COMPUTER TIPS & TRICKS

Increase your RAM and so system speed

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:17:00 +0000

1). Start any application, say Word. Open some large documents.

2). Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC to open Windows Task Manager and click Processes tab and sort the list in descending order on Mem Usage. You will notice that WINWORD.EXE will be somewhere at the top, using multiple MBs of memory.

3). Now switch to Word and simply minimize it. (Don't use the Minimize All Windows option of the task bar).

4). Now go back to the Windows Task Manager and see where WINWORD.EXE is listed. Most probably you will not find it at the top. You will typically have to scroll to the bottom of the list to find Word. Now check out the amount of RAM it is using. Surprised? The memory utilization has reduced by a huge amount.

5). Minimize each application that you are currently not working on by clicking on the Minimize button & you can increase the amount of available RAM by a substantial margin. Depending upon the number and type of applications you use together, the difference can be as much as 50 percent of extra RAM.

In any multitasking system, minimizing an application means that it won't be utilized by the user right now. Therefore, the OS automatically makes the application use virtual memory & keeps bare minimum amounts of the code in physical RAM.

Web Bugs

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:31:00 +0000

Have you ever heard the term Web Bug? How about Web Beacon or Clear GIF? Well, don't feel left out if you haven't, it's not everyday terminology. The terms I mentioned are different names for the same thing. For the sake of remaining simple I'll stick with one name Web Bug. So what are Web Bugs and what to they do? They are small (1 by 1 pixel), usually transparent gifs hidden on websites or e-mails within other images like banner adds. Web bugs come from a different site than the one you are viewing but are most often affiliated with the site being viewed.

They are a lot like cookies in that they allow sites to recognize you and track where you've been. Web Bugs have a couple of major differences however. Web bugs share your information with any site that you may visit with the same type of web bug imbedded on it. The personal information bugs are sharing can be harmless information or very personal information, it depends on what information you have put on one of these sites. If you have given one of these sites information like your email address, then every other site you visit with the same bug will have your email address and can now send you spam. By sharing this personal information between sites these entities using bugs can get your email address and send out more spam and web bugs right to your front door. If you visit a site that recognizes you from a Web Bug then that server can not only track you but also send images and blocks of text to you. Web Bugs are also harder to detect than cookies because they are hidden, extremely small, and invisible.

These Web Bugs can also be placed in e-mails, a favorite trick of spammers is to hide a Web Bug in a random email. Opening or even previewing this e-mail can initiate the Web Bug process, which tells spammers that this is a valid e-mail address when someone views it. This validates your address, essentially making you part of their list of e-mails to spam. Most of the more recognized e-mail clients are affected by this such as Outlook Express, Gecko for Linux, Netscape, AOL, and more.

So, how do you stop or prevent these web Bugs from tracking you? As far as e-mail, make sure you don't open or even preview e-mails from unknown sources. Another thing you can do to prevent the Web bugs from biting is to block images in your e-mail all together, this will stop the GIFs from getting through your defenses. Win XP Service Pack 2 turns this setting ON by default in Outlook Express, and other e-mail clients have similar options (i.e. MSN/Hotmail and AOL).

You can also configure tougher cookie settings in your browser, but keep in mind all of these settings will affect the way you surf the web and view your e-mail. You can get advertising blocking software, but these programs have a hard time distinguishing between images that show information and images that are crawling' with Bugs. You can also go through the HTML code and look for the img tag that relates to a cookie (sounds like fun).

So are these bugs really something to get all worked up about? Well if you really don't like the thought of constantly being tracked and evaluated. If you don't like spam or pop-ups then this could be something you might want to at least regulate. You can figure out exactly what a web bug is doing by viewing the privacy policy which should be located on the website of the owner of the bug. If you don't find the privacy policy, you can always send the company e-mail and ask for what purposes do they have web bugs on their site.

What kind of attachments can contain viruses

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:27:00 +0000

Q:
What kind of attachments can contain viruses?

A:
Basically, anything that is executable (able to run). You're generally safe with picture files, text files, and the like. However, it still pays to scan first.

Here is a very short list of the most common to watch out for:

exe
zip
scr
vbs
bat
com
pif
asp
doc
xls

Those are the most common; don't misinterpret this to mean that if you get one of these files it's automatically a virus. A ".zip" file may be nothing more than a set of compressed files your friend sent you to look at. A "doc" or "xls" file may simply be an MS Office file. It's just that these type of files could also be viruses.

A couple other virus tricks you need to be aware of. First, MS Office files can contain what are called "Macro Viruses". Without getting into too much detail, these files can run a "macro" (a macro is a mini-program run from within another program) that can be as destructive as any "regular" virus. So, my advice on MS Office attachments is not to open them unless you are expecting them. If they just show up, verify with the sender first.

The other trick you need to look out for is an extra extension added to an attached file. For example, you may have something like "mypicture.jpg.vbs". In fact, if you don't have your computer set to view file extensions, it may just look like "mypicture.jpg" and omit that last "vbs" part.

This may appear to be a jpg picture file, but it's actually a Visual Basic Script file. If executed, it will happily infect your computer with a virus.

So, be careful out there.

Scan Individual Files for Viruses

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:22:00 +0000

We often recommend that when you download files you should scan for viruses. The same is true for attachments sent via email (although, if you have decent antivirus software this should be taken care of).

But do you need to scan your whole computer? No, you can scan just one file with most AV software (Norton, McAfee, AVG).

Just right click the setup file and you should see "Scan with whatever AntiVirus" or just "Scan for Viruses".

Your AV software will come up, scan the file, and let you know of any infections.

Some newer AV also lets you scan zipped folders before unzipping.

Knowing that it's safe, you can then proceed with installation of the program or opening the file.

Virus, Trojan, Worm

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:19:00 +0000

Q:
What is the difference between a Virus, Trojan, and Worm?

Basically, they all fall under the generally category of "viruses". However, there are a few distinctions.

Virus - Technically, a virus infects another file (attaches or inserts itself into it). They usually infect program files or MS Office documents. From there, it can replicate, do damage, etc. Unlike a worm, these do not function as a stand alone (except possibly to infect a given file).

Worm - This is almost identical to a "true virus", except that it lives on its own and generally doesn't infect other files (although it can replace them). Usually, these copy themselves using e-mail, networks, disks, etc. Again, these are very close to a true virus, and can do the same kind of damage.

Trojan Horse - This type of program doesn't copy itself but does do damage to your computer. These types of programs rely on people to pass them around and to run them. They do not e-mail themselves. The idea is to make the program look like it's something harmless, like a screen saver or joke, so it gets sent around.

Make your Folders Private

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:56:00 +0000

Open My Computer
Double-click the drive where Windows is installed (usually drive (C:), unless you have more than one drive on your computer).
If the contents of the drive are hidden, under System Tasks, click Show the contents of this drive.
Double-click the Documents and Settings folder.
Double-click your user folder.
Right-click any folder in your user profile, and then click Properties.
On the Sharing tab, select the Make this folder private so that only I have access to it check box.

Note

To open My Computer, click Start, and then click My Computer.

This option is only available for folders included in your user profile. Folders in your user profile include My Documents and its subfolders, Desktop, Start Menu, Cookies, and Favorites. If you do not make these folders private, they are available to everyone who uses your computer.

When you make a folder private, all of its subfolders are private as well. For example, when you make My Documents private, you also make My Music and My Pictures private. When you share a folder, you also share all of its subfolders unless you make them private.

You cannot make your folders private if your drive is not formatted as NTFS For information about converting your drive to NTFS

Add Author Information into Word Document

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:06:00 +0000

This trick shows you how to add some additional information to a Microsoft Word document. The information can be the name of the author, company, title, revision number, etc... When you open the folder which contains your document, and point the mouse to the document, the information will be displayed.

Here's a sample

Here's how

Open the folder that contains the document.
Right-click on the document and select "Properties".
On the "Properties" dialog, select the "Summary" tab.
Under the "Summary" tab, the fields are listed by two columns "Property" on the left and "Value" on the right.
Click on a field (i.e. "title") you want to edit, then edit its value. Then click "OK"

Microsoft Excel Shortcut Keys

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:16:00 +0000

General

Keyboard Shortcut	Result in Excel - General
F1 Key	Help
F2 Key	Edit current Cell
F5 Key	Goto
F7 Key	Spell Check
F12 Key	Save file as
CTRL and A	Select entire worksheet.
CTRL and B	Toggle Bold Text.
CTRL and C	Copies the item or items selected to the Clipboard and can be pasted using CTRL and V.
CTRL and F	Displays the Find dialog box.
CTRL and H	Displays the Replace dialog box.
CTRL and I	Toggles Italic Text.
CTRL and N	New File.
CTRL and O	Open File.
CTRL and P	Print.
CTRL and S	Save File.
CTRL and U	Toggles Underlined Text.
CTRL and V	Paste the contents of the clipboard.
CTRL and X	Cut the selected item.
CTRL and Y	Redo the last undone action
CTRL and Z	Undoes the last action.
CTRL and 1	Displays Format Cells Dialogue Box
CTRL and 5	Toggles Strikethrough Text

Formulas

Keyboard Shortcut	Result in Excel - Formulas
ALT and =	Autosum
ALT and F8	Macros
CTRL and ;	Insert Current Date
CTRL and :	Insert Current Time

Movement

Keyboard Shortcut	Result in Excel - Movement
Left Arrow	One Cell Left (also SHIFT and TAB)
Right Arrow	One Cell Right (also TAB)
Up Arrow	One Cell Up
Down Arrow	One Cell Down
Home	Go to End of row
CTRL and left Arrow	Go to End of Column
CTRL and Home	Go to Top of Worksheet (A1)
CTRL and End	Go to End of Worksheet
CTRL and PAGE-DOWN	Go to Next Worksheet

Cell Selection

Keyboard Shortcut	Result in Excel - Cell Selection
CTRL and Spacebar	Select the entire Column
SHIFT and Spacebar	Select the entire Row
CTRL and A	Select Entire Worksheet
SHIFT and Left Cursor	Select all cells to the left of the active one
SHIFT and Right Cursor	Select all cells to the right of the active one

Microsoft Word Shorcut Keys

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:06:00 +0000

Keyboard Shortcut	Result in Microsoft Word
CTRL and A	Selects all in the current document.
CTRL and B	Bold text.
CTRL and C	Copies the item or text to the Clipboard and can be pasted using CTRL and V.
CTRL and D	Displays the Font dialogue box.
CTRL and E	Centre Alignment.
CTRL and F	Displays the Find dialog box, to search the current document.
CTRL and G	Displays the Go to dialog box, to go to a specific location in the current document.
CTRL and H	Displays the Replace dialogue box.
CTRL and I	Italic text.
CTRL and J	Full Justification.
CTRL and K	Create Hyperlink
CTRL and L	Left Alignment
CTRL and M	Tab
CTRL and N	Creates a new document.
CTRL and O	Displays the Open File dialogue box.
CTRL and P	Displays the Print dialog box.
CTRL and R	Right Alignment.
CTRL and S	Displays the Save dialog box.
CTRL and U	Underline text
CTRL and V	Pastes the copied item or text from the Clipboard into the current position in the document.
CTRL and X	Cuts the item or text selected to the Clipboard.
CTRL and Y	Redo the last undone action.
CTRL and Z	Undoes the last action.
CTRL and ENTER	Insert Page Break.
CTRL and F2	Show Print preview.
CTRL and F4	Closes the active document window.
CTRL and F6	Opens the next document window.

Additional

Keyboard Shortcut	Result in Microsoft Word
F1 key	Get help or use the Office assistant.
SHIFT and F1 Key	Context sensitive help.
F2 Key	Move text or image.
SHIFT and F2 Key	Copy Text.
F3 Key	Insert an autotext entry.
SHIFT and F3 Key	Change the case of the selected text.
F4 Key	Perform last action again.
SHIFT and F4 Key	Perform a Find or Go to action again.
F5 Key	Displays the Go to dialogue box, from here you can also Find and Replace.
SHIFT and F5 Key	Move to a previous revision.
F6 Key	Go to the next frame or pane.
SHIFT and F6 Key	Go to the previous frame or pane.
F7 Key	Launch the Spell checker.
SHIFT and F7 Key	Launch the Thesaurus.
F8 Key	Extend the current selection.
SHIFT and F8 Key	Shrink the current selection.
F9 Key	Update the selected fields.
SHIFT and F9 Key	Switch between a field code and it's result.
F10 Key	Activate the menu bar.
SHIFT and F10 Key	Display a Shortcut Menu. Same as right clicking.
F11 Key	Go to the next field.
SHIFT and F11 Key	Go to the previous field.
F12 Key	Save file As, equivalent to tools menu.
SHIFT and F12 Key	Save document, equivalent to tools menu.

Copy Files and Folders to CDs using Windows XP

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:55:00 +0000

To copy files and folders to a CD

•Insert a blank, writable CD into the CD recorder.

•Open My Computer.

•Click the files or folders you want to copy to the CD. To select more than one file, hold down the CTRL key while you click the files you want. Then, under File and Folder Tasks, click Copy this file, Copy this folder, or Copy the selected items.

•If the files are located in My Pictures, under Picture Tasks, click Copy to CD or Copy all items to CD, and then skip to step 5.

•In the Copy Items dialog box, click the CD recording drive, and then click Copy.

•In My Computer, double–click the CD recording drive. Windows displays a temporary area where the files are held before they are copied to the CD. Verify that the files and folders that you intend to copy to the CD appear under Files Ready to be Written to the CD.

•Under CD Writing Tasks, click Write these files to CD. Windows displays the CD Writing Wizard. Follow the instructions in the wizard.

Notes:

•Do not copy more files to the CD than it will hold. Standard CDs hold up to 650 megabytes (MB). High–capacity CDs hold up to 850 MB.

•Be sure that you have enough disk space on your hard disk to store the temporary files that are created during the CD writing process. For a standard CD, Windows reserves up to 700 MB of the available free space. For a high–capacity CD, Windows reserves up to 1 gigabyte (GB) of the available free space.

•After you copy files or folders to the CD, it is useful to view the CD to confirm that the files are copied. For more information, click Related Topics.
To stop the CD recorder from automatically ejecting the CD

•Open My Computer.

•Right–click the CD recording drive, and then click Properties.

•On the Recording tab, clear the Automatically eject the CD after writing check box.

Choose Your Own Folder Icons

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:47:00 +0000

Windows XP makes it easy to assign folders with your own choice of icon. Wise choice of icons for your folders or sub-folders can make it more efficient to navigate a crowded desktop or directory. Also, an array of colourful icons is sure to be more visually appealing than rows of generic brown folder graphics.

Before

After

To assign your own choice of icon to a folder:

Right click on the folder and select "Properties" from the context menu
Click the "Customize" tab
Click the "Change Icon" button to open the icon chooser window
Select the icon you want for your folder and click "OK" to close the icon chooser
Click "OK" again to exit the folder Properties window.

Your chosen icon should now appear for that folder.

By default, the icon chooser opens a folder that stores many of the icons used by Windows XP. However, you can choose icons stored in other folders by clicking the "Browse" button in the icon chooser window. If you change your mind and want to return to the original icon, repeat the steps above but click "Restore Defaults" in the icon chooser instead of "OK".

Folder Properties and Icon Chooser Windows

Change the Look of the Windows XP Start Menu

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:28:00 +0000

For me, one of the features that give Windows XP an edge over earlier flavours of Windows is the enhanced Start Menu. However, an individual's perception of such changes is largely a matter of personal taste. Perhaps you preferred the older, Windows 9x Start menu style? If so, the good news is that you can revert back to the Classic Start Menu in just a few clicks.

Here's how:

1. Right-click the "Start" button and select "Properties" from the context menu

2. In the properties window, choose "Classic Start menu"

3. Click "OK" to exit the properties window.

The Start menu should now look and function like it did in earlier Windows versions. Going back to the XP Start menu is just as easy. Simply follow the procedure above, but choose "Start menu" rather than "Classic Start menu" in the properties window.

Start Menu Properties Window

Enable ClearType for Improved Font Display

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:23:00 +0000

ClearType is a font display technology that comes built into Windows XP. Enabling ClearType can significantly improve the clarity and readability of onscreen text. Although the improvement will be especially noticeable on LCD monitors, it can also improve font displays on CRT monitors.To enable ClearType:

Right-click the Windows Desktop
In the context menu, click "Properties". The "Display Properties" window should appear
Click the "Appearance" tab
Click the "Effects" button
Click to enable the checkbox labelled "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts:" and select "ClearType" in the drop down menu.
Click "OK" to save the changes.
Click "OK" again to exit the Display Properties" window.

To disable ClearType, reverse the procedure outlined above.

Alternatively, you can enable and fine tune ClearType via Microsoft's web based ClearType Tuner

Remove Run From the Start Menu

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:53:00 +0000

Powerful tools such as the Registry Editor, the System Configuration Utility and others are extremely useful in experienced hands. However, misusing such tools could potentially wreak havoc with your computer system and cause you no end of problems.

The Windows "Run" command offers rapid access to these tools. By default, the run command is easily accessible via the Windows Start Menu. The run tool generally retains a list of previously used commands, which means that a user could potentially open an advanced tool such as the Registry Editor just by clicking the "OK" button. Youngsters often have a propensity to fearlessly "explore" their computing environment, and generally speaking, this is healthy. However, having your five-year-old inadvertently open and "play with" something like the System Configuration Utility while your back is turned is less than desirable (grin).

Therefore, if you share your computer with children or inexperienced users you may want to remove the run command from the Start Menu all together.

Here's how:

Right-click the "Start" button and then click "Properties" to open the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" window.
Click "Customize" to open the "Customize Start Menu" window.
Click the "Advanced" tab.
In the "Start menu items" list, uncheck the "Run command" box. You will probably need to scroll down the list to find the item.
Click "OK" to exit the "Customize Start Menu" window and then "OK" again to exit the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" window

The Run command should no longer be visible on the Window Start Menu. To get the Run command back, follow the procedure outlined above and re-check the box in Step 4.

Note that you can still access Run via the keyboard by pressing the Windows Key + R even if it does not show on the Start Menu.

Activate a Screen Saver Instantly.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:48:00 +0000

If you want to keep casual observers from seeing what you are working on when you step away from your computer, or you just want to enjoy your favourite screen savers without the wait, you can create a screen saver shortcut that allows you to activate a screen saver instantly.

Here's how to create a screensaver shortcut.

Part 1: Locate Screen Saver Files

Click "Start" and then click "Search" to open the "Search" window.
In the "Search Companion" area, click "All Files and folders".
Click the "More advanced options" arrow.
Ensure that there are ticks in the "Search system folders" and the "Search sub-folders" check boxes.
In the field labelled "All or part of the file name:" enter *.scr
In the drop-down list labelled "Look in:", choose the drive where system folders are likely to be stored (probably the "C" drive"). Your search should look like the screenshot shown below.
Click the "Search button" to begin searching for screensaver files.
When the search is completed, a list of available screen saver files should be displayed in the search window.

Part 2: Create a screensaver shortcut

Choose the screen saver you wish to use. You can double-click on a file to view a preview of the screen saver.
Right-click the chosen file and select "Send To" in the context menu.
In the "Send To" sub-menu, click "Desktop (create shortcut).

A shortcut icon for your chosen screen saver should now be displayed on the Windows XP desktop. Double-click on this icon any time you wish to activate your screensaver.

If you like, you can even create several screen saver shortcuts on the desktop so that you have a range of instant screen savers to choose from.

Notes:
You may be able to locate suitable screen saver files more quickly by using advanced search options or navigating directly to the files within Windows Explorer.

Activating an instant screen saver via a desktop shortcut will not change the default screen saver you have set in Display Properties. If you have not activated an instant screen saver via a shortcut, the default screen saver will still activate automatically after the amount of idle time specified in Display Properties.

Instant screen savers will not request a password on resume even if you have your normal screen saver configured to require a password in Display Properties.

Instantly Lock Your Computer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:44:00 +0000

Windows XP allows you to instantly "lock" your computer so that a password is required before the computer can be accessed. This simple security feature can keep others from viewing or using your files or programs while you are away from your computer.

To lock your computer, simply press the Windows Key + L. (On a standard computer keyboard, the Windows Keys can be found two keys to the left and right of the space bar, and can be identified by their "Flying Windows" logos.) Any files or programs you have open will be hidden and you will need to enter your User Account password in order to resume your computing session.

Of course, this security measure will only be effective if you have the computer configured to require a password when you logon. If you do not use a password to logon, then anybody will be able to "unlock" the computer. (Passwords can be set by accessing "User Accounts" via the Windows XP Control Panel).

Exactly how the lock function behaves depends on how logon and logoff options are set on your computer.

If "Fast User Switching" is enabled, pressing Windows Key + L will display the "Welcome" screen and other users of your computer will be able to logon to their own accounts.

If "Fast User Switching" is disabled, pressing Windows Key + L will obscure open files with the current desktop wallpaper and display a password dialogue box.

Fast User Switching can be enabled and disabled by accessing the User Accounts feature.

Pin Programs to the Start Menu

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:45:00 +0000

The Windows XP Start Menu has an area at the top left that allows you to permanently store shortcuts to commonly used programs. A few programs, such as your web browser and email client, may already be included in this section of the Start Menu by default. However, you can easily add shortcuts to other applications by "pinning" them to this section.

To pin a program:

1. Click "Start", then "All Programs".

2. Find the name of the program that you want to pin and right click it to access the context menu.

3. In the context menu, click "Pin to Start menu".

A shortcut for that program should then appear in the top left section of the Start menu and will stay there permanently. Once pinned, the program will be immediately accessible from the first portion of the Start menu and you will never have to search through "All Programs" to find it again.

If you decide that you no longer want the program shortcut displayed in the "pinned section", simply right-click on the shortcut name and choose "Unpin from Start menu" from the context menu.

Context menu showing Pin to Start menu option

Single Click To Open Programs and Folders

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:36:00 +0000

In order to open a program or folder, the normal procedure is to double-click the associated icon. Generally, one click will highlight the icon while two will open it. However, if you would prefer to open programs and folders with just one mouse click, you can easily configure your Windows XP system to allow this:

Press Windows Key + E to open Windows Explorer.
Click on "Tools" then on "Folder Options".
With the "General" tab selected, choose the item labelled "Single click to open an item (point to select)".
Click "OK" Exit out of the Folder Options dialog and out of Windows Explorer.

Folders, files and programs should now open with just a single click of the mouse. To go back to the double click option, repeat steps 1 and 2 above. In step 3, choose "Double-click to open an item (single-click to select)" and then proceed to step 4.

Enable an Audible Caps Lock Warning in Windows XP

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:03:00 +0000

Being a little heavy handed on the keyboard, I often find that I've hit the Caps Lock key by mistake and input several words or sentences in all capital letters. This can be irritating and fixing such errors wastes precious seconds of productive output. Also, unknowingly hitting the Caps Lock key while inputting passwords can result in puzzling login errors.

Windows XP has a handy little option that can help you avoid these errors. Enabling the "ToggleKeys" option configures the keyboard so that an audible warning sounds every time the user hits the Caps Lock, Num Lock or Scroll Lock keys.

Here is how to enable ToggleKeys:

Open the Windows XP Control Panel (Click "Start" and then "Control Panel").

If the Control Panel is in "Category View":

Click "Accessibility Options".
In the "Accessibility Options" category window, click the "Accessibility Options" Control Panel icon. The "Accessibility Options" properties window should open.
With the keyboard tab active, put a tick in the "Use ToggleKeys" checkbox.
Click "OK" to exit the properties window.
Close the Control Panel.

If the Control Panel is in "Classic View":

Click the "Accessibility Options" Control Panel icon. The "Accessibility Options" properties window should open.
With the keyboard tab active, put a tick in the "Use ToggleKeys" checkbox.
Click "OK" to exit the properties window.
Close the Control Panel.

The keyboard will now "beep" at you when you press the Caps Lock, Num Lock or Scroll Lock keys. The beep has a different tone depending on whether the chosen key function is on or off.

To turn off the ToggleKeys option, reverse the procedure outlined above by removing the tick in "Use ToggleKeys" checkbox.

Save Time With the Windows Key

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:55:00 +0000

The Windows keys can be combined with other keys to create some very handy keyboard shortcuts. On a standard computer keyboard, the Windows Keys can be found two keys to the left and right of the space bar, and can be identified by their "Flying Windows" logos.

Windows Key + E Opens Windows Explorer.

Windows Key + F Opens Find Files dialog box

Windows Key + R Opens Run

Windows Key + M Minimize all open windows

Windows Key + Shift Key + M Maximize all open windows

Windows Key + Control + F Opens Find Computer dialog box

Windows Key + F1 Displays Windows Help

Windows Key + Tab Cycle through task bar buttons (Enter to open selected window)

Windows Key + Pause/Break Opens System Properties dialog box

Access Computer Information with the System Information Tool

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:49:00 +0000

Windows XP has a built-in tool that offers a wealth of information about your computer. System Information gives users rapid access to hardware resource and software environment information, component and application data, system history, useful tools such as Net and Direct X Diagnostics and much more.

System Information can be a very useful tool for troubleshooting computer problems. For example, digging into items listed in the "Software Environment" can give you information about which programs have recently experienced serious errors, driver details, network connections, running tasks and more. The System History view records changes to hardware resources and the software environment and this can help you track down problems that may have occurred due to driver upgrades or hardware changes.

An integrated search feature allows you to more easily find what you are looking for.

The average computer user may not need to access the System Information Tool very often. However, it is wise to know what the tool offers and how to access it if the need arises.

To launch the System Information tool:

Click "Start" and then "Run".
In the Run field, enter "msinfo32.exe" without the quotes.
Click "OK" and the tool should launch.

Alternatively, you can click "Start /All Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Information" to open the tool directly from the Start Menu.

Remove "Uninstallable" XP Utilities

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:06:00 +0000

Think you can't uninstall Windows Messenger, WordPad, and similar components? Think again. This hack shows you how.

Windows has always had a problem with uninstalling software, and it's particularly poor at uninstalling its own utilities, such as WordPad or Windows Messenger. Uninstalling these utilities can free up hard-disk space if your hard disk is starting to fill up. And if you never use Windows Messenger, you most likely will want to uninstall it because the program frequently launches itself automatically even after you've shut it down repeatedly, kind of like Dracula returning from the dead. It won't bother you any longer if you uninstall it.

To remove XP utilities and components, you normally choose Control Panel - Add or Remove Programs - Add/Remove Windows Components to get to the Windows Components Wizard, shown in Figure 2-1. To uninstall a utility or component, just follow the wizard's instructions.

Figure 2-1. The Windows Components Wizard

Ah, but there's a catch. A number of Windows utilities and components notably Windows Messenger and WordPad don't show up in the Windows Components Wizard so there's no apparent way to uninstall them. But you can, in fact, remove these components. XP has a Setup Information file that controls what appears in the Windows Components Wizard. If you edit this file, you can force these components to appear in the wizard, and then you can remove them as you would any others.

To start, use Notepad or another text editor to open the Setup Information file, sysoc.inf, which is generally found in the C:\WINDOWS\INF folder. For safety's sake, make a backup of the file before editing it, so you can revert to it if you need to. You should also set up a system restore point before making the changes. To set up a system restore point, choose Control Panel - Performance and Maintenance - System Restore and follow the instructions.

C:\WINDOWS\INF is a hidden folder, so if you want to view its contents, you will have to enable hidden folders by going into Windows Explorer and choosing Tools - Folder Options - View - Show Hidden Files and Folders.

When you open the file, look for the line describing the program you want to uninstall. Lines in the file have the format:

program=program.dll,OcEntry,program.inf,,numeral

Programs that are uninstallable have the word hide (or HIDE) embedded in the string. When this word is included in the string, the program won't show up in the Windows Components Wizard. The Pinball game entry, which doesn't show up in the wizard, looks like this:

Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7

To force it to show up in the wizard, remove the word HIDE from the entry that refers to the component you want to remove. For example, if you want to remove Pinball, edit its entry to this:

Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,,7

Save the sysoc.inf file, then run the Windows Components Wizard. The component will now show up in the wizard. Remove it as you would any other component.

Keep in mind that not all of the entries in sysoc.inf are as easy to understand as Pinball and WordPad. For example, if you want to remove Windows Messenger, look for the entry that starts with the text msmsgs. If you want to remove the Accessibility Wizard, look for the entry for AccessOpt. Table 2-4 lists the "uninstallable" programs and their entries in the sysoc.inf file.

Table 2-4. "Uninstallable" programs and their sysoc.inf entries
Entry	What entry refers to
AccessOpt	Accessibility Wizard
MultiM	Multimedia components, including Media Player, Volume Control, and Sound Recorder
CommApps	Communications components, including Chat, Hyperterminal, and Phone Dialer
AutoUpdate	Windows Automatic Update
TerminalServer	Terminal Server
dtc	Distributed Transaction Coordinator
dom	COM+
WBEM	Windows Management Instrumentation
Pinball	Pinball game
MSWordPad	WordPad
msmsgs	Windows Messenger

You might run into a few gotchas when trying to remove "uninstallable" components. On some systems, you simply won't be able to remove Windows Messenger because Windows Messenger won't show up on the Windows Components Wizard even after you edit the sysoc.inf file. And some components, such as Terminal Server, will show up in the wizard if you edit the sysoc.inf file, but the wizard still won't let you uninstall them.

Hide Components You Don't Want to Be Uninstalled

You can use this same technique in reverse to hide components you don't want to be uninstalled accidentally. Simply put the word HIDE in the proper place in the entry that you don't want to show up in the Windows Components Wizard. For example, if you want to hide the uninstall entry for the fax utility, edit its entry by changing:

Fax=fxsocm.dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,,7

to:

Fax=fxsocm.dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,HIDE,7

Hack Internet Explorer with the Group Policy Editor

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:02:00 +0000

XP Professional's Group Policy Editor lets you tweak Internet Explorer in countless ways from changing its logo and background, to changing its title bar text, and beyond.

XP Professional owners have a reason to feel good about spending the extra $100 or so they forked over for their version of the operating system: the Group Policy Editor, available only in Professional, can make all kinds of secret tweaks to Internet Explorer. This tool, used primarily for setting network and multiuser policies and rights, can also be used to customize the way XP and Internet Explorer look and work. It makes it easy to customize many different aspects of Internet Explorer's behavior and appearance from one central place, without having to edit the Registry or delve deep into menus, dialog boxes, and options. You can customize how Internet Explorer looks and works for each individual account on the machine or just for a single account if there is only one.

That means you'll be able to create customized versions of IE for a variety of different purposes. For example, you can create customized browsers for your children or for a business if you run or administer a small business.

Run the Group Policy Editor by typing gpedit.msc at a command line or in the Run box and pressing Enter. When it opens, go to User Configuration\Windows Settings\Internet Explorer Maintenance. There are five categories of Internet Explorer settings you can modify:

Browser User Interface
Connection
URLs
Security
Programs

To change individual settings, browse to any of the categories, then from the right pane choose the setting you want to configure for example, the browser title. Double-click the setting, and then fill out the dialog box, such as the one shown in Figure 2-1, which lets you change Internet Explorer's static and animated logos.

Figure 2-1. Using the Group Policy Editor to change Internet Explorer's settings

You can change quite a few settings with the Group Policy Editor. Next, we'll take a look at what the best of each category can do.

Browser User Interface

As the name implies, this section lets you customize Internet Explorer's interface. This section, as a whole, lets you create your own customized version of Internet Explorer. For example, you can create a version of IE specifically for one of your children take a digital photo of her and use it as the background for the toolbar, crop a headshot photo of her and use it as the animated custom logo, and change the browser title to put her name on it. You can make three types of tweaks in this section:

Browser Title

This option lets you customize Internet Explorer's titlebar text, though only to a limited degree; you can add your name or your company's name to a text string of "Microsoft Internet Explorer provided by." For example, you can have the titlebar read "Microsoft Explorer provided by Preston Gralla." When you do this, Outlook Express will have the same title as well. Because you need to have that initial text string, this isn't a great hack unless you're a computer manufacturer and want to brand the browser.

Custom Logo

This setting lets you replace Internet Explorer's static and animated logo with logos of your own. Note that to do this, you'll first have to create the logos yourself. It's easier to use the Group Policy Editor to change your logo than to use the Registry.

Browser Toolbar Customizations

You can use your own bitmap as the background to the Internet Explorer toolbar. Additionally, you can delete the existing toolbar buttons and add buttons of your own. You don't have to worry if the bitmap you want to use is not the same size as the toolbar. XP will accommodate it for example, by tiling a graphic that is smaller than the toolbar so that it appears multiple times.

Connection

This section lets you customize Internet Explorer's connection settings, which you would otherwise have to go to several places to set:

Connection Settings

This lets you customize your existing Internet connection settings and import them for another use on the PC. It doesn't have any use if you're the only user of the machine; it's intended to help you set up other accounts' connection settings. If you have a network at home, for example, you could copy the settings from one machine to every other machine on the network.

Automatic Browser Configuration

This is purely an administrator's tool. It lets you automatically change browser configurations on users' machines.

Proxy Settings

This lets you tell Internet Explorer to use proxy servers. You can also set up proxy servers from within Internet Explorer.

User Agent String

This lets you customize the user agent string that is sent to web sites whenever you visit them. The user agent string gives out basic information about your operating system and browser to the web site so that the site can better track usage statistics. Using this setting lets you append a specific text string to your PC's user agent string.

URLs

This section is mainly for administrators, so if you don't need administrative tools you can pretty much forgo it. If you are an administrator, it will let you specify IE settings for multiple machines, such as setting a home page for all, specifying a URL they will go to when Help is chosen, and populating their Favorites with those of your choice. If you run a small business, you can use these settings to build a business-specific browser for all your employees. For example, set the home page to be your company's home page or populate Favorites with intranet pages or other pages your employees need to access regularly, such as benefits information:

Favorites and Links

This lets you create a Favorites folder and links, or import them. It's primarily an administrator's tool, since it doesn't add much extra functionality to the normal way you can manage Favorites.

Important URLs

You can specify the starting page, create your own customized Search bar, and create a Help page that will display when someone clicks Help - Online Support. Again, this is primarily an administrator's tool.

Security

Here's where to set Internet Explorer security settings. You can change these settings from directly within Internet Explorer just as easily as changing them here unless you need to change the settings for several accounts, in which case this is the place to go.

Security Zones and Content Rating

You can customize both security zones and content ratings, which limit sites with objectionable content from being visited. This is primarily an administrator's tool, since these settings can be edited easily from inside Internet Explorer by choosing Tools - Internet Options - Security and Tools - Internet Options - Content. But it's ideal for parents who have networks at home and want to customize different security settings for their children's computers. You can set a higher level of security for children's computers and a lower level for parents' PCs.

Authenticode Settings

This lets you designate specific credential agencies and software publishers as trustworthy. This is primarily an administrator's tool, since these settings can be edited easily from inside Internet Explorer by choosing Tools - Internet Options - Security and Tools - Internet Options - Content - Certificates.

Programs

Once again, this section is mainly for administrators. It lets you change default programs for multiple machines. So, for users who require only a simple email program, you can set the default to be Outlook Express. For other users, you can set it as Outlook or a third-party email program.

Programs

This lets you change the default programs to be used for purposes such as email, HTML editing, and others. This is primarily an administrator's tool, since these settings can be edited easily by choosing Tools - Internet Options - Security and Tools - Internet Options - Programs.

Stop Hidden Fields in Word from Stealing Your Files and Information

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:13:00 +0000

Hidden fields in your Word documents can be used to peer into your PC and even grab your files. Here's how to prevent that from happening.

A little-known trick in Word can let malicious users steal your private information and can even allow someone to get access to the files on your PC. It does this by using Word Fields, which are used to insert self-updating information into Word documents, such as page numbers in a header or footer. Some fields, though, can be hidden, and because you can't see them, you can't tell what they're doing.

One of these hidden fields, Include Text, is generally useful; it can insert Word documents or Excel spreadsheets into other Word documents. However, the field can also be used maliciously. For example, let's say someone sends you a document, you edit it, and then you send it back to the person who sent it to you. If it included a hidden Include Text field with specific files and their locations on your hard disk, those files on your hard disk could be sent back to the document originator without your knowing it.

There are several ways to solve the problem. One is to install a Microsoft patch that fixes the vulnerability. For more information and to download it, go to http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;329748.

Another way to solve the problem is to download the free Hidden File Detector from http://www.wordsite.com/downloads/hfd.htm. It adds a new menu item, Detect Hidden Files, to Word's Tools menu. When you choose it from the menu, a dialog box alerts you to any documents that have been inserted into the file by a Word Field that could be functioning as spyware.

You can also try to solve the problem yourself by choosing Edit - Links to see if your document contains links to other files. (If none exists, the Links option will be grayed out.) If you find them, delete them, and the problem should be fixed.

Find Files Faster by Mastering the Indexing Service's Query Language

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Got a hard disk filled with many files, and no easy way to find what you want quickly? Use the Indexing Service and its query language to get what you want fast.

XP's Search Companion is too slow and the kinds of searches it can perform are fairly limited. It can't find files based on properties such as when the file was last printed or the word count of a file, or using a sophisticated search language.

The Indexing Service, first used with Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), is a far more powerful tool. It can perform searches hundreds of times faster and includes an exceedingly sophisticated query language you can use for performing searches. It works by indexing the files on your disk, and then, when you do a search, it queries that index rather than searching through your entire hard disk. The indexes the service creates are called catalogs.

By default, the Indexing Service is turned off. To activate it, first run the Search Companion by choosing Start - Search[-For Files or Folders]. From the Search Companion, choose Change Preferences - With Indexing Service. If the With Indexing Service option isn't available, and instead you see Without Indexing Service, it means the Indexing Service is already turned on.

When you activate the Indexing Service, it won't be available immediately. First it has to build an index, which can take a substantial amount of time, depending on the number of files on your hard disk and your processor speed. It's best to start the Indexing Service and leave your computer on overnight so that it can complete indexing.

To turn off the Indexing Service from the Search Companion, choose Change Preferences - Without Indexing Service. When you do that, you'll use the normal Search Companion. The index will remain intact; when you do a search, you just won't search through it. You can always turn the index back on when you want.

Using the Indexing Service's Query Language

The Indexing Service's query language is a sophisticated language, letting you search on file properties such as the author of documents or the number of bytes in a document using Boolean operators and other search criteria.

The language uses tags to define search criteria. For example, to search for the phrase "That dog won't hunt," the query would be:

{phrase} That dog won't hunt {/phrase}

You can search for text in the query language using either phrase or freetext. A phrase search searches for the exact words in the exact order, like this:

{phrase} old dog barks backwards {/phrase}

The search results will include only files whose text includes that exact phrase.

A freetext expression search looks for any words in the phrase and returns files that have any one of the words in the phrase. It works like the Boolean OR operator. So, the query:

{freetext} old dog barks backwards {/freetext}

returns many more searches than the phrase query, since it returns results that contain any of the words in the phrase.

Searching Using Properties

The Indexing Service's query language's power is contained in the way it can search not just for text, but also for document properties. The syntax for searching using properties in a query is:

{prop name=property name} query {/prop}

where property name is the name of the property, such as those listed in Table 1-2, and query is the text you're searching for. For example, to search for all documents last edited by Preston Gralla, you would enter:

{prop name=DocLastAuthor} Preston Gralla {/prop}

Queries can use *and ? wildcard characters, as well as Unix-style regular expression queries (for more on regular expressions, see Mastering Regular Expressions from O'Reilly). To use these wildcards, you must use the {regex} tag, like this:

{prop name=filename} {regex} *.xl? {/regex} {/prop}

The Indexing Service indexes not just the text of each document, but also all the summary information associated with each document. (To see summary information for any document, right-click the document and choose Properties - Summary.) In addition to searching for properties in the summary, you can also search for the properties found in Table 1-2, which lists the most important properties you can use to search.

Table 1-2. Important properties for searching via the Indexing Service
Property	Description
Access	The last time the document was accessed.
All	All available properties. Works with text queries, but not numeric queries.
AllocSize	The total disk space allocated to the document.
Contents	The contents of the document.
Created	The time the document was created.
Directory	The full directory path in which the document is contained.
DocAppName	The name of the application in which the document was created.
DocAuthor	The author of the document.
DocByteCount	The number of bytes in the document.
DocCategory	The type of document.
DocCharCount	The number of characters in the document.
DocComments	Comments made about the document.
DocCompany	The name of the company for which the document was written.
DocCreatedTime	The time spent editing the document.
DocHiddenCount	The number of hidden slides in a PowerPoint document.
DocKeyWords	The keywords in the document.
DocLastAuthor	The name of the person who last edited the document.
DocLastPrinted	The time the document was most recently printed.
DocLineCount	The number of lines contained in the document.
DocLastSavedTm	The time the document was last saved.
DocManager	The name of the manager of the document's author.
DocNoteCount	The number of pages with notes in a PowerPoint document.
DocPageCount	The number of pages in the document.
DocParaCount	The number of paragraphs in the document.
DocPartTitles	The names of document parts, such as spreadsheet names in an Excel document or slide titles in a PowerPoint slide show.
DocRevNumber	The current version number of the document.
DocSlideCount	The number of slides in a PowerPoint document.
DocTemplate	The name of the document's template.
DocTitle	The title of the document.
DocWordCount	The number of words in the document.
FileName	The filename of the document.
Path	The path to the document, including the document filename.
ShortFileName	The 8.3-format name of the document.
Size	The size of the document, in bytes.
Write	The date and time the document was last modified.

Searching Using Operators and Expressions

The query language also lets you use a variety of operators and expressions for both text and numbers:

EQUALS and CONTAINS operators

When you're creating a query using text, you can use the EQUALS and CONTAINS operators to narrow your search. Use the EQUALS operator when you want the exact words matched in the exact order, like this:

{prop name=DocTitle} EQUALS First Draft of Final Novel {/prop}

This query finds all documents with the title "First Draft of Final Novel." The query won't find a document with the title "Final Draft of First Novel" or "First Draft of Novel." The EQUALS operator works like the phrase expression.

Use the CONTAINS operator when you want to find any of the words in the document, in the same way you would use the freetext expression.

Relational operators

Use the following relational operators when you're searching using numbers:

Equal to

Not equal to

Less than

Less than or equal to

Greater than

Greater than or equal to

Date and time expressions

You can use the following formats when searching using dates and times:

yyyy/mm/dd hh:mm:ss

yyyy-mmmm-dd hh:mm:ss

You can also use date and time expressions in combination with relational operators for example, to look for files that were created within the last two days:

{prop name=Created} >-2d {/prop}

Table 1-3 lists the date and time abbreviations you can use.

Table 1-3. Date and time expressions that work with relational operators
Abbreviation	Meaning	Abbreviation	Meaning
Y	Year	D	Day
Q	Quarter	H	Hour
M	Month	N	Minute
W	Week	S	Second

Boolean operators

The query language also uses the Boolean operators detailed in Table 1-4.

Table 1-4. Boolean operators used by the Indexing Service's query language
Boolean operator	Long form	Short form
AND	&	AND
OR	\|	OR
Unary NOT	!	NOT
Binary NOT	&!	AND NOT

Use the unary NOT when you're searching using numbers rather than text. For example, to search for all documents that do not have seven PowerPoint slides, use the query:

{prop name=DocSlideCount} NOT = 7 {/prop}

Use the binary NOT to narrow a search, by combining two properties in a query. For example, to search for all documents with an author of "Preston Gralla" that are not titled use this query (on one line):

{prop name=DocAuthor} Preston Gralla {/prop} NOT

{prop name=DocTitle} Chapter 10 {/prop}

Alternative verb forms

You can use the double-asterisk wildcard (**) to search for alternative forms of verbs in a document. For example, the query:

{prop name=Contents} run** {/prop}

returns all documents with the word "ran" or the word "run."

Ranking the Order of Search Results

If you're doing a search likely to return many results, you'll want the most-relevant searches to appear at the top of the results, and the least relevant to appear at the bottom. You can determine the relative importance of each term in your search and have the results weighted by that importance by using the weight tag. Note that it does not get a closing tag:

{weight value=n} query

The value parameter ranges between 0.000 and 1.000.

If you are searching for the three terms "fire," "ice," and "slush," and you want to weight "fire" most heavily, "ice" second-most heavily, and "slush" least heavily, you can use this syntax (on a single line) in your query:

{weight value=1.000}fire AND {weight value=.500}ice AND {weight value=.250}slush

Editing the Indexing Service's "Noise" Filter

You can force the Indexing Service to ignore more words when you search, or you can have it ignore fewer words, simply by editing a text file. In a text file called noise.eng, usually found in C:\Windows\System32\, you can find the list of words the Indexing Service ignores. (The extension .eng is for English. You can find noise filters from other languages as well for example, noise.deu for German, noise.fra for French, and so on.)

The noise.eng file contains common articles, prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions, various forms of common verbs, and similar words. Open it in Notepad or another text editor, add words you want it to ignore, and delete words you don't want it to ignore. Then save the file, and the Indexing Service will follow your new rules.

COMPUTER TIPS & TRICKS

Increase your RAM and so system speed

Web Bugs

What kind of attachments can contain viruses

Scan Individual Files for Viruses

Virus, Trojan, Worm

Make your Folders Private

Add Author Information into Word Document

Microsoft Excel Shortcut Keys

Keyboard Shortcut

Result in Excel - General

Keyboard Shortcut

Result in Excel - Formulas

Keyboard Shortcut

Result in Excel - Movement

Keyboard Shortcut

Result in Excel - Cell Selection

Microsoft Word Shorcut Keys

Keyboard Shortcut

Result in Microsoft Word

Keyboard Shortcut

Result in Microsoft Word

Copy Files and Folders to CDs using Windows XP

Choose Your Own Folder Icons

Change the Look of the Windows XP Start Menu

Enable ClearType for Improved Font Display

Remove Run From the Start Menu

Activate a Screen Saver Instantly.

Instantly Lock Your Computer

Pin Programs to the Start Menu

Single Click To Open Programs and Folders

Enable an Audible Caps Lock Warning in Windows XP

Save Time With the Windows Key

Access Computer Information with the System Information Tool

Remove "Uninstallable" XP Utilities

Hack Internet Explorer with the Group Policy Editor

Stop Hidden Fields in Word from Stealing Your Files and Information

Find Files Faster by Mastering the Indexing Service's Query Language