Undiscovered Country: |  | by Mark W. Masters |
In study of this operating system, I have found that the public has bypassed many important features of this relatively inexpensive, preemptive, multitasking, operating system.
For small businesses with a concern for efficiency of time, Microsoft has provided many exceptional features in Win95, for multiple users may log onto networked Win95 computers with the same "desktop" (icons, desktop screen saver, password, etc.) on any Win 95 networked computer in their office. For the roving users, this is an exceptional function.
When reasons of economy and time dictate--Win95 may act as a Print server for either a Microsoft Network or a Novell Network. Win95 as a tool for remote connectivity? Yes, Win95 may support remote computers with its dial-up server capabilities.
Ever experience a communications software bungle when the Internet software you launched gives you an error dialog box saying that another application has control of the Com Port and modem with its associated IRQ? With this setting, you can eliminate that problem of inactive applications running in the background i.e. such as a fax manager.
The default operation for 16-bit Windows and DOS applications is that only one application can load a Com Port at any one time regardless of the inactivity of that application. In your main directory of Win95, edit the System.ini file (yes, it's still there for backward compatibility) and the {386Enh} {386Enhanced section} at the end of that section, place this phrase:
ComxAutoAssign={time in seconds}2 (2 seconds is recommended)
Where x = the number of the Com Port your modem is assigned
Where 2 stands for the number of seconds of idle time before the Com Port is surrendered to another communications application
This will allow a second modem communication application to load and control the Com Port when the first comm program has been inactive for a certain number of seconds. In other words, you can always have your 16-bit Fax Manager software loaded in the background awaiting a call and load your Internet software or remote connectivity package, contact your service provider, conduct your modem business, log off and rush out of the house on a business errand without having to think about the Fax Manager you loaded automatically with the Win95 Startup_days ago. Why lose a fax due to forgetting to reload the Fax Manager? Just another new feature not noticed by the general public.
The improved sharing rights can give limited home computer use to children for those parents minding what their children are accessing in their computer; i.e., word processor, games, or yes, Internet, perhaps, no? There are many other new features in this complete rework of the Windows GUI. Why miss out - take Win95 for a spin around the block!
Mark W. Masters is a member of HAL-PC and the Win95 & NT Developers SIG Leader.
E-mail me at webmaster@hal-pc.org with any comments you have and tell me what you want to see here.
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