by Christopher Gagnon
Power Toys is a suite of utilities that were originally developed for Windows 95. The suite contains a number of applications and interface extensions that the developers at Microsoft felt should have been included in the Windows 95 interface. Many of these improvements are now integrated into Windows 98, so there's no need to install every utility. However, several components of Power Toys still appeal to the advanced user.
Power Toys for Windows 95 is still an unsupported utility, so if you run into problems, Microsoft will not officially support you. But an updated version of TweakUI is included on the Windows 98 distribution CD, and it addresses some of the new features of Windows 98.
As we mentioned, Power Toys contains several components that are unnecessary because their functionality is already integrated into the Windows 98 interface. Therefore, you should review the individual utilities before starting the installation process. You might decide that you do not want a particular tool on your system.
Before you install Power Toys, you will need to extract the contents of the POWERTOY.EXE file to a clean folder. The following list describes the contents of the POWERTOY.EXE file, sorted by application:
| Application | Contents |
| Autoplay Extender | Aplayext.dll Aplayext.inf Shellfix.dll Shellfix.inf |
| Cabinet Viewer | Cabview.dll Cabview.inf |
| Round Clock | Clock.exe |
| Fast Folder Contents | Content.dll Content.inf |
| Deskmenu | Deskmenu.exe Deskmenu.inf |
| DOS From Here | Doshere.inf |
| Explore From Here | Explore.inf |
| Find X | Findx.dll Findx.inf |
| Flexi CD | Flexicd.dll |
| Flexicd.inf | |
| Install.inf | Installation file that installs all Power Toys components |
| Quickres | Quickres.exe Quickres.inf |
| Readme.txt | Power Toys Documentation |
| Send To X | Sendtox.dll Sendtox.inf |
| TapiTNA | Tapitna.exe |
| Shortcut Target Menu | Target.dll Target.inf |
| TweakUI | Tweakui.cnt Tweakui.cpl Tweakui.hlp Tweakui. inf |
| Xmouse | Xmouse.exe |
You use the INSTALL.INF file to install the entire suite of tools. However, because some of the Power Toys have problems with Windows 98, this is not recommended. Specifically, Windows 98 has problems with the AutoPlay Extender and the Cabinet Viewer. You gain no functionality with these tools under Windows 98; it is best to avoid problems altogether by installing each component individually.
Power Toys does not come with an installation utility. Instead, each utility and update has an associated .INF file. To install an individual utility, follow these steps:
TweakUI is one of the handiest and most popular unsupported utilities you can install. This utility gives you access to features that would otherwise require you to edit the Registry. TweakUI adds an icon to the Control Panel that gives you a central location for making changes.
TweakUI is included on the Windows 98 CD as part of the Resource Kit Sampler and does not require a full installation of Power Toys to function. In fact, Power Toys for Windows 95 contains an older version of TweakUI that does not contain as many features. You will want to be sure that you install TweakUI from the Windows 98 CD to ensure a full set of features. This section discusses how you can use TweakUI to fine-tune some of the advanced features of Windows 98.
The Mouse tab allows you to set advanced mouse features (see Figure C.1). The Menu Speed Slider adjusts the speed of the menu animation. For example, if you set the speed to maximum and then maneuver through the Start menu, the menus will fly out much faster than usual. Changing this setting requires that you log off and log back on to put the changes into effect.
FIG. C.1 The Mouse tab allows you to change advanced configuration parameters for your mouse.
The Mouse Sensitivity section allows you to change the reaction time for double-clicking and dragging icons. If you have a Microsoft IntelliPoint Mouse, you can also make changes to the way your wheel reacts.
The version of TweakUI included on the Windows 98 CD also incorporates the Xmouse utility into the TweakUI interface. If you select this option, the active window will always be the one that your mouse is over; you will no longer have to click on a window to make it active. (Xmouse is discussed in detail later in this chapter.)
The General tab (see Figure C.2) controls the advanced features for some of the basic aspects of Windows 98. The Effects section allows you to control the following general effects:
To enable or disable any of these features, simply check the box next to the feature.
The Special Folders section allows you to move the location of any of the required folders. The following folders are considered special folders, which you cannot move using Windows Explorer:
FIG. C.2 The General tab allows you to modify advanced features for some of the basic functions of Windows 98.
The Explorer tab controls the advanced features for the Windows desktop interface (see Figure C.3). From this tab, you can change the look and feel of some of the desktop elements. For example, you can change the way windows modifies shortcut icons. You can also change the basic startup settings.
FIG. C.3 You can change advanced desktop properties with the Explorer tab.
The IE4 tab gives you control over various settings for Internet Explorer. This includes both the browser and the Active Desktop components. The following options are available:
The Desktop tab (shown in Figure C.4) allows you to place and remove special desktop icons. For example, you might not want the Network Neighborhood icon on your desktop. To remove an icon from your desktop, simply check the box next to the icon you want to remove. You can also use this method to add a listed icon to the desktop.
FIG. C.4 The Desktop tab allows you to add or remove special icons from the desktop.
With the settings on the My Computer tab, you can prevent a drive letter from being reported in My Computer (see Figure C.5). This tab is similar in functionality to the Desktop tab. To remove a drive from My Computer, simply remove the check mark from the box next to the drive.
NOTE: This will not physically disable the drive or prevent the drive letter from being assigned to a drive. It simply hides the drive from My Computer.
FIG. C.5 The My Computer tab allows you to hide drives from My Computer.
From this section, you can remove unneeded icons from your Control Panel. Unfortunately, you cannot use it to add your own components. Each available component is listed in this section. To disable a particular icon, simply remove the check mark from the box next to the description.
If your computer is on a network, you will probably be prompted to log on when you start Windows 98. The Network tab (shown in Figure C.6) allows you to set a username and password for automatic logon. Enter your username and password, and Windows 98 passes this information on when you start the system. This option gets your computer started faster and keeps you from having to remember your logon credentials.
CAUTION: Setting your system up for automatic logon introduces several security issues. First of all, your password is stored in the Registry and is not encrypted. Therefore, anyone with access to your system can view your password using Regedit. Also, anyone who boots your computer will be automatically logged onto the network with your credentials. Use this option only if you know you are in a low-risk situation.
When you right-click on the desktop or in Windows Explorer, one of the options in the shortcut menu is New. That option allows you to create a new item, such as a folder or a text document. The New tab in TweakUI allows you to modify the types of files you can create with the New command (see Figure C.7). To turn off a particular file type, simply remove the check mark from the box next to the name of the file type.
FIG. C.6 From the Network tab, you can configure your system to automatically log on to the network.
FIG. C.7 The New tab enables you to modify the types of files that can be created with the New command.
One of the benefits of Windows 98 is that it contains a section of the Control Panel called Add/Remove Programs. This utility allows you to remove all changes made to your system by a particular program when you uninstall that program. The utility then removes the program from the list of installed programs. As useful as this utility is, it is not flawless. You might find yourself in a situation where a program is listed in the Remove Programs list that is no longer installed on your system.
The Add/Remove tab in TweakUI (see Figure C.8) allows you to remove items from the list of installed programs. To remove a software package from the list of installed software, for example, click on the package and choose the Remove button.
NOTE: Removing an item via the Add/Remove tab of TweakUI does not actually remove the item from the system. It only removes it from the list of installed software.
FIG. C.8 The Add/Remove tab allows you to modify the Installed Software list.
You can also use this utility to add an installed software package to the installed software list. To add a package, follow this procedure:
NOTE: The uninstall command will differ depending on the software package. Check your documentation for the correct command.
From the Boot tab (shown in Figure C.9), you can modify the way Windows 98 acts during a system boot. Several options are available. Advanced users will notice that several of these options can be set in the MSDOS.SYS file. This tab gives you a simple interface to make the same modifications. The following options are available:
FIG. C.9 You can modify the way Windows 98 boots from the Boot tab.
The Repair tab allows you to fix some of the problems that can occur when changing system settings (see Figure C.10). This is an important feature of TweakUI, because you can actually cause some of these problems by using Power Toys.
Each of the repair tools is described here:
FIG. C.10 The Repair tab options allow you to fix common problems.
You can use the options on the Paranoia tab, shown in Figure C.11, to remove any signs of what you are doing with the system. For example, you might not want Windows 98 to automatically display the last-used command when you choose Start, Run.
The paranoia options are outlined in the following list:
FIG. C.11 You can use the Paranoia tab to keep Windows 98 from displaying certain properties.
The Cabfile Viewer is a separate utility in Power Toys that allows you to view the contents of the cabinet files on the Windows distribution media. This functionality is already built into Windows 98, so you should not attempt to install this utility.
The Deskmenu utility places an icon in your system tray that displays the contents of the desktop (see Figure C.12). To use the utility, you simply click on the Desktop Contents icon in the system tray. You can then chose to run any item in the list. This utility has the same functionality as the Desktop Toolbar on the taskbar. (Taskbar toolbars are a new integrated feature of Windows 98 and were covered earlier in this book.) The Deskmenu utility works fine under Windows 98, so if you prefer it to the Desktop Toolbar, feel free to install it.
FIG. C.12 Deskmenu gives you access to your desktop items from the system tray.
The DOS Prompt Here utility modifies the properties list for every folder on the system and allows you to start a command prompt with the folder set as the active directory. For example, if you are viewing the My Documents folder from Windows Explorer and you need to open a Command Prompt from that folder, all you need to do is right-click on My Documents and select Command Prompt Here from the list (see Figure C.13). This utility keeps you from having to type a bunch of CD commands when you start the Command Prompt.
FIG. C.13 The Command Prompt Here utility allows you to start a Command Prompt session in any folder.
The Explore From Here utility (see Figure C.14) is similar to the DOS From Here utility in that it modifies the properties list for all folders on the system. The difference is that it opens Windows Explorer with the desired folder active. This is handy if you are searching through My Computer and find that you need the functionality of Windows Explorer for a certain task. Simply right-click the folder and select Explore From Here from the list. This utility keeps you from having to open Explorer and navigate through the directory structure all over again when you already have the folder on the desktop.
TIP: Explore From Here is especially handy if you are using the Find utility to search for a folder or a computer on the network. After Find displays the desired folder or computer, you can right-click and choose Explore From Here to manage the files in the folder or on the remote system.
FIG. C.14 Explore From Here allows you to start Windows Explorer in any folder.
This utility also modifies the properties list for all folders on the system. It adds an entry called Contents that allows you to view the contents of the folder (see Figure C.15). You can then execute files from this list.
For example, if you right-click the My Documents folder and choose Contents, you will see a list of all documents in the folder. You can then choose the file you want, and Windows 98 launches the associated application. This keeps you from having to launch Windows Explorer to locate a file.
FIG. C.15 Fast Folder Contents allows you to view the contents of a folder by right-clicking the folder.
Find X is an extension of the Find utility that allows you to create your own Find categories. After installation, you can modify the Find categories by going to Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel and double-clicking Find Extensions. This launches a small interface that you can use to add the categories. Windows 98 has extended Find support built-in, so this utility is not as useful as it was for Windows 95. However, it does add the ability to add new extensions. You can find different extensions on the World Wide Web.
Flexi CD is an audio CD player that resides in the system tray. When an audio CD is present in the CD-ROM drive, Flexi CD gives you the ability to control the CD.
This application installs a component called the Autoplay Extender, which seems to have trouble with Windows 98. Installing this application results in an error message at system startup that points to the AUTOPLAY.DLL file. The system seems to run fine after you acknowledge the error, but it is clear that there is an issue here that needs to be resolved by Microsoft before you should install this application.
Quickres is a utility that allows you to change your screen resolution and color depth without rebooting the computer. This functionality is integrated into Windows 98, so installing this application is not recommended.
Round Clock is an updated version of the Clock program that came with Windows 3.1 and 3.11. Running this program starts a window with a clock in it. The big difference between this program and the old CLOCK.EXE is that it can actually display a round window (see Figure C.16). To see this, you must choose Analog and No Title from the Settings menu. This displays a round clock with no window around it. The old version of CLOCK.EXE would display a rectangular window with a round clock inside the window.
This utility is really only useful as a demonstration of the Region Windows available in Windows 95 and Windows 98. Both versions of the operating system have support for running a clock in the system tray, so it's not very beneficial to take up room on the desktop with this utility.
FIG. C.16 The enhanced CLOCK.EXE demonstrates how Windows 98 can display non-rectangular windows.
If you are familiar with using shortcuts, you should know that choosing Properties after right-clicking on the shortcut will give you the properties for the shortcut itself. The Shortcut Target Menu component adds a menu item called Target that allows you to modify the properties for the program pointed to by the shortcut. You can use the Target menu to copy, open, or view the properties of the target file. Whereas most shortcuts you create on your desktop only point to files that are buried somewhere in the system, this utility gives you easy access to files.
This utility adds an icon to the system tray that allows you to change your dialing location and launch the dialing properties window (see Figure C.17). This application is especially helpful on a laptop computer, because you're likely to change area codes frequently.
This program is simply an executable and has no installation method. Just copy the TAPITNA.EXE file to your Windows folder and put a shortcut to it in your Startup group. Then, to change your dialing location, you can click on the TapiTNA icon and choose a location from the list. You can also launch the Dialing Properties window or the Phone Dialer by right- clicking the icon and selecting the appropriate entry from the shortcut menu.
FIG. C.17 TapiTNA allows you to quickly change your dialing properties from an icon in the System Tray.
Xmouse is a simple utility that usually appeals to UNIX enthusiasts. It changes the active window to whichever one the mouse is pointing to. To see how this works, launch two occurrences of the command prompt, and then double-click the XMOUSE.EXE icon. Click on the first command prompt window and start typing. While you are typing, move the mouse over the other window, but don't click. When you move the mouse over the second window, whatever you type shows up in that window, even if the first window is in front of it.
This utility is handy if you only have a few windows open. It can get rather confusing as you open more and more windows, though. Xmouse puts an icon in the Control Panel that you can use to adjust settings and deactivate the utility (see Figure C.18).
NOTE: Remember that Xmouse is included in the updated version of TweakUI. You can install this version from your Windows 98 distribution CD.
FIG. C.18 You can modify Xmouse settings by selecting the Xmouse icon in the Control Panel.
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