nil

I recently found that some of my apps are displaying unprintable or foreign (a-z) characters on my Win98SE system (English, SESP2, IE6 and DX9c), notably my Soundblaster Mixer panel (the gadgets only, menus are fine), UPXShell v3.07, and Kerio Personal Firewall v2.1.5 (only when viewing my logfile via KPF). One font being loaded at the same time as the mixer, ESTRE.TTF (Estrangelo Eddesa), panned out to be a unicode font that apparently has display issues on Win98 system yet deleting it and clearing the cache didn't fix the problem. It's then I noticed that all non-regular truetype fonts (ie. bold and italic) and many of the bitmap fonts on my system were displaying only numeric characters, and of those bitmap fonts that did show alphabetic characters (using fontview.exe) only the MS Sans Serif family (sserife.fon, sserifee.fon, ssee1257.fon,...) displayed the full range of point sizes; the others showed their 12 point character set only. Thinking it was an issue with the fonts themselves I replaced them with newly extracted 98SE fonts but unfortunately the problem still exists. I'm ignorant of how Windows systems utilize fonts and I haven't a clue what to try next. Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what might be going on or how best to approach a fix? Thanks in advance.

You could try to download the file directly from Microsoft (or one of the many sites that host the file) and copy it to c:\Windows\System but according to this thread the mfc42u.dll file is for Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003 systems only so I reckon firing off an email to Lexar (support@lexar.com) might be your best bet.

Fonceur, in case you're still considering the inf approach, I've edited the list of the DIRID values I posted previously to add several values between 50 and 100 that I missed (my tests were done on a Win98SE system with no printer installed) along with some others that are listed in http://gosh.msfnhosting.com/infs.htm and the MSDN article "Using Dirids" (and I corrected the reference for dirid 1 - I'd erroneously listed it as Desktop but it actually refers to the directory from which the INF file was installed). I double-checked the dirids that weren't listed in the docs above and they're still good on my system - it'd be great if someone else could check those values, esp. on non-Win98SE systems. The linked file above is well worth a read, and while it seems predominantly XP orientated there's *MUCH* more regarding inf files to be found on the 'Unattended Windows Discussion & Support' board on this site http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showforum=70.

Cheers prathapml. I had a quick scan of the thread you linked and I'm not sure it's quite what I'm after but I d/l'd the file anyway and will check it out. Ta. I've yet to try PowerDesk but, while it's undeniably powerful, I found DirOpus a little too bloated for my liking (I'm checking out 'Xplorer²' Free at the moment).

NEW QUESTION - ANYONE KNOW HOW BEST TO CLEAN BRICK GRIT FROM A KEYBOARD ? I really should have phrased my question a little tighter... Moving all my porn files is becoming WAY too much of a handful! And I just hate cracking open warez disk only to find it full of shortcuts (easier to crack now that I have a brick on hand I 'spose ).

I'd like to be able to make left-dragging (EDIT ...a file using the Windows GUI [and a mouse]...) always perform a move regardless of the destination or file type (without needing to use the shift key). Does anyone know if/how that can be done? (EDIT ...via a registry hack or an OS file patch?)

If only! Unfortunately ssmokee the hardest part seems to be scripting the enabling and (re)positioning of the links toolbar itself as it requires changing numerous bytes within two rather long registry binary strings, and I'm not sure that the position or value of those bytes (or even the keys used) are constant for all Win98SE installs. We're in the fast food age now, so despite only requiring a couple of clicks and a shove to do manually I figure unless this bit gets automated it's unlikely to be used. As to shortcuts, while I reckon there's a number of easy choices as to which could be included by default (like Temp, Quicklaunch, Send To, Links, Start Menu, My Computer, My Documents, Windows, Program Files, System, Fonts, TIF, Favourites, Desktop, Media, Control Panel...) even "best guess" shortcuts would probably be ok as it's the shortcut creation itself that's the off-putting part of the process; it's easier to modify an existing shortcut than to create the shortcut in the first place. A good example of that would be a shortcut to a "Downloads" directory, a directory which most people are likely to have and access fairly frequently. Many seem to use "c:\Downloads" so that would be a reasonable default path to use, though if "c:\Downloads" doesn't exist it's simple enough for the user to either "browse" to the correct directory when the shortcut is first used, or to rename the shortcut and point it to another directory if they don't have a downloads directory. Or of course to simply delete the shortcut. The ordering of the links is likely to be a more difficult choice as the shortcuts are sorted by date. (BTW, as I mentioned previously I've worked out how to create new shortcuts using an .inf file but I haven't yet found a "magic number" for 'Links' [or 'Favorites'] to have them created directly in the 'Links' directory. Unfortunately, while it's possible to use an absolute pathname in "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar\LinksFolderName" by default it just reads "Links", consequently the only way I can think of to make certain of the destination is to first check "HKCU\...\LinksFolderName" to see if 'Links' has been relocated or renamed, and if needed [very likely] to then check "HKCU\...\User Shell Folders" for the 'Favorites' path. That all seems like a rather inelegant way to handle the issue; maybe 'if not exist "%windir%\favorites\links\nul" echo Sorry!' is the way to go...) Nice idea, I hadn't considered taking that approach. I'd be interested to know how well it works. To date I've been too lazy to work out how to set up a "hardware neutral" image and so I do clean installs primarily to bypass the possible need to clean out conflicting/foreign hardware related system entries and files. (As to my use of someone's original Windows CD, its an ownership issue more then anything else. Thanks for the link all the same though - awsome site name!) I currently have the "pleasant" task of installing 98SE on a little Aptiva E3Q (Win98) for my sister. She wanted to install XP on that 450MHz "chat box" simply to allow the family to use the latest and greatest chat software. I think the cost of XP swayed her more than any argument I came up with. You can choose your friends,... azagahl, as I alluded to earlier I use Ranish Partition Manager to handle many of my partition related chores. While I haven't personally used it to do so it has the ability to clone one partition to another (via GUI or commandline) and may well suit your needs. At the least I suggest it might be worth checking out it's home site (www.ranish.com) as it includes a number of useful links to related utilities, sites, and articles. erpdude8, "better", as far as usage goes, is a subjective thing, though I accept 'Copy/Move To' may well be functionally more appealing than 'Send To Anyfolder' to most people and I agree with you regarding their inclusion in future service packs. I simply hope that they are made optional, or, if they're enabled by default, that the SP allows for some way to "uninstall" them (mainly for the benefit of those who tremble at the thought of using regedit). 'Copy/Move To' (and 'DOS prompt here' for that matter) are especially suited to the service packs as they can be implemented by a simple registry change (unlike SendToX) and are popular enough to warrant adding. The service pack's front-end (INFEX.EXE) can currently handle more than enough individual options (150, unfortunately no description lines as yet) so the only issues with making things optional is that of running the risk of overwhelming the user (esp. the novice) with too many options (if it gets to that point they may as well run X-setup or the like instead) and the need for a separate .inf file for each option (unless [win9x] inf files can be passed parameters - anyone know if that's possible? I know you can do some pretty nasty scripting within "NT" .inf files but I couldn't manage to get any to work under 9x). Apparently there's a number of decent third party alternatives to be had for those willing to Google hard enough - if I recall rightly there's even one listed at tinyapps.org. I say apparently as I haven't tried any myself - I don't own XP or use any NTFS formatted drives, or know anyone willing to let me tinker well enough with theirs (and I get busted when I even look sideways at the XP systems at work ). Here's a few more suggestions for future SP (including .reg snippets). Maximise the speed of the system menus. The only downside to making this change is that you can't prevent (sub)menus from opening as you move the mouse towards the menu you intend to access (which some may not like) but the net result is a far more responsive menu system: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop] "MenuShowDelay"="0" Enable logging of software faults/system crashes. Saves searching for pen and paper when you want to record the specifics of errors that occur, and having a history of errors to refer to helps to track down future problems. This is low priority as it's do-able via TweakUI (included in SESP 2.0b2). I personally use c:\Faultlog.txt as it makes it easier for me to find the file, but I've also seen some horribly cluttered root directories in my time so the accepted TweakUI default of "c:\Windows\Faultlog.txt" might serve better: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Fault] "LogFile"="C:\\FAULTLOG.TXT" An option to increase the size of the icon cache (SESP 2.0 b2 currently [re]sets it to 1024 as a performance tweak), or implementing something like Robert Schumacher's 'Folder Options' icon cache hack (see the PCForrest site for an example): HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer] "Max Cached Icons"="2048" I hope the silly season treated you all kindly. My heartfelt condolences and warm thoughts go out to those not so fortunate.

Hi unosys. Nice to see you went to the effort to post your findings. I didn't try the process you describe (I don't use WMP) but I noticed a couple of minor issues with your batch files that I thought to bring to your attention. First, the paths on lines 24 and 27 of RegWMP10.bat (%windir%\Progra~1\...) look like they need fixing, and, while unlikely to cause problems for most people as given, as a rule it's best to quote any path that includes %windir% or any other variable. By the way, are you able to play DRM encoded files after making the changes you speak of?

How about 'reg.exe' from the Win98 Resource Kit, to overcome Regedit's inability to delete single keys via a registry file. (I've only just been made aware of reg.exe, was using 'Regdel.exe' by Florian Balmer http://www.flos-freeware.ch before now.) @ssmokee - both my idea of hijacking 'links' and my reasons for suggesting it in the first place seem to have been misinterpreted by some. The idea itself is much like adding a (dialog box) "placebar" to every Windows Explorer window. I didn't suggest it for my benefit; I already know it "works" for me and others, I do it already without Gape's help, and I know how to automate (most of) the process via Gape's service packs (if I happened to want to do it from there rather than use my current method). I created this thread because there didn't seem to be one dedicated to thrashing out ideas for future service pack releases. Just thought I'd clear up that point. As an aside ssmokee, I don't use imaged installations on other people's systems unless the hardware is identical. My general install approach is to create (at least) two partitions (Ranish from a floppy/usb disk is nice), install Windows from the users original CD (noting their preferences during the install to add to msbatch.inf later), then dump all the cab files, and applicable patches/upgrades and third-party software/drivers/batch files from a general install CD, to a non-boot partition and finish customising the system via DOS scripts or by hand. Backing up the system partition at that point is smart to allow quick reinstalls on that hardware but a benefit of leaving (and adding to) the install partition is that it allows the user to easily reinstall the OS after major hardware upgrades (eg. a hard disk transfer to a new hardware setup) by booting to DOS, wiping c:, then starting a batch file to begin the install process. I'm just getting the hang of how to do more with inf instead of batch files, and searching MSFN has been heaps of help in working on ways to improve the reinstall process. (The forums here have been highly educational and with one notable exception have been friendly to boot. A blanket thanks to all. ) @diesel_98a - I considered suggesting some of the other MS viewers though I figured only Word and Excel files would be common enough to justify their inclusion, and a lot of editors (even Wordpad) can at least partially read Word files already. @zoem - your optional components idea sounds very do-able and likable. The idea could be extended (albeit with a fair amount of work) to serve as a way to make hybrid OS service packs happen without needing to distribute actual files - if the install process finds ME CAB files for example it might allow for the option to add ME components to 98. I meant to add a link to "Super Scandisk" but forgot. here it is: http://www.hyperlinx.cz/lsg/other/ssc10.zip. It's almost the opposite of what you say, it makes Windows Scandisk rather than the DOS version run after an improper shutdown, just like it's done with Windows ME. You learn to appreciate the idea after DOS scandisk renames your files with short file names. @Gape - re. the suggestions I sent, as I'm sure you know changing the default .bat action from open to edit isn't a flash idea (unlike the others .bat files are likely to be started as commands). Good luck with your service packs.

@soldier1st and zoem. My "attitude" in previous posts here was hardly worth thinking much less writing (and I deal with flames pretty well - I even laugh when they're witty, more so when they're warranted ) Probably excuses in part what MasterT went off about. My apologies. Peace. I think NTFS reader is a fine idea. Some other ideas: * Something like the 'Super Scandisk Wrapper' to workaround the use of DOS scandisk after an improper shutdown. * Microsoft's standalone Excel Viewer?

Well spotted jelev but I'm not sure that's the problem, eg [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Runonce] @="c:\\Windows\\desktop\\tst.bat" works fine (Win 98SE) but not: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Runonce] @="%windir%\\desktop\\tst.bat" %windir% doesn't seem to get expanded either by regedit or the OS when it reads it. [Edit] A sidenote some might find interesting - "%windir%" appears to be a valid directory name so the above would run "c:\%windir%\desktop\tst.bat" if it existed... Useless but true.

Too true Fonceur. In theory you can add an extra seperator using plain DOS but it takes the batch file from messy to ridiculous. Here's a partial list of inf "dirid" values I've just build up after reading "Creating shortcuts using INF files" by Daniel U. Thibault (http://www.robvanderwoude.com/shortcutinf.html). I presume they are constant values. I couldn't be bother testing beyond 100... let me know if you find anything new, or a link to a more complete list. [edited 16 Jan 05] ; 1=SourceDrive:\pathname of the directory from which the INF file was installed ; 2=c:\WININST0.400 ; 3=c:\UNINSTAL.000 ; 4=c:\UNINSTAL.000 ; 5=inf ; 10=windows ; 11=system (or system32 on Windows NT) ; 12=system\iosubsystem ; 13=command ; 17=inf ; 18=help ; 19=windows ; 20=fonts ; 21=system\viewers ; 22=VMM32 ; 23=color ; 24=c: (the Applications folder [ie. Program Files] root) ; 25=windows (MS doc refers to this as the "Shared directory". ?) ; 27=c: ; 28=windows ; 30=c: Root directory of the boot disk (might not be the same directory as dirid24) ; 31=c: (as above?) ; 32=c:\Winboot ; 33=start menu\programs ; 50 System directory (%windir%\system) on NT-based OS (only) ; 51 Spool directory (not used for installing printer drivers) ; 52 Spool drivers directory (not used for installing printer drivers) ; 53 User profile directory ; 54 Directory where ntldr.exe and osloader.exe are located (NT-based systems only) ; 55 Print processors directory (not used for installing printer drivers) ; Value Shell Special Folder ; ; 16406 All Users\Start Menu ; 16407 All Users\Start Menu\Programs ; 16408 All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup ; 16409 All Users\Desktop ; 16415 All Users\Favorites ; 16419 All Users\Application Data ; 16422 Program Files ; 16427 Program Files\Common ; 16429 All Users\Templates ; 16430 All Users\Documents The author of the doc above adds this - "%24% is the Applications (Program Files) directory root (typically C:\). The entire %24%\Progra~1\Access~1\ path can be retrieved as %28710% under Win 98 and later." Thanks Yzöwl, just downloaded reg.exe from the Resource Kit. (Dialup, only 100 odd hours to go...) Looks neat.

Couldn't see any mention of being able to do that in the Ratified FDISK Guide, but to quote the guide, the ultimate FDISK reference site is fdisk.com; you might want to take a look there.

Is 'reg' an ME command Yzöwl, can't seem to find it on Win98SE.

It seems the exit isn't needed at all, you can just end your batch file with a CLS to close the window (in Win98SE at least). Thanks again Wireless.

I absolutely agree with most of your first two lines MasterT. I thought I was suggesting "system improvements". I'm not too lazy to do it myself, neither am I too lazy to fire up regedit and do many of the changes already done by the service pack, or to download and install an NTFS reader that I have no use for, or MSI 3.0 for that matter. Some might be, though its more a question of convenience not laziness. Thanks for your well thought out and friendly opinions though. There, there, zoem, I was just having a dig about the messy part mate. I'm not suprised you found the idea messy - none of my ideas had *anything* at all to do with changing IE, it was WINDOWS explorer I was mentioning (not trying to have anyone agree with). I totally agree with the scary IE toolbars bit by the way. Your last suggestion was just the type of thing I was getting at. Cheers.

I tested the following [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Fault] "LogFile"="%windir%\\temp\\FAULTLOG.TXT" and the resulting string was "%windir%\temp\FAULTLOG.TXT". The system seemed to treat %windir% as a literal directory name instead of expanding the variable when it was needed in this case (I forced a fault and it wasn't recorded) though other programs may treat it differently when it's called (I didn't test msi). The hassle with trying to build and run a reg file using %windir% within a batch file, e.g. >tmp.reg echo REGEDIT4 >>tmp.reg echo. >>tmp.reg echo [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Fault] >>tmp.reg echo "LogFile"="%windir%\\FAULTLOG.TXT" >>tmp.reg echo. regedit /s tmp.reg del tmp.reg is the difficulty in adding an extra \ to the %windir% path (e.g., c:\\Windows), which regedit seems to want (when I tried the above the previous registry entry was not modified, nor was it recreated after deleting the entry). I've got no idea how you'd go about adding the extra seperator. (You could use a third-party search/replace command but then you may as well just edit the original reg file directly.)

diesel_98a, sure it can all be done via 98batch or any time after an install (and I do, and do enough checks in my batch file to allow it to be done any time after install without problems on other people's systems), but your comments equally apply to a number of the (optional) additions and changes made by the service packs, most of which can be done manually. An example of that is "DOS prompt here". I understand it's benefits for some and think its inclusion as an option is a great idea, especially for those who don't know how to manually modify the registry entry for themselves (or even know that it was possible). I personally use quite a few menu extensions and find "DOS prompt here" just adds to context menu clutter so I don't use it (I have a DOSBox shortcut in quicklaunch so just drag and drop folders when I need to, and the frequency of needing to doesn't outweigh the negatives of having it around on my system). It's for much the same reason that I'm glad the service packs no longer add "Copy To" and "Move To" on the context menus by default (they were also basically redundant on my system because I use the Microsoft Powertoy "Sent to Anyfolder"). I do appreciate all the comments and aren't bothered in the slightest if people don't like the ideas (** says nil wiping tears from his eyes ** ). I was interested in hearing what people thought of the ideas themselves, and of hearing about similar ideas that (simple as they might be) might enhance the usability of Windows98 in ways that might not be obvious to others. Any comments on that aspect?

These help? Boot Log Analyser http://www.woundedmoon.org/win32/bootloganalyzer123.html Boot Log Examiner http://www.systemsbysteve.com/software/ble.zip

Hi. I'm not sure if it's any help but I recall TimeZone.exe (part of the 98 Resource Kit Sampler) included a doc that talked a little about the naming conventions used - may help to create a Nairobi specific entry (haven't seen the online docs so don't know whether they differ). * edit It wasn't TimeZone but rather TZEdit from the Win98SE CD(x:\tools\reskit\config\TZEdit.exe), and Nairobi does show on the list.

Sheez, I *almost* squeezed an opinion out of both of you. And now I'm going to sound like I'm trying to sell my ideas rather than offer them. The quicklaunch toolbar is on the taskbar, and, if you enable it (via a right click on explorer toolbar area), the links toolbar is on every open Explorer window. The specific suggestions weren't interchangable. Both in my opinion are *much* easier to use if you compact them (to get shortcut names). With quicklaunch it'll leave you with a minimum of four icons on the toolbar and any more will show up, with text, on a popup menu accessed via when you click the >>. Typically it's used to launch programs - if you click on any folder shortcut you happen to put in quicklaunch it'll open a Windows Explorer window and no amount of clicking on anything but the next, previous, and parent gadgets will help you show different parts of your system in *that* Explorer window. Except shortcuts in the links toolbar (or folder shortcuts in the favorites menu). When you select a folder shortcut from the links toolbar that folder will be displayed in that Explorer window, not open up another. Unless you compact it you're left with what I reckon is an ugly, unweildy line of icons followed by text, or a set of same looking icons (whether url or folder lnk) that you have to hover over to see what they do, and that type of messing around WILL lessen it's appeal. But so far no-one seems to even *get it* much less use it, so there goes that idea. (I'm still no closer on how to automate the toolbar repositioning but just scored some info on how to create the shortcuts on the fly. So I'm a bit happier at least.) soldier1st, I don't quite know what you mean about deleting then recreating 'links' but what do you put into the directory (url I'm guessing) and how do you access the contents (from where) Re quickbar. Along with about thirty other shortcuts (including a few sub menus) I have a cascading control panel. Does anyone else do that? Regedit? DOSbox? DOSBox /Z?, Display Settings?, Device Manager?,... Many of those wouldn't appeal to others, I just thought the one I did mentioned might be a common choice and get the ball rolling for more ideas. And zoem, honest I tried but I still can't find a way to make my posts look any prettier using my Quicklaunch bar. No need to duck buddy.

That's precisely why I started by saying that I thought the ideas "would suit being handled by Gape's Win98SE service packs". The suggestion was for Gape, who isn't cr@p at DOS, to consider to spending the very small amount of time that it'll no doubt take him to integrate that process into a service pack for those who like me would much prefer not to do it by hand each time they installed Win98SE (I generally install his service packs only at that time). It's exactly the same reason why I appreciate Gape's work with the service packs; I'm cr@p at sorting through the minefield I consider Windows98SE patching to be (especially when it comes to interpreting "only install this patch if you have x/y problem, otherwise don't" that confuses the patches issue - Gape has obviously done a fine job with the testing required,) and I'm way too lazy to go through that reboot/run SFC 50 plus times type cr@p that the manual method requires. soldier1st, let's suppose you meant "thats alot of work" as an opinion rather than a point of fact (I wrote the batch file I use to do it with *once*, and in less time that it used to take me to create even those shortcuts I listed *every* time I installed my system) did you actually try the "just for that" bit out and have any meaningful comment about what you thought of the idea itself? Even if you didn't, hearing whether or not you actually use 'links', and if so how, is at least meaningful. Does anyone do *any* of the actions I described manually? Are there similar types of procedures that are common to enough of us, and that most do manually now, that might warrant their consideration in a service pack. That's what I was prompting feedback on. ** edit ** I see you there soldier1st - greets!

What's messy, my post The idea on top is done with two lines of DOS code (when copying the shortcuts, and I imagine the moving part is a few lines of reg code) and the changes below require four lines of code. Messy? Typically "My Computer", "Desktop", "Temp", "Program Files", "Windows", "System", and "IE Cache" get linked (on other peoples systems, I have submenus happening myself), say an extra line for each or a small inf file. How do you gain quick access to those directories using explorer? Small work given the benefits gained, but like I said, just seeing what others think.

Wireless - thankyou, thankyou, thankyou! That issue's been jacking me off for ages! The only downside to use of exit (in redistributable scripts only of course) is that there's no easy way (that I know of) to establish how the batch file was started. If it's started via "Windows" methods all is good and well but if executed via a DOSbox commandline 'exit' can be a rather rude way to end a batch file. I found the same applied with AmigaDOS - lots of scripts being written using 'endcli' to handle the same problem (shortcuts had no "close on exit"), all assuming that they were started via the GUI rather than from a commandline. Anyhows... thankyou, thankyou,...

I figure the following ideas would suit being handled by Gape's Win98SE service packs in future and thought to mention them now if only to give Gape some idea as to how well they and other ideas like them might be received. Windows uses the "favorites" directory to store internet shortcuts and, by default at least, also uses the "links" subdirectory for essentially the same purpose. What I do after any Windows install is to delete all internet shortcuts from "links" and instead populate it with Windows shortcuts to local folders (creating a clear distinction between the two, favorites being for the Internet Explorer, links for Windows Explorer). I then move the links toolbar to the right of the Explorer window so only the title is showing, ie. Links >>; clicking on the >> gives access to the shortcuts from a drop down menu. Many who's systems I've applied the above change to never used "links" at all in the past (one friend even thought it was a special feature reserved for advertising ) but have since found it a very useful feature. (I don't know how to go about automating all that via a batch or inf file [without using third-party tools] - my current post-install batch file just copies pre-created shortcuts from my install partition to the links directory, and I haven't a clue how to activate/reposition the links toolbar via the registry so I just do that bit manually. Any help here for my personal use would be much appreciated.) Some other simple changes that I typically apply which have been well received include moving 'Startup' from "...\start menu\programs\accessories" to the top of the 'Start Menu', along with a directory named 'Startup (disabled)' (to serve as a storage place for shortcuts to programs that the user might temporarily want to disable but keep on hand) and a shortcut 'Add-Remove Programs', and adding an 'Internet Options' shortcut to quicklaunch (on IE based systems). All simple additions in theory. What's your thoughts.