Program kills unwanted files
I RECALL reading in Technology Post about some utilities for Windows that can go through the system and uninstall programs that someone does not want to use. How does this work and where can I get such a utility? LAUREL SO Hung Hom There seem to be more and more of such programs, probably because there is such a need for them among Windows users. After all, frustration rules supreme among novice (and sometimes even experienced) Windows users when they want to remove applications no longer needed but have to hunt high and low among obscure files for odd commands and file names that must be deleted to prevent the system messing up.
One new program from the US company Neocom Microspecialists is called wInformant. It is a general Windows utility that includes an uninstall module that appears to work well enough. It will go through sub-directories on your system and get rid of files with extensions such as .dll and .vbx.
These files write themselves into various Windows sub-directories when a Windows application is installed and, therefore, are not erased when everything in a particular programs directories is deleted. Uninstall programs such as wInformant looks for these files and gets rid of them, freeing up disk space and making the system run smoother.
wInstall has a few other utilities that make it a handy tool to have around. One feature, called Prof.Edit, lets you edit any .ini file on your hard disk. An .ini file is one that contains commands that tell Windows and its applications how to run.
Some commands regarding applications loaded on to Windows get written in here and if you remove these applications or want to change them, then the .ini files have to be checked and edited.
This is no simple task because the win.ini file alone contains hundreds of lines of code.
wInformant costs US$39. You could look for the program on some of Hong Kong's bulletin board services, or on on-line systems such as CompuServe.
Alternatively, you can dial IDD into Neocom Microspecialist's BBS in the US on (703) 666-9535 and download if from there. Or even write to the company at P. O. Box 1126, Martinsville, Va. 24114-1126, or telephone (703) 666-9533. I HAVE just downloaded a number of nice shareware utilities off some bulletin board services that I have loaded on to my system. One of them is a program that measures the load on my CPU.
Another tells me how much RAM I am using at any given time. Both are for Windows. Yet another is a neat clock for that has more functions than the one built into Windows.
My problem is that I can not get these programs to run automatically when I run Windows. I have checked the system configuration box that tells Windows to save its settings on exit and I leave these programs running when I quit Windows, but every time I start it up again they are not running. How can I get them to stay active? SIMON HA Tsim Sha Tsui It is fairly simple, really. Run Windows and select Window from the Program Manager menu. Then select Startup. A program group will pop up in which you should find the icons for any programs that are set to run automatically when Windows is launched.
Now, find the icons for the programs you want to run on start up. Use your mouse pointer to drag and drop these icons into the Startup box while holding down the control key at the same time. This will copy the icons into Startup and Windows will run them automatically when you launch it.
It is important to remember to hold down that control key when dragging and dropping the icons. If not, they will be moved from their original position to the Startup box rather than being copied. Moving icons from one group to another can sometimes cause problems when you try to run them because Windows may be confused by the fact that the executable programs are not where it thinks they are. It is best to play safe and just copy them.
