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PC911 > Tips & Tweaks > Scripts Index > Scripts #3

[Fixes] [Customizations] [General Information]

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, PC911 has just what you need. Just download this file, 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.

The Easy Way To Access Your Device Manager In Win9x
Do you find yourself delving into the Control Panel's System applet to fiddle with your Device Manager often? Well, you are not alone. Many tweakers obsessively fondle their Device Manager applets, and it's OK to do so if you are careful. Now PC911 wants to help you Device Manager fondlers come out by giving you one-click access to your precious applet. It's simple really, just download this zip file and unzip it to your desktop. That's it. Just click the file and presto your Device Manager appears without having to drill down through menu after menu to get to your Control Panel.

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 this file: Assoc.zip to a temporary directory. Make note of its location when downloading.
  • Now close your browser and all programs.
  • Launch Windows Explorer and find Assoc.zip and unzip its contents to the same temporary directory.
  • Highlight and then right-click Assoc.reg. 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!

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