Windows 98 Annoyances
by David A. Karp


Unconfirmed error reports are from readers.  They have not yet been 
approved or disproved by the author or editor and represent solely the
opinion of the reader.

If you have technical questions or error reports, you can send them to
booktech@oreilly.com.  Please specify the printing date of your copy.


This page was updated July 30, 2002 


Here's a key to the markup:

        [page-number]: serious technical mistake
        {page-number}: minor technical mistake
        <page-number>: important language/formatting problem
        (page-number): language change or minor formatting problem
        ?page-number?: reader question or request for clarification


UNCONFIRMED errors and comments from readers


{67} Restoring a Registry Checker backup: in my experience the
     method advocated of double-clicking on the most recent "cab" file in
     \windows\sysbckup often fails. On restarting Windows one gets an error 
     message that the Registry is corrupt and Windows does its own thing and 
     loads another copy of the Registry. It is much better to use the Dos 
     method given in the second part of your page.


?[93]?  My Computer;
I tried to alter the Registry in the following way:

Under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}, I added 
a new key called "ShellFolder", then in this created key, I added a binary 
value called "Attributes". Then using your similar method of adding a "Delete" 
option to the "Recycle Bin"'s context menu (Solution 2), I found out that I 
can also added a "Delete" option to the "My Computer" context menu.

I wonder if this action will have any damage to the Windows system?  


{169} Fourth bullet paragraph should be: 

	windows\temp vice c\temp.
i.e.:

	del c:\temp\*.tmp >nul

	del c:\windows\temp\*.tmp >nul


{133} Getting Windows to turn File Icons into Thumbnails Previews in the
      Explorer view of files will not always work following the changes
      in the Registry described in the book for one or both of the following
      reasons:

	1. Corel 8 has been installed with BMP files associated with Corel 
	Draw. Explorer will show that the association is still with MS Paint 
	but either the icon shown is the Corel Draw balloon or a message is 
	received saying that MS paint cannot be found when the file is 
	highlighted. To get over this you must edit not only HKEY_CLASSES_
	ROOT\Paint.Picture\DefaultIcon but also the appropriate values in the 
	keys bmp and COREL8.Graphic.

	2. The correct file icons may still not show if Windows 98 had not 
	rebuilt the icon cache. This has to be forced, for example using the 
	command in Microangelo 98.


[141]  Step 2 of CD Key;
Step 2 of the change to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion indicates making a change to the ProductId value which is a 20 
character numeric field. The next value is ProductKey which is the actual 25 
character alpha-numeric field resembling the CD Key. It seems that the changes 
described need to be made to the ProductKey value rather than the ProductId 
value.


(240)  bottom line;
Missing word, probably a verb.

says: "Your backup program not be able to reliably
back up any files that are in use."

should say: "Your backup program will not be able to
reliably back up any files that are in use."


(275) Fourth bullet : the semi-colon in the last sentence should be a comma:
	the 'if' clause continues to the word 'option'. Alternatively, re-cast
	as follows: "You can get the effect of restarting the computer in 
	MS-DOS mode if you choose the Program tab ... and turn on the MS-DOS 
	mode option."

(275) Fourth bullet : the semi-colon in the last sentence should be a comma: 
the 'if' clause continues to the word 'option'.


(308)  Table 7-2, "Expected Throughput (kb/sec)"; 
Surely "kb" should be in uppercase, i.e., (KB/sec) - to differentiate between 
kbits/sec and kbytes/sec.?


(328) The reference to Appendix C (half way down the page) should refer to
       Appendix B, DOS Lives


{357} In the middle of page, in the function "fileDate" the third line reads:

	GetFileDate = FileHandle.DateCreated

Should read:

	FileDate = FileHandle.DateCreated

This error was also repeated in the CD.


{394, 395} It seems that the instructions for each item under the heading 
	"Tray" needs to be shifted up, in relation to the subheading. Though 
	that would leave the last item on the list without instructions and 
	an extra set of directions. Also the first item on top of page 394 
	has incorrect instructions. There could be other things like this in 
	Appendix A.