 goes a long way toward remedying most--if not all--of those complaints. This Explorer replacement goes the extra mile, offering such features as backup, compression, folder comparison, folder renaming, and many other welcome goodies.

Yael Li-Ron is a former executive editor for PC World. Scott Dunn is a contributing editor for PC World. Matt Lake is a freelance writer based in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania.