WinDOwS Tricks - Part 18

Go to ALL WinDOwS ©Tricks + Secrets Contents

NOTES:

• See "CD-ROM/DVD MAX SPEED" and "MAX CACHE SPEED", also in REGISTRY.TXT [part of W95-11D.EXE], for more details, and to learn how to MAXimize your CD/DVD and hard disk(s) access performance!
• BACKUP YOUR REGISTRY FILES FIRST!

1. "BOOST CD/DVD READ AHEAD CACHE:

   I found out that a Windows 9x/ME cd-rom cache of 8 MB (8192 KB) is a little over the top. :) I even had it at 64 MB and my machine locked up, so I "downsized" it to 4 MB (4096 KB) and guess what, it rocks! Caching every CD folder is like killer open speed!
   This is the REG file to create a 4 MB CD/DVD cache (copy & paste it in Notepad) by modifying/creating the "Required Pause Tolerance" Binary [hex] Value:

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

   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CD-ROM]
   "Required Pause Tolerance"=hex:e7,13,00,00

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

   NOTE: The "CD-ROM" Registry key above may NOT exist on "clean install" Windows 98/ME systems, in which case you need to create it by running this REG file.
   [Thank you Gavin!]

   If you want to use a larger cache, this is how to figure it out:
   Create a new "dummy" DWORD Value which you can delete later (the name is of no importance), and start up with a Decimal Value of 5000. You will see a new setting: 5 MB (5120 KB) = 5083 in Decimal to be exact. Now use the 4 Hexadecimal double digit groups in reversed order in your "Required Pause Tolerance" Binary [hex] Value box. Example:

   • DWORD [Decimal] = 5083
   • DWORD [Hexadecimal] = 000013db
   • Binary [hex] = db,13,00,00

   Just don't type the commas. :)
   You can go on up from there, but BEWARE of using larger values that might slow down the access, or even generate lockups if your computer has less than 64 MB RAM!
   After applying the desired values by running (merging) your saved REG file into the Registry (using Explorer or File Manager), a reboot is necessary for the new settings to take effect.
   Now you can even see the change in Control Panel -> System -> Performance tab -> File System button -> CD-ROM tab -> Settings:

   "Windows will use 4096 kilobytes of physical memory to optimize CD-ROM performance during data access."

   This seems to help greatly with CD-R/CD-RW burning, eliminating potential buffer underruns.

2. BOOST HARD DISK READ AHEAD CACHE:

   The best part is that you can also increase the "ReadAheadThreshold" Binary [hex] Value (which applies to ALL drives installed in your Windows 98/ME system, NOT available on Windows 95/OSR1/OSR2!) under this Registry key (as displayed in a REG file):

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

   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\control\FileSystem]
   "ReadAheadThreshold"=hex:00,00,00,0f

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

   In this case the read ahead threshold is set to 1.87 MB (1920 KB).
   The beauty is that Windows uses this memory dynamically to read ahead, only when opening files/folders, returning it back to the system afterwards.

   As far as I'm aware these are the maximum values allowed by Windows 9x/ME for "ReadAheadThreshold", "NameCache" and "PathCache" (save this as a REG file):

   -----Begin cut & paste here-----
   REGEDIT4
   
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem]
   "ReadAheadThreshold"=hex:00,00,00,ff
   "NameCache"=hex:00,ff,00,00
   "PathCache"=hex:ff,00,00,00
   
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\FS Templates\Maximum Performance]
   @="Maximum Performance"
   "NameCache"=hex:00,ff,00,00
   "PathCache"=hex:ff,00,00,00
   
   ------End cut & paste here------

   In this case Windows will cache up to 65280 files (the "NameCache" Value) and up to 255 folders (the "PathCache" Value).

   WARNINGS:

   • Together the settings above will "eat up" up to 64 MB of your system memory! Use them ONLY IF your computer has at least 128 - 256 MB RAM!
   • If using an AGP video controller you may also need to decrease the "AGP Aperture/Memory Size/Range" setting in the BIOS (the name depends on motherboard/BIOS manufacturer) to 32 MB, or 16 MB (which actually disables the use of system memory for video tasks through the AGP bus), or even lower (minimum allowed is 4 MB). Otherwise you may experience machine lockups!

   If you decide to use them [with CAUTION!]: after merging this REG file into your Registry, start using the "Maximum Performance" setting from: Control Panel -> System -> Performance tab -> File System button -> Hard Disk tab -> Select "Maximum Performance" in the "Typical role of this computer" box -> click OK/Apply twice -> reboot when prompted."

UPDATE: "SmartBuffer [shareware, $10 :(] can also set the HD cache buffer in the Registry, which maxes out at 2 MB:

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

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem]
"DriveWriteBehind"=hex:ff,ff,ff,ff
"NameCache"=hex:ff,ff,00,00
"PathCache"=hex:ff,00,00,00
"ReadAheadThreshold"=hex:ff,ff,ff,ff
"ContigFileAllocSize"=dword:00000200

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

[Thank you sToRmMoNkEy!]

"There are still a lot of people who use Windows Telnet to access remote computers. It seems slow, ugly, and a general pain in the neck.
Luckily, while I was tweaking my *very* old x486 laptop, I discovered some interesting Registry keys. Open Regedit and go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Telnet

There you will see several DWORD and String Values which should be fairly self-explanatory. Here are a few helpful settings:

• "CursorEditFlags"="3" -> This defines how many flags are used when editing a Telnet session. Try different values until you find one you like.
• "Machine1"="xx.x.xxx.xxx" -> Defines the default IP address of the computer you are contacting (changes after successful logon).
• "WinPosLeft"="16" -> Defines how far to the left the session box is placed.
• "WinPosTop"="16" -> Defines how far from the top the session box is placed.
• "SmoothScroll"="1" -> Win98 Smooth Scrolling does not work for Telnet, but setting this key to 1 (default is 0) will enable Telnet smooth scrolling."

"It seems that in addition to the new entry for the Win98 Global TCP/IP bug fix (also in TIPS98.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE) in the MSTCP parameters, as well as all the described Registry fixes in your other articles, not only improved the speed of my Internet connection, but also dramatically improves my browsing speed if you add these three new entries under the "MSTCP" Registry key, as shown in this REG file:

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

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\MSTCP]
"Tcp1323Opts"="1"
"SackOpts"="1"
"BSDUrgent"="1"

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

Copy this text in Notepad, save it with the .REG extension, then right-click on it in Explorer and select Merge.
These are ALL String [REG_SZ] Values, and the recommended numeric value is 1 for ALL three.

All above settings (and more) are described in this MSKB article."

NOTE:
MSKB incorrectly lists "Tcp1323Opts" as DWORD Value for Windows 9x/ME.
Correct Value Type for "Tcp1323Opts" is String [REG_SZ].
[Thank you Ashley!]

MEANING:

• Tcp1323Opts:
  Defines TCP window scaling and time stamping options.
  Valid Tcp1323Opts String [REG_SZ] values are 1, 2 or 3:
  • 1 = allows only window scaling (recommended for fastest performance).
  • 2 = allows only time stamps (not recommended: rarely used).
  • 3 = allows both (not recommended: slower performance).
  Window scaling should be always enabled because it is required for large TCP receive window [DefaultRcvWindow (RWIN)] values > 65535.
  Time stamping slows down the connection a bit and is very rarely required.
  REQUIRED:
  • Windows 98/98 SP1/98 SE users: must install VTCP.386 4.10.2223 Fix [169 KB, English].
    More info.
  • Windows 95/OSR1/OSR2 users: must install Dial-Up Networking (DUN) Upgrade 1.4 [1.8 MB, English].
    More info.

"This is a list of "EditFlags" functions to control how items appear in the Windows Explorer Folder Options dialog:

• "01 00 00 00" = Allows all commands to be altered (like most other file types).
• "d8 07 00 00" = Doesn't allow user to change the default action, or delete existing actions (like MS-DOS Batch Files).
• "d2 01 00 00" = Only allows a few options to be changed (like Drive).
• "d0 04 00 00" = Item appears in list, but can't be edited or deleted at all (like Applications).
• "02 00 00 00" = Disables changing of MIME types (like AudioCD and URL Protocols).
• "00 00 00 00" = Item doesn't appear on list (like .DLL files, or "Application Extensions" as Microsoft likes to called them).

Here is a list of File Types which Windows 9x/ME "hides" by default:

• .386 = Virtual Device Drivers.
• .DLL = Application Extensions.
• .DRV = Virtual Device Drivers.
• .LNK = Shortcuts. The "EditFlags" here is a DWORD Value.
• .PIF = Shortcut to MS-DOS Programs.
• .SYS = System Files.
• .VXD = Virtual Device Drivers.

Example of Registry key containing the "EditFlags" Binary [hex] Value, as it appears in a .REG (registration, plain text) file:

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

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.exe]
@="exefile"
"Content Type"="application/x-msdownload"
"EditFlags"=hex:00,00,01,00

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

A known "issue" with these is that changing the value for Applications (.EXE files) has no effect. I haven't checked some of the other executable types.
These Registry tweaks are also available as separate plug-ins (6 plug-ins, each covering one file type: .386, .CPL, .DLL, .DRV, .PIF, .SYS and .VXD) for X-Setup Pro 6.6, the best Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 power user system tweaker (freeware for personal use)."

FYI: More info:

• MSKB: Internet Explorer Opens .exe Files Instead of Downloading Them.
• MSKB: Cannot Run Shortcuts from the Start Menu or from the Desktop.
• Bud's RegTips.
• Serenity Macros: File Types in Folder Options.

These are the necessary steps to successfully play your old DOS games that require native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode (and canNOT be run from a Win9x DOS box/session!) with sound enabled:

It is known that the SB Live! cards (ANY flavor: Full, Value, OEM/1024, X-Gamer, MP3, Platinum etc) provide only SB16 FM synthesis emulation support in all DOS modes. This means you won't be able to play any fancy Wavetable or Extended MIDI sequences, only basic sounds, and eventually CD audio, if your software can emulate it. :(

If you're a DOS die-hard fan [like I am :)], there is an alternative solution to this problem: get a Creative Labs Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold ISA card [that is if your motherboard has any ISA slots available], the best audio board for DOS apps/games, featuring full MIDI and Wavetable support in native MS-DOS.
You can (probably still) find this card for really cheap at popular internet vendor sites.
If you do get one, and if this is your only ISA device in your computer, make sure you enable the "Passive Release" and "Delayed Transaction", and increase the "8-bit I/O Recovery" setting to maximum (usually 8) in your BIOS "Advanced Chipset Features" (or similar) Setup screen, to have your ISA card(s) perform without a hitch together with all your PCI devices.
This is necessary because the PCI clock frequency is much faster (33 MHz) than the ISA counterpart (16 MHz), and it has to be forced to wait longer (more clock cycles) for the ISA device(s) to "catch up". Otherwise you may experience sudden machine lockups. If enabled, these settings will slow down the overall system speed a bit, but your PC will run more reliably.
The BIOS configuration above applies to Abit BE6-II mobos. If you have an Abit BH6 mainboard, these settings are found under the "Chipset Features Setup" BIOS menu. On all Abit mobos press the Del key to access BIOS Setup when the AWARD POST (Power On Self Test) display appears.
If you do NOT have any ISA devices installed in your computer (all your mobo's ISA slots are empty or your mainboard does not have any ISA slots), it is highly recommended to disable/decrease to minimum these BIOS settings, to gain maximum performance on all PCI/AGP based PCs!
If you'd like to avoid "messing" with your BIOS Setup altogether, you can do this the "easy" way. :) Get TweakBIOS for DOS [freeware and $20 registered versions], the ultimate BIOS configuration tool, which fine tunes most hidden settings not available in BIOS Setup (use with CAUTION!) without rebooting.

Back to SB Live!:
By default, when you first install the Win9x Live! drivers from your CD, you will be asked to setup the "Creative SB16 emulation" for DOS programs. Answer "Yes" to let Setup enable DOS support. Then edit (using Notepad in Windows or EDIT in DOS) your AUTOEXEC.BAT file (found in C:\ root), or create one if it is not present, though this should not be necessary, because the SB Live! installation routine will create one for you, and will add these lines at the top (your paths may differ):

SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E MODE:0
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6
SET CTSYN=C:\WINDOWS
C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\SBLIVE\DOSDRV\SBEINIT.COM

in this EXACT order. The "SET <variable>" lines MUST appear BEFORE the SBEINIT line, because SBEINIT.COM uses these environment values to determine your SB Live! DOS hardware settings.
Note that drive letter/directory name and/or hardware assignments [memory address: A220, interrupt line: I5, low/high DMA channel: D1/H5 etc] may be different on your computer, depending on your custom setup.
This should get you started in some cases, but [there's always a "but" :)] there are a couple of things you need to do first, to ensure that SBEINIT initializes the card correctly upon boot.
Edit (using Notepad in Windows or EDIT in DOS) your CONFIG.SYS file (found also in C:\ root), or create one if not present, to include these lines at the top:

DOS=HIGH,UMB
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF /Q
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE I=B000-B7FF RAM D=256 AUTO

Note that SBEINIT will NOT load without expanded memory (EMS) enabled by EMM386.EXE's "RAM" parameter! And make sure your EMM386.EXE command does NOT contain the "NOEMS" switch, because this disables EMS, and SBEINIT will abort!
See this MSKB article for more details.
Do NOT try to use another 3rd party enhanced/expanded memory manager like QEMM, NetRoom, 386MAX etc. SBEINIT works ONLY with Microsoft's EMM386.EXE! :(
Also, you need to load SBEINIT at the beginning of your AUTOEXEC.BAT, BEFORE ANY OTHER drivers/TSRs (especially SMARTDRV or RAM disks), because it uses a huge amount of free upper memory to initialize.
SBEINIT takes about 5 KB of low (conventional) RAM after loading.
SBEINIT canNOT load in upper memory (UMA), therefore you may NOT use the "LOADHIGH" ("LH" for short) command. If you do, your machine will freeze, and you will have to press the Reset button to reboot. :(

UPDATES:
• "I load SBEINIT high without problems on my machine (Asus P2L97-S mobo, Win98 OS), but as long as the SB Live! Windows drivers change these AUTOEXEC.BAT lines (typical examples):
  SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E MODE:0
  SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6
  SET CTSYN=C:\WINDOWS
  C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\SBLIVE\DOSDRV\SBEINIT.COM
  to force the emulation driver to load into low memory, we need a workaround.
  There are 2 ways of loading SBEINIT into upper memory:
  1. Place all AUTOEXEC.BAT lines above in your CONFIG.SYS, and load SBEINIT using "INSTALLHIGH=" in your CONFIG.SYS (example):
     INSTALLHIGH=C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\SBLIVE\DOSDRV\SBEINIT.COM
     Then skip the (now useless) AUTOEXEC.BAT lines this way (starting with the 1st line at the top, which is usually "@ECHO OFF"):
     @ECHO OFF
     GOTO SKIPSBL
     SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E MODE:0
     SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6
     SET CTSYN=C:\WINDOWS
     C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\SBLIVE\DOSDRV\SBEINIT.COM
     :SKIPSBL
     etc...
     This is necessary because if using the "REM" or "::" commands to comment them out, the SB Live routine removes the comments every time when the Windows GUI loads, reenabling these lines. :(
  2. If loading SBEINIT (as explained above) from CONFIG.SYS fails, try to use 4DOS (free COMMAND.COM replacement) and load SBEINIT from 4START.BAT, or create a separate batch file which loads SBEINIT, and call this BATch from your AUTOEXEC.BAT (example):
     CALL C:\SBLIVE.BAT
  Both methods work on my system, and I get about 622 KB of free conventional RAM after booting, and before loading Windows, using the HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE releases shipped with Windows 98 (build 4.10.1998)."
  [Thank you ACiD StOUt!]

• "I haven't had any trouble loading SBEINIT.EXE in upper memory with EMS disabled (NOEMS). I had trouble running it with SmartDrive, though. :( I'm using Win95C OSR 2.5 with HIMEM.SYS + EMM386.EXE in CONFIG.SYS.
  IMPORTANT: You can stop AUTOEXEC.BAT and DOSSTART.BAT from being edited by SB Live! every time you boot by moving CTSYN16.DRV from C:\Windows\System or by renaming it.
  The sound card works fine in Windows, but I haven't tried in DOS yet."
  [Thank you Martin!]

To tweak your SB16 emulation hardware settings to your liking (but make sure to avoid a hardware conflict if another device in your computer uses the same interrupt or DMA channel!), you can use SBESET.EXE, a DOS based configuration tool, also located in the same \DOSDRV subfolder. Run:

SBESET /?

from native MS-DOS to display all available parameters.
To see all your free hardware resources (IRQ, DMA, Base Address etc) that can be safely used by SBESET, run (with Windows GUI started!): Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager tab -> double-click on Computer -> scroll through the IRQ, DMA, I/O and Memory resources lists -> write down the ones that appear NOT to be used by ANY hardware device -> exit Windows 9x to native MS-DOS [see "DOS NOW!", also in MYTIPS95.TXT (part of W95-11D.EXE)] -> run SBESET with the appropriate switches to reflect one of your free Device Manager resources for each setting -> reboot into Windows -> reopen the resources lists -> check for ANY question or exclamation marks. If you find any, try different settings for SBESET until all conflicts are resolved. Then reboot one more time.
You can also add a line for SBESET in your AUTOEXEC.BAT to keep these settings "alive" at all times. But BEWARE: if you later add new hardware to your machine that needs an IRQ, DMA channel, I/O and/or memory address to function, or for some reason you or your OS change(s) ANY hardware resources, you need to repeat ALL above steps afterwards, to ensure "smooth" operation.
If using SBESET from AUTOEXEC.BAT, make sure the SBEINIT line appears AFTER the SBESET command, and BEFORE the SMARTDRV.EXE and/or RAM Disk (i.e. XMSDSK.EXE/EMSDSK.EXE) lines, if any!
This is my AUTOEXEC.BAT SBESET line (example) which enables SB FM emulation and the use of joystick/flight-stick (connected to the SB Live! 16 pin joystick/MIDI port) in native MS-DOS mode for all my DOS based games:

E:\LIVE\DOSDRV\SBESET.EXE -d0 -j1 -w0 -A220 -I5 -D1 -H5 -J200 -P330

All SBESET command line parameters are case sensitive.
Any hardware assignments altered by SBESET require a reboot to take effect.
If everything goes well, you should be able to enable sound and music in your favorite DOS games from now on, by choosing the appropriate sound card (try first Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster 16, SB16, AWE32 or similar) in your game's Setup/Options menu. Wrong sound board selection may lockup your game and most likely your computer too. :(

BTW: If you'd like to have more than one boot choices, for example one for running Win9x GUI without EMM386.EXE, or with EMM386.EXE but without EMS enabled (only upper and extended memory support: add "NOEMS"), and another for playing native MS-DOS games (and eventually include the SB Live! lines detailed above), you can create multi-boot CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. Take a look at mine [both included with W95-11D.EXE] to learn how to do this.

Have fun!

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\SCSIAdapter\0001

and:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\SCSIAdapter\0002

which MUST show the respective adapter name on the "DriverDesc" String Value, in this case: "Highpoint Technology Inc. HPT370 Ultra DMA 100 Controller".
There are two keys here because I have two UDMA66 EIDE hard drives connected to my add-on adapter. You might have only one key if using only one drive [jumpered as master, of course :)].
In the right hand pane of both keys above: right-click -> select New -> Binary Value -> name it "IDEDMADRIVE0" (don't type the quotes) -> click OK -> double-click on it -> type 01 -> click OK. This will enable the DMA box on the master (single or primary in 2 drives setup) hard drive. I have two, so I created another Binary Value (by performing same steps) named "IDEDMADRIVE1" (secondary or slave in 2 drives setup), and I gave it the same value: 01.
Then you need to point Regedit to the HKLM\Enum\PCI\ and HKLM\Enum\SCSI\ keys that contain the "incriminated" add-on bus adapter and disk subsystem registered vendor serial numbers (refering here to the same example above):

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum\PCI\VEN_1103&DEV_0004&SUBSYS_00000000&REV_01\BUS_00&DEV_13&FUNC_01

and respectively:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum\SCSI\IBM-DJNA-372200_________J\PCI&VEN_1103&DEV_0004&SUBSYS_00000000&REV_01&BUS_00&DEV_13&FUNC_0000   

which MUST show the respective adapter name on the "DeviceDesc" String Value, in this case: "Highpoint Technology Inc. HPT370 Ultra DMA 100 Controller".
In the right hand pane: right-click -> select New -> Binary Value -> name it "DMACurrentlyUsed" (don't type the quotes) -> click OK -> double-click on it -> type 01 -> click OK.
Close Regedit when done and restart Windows.
Now go to: Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager tab -> Disk drives -> Your "Drive Name + Model Number" here -> Settings tab -> DMA box -> left-click it once to place a checkmark in it -> click OK/Apply twice. Repeat these steps for ALL your drives connected to the add-on adapter -> reboot your system when prompted.
Voila!

1. Captain's FIXes:

   "Read this MSKB FAQ about securing MS Outlook.

   Xteq has released a plug-in [3.3 KB, free, unzip the XPL file into your Xsetup\Plugins subfolder] for X-Setup Pro 6.6 [freeware for personal use].
   Essentially this lowers the risk and increases your system security against potentially dangerous Microsoft Visual Basic (VB) Script files (such as .VBS, .VBE, .JS, .JSE, .WSH, .WSF), by changing their default action (when these files are clicked on) to view their contents in Notepad, instead of running their executable code, which is the default behavior in Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/ME/XP. And you can still run such script files if you wish: right-click on the one you want -> select Open.
   The plug-in can also be turned off by unchecking its settings in X-Setup from: System -> Security -> Script Files.
   To uninstall the plug-in: start X-Setup -> follow the path above -> highlight Script Files -> right-click on it -> click Delete."

2. Chris' FIX:

   "In Windows Explorer -> File Association dialog box, move down the list of "Registered File Types" until you find two entries both titled "VBScript Script File". Select the first one and click Edit now. In the Actions list select Edit and then click "Set Default". Now do the same for the second "VBScript Script File" entry.
   From now on each time a VBS or VBE file is executed it will be opened with Notepad instead of being processed, protecting you from harmful code. To run a VBS or VBE file, right-click on it and select "Open".
   NOTE: Using this tip may have side effects with any software that depends on its own VBS files and expects them to execute normally."

FYI: Check out these "ILOVEYOU" anti-virus pages + tools:

• Cerberus security scanner.
• LangaList "Love Bug" scripting info.
• AnalogX Script Defender [freeware].
• Script Sentry finder [freeware].

TIP: ALL Windows 95/98 users: see "USE WINME DEFRAG + SCANDSKW WITH WIN95/98", also in TIPS98.TXT [part of W95-11D.EXE], to learn how to obtain a *faster* disk scanner!

Valid syntax (multiple switches each separated by a space are accepted on a single command line):

SCANDSKW [C: D: E: ... Z:] [/A] [/N] [/O] [/P] [/SAGERUN:x] [/SAGESET:x] [/SILENT] [/SURFACE]

• SCANDSKW C: D: E: ... Z: = Specify target fixed (hard) disk(s)/partition(s) drive letter(s) to scan, each followed by a colon (:).

• SCANDSKW /A (ALL or ALLFIXEDDISKS) = Checks and repairs ALL target fixed (hard) disks/partitions.

• SCANDSKW /N (NONINTERACTIVE) = Starts and ends unattended without prompting for parameters. Summary screens are displayed.

• SCANDSKW /O (OLDFS) = Converts ALL Windows style Long File Names (LFNs) on target fixed (hard) disk(s)/partition(s) to DOS style (8.3) Short File Names (SFNs).
  *VERY DANGEROUS* = ALL folder AND file LFNs will be IRREVERSIBLY LOST !!!

• SCANDSKW /P (PREVIEW) = Preview mode: scans, but makes NO changes to target fixed (hard) disk(s)/partition(s).

• SCANDSKW /SAGERUN:x = Starts and ends unattended using System Agent (Task Scheduler) settings from the SETn Registry key, where n = 0 - 50:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Scandisk for Windows\Setn

• SCANDSKW /SAGESET:x = Displays System Agent (Task Scheduler) Settings dialog box and saves them under the SETn Registry key, where n = 0 - 50:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Scandisk for Windows\Setn

• SCANDSKW /SILENT = Does NOT allow ANY command line parameters. Summary screens are NOT displayed.

• SCANDSKW /SURFACE = Performs surface scan: checks and repairs ALL clusters on target fixed (hard) disk(s)/partition(s). May take long time to complete, depending on each disk/partition capacity.

Registry keys used by Scandskw.exe:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Check Drive
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Check Drive\LastCheck
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Check Drive\LastSurfaceAnalysis
HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Check Drive

Registry keys used by Scandskw.exe + Task Scheduler (System Agent):

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Scandisk for Windows
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Scandisk for Windows\Setn
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Scandisk for Windows\Result Codes

System Agent also saves these settings in Schedlog.txt (located in %windir%, usually C:\WINDOWS).

More info:

• MSKB: How to Force ScanDskw to Retest Bad Clusters.
• Serenity Macros: Windows 98 Programs Command Line Parameters and Registry Settings.

FYI: See also these topics [also part of W95-11D.EXE] for more ScanDisk issues:

• "UNATTENDED DEFRAG/SCANDISK" in MYTIPS95.TXT [all Win9x users].
• "START ME UP!" in TIPS95.TXT [all Win9x users].
• "FREE SPACE BUG!" in TIPS98.TXT [only Win98/ME users].
• "NEW SCANDISK OPTION" IN TIPS98.TXT [only Win98/ME users].

• "BACKUP MBR:

  For those not familiar with DEBUG, here is how to backup your boot hard disk MBR (Master Boot Record) in case of disaster.
  The MBR is present once on each physical drive, and is beyond the scope of the MS-DOS filing system to address. That's why the proper way to backup/restore the MBR is to use a BIOS int13 call to fetch it.

  IMPORTANT: If using Win95, OSR2, 98 or ME, FIRST you need to enable direct hard disk access to the drive(s)/partition(s) you backup/restore the MBR/DBR on. To do this run:

  LOCK X:

  After backing up/restoring the MBR/DBR you need to disable direct HD access (for proper operation in Windows), by running:

  UNLOCK X:

  Replace X with an actual drive letter from C to Z. Multiple drive letters are allowed on the same line separated by spaces. Example:

  LOCK C: D: E:

  or:

  UNLOCK C: D: E:

  These internal (built-in) DOS commands can be executed ONLY from native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode.

  Go to any DOS prompt (real mode or windowed session, doesn't matter) and type:

  DEBUG

  This will start the debug mode, which has a prompt like a hyphen (-).
  From now on hitting the Enter key is understood after each line.
  Type:

  N A:\MBR_C.DAT

  to give Debug a filename to save data to.

  IMPORTANT: Saving the MBR backup file to the same disk you're backing up makes no sense, because that drive becomes inaccessible if its MBR gets corrupted.

  Type:

  A

  to place Debug in assemble mode.
  Type:

  MOV DX,9000

  to arbitrarily choose a memory segment for the BIOS to put the data we want.
  Type:

  MOV ES,DX

  to move that value to the extra segment register.
  Type:

  XOR BX,BX

  to clear the BX register. ES:BX specifies the full memory address.
  Type:

  MOV CX,0001

  to access track 0 and sector 1.
  Type:

  MOV DX,0080

  1st physical drive is 80, 2nd drive is 81, and so on...
  Type:

  MOV AX,0201

  to read [02]... one sector [01] into memory.
  Type:

  INT 13

  to issue the BIOS int13 call.
  Type:

  INT 20

  to tell the BIOS to terminate the program.
  Now press the Enter key without entering anything after that to exit assemble mode.
  Type:

  G

  to execute the small assembly program you have just created.
  Type:

  R CX

  to show the contents of CX register and to allow editing it.
  Type:

  200

  200 hex = 512 decimal - the size of a sector.
  Type:

  W 9000:0

  to finally write the data fetched by the BIOS to a file.
  Type:

  Q

  to quit Debug.

• RESTORE MBR:

  In the event the MBR ever becomes corrupted, you can create a batch file (e.g. RESTRMBR.BAT), which can use DEBUG commands echoed to a temporary file (e.g DEBUG.TMP) by invoking DEBUG, which uses the temporary file as input file.
  Copy/paste the lines below into Notepad or EDIT.COM, and save the file as RESTRMBR.BAT. Then place RESTRMBR.BAT and DEBUG.EXE on the same floppy that contains the MBR_C.DAT file created above (example):

  -----Begin cut & paste here-----
  ECHO N A:\MBR_C.DAT > DEBUG.TMP
  ECHO L 9000:0 >> DEBUG.TMP
  ECHO A >> DEBUG.TMP
  ECHO MOV DX,9000 >> DEBUG.TMP
  ECHO MOV ES,DX >> DEBUG.TMP
  ECHO XOR BX,BX >> DEBUG.TMP
  ECHO MOV CX,0001 >> DEBUG.TMP
  REM Replace 80 with 81, 82 or 83... if necessary:
  ECHO MOV DX,0080 >> DEBUG.TMP
  REM To write one sector [01]... to drive [01]...:
  ECHO MOV AX,0301 >> DEBUG.TMP
  ECHO INT 13 >> DEBUG.TMP
  ECHO INT 20 >> DEBUG.TMP
  ECHO G >> DEBUG.TMP
  ECHO Q >> DEBUG.TMP
  ECHO. >> DEBUG.TMP
  DEBUG < DEBUG.TMP
  DEL DEBUG.TMP
  ------End cut & paste here------

  To restore the saved MBR from the floppy disk, just run RESTRMBR.BAT.
  Incidentally DOS assigns drive letters by getting the primary partitions from each physical drive out of the way first. So if you have two physical hard disks, then D: would be the primary partition on the second HD, even though you may have several other partitions on the first HD.

• BACKUP DBR:

  Use DEBUG to backup your DBR (DOS Boot Record), present at the start of all logical drives/partitions, in case of disaster.
  Go to any DOS prompt and type:

  DEBUG

  This will start the debug mode, which has a prompt like a hyphen (-).
  From now on hitting the Enter key is understood after each line.
  Now type:

  LCS:100 2 0 1

  This loads (reading from right to left) the boot sector starting at sector 0, located on drive number 2 (your C: drive/partition), respecting this convention:

  Drive number    Drive letter
  ----------------------------
  0               A:
  1               B:
  2               C:
  3               D:
  ... and so on.

  Then type:

  N path\filename

  to give DEBUG a name to call the file it will write the sector to (example):

  N A:\DBR_C.DAT

  IMPORTANT: Saving the DBR backup file to the same disk you're backing up makes no sense, because that drive becomes inaccessible if its DBR gets corrupted.

  Type:

  RCX

  Type:

  200

  This loads register CX with a hex value of 200 (512 decimal), the exact size of a standard sector, letting it know that 200h (512 dec) is the number of bytes to save to file.
  Type:

  WCS:100

  This writes the number of bytes contained in CX starting at current code segment at offset 100 to the filename specified by the N command.

• RESTORE DBR:

  In the event the DBR ever becomes corrupted, you can create a batch file (e.g. RESTRDBR.BAT), which can use DEBUG commands echoed to a temporary file (e.g DEBUG.TMP) by invoking DEBUG, which uses the temporary file as input file.
  Copy/paste the lines listed above under "RESTORE MBR:" (replace them as necessary with the ones for the DBR file) into Notepad or EDIT.COM, and save the file as RESTRDBR.BAT. Place RESTRDBR.BAT and DEBUG.EXE on the same floppy that contains the DBR_C.DAT file created above, and then run RESTRDBR.BAT."

NOTES:

• This works ONLY with MS-DOS 6.00 - 6.22 and MS-DOS 7.xx/8.00 [a.k.a. Windows 9x/ME].
• Read "WINDOWS 95 AND 95a OSR1 MBR REFRESH BUG", also in SECRETS.TXT [part of W95-11D.EXE], if using Win95 retail or Win95a OSR1 (upgraded with SP1).

FYI: Things you can do with DEBUG.EXE:

• A Guide to DEBUG
• DEBUG script to delete hard disk partitions
• Batch files using DEBUG
• DEBUG Routines
• DEBUG script to delete non-DOS hard disk partitions.

• Directx.cpl,
• Dxdiag.exe (located in C:\Windows\System), part of MS DirectX 8/9 APIs [free],
• Dxinfo.exe (obsolete, located in C:\Program Files\Directx), part of the older MS DirectX 5/6 APIs, and
• DirectControl DirectX tweaking tool for Win9x/ME [111 KB, 3rd party freeware], which can also handle 3D/A3D Audio, HD Cache/Vcache, CD/DVD Cache/Prefetch etc settings.

Install the current Microsoft DirectX APIs + Drivers to take advantage of all these settings in Windows 98/ME.

NOTE: DX9 does NOT support Windows 95/OSR1/OSR2. If using any of these OSes, get DirectX 8.xx APIs.

But enuff talking... let's see the "goods"! :)

Fire up Regedit and go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DirectDraw

Under this Registry key you can add/modify the following DWORD values (listed here as they would show in a REG file).
To create a new DWORD value: right-click -> New -> DWORD -> Name it to one of the values listed below.
To modify one of these DWORD values: right-click on the one you want -> select Modify -> check the Decimal box -> give it a value of 1 or 0 to enable or disable it, except "ForceRefreshRate", which requires an integer number to match the video card AND monitor frequency.
All changes to these settings become effective immediately.

CAUTION: BACKUP YOUR REGISTRY FILES FIRST!

Here they are:

"ForceNoSysLock"=dword:00000000

Enables [1] or disables [0] NoSysLock on Lock for lower resolution 3D video modes.

"DisableNoSysLock"=dword:00000000

Enables [0] or disables [1] NoSysLock on Lock for lower resolution 3D video modes.

"DisableMMX"=dword:00000000

Enables [0] or disables [1] extra MMX extensions support for Intel Pentium, Pentium Pro, Pentium II, Pentium III and Pentium IV CPUs.

"DisableWiderSurfaces"=dword:00000000

Enables [0] or disables [1] 3D Wide Surfaces support on newer/faster PCI/AGP video controllers that support this feature, like: 3dfx Banshee/Voodoo3/Voodoo4/Voodoo5/Voodoo6, NVidia TNT/TNT2/GeForce/Geforce2/GeForce3, S3 Savage, Matrox G200/G400/G440/G450, ATI Rage/Fury/MAXX/Radeon etc.

"EnablePrintScreen"=dword:00000001

Enables [1] or disables [0] the use of the Print Screen key to capture current window/full screen, which can be afterwards pasted and saved as JPG/BMP/GIF/etc into any OLE2 capable graphics program like MS Paint, PhotoShop, Paint Shop Pro, IrfanView, XNview, LView Pro etc.

"DisableInactivate"=dword:00000000

Enables [1] or disables [0] Multi-Monitor Debugging for troubleshooting purposes, if using a dual-monitor head capable video controller.

"ShowFrameRate"=dword:00000000

Enables [1] or disables [0] the display of frame rate for 3D apps/games that support this feature, and available only on 3D video cards.
Note that this setting may slow down slightly your Direct3D programs.

"ModeXOnly"=dword:00000000

Enables [0] or disables [1] ModeX support for 320x200 (EGA) on older/slower video cards that may present incompatibilities in this low resolution mode.

"EmulationOnly"=dword:00000000

Enables [1] or disables [0] Software Emulation Layer (SEL) for slower performance but better stability on older/slower (i.e. 2D only) video cards.
Newer AGP/PCI 3D video cards use by default Hardware Emulation Layer (HAL), thus it is recommended to disable this setting for maximum "velocity". :)

"DisableAGPSupport"=dword:00000000

Enables [0] or disables [1] AGP Support, ONLY IF supported by motherboard, video hardware AND video driver.

"ForceRefreshRate"=dword:00000064

Forces [hex number: 60 - 300 decimal in Hz (100 Hz used in this example)] custom 2D (and 3D if supported by the video card) video Refresh Rate (redraw vertical frequency) for BOTH the multi-scan CRT monitor AND the graphics accelerator in current video mode [1024x768 in 65,000 colors (16-bit) used here].
Note that selected frequency MUST be supported by BOTH video card AND monitor, otherwise you may damage one or the other!
That's why it is VERY IMPORTANT to select the appropriate monitor type in: Control Panel -> System applet -> Device Manager tab -> Monitors -> Your Monitor Name -> Driver tab -> Update Driver...!

With the Registry Editor open, go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Direct3D

Here you'll find:

"DisableDP2"=dword:00000000

Enables [0] or disables [1] enhanced DirectX 6/7/8 3D features on ALL PCI/AGP 3D video accelerators. It is strongly recommended to keep this setting enabled for maximum performance in Direct3D apps/games.

Then go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Direct3D\Drivers

The only setting of interest here is:

"SoftwareOnly"=dword:00000000

Enables [0] or disables [1] the use of Hardware Acceleration on ALL PCI/AGP 3D video cards. It is strongly recommended to enable this feature for optimal performance.

FYI: See "WIN.INI DIRECTX + VIDEO SETTINGS", also in MYTIPS95.TXT [part of W95-11D.EXE], for more DirectX + video tweaks.

1. Start AOL.
2. Click the Favorites icon.
3. Open Favorite Places.
4. Click the "Add Favorite Place" button to create a new item.
5. In the "Enter the Place's Description:" box type:

   AOL Logon Scripts

   or any other suggestive name.

6. In the "Enter the Internet Address:" box type:

   aol://4344:431.scrptaol.1313877.538546639

7. Click OK.
8. Double-click on "AOL Logon Scripts" and read the topic.