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  • Stop Windows from Altering Floppy Disks
  • How do I protect myself against email viruses (such as worms)?
  • When I choose "Shut Down" from the Start Menu, my computer hangs at the "Please Wait" screen
  • Things that slow down system bootup
  • Move or Copy Files at Will
  •  
 Stop Windows from Altering Floppy Disks
Intended For
Windows XP
Windows 2000
Windows Me
Windows 98
Windows 95
You probably don't know it, but Windows will change the contents of any floppy inserted into a modern Windows System (Win95 or later). This is to update the file system on the floppy to accept long filenames, but can have disastrous effects on your valuable data. Diskettes affected include some older versions of MS-DOS startup diskettes, many copy-protected programs, and software that inspects the validity of the diskette before installing. In particular, the place being changed is the OEM-ID of a disk, offset 3 in the boot-sector. To prevent Windows from altering your floppies, the solution is quite simple:

Write protect any floppies before putting them into a modern Windows machine.

Written by: Annoyances.org
Last updated: Thursday, August 9, 2001
How do I protect myself against email viruses (such as worms)?
Intended For
Windows XP
Windows 2000
Windows Me
Windows 98
Windows 95
Here are the top five things you can do to eliminate the risk of getting a virus over email. Note that installing antivirus software with an autoprotect feature will not protect you in all circumstances! (Rather, it will only give you a false sense of security.)
  1. Don't open unknown email attachments.
  2. Don't open unknown email attachments.
  3. Don't open unknown email attachments.
  4. Don't open unknown email attachments, no matter how appealing the message may be. If you're certain you want to open an email attachment, scan the file manually with your antivirus software before you open it (don't rely on the auto-scan).
  5. Back up your computer often.

Written by: Annoyances.org
Last updated: Monday, August 13, 2001
When I choose "Shut Down" from the Start Menu, my computer hangs at the "Please Wait" screen
Intended For
Windows XP
Windows 2000
Windows Me
Windows 98
Windows 95
  • Most likely, one or more of your drivers is not allowing itself to be unloaded.
  • This, supposedly, is less of a problem in Windows 98 and Windows Me than in Windows 95 (most drivers are no longer unloaded when you shut down), but it still seems to trip up Windows from time to time.
  • Try hitting Enter when it hangs to "wake it up."
  • Try holding Shift while clicking Ok in the "Shut Down" dialog - this might allow you to shut down faster, and bypass whatever is causing your system to hang.
  • This can also happen if the sound file for Shutdown becomes corrupted. Double-click on the Sounds icon in Control Panel and remove or change the sound event for Shutdown.

Written by: Annoyances.org
Last updated: Thursday, August 9, 2001
Things that slow down system bootup
Intended For
Windows XP
Windows 2000
Windows Me
Windows 98
Windows 95
  • You don't have enough free RAM - you should have a minimum of 32 megabytes for Windows 95 and Windows 98, 64 MB for Windows Me, and 128 MB for Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
  • Your hard disk is too slow - try optimizing it using Defrag. If you have some money burning a hole in your pocket, you might want to invest in a new, fast, huge hard disk.
  • You don't have enough free disk space for a swapfile - you should have a minimum of 3 megabytes of free disk space for each megabyte of system RAM.
  • You have 850 fonts installed. If you can survive without all those fonts, try removing 600-700 of them to see if that makes a difference.
  • Your network drivers (LAN, Dial-up Networking) take too long to load - try disabling them to see if it makes a difference.
  • Too many programs are being loaded at startup - check your Startup folder and eliminate any unneeded shortcuts.

Written by: Annoyances.org
Last updated: Thursday, August 9, 2001
Move or Copy Files at Will
Intended For
Windows XP
Windows 2000
Windows Me
Windows 98
Windows 95
Intuitively, when you drag a file from one place to another, it would seem reasonable that the file will be moved, not copied. That is, when you see an object disappear from a location, it shouldn't still be there next time you look. One of the worst inconsistencies in Windows is what actually happens to files when they're dragged. Dragging from one place to another on the same disk ends up moving the files, while dragging from one disk to another copies them. If you're just dragging EXE files, a shortcut is created, and the file is neither copied nor moved. The only consistency here is that this same design flaw is duplicated on Macintosh and OS/2. To cope with this, follow the following instructions:
  • To copy a file under any situation, hold the Ctrl key while dragging.
  • To move a file under any situation, hold the Shift key while dragging.
  • To choose what happens to dragged files, drag them with the right mouse-button, and a menu will appear when the files are dropped.
  • Note: Notice that the mouse cursor changes depending on the action being taken. A small plus (+) appears when copying, and a curved arrow appears when creating a shortcut.
  • Note: There is no way to set the default action when dragging files - a glaring omission.

Written by: Annoyances.org
Last updated: Thursday, August 16, 2001
Learn to Explore with Folders
Intended For
Windows XP
Windows 2000
Windows Me
Windows 98
Windows 95
Here are some tips for controlling the way folders and files behave. Although selecting Options from the View menu in My Computer lets you choose whether to open each new folder as a new window or re-use the same window, there is a way to pick-&-choose this behavior on the fly:

 

  • Select Options from the View menu in My Computer, select Custom, and then click Settings.
  • From the Browse folders as follows section, choose the option that you want.
  • Even though you've chosen one option, you can hold Ctrl while double-clicking folder icons to use the other option.

Other keys that work with either setting:

  • Hold Alt while double-clicking on a file or folder to view the Properties window for that object.
  • Hold Shift while double-clicking on a folder to open Explorer at that location (careful when using this as Shift is also used to select multiple files).
  • Press Backspace in an open folder to go to the parent folder.
  • Hold Shift while clicking on the close button (X) to close all open folders.
  • A shortcut for choosing a new program to be used with a certain file type is to hold the Shift key while right-clicking on a file, and choosing Open With...

Written by: Annoyances.org
Last updated: Friday, August 10, 2001