COMPUTER CONSULTANT
for
HOME & SMALL BUSINESS COMPUTER SYSTEMS & NETWORKS
Clear Type
Clear Type basically works to make text on your screen appear much clearer and readable. To turn clear type on, access Display Properties in Control Panel. Click the "Appearance" tab, then click the "Effects" button. Click "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts" and change the listbox to "Clear Type." Click "OK" and "Appy."
Menu
Have you ever accidentally deleted the little icon in the Quick Launch area of your taskbar that minimizes all your open windows and takes you directly to your desktop?To restore the Show Desktop icon open Notepad and enter the following text:
[Shell] Command=2 IconFile=explorer.exe,3 [Taskbar] Command=ToggleDesktop
Save the new file as "Show Desktop.scf" (without quotes). You can save it to your desktop and then drag-and-drop the icon to the Quick Launch bar (or wherever you want the shortcut to appear).
Menu
Large avi files (movies and videos) can be trouble in xp. XP will tell you it can't delete them because they are in use. There is a fix to let xp behave much better so it's possible to move or delete large avi files. Shmedia.dll is the obnoxious little glitch in XP that causes Explorer to read the entire contents of broken AVI files before allowing any access to them.To correct this misbehavior in Windows XP, remove the following registry key:
Go to Start
Run
Type "Regedit"
and plow your way down to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
SOFTWARE
Classes
CLSID
{87D62D94-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}
InProcServer32
This will prevent Explorer from loading shmedia.dll in response to file property queries on these files.
Note: If you do a "search" for this key it will not be found.
Menu
I hate that Internet Explorer adds the Links folder to my Favorites by default. I don't use it and it doesn't fit into how I organize my links. Try to delete the folder and it comes back empty the next time you launch IE. Annoying? To say the least!I found two easy ways to get rid of the annoying Links folder. If you don't like editing the Registry, stick with the first one.
1. Delete the Links folder for good:
Find the Links folder on your C: drive. It resides in a different place depending on your version of Windows.
In Windows 98, you'll find the file in the C:\Windows\Favorites directory.
In Windows XP, you'll find it in C:\Documents and Settings\User\Favorites.Do a search if you get lost. Once you find the Links folder, just delete it. As the country song says: "This time you're gone for good."
2. RegEdit your way out of Links folder hell
Launch the Registry Editor by clicking Start, Run, and type "regedit" (without quotes).
Back up your Registry.
Go to HKEY CURRENT USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar.
Double-click LinksFolderName in the right pane.
Delete the word "Links" in the Value data text box.
Click OK.
Menu
Your pagefile maintains its data even when your computer looses power. The pagefile can contain unencrypted passwords as well as other sensitive data. The novice user won't be able to see your pagefile while meandering through your computer, but it's still a security risk whenever sensitive information exists on your drive. You can tell your computer to clear your pagefile of any information before it shuts down with a simple registry edit. (Always be sure to backup your registry before editing it.)Here's how:
Go to Start
Run
type "regedit" (without quotes.)
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management. Modify or add the REG_DWORD entry "ClearPageFileAtShutdown" (without the quotes) and set the value equal to 1. You must restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
NOTE: Shutdown time may be somewhat slower.
Menu
Microsoft XP has been called the Fisher Price operating system for more than just its bright colors and rounded edges. This is an OS for everyone, clear and easy to use. If you are ever lost, balloon tips appear to tell you where a new program is hiding, among other "helpful" messages.While these tips can be convenient for the novice, they are far from necessary for most users. Some of these tips, like the balloon urging you to sign up for a Passport account, give up after a while and stop coming out to play. Others, like the balloon reminding you to download and install the latest and greatest from Windows Update, never leave you.
You can get rid of them all in one fell swoop, and this was the first thing I did when I installed XP on my home computer.
The easiest way to do this is to download Microsoft's TweakUI.
Once you have it installed and started, go to Taskbar and uncheck "Enable Balloon Tips."
You accomplish the same through a registry tweak. As always, you should back up your Registry in case something goes wrong.
Here's how:
Go to Start
Run
type "regedit" (without quotes.)
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AdvancedCreate a new DWORD value, name it EnableBalloonTips, and set it equal to 0. If EnableBalloonTips is already there and equal to 1, set it equal to 0. Quit the registry editor, log off, and log back on.
NOTE: The animated reminder to check Windows Update will no longer pop up. Also, if you run low on hard drive space you will still get a little picture of a hard drive in your task bar, but you won't get the big balloon that won't go away.
Menu
Windows XP Professional has a great new interface for customizing your browser. You can change the "throbber" - the logo at the top right corner of your Internet Explorer browser that rests when you're reading a page and spins or flaps when a page is loading. Follow the steps below to add any picture you want -- even animations!Transform your throbber
Go to Start, choose Run, then type "gpedit.msc" (without the quotes).
Go to User Configuration\Windows Settings\Internet Explorer Maintenance\Browser User Interface and choose Custom Logo from the right-hand pane.
Check the boxes to add customization, and browse to add any files you would like to see as resting images. They must be bitmaps (extension .bmp) and they must conform to the proportions indicated.
Your animated image should be a strip of about 10 slightly different individual images pasted together so it appears like a strip of film.
For your small animation bitmap you have a series of about 10 images that are 22x22 pixels, creating a bitmap that is 22 pixels wide by 220 pixels high (if there are 10 images).
The large animation bitmap will be 38 pixels wide by 380 (or more or less) pixels high.
There is a command-line animated bitmap utility called Animated Bitmap Creator (also included in the Internet Explorer Administration Kit). It will take a series of sequentially numbered bitmaps and turn it into a strip appropriate for use as a throbber. Note: This utility does not have a GUI. We've included "animbmp," a simple throbber viewer in the executable zip file.
Note: Older versions of Internet Explorer would accept strips of images 220 pixels wide and 22 pixels high, meaning the film strips were flipped on their side. If you find any throbbers on the Internet with this format, do not try to use them. They will not work with current versions of Internet Explorer.
Menu
Go to Control Panel and choose Power Options.
Select the Advanced tab.
Under "Power buttons" you can choose what happens when you press the power button on your computer. It's probably already set to shut down, but it's a good idea to make sure before you start wantonly shutting down your machine. If it's not set to shut down, choose that item from the drop-down list.Now you're ready to shut your computer off. Just hit the power button. Don't touch the keyboard, and keep your hands off that mouse. It's perfectly safe to shut down your computer with the touch of a button.
NOTE: Some motherboards don't support this feature. If you don't have "Power buttons" in your Advanced tab you might be able to enable this feature in BIOS.
Menu
Watch This Space
Menu
Watch This Space
Menu
Watch This Space
Menu
Watch This Space
MenuDISCLAIMER: All Tips & Tricks have been thoroughly tested to perform as indicated. Glitch Busters By Bill Wiegert offers the Tips & Tricks for use at your own risk and will accept no responsibility for consequences arising from the use of the Tips & Tricks. Contact a computer professional if you need assistance.
