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To keep up-to-date with the latest releases, patches and updates, please visit Microsoft's Windows homepage, where you will find the latest news on all versions of Windows. 

Below are some odds and ends you might find useful. Some can be used in all versions of Windows - those are listed at the top. Further down you will find version specific entries.

FOR ALL VERSIONS OF WINDOWS

Installing TweakUI - updated

TweakUI is something no Windows user will want to live without! Among many other things the program allows you to turn off the user interface animations, allows you to move Windows' special folders (like "My Documents") to different locations and eliminate the "Shortcut to ..." prefix.

There are different ways to install TweakUI (which Microsoft distributes, but doesn't officially support): 

Download version 1.3 from Microsoft's site. Unlike previous versions, this one works with Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows ME, Windows 98 and Windows 95

You can install TweakUI from your original Windows 95 or 98 CD-ROM (the latter is for both, Win 98 and Win 98 SE users!). You will find it at <CD-ROM Drive>:\tools\reskit\powertoy. You need to install the version that matches the OS - don't mix 95 and 98 versions! 

See Microsoft's download page for installation instructions.

FOR WINDOWS 98 USERS

Installing fax services after a Windows 98 clean install

Unless you upgraded Windows 95 with Windows 98 you will notice that fax services are no longer installed by default. However, the needed files do exist on your Windows 98 CD-ROM and this Knowledge Base article walks you through installing (or deleting) fax and messaging services.

Euro (€) currency symbol support - updated

The following fonts that ship with Windows 98 contain the symbol for the Euro, Europe's new currency: Arial, Courier, Times New Roman and Tahoma.

In the US, hold down the Alt key and, on the number pad, type 0128 to get the Euro symbol.

FOR WINDOWS NT 4.0 USERS

NT 4.0 Hardware Compatibility

If you are planning on using NT 4.0 you'll need to pay special attention to the hardware of your system. Your first stop should be the HCL (Hardware Compatibility List). If you do not find your hardware on it, you'll need to contact the vendor to ask if their hardware is supported and if they offer a driver. Likewise, when buying new hardware you are restricted to buying hardware that comes with NT 4.0 drivers, as NT 4.0 lacks plug and play. Last, don't think if none of the above is true, you'll get it to run somehow - you won't.

FOR WINDOWS 95 USERS
All available updates for Windows 95 have now been combined into one page: Windows 95 Updates. Please make sure to check out the list, so you can take advantage of some technology updates like DirectX 6.1 and Winsock 2. PowerToys to tweak your interface are now also available on this page.
Euro (€) currency symbol support - updated

First, download the file required for Euro currency support. Then, I suggest, head over to Microsoft's typography pages where you can download a number of fonts that contain the Euro symbol. Last, read the Euro FAQ, to find out how to get it all to work. 

In the US, hold down the Alt key and, on the number pad, type 0128 to get the Euro symbol.

IE4 PowerToys - new URL

A must-have: a bundle of seven cool tools that turn IE4 into a state-of-the-art Web browser. IE Powertoys allows you to zoom in on images, can show you a separate window with all links of the page you are viewing , allows you to highlight text (useful when reading large articles) and let's you open a link in a separate window and more. Note that same tools for IE5 are a different download!

IE4 Active Desktop Gallery - new URL

The Active Desktop proved to not be too popular, but if you are using it Microsoft provides a few Desktop components in the areas of news, sports, finances and so on.

 Despite the official minimum requirement of a DX-486/66 I suggest upgrading  to Windows 98 if you have a P166 or faster and at least 250 MB free on your C drive. It is true that performance will drop slightly, but the difference is almost negligible compared to previous upgrades you might have experienced. Windows 98 is more stable than Windows 95 and the improved ease of use and new maintenance tools result in a net gain I'm sure you will appreciate.

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