Paul McFedries' Windows 95 Unleashed

Paul McFedries' Windows 95 Unleashed, Professional Reference Edition

Introduction

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

--T. S. Eliot

My trusty Webster's Third New International dictionary was published in 1986, so when I look up the word hyperbole, it only tells me the following: "extravagant exaggeration that represents something as much greater or less, better or worse, or more intense than it really is or that depicts the impossible as actual." I expect that future editions will also display in the margin a small picture of the Windows 95 box as an illustrative example.

I'm kidding of course (in fact, I may be accused of indulging in a bit of overstatement myself), but hyperbole is the first word that comes to mind when thinking about the lead-up and launch of Windows 95. All that anticipation, all those greatest-thing-since-sliced-bread promises, all the sheer ballyhoo that preceded the release date.

Then, on launch day, there were those indelible images: the oh-so-odd couple of Bill Gates and Jay Leno mugging on stage; lineups around the block in cities all over the world; the mountaineer rappelling halfway down the CN Tower in Toronto, pulling out a notebook computer, and then demonstrating Windows 95's remote computing features 800 feet in the air. (No, I'm not making up that last one.)

Welcome to Windows 95

The big problem with all that hype and puffery is that it turned off a lot of people and prevented many folks from seeing an important fact: Windows 95 really is a good operating system and it represents a huge improvement over both Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups. However, truckloads of people did figure this out eventually, and Windows 95 has been, by any yardstick, a rousing success, selling over 20 million copies in the first six months.

So what have these brave pioneers got themselves into? Nothing less than an operating system that's more robust and faster than its predecessors, that multitasks willingly, makes it easier than ever to add new hardware, and supports 32-bit applications, yet will still run most older applications without a complaint. They've also got themselves quite a few new toys to play with:

The Desktop--All the Windows 95 action occurs on the desktop, the teal expanse shown in Figure I.1. The programs you launch (either by double-clicking on the desktop icons or by clicking the Start button in the lower left corner) sit on this desktop. You can also use the desktop as a storage area for files or shortcuts (files that point to other files).

Figure I.1.
The Windows 95 desktop.

The taskbar--The horizontal strip along the bottom of the Windows 95 screen is the taskbar. It includes the Start button on the left (this button displays various menus from which you launch programs) and the system tray on the right (icons that give you information about launched programs). In between, each running application has its own button that you can click on for easy navigation.

Long filenames--Windows 95 does away with the restrictive "8.3" filenames of the DOS regime and ushers in a new era where files (and folders, which is what directories are now called) can boast names up to about 250 characters long, and that can even include spaces.

Context menus--Much of the Windows 95 interface consists of various objects that have certain properties and can perform certain actions. To get access to the these properties and actions, Windows 95 uses context menus, which are menus that appear when you right-click on an object (see Figure I.2).

Figure I.2.
Right-click on the desktop to display this example of a context menu.

Plug and Play support--Windows 95 offers full support of the Plug and Play initiative, which means it can query your hardware for information and set up these devices automatically. Theoretically, anyway. In practice, Windows 95's success at recognizing legacy hardware is limited. However, if your system has a Plug and Play BIOS and you use Plug and Play devices, the process works quite well.

Improved performance and memory management--Windows 95's mostly 32-bit architecture makes it generally faster than Windows 3.x in most tasks. For 32-bit applications, the old 640K barrier is effectively gone as Windows 95's Virtual Machine Manager now supplies these programs with 4 GB of virtual memory. Also, the allocation and management of system resources have been greatly improved, enabling you to open more programs than ever, and still maintain acceptable performance.

Explorer--Windows 95's replacement for File Manager is called Explorer. This utility gives you integrated access to all of your system's drives, folders, and files, and includes many powerful features that File Manager lacked (including the ability to edit filenames in place and a powerful search engine).

Figure I.3.
Explorer: Windows 95's file management utility.

The Microsoft Network--This is Microsoft's new online service. Its content has improved tremendously since its inception, to the point where it's now an interesting place to hang out online. You can even use The Microsoft Network as your Internet service provider.

Microsoft Exchange--Windows 95 includes an e-mail client called Microsoft Exchange that can handle various types of messages, including e-mail through Microsoft Mail, The Microsoft Network, CompuServe, and the Internet, as well as faxes.

Notebook features--Notebook users get a number of presents in their Windows 95 stockings. These include support for Advanced Power Management, hot-docking, and PC Card (PCMCIA) devices. Also, a utility called Briefcase makes it easy to coordinate files shared between a desktop and a notebook. Finally, the Direct Cable Connection applet enables you to set up a mini-network between two computers using a null-modem cable.

New applets--Many of the applets found in Windows 3.x have either been revamped or replaced entirely. Newcomers to the Windows 95 line-up include HyperTerminal (for modem communications), Paint (an update of Paintbrush), WordPad (a much-improved version of Write), Phone Dialer (dials your phone automatically), CD Player (plays audio CDs in a CD-ROM drive), and FreeCell (another variation on the Solitaire theme). Windows 95 also comes with a full collection of powerful system utilities, including a backup program, a disk defragmenter, a disk compression utility, and a disk repair program.

Networking--Windows 95 is ready to network right out of the box. It includes support for multiple protocols, including NetBEUI, IPX/SPX, and TCP/IP. The Network Neighborhood is a folder that gives you easy access other workgroups and computers on the network, and to the resources shared by these machines.

The Internet--Windows 95 was built with the Internet in mind. Not only does it come with its own TCP/IP stack, but the Dial-Up Networking utility makes it easy to create connections for your Internet service provider.

What You Should Know Before Reading This Book

My goal in writing Paul McFedries' Windows 95 Unleashed is to give you complete coverage of the intermediate-to-advanced features of Windows 95. This means that I bypass basic topics (such as wielding the mouse) in favor of more complex operations such as working with the Registry, setting up hardware profiles, networking, and getting connected to the Internet.

I've tried to keep the chapters focused on the topic at hand and unburdened with long-winded theoretical discussions. However, there are plenty of situations where you won't be able to unleash the full power of Windows 95 and truly understand what's going on unless you have a solid base on which to stand. In these cases, I'll give you whatever theory and background you need to get up to speed. From there, I'll get right down to brass tacks without any further fuss and bother. To keep the chapters uncluttered, I've made a few assumptions about what you know and don't know:

I assume you have knowledge of rudimentary computer concepts such as files and folders.
I assume you're familiar with the basic Windows skills: mouse maneuvering, dialog box negotiation, pull-down menus, and so on.
I assume you can operate peripherals attached to your computer, such as the keyboard and printer.
I assume you've used Windows for a while and are comfortable with concepts such as toolbars, scroll bars, and, of course, windows.
I assume you have a brain that you're willing to use and a good supply of innate curiosity.

How This Book is Organized

To help you find the information you need, Paul McFedries' Windows 95 Unleashed is divided into six parts that group related tasks. The next few sections offer a summary of each part.

Part I: Unleashing Windows 95 Installation and Optimization

The seven chapters in Part I get your advanced Windows 95 education off to a flying start by covering the ins and outs of the installation process, including an extensive troubleshooting chapter, just in case things go awry. From there, you'll learn a myriad of ways to get Windows 95 off the ground and, once you do, I'll give you a tour of the landscape.

With this introduction out of the way, you'll dive into the deep end of advanced Windows work: customizing, performance tuning, optimization, and hardware considerations.

Part II: Unleashing Day-To-Day Windows 95

Part II takes your basic, workaday Windows chores and reveals their inner mysteries, enabling you to become more productive. Topics include working with files, folders, and disks (Chapter 8), backing up data, checking for disk problems, and viruses (Chapter 11), notebook computers (Chapter 12), and the Windows 95 DOS prompt (Chapter 13). I'll also include a couple of chapters (9 and 10) that show you how to work with that most important of Windows 95 features: the Registry.

Part III: Unleashing Windows 95 Applications

The Chapters in Part III focus on getting the most out of the applications you run under Windows 95. I'll cover everything from installing (and uninstalling) applications, to mastering OLE, to fonts, printing, and optimizing DOS programs.

Part IV: Unleashing Multimedia: The Sights and Sounds of Windows 95

Windows 95 is rich in multimedia goodies, and Part IV shows you how to work with them to your best advantage. Chapter 19 kicks things off with a general look at these multimedia features, including Windows 95's multimedia architecture, what hardware you need, getting great graphics, CD-ROMs, and the Media Player. From there, Chapter 20 gives you a frame-by-frame look at Windows 95 video and Chapter 21 gives you the nitty-gritty of audio in Windows 95.

Part V: Unleashing Windows 95 Communications

Compared to Windows 3.x, the communications tools that come with Windows 95 are first-rate and I'll show you get to take full advantage of all they have to offer here in Part V. For starters, Chapter 22 gives you the full scoop on modem communications and how to configure your modem in Windows 95. Once that's done, I'll show you how to work with two communications applets: Phone Dialer and HyperTerminal. Subsequent chapters get you connected with The Microsoft Network, show you how to configure and work with Microsoft Exchange for e-mail, and how to get Microsoft Fax to send faxes right from your PC.

Part VI: Unleashing Windows 95 Networking & Internet Connectivity

To close out the main part of the book, Part VI provides seven chapters that cover two of today's hottest topics: networking and the Internet. Chapters 27 and 28 give you all the background and know-how you need to get a network up and running. I'll then show you how to use Direct Cable Connection (Chapter 29) and Dial-Up Networking (Chapter 30). From there, the focus turns to the Internet has I give you the details behind TCP/IP (Chapter 31) and the specific of how to get an Internet connection up and running in Windows 95 (Chapter 32). Finally, Chapter 33 shows you how to surf the World Wide Web using Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

Special Features of This Book

To make your life easier, Paul McFedries' Windows 95 Unleashed includes various features and conventions that help you get the most out of the book and Windows 95 itself.

Steps: Throughout the book, I've broken down many Windows 95 tasks into easy-to-follow step-by-step procedures.

Things you type: Whenever I suggest that you type something, what you type appears in a monospaced font.

Commands: I use the following style and convention for all application menu commands: File | Open. This means that you pull down the File menu and select the Open command.

Dialog box controls: The names of dialog box controls appear in a monospaced font.

[icon:plus]The Microsoft Plus! icon: Windows 95 programs and files that are part of the Microsoft Plus! add-on are marked with the Microsoft Plus! icon.

[icon:sp]The Windows 95 Service pack icon: Programs and files that are part of the Windows 95 Service Pack are marked with the Service pack icon.

This book also uses the following boxes to draw your attention to important (or merely interesting) information.

NOTE

The Note box presents asides that give you more information about the topic under discussion. These tidbits provide extra insights that give you a better understanding of the task at hand. In many cases, they refer you to other sections of the book for more information.

TIP

The Tip box tells you about Windows 95 methods that are easier, faster, or more efficient than the standard methods.

CAUTION

The all-important Caution box tells you about potential accidents waiting to happen. There are always ways to mess things up when you're working with computers and these boxes help you avoid at least some of the pitfalls.

How To Contact Me

If you have any comments about the book, or if you wish to register a complaint or a compliment (I prefer the latter), please don't hesitate to send a missive my way. If you're still into the snail mail thing, just address your note to Macmillan Computer Publishing and I'll be sure to get it. If you're online, however, please drop me a line at the following e-mail address:

paul@mcfedries.com

Better yet, feel free to drop by my Web site, have a look around, and then sign the Guest Book:

http://www.mcfedries.com/

Note that I have a home page for Paul McFedries' Windows 95 Unleashed at this site. Here you'll find book excerpts and info, links to Windows 95 information online, and lots more. To go straight there, dial the following address into your Web browser:

http://www.mcfedries.com/Books/Win95Unleashed/

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