BE PREPARED!

Prepare for possible PC catastrophes by regularly copying the following files to a second hard drive, removable hard disc or floppy disc - especially if you frequently install and uninstall  applications.

From your root directory (you may find only some of these), back up AUTOEXEC.BAT, AUTOEXEC.DOS, CONFIG.SYS, CONFIG.DOS and MSDOS.SYS.

From your Windows folder, back up CONTROL.INI, SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI, as well as the SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT Registry files (SYSTEM.DAT probably won't fit onto a floppy disk).

CHECKING YOUR SYSTEM FILES

System files are the hardest working files in your computer: they literally "drive" the computer and house the "drivers" for your mouse, printer, and monitor, among others. Every application you install has its own set of system files, so when an application stops working or won't open, there is a strong possibility that something could be wrong with its system files. These files live in the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory and usually have extensions such as .386, .COM, .DLL, .DRV, and .VXD.

The Windows 98 System File Checker scans all the system files searching for any that may have been modified or corrupted by a recently installed program. If it finds a problem file it prompts you to restore the original file from the manufacturer's install disk. If you ignore the prompt you'll be asked about it again the next time you run System File Checker.

To run System File Checker: Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then point to Select System Tools. Click System Information. On the menu bar, click Tools. Click System File Checker. Choose either Scan for altered files or Extract one file from installation disk.

If you choose to scan for altered files Windows 98 will prompt you if it finds any corrupt or modified files. Follow the instructions on screen. However, if you know the file name, you can extract the file yourself. Here's how to do it: Select Extract one file from installation disk. Either type the file name or click the Browse button to find the file. When a file name is entered, click Start. In the Extract File dialog box, type the path from where the file will be restored, or click Browse to find the folder that contains the file. If Windows does not recognize the file you wish to back up, you may have to manually enter the path in Save file in to where the restored file should go, or click Browse to locate the folder where it should go.

FIRST TIME PASSWORD

When Windows 95, 98, or NT boots for the first time and asks you for a login name and password, leave both fields blank or only enter a login name and skip entering a password. This way you'll never be bothered by this dialog box again. Entering a password in this box won't protect any of the files on your local machine - it's only useful when logging onto a LAN network.

ESSENTIAL FONTS

Loading a lot of fonts uses a lot of resources but before you start deleting all those font files that make your system boot so slowly make sure that Windows doesn't need them! For example, you should never delete the following fonts: Arial, Courier, Marlet Modern, MS Sans Serif, MS Serif (or any font with a name beginning with "MS"), Small Fonts, Symbol and Times New Roman. Also, don't delete any fonts that start with 8514 or VGA.

You may also have some hidden fonts that some application installed and needs,so you don't want to delete them either. To identify hidden fonts,open a DOS window and type "cd Windows\Fonts" to switch to the fonts directory. Type "dir AH" and press Enter to see a list of hidden font files.

CAPS LOCK KEY

If you frequently hit the Caps Lock key by accident open Control Panel's Accessibility Options applet and put a check in the Use ToggleKeys box on the Keyboard tab. Then select the General tab and clear the check box next to "Turn off accessibility features." From now on your computer will beep if you press the Caps Lock, Num Lock or Scroll Lock keys. 

CONTROL PANEL CLUTTER

If your Control Panel is cluttered with icons you don't need, clean it up. In the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory you'll find a corresponding CPL file for each Control Panel item. Move the ones you don't want to a safe place on your hard disk. When you next open Control Panel those icons won't be there.

WIN386.SWP

If you try to copy your entire C:\WINDOWS folder, either to another directory or another drive, Windows copies most of the files and folders before it hits WIN386.SWP. Then it terminates the copy, because it prevents itself from reading and copying that virtual memory system file. Here's a workaround: Create your destination folder,then open your WINDOWS folder and choose Edit/Select All. Scroll to the end of the folder and locate WIN386.SWP. Hold down the Ctrl key and click once on the file to deselect it. Now just drag and drop all the other files and folders to your destination folder.

HARD DRIVE MAINTENANCE

Maintain your hard drive by performing these steps at least monthly, in this order:
1.) Delete all files and folders with dates older than one week from C:\WINDOWS\TEMP.
2.) Purge your browser's history and Internet cache files.
3.) Run ScanDisk. Select the Standard radio button and enable Automatically Fix Errors. Click on Advanced and, under Log File, pick Replace Log; for Cross-Linked Files, select Delete; click Free under Lost File Fragments; under Check Files For, check "Invalid dates and times" and disable "Check host drive first" unless you've compressed your hard drive. 
4.) Empty the Recycle Bin.