The Document item on the Window menu (on menu bar) simply shows you what documents you have loaded in Word. You can switch among those documents by clicking their names on this item.
This feature will allow you to view different portions of your document at once. Also, if you need to move or copy a text or a picture from one portion of a document to another, you will be able to view both portions. Just select the portion to move or copy and drag it across the divider to the desired location. Alternatively, you can right click on the selected portion, choose "Copy" or "Cut" from the context menu that appears, then go to the destination location and right click and select "Paste." Here's how it works. Click on Split (Window menu), your Word screen will be divided into two work areas, one above the other. Actually, first you may see a gray bar across the screen. Move the bar to the position you wish, then click the mouse left button. You can still re-proportion the areas by dragging the divider with the mouse. If you have a document loaded, you will now have a copy of it in each work area. This is helpful for editing (moving text or pictures around as stated above) or viewing two areas simultaneously.
If you do not have a document loaded when you split the screen, the document you then load will have a copy in each window. If you have more than one document open when you do the split, only the document with focus will have the split screen. Other open documents will be unaffected. I didn't realize I could find that much to say about Split.
This feature allows you to instantly have a duplicate copy of the document on you screen. In the title bar you will note that it has the same name as the original but with [2] after it as a part of the file name. You can change the name by using the "Save As" feature on the File menu. This is helpful for editing a document, but leaving the original unchanged. You can also put the documents side by side (resize by dragging the edges) or one above the other. You can then copy or cut and paste items from one copy to another area in the other copy, in the same way you could do with the split screen.
This arranges all of the open Word documents on the screen. If any of the Word documents you want arranged are minimized, restore them to the screen, then select Arrange All from the Window menu. The documents are then arranged top to bottom on the screen.
Select this item when you don't know how to do something in Word. (If you get Office Assistant, instead of the Help menu items, see below for instructions on managing it.) The window that appears has two panels side-by-side. The first panel has three tabs as follows:
Contents. This pane covers Windows features by subjects. You pick a book on the subject of interest. Click on the plus (+) in front of the book and the subject will be broken down into smaller bites.
Answer Wizard. Under this tab, type a question in the upper pane and click on the Search button. Hopefully, you answer will appear in the lower pane.
Index This is the one I generally use. Type a keyword in the top pane. For example, if you want to know how to insert a symbol or special character into your document, enter symbol and click on the Search button. The first listed topic in the bottom window is "Insert symbols and special characters." In your search, if the first topic is not what you want, other related topics are listed after it. The right panel will have the directions and/or give you other choices as hyperlinks. Just click on one of the links and another article with directions will appear.
The Office assistant is that helpful (or annoying) image (paper clip with eyes or other image) that tries to help you do something it thinks you don't know how to do. You can hide it by right clicking on it and choosing "Hide." You can prevent it from popping up unless you ask for it by right clicking on it, then click on Options and uncheck the box labeled "Show Office Assistant." Click OK.
Now Office Assistant will not come out unless you ask for it. How do you ask for it? Just select "Show office Assistant" on the Help menu. This re-checks the box you just unchecked. So, if you want to get rid of it again, uncheck the box as explained above. Office Assistant will hop on a motorcycle and ride off into the horizon. When the box is checked, the Office Assistant also pops up when you click on Help.
This item will give you information about a dialog box you may not understand, as well as other items. Just click on it. A question mark will attach to your cursor. Click on the item of interest and see what it tells you. I just clicked on it and pointed to a paragraph of this article. It told me the paragraph style, the distance of the first indent, the font and size, and the font set. To close it, just start typing or hit a keyboard key.
This connects you to an Office website with additional helps.
This item on the Help menu will produce a window with the version number and product ID of your copy of Word. It also contains copyright information and may, depending on your version, provide two buttons for additional options. The first button, besides OK, is System Information. It displays a lot of information about your computer hardware and software (that you can also access through the control panel). The other button is Tech Support. It will open up the "Microsoft Word Help" (first item on the Help menu discussed above.)
This is to help those who are more familiar with WordPerfect than they are with Word. It will help them bridge the gap between the two programs. This is not installed by default. If it is not installed on your computer, you will be asked if you wish to install it. If so, you will be asked to insert your Word installation CD in your CD-ROM drive. The installation will be automatic.
This is not in all versions. It will automatically detect problems in your Word program and attempt to repair them. Optionally you can have it to restore your shortcuts. You will be asked to insert your Word installation CD in the CD-ROM drive.
Many people forget about Help on the menu bar and spend a lot of frustrating time trying to figure out how to do or undo something. Most programs will have a Help menu for that particular program. Windows also has a help menu accessible by clicking on the Start button and choosing Help. That help is for the Windows operating system and not the individual programs.
Don't like the way an icon looks? You can change it, in either Windows 98, ME, or XP. I'll deal with both here.
Windows 98 & ME: Right-click on the shortcut's icon and select Properties. In the Properties dialog box, click on Change Icon. Right-click on the icon you wish to change. Select Properties. In the Properties dialog box, Click on Change Icon. Some of Windows basic shortcuts will not give this option. In the Change icon dialog box select the icon that you want. If none of those shown interests you, there will be many more on your computer.
To find other icons, click on Start. Hover your mouse over Find (Search on Windows ME) and in the list that appears select "Files and Folders." In the "Named:" field type "*.ico" (without the quotes). In the "Look in" field, be sure that your search covers the entire hard drive (such as C:), or perhaps a CD-ROM on which you may have icons. Click on "Find Now." All of the icons on your drive will be shown. Select one that appeals to you and note the path to it. Go back to the Change Icon dialog box. Enter the path to your icon of choice, then add a backslash and the file name of the icon. Click on OK and your icon will immediately take on the new look. If the path you entered only leads to a folder, the icons of that folder will appear in the icon box. Select the one you want, and click OK. There may be slight differences between Windows 98 and Windows ME.
Windows XP: Right-click on the shortcut's icon and select Properties. In the Properties dialog box, click on Change Icon. Some Icons may appear in a box from which you can select. If you don't care for one of these, you probably have a large number of others on your computer. Just go to the Start Menu and click on Search ("Find" in Windows 98). In the left column (in XP) of the Search window, click on "All Files and folders." Enter *.ico and press the down arrow to make sure you are searching your entire C: directory, or set the search to any other (such as your CD-ROM) if you have one with many icons. Click on Search. All of your files with the .ico extension will appear in a window with the image of each. Pick the one you want. Go back to your Change Icon box, click on the Browse button and browse to the icon you located. Your Search window has the path and file name. Alternatively you can drag your mouse (left button down) across the path to your file in the Search Results window, paste in the "Look for icons in this file" space on the Change Icon box, add a backslash and the file name of the icon, then select OK. Your icon will immediately have the new look.
Do you print web pages? If you just select print from the menu or the print icon on the toolbar, you will print a lot more than you want, If you are just trying to capture an article. The header and footer will be printed along with the text and graphic.
There are two ways to avoid printing the headers and footers. One is to drag your mouse (left button depressed) across the portion you wish to print to highlight it, right-click on the highlighted portion and select print, or select print from the file menu. Next, in the page range of the Print Dialog box, click on Selection, then click the Print or OK button (according to which is available).
Another way to leave off this extraneous material or control what is printed is to customize the printout. Here are the steps:
1. Go to Page Setup on the File menu.
2. In the Page Setup dialog box, remove everything in the Header and Footer fields.
3. Press OK.
Now your computer will not print the header and footer information. However, you may wish to print some of it. How do you do that? Just enter your choice of the parameters below in the header and footer fields:
&& An ampersand (&)
&b Centers the text that immediately follows these characters.
&b&b Centers the text that immediately follows the first "&b" and right-justifies the text that follows the second "&b"
&d Date (short format)
&D Date (long format - as shown by the regional settings in your Control Panel)
&p Current page number
&P Total number of pages
&t Time (according to your Regional Settings)
&T Time (24 hour format)
&u Page address (the URL)
&w Window title
To cause the header to print the current page of the total number pages, right justified, (ex: Page 3 of 8), you would enter in the Header field "&b&bPage &p of &P" (without the quotes). To cause the footer to print the URL and the date (short form) you could enter in the Footer field "&u&b&d" (no quotes). For a single space between words you must hit the space bar twice. You can add other information in the header or footer by typing it in. This will work in Internet Explorer 4 and later. I cannot vouch for other browsers.
I get lots of emails, including newsletters, that just have one or two items I would like to save, but I don't want to waste the space of saving the entire email, or taking the time to hunt out the items I want. There are at least two ways to save only what you want and have it ready for quick access. I utilize both of them.
Method 1: In Outlook Express, open a New Message window. Highlight a portion of the message you wish to save (drag with the mouse, left button depressed). Right click on the highlighted portion and select "Copy." Go to the New Message window, right click in it and select paste. Repeat this procedure until you have all of the items you want to keep. Add any words you wish, such as a heading or instructions. Address the email to yourself, add a subject and send it. You may wish to make folders in Outlook Express for different kinds of information. When the email comes in just right-click on the header (line with "From," "Subject," "Received," etc.), select "Move to folder," choose a folder and click OK. You may delete the old emails. Later you can copy and paste the content of the new email into another New Message window, along with new message portions and send it to yourself, then delete the previous one. In the New Message window you can rearrange the messages in any order with cut & paste.
Method 2: Open a word processor. If you will have other than text or if you want to preserve formatting, open a full word processor such as Word. Reduce the windows of both Word and Outlook Express. Place these windows side by side. Now, highlight the portion of the email message you wish to preserve, copy as instructed above and paste into the Word workspace. You may wish to copy portions of other emails, on the same subject and paste them in the same workspace. You can also do this in the emails you send to yourself. When you have finished, name the file and save it. You may want to organize My Documents with sub-folders named by subjects. Later, you can call this file up and add additional email portions to it, or use a new window and save it as another file.
If I accumulate a few emails on a particular subject in an OEM folder, I will then Copy them into one or more Word files (either existing or new ones) and save them for easy access and editing.
Sometime ago I gave a tip on how to tell Explorer in Windows 98 where to open. It's default opening is at the Windows Folder. Windows XP default opening is at Your Name\Start Menu. I do a lot of work in connection with the QuestGems website and have a "QG_Test_Area" folder in which I first work out and test changes. I want to be able to have Explorer open at that folder. Happily the same formula works for Windows XP as did for Windows 9x and ME. My original publishing of this tip is in the Archives of Computer Stuff. I'll give you the formula; then I'll tell you how to set it up and put a shortcut on the Start Menu, Quick Launch Bar or the Desktop.
This will work in Windows 98, ME and XP. It does not change how Explorer opens when you open it the traditional way. Here is the formula again, as I have constructed it for my use. C:\Windows\Explorer.exe /n,/e,C:\QG_Test_Area
Replace "QG_Test_Area" with your folder. Notice the space before /n, and notice the comma after n and e. Also note the two forward slashes before n, and e,. The others are back slashes.
Now, this is how to set it up. Right-click anywhere on the desktop that is not on a shortcut icon. Hover your mouse over "New" on the context menu. Then select "Shortcut" from the New context menu. In the dialog box that appears, type the formula given above. You can click the Browse button to locate and select your folder if you wish. Click the Next button. Name the shortcut in the space provided. I just named mine "QG_Test_Area." Click on Finish. A shortcut by the name you gave it will appear on the desktop.
To put the shortcut on the Quick Launch Bar or Start Menu, just put the mouse arrow on it, hold down the left button and drag it. Place it where you want it on the Quick Launch Bar. As you drag it between other icons, or at either end, a black vertical line will appear. When the line appears where you want the shortcut, release the mouse button. The icon will not be placed until the line appears. In the default Windows XP setup, you will see only a few of your Quick Launch icons. Click on the double chevron to see the others.
If you wish for the shortcut to appear on the Start Menu, just right-click on the shortcut and select "Pin to Start Menu." You can delete any of the shortcuts you do not want (right-click & select delete).
Do you want to change the icon to something more attractive or descriptive? See the next tip, "Change Your Shortcut Icon."
In your web searches, you may come upon websites in languages that are foreign to you, but you would like to be able to read them. Just translate them into your language. It will be a machine translation, so you will come up with some weird sentences sometimes. For example, It seems that almost every English word has multiple meanings. Take the word "case." It could mean a case in court, a case in which to store or carry things, "he is really a sad case," or "just in case." Now, combine that with some variations of use in some other languages (though not as many as in English) an you can see how crazy it can get. But you can get a general sense of the page and the mis-translations can be rather funny.
So much for that. How do you do it? Some search engines provide a translate option. Copernic, one of the best search tools, does this on its Search Results page. In addition, there are a number of web-based translation utilities. Some of those are on this (QuestGems) website. Just go to the Resource Center and select Language. Some of those listed, such as BableFish, Babylon and Free Translation are designed for this purpose. Free Translation provides for two type of translation. Under its Text Translator tab, you can enter any text and have it translated from your language to another or from another language to yours. Under the Web Translator tab, You just enter the URL of the web page, select a language, and click on Translate. The utility will find the web page and you will see it in the language you selected.
Do you regularly go to foreign language Web sites? If so, you should configure your browser to properly display them. On Internet Explorer, go to the View menu on IE4, or the Tools menu on IE 5 & 6, and select Internet Options. In the Internet Options dialog box under the General tab click on the Languages button. On the Language Preferences dialog box click on the Add button. In the Add Language list that appears, select the languages you wish to add. If you are selecting more than one from the list, hold down the Ctrl key as you click on the entries. Otherwise, when you click on the second one, the first one will become unselected, etc. If you decide to unselect one you have selected, keep the Ctrl key down and click on that language again. Keep clicking OK until you are out of the dialog boxes.
Data Files Missing, corrupted, or Wish to Revert to Previous Version:
If you have a copy of the file in another location (backed up to another folder, CD, Floppy disk, backup cartridge, etc.) just copy the file from that location back to the location of your corrupted or lost file (use copy and paste or drag with the mouse).
Installed Application. Now System Is Unstable or
Application Is Not Working Properly:
With this problem, the computer may prompt you to repair or reinstall an application from a network location or the program's original media (such as its CD). If this happens, just follow the directions on your screen. Otherwise, you can use one of the following features for the repair.
To remove a program: Click on Start, then click on Control Panel. In the Control Panel double-click on Add or Remove Programs. In the Add or Remove Programs window, click on the "Change or Remove" icon at the top of the left panel, unless it is already highlighted. In the list, find the program you wish to remove, highlight it and press the Change or Remove button. A confirmation message will appear asking you if you are sure you want to delete the program. Click the Yes button, or if you change your mind, click the No Button and nothing will be changed.
To add a program: Follow the above instructions to get the Add or Remove window. Click on the "Add New Programs" icon in the left panel. The instructions in the window are clear. Just click on the button that meets your need and follow directions.
If you suspect that one or more specific hardware devices are causing your problem, use the Disable the Device feature. You must be logged on as administrator to use it. To do so, right-click on the My Computer icon on the desktop, left-click on Properties, select the Hardware tab and click on the Device Manager button(or alternatively, go the route of Start | Control Panel | System icon | Hardware tab | Device Manager).
Double-click on the device type you wish to disable (or expand it by clicking on the + sign. Right-click the specific device and select disable from the context menu that appears. Restart your computer.
The drivers are available again when you enable the device.
First, if you only wish to undo the updating of a device driver (except for a printer driver), use the Device Driver Roll Back feature. It will reinstall the driver you were previously using and restore its settings. It does not affect any other files or settings.
To roll back to a previous driver, open Device Manager. To do so, right-click on the My Computer icon on the desktop, left-click on Properties, select the Hardware tab and click on the Device Manager button(or alternatively, go the route of Start | Control Panel | System icon | Hardware tab | Device Manager).
Now right-click the device for which you wish to reinstall the previous driver, and then click on Properties. Click the Drivers tab. Click on Roll Back Drivers.
You must be logged on as an administrator or member of the Administrator's group in order to complete this procedure.
Second, use System Restore if you suspect that the system or application settings have been changed (changes made through property sheets or the registry); applications have been installed, updated, or removed; or files other than data files have been added or deleted.
If you think the problem is connected with the installation of an application, first try removing that application. If you still have the problem, use System Restore. You have to be logged on as an administrator to use System Restore.
System Restore will restore all of your system and application settings back to those that were in effect at a point in time that you specify. It restores key application, driver, and operating system files changed since that time. It does not affect your data files.
To use System Restore, double-click on the My Computer icon on the desktop, click on Properties and select the System Restore tab. Instructions on that tab are self-explanatory. Just follow instructions on the screen from this point on.
You may need to use any one of the following five features.
One. If you suspect that a change you made to your computer before restarting it might be causing the failure, use the Last Known Good Configuration feature. It will restore the registry settings and drivers that were in effect the last time the computer started successfully. This feature is a way to recover from problems resulting from a newly installed driver that may be incorrect for the hardware. It does not fix problems resulting from corrupt or missing drivers or files. It only restores the information in the registry key HKLM\System\CurrentControl|Set.
Before continuing, print these instructions. To do so, drag your mouse over them while holding down the left button, to select them. Lift you finger off the left button. Now right click and select "Print" from the context menu. When your print dialog box appears, check the "Selection" box and then the OK button. These instructions will be printed out by your printer.
Instructions (copied from Microsoft Help):
1. Click Start, click Shut Down, and then, in the drop-down list, click Shut down.
2. In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, click Restart, and then click OK.
3. When you see the message "Please select the operating system to start," press F8 [or press F8 after the first splash screen when starting the reboot].
4. Use the arrow keys to highlight Last Known Good Configuration, and then press ENTER.
5. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, choose the installation that you need to access using the arrow keys, and then press ENTER.
Two. If you used Last Known Good Configuration and your system is still not working, you might try the Safe Mode and System Restore. It starts your system using only the basic files and drivers (mouse, but not serial mice; monitor; keyboard; mass storage; base video; default system services; and no network connections). If the system will start in safe mode, you can use System Restore to restore all the system and application settings back to those that were in effect when your system was working optimally. Your personal data will not be affected.
To access System Restore just right-click on the My Computer icon on the desktop, then click on properties. Choose the System Restore tab.
Three. If using the Last Known Good Configuration doesn't help and you cannot start the computer in Safe Mode, you may want to try the Recovery Console. This is recommended only for advanced users who can use basic commands to identify and locate problem drivers and files.
To use this feature, restart the computer with the Windows XP Operating System CD in the CD drive. When prompted during the text-mode setup, press R to start the Recovery Console.
From the Recovery Console you will be able to access the drives on your computer. Then you can make any of the following changes.
Enable or disable device drivers or services.
Copy files from the installation CD for the operating system, or copy files from other removable media. For example you can copy an essential file that had been deleted.
Create a new boot sector and a new master boot record (MBR). You might need to do this if there are problems starting from the existing boot sector.
Four. If everything else has failed, or you have replaced a damaged system hard drive, you might use Automated System Recovery. To do this, you must have previously used Backup to create an automated System Recovery set. It is probably a good idea to create ASR sets on a regular basis as a part of your plan for system recovery in case of system failure. You should use ASR only as a last resort, after you have tried all other options and failed. ASR consists of two parts, ASR Backup and ASR Restore.
The backup portion of ASR is accessed through the ASR Wizard located in Backup. To access it, click on Start, then hover over All Programs; rest the mouse on Accessories, then click on System Tools. Click on Backup. The ASR Backup Wizard will open. Just follow instructions on the screen.
The recovery portion can be accessed by pressing F2 when prompted in the text-mode portion of setup.
Automated System Recovery (ASR) restores all disk signatures, volumes, and partitions on the disks required to start the computer. ASR then installs a simplified installation of Windows and automatically starts a restoration using the backup created by the Automated System Recovery wizard.
Five. If you cannot start the computer in Safe Mode, neither the last known Good nor Recovery Console has been successful, and you have no ASR backup to use with Automated System Recovery, you will need to resort to the Windows XP Operating System Installation CD. This will reinstall the operating system. Then you must reinstall your applications and restore your data files from backups.
If you only wish to undo the updating of a device driver (except for a printer driver), use the Device Driver Roll Back feature. It will reinstall the driver you were previously using and restore its settings. It does not affect any other files or settings.
To roll back to a previous driver, open Device Manager. To do so, right-click on the My Computer icon on the desktop, left-click on Properties, select the Hardware tab and click on the Device Manager button(or alternatively, go the route of Start | Control Panel | System icon | Hardware tab | Device Manager).
Now, right-click the device for which you wish to reinstall the previous driver, and then click on Properties. Click the Drivers tab. Click on Roll Back Drivers.
You must be logged on as an administrator or member of the Administrator's group in order to complete this procedure.
Some instructions have been drawn from the Microsoft Help files.
Windows XP has provided a way to recover your system if it becomes non-functional. There are three things you must have available: 1) the Automated System Recovery (ASR) floppy disk. 2) your latest backup, and 3) the original Windows XP operating system CD (the one you originally used to install Windows XP or that was provided with your new computer, if you purchased your computer with XP already installed.
Now, insert the Windows XP CD into the CD drive. Restart the computer. You may be prompted to press a certain key to start the computer from CD. If so, press the designated key.
The set-up program will open. In the text-only mode section of Setup press F2 when prompted. You will now be asked to insert the ASR floppy disk. After you do so, just follow the instructions on the screen.
Automatic System Recovery will not restore your data files. That is why you need your latest backup media.
To make an ASR floppy disk use the ASR Backup Wizard. Just click on Start, hover over All Programs, hover on Accessories, hover on System Tools, then click on Backup. The ASR Backup Wizard will open. Just follow its instructions.
NOTE: You must have made the ASR Backup floppy disk when the system was functioning normally, before needing to use it. So, if you are reading this and do not currently experience a problem, now is the time to make it. As your system grows, you will want to make new ASR Backup floppy disks.
If you make changes to your computer that cause it not to function properly, you can use System Restore to restore its settings and performance to an earlier time (a restore point). You should back up your data before doing this to be certain that recently entered data is not lost. However, you are not likely to lose recent work such as saved documents, email, or the history and favorites lists. Also any of the changes made with System Restore are entirely reversible. You will have to re-install programs you have installed after the restore date you choose. From time to time your computer created checkpoints (restore points). Using System Restore, you can also create your own restore points -- perhaps before installing new programs or editing the registry and after doing so successfully.
Below are some reasons you may want to use System Restore:
• Your personal data files are missing or have been corrupted, or you want to revert to a previous version of a file.
• After updating a device driver, you can log on, but the system is unstable.
• After installing a new device, the system is unstable.
• Changes made to your system or application settings are causing your computer to run poorly, and you do not know how to restore the previous settings.
• After installing an application, the system is unstable or an application is not working properly.
To access and use System Restore in Windows XP, do the following::
1. Click on START and and rest the mouse arrow on "All Programs."
2. From the list of programs select Accessories, System Tools, System Restore. The System Restore utility will open.
3. In the first window of System Restore select "Restore my computer to an earlier time." Click the Next button. A calendar will appear.
4. You can restore your computer to its condition on any of the calendar dated that are in bold. Select a date on which you know your computer was working properly and click on it. Click Next. A confirm Restore Point Selection Window will be displayed.
5. If you have any open programs, save any documents you have not saved and exit the programs. In the Confirm Restore Point Connection Window click Next.
Your data should be safe but you may have to re-install any programs you have installed after the restore date selected.
You can also use System Restore to set new Restore Dates. Windows does this automatically from time to time, but if you have made major changes or installed programs and everything is working properly, it is a good idea to establish a new restore date that you can use if things later go wrong.
To establish a new restore date, follow steps 1 through 3 above, except in Step 3 you would select "Create a restore point" and click Next. A Restore Point Description box will display. Give the Restore Point a name. The date and time will automatically be added so don't include those in the name. If you have just set up a network, for instance, the name could be "After network setup." Click the Create button.
In Windows XP:
Go to the Control Panel (Start | Control Panel). Double-click on Mouse to open the Mouse Properties dialog box. Choose the Pointer Options tab. Under Motions, drag the slider to adjust the speed to your liking. You may wish to check the "Enhance pointer precision" box to give finer control of the pointer for short distances, while maintaining the ability to move the pointer rapidly across the screen. You can uncheck the box to turn off this feature. While you are there you might see other changes you can make that affects the way your mouse works. For instance under this same tab, you can check the "Snap To" box to have the pointer automatically snap to default buttons such as "OK" or "Apply."
In Windows 98:
Go to the Control Panel (Start | Settings | Control Panel). Double click on Mouse to open the Mouse Properties dialog box. Choose the Motion tab and use the slider to adjust the speed to your liking. While you're there you might want to look at other changes you can make. The tabs are self-explanatory.
Specific visual effects in Windows can be turned on and off. You can put shadows under menus for a 3-D effect and make other changes. Here are a couple of things you can do.
In Windows XP:
1. Change the visual effects in Display: Go to the Control Panel (Start | Control Panel). Double-click on Display to open the Display Properties dialog box. Choose the Appearance tab and click on the Effects button. In the Effects dialog box check the items you want. Of course you can get the Display Properties box easier and quicker by just doing a right-click on an open area of the Desktop and choosing Properties -- but you need the exercise.
2. Change the visual effects in System: In the Control Panel, double-click on System to open the System Properties dialog box. Choose the Advanced tab and under Performance, click on the Settings button. The Performance Options dialog box will open. Choose the Visual Effects tab and click Custom. Select the check boxes for the item you wish to turn on and uncheck the items you wish to turn off.
In Windows 98:
1. You will be unable to make all the changes that are available in XP, but you can change the color scheme of the Windows desktop and dialog boxes (and change the screensavers, etc.). Go to Control Panel (Start | Settings | Control Panel). Double-click on Display to open the Display Properties box. Choose the Effects tab (or other tabs for other types of changes). Also you can quickly open the Display Properties box by doing a right-click on an open area of the Desktop and choosing Properties.
2. You cannot make the same kinds of changes in the System Properties dialog box that can be made in Windows XP. However, in the Display Properties box (see number 1 above), you can make changes in the color scheme that will affect all folders and dialog boxes.
Are you tired of windows popping up as you browse the Internet? On some sites, they keep multiplying and it seems you cannot keep up by clicking them off. There is a solution. It is called Pop-Up Stopper Pro.
Pop-Up Stopper Pro is a small FREE product that works like a charm. Since I have loaded it, I have not had a single window pop up. It has a number of features. A short Pop-Up Stopper toolbar appears at the top of you Internet Explorer browser. You can turn the Stopper on or off with one click of the mouse. When it zaps a window, the sound is a brief buzz, like the insect zappers make. You can turn the sound off on the toolbar with one click. If you want the pop-up windows on any particular domain (for instance your own website), just go to that site and click an icon that will allow pop-ups on that website. Another icon will open the folder to which you last downloaded a file. One icon will copy the current URL to the Clipboard so you can paste it elsewhere. The final icon drops down a list of options. One of these is Preferences. It allows you to change the default settings to your liking.
The FREE program is a very quick download and install. There's nothing else you have to do. You can view and edit the lists of sites where pop-up windows have been generated and see how many were on each site and the sites from which you allow pop-up windows.
The program is available at Panicware, Inc. Did I say it's FREE!!! I love it!
There is also a Pop-Up Companion to take care of certain other banner ads like X10 and Casino ads, clean cookies and more. It costs 39.95.
When you copy information from a website or compose documents on your notebook away from a printer, you may elect to print them. When your printer dialog box comes up, you will likely see a checkbox that allows you to print to a file. For some, this might be on a Preferences or Advanced page of the Printer dialog box. If you select this option, the file is converted to the machine language your printer recognizes (either the .PRN format, created using a PCL driver or the .PS format, using a PostScript driver).
When you go to print these files, you get an "Open with" message. Windows Help file doesn't seem to even address the problem. How do you get these files to print? There are two ways. In addition to these ways, freeware and shareware software is available to print these files using all the features of your printer.
Method 1 (DOS): This method may not utilize all of the features of your printer. It will, however, maintain text formatting such as indentions, bold type, italics and color.
In Windows XP or Windows 98: Click on START | RUN. In the Run box, type "command" without the quotes to bring up a DOS window. Alternatively, in Windows 98 you can click on START, hover over PROGRAMS, then click on "MS DOS Prompt."
At the prompt in the DOS window, type "Copy path filename.prn lpt1 /b" without the quotes. "Path" is the path to the location of the file you wish to print. Replace "filename" with the name of your file. "lpt1" assumes that your printer is connected to the LPT1 port. This is generally the case unless you are on a network. The "/b" indicates it is a binary file. Also, notice where the spaces occur. If you have a file or folder name with more than eight characters plus a three character extension, or of more than one word with a space between words, you must enclose the filename in double quotes.
Example: Copy C:\"my documents"\letters\jones.prn lpt1 /b
Be sure your printer is turned on. After you type the above command, press ENTER. Hopefully your file will print. This may not work with all printers.
If you have a PostScript printer and your files have a .PS extension instead of .PRN, I understand that the same method works, except you would leave off the /b switch.
Method 2 (Drag and Drop in Windows): This does not seem to work in Windows 98, but it does in Windows XP. Here we will make a batch file and make a shortcut to it on the Desktop.
Open a text editor such as notepad and type the following: "copy lpt1 /b" without the quotes and save it in the Windows directory with the filename "Printer.bat" (again, no quotes). The "lpt1" assumes that your printer is connected to that port. This is generally the case unless on a network.
Now find the file Printer.bat in the Windows folder. Right-click on it and select the "Send To" option. In the pop-up menu, click on "Desktop (Make shortcut)". Or, you may select File.bat in the Windows folder, hold the right button down and drag it to the Desktop, then choose "Create shortcuts here" from the pop-up menu. Either way, this will put a shortcut with an icon on your desktop leading to the batch file you just created.
Now, to print your file just locate it in Explorer and drag it to the short cut (hold the left mouse button down) and drop it on the shortcut icon (let the left button up). A DOS window may briefly appear that says, "One file copied." Then the printer should start printing. With this method you can select more than one file at the time and drag them as a group to the shortcut.
Perhaps a better long-term solution is to get one of the freeware or shareware programs that automatically handle all of the necessary processes. Some programs are available that will also let you view the file. Do an Internet search using the keywords "view .prn file" -- without the quotes. Once you are viewing the file you can save it to other formats.
A small freeware program that prints both .PRN and .PS files is PRNter and can be downloaded at Simtel.net. This program does not change your system or registry files so if you wish to uninstall it, just delete the folder and any shortcuts you have made. Read the ReadMe file. To install the program after it is extracted, just drag the file to the START button and this will create a shortcut on your Start Menu.
A full-featured shareware program that provides for 30 days free evaluation is Imprint, available at Gallicrow Software Ltd. Some of the features are ability to change fonts and sizes, add headers and footers, including page numbers, add line numbers, put a border around the text, set the number of pages and copies to be printed, set the file to print at a later designated time, have the program to watch a folder and print any new file saved to it. It prints both .PRN and .PS files. Having said that, I downloaded and installed the program to check it out. The basic program worked but the changes I made did not take effect in Windows XP or in Windowsw 98. Others who have used the program really like it. You can try it free. If you like it, the registration is $30.
A wildcard character is a character you can type from the keyboard that will stand for one or more typed characters. In a search, for example, the asterisk (*) will stand in for any number of characters and the question mark (?) will stand in for any one character.
Asterisk (*):
Example 1: You wish to locate all of the graphic files on your computer's hard drive. Click on START, then SEARCH or FIND, depending on your Windows version, to open the search window. Choose "Search all files and folders." Select Drive C:\ as the drive to search. In the field for file or folder name, type *.gif to retrieve a list of all of the image files with the .gif extension. Do the same for JPEG files (*.jpg), Bitmap files (*.bmp), and image files of other extensions. The retrieved list will appear in the search results window and will show the path to each file's location.
Example 2: You wish to retrieve a letter you wrote to a person named McDougle, but you can't remember if the spelling is Mac or Mc and Dougle or Doogle. If you know the folder to search, set up the search to look in that folder and its subfolders, otherwise assign it to search the entire drive. In the field for file or folder name, type M*D*gle. If the person's name is not in the file name but is in the body of the file, enter thename in the field for content. If you do not know the file or folder name, leave that field blank. The search will yield every word that starts with "M" and has a "D" and ends in "gle". The search is case insensitive, so it doesn't matter if you use upper or lower case letters.
Question Mark (?):
Example 1: You are trying to locate the name Toni or Tony. You're not sure which document it is in and you don't remember which way it is spelled. Use the search tool accessed by the Start menu. Set it to search the folder (enter the path). Check for it to search all subfolders of the folder you named. You can leave the file and folder name field blank and the search will cover the entire drive. In the content field type "ton?" without the quotes and press ENTER or click the Search button. Searching the content takes longer than searching for file or folder names. Every Toni and Tony will be retrieved. You can then look to find the one you want.
Example 2: You want to retrieve an address. You don't remember the street name and you only remember the first and third digits of a four or five number address for the house (1_2??). Select the appropriate drive and search folder or file name (leave that field empty if you don't know). In the Content field enter "1?2*" without the quotes. Actually this example uses both wildcards discussed. All possibilities will be retrieved. You can then examine them to locate the one you want.
From the Find Results or Search Results window you can also work with the files (copy, move, delete, rename, etc.) just like you can from Windows Explorer. Be careful not to move image files that Windows or individual programs use for their operation. You can also double-click a file to open it.
Many programs also accept the use of wildcards.
Did you know that Windows XP has a handy glossary containing 1,000s of terms, their definitions, and explanations? In many cases links are provided that take you to articles for further information and perhaps instructions for doing certain tasks. Here's how you access it: Click on Start | Help and Support. In the upper toolbar, click on Index. In the "Type in keyword to find" field, type in "glossary." Actually, all you need to type in is "glos" and the word "glossary" comes to the top of the list. Be sure the word "glossary" is highlighted, then click on the Display button.
The glossary lists symbols first, then the words and phrases. An index of alphabet letters appears above the definitions window. Just click on one of these to go to terms beginning with that letter.
If you want the search window on the left to be hidden, just click on the "Change View" icon on the lower toolbar (justabove the alphabet letters). To return the search window, click again on the "Change View" icon.
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