MDGx
WinDOwS Tricks - Part 13

Go to ALL WinDOwS ©Tricks + Secrets Contents
• 7-15-99 Win9x Original ©Trick in MYTIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


REGISTER ACTIVEX CONTROLS


Occasionally you may get an error message while trying to run an application that uses ActiveX or OLE2 controls or libraries in Windows 9x.
Don't dispair, you don't have to reinstall your program or the entire operating system. Everything is cool. :)
It's all in the Registry... If a .DLL, .EXE, .OCX, .TLB or .VXD file is only copied to the C:\Windows\System folder, but NOT properly registered, it canNOT be used. In this case you need to make the Registry "aware" of its presence manually.
All you have to do is type a command like this in the Start → Run box, and press Enter or click OK (example assuming Win9x is installed in C:\Windows):

%windir%\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE /I %windir%\SYSTEM\SHDOCVW.DLL

Then [MS IE 5 users ONLY!]:

%windir%\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE /I %windir%\SYSTEM\SHDOC401.DLL

And then:

%windir%\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE /I %windir%\SYSTEM\MSHTML.DLL

This will register the Microsoft Internet Explorer 4/5 "Shell Doc Object and Control Library" with Windows 9x, and will reenable the thumbnail preview of graphic files (.BMP, .GIF, .JPG) and the right-click context menu when using the Active Desktop feature.
Note that you HAVE to type the full path, file name and file extension to the file you want registered. File names and parameters are case insensitive.
If the operation was succesful, you'll get a confirmation message like:

"DllRegisterServer in C:\Windows\System\shdocvw succeeded."

Other examples:

If Regsvr32.exe is not present in your C:\Windows\System folder, you need to extract it from your Win9x Setup CD or MS IE 4/5 Setup .CAB files.
Pop in your Win9x Setup CD and run (assuming your CD/DVD drive letter is D):

This will copy Regsvr32.exe to C:\Windows\System (assuming your Win9x folder name is C:\Windows).

REGSVR32.EXE info @ MSKB.

Another way of registering a control is to right-click on a .DLL (.OCX or .TLB for this matter) file in Explorer → select "Open with..." → browse to Regsvr32.exe and highlight it → check the "Always use this program to open this type of file" box → click OK (or hit Enter). This will create a permanent association of ALL your DLLs (Dynamic Link Libraries) with Regsvr32.exe.
From now on you can register ANY unregistered DLL just by double-clicking on it in Explorer or File Manager.

A third method is to create a DOS batch file using Notepad, containing these lines:

@ECHO OFF
%windir%\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE /S %windir%\SYSTEM\%1
CLS
EXIT

Save it as REGISTER.BAT (or whatever name you want, but keep the .BAT extension) in a folder on your path, and then just run something like:

REGISTER SHDOCVW.DLL

This applies ONLY to files located in C:\Windows\System, but most controls are (and should be) located in the System subfolder.
To "undo" this action (unregister a control or library), run (example):

%windir%\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE /U %windir%\SYSTEM\SHDOCVW.DLL

Similarly, to unregister a file by using a batch file, copy these lines into a new file in Notepad:

@ECHO OFF
%windir%\SYSTEM\REGSVR32.EXE /U %windir%\SYSTEM\%1
CLS
EXIT

and save it as UNREG.BAT in a folder on your path.
Then run (example):

UNREG SHDOCVW.DLL

Note that you can run these batch files ONLY from a Windows 9x DOS session/box, NOT from the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode.
To learn how to use all Regsvr32 command line parameters, run it by itself:

REGSVR32

UPDATE: "There is a much simpler way to register controls via the GUI, by using Xteq Systems' (makers of X-Setup) freeware utility named Xteq COM Reg Extension, which allows running REGSVR32 without a command line:
Complete info and screen shots page.
Direct download [8 KB]."
This update courtesy of The Captain.

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• 7-7-99 Win9x/ME Original ©Trick in MYTIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


NAMELESS ICON


In Windows 9x/ME all icons need to have a name assigned, and it must not contain only spaces, otherwise (as you may have noticed) when creating a new shortcut or renaming an icon, it will automatically prompt you to give it a name, and won't let you save it without one.
But you can go around this limitation by using non-printing (ASCII) characters, which are not displayed by either Windows or DOS.
To change a Desktop icon's name to "nameless", hit F2 to rename it. Now turn on the Num Lock key. Next hold down Alt and type 0160 or 0255 (depending on the "blank" character supported by the icon title font) on the Numeric pad. Finally press Enter to save the change.
On some systems though, such a combination of ASCII characters can be entered ONLY in DOS mode. :( ... But read on, because there IS a way of doing this in Windows.
The only thing you will see from now on in the icon's name area (and ONLY IF it is highlighted/selected) will be an empty space.
And it gets better: if you change the color of the highlighted item/icon to MATCH the Desktop background (in case you don't use a Desktop wallpaper) you won't see the icon title box, even when selected/highlighted.
To do this: right-click on the Desktop background (empty spot) → select Properties → click the Appearance tab → choose Selected Items in the Item: box → change BOTH colors here to match the Desktop color → click OK/Apply to save your changes.
Disadvantage: you won't see any highlighted/selected items anymore, if your Window background color is the same. Therefore you need to change it to a different color in the Appearance tab (see above).
You also need to change the color of the ToolTip item under the Appearance tab (see above) to match the Desktop background color.
For those who like to see a pretty picture on the Desktop [like I do :)], there is a solution for making "nameless" icon titles invisible: download and install the small TransText tool for Windows 9x/NT/2000/ME [freeware].
TransText changes or removes and monitors the Desktop icons background and foreground colors.
To display the ASCII character set for a particular font, open the Character Map tool (Charmap.exe), located in your Windows folder.
Charmap may not be installed on your Win9x/ME system. To get it: pop in your Win9x/ME Setup cd-rom → open Control Panel → select Add/Remove Programs → click the Windows Setup tab → double-click on System Tools → check the Character Map box → click OK/Apply twice.
To determine which font is used on your machine for icon titles: right-click on the Desktop background (empty spot) → select Properties → click the Appearance tab → select Icon from the Item: scroll box → look at the font displayed in the Font: box → choose another if you wish → click OK/Apply to save it if changed.
Now start Charmap and select the same font shown above in the Font: box. Look for the last character on the map (lower right corner), which is usually blank (empty box). It will probably display Alt0160 or Alt0255 in the Keystroke: box.
Most fonts list only two non-displaying character codes: one is the first character in the set which represents the Space key, and the other is the last character described above.
Now double-click in the last blank box of your selected icon title font to copy it to the Clipboard. Exit Charmap.
Finally highlight the Desktop icon you want to change to "nameless". Hold down Ctrl and press V to paste the ASCII character into the title box, or right-click on it and select Paste. Hit Enter to save the new name. Voila.

UPDATES:

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• 6-17-99 Win9x/ME/IE Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


START MENU COLUMNS


Courtesy of Elli.
This tip applies to ALL Windows 98/ME machines, and also to Windows 95/OSR1/OSR2, but ONLY with MS Internet Explorer 4/5/6 or newer installed.

"To switch back to multiple column lists in the Start button Menus:

  1. Click Start → Run → type Regedit → click OK.
  2. In the Registry Editor, click the plus signs to expand the following key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Advanced
    and also to:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
    or to:
    HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
    if you are the only (default) user on your computer.
  3. Right-click an unoccupied area in the right hand pane → click New → DWORD Value.
  4. In the name box that appears type StartMenuScrollPrograms (all one word) → press Enter.
  5. Right-click the name you just created → click Modify → in the Decimal Value Data box type 0 (zero) → click OK.
  6. Click Registry → Exit to close the Registry Editor.

NOTE: If this doesn't work, create StartMenuScrollPrograms as String Value → hit Enter → right-click on it → click Modify → in the Value Data box type false (case insensitive) → click OK.

It should not be necessary to restart Windows. When you click the Start button and then Programs, your menu should now show multiple columns side by side, instead of a single column with top and bottom scrolling arrows, assuming you have a Programs list longer than your Desktop screen height, otherwise your menus won't look any different. :)
To revert back to Windows default (scrolling Start Menu list), just delete the StartMenuScrollPrograms Value."

FYI: See also "TOGGLE MENUS", also in REGISTRY.TXT [part of W95-11D.EXE].

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• 6-17-99 Win9x/NT4/2000/ME ©Trick in TIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


MULTIPLE FILE SEARCH


Sent courtesy of D.J..

"Multiple file extension search in Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME:

  1. Open the Find Files dialog box.
  2. Select any drive.
  3. Select any file extensions (I used .EXE and .COM here) by typing:

    *.exe;*.com

  4. Click Find and hit Enter."

FYI: To select multiple drives to search on, type in something like:

C:\;D:\;E:\

in the "Look in" command box, and make sure the "Include subfolders" box is checked.
Note that consecutive file names/drive letters MUST be each separated by a semicolon (;).

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• 6-1-99 Win9x/ME/IE Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


CUSTOM IE TOOLBAR


The "stock" Microsoft Internet Explorer 4/5/6 releases (obtained from Microsoft) do not display a Toolbar background bitmap (default). But if you installed a "branded" IE version, usually distributed by 3rd party search engines, news sites, ISPs etc, you may see a company logo instead of the plain gray Toolbar background. You can have MS IE display your favorite picture as Toolbar background, replace the one already installed, or revert to default. [read "boring"... :)]
First close ALL IE instances. Then open Regedit and go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar

Look in the right hand pane for the "BackBitmap" String (IE4).
  1. If it is blank (default), IE4's Toolbar is bright gray, or whatever color you have changed it to in Display Properties → Appearance tab → Menu Color (no picture).
  2. If this value shows something like:

    "BackBitmap"="C:\PICS\MYPIC.BMP"

    then IE4's Toolbar is "branded" ("customized").
    To replace IE4's bitmap: double-click on "BackBitmap" → type in the graphic path and name of your choice → click OK.
    MS IE 5/6 users need to modify the "BackBitmapIE5" String instead.
    The ONLY supported graphic file format is .BMP (Windows Bitmap).
  3. To revert back to the default background (no bitmap), just double-click on "BackBitmap" (IE4) or "BackBitmapIE5" (IE 5/6) and delete the entire string.

MS IE 5/6 USERS ONLY: Download and install the Toolbar Wallpaper web accessory [170 KB, free, unsupported], one of the IE 5/6 Power Toys.
From now on you can change your IE 5/6 background bitmap by clicking on its Tools menu → select Toolbar Wallpaper → Browse to your favorite .BMP file → click OK → restart IE.

NOTE: The background bitmap is NOT displayed when IE runs in full screen (kiosk) mode. Press F11 to toggle between window and full screen.

To further customize your MS IE interface, see "BRANDED MS IE", also in REGISTRY.TXT [part of W95-11D.EXE].

FYI:

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• 6-1-99 Win98/ME/IE Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


STARTUP ORDER


By default Microsoft Internet Explorer 4/5/6 and Windows 98/ME GUI list all Start Menu icons/folders in alphabetical order. That is until you or a newly installed app creates new shortcuts. You can manually drag any shortcut/folder from a drive, folder, Desktop etc, and drop it onto the Start Menu, into the folder of your choice. These shortcuts are not listed in alphabetical order anymore after such manual "rearrangements", but in the order in which you have dropped them. Further more, new shortcuts added after this are now listed at the bottom of the menu.

NOTE: This feature works ONLY IF Active Desktop (Web View) is installed.

Now let's presume some day you get bored with this new arrangement, and would like to restore the entire Startup menu back the old fashion way: listed alphabetically. You can do this [again :(] manually, dragging them one at a time, or much easier, by editing the Registry. Run Regedit and go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MenuOrder\Start Menu\Menu

to restore the Start Menu folder listing, then to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MenuOrder\Start Menu\&Programs\Menu

to restore the Programs folder listing, then to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MenuOrder\Favorites\Menu

to restore the Favorites folder listing etc... You get the idea. :)
Look in the right hand pane for a Binary value called "Order". Right-click on it and select Delete, or highlight it and press Del. Then click OK or press Enter to confirm.
Exit the Registry Editor and restart Windows when done. It will scan the Registry and recreate the default "Order" values (alphabetical listing) next time it starts. To rearrange any icon/folder again, just drag & drop the desired item into a new position. This way you can even move them among folders.
That's it.

CAUTION: BACKUP YOUR REGISTRY FILES BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES!

See these MSKB articles for more details:

UPDATE: "SortMenu (freeware program) forces Windows 98/ME to sort the Start Menu whenever you want or every time Windows starts."
This update courtesy of Diego.

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• 6-1-99 Win9x ©Trick in TIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


REINSTALL WIN9X


If some day your Windows 9x system goes "bonkers", stops working, or you start getting frequent system errors, you might want to consider reinstalling the OS. There are several ways you can reinstall Windows 9x:

The first two options above require the user to reinstall ALL apps/programs from scratch (after installing the OS), because that information is NOT retained in the newly created Registry.
If you opt for just a "refresh" reinstall (method 3 above), to eventually solve driver/hardware conflicts, replace corrupted system files, or/and system configuration errors, then ALL custom settings and app info/entries will be preserved into the Registry.
This also redetects all hardware devices, and installs the appropriate (i.e. your vendor provided) drivers, but it will NOT dispose of orphaned/corrupted files in your C:\Windows and C:\Windows\System folders (presuming you have used the default directory name for your previous Win9x installation). To replace older/corrupted files, you need to apply the workarounds detailed below.
Also, this restore procedure may or MAY NOT succeed, depending on too many factors, mainly hardware settings changes. Therefore if this "refresh" install fails, you should be prepared to either do a "clean" install (including reformatting your drive/partition), or make a FULL SYSTEM BACKUP beforehand, to be able to restore the OS to its previous working state.
The "full system backup" procedure requires that you have enough room on your drive/partition for another ENTIRE Win9x copy. If you do, open Explorer, and copy your Windows folder to another destination (preferably another hard disk/partition, for a quick restore). If you don't:

  1. Pop in a new formatted floppy disk (1.4 MB). Create an Emergency Recovery Diskette (ERD): Control Panel → Add/Remove Programs → Startup Disk tab → "Create disk..." button, but make sure the DOS mode CD/DVD drivers are included on this floppy, and that the proper entries are present in your startup files: CONFIG.SYS + AUTOEXEC.BAT, to enable your CD/DVD drive in native DOS. Example:

    • CONFIG.SYS line:

      DEVICE=A:\CDROM.SYS /D:MYCDROM

    • AUTOEXEC.BAT line:

      A:\MSCDEX /D:MYCDROM

  2. Backup your VITAL System and Registry files: SYSTEM.DAT, USER.DAT, SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI, CONTROL.INI to a safe location.

  3. Delete the following Registry keys (in this EXACT ORDER):

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum

  4. Now exit Windows to the native MS-DOS mode (described in "MS-DOS PROMPT", also in MYTIPS95.TXT [part of W95-11D.EXE]. Once at the plain DOS prompt, rename these Win9x System directories, by running:

    MOVE/Y %winbootdir%\INF %winbootdir%\INFOLD
    MOVE/Y %winbootdir%\SYSTEM\IOSUBSYS %winbootdir%\SYSTEM\IOSUBOLD
    MOVE/Y %winbootdir%\SYSTEM\VMM32 %winbootdir%\SYSTEM\VMM32OLD

  5. Reboot using the new bootup floppy, and reinstall Windows 9x into the SAME folder, answering "No" when prompted to overwrite newer files, or "Yes" for older files.

  6. After the OS install is successfully completed, reinstall ALL available Upgrades, Patches, Fixes etc for your particular Win9x release (ALL of which can be downloaded from the Microsoft web site).

  7. Restart Windows and check if everything works properly.

  8. In case of a buggy installation/system lockup, boot again to the native MS-DOS prompt, and restore your old system (using same folder names as in the example above):

    DELTREE/Y %winbootdir%\INF
    DELTREE/Y %winbootdir%\SYSTEM\IOSUBSYS
    DELTREE/Y %winbootdir%\SYSTEM\VMM32
    MOVE/Y %winbootdir%\INFOLD %winbootdir%\INF
    MOVE/Y %winbootdir%\SYSTEM\IOSUBOLD %winbootdir%\SYSTEM\IOSUBSYS
    MOVE/Y %winbootdir%\SYSTEM\VMM32OLD %winbootdir%\SYSTEM\VMM32
    ATTRIB -H -R -S %winbootdir%\SYSTEM.DA*
    ATTRIB -H -R -S %winbootdir%\USER.DA*
    DEL %winbootdir%\SYSTEM.DA*
    DEL %winbootdir%\USER.DA*
    COPY/Y E:\BACKUPS\SYSTEM.DA* %winbootdir%
    COPY/Y E:\BACKUPS\USER.DA* %winbootdir%
    COPY/Y E:\BACKUPS\*.INI %winbootdir%

  9. Type WIN and press Enter to start your old copy of Windows.

NOTE: To decrease OS installation time, you can (if your disk space allows) copy ALL contents of the \WIN95 (if installing Win95/OSR2) or \WIN98 (if installing Win98/98 SE) folder on your Setup CD to a new directory on your hard disk, you can (re)install, and even recover files later from.

UPDATE: "For many old "ini" type apps, reinstall can often be avoided in case #1 + #2, if the app is run from a portable drive [or its own folder on C:\ in case #2] -- just save the "ini" file [and any other miscellaneous files belonging to that app] in the Windows folder before the reinstall, then replace the "ini" after reinstall. Sometimes there may be an old dll that gets lost.
Also make sure you have a copy of any older "proprietary" driver that doesn't have a recent substitute."
[Thank you Ojatex!]

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• 5-26-99 Win9x ©Trick in TIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


REMOVE "SHORTCUT TO" REVISITED


This cool trick was sent by Michael.

"This is yet another way to get rid of the "Shortcut to" text when you create a new shortcut:
Create 1 shortcut and then remove the "Shortcut to" text (rename it), then delete that shortcut. Do this 8 times in a row, and Windows will learn that you don't like it, and will no longer add the "Shortcut to" string to your shortcuts.
This works with ALL Windows 9x releases."

UPDATE: "This technique works fine, until you reboot."
[Thank you Martin!]

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• 5-26-99 Win9x ©Trick in TIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


DOSWINKEY BUG


... Appears courtesy of Robert.

"If you have the DOSWINKEY MS Kernel Toy add-on for Windows 95 installed, it will prevent the Windows key on Win9x keyboards from functioning while the Desktop (not the Taskbar or any other app) is the active box or part of the screen."

DOSWINKY can be downloaded as part of Microsoft Kernel Toys for Windows 95/OSR1/OSR2 [57 KB, free, unsupported].
Read the DOSWINKY guidelines: right-click on DOSWINKY.INF → click "Open with..." → select Notepad.
To setup DOSWINKY: right-click on DOSWINKY.INF → select Install.

CAUTION: DO NOT install MS Kernel Toys IF using Windows 98/ME!

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• 5-26-99 Win3.1x/9x/ME/DOS ©Trick in TIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE, and in MYTIPS31.TXT, part of W31-11D.ZIP:


HIDDEN FOLDER


... Thanks to Anthony.

"My tip is how to make a folder that most versions of Windows 9x/ME have trouble opening (useful for security purposes though).
When creating a folder, give it a name, and add 0255 to the name (these are ASCII characters), by holding down the Alt key and punching those numbers on the keypad. When you hit Enter, the name will look something like "Folder_" (without quotes). If you (double)-click that new folder, you'll get an error message.
An added feature is that DOS is able to access this folder with no trouble.
I've found no version of Windows 95 that can address this type of folder, but there are versions of Windows 98 that can. I have not tried this with WinNT."

UPDATES:
  1. "You can hide a folder or file in Windows ONLY IF you rename the folder/file at the DOS prompt (not neccessarily in native MS-DOS mode). To hide a file, modify its extension by pressing Alt and typing 0255."
    This update courtesy of Ali.

  2. To create a hidden directory (folder) in DOS: type MD (short for MKDIR, which stands for MaKeDIRectory), type a space, then type the desired name (a maximum of 7 characters if doing this from the native MS-DOS), and then hold down Alt, type 0255 (on the keypad), then release the Alt key. Finally press Enter.
    The only way to access/remove such a hidden directory is from DOS!
    To remove a hidden directory: type RD (short for REMDIR, which stands for REMoveDIRectory), type a space, then type your directory name, and then hold down Alt, type 0255 (on the keypad), then release the Alt key. Finally press Enter.
    To change to a hidden directory: type CD (short for CHDIR, stands for CHangeDIRectory), type a space, then type your directory name, and then hold down Alt, type 0255 (on the keypad), then release the Alt key. Finally press Enter.

  3. "This trick doesn't work from within the GUI in Windows 95B OSR 2.1. You need to do it from DOS (DOS box OK). Works anywhere in a filename/foldername.
    Typing Alt+0255 will display as an underscore () in Windows or a space ( ) in DOS."
    This update courtesy of Robert.

  4. "You CAN enable Windows to "see" hidden folders from: Control Panel → (double)-click Accessibility Options → select Mouse tab → check the "Mouse keys" box → click OK/Apply."
    This update courtesy of Shivnarayan.

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• 12-20-97 Win9x/ME ©Trick in TIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


SEND TO


You can play with the "Send To" feature in Windows Explorer, which is actually a hidden subfolder found under your main Windows folder.
You can add folders and/or files to it, moving things around faster: right-click on a file/folder → select the "Send To" item from the drop-down menu.
Example: place your favorite ZIPping/unZIPping tool there to create ZIP archives fast, and/or any other frequently used tools/documents for that matter.
Alternatively you can download the Microsoft Power Toys 95 package [204 KB, free, unsupported], which includes the "Send To X 1.2" toy, that adds extra features to your SendTo folder.
"Send To X" is one of the few Windows 95/OSR1 Power Toys known to work also with Windows 95 B/C OSR2, 98, ME and MS IE 4/5/6.

KNOWN BUG:

Microsoft acknowledged that you canNOT select multiple files/folders to drag and drop into the SendTo folder, and that whenever you select more than one file/folder, the Send To option is absent from the right-click drop down menu.

WORKAROUND:

Select only one file/folder at a time and drop it into the SendTo folder.

FIXES:

  1. See "FIX COPY TO/MOVE TO/SEND TO", also in REGISTRY.TXT [part of W95-11D.EXE].

  2. Download this small ZIP file (OLD fix), unzip it, then right-click on Sendtox.inf (in Windows Explorer) and select Install to make SendToX compatible with ALL Windows 9x/ME AND MS IE releases.

  3. Thank you Kurt:
    Copy & paste lines below in Notepad and save the file as SENDTO.REG (example):

    -----Begin cut & paste here-----
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Send To]
@="{7BA4C740-9E81-11CF-99D3-00AA004AE837}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Send To]
@="{7BA4C740-9E81-11CF-99D3-00AA004AE837}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Send To]
@="{7BA4C740-9E81-11CF-99D3-00AA004AE837}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Send To]
@="{7BA4C740-9E81-11CF-99D3-00AA004AE837}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Send To]
@="{7BA4C740-9E81-11CF-99D3-00AA004AE837}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemEditObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Send To]
@="{7BA4C740-9E81-11CF-99D3-00AA004AE837}"

------End cut & paste here------

    This way the right-click SendTo menu can be used for multiple files, folders, and even drives/partitions.

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• 12-20-97 Win9x ©Trick in TIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


SEND TO FOLDER


Win95's "Send To" righ-click menu shows by default only the floppy drives as destination. Win98 fixed this, adding some frequently used items, like: "Desktop (create shortcut)", "Mail Recipient" etc.
But this is still not enough if you're a "Send To freak", like I am. :)
You can add any other disk or folder as "Send To" target by creating appropriate shortcuts in the SendTo folder: i.e. a shortcut to "Recycle Bin" bypasses this confirmation prompt dialog box:

"Do you want to send FileName.ext/FolderName to Recycle Bin?"

But you can choose any other directory as your "Send To" target, such as a temp(orary) directory.
Also, if you have different places to send a file to but they are related, such as:

MyDocs
  |- Document1
  |- Document2
  |- etc...

you can create an additional subfolder under the SendTo folder (NOT a shortcut!) called "MyDocs" (no quotes). Then open this new folder and place there the shortcuts to all your documents' individual folders and make sure to name them appropriately. From now on, when you right-click a file icon, your "Send To" right-click menu will show the new "MyDocs" submenu (which allows you to move files to it) and you will see there another submenu containing all your documents' shortcuts.
Also, you can remove the annoying "Shortcut to" text from your icons in the SendTo folder by renaming them.

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• 10-17-97 Win9x Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


RUN COMMAND HISTORY


To edit the Most Recent Used (MRU) list of your Run commands (available under: Start button → "Run..." menu), open Regedit and go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU

Here you can add/remove the commands you want.
To create a new command: right-click on an empty spot, select String, name it using a letter between a and u (Win9x allows a maximum of 20 RunMRU entries), double-click on it, type in the command line you want (including the full path to your program), and finally click OK or press Enter. Make sure not to name your new entry using an existing name (but Win9x won't allow it anyway). :)
To delete an existing command: highlight the String you want (from a to u), right-click on it and select Delete (or press Del), and finally click OK or press Enter.

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• 11-3-96 Win9x ©Trick in TIPS95.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


BOOT 2 DOS


This is yet another trick for DOS afficionados who would like to boot to MS-DOS mode instead of going straight to Win95/98's GUI (without modifying ANY Windows 9x startup/system files). Here it goes:

Open Notepad.
Type a space (blank), don't enter any other characters, and save this file as WIN.BAT in the root directory of your boot drive (default is C:\).
When you reboot into Windows 9x, the OS will "see" the empty WIN.BAT file and will automatically boot to the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode prompt.
When you're done "playing" in DOS, just type WIN.COM and press Enter to start the Win9x GUI. It is IMPORTANT to type the WIN.COM file extension for this to work! Typing only WIN not followed by the .COM extension will automatically default to WIN.BAT.

UPDATE: "It just starts WIN.BAT if you are in that folder. Yes, I know that .COM files are processed first, but the current directory is processed before the %PATH% by default. To make the %PATH% variable process earlier, one has to add a semicolon (;) to the end of the PATH line in AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS."
This update courtesy of Yuri.

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• 10-5-96 Win9x Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


NEW MENU


To add your desired file types to the New menu available when you right-click an object (file, folder, shortcut etc), you need to edit the Registry.
Find the extension of the data file for the program you want (i.e. MS Word files have the .DOC extension) under this Registry key, using Regedit:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

Below the file extension key of your choice you need to add a new key called "ShellNew" (no quotes).
Now you have two options: to start with either a null file (0 Bytes, default template with no preset styles), or with a template file.
To start with a null file, insert a new String called "NullFile" (no quotes, no extension) under the ShellNew key, and leave its value blank.
To use a template file, insert a new String named "FileName" (no quotes, no extension) and set its value to match the path of your "incriminated" data file or document.
The template files reside by default in the hidden ShellNew subfolder beneath your Windows 9x directory. To "see" it, you need to enable the view of Hidden and System files in Explorer. You can also place there the templates of your choice. Some Win9x apps give you the option (when you first install them) to add their own template(s) to the ShellNew subdirectory.
From now on when you select the New right-click menu, Win9x will copy the template file to the ShellNew subfolder, or create a null file.

TIP: You can disable or completely remove the templates you want (and much more) by using Microsoft TweakUI Power Toy [110 KB, free, unsupported].
Right-click on TweakUI.inf → select Install → then (double)-click the new TweakUI icon in the Taskbar tray → click the New tab → check/uncheck the desired template(s) to prevent them from being listed on the New menu, or/and highlight the one(s) you want and click the Remove button.

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