Accessing Files Within Programs
For programs like QuickTime for Windows you can access certain files quicker rather than clicking open etc... Make a shortcut to the program on your desktop, or Start Menu, after the shortcut is made right click on the shortcut, and click on 'Properties'. Click the shortcut tab, and you'll see where the shortcut is pointing (e.g. C:\WINDOWS\PLAYER32.EXE). After that you can write a file that was designed for that program (e.g. C:\WINDOWS\SAMPLE.MOV) so you get something like "C:\WINDOWS\PLAYER32.EXE" "C:\SAMPLE.MOV". Apply it, and viola! Every time you open that program, that file will open along with it! This works with more than QuickTime, you can do this with NotePad, WordPad, and TONS more applications!
File Association Changes
To change the default application of a file type, simply select the file, hold down SHIFT, and click the right mouse button. Select Open With, and choose the program you want to use for this file type. Select "Always use this program to open this type of file" at the bottom of the dialog box.
File Attribute Changes
To change the Default Action of a file when double Clicked, Open Explorer, Select View, Folder Options, File Types, and then the file type you want to edit.
If there are multiple actions the Default is embolden
Scroll down to the file you want to change, Select edit, Highlight the action you want as default and press the Default Tab.
See also File Attribute Changes in Reg section
Cutting Files to Size
If you only have a floppy for saving to, then saving data larger than 1.4Meg can be a problem.
Here's just the program you need, "ChainSaw"
ChainSaw cuts the file or program into sizes suitable for saving to floppy discs.
A batch file is created by ChainSaw to allow all the pieces to be put back together again.
DownLoad "ChainSaw.zip"
Deleting Undeletable Files
Want to format your Hard Disk to install newer things but cannot delete the command.com or command.dos?
Go to DOS-Prompt and type:
attrib command.com -r or attrib command.dos -r
and they will be deletable.
Faster Files
You can use Defragmenter, in the System Tools folder, to speed up your computer’s performance.
Find multiple files
Type in what you are looking for, each item separated by a space. For example: -
" sessions.doc sessions.xls sessions.pps".
Filename First Letters
In any Explorer Folder, typing a letter will take you to the first file in the folder that starts with that letter. Pressing the letter again will take you to the next file that starts with that letter.
Old File Manager
If you don't like win 95 windows explorer and prefer the old windows file manager. click on start, run and type in winfile.
Open files with a specific program.
METHOD 1.
Add to the file's context menu.
Files in Windows Explorer have a context menu with "Open", "Edit", etc.
You can add things to this menu, or change existing ones.
1. Start Windows Explorer.
2. Click View, Folder Options
3. Select the File Types tab
4. Select the file type you want to add to... "Microsoft HTML Document 4.0" for example
5. Click "Edit..."
6. In the Actions box, you can Edit existing actions.
7. To create a new action:
a. Click "New..."
b. For "Action", type a description of the action... "Edit in &Notepad", for example. (The ampersand will make the next letter appear underlined, so you can use a keyboard shortcut.
c. For "Application used...", type the command line to start the
program, such as "C:\Windows\Notepad.exe".
METHOD 2.
Add items to the SendTo folder.
You can put shortcuts to programs in the Send To menu.
1. Start Windows Explorer
2. Go to C:\Windows\SendTo
3. Create a new folder called "Programs" (or whatever you want to call it)
4. Drag shortcuts from the start menu into this folder (be sure to right-drag so you don't remove it from the start menu), or create new shortcuts in it.
When you right-click on a file in Explorer, choose Send To from the context menu. Your newly created folder and icons will be here.
METHOD 3.
Drag files to a shortcut.
You can drag a file from Explorer and drop it on a shortcut on the desktop. The application will start and the file will open.
Another way is to create a new toolbar with the programs you use often.
Then drag files from Explorer to the program icons on your toolbar.
It's easier to do if you have your toolbar set to Large. (For some reason, if you try to drag to an IE icon you get the "no drop" mouse pointer. It works with Netscape... Uh-oh MS :-)
Multiple File Search
Multiple file extension search:
1. Open up the Find File box.
2. Select any drive.
3. Select any extensions (in my example I used EXE and COM), by typing in (without quotes):
"*.exe;*.com"
4. Click Find , and Enter."
NOTE: This multiple file search pattern can be also used in File Manager (Winfile.exe, found in your Windows folder):
Click File, Search, or click the binoculars icon on the Toolbar.
Enter the same type of string as above in the "Search for" box (make sure the "Search All Subdirectories" box is checked)and hit Enter or click OK.
File Types Cannot be Changed or Removed
Windows 95 won't allow certain file types to be changed or removed, but if you start up the old File Manager (winfile.exe), select Associations from the File menu, you can make the changes you want.
Selecting Multiple Files
Selecting multiple files in Large Icon View has a different behavior than in List View. To extend your selection, click on the first icon in your selection and hold down the Shift key while you click on the last icon in your selection. To toggle a selection, hold down the Ctrl key while you select the files you want to toggle (between selected and not selected).
Use Long File Names
With 32-bit applications, you can use long filenames when you save documents.
You can even use spaces!
View Properties of Multiple Files\Folders
To view the properties (ie. total file size) of a group of files and/or folders, drag to highlight the desired files and folders, then right click and choose properties.
Don’t search for floppies
In control Panel select system, Performance tab, File System button, Floppy Disc tab.
Uncheck ‘Search for New Floppy Disc’
Unless you plan to swap out floppy drives frequently you don’t need to waste time and resources scanning for drives.
Copying to Multiple Floppies
On the left side of the explorer window select the folder you wish to copy, from the Edit scroll click "select all", again from the Edit scroll click "copy", on the left side of the explorer window click on A:\, and from the Edit scroll, click on Paste. This copies the files to the A: disk and prompts for a new disk when it is needed. The files can then be copied onto a new machine without having to deal with splicing or spanning programs
Collapsing Folders
If you go to explorer and try to open a folder like 'Windows' which itself contains a lot of subfolders, it could take you a long time to click each one of them to open them. To open all the subfolders all you have to do is click on the main folder (Ex. Windows) and hit the "+" on the numPad, you'll see that all the subfolders will be opened. On the other hand, if you want to close them all together you can click on the main folder and hit "-" on the numpad for a reverse effect.
Exploring Folders
To open a folder into the current window, even if you do not have this option selected in your Explorer View Options, hold down control when you double click the window. To make this your default setting for the Windows Explorer, in the explorer menu, go to View, then Options ... then select "Browse folders using a single window."
If your View Options are set to browse Folders Using a single Window for Each Folder, you can open an additional window for the folder by holding CTL while you double click.
When a folder is open, you can press BACKSPACE to open the folder one level higher.
If you like using Windows Explorer you can get at it instantly by using the Shift key in conjunction with opening a folder icon. For Example: Press and hold the Shift key while double clicking on the My Computer icon. You are now using the Windows Explorer to view the contents.
To change from folder to folder without all the windows that are open staying open, just hold down the Ctrl key while double-clicking the icon of the folder you want to open. The window of its parent directory will be automatically closed and you'll be left only with the window of the desired folder open.
Use the CTRL key when selecting files in Explorer to select and deselect multiple files one at a time. Use the SHIFT key to select lists of files.
Explore Folders Automatically
Open explorer, choose options from the view menu, on the file types tab locate the entry for the folder.
Select edit then highlight ‘Explore’ in the Actions list and click set default (you may have to do this a couple of times for it to take effect).
Click Set Default until Explore becomes emboldened.
Open Shared Folders
You can use the Run command on the Start menu to open shared folders on other computers.
Sharing Hidden Folders
To make a network share hidden folders, put a dollar sign ($) on the end of the share name. Only people who know the exact name of the share will be able to access it.
Avoid Fragmenting & Optimise
A reasonable amount of performance can be gained by separating the system drive (C:) from the swap file on drive (d:) which is physically different. I have 3 physical drives and C: is the system, D: is extensions and the Windows swap file, and E: is for the internet temp files and work files. A small drive, 200-300MB, can be had for a cheap price today and can be designated as both the Windows swap drive and internet temp files drive. Just think.. the heads are not constantly moving from program files to swap/temp files.