Copyright: Tweak UI Copyright 1995 Microsoft Corporation
Citation: Copyright 1995 Microsoft Corporation


About Tweak UI

"Tweak UI" is one of the Microsoft Windows 95 "Power Toys", which is provided without warranty or any of that other stuff.

To run "Tweak UI", double-click its icon in the Control Panel.

To see this help file, double-click the "TweakUI.hlp" file in your Help folder.

"Tweak UI" has lots of rough edges that will be addressed by future versions.  For now, you'll just have to live with them.

If you can't live with the rough edges, then you can uninstall "Tweak UI" by going to the Control Panel and double-clicking the "Add/Remove Programs" icon.  From the list of programs, double-click "Tweak UI" to uninstall it.

But before you do that, make sure you read about the bugs in uninstall first.


Try clicking on a UI widget instead of static text.


Restore Factory Settings
The "Restore Factory Settings" button sets all the options on the page to the default settings.


Menu speed
Controls the speed at which cascading menus automatically open when you move the mouse over them.  The fastest setting causes them to open immediately.  The slowest setting is extraordinarily slow.

This is a per-user setting.


Double click sensitivity
Double click sensitivity specifies how close together two mouse clicks need to be (in pixels) to be considered a double-click.

To test the double-click sensitivity, click twice on the test icon with the left mouse button.  If the two clicks registered as a double-click, then the icon will change.

This is a per-user setting.


Drag sensitivity
Drag sensitivity specifies how far (in pixels) the mouse must move with the button held down before the system decides that you are dragging the object.  Increase this value if you find that you are dragging objects accidentally when you click on them.

To test the drag sensitivity, try to drag the test icon with the left mouse button.  The icon will begin dragging when you have moved the mouse the necessary distance.

This is a per-user setting.


Window animation
The "Window animation" check-box enables the window animation effect that occurs when you minimize, maximize, or restore a window.

This is a per-user setting.


Beep on errors
The "Beep on errors" check-box enables the playing of a beep sound (customizable in the "Sounds" control panel) when an error occurs.

This is a per-user setting.


Tips
Push the "Tips" button to read the Tweak UI help file.


Test area
Right-click the test area to test the menu speed.  Double-click with the left mouse button to test the double-click sensitivity.  Drag with the left mouse button to test the drag sensitivity.


Shortcut overlay
The "Shortcut overlay" section customizes the overlay used by Explorer to indicate that an icon represents a shortcut.  Choose one of the predefined overlays, or "Custom".

The shortcut overlay effect is a system-wide setting.

If you uninstall Tweak UI, the customized shortcut overlay is uninstalled as well.


Animated "Click here to begin"
Uncheck the "Animated 'Click here to begin'" box to suppress the cheery "Click here to begin" message that appears on the taskbar when you log in.

This is a per-user setting.


Tip of the day
Uncheck the "Tip of the day" box to suppress the tip of the day that appears when you log in.

This is a per-user setting.


Prefix "Shortcut to" on new shortcuts
Check the "Prefix 'Shortcut to' on new shortcuts" box to put the phrase "Shortcut to" at the beginning of newly-created shortcuts.

This is a per-user setting.

If you uninstall Tweak UI, this customization is uninstalled as well.


Save settings
Check the "Save settings" box to save the settings of a folder when you close it.  When you return to the folder, the previous settings will be restored.  When you shut down, Windows will remember which folders were open and re-open them the next time you log on.

If you uncheck the "Save settings" box, then these settings are not saved when you close an Explorer window or shut down.

This is a per-user setting.


Special desktop icons
Click on a check-box to add or remove a special desktop icon to or from the desktop. Icons without check-boxes cannot be placed on the desktop as special desktop icons, but you can still use Create As File to put them on the desktop, or anywhere else for that matter.

Rename an icon by double-clicking its name.  However, changes to the name may require manually refreshing the desktop after you close the property sheet.  (Sorry.)

Special desktop icons are a system-wide setting.  Removing a special desktop icon removes it from everybody's desktop.  The one exception is the Network Neighborhood, which is a per-user setting.

Removing the desktop icon merely removes the icon. Any software associated with the desktop icon remains installed.

If you add or remove the Network Neighborhood, you must log off and back on for the changes will take effect.


Create As File
Click the "Create As File" button to create a special file which behaves like the highlighted special desktop icon, but which can be dragged and dropped anywhere you want.


Create New Document Template
Drop a file onto the Create New Document Template area, and Tweak UI will automatically convert it into a document template, which will then appear on the list of document types when you right-click and select "New".

If you hare having trouble creating a template, consult theTweak UI troubleshooter by clicking "Tips" on the General page.


Function keys available for nn seconds
Uncheck the "Function keys available" option to disable the various function keys that modify the boot process, such as F5 and F8.

If the option is enabled, you can adjust how long Windows 95 will pause after the "Starting Windows 95" message to see if you are pressing a function key.


Start GUI automatically
Uncheck the "Start GUI automatically" option to make Windows 95 stop the boot process once it has reached a command prompt instead of continuing to the GUI automatically.


Display splash screen while booting
Uncheck the "Display splash screen" option to suppress the Windows 95 splash screen that appears during the boot process.


Allow F4 to boot previous operating system
Check "Allow F4 to boot previous operating system" to enable the F4 key to load the operating system that you were running before installing Windows 95.

Of course, this assumes that you (1) actually had a previous operating system, and (2) didn't delete any files required by the previous operating system...


Always show boot menu
Check "Always show boot menu" to see a boot menu every time you start Windows 95.  Normally, Windows 95 will show a boot menu only if it detected that there was a problem with the previous boot.


Continue booting after nn seconds
The "Continue booting after nn seconds" section controls how long the boot menu will remain on the screen before the default action is taken.


Tips, Ideas, and Troubleshooting

Using Tweak UI's on-line help

Removing the speaker icon from the taskbar

Deleting files without confirmation

Putting special icons onto the Start Menu

Uncluttering the desktop

Hiding desktop icons from other users

Menu speed setting doesn't seem to work

Enabling "Prefix to" setting doesn't seem to work

Saved Explorer settings aren't being restored

Problems creating new document templates

Overriding default file extensions

Known bugs in Tweak UI


Using Tweak UI's on-line help

To get context-sensitive help, click the question-mark icon in the corner of the Tweak UI window, then click on an object for which you would like to receive help.

To see the entire contents of this help file, click the "Contents" button in the button bar at the top of this window.


Removing the speaker icon from the taskbar

To remove the speaker icon from the taskbar, right-click the icon, then select "Adjust Audio Properties".  From the Audio Properties dialog box, remove the check-mark from "Show volume control on the taskbar".

To restore the speaker icon to the taskbar, go to Control Panel, then double-click "Multimedia".  This will bring you to the Audio Properties dialog box, where you can restore the check-mark.


Deleting files without confirmation

Hold down the shift key while pressing the Delete key or dragging the file to the Recycle Bin to suppress the confirmation warning and delete the file irretrievably instead of sending it to the Recycle Bin.


Putting special icons onto the Start Menu

Go to the Desktop page and select the Control Panel.  Click "Create As File", then browse to your Start Menu folder.  (The Start Menu folder is a subfolder of your Windows folder.)

When you save the Control Panel as a file into the Start Menu, the icon in the Start Menu will have a triangle next to it.  If you highlight the icon, the menu will open into a submenu listing all your Control Panel applets.

This trick also works for the Printers and Dial-Up Networking icons.


Uncluttering your desktop

To remove the clutter from your desktop, you can remove icons from the desktop and create them as files.  You can then put these files into folders and organize them in whatever manner you think best.

Note that there are bugs which prevent some icons from being created as files.


Hiding desktop icons from other users

Suppose you want to let your young children use the computer, but don't want the Inbox on their desktop, because they might double-click on it and mess up your mail.  After creating a separate login for your kids and configuring the system to use a different desktop for each user, you can delete the Inbox from the system-wide desktop, then create the Inbox as a file on your private desktop.  When you log in, you get an Inbox on your desktop, but your kids don't.


Menu speed setting doesn't seem to work

Some systems do not support interactive testing of the menu drop speed.  On such systems, right-clicking on the test icon won't do anything, and the instructions telling you to do so will not appear.  The changed settings will take effect the next time you log in.


Enabling "Prefix to" setting doesn't seem to work

Tweak UI can disable the prefix on the fly, but in order to re-enable it, you must log out and back in.

Tweak UI will have difficulty adjusting the "Prefix to" setting until you log out and back in.


Saved Explorer settings aren't being restored

Make sure that you have enabled "Save settings" on the Explorer property page.  Also, Windows remembers the settings for only the 50 most recently visited folders.  When you visit the 51st folder, the folder setting you visited least recently is discarded.


Problems creating new document templates

When you drop a file onto the Create New Document Template area, one of a few things can happen.

0.	"Drop only one file at a time, please."

Tweak UI can create only one document template at a time.

1.	"No application is associated with this file."

This means that the file type was not recognized.  Go to the Explorer, View, Options, File Types dialog and create an association for the file, then try again.

2.	"A template for this document type has already been defined."

Somebody else beat you to it and created a document template already.

3.	"Unable to copy the file to the templates folder."

There was an error copying the file into the templates folder. Tweak UI doesn't tell you what sort of error actually happened; that's left for you to figure out.  Hey, you get what you pay for.


Overriding default file extensions

To open a document with a program other than the program normally associated to the document, hold the shift key while right-clicking the icon.  This will add an "Open with..." menu item which allows you to select the program to use.

To save a document with an extension other than the one the program wants to use, enclose the name in quotation marks.  For example, if you run Notepad and save a file under the name

Dr.Z

it will actually be saved under the name Dr.Z.txt.  But if you type

"Dr.Z"

then the document will be saved under the name Dr.Z.

This is a feature, so that you can name a document

Letter to Dr. Johnson

and it will be saved as "Letter to Dr. Johnson.txt" so that the document will be properly associated with Notepad.  Otherwise, the extension would be "Johnson", which is not a great idea.


Known bugs in Tweak UI

Tweak UI version 0.95 has the following known bugs:

Icons without supporting software

Keyboard navigation on the Explorer page

Flickering desktop if shortcut overlay set to None

Bugs in uninstall

Deleting an icon after creating a shortcut to it

Network Neighborhood created as a file acts weird

The Microsoft Network created as a file acts weird

Inbox created as a file acts weird

Cannot remove templates once added

Sometimes need to add as template twice

Some types shouldn't be added as templates

Can't drag font from Font Folder to templates

Always showing boot menu affects function key delay


Icons without supporting software

If you create an icon either on the desktop or as a file for a feature which you have not installed, the icon may behave erratically when you double-click on it.  For example, if you create a Briefcase icon on the desktop but have not installed file synchronization, then double-clicking the Briefcase icon has no effect.

Workaround:  Don't create special desktop icons without also installing the software that supports the special desktop icon.


Keyboard navigation on the Explorer page

If you attempt to navigate the Shortcut Overlay section of the Explorer page with the keyboard, you will be asked to choose a custom overlay twice.

Workaround:  Just press Enter twice when you are finished choosing a custom overlay.


Flickering desktop if shortcut overlay set to None

If you set the shortcut overlay to None, you may see your desktop flicker at startup.  This is normal.  Tweak UI installs itself to run at system startup, but if the shell displays the desktop before Tweak UI can adjust the shortcut overlay, you will see flickering and bands of icons.

Workaround:  Just be patient.  Tweak UI will eventually fix your icons.

Under rare conditions, Tweak UI may fail to fix the icons, leaving bands of icons all over your screen.  If you experience this problem, manually run Tweak UI and re-choose the shortcut overlay.


Bugs in uninstall
Don't uninstall Tweak UI while shortcut overlay set to None

If you set your shortcut overlay icon to None, and then uninstall Tweak UI, your desktop will be a mess.

Workaround:  Set your shortcut overlay icon to "Arrow" before uninstalling Tweak UI.

Don't uninstall Tweak UI while Tweak UI is running

If you try to uninstall Tweak UI while it is running, it will not be uninstalled properly.

Workaround:  Exit Tweak UI before uninstalling it.


Deleting an icon after creating a shortcut to it

If you create a shortcut to a desktop icon, and then remove that icon from the desktop, the shortcut may fail to operate correctly.

Workaround:  Restore the desktop icon to the desktop.  Alternatively, create the icon as a file instead of as a shortcut.  Note however, that this doesn't work for all icon types.  (See other bugs.)


Network Neighborhood created as a file acts weird

The Network Neighborhood was not designed to be created as a file, and it shows.

If you create the Network Neighborhood as a file, then the Open and Explore commands on the as-a-file Network Neighborhood do not work, nor do the Map and Disconnect Network Drive commands appear.  Double-clicking the as-a-file Network Neighborhood does not work.

Workaround:  Don't bother creating the Network Neighborhood as a file, because it doesn't really work right.


The Microsoft Network created as a file acts weird

The Microsoft Network was not designed to be created as a file, although it mostly works.

The Microsoft Network assumes that the only place its icon can possibly exist is on the desktop as a special desktop icon.  If you right-click the The Microsoft Network icon-as-file, you will see two Delete commands. The first Delete command (beneath the "Send To" command) removes the The Microsoft Network special desktop icon, not the created-as-file icon you right-clicked. The second Delete command (beneath "Create Shortcut") is the standard delete command which actually deletes the item you clicked on.  Neither actually uninstalls The Microsoft Network; to do that, use the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel.

Workaround:  Do not use the first Delete command (beneath the "Send To" command).  Only use the second Delete command (beneath "Create Shortcut").


Inbox created as a file acts weird

Inbox was not designed to be created as a file, although it mostly works.

When you ask to see its properties, Inbox is unable to make its properties coexist with the standard properties provided by Explorer, so it creates a separate property dialog.

Workaround:  Ignore the extra property dialog.


Cannot remove templates once added

There is currently no interface for removing existing templates.

This feature is planned for a future version.


Sometimes need to add as template twice

Sometimes you need to add a template twice before it finally shows up in the desktop New menu.

This problem has yet to be understood.


Some types shouldn't be added as templates

Adding non-document types (such as .EXE or .DLL) will allow you to create a new file of the appropriate type, but it won't work.  The intent of document templates is to create an empty new document, which an application can subsequently edit.  Non-document types cannot be edited.


Can't drag font from Font Folder to templates

If you open the Fonts Folder and try to drag a font to the Templates area, the cursor remains a no-entry symbol.  Creating a template font isn't very useful anyway, so this shouldn't be a loss.


Always showing boot menu affects function key delay

If you select "Always show boot menu", then function keys are always enabled, and the function key delay is ignored.


rjc; fmh, tl. lcf. dab.
Tweak UI version 0.95.

Copyright 1995 Microsoft Corporation.