Windows 98/4.10.1546/general.txt

---                         Microsoft Windows 98 README for General Information July 1997 ---

(c) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1997

This document provides complementary or late-breaking information to supplement the Microsoft Windows 98 documentation.

HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT

To view General.txt on screen in Notepad, maximize the Notepad window.

To print General.txt, open it in Notepad or another word processor, then use the Print command on the File menu.

- CONTENTS -

STARTUP PROBLEMS

APPLETS

LARGE DISK SUPPORT (FAT32) Introduction Compatibility Known Problems Questions and Answers

DISK TOOLS

DISKS AND CDs

DRIVERS

PRINTING

REMOVABLE MEDIA

UPDATED DIALING RULES

MICROSOFT FAX

PEN SERVICES

MS-DOS MODE

MS-DOS MEMORY MANAGEMENT

MS-DOS CODE PAGE

ONTRACK SYSTEMS DISK MANAGER

DOCUMENTATION UPDATES

STARTUP PROBLEMS

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There is a compatibility issue with some PCI-based display adapters. If you have a PCI-based computer and your computer stops responding at any of the following times:

- on the first startup after installing your PCI display adapter - in Safe Mode Startup - when your display is set to 640x480, 16 colors

then you need to replace the Vga.drv file by copying \Drivers\Display\Vga\Vga.drv to your Windows 98\System directory.

If you are running Windows 98 on a 386-based computer and Windows 98 will not start even in Safe Mode, you need to replace Vga.vxd. If you purchased Windows 98 on a CD-ROM, copy \Drivers\Display\OldVga\Vga.vxd to your Windows 98\System directory. If you purchased Windows 98 on floppy disks, contact Microsoft Technical Support to get this updated file.

Computers with Cyrix CPU --- If you have an Epson 866C or Microcenter Winbook computer, you may experience periodic general protection faults. To fix this problem:

1. Copy WB16off.exe from Windows 98 Setup Disk 1 (or if your product   is on CD, from the \Windows 98 directory) to your Windows 98 directory. 2. Add the following line to your Autoexec.bat file:

c:\Windows 98\wb16off.exe Micron Computers

Micron M5-P1 series Before installing Windows 98, users of Micron M5-PI series (P-60, P-66) need to be sure that the BIOS read/write jumper (W22) is set to the read-only position. Setting up with this jumper in the read\write position may cause BIOS corruption during Windows 98 installation. For more information, in the United States contact Micron Technologies at (208) 465-3434. Outside the U.S., contact your local hardware provider.

Micron P90 and P100 Before installing Windows 98, users of Micron P90 and P100 systems need to make sure their BIOS version is N15 or later. For more information, in the U.S. contact Micron Technologies at (208) 465-3434. Outside the U.S., contact your local hardware provider.

Undefined Dynalink Error

If you receive an "undefined dynalink" error, it's likely that a program you are running uses an earlier version of QuickTime that conflicts with the current version. To resolve this problem, you need to delete the QuickTime files from the program's directory. To do this, carry out the following procedure: 1. Restart your computer. 2. Click the Start button, click Find, and then click Files Or Folders. 3. In the Named box, type the following:

qt*.*, *.qtc

4. Make sure the Look In box specifies drive C, and then click Find Now. 5. Delete all the QuickTime files in the program's directory. Be sure NOT to delete any QuickTime files in the \Windows 98 or   \Windows 98\System directories. 6. Restart your computer.

You can also contact Apple for information about QuickTime version 2.02, or you can download it from CompuServe.

System Detection Error -- BIOS Could Lead to Data Loss -- If your computer displays the following message:

System Detection

Your computer uses a BIOS that could lead to data loss if you run Windows 98.

Please update the BIOS before installing Windows 98. For more information, contact your computer manufacturer.

You can still install Windows 98 by carrying out the following procedure. NOTE: Microsoft takes no responsibility for any damage that may result from this operation.

1. Copy the contents of the Windows 98 CD-ROM (or floppy disk 1) to  your hard disk. 2. At the MS-DOS prompt, type the following:

extract precopy2.cab msdet.inf

3. At the command prompt, type the following:

edit msdet.inf

4. On the Search menu, click Find. 5. In the Find What box, type the following:

[BadDSBios]

6. Click Find Now. 7. Insert a semicolon before each of the two lines following the [BadDSBios] heading. 8. Save your changes, and then run Setup again.

Dell Latitude XP Portable Computers with Docking Stations - Some early Dell portable computers can experience problems when startup occurs while attached to a docking station and a PCMCIA card is inserted in a PCMCIA slot. Although the PCMCIA card will be seen by Windows 98, the card will not function. To work around this problem, you should eject the PCMCIA card and reinsert it. The computer and PCMCIA card should recover. This problem is fixed in later Dell BIOS versions. For a BIOS upgrade, contact Dell Computer Corporation.

APPLETS

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Microsoft Plus! for Windows 98 - If you install Microsoft Plus! on top of this version of Windows 98, it will not install any DriveSpace 3 components. DriveSpace 3, including Compression Agent, is included with this version of Windows 98.

Once installed, Microsoft Plus! for Windows 98 Setup will not remove the System Agent from an installation of this version of Windows 98. The other Plus! components will be removed if they are not selected from the list of components displayed during a maintenance mode installation of Plus!.

Backup: Known Problems - - Backup does not work with all tape drives. If you install Backup and get a message that your tape drive has not been detected, click the Help button to see a list of supported tape drives. - If a backup to tape moves less than 1.5 MB per minute, you may have a  conflict between the tape unit and your video card. The workaround is   to start the backup operation and then open a full-screen MS-DOS box until the operation has finished. - Windows 98 Help, Windows Explorer, and disk tools have links to the Windows 98 Backup program. If you did not install Backup, and you have the MS-DOS 5 Backup.exe file in your path, these links will automatically start the MS-DOS Backup program.

Briefcase: Known Problem --- If you have Briefcase installed and then you enable user profiles (for multiple users on the same computer), Briefcase does not copy to each profile correctly. To work around this problem, carry out the following procedure: 1. After you enable user profiles, delete the My Briefcase icon from the desktop. 2. Use your right mouse button to click the desktop, click New, and then click Briefcase.

HyperTerminal: Known Problems and General Information - - If a session is open, HyperTerminal does not recognize when a  PCMCIA modem is inserted. - When receiving a file, HyperTerminal does not know if the disk is full. - To use the CTRL keys for Cut, Copy, and Paste in HyperTerminal, you need to use Windows keys instead of Terminal keys. To change this setting, in HyperTerminal, click the Settings tab. - In File Transfer, HyperTerminal does not send files with attributes marked as System or Hidden. - If a Windows 3.1 TAPI service provider is already installed on your system when you upgrade to Windows 98, you will experience problems with HyperTerminal. To work around these problems, you can use the Telephony icon in Control Panel to remove and then reinstall the TAPI service provider, or you can run the utility Tapiutil.exe. You can download Tapiutil.exe from CompuServe, ftp.microsoft.com, or  www.microsoft.com.

ScanDisk: Known Problems

- If you have created or named files or folders while using different code pages, ScanDisk may report errors about these files or the folders they reside in. If you are affected by this, open the ScanDisk Advanced dialog box and make sure the check box for Check Files For Invalid File Names is cleared. Note that turning off this option may inhibit the program’s ability to detect or repair seriously damaged folders.

WordPad: Known Problem -- - File/Print Preview may not show the page layout accurately, but the line breaks are shown accurately.

LARGE DISK SUPPORT (FAT32)

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Introduction

The File Allocation Table (FAT) file system has been the primary disk format used by MS-DOS-based and Windows-based personal computers since 1981. FAT is a fast and broadly supported disk format, but until now, it has been unable to support single drives over 2 gigabytes (GB). A gigabyte is equal to 1,024 megabytes, or approximately 1.07 billion bytes.

This product includes support for an enhanced version of the FAT file system,--FAT32--that supports drives up to 2 terabytes (approximately 2,000 GB). It also allocates space on the drive in smaller units (called clusters) than earlier versions of FAT, resulting in more efficient use of space on the drive.

This section addresses some of the known issues with FAT32 and answers some of the questions you might have.

Compatibility - FAT32 is designed to be fully compatible with existing computers and programs designed to run on earlier versions of MS-DOS and Windows. However, many existing disk utilities (programs that perform low-level maintenance tasks on disks, such as disk compression or repair tools and defragmenters) will need to be updated in order to work with FAT32 drives. The disk tools contained with Windows 98, including ScanDisk, Backup, and Disk Defragmenter, fully support FAT32 drives. FAT32 drives cannot be compressed by using DriveSpace, however.

In addition, operating systems other than this version of Windows 98 are unable to access information stored on FAT32 drives. This includes the original version of Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 and earlier, and previous versions of MS-DOS and Windows. However, this version of Windows 98 does support accessing FAT32 drives in MS-DOS mode. In addition, FAT32 drives can be shared over a network and accessed by remote computers in the same way as older-style FAT drives, even if the remote computers don't support FAT32.

Known Problems --

Running Interlink on a FAT32 drive -- If you are running Interlink as a server on a FAT32 drive, all connections and inquiries (such as DIR) result in the following error message: "File allocations table bad, Drive X." Also, the Interlink "manager" shows the incorrect total drive size.

This problem does not occur on FAT16 drives. To see your FAT32 server, start your computer in protect mode with Interlink running.

Incorrect free disk space reported by programs -- Programs not developed specifically for this version of Windows 98 may be unable to report free space accurately on large hard disks that use FAT32. Older programs are unable to report more than 2 GB of free or total disk space, and many will report incorrect amounts of free, total, or used space on large hard drives. Windows 98 version 4.00.950 B provides new MS-DOS and Win32 APIs that programs can use to determine free or total disk space over 2 GB.

Save to File (Hibernate) feature may be incompatible with FAT32

On computers containing a BIOS made by Phoenix Technologies, you might not be able to use the Save to File feature if your primary (boot) drive is formatted using FAT32. If your PhDISK utility is earlier than version 5.0, you must obtain an updated version of the utility and an updated ROM BIOS from your computer manufacturer in order to use a Save to Disk file.

With older versions of the ROM BIOS, your computer may be unable to start if it tries to read a Save to Disk file from a FAT32 drive. If this occurs, you must disable the Save to File feature in your ROM BIOS. This does not affect computers using a disk partition to store the Save to Disk data.

Ontrack Systems Disk Manager

If you use the Ontrack Systems Disk Manager program on a computer with FAT32 drives, there might be a long pause when you start your computer and/or the drive will be set to run in compatibility mode. If you use version 7.0x, you can avoid this pause by using the /L=0 option with Disk Manager. To do this, carry out the following steps:

1. Start your computer normally, and then run Disk Manager.

2. Click the Maintenance menu, and then click Update Dynamic Drive Overlay.

3. Add /L=0 to any other options that are already present.

4. Save the settings, and then restart your computer.

If you are running an earlier version of Disk Manager and you want to use FAT32, you should update to version 7.04 or later and use the /L=0 switch.

V Communications System Commander - Versions 2.28 and earlier of V Communications System Commander are incompatible with FAT32. If your primary (boot) hard disk uses FAT32 exclusively, you must obtain version 3 or later of System Commander.

Iomega Jaz tools may be incompatible with FAT32 --- If you format an Iomega Jaz disk using FAT32, you may need to obtain updated versions of the Jaz tools. Older versions of the tools do not support FAT32 Jaz disks properly. As a result, the eject, write- protection, and password-protection options will be disabled. Updated versions of these tools that are compatible with FAT32 are available from Iomega, and from the Microsoft Windows Driver Library contained on the Windows 98 CD-ROM disk and available for download from various on-line services.

SyQuest Technology, Inc. device drivers -- Older versions of the Squatdvr.sys and Sqdriver.sys device drivers are incompatible with this version of Windows 98 and will hang when your computer starts if your primary (boot) disk uses FAT32. You must remove the associated DEVICE= line from your Config.sys file in order to start your computer from a FAT32 drive. Updated versions of these drivers that are compatible with FAT32 are available from SyQuest, and from the Microsoft Windows Driver Library contained on the Windows 98 CD-ROM disk and available for download from various on-line services.

Questions and Answers -

How do I tell if a drive is a FAT32 drive? -- In My Computer, right-click the icon that represents your hard disk, and then click Properties. The kind of drive you are using is indicated after the word Type at the top of the screen.

How do I enable FAT32? -- If you obtained this version of Windows 98 with a new computer system, it may already be using the FAT32 disk format. If not, or if you add a new hard disk to your computer and you want to use the FAT32 file system, you enable it by running the FDISK program. FDISK is a program used to create or delete one or more partitions on a hard disk. A partition is a section of a hard disk that appears to be a single disk drive. Most hard disks must be partitioned with FDISK before they can be used with Windows 98. If your computer has a disk drive larger than 512 megabytes (MB), it will prompt you whether to enable large disk support when you run FDISK. If you answer yes, then any partition you create that is over 512 MB will use the FAT32 file system. If you answer no, then you will be unable to create disk partitions larger than 2GB. After creating a partition with FDISK, you must restart your computer and then format the drive before you can store data on it.

IMPORTANT NOTE: FDISK is an extremely powerful program. If you delete a disk partition by using FDISK, all the data in that partition will be permanently destroyed. If you are unfamiliar with FDISK, you may want to consult a qualified computer technician before using it.

Is FAT32 faster than earlier versions of FAT? - In general, no. In most cases, your computer will perform about the same if your hard disk is formatted by using FAT32 as it did previously. In some cases, however, performance may be worse than with the original version of FAT.

Note that FAT32 drives may be significantly slower when your computer is running in MS-DOS mode or when you are running Windows 98 in Safe Mode. If you use MS-DOS mode with FAT32 drives, you may find that performance is improved significantly by loading the Smart Drive disk-caching program.

What size clusters are used on FAT32 drives?

The following cluster sizes are typically used on FAT32 drives:

Drive size       Cluster size ---             <260 MB            512 bytes 260 MB - 8 GB      4 kilobytes (KB) 6 MB - 16 GB     8 KB         16 MB - 32 GB     16 KB        >32 GB             32 KB

Can I use disk compression on FAT32 drives? --- No. DriveSpace 3 does not support compressing FAT32 drives.

DISK TOOLS

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- If you create a Briefcase and then compress a drive that contains files to which it refers, the Briefcase's association to the files will be lost. The files will still exist, but you will need to reassociate them with the Briefcase. - If you use INTERLNK, do not use ScanDisk, DriveSpace, or the Disk Defragmenter to operate on a drive on a remote computer. - AT&T Mail versions 2.5 and earlier will install a TSR that prevents disk utilities from being able to repair disks. If you are running one of these earlier versions, contact AT&T for information about their latest release.

DISKS AND CDs

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- The NEC 260GW ATAPI CD-ROM that shipped with older Gateway computers is now supported through protect-mode drivers. In order for protect mode support to work, the real-mode driver needs to be loaded in Config.sys. - The NEC 3X, firmware version 2.2, can give bad data and is not supported by Windows 98.

DRIVERS

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The Windows Driver Library (WDL) is included on the Drivers directory on the Windows 98 CD. Check this directory if you need a driver that is not included in Windows 98. Included in this directory are miniports for Trantor and QLogic SCSI adapters.

EZ-Drive

EZ-Drive is supported through the protected-mode IDE driver.

Adaptec EZ SCSI --- Adaptec EZ SCSI Windows 98 version will not run. The MS-DOS version will work with Windows 98.

Aspidisk.sys

If your computer uses the Aspidisk.sys device driver in Config.sys to provide MS-DOS mode support for a SCSI disk, version 4.01 or later of Aspidisk.sys is required in order to support disks formatted with FAT32. A FAT32-compatible version of this driver is available from Adaptec. It is also available in the Microsoft Windows Driver Library, which is in the Drivers directory on the Windows 98 CD-ROM disk, or you can download it from various online services.

Arco AcideJL

If you are using this adapter, the driver AcideJL.386 causes a conflict when Windows 98 is installed from earlier versions of Windows. However, you can install Windows 98 from MS-DOS.

Promise 2300+ Drivers - MS-DOS (Eide2300.sys) Works fine. You can get extra performance by installing this driver.

Windows 3.1 (Eide2300.386) Works fine, but does not add any value. Setup removes this driver.

Windows 98 (Ptivgapi.mpd) This driver is still in beta and its use is not recommended at this time.

Syquest Sqatdrv.sys and Sqdriver.sys Drivers

The Sqatdrv.sys driver may cause systems containing FAT32 drives to hang during startup. Remove this driver from the Config.sys file if you are using FAT32 drives on a system with this device driver. Versions of these drivers that are compatible with FAT32 boot drives will be added to the Windows Driver Library (on the Windows 98 CD and downloadable from the Internet) shortly.

PRINTING

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Compaq Prolinea or DeskPro computers

If you have one of the Compaq Prolinea or DeskPro models listed following this topic, and you are using a parallel attached printer that supports bi-directional communications (such as the HP LaserJet Series 4 & 5 printers, some Lexmark LaserPrinters, and possibly others), you may experience problems resulting in timeout errors when printing. To correct this problem, copy a newer LPT driver (Lpt.vxd) from the \Drivers\Printers\Lpt directory of the Windows 98 CD to your \Windows 98\System directory. You can also obtain this file from the Windows Driver Library. If the problem persists, make sure that the ECP port on your computer is configured for DMA channel 3. To do this, look up "DMA channel" in the Windows 98 Help Index.

Compaq Prolinea 450 Compaq Prolinea 466 Compaq Prolinea 4100 Compaq Prolinea 5100 Compaq Prolinea 5120 Compaq Prolinea 5133 Compaq Prolinea 575 Compaq Prolinea 590 Compaq DeskPro 450 Compaq DeskPro 466 Compaq DeskPro 4100 Compaq DeskPro 5100 Compaq DeskPro 5120 Compaq DeskPro 5133 Compaq DeskPro 575 Compaq DeskPro 590

REMOVABLE MEDIA

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Syquest Removable IDE Cartridge --- This is supported. You need to add the following line to the [386enh] section of your system.ini file: RemovableIDE=1

UPDATED DIALING RULES

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This release includes updated dialing rules for local, long distance, and international calls in several countries. These updates (1) correct problems in the original release of Windows 98 and (2) implement new dialing rules for countries that have changed their dialing rules since the original release of Windows 98.

During Setup, the updated rules are automatically inserted into the [CountryOverrides] section of the Telephon.ini file in the Windows 98 directory.

MICROSOFT FAX

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You need a Class 1 fax modem to take advantage of advanced security features and to exchange editable binary files using Microsoft Fax. You can use Class 2 fax modems to send and receive traditional Group 3 faxes.

The first time you start a portable PC with a new hardware configuration, Windows 98 may start with all printers off line. This includes the fax printer. To correct this problem: 1. Click the Start menu, and then click Settings. 2. Click Printers, and then click the icon for the Microsoft Fax printer. 3. On the Printer menu, make sure that Work Offline is not checked.

If you are using your computer as a Microsoft Fax NetFax server, do not shut down or log off of Microsoft Exchange or Windows 98 while faxes are being sent or are still in the fax queue.

While fax is in automatic answer mode, programs that are not TAPI- enabled will not be able to use the modem. This includes all 16-bit communication programs. By default, Microsoft Fax is set up to let a 16-bit program use the modem and will not automatically answer incoming faxes. If you do not use other 16-bit communication programs and you want to have Microsoft Fax automatically answer all incoming calls as fax calls, do the following: 1. Right-click the fax machine icon, located on the taskbar near the clock. 2. Click Modem Properties. 3. Change the answer mode to Answer After 3 Rings.

Individual phone systems and different modems may differ in the amount of time they need to answer incoming fax calls. Setting the answer mode to answer after three rings may actually result in the phone's being answered after two or four rings. If you experience this problem, you can adjust the minimum number of rings either higher or lower to  compensate for these differences.

CAS modems, such as the Intel Satisfaxion 200i, Satisfaxion 400i, and GammaLink CAS modems, are not supported. A firmware revision is available from Intel for the Satisfaxion 400i that will convert this modem to be Class 1 compatible. For more information, contact Intel.

Do not manually change any of the printer spool settings on the properties sheet or the Microsoft Fax printer.

Microsoft Fax is recommended only for computers with at least 8 MB of memory.

When you send a fax by using the Microsoft Exchange New Message form, you cannot have the fax message on the cover page. To send a one-page fax with your fax message on the cover page, you must use the Send Fax wizard. To open the Send Fax wizard, click the Compose menu in Microsoft Exchange, and then click the New Fax menu. Or, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click the Fax folder. If you are faxing only a short note, performance is better when you put the note on the cover page.

To include a message on the cover page, the cover page must contain the note field. If the note field is not present, the message appears on the second page of the fax.

The network fax server component of Microsoft Fax has only been tested and known to work with Microsoft File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks or Microsoft File and Printer Sharing for NetWare Networks.

If you change a setting in Microsoft Fax while Microsoft Exchange is running, the change will probably not take effect until you log off and exit from Microsoft Exchange, and then restart it.

If you send a fax to a Windows for Workgroups 3.11 At Work Fax user, and the message includes multiple recipients on the Cc: list, the only addresses that will be visible on the fax user's message are the fax addresses. However, all messages will be sent correctly.

The File Send command in some programs may not work properly. This includes Microsoft Works version 3.0, Lotus 1-2-3, Aldus Pagemaker, and others. If you cannot reliably send a fax by using the File Send command, either attach the file to a fax or use the File Print command from within the program.

When you use the fax configuration properties sheet to browse to a cover page, a link (.lnk) to this cover page is created in your Windows 98 directory. If you already have a cover page (.cpe) in your Windows 98 directory with the same name, this name will appear in the cover pages list twice, but you can select only one of them. It is recommended that you delete one of the files by using Windows Explorer.

If you send an editable fax to a Windows for Workgroups 3.11 At Work Fax user, the fax recipient may not see any names on the Cc or Bcc line if the message was sent to duplicate or non-fax addresses. However, the message will be delivered to all recipients.

If you are using the Microsoft NetFax service for faxing, and you use the Microsoft Fax "Request a Fax" program to retrieve a fax, the returned information will be sent to the NetFax server. It will then have to be forwarded to you manually by the system administrator.

PEN SERVICES

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Microsoft Corp. distributes Pen Services for Windows 98 through the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) channel. As such, the Windows 98 product does not include Pen Services for Windows 98.

Contact your pen hardware OEM for your Pen Services for Windows 98 upgrade.

MS-DOS MODE

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The MS-DOS Share program (Share.exe) is not included in this version of Windows 98. Share support is provided to all programs running under Windows 98, but programs that require share support cannot be run in MS-DOS mode using this version of Windows 98.

MS-DOS MEMORY MANAGEMENT

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To maximize the amount of memory available to MS-DOS programs, add the following line to your Config.sys file:

buffers=13

On most computers, this will free up approximately 16K of conventional or upper memory for use by MS-DOS programs or device drivers. Note, however, that this command reduces the number of MS-DOS buffers, so it might adversely affect disk performance when your computer is running in MS-DOS mode.

MS-DOS CODE PAGE

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Depending on the country selected, Windows 98 automatically uses MS-DOS code page 437 or 850. If you need to use a different code page, such as 861 or 865, use the Changecp.exe utility program. This program is included in the Windows 98 Resource Kit and the CD-ROM version of Windows 98. It is also available from the Microsoft Download Service or from your local Microsoft subsidiary.

ONTRACK SYSTEMS DISK MANAGER

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=============== If you use Ontrack Systems' Disk Manager on a computer that is booting from a FAT32 drive, it may result in a long pause at startup, and/or the drive will be set to run in compatibility mode. With version 7.0x, you can Use the /L=0 option with Disk Manager to avoid this pause. If you are running an earlier version of Disk Manager, you should update to version 7.04 and use the /L=0 switch if you use FAT32.

DOCUMENTATION UPDATES

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The following updates are not reflected in the current Internet Explorer online Help.

Internet Security - The procedure for setting your security safety level (Internet privacy) does not accurately reflect the current dialog box.

>>>To set your Internet security level: 1. On the View menu, click Options. 2. Click the Security tab, and then click Safety Level. 3. Click the safety level you want.

Changing Your Display Font --

The procedure for changing your display font settings does not accurately reflect the current dialog box.

>>>To display text in a different font: 1. On the View menu, click Options. 2. On the General tab, click Font Settings 3. Click the fonts you want in the Proportional Font and Fixed-width Font boxes.