       Windows 3.1x Setup/Config/Tweak/Speedup/Fixes Hints/Tips/Tricks/Hacks

                               (My Own Win31 tips)



* IMPORTANT : *=> BACKUP your SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI and CONTROL.INI files
                  BEFORE ATEMPTING TO MAKE ANY CHANGES !
              *=> BACKUP your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files BEFORE
                  ATEMPTING TO MAKE ANY CHANGES !

* NOTE: The following tips/tricks/speedups/fixes have been discovered and tried
        by me, but with no guarantee they will also work on your system!
        So take extreme CAUTION when modifying your System settings!
        Faulty changes to your System settings may result in system crashes
        or/and lockups!
        Hope you'll find something useful in here. Enjoy!
        If you have any comments/ideas/questions/sugestions etc... send me a
        "wire" at:
        AXCEL216@aol.com



MYTIPS31.TXT Topics Contents:

DOWNLOAD UPDATES
SET TEMP
LOCALLOADHIGH *
MSD
LASTDRIVE *
MEDIA PLAYER
CONTROL PANEL
DITCH DRVSPACE/DBLSPACE
WIN SWITCHES
WINDOWS SYSTEM
BLINK... NOT!
AUTOMATIC ZIP
RESTORE AFTER INSTALL
WATCH YOUR PROMPT
AVI PLAYBACK
LOAD/RUN
FIND
FAST, FAST, FAST
SWAP FILE


FOOT NOTE: the topics marked with a (*) are memory management tips, and most
           of them are also detailed in MEMORY.TXT, also included.




DOWNLOAD UPDATES

Point your Web browser to download the latest Windows 3.1x (or WfWGs 3.1x)
updates/patches from this Microsoft software web page:
http://www.microsoft.com/isapi/support/bldqpage.idc?ProductPage=q_drv3x&ProductTitle=Windows+3.x+Miscellaneous
Follow the instructions provided with each update pack to install. Enjoy.


SET TEMP

If, for any reason, you decide to choose a different "temp" directory for
storing Windows 31 temporary files (i.e. let's say a RAM disk), you will
need to add these 2 lines to your CONFIG.SYS (or AUTOEXEC.BAT):
SET TMP=D:\TEMP
SET TEMP=D:\TEMP
considering D:\TEMP the new "temp" directory on your RAM drive, created
by loading this device driver in your CONFIG.SYS:
DEVICEHIGH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\RAMDRIVE.SYS <parameters>
To create the new directory D:\TEMP, add this as the last line to your
AUTOEXEC.BAT:
MD D:\TEMP
Then delete the Win31 default "temp" directory: C:\WINDOWS\TEMP (and if
there are SET TEMP= or/and SET TMP= lines in autoexec.bat you'll have to
remove/remark them, too). Reboot.
NOTE: For RAMDRIVE.SYS complete refference, run "HELP RAMDRIVE.SYS" from a
      DOS prompt (the help files reside in your default MS-DOS directory).


LOCALLOADHIGH *

For maximum DOS memory in a Windows DOS session, add/modify the line:
LocalLoadHigh=1
to the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI, found in your Windows directory
(default is \WINDOWS). This will give you an extra 2-8KB (or more,
depending on your system configuration) of conventional (low) memory in a
DOS session.
Default Windows setting in SYSTEM.INI is: LocalLoadHigh=0.
If you run the DOS mode TSRs/drivers/devices loaded high in your CONFIG.SYS
and AUTOEXEC.BAT files (loaded with "DEVICEHIGH" and "LH" by EMM386.EXE),
and have a memory configuration (on bootup, before launching Windows) of
less than 16KB of free upper RAM (the Upper Memory Area: UMA, is the first
384KB of memory above the 640KB boundary), make sure to remove the following
line, or better, remark it with a semicolon (;), in the [386enh] section
of your SYSTEM.INI file, located typicaly in C:\WINDOWS, like this:
; LocalLoadHigh=1
NOTE: If this line has a numeric value of "1", you won't be able to start
Windows with less than 4-16KB of free upper memory on some systems!
This applies to Windows 3.1x 386 enhanced mode only.
On some systems, it is necessary to add/modify the following line into the
[386enh] section of your SYSTEM.INI file (which resides in \WINDOWS) to
read:
EMMExclude=A000-FFFF
Also, you might want to remove all the WIN= switches from the EMM386.EXE
line, in your CONFIG.SYS file (located in your root directory of your boot
drive). Example of EMM386.EXE line in config.sys (with two WIN= switches):
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE X=C000-C7FF WIN=EE00-EFFF WIN=E000-ECFF I=B000-B7FF D=256 RAM AUTO ALTBOOT
Remark the line (put REM in front of it), and copy it as the next line, but
this time delete the WIN= switches. Open CONFIG.SYS in Notepad in Windows,
or with EDIT.COM, the MS-DOS text editor, whichever you're more comfortable
with.


MSD

MSD.EXE is the MS-DOS based MicroSoft Diagnostics utility, that you might
need one day (hope not...), to run to see how your System, Memory, Devices,
TSRs, Video, Mouse, Disks, Ports, etc. are configured and if there is any
hardware conflict.
The MSD.EXE file is located in your \DOS directory (MS-DOS 6.xx users).
Type:
MSD
and press Enter, from a DOS prompt (try first to run MSD from outside
Win31).
Play around with the screens, and if you want, you can save a full report
of your system configuration. To have a saved log (report) of your system's
specs, run MSD with this switch:
MSD /P C:\MYCONFIG.TXT
Your system's complete analysis report will be saved in MYCONFIG.TXT, a
plain text file, that you can edit afterwords using EDIT.COM in MS-DOS
mode, or Notepad in Windows.


LASTDRIVE *

If you are not connected to/using a network, you lose a few hundreds
bytes of low or upper memory, because you probably have a total of 3 to
9 drives on your system (about 7 if you use a disk compression utility,
like MS-DOS's Drvspace or Dblspace).
Every additional drive letter mentioned by the LASTDRIVE= statement in
your CONFIG.SYS file, takes up 96 bytes of memory.
If you use Drvspace/Dblspace/Stacker, add/change the LASTDRIVE= line
to read:
LASTDRIVE=H
If you don't use any disk doubler/compression utility, change to:
LASTDRIVE=D
if you have 1 hard disk, and 1 CD-ROM drive installed.
If you have 1 hard disk and 2 CD-ROM drives, set:
LASTDRIVE=E
If you have 2 hard disks and 2 CD-ROM drives, set:
LASTDRIVE=F
NOTE: Before making any changes to your system files, back them up:
      AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS (located in C:\ root).
From a DOS prompt, run:
MEM /C /P
and write down how much conventional/upper memory you have.
Then open CONFIG.SYS with Notepad, put LASTDRIVE= as one of the first
lines, save changes, and reboot.
Go to that MS-DOS prompt again, and run:
MEM /C /P
See if you gained any amount of upper or/and conventional memory.


MEDIA PLAYER

Undocumented! You can configure Media Player (MPLAYER.EXE, installed in
\WINDOWS by default) to open, play once, and then close any of the media
clip files found on your hard drive or/and cd-rom (AVI, FLI, FLC, MID,
RMI, WAV, MPG, MPE, MOV, etc).
Run REGEDIT /V from Program Manager's command line (use the Run command),
and scroll down into the REG.DAT's window until you find the files
associated with MPLAYER.EXE. In the top edit box, type a space after
"C:\WINDOWS\Mplayer.exe", and then type "/play /close" (without quotes).
The text in the box should look like this (don't type the quotes):
C:\WINDOWS\Mplayer.exe /play /close
Save the changes to REG.DAT (you may want to make a backup copy of your
original REG.DAT, just in case something happens along the way!).
You can repeat this operation with all media clip files listed above.
From now on, when you double-click a MID or WAV file, etc... Mplayer will
play the file once, and then exit, without prompting you for action, or
waiting for you to manually click all the necessary buttons. This is
also useful for previewing new media files. Enjoy!
NOTE: You need to have the proper MCI (Media Control Interface) drivers
installed to have media clip files associated with Media Player!
To see a list of all MCI drivers installed, open your SYTEM.INI file
(located in \WINDOWS) with Notepad, and scroll down to the [mci] section.
It should look something like this:
[mci]
waveaudio=mciwave.drv 9
sequencer=mciseq.drv
AVIVideo=mciavi.drv
animation1=mciaap.drv
cdaudio=mcicda.drv
QTWVideo=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MCIQTW.DRV
MpegVideo=c:\32\softpeg.drv
MpegVideoCD=c:\32\softpeg.drv CDI
Depending on what MCI devices are installed on your system, you'll have
similar or different entries.


CONTROL PANEL

In File Manager, associate the .CPL files located in your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM
directory with CONTROL.EXE, located in \WINDOWS.
From now on, when you double-click on any CPL file, it opens that Control
Panel's specific applet screen, without having to open the Control Panel
screen to change a system's setting.


DITCH DRVSPACE/DBLSPACE

If you don't use (and I strongly recomend NOT TO) Drvspace, the disk
compression utility that comes with MS-DOS 6.22, it's good to free some
disk space and delete all Drvspace related files. In File Manager, start
a file search, begining with the root directory (default is C:\) for
DRVSPACE files. Type in the search box: DRVSPAC*.* and click OK. You will
get a list of all Drvspace files (with the following extensions: .BIN,
.EXE, .HLP, .INI, SYS, etc...). Highlight all these files and delete
them. Don't worry about making backup copies, you can always find them
on your MS-DOS 6.xx install floppy disks.
If you are running MS-DOS 6.00, you want to delete the DBLSPACE.* files
instead.
Some of these files might not show in the Find windows, because you need
to set Explorer (or File Manager) to display ALL FILES INCLUDING HIDDEN
FILES.
If you ARE using Drvspace, DO NOT DELETE ANY DRVSPACE FILES YET!
Better, upgrade your hard disk, (a 1GB hard drive sells now for under
$200). To be able to delete the files, UNINSTALL Drvspace first, and
then delete all related files.
Drvspace only slows down your system (and it's not 100% safe), and of
course, is a temporary solution for getting extra disk space. You'll
end up looking for another hard drive some day, anyway.


WIN SWITCHES

When you run WIN /? from a DOS prompt, you get this screen:
Starts Windows for Workgroups 3.11.  (... or Windows 3.1.)
WIN [/B] [/N] [/D:[C][F][S][V][X]]
/B    Creates a file, BOOTLOG.TXT, that records system messages generated
      during system startup (boot).
/N    Causes Windows not to load network drivers.
/D:   Used in combination with one or more of the following switches for
      troubleshooting when Windows does not start correctly.
   C  Turns off 32-bit file access.
   F  Turns off 32-bit disk access.
      Equivalent to SYSTEM.INI file setting: 32BitDiskAccess=FALSE.
   S  Specifies that Windows should not use ROM address space between
      F000:0000 and 1 MB for a break point.
      Equivalent to SYSTEM.INI file setting: SystemROMBreakPoint=FALSE.
   V  Specifies that the ROM routine will handle interrupts from the hard
      disk controller.
      Equivalent to SYSTEM.INI file setting: VirtualHDIRQ=FALSE.
   X  Excludes all of the adapter area from the range of memory that Windows
      scans to find unused space.
      Equivalent to SYSTEM.INI file setting: EMMExclude=A000-FFFF.
These switches are meant to provide you with options for starting Win31 in
special modes, if you are having problems running, and/or loading Win31 on
your system. Example:
WIN /D:F
to turn off the 32-bit disk access.
Hope you never have to use them...


WINDOWS SYSTEM

SYSTEM.INI is a text file located in your \WINDOWS directory (default).
The following are helpful lines to add/modify to the [386enh] section of
SYSTEM.INI (Windows 3.1x and Windows for Workgroups 3.1x):
MaxBPs=768  => maximum number of break points used by Win31's virtual
               memory manager;
EMMExclude=A000-FFFF  => not to allow Windows to search for unused RAM
                         in the upper memory area (UMA): safer on some
                         systems;
DualDisplay=on  => to make use of the B000-B7FF upper memory area on VGA
                   and Super VGA monitors, if not using a secondary display
DMABufferSize=64  => to let your 16bit sound card have enough room to play
                     music (MID, RMI, MOD) files (16bit DMA channel HI-FI
                     stereo buffer);
PageBuffers=32  => for better hard disk buffered operations;
HardDiskDMABuffer=32  => memory alocated for the DMA (Direct Memory Access)
                         buffer for disk-buffered reads and writes;
SyncTime=on  => MUST have this line if TrapTimerPorts=off;
TrapTimerPorts=off  => might help running time sensitive programs/games
                       better (that rely on the computer's timer) in Win31;
InitPS2MouseAtExit=off  => saves a few miliseconds upon exiting Win31 (not
                           looking for a PS/2 style mouse on exit);
UniqueDOSPSP=TRUE  => to start every application at a unique address in
                      memory (especially if connected to certain networks);
IRQ9Global=on  => use this line if your system hangs when reading from your
                  floppy drive(s) in Win31;
COMBoostTime=1  => decrease character download time with high speed
                   communication software (increase it if you are loosing
                   characters during modem high speed transfers);
COM1Buffer=1024  => your fast modem port: COM1 or COM2 (at least 9600bps);
COM2FIFO=1  => if your modem is hooked to COM2 with a 16550AxN UART;
VGAMonoText=off  => to allow Win31 to use the B000-B7FF area if not used
                    by other hardware devices/applications;
32BitDiskAccess=on => turn on 32 bit disk access in Windows 3.1x and above;
FileSysChange=off  => not to update file changes in DOS mode (speeds things
                      up in a DOS session and File Manager).
Some of these parameters can be loaded at Windows startup, as command
line parameters. To see which ones suit you, run:
WIN /?
at DOS prompt (outside Windows).
NOTE: 1. If you don't know what these lines do, YOU MUST READ MS-DOS and
         Windows help and documentation files and manuals BEFORE altering
         your configuration files and beware that if you type in the wrong
         things you can damage the data on your hard disk and / or have
         unexpected machine lockups !!!
      2. Most of these lines DON'T APPLY TO WINDOWS 95 !
      3. Win31 afficionados may want to purchase Microsoft's "Windows 3.1"
         or "Windows for WorkGroups 3.11 Resource Kit" for more info on
         tweaking Win31 startup files (sells for 19 bucks or less).


BLINK... NOT!

Undocumented! To change the cursor blinking rate to NON-BLINKING in Win31,
in Notepad, Write, any other word processor, and any Windows utility which
uses the Run command line, all you need to do is modify the following line
in the [windows] section of your WIN.INI file, located in your Windows
directory (default is \WINDOWS), to read:
CursorBlinkRate=-1
Save your WIN.INI, and restart Windows to see the effect.


AUTOMATIC ZIP

There are two batch files included in this archive: ZIPHARD.BAT and
ZIPFLOP.BAT. They are designed to automate the task of backing up files,
and compressing them the same time, to save disk space. These batch files
use PKZIP.EXE version 2.04g, part of the PKWare Package, the most used DOS
zipping/unzipping utility (it can be found on almost any software site on
the web).
AOL members can download the PKZIP/PKUNZIP package by clicking the File
Search icon (on AOL's menu bar). Then type:
PKZIP.EXE
in the text box (make sure to check the "All dates" box, and optionally,
you can check the "DOS" box, to narrow the search time). After download,
create a new directory on your hard drive called ZIP. Install all PKWare
files into \ZIP.
Copy the two batch files mentioned above into the same directory.
Now you're ready to roll...
To zip (and compress) all files in a given directory (and subdirectories
for that matter) on your hard disk, run ZIPHARD from a DOS prompt window,
by creating a PIF for it (in Windows), or straight from the plain DOS
command line, outside Windows.
All you have to do is type the name of the zip file (without extension, up
to eight characters), and you'll also have to type the name of the
directory that contains the files you want to zip up.
That's it. If your zipped directory has subdirectories, the batch will
take care of that too, zipping all subdirectories and the files in them
(recursing all subdirectories).
To zip the files from a directory on your hard disk onto a floppy disk
(the default is A:), run ZIPFLOP from a DOS prompt. Just make sure to
mention the zip name (again, without extension), and the name of the
directory (subdirectory) where the files you want to zip reside.
NOTE: ZIPFLOP is designed to make one zip file, and wiil be placed on
multiple floppies (spanned), if necessary, so make sure you have enough
floppy disks handy, to swap the floppies when prompted by PKZIP's routine!
Example of using ZIPHARD (same principle applies to ZIPFLOP):
ZIPHARD DOS DOS
to zip all files in your \DOS directory (and subdirectories, if any).
The zip file (DOS.ZIP) created by running this command line, is located
in the newly created \ZIPTEMP directory, on the same hard drive.
IMPORTANT: The zip filename has to be identical with your wanna-be
           compressed directory name on your hard disk!
Make sure to change the drive letters (edit the BAT files with Notepad in
Windows, or EDIT.COM in DOS mode) if different on your system: I presumed
that your hard drive is C:, and your 3.5 inch floppy drive is A:.


RESTORE AFTER INSTALL

I realized the most reliable method of restoring your original files after a
Windows program install/setup routine modified/replaced/deleted/added other
files to your original Windows and Windows System files is to create separate
directories for all Windows and respectively Windows System files, and copy
ALL the files there, before installing any new software program/application.
This means you don't have to buy/try/regret any "CleanSweep", "Uninstaller",
"RemoveIt", or other fancy "install watch dog" utility.
This method works always, with one axception, that I know of. When you install
the Quick Time Movies Extensions to play MOV-s and view PIC-s on your Windows
system, at some point during the setup process, the installer will ask for your
approval to delete all the old versions of Quick Time Movie files found on your
hard drive(s), which means it will also erase the ones in your BACKUP
directories (just created by the batch file bellow), if you answer YES to that
question.
The fix is to answer NO to the question! Let it delete ONLY the files in your
current WINDOWS and WINDOWS\SYSTEM directories.
To backup/restore all your Windows and Windows System files use the two batch
files described below.
I called this first batch file BACKUP31.BAT, and here are its command lines:
@ECHO OFF
ECHO If you are in a DOS window, please abort this program:
ECHO hold down Ctrl and press C, and then return to Windows
ECHO by typing EXIT and pressing Enter.
ECHO Then exit Windows to the MS-DOS Mode Prompt.
ECHO Run this program again from the MS-DOS Prompt command line.
C:
CD\
SET COPYCMD=/Y
MD \WIN31
MD \SYS31
COPY \WINDOWS\*.* \WIN31
COPY \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\*.* \SYS31
SET COPYCMD=
ECHO Your original Windows System Configuration has been backed up.
ECHO Now type WIN and press Enter to restart Windows...
If your boot drive is different than C:, change the drive letter, and if your
Windows files are in a directory other than WINDOWS, change it to your actual
directory name in BACKUP31.BAT (open it with Notepad in Windows, or EDIT.COM
in DOS mode).
What BACKUP31 basically does, is to copy ALL the files from your \WINDOWS
directory and from your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory to the new created
directories: \WIN31 and respectively \SYS31.
After finishing installing a new program, you can restore back your original
Windows configuration (uninstall utilities, that use the Shield Wizard Install
feature, claim to remove all traces of an installed program, but in real life
they still leave files scattered on your hard drive, or/and phantom entries
into your System Files: REG.DAT, SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI, CONTROL.INI, etc). Some
uninstallers will sometimes prompt you to manually remove some of the files
created by the install routines (don't count on that!).
I found out that this way to recover from a buggy install works better and
painlessly. Give it a try.
I called the restore batch file RESTOR31.BAT.
NOTE: To make both these batch files work, you need to exit Windows to the
      MS-DOS mode command prompt (NOT just go to a MS-DOS window prompt) !
At the DOS prompt, run BACKUP31, and then load Windows by running WIN.
Setup/install your program, and if you are not satisfied with it for any
reason, or you'd like to remove it entirely from your system, exit Win31 to
the MS-DOS mode again, and run RESTOR31, to wipe all current Windows and
Windows System files, and revert to your original configuration, before that
install.
Some install routines will replace DLL, VBX, VXD, DRV, EXE or/and other
crucial Windows system files with their own versions, even if you already have
the most recent versions installed! The conclusion is that you won't be able to
run your other programs that require particular versions of the replaced files
after such an install! This is usually valid for older Windows programs, but I
wouldn't count on that!
So beware when you unleash a setup/install program to run freely on your
system!
Here are RESTOR31.BAT command lines:
@ECHO OFF
ECHO If you are in a DOS window, please abort this program:
ECHO hold down Ctrl and press C, and then return to Windows
ECHO by typing EXIT and pressing Enter.
ECHO Then exit Windows to the MS-DOS Mode Prompt.
ECHO Run this program again from the MS-DOS Prompt command line.
C:
CD\
SET COPYCMD=/Y
ATTRIB \WINDOWS\*.* -H -R -S +A
ATTRIB \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\*.* -H -R -S +A
DEL \WINDOWS\*.*
DEL \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\*.*
COPY \WIN31\*.* \WINDOWS
COPY \SYS31\*.* \WINDOWS\SYSTEM
DELTREE /Y \WIN31
DELTREE /Y \SYS31
SET COPYCMD=
ECHO Your original Windows System Configuration has been restored.
ECHO Now type WIN and press Enter to restart Windows...
So just run RESTOR31 from the DOS prompt (plain DOS prompt, OUTSIDE Win31)
to get back your previous Windows configuration (ALL the files you had in
your \WINDOWS and \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directories before running the installer).
NOTE: To speed up the use of these two DOS batch files, install Smartdrv.exe
      in your AUTOEXEC.BAT to cache your most used disk drives, in DOS mode.
      Example of AUTOEXEC.BAT Smartdrv line:
      SMARTDRV 2048 A+ C+ D /N
      where I presumed that: A is your primary floppy drive, C is your hard
      drive, and D your CD-ROM drive.
      The /N switch allows Smartdrv to return to the prompt BEFORE finishing
      the write operations to the disk! Use it carefully!
Both files: BACKUP31.BAT and RESTOR31.BAT, are included in this archive.
I hope you'll find this backup/restore method as useful as I did.


WATCH YOUR PROMPT

I just discovered two "bugs" in MS-DOS, two issues that MS-DOS (any version)
can't deal with on a PROMPT= line (mentioned in your AUTOEXEC.BAT or in your
CONFIG.SYS):
1. Don't use the "=" (equal sign) inside your PROMPT= line!
If you do, MS-DOS will try to interpret all the characters after the "=" as a
command, and will try to execute it, and you'll get an error message:
"Syntax error"!
Example of PROMPT line that uses an equal sign (it's the second "=", the first
one is part of the prompt notation, and is not necessary):
SET PROMPT=WINDOWS=My Windows 31 System$_$P$G
or simple, without the notation "=" (but it MUST be replaced with a space):
PROMPT WINDOWS=My Windows 31 System$_$P$G
NOTE: The "SET" command is not necessary in this case (same applies to the
PATH= statement).
2. If you are using a multiconfiguration menu bootup in your CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT, which must have the menu names in square parentheses in your
CONFIG.SYS, and GOTO type of colon preceded menus in your AUTOEXEC.BAT, then
DO NOT USE THE SAME WORDS AS YOUR MENUS AS THE FIRST WORDS ON YOUR PROMPT
LINES! If you do, you'll get another error message:
"Label not found"!
Example of generic multiconfiguration menus in Config.sys that use matching
words for the prompts in Autoexec.bat (to show the PROMPT bug):
[COMMON]
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DOS=HIGH,UMB
[MENU]
MENUITEM=WINDOWS,Boot to Windows 31
MENUITEM=DOS,Boot to DOS 6 Mode
[WINDOWS]
DEVICEHIGH C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS
SET CONFIG=WINDOWS
[DOS]
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM
DEVICEHIGH C:\CDROM\CDROM.SYS /D:MYCDROM
SET CONFIG=DOS
Corresponding Autoexec.bat:
SET PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS;C:\STUFF
GOTO %CONFIG%
:WINDOWS
SET PROMPT=WINDOWS 31 System$_$P$G
SET WINPMT=Type EXIT & hit Enter 2 return 2 Windows 31!$_$P$G
WIN
GOTO END
:DOS
LH C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MYCDROM /M:20 /E
SMARTDRV A+ C+ D /N
SET MOUSE=C:\MOUSE
LH C:\MOUSE\MOUSE
SET PROMPT=DOS 6 System$_$P$G
SET WINPMT=Type EXIT & hit Enter 2 return 2 Windows 31!$_$P$G
C:\MENU\MENU
:END
That's it. Gee, it took me a while to figure out why I had error messages
at bootup...


AVI PLAYBACK

I found out that the optimal settings to playback AVI movies from my
CD-ROM drive are:
[MCIAVI]
DefaultVideo=Window
AccurateSeek=1
ZoomBy2=1
DisallowSilentPlay=1
DontBufferOffscreen=0
SkipFrames=0
UseAVIFile=0
"[MCIAVI]" is a section in your SYSTEM.INI file, located in your Windows
directory.
I have a 90MHz Pentium, 32MB of RAM, and an 8 speed internal IDE CD-ROM, and I
still have to mess with these settings to be able to play AVI-s smoothly
(especially if I set my Windows video driver to 65K colors, or better).
You can not change ALL these settings by running MPLAYER.EXE, then by
selecting an AVI file, and trying to reset them through MPLAYER's Device,
Configure... dialog box!
So you'll have to fiddle with these settings yourself, editing the [MCIAVI]
section in your SYSTEM.INI (open it with Notepad in Windows).
Play around with them, playing the biggest AVI movie you can find on a CD-ROM,
after each change, until you find the optimal settings for your system (and the
movie plays without interruptions).
Use MPLAYER to play AVI files (associate the AVI extension in File Manager with
MPLAYER.EXE). Mplayer.exe is located in your Windows directory.
The changes to each line can be made by replacing the value "1" on each line
with "0" (don't type any quotes), and backwards, by changing "0" to "1".
NOTE: To play/view multimedia files (like AVI movies), you NEED to have the
      "Microsoft Video for Windows" (VfW) extensions, version 1.1e, installed
      on your Windows 3.1x machine!
      You can DL VfW 1.1e (latest update) from this Microsoft Web page (free
      for Windows 3.1x users):
      http://www.microsoft.com/isapi/support/bldqpage.idc?ProductPage=q_drv3x&ProductTitle=Windows+3.x+Miscellaneous
      After completing the DL, run the SETUP.EXE program provided to properly
      install VfW 1.1e on your machine.
      AOL users can DL VfW 1.1e from the Windows Forum, the Drivers area.
NOTE: Windows 95 users DON'T need VfW 1.1e. Win95 comes with its own 32bit
      version of VfW installed (if you have chosen to install the Multimedia
      accesories at the time of the install)!


LOAD/RUN

If the "load=" line in your WIN.INI's [windows] section exceeds 128 characters
(the Windows programs/TSR-s that load at startup), the executables listed
there beyond the 128 character limit WON'T BE PROCESSED by Windows. It's just
another Windows limitation. To have those programs load anyway, you can load
them from the "run=" line, found in the same section of your WIN.INI (WIN.INI
is located in your Windows directory).
Example of "load=" line longer than 128 characters:
[windows]
load=c:\windows\wintsr c:\stuff\winstuff c:\mydocs\mydoctsr c:\virus\virus c:\now\nowtsr c:\programs\program c:\blahblah\blahblah c:\etc\etc
Windows will load only the first 5 programs, because the last 2 are beyond
Windows capacity of recognizing lines longer than 128 characters.
But if you put the last 2 programs in the above example on the "run=" line,
they will be processed, ONLY after Windows reads and processes the "load="
line:
[windows]
load=c:\windows\wintsr c:\stuff\winstuff c:\mydocs\mydoctsr c:\virus\virus c:\now\nowtsr c:\programs\program
run=c:\blahblah\blahblah c:\etc\etc
Another solution is to load most (or all) of your Windows startup programs
from the Startup group, which is limited only by the number of icons allowed
(maximum 50 icons per program group).
To edit WIN.INI, you need to open it with Notepad.
Restart Windows when you're done.
I personally gave up Program Manager (Progman.exe and its pesky program
groups) in favor of Winbar.exe, an excelent freely distributed Windows 3.1x
utility available for download from PC Magazine's Utilities web site, at:
http://www.pcmag.com/download/dl-util.htm
Also checkout the other programs listed under PC Magazine Utilities page.
There you'll also find: SuperPad and InControl 2.0 (two of my favorites).
Winbar brings the Windows 95 taskbar and buttons style to Windows 3.1x.
Try it, you'll like it, as I did.
NOTE: If you decide using Winbar, DO NOT load it from the "shell=" line in
      your SYSTEM.INI's [boot] section, load it instead from the "run=" line
      in WIN.INI's [windows] section (to be able to load Windows programs
      from the MS-DOS command line prompt, before starting Windows. Example:
      WIN C:\EXCEL\EXCEL
      Leave Progman.exe on SYSTEM.INI's [boot] section "shell=" line.
      SYSTEM.INI is located in your Windows directory. Edit it with Notepad.
      Restart Windows when you're done.


FIND

To find a file location in DOS mode, when you know its filename, or
extension, I created a small DOS style batch file, called FIND.BAT.
To use it, run this command from a DOS prompt:
FIND FILENAME.EXT
where "FILENAME" is the name of the file you want to display, and "EXT" is
the file's extension.
To locate multiple files, use DOS "wildcards" ("*" or "?").
For example run:
FIND *.TXT
to locate all TXT (text) files on your current drive.
To locate all the files that begin with the letter A, run:
FIND A*.*
These are FIND.BAT command lines:
@CD\
@DIR /A /O:GEN /P /S %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9
The batch file FIND.BAT is included here. Enjoy.


FAST, FAST, FAST


For those of you who have a fast 28,800 or 33,600 baud modem installed with
a 16550AFN UART on your system, there is a way to maximize the UART
transfer speed. Just open your WIN.INI file, located in your Windows
directory, with Notepad. Scroll down to the [Ports] section. Under it,
there are the COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4 lines, each followed by an equal sign,
and by some numbers and letters. Replace those lines with these:
COM1:=921600,n,8,1,p
COM2:=921600,n,8,1,p
COM3:=921600,n,8,1,p
COM4:=921600,n,8,1,p
Save your file, and restart Windows. From now on, you will experience very
fast transfer speeds when using your Web browser, online service software,
or your Fax/Communications applications.


SWAP FILE

THIS TIP IS INTENDED FOR USERS OF THE WINDOWS 95 DUAL-BOOT FEATURE, AND
REQUIRES THAT YOU ALSO HAVE WINDOWS 95 PROPERLY INSTALLED ON YOUR SYSTEM.
But Windows 3.1x users may also find some useful tips here. Read on.
WARNING: Undocumented and VERY DANGEROUS IF NOT DONE PROPERLY !!!
Windows 95 uses by default a permanent, resizable swap file (WIN386.SWP),
found in your Win95 folder (default \WINDOWS). If you are a dual-boot user
(you're still running Win31+DOS6 and Win95/DOS7 on the same drive), you
are probably using the Win31 permanent swap file (386SPART.PAR), located
in the root directory of your Windows drive (usually C:\).
Win31's permanent swap file CAN ALSO BE USED by Win95 as its own!
*** FIRST BACKUP YOUR SYSTEM/REGISTRY FILES (WIN95 AND WIN31 VERSIONS)!!!
To enable this undocumented feature, you need to edit Win95's SYSTEM.INI
file, located in your Win95 folder (default \WINDOWS) and add/modify these
lines in the [386enh] section:
PagingDrive=C:
MinPagingFileSize=10320 => defines the lower limit of the swap file (if
                          Win31's permanent swap file size is 10240KB!)
PagingFile=c:\386spart.par => to use Win31's permanent swap file as Win95's.
Optionally, you can set this upper limit to your swap file:
MaxPagingFileSize=61920
to have a 60MB maximum size swap file to use with Win95.
Specifying the upper limit for the swap file, allows for a less frequent
hard drive thrashing, thus making the task of reading from/writing to the
drive easier.
Edit SYSTEM.INI with a text editor (Notepad). Save changes. Restart Win95.
IMPORTANT: you have to specify the correct size of your Win31 swap file
           in hexadecimal system. Example: if you chose a 10240 KBytes
           permanent Win31 swap file (in the 386 Enhanced icon in Control
           Panel), then the Win95 swap file size MUST be 10320 KBytes (as in
           the above exmple). The principle is to choose a multiple of 1032
           KBytes in Win95's SYSTEM.INI to match Win31's swap file size
           specified as a multiple of 1024 KBytes in Win31's SYSTEM.INI.
In this example 386SPART.PAR is 10,567,680 bytes (10MB) in length.
Win95 provides a way of (re)sizing its own swap file thru the Device Manager.
Access it by right clicking on "My Computer", then click Properties, click
the Performance tab, click Virtual Memory, and click "Let me specify my own
virtual memory settings". Change the Minimum value to 10 (the above example).
BE AWARE: Win95 might delete the line "PagingFile=c:\386spart.par" from
SYSTEM.INI's [386enh] section, after you resized the swap file thru the
Device Manager. If this happens, add the line yourself (no quotes).
You will have to reboot after clicking OK, to make the changes take effect
(Win95 will prompt you to reboot anyway).
In Win31's SYSTEM.INI file, you MUST have the following lines in the [386enh]
section, to make the 32bit disk/file access work:
device=*pageswap
device=*PAGEFILE
device=*wdctrl => ONLY for IDE/EIDE hard drives smaller than 528MB (default),
; or if you have a hard disk bigger than 528MB, use this one:
; device=wdcdrv.386 => for Western Digital (E)IDE hard drives bigger than
                       528MB (driver version 2.6),
; or this one:
; DEVICE=MH32BIT.386 => ONLY for Conner (E)IDE hard drives bigger than 528MB
                        (driver version 7.02).
device=ios.386 => loads protected mode Windows 386 enhanced device manager
device=vxdldr.386 => loads the virtual extended memory driver for handling
                     32 bit disk access in Win31
device=vcache.386 => enables Win31's 32bit file access in Win31 !
32BitDiskAccess=on => turns on 32bit FastDisk access in Win31!
PageBuffers=32 => to increase the number of paging buffers (optional)
PermSwapDOSDrive=C => default, uncompressed (fastest) swap hard drive
PermSwapSizeK=10240 => Win31 permanent swap file size in KBytes (Win95's swap
                      file size in this case MUST be 10320 KB) !
... And this line, in the [vcache] section of SYSTEM.INI (Win31 and Win95):
MinFileCache=2048 => if you chose a 32bit file access size of 2048 KBytes
                     (2MB) through Control Panel, 386 Enhanced icon, Virtual
                     Memory, Change Virtual Memory Settings, Use 32bit File
                     Access, Change size (Win31).
                     In Win95 you'll have to edit SYSTEM.INI manually and add
                     or modify this line yourself (in Notepad).
Optionally, you can also set the upper limit on the file cache size, to reduce
hard drive thrashing, in SYSTEM.INI, the [vcache] section (Win31 and Win95):
MaxFileCache=4096
to allow the file cache size to grow up to 4MB.
Choose a MaxFileCache of 4MB ONLY if your system has at least 16MB of RAM
installed! A MaxFileCache greater than 4MB won't increase performance
significantly anyway.
WDCDRV.386 and MH32BIT.386 Win31 protected mode 32bit drivers can be found on
AOL. Go to keyword Western Digital and from the Software menu download
WIN31.EXE for wdcdrv.386 (or for Conner hard drive owners, bring up the File
Search icon, type in MH32BIT, and download the file 32BIT.EXE).
You can (probably, I didn't test it with other drive brands!) use WDCDRV.386
for all main brand models IDE (and EIDE) hard drives larger than 528MB that
support Win31's 32bit disk access feature (also called FastDisk).
In Win31's SYSTEM.INI, you can use only ONE of the 3 drivers mentioned above
depending on the size/model of your hard drive (Windows default is *wdctrl,
but you'll need a custom driver if your IDE hard drive/s is/are bigger than
528MB).
If you have a SCSI hard drive you'll have to get a 32bit Windows 3.1x disk
access driver from your drive manufacturer (only for the SCSI hard drives
supported by Win31's 32bit feature).
Reboot. Now you can safely delete Win95's default swap file, WIN386.SWP,
found in your Win95 folder.
MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY (AND CHOOSE YOUR OWN SWAP
FILE SIZE IN WIN31 ACCORDING TO YOUR NEEDS AND THE AMOUNT OF MEMORY (RAM)
INSTALLED IN YOUR SYSTEM) ! Otherwise you may get a:
1. "Corrupt Windows swap file" message when you run Win31, and you'll have
to delete and reassign a new permanent swap file in Windows 3.1x's Control
Panel !
2. Or a VFAT error message (or a 32bit disk access error) when trying to
load/start Win95 !
If your PC has 4MB of RAM, choose a 48MB swap file (really hope you have
more RAM than that, to have Win31 and especially Win95 work decently on
your system).
If your PC has 8MB of RAM, choose a 32MB swap file.
If your PC has 16MB of RAM, choose a 24MB swap file.
If your PC has 32MB of RAM, choose a 12MB swap file.
If your PC has 64MB of RAM, choose a 8MB swap file.
These are my own estimates (you'll figure out your own, to have your Win31
or/and Win95 system run properly).
Windows 95 users: after making such modifications, ALWAYS check the Device
Manager's Performance tab for any "MS-DOS mode 16bit access drivers"
messages, that would impair disk performance under Win95! You SHOULDN'T
HAVE any such messages to start with (the File System and Virtual Memory
lines should all state "32-bit" and you should see this message at the
bottom: "Your system is configured for optimal performance")!
Good luck!