Windows 9x

Graphical Interface on DOS

Goals for Today

• Install Windows 98SE

• Install/Load Device Drivers

• Explore options, tools, configuration

• Network computers to Internet and class

First Task

• We need a prepared disk drive – FDISK and FORMAT

• Partition can be (almost) any size Primary and at 1Gig or above – 98 needs 500MB

• Formatted for FAT32

FDISK

• Boot system using Win98 disk

• Can go straight to “Safe Mode” – F5 key

• Make sure you have a Primary, Active partition – or create one

• Reboot computer

FORMAT

• After FDISK reboot, choose “…with CD support” boot option – FORMAT will be on the Virtual Disk drive

• Format FAT32 at least the Primary partition

Copy Windows

• All too often, Windows 98 wants to get something from the installation files

• Create a directory: Win98, on the hard disk drive

• Copy files from the CD’s Win98 directory to the hard disk drive:COPY E:\WIN98\*.* C:\win98\*.*

At least one space here

And here

Start Setup

• I would reboot the computer, so it boots from its own hard disk drive

• Change directories to Win98

• Type: SETUP /IE to start the installation

• Follow the prompts and install Windows

Setup

• Setup will copy files around and settle Windows into your system

• There will be a couple of reboots in the process

• You will get to a desktop, but it is not very remarkable without drivers

Loading Drivers

• If you were to check Device Manager, you would find a lot of yellow circles with exclamation points in them

• From the motherboard CD, install the chipset drivers first (at least one reboot)

• Video drivers come next – and reboot

• LAN driver (network card) driver

Windows

Win NT

Win 95 Win 98 Win ME

Win 2000

Win XP

Login

• Win 98 won’t ask if only one user and no password specified

• Can bypass the login by clicking “cancel”

• Security – not very much

Desktop

• “Home” for most of your work

• Icons for My Computer, My Documents, Network Neighborhood, Recycle Bin

• Add to the icon list as you see fit

• Explorer.exe is the name of the program

Taskbar and Start

• Familiar stuff here:– Start button– Quick Launch area– Running programs– System tray

Clicking

• Click menu items once to use them

• Click icons once to select them

• Click icons twice to use them

• Right-click anything for properties – also called “alternate click”

My Computer

• Access to all disk drives, folders and files on the computer

• Right-click, choose Properties for Device Manager

• Double-click on drive icon to see contents

Icons

• Icon pictures are based on (up to) three character file extension

• Windows keeps track of extensions it “knows about” in Registry

• View | Folder Options | File Types

• You get a generic “window” icon for unknown file type(s)

• Icon pictures are stored in .ICO files

Showing File Extensions

• View | Folder Options | View to make file extensions visible

• While you are here, select Show Hidden Files and Show Protected Windows files. Click Apply to all folders

My Documents

• Finally, a place to store all user data

• For single-user systems, My Documents is one folder at root level.

• For multiuser systems, My Documents is stored in C:\Windows\Profiles\<User>\My Documents

Recycle Bin

• Can’t call it Trash – that’s Mac term

• Gives you a second chance from delete

• Right-click Desktop, choose Properties (shortcut to Display control panel), choose effects and you can change basic icons for Recycle Bin and My Computer

Network Neighborhood

• Will not show unless NIC detected (and drivers installed)

• Lets you “see” computers and resources around you

• Right-click, to Properties as shortcut to Network control panel

Tech Utilities

• Control Panel– Visual interface to The Registry– Applications can install program(s) here– File extension is .CPL– Be aware of what you can find here

Tech Utilities

• Device Manager– The pulse of your system– Right-click My Computer | Properties– System applet in Control Panel– Not found in NT – no Plug and Play– One way to install or update device drivers

System Tools

• Start | Programs | Accessories | System tools

• Disk Check, Defragmenter located here

• Can also right-click drive icon, properties, tools for disk tools

OS Folders

• Default is C:\Windows, but you can make it anything you like.

• %SystemRoot% will get you there, whatever “there” is called

• %WinDir% does same thing

The Registry

• Main access is through Control Panel applets• Registry Editor is REGEDIT• Six root keys

– HKey_Classes_Root– HKey_Current_User– HKey_Local_Machine– HKey_Users– HKey_Current_Config– HKey_Dyn_Data

Swap File

• Using a portion of hard disk as if it were RAM

• Called WIN386.SWP, often in \Windows folder. Can be moved: System applet, Advanced tab

• If the Swap File is being used a lot, it’s time for more RAM – up to 512 MB

• Hidden, System file• Don’t delete it (it will pop back up)

DOS Mode

• DOS Protected Mode Interface (DPMI)

• Can boot to DOS in Win98; can’t in ME

• Core files– IO.SYS: old and most of msdos.sys– MSDOS.SYS: Text file for boot options– COMMAND.COM same as it ever was

Long File Names

• In 1995 we got what the Mac had in 1984

• Long File Names are up to 255 Characters

• Stored in 13-character sections in Directory

• 8.3 file name is first six valid characters then ~1; keep on going

Boot Options

• F8 for Boot Menu choices (or left CTRL key)

• MSDOS.SYS has more options

.INI Files

• First appeared in Win 3.x

• Text files – edit them with NotePad or EDIT

• Most have sections in brackets, followed by item = value entries

• Know about them, but don’t go there without good reason

System.ini

• Required by Windows 9x (optional for XP)

• One place where auto-start program(s) can be found

• For compatibility with Win 3.x

• Supposed to be for device drivers

• SYSEDIT will bring this, and four other files up for editing with NotePad

Win.ini

• For personalizations – like AUTOEXEC.BAT

• Not required, but will be created if deleted

• Edit with SYSEDIT

• Another place for startup programs

Windows GUI

Krnl386.exeUser.exeGdi.exe – inWindows/System

Networking 9x

• We will use TCP/IP; NetBEUI is too easy

• IP address: 192.168.1.x where x is unique to each system

• Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0 – same for all systems

• Workgroup name: aplus – same for all systems

Upgrading Windows

• Identify hardware requirements• Verify hardware and software compatibility• Clean install or upgrade• Backup data• Installation method• Partition method and file system to use• Network role• Language and locale settings• Plan for post-installation tasks