dacs.doc electric

Sometimes when working with Windows 98 (Win98), you'll run into problems. OK. Most of the time. Correcting these problems is often as simple as reversing the last thing you did. If you just modified the Registry, you could restore it by using ScanReg or some other utility.

However, one challenge in correcting Win98 problems is that there are so many places to check. For example, when you install a program, the CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT, WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, and various keys in the Registry may be modified.

When installing a backward-compatible application, it is a lot like giving cotton candy to a toddler. Even if you take the cotton candy away, there are trace elements of the sticky filaments all over the place.

If you want to work with the configuration files, you can use a text editor to open them one by one. This is a painful process involving changing a file, rebooting, and then seeing if the change made a difference in your system. If the change you made did not fix the problem (or, with my luck, made it worse), you would then restore the file to its original condition, make a change in the next file, and hope for the best. During this procedure, you can inadvertently introduce many errors. This makes troubleshooting even more difficult. To make file editing less painful, there is a tool called Sysedit that will bring all of your configuration files onto the screen. To get there, choose Start/Run, type sysedit, then press Enter.

This is an improvement over the Notepad utility. Though this tool makes it easier to manage all of your files, the troubleshooting process is still tedious. Wouldn't it be great if there were a graphical user tool that would allow you to modify or bypass pieces of your configuration files so that you could test changes and fix your problems?

Enter MSCONFIG.EXE (Start/Run, type msconfig, then press Enter). Using simple checkboxes, you can choose which portion of the configuration files to activate. This helps minimize the introduction of new errors (such as typographical errors).

MSCONFIG.EXE also allows you to temporarily disable Windows applications that normally start up with the computer. Now you don't have to go inside the Registry to hack away at and possibly cause additional damage to active
programs.

Most of the time, problems with Win98 are a result of the last thing you did to the computer, such as install a new piece of software, or make a Registry change. You can restore the last good copy of the Registry by rebooting your Windows 98 machine, and when you see "loading Windows 98," pressing the F8 key to produce a menu. Select the DOS prompt from the menu. From the DOS prompt, issue the command SCANREG. This utility is menu-driven and will give you the opportunity to restore one of the last five good backups of your Registry.

By testing these tools and becoming familiar with them BEFORE an emergency happens, you can increase productive time and be more confident in your troubleshooting skills.