Most people don’t think about their operating system as a utility package, but it is full of applications that can help you repair your system and help you understand more about the system you use everyday.
Let’s start out with the most common used application in Windows. It’s "Windows Explorer." Your interface will not work without it. It is the most important file manager around. But most people know about this and use it everyday. However, there are plenty of other programs in your Windows directory that are there to use and explore. Let’s look at a couple. First, let’s look into the Windows\System folder. Here you will find plenty of tools.
System File Checker
Here’s one for the books. How many times have you erased a file and corrupted your system enough to force you to reinstall Windows. Well, now all you have to do is run the System File Checker and check your system before going through that painful process. It’s called SFC.exe and it will check all of the more than 200 files that Windows installs from the Cab install set. There is a special file that verifies your install and if there is any file corrupted or missing, SFC will replace it and repair your system.
If you know the file that you are missing, you can restore it from the original Install Directory or CD just by naming the file. This is a whole lot better than trying to look in every CAB file and search for that one file you are looking for. Just enter a file name and the SFC will look in all the CAB files for you and install that one file you are looking for.
There are settings that you can change as well including to be prompted before restoring and to log the process as well. Give it a try and see what happens.
DirectX Diagnostics
As a computer Consultant, one thing that always bothered me was that I could walk up to a machine and not know how much memory is installed, the speed of the processor, nor the size of the hard drive. With Windows NT and Windows 2000, you have a Windows Diagnostic Tool that shows everything you are running including Video, Audio, Processor, Memory, etc. There are plenty of utility tools out there, but you have to carry them with you. So I use the DirectX Diagnostic Tool. It gives you a complete list of what’s in the system including what’s shown in the following table.
System
System Date
Computer name
Operating System
Language
Processor
Memory
Page File
DirectX Version
|
Display
Display Adapter Name
Manufacturer
Chip type
DAC Type
Total Display memory
Current Display Mode
Monitor
|
Audio
Multimedia Device Name
Device ID
Manufacturer ID
Product ID
Type ID
Music Ports
|
Network
Communications Devices
TCP Devices
IPX Devices
Modem Devices
|
Input Devices
Joystick
|
Of course there is always MSINFO which gives you a whole lot more, but DXDIAG gives you the processor speed and also checks to see if you will have problems with running DirectX applications.
Make Compatible
What can I say about this? MKCOMPAT has been around ever since Windows 95 was released. It makes old programs run in the Windows 9x environment. Here is an example of the advanced features.
System Configuration Utility
MSCONFIG is well known. It gives you a better way to look at what gets loaded each and every time you start your machine. You may say, "How can I stop all those agents from loading each and every time I start my machine?" Well, this is the utility for you.
You will notice the Startup tab. Here is where you check the load agents and programs that automatically get started. If you are not happy with it, then just un-click the line and it will not start next time. Just be careful not to stop things you are not sure about, like the Scan Registry agent or the Task Monitor. You can also check here for Viruses.
You will also notice an Advanced Button here. If your machine is having a problem shutting down, then check the Disable System ROM Breakpoint and see if this helps.
These are just a couple of programs that are installed with your operating system for Windows 98. Hopefully, you can find these programs useful and they can help you understand more about the operating system you have come to love and hate.
