Tips Windows 95 - Quick Jump..

Backing up Win 95's Registry
Using REGEDIT in Windows 95
How to Reinstall Windows 95
Getting Help For Windows 95
Upgrading to Windows 98

One of the most common problem in Win 95 is the dreaded corrupted registry error. You start Win 95 and a window pops up stating: "Your register is corrupted; please restore from a backup registry and restart."

At this point, most users are stuck. The only choice they have is doing a reinstall of Win 95. But if you have a backup of your registry, then you can avoid doing a reinstall.

The registry in Win 95 comprise of two individual files: system.dat and user.dat. These two files are located in \windows as HIDDEN files. To see them, type "attrib -r -a -s -h system.dat" and "attrib -r -a -s -h user.dat" at the C: prompt. This command will unhide the two files. Then you can simply make a backup by copying them: "copy system.dat system.bak" and "copy user.dat user.bak". I'd recommend storing these *.bak files in a location other than \windows.

If your registry becomes corrupted, restore the backup registry. Remember, you must use the "attrib -r -a -s -h" command first to unhide the current registry. Also, keep in mind that every time you install a program or add new devices, your registry will be updated. So be sure to make backup on a regular basis.

Using REGEDIT in Windows 95

One of the most powerful and dangerous utility that comes with Windows 95 is the registry editor (REGEDIT.EXE located in \windows). Unless you know exactly what you are doing, it's always wise to backup your registry before editing it.

You can launch REGEDIT by clicking on the Start button, go to Run, and type in regedit. REGEDIT is useful because the majority of Windows 95 settings and system parameters are stored in the registry. If you have a device that you simply can't remove from Device Manager, you can try to manually delete it from the registry.

For example, PCI devices are enumerated in the registry at: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / Enum / PCI. You should see a listing of devices that reads "VEN_xxxx&DEV..." Go through each device and simply delete it by hitting the delete key.

Or did Windows 95 ever give you an error message about not able to start filename.VXD during the bootup? And you've looked in the *.INI and *.BAT files but can't find any reference to the driver? Chances are it's in the registry. Launch REGEDIT and hit the F3 key for find keyword and type in the filename.VXD. REGEDIT will find the file for you, which you can then delete. Just make sure that it's not a critical system driver like VMM32.VXD!

There's a lot more you can do with REGEDIT. The best way to learn is to explore the registry at your own pace.

How to Reinstall Windows 95

Sometimes no matter how careful you are with Windows 95, you simply have to reinstall the operating system to solve your problems. You have back up your registry and restored it. And yet Windows 95 is still crashing for whatever reason (incorrect drivers, corrupted system files, etc).

So the only thing left to do is reinstall Windows 95. Now there's two way you can reinstall: 1. Install 95 on top of the existing 95 or 2. Delete the existing 95 and install a fresh copy. The first choice is recommended only if you have a lot of applications installed, and you don't want to reinstall them again. But be warned, usually this won't fix whatever problem you are having; in fact, it may make it worse! If your system came with 95 preinstalled and you didn't re-format your HDD, the easiest way to reinstall 95 on top of 95 is go to the \windows\options\cabs folder; then simply run SETUP.EXE from there.

The second choice is the recommended solution. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and start over from scratch. (Even though this method requires you to reinstall all your applications, it's a good way to eliminate all your "dead" or unused apps and files.)

If your system came with 95 preinstalled by The Computer Guy's, then follow these steps to completely reinstall 95; you will have to reload your sound, video, modem, etc. drivers and reinstall all the previous applications:

1. Hit F8 at "Starting Windows 95..." to bring up the boot menu and select Safe Mode With Command Prompt.
2. Type "deltree progra~1" at the root C prompt and answer YES; this will delete the Program Files folder.
3. Type "deltree windows" and answer YES; this will delete Windows 95. (This make take up to five minutes, so be patient.)
4. Type "cd \cabs" to go into Windows 95's setup folder.
5. Type "setup" to begin the installation.

Getting Help For Windows 95

Here are some online resources to help you with your Windows 95 problems:

Microsoft Knowledge Base - A very comprehensive troubleshooting guide for all Microsoft products. The main problem is searching the database will often yield hits on dozens of related problems. You can probably find the answer to your problem if you have the time and patience to go through each article.

Windows 95 Annoyances - This is the place to be if you really want to learn the ins and outs of Windows 95. Many cool ways to really customize your Windows 95 system.
The Windows 95 FAQ - Last but not least, a shameless plug for PREMIO's Windows 95 Troubleshooting Guide.

Upgrading to Windows 98

Microsoft's official release date for Windows 98 is June 25th. In case you're running Windows 95 now and wish to upgrade to Windows 98, here's a few pointers that will make the migration a bit easier.

Check the Registry - Make sure your Windows 95 registry is not corrupted in any way. Windows 98 will use the 95 registry as a reference when upgrading. So it's best to make sure the registry is OK before bringing it to 98.

Check Device Manager - Check the Device Manager listing; make sure there are no yellow or red exclaimation points. Again, 98 will attempt to migrate all your existing devices to 98. (Actually, because Windows 98 automatically recognizes many new devices, upgrading to 98 may remove some yellow exclaimation mark devices for you.)
Close All Apps First - Before launching Windows 98's SETUP.EXE from within the 95 desktop, make sure all background apps and tasks are closed. These includes virus scanners, uninstall helpers, diagnostics utilities, fax monitors, etc.
Make a Backup of 95 - When upgrading from 95 to 98, halfway through the procedure, 98 will ask if you wish to make a backup of your 95 system files. Say YES to this question! It may take up ~40MB hard drive space, but it's worth it in case 98 corrupts your entire system somehow.
Make An Emergency Disk - When 98 asks if you wish to create an emergency boot disk, answer yes. Then store that disk in a safe place; you'll never know when you'll need it.
Converting To FAT32 - If your system was partitioned using FAT16, you can convert it to FAT32 after 98 is successfully installed. Depending on what type of files you have on your HDD, converting to FAT32 may reclaim up to 30% of storage space. The conversion program is located in Programs / Accessories / System Tools/ Drive Converter (FAT32).