Newbie Guides Top Tips and Tricks Computer Tips Part 3

Useful guides for high power readers looking for general computer tips and tricks.

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General Computing Tips and Tricks - Part 3

49. Using Send to You can send a folder or file almost anywhere you want. Let’s say you want to copy a document you created in Word called “My Schedule,” to a floppy disk. First locate the folder or document by clicking My Computer and (C:). Word documents are generally stored in My Documents. Double click on My Documents. When you’ve located the document, right click on it, and place the cursor on Send to. You’ll be given a choice of several destinations. Click on Floppy Drive (usually A:). Be sure a floppy disk is inserted in the drive before attempting to copy the file. You now have a copy of the document on a floppy as well as in the My Documents folder.

50. Select A Font Style You can select font size and style in most applications by clicking on Format in the menu bar. Choose Font and Style from the pop down menu. From here you have the option of selecting the size and style of the font, bold, italics, or underlined text. Additionally, you can choose subscript, superscript, or strikethrough. In many programs this is also where you can change the colour of the text.

51. Cleaning Your Desktop New computers are loaded with desktop shortcuts. Many computer manufacturers offer several online services and special offers a user can access by clicking a desktop icon. Most of these are unnecessary. Once you’ve determined which you want and which you can do without, simply drag and drop the unwanted ones to the Recycle bin.

52. Check Your IP Address Every computer connected online is assigned an IP address. This might be considered a computer’s ID number. Some are permanent, some are changed each time a user logs onto the Net. The number is assigned randomly by your ISP. There is an undocumented program in Windows named WINIPCFG.EXE that will tell you what number you’ve been assigned. Obviously, you’ve got to be online to learn what number you’ve been assigned. To find out your number in Windows 95 and 98, go to the Start menu and select Run. In the field box type WINIPCFG. A dialogue box with your IP number will appear.

53. E-Z Desktop Access Have you ever been working and needed access to your desktop? If you don’t want to minimise the current screen to get to the desktop, go to the Start menu, select Run, type in a period (.) in the field and hit enter. This will open a smaller window with your desktop icons.

54. Clean Machine Computers and related hardware love cleanliness. Here are a few suggestions that will help you to avoid a potential messy situation. Spray some Windex onto a rag and wipe your monitor clean. If you have a specially tinted screen, check with the owner’s manual first. To clean input devices such as a scanner or digital camera, check the manual for the recommended procedure. The same goes for copy machines. Also, if you won’t be using your computer for prolonged periods of a day or more, it might be wise to shut it down. A constantly running fan draws dust into the machine.

55. Start Key Goodies The Start key (also called the Windows key) has a wide range of uses in addition to bringing up the Start menu. It can be used in conjunction with several other keys to provide shortcuts. Here they are:

Start with R opens the Run dialogue box.
Start with E opens Windows Explorer.
Start with Ctrl plus F finds a computer.
Start with M minimises all open Windows.
Start with Shift plus M maximises minimised windows.
Start with Tab cycles through taskbar buttons.
Start with Pause/Break displays System Properties box.

56. Keep A Spare If you are like many people, you’ve come to depend a great deal on your computer. Keeping inexpensive spare parts on hand can save you lots of time and trouble. We’re not talking about a processor or extra RAM, but a spare mouse and keyboard could come in handy. They are both relatively inexpensive items and could be useful in the event one becomes damaged at the most inopportune moment.

57. TLC For CDs CDs are fragile. Handle them using the edges or the centre hole. If they must be placed on a surface, place them with the printing down. They will last a long time if treated with care.

58. Defeat Wrist Pain If you use a mouse to get around your computer screen, it can be easy to develop wrist pain. One solution is to learn how to initiate commands using the keyboard. Not for you? Try a trackball. Instead of using your wrist, your fingers do most of the work, relieving much of the discomfort associated with using a mouse.

59. Eliminate Unwanted Backgrounds Having access to information on the Internet is one of the obvious benefits of being online. There are times we want to print a document for future reference. We have the option of saving all of the background images and graphics along with the text, or simply printing only the text. To set Internet Explorer to print Background or Text only, go to Tools on the menu bar and select Internet Options. Select the Advanced tab and scroll down to Printing. Here you can select or deselect the Print background colours and images option.

60. Free Software Updates Registered users of Microsoft software products are treated very well. You can often receive upgrades to older versions of many programs. For example, there is no need of running a dated version of Internet Explorer, simply go to http://www.msn.com (if you don’t feel like typing it in, Microsoft has been kind enough to place it in your Favourites folder) and select downloads. Here you’ll find dozens of freeware programs and upgrades to many of Microsoft’s programs like Outlook Express (email program) and Internet Explorer.

61. Resize Buttons Would you like to have the Minimise, Maximise, Restore and Close buttons in the upper right corner of your screen a little larger and easier to access? It’s not hard to resize them. Right click on any unused portion of your desktop, select Properties and click the Appearance tab. In the lower portion of the dialogue box you’ll see three fields, select the one labelled Item. Scroll through the choices until you find Caption Buttons and select it. Immediately to the right of this field is a size box. The default setting is probably at around 18. You can bump it up to 22 - 25 for very easy button access, and click OK to save the new setting.

62. No Need To Click Do you ever feel just a little mouse-dependent? Everything that can be accomplished with a mouse can also be done with the keyboard. To move a window around the desktop, press Alt and the space bar. A pop up menu will appear. Press M for move. A four-headed arrow will appear at the top of the window. You can now use the arrow keys to position the window. When you have it where you want it, press Enter.

63. No Need Continued You can also change the size of any active window using the keyboard. Again, press Alt and the space bar. This time press the S key for size. The four-headed arrow will appear. Use the arrow keys to size the windows. Press Enter when you have it the size you like.

64. Customised Titlebars If you’re using Windows 98 you can customise the gradient of the title bars (the uppermost coloured bar displaying the title of the program, file, or application) in each window. Try it. Right click on an unused portion of the desktop, select Properties, and Appearance. In the field labelled Scheme, select Windows Standard. In the field labelled Item, select Desktop. With this done, you’ll be given choices for the blending of two colours for your title bars. Once you’ve selected them, click Apply to save the settings.

65. More Customising To further customise your title bars why not change the fonts too? Right click on an unused portion of your desktop, select Properties and click on the Appearance tab. In the field labelled Item select Active Title Bar (this won’t change the gradient). You can now select one of the many fonts available with Windows. Once you’ve found one you like, click Apply to save the setting.

66. Disable Call Waiting Call waiting can play havoc with your online connection. To disable call waiting while online click the Start button and select Settings. From the pop up menu, click Control Panel. Here you’ll find an icon (telephone) for your modem, double click on the icon. Click on Dialling Properties and then click, “To disable call waiting...” Type in the required number. If you do not know the number contact your telephone provider ISP for instructions.

67. For Lefties Only Right handed people have a lot to take for granted. That’s because the world is set up for them, including the mouse for your computer. If you want to change the default button for your mouse, click Start, Settings, and click Control Panel. Double click on the Mouse icon. Here you’ll find a dialogue box called Mouse Properties. You can change the default button, along with the look, size, and speed of the cursor (pointer), and add trails to it while it moves. While you’re here you might want to change the speed with which the computer responds to a double click.

68. Personalise Settings More than one person in your household using the computer? Why not customise the machine for each user? Click Start, Settings, and Control Panel. From here, double click the Passwords icon, identified by a colourful set of keys, and click the User Profiles tab. From here select, “Users can customise their own preferences and desktop setting.” Now, close all open applications and shut down the computer. When you reboot, you will be asked to enter a password. This will be the first profile. Do this as many times as you need to establish the number of profiles necessary. Each user can now set up Windows to match his/her personal tastes.

69. Sound Effects Perhaps you’ve noticed different sounds associated with common software functions. For example, when you shut down a program, you hear a particular sound effect. You can change these sounds, using a fairly wide range of selections. Click Start, Settings, and Control Panel. From here, double click the Sounds icon. You can now choose individual sounds to associate with certain functions or a sound theme.

70. Free Up Disk Space If hard disk space is at a premium, you can free up some by getting rid of your Temporary Internet Files. Every time Internet Explorer takes you to a new Web page it saves a shortcut to the page in its cache. These files can occupy a considerable amount of disk space and are not needed. Go to Start, Programs, and double click on Windows Explorer. Here you’ll find a group of files laid out in tree structure. Double click on Windows, and then locate the Temporary Internet Files. There’s really no need to look at each one individually, as there could be thousands. Right click on the folder and click Properties. Here you can find out how much space is being used by the files in this folder. To delete the files, you’ll actually need to open the folder. Once open, click Edit in the menu bar, and click Select All. Now go to File in the menu bar and click Delete. They won’t be sent to the Recycle Bin, they’re gone for good.

71. Adding Destinations to “Send to” A quick way to send a copy of a file is to right click on the file, select “Send to” and click on the desired destination. There are several default destinations in the Send to menu such as the A: drive and My Documents, but you can add as many as you want. Right click Start and click on Explore. Under Windows, find the Send to folder and open it. On the right side of your display you should see the current destinations. Let’s say you wanted to add the Recycle Bin. Reduce the size of your screen by clicking the middle button in the upper right portion of your display. Find the
Recycle Bin on your desktop and right click on it. Click Create Shortcut. A shortcut will be placed on your desktop. Drag it into the folder with the other Send to destinations. You can now dispose of files using the Send to command. You can do this with all accessible files and folders.

72. Where Is It Going? Ever wonder what is going to happen to a file you’re dragging once it gets to where you’re going? An arrow in the lower right hand portion of the icon means the file will become a shortcut. A plus sign means the file will be copied, and no indicator means it will be moved.

73. Change Of Scenery Windows allows us a wide variety of fun and sometimes even frivolous options. If you’d like to see some nice background scenery when you open a folder, it can be arranged. Open My Computer and click
on (C:). Select a folder and open it. In the menu bar, click on View and choose Customise this folder. From here, select “Choose a Background Picture.” The Windows wallpaper menu will appear. After selecting a pattern, follow the simple instructions to finish.

74. Undo A Mistake Most software applications these days are pretty forgiving. If you’ve made a serious mistake that you think could wipe out the last hour or so of your work, there is probably a remedy. The trick is not to do anything else until you try it. Even a mouse click could keep this from working. In the menu bar select Edit and click Undo Edit or simply Undo. An even faster way to accomplish this is to press Ctrl and Z.

75. Quick Move Right clicking on a folder or file and selecting Send to, will move a copy of the document to a chosen destination. But what if you want to actually move the file without copying it? Hold down the Shift key while clicking on Send to. This will move the file without making a copy.

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