Microsoft PLUS! (Largely useless but then that's my opinion - Hansie)
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, Washington 98052-6399
800.426.9400 sales and info.
Microsoft PLUS! is designed to enhance the look and performance of Windows 95-based personal computers and includes a bonus Internet Jumpstart Kit. The software package is expected to ship simultaneously with the release of Windows 95.
Microsoft Plus! consists of System Agent technology and disk utilities that work behind the scenes to keep the user's PC running at peak performance; Desktop Themes that incorporate sounds, fonts, color schemes, wallpaper, screen savers, photo-realistic icons and animated cursors to improve the looks of a user's computer; and a bonus Internet Jumpstart Kit that provides easy sign-up and one-button access to the Internet; although you must be forewarned that the one button Internet access is via the Microsoft Network ONLY.<>P> The Microsoft Plus! System Agent and disk tools automate PC maintenance, making it faster and easier to keep a computer in top shape. Microsoft Plus! includes DriveSpace 3.0, Compression Agent, and System Agent-aware upgrades to the Scandisk and Defrag utilities that will ship with Windows 95.
The Microsoft Plus! System Agent is a 'smart' assistant that works in the background to keep a system optimized for top performance. While the system is idle, the System Agent works with the disk utilities to compress data to free up hard disk space and to clean up the hard disk, correcting any disk errors and defragmenting the hard disk. Microsoft Plus! also can be configured to back up files automatically.
DriveSpace 3 is an enhanced version of the DriveSpace disk compression that will ship with Windows 95. DriveSpace 3 supports large compressed volumes (up to 2 GB) and greater compression ratios. DriveSpace 3 is also optimized for improved performance on Pentium processor-based systems.
The Compression Agent is an intelligent offline compression utility for DriveSpace 3 that automatically chooses the most appropriate compression algorithm for each file on a system. When used in conjunction with System Agent, the Compression Agent allows users to maximize compression levels as well as PC performance by automatically compressing data when their PCs are not in use.
Microsoft Plus! Desktop Themes provide sounds, fonts, color schemes, wallpaper, screen savers, photo-realistic icons and animated cursors. Each Desktop Theme sets more than 75 different desktop parameters for Windows 95, using a common theme to guide the choice of selections. Desktop Themes include Travel, Nature, Mystery, 1960s USA, Leonardo da Vinci, Science, Dangerous Creatures, Sports, Moderne, Inside Your PC and Windows 95.
Additional Microsoft Plus! features include Multimedia Pinball, a game that takes advantage of built-in multimedia support in Windows 95 to look, sound and play like an authentic pinball game, and full-window drag and font smoothing. With full-window drag, windows are dragged as solid blocks rather than outlines. Font smoothing is performed using anti-aliasing techniques and "hinting" of fonts, making them smoother and easier to read.
Microsoft Plus! Internet Jumpstart Kit provides easy sign-up and one-button access to the Internet via the Microsoft Network. Microsoft Plus! Internet Jumpstart Kit includes a Set-Up Wizard to assist customers in signing up with an Internet service provider; the Internet Explorer, which is Microsoft's Windows 95-based World Wide Web browser; which was licsensed from Spyglass, and an Internet mail reader for the Windows 95 Exchange mail client.
Microsoft Plus! requires a Windows 95-based PC with a minimum of a 486 processor and 8MB of RAM. Depending on which Desktop Themes are installed, disk requirements vary from 25 MB to 40 MB of disk space. A sound card is recommended for Desktop Themes and Multimedia Pinball. A modem or LAN-based connection is required to access the Internet. Pricing has been set at around $ 45.00 street. It will be available wherever Windows 95 is sold.
Microsoft Windows 95 PowerToys
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, Washington 98052-6399
800.426.9400 sales and info.
This freeware add-on for Windows 95 contains a series of "PowerToys"-- UI enhancements for advanced Win95 users-- that can be easily added to your installation of Windows 95.
These enhancements were developed by members of the Microsoft Win95 team, and are now being made available to Win95 users at no cost. Note that these are not part of any shipping retail product at this point in time, and therefore are not supported through any official support channels. Use "at your own risk".
The contents of the PowerToys folder will be updated over time as we make enhancements to the utilities you see here now, and as we add new utilities for people to try out. Stop back every now and then and see what's changed.
Here's what's presently available
1 Dec 96 : 
HTML Printer Driver
New PowerToy! HTML Printer driver enables you to print HTML documents (web pages!) from any application. Please read 'HTMLdrv.txt' for more information.
TapiTNA(telephony taskbar notification
application)
If you use the telephone dialer application from several locations (e.g. from a laptop computer) this powertoy is a must! Double-click the TapiTNA icon or place a shortcut to it in your Start menu. An icon will appear in your Taskbar notification area (near the clock) A menu from this icon enables you quick access to: *) change your current TAPI location *) bring up dialing properties *) run Phone Dialer
TweakUI
TweakUI is the handy Control Panel for "Type A" personalities. With TweakUI, you can change: --menu speed --mouse sensitivity --window animation and sound --shortcut appearance and default names --which icons appear on your desktop --create new templates --boot parameters including whether or not to start the graphic user interface --and there's more!!!!!
Please give it a try
FAST FOLDER CONTENTS
With this handy-dandy context-menu extension, when you right-click on any folder or other container, you'll get a cascade menu that shows you all the contents of that folder, one-level deep. It works on shortcuts-to-folders, too.
PENDING CHANGES/FIXES: None.
FLEXI CD
FlexiCD is a taskbar notification icon that makes controlling audio CDs a breeze. When an audio CD is in your drive, FlexiCD gives you convenient single-click play/pause control, a tooltip that tells you which track and time you're on, and a right-click menu that provides commands for starting, stopping, ejecting and moving around the tracks on your CD.
CABFILE VIEWER
You know those *.CAB files that you'll find on the Win95 CD and floppies? (These are files containing one or more compressed files.) Well, with the CABFILE Viewer shell extension, you can browse right into a CAB file and see all of its contents, and perform normal shell operations on the files inside.
ROUND CLOCK
This version of CLOCK.EXE takes advantage of win95's region windows, so your analog clock will be round, just like a real clock would. To see it in action, run Clock, then choose "Analog" and "No Title". (Note.. you just need to copy this EXE to use the clock. No setup file is provided.)
EXPLORE FROM HERE
This is a simple custom command for all folders and containers that lets you right-click and choose "Explore from Here" to get an Explorer window that has the target folder as its root.
SHORTCUT TARGET MENU
Finally, you can get the properties for a shortcut's target just by right-clicking the shortcut. This extension will add to any shortcut's context menu the complete context menu of its target.
XMOUSE
For all of the CS majors in the audience-- make the focus follow the mouse without clicking, a la X Windows. TIP: To turn it off, use the control panel.
QUICKRES
Here's one we wish was built right in: change DPI and bit depth without rebooting. QuickRes lives in the notification area-- just single-click (right OR left) on it to select your new display settings. Does not have an expiration date, but only runs on Windows 95.
The Microsoft Windows 95 PowerToys are easy to install, and because they're FREE, they are absolutely worth having on your system. I particularly recommend "Any Folder," "Cabfile Viewer," and "Round Clock" seems to "fit" the Windows 95 Desktop better than it's square Win 3.1 cousin.
Available where the better Windows 95 shareware is found.
Miscellaneous Registry Editing Tools / Shareware
Try the following page at www.windows95.com
Particularly useful are