Windows 98 improves video and multimedia support over previous versions of Windows, giving you better control over its appearance and in some cases better functionality. Windows 98 also includes additional features, such as support for multiple display devices, that make it a better platform for graphics-related and multimedia applications. This chapter explores the video and multimedia features in Windows 98, covering the following topics:
Although many of the video and display settings you can control with Windows 98 have no direct bearing on the operating system's productivity (or your own), you no doubt want to tweak the desktop and other options to suit your preferences. In addition, some changes, such as modifying your Taskbar, can have a positive impact on your productivity. Other features such as Windows 98's support for multiple displays can be a boon for graphics editors, Web designers, or anyone else who needs a little more desktop space.
One of the first elements of Windows 98 you might notice is the recurring color scheme--such as gray windows capped by blue menu bars. All the text is the same font and the interiors of the windows are white. This overall layout is referred to as a color scheme. Any (or all) of these individual elements can be changed to your liking. You can change the color of menu bars, the fonts on the Title bar, and even the size of the scroll bars to whatever you choose.
To change a desktop element, select the Display icon from the Control Panel; then choose the Appearance tab (see Figure 9.1). Selecting the Item drop-down menu allows you to choose which element you wish to modify. Some items allow you to change only color, some only size. Some let you change size and type of Font, and others let you modify everything. Feel free to experiment. After you've developed a look that suits your fancy, you can save this overall layout as a scheme by choosing Save As and typing a name for your scheme.
FIGURE 9.1 Use the Appearance page to change the appearance of the desktop.
Windows 98 comes with a variety of built-in schemes. To view them, choose the Scheme drop-down list. Any scheme you've developed and saved will also be accessible from this list. Selecting a name will result in a preview of that scheme in the larger window above. If you find one you wish to use, simply choose Apply.
Most people discover rather quickly that they can move the Taskbar around the screen (left, right, top, or bottom) to wherever is most convenient for them. You also can increase the Taskbar's size by grabbing its edge and dragging it to the size you wish.
Windows 98 also allows you to add toolbars to the Taskbar. Right-clicking on the Taskbar and selecting Toolbar displays a list of toolbars you can turn on and off. Address places an address field on the Taskbar for quickly entering Web addresses. Links adds a toolbar that displays the same quick links you have defined in Internet Explorer. Desktop creates toolbar copies of all your desktop icons. New Toolbar allows you to place any other folder on the Taskbar or, if you wish, the entire listing under My Computer. Choosing Quick Launch turns the Quick Launch toolbar on and off (see Figure 9.2).
FIGURE 9.2 Choose Quick Launch to turn the Quick Launch icons on and off.
You can change icons on the Quick Launch toolbar for each user who has a profile by creating a shortcut in the folder \Windows\Profiles\USERNAME\ Application data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch, where USERNAME is the name by which the user logs onto Windows. Note that if you do not have user profiles enabled, the folder is located in \Windows\Application data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch. Simply create shortcuts in this folder to add items to the Quick Launch menu.
One of the most welcome additions to Windows 98 is the set of desktop themes formerly included only with Microsoft Plus. These themes, ranging from various sports items to a tour inside your computer, turn the otherwise mundane Windows 98 desktop into a more pleasing environment. Themes encompass collections of desktop bitmaps, icons, mouse pointers, fonts, and sound files. Put together, they transform your desktop into a virtual art gallery. Windows 98 includes several themes, and others are available from various locations on the Internet.
WARNING: Although most themes can run in 256 colors, some require 16-bit, high-color (65,000 colors) displays. For optimal clarity, high-color themes should not be run on a 256-color desktop. High-color themes try to use more colors than the 256-color palette supports, so when a high-color image is displayed, the Windows Palette Manager has to shift the system colors around to accommodate the high-color graphic.
If you have not yet installed the Desktop Themes software, you must do so before applying a desktop theme. To install the software, follow these steps:
You can change themes easily from the Control Panel's Desktop Themes object (open the Control Panel and choose Desktop Themes). The Desktop Themes dialog box (see Figure 9.3) enables you to customize nearly every aspect of a theme.
FIGURE 9.3 Themes control several desktop objects.
To apply a theme to the desktop, click the Theme drop-down box for a list of the available themes on your system. To select a theme, simply click a theme name from the list.
After you select a theme, the preview area of the Desktop Themes dialog box updates to reflect the changes to your desktop configuration. The right side of the dialog box contains more options for customizing themes. The Settings group enables you to select the components you want to update. If you want to apply the Sports theme, for example, but retain your own custom icons, disable the Icons check box to apply all theme components except for the theme icons.
You also can preview certain components not shown in the Previews area, including mouse pointers, system sounds, and screen savers. To view these pieces before you apply the theme, click on the appropriate button--Screen Saver, Pointers, sounds, and so on--to open a tabbed dialog box in which you can view and modify icons and sounds. After you decide on a theme, choose OK or Apply to close the Desktop Themes dialog box.
A welcome enhancement to the Windows 98 environment is the capability to add additional monitors to increase desktop space. Let's say you normally view your screen resolution at 800¥600 and wish to add another display. Adding an additional monitor set to the same resolution would increase your desktop size to 1600¥600. This new desktop space will display immediately to the right of your existing desktop. You can drag files or open windows anywhere on both screens, but maximizing a window will cause it to take up the maximum space on only a single display. You can, however, drag a window across several screens and make it as large as you want. Windows 98 allows you to add up to eight displays, but we will cover settings for just two.
For each display you add, your system will require an additional video adapter. Your video adapters need not be the same brand, but they must all be PCI cards. Windows 98 does an even better job of detecting and installing plug-and-play devices than its predecessor, Windows 95.
After you have added your new display adapter, Windows 98 will autodetect most video cards automatically and install the appropriate driver. If Windows fails to detect your card, you can force it to look again by opening the Control Panel and selecting the Add New Hardware icon. This action will result in Windows 98 running the Add New Hardware Wizard. Figure 9.4 shows one of the search dialog boxes from the wizard.
FIGURE 9.4 The Add New Hardware Wizard searches your system for new hardware.
You can customize this new display the same way you would your primary display. Choose the Display icon within the Control Panel and then select the Settings tab (see Figure 9.5). After selecting the display of your choice, you can manipulate its settings just like normal. For more detail on how to change resolutions and other display settings, see Chapter 10, "Customizing Windows 98."
FIGURE 9.5 Select which display you want to change.
TIP: You can quickly access your display settings by right-clicking anywhere on your desktop and choosing Properties from the drop-down menu that appears.
Windows 98 makes it quite easy to monitor system events by allowing users to assign sounds to them. It can be quite useful to be informed of the completion of a file download, or an impending battery failure while working on an unrelated project. It can also be fun to dress up the everyday sounds of Windows 98 with something that fits your personality.
Quite a few events already have sounds assigned to them from the first time you start Windows 98. You can change any of the assigned sounds by selecting the Sounds icon from the Control Panel. This launches the Sounds Properties window (see Figure 9.6).
FIGURE 9.6 The Sounds Properties sheet.
Selecting an event from the Events box will display the Name of the corresponding sound and will allow you to preview the sound by clicking on the play button (right arrow). You can change the sound assigned to this event by simply choosing Browse and then selecting a replacement sound file from anywhere on your computer. Selecting Details brings forth the sound's properties window.
After you have assigned custom sounds to the events of your choice, you might wish to save them as a scheme. You can do this with the Save As option. After saving, you can recall an entire scheme whenever you wish or bring back the Windows default. Most Windows Themes have sound schemes of their own built into them. For more information on themes, see the section "Using Desktop Themes" earlier in this chapter.
Should you wish to quickly adjust or mute your speakers' volume, you can do so by clicking on the speaker icon located on your Windows 98 Taskbar. For a more detailed control, right-click on the same speaker icon and select Open Volume Controls. This brings you to the Speaker window (see Figure 9.7) and allows you to adjust speaker balance as well as the volume. Choosing Properties from the Options drop-down menu allows you to select or unselect which volume/balance controls you wish to have displayed in the previous window.
FIGURE 9.7 You can control the volume for several different sound elements.
You can configure audio devices in more detail by selecting the Multimedia icon within the Control Panel (see Figure 9.8). The Audio tab allows changes to the playback or recording options, such as the addition of an alternate audio card. If you decide to enhance your existing speaker setup, you should select Advanced Properties and choose a more appropriate speaker setup from the drop-down list box.
Selecting the CD Music tab allows you to determine the way Windows 98 will use your CD-ROM to play CD music. If your computer contains more than one CD-ROM drive, you can decide which one will be used as Default to play CD music. Selecting the drop-down list will display available drives (see Figure 9.9). You can adjust CD music volume with the slider bar. Placing a check mark in the box will tell Windows 98 to use digital playback instead of analog Whenever possible.
FIGURE 9.8 The Multimedia Properties sheet.
FIGURE 9.9 Specify music CD options from the CD Music page.
From time to time, most notably when adding or removing drives, it might become necessary to modify your existing CD-ROM options, such as reassigning a drive letter or shutting off the Windows 98 AutoPlay feature. These options are explained in the following sections.
From the Control Panel select the System icon and choose the Device Manager tab. You will want to make sure the View devices by type option is selected. From the device list displayed, click on the plus sign to the left of the drive marked CD-ROM. This will display all the installed CD-ROM devices on the system. To list the options available to configure on a CD device, first select the device and then choose Properties.
The General tab will tell you basic information about this drive and let you know whether it is configured properly. Choosing the tab labeled Driver will show you what device driver (if any) is currently installed. You can Update the Driver from this tab as well. Selecting the Settings tab (see Figure 9.10) will display more information about the selected device, such as the Target ID, logical unit number, firmware version, and current drive letter assigned to this drive.
FIGURE 9.10 You can set a variety of settings for a CD-ROM drive.
To assign a different drive letter to the selected CD-ROM drive, select an available letter from the Start drive letter drop-down menu. Make sure the End drive letter is the same and choose OK; restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
If you would like to prevent Windows 98 from automatically launching every CD placed in the selected drive, you can do so quite simply. Make sure you've selected the settings tab of the device properties window and clear the check mark next to Auto insert notification. This will disable AutoPlay on the selected drive only. If you have more that one CD-ROM device, you must disable each drive separately.
In System Properties (right-click on My Computer and choose Properties) select the Performance tab. Under the Advanced Settings heading choose File system. From the File System Properties window, choose the tab marked CD-ROM. From here you can adjust the amount of Supplemental cache Windows 98 uses by moving the slide bar (see Figure 9.11). You can also Optimize the access pattern for your CD-ROM drive by selecting the most appropriate drive from the drop-down menu.
FIGURE 9.11 Use the CD-ROM page to control advanced CD-ROM settings.
It might become necessary to modify your DVD-ROM options, such as reassigning a drive letter, to prevent it from interfering with an existing CD-ROM or shutting off the Windows 98 AutoPlay feature. Changing these options is very similar to modifying a regular CD-ROM.
From the Control Panel, select the System icon and choose the Device Manager tab. You will want to make sure the View devices by type option is selected. From the device list displayed, click on the plus sign to the left of the drive marked CD-ROM. This will display all the installed DVD-ROM and other CD-ROM devices on the system. To list the options available to configure on a CD device, first select the device and then choose Properties.
The General tab will tell you basic information about this DVD-ROM drive and let you know whether it's configured properly. Choosing the tab labeled Driver will show you what device driver (if any) is currently installed. You can Update the Driver from this tab as well. Selecting the Settings tab will display more information about the selected device, such as the Target ID, logical unit number, firmware version, and current drive letter assigned to this drive.
To assign a different drive letter to the selected DVD-ROM drive, select an available letter from the Start drive letter drop-down menu. Make sure the End drive letter is the same and choose OK. Restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
If you would like to prevent Windows 98 from automatically launching every CD placed in the selected DVD-ROM drive, you can do so quite simply. Make sure you've selected the settings tab of the device properties window; then clear the check mark next to Auto insert notification. This will disable AutoPlay.
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