Go to the command prompt and type Memmaker. This is a very efficient program.
Use some extended memory as expanded memory
Open the Config.sys file and add a line right after Device=Himem.sys that says Device=Emm386.exe XXX, where XXX is the amount of expanded memory you want (e.g., 256, 512).
Run an MS-DOS program efficiently under Windows 3.1
Use the PIF editor to create a program information file for the MS-DOS program.
Stop an application that is not running properly under Windows 95
Press Ctrl-Alt-Del, highlight the application, and click End Task.
CHAPTER QUIZ
Answering these questions will help prepare you for the A+ Certification exams.
B — The Config.sys file is used to load Himem.sys, using a device= statement.
C — PIF is used to configure windows to use MS-DOS programs effectively.
A — Device Manager is used to display and configure information about hardware devices in Windows 95.
B — Power.exe is the file that is used to conserve laptop power.
B — It is highly recommended that the line “Device=Himem.sys” be the first line in the Config.sys file.
B — The Mode command can be used to redirect one port to another. For example, COM1:=LPT1 redirects COM1 to LPT1.
CROSS REFERENCE
For more information about the subjects covered in this chapter, refer to the following pages and chapters in the books listed below.
Upgrading and Repairing PCs, Eighth Edition, Scott Mueller, Que
The Complete PC Upgrade & Maintenance Guide, Eighth Edition, Mark Minasi, Sybex
How Computers Work, Deluxe Edition, Ron White, Ziff-Davis
Most of the topics are also covered in earlier editions of the books, but you may have to look in the index for the correct chapters. Also note that newer technology topics are not covered in the earlier versions of these books.
Topic
Upgrading and Repairing PCs
The Complete PC
How Computers Works
Operating Systems
Pages 873-922
Pages 690-758
N/A
ACTIVITIES
The activities for this chapter let you practice optimizing MS-DOS memory, check Windows 95 system properties, and use Scandisk and Defrag.
Activity 1 — Optimizing MS-DOS Memory
In this activity, you will learn how to optimize MS-DOS memory using Memmaker.
Boot the system to your previous version of MS-DOS.
At the command prompt, type Mem /c and fill out the following table:
Type of memory
Total
Used
Free
Conventional
Upper
Reserved
Extended (XMS)
Total memory
Total under 1 MB
Largest executable program size
Largest free upper memory block
Is MS-DOS resident in the high memory area?
YES
NO
Make copies of your Autoexec.bat and Config.sys files using the following commands:
To run the automatic memory configuration utility, Memmaker, type:
Memmaker
Follow the on-screen prompts; read all menus and choose all the default options. Ensure that you reboot into your previous version of MS-DOS each time. Notice that the last configuration screen details the changes made to your system.
Type Mem /c and note any changes to your memory configuration.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
Use Edit to compare your new Config.sys file to the Config.txt file. What, if anything, is different?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
Use Edit to compare your new Autoexec.bat to the Autoexec.txt file. What, if anything, is different?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
Activity 2 — Windows 95 System Properties
In this activity, you will check your Windows 95 system properties.
Boot to Windows 95.
Click Start, Settings, and Control Panel.
Double-click the System icon. The System Properties dialog box opens.
Read the General configuration properties.
Click Device Manager.
Expand the Display Adapters icon by clicking the plus (+) sign.
Double-click your display adapter icon to view its properties.
Look at the various configuration tabs, especially the Resources tab. Are any resource conflicts present? Yes / No
Click Cancel to close the dialog box.
Click Performance. What is the number of free system resources? ________
Check the File System, Graphics, and Virtual Memory tabs to fill out the answers in the following table:
Questions
Answers
What is the typical role of the system?
What is the default setting for Graphics accelaration?
What is the default setting for virtual memory management?
Exit the open dialog boxes by clicking the Cancel button.
Activity 3 — Scandisk in Windows 95
This activity teaches you how to use Windows 95 Scandisk.exe.
Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and Scan Disk. If this option does not exist, you may have to add Scan Disk via the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel. Follow these directions to add the program; otherwise, skip to the next step:
Click Start, Settings, Control Panel.
Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
Click the Windows Setup tab.
Select Disk Tools with a single-click (in Windows 98, the option is System Tools).
Click Details.
If Defrag and Scandisk are options, select them.
Click OK twice to confirm your selection and install the new components. You may have to insert the Windows 95 CD-ROM for the installation to complete.
Ensure that C: is selected as the drive you would like to scan. You can choose a Standard or Thorough scan. The standard is much shorter because it does not scan the entire surface of the hard disk.
Click Advanced to see the various options. To learn more about any option, select that option and press the F1 key on the keyboard. A description box should appear.
Click Cancel.
Perform a Standard scan by clicking the Start button.
Click Close after reading the report of results on your scan. Then click Close again to close the application.
Activity 4 — Defrag in Windows 95
In this activity, you check to see how fragmented your hard drive is and use the Defrag utility to reduce fragmentation.
Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Defrag.
Select the drive you would like to defragment as C: drive.
Click Advanced and note the different options.
Click Cancel.
Defrag will tell you how fragmented your drive has become. Despite the recommendation, run Defrag by clicking Start. Note: You should leave the machine alone at this point. Any use of the system will cause the program to restart.
You can click Show Details to see a different, more detailed view of the process.
When the program has finished, click Yes to continue. If you like, run Defrag again to see if it made a difference. As a general rule, 5 percent or less fragmentation is considered good.
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