WindowsME Tips

Automated WindowsME Installation

You can use the same Batch 2.0 program available by Microsoft for Windows95 and 98 to create a fully unattended installation of WindowsME.
With it you can enter it the Product ID as well as what components you want to install. 

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Turning Off System Restore

If you want to turn off the System Restore feature:

1. Right-click on the My Computer' icon on the desktop
2. Select Properties
3. Click on the Performances tab
4. Click on the File System button
5. Now click on the Troubleshooting tab 
6. Check the Disable System Restore box

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Locking the Taskbar in Place

If you want to lock the taskbar so it can't be accidentally moved or resized:

1. Right click on the Taskbar
2. Select Properties
3. Click on the Advanced tab
4. In the bottom window, scroll to the bottom
5. In the Taskbar section, uncheck Enable moving and resizing

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Installing WindowsME Without a Previous OS

You can install WindowsME without having a previous operating system installed. 

1. You just need to have a pervious version's CD available.
2. I recommend copying the source files to the hard drive and installing from there.
3. When you are prompted for a previous operating system, simply insert your
   Windows95/98 CD and browse to the directory where the source files are located.
4. You can then continue installing on a clean system without having to install a previous version.
5. This should save a lot of time in the event you need to reinstall WindowsME from scratch.  

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Removing Personalized Menus

If you don't want to have Personalized Menus (this is where only your most frequent menu items are shown)

1. Right-click on the Task Bar
2. Select Properties
3. Uncheck Use Personalized Menus

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Creating a Quick Boot Disk

While you can't reboot WindowsME to a DOS prompt, you can create a simple boot disk.

1. Format a floppy disk
2. Copy the \Windows\Command\EBD\IO.SYS and COMMAND.COM files to the floppy

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Displaying More File Information in Explorer

You can easily display more information than the File Name, Size, Type and Modified Date in Explorer. 

1. Right click on any one of these headings in the Explorer in the right hand panel.
2. This will bring up some of the additional fields you can display.
3. Items such as Attribute, Comment, Created Date, Accessed date are available.
4. You can also click on More for other items as well
5. Selections such as Comment can be useful for Word and Excel documents. 
6. You can right click on the file, select Properties / Summary. 
7. Select the Comment field and enter in a short description for the file. 

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Monitoring the Dial-Up Adapter Performance

The System Monitor now includes a Dial-Up Adapter section
You can monitor items such as Connection Speed, Bytes Received or Transmitted / Second, as well as several types of errors.

1. To run the System Monitor, go to Start / Programs / Accessories / System Tools
2. From here you can Add items from Edit / Add
3. If you need to install the System Monitor, go to the Control Panel / Add/Remove Program / Windows Setup / System Tools.