A Windows 9x Site
{{{{{{{ Yesterday's Content Tomorrow! }}}}}}}
Now wif spell check!

Hits since 4 March 2001:
*  = new topics added December 2002
**  = new topic added April 2003
Now with conceptuary!

NB: This Win9x site does not apply directly to any version of NT, e.g. Windows 2000 (NT 5.0) or Windows XP (NT 5.1)!

General user advice (mild to moderate geekiness):
How to switch off your PC - but seriously, folks...
Safe computing 2000 primer; tres dated, but basics still apply
End-user system maintenance what every user should be doing
Graphics primer for users new to scanning or digital photography
Word processing tips about word processing, not word processor products
Getting your email while away travelling and so forth

Background issues (mild to marked geekiness):
About software; manage it, assess bloat, read why it falls over
How malware works - know your foe
The startup axis - from PSU to StartUp groups
Data management strategies that may differ from what you've read
The MIME-spoofing risk*; this is one critical fix you really need!
The secret life of email*; some things have to be designed in
Windows 9x subversions - don't mix 'em up
Windows Millennium  - what is it, and should you care?
WinME SFP and System Restore  - friends like this need management
What do you mean, DOS? - a guide to all the permutations!
Retrofitting DOS Mode to WinME** - yes, it works cleanly too
Long File Names - and the issues they can cause
Registry management - editing, compacting, and backing it up

Troubleshooting methods (mild to marked geekiness):
Formal virus check - exclusionary scanning for viruses
The Stuffed PC - you'll know it when you see it; "first, do no harm"
Before you think...* - debugging preliminaries can save you hassles
Risk management how-to - use small walls as well as big fences
Getting rid of Kak and other embedded-script HTML malware
Living with unknown Word malware; less common than in 1999
Drives are using DOS Compatibility Mode and how to fix it
Managing DLL Hell** - what they are, how to approach conflicts
Dial-Up Internet debugging - don't dig in the wrong place

Data recovery topics (mild to marked geekiness):
Understanding ScanDisk  messages - what every user should know
Understanding FAT  - what every geek should know
Hard drive data corruption - what goes wrong, what it looks like
Troubleshooting FAT file system - redundancy is your friend
Bad diskette data recovery - a standard approach
Data recovery from 'lost C:' hard drives (terse)

External links - Most Frequently Used:
Virus info: http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs
Shareware/drivers browse: http://download.com
General search: http://www.google.com

External downloads - The CQ Non-Poo Software Awards:
Non-malware-gaping email - Eudora*: http://www.eudora.com
On-demand virus scanner - F-Prot for DOS: http://www.complex.is
Field virus scanner - F-Prot for DOS: http://www.complex.is
Commercial malware killer - AdAware: http://www.lavasoft.de
Test RAM for errors - MemTest86, SIMMtester: http://www.simmtester.com
Archiver, now command-line controllable - WinZip: http://www.winzip.com

The perspective on all this is small, self-managed installations based around Windows 9x. There's plenty of large-installation and network-orientated stuff elsewhere; that's not my beat, and I'll leave that to others to cover.

You can also read some navel-gazing about the philosophy of this site.
You can also mail me at cquirkesite@iafrica.com.

(C) Chris Quirke, all rights reserved.
Last update April 2003: new topics DOS Mode for WinME and "DLL Hell" added