Win95 Utilities

• MTUspeed allows you to change some of the Win95 Registry entries to improve your performance while surfing the net.  This product is FREEWARE and can be downloaded from this site.

PC Hardware Upgrades

• Memory: If you only have 8 meg of memory - this is your first upgrade! Increasing to 16meg (or even better - 32meg) will double the speed of your PC (while on the internet). Doubling the speed of your modem will NOT have as much effect as doubling the amount of memory!! Of course, only do this if your mother board will take 72 pin SIMs. If your mother board is old and can only take 30 pin SIMs, then get a new mother board first.  But interesting point here - a 486 with 32 meg of RAM will outperform a small Pentium with 8 meg.  So, if the pennies are tight - get a motherboard that is upgradeable and takes 72 pin Sims, and put in a cheap 486 processor ($10) until you can afford the new processor.

Windows 95 hacks:

• Builder.com provides a list of tips and tricks to speed up and improve your Windows 95 system.
  
  
• AXCEL's: Speed up your PC 2 the Max: Axcel has compiled Tips and Tricks for Dos, Windows, Win95, Dual Boot systems, etc. into zip files. Even the most experienced users will learn something new from here.

Taking Cookies from strangers

• I have seen many discussions of this topic and most authors miss the whole point about cookies and categorise them as an invasion of privacy.. Usually a cookie is sent to record your preferences and thus make your subsequent visits to the site easier. By accepting a Cookie, you are not divulging any information about yourself or your PC. Any information that is available about you has already been collected! A site does not need to send you a Cookie to be able to obtain your email address, your ISPs address, etc. If a site is going to misuse any of this information, the damage has probably already been done before you get notification of a cookie being sent. I promise you: rejecting cookies offers you no protection from prying eyes! I have set my defaults in Netscape NOT to warn me about receiving a cookie. I do occasionally look in my Netscape directory to see who has sent me cookies, but that is just out of curiosity. If you want to see what information can be collected about you, visit: CDT Privacy Demonstration Page Its a little slow, but dont worry, its not doing anything nasty! Also, if you want to learn a little more about cookies, visit: Andy;s Netscape Cookie Info

Please leave your comments about this topic on my Graffiti wall.

Sick of those annoying Remote Consoles

• Do you get those extra windows popping up (usually carrying advertising) while you're surfing the net. They're called Consoles, or Remote Consoles. If you're like me, they are downright annoying. Just turn off Java Script, and you wont be bothered by them again. In Netscape, select 'Options' from the menu bar, then select 'Network Preferences' and finally 'Language', and Uncheck the Java Script Box. I have found that sites where Jacascript is essential, they will inform you, so you can always temporarily turn it back on for them.

Windows 95 - Performance

• You can increase Win95 performance by adjusting your Swap file settings. This is particularly useful on a PC with only 8-16Mb of memory. The swap file expands and contracts as applications start, stop, request resources, etc. By setting a minimum size that is greater than your normal requirements, the constant allocating and freeing of disk space will be eliminated. I have regularly seen that 2-3 times the size of real memory as a recommendation, however, on an 8Mb PC I dont believe that this is sufficient. I have found that 30Mb is a reasonable minimum for my usage. (To determine your requirements, download MemMonitor and run this during a heavy Internet session).

To change your swap file size, go to your Control Panel and run System. From here, select Performance and then Virtual memory and you should get the following screen:



After you make these changes you will need to re-boot your PC for the changes to take effect. NOTE: If Win95 will not allow you to set a minimum as high as you would like, its probably because your disk is badly fragmented and you should run Disk Defragmenter.