Windows 95/98
Windows 95/98 Shutdown
The process of shutting down an Operating System may involve
a number of steps and stages. Put simply, the applications must release all
individual resources before the OS can release shared resources and drivers before
shutting down.
At the application level, the following general steps are undertaken ..
1. Are there any open files ?
2. Are files open in read-only mode (eg web pages in a browser) ?
· These files do not need to be written back to disk
3. Are files open in write mode (ie: editable) ?
4. Are there any changes pending with these files ?
· These files or records may need to be written back to disk
5. Associated RAM contents must be flushed back to disk
6. Associated disk buffer contents must be flushed back to disk
7. Resources in use by the application processes and threads must be released back to the OS (eg: printing to queues, screen/window updating)
8. Links between documents may need to be updated
9. Clipboard contents associated with an application may need to be saved/discarded
10. Applications can be closed when they have no resources (except for shared resources, such as drivers or .DLL files) in use.
At the Operating
System level, the following general steps are undertaken ..
1. Are there any open applications ?
· If so, go back to the above application shutdown procedures
2. Are there any scheduled processes outstanding (eg: backup) ?
3. Are otherwise shared resources (such as print queues, .DLL files, drivers, etc) no longer needed so they can be released ?
4. Virtual Memory swapped to RAM and flushed to disk
· This is usually associated with open applications (as above)
· Applications and data may need to be swapped back to RAM
5. Drivers can be uninitialised - W95, changed in W98
6. 32 bit Drivers revert to real mode (16bit operation) - W95
7. drivers re-initialised – W95 only
User can be notified that shutdown is complete. Further disk activity may simply indicate drive resets being initiated by the controller circuitry.
Faster start-up and shutdown--Microsoft determined that, on most machines, more than half of the boot up time was spent in the BIOS POST (power-on self-test). In addition to working with hardware vendors to dramatically reduce POST time by using the Simple Boot Flag Specification of the On Now design initiative, Microsoft also worked to eliminate loading unnecessary drivers and even eliminated the Windows 95 2-second, F8-key boot delay (now you hold the left Ctrl key down while booting). Overall, the boot time for Windows 98 itself is about equal to Windows 95, even though the new version has more features.
For shutdown, Microsoft eliminated the uninitializing of drivers, which in any case would have to be reinitialized when restarting, and worked to speed flushing the disk cache (without, of course, losing any data). Overall, the shutdown time on a typical network machine should drop from around 20 seconds under Windows 95 to less than 5 seconds under Windows 98.
rnel audio mixer, unloads in order to optimize system memory usage. When USER tries to play the shutdown sound the Kmixer.sys file fails to reload on account of this bug. Finally, after approximately 2 or more minutes, Kmixer.sys is reloaded and the shutdown sequence concludes.
Disabling Windows 98's fast shutdown
If you've ever experienced a shutdown problem in Windows 95, which you probably have, the cause was most likely a problem with the device drivers uninitializing. Microsoft has resolved this problem in Windows 98 by creating a fast shutdown where the drivers aren't uninitialized.
This feature is enabled by default. However, if you're experiencing shutdown problems with Windows 98, it may be necessary to disable this feature so you can troubleshoot.
To disable fast shutdown in Windows 98 you must first launch the System Information tool by clicking Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Information. Once the System Information tool launches,select System Configuration Utility from the Tools menu. Next, select the General tab and click the Advanced button. Select the Disable Fast Shutdown check box and click OK. Click OK once more to close the System Information tool. Restart your computer when you're prompted to do so..
Improvements in Windows 98
(full text is in CORE_W98.htm)
Faster start-up and
shutdown
Microsoft determined that, on most machines, more than half of the boot up time was spent in the BIOS POST (power-on self-test). In addition to working with hardware vendors to dramatically reduce POST time by using the Simple Boot Flag Specification of the OnNow design initiative, Microsoft also worked to eliminate loading unnecessary drivers and even eliminated the Windows 95 2-second, F8-key boot delay (now you hold the left Ctrl key down while booting). Overall, the boot time for Windows 98 itself is about equal to Windows 95, even though the new version has more features.
Shutdown
Microsoft eliminated the uninitializing of drivers, which in any case would have to be reinitialized when restarting, and worked to speed flushing the disk cache (without, of course, losing any data). Overall, the shutdown time on a typical network machine should drop from around 20 seconds under Windows 95 to less than 5 seconds under Windows 98.
Duplicate entries in Startup tab of System Config Utility due to 98 reinstalled.
If a
check box in the 'Startup' tab is clear (unchecked) and you reinstall Windows
98, duplicate entries will appear in the 'Startup' tab because Windows 98 will
reinstall the disabled shortcuts. To remove the duplicate entries, you must
select all of the check boxes and then restart the computer.
Click 'Start' and select 'Run...'. Type MSCONFIG in the 'Open' drop-down list
box and press ENTER. Click the 'Startup' tab and select all of the check boxes.
Click 'OK' and click 'Yes' to restart your computer.
NOTE: Before you upgrade to Windows 98,
be sure that all of the check boxes in the 'Startup' tab are selected.
1) Click 'Start' on the Windows
taskbar. (The 'Start' menu appears.)
2) Select 'Run...'. (The 'Run'
dialog box appears.)
3) In the 'Open' drop-down list box,
type the following and press ENTER: MSCONFIG (The 'System Configuration
Utility' dialog box appears.)
4) Click the 'Startup' tab.
5) Select all of the check boxes.
6) Click 'OK'. (The 'System Settings
Change' message box appears, asking if you want to restart the computer.)
7) Click 'Yes' to restart your
computer.
Internet Connection Sharing/Windows
98
Internet Connection Sharing makes it easy to set up and configure home networks, so more than one computer can share a single connection to the Internet.
With Internet Connection Sharing, you can:
· Have several computers online simultaneously, viewing different sites, without incurring the cost of additional phone lines.
· Create a home network on which other PC’s or computer devices that are connected to your home network can share the same Internet connection if they can utilize a DHCP server to assign them IP addresses.
· Easily connect other computers not running Windows 98 to do file and printer sharing and multi-player gaming because the DHCP server automates much of what used to be manual tasks during setup.
WebTVTM for Windows can bring broadcast and cable television right to your desktop. With Windows 98 Second Edition and a TV tuner card installed in your computer, you can use WebTV for Windows to keep an eye on the news while you're working, take advantage of the interactive television content available through WebTV for Windows, and even download information from the Internet while you watch TV. And you don't even need a TV tuner card to browse the online Program Guide!
With WebTV you can:
n Watch TV and work with software at the same time.
n Watch interactive TV programs.
n Find your favorite TV programs easily with the online Program Guide.
n Receive information from the Internet without tying up your phone line.
n Select from a broader array of TV tuner cards.
Windows Media
Player/Windows 98
Microsoft® Windows® Media Player is a feature of Windows 98 Second Edition that processes multimedia content on the Web, and in other environments. It upgrades the existing Windows Media Player and Microsoft ActiveMovieTM support to provide convenient access to new Windows Media content.
With Windows Media Player, you can:
· Play most popular local and streamed audio and video files, including WAV, AVI, QuickTime, RealAudio, RealVideo, MP3 and MPEG.
· Stream FM-stereo sound over a modem or download MP3-quality songs at half the size.
Multimonitor
Support/Windows 98
With multimonitor support, multitasking moves to new heights, widths, and depths. It allows you to use up to nine monitors to display nine separate programs or nine different views of the game. This creates a virtual desktop because you can divide the display among different views. You can select the size, color, and resolution of what is displayed on each monitor and easily move programs from one screen to another.
With multiple monitors, you can:
· Multitask--do several tasks at once--such as read e-mail on one monitor and follow an Internet link on another.
· Track HTML code on one monitor and Web-page content on another (a Web developer's dream!).
DVD/Windows
98
If you thought the CD changed the face of multimedia computing, wait until you experience digital video disc (DVD) technology. A single DVD can hold as much information as 23 CDs. Microsoft® Windows® 98 Second Edition is the first operating system to provide full support for DVD technology, and it supports all DVD-ROM drives. With a DVD drive and Windows 98 Second Edition's DVD support, you can:
· Display a DVD-stored movie with sharp images, rich colors, and theater-quality sound.
· Play games with special effects and 3-D graphics.
· Gain access to a wide range of multimedia programs, reference works, and interactive titles that are increasingly available on DVDs.
Because DVD stores information in a specialized format, you need a decoder to display it. Windows 98 Second Edition provides support for Toshiba, Quadrant, and Luxenor decoders. These DVD decoders are already available in a wide variety of computers. You can also buy add-on decoders.
Accessibility/Windows
98
Accessibility tools in Microsoft® Windows® 98 Second Edition make computers more useful for people with a broad range of disabilities. The accessibility tools expand what was offered in earlier versions of Windows. These included desktop size adjustability, high-contrast colors, special keys, and sound enhancements for the hearing impaired.
With the new accessibility features, you can:
· Use the Accessibility Wizard to set up accessibility options.
· Use the Magnifier to enlarge a portion of your screen in a different window. (Please note: Magnifier is not a replacement for the full-featured magnifiers available from other software companies.)
Faster Launch, Faster
Shutdown/Windows 98
No one likes to wait around for their computer to boot up, especially when they're dying to start using it or need to close one program and move on to something else. But thanks to Microsoft® Windows® 98 Second Edition's Maintenance wizard and performance enhancements, you can get:
· Faster system start up
· Faster application start up
· Faster system shut down
Here's why
· Faster Starts A tidy computer starts faster and runs more efficiently. Windows 98 Second Edition keeps computers clean with the Maintenance wizard's scheduled clean-up tasks. One of these tasks, Disk Defragmenter, rearranges data on your computer's hard disk by placing all the files associated with a given program in the same location. When you use Disk Defragmenter regularly, especially in combination with the FAT32 utility, your computer can locate and open your programs faster, because it doesn't have to search all over the disk for what it needs. Click here to find out more about the Maintenance wizard and the Disk Defragmenter.
· Faster Shutdown Computers running Windows 98 Second Edition shut down faster, due to a new default shutdown protocol. In Windows 95, the system's device drivers are uninitialized (making them no longer ready to work) before the system shuts down. In Windows 98 Second Edition, on the other hand, when the system shuts down, the device drivers are left in the ready-to-work state. So shutdown happens faster. It's sort of like pulling the plug on a radio while it's playing. The music stops abruptly. When you plug the radio back in, it begins playing, tuned to the station as you left it.
Security System
Version 2.3 - Windows 95/98
Compatable
Protect your system with Desklock Security, an easy to use security system. Choose from a variety of protection options including but not limited to:
· Customizable Program Restrictions
· Disable Registry Editing Tools
· Disable the Start Menu or portions of it
· Prevent access to the Desktop or Taskbar
· Prevent the user from dragging icons on the Desktop or in Explorer windows
· Disable the right-mouse click on files and folders
PGP Desktop Security is part of the PGP Enterprise Security suite, which also contains the PGP Certificate Server, Policy Management Agent, and PGPsdk.
PGP Desktop Security is the client side centerpiece of the PGP infrastructure.
PGP Desktop Security enables the user to secure and authenticate email, individual files and folders, and entire disk volumes. PGP Desktop Security includes ‘plugin’ modules for popular email applications such as Microsoft Outlook 97, 98, and Express, Qualcomm’s Eudora, and Claris Emailer making encryption and authentication as simple as clicking a button.
A convenient toolbar provides quick access to the most often used PGP functions, such as encryption, authentication, and secure file deletion. PGP Desktop Security also includes PGPdisk functionality to provide lightning-quick encryption of an entire disk volume.
Now in its seventh major revision, PGP Desktop Security is a mature, stable, easy-to-use product for securing corporate assets. PGP Desktop Security 6.0 is available on Windows 95/98/NT 4.0 and Macintosh. RSA add-ons are available for backwards compatibility with old versions of PGP.
Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) supports full security for the Microsoft® Windows NT®/Microsoft® Windows® 2000 operating system, and limited security for Windows 95/98. WMI security validates a user's logon information both for the local computer and for remote access. WMI grants a validated user some form of controlled access to the entire
Common Information Model (CIM) repository.
In its current release, WMI does not provide security for system resources such as individual classes and instances. However, administrators can use WMI to control global permissions on schema operations, such as limiting the access of some users to read-only operations. WMI also supports per namespace security.