The mark of our time is its revulsion against imposed patterns. - Marshall McLuhan

Windows 98's new interface is not only slick, but it's also more efficient than the one in Windows 95, and it's infinitely more attractive than the ugly mug we had to look at every day with Windows 3.x. But Windows 98 would be just another pretty interface if it didn't afford us some flexibility in terms of how we interact with that interface. In other words, under different circumstances we demand different input devices-whether a mouse, keyboard, or joystick and we demand a certain level of customization so that these input devices operate the way we want them to. To that end, this chapter looks at the various customization options Windows 98 makes available to mouse, keyboard, and joystick users.

Manipulating Mouse Properties

Much of Windows 98 was made with the mouse in mind, so it's important that you're comfortable handling the little rodent. To help out, Windows 98 offers the Mouse Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 8.1. (If you have IntelliPoint software installed, your dialog box will have a different layout. See "Extra IntelliPoint Goodies," later in this chapter.) To display this dialog box, select Start I Settings I Control Panel and then activate the Mouse icon from the Control Panel folder. As usual, you can put your new settings into effect at any time by clicking the Apply button. When you're done, click OK to vacate the dialog box.

FIGURE 8.1. Use the Mouse Properties dialog box to customize your mouse.

Setting Up the Mouse for Southpaws

With Windows 98's Web integration, you click the left mouse button to launch an object, and you drag with the left mouse button held down to copy or move an object. Similarly, you click the right mouse button to display the context menu for the current object, and you drag with the right mouse button held down to display the "special drag" context menu when you drop the object.

If you're a left-hander and this "rightist" orientation bothers you, it's easy enough to reverse things: Just activate the Left-handed option in the Buttons tab of the Mouse Properties dialog box. After you've applied this new setting, here's how it affects your mouse movements:

• You now click and double-click with the right mouse button
• To drag something, you now press and hold down the right button.
• To display a context menu, you now left-click an object.
• To perform the "special drag" in Explorer, you now hold down the left mouse button.

Setting the Double-Click Speed

One of the things a mouse-aware program must do is distinguish between two consecutive single-clicks and a double-click. For example, if you click once, wait five seconds, and then click again, that would qualify as two single-clicks in most people's books. But what if there's only a second between clicks? Or half a second? This threshold is called the double-click speed: Anything faster is handled as a double-click; anything slower is handled as two single clicks.

You can adjust this threshold by using the Double-click speed slider in the Buttons tab of the Mouse Properties dialog box. You have two options:

• If you find that Windows 98 doesn't always recognize your double-clicks, set up a slower double-click speed by moving the slider bar to the left.
• If you find that Windows 98 is sometimes interpreting two consecutive single clicks as a double-click, set up a faster double-click speed by moving the slider bar to the right.

To test the new speed, double-click the Test area. If Windows 98 recognizes your double-click, a Jack-in-the-box pops up.

Trying Different Pointers on for Size

As you trudge through Windows 98, you'll notice that the mouse pointer busies itself by changing into different icons depending on what you're doing. There's the standard arrow for selecting everything from check boxes to files and folders, there's the two-headed arrow for sizing window borders, and, of course, there's the dreaded hourglass icon that appears whenever a program or Windows 98 is too busy to bother with you right now. (However, as you'll see in Chapter 9, "Performance Tuning: Optimizing Memory and Disk Access," the preemptive multitasking used with 32_bit applications means that seeing an hourglass icon in one program usually doesn't prevent you from working in a different program.)

Surprisingly, the pointers used by Windows 98 in these and other situations aren't fixed. You can specify pointers of different shapes and sizes, and Windows 98 even supports animated pointers (such as an hourglass with falling sand). To see how you can specify different pointers, in the Mouse Properties dialog box select the Pointers tab, shown in Figure 8.2.

FIGURE 8.2. Use the Pointers tab to select a different set of mouse pointers.

The easiest way to try out different pointers is to choose one of the pointer schemes that comes with Windows 98. To select a scheme, use the Scheme drop-down list and then take a look at the sample pointers in the box below the list to see what they look like.

If you feel like creating a scheme of your own, here are the steps to follow:

1. Highlight the type of pointer you want to change.
2. Click the Browse button. Windows 98 displays the Browse dialog box and opens the Cursors folder (this is a subfolder of your main Windows 98 folder).
3. Choose the pointer you want to use and click Open.
4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 to customize any other pointers.
5. To save your scheme, click the Save As button, enter a name in the Save Scheme dialog box, and click OK.
   

Controlling the Tracking Speed

When you move the mouse, Windows 98 translates this movement and tracks the mouse pointer onscreen accordingly. How quickly the mouse moves across the screen is called the tracking speed. If this speed is out of whack (for example, if you move the mouse furiously but the pointer just creeps along, or, conversely, if the slightest hand tremor causes the pointer to race across the screen), your mouse is likely to end up in the nearest garbage can.

The good news is that adjusting the tracking speed is a snap. In the Mouse Properties dialog box, select the Motion tab, shown in Figure 8.3. Then take a look at the Pointer speed slider. You can do two things with this control:

If the mouse pointer is flying around the screen, slow it down by dragging the slider bar to the left.

• If the pointer is too slow, drag the slider bar to the right.
• If you'd like to test the new setting, click the Apply button and then try moving the mouse around.

FIGURE 8.3. The Motion tab controls the mouse tracking speed and mouse trails (see the next section).

Activating Pointer Trails

Many people with notebook computers or eyesight that isn't quite what it used to be complained they had trouble finding the little mouse pointer on their screen. So Microsoft, ever sensitive, included a Pointer trail feature in Windows 98. (Not all video displays support this feature, however.) When you activate the Show pointer trails check box and move the mouse, you see a trail of pointers following behind the main pointer. You can also use the slider bar to make the trail longer or shorter.

Customizing the Keyboard

Although a mouse makes many everyday Windows 98 tasks easier, we're still a long way from having to ditch our trusty keyboards. In fact, after you get used to a few Windows 98 keyboard shortcuts, you'll find yourself reaching for the mouse less and less. This section shows you a few techniques for customizing your keyboard.

Setting the Delay and Repeat Rate

When you press and hold down a key on the keyboard, you notice two things: First, when you press the key, there is a slight delay before the second letter appears; second, the subsequent characters appear at a constant rate (called the repeat rate). Beginning keyboardists are usually better off with a longer delay and a slower repeat rate. More experienced typists, on the other hand, would probably prefer a short delay combined with a fast repeat rate.

Happily, Windows 98 lets you change both these values. To see how, select Start I Settings I Control Panel and then open the Control Panel's Keyboard icon. Windows 98 displays the Keyboard Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 8.9.

You control the delay by using the Repeat delay slider. Move the slider bar (by dragging it with the mouse or by using the left_ and right-arrow keys) to the left for a longer delay or to the right for a shorter delay.

As you've no doubt guessed by now, the Repeat rate slider controls the repeat rate. Move the slider bar to the left for a slower rate or to the right for a faster one.

To try out the new settings, head for the Click here and hold down a key to test repeat rate text box. Press and hold down any key and check out the delay and the repeat rate.

Using the Microsoft Natural Keyboard

If you have the Microsoft Natural Keyboard (or a compatible keyboard), you have access to a wealth of Windows 98 shortcuts. In particular, the :: key saves lots of wear and tear on your wrists and fingers. Used by itself, this key opens the Start menu, which is a lot easier than pressing the tough-to-reach Ctrl+Esc key combination. But you also can use it in various key combinations to gain quick access to many Windows 98 features. Table 8.3 summarizes these key combinations.

Table 8.3. The key.
	Opens the Start menu
+A	Opens the Accessibility Options (if installed)
+C	Opens the Control Panel
+E	Opens the Explorer
+F	Finds a file or folder
Ctrl++F	Finds a computer
+I	Opens the mouse properties
+K	Opens the keyboard properties
+L	Logs on and off Windows
+M	Minimizes all
Shift++M	Undoes minimize all
+P	Opens the Print Manager
+R	Displays the Run dialog box
+S	Enables or disables the Caps Lock key
+V	Views the Clipboard
+F1	Displays Windows Help
+Break	Displays the system properties
+Spacebar	Displays this list of shortcuts
+Tab	Activates open programs in order

For good measure, newer keyboards also include an Application key.  It has a picture of a little pull-down menu.  Pressing this key activates the context menu for the current object.  

Giving Windows 98 a Voice:
Assigning Sounds to Events

As you work with Windows 98, you hear various sounds emanating from your speakers. These sounds always correspond to particular events. There's that relaxing, New Age-like music when you start Windows 98; there's the short, sharp shock of a sound when a warning dialog box pops up; and there's a nice little chime when you exit Windows 98.

If you're getting tired of the same old sounds, however, Windows 98 lets you customize what you hear by assigning different WAV files to these events. There also are a couple of dozen other events to which you can assign sounds. This section shows you how it's done.

Working with Sound Schemes

The sounds assigned to various Windows 98 events comprise a sound scheme. To view the current scheme, go to Control Panel and open the Sounds icon. You see the Sounds Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 25.9.

FIGURE 25.9.   Use the Sounds Properties dialog box to change the current Windows 98 sound scheme.

Here's a rundown of the various controls in this properties sheet:

Events: This list displays a number of Windows 98 events, including four that apply to the various types of dialog boxes displayed by Windows 98 and Windows applications: Asterisk, Critical Stop, Exclamation, and Question. If an event has a sound icon beside it, this means a WAV file is currently assigned to that event.

Name: This drop-down list shows you the name of the WAV file that's assigned to the currently highlighted event. You can use the Browse button to select a different WAV file (or just use the Name drop-down list to select a WAV file from Windows 98's Media subfolder), and you can use the Details button to view the properties sheet for the current WAV file.

Preview: Click the Play button to hear how the WAV file shown in the Name box will sound.

Schemes: This drop-down list displays the currently selected sound scheme.

You can use three methods to work with sound schemes:

• To change the current sound scheme, highlight items in the Events list and change the associated WAV file.
• To use a different sound scheme, select it from the Schemes drop-down list.
• To create your own sound scheme, first associate WAV files with the various system events you want to hear. Then click Save As, enter a name for the new scheme, and click OK.