If you've relegated DOS to a few file management chores and batch files, you can ensure your Windows applications get the most attention from your PC's processor. Just start Control Panel and double-click the 386 Enhanced icon (or the Enhanced icon in Windows for Workgroups). In the Scheduling section of the dialogue box, check Exclusive in Foreground. This causes Windows to ignore DOS applications that are running in the background. (But note that this setting can cause problems when running Windows on a system using Novell NetWare Lite 1.1.)

Caption: Give more power to your Windows applications by ignoring inactive DOS programs

If you want to give DOS applications in the background relatively little attention, leave this box unchecked and increase the value for Windows in Foreground to a maximum of 10,000. To adjust the priority Windows applications receive in the background (when a DOS program is in the foreground), change the Windows in Background setting. Click OK.

If you are using Windows for Workgroups 3.11 on a network, note that considerable processing time may be going to shared resources if other users are connected to your PC. To give yourself processing priority (at the expense of connected users), double-click the Network icon in Control Panel, and then click the Startup button at the bottom of the dialogue box. In the Performance Priority section, drag the slider to the left (toward Applications Run Fastest).