The Gazette-Enhancements9e

RE-STRETCH YOUR WALLPAPER
Have you lost the ability to stretch your wallpaper in either Win9x or Win2K? Take a look under the Background tab in your Display Properties dialog box that comes up after you right-click the desktop and choose Properties. Can you stretch? No? Happens to the best of us there chum. No worries though, I have just what you need. Download StretchWallpaper.zip.

Get StretchWallpaper Here

Unzip it to a temporary directory and right-click the REG file. Choose Merge from the context menu and you're done. You can delete the files once you're done. You should now have your stretch-abilities restored.

CHANGE THE DEFAULT SETTING FOR CHOOSING AN APPLICATION FOR "Unknown File Type"
Win9x users, have you ever mistakenly established or changed a file association by forgetting to uncheck the Always use this program to open this type of file box? Normally it doesn't present a problem, you can just change the file association back again using the same technique. It can present a problem however, if you mistakenly do this with a file type that should not be associated with any particular program, like DLL or EXE files. The following instructions explain how you can change that default so that the box is unchecked. Here's what to do:

Download ASSOC.ZIP to a temporary directory. Make note of its location when downloading.
Get Assoc.zip Here
Close your browser and all programs.
Launch Windows Explorer and find and unzip its contents to the same temporary directory.
Highlight and then right-click . From the context menu choose Merge. Wait a few moments.
Now, while still in Explorer, hold down the Shift key and right-click on any file. Choose Open with... and note that the default for the Always use this program to open this type of file box is unchecked.
Note: In some rare isolated cases, Win98SE will have problems associating files as it normally would once this modification has been effected. If you have problems opening programs after effecting this modification this is what you can do:
- Launch Regedit.
- Drill down to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Unknown\shell\openas\command.
- Look in the right pane. Right-click (Default) and choose Modify.
- In the dialog box, delete only %2, but leave the rest of the string intact.
- You have just undone what the REG file modified in the Registry. However, if, by any chance you've made other modifications you must fix them as well.
  1. With Regedit still open, drill down to
    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\Shell\Openas\command and do exactly as you did above.
  2. Look in the right pane.
  3. Right-click (Default) and Modify the string. Delete %2, just as before and leave all else intact.
  4. That's it. Close Regedit and reboot. The problem will be gone.
Please note that this problem is rare. Only two persons have reported odd side effects which, as it turned out, were only indirectly attributable to this modification. As with any and all modifications to your system, proceed with caution and be prepared to undo what you've done.
Enjoy!

WHAT IS YOUR COMPUTER'S NAME?
Would you like to quickly and easily find out the name of your computer on your network? Just download Network.zip, unzip it to a temporary directory and click it.

Get Network.zip Here

This dandy little script will tell you your computer's name and the user's domain. Works in either Win9x or Win2k.

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TEST YOUR E-MAIL DEFENSES AGAINST VIRUSES
Unless you've been in a coma for the last year you've heard all about the rash of viruses spread by e-mail. These viruses are actually simple scripts, or programs that can cause terrible damage. If you're smart you've probably taken steps to help protect your computer from these scourges. If you haven't yet installed some form of protection, we urge you to avail yourself of the free and effective utilities available to you. You can find a comprehensive listing of the very best of these programs right here at my own Security page.

Once you have your defenses up, wouldn't it be nice to know for certain that your protection is working? One way to do this would be to simply e-mail a test virus to yourself as an attachment. To do so, download this Test Virus

Get TestVirus.Vbs Here

Unzip it to a temporary directory and make note of its location. Launch your e-mail client and send yourself an e-mail, but before you send it off click the paper clip icon and attach the TestVirus.vbs file. Wait a few minutes and you should receive your own e-mail. Try to open the attachment. If your defenses are working you should get a warning.

WIN95 USERS CAN BACK UP AND RESTORE THEIR REGISTRY WITH WIN98 EASE
As mentioned in the very first page of this section, and as dictated by prudence, you should always back up your Registry before you make any changes. One of the advantages of Windows 98 over Windows 95 is the ease with which you can back up and then restore your Registry. Well, there's no reason why you Windows 95 users can't have that same functionality. For more complete information on how to use this package, read this article carefully, however it is provided with a simple ReadMe file which should get you started. Please read it and follow the instructions. Once you've read the material download the Registry Back Up Tool Kit for Win95, unzip it and get busy.

Get The Registry Back Up Tool Kit for Win95 Here

WINXP USERS: UNINSTALL WINDOWS MESSENGER EASILY
A common complaint heard by many new Windows XP owners is that Windows Messenger, which is part of every copy of XP sold, either Home Edition or Professional, cannot be uninstalled. While Messenger can be effectively disabled in the program's Options, as it happens, there is a way you can uninstall it completely and permanently should you desire to do so. Please note that if you use MSN Explorer you should NOT do this as you will lose significant functionality and will not be able to use several of the features available at MSN.

Now that the caveats and warnings have been duly noted, here's how you can uninstall Windows Messenger:

Shut down Messenger completely. Make sure the icon is gone from the System Tray. If needed, change Messenger's settings in the program's Options so that it completely shuts down.
Launch Notepad and open a file called SYSOC.INF for editing. SYSOC.INF can be found in your Windows\Inf subdirectory.
Find the line that reads

msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
Now edit the line to remove only the word "hide" so that the line reads exactly as follows:

msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,,7
Save your edits and close Notepad.
Now go to Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel and click the Add/Remove Windows Components button.
Scroll down to the bottom and uncheck the Windows Messenger item and click Next > and finish the job. Messenger should be gone from the Start menu immediately.