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Tips and Tricks contain valuable advice and guidance to help you
solve PC problems and get the best out of your PC. They are
updated and added to regularly, so come back here soon. You can
add your own tips by e-mailing them to us. We'll credit you for
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Keep your
privacy on the Internet. Your Windows operating system, for all
its wonders, is spying on you. It keeps records of all the web
sites you visit, and all cookies placed on your PC by those sites.
Each new version of Internet Explorer allows that to happen,
despite promises from Microsoft to prevent it. But you can keep
Big Brother out of your PC if you know how. MagneticWeb has a FREE
Report explaining exactly how anyone can protect themselves and
their online privacy. Just click here
or send a blank e-mail to forewarned@getresponse.com
for easy, step by step instructions.
Getting Rid of Task Scheduler
Do you use Task
Scheduler? Most people don't use this Windows function, so if
you're one of them then it makes sense to remove the icon for it,
in the system tray. First delete all tasks by right clicking on
the icon, selecting open, highlighting any tasks listed and
selecting Delete.
Go to Start > Run and type "msconfig" (without the
quotes). Startup tab, deselect all instances of "Scheduling
Agent", click OK and reboot.
Desktop Shortcut
To get to your
Windows desktop when you have several different windows open,
press Winkey + M. Winkey + Shift + M gets them all back again.
Winkey + D toggles between open applications and the desktop
(doesn't work in early versions of Windows 95). To close all
windows and applications quickly press Alt + F4.
Password Protecting Your Documents
If you have
documents that you wish to keep secret from others, then making
them 'hidden' in Windows often carries its own set of problems.
Why not password-protect them instead? Right click on an empty
space in the folder and select "Customize This Folder".
Then "Create HTML Document For This Folder". The
document will open in Notepad. Scroll down until you get to script
language="JavaScript" (in angled brackets). Press Return
to add a blank line and in it insert the following:
var pass = prompt("Enter the password") [Return]
if(pass
!="yourpassword")[Return]{window.location="C:"}
[Return].
"yourpassword" above will, of course, be your actual
password. The quotes should be left included. Save the document
and exit from Notepad. Refresh the folder (F5), enter your new
password, and every time you (or anyone else) goes to enter that
folder from then on you'll be prompted for the password.
Jumbled Up Icons
You may find after
a year or two of running Windows without a re-install that the
icons on your Quick Launch toolbar, next to the Start button are
all jumbled up. You can sort them into alphebetical order by first
of all switching the toolbar off. Right click on an empty part of
the Taskbar, select Toolbars and deselect Quick Launch. Then turn
the toolbar back on again by doing the same and selecting Quick
Launch. If the icons appear extra large, right click in the Quick
Launch toolbar, select View, and then Small Icons.
Protection with Encryption
If you want to
protect your backup files with encryption, so as to ensure that
no-one else can access your information, then here's how to do it.
Select Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools >
Backup (if you want to do this regularly you'll want to place a
shortcut to it on your desktop). Select the file from the Backup
Job dropdown list and click the Options button. Then select the
Password tab and check the box next to "Protect This Backup
With A Password". Enter and confirm the password you have
chosen and click on OK. Oh, and make sure you remember your
password, right? Because you'll need it to gain access to this
information in future.
Remembering Passwords
One thing you have
to get used to when using your PC and the Internet for any length
of time is having to supply a password to get access to
information. Using the same password all the time is dangerous and
could lead to a weakness in security. The alternative is to have
dozens or even hundreds of passwords for all the various
applications and programs that you access, but remembering them
can be a nightmare. Writing them all down is risky and you could
just lose your list . . . Here's a system you could use that is
almost foolproof. Remembering a phrase is easier than remembering
a series of numbers and/or letters, so make a phrase appropriate
to the application that is easy to remember and use the initials.
For example, if you access your bank account online, your phrase
could be, "A million dollars in my account please",
giving a password of "amdimap". Add a special number or
historical date after, say, the third letter, and you have maximum
security in a combination of letters and numbers that is easy to
remember.
Customizing Windows
Do you find the
closing and minimizing buttons on your applications too small? You
can make them bigger very easily. Right-click on the desktop and
select Properties. Click on the Appearance tab and adjust the size
of the toolbar buttons under Items. While you're there, why not
change your screen saver, your desktop background, the color of
your windows borders and your fonts? Or anything else that you can
change.
That My Computer Icon
You can make My
Computer more accessible by turning it into a toolbar. Click, hold
and drag the icon to one of the sides of the screen and release
the mouse button. Customize it by right clicking in an empty area
of the toolbar. You can make it auto-hide to save space. You can
do the same with Network Neighborhood and some other system icons.
Quick-Start
How often do you
use Start > Documents to open a recently accessed file?
Probably not as often as you could. Why not make use of this
feature of Windows to organize the files you use the most. When
naming the file, give it a space before typing the name, or a
number if you want to by-pass the alphabetical order in which
Windows displays your files. This can save you a lot of time.
Speeding Up Windows
This tip doesn't
always work, but it's worth trying if you use Windows 98 or better
and have more than 64MB of RAM. Open Windows Notepad and then open
System.ini in your Windows folder. (If you can't find it, change
the "Files of Type" line in the Open dialog box to
"All Files").
Scroll down the file to the section headed "[386Enh]"
and at the end add ConservativeSwapfileUseage=1 Click on Save and
re-boot your PC. It should speed things up a bit.
Stopping Auto-Run On Your CD-ROM Drive
It can be very annoying every time you use a program that
requires you to insert a CD into your CD-ROM drive, when the CD
auto-runs and you get some set-up program you don't want right
now. One way to avoid this is to press the Shift key when you
insert the CD. That turns off, for that moment, the auto-run
feature. To disable it permanently, go to Control Panel (Start,
Settings) and double click the System icon. Select the Device
Manager tab, and click on the plus sign next to the CD-ROM entry.
Highlight the revealed entry and click on Properties at the foot
of the dialog box. Select the Settings tab and uncheck the box
marked ‘Auto Insert Notification.
One use for this method is to install an item from your Windows
set-up disk without having to go through the whole installation
process again. Once you’ve loaded your Windows CD, open Control
Panel and double click on Add/Remove Programs. Then make your
selections and install.
Disk Defragmenter and ScanDisc
I had awful
problems once when trying to run each of these two programs. After
the program was about 10 per cent completed it would display a
message saying it cannot access part of my files. I eventually
found out it often happens when there is another program running
in the background, such as a screensaver or virus checker. Close
down any such program and start again (Ctrl + Alt + Delete). If
you still have trouble, then re-boot while pressing F8. This will
run Windows in safe mode, and you should then be able to run
ScanDisc without any trouble.
Hide the Windows Logo Screen
If you don't want
to look at the Windows 95/98 screen every time you start your
computer, why not hide this logo screen by editing the msdos.sys
file? Open Windows Explorer and go to the "msdos.sys"
file (it should be in the root of your C: drive). Right-click this
file, select Properties, deselect Read- only, and click OK. Then,
using Notepad (Start / Programs / Accessories) open the msdos.sys
file. Inside the Notepad window, under the "[Options]",
type the line LOGO=0 Select File, Save to save your changes and
close Notepad. The next time you start Windows 95/98, you won't
see the Windows logo screen. Note: Make sure you go back and reset
the read- only attribute to the msdos.sys file utilizing the same
method you used to remove it.
Getting Rid Of Your Password
It was fun,
wasn’t it, setting up your own password to Windows when you
first installed the operating system. But it becomes a nuisance
when the novelty has worn off, especially when you find you have
several passwords that you just have to remember for your ISP's
site, your FTP, e-mail, and all the sites you visit that insist on
a password. Unless you work in an office environment where you
want to restrict access to your files, there's not much point in
having to type in a password to start Windows.
But sometimes there are problems in trying to rid yourself of
the password. Make sure you do this. Go to Control Panel and
double click on Passwords. Select the Change Passwords tab and
click on Change Windows Password. Delete your existing password,
but make sure that you click in the empty password box before
pressing return.
MS-DOS Commands
When DOS was
integrated into Windows, the list of all the available commands
was taken out of it. DOS is still a very useful operating system
and those who still use it can find a list of all the commands at www.easydos.com/dosindex.html
.
Short Cuts
Everyone seems to
do everything with the click of a mouse and never think of using
key board shortcuts. But you can waste an awful lot of time if you
ignore these shortcuts. And they are there to be used, so let's
use them. But the problem is, where can you learn these shortcuts?
Well, actually, your own computer can teach you. Get Help by
pressing F1. Select the Search tab and enter: "Keyboard
Shortcuts" (replete with quotes). Almost instantly you'll
have a list of links containing valid key combinations.
Here are just a few of those shortcuts:
Windows logo key + E Windows Explorer
+ R Run dialog box
+ F Find dialog box
+F1 key Windows Help
+ M Minimises all open windows
(+ shift M undoes the minimizing)
What If You've Lost Your Windows Product Identification
Number?
When you purchase a
new PC or a new Windows operating system, the Product
Identification Number is set out on the Certificate of
Authenticity which is stuck to the front of the manual. What if
you lose it and then find you have to re-install Windows? You get
half-way through the installation process and then find you
can’t go any further because you haven&'t got your Product
Identification Number. Best to keep a separate note of it in a
safe place. If you haven't, but can still run Windows, you can
find the number quite easily in the Registry.
Here's what you do. Go to Start and select Run. Type regedit
and click OK. Now you have the Registry Editor window. Whatever
you do here, don't make any alterations. Click on the plus signs
next to the following entries in this order: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,
Software, Microsoft, Windows, and then click on Current Version.
In the right hand window are a large number of entries in
alphabetical order. Scroll down until you see an entry called
Productkey. Your Product Identification Number is next to it.
Backing Up Files Without Any Storage Facilities
You don't need a zip drive or any other expensive hardware to
back up your important data files. If you have an Internet account
then your Internet Service Provider will invariably include as
part of the deal a certain amount of free web space, typically 10
MB. Even if you have a web site you will probably have a great
deal of spare space. So why not simply upload by FTP to your web
space the data files you want to back up? You will probably want
to create a separate folder to upload the files to. This can
easily be done with your FTP software, but if you find problems
then liase with your ISP's technical support department.
As an alternative you could try one of the following services.
They're all free, and supply up to 300MB of storage space.
Desktop Shortcut Shortcuts
If you don't use the numeric keypad then you can assign
shortcuts to each of the ten keys as follows. Press the number
lock key on your keyboard, then right-click on any desktop
shortcut and select 'Properties'. In the 'Shortcut key' field
delete 'none' and replace it by pressing the number key on the
numeric keyboard. Click OK. You can repeat this for up to nine
other desktop shortcuts. Then you can open the program concerned
by simply pressing the number for it on the numeric keyboard.
Getting To Device Manager Quickly
Another shortcut for you. In Windows 95 and later, press the
Windows key on the keyboard, and the Pause/Break key. This opens
System Properties in Control Panel, and you can then select Device
Manager.
Registry Notes
If you buy a second-user PC with Windows 98 installed you may
want to change the registration details. Go to Start > Run and
type Regedit in the Open box.
The Registry entries you're looking for are RegisteredOwner and
RegisteredOrganization.
Search on the previous owner's name and/or organization and
substitute your own.
Alternatively, you could use Xteq X-Setup from http://www.xteq.com.
And, before you start messing with the Registry, best to make a
backup.
Recycle Bin Confirmations
When you delete something it goes to the Recycle Bin as a
safeguard against accidental deletion. But doing this doesn't free
any hard disk space. So it's best to empty the Recycle Bin
regularly. When you do that you get an annoying warning message
asking if you really want to empty the bin.
You can disable this facility by right-clicking on the Recycle
Bin and choosing Properties. Click the Global tab and uncheck the
box labeled Display Delete Confirmation Dialog Box. Hurrah!
Win Key (Wk) Shortcuts
A short summary:
| Wk |
Start
menu |
| Wk
+ D |
Desktop
(toggle) |
| Wk
+ E |
Windows
Explorer |
| Wk
+ F |
Find |
| Wk
+ R |
Run |
| Wk
+ Pause |
System
Properties |
| Wk
+ Tab |
Steps
through the program on the taskbar |
| Wk
+ F1 |
Windows
Help |
| +
M |
Minimizes
all open windows (+ shift M undoes the minimizing) |
Make Your Own Windows 95/98 Start-Up Disk
This disk is vital in case you ever have Windows problems or
for any other reason have to re-install Windows. Yet it's
surprising how many people don't have a Windows start-up disk, or
have lost it. It's easy to create a new start-up disk. Here's how.
Go to Control Panel and double click on Add/Remove Programs.
Select the start-up disk tab, make sure you have a blank,
formatted floppy disk in drive A:, and follow the instructions.
Controlling Your Printer
If you regularly print from two different applications
requiring different printer settings then you may have experienced
the hassle of making the necessary amendments each time you print,
and no doubt frequently forgetting to make them.
So why not trick Windows into believing you have two different
printers? Go to My Computer >Printers and double click 'Add
Printer'. Carry out the installation procedure for your existing
printer but give it a different name. When you've completed the
setup right click on the new printer icon and select 'Properties'.
Then change the settings as required. In future when you print you
simply have to select the correct printer (or drag and drop the
file onto the correct printer icon).
Speed Up Windows
Here’s how you can cut down the time it takes your PC to boot
up. Go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, System and select the
Performance tab. Then select the File System button and the Floppy
Disc tab and deselect the item "Search for new floppy disc
drives each time your system starts". Click on Apply and OK
before closing. This should save several seconds each time you
boot up.
You can take this process even further by going into the BIOS
settings, but only try this if you are happy at making these sort
of changes. When you boot up your PC a screen appears telling you
which key to press to enter setup. Often it is the delete key.
Press this and the BIOS screen should appear. This varies
according to the make and model of your motherboard, but there
should be a setup screen with a number of entries, one of which
reads something like, First boot record seek from floppy, Second
boot record seek from C:.
You can change this order by pressing the Page Up or Page Down
buttons. Do this until it reads, First boot record seek from C:,
Second boot record seek from floppy. This means that time will not
be wasted while your PC pointlessly searches for the boot up
record, which enables it to launch Windows, in the floppy drive.
The only reason why it is configured to search for it in the
floppy drive first is in case you have to start Windows from the
emergency Windows start-up disk in the floppy drive. If this ever
happens, you can easily go back into the BIOS on boot-up and
change the settings back to what they were originally.
Using Uppercase Names For Your Folders
Do you sometimes want to name a folder with initials, or for
some other reason use all uppercase letters for the name? Normally
Windows won’t let you do this, so if you try and name a folder
ABCD it will come out as Abcd. To fix this, in Windows Explorer go
to the View menu and select Folder Options, and the View tab. In
the Advanced Settings window, check Allow all uppercase names.
Windows Explorer Column Widths
If you find you constantly have to re-size the windows in
Windows Explorer, try doing this. When the window is open press
Ctrl + + (i.e. the Control button and the plus button on the
numeric keypad twice). The column edges in each window will then
be flush with the longest entry in each.
Getting To Your Desktop Quickly
This works in Windows 95, 98 and 2000. If you have a number of
applications open at once and you need to get to the desktop fast,
just right click on a blank area of the Taskbar. A menu will
appear. Click on 'Minimize All Windows' and your desktop will
reappear. To reverse this process, just repeat the procedure but
this time click on Undo Minimize All.
Back Up Your Outlook Express Address Book
If your hard disk crashed or you had to reformat it without
warning you'd lose all your data if it hadn't been backed up
regularly. Most data files are quite easy to back up, but what
about your e-mail address book. If you use Microsoft's Outlook
Express, here's how to back it up. Open Windows Explorer and
navigate to C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book.
Check for a file with a .WAB extension. Back this up like any
other file, to another drive, preferably a floppy disk.
Controlling Windows Explorer
You can open Windows Explorer fast by pressing the Windows
button on your keyboard (it must be a Windows 95 or higher
keyboard) and E at the same time. What if you want it to open on a
drive other than your C: drive, or even a particular folder? Open
Windows Explorer and select the Windows folder. Click the + sign
and locate the Start Menu. Click on it and in the right hand
window select the Explorer.exe shortcut. Right click on it and
select Properties. In the Shortcut tab you will see an entry
reading C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE /n, /e,C:\. Write down carefully a
note of this entry.
If you want to open at the D:\ drive as the default, delete the
C and type D in its place. If you want to open a particular
folder, say My Documents, then make sure the correct drive is
specified, and then type My Documents immediately after the C:\
(i.e. no spaces). Also, note that there are spaces before the /n,
and /e, and that there is a comma after the n and the e. To change
back again, go to Explorer Properties and make everything read as
it did before.
How To Use Send-To
Send-to is one of the most useful functions of Windows. It
provides a quick way of backing up your data files. Open Windows
Explorer (Wk + E) and scroll to the folder where the document is
that you wish to back up. Right click on the document in the right
hand window and select Send To. A list of places you can copy the
document to appears, consisting of the floppy drive, the Desktop
as a Shortcut, a Mail Recipient using Microsoft Outlook, and your
My Documents folder.
Probably the floppy drive or a CD-R is the most used back up
method. But if you have a zip drive or other means of backing up
data (e.g. a separate hard drive) then you will want to add this
to the list of options in Send To. Here's how to do it.
Open Windows Explorer and scroll down to the Windows folder.
Open it and double click on Send To. Go to the Menu bar and select
File, New, Shortcut. Then click on Browse to find the application,
drive, etc that you wish to add to the list of options. Open the
folder and look for the .exe file. Highlight it and select Open.
You will have to name the program. Click Next and then Finish and
the item will be added to the Send To list.
Customizing your Start menu
If you don't like the way your Start menu in Windows 98, or any
of its sub-menus like the Programs menu, works, then you can
easily customize it, but you will probably need one of the
freeware utilities available from http://winfiles.cnet.com/apps/98/startmenu.html
Recovering AutoRun on your CD-Rom
Most CDs should run automatically when you place them in your
CD drive. If this is not the case, here's how to get this feature
back. Right click on My Computer and go to Properties and the
Device Manager tab. There is a plus sign next to all the devices
listed. Click on that to the left of the CD-Rom. This will reveal
the drive. Click on it to highlight it and then click on the
Properties button. Select the Settings tab and check the item,
'Auto Insert Notification'.
Find Files Fast
If your keyboard has the Windows logo key, you can quickly open
the Find Files or Folders dialog box with that key plus F. You can
also get to Find Files or Folders from the Start menu. Here's
another quick way to open Find Files or Folders. Just click once
in a blank spot on your Windows Taskbar and then press the F3 key.
Fast Access to Device Manager
Would you like a faster way to get to your Device Manager than
going to Start / Settings / Control Panel / System / Device
Manager tab? All you have to do is hold down the Alt key while you
double-click "My Computer", then click on the Device
Manager tab.
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