Tips & Tricks for Windows 95

TUNING UP EXPLORER

Add file types to the mouse menu.
File types found under the "New" menu item on the mouse (right click) menu are installed in the Registry.

Run regedit.exe
Use the "find" function under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT to locate the default extension (i.e. ".doc" for Microsoft Word) of the program you wish to install.
Below the file's extension you need to add a new key with the value "ShellNew".
Now you have two options
1. Launch a null file (one with no preset styles, etc.) Insert a new string in the ShellNew key named "NullFile" and leave the value blank.
2. Launch a template file. Insert a new string in the Shellnew key named "filename" and set the value equal to the path of the template document.
Close Regedit.

The program now appears under the "New" item of the right-click mouse menu in Explorer. When you create a new document in this manner, Win95 either copies the template file or creates a null file.

File Management with Mouse
Get hip to the right mouse button in Explorer, it's a real time saver! Drag and drop files or desktop objects with the RIGHT mouse button instead of the left. In this manner, you get a little pop-up menu giving you options like Move Here, Copy Here, Create Shortcut Here. Right click either on the file or in a clear space of the Explorer window for most all of Explorer's menu functions.

Nudging the Directory Tree
To move or copy a file from one folder to another using only one Explorer window, drag the file up or down in the direction of the target directory. As you near the edge of the window, you can "nudge" the directory tree into a scroll until the target directory comes into view.

Changing the Sort order in Explorer
To change the sort order of the right window of Explorer, simply double click on the "Name" button underneath the toolbar to change the sort order from ascending to descending. A single click after that will suffice. The same works for Size, Type and Date Modified.

Control the directory or drive where Explorer opens
You may path Explorer to open in any drive or subdirectory. Create a shortcut to Explorer and use the following command line to open it at the root of C:\

c:\windows\explorer.exe /e,root,c:\

Amend the path for the drive and directory of your choosing.

Delete immediately
If you hold down shift while dragging items into the Recycle Bin they will be DELETED immediately. Similarly, pressing Shift-Del gives you the same effect.

Different actions on documents with mouse
In addition to the 'open' command, you can define the actions to be performed on a document which appear on the pop-up mouse menu activated when you right-click on a file icon.

Choose "Options" from the "View" menu in Explorer.
Select the 'File Types' tab.
Find the file type to which you wish to add an action and double click on it to bring up the edit window. There should already be at least one action here, probably "Open," maybe "Print."
Click on the "New..." button
Enter a new command, like Edit or View or whatever you prefer, Then enter the application you wish to perform the action.

Next time you right-click on a file of that type, you will see your new command.

Expanding all subfolders
To quickly expand the Explorer tree view to show all subfolders for a highlighted drive or folder, simply press the asterisk (*) key on the numeric keypad.

"File-Manager-type" view
To show a two directory view similar to File Manager just open two instances of the Explorer, right-click on the Task bar, and select "Tile Vertically". Win95 will retain both if you leave them running when you shut down so they restore automatically the next time you boot up.

Opening desktop folders with Explorer
Create a new folder, "c:\user." Then create a shortcut to the folder on the desktop. Right click on the desktop folder shortcut and amend the properties for the shortcut target as follows:

"c:\windows\explorer.exe /n,/e,c:\user

If you want to the folder to appear as root, add the option "/root." For example:

"c:\windows\explorer.exe /n,/e,/root,c:\user" Now the folder will be opened in explorer view when double-clicking the icon.

Fast name change
LEFT click on the file, folder, or desktop item as you normally would to select it. Wait a moment, long enough for Windows to know that you aren't double clicking it, and LEFT click again. The file, folder or desktop item is now ready for a name change. Or the fastest way: Choose the file you want to change the name on, and press F2.

Opening an associated file with a different program
Hold the SHIFT key while right-clicking on the file in Explorer. "Open With" can now be selected, and you can choose a different application with which to open the file.

Quick Properties
To quickly access the Properties information for any object, hold the ALT key while double-clicking it.

Dealing with and removing tildes
Suppose you wanted a directory named "New Downloads" in Win95, but have the short file name be just "DOWNLOAD" instead of "NEWDOW~1" which is less than helpful. Short filenames are relevant in a mixed computing environment where you share files with other users whose systems do not support long file names (LFN's). Here are a couple of things to try:

Train users to start LFN's with a descriptive short version. For example, DOWNLOADS-NEW which would resolve to Downlo~1.
Further, you can get rid of the tildes with a simple registry hack. Add the value NameNumericTail = 0 in the following Registry key: Hkey_Local_Machine\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem.

Speedy mouse & keyboard combos
Dragging and dropping files with the mouse in combination with the CTRL and SHIFT keys can really speed up your file management. Try these combos:

Hold down SHIFT while dragging MOVES file(s)
Hold down CTRL while dragging COPIES file(s)
Hold down SHIFT & CTRL while dragging CREATES LINK

NOTE: Certain folders do no allow objects to be dropped (i.e. Control Panel, and Printers), others always Move To regardless of SHIFT/CTRL status (i.e. Recycle Bin).

Use Quick View with Any File
A handy tool that comes with Windows95 is the Quick View application. By right-clicking on some files, you will see an option called Quick View, which allows you to view the contents of a file without opening the application. The problem is it doesn't work with just any file. To get your favorite files to work with the Quick Viewer, follow these steps:

Solution #1

Double-click on the My Computer icon, and choose "Options..." from the "View" menu. Click on the File Types, and choose a file type or extension from the list. Click "Edit...," turn on the "Enable Quick View" option, and press OK. If the file you want to add to Quick View is not listed, press "New Type..." to add the extension of the desired file to the list. You will have to do this for every file you want to use with Quick View. Note that Quick View may not have a filter for every file you view, but sometimes viewing the raw data is better than nothing at all.

Solution #2

Add a shortcut to QUIKVIEW.EXE (in your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\folder) to your \WINDOWS\SENDTO folder. This way, Quick Viewer will be accessible from the Send To submenu when you right click on any file.

Exploring with folders
Instead of using Explorer's split-screen operation, try using only folders for your file management. The fact of the matter is, most find themselves needing more than one Explorer window to maneuver between long directory structures and different drives. Folders keep it simple. Use the tool bar to jump up a level or hyper over to different drives. Use the SHIFT and CONTROL keys in conjunction with double click (or right mouse click) to explode subdirectories either as folder windows or Explorer windows.

Tweaking up right-click with folders
If you're browsing through folder windows, it's usually best to have Windows95 set so it uses a single window that changes when you open a new folder (see Explorer's VIEW,OPTIONS,Folder tab). However, if you want to copy or move files around, it's nice to be able to quickly open a separate window for a folder.

This can be done by holding "CTRL" as you double-click or select "Explore" from the right click mouse menu. But a nice convention is to have the feature as an option on the right-click menu, next to "Open" and "Explore." To do this, you need to change the registry a bit.

Run the Registry Editor
Find the entry for "Directory" under the "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT" branch.
Under, "Directory", you will find "Default Icon", "shell", and "shellex" folders
Open the "shell" folder and add a new key called "opennew". Modify its (Default) value to say "Open New &Window".
Now add another key under "opennew". Call this one "command", and set its (Default) value to "explorer %1".

That should do it. One side effect is that "Open New Window" now also appears when you right-click on the Start Button, which is completely pointless because it does that anyway. Oh well.

Blow off the mouse!
Keyboardists take heart! If you hate going through My Computer or Explorer when you know right where you want to go, here is a solution. Click on "Start..." on the Taskbar then "Run..." and then type in your path of your computer or directory. Better yet, get a Windows keyboard and hit the "Window" key, "R" then type in the path.

What to do if You Hate Explorer!
Explorer is an improvement over the old File Manager, but not by much, and the cute little yellow folders everywhere just remind us why we didn't by a Macintosh. So, every red-blooded Windows power-user should be using XTree for DOS (yea, you heard me - DOS!). The newest version is available from Symantec. They also have a Windows version (v4.0), but Symantec really screwed it up. If you still want a Windows version, the older v1.5 for Windows is pretty good.

Admittedly, this is intended for more experienced users only. Although long filenames aren't supported in the DOS version, such features like searching for files and built-in ZIP support are quite appealing. This is Symantec's chance to come out with a really good Windows95 version, if they don't blow it.

Unabridged version of Tips and Tricks for Windows 95 copyright © 1995 - 2001 Hanar Software, all rights reserved. Tips and Tricks for Windows 95 Abridged Internet Edition copyright © 1997-2001, Hanar Software and William Foard Publishing, all rights reserved. AmericaToday.com copyright © 1995 - 2001 William Foard Publishing. Microsoft, MS, Windows, and the Windows logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Corporation in no way endorses or is affiliated with Tips and Tricks for Windows 95. All other trademarks are the sole property of their respective owner(s).