Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Jan. 25 -- QUESTION: For some odd reason, I cannot get Windows 98 to start up normally, 30 seconds counting off. I can either wait for the 30 seconds to elapse or hit enter, and the machine then boots correctly. But it is still annoying. I even tried re-installing Windows 98 to no avail.
I've checked the system for problems using Norton Utilities, but it reported nothing out of the ordinary. What can I do?
ANSWER: You don't say whether Windows 98 came installed on your system or whether you upgraded from Windows 95. But we'll take this opportunity to remind Windows users that whenever possible, remove earlier versions before installing Windows 98. Many of the problems reported by new Windows 98 users are on systems in which the new version was installed on top of Windows 95.
Matt Raykowski, a technician at Chiphead's Computer Repair in Minneapolis, suggests you use Notepad or another text editor to check the MSDOS.SYS file, located in your C: directory, to make sure the settings are correct.
Here's what a freshly installed Windows 98 MSDOS.SYS file looks like:
Paths
WinDir=C:WINDOWS
WinBootDir=C:WINDOWS
HostWinBootDrv=C
Options
BootMulti=1
BootGUI=1
DoubleBuffer=1
AutoScan=1
WinVer=4.10.1998
You'll probably also see several lines of Xs at the end of the file.
The problem you describe is often caused by an incorrect BootMulti setting. If the line in your MSDOS.SYS file does not say "BootMulti=1," edit it to do so, save the file and reboot.
When modifying any system files, be sure backup the original before making any changes, just in case to need to restore it later.
Q: I have been trying to send video clips and photos via e-mail to a friend, but she hasn't been able to open any of them. I have sent these same files (all are .jpg, .bmp and .avi files) to other friends, and they tell me they were able to read them with no problems whatsoever.
My friend uses Eudora as her mail program. Might that be the problem?
A: Probably not. More likely, your friend does not have the necessary software installed on her system to read the files you are sending.
But don't worry, that problem can be fixed fairly easily.
Windows users should be able to view bitmapped image (.bmp) and Video for Windows (.avi) files using the Windows Paint and Media Player applets that are included with the operating system. If your friend has not installed those programs, she can do so using the Windows setup disks. Photographs saved in the Joint Photographic Experts Group (.jpg) format can be viewed using your Netscape or Internet Explorer browser, most third party image editing programs, or on one of the many shareware or freeware image viewers available on the Web at www.download.com.
Mac users can use the Quicktime movie player to view .avi files. As for the .bmp and .jpg files, GraphicsConverter and JpegView are among some of the more popular graphics viewers and editors for the Mac.
Those programs and many others can be found at www.download.com
and www.macdownload.com .
READERS TO THE RESCUE: Heidi Holland of the Ramsey County Library System offers an addendum to last week's column advising readers on using Telnet to access most Twin Cities area libraries. To avoid being asked for a password, be sure to type "library" in all lower case letters. If you capitalize the first letter, you'll get a password prompt.
Windows Magazine Tip of the Week: To determine which version of Windows you have on an installation CD, pop in the CD and select Browse This CD. In the root folder, or the C:WIN9x folder, right-click on SETUP.EXE, choose Properties and click on the Version tab. You'll find the version number atthe top of that dialog box.
Technology editor Jeffrey C. Kummer can be reached at jkummer@pioneerpress.com .
Visit PioneerPlanet, the World Wide Web site of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, at http://www.pioneerplanet.com
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