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Windows 98 Professional Reference

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- 19 -
Windows 98 for Portables


Windows 98 includes several features that make it an ideal platform for portable PCs. Some of these features actually began with Windows 95; others are more recent innovations. This chapter examines some Windows 98 features that serve the portable user.

A portable PC is like any other PC. It has a hard drive, a floppy drive, a screen, and a pointing device. Newer notebooks may also have CD-ROM drives, modems, or network adapters. The rules for networking, configuring, and managing Windows 98 on a portable computer are essentially the same as on a desktop computer. There are, however, some special considerations due to the special needs and functions of a portable PC. This chapter examines the following Windows 98 features in the context of their relevance to the portable environment:

If you travel with a laptop, your dial-up modem connection is an important component of your computer's configuration. See Chapter 26, "Windows 98 and Remote Communication," for a discussion of Windows 98's dialup features, including the Calling Locations feature, which lets laptop owners define separate dialing properties for different locations.

NOTE: Many of the special considerations for portable PCs are related to the somewhat-more-finicky portable hardware. For a complete discussion of hardware-related issues regarding your own PC, consult the vendor documentation.

PC Card Devices

Windows 98 provides enhanced support for PC Card devices. Although Windows 98 provides the most functionality with the new 32-bit CardBus PC Cards, the older 16-bit PC Cards (as well as the older PCMCIA cards) are also supported. Windows 98 has its own integrated card and socket services to support dynamically loadable 32-bit virtual device drivers that consume zero conventional memory.

Because Windows 98 supports Plug and Play, installing a new PC Card is as easy as plugging in the new card. Windows 98 automatically realizes that you have added a device. Windows 98 attempts to identify the device and then loads the appropriate drivers for it. After the device has been identified, the network drivers are also loaded so that network connectivity is readily available. When the PC Card is removed, the unnecessary drivers are removed from memory.

NOTE: Be aware that hot swapping and the dynamic loading and unloading of drivers is only supported for devices that have a 32-bit protected mode Windows 98 driver.

Some of the other new functions supported by Windows 98 are as follows:

To observe the detected PC Cards and make minor changes such as stopping a card's function so that it can be removed, select PC Card (PCMCIA) from the Control Panel. The window should be similar to the one shown in Figure 19.1.

Figure 19.1

The PC Card (PCMCIA) Properties window.

Hardware Profiles

Although Hardware Profiles can be used on all Windows 98 computers, Microsoft created the Windows Hardware Profile feature for the portable user. A Hardware Profile is a predefined collection of hardware elements. At boot time, when you specify a Hardware Profile, you specify a set of hardware components that will be available to Windows 98. See Chapter 9, "Hardware Profiles," for a discussion of Hardware Profiles in Windows 98.

The principle purpose of Hardware Profiles is to support portable PCs that may be using a docking station. A docking station is a home-based (or office-based) connecting point through which the portable PC can connect to non-portable components.

By using Hardware Profiles, the user can define a different set of hardware components for the docked state as opposed to the undocked state. In the home environment, where it may be attached to non-portable peripherals, the computer can boot to a predefined Hardware Profile without having to reinstall all the temporary hardware. When the user travels with the computer, the computer can boot to the undocked profile without generating messages about missing devices.

You do not need an actual docking station in order to use Hardware Profiles. If, for instance, your laptop PC supports a desktop monitor or keyboard, you could use a Hardware Profile to define a temporary desktop environment.

If your Hardware Profiles are different enough, Windows 98 will automatically choose the profile that coincides with the hardware it detects on your system. If Windows 98 can't determine which profile to use, it displays the Hardware Profiles in a menu and lets you choose one.

See Chapter 9 for a complete discussion of how to configure and manage Hardware Profiles in Windows 98.

Windows 98 has built-in support for hot docking (where the docking or undocking takes place with the computer running at full power) and cold docking (where the state change occurs and the PC must be powered off and restarted). In addition, Windows 98 supports hot swapping of compatible components such as Windows 98-compliant PC Cards.

NOTE: Windows 98 provides full, protected-mode support for removable media often used in portable environments, such as JAZ, ZIP, LS-120, Floppy, Bernoulli, and others. Windows 98 also supports the ability to lock or unlock a device to block the media from being removed accidentally. In addition, Windows 98 also supports software-based ejection for supported media.

Power Management

One of the most common complaints mobile users have is the short length of time that their batteries power their portable platforms. Some of the new features in Windows 98 are designed to help conserve the power that a mobile machine uses. Windows 98 includes support for Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI), Advanced Power Management (APM) and the new Simply Interactive PC (SIPC) initiative. One of the characteristics of the SIPC initiative is the OnNow design. OnNow is a term used for a PC that is always on but appears to be off when not in active use.

Windows 98's OnNow feature effectively manages the power consumption of the PC in a dynamic fashion. OnNow keeps an unused PC in a ready state with minimal power draw and then instantly switches to full power when a user accesses the PC. OnNow effectively minimizes battery usage for portable PCs that are left on, and it helps you avoid the long boot process in situations when you would otherwise need to turn your computer off.

OnNow directs power consumption for all of the system components and peripherals. (Previously, the computer's BIOS directed the management of power.) In addition to putting the computer in sleep mode, in which the computer appears off but can still respond to wakeup events, OnNow manages power to system devices, selectively reducing power consumption for unused components if necessary. OnNow also interacts with OnNow-aware desktop applications to reduce unnecessary activities in low-power situations.

OnNow uses the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification. The ACPI specification defines an abstract of the hardware interface necessary to implement a standard power management capability to control the power consumption of the PC. The most important characteristic required to implement ACPI is a BIOS that supports the ACPI specification. The BIOS must be able to provide the operating system with a description of the device configuration and the power control hardware interface.

NOTE:: Power management in an older PC, in which the BIOS controls the power management, will still work with the Windows 98 power management features, but the BIOS will control the power consumption rather than the operating system. If the BIOS controls the power management, the PC could be using Advanced Power Management (APM) to conserve power. APM settings are managed through the BIOS Setup menu at system startup.

Windows 98 allows the user to monitor and configure the power settings using power schemes. A power scheme is a set of power management settings defining when OnNow should put the system on standby, and when it should put the monitor or hard disk in "hibernation." Windows 98 comes with the following predefined power schemes:

You can activate or edit a power scheme (or create a new power scheme) by using the Power Management applet in the Control Panel. Figure 19.2 shows the Power Management Properties dialog box. In this figure you can see that this configuration is set for a Portable/Laptop. You can also see that the scheme can be customized and then saved by using the Save As button.

Figure 19.2

The Power Management Properties window.


NOTE: It is important to note the Power Management Properties dialog box on your PC may differ from the Power Management Properties dialog box shown here or found on another PC. The available options vary according to your hardware.

You can see in Figure 19.2 that there are tabs for setting alarms, observing the power status, and configuring advanced properties. Figure 19.3 shows the Alarms tab on which you can configure alarm actions for both the low battery and critical battery states. Figure 19.4 shows the Power Meter tab. With the Power Meter tab, you can track two batteries. You can get more information about individual batteries by clicking the battery icon.

Figure 19.3

The Alarms tab for the Power Management Properties.

Figure 19.4

The Power Meter tab of the Power Management Properties.

Direct Cable Networking

Windows 98 borrows a feature from Windows 95 called Direct Cable Connection. Direct Cable Connection lets you network to another computer by using a parallel or serial cable. You do not need a network adapter card or Ethernet cabling to network PCs using Direct Cable networking. Chapter 22, "Peer-to-Peer Networking," describes Direct Cable networking in Windows 98.

Direct Cable networking means that you don't need specialized network hardware in order to connect your laptop to your home or office PC. You can connect directly and share files and printers with very little effort or expense.

See Chapter 22 for more information about Direct Cable networking.

Infrared Monitor

Windows 98 provides ample support for infrared wireless networking. Infrared networking is a common method for networking a portable PC. You must have the necessary infrared hardware in order to use Windows 98's infrared networking features.

Microsoft Infrared 3.0 (which is included with Windows 98) supports the Infrared Data Association standards IrDA 1.0 and IrDA 2.0.

If you have an infrared device installed on your system, you can use the Infrared Monitor application to manage and monitor your infrared network. Infrared Monitor tells you if any infrared devices are currently within range of your PC. Infrared Monitor also tracks the status of infrared connections and lets you enable and disable infrared services.

At setup, you can install Infrared Monitor by choosing Infrared as an optional component in the Communications group. If you didn't install Infrared Monitor at Setup, it becomes available if you add a new infrared device by using the Add New Hardware Wizard. If Infrared Monitor doesn't appear in the taskbar when you install an infrared device, you may need to open the Infrared Monitor Control Panel and choose the Display the Infrared Monitor icon on the taskbar in the Preferences menu.

See Windows 98 Online Help for more information about using Infrared Monitor.

Mastering the Briefcase

For users who have a desktop and a portable computer to travel with, keeping files synchronized between the two systems can be very difficult at times. Windows 95 provided users with a new way to keep disparate machines synchronized. Windows 98 keeps that same idea and provides some enhancements to it.

Windows 98 includes the My Briefcase feature introduced with Windows 95. Briefcase is essentially a container (a briefcase) that contains files that may need to pass from a home PC to a portable PC and back again. You can work on a particular spreadsheet at the office and take that spreadsheet home with you on weekends, and you can take that same spreadsheet on business trips. Allowing multiple versions of the same file to exist simultaneously can present a dangerous situation. You might forget which version is most current and save over the latest changes. Or, you might save over your master copy with a temporary version you didn't really want to save. Briefcase provides version management of documents and other application files.

The Windows 98 Briefcase is normally installed during a Portable installation or if you choose a Custom installation and select the Briefcase option. If for some reason it is not installed at that time, follow these instructions to install it:

1. Go to the Control Panel and select the Add/Remove Programs applet.
2. When the Add/Remove Programs window opens, select the Windows Setup tab as shown in Figure 19.5.
3. Click once on the Accessories category and then click the Details button.
4. Click the checkbox next to Briefcase in the Components list and then click OK.

Figure 19.5

The Windows Setup tab of the Add/Remove Programs.


Once you have Briefcase installed, it will create a new folder called My Briefcase on your desktop.

The normal method for selecting files to keep synchronized would be to browse the primary machine from the secondary machine. In other words, use the laptop to browse the Network Neighborhood to find the other machine (the desktop). Once you have found the desktop machine, browse around for the file or files you would like to keep synchronized.

When you find the folder or file that you want to synchronize, simply click and drag that item out of the Network Neighborhood and on top of the My Briefcase folder.

NOTE: Although you can click and drag the items by using the left or primary mouse button, it is always better to click and drag with the right, or secondary, mouse button. Doing so results in a drop-down menu box from which to choose the appropriate option. It even gives you a chance to cancel--just in case.

When you open My Briefcase for the first time, you should get a helpful window like the one shown in Figure 19.6.

Once the My Briefcase folder is open, you can proceed to drag files into it from the other machine (which should be shown in Network Neighborhood). In Figure 19.7 you can see where a folder called IP Calc was just dragged from the folder of Subnetcalc on the Desktop to the My Briefcase on the portable machine. You can also see the drop-down menu box that is presented when the right or secondary mouse button is used. The choice of Make Sync Copy is highlighted.

Figure 19.6

Helping you use the Briefcase. Windows 98 is designed for the job.

Figure 19.7

Dragging files from the desktop to the portable machine.

After you have dragged all of the files that need to be synchronized into the Briefcase, you can take your portable machine on the road and work with those files. When you return to the office and reconnect to the network, open Briefcase on the portable computer and check the status of the briefcased files (see Figure 19.8). Briefcase compares the briefcased files with the home copy. The Status column in the Briefcase window shows which files need updating. Click Update All to update all the files in the briefcase, or click Update Selection to update a selected file.

If you click on Update All in the Briefcase window, you will get a box that looks similar to the box in Figure 19.9. The Update My Briefcase dialog box shows the actions that must take place in order to synchronize the briefcased files. By default, Briefcase assumes you'll want to replace the older file with the newer file. To choose a different action, right-click on the file and select a different action from the context menu.

Click the Update button to start an update.

Figure 19.8

The Briefcase after being on the road. Notice that one of the files needs updating.

Figure 19.9

Using the Update All feature of the Briefcase.

One of the questions most often asked about this process is whether the briefcased file can change on both PCs or only on one PC. The answer depends on the document type and whether Windows 98 has a handler for the application type that the document or file in question is used by. If Windows 98 does have a handler for that file type, then Windows 98 will use the handler to alert the application to merge the two files. When you click the Update button, the files will be re-synchronized.

To create a new Briefcase folder, simply browse My Computer or use Explorer to locate the folder in which you would like to create the new Briefcase. Once you are located in the correct folder, you can right-click any unused area in the folder, and then click New, Briefcase (see Figure 19.10).

Figure 19.10

Creating a new Briefcase folder.

After the New Briefcase has been created, you can rename it if you want. On the other hand, if you need to remove a Briefcase folder, you can simply click and drag the Briefcase icon to the Recycle Bin or right-click the folder and select Delete.

You can also use My Briefcase through a floppy disk. If you wanted to use the floppy disk method of synchronizing files, simply copy the files you want to synchronize to the floppy disk from the desktop computer. Then take the floppy disk to the portable machine and copy the files from the floppy disk into the Briefcase. Then when you are ready to resynchronize, simply put the disk back in and then go to the Briefcase and click Update All. From that point you can copy the files on the disk back to the desktop if you want. (It is obviously much easier to do this with a network connection of some sort--remember you can use a network or dial-up connection or a Direct Cable Connection.)

Another alternative is to place the Briefcase folder on the floppy disk itself. The Briefcase then travels with you to the other PC where it will synchronize with the indigenous files. When you return, put the disk back in the desktop PC, access the Briefcase folder, and Briefcase will update the files on the desktop PC. This method allows you to have multiple briefcases. Some users create multiple briefcases, each on a different floppy disk and each dedicated to a different type of file.

Conclusion

Windows 98 includes several features that support mobile computing. From PC Card support to support for the latest in power management technologies, Windows 98 was built with the portable user in mind. This chapter explored some of the Windows 98 portable-computing features. For more information related to portables in Windows 98, see the following chapters:

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