You know what operating system in Microsoft considered the most customizable in the world? You would not guess - Windows'9x! This is what it turns out, what we offer, "Control Panel" Windows'98 and has an interface for this superfood settings? There you can change only a couple of dozens of parameters, and where everything else? Why it was necessary to hide from the user interface settings Tweak UI utility, which we described in one of the issues the Upgrade ? Indeed, change a lot of important operating parameters of the system can be manually editing the registry and certain system files, but for the layman it is fraught with very sad consequences. Plus, even just to find out where and what should be changed in the registry, it is necessary to read a pile of books of different authors not cheap about undocumented features the Windows, because in the official description from Microsoft, you will not find answers to the many, many questions! And fit "under him" in this way the system will take even a professional more than one hour.

This strange situation took advantage of talented programmers from a small company Magellas ( http://www.magellass.com/ ), they are more than compensated for the lack of configuration tools in Windows'98, releasing a small program WinBoost 2000 Gold Edition. Successfully applying in practice the knowledge of the hidden settings "Wind", they let us (for a small fee, of course) can be easily changed almost 300 (!!!!!) of different parameters, adapting "the most customizable" operating system to the needs and tastes of each user. Settings in the program so much that most of them even do not really even need an ordinary home users, but there is almost a complete guarantee that it can help you make to the system, all that is possible only for its fine-tuning "by itself "and only beloved.

The program, much to the chagrin of the Russian users, not free, but, even if for some reason you can not or do not want to pay for it, then you do not have to look with envy at the lucky owners of the credit cards for you to Magellas site you can find free, slightly "stripped down" version of WinBoost 2000 Standart, has preserved all the main features of the "golden" version. At the very least, look for "warez" FTP - servers, there are many interesting things lying around!

I must say that this is not the first version of the program, it has already published several releases under the name WinBoost 98. So that all the errors in it (as opposed to "MastDaya") has long been fixed, and "screw up" the system you are unlikely, although the utility and makes some serious changes to the registry, files in the WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, CONFIG .SYS, etc. It should be read with the understanding only those tips that will give you WinBoost during operation. And cancel all incorrect changes simply by pressing "Back to Default Settings" (if the computer does not boot after some changes to the system settings, try to return it back mode failsafe "Safe Mode"). But for the gifted experimenters still strongly recommend to save before using the system files (USER.DAT, SYSTEM.DAT, WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI , CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT, MSDOS.SYS) in a special daddy to in which case, one of the MS-DOS are easy to recover.

The program interface is very convenient, all adjustments are sorted into several semantic sections:
1. System and loading
2. "Start" menu
3. "Explore" the Windows
4. Desktop
5. Internet Explorer
6. The user credentials to your Windows settings
7. System icons
8. Advanced Settings N 1
9. Advanced Settings N 2
10. Settings of WinBoost
11. Tips and tricks

In each section, except the last one, with the settings of the WinBoost and pages with tips, twenty-eight points by checking the box next to one of them, you or change any setting at once, or an additional dialog box appears, where you have to select a numeric value, or specify the path to the folder, file, or perform some other action. If time does not move the mouse while holding the cursor over one of the lines, the tool tip to decipher the menu. Read and understand it, you will be able to determine whether it is necessary to change this setting. And on the "Tips and Tricks" the authors of the program share their experience of working with Windows'98 and reveal many secrets that facilitate the user's life and help turn the operating system beloved of Bill Gates' face-to-person rather than a place, how it deployed Microsoft programmers.

The only drawback of the program - no Russian version, which is likely to seriously puzzled many users for whom easier to call a friend who knows the English language than a little dig in the dictionary. So I will try to transfer you to all points of each of the tabs WinBoost 2000 Gold Edition, adding sometimes critical comments. Parameters that are changed on my computer, I noticed J icon.

Let's start with the first section - "System and load". In the left column are the settings list from top to bottom:
1. Disabling Autoscan - AutoRun Disable ScanDisk PC startup if the computer before it was properly turned off - it will be useful if you often annoying long testing multi-gigabyte drives
2. Disable the possibility to load MS-DOS by pressing the F4 key during boot your PC (it may be noted, as this mode is generally not used) J
3. Show start menu on every boot
4. Change the time display to the Start menu
5. Disabling Windows Boot Logo - Disable start Windows'98 logo - it's usually a bit faster the download, but you will have to contemplate on a black screen is not very aesthetic running different drivers load line
6. Disabling Autocreate BootLog File - Disable logging of Windows startup progress in BOOTLOG.TXT file - making it a little too slow file system load J
7. Disable Windows GUI (get command line to run the "Wind" will have to type the command "Win")
8. Turn off downloading a registry file (do not do it, except in special cases)
9. Turn off the warning screen when the system boots in the "mode failsafe" (it annoys me) J
10. Disabling DoubleSpace Driver - Disable Driver Doublespace compressed disks - is useful to save memory and speed up downloading, of course, if you do not use disk compression J
11. Disabling DriveSpace Driver - Disable Driver Drivespace compressed drives - the same thing, it is necessary if not using compression discs using this driver J
12. Disable network support "mode failsafe"
13. Disabling Double Buffering - Disable double buffering - it is necessary only to SCSI drives, some older IDE drives, and the presence of large the FAT32 - partition, usually it is better to save memory by disabling the driver J
14. Disable the use of "hot keys" Startup

In the right list:
1. No More Stacks - Cancel the use of stacks (they only need the old DOS-program, without them, the computer running Windows'98 earn a little faster) J
2. Limiting Disk Cache - Limit disk cache - useful when a shortage of RAM, but it can slow down your computer
3. Editing Windows Logo - Edit logos that appear when booting the PC and turn off the (clean, at least, the inscription "Microsoft" with savers) J
4. Contiguous File Allocation Size - Optimize the file system to less fragmentation of large files when they are written to disk - useful for multimedia applications (reduced fragmentation of large files, which reduces the number of disk accesses) J
5. Maximizing CD / DVD-ROM Speed - Optimize the cache settings for today's fastest CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives J
6. Increase the amount of memory in the DOS-sessions (for some older applications)
7. Disable the FIFO method for disk drives (sometimes ostensibly improves the performance of your PC, but it is better not to switch off)
8. Clean the Windows \ Temp folder when the system boots
9. Turn off "Auto" for data discs (imagine if you run a pirate disc starts automatically, "Trojan")
10. Change skin "Explorer" Win'98 in the "Program Manager" from Win 3.11
11. Set the time waiting for a response from the "hung" programs, after which the invitation to close the program will force the
12. Turn off the appearance of messages about disk is full (do we know how much space to "screw" left!) J
13. Adding Buffer for HardDisk - Increase the buffer to the hard drive (it should be at least 48 meters of RAM) - increase the speed of your PC by a small reduction in the number of disk accesses J
14. Restrict access to your PC non-registered users (it is impossible to press "Cancel" button in the password dialog when you start the system, necessarily have to enter the password)

In setting "Start" menu on the next tab, you can hide or rename almost all of his points:
1. Hide the string "Favorites"
2. Hide the string "Documents"
3. Hide the string "search"
4. Hide the line "Run"
5. Hide the string "Log Off" (not necessary if a PC running a single user) J
6. Hide the line "Turn Off Computer"
7. Hide the command "Update the Windows"
8. Close the top half of the menu "Start"
9. Clearing Recent Docs on Exit - Clean menu "Documents" button "Start" when you turn off your PC J
10. Turn off the menu "Documents" - new labels will not be placed back
11. Clean the menu background to the "Run", "Start" button
12. Disable automatic "floating" submenu in the "Start" menu (it will be necessary to click the mouse to open them)
13. Speeding Up the Start Menu - Accelerate automatic "floating" submenu in the "Start" menu - highly recommend, as it will greatly facilitate the work, and not only in the frequent use of "Start" button, but it will accelerate all other pop-up menu J
14. Filter menu items "Start"

In the second column:
1. Rename the "Start" button (for example, "Puck!")
2. Rename the "Programs" menu
3. Rename the "Favorites" menu
4. Rename the menu "Documents"
5. Rename the "Setup" menu
6. Rename the menu "Search"
7. Rename the "Help" menu
8. Rename the menu "Run"
9. Rename the menu "Logout"
10. Rename menu "Turn Off Computer"
11. Change the tooltip for the "Start" button
12. Add a shortcut to the program in the context menu of the "Start" button
13. Several speakers instead of the scrolling list in the "Start" menu (if it has grown so much that does not fit into the screen)
14. Disable the ability to change the "Start" menu (so that the children do not hooligans)

In the advanced settings "Explorer", you can add some useful commands to the context menu of files and folders to hide from prying eyes particularly "sensitive" discs, make a number of sometimes dubious improvements:
1. Hide all wheels
2. Hide only your chosen wheels
3. Change the drive icon (Autorun.inf file will be created that is not very good, it is better to change the disk icon in the registry)
4. Refreshing Constantly - Constant screen update "Explorer" without pressing the F5 key ( "upgrade") J
5. Add in the context menu of the folder click "Explore" Quick Start "Explorer" the Windows
6. Add Folder command in the context menu "Open a new window"
7. Allow the command "Quick view" for any kind of files
8. Add in the context menu of the folder click "Check Disk"
9. Display icons instead of bitmap images of miniatures (as on Macintosh)
10. Edit as Default for Batch Files - Set the default command "Edit" for the. BAT - files instead of the "Run" - prevents accidental start-up batch file might save yourself from the FORMAT C:, nahodyaschgosya in kakom-nibud disguised as a picture BAT -File received in the mail from just learned DOS "joker"
11. A new goal in the "Send to ..." (you can add a shopping cart or the folder "My Documents)
12. Add in the context menu of folders command "defragmenter"
13. Hide icon "Entire Network"
14. Add Folder command in the context menu "Print" to print the content of the folder

The second half of the tab:
1. Add folder command in the context menu "Open in DOS-session"
2. Add in the context menu of the folder click "Empty Trash"
3. Small icons in the toolbar "Explorer" and Internet Explorer
4. Add in the context menu of all files command "Open with ..."
5. Add the option "All & unknown file types" in the "File Types" dialog "Folder" (You can assign any command at the same time for all file types)
6. Add a command to the disk context menu "Copy"
7. Change the description of .DLL and .EXE files in the "File Type", "Explorer" (for a detailed display of the file list)
8. Change the characteristic .BAT and .COM files in the "File Type", "Explorer"
9. Add context menu command discs "Erase Disk" (dangerous, as one button, you can wipe the system disk!)
10. View Non-Associated Files with Notepad - View of unknown file types by using the "Notepad" - it is very convenient! J
11. Wallpaper for Windows Explorer Toolbar - Assign wallpapers toolbar "Explorer" - nice, but will not rational "is" computer resources
12. Display your own icons for each file and the .DLL .CPL (if there are icons within these files)
13. Hide the "File" menu in the "Explorer"
14. Override background window "Explorer" in the folder display mode as a Web page (optional for the artist)

The next item WinBoost - Customize Desktop, you can enable / disable some of its features, going back even to the Windows'95 interface:
1. Disable desktop display (blank screen and taskbar) - useful for speeding up your PC
2. Disable the "Active Desktop"
3. Change the wallpaper displayed when prompted to restore the "Desktop" after a system failure
4. Disable the ability to change desktop
5. Hiding Windows'98 Version on Desktop - Hide display the operating system version in the lower right corner of your desktop J
6. Put a shortcut to any program in the context menu of the Recycle Bin
7. Add a shortcut to the program in the panel "Quick Start" on the Taskbar
8. Disable "folding" long file names
9. Disable menu, called by pressing the right mouse button on the taskbar
10. Disable menu called when you right-click on the Desktop
11. Change the tooltip text on icons "My Computer" and "Trash"
12. Change the tooltip text on icons "My Network Places" and "My Documents"
13. Display Win'98 taskbar in Win'95 (perish the Quick Launch toolbar)
14. Ask a message displayed when logging on to Windows

On the right side of the menu:
1. Turn on the immutability of the position of windows, their size, and other parameters.
2. Change the appearance of the clock on the taskbar - the dividing point will be gone, but there may be conflicts with some applications
3. Enable the ability to rename and delete the shopping cart from the desktop
4. Create on "desktop" shortcut to Display Properties
5. Create on the "desktop" shortcut to the System Properties
6. Place your text in the system tray
7. Put the labels of the "Documents" menu on your desktop
8. Close the "Internet" icon on the desktop
9. Display icon shortcuts without the small arrow in the lower left corner (can be confusing)
10. Shortcut without "Shortcut to ..." - Show shortcuts without foolish inscription "Shortcut to ..." J
11. Change the location of the system folder "Desktop"
12. Creating a Hot Restart Shortcut - Create a shortcut for quick rebooting Windows (overload can instead emulation MS-DOS mode, if there is a file in the Windows folder with drivers DOSSTART.BAT prescribed it real mode)
13. Creating a Shutdown Shortcut - Create desktop shortcuts to turn off your computer (one off "click"!) J
14. Create a shortcut to logout

Next WinBoost 2000 allows fine-tune some of the parameters Internet Explorer, little ennoble its appearance, improve the performance of the Internet, to maximize the ease of communication with the World Wide Web:
1. Ask a background for the toolbar of Internet Explorer and Outlook Express (again embellishment that takes the memory in other programs)
2. Specifying Default Download Path - Set the folder in which files will be downloaded from the Internet - it is useful, with a shortage of space on drive C: \ J
3. Change the IE and OE animated logos (those found in the upper right corner)
4. Put your text in Outlook Express header
5. Putting Text in Internet Explorer Title Bar - Add your text in Internet Explorer title (remove rotten inscription "Microsoft" from the title of the browser!) J
6. Change the Default Web Search Engine - Change page poiskovschika caused by pressing the "Search" button in the browser
7. Changing OE Mail & News Shell Folder - Change Location spontaneously burgeoning folders for news and letters (useful when space on drive C: \) J
8. Put the folder with the pages to which you have subscribed for off-line viewing, in the "Start" menu
9. Use only Outlook Express to read newsgroups
10. Change the address of the page that is displayed if you can not find the document on the Internet
11. Better Auto Complete Feature - Improve the mechanism of auto search pages (useful if you often type in the "Address" Internet Explorer individual words, instead of the full URL, such as to connect with www.3dfx.com site just type "3dfx" , add the rest of "Explorer") J
12. Clean the pre-history of visited sites in the "Address", "Explorer"
13. Change MaxMTU for TCP / IP - Change value of the parameter MaxMTU (set this value to 576, it is possible, in some cases, accelerate the pumping data) J
14. Changing TTL (Time to Live) - Change the TTL parameter (you can set it to 128 if you are visiting a very distant servers, and signal to you from them passes through more than 64 "hop") J

The second half of the tab:
1. Hide the menu "Find Man"
2. Hide the menu "Find on the Internet"
3. Add a shortcut to new messages in the "Start" menu
4. Create a shortcut to quickly send letters to best friend
5. Add the item "Quick revision" in the context menu of HTML documents
6. Erase password Internet Explorer, forbidding children to attend some of the pages
7. Disabling OE Splash Screen - Disable screen saver appears when you load Outlook Express (do not you tired of it?) J
8. Sort the labels in the "Favorites" menu
9. Change Location "Favorites" folder
10. Put the folder "log" in the "Start" menu
11. Place in the "Start" menu folder "ActiveX Components"
12. Place in the "Start" menu folder "Remote Access"
13. Place in the "Start" menu folder "Temporary Internet Files"
14. Enable Safe TCP Port - To improve the protection of your PC from some TCP / ICQ attacks from the Internet (be sure to turn, and at the same time, set the program AtGuard) J

The next tab - "Accessibility Enhancements", you can limit the access of other users to change the various settings of your computer by prohibiting certain actions or hiding various dialog boxes, icons, and menu items. This page WinBoost programs are more useful for system administrators who are trying to somehow limit the ability of the overly zealous members, or parents over the curious children. Conventional, users are unlikely to restrict their own rights is, of course, if they are not there situations where the right hand does not know what the left (after the holidays mostly, it happens)
1. Disable Taskbar and setting "Start" menu
2. Deny setting folder properties
3. Hide the Control Panel icon and click "Printers"
4. Prohibit the removal of the printer
5. Prohibit adding printer
6. Hide the page "General" and "Advanced" in the printer properties dialog box,
7. Hide the icon "Network Neighborhood"
8. Prohibit changing the network properties in the Control Panel
9. Hide the "Access" page in the Network Properties dialog box,
10. Hide the page "Identification" in the Network Properties dialog box,
11. Disable the ability to access files and drives on your computer over the network
12. Turn off your printer sharing
13. Disable the ability to use MS-DOS session
14. Disable the ability to use MS-DOS emulation mode

The following settings are located on the other side of the tab:
1. Deny launch the Registry Editor
2. Disable the ability to change the display properties
3. Hide the display properties dialog box tab "Screensaver"
4. Close the dialog box display the properties tab "Background"
5. Close in the Display Properties dialog box tab "Appearance"
6. Hide in the Display Properties dialog box tab "Settings"
7. Hide the page "equipment Profiles" in the System Properties dialog box
8. Hide page "Devices" in the System Properties dialog box
9. Hide the page "Virtual Memory" in the System Properties dialog box
10. Hide the page "File System" in the System Properties dialog box
11. Prohibit the use of the dialog box "Passwords" in the Control Panel
12. Hide the page "Change Password" dialog box "Passwords" in the Control Panel
13. Hide the page "Remote Administration" dialog box "Passwords" in the Control Panel
14. Hide the page "User Profiles" dialog box "Passwords" in the Control Panel

On the "Change Icon" you easily change the icons for the 28 system elements. Choosing one of the lines of this list, you will see an icon image to be used at the moment and will be able to select a new icon .ICO file. Unfortunately, WinBoost is not "understand" the icon library .DLL files, you can not set the icon of the .EXE file. And the rest, it is very convenient and intuitive way to change the appearance of the "Wind", therefore in detail to paint, what a line of which icon "in charge" does not make sense - everything is clear.

In the two-page "Additional settings" are placed hidden Windows settings, and some applications that programmers found it difficult to be attributed to any more specific category. The first regulates the following Windows settings and some applications:
1. Clear the background of opened files in the "Paint"
2. Clear the background of opened files in the "Wordpad"
3. Clear the list of folders used for installing programs
4. Change the path to the folder in which Windows searches for your installation files
5. Create a Log File on Windows crashed - Create a file protocol C: \ WINDOWS \ Faultlog.txt, which will be written to the error messages in the program - will be analyzed later, what programs are most "buggy" J
6. The font in the "Notepad" to change the underlined
7. The font in the "Notepad" to read strikeout
8. Change the length of a piece of music, play CD-ROM player in browse mode
9. Enable the ability to play DVD discs "vindovyh" media player
10. Disable Microsoft logo in DOS-session window
11. Adjust the sensitivity of the system to double-click
12. Adjust the sensitivity of the system to dragging
13. Disabling "Time Last Accessed" - Disable the registration date of last access to the file - can speed up your computer, especially when opening folders with many files
14. Add your text in the upper part of DOS-session window

In the second part of the list:
1. Disable the blinking cursor in applications
2. Enable the secret code in MS-Hearts game (Hearts)
3. Enable paging for the command "DIR" DOS-session
4. Disable screensaver VShield Antivirus
5. Disable the password on the screen saver
6. Turn the "hot" paging key .HLP help files
7. Control Panel folder in Start Menu - Put in the "Start" menu folder "Control Panel" - a nice feature that simplifies access to configure Windows J
8. Put in the "Start" menu folder "My Network Places"
9. Put in the "Start" menu folder "Trash"
10. Place in the "Start" menu folder "Scheduled Tasks"
11. Place in the "Start" menu folder "Printers"
12. Place in the "Start" menu folder "My Computer"
13. Place in the "Start" menu folder "Fonts"
14. Place in the "Start" menu folder "Portfolio"

In the "Advanced settings number 2" located on the left points:
1. Adding icon Cache - Increase the cache for the icon - will increase the speed of your PC when working in the "Explorer" J
2. Run only one Windows Shell
3. Enabling Forced on Exit - Accelerate shutdown your computer - it is necessary to use disable closing running programs, this feature with caution, as data may be lost and freeze the PC
4. Play a sound when an error occurs
5. Disable fast reboot the PC (it happens when you press the "Shift" during the restart)
6. Do not display last user name when prompted to enter a password to log on to Windows
7. Disable the use of labels (it is not clear that this is changing)
8. Disable password caching (increased job security)
9. Hide the content of the Working Groups
10. Set the minimum password length
11. Change the location of system folders in the "Programs", "Start" button
12. Disable board "Start with pressing this button"
13. Change the volume effect of shadows on the windows "explorer"
14. Change the name of your time zone

And finally, in the right part of the tab:
1. Activating Smooth Scrolling - Enable smooth scrolling lists in dialogs (useful, but not for the faint of machines) J
2. Clear the background search for files in the "Find", "Start" button
3. Enable Autorun function for floppy disk
4. Turn off tooltips on the buttons "Minimize", "Maximize", "Close" window "Explorer"
5. Unload Unused Shell Extensions - are unloaded from memory unused DLL files - be careful, it can hang some programs, though it allows better use of memory J
6. Display additional information about the processor in the "System Properties"
7. Middle Button Mouse as Double Click - Clicking the middle mouse button to recognize a double-click
8. Activating Explorer from My Computer - Open "Explorer" by double-clicking on the icon "My Computer"
9. Change the name of the holder of the license on Windows, the name of the organization and its registration number
10. Enable prompt for parameters when you start the DOS-program, which requires setting what some switches
11. Add a shortcut to the "Explorer" in the Quick Launch bar (the area with the icon on the taskbar)
12. Add a shortcut to the Control Panel in the Quick Launch toolbar
13. Recognize accidental double mouse clicks as one click
14. Change the location of the "Start Menu" folder

On the penultimate tab WinBoost 2000 setting boxes are some of the program options and reset button to "factory" the Windows settings:
1. Cancel all changes WinBoost
2. Disable popups tips
3. Disable screensaver WinBoost
4. Create WinBoost shortcut on the Quick Launch toolbar
5. Enable a password to run WinBoost
6. Stop animated logo

Well, you can at the very last page of this program to check out a ton of different tips Windows'98 setting, the acceleration of your computer, and learn a lot of secrets and undocumented "features" of the operating system, though it will have to stock up on English-Russian dictionary.
Fans download programs from the Internet, of course, find other utilities Tweaking Windows that have the features missing in the Gold WinBoost 2000, but I personally tried several alternative programs rather WinBoost. Only This program combines a huge number of different settings, and extremely user-friendly and intuitive interface. I think that it can be safely attributed to the category of "Must Have"!