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Microsoft Windows
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The Control Panel Program, continued |
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Add/Remove Hardware
This program is only used to load the driver information
to your system when you add a new piece of hardware to it. such as a modem
or sound card. When you purchase a piece of equipment, it come with
either, a 3½" diskette or a CD-ROM, which holds the software information
for your computer.
If you have an older computer or buy a used one, most often this information
is missing. If the machine runs into a problem, you can download drivers from the manufacturer's web site.
On older systems, make sure you have a copy of the operating system (windows)
handy as you may be asked to insert it during the procedure.
If you don't have a copy, take a look in you Windows
Explorer. There is often a copy of the Windows installation program filed
there. Some common locations are c:\win98
or c:\windows\cabs. If not there, try
doing a search for WIN98_21.CAB (one of
the installation files). So if you are
asked you can choose the browse button and set the location.
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When the download has finished, go to either
My Computer
or Windows Explorer, double-click the file you downloaded
to extract the driver information. Make sure you know where the information
will be filed. You need to know that location to complete the
operation
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Get to the Control Panel program,
If not on your desktop, click on the Start
button, point to Settings.
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Double click Add New Hardware, and follow the instructions
on your screen.
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When you see 'Do you want Windows to search for your new hardware?',
Choose No.
Another window will open
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Choose the hardware type for the driver you are installing. (Modem, Sound,
etc.)
Scroll down if necessary
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Choose Have Disk, Now
you need tell the computer where to find the information
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Click on the Browse button. another window
opens
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Choose the location of the driver file, click on OK twice
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Follow any on screen instructions from that point forward.
Notes
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The driver file may have an inf, .exe, .dll, or another type of extension.
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The driver file is extracted to the same location as the downloaded file.
If you are still having a problem with a device, you can
always try a 'Windows Update' provided you have an Internet connection and
it's working. These often find updates for your drivers.
Turn on your Internet Explorer, choose the Tools menu option, then Windows
Update. You will be taken to www.microsoft.com,
look on the list on the left, click Update Wizard.
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Add/Remove Programs
Windows Setup page tab
Should you want to add or remove some part of the Windows library of
software, open the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog
box, thenchoose the Windows Setup tab.
Under Components, click the component you want to add or remove.
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To add all parts of the component, select its check box.
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To remove all parts of the component, click to clear its check box.
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To add or remove some parts of the component, click Details, and
then click to select or clear check boxes for those parts.
Notes
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You can also open the Add/Remove Programs from the
button, point to Settings, then Control Panel, double-click
Add/Remove
Programs, and then choose the Windows Setup tab.
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If you used a CD to install Windows, you will be prompted to insert it
into your computer.
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Create a startup
disk
There are times that you must reformat your hard drive. When those
times happen it is advisable to have a bootable diskette, so that you may
reload your system.
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Open the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box at the Startup
Disk tab.
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Click Create Disk.
Follow the instructions on your screen.
Notes
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You can also open this option by clicking on the
button, point to Settings, Control Panel, double-click
on Add/Remove Programs, and then choose the Startup Disk
tab.
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To make a startup disk, you will need one 2mb floppy disk
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When you insert the startup disk in your floppy "A" drive, the computer
starts from that disk, not from your hard drive.
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If you are using Windows 95, you must also include CD-ROM information (complete
folder and files), and the following files: MSCDEX..EXE - AUTOEXEC.BAT
- CONFIG.SYS
Modify a Startup Disk -
Windows 95 only.
Ignore if you have Windows 98 or higher.
The autoexec.bat and config.sys files must then me modified to read
the 3½ Floppy (A:) as the target drive. For example, if the following
line were shown in your autoexec.bat file
C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD000 /M:18
You would want to modify the line to read: A:\MSCDEX.EXE
/D:MSCD000 /M:18
OR if the following line were shown in the config.sys file:
DEVICE=C:\SANYO\SJCDAPI.SYS /D:MSCD000
That line would be modified to: DEVICE=A:\CDROM\SJCDAPI.SYS
/D:MSCD000
As mentioned previously, your startup disk should include the MSCDEX.EXE
file and the CDROM folder (which would include any pertinent files). |
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