Keith's Computer Links

First are several sites of broad general use for finding information and utilities:

InfoWorld's Web Site -- great source for latest PC news

PC Magazine -- with lots of utilities

Windows95.com -- great source of Win95 shareware/freeware

Will-Harris House: everything you every wanted to know about fonts

 

 

Next are the sites for several programs that I use on a regular basis and can recommend (in no particular order). KEYWORDS: recommendations, review, software, shareware

Shortcut is a belated addition here, but probably the single most useful Windows 95 utility of which I know.  It allows you to click the right button and copy, cut or paste in edit boxes that usually don't allow it.   Highly recommended, and it's free.

EndNote Plus Add-in for WinWord -- wonderful for bibliographic references

Command Line Utility for Win95 -- handy (there are several similar utilities out there; I chose this one, but now it seems to have disappeared from the Web.   However, I've put a copy on my ftp site and that's what you'll get if you click here).

Second Nature -- great downloadable screen savers

WinZip -- Best Zip utility for Win/Win95

Firas El-Hasan's Win95 Shareware -- HotCorners for your Screen Saver

Programmers' File Editor (PFE) for Windows -- a handy ASCII file editor with configurable keys, freeware

ClipMate for Windows - Windows Clipboard Enhancement Utility

McAfee -- source of ViruScan and WebScan
WARNING about WebScan: once you've put it on your system, it's almost impossible to get off. If the Uninstall routine won't work (as mine won't) then DON'T try deleting the files. Because WebScan persuades Win95 that NO Windows program should be able to run without WebScan. And so if you remove WebScan, NOT A SINGLE WINDOWS PROGRAM WILL RUN!!!!! Gak, it's as bad as having a virus on your system. And if you already use Pegasus for your email program,, you're better off without WebScan. Because, if you use WebScan, you're locked into the version of Pegasus bundled with WebScan. And if you run Pegasus independently, you can upgrade as soon as a new version is out. And David Harris is adding new features to Pegasus all the time.

Pegasus: free, super-great SMTP/POP mail program
(Which is better. pay for Eudora or get Pegasus for free? Dunno. Eudora is easier to learn, Pegasus has more features, both are good. I like Pegasus.)

EZ-Desk: save desktop icon setup as you change resolutions (shareware)

I got an update of Myst to work with Win95-- the old version wouldn't work (cost me $15 for the new CD-ROM). Since Myst insists on being in 256-color, 640x480 pixel mode, the new version automatically switches from my usual 1024x768 mode to 640x480 on entering the game, and then switches back on exiting. Fine, but it compresses all my destop icons (a lot) into the space of a 640x480 screen -- and doesn't restore them on exit. Hrrmmph. So I asked Broderbund tech support, and they said tough. I searched on my own and found the above shareware EZ-Desk that solves the problem. I emailed Broderbund tech support and suggested they post a pointer to EZ-Desk rather than saying the problem is insoluble. Here's the reply:

 

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend software from other sources as technical solutions unless instructed to do so by my superiors. I have not been instructed to refer customers to "EZ-Desk" at this time. Your message has been forwarded to my department manager for review.
Kindest regards,
Jon Walters

 

So, hrrmmph again; bureacracy at its finest. So, I'm posting this here so others can find it because Broderbund can't get their collective thumb out of . . . I mean, get their act together.
KEYWORDS: Myst; screen resolution; icons; save.

 

I wish I could put up a shareware Win95 file manager, too... the Explorer isn't bad, but not perfect, either. I've played with several, but none has the power or flexibility of an old shareware DOS file manager that I still use:

QFILER is, simply, the most powerful file manager ever made. It doesn't support long file names, or drag-and-drop, and it hasn't been updated in many years. But it's still indispensable for the power user. In addition to all the usual file management features, copying and editing and viewing and zipping and such with just a keypress or two, it can

* sort by size, date, name, extension (and invert with a single keypress)

* tag duplicates, or only newer matching files (an invert tags with a keypress)

* masking by 8.3 filename specification (e.g., foo*.bar)

* copy only newer matching files

* enter new directory by a single keypress and typing the path

* protect, unprotect, hide, and unhide by keypress

* "backup" (copy only newer tagged files)

* copy and delete tree branches

Ah!  Good news!  Ken Flee has resurfaced, and has produced a Windows version of QFILER. At present, it only supports a fraction of the functionality of the old DOS version, but I certainly hope Ken will work on upgrading it.  I just sent him some $ for registrations in the hope this will spur him to put some time in on it.

I used to use it with the MS-DOS 7 Intersvr program to connect my laptop and desktop computers via a parallel cable that hangs off my desktop's LPT2: port. Later, I used the Win95 direct cable connection feature.

[diatribe]

Which is a bear to set up. If you want to connect two computers with it, AND you like to use TCP/IP for an internet connection, expect it to be slow at logging in, and often saying "can't find the host computer" and demanding that you type in the name. Don't waste $35 for priority support calling MickeySoft for tech support like I did. Though they charged me $35 and wasted two hours of my time, the end result was "well, we never expected people to want to connect to the Internet and another computer both." I'm not talking about doing both at the same time,'cause that's impossible, but using the Internet via TCP/IP from a computer that also uses Direct Cable Connection ever.

[/diatribe]
I finally switched to LapLink, which is a lot faster (it only transfers the changed portions of large files), and now that I figured out how to configure it, allows me to update things quickly.  I find I have to have two separate though automated "runs" of Laplink to accomplish this, one that exactly synchronizes sets of subdirectories, and another that only transfers files that have been updated (in subdirectories where I don't want to copy everything to my laptop, just update the files that are already there).

 

TrayDay - my favorite among the programs to put a date-display in your Win95 system tray, and make the date easily available for pasting.

 

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