Your initial installation of Windows doesn't require a degree in rocket science or brain surgery, but being armed with a few helpful tips and general rules can't hurt. Hey, they might even help you avoid a mistake.

First, you have to decide how you want to install Windows 95. Do you want to upgrade an existing, older version of Windows, whether it be 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11? Or do you intend to start fresh on that new (and, best of all, blank) multi-gigabyte monster you just picked up at the local PC show? Either way, there's an installation method to suit you.

(As with any major upgrade, particularly a whole new operating system, making a backup of all your current data before you do anything is strongly recommended).

The three installations

For most users, there are three basic ways to install Windows95:

• Upgrade an existing copy of DOS/Windows by installing over the old version.
• Install Windows 95 to a new directory, leaving your old versions of DOS/Windows intact.
• Start with a new hard disk, devoid of any operating system.

There are advantages and disadvantages to all of these methods, but they're all easy and you'll get a lot of hand-holding along the way.

Installing over your existing DOS/Windows configuration is the easiest, most painless way for most users. This way, Windows 95 will use you current configuration settings for your installed applications. It will also maintain your existing desktop. This is pretty much the hit-the-ground-running way to go, install and dive right in. The downside to this method is, as anyone who ever upgraded Windows 'Version Whatever' can tell you, installing over existing versions has always left behind unwanted files and remnants of old programs and [sigh] Windows 95 is no exception. Whatever garbage now exists in your current Windows directory will remain. Windows 95 may do windows, but it doesn't take out the trash, hard-disk housecleaning is your job. Performance in Windows 95 won't suffer as a result of the loss of disk space, but how many of us don't wish we had more hard-drive real estate now and then?

Actually, Windows 95 -does- take out some of the trash, depending on the install method you select. For example, if you perform an upgrade (as opposed to installing the Full Version). Look in Control Panel under Add-Remove Programs for the option to uninstall the 'Old DOS and Windows Files'. This will not only clean out any unnecessary, leftover Windows system files but will also remove your now-unneeded MS-DOS directory.

There used to be another disadvantage to this method-the fact that Windows 95 would delete a large chunk of your existing DOS directory to remove now-incompatible commands and free up more disk space for the installation. This is no longer a reason for concern, as the installation CD contains an 'Olddos' directory with all the deleted commands (6.22 versions) for those who still need them.

Installing to a new directory, other than the one where your current version of Windows resides, also has its ups and downs. The obvious advantage to this is a 'clean' install: one devoid of an excess baggage left over from previous applications. The downside it that you may have to reinstall a lot of your Windows applications in order to update the Registry (formerly REG.DAT, the Registration Database) or add required .DLLs to the \system directory.

Simply installing Windows 95 to a new directory won't necessarily mean your old applications will work properly. In fact, they probably won't.

Application reinstallation is simple enough for most people. Just reinstall it under Win95 in the same location it is now. You can even get by with a 'minimum' install if the application allows it.

Installing from scratch should no longer be the problem it was in the earlier beta versions either. In some, you had to have your machine up and running already or at least have a bootable DOS floppy. If you had a new machine without an operating system installed or installed a new hard drive, this might have been a problem, but no more. The Full Version of Windows 95 will ship with a bootable floppy to get you going, and the Upgrade Package will look for an installed copy of DOS/Windows or it will ask for 'proof of ownership'. In other words, it will prompt you to insert Disk #1 from your old copy of Windows for verification that you are a licensed owner.

In any case, no matter which installation method you choose, here's how much hard drive space you can expect to use:

Installation by setup type

Installation is pretty straightforward and requires little on your part. All you have to do it play follow-the-leader and answer all the questions. There are several installation options available, including Typical, Portable, Compact and Custom. The choice of type defines the size of the Windows 95 installation on the computer (and, of course, the number of features installed), and specifies the amount of control the user has in customizing the installation.

Typical

The default option, recommended for most users with desktop computers. Performs most installation steps automatically for a standard Windows 95 installation with minimal user action. You need to confirm only the directory where Windows 95 files are to be installed, provide user and computer identification information, and specify whether to create a startup disk.

Portable

The recommended option for mobile users with portable computers. Installs the appropriate set of files for a portable computer. This includes installing Briefcase for file synchronization and the supporting software for direct cable connections to exchange files.

Compact

The option for users who have extremely limited disk space. Installs the minimum files required to run Windows 95.

Custom

The option for users who want to select application and network components to be installed, and confirm the configuration settings for devices. Installs the appropriate files based on user selections. This type of Setup is recommended for experienced users who want to control various elements of Windows 95 Setup.

Installation complete

One last thing to keep in mind: Even though the various install options have different defaults, you can still choose to install most anything if you use the Custom option during Setup. You can also go back later and select items to install from the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel in Windows Setup.

After the Installation, what can you throw away...?

When you install (or upgrade) to Windows95, there are many files placed in your root and Windows directories that can be deleted. These include:

In your root directory:

• Anything with the extensions *.TXT, *.PRV, *.LOG, *.OLD, *.- - -, and *.DOS
  (Don't delete the *.DOS files if you plan on using the dual-boot feature)
• If you don't plan on uninstalling Windows95, you can delete WIN95UNDO.DAT (if it's there).

In your Windows directory:

• Anything with the extensions *.LOG, *.OLD, *.- - -, *.BAK, and *.000, *.001 (and so on...)
• Any files with the following dates can also be deleted, for they belong to old versions of Windows:

• Do a search (Start Menu, Find, Files or Folders) and search for any *.BMP and *.TXT files in the Windows95 directory. Use QuickView to view them, and delete them if desired.

In your Windows\System directory:

• The entire WIN32S directory under your System directory - this is used only in Windows 3.x to allow certain 32-bit applications to run, but some older applications errantly install it in Windows95. If you remove this directory, make sure to remove any references to it in your SYSTEM.INI file, and restart Windows95.

In your Temp directory (usually Windows\Temp):

• You should never delete any files from this directory, unless the dates of the files are earlier than the last time you booted up. Your applications use these files to store temporary information, and won't function properly if you try to remove them. Usually, any files in this directory that are more than a day old can be safely removed.

Anywhere on your system:

• Other files that can be deleted include MSCREATE.DIR (an absolutely useless hidden file created by certain Microsoft installation programs - there may be lots of these empty files on your hard disk.)
• Any directory named, ~MSSETUP.T - this is a temporary directory created during the installation of a program, and can be freely deleted once the installation is complete.

Files NOT to delete:

• Anything in your \WINDOWS\SYSBCKUP directory.
• Your Registry (SYSTEM.DAT, SYSTEM.DA0, USER.DAT, USER.DA0), as well as SYSTEM.1ST, which you can use if the first four become lost or corrupted. SYSTEM.1st can usually be found in the root of your C: drive. It is a copy of the first ever, successfully booted Registry which was recorded right after the last install.
• Any files in your root directory not mentioned above.

If in doubt:

• If you're not sure if something should be deleted, try moving it to another directory first to see if it makes a difference.
• Check the file's date - if it's recent, most likely it's still being used.
• For information on removing a particular application, contact the manufacturer of that application, or refer to the application's documentation.

All Done!

So what are you waiting for? Dive right in, the water's fine! Start exploring what was without a doubt the single most anticipated piece of software in PC history. There's no looking back.

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