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General Windows Tips
This archive will contain accumulated tips that apply to
Windows 95, 98, and ME. There is a separate link for Windows XP tips.
Topics
Shortcut to the System Configuration Utility
Right-click the desktop and select
New, Shortcut to start the Create Shortcut
wizard. In the 'Command line" field, enter msconfig (in
Windows 98 and Me), or c:\windows\pchealth\helpctr\binaries\msconfig (in
XP). (Note that Windows 2000 lacks the System Configuration Utility.) Finish
stepping through the wizard, making your own choices. Once you have the shortcut
on your desktop, simply drag it to your Start menu.
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Playing
Music from a Portable Device
You can use the Copy to CD or
Device button in Windows Media Player to copy music to handheld devices, which
include pocket PCs, PDAs, and even some MP3 players. Before you can use Windows
Media Player to copy music files, you must establish a connection between the
desktop computer running Windows XP and your handheld device. This connection is
most often made via a cable or, in some cases, a cradle that connects the two
devices with a USB or serial cable.
After you've connected a
handheld device to the desktop computer running Windows, open Windows Media
Player on the desktop computer by clicking the Start button on the taskbar and
then clicking the Copy to CD or Device button on the left side.
When you click this button,
Windows divides the Windows Media Player window into a left pane called Music to
Copy and a right pane called Music on Device. You then follow these steps to
copy music files from the Media Library to your handheld device:
 | Click the Media Library
button on the left side of Windows Media Player and select the tracks you want
to copy. |
| Click the Copy to CD or
Device button on the left side of Windows Media Player. The tracks that you
selected in the Media Library are now displayed in the Music to Copy pane. |
| Select the folder on the
portable device into which you want to copy the selected tracks. If Windows
Media Player is having trouble finding the portable device and listing the
folders, press F5 or, if you connect through a cradle, remove then reseat the
device in the cradle. |
| Each of the tracks you
selected for copying in the Media library has a check mark in the check box
that precedes the name and description. If you decide that you don't want to
copy some of the tracks or don't have room to copy them, click the check boxes
to remove the check marks. |
| Click the Copy Music button
in the top right of Windows Media Player. When Windows Media Player finishes
copying the marked tracks, they appear in the list shown in the Music on
Device pane. You can then disconnect the handheld device, put on your
headphones, and listen to your tunes. |
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Moving a Window
Have you ever had a window on
your screen somehow end up with title bar off the top boundary of the screen so
that you can't grab the bar to move it back where it belongs? Just right-click
on its button in the task bar, click "Move" then use your down arrow key to put
the window back where it belongs. When you can see the title bar, hit the
"Enter" key. (Note: When you first press the down arrow key, the window may
disappear altogether. If this happens, just keep pressing the down arrow until
it comes back into view.)
Another way to accomplish the
same thing is to click on any part of the errant window that you can see, hold
down the ALT key and then press the SPACEBAR. This brings up the control dialog
box. Click "Move" and then use the arrow keys to move the window. When you can
see the title bar, either click on it or hit "Enter" to stop moving the window.
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Too Many Fonts
If you ever have a problem where
every single time you try to insert a Symbol into a Microsoft Word document and
an error message would display shutting down Word, your problem could be too
many fonts installed. Once there are about 500 fonts, Microsoft just cannot
handle it. Try removing about 100 of them, the ones you don't need,
and that should work.
Some fonts should stay
put--notably Windows system fonts, which have the extension .fon instead of .ttf.
The icon for a system font has a red 'A' rather than a gray-blue 'TT'.
Remember that you have to
re-start Word (and shut down Outlook, if you use Word as your email editor) to
force Word to re-construct its font list. While collecting fonts for fun and
profit may sound like fun, in fact having more than a couple hundred hanging
around is a sure invitation to disaster - or at least instability. If you really
want to use a whole, big bunch of fonts, install a font manager like the free
AMP Font Viewer , which lets you show and hide
fonts as you need them.
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Starting
Windows in Safe Mode
Having trouble with Windows? If Windows won't start, sometimes you can fix
the problem in Safe Mode. An
example is if you cannot get ScanDisk or Defragmenter
to finish, running it in Safe Mode usually works.
When you see the "Starting Windows" message, here are the keys to press:
F5 -- Safe mode. This allows Windows to start with its most basic configuration,
bypassing Autoexec.bat and Config.sys files and using the VGA driver for video
and not loading networking software.
F6 -- Safe mode (like F5) but with the addition of network support.
F8 -- Gives you a menu of different options before Startup. This is an
important one to remember!
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Dr. Watson
All Windows versions have a utility called Dr. Watson. It captures a snapshot of
your system when a program crashes. The idea is that someone could look at the
data and figure out what's wrong. You usually have to tell the good Doc to get
to work, though.
In Windows 98 and ME, click Start>>Programs>>Accessories>>System
Tools>>System Information. On the Tools menu, click Dr. Watson. That will put an
icon in your taskbar. Dr. Watson generates lots of information about your
system, much of it incomprehensible to a novice. But technicians may well find
it interesting. To look at it, double click the icon and, on the View menu,
click Advanced View. You will find several tabs. Most contain loads of
information. If a program crashes, the Details tab will have all the gory
details. This is the information that you can pass on to a technician.
Otherwise, that tab will be missing.
Dr. Watson is also in Windows XP, too. He's just harder to find. Click
Start>>Run. Enter Drwtsn32.exe in the box and click OK. There's no need to start
Dr. Watson manually in XP. He jumps to work automatically when an error occurs.
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Find Windows' Version
Every now and
then, you may need to know what version of Windows is on your computer.
Sometimes you may need this information for Windows Updates. This is very
simple. Just click Start-->Run. In the Run box, type "Winver"
(without the quotes). A window will popup showing all the information you
need for your version of Windows.
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New Years Resolutions
I promise to
do the following for the new year. You should do the same.
| Keep my
version of Windows updated by getting the critical updates from Microsoft's
site. |
| Making
sure my antivirus program is updated with the most recent virus definitions
once or twice a week, and running a virus scan twice a month. |
| Installing
and maintaining my firewall to help deter hackers. |
| Backup any
important data that I have saved. If you have the original program CDs,
all you need to do is backup just the files you created from the programs. |
| Get rid of
programs and files that I don't use to create more hard disk space. |
| Run Disk
Defragmenter, Scandisk, and Disk cleanup at least once a month or more. |
| Clean the
monitor screen using an antistatic cloth, not Windex or paper towels, and a
product like "Endust for electronics©". This product may also be used on
the monitor and tower surfaces. Also, vacuum out the interior of the
computer at least twice a year with a small vacuum and compressed air. |
| Finally,
have fun with my computer by learning more about it and what it can do for me
to further enrich my life. |
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Using .CAB Files
When using a complex operating
system with hundreds of support files, like Windows, every once in a while
you'll need to get one of the files off of the distribution diskettes.
They may also be on a separate partition of your hard drive.
These files are often compressed into CAB (cabinet) files, which are
similar to ZIP files.
If you're using Windows Me, 2000, or XP, CAB file support is built-in. Just
double-click a CAB file to open it. Files can be extracted by dragging them out
of the CAB window.
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Still in Add/Remove Programs?
Have you ever uninstalled a
program only to later discover it's still on your Add/ Remove programs list? The
program is gone, but its entry is still there.
When that happens, most people
click the program, hit the Add / Remove button and end up with an error. And the
program is still stuck on the list. It may have been removed from your computer,
but its ghost seems determined to stay on.
So, is the program listing there
forever? Can you ever get rid of it? YES - but you have to play around in your
system registry.
Before we go any farther, I want
to say that messing with your registry is not for everyone and should only be
attempted by advanced users. If any of the information below doesn't make sense
to you, it's probably NOT a good idea for you to be trying this tip. So, do this
only at your own risk.
Here's the procedure:
| Run your registry editor by
hitting the Start button, Run, Then type: regedit. |
| Hit Enter. |
| Your registry editor should
now be up and running. Now would be a good time to back up your registry by
hitting the File menu, Export Registry. Just in case. |
| OK, now navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall |
| Under this Uninstall folder,
you'll see all the stuff that's listed on the Add / Remove programs list. Find
the folder for the program that's stuck in your Add / Remove programs box,
right-click, and select Delete from the resulting menu. |
Now, go back to your Control
Panel, Add / Remove programs area and you should find that extra program is now
gone.
BONUS TIP
You may have already figured
this out, but there's another use for this tip. If you have a program listed in
the Add / Remove programs section that you DON'T ever want uninstalled, you can
delete its folder from the Uninstall folder list mentioned above. That way, you
(or someone else) won't accidentally remove it.
Note that deleting the folder
won't remove the program, just its entry in the Add/ Remove section of the
Control Panel.
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How to
Uninstall Device Drivers, Patches, Updates in Win 98
Device drivers, system patches, or
hot fixes you installed using the Windows Update feature, can be uninstalled
using the Restore page from the Web site. If you are unable to connect to the
Windows Update Web site, you can uninstall the latest updates by using Update
Wizard Uninstall found on the Tools menu of Microsoft System Information (
Select Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Information).
Existing files and drivers are automatically backed up before the new ones are
installed.
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How to Get Programs Back
into the Start Menu
I will use
the Accessories menu as an example.
Calculator,
Paint and games are missing from the Accessories menu in the Start menu and you
want to know how to get them back. Since the menu items are shortcuts, not the
programs themselves, it's likely that the executable files are still on the hard
disk.
Try this: Look in your WINDOWS\System32 folder for the following files:
mspaint.exe and calc.exe. If the programs are there, you can get them back into
your Accessories menu by right dragging to the Documents and Settings\All
Users\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories folder and selecting Create Shortcut Here.
You can also find games such as mshearts.exe in the System32 folder and create
shortcuts in the same way.
If you don't find the program files, try installing the programs from Control
Panel | Add/Remove Programs. Select Windows Components, Accessories and
Utilities, and then Accessories. If the boxes for Calculator and Paint are
checked, try unchecking to remove them, then going through the process again and
checking the boxes to reinstall.
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Installing Windows
98/Me after Installing WinXP
For whatever
reasons, some want to be able to use Win 98 or Me on the same computer that runs
WinXP. Here are the steps to add Win 98/Me on the same system.
Necessary
Criteria
| This
procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed on drive C: No support is
offered for other drive letters. |
| Drive C:
must be FAT16 or FAT32 to be able to install Windows 98/Me after XP is already
installed. |
| The 98/Me
installation routine cannot write to an NTFS partition. |
| If
your C: drive is not FAT16 or FAT32, you CANNOT complete this procedure.
You will need a 3rd party boot manager. I recommend BootIt Next
Generation,
www.bootitng.com. |
| You must
have a second hard disk or partition formatted for FAT16/32 in order to be
able to install Windows 98/Me. Installing 98/Me to the same partition as
Windows XP is NOT RECOMMENDED! |
| I
recommend the use of a Windows 98/Me Startup disk for this procedure. If you
don't have one, you can download the necessary files from
http://www.bootdisk.com.
You should ensure that DEBUG.EXE is on your Startup disk. If it isn't, it can
be copied from the Windows\Command folder. On a 98/Me Startup disk, created
from Add/Remove Programs, its in the EBD.CAB file on the Startup disk. For a
98 Startup disk created from FAT32EBD.EXE, its on the floppy. |
Installing
Windows 98/Me
| Use a
Win98/Me Startup disk (with CD support) to boot your computer. |
| Insert
your Win98/Me CD into the CD Rom drive. |
| At the A:
prompt, type X:\Win98\Setup.exe (for Win98) or X:\Win9x\Setup.exe (for Win Me)
where X: is your CD-ROM drive. |
| Proceed
with the install. When prompted for the install location, you'll see
C:\Windows.000. Choose Other directory and change this to the drive you
wish to install 98/Me to and name the folder Windows (or something else if you
prefer). |
| Complete
the Win98/Me install. Allow the computer to boot into Win98/Me. |
Repairing
the Windows XP Boot Loader
1.)
Create a Win98/Me Startup Disk.
2.) Create a Notepad file with the following entries, exactly as
shown:
L 100 2 0
1
N C:\BOOTSECT.DOS
R BX
0
R CX
200
W
Q
3.)
Save the file to the Win98/Me Startup Disk as READ.SCR.
4.) Boot the computer with the Win98/Me
Startup Disk and at the A: prompt type DEBUG <READ.SCR
Steps
1-4 create the BOOTSECT.DOS file needed to boot Win98/Me. For your
convenience, you can download READ.SCR
here.
I suggest you use right click and Save As. You may need to use the
ATTRIB C:\BOOTSECT.DOS -S -H -R command if BOOTSECT.DOS already exists and you
get an error when trying to recreate it.
5.)
Configure your computer to boot from the CD drive. This is done in the
BIOS, or your computer may offer the option at startup if it detects a
bootable CD. Consult your computer's manual for more information.
If your computer does not support booting from the CD Rom, you should also be
able to boot with a 98/Me Startup disk, and run WINNT.EXE from the I386 folder
of your XP CD.
6.) Insert your XP CD and boot from it.
7.) You'll see some files being copied,
then you'll be presented with a choice of installing or repairing an existing
installation. Choose Repair.
8.) You'll be asked which XP
installation you want to log into. Enter 1. There is usually only
one installation.
9.) You'll be prompted for the
Administration password. For Home, the default password is blank, so
just hit Enter. For Pro, enter the same password you did during setup
for the Administrator account (this is not the same as the password for an
Admin level account. It must be the Administrator account password).
10.) At the C:\Windows prompt, type
FIXBOOT. You'll be prompted to confirm. Do so.
11.) When FIXBOOT is finished, remove
the XP CD and type EXIT and the machine will reboot.
12.) Reconfigure your computer to boot
from the hard drive if necessary.
You will
now get the XP Boot loader with your choice of operating systems.
*COMPEDS
provides limited support for this procedure. Use at your own risk.
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ALT Key and Menu Bar
Here is a neat tip on using the ALT
key to navigate the menu of any program in Windows. I used NOTEPAD as an
example. Give it a try.
| Hit the ALT key once. You
will note that, in NOTEPAD, the FILE menu option is now depressed in the menu
bar of the program. |
| If you hit the down arrow on
the keyboard, the FILE menu will open; hit the down arrow again and you will
go to the first item on the sub-menu; again, the second item, and so on.
|
| To move to the other main
menu items, press the ALT key, followed by the right arrow key on the
keyboard. |
| If you want to see the
complete sub-menu under each main menu, hit the ALT key, the down key once,
which opens the FILE menu, then the right key once - in NOTEPAD the EDIT
sub-menu items will appear. |
You can also use
the Esc key to close an open menu.
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How to Open the Windows Explorer
The Windows Explorer (the file
management utility, not to be confused with the Internet Explorer web browser)
contains the folder and file structure of your computer. You can use this
area to manage these files. Here are some methods you can use to open the
Windows Explorer:
| Right click on the Start
button and click Explore. |
| Click the Start button, point
to All Programs, point to Accessories and click on Windows Explorer.
|
| Hold down the Windows
Key on the keyboard and then press the E key. |
There are other
ways of opening the Windows Explorer, but these are the most common ways.
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Restoring Declined Updates
In the last tip, I suggested waiting
or delaying installing Windows updates due to possible problems with the
updates. This will allow Microsoft to correct any problems or update the
updates.
If you have downloaded any updates
and chose not to install them, Windows deletes the files from your computer.
To download these updates later, follow these steps:
|
Click Start, click
Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and click
System. |
|
On the Automatic Updates
tab, click Restore Declined Updates. |
If any of the updates you previously
declined still apply to your computer, they will reappear the next time Windows
notifies you of available updates. You can always install specific updates
from the Windows Update Web site.
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Don't Let Windows XP
Update Itself Automatically
I strongly recommend that you not
allow Windows XP to update itself automatically - precisely because the updates
can't be 100% relied upon. Far better to wait a week or two when a patch comes
out, then apply it when time permits.
At the very least:
| Click Start, right-click on
My Computer, then pick Properties | Automatic Updates. |
| Check the box that says
"Notify Me Before Downloading Any Updates And Notify Me Again Before
Installing Them on My Computer". |
When Windows
Update notifies you that you have updates, I'd suggest that you start the
Wizard, click Notify Me Later, and pick 3 days. Then the next time Windows
Update notifies you, pick 3 more days.
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Windows Update Not Working?
If your Windows Update is not
working, here’s a tip that might help:
| Go to the Windows Update site
as you usually do. When you get there, copy the address that appears in the
browser's address bar. |
| Click the Tools menu, then
click Internet Options. |
| Click on the Security tab.
Click on the Trusted Sites icon and then click on the Sites button.
|
| In the Trusted Sites dialog
box, paste the address into the Add this Web site to the zone text box. Remove
the checkmark from the Require server verification (https:) for all sites in
this zone checkbox. Click the Add button. Click OK. |
| Click OK again. |
Close the browser
and return to the Windows Update site. I hope this helps.
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Show Your Drives, NOT My Documents
Here's how you
get the Windows Explorer to automatically open to the C: drive and not My
Documents:
| Click Start, point to All
Programs, point to Accessories and right click on the Windows Explorer.
|
| Click on the Properties
command. |
| In the Windows Explorer
Properties dialog box, change the entry in the Target text box to read the
following without the quotes:
"%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe
/n, /e, /select, C:" |
|
Click Apply and
then click OK. |
You
may copy and paste the contents within the quotes ("), but not the quotes.
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Windows Media Player
For those interested, the final release of Windows Media
Player is released and can be downloaded from
here.
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Restoring Your Registry
The Registry stores settings for
programs installed on your computer as well as for your computer's internal
operation. If these get corrupted or damaged in any way, your applications, or
your computer, won't run correctly.
Windows 98 comes with a utility
called Registry Checker that backs up the registry each time you turn your
computer on, and scans your Registry at every restart. If Registry Checker finds
a problem with your Registry, it will automatically replace it with your most
recent backup copy.
To run the Registry Checker at
any time:
| Click the Start
button. |
| Point to Programs,
point to Accessories, and then point to System Tools
|
| Click System
Information |
| Click Tools
from the menu bar and then click Registry Checker. |
To access your backup copies at
any time:
Reboot your computer to the
Command Prompt. (Hold down the CTRL key at restart, and choose
step #5 from the Microsoft Windows 98 Startup Menu.)
| At the Command Prompt, type
-- scanreg /restore and then press Enter. |
| Registry Checker will scan
your Registry again and then display a list with the five most recent backups,
listed by date. Highlight which one you want to restore and then press
Enter. |
| Press Enter
again to restart. |
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Computer
Locks Up When in Suspend
There is a little known bug in
Windows 98 that causes your computer to lock up when it is in Suspend mode.
This is caused by a drive letter that is in lowercase in the SYSTEM.INI.
This can easily be fixed by doing the following:
|
Select Start, Run, and type "msconfig"
(without the quotes) in the Open: box, then press OK. |
|
Select the System.ini tab. |
|
Click the + sign next to the
(386Enh) section to expand it. |
|
Select the line PagingFile= and
click Edit. |
|
Change the lowercase drive letter
to uppercase. |
|
Click Apply and OK. |
| When
prompted, restart your computer. |
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System Idle Process is Always
Running
There are those
concerned about the "System Idle Process" that's taking up so much of their CPU
time. Where are they seeing this System Idle Process?
Right click on an empty area of the task bar and
click Task Manager. Click on the Processes tab.
Click on the CPU column header so that the list of processes are listed
in order of CPU activity. You'll almost always see
the System Idle Process on top. The system idle
process runs to occupy the processor when it's not executing other threads.
Idle has one thread per processor. It's
nothing to worry about. This is also the case in
Windows XP.
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Remove
Outdated Entries in the Add/Remove Programs Applet
Have you ever removed a program
from your computer using the Add/Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel
only to find the entry for the program remains in the Control Panel? If so,
you're not alone. If you try to remove the program again using the Add/Remove
Programs applet, you get an error message. Ouch! Try this to remove this bogus
entries from the list:
|
Click Start and click the Run
command. Type Regedit in the Open text box and click OK. |
|
Navigate to the following
Registry key:
HKEY LOCAL MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
|
|
Expand the Uninstall node and
you'll see the programs installed on the computer. In that list will be the
program you uninstalled that's still hanging around in the Add/Remove Programs
applet. |
|
Click on the program's
entry and press the DELETE key. Confirm that you do want to delete the entry.
|
|
Restart the
computer. Go into the Add/Remove Programs applet the offending entry will be
gone! |
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If you are having a problem with setting your power
management, there is a Power Management Troubleshooter tool available either on
the Win98 CD or on the web. This is a program that can help you determine the
device or driver that might be interfering. It is on the CD at \Tools\Mtsutil\Pmtshoot\Pmtshoot.Exe
or click
More Information
for Microsoft's site.
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Extreme Gaming
If you enjoy
games, and hey, who doesn't, then you probably know that if you really want to
test the boundaries of a computer, run a game. Today's games are incredibly
resource intensive. Because of this, if you want to play a game, and have it run
to the best of its capabilities, make sure that all other applications are
closed. You may even want to temporarily disable your virus software.
Also, try not to switch between a game and the desktop. Some games like to "own"
the machine, and it does not share well with others. You could potentially crash
your system.
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Moving Around the
Desktop Without Using the Mouse
|
Press the Windows Logo key
( ÿ
)which brings up the Start menu. |
|
Press the arrow (cursor)
keys to move up, down, left or right in the Start menu. |
|
To start Programs in the Start
menu, press the left pointing arrow key or ENTER. |
|
Use the arrow keys to move around
in the Programs menu. |
|
Press ENTER when you want
to start a program. |
|
Press ESC (this makes the
Start menu disappear, but keeps the taskbar active). |
|
Press SHIFT + TAB one time
(this toggles between the taskbar and the desktop). Your desktop will
now be active, although you may not notice any visual indication of it. |
|
Press the down arrow key
and you will see which desktop icon is active, and continue to use the arrow
keys to move to the icon you want to use. |
|
Press ENTER to run the
icon, or press SHIFT + F10 to see the context menu (drop-down menu) for
that icon. |
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System Restore
In Windows Me and Windows XP, System Restore is a method that can be used to put
the Windows system back to the way it was at any given point that is chosen. The
System Restore does not change data files such as emails and documents, but will
change the registry and installed components to their original configuration
from the point of the last restore save.
To create a checkpoint, Click 'Start' then go to Programs, Accessories, System
Tools, and System Restore. Now, select 'Create a Restore Point' and click
next. Type in any name for this checkpoint and click Next, then OK.
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Detail View
If you find
yourself scrolling left and right, up and down while in Windows Explorer looking
at icons, change the View in the menu bar to "Details" and this will make the
list scroll only up and down. Also, the icons will be much smaller. This helps
save some time.
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Drastic Shutdown
The most drastic way to end an application, and Windows itself, is to power down
the computer (turn it off) or press the computer's
reset button. This action is the last resort when things stop working. Sometimes
it's necessary when Windows 98 itself has become unstable, usually because of an
errant application. None of your applications will initiate their termination
procedures, and all your unsaved work will be lost. Disk file records that
are being held in a memory cache are not written to the disk. The potential
exists for corruption of the file system.
Consequently, when you restart the computer, Windows 98 senses that its previous
termination was an abrupt power interruption and runs the ScanDisk utility to
ensure that the file system's integrity was not
corrupted by the untimely shutdown.
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Click And Shut Down
In Windows,
right-click the desktop and select New. Select Shortcut and on the command line,
type the following command:
Rundll.exe user.exe, exitwindows
Now when you click the icon, your computer will shut itself down.
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Saving Files
Save means to send the work you just created on your computer to a disk or the
hard drive for safekeeping. Unless you specifically save you work, your computer
thinks you've just been fiddling around for the past four hours. You need to
tell the computer to save your work before it will store the work on a disk.
Normally, if you close a program before you save, the computer will ask you if
you want to save the file and present you with a dialog box.
All Windows-based programs use the same Save command, no matter what company
wrote them. Press and release the Alt, F, and S keys in any Windows program, in
that order, and the computer saves your work. If you prefer using the mouse to
save files, click File from the toolbar that appears at the top of the program
and choose Save from the drop-down menu.
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Renaming Shortcuts
When creating a shortcut on your desktop, Windows will choose a name for you.
However, you don't have to keep it. Right click the shortcut. In the
resulting context menu, click Rename. The original name under the shortcut
will be highlighted. Just type in the name you desire and press your Enter
key.
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Single-Clicking vs.
Double-Clicking
Note: This tip works in Windows XP, but it may also work in other
versions of Windows with little alteration. Give it a try!
Prefer to always single-click instead of double-click? Then
choose Folder Options from the Control Panel's Appearance and
Themes area, and choose the single-click option: Single-Click to
Open an Item (Point to Select). Prefer the traditional
double-click way? Then go to the same place and choose the other
option: Double-Click to Open an Item (Single-Click to Select).
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The "Custom Install" Options
Most software offers a custom install option, which often lets you be far more
selective about both *what's* installed, and *where* it's installed to. In
some cases (such as with the downloads of IE5 and IE6) you even get unusual
"save to disk" options that are completely unavailable by any other means.
It never hurts to see what a "custom" install offers--- it only takes minute. If
there's nothing in the custom install that's useful to you, you always can back
out and re-accept the standard install options. But many times, you will see
custom options that can give you far more control over your software. Check it
out next time you're installing something!
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Keep Your CPU Kool!
One of the easiest and cheapest ways to prolong the life of your CPU (the
Central Processing Unit or "brain") is to make sure that it stays cool.
Windows is a very CPU-intensive
operating system, and adding heat to the equation just makes things worse.
Most new CPUs have a CPU fan already
built in. Always make sure that your
computer has plenty of air flowing around it, and that nothing is blocking the
cooling fan in the back. Heat is your computer's worst enemy--next to a curious
dog or cat.
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Power Management
If you use a desktop computer, then you probably don't need Power Management
support. Mainly computers left on for more than 24 hours and laptops use this
option.
To disable this feature and save some CPU power, go to the Control Panel and
select the System Icon. Click the Device Driver tab and double-click the System
Devices. Towards the top, you will see an item called Advanced Power Management
Support; double-click this. In the General tab, make sure that the
"Disable in this Profile" is clicked. Click OK.
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Uninstalling a Program
Most new software packages
come with programs to uninstall the software. Before using the "Add and
Remove" option in Windows' Control Panel, check to see if an uninstall program
exists either in the software's created directory or on the installation disk.
The uninstall software generally does a better job at removal than the Windows
Add/Remove option.
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Eliminating the Win9x Logon Dialog
Q:
On bootup, Windows Me asks for a user name and password. The user name comes up
automatically as administrator but the Password is left for me to enter.
I have no password and don't know what it used to be, but I finally discovered
the dialog box goes away if I press Escape. However, since it interrupts my
reboot, it's annoying. I also discovered that replacing the administrator
username with my name (I changed the owner name in the registry) will work
without a password - I don't want one - when I press the dialog's OK button.
But how can I get rid of the
dialog altogether?
A:
Many people ask for an answer to this question, so it must be time to do a
recap.
Unlike the tight security you'll
find on Win2k or WinXP, password security on Windows 9x or Me is a snap to
bypass. To get rid of that annoying logon screen, do this:
|
Click Start, Settings Control Panel.
|
|
Double-click the Network applet.
|
|
On the Configuration tab, select Windows Logon as
the Primary Network Logon, then close the dialog box.
|
|
Delete any file in the \Windows folder with the
extension .pwl.
|
|
Reboot.
|
The password prompt will appear
one last time. Press Enter (don't press Escape) and you'll never see it
again.
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Dealing
with Windows in Windows
In Windows, you encounter several types of windows. Following are a few pointers
on how to use them:
|
A window must be active before you
can select any of its commands or use any of its features. To activate a
window, click anywhere on it. The active window immediately is placed on
top of the desktop and its title bar becomes highlighted. |
|
Change the size of a window by
dragging its borders with the mouse or by using the Size command. |
|
To move a window on the desktop,
position the mouse pointer somewhere in the window's title bar and drag the
outline or the window to the new location. |
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Desktop Shortcuts
A shortcut is an icon that provides easy access to any program, document, or
folder. A shortcut icon generally looks like the original icon, but it has a
small arrow in the lower-left corner. The original (non-shortcut) icon for a
program, document, or folder represents the actual file. So if you delete the
original icon, you delete the entire underlying file. This is not a good thing.
A shortcut, on the other hand, is a small link to the original icon. You can
create, move, copy, and delete shortcuts at will without worrying about deleting
the actual underlying file.
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Keyboard
Shortcuts
I frequently receive requests for a list of commonly
used keyboard shortcuts (to replace mouse functions). Back by popular
demand, here's a list I've compiled:
Shift-F10-----------------Right-click selected item
Ctrl-Esc------------------Display Start menu
Alt-[underlined letter]---Select menu command
Alt-Esc-------------------Switch to Taskbar's "next" open window
Alt-Tab-------------------Switch among open windows (hold Alt and continue to
press Tab)
Alt-F4--------------------Close active window
Alt-Spacebar-N------------Minimize active window
Alt-Spacebar-X------------Maximize active window
Alt-Spacebar-R------------Restore close active window
Alt-Spacebar-C------------Close active window
Ctrl-F10------------------Switch focus to menu commands (in any Explorer window)
Ctrl-Tab------------------Rotate through dialog box tabs
Ctrl-Shift-Tab------------Rotate through dialog box tabs in reverse
Ctrl-Alt-Del--------------Display Close Program dialog box
Ctrl+C--------------------Copy
Ctrl+X--------------------Cut
Ctrl+V--------------------Paste
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Moving Around
in a Hurry
The scroll bar, which looks like an elevator shaft, is along the edge of a
window. Inside the shaft, a little freight elevator (the scroll box) travels up
and down as you page through your work. In fact, by glancing at the little
elevator, you can tell whether you're near the top of a document, the middle, or
the bottom.
Want to move around in a hurry?
Then put the mouse pointer on the little elevator box, hold down the mouse
button, and drag the little elevator box up or down inside the shaft. For
example, if you drag the box up toward the top of its shaft and release it, you
can view the top of the document. Dragging it and releasing it down low takes
you near the end. You can also use the up- and down-arrow keys (or the PgUp,
PgDn) keys on your keyboard. Plus, to view the top of your document you can hold
down Ctrl and press Home. To view the bottom of your document,
hold down Ctrl and press End.
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Search Shortcut
Press the F3 button while on the
desktop and you will immediately be taken to the Search or Find function in
Windows.
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Windows:
Automatic Updates
Windows includes a new utility, Automatic Updates, which you access from the
Control Panel (Click Start and choose Settings, Control Panel, Automatic
Updates).
This utility enables you to change the settings for the new AutoUpdate feature.
You can use the options in the Automatic Updates dialog box to turn off
automatic updates, have yourself
notified before downloading any updates to your computer, or be notified when
updates have been automatically downloaded to your computer and are ready for
installing (the default setting).
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The Print Screen Key
Have you ever wondered what the Print Screen key does?
Pressing the Print Screen key copies the current screen to the clipboard or the
computer's memory (not to the printer, as one would expect). To print the
contents of the clipboard, you'll need to use a separate application, such as
Paint.
Open Paint--select Start, Programs, Accessories,
Paint--and select Edit, Paste. If you see a message stating that the image is
larger than the current bitmap, click Yes to confirm that you'd like to enlarge
the bitmap. The image on the clipboard now appears on screen.
From there, you can use Paint's Print
command to print the screen.
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Finding a Missing File
When you move or copy a file in My Computer or Explorer, it appears at the end
of the list instead of automatically taking its place in the alphabetical order.
Press F5 and you'll refresh the
lists, which will put them in order.
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Send File or Folder to Floppy
Drive
Need to copy a file or
folder from your hard drive to a floppy? This
is especially helpful in making quick backups.
You could go the long route--drag the file or folder to your floppy icon
in a My Computer or an Explorer window--or, you could be quick about it:
Right-click the file or folder, select
Send To, and in the resulting menu, select your floppy drive.
Done.
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Maximize Window by Using the
Title Bar
See the big title bar at
the top of your open window? Double-click it and watch what happens. Now
double-click it again.
Did you see that? The entire title bar toggles your window between full-screen
and window view.
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Installing Screen savers and
Wallpaper
Once you've downloaded what you
want, you'll need to know what to do with it. Assuming you end up with a *.zip
file (and you will, in most cases), use an unzipping utility to open the
resulting ZIP file. If it's an *.exe file, double-click it to extract its files.
Then follow these steps:
For wallpaper:
Extract or move any *.bmp files to your Windows folder. From now on, you can
apply any of the new wallpapers using the Display Properties dialog box:
Right-click the desktop, select Properties, select a wallpaper on the Background
tab, and click OK.
For screen savers:
Extract or move the *.scr file(s) inside your Windows folder. From now on, you
can apply the screen saver(s) using the Display Properties dialog box:
Right-click the desktop, select Properties, and click the Screen Saver tab.
Select the screen saver you'd like to use (and adjust the delay, if necessary),
then click OK.
(Note: The above
instructions apply to the majority of downloads; however, there will be
exceptions. For example, some downloads include a setup program to install the
item for you. When in doubt, look for a readme.txt file.)
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Plus Signs in Windows Explorer
Learning the PROPER way to use Windows Explorer's left pane can help you work a
lot faster. As you "drill down" to the folder you seek, instead of
double-clicking each folder icon, do this:
1. Click the plus sign (+) next to each folder.
2. When you arrive at the folder you want to open, double-click THAT folder
icon.
Clicking the plus sign next to a folder icon displays, in the left pane, the
folders within that folder--without opening the folder in the right pane, which
takes time.
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Choosing a Password
Weak passwords make your computer or network vulnerable to intruders. Strong
passwords must meet all of the following criteria:
* Be at least seven characters long -- preferably 10 or more.
* Have at least one character that is uppercase, lowercase, a number, and a
symbol like $, %, or &.
* Have at least one symbol character in the second through sixth positions.
* Be entirely different from a user's previous passwords.
* Contain no names or usernames.
* Contain no common words or names found in a dictionary.
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Shortcut for
My Computer
Drag and drop your My Computer icon onto your Start button. Not only do you get
a shortcut to My Computer, but this is also expandable. Click Start, My
Computer, and it expands. Each drive gets its own menu entry, which expands to
show the folders or files it contains.
With this shortcut, everything in your computer is accessible from the
Start menu.
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Creating a Shortcut on Your
Desktop
Your Windows 98 or Windows Me desktop has icons you
can use for starting many of your programs. One way to quickly create desktop
shortcuts to any type of file is to just right-click an item in your Program
list and choose Send To, Desktop (create shortcut) from the Context menu.
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Close Window Using the Keyboard
In our last tip, we showed you how to minimize the currently active window
without using the mouse: Press Alt-Spacebar, then press the letter N. You can
use a similar technique to close an open window.
After pressing Alt-Spacebar, press the letter C for Close. It's
even easier than Alt-F4 (another shortcut for closing the currently active
window.
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Icons in Stone
It's only natural to occasionally--or even just once--want to move your Windows
desktop icons. But what may seem so natural is often impossible: You drag an
icon to a new place on the desktop, but some unnatural force seems to drag it
right back to its original position!
Is your computer haunted? Hardly--the problem is that at one point or another,
you activated Windows AutoArrange
feature, which keeps your icons in line. To move icons about freely, disable the
feature as follows:
1. Right-click any blank area of the desktop.
2. Choose Arrange Icons + AutoArrange from the shortcut menu.
Now your icons stay wherever you drag them.
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Backspace to Move Up One Folder
Level
If you're viewing a folder's
contents and want to view the contents of the parent folder (the one that
contains the folder you're viewing), what do you do? You click the Up One Level
icon (or Up, if you have IE 4.0 or beyond installed), right?
Actually, there's an easier way. Just press the Backspace key on your
keyboard.
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CTRL + ALT + DELETE is Neat
In the days of Windows 3.x, the Ctrl + Alt + Del key combination was your last
resort--the only way to reboot a hung system. However, in Windows 9x, rebooting is a
no-no. You need to shut down Windows first.
Fortunately, in Windows 9x, Ctrl + Alt + Del
actually saves you from having to reboot.
For example, suppose you just can't get
a particular program to work. Just do the following:
1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del.
2. In the dialog box that appears, find the problem program. (The message "[Not
Responding]" appears beside its name.)
3. Select the program and click End Task.
4. If a second confirmation dialog box appears, click End Task again.
The program closes, and you can use your other programs.
HOWEVER, if you want to use the problem
program again, we heartily recommend that you restart Windows first.
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AutoHide
You know how to enlarge the Windows taskbar to accommodate more buttons at full
size by putting your pointer at the top edge of the taskbar, making a double
arrow and then dragging up. However, the downside of this is, namely, that the
larger taskbar takes up more room on your desktop. To resolve this problem, why
not set your taskbar to AutoHide so that it appears only when you need
it?
1. Right-click any blank area of the taskbar and choose Properties
from the shortcut menu.
2. Select AutoHide and Always on Top.
3. Click OK.
The taskbar disappears--but not to worry. Next time you need it, just point to
the very bottom of your desktop. The taskbar pops up, and you can use it as you
normally would.
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Ditch Welcome To Windows Dialog
Box
Recently, a
client asked, "When I installed Windows 98, I accidentally typed a
password in the Welcome To Windows dialog box. How do I delete the
password so this dialog box doesn't show up and I don't have to log in anymore?"
We can't
begin to tell you how many requests we get for this tip:
Start Windows and log in using your user
name and password. Open the Control Panel, double-click Passwords, and on
the Change Passwords tab, click the Change Windows Password button. On the
Old Password line, type your password. Press Tab to move down to the New
Password line, then press Enter (to enter no password). A dialog box will
appear to tell you your password has been successfully changed. Click OK,
click Close, and that Welcome To Windows dialog box won't bother you again.
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Relocating the Taskbar
The taskbar is probably on the bottom of your Windows
screen. That's where it starts, and that's where most folks leave it. Not
us. Well, not always. There are times when we want to open up more vertical
space. We get a little more room by doing the following:
1. Point (with the mouse)
at the taskbar. (Make sure you're not pointing at the Start button or any of the
task icons on the taskbar--although pointing at the clock is OK.)
2. Press and hold the left mouse button.
3. Move the mouse so that it points at another edge of the
screen: top, right, or left.
4. Release the mouse button.
The taskbar moves to the new location. Of course, you can move it back any time
you want.
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Keyboard Combo Opens Start Menu
There you are working in Word (or Excel or PowerPoint or whatever), and you'd
like to get to the Windows Start button. Of course, you can move the mouse to
the Start button and click. Or, you can simply press Ctrl-Esc to open the Start
menu. When it pops up, you can use your keyboard's arrow keys to navigate the
Start menu.
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How to Open the System
Configuration Utility
Someone once
asked, "I once read that there is a Windows utility
accessible via the Run command that shows you what programs are running, and
gives you the ability to enable or disable them. I tried it once and it
worked great. Do you know the command to punch into the Run dialog box?"
We suspect that
you're referring to the System Configuration Utility. To open it, select
Start, Run, type "msconfig" without the quotation marks
and click OK. From there, you can select the Startup tab and disable
or enable any programs that start when Windows starts.
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Renaming Folders with a Click
Actually it takes two clicks and some typing to rename a folder. First you
click the folder -- click the name, not the little icon. Then click it
again. Not a double-click, but two separated clicks. After the
second click, the name will highlight within a small box. Now you can type
whatever new name you want the folder to have. When you're done typing, press
Enter or click somewhere else on the window.
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Disabling the Win 95 Logon
Dialog Box
1st, restart Windows 95, click Cancel in the logon dialog box, open the Control
Panel, double-click Passwords, select the User Profiles tab, select All Users Of
This PC Use The Same Preferences And Desktop, click OK, and restart Windows 95.
The problem is, the logon dialog box still appears every time you start Windows
95. To make it disappear, change the current password to no password.
Open the Control Panel, double-click the Passwords icon, and on the Change
Passwords tab, click the Change Windows Password button. On the Old
Password line, enter your current password. Press Tab to move down to the
New Password line, then press Enter. You'll see a dialog box telling
you your password has been successfully changed.
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Working With Sounds
Many people like to create their own sounds for their Web pages. You can do this
with a simple sound recorder that comes with Windows. Of course, if you
want to record your voice, you'll need a microphone and a sound card that will
accept mike input (most will). Plug the mike into the input on your sound
card.
With the mike attached, double-click the Volume icon in your taskbar (it looks
like a small speaker). When the Volume Control dialog box opens, look for
a Microphone volume control. If you have a microphone control, choose
Options, Properties. Select the check box labeled Microphone and
click OK. Now make sure the Mute check box under Microphone is turned off.
With the controls in place, click Start, Programs, Accessories, Multimedia,
Sound Recorder (your path may be somewhat different). When Sound Recorder
opens, click the Record button and speak into the microphone. You should
see a response to your speech. When you're done speaking, click the Stop button.
To save your new sound, choose File, Save As. In the Save As dialog box,
locate a folder for your file, then give it a name. Don't add the
extension; Sound Recorder will do that for you. The default file format is WAV.
We suggest you leave it set to the default.
You'll probably need some practice to get your sounds just as you like.
One point to keep in mind is that WAV files can use a lot of disk space--so keep
those sound files as short as possible.
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Windows Updates
As any
Windows user knows, Microsoft is forever releasing downloads for Windows --bug
fixes, patches, add-ons, and so on. There are so many that it can be impossible
to keep track of what you do and don't have. Fortunately, there's Windows Update
to help you make sense of it all. (Actually, you have no choice--Windows Update
is the only way to download updates for Windows.) This
"online extension of Windows" will check your system and let you know what you
need to install.
Select Start, Windows Update,
and complete the steps necessary to go online, if you aren't already.
Alternatively, point your Web browser at:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Click the Product Updates link,
and after a few minutes, you'll see a list of all components not yet installed
on your system. (To view installed items as well, click the Show Installed
Updates button.)
Look through the
list--particularly the Critical updates, which appear first. Select those you'd
like to install, click the blue download arrow at the top or bottom of the
screen, then click the Start Download button.
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Missing Taskbars
Oftentimes, we get e-mail from readers with missing Taskbars. "All I have is a
small gray line at the bottom of the screen. When I hold the mouse pointer over
it, the line gets wider, but the Taskbar doesn't appear."
This behavior occurs when you have the auto-hide option turned on AND you've
manually shrunk the Taskbar down to nothing (by clicking and dragging it
downward--most likely by mistake). Holding the mouse pointer over the Taskbar's
edge instructs Windows to display the Taskbar (as auto-hide was designed to do),
but the Taskbar expands only as far as the size you've defined (currently a flat
line).
Regardless of the cause, here's how to fix the problem. Hold your mouse pointer
over the Taskbar's edge, and when the pointer changes to a double-pointed arrow,
click and drag upward until the Taskbar appears at normal size.
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Caps Lock Warning Sound
Have you done this, pressed the CAPS LOCK key when you really wanted the Shift
key? I sure have. MANY TIMES!
To stop this bother, I'm turning on an alarm sound that will tell me whenever I
press CAPS LOCK, or NUM LOCK or SCROLL LOCK too.
1. Click on Start then on Settings and Control Panel.
2. Double-click on the Accessibility Options icon.
3. Click on the Keyboard tab and then click to put a checkmark in the Use
ToggleKeys box.
4. Click on OK.
That oughta slow down my crazy fingers.
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Right-Mouse
Window Commands
Did you know
that many of the options available through menu commands in an Explorer window
are also available in the right-mouse context menu in Windows 98? Right-click a
blank area inside an open window and check out the resulting list. There, you'll
find almost every command from the View menu (except Folder Options and the
three toolbar commands). Additionally, you'll see a couple of favorites from the
Edit and File menus. Hey, why waste all that energy clicking on an exact menu
command when you can right-click anywhere in a window and accomplish the same
thing?
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Color Settings
Ever wonder why some people have very detailed icons on their desktops, while
others' look quite simple? The way in which Windows displays colors--using few
colors or many--is determined by the color palette setting (and your hardware,
of course).
Right-click the desktop, select
Properties, and click the Settings tab. Click the down arrow under
Colors, and you'll find several choices: 16 Colors, 256 Colors, High Color (16
bit), and True Color (32 bit). Each represents a different color palette.
For maximum performance, opt for 16 Colors. The fewer colors Windows uses, the
faster images appear on screen. (The downside is, with only 16
colors available, you'll end up with mottled images.) 256 Colors is a happy
medium. You get good performance and fairly good image quality. For
more realistic images (but slower performance), you should opt for High Color, a
palette of more than 65,000 colors. Finally, True Color allows for about 16.8
million colors--a setting typically used by those who work with graphics
professionally.
Given these differences, select a setting, click OK, and restart Windows.
And don't worry--if you aren't happy with your selection, you can always change
it back using these same steps.
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A Way to Unfreeze Windows
1. Press the Esc key twice.
2. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete (be sure you press them all at the same time.
A pop-up Task window appears.
3. Progress through the following actions until your problem is solved (these
options move from small solutions to major disruptions; try them in order):
- If the dialog box indicates that a program isn't responding, select the
program that's giving you problems and click End Task.
- Push the Reset button, which is an actual physical button somewhere on the
computer. (Unfortunately, it's in a different place on every
computer. Even more unfortunately, some of the latest PCs don't even have
one.)
- Turn the power off and wait for 30 seconds; then turn it back on.
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Windows Key
Shortcuts
We
frequently receive requests for a listing of the Windows key (the button most
keyboards with the Microsoft flag logo) shortcuts. So without
further ado...
Press:
Windows-D to
jump to the desktop (minimize all open windows)
Windows-E to open Windows Explorer
Windows-F to open Find
Windows-L to log off Windows
Windows-M to minimize all open windows (or Shift-Windows-M to
undo this command)
Windows-R to open the Run window
Windows-Break to open the System Properties dialog box
Windows-F1 to open Help
Windows-Tab to cycle through the Taskbar buttons
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Show Windows Contents While
Dragging
In a
recent tip, we showed you how to turn off the somewhat dizzying menu and window
animation that's built into Windows 98: Right-click the desktop, select
Properties, click the Effects tab, deselect Animate Windows, Menus And Lists,
then click OK.
One effect we don't recommend
turning off is the Show Window Contents While Dragging option (also on the
Effects tab), which displays your entire window as you drag it across the
screen. With this option turned off, clicking and dragging a window displays
only an outline of the window in motion--the actual window stays in place until
you release the mouse button. Ick.
(Note: If your system is lacking
in graphics capabilities, and you find that turning off this option enhances
performance, by all means turn it off.)
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Key-sy Maximization
"How, oh how, can I maximize and restore the program window in
MS Word WITHOUT TOUCHING THE MOUSE?"
Like this:
* To maximize the Word program window (actually, ANY Windows program window),
press Alt + spacebar, X.
* To restore any program window, press Alt + spacebar, R.
* To minimize any program window, press Alt + spacebar, N.
* To close any program window, press Ctrl + F4.
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Backup the Registry!
Once in a GREAT while you may
have to make changes to Windows Registry. Believe me...get someone (a
geek) to do any changes for you. But, just in case you want to take on
this task for whatever reason, duh, I recommend that you BACK-UP this monstrous
area of your system. Here's how.
1. Open the Registry
Editor. Do this by clicking on START/Run and typing in "regedit", without
the quotation marks.
2. Pull down the Registry
menu and choose Export Registry File.
3. Navigate to where you'd
like to store the backup file and type in a name for the file. Select All
under Export range, and click Save.
When you backup the Registry,
the result is a REG file. There are two ways to restore this
information to the Registry.
1. Double-click the REG
file.
2. Choose import Registry
File under Registry, navigate your way to the REG file and click Open.
Be very careful messin' around
with this monster .
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Beautify Your Desktop
Find an attractive picture and
turn it into wallpaper. Convert it into a .bmp file and save it in
C:\Windows. Click the desktop, select Properties, click the
Background tab, and make your selection.
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What's This?
If you don't understand a
button or an option in a Windows dialog box, get some help--and we don't mean by
choosing Help in the Start menu and weeding through the index. Right-mouse
click the button or option, and in most cases, you'll see a What's This? button.
Click it for the inside scoop.
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Switching Between Programs
When you have a number of
applications open at once, chances are a quick way to switch from one to the
next always would be handy. Sure, you can use the Taskbar, but then
you have to get the mouse involved. Try this instead: press Alt+Tab to
bring up a box of icons representing every open application.
Without letting go of the Alt button, continue to press Tab to highlight each
icon in sequence. When you get to the one you want, let go, and you're
there.
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Illegal Characters
We've warned you on this topic
before, but, based on our experience, it's truly worth repeating: DO NOT include
the following characters in your Windows 95 filenames:
* (asterisk)
| (pipe)
\ or / (slashes)
< or > or [ or ] (brackets)
" (quotes)
+ (plus sign)
, or . or : or ; (comma or period or colon or semicolon)
= (equal sign)
All these characters have special purposes in Windows or MS-DOS. Including
them in your filenames confuses the system--sometimes with
disastrous results.
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(Disclaimer: Compeds lists these tips only as suggestions. We
will not be responsible for any damage or adverse
changes to your system or software in their use or misuse.)
|
"Love grows as a spark in
one's heart, just as a seed grows to be a flower in the garden. Both need
to be nourished and cared for to become as beautiful as they are."*