Installation Tips

Automatically Inserting the Product ID for Office and FrontPage 2003

Copy the source files to a directory on your hard drive
Go to the \FILES\SETUP directory
Edit the SETUP.INI file
Under [Options], add a PIDKEY entry as in the examplePIDKEY=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
You don't want to include any dashes in the PIDKEY

Upgrading to Windows2000 or XP

In general, I do not recommend doing in place upgrades. For example, you currently have Windows98 and want to upgrade to XP, and upgrade directly over your current operating system. There are just too many problems that can occur this way.It might seem like it will take too long otherwise but typically you spend more time trying to fix problems than if you did a clean install.
However....
This does not mean you need to format your hard drive first and erase all your data in order to get the benefits of a clean install. Preparation is the key.
Write down what apps are installed and have all the source files available.
Save any configurations like e-mail settings to a simple text file.
Copy the source files for the new operating system to a directory on the hard drive.
Boot with a simple Win98 DOS disk. Make sure Smartdrv is loaded to speed up the actual install.
On the C: drive, rename the \windows and \progra~1 (program files directory)
Change to the location of the source files that were copied and start the install of the new operating system.
Now you will have a clean install and everything is still on the hard drive.
You will need to reinstall your applications but typically this doesn't take that long if things are ready ahead of time.
If you have enough hard drive space, I also like to copy all my source files to something like an Install directory along with any product ID's. Then you don't need to keep looking for them.

Slipstream Service Packs into Office Installations

You can update the source files for Office with the Office Service Packs and Updates you need.These can later be burned to a CD or copied to a network share for distribution.It saves a lot of time not needing to manually apply all the service packs after installation.
Overview
There are basically three steps to slipstreaming a Service Pack into an Office Installation:
Do an Office Administrative Install to a Hard Drive
Download and Extract the Service Pack
Apply the Service Pack to the Install
Administrative Install
Create a directory on your hard drive where you want to do the install (e.g. C:\OFFICE)
Do an administrative install of Office to a directory on your hard drive (x::setup.exe /a)
You don't need to enter in the license at this point
When prompted, place it in a C:\OFFICE directory
Click on the Install Now button
It will look like it is doing a regular install but the files will be copied to the C:\OFFICE
Download and Apply Service Packs
Download the Office Administrator Service Pack updates from Microsoft
Extract it to a C:\UPDATE directory (again, this is only as an example)
Office2000
Extract the DATA1.EXE file to C:\UPDATE (data1.msp)
Start / Run
msiexec /a c:\office\data1.msi/p c:\update\data1.msp SHORTFILENAMES=TRUE /qbmsiexec /a c:\office\data1.msi /p c:\update\Sp2admin.msp SHORTFILENAMES=1
Repeat for any additional extracted msp files
Outlook2000 Security Update

Extract the three MSP file to the Update directory
Start / Run
msiexec /a c:\office\Data1.msi /p C:\Update\OQFE7082_Client.msp SHORTFILENAMES=1 msiexec /a c:\office\Data1.msi /p C:\Update\OQFE7140_Client.msp SHORTFILENAMES=1 msiexec /a c:\office\Data1.msi /p C:\Update\OQFE7160_Client.msp SHORTFILENAMES=1
OfficeXP

Extract the files to the Update directory
Start / Run
msiexec /p c:\update\MAINSP1_Admin.msp /a c:\office\your.msi SHORTFILENAMES=TRUE(where your.msi file is the actual one depending on the version of OfficeXP (PROPLUS.MSI, SBERET.MSI)
Repeat for any additional extracted msp files
All you need to to is create a new CD with the updated source files and use this for future installations.

Installing WindowsNT, Windows2000 and WindowsXP

This is a general way to partition your hard drive for installing any version of NT.
The reason for the change is that with Win98, if the operating system failed to boot,you could easily reinstall and the previous settings and applications would still be installed.
With NT based systems, this is not always possible and often requires a complete reinstall. Even the Recovery options don't always work that well.I've had it erase my C: drive on more than one occasion!! Good thing for backups.
Create a smaller C: partitionWith NT 4 - 2 gigs - FATWith Windows2000 or WindowsXP - 4 gigs - FAT32
Install the base operating system on that partition
Create a D: partition for the rest of the drive
Install all your apps and keep your data on the D: partition
Then use a program like Partition Magic or Ghost to make an image of the C: drive
If you keep this image relatively current, should the OS fail to boot, you can simply restore that image.
This restore typically takes only about 10 minutes. Much faster than reinstalling any OS.

Installing WindowsNT, Windows2000 and WindowsXP

This is a general way to partition your hard drive for installing any version of NT.
The reason for the change is that with Win98, if the operating system failed to boot,you could easily reinstall and the previous settings and applications would still be installed.
With NT based systems, this is not always possible and often requires a complete reinstall. Even the Recovery options don't always work that well.I've had it erase my C: drive on more than one occasion!! Good thing for backups.
Create a smaller C: partitionWith NT 4 - 2 gigs - FATWith Windows2000 or WindowsXP - 4 gigs - FAT32
Install the base operating system on that partition
Create a D: partition for the rest of the drive
Install all your apps and keep your data on the D: partition
Then use a program like Partition Magic or Ghost to make an image of the C: drive
If you keep this image relatively current, should the OS fail to boot, you can simply restore that image.
This restore typically takes only about 10 minutes. Much faster than reinstalling any OS.

Office2000 / OfficeXP Automatic Inserting the Product ID

To create your own CD so either version will automatically fill in the product ID:
Copy the source files to a directory on your hard drive
For either product, you need to modify the SETUP.INI file
In the [OPTIONS] section, add a line PIDKEY=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (where the X's are replaced with your product id without the dashes)
For Office2000 the SETUP.INI file is on the root of the CD
For OfficeXP the SETUP.INI file is in the FILES\SETUP directory

Windows SUWIN Setup Error Codes
Microsoft has a Knowledge Base article at:http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q129/9/71.asp
which details all the SUWIN Setup Error Codes you might receive during an install ofWin95, Win98, Win98SE and Millennium

Installing WindowsME Without a Previous OS

You can install WindowsME without having a previous operating system installed.
You just need to have a pervious version's CD available.
I recommend copying the source files to the hard drive and installing from there.
When you are prompted for a previous operating system, simply insert your Windows95/98 CD and browse to the directory where the source files are located.
You can then continue installing on a clean system without having to install a previous version.
This should save a lot of time in the event you need to reinstall WindowsME from scratch.

Setup Switches

There are several switches that can be used when running SETUP
SETUP Switches
There are several switches available to use along with SETUP.Some are undocumented.
filename
Runs the particular INF file
/ID
Ignores the DIsk Space check
/IS
Ignores the routine System check
/IQ
Skips the test for cross-linked files
/IM
Skips the memory check
/IN
Runs setup without the Network Setup Module
/IW
Bypasses needing to read the License screen.Needs to be upper case when run within WindowsUndocumented.
/IP
Ignores Plug and PlayUndocumented
/IR
By passes the checkin into the system CMOS. Useful for some combinations of motherboard and Award BIOS ver 4.50 PUndocumented
/D
If you do not want Setup to use your existing Windows configuration (such as your current Win.ini and System.ini files), use this switch.Undocumented
/N
Allows setup to run without a mouseUndocumented
/NTLDR
Eliminates check for previous operating system.
/P
Detection Switch Option String - Using a /P allows you to use an additional switch for viewing and setting some detection parameters. You can separate them with a semicolon (;). For example /P g=3;i;p.
g=0 to 3 - This switch controls how verbose the built-in progress bar is. At maximum level (3), it shows all the resources of the detected devices along with the progress bar. This switch can help to identify which detection module causes a certain problem. The default is 0.
b - This switch enables Prompt Before mode. It prompts you before a detection module is called so that you can step through each detection module manually and decide if you want to skip it. The default is disabled.
i - This switch tells Setup not to report the existence of a Plug and Play BIOS. It is useful on systems that have a Plug and Play BIOS that is not reported in Machine.inf.
p - This switch enables performance logging. It writes performance timing information to the DETLOG.TXT file.The default is disabled.
f - This switch enables Clean Registry mode. It forces Detection to clean the root branch of the registry before starting. This switch is ignored when Setup is run in the Windows 95 graphical user interface (GUI). The default is disabled.

Explorer Tips

Changing the Vista Windows Explorer Columns

By default, the Windows Explorer displays file's Name, Date Modified, Size and TypeIf you want to Add or Change these,
Right click on any of the columns
Check or Uncheck any times you want
Click on More to display an extremely rich list of options to display
To Move columns
Left click and drag the column to the location you want

Restoring a Missing Menu Bar

If the Windows Explorer does not show a menu bar, it may be due to an entry in the Registry that needs to be deleted.
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar\Explorer
If there is the following key - ITBarLayout - Delete it

Removing Right-Click Items

When you right click on a folder or file with the Explorer, a list of options is available. As more applications get installed, this list may get too large for you.
To remove items from the list:
Note the text of the item you want to remove
Start Regedit
Go to the following sections in the Registry and delete the subkey with the string you noted in Step 1.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellHKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\fileHKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell

Changing the Default Sound in Explorer

You can change the default sound heard when navigating to folders in the Explorer.
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ AppEvents \ Schemes \ Apps\ Explorer \ Navigating\ .current
Change the default value to the wav file you want to use.
Leaving it blank will turn off the sound.
This also changes the default sound when opening a page in the Internet Explorer.

Running the Explorer in Separate Process (NT/XP Only)

By default, the Windows Desktop, Taskbar, and Explorer run in a single process using multiple threads. You can modify the registry so that the Taskbar and Desktop will run in one process with each instance of Explorer in a separate process.
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer
Create a DWORD value called DesktopProcess
Give it a value of 1

Changing Drive Icons in Explorer

To change the icon used for specific drives in Explorer
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Explorer
Create a key called DriveIcons
Within DriveIcons, create another key with the drive letter you want to change (..\DriveIcons\K)
Create another key within the drive letter key called DefaultIcon
Set the default value equal to the icon you want to use.
If you have a file that has more than one icon in it, such as a DLL file, use the standard C:\full_path\icon_file.dll,xwhere x is the number of the icon within the file icon_file.dll.

Changing Drive Labels in Explorer (Windows2000 and XP)

Normally the Explorer shows drive labels as "Compact Disk", "Removable Disk" ect.
To change the name of this label for specific drives:
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Explorer
Create a key called DriveIcons
Within DriveIcons, create another key with the drive letter you want to change (..\DriveIcons\K)
Create another within the drive letter key called DefaultLabel
Give the Default Value for this key the label you want to appear for that drive letter. (Jazz Drive etc.)
Restart the computer

Resetting Graphics PreView in Explorer

For Windows98, ME or Windows 2000, if you have View as Web Page enabled but do not see a picture preview in Explorer:
Start Regedit
Go to Registry key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ file type \ ShellEx \ {BB2E617C-0920-11d1-9A0B-00C04FC2D6C1}
Make sure the Default Value "{7376D660-C583-11d0-A3A5-00C04FD706EC}"

Keeping Filenames in the Case You Want

To stop Windows from changing the case of your filenames to upper or lower case:
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Advanced
Double-click DontPrettyPath (or create this key with a type of REG_DWORD if it doesn't exist)
Set the value to 1 to keep the case as you type it or 0 to adjust the case as Explorer requires
Click OK
Close Regedit

Changing the Explorer's Web View Background

If you use Web View for your Internet Explorer, you can change the background that appears.
Edit or recreate the file >C:\Windows\Web\Wvleft.bmp
Make sure you keep the file dimensions the same 182x237 pixels

Moving Up and Down Directory Levels

To go one directory deeper, key RIGHT ARROW
To back out one directory level, key LEFT ARROW

Hiding the File Menu in the Explorer

To hide the File Menu in Explorer:
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Create a new Binary Value
Name it NoFileMenu
Give it a value of 01 00 00 00
Reboot the computer

Explorer Session from the Start Menu

To open the Explorer with a session on the Start Menu,you can just right click on the START button and choose EXPLORE

Most avid windowers know that "Start Settings Taskbar Start Menu Programs Advanced..."will start an Explorer session focused on the Start Menu directory.This allows you to easily and quickly add/modify your Start menu.
To immediately access this Explorer session from the Start menu itself,
Open Explorer and open the Windows directory.
Right-drag EXPLORER.EXE to the desktop, then select "Create shortcut here."
Open the properties to this shortcut, select the Shortcut tab and add the following switches to the command line in Target: "/e,/root,c:\windows\Start Menu".
Double-click on the title of the shortcut and change it to "Configure Start Menu."
Open "Start Settings Taskbar Start Menu Programs Advanced..." and drag the shortcut just created into the window on the right.
This will place a configuration item in the first level of the Start Menu.
These command-line options will allow a similar Explorer session to be started with any folder as the root.

Automatically Adjusting Right-Panel Column Widths

The column widths in the right hand panel of the Explorer might not be the correct sizes to display all the file information.To automatically adjust all the columns at once to show all the information,
Click somewhere on the right-hand panel
Simply press the Ctrl-+ key.
The Name, Size, Type and Modified columns will automatically adjust themselves to display all their information.
Note: The + is the one on the numeric keyboard

Inserting the Name of a File into a Document

When you need to insert the exact name of a file into a document:
Open the Explorer
Right click on the file you want to reference
Select Rename. You can either right click and select Rename or press the F2 key.
Instead of renaming it, right click on it again, and select Copy.
Then you can paste the exact file name into your document

Added Non-Expanded Explorer when Right Clicking on a Folder

Adding a second Explorer to the menu that pops up when right clicking on any folder or the Start Button.This is handy to be able to open Explorer non-expanded and also for being able to open a second Explorer (non-expanded) while already in Explorer.
Open My Computer
Choose View-Options-File Types
Select the File Folder file type
Click Edit
For ACTION, type EXPLORER2
For APPLICATION USED, type C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE /n,/e,/select,C:\
Click OK and close all windows
Run REGEDIT
Expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
Locate and expand DIRECTORY
Locate and expand SHELL
Locate and expand EXPLORER2
Select COMMAND
On the right window RIGHT CLICK on DEFAULT
Select MODIFY
Remove the space and %1 at the end of the line
Click OK and close REGEDIT
EXPLORER2 will show up and launch a non-expanded view of Explorer whenever you right-click on the START BUTTON or any folder, even if you are already in Explorer.
The whole procedure can be done in REGEDIT, but this may be safer for users not experienced with REGEDIT

Finding Files from Explorer

To find files from a particular directory:
Start the Explorer
Go to the directory you want to search
Press the F3 key
The Find File dialog box will come up with the initial directory being the one you highlighted

Printing a Directory from Explorer

To make a Print Directory option from a right-click in Explorer:
In Explorer, choose View / Options / File Types
Highlight Folder (not File Folder)
Click on the Edit button
Click on the New button
In the Action box, type &Print Dir
In the Application use to perform action box type C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM /C DIR %1 /S /A /O:N > PRN
You can use other switches for COMMAN