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Tips and Tricks
There are many shortcuts to operating Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, many are useful, some are really useful, and some are just there for novelty value! Here are just a few that may help you. We have also written some pages only for users of Windows Vista & 7, to view them please click here.
Internet Explorer - Compatibility View
A new feature of the latest version of Internet Explorer (v8) is 'Compatibility Mode or View', which you can access via the Menu Bar at the top of your browser. Click on 'Tools' then 'Compatibility View Settings'. You will see a few options, and in our opinion you should select 'Display all websites in Compatibility View', which you will see at the bottom of the window.
So what is 'Compatibility View', and why should you use it? Well, some websites were designed and built before the introduction of Internet Explorer v8, and as a result of certain changes in the way the code is written to display websites, some features of a webste may not be fully available to you. The answer is to display all websites in 'Compatibilty View' so you can be sure to see everything you are supposed to see!
A good example is our website. We have a navigation bar written in Javascript that appears on the left-hand side of the page. As you scroll down the page the Navigation bar follows you, and is always in plain view. Using Internet Explorer 8, this bar doesn't show up, but in compatibility view, it does.
If you can't see the navigation bar on the left, try switching to 'View all websites in Compatibility View', then press F5 on your keyboard and the navigation bar should appear.
Internet Explorer getting 'cluttered'?
You know the situation, you seem to have 'acquired' new task bars at the top of Internet Explorer from your printer, MSN, AOL, search engines and so on, and it's beginning to look messy. How do you set Internet Explorer so all that is showing is the address bar (or just the ones you actually want)?
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What is USB?
In Simplest of terms USB is a way of connecting cool gadgets to your computer. Without a standard, nothing would work the same. Every camera or MP3 player would require a different plugin card just to connect to the computer.
So now we have this standard, but you keep hearing about USB 1.x and 2.x and now even 3.x what does it all mean? The first answer that comes to mind is plain, and simple, SPEED. Each generation of USB is faster than the previous generation. USB 1.x offered speeds of 1.5mbit/second to 12mbit/second. USB 2.x further boosted that speed with a HI-speed mode of 480mbit/second. Now USB 3.x is set to offer speeds of up to 4.8gbit/second. That's enough to stream any video to your Hi-Def TV with perfect quality.
So will my old camera work with this USB 3.x? The answer is both yes and no. Yes the camera will work, and no, the camera won't work faster. While compatibility standards require that all USB devices work, most older devices will not see any performance boosts. However, you can expect new USB 3.x compatible devices to be coming to a store near you very soon.
How much RAM has my computer got?
In Windows XP, open the Control Panel. Select 'Performance and Maintenance' and then select 'System' at the bottom of the Window. The RAM will be listed in MB under the General tab. To find the amount of RAM install in a Windows Vista system, open the Control Panel, click on System and Maintenance and then open System. Windows 7 users can check the amount of RAM they have by opening the Control Panel, selecting System and Security, and then clicking System.
Connecting a laptop to a monitor
All laptops today will have a VGA or other video connection port that will allow you to connect your laptop to an external monitor, TV, or flat panel display device like a projector.
To do this, simply connect your monitor to the VGA connector on the laptop. Once the external display has been connected to the computer, depending on the type of laptop and it's settings, it will either automatically start displaying what is being shown on the laptop display, or in the case of many laptops, you'll need to press a series of keys on the keyboard in order to switch how to display the picture on the laptop.
For example, try pressing the keys FN (Function) + F4, this key will often have a 'picture' of a monitor on it to help indicate what key it is.
Making Windows look 'different'
Sometimes we get asked if we change the boring old Windows style so it looks a bit different, somehow reflecting the style of the user in a more colourful way? Let's look at an example. On the left is the Start Window that appears when you click on the, um, 'Start' button! On the right is an example of how it can be changed to something more to the user's liking...
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The image on the left is the standard Windows menu, which to our mind is dull and boring! Whilst the one of the right is different, colourful and quietly reflects a bit of individuality! How is this done? Well, it's called 'skinning' and is available for both XP and Vista users via a clever bit of software which we are more than happy to install for you and help you choose a 'style' from an impresive range of themes.
As you can see from the task bar, the style change is not just confined to the Start menu, but the entire display of folders, programmes etc. are altered to reflect the new look.
Note: We do insist that this operation is completed with our personal help. Skinning is a perfectly safe operation to carry out as we show in our example. However, the programme can do lots of other things to fine tune your computer, some of which can cause damage if not completed properly (such as Windows Registry Editing).
If you would like us to change Windows to reflect your personality, why not do it as part of the annual service your computer no doubt needs? Contact us for more details!
Minimise all open windows - instantly!
To minimise all open windows so you can view the desktop, simply hold down the 'Windows' key on your keyboard and press M.
Shutdown your computer with one click
To create a SHUTDOWN shortcut on your desktop:
- Right click on an empty area on your desktop.
- Select New > Shortcut.
- In the first box of the Create Shortcut Wizard, type: Shutdown -s -t 00
- Click Next. Name the shortcut: Shutdown, and click Finish.
- Then select an appropriate icon for it !
Re-Start your computer with one click
To create a RE-START shortcut on your desktop:
- Right click on an empty area on your desktop.
- Select New > Shortcut.
- In the first box of the Create Shortcut Wizard, type: Shutdown -r -t 00
- Click Next. Name the shortcut: Restart, and click Finish.
- Then select an appropriate icon for it !
Passwords
To keep your computer safe and secure you will sometimes need to create passwords. Picking a password that is both easy for you to remember and hard for someone else to guess, however, can be tricky. Here are a few ideas that may help.
The longer the password the stronger the security, so avoid short simple words. Realize, also that passwords do not actually have to be single words; they can be phrases, although they must be typed without spaces between words. You can also add numbers before or after a word to make it longer and harder to guess.
When called upon to use your password, don't use automatic functions such as Autocomplete in your web browser or have the computer remember your password for you. Instead, type it in every time. It may take a few seconds longer but it will help your memory. The more times you type it the less likely you are to forget it.
If you fear a lapse in memory, though, write down your passwords on a piece of paper that you then store in a safe or locked filing cabinet as you would store other confidential information. You could even use a floppy disk or inexpensive flash drive to hold a document file and lock that away, instead.
Another option is to store your passwords on your computer with the help of special password management programs such as RoboForm or Access Manager. These programs keep your many passwords available to you for quick reference while ensuring that no one else can get to them. Then, all you need to do is remember one password.
Installing Drivers
Whenever you attach a device such as a printer or camera to your computer for the first time, you must also install a piece of software called a driver. The driver is usually found on a CD that comes with the device, or it is downloaded for a web site. In some cases, the driver is packaged in a special files called Setup.exe, in which case double clicking that file will automatically handle the file installation for you. If not, keep reading.
When downloading new drivers and driver updates, you're often on your own when it comes to installation. Before getting started, you will need to know where the driver files were stored when you downloaded them to your computer. If the driver files you downloaded have a .zip extension you will need to unzip them to be able to use them. You can unzip a file by:
- Right-clicking on its name in the file browser
- Selecting Extract All to bring up a software wizard, and
- Clicking on Next through the entire software "Wizard." This creates a new folder with the same name as the zip file and it will contain the driver files you need.
Here's the 10-step process to install a driver:
Find Device Manager by:
- Clicking on the Start icon,
- Clicking the Control Panel icon, then
- Double clicking the System icon.
- The System Properties window will appear.
- The Device Manager button is under the Hardware tab. Click on the button and a list of your computer's hardware will appear
- Find the hardware item for which you want to add or update the driver in the list. You may need to click on the "plus" box next to the hardware type to expand the list and show specific devices. Right click on the hardware item to open a new menu.
- Click on Update Driver in this new menu. Doing so will activate a software wizard to help you through the rest of the process.
- The Wizard may ask if you want to connect to the Internet or to Windows Update to search for a driver. Answer "No" and continue, or if using Vista select Browse Computer.
- The wizard will then ask what you want to do next. Choose "Install from list or specific location (advanced)" and click Next to continue.
- In the next box answer "Don't search" and click Next again.
- In the last box click the "Have Disk" button and use the "Browse" button to bring up the "Locate File" window.
- Navigate to the folder or subfolder that you saved or unzipped the driver file to and then click on OK or Open (whichever appears). You should be presented with one or two drivers in a list.
- Choose the first driver in the list and click Next.
That's it! You have just installed a new driver. Congratulations!
Keyboard Shortcut for Showing The Desktop
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Do you sometimes seem to have a lot of windows open and need to get back to the desktop quickly, for example when the boss enters the office and you don't want him to see what you were doing? If you have a keyboard with the windows symbol on one of the keys (see the key on the left - on your keyboard it is usually in the bottom left-hand corner between 'Ctrl' and 'Alt')
If you do have one of these symbols on a key, all you have to do is press and hold the 'Windows logo' key and then press the letter 'd' on your keyboard and every window will instantly minimise, leaving you looking at your desktop! To reverse the procedure, i.e. maximise all the windows again, just repeat the process! |