To see what version of Windows you are running:
Click on the start command, go to the run option, type winver, click ok.

To clean up startup programs:
Click on the start command, go to the run option, type msconfig and click ok.  Go to the startup tab and uncheck the programs you wish not to startup when windows turns on.  Please be careful not uncheck virus protection and other vital Windows components.

To print documents from multiple applications:
To print up to four different document types without opening the files or their associated programs, open Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder that contains all the files you want to print (you'll need to move them to a single folder if they don't reside there already). Next, select the files you want to print by holding down the [Ctrl] key, and then right-click on the selected files
and choose Print.

To view obscured column information in Windows Explorer:

Open a folder in Windows Explorer's left pane, and then hold down the [Ctrl] key, 

and press the [+] key on the numeric key pad. This will allow you to see complete 

information about your files in each of your columns. Keep in mind that this tip won't 

work if you press the [+] key on your main keyboard. 

To shut down programs using the keyboard:

Press the [Alt][F4] keyboard combination. Whichever application is active will close. 

If there are no programs open and your desktop is active, then the Shut Down Windows 

dialog box will appear, so you can then choose to shut down your system or restart it.

To turn the lights out on Windows 98:

Right-click on your desktop and select Properties. In the Display Properties dialog box, 

select the Screen Saver tab, and then from the Screen Saver dropdown list, select 3D Text. 

Click the Settings button, and in the Text box, delete any text that may appear there and then 

click OK. Click Apply and then Click OK to close the Display Properties dialog box. When your

screen saver activates, all you'll see is a black screen with no 3D text included.

To clean up the Start menu by removing the Favorites submenu:

Click the Start button and then choose Run. In the Open text box, type regedit, and 

then click OK to open Registry Editor. Then, navigate toHKEY_CURRENT_USER\

Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. 

Choose Edit | New | DWORD Value. Type NoFavoritesMenu, and 

press [Enter]. Then double-click on the new subkey and in the Value Data text box, 

type 1, and click OK. Close Registry Editor and reboot Windows 98. 

You should no longer see the Favorites menu item on the Start menu. 

Should you want to return the Favorites menu item to the 

Start menu, return to the subkey, double-click on it, and in the Value 

Data text box, type 0.

To follow links with a scrolling mouse:

Move your mouse pointer over a hyperlink on a Web page.  When you press [Shift] and 

scroll the mouse wheel up, IE 6.x will follow the link as though you clicked on it. You no 

longer have to click the left mouse button on your mouse to navigate through Web pages.

To access frequently used files from your desktop:
Create a folder on the desktop by right-clicking on it and choosing New | Folder. Type a name for the new folder and press [Enter]. Then, open each file with which you want to establish quick access and save it to the desktop. Select each file and drag and drop them into the folder you created. Now, any time you need one of these files, simply double-click on the desktop folder that holds the group of files. This technique can also be used to reduce desktop clutter by grouping together your desktop shortcuts and placing them in category folders.

To view Clipboard items with the Clipboard Viewer:
Open the Control Panel and double-click on the Add/Remove Programs icon. Select the
Windows Setup tab, and in the Components list box, select System Tools and click Details. Select     Clipboard Viewer and click OK. Click OK again to install the Viewer. (You may need to
insert your Windows 98 CD-ROM to install the Viewer). Once the Viewer is installed, you can open it by clicking the Start button and choosing Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Clipboard Viewer. The current contents of your Windows Clipboard appears in the window.  You can use Clipboard Viewer's Display menu to preview what the contents of the Clipboard would look like in various display formats, and you can delete an item from the Clipboard as well by choosing Edit | Delete.

To display extensions for certain file types:
Launch Windows Explorer, and then choose View | Folder Options. In the Folder Options dialog box,     select the File Types tab, and from the Registered File Types list box, select the file type you'd like    Windows Explorer to display. Click the Edit button, and at the bottom of the Edit File Type dialog box,          select the    Always Show Extension check box. Each time a file of the selected type appears in Windows Explorer, the extension will appear beside it.

To perform quick subject searches with Internet Explorer:
Enter a keyword directly in IE's Address Bar and then press [Enter]. IE then returns a
corresponding results page from the MSN search engine. To enable this option, in the Tools menu, select Internet Options. In the resulting dialog box, select the Advanced tab and scroll down to the Search From   The Address Bar heading. Make sure the Do Not Search From The Address Bar option button is    deselected, and click OK.

To print documents from multiple applications:
First, open Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder that contains all the files you want to print (you'll need to move them to a single folder if they don't reside there already). Next, select the files you want to print by holding down the [Ctrl] key, and then right-click on the selected files
and choose Print.

To alphabetically organize the Programs on your Start menu:
Click the Start button and choose Programs. Move your mouse pointer into the Programs submenu,          right-click and select Sort By Name. All programs and program folders will now be arranged alphabetically. You can also alphabetize your Favorites menu with this technique.

To find similar Web pages quickly in Internet Explorer:

Choose Tools | Show Related Links. The Search pane will appear in the left side of your 

screen, and will list a whole host of sites similar to the one you're currently viewing. Just 

click on one of the links to follow it to the next site.

To tidy up the desktop:

Drag your desktop icons to your Quick Launch toolbar.  Then, open My Computer and 

choose View | Folder Options and select the View tab. In the Advanced Settings list box, 

check the Hide Icons When Desktop Is Viewed As Web Page option, and then click 

Apply and OK. Finally, verify that you are viewing your desktop as a Web page by 

right-clicking on the desktop and choosing Active Desktop. Verify that the View 

As Web Page option has a checkmark next to it.

To troubleshoot faulty drivers with the Skip Driver Agent:

If you install a new piece of hardware and your system won't boot completely into 

Windows, your best bet is to try booting again. If you're able to boot the system the 

second time, the Skip Driver Utility will help you diagnose the problem by identifying 

the faulty driver and marking it to be bypassed on subsequent startups.  Once you've 

got Windows up and running again, Click the Start button and choose Programs | 

Accessories | System Tools | System Information to launch the System Information utility. 

Then choose Tools | Automatic Skip Driver Agent. If your system failed to boot due to a 

faulty driver, the offending driver will be disabled so the system can boot and the Skip Driver

Agent will list the driver that failed along with any devices or operations that have failed 

to start as a result. You can use the Skip Driver Agent to enable any device you've 

previously disabled once you've resolved the conflict.

To change the color of icon text:

Launch Windows Explorer and open the folder containing the icons whose 

colors you'd like to customize. Choose View | Customize This Folder. In the 

Customize This Folder dialog box, select the Choose A Background Picture 

option and click Next. To change the color of the foreground text, click the 

color box beside the word Text and select a color of your choice and click OK. 

To change the background color, select the Background check box and then 

click the color box that appears to the right of the word Background. Select a 

color of your choice from the palette and

click OK. Click Next, and then click Finish.

To magnify your view:

Click the Start button and choose Programs |Accessories | Accessibility | 

Magnifier. If the Accessibility menu doesn't appear on your Start menu, you 

need to install the Accessibility Tools through Add/Remove programs.

To free up hard disk space with Disk Cleanup:

Click the Start button and choose Programs | Accessories | System Tools| 

Disk Cleanup. When Disk Cleanup launches, select the drive you wish to 

clean and click OK. You'll see a Files To Delete list box that contains four 

check-boxes: Temporary Internet Files, Downloaded Program Files, 

Recycle Bin, and Temporary files. (You may find other check boxes on 

your particular system.) Simply select the check boxes you want and click OK.  

If you select the More Options tab, you'll see two more choices: Windows 

Components and Installed Programs. Choosing these options allows you to 

easily remove unused Windows components or application programs.

To change the default CD player:

To revert your system back to using the Windows CD Player, open any folder 

using Windows Explorer, and then choose View | Folder Options. Select the 

File Types tab, and then scroll down and select Audio CD. In the Edit File 

Type dialog box, select Play, click Edit again, and then in the Application 

Used To Perform Action text box, type C:\WINDOWS\Cdplayer.exe. Click 

OK and then click Close twice to exit all open dialog boxes. The next time 

you insert a CD into your CD-ROM drive, it will be played by Windows' CD 

Player.

To search for files by date:

Press [Windows][F] to open the Find dialog box. Select the Date tab, and 

then select the FindAll Files option button and make sure that Modified 

appears in the dropdown list, if you want to search for the file based on 

when you last remember modifying it. Then, select the Between option button, 

enter the date range you want to look for, and click Find Now.

To remove the speaker icon from the system tray:

Open Control Panel and double-click on the Multimedia icon. On the Audio 

property sheet, deselect the Show Volume Control On The Taskbar option. 

Click OK and the speaker icon will disappear.

To open files with the Run dialog box:

Open Windows Explorer and locate the files you'd like to open. Create shortcuts 

for these files and then rename them with two- or three-word abbreviations. 

Then move the shortcuts to the root of your C: drive. Now, choose Start | Run, 

and in the Run dialog box type a back slash (\\) followed by the name of the 

shortcut you just created. Click OK, and the file will immediately openon 

your screen. You can use this handy process to create abbreviated shortcuts 

for any file you open frequently and save yourself the hassle of searching 

for them in Windows Explorer.

To move files with drag-and-drop:

Select the files you want to move and press [Ctrl]X. When you do, 

the files' icons fade. At this point, simply drag them as you normally would.

To create new folder in Windows Explorer or My Computer: 

Right-click anywhere inside the folder to open the shortcut menu and press N and F on the keyboard. 

Doing so quickly creates a new folder. Type the name of the folder and press [Enter]. 

 To correct text typed in all capital letters:

Select the affected paragraph and choose Format | Change Case. Then, select Toggle Case, and click       OK to close the dialog box. The selected text will then return to lowercase.