Last Updated |
Click a heading below to reveal the tips.
There is more material like this in Tweak95.hlp from the downloads page.
Still hacking this one.
Recompresses Drivespace 3 drives to achieve user specified level of compression.
CmpAgent.exe [Drive] /All /N /Nop /Noio /Task /Date:x /RCMP:x /Pmioctl /SageRun:x /SageSet:x
| <nothing> | Starts with a UI to set run and compression options. |
| Drive | Drive to compress |
| /All | Recompresses all drives |
| /N | |
| /Nop | Unattended mode; do not stop and display confirmation messages. |
| /NoIO | |
| /Task:x | |
| /Date:x | |
| /Rcmp:x | |
| /Pmioctl | Turns off use of the protected-mode IOCTL from Drvspacx.vxd |
| /SageRun:x | Runs in unattended mode using the System Agent-aware settings in the SETn registry key |
| /SageSet:x | Display the System Agent-Aware Setting dialog box and store the settings in the SETn registry key |
Defrag [Drive] /All /F /U /Q /P /Concise /Detailed /Noprompt /Pmioctl /Sageset:x /SageRun:x /Mwmem /Task:x
| <nothing> | Starts a UI to defragment drives |
| Drive | Drive to defrag |
| /All | Defragment all local, non-removable drives. |
| /F | Defragment files and free space. |
| /U | Defragment files only. |
| /Q | Defragment free space only. |
| /P | System and hidden files will be optimized. Be very careful. Reboot after use. Dangerous on drives that hold drive space container files |
| /Concise | Display the Hide Details view (Default). |
| /Detailed | Display the Show Details view. |
| /Noprompt | Unattended mode; do not stop and display confirmation messages. |
| /Pmioctl | Turns off use of the protected-mode IOCTL from Drvspacx.vxd. |
| /sageset:x | Display the System Agent-Aware Setting dialog box and store the settings in the SETx registry key. |
| /Sagerun:x | Runs in unattended mode using the System Agent-aware settings in the SETx registry key. |
| /MWMEM | |
| /TASK:x | |
| Defrag supports the command line options from Dos 6.22, however they appear not to do anything. Some of them are from Norton's Utilities and didn't do anything in Dos 6.22 either. | |
| /B | |
| /SN | Old sort by Name |
| /SE | Old sort by Extension |
| /SD | Old sort by Date |
| /SS | Old sort by Size |
| /H | Defrag hidden files |
| /NOIO | |
| /RESCAN | |
| /CVF | |
| /NCD | |
| /DT | |
| HELP, SKIPHIGH, NOALTKEY | |
| BW, LCD, HERC, NOZOOM, G0, G1, G2 | Old display and mouse options |
| MULTITASK | |
| 0 | Completed Successfully |
| 2 | Unsuccessful; not enough free space |
| 3 | The process was interrupted before completing |
| 4 | Unsuccessful; drive contains errors |
| 5 | Unsuccessful; error reading from drive |
| 6 | Unsuccessful; error writing to drive |
| 9 | Unsuccessful; not enough memory |
| 10 | Unsuccessful; the drive was invalid |
| 15 | Unsuccessful; disk was write-protected |
| 26 | Unsuccessful; could not access drive |
| 105 | Unsuccessful; drive was locked |
| 106 | Unsuccessful; could not access drive |
| 108 | Unsuccessful; could not access drive |
| 109 | Unsuccessful; 32-bit compression driver not installed |
| 249 | One or more drives could not be defragmented |
| 0%-4% | Scaning the disk for errors |
| 5%-9% | Reading the disk layout |
| 10% | Optimising programs (this takes the longest time) |
| 11%-100% | Optimising the rest of the disk |
| Or if it's a Drivespace drive... | |
| 11%-49% | Optimising the container file |
| 50%-100% | Optimising the Drivespace disk |
The program Taskmon.exe that is started by this registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run logs how programs load into memory, storing the results in C:\Windows\Applog. The loading information on each file is stored in a file with the same name as the application main executable and an extension of lg and the letter of the drive (eg, lgc for a file on c drive).
Defrag uses this to rearrange the program so the clusters are in the same order that the program loads, including other files that it loads. A log file C:\WINDOWS\Applog\OPTLOG.TXT details which programs have been optimised, and why certain programs haven't been. It also lists the registry settings.
To prevent optimising infrequent or useless programs (thus speeding up defragging or allowing more useful programs to be optimised, as defrag will only optimise the most frequent 50 programs) delete their *.lgc files.
A tip is to run Winalign from the full Windows 98 Resource Kit and delete all *.lgc file in the applog directory, open and close all your main applications before running Defrag.
REGEDIT4 ;To prevent screen savers from running during defragmentation. [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applet\Defrag\Settings\DisableScreenSaver] "@"="yes" ;Sets the method defrag will use. ;FULL=Defragments files and space. Rearranges programs for faster starting. Set from Defrag's Settings dialog box. ;FULLNOAPPLOG= Defragments files and space. Set from Defrag's Settings dialog box. ;FILES= Defragments files only. ;SPACE= Defragments space only. [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applet\Defrag\Settings\method] "@"="FULL" ;Sets if Defrag will check the drive for errors. ;Can be TRUE or FALSE. Set from Defrag's Settings dialog box. [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Defrag\Settings\scandisk] "@"="TRUE" ;Lists the area of the hard disk that defrag has optimised for fast application start so other disk defragmenters can avoid that area. ;The first four groups is the cluster that the region starts, and the second is the cluster the region finishes. Read in reverse byte order. ;This says applications have been optimised from cluster hex 00000002 (2) to 00007f0f (32527). ;Using a cluster size of 4096 (the most common FAT32 one) this is 133,226,496 bytes on my machine. ;Note the below lines are commented out. Defrag writes this value for other programs to read. ;It is listed by drive.
;[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Defrag\Settings\AppStartRegions] ;"C"=hex:02,00,00,00,0f,7f,00,00 ;This key lists if the other keys are read. If this is 0 then applications are optimised in the order that they are placed in the directory rather than by number of times used. Default is 1. [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Defrag\AppStartParams] "UseProfile"=DWORD:00000001 ;This key lists the files not to be optimised for application start. No default but value below already entered in the registry by Setup. "ExcludeFiles"="SYSTEM.DAT\\USER.DAT\\SYSTEM.INI\\WIN.INI" ;The minimum log file size in bytes before an application is optimised. Default is 1000 bytes (hex e803). "MinLogSize"=DWORD:0000e803 ;Application must have run in this number of days. Default is 90 days (hex 5a). "MaxNoUseDays"=DWORD:0000005a ;Number of apps to maximised. Default and maximum value is 50 (hex 32). "MaxApps"=DWORD:00000032 ;This reg file allows the Disk Defragmenter to run before other programs start at the next Windows restart only, which may help if defragmenter is unable to complete defragging the disk. ;Note this is commented out in case you accidentally double click the file. LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce] ;"Defrag"="defrag.exe /all /nop /f"These are the keys for Defrag in Task Scheduler
;This key is required for the settings button to appear in Task Scheduler [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Disk Defragmenter] "Settings"=hex:01 "Program"="DEFRAG.EXE" "Friendly Name"="Disk Defragmenter" ;This key is for the results listed in c:\windows\schedlog.txt [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Disk Defragmenter\Result Codes] "Success"="0" "0"="Completedsuccessfully" "2"="Unsuccessful; not enoughfree space" "3"="The process wasinterrupted before completing" "4"="Unsuccessful; drivecontains errors" "5"="Unsuccessful; error reading from drive" "6"="Unsuccessful; error writing to drive" "9"="Unsuccessful; not enough memory" "10"="Unsuccessful; the drive was invalid" "15"="Unsuccessful; disk was write-protected" "26"="Unsuccessful; could not access drive" "105"="Unsuccessful; drive was locked" "106"="Unsuccessful; could not access drive" "108"="Unsuccessful; could not access drive" "109"="Unsuccessful; 32-bit compression driver not installed" "249"="One or more drives could not be defragmented" ;This key is for the for the particular tasks settings. Set by clicking the Settings button in the Task's property. The first task is Set0 and the second is Set1, ect. [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Disk Defragmenter\Set0] [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Disk Defragmenter\Set0\method] @="FULL" ;Drive letter or All [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Disk Defragmenter\Set0\Drive] @="C" ;Doesn't appear to do anything. Set the minimum level of fragmentation in Windows 95. [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Disk Defragmenter\Set0\minfrag] @="0"
| DEFRAG005 | Unable to write sector |
| DEFRAG006 | Unable to read sector |
| DEFRAG00205 | Damaged Applog file. Delete all files in Windows\Applog folder |
explorer [/n] [/e][,/root,object][[,/select],subobject]
| None | Explorer rooted at the Desktop |
| /n | Opens a new window. |
| /e | Explorer View (default if nothing else is on the command line.) |
| /root,object | Starts Explorer with object the top item (normally Desktop is the top item). Eg: explorer /e,/root,c:\Starts Explorer with the C drive as the only drive available. |
| /select,subobject | Selects the specified subobject. |
Replaceable parameters are %1 (one) which is the short file or folder name and %l (L) which is the long file name.
This is an additional parameter that means a Windows internal structure is being passed. eg:
Explorer.exe /e,/idlist,%I
The %I is a replacable parameter representing an IDLIST.
To open an explorer item that starts with a special folder as the top folder use the following syntax.
Where the special folder is a sub folder of the desktop
explorer /e,root,::{CLSID of special folder}
Where the special folder is a sub folder of another special folder (usually, if not always My Computer)
explorer /e,root,::{CLSID of parent}/::{CLSID of special folder}
Where the special folder is part of the file system
explorer /e,root,path to folder
See Namespaces on the Icons Page for a list of CLSIDs for special folders.
Note that /select is inconsistent. Sometime the / is required, sometimes it should be left out, and sometimes it doesn't matter.
Starts explorer with the Windows folder opened and selected.
explorer /e,select,c:\windows
Starts explorer with Windows the top level folder and command opened and selected.
explorer /e,/root,c:\windows,select,c:\windows\command
Starts explorer with Windows the top level folder and Tips.txt showing instead of the file listing.
explorer /e,/root,c:\windows,select,c:\windows\tips.txt
Starts explorer with My Computer the top level folder and all branches except for drives collapsed.
explorer /e,/root,::{20d04fe0-3aea-1069-a2d8-08002b30309d}
Starts explorer with C:\ the top level folder.
explorer /e,/root,c:\
Starts the Dial Up Networking folder in folder view.
explorer.exe ::{20d04fe0-3aea-1069-a2d8-08002b30309d}\::{992cffa0-f557-101a-88ec-00dd010ccc48}
hh.exe [-decompile folder] [-mapid id] [-800] [-title text] helpfile
| Decompile | Decompiles all the original HTML files, graphics, stylesheets, contents, and index that make up a help file. Folder is the folder to decompile to. It only seems to work if the original files were only one folder deep. |
| Mapid | The topic to open |
| 800 | Open help to a 800 x 600 window but without covering the taskbar (so its smaller than 800 x 600). It won't override a size set in the helpfile. |
| Title | Sets the window title to use. It won't override a title set in the helpfile. |
| Helpfile | Helpfile to open |
Make Compatible helps Windows 3.1 programs that won’t run under Windows 95 more compatible.
Mkcompat [filename]
Cleans and repairs some registry errors.
Regclean [/v] [/a]
| None | Starts the Regclean wizard |
| /a | Doesn't prompt for user input |
| /v | Advanced User Interface |
| /l | Creates a log file |
Regclean can be downloaded from www.microsoft.com
Version 4.1 was withdrawn about September 1997, a new version 4.1a (Build 7364.1) was released 31/12/97.?
Regclean was meant as a programers tool to remove entries from the registry that were put there during testing. Its unlikely to fix any reported registry problem.
Regclean only works on HKEY_ROOT entries. It may fix problems with programs not working together, like embedding one file in another. It will remove out of date information about Automation objects and make the registry smaller. Its useful to remove information about programs that have been uninstalled.
Regclean creates an Undo.reg file in the folder where you ran RegClean. The file will be titled UNDO computer yyyymmddhhmmss.REG.
A similar program from Microsoft is ShareDLL. This cleans a different part of the registry, the SharedDLLs, that if it gets too big Setup programs will refuse to run. The key is;
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SharedDLLs
Download ShareDLL.exe from Microsoft's web site
Imports and exports registry files to and from the registry.
REGEDIT [/L:system] [/R:user] filename1
REGEDIT [/L:system] [/R:user] /C filename2
REGEDIT [/L:system] [/R:user] /E filename3 [regpath1]
OSR 2 and later versions
REGEDIT [/L:system] [/R:user] /D regpath2
REGEDIT [/S] filename1
| /L:system | Specifies the location of the SYSTEM.DAT file. |
| /R:user | Specifies the location of the USER.DAT file. |
| filename1 | Specifies the file(s) to import into the registry. |
| /C filename2 | Specifies the file to create the registry from. |
| /E filename3 | Specifies the file to export the registry to. |
| Regpath1 | Specifies the starting registry key to export from. (Defaults to exporting the entire registry). |
| /D regpath2 | Deletes the specified registry key. |
| /S | Silent merge (no confirmation dialogs) |
In OSR 2 (950B) Regedit can be used to sort and compact the registry.
Export the entire registry from Regedit in Windows, go to MS-Dos mode and recreate the directory using the /c parameter. This will not work properly in Win 95 950 or 950A, only 950B.
In Windows 98 see Scanreg to defrag the registry (though the above will work).
Changes to the registry aren't actually deleted, just marked as unused. This makes the registry larger than it needs to be.
To sort and compact the registry;
Backup User.dat and System.dat (users may have a name for user.dat, eg, fred.dat). You will probably need to clear the attributes unless you have a good Dos Mode file manager.
In Windows start Regedit and export [Registry Menu – Export Registry File, make sure Export Range is set to all] the entire registry to a reg file in the windows directory called Full.reg.
Exit to Dos Mode and at the C:\windows> prompt type
regedit /L:system.dat /R:user.dat /C Full.reg
Values stored in the registry with CR/LF won't be restored properly. The only key this affects on my machine is Outlook Express signature strings which are at least two lines.
Might be a good idea to run regclean before this. Delete full.reg and the backed up system.dat and user.dat if it all works.
REM Sample Batch File used to create new registry. REM Assumes that the exported file from Windows is called full.reg and REM is in the Windows directory. REM Assumes that User.dat is called that. Attrib –r –s –h c:\windows\system.dat Attrib –r –s –h c:\windows\user.dat Copy c:\windows\system.dat c:\windows\system.~da Copy c:\windows\user.dat c:\windows\user.~da regedit /L:c:\windows\system.dat /R:c:\windows\user.dat /C c:\windows\Full.reg
REM Sample Batch File to delete the backup files. REM Use after Windows has successfully restarted Del c:\windows\user.~da Del c:\windows\system.~da Del c:\windows\full.reg
REM Sample Batch File to restore previous Registry Attrib –r –s –h c:\windows\system.dat Attrib –r –s –h c:\windows\user.dat Copy c:\windows\system.~dat c:\windows\system.dat Copy c:\windows\user.~dat c:\windows\user.dat
Runs the ScanDisk disk-repair program.
To check and repair a drive, use the following syntax:
SCANDISK [drive: | drive:\DRVSPACE.nnn]
| Drive: | Drive to check |
| drive:\DRVSPACE.nnn | The unmounted drivespace drive to check. This is the only way to check an unmounted drivespace in Windows. |
| None | Checks and repair the current drive |
| /All | Checks and repairs all local drives. |
| /Autofix | Fixes damage without prompting. |
| /Checkonly | Checks a drive, but does not repair any damage. |
| /Custom | Configures and runs ScanDisk according to SCANDISK.INI settings. |
| /Nosave | With /AUTOFIX, deletes lost clusters rather than saving as files. |
| /Nosummary | With /CHECKONLY or /AUTOFIX, prevents ScanDisk from stopping at summary screens. |
| /Surface | Performs a surface scan after other checks. |
| /Mono | Configures ScanDisk for use with a monochrome display. |
| /Fragment [drive:][path] filename | Examine a file for fragmentation: Works in Windows |
| /Undo [drive:] | To undo repairs you made previously. Where [drive:], specifes the drive containing your Undo disk. |
| /Time | Monitor the average read, write, and seek times during surface analysis. This detects sectors that are about to go bad but can still be read. This is the same as ScanTimeOuts in scandisk.ini. |
| /Text | Runs Scandisk as a MS-Dos prompt command. Can check but not fix problems. |
| /Help | Displays command line help. |
| /Noui /Clip /Nolost /Mount /New |
When Windows detects that it hasn't shut down properly it sets the bit 4 of byte 8 of the FAT, if it detects a disk error it sets bit 3. Win.com will run Scandisk at the next boot.
By coping another file and calling it Scandisk.alt into the Windows\Command directory Win.com will execute this file instead.
Editing MSDos.sys in the root directory can control if Scandisk is run or not. The [Options] section should be there already, don't duplicate.
[Options] Autoscan=2
| 0 | Never |
| 1 | After prompting |
| 2 | Always. |
See Scandisk.ini in the Windows\Command directory for customising how Scandisk runs when started with the /custom switch. This is a fully commented file.
Only Scandisk uses Scandisk.ini, Scandskw doesn't.
Click here for your Scandisk.ini (assumes you've installed Windows to C:\Windows)
Scandskw should be used if you have disk problems and can start Windows. There are two copies of the FAT on every disk. These track what parts of the disk the file is on. Where the beginning of the file starts is stored in the directory and the rest of it including the end is stored in the FAT. Dos and Windows only use the first FAT and copies it to the second as a backup.
Scandisk only uses the first FAT to repair disks and copies it over the second after it repairs it. Scandskw uses both FATS to make repairs, using the best information from each.
Scandskw [Drive] [/Allfixeddisks] [/Noninteractive] [/Preview] [/Oldfs] [/Silent] [/Sageset:x] [/Sagerun:x]
| Drive | The drive or drives to test. |
| /Allfixeddisks | Test all fixed disks. |
| /Noninteractive | Doesn't pause for additional user information. Displays summary screens. |
| /Preview | Test but doesn't fix any errors. |
| /Oldfs | Changes the File System to normal Dos. Removes all long file names.Destructive, can't be undone.Must be run from a Command Prompt. |
| /Silent | Exits without displaying summary screens. |
| /Sageset:x | Display the System Agent-Aware Setting dialog box and store the settings in the SETn registry key. |
| /Sagerun:x | Runs in unattended mode using the System Agent-aware settings in the SETn registry key. |
Scandskw is only a starter application. Dskmaint.dll does all the work.
Scandskw stores it's settings under the following registry key.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\CheckDrive "Settings"=hex:nn,nn,nn,nn
Where the numbers read from right to left.
Add the numbers from the chart below using calculator in hex mode, pad it out to 8 digits with leading zeros and reverse it.
| Type of test | |
| Standard test | &1 |
| Through test | &0 |
| Automatically fix errors | |
| Areas of the disk to scan | |
| Scan system & data areas | &0 |
| Scan system areas only | &80 |
| Scan data areas only | &40 |
| Do not perform write testing | Not stored |
| Do not repair sectors in hidden and system files | &3 000 |
| Display Summary | |
| Always | &0 |
| Never | &10 |
| Only if errors found | &40 000 |
| Log file | |
| Replace log | &0 |
| Append to log | &10 000 000 |
| No log | &80 000 |
| Cross linked files | |
| Delete | &4 000 |
| Make copies | &2 000 |
| Ignore | &0 |
| Lost file fragments | |
| Free | &0 |
| Convert to files | &2 |
| Check files for | |
| (Don't check) Invalid file names | &4 |
| Invalid dates and times | &8 |
| Duplicate names | &2 000 000 |
| (Don't check) Check Host | &2 000 |
| Report MS-Dos mode name length errors | &40 000 |
| Can only be set in registry | |
| Retest sectors marked badThis is not a setting that should be used unless you have marked sectors bad accidently.Normally sectors are marked bad because they are unreliable. | &40 000 000 |
This section tell Task Scheduler that Scandskw is a Task Scheduler aware program (it recognises sageset and sagerun command line parameters).
REGEDIT4 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Scandisk for Windows] "Settings"=hex:01 "Program"="SCANDSKW.EXE" "FriendlyName"="ScanDisk for Windows"
These are the codes scandskw returns when it finishes running. Task Scheduler prints the string in schedlog.txt.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Scandisk for Windows\Result Codes] "Success"="1" "0"="No errors found" "1"="Errors found and all were fixed" "249"="One or more drives could not be checked" "250"="Drive could not be checked - could not load or find DSKMAINT.DLL" "251"="Drive could not be checked - insufficient memory" "252"="Errors were found and some were not fixed" "254"="Check was canceled" "255"="Check was stopped because of an error" ;This section is where the drives and options selected in the Task Scheduler Settings button are stored. The settings are the same as the table above. Set0 is the first Scandisk task in Task Scheduler, Set1 is the second, ect. [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Plus!\SystemAgent\SAGE\Scandisk for Windows\Set0] "Settings"=hex:31,02,40,61 "DrivesToCheck"=hex:04,00,00,80
Batch files can also use these codes. Scandisk returns the same error codes. If running Scandskw use.
;Start /w scandskw <command line parameters fom table above eg /all /non /nosummary>
or if running scandisk use
;scandisk <command line parameters fom table above eg /all /autofix /nosummary>
and on the following line use this test. The second errorlevel test should always be one higher than the first.
If errorlevel 1 if not errorlevel 2 echo Errors found and all were fixed
Backups, restores, and fixes the registry.
Backups are saved with names RBnnn.CAB, eg: RB001.CAB, RB002.CAB
There is also RBBAD.CAB which is the registry that won't boot.
Scanreg [/Dir] [/Backup] [/Nop] [/Opt] [/Autorun] [/Restore] [/Help] [/?] [/Comment] [/Dossetup] [/Setup] [/Win] [/Fixbad] [/Fix]
Scanregw [RegistryFile] [/Backup] [/Nop] [/Restore] [/Help] [/?] [/Autorun] [/Scanonly] [/Autoscan] [/Sagerun] [/Fix] [/Comment]
Scanreg is the MS-Dos mode command and ScanRegW is the Windows mode command. Running Scanreg in Windows starts ScanregW. Scanreg works happily on Windows 95 systems.
| <nothing> | Checks the registry and asks do you want to back it up. |
| RegistryFile | The registry file to check. |
| /Dir | Shows a UI with a test and cancel button. |
| /Backup | Backs up the registry |
| /Nop | Shows a UI without user input. |
| /Opt | Optimises the registry by compacting it |
| /Autorun | Windows Registry Checker automatically scans the system registry for invalid entries and empty data blocks when it is started. If invalid registry entries are detected, Windows Registry Checker automatically estores a previous day's backup. This is equivalent to running "scanreg /autorun" (without quotation marks) from a command prompt. If no backups are available, Windows Registry checker tries to make repairs to the registry. This is equivalent to running "scanreg /fix" (without quotation marks) from a command prompt. If the registry contains more than 500K of empty data blocks, Windows registry Checker automatically optimizes it. |
| /Restore | Restores previously backed up |
| /Help | Shows a subset of the command line switches |
| /? | Shows a subset of the command line switches |
| "/Comment=Text" | Adds a comment to a backup. This doesn't cause a backup to be created, but if one is created by another command line switch or the user choosing to backup then this comment will be added. |
| /Dossetup | Unknown, probably used when Windows Setup starts in Dos mode. |
| /Setup | Unknown, probably used when Windows Setup starts in Windows mode. |
| /Win | Shows a UI, tests the registry and shows options to backup or restore the registry. |
| /Fix | Repairs the registry and compacts the registry by completely rebuilding it. |
| <nothing> | Checks the registry and asks do you want to back it up. |
| RegistryFile | The registry file to check. |
| /Backup | Backs up the registry |
| /Nop | Does nothing |
| /Restore | Displays a message saying to run Scanreg in Dos mode. |
| /Help | Does nothing |
| /? | Generates an error |
| /Scanonly | Scans the registry for errors and displays an error message if any are found. |
| /Autoscan | Automatically scans the registry and backs it up without displaying any prompts if there is no backup for that date. |
| /Autorun | See Scanreg |
| /Autoscan | Automatically scans the registry and backs it up without displaying any prompts if there is no backup for that date. |
| /Sagerun | Unknown. Usually this switch is used for running programs from Task Scheduler. However Scanregw doesn't appear to look for any settings in the registry. |
| /Fix | Displays a message saying to run Scanreg in Dos mode. |
| /Sagerun | Unknown. Usually this switch is used for running programs from Task Scheduler. However Scanregw doesn't appear to look for any settings in the registry. ScanregW doesn't support Sageset which is how Task Scheduler programs set their Sagerun settings. |
| "/Comment=Text" | Adds a comment to a backup. This doesn't cause a backup to be created, but if one is created by another command line switch or the user choosing to backup then this comment will be added. |
;Scanreg.ini for making system backups. ;Registry backup is skipped altogether if this is set to 0 Backup=1 ;Registry automatic optimization is skipped if this is set to 0 Optimize=1 ScanregVersion=0.0001 MaxBackupCopies=5 ;Backup directory where the cabs are stored is ;\sysbckup by default. Value below overrides it. ;It must be a full path. ex. c:\tmp\backup BackupDirectory=c:\windows\sysbckup ;Additional system files to backup into cab as follows: ;Filenames are separated by ',' ;dir code can be: ; 10 : windir (ex. c:\windows) ; 11 : system dir (ex. c:\windows\system) ; 30 : boot dir (ex. c:\) ; 31 : boot host dir (ex. c:\) ;Files=[dir code,]file1,file2,file3 ;Files=[dir code,]file1,file2,file3 Files=30,config.sys,autoexec.bat Files=10,protocol.ini,telephon.ini,control.ini Files=31,msdos.sys
These are the settings that can be in the ini file.
| ScanregVersion | The Version of scanreg. |
| Optimize | A value of 1 (default) optimises the registry if there is more than 500K blank space. |
| MaxBackupCopies | A value of 5 (default) saves the last 5 registry backups in the Windows\Sysbckup folder. This value can be between 0 and 99. Warning Scanreg will only list the earlist 5 backups when restoring. Use Extract in the Windows\Command directory to extract the files manually. |
| BackupDirectory | Default is Windows\Sysbckup. |
| PickyRegScan | Unknown, perhaps an extra through scan. |
| Backup | A value of 1 (default) causes a backup copy of your registry to be made the first time you start your computer on any given day (determined by the system clock). |
| BackupCurrentBeforeRestore* | Default Unknown |
| MaxBootedBackupCopies* | Default Unknown |
| Files | See Sample ini file above. |
| LogFileName* | Default Unknown |
| * Ignored by Scanregw |
If scanregw find an error in the registry then it tell you it will reboot the computer to start Scanreg to restore or fix the registry. Scanreg is then started by Win.com with the /autorun parameter.
According to the Win98 Resource Kit Scanregw sets a flag in the registry. I've been unable to identify this flag. Scanreg does write to the first 32 bytes of user.dat, perhaps it's a flag that isn't in the registry structure. I've been ubable to duplicate it, so perhaps not.
Opens common Windows initialisation files for editing. The files include Autoexec.bat, Config.sys, Win.ini, System.ini, mail and networking initialisation files. The maximum file size is 32 KB. Files edited are backed up with the .SYD extension.
Sysedit
Runs the Scheduled maintenance tasks in order or reconfigure scheduled tasks.
Tuneup [/autorun] [/r]
| <nothing> | Starts with a UI to either run scheduled maintenance tasks or reconfigure them. |
| /Autorun | Run the scheduled maintenance tasks. |
| /r | Unknown |
Starts the Winhelp program and displays a help file.
Winhlp32 [-g[n]] [-h] [-l topic-ID] [-k keyword] [-n contect-No] [-p Popup-ID] [-w windowname] [filename]
Winhelp is a starting program for Winhlp32 for old application
| <nothing> | Starts Winhelp and displays the file open dialog box |
| -G[n] | Creates a configuration (.gid) file and quits. If a number is specified, it determines which extensible tab to display by default the first time the Help file is opened. A value of 1 would be the first tab beyond the Find tab. |
| -h | Displays the Winhlp32.hlp Help file. |
| -i TopicID | Displays the Help topic with the specified the topic ID |
| -k Keyword | Displays the topic identified by the specified keyword |
| -n ContextNo | Displays the topic specified by the context number (defined in the [MAP] section of the project file) |
| -p PopupID | Displays the specified pop-up topic. You must use the -P switch in combination with the -I or -N switch, as shown in the following examples: Winhlp32 -P -I Exec_Winhelp Hcw HlpWinhlp32 -P -N 311 Myfile.Hlp |
| -W WindowName | Displays the topic in the specified window definition. |
| filename | Opens the helpfile filename |
The browsing keys allow browsing through all topics in the order they were compiled.
| Ctrl Shf Lft Arrow | Next Topic |
| Ctrl Shf Rght Arrow | Prev Topic |
| Ctrl Shf Home | Beginning Of File |
| Ctrl Shf End | End Of File (Help Author Only) |
Help Author adds other debugging commands to Win98 help files such as confirmation on jump and debug information. Right click the help pane.
In Win Ini add either of the following lines to the Windows Help section.
[Windows Help] SeqTopicKeys=1 Help Author=1
To change the colour of hyperlinks in help add the following lines to the [Winhelp] section in Win.ini.
[Winhelp] JumpColor=0 0 128 PopupColor=128 0 64 IFJumpColor=64 128 128 IFPopupColor=64 128 128 MacroColor=0 0 255
To include one help file within another use the Include command in the .cnt (help contents file).
To include a help file (Tweak95.hlp and Tweak95.cnt from the downloads page) in the main Windows help contents copy both of these files into the c:\windows\help directory. Open Windows.cnt in notepad and add the following line. Win98 no longer uses Windows.hlp but HTML help. This is meant as an example only.
:Include Tweak95.cnt
To include the contents of a help file in the Index and Search tabs use the Index command in the .cnt file.
To index this help file in the main Windows help open Windows.cnt in notepad and add the following line.
:Index Tweaking Windows 95=Tweak95.hlp
If changes do not take effect delete the hidden file Windows.gid or type in the Start - Run dialog box
Winhlp32 -G c:\windows\help\Windows.hlp
Help file locations are stored in the registry with a trailing backslash under
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Help "Filename.hlp"="Path to file\\"
Winhelp will also check for paths in Winhelp.ini if it exists.