An operating system is a piece of software that should do its work in the background while you do your work in the foreground. In an ideal world, that's precisely how an operating system would work. In our world, however, operating systems constantly get in our way. They annoy us. And few are more annoying than Microsoft Windows 98. Perhaps you're annoyed with the icons that Windows deposits on your desktop and that you never use. Or you're frustrated with the new elements of the Windows 98 interface. Or you consider Windows 98's central feature, its integration of Windows and the Web, to be a massive inconvenience.

With Windows 98 Annoyances, you can put an end to these and countless other annoyances. Given the book's format, which presents particular problems and immediately offers one or more solutions, you can quickly identify the Windows 98 features that most annoy you and equally quickly provide a fix for them. In the process, you'll take charge of Windows so that it works the way you want, rather than the way that Microsoft or some other software publisher has configured it.

Based on the author's extremely popular Windows Annoyances Web site (http://www.annoyances.org), Windows 98 Annoyances provides an authoritative collection of techniques for customizing Windows 98, including:

• Useful keyboard shortcuts that let you work with Windows 98 more efficiently

• Techniques for working with the Windows registry, the database of system and application-specific configuration information

• Available third-party software and utilities that handle some of the more complex workarounds and customizations

• Dealing with software applications that overwrite your file associations without warning

• A discussion of scripting with the Windows Scripting Host as a means of eliminating many of the Windows 98's annoyances

Also included with the book is a CD that contains a 30-day trial version of O'Reilly Utilities: Quick Solutions for Windows 98 Annoyances, with a discount offer toward the purchase of the fully licensed version of the software.

Intermediate and advanced Windows users will find Windows 98 Annoyances to be the definitive resource for customizing Windows 98.

 Table of Contents

Preface    

1. Making the Most of Windows 98 
      What's Wrong with Windows 
      Flavors of Windows-Past and Present 
      Transition to Windows 98 
2. Customizing the Interface 
      Coping with Explorer 
      Get Control of the Desktop 
      Fundamental Interface Tweaks 
3. The Registry 
      Getting to Know the Registry 
      Tips and Tricks 
      Registry Tools 
4. Tinkering Techniques 
      Cleaning Up the Desktop 
      Fixing the Start Menu 
      Files and Folders 
      Making Windows Your Own 
5. Maximizing Performance 
      Fine-Tuning Your Components 
      Fixing Software Bottlenecks 
      Upgrading Your System 
6. Troubleshooting 
      General Troubleshooting Techniques 
      Error Messages 
      Preventative Maintenance and Data Recovery 
      Hardware Configuration 
      DOS to the Rescue 
7. Networking 
      Setting Up a Workgroup 
      Installing Dial-Up Networking 
      Coping with Dial-Up Networking 
      Mixing and Matching Networks 
      Security and Multiple Users 
8. Taking Control of Web Integration 
      A Little History and Motivation 
      Massaging the Interface 
      The Web View and the Active Desktop 
      Choosing Your Defaults 
9. Scripting and Automation 
      Windows Scripting Host 
      DOS Batch Files 
      Scheduled Tasks 
A. Setting Locator 
B. DOS Lives 
C. Contents of the MSDOS.SYS File 
D. Class IDs of System Objects 
E. Interface Terminology and the Basics 
F. Software to Solve Annoyances 

Index