Back
to the Unleashing Windows Index One of the things that makes Windows 95 easier to run on a laptop is support for PCMCIA and the Briefcase and other tools for laptops. Many modern laptops have docking stations or other various configurations which allow external devices to be connected to the laptop. However, on the road with a laptop, these devices may not be connected to a laptop running Windows 95. Windows 95, however, has the ability to boot using multiple configurations.
If the devices the laptop computer uses conform to the Plug-and-play standard of Windows 95, you won't need to worry about manually setting up hardware configurations. But since the standard is relatively new, there are a lot of good products that aren't supported. So, let's look at how to manually set up different hardware configurations in Windows 95.
To create a new hardware configuration in Windows 95, do the following:
1.) Click on the Start button, then choose Settings.
2.) From Settings, choose Control Panel.
3.) Double-click the System icon.
4.) Select the Hardware Profiles tab. The Hardware Profiles list
will be displayed.
5.) At this point, you can rename your current hardware profile
to something that better describes your current configuration,
such as "Laptop With Docking Station." To do this,
click the Rename button and type the name you want to give the
current profile.
6.) Now, click the Copy button to make a copy of the profile.
7.) Highlight the copy you just made and choose Rename. Then give
the profile a name that appropriately describes the
configuration, such as "Laptop Disconnected."
8.) In the same System Properties dialog, click on the Device
Manager tab.
9.) The Device Manager dialog will list most of the hardware
items connected to the computer. Find the devices that are not
available when the laptop is disconnected. On these devices,
click the plus sign next to the device.
10.) Once you have selected a device, move to the Device usage
section, which displays all the defined profiles. Uncheck a
profile where the device is not available.
11.) Choose the OK button, and repeat steps 9 and 10 until all
the devices are defined.
After you have created different hardware profiles, reboot the machine. The computer will boot normally, with one exception. During the boot process, a menu will be displayed giving you the ability to select which hardware profile to boot with. Then, you can select the correct option based on what is attached to your computer.
When you add new devices or device drivers to your system, make sure you update the hardware profiles. Using hardware profiles in Windows 95 makes laptops and other mobile computers running Windows 95 easier to use. Hardware profiles are only a part of what makes Windows 95 a good operating system to use on portable computers.