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Sunday, February 07, 2010 – Permalink –

Onscreen Keyboard

Tap or Click?

If you would like to have a keyboard on your screen that can be activated with your mouse you're in luck

Type osk in Start Run

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:24 AM

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Sunday, January 31, 2010 – Permalink –

Context Clutter

Registry mop

When you Right-click the desktop, a “Context” menu appears. Some programs like to sneak in and add shortcuts to their very important applications.
If your context menu has been cluttered up, here are some instructions and tips to clean it up.

HowToGeek.com

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:16 AM

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Sunday, January 24, 2010 – Permalink –

Clean PC

Wash and dry

"Your computer could fry if you don't keep it clean," says Jonathon Millman, chief technology officer for Hooplah Interactive.
Dust clogs the vents behind your computer, which causes your CPU to heat up—and heat is the biggest cause of component failure in computers. Regular cleaning could save you costly maintenance fees down the road.

Here are some suggestions for Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall cleaning:
Microsoft.com/athome

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Labels: Addendum, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:20 AM

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Friday, January 15, 2010 – Permalink –

Name That File

Rules, more rules

There are still some restrictions on what a file can be named. Here are a couple of links that give more details:

VLaurie.com

MSDN.Microsoft.com

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:39 AM

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Saturday, January 09, 2010 – Permalink –

TaskManager Look

You control

"If you want to leave your Task Manager showing on your desktop for a period of time, it can be nice to hide the title bar and gain that space for displaying more information. To do this, simply double-click on the empty area to the right of the tabs. Once it has switched views, you can switch back quickly by double-clicking anywhere on the border."

Downloadsquad.com

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:47 AM

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Friday, January 01, 2010 – Permalink –

Print Spool Cleaning

When all else fails

When you can't get a document out of the Print queue, here's a suggestion:

Type "services.msc" at the Command prompt. That will open the Services
Window.

Scroll down the alphabetical list in the right window pane until you come
to "Print Spooler"

Right-click this entry, then select "stop".

Open Windows Explorer.

The usual path to the spool folder is:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\Spool\PRINTERS

Delete every file within this folder to empty the print queue

Close the explorer window.
Return to your Services window.
Right-click the Print Spool entry and select
"Start" from the list. Close the services window and try printing again.

(You can also go to a command prompt and type net stop spooler or net start spooler to start and stop the service.)

See TopFreeStuff.com

For the brave, here’s a macro that will do the job:

@echo off
echo.
echo Purging the print queue . . .
net stop Spooler
echo Deleting all print jobs . . .
ping localhost -n 4 > nul
del /q %SystemRoot%\system32\spool\printers\*.*
net start Spooler
echo Done!
ping localhost -n 4 > nul

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:27 AM

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Monday, December 28, 2009 – Permalink –

Hosts File

I've got your number

"...the Hosts file is like an address book. When you type an address like www.yahoo.com into your browser, the Hosts file is consulted to see if you have the IP address, or "telephone number," for that site. If you do, then your computer will "call it" and the site will open. If not, your computer will ask your ISP's (internet service provider) computer for the phone number before it can "call" that site.
Most of the time, you do not have addresses in your "address book," because you have not put any there. Therefore, most of the time your computer asks for the IP address from your ISP to find sites."

What is a Hosts file?

MVPS.org has a Hosts file that you can download and install. It includes a BAT file that renames the old file before it saves the new one.
Hosts

"Important Notice - 2K/XP Users

In most cases a large HOSTS file (over 135 kb) tends to slow down the machine. This only occurs in W2000 and XP. Windows 98 and Windows ME are not affected.

To resolve this issue (manually) open the "Services Editor"

Start>Run (type) "services.msc" (no quotes)

Scroll down to "DNS Client",

Right-click and select: Properties

Click the drop-down arrow for "Startup type"

Select: Manual, click Apply/OK and restart.

BTW
If you want to see Google AdSense entries, you may want to edit the MVP list. One of the entries is:
127.0.0.1 adwords.google.com #[Gmail ads]
Plus other Google entries.

[Edited entry from 12/28/2006]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:10 AM

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Sunday, December 27, 2009 – Permalink –

Time It Right

No need to wind your PC

Windows will go out to the Internet to verify or correct its time settings.

"If you wish to check your synchronization settings, look for the clock at the bottom right and double click on the time to bring up your time settings.

You can adjust your local time and date by hand on the first tab,

you can adjust your time zone location on the second,

and on the third, labeled Internet Time, you can view your current atomic clock sync settings."

Worldtimeserver.com:
Atomic Clock Sync Settings

National Institute of Standards and Technology:
Time and Frequency Division

NIST time servers

Time signals can also be heard on shortwave radio or by phone.

"The audio portions of the WWV and WWVH broadcasts can also be heard by telephone.
The time announcements are normally delayed by less than 30 ms when using land lines from within the continental United States, and the stability (delay variation) is generally 1 ms.
When mobile phones are used, the delays are often more than 100 ms due to the multiple access methods used to share cell channels.
In rare instances when the telephone connection is made by satellite, the time is delayed by 250 to 500 ms.
To hear these broadcasts, dial (303) 499-7111 for WWV (Colorado), and (808) 335-4363 for WWVH (Hawaii). Callers are disconnected after 2 minutes. These are not toll-free numbers; callers outside the local calling area are charged for the call at regular long-distance rates.

The telephone service is very popular. The WWV number receives over 1 million calls per year, and the WWVH number receives more than 50,000."

[Edited entry from 12/27/2006]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:44 AM

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Monday, December 21, 2009 – Permalink –

No Home in IE

Blanked out

You can open Internet Explorer to a blank page.

Sometimes your normal home page may be too busy, or slow to load when you just want to pop out to a different location.

This trick will give you a blank slate to paste in a new URL.

Create a new Desktop shortcut
(Right click an empty spot on the desktop and choose New>Shortcut)
Copy the following, and paste it as the target for the shortcut:
```
"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" nohome
```
Name the shortcut something like Blank IE

[Edited entry from 12/21/2006]

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Labels: Internet, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:34 AM

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Sunday, December 20, 2009 – Permalink –

Give Yourself a Tip

Take your own advise

If you still have Windows set up so that it shows a tip when you first sign in, you can add your own message, or change the ones the developers created.

Go to start>Run and type in Regedit

Find:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Tips]

Create a new string value named by incrementing the existing value names and set it to the required tip text.
The Data Type is REG_SZ (String Value)
The Value Data: Your tip

[Edited entry from 12/20/2006]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:26 AM

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Tuesday, December 15, 2009 – Permalink –

Change Insert Picture Target

File location

If you would like to specify the folder Word will default to when you go to Inset>Picture:

From the Tools menu, click Options.
Select the File Locations tab.
Select ClipArt Pictures from the File Types list.
Click the Modify button.
Navigate to the folder you want Word to default to.
Click OK. OK.

In 2007-10, you'll find the entry by

Click on the Office logo
Go to Word Options>Advanced
Scroll down to General
Click the File Locations button

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:12 AM

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Sunday, December 13, 2009 – Permalink –

Files do have Extensions

Smarten your machine

For some reason, the powers that be thought that the general public was going to be confused by those suffixes at the end of file names.

To help us all out, they hid extensions by default.

I like to see .Doc (or .Docx). Here's how to get that information back

Open Windows Explorer
Go to Tools>Folder Options.
In the Folder Options dialog box, click the View tab
Clear the checkbox to the left of the Hide extensions for known file types option
Click OK to close the dialog box and return to Windows Explorer

Also see EdBott.com:
Show or hide file name extensions

[Edited entry from 12/12/2006]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:27 AM

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Monday, December 07, 2009 – Permalink –

Hidden Macro Names and Shortcuts

Revealed

Word has built in macros to perform routine actions such as using the Format Painter to copy formatting.

Rather than trying to guess the name or look up the shortcut keys, use this seldom mentioned trick to find toolbar macro names.

Press the three key combination of Ctrl, Alt, and + (the plus sign on the Numbers keypad).

The mouse pointer changes to a 4-leaf clover.

Click on a toolbar icon. Word will display a form revealing the macro name and the assigned shortcuts.

(It works the same way in 2007-10)

[Edited entry from 12/3/2006]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:43 AM

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Thursday, December 03, 2009 – Permalink –

Remote Access

Distance Computing

"There are lots of reasons why you'd want to access your PC remotely, and luckily there are also plenty of ways to do so. Crossloop is one of the simplest (it’s also free), but for those willing to venture further, you've got lots of options.

Excuse us while we get technical for a second. This list is divided into four main sections: VNC (Virtual Network Computing), NX, remote desktop and cross-protocol. If those terms mean nothing to you, you might want to skip to the 'other' section for the most straightforward applications."

Mashable.com

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:20 AM

Comments:

For remote support, Mikogo desktop sharing is also a good choice. It's free, secure and very easy-to-use. Many functions are included, such as switch presenter, file transfer, whiteboard and more. If you would like, you can find more info at Mikogo remote support. Or feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks!

Hsiang-Yi Cheng
The Mikogo Team

# posted by

Hsiangyi : 12/04/2009

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Monday, November 09, 2009 – Permalink –

Wipe it Clean

Works, but dangerous

"Cipher.exe is a command-line tool. Microsoft has developed an improved version of the Cipher.exe tool that provides the ability to permanently overwrite (or "wipe") all of the deleted data on a hard disk.
This feature improves security by ensuring that even an attacker who gained complete physical control of a Windows computer would be unable to recover previously-deleted data."

Support.microsoft.com:
Cipher.exe Security Tool

Using cipher.exe

File Shredder

Permanently delete data from your hard drive

[Edited entry from 10/31/2006]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:48 AM

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Tuesday, October 06, 2009 – Permalink –

Unicode is Big

More symbols and letters

This free download lets you see and select more characters in the Unicode set. The Unicode Character Grid shows all assigned characters and private use characters in Unicode 5.2.

Here's a blog covering Scripts, Unicode, Character Encoding and BabelStone Stuff
BableStone Blog

[Edited entry from 9/14/2006]

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Labels: Addendum, Expression Web, FrontPage, HTML, PowerPoint, Vista, Windows, Word

<Doug Klippert@ 3:15 AM

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Tuesday, September 22, 2009 – Permalink –

Online Crash Analysis

May you never need it

Windows Memory Diagnostic

The Windows Memory Diagnostic tests the Random Access Memory (RAM) on your computer for errors. The diagnostic includes a comprehensive set of memory tests. If you are experiencing problems while running Windows, you can use the diagnostic to determine whether the problems are caused by failing hardware, such as RAM or the memory system of your motherboard.

Windows Memory Diagnostic is designed to be easy and fast. On most configurations, you can download the diagnostic, read the documentation, run the test and complete the first test pass in less than 30 minutes.

[Edited entry from 8/26/2006]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:59 AM

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009 – Permalink –

Thumbnail Sizing

Just right

You can change the size of your thumbnails by adding a new value to the registry. The range is between 32 and 256. Pick one that fits your prescription.

Click Start and click Run.
Type regedit and click OK.

Locate the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer.

From the Edit menu, point to New, and click DWORD Value.
Type in ThumbnailSize and press Enter.
Double click the new value. Enter in a hexadecimal value between 32 and 256.
Close the registry editor.

This tip was brought up by Lockergnome.com:
Change The Size Of Your Thumbnails

[Edited entry from 8/17/2006]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:31 AM

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Tuesday, September 08, 2009 – Permalink –

Start Pics

Change your Welcome avatar

Windows allows you to choose the picture that is displayed on the logon screen and the Start Menu.

It is absurdly easy to change the picture.

Just double click the picture that appears on the menu (as opposed to the Classic menu) and follow the prompts to Browse to the location of the graphic you want to show.

Ed Bott:

Change your picture on the Welcome screen and Start menu

[Edited entry from 8/9/2006]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:18 AM

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Monday, August 31, 2009 – Permalink –

Print Folder Listing

Get an inventory

Microsoft left out some useful features that you can add back in.
Here's one that might be handy.

This article describes how to add the Print Directory feature for folders in Microsoft Windows XP and Vista. After you follow the steps that are listed in this article, you can right-click a folder, and then click Print Directory Listing to print a directory listing of the contents of a folder.

Support.microsoft.com:
How to add the Print Directory feature for folders

[Edited entry from 8/1/2006]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:26 AM

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Saturday, August 22, 2009 – Permalink –

Self Help

Get started in the right direction

The Office of Technology Services of Towson University, located in Towson, Md., provides Self-Help Training Documents for many applications.

They are available for many levels of knowledge. They’re clean, clear, and concise.

Access
Adobe Acrobat
Dreamweaver
Excel
FrontPage
Microsoft Office Tools
Outlook
Outlook Web Access
PowerPoint
Publisher
Visio
Windows
Word Art
Word

Tech Docs

[Edited entry from 7/21/2006]

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Labels: Access, Excel, Expression Web, FrontPage, Outlook, PowerPoint, Vista, Windows, Word

<Doug Klippert@ 3:03 AM

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009 – Permalink –

Auto Login

Sole user

If you are the only person using the computer, you can have it automatically log you on.

Go to Start>Run ; type in:

"control userpasswords2"

(no quotes)

Uncheck:

"Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer"

[Edited entry from 7/8/2006]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:36 AM

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Monday, August 03, 2009 – Permalink –

Change the View

Adjust how it looks

Sometimes the performance of Windows XP can be tweaked by adjustinga few settings.

Right Click the My Computer Icon
Choose Properties
Go to Advanced>Performance>Settings>Advanced

Pick one of these options:

Let Windows choose what's best for my computer: Restore settings to Windows choice.
Adjust for best appearance: Turn on all visual effects
Adjust for best performance: Turn off all visual effects

Or uncheck these settings:

Fade or slide menus into view
Fade or slide ToolTips into view
Fade out menu items after clicking
Show Shadows under menus
Slide open combo boxes
Slide taskbar buttons
Use a background image for each folder type
Use common tasks in folders

[Edited entry from 6/30/2006]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:54 AM

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Tuesday, July 28, 2009 – Permalink –

Stop Spock Salute

No more three fingers

If you are tired of crunching down three keys to logon your machine, here is the way to get rid of Ctrl+Alt+Delete.

It does involve a registry hack so be careful and back up the entries before doing this.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Value Name: DisableCAD
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = Require Ctrl+Alt+Delete, 1 = Disable)

For more tricks try
Winguides.com:
Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete Before Logon

[Edited entry from 6/22/2006]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:50 AM

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Tuesday, July 21, 2009 – Permalink –

Free Fonts, Free Drinks

Typographic connections

Fonts can be addictive. There can always be an imagined need for one more curly Q.

Here is a collection of possible links.

Luc Devroye joined the School of Computer Science at McGill University in 1977 as a young "snotnose."

" Please do not visit this disappointing web site. Most of the links are dead: they die faster than I can renew them, and there is nothing I can do about it short of giving up my daytime job and divorcing my family, and I love both of them too much for that.

Many link descriptions are boozy and fuzzy. Some opinions are simply pathetic, but I do not want to leave this world without making a fool of myself. To make up for the awful service, I am inviting any type lover visiting Montreal to my house for drinks."

Type Design, Typography, Typefaces and Fonts

[Edited entry from 6/14/2006]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:38 AM

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Tuesday, July 14, 2009 – Permalink –

Print Problems

Some clues

"You've finished your report, presentation, or cost analysis using a Microsoft Office program. The information is rich with data and detail. Now comes the final step: printing it and showing the world your hard work on paper. This is the point at which printing can give you a headache. Right when you want to wrap up your work, project, or school assignment, questions start popping into your mind"

Troubleshoot your printing problems in Office

[Edited entry from 6/6/2006]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:35 AM

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Tuesday, July 07, 2009 – Permalink –

Photo Blog

Daily shots

I don't see it mentioned very often, but Webshots.com has been expanding its offerings. They have a free screensaver/desktop background application.

They also have a spot to upload your own pictures.

Recently they started a Blog with a new shot each day.

Blog.Webshots.com

"With 7.2 Million monthly visitors and more than 520 million photos to explore, Webshots is one of the largest photo- and video-sharing sites.

Webshots provides you with a variety of ways to enjoy photos and videos:

Free and premium memberships with tons of storage—you'll never run out!
Webshots provides you with a variety of ways to enjoy photos and videos:

Share photos, videos and slideshows on Webshots and your personal website.

Download professional photos in Webshots Pro Shots.

Access Webshots on the go with Webshots Mobile.

Easily manage your online photos with the FREE Webshots Desktop.

Order prints and make custom photos gifts that anyone will love.

And more! "

Webshots! Over 20 MILLION FREE screen saver and wallpaper photos!

[Edited entry from 5/30/2006]

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Labels: Addendum, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:27 AM

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Wednesday, June 24, 2009 – Permalink –

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom

Up close and free!

Brian Friesen has created a web site called Freezerware.

One of the clever pieces of free programming on the site is named ZoomIn

ZoomIn is a screen magnification program allowing you to view any area of your screen under magnification. ZoomIn allows you to control the amount of zoom, view a pixels location and color, and save it as a bitmap.

ZoomIn is a very simple program to use. Place your mouse over the main window and click and hold the mouse button then drag the "zoom" window over the area of the screen to enlarge. The scrollbar controls the zoom amount.

As an alternative to using a mouse, you can use the arrow keys to scroll the "zoomed" view, and the plus and minus keys control the zoom. Once you have selected the area of the screen, release the mouse button.

By placing your cursor over the pixel in ZoomIn you can see the pixels coordinates as well as the color (in RGB format).

Some of the other free programs on the site are:

Briscola: a very famous Italian card game. Play against the computer in this one-on-one card game. There is included help with the rules of the game, for those who have never played Briscola before.
Dropper: allows you to get the exact color of any pixel on the screen and converts it to commonly used representations. .; [Edited entry from 5/7/2006]; See all Topics

Plus a number of others

Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:37 AM

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Sunday, June 21, 2009 – Permalink –

Clip Art at Home

Install more

Do you remember all of the clip art that was available locally with Office XP?

When you have an Internet connection, you have access to the Office Online collection, but if you would like more clip art installed on your machine:

A small amount of sample clip art images was included The 2007 Office systems and Office 2003 and is part of the "local collection" that is searched when you do not have Internet access to the Microsoft Office Online Clip Art and Media Web site. Office 2003 no longer included a media content CD with additional clip art. However, the Microsoft Office XP Media Content CD can still be installed locally or on a network share.

The Office XP Media Content CD contains approximately 35,000 clips that are a subset of the clips that are available on the Microsoft Office Online Clip Art and Media Web site. The Office XP Media Content CD was included with Microsoft Office XP Professional, Microsoft Office XP Standard, and Microsoft Publisher 2002 Deluxe Edition.

To install the contents of the Office XP Media Content CD on a computer, follow these steps:
Exit all programs that are running

Insert the Office XP Media Content CD into the CD drive or into the DVD drive
(Hold down the SHIFT key to prevent the program from automatically starting. If Microsoft Windows Installer automatically starts, click Cancel)
Click Start, click Run, type the following command, and then click OK:
msiexec.exe /i CD_drive:\CAG.MSI ADDLOCAL=ALL /qb
(CD_drive is the letter of the drive that contains the Office XP Media Content CD)

Support.Microsoft.com
How to add clip art to Clip Organizer in a 2007 Office system and in Office 2003

[Edited entry from 5/5/5006]

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Labels: Access, Excel, Expression Web, FrontPage, PowerPoint, Vista, Windows, Word

<Doug Klippert@ 3:53 AM

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Thursday, June 18, 2009 – Permalink –

Über Updater

Universal

To check on the latest version of a piece of software, you can poke around Tools, Tasks, About or some other menu.
To check out your whole machine including programs that weren't written by Microsoft, or Adobe, look at CleanSofts Update Notifier

What is Update Notifier?
The Update Notifier is a small utility that scans your computer for installed software and displays a list of updates. Also you can see the latest updates for applications from your Watch List.

It will show you updates for programs you forgot you ever installed.
It's a simple download app that is not "installed".

CleanSofts.org

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:25 AM

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Friday, June 12, 2009 – Permalink –

Frequent XP Problems

Windows XP answers

John Barnett has a nice site with over 100 good WinXP solutions.

"The Windows XP frequently asked questions section contains some of the more popular tips/tweaks. Obviously, this section will be updated pretty regularly so do keep visiting to check what new FAQ's have been added. All FAQ replies are supplied 'as is' I am unable to accept any responsibility resulting from the use of any of the FAQ replies. You use them at your own risk!'

Here's a sample:

How Do I Enable Show Hidden Files and Folders
How Do I Get XP To Empty The Temporary Internet File Folder When My Browser Closes (UPDATED)
How Do I Hide Icons In The Notification Area
How Do I Add/Remove 'Supplied By From Internet Explorer Title Bar
How Do I Replace a lost, broke or damaged Windows XP CD
How Do I Delete An Undeletable File
How Do I Create A Desktop Shortcut To The Windows Disk Defragmenter
How Do I Enable Single Clicking Of Icons To Open An Application
How Do I Disable The Windows XP Splash Screen
How Do I Change The Default Location Of The My Document Folder
How Do I Backup The Registry In Windows XP

Windows XP FAQ's

[Edited entry from 4/26/2006]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:37 AM

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Monday, May 25, 2009 – Permalink –

Backup Tool

Free utility

Backing up files is a "was gonna do that" activity. To make it a little easier, here is a free VBScript that will back up a selected folder to another location.
You will be walked through the process.

Of course your anti-virus software will give a burp, but it does work.

Vic Laurie is a retired chemistry professor. He maintains a site called Windows Tips and Tricks.

" My experience with teaching has made it clear that a lot of people simply refuse to do anything on a computer that involves more than a few simple steps."

Back up Files

And

Microsoft AtHome:

Backup basics: What should you back up?

Jake Ludington's MediaBlab:

Backup to your DV Camera

[Edited entry from 4/3/2006]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:18 AM

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009 – Permalink –

Byte, Nibble, Crumb, Bit

Umpty ump definitions and references — maybe even a googol.

We all know/knew that a nibble is four binary digits or half of a (eight-bit) byte and that a crumb is jargon for two bits (two binary digits). However, there must be some other definitions that don't pop into mind right away.

That's where Whatis, an IT-specific encyclopedia comes in.

"Every File Format in the World"

This is a list of file name extension or suffixes that indicate the format or usage of a file and a brief description of that format.

KAR: MIDI file (text+MIDI) (Karaoke)

[Edited entry from 3/17/2006]

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Labels: Addendum, HTML, Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:35 AM

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Wednesday, May 06, 2009 – Permalink –

Who was that font I saw you with last night?

That was no font, that was my typeface

You can find the Fonts supplied with some Microsoft products
Select a product name from the list to get a list of fonts supplied with that product.

Microsoft's Typography is an interesting site to poke around in.

Here are some books I use for reference material:

Words into Type

by Marjorie E. Skillin, Robert Malcolm Gay ISBN 0139642625

Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works

by Erik Spiekermann, E.M Ginger ISBN 0201703394

The Elements of Typographic Style

by Robert Bringhurst ISBN 0881791326

A font can be defined as a collection of characters with the same style and size. A typeface is the design of the characters regardless of size or style. The terms are used interchangeably today.

[Edited entry from 3/11/2006]

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Labels: Access, Excel, Expression Web, FrontPage, PowerPoint, Windows, Word

<Doug Klippert@ 3:06 AM

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Monday, April 27, 2009 – Permalink –

Change Your Name

Change your company

Ever work at a computer that had been assigned to someone else in the past and be bothered by seeing their name pop up all the time?

You can take charge of your own life!

Go to the Start button and open up the Control Panel
Select User Accounts and click on the account that you wish to Change
Click the "Change my name" option

Another way is to:

Go to Start>Run
Type: regedit
Find:
HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Current Version
On the right pane, look for 'RegisteredOwner'
Right click the RegisteredOwner key to edit it
Right click the entry and select Modify
You could also change the RegisteredOrganization.

[Edited entry from 3/2/2006]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:33 AM

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Tuesday, April 21, 2009 – Permalink –

Stop That Ballon!

Turn off pop-ups

There's a hard way and an easy way.

Sort of hard:

Balloon pop-ups typically appear when new programs and hardware are installed, when disk space becomes limited. If you do not want balloon pop-ups to appear, you can prevent them by setting values in the registry.

Go to Start>Run, type Regedit

In the Root list, select HKEY_CURRENT_USER

Find Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

For EnableBalloonTips, the value 2 enables balloon pop-ups and the value 0 disables them.
For Start_NotifyNewApps, the value 1 enables balloon pop-ups and the value 0 disables them.

Click OK

Note When EnableBalloonTips is disabled, enabling Start_NotifyNewApps has no effect.

Microsoft Developers Network:
MSDN.Microsoft.com/

And, sort of easy:

Right-click the Start button
Choose Properties
Choose the tab Start Menu and then the Customize button
Select the Advanced tab
Remove the check by "Highlight newly installed programs"
Then OK your way out

[Edited entry from 2/23/2005]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:26 AM

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Monday, April 13, 2009 – Permalink –

Windows Keyboard Tricks

Mouse-less motions

Here is a collection of shortcuts for Windows:
Keyboard shortcuts for Windows

One of the shortcuts is a way to minimize all Windows from the keyboard.

+M

Also see:

Kürzungen für jeder

[Edited entry from 2/15/2006]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:05 AM

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Monday, April 06, 2009 – Permalink –

Logon Welcome Warning

Opening notice

You can write and display your own warning notice (up to 256 characters).

It takes just a little trip into the bowels of the Registry editor.

Go to the Start button.

Choose Run and type Regedit

Hit Enter:

Registry Key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Modify or Create the Value Name
[LegalNoticeCaption]

Data Type:
REG_SZ [String Value]

Value Name:
LegalNoticeCaption

Value Data for LegalNoticeCaption:
[Type the Caption for the Dialog Box]

Modify or Create the Value Name
[LegalNoticeText]

Data Type:
REG_SZ [String Value]

Value Name:
LegalNoticeText

Value Data for LegalNoticeText:
[Type the Data for the Legal Notice]

Exit Registry Reboot

Support.microsoft.com:
How to Enable a Warning Logon Welcome

TheElderGeek.com:
Create Legal Notice Logon Dialog Box

Winguides.com:
Legal Notice Dialog Box

[Edited entry from 2/8/2006]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:14 AM

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Saturday, March 28, 2009 – Permalink –

Forgotten Password

Still sign on, or not

Forgetting your password can be an annoyance or a catastrophe. Here are ways to get back to work.

Note If you have not created a password reset disk, and you have also forgotten the password for all user accounts, you cannot log on to your existing Windows installation for security reasons. This information applies to starting Windows XP typically, to safe mode, and to Recovery Console. In this case, you must perform a "clean" installation of Windows XP, re-create all user accounts, and then reinstall all your programs.

Creating a Password Reset Disk in Microsoft Windows Vista
How to create and use a password reset disk in Windows Vista

Support.Microsoft.com:
How to log on to Windows XP if you forget your password or your password expires

Petri.co.il:
Forgot the administrator's password?

TechTrax:
I Forgot My Administrator Password!

ComputerHope.com:
Lost or forgotten Windows NT / 2000 / XP password

[Edited entry from 1/30/2006]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:11 AM

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Friday, March 20, 2009 – Permalink –

It's Your Icon Too

Brand your own Explorer

Developers may consider it heretical, but the icon that appears in the upper right corner of Internet Explorer and Outlook Express can be changed.

You can use your own static logo and/or an animated one.

All it takes is MSPaint and Regedit.

For directions see: Winguides.com

[Edited entry from 1/22/2004]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:55 AM

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Saturday, March 07, 2009 – Permalink –

Control Panel

Be empowered

"Control Panel provides a set of special-purpose administrative tools so that users can configure the Windows, applications, and services environment. It includes default items in Control Panel for common tasks, for example, Display and Add Hardware. User-installed applications and services can also insert their own icons into Control Panel.

There are two view options for Control Panel: Category View and Classic View.

Category View displays Control Panel icons according to the type of task that the user wants to perform.

Classic View displays Control Panel icons in a view that is familiar to users of previous versions of Windows."

Click Start, and then Settings
Click Control Panel.
Click Appearance and Themes, and then click Folder Options.
Open Folder Options.
Under Tasks, click "Show common tasks in folders", and then click OK.
In the Control Panel box in the upper-left corner of Control Panel, click "Switch to Category" or "Switch to Classic View".

Go to View and choose how you want the contents to be displayed. "Icons" is the Classic view, but details will show the purpose of each entry. For more information about Control Panel icons, see:

Accessibility Options
Add Hardware
Add or Remove Programs
Administrative Tools
Date and Time
Display
Folder Options
Fonts
Game Controllers
Internet Options
Keyboard
Licensing
Mouse
Network Connections
Phone and Modem Options
Power Options
Printers and Faxes
Regional and Language Options
Scanners and Cameras
Scheduled Tasks
Sounds and Audio Devices
Stored User Names and Passwords
Speech
System

Microsoft Product Documentation:
Control Panel

[Edited entry from 1/5/2006]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:35 AM

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Monday, February 23, 2009 – Permalink –

Stars on Your Desktop

Space image wallpaper

NASA is wandering around space snapping photos with an advanced form of a Brownie SureShot.

Here is a collection of interstellar portraits and space art the can be used as wallpaper to be viewed as you warp thought the Internet.

Veil nebula

SpaceWallpapers.net

[Edited entry from 12/20/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:36 AM

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Monday, February 16, 2009 – Permalink –

Glossary

What does it all mean

We live in a world based on jargon and acronyms. For a little relief, try this site.

Microsoft Office, Microsoft Windows, and Microsoft Windows Mobile-based devices are covered and more.

Security Glossaries
Multimedia Glossaries
Partner and Business Glossaries
Technical Glossaries
Non-English Language Glossaries

Microsoft Glossary Information Center

[Edited entry from 12/12/2005]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:39 AM

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Sunday, February 08, 2009 – Permalink –

Zapf Your Own Dingbat

Private Character Editor

Windows XP/Vista has its own, hidden, character creator, called the Private Character Creator .

Using Private Character Editor (PCE), you can create up to 6,400 unique characters (such as special letters and logos) for use in your font library. PCE contains basic tools for creating and editing characters, along with more advanced options.

If you want to create a new private character using an existing character as your model, you can copy the existing character to the Edit grid and then modify it to suit your needs, or you can display the existing character in a Reference window alongside your Edit grid for use as a visual reference. You can use any character from any font that is installed on your computer.

The Private Character Editor is accessed at Start>Run and enter "Eudcedit" without the quotes.

After you have constructed and saved the design of your choosing, you can access it from the Character Map by selecting Start>Run "Charmap".

Drop the Font selection list down and choose All Fonts (Private Characters), then click on the character you have created, copying and pasting it into any document.

Hermann Zapf designed some of the 20th century's most important fonts, including Palatino and Optima. He also produced a collection of decorative symbols called "dingbats", modeled after the accidental lead drippings collected by old style typesetters.

Also:
Private Character Editor — Eudcedit
By Vic Laurie

Keyboard Utilities for Windows
Alan Woods

[Edited entry from 12/4/2005]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:23 AM

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Monday, February 02, 2009 – Permalink –

Don't Display

Logon, Logoff, Startup and Shutdown Status Messages

To turn these off:

Start Regedit
Go to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system
If it is not already there, create a DWORD value named DisableStatusMessages

Give it a value of 1

To turn on:

Locate and then click the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.

Type verbosestatus, and then press ENTER.

Double-click the new key that you created, type 1 in the Value data box, and then click OK.

Quit Registry Editor.

NOTE: Windows does not display status messages if the following key is present and the value is set to 1:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\DisableStatusMessages

Verbose Status Messages

[Edited entry from 11/06/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:06 AM

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Sunday, February 01, 2009 – Permalink –

MailTo Shortcut

Just a quick note

You can create a shortcut on your desk top that will start or switch to your default email application. You can also fill in parts of the message if you want.

Right-click an empty spot on the desktop and choose New>Shortcut.
In the box that says "Type the location of the item", enter something like:

mailto:All@Once.com.

The University of Nebraska at Lincoln has some other entries you may want to try. They are intended as HTML hyperlink references, but some of them work as shortcuts too.
MailTo

Outfront.net also has some information:
Getting More From 'mailto'

[Edited entry from 11/30/2005]

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Labels: Expression Web, FrontPage, HTML, Outlook, Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:50 AM

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Saturday, January 31, 2009 – Permalink –

Kürzungen für jeder

Accessibility Shortcuts

Several resources are available to help increase speed and effectiveness for keyboard users. Here are keyboard shortcuts for leading Microsoft products that help save time and effort and provide an essential tool for some people with mobility impairments.

Internet Explorer 7/6/5/4

Office (2007/2003/XP/2002/2000/97)

PhotoDraw

PowerPoint

Producer

Publisher

Windows (Vista/2003/XP/2000/98/ME/NT)

Windows Media Player

Windows Movie Maker

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005

Microsoft.com Keyboard Assistance.

[Edited entry from 11/26/2005]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:15 AM

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 – Permalink –

Dvorak Anyone?

Alternative Keyboard Layouts

"Free keyboard layouts - called Dvorak layouts - are available for people who type with one hand or finger. These layouts make the most frequently typed characters on a keyboard more accessible to people who have difficulty using the standard keyboard layout (called the "QWERTY" layout).

Dvorak keyboard layouts reduce the amount of motion required to type common English text. Use of these layouts may also help avoid some types of repetitive strain injuries associated with typing.

Studies have also shown an increase in typing speed and accuracy when using the Dvorak layout for two hands. The left-hand or right-hand keyboard layouts can also be useful for people who type with a wand."

You do not need to modify your hardware keyboard to use these layouts, but you will need to change your keyboard settings to use the Dvorak layouts.

(A keyboard layout is a map or a definition of how keys are laid out on your keyboard. The keyboard layout you use is determined by software in your computer. The letters on your keys indicate the standard layout for your keyboard.)

Tutorials and downloads

Introducing the Dvorak Keyboard
By Marcus Brooks

A Brief Primer
by Randy Cassingham

[Edited entry from 11/19/2005]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:07 AM

Comments:

I would also check out rankmytyping.com I think you will like it better

# posted by

RankMyTyping : 3/12/2009

Post a Comment

Monday, January 12, 2009 – Permalink –

Calculator Plus

Add, subtract, convert

Another free prize offered by Microsoft to reward users of legitimate Windows, is a neat calculator.

Besides all of the features of the built in calculator, both basic and scientific, this tool converts measurements and currency.

Microsoft Calculator Plus download.

[Edited entry from 11/9/2005]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:01 AM

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Saturday, December 20, 2008 – Permalink –

Defeat Personalized Menus

A fast way in

Personalized menus display just your recently used menu items for a few seconds before the entire menu is displayed.

If you like this feature and have left it enabled, you can display a full menu by double-clicking the menu name when you open it.

To turn this off, go to Tools>Customize Options and put a check by Always show full menus.

For 2007, see:

Indiana University

[Edited entry from 9/27/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:56 AM

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Monday, December 15, 2008 – Permalink –

Who Needs a Mouse?

Finger tricks

Rather not use a mouse?

MouseKeys is designed for people who have difficulty using a mouse. MouseKeys allows you to use the numeric keypad to control the mouse pointer.

Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Accessibility Options.
On the Mouse tab, under MouseKeys, select the Use MouseKeys check box.
To turn off MouseKeys, clear the Use MouseKeys check box.

To turn on MouseKeys using keystrokes

Press left ALT + left SHIFT + NUM LOCK.
In the MouseKeys message dialog box, press SPACEBAR to clear the Turn off keyboard shortcut for this accessibility feature check box.
Press TAB, and then press ENTER.

If you want to use the numeric keypad for data entry as well as for navigation, you can set the MouseKeys to be activated by pressing NUM LOCK.

If the Use shortcut check box in the Settings for MouseKeys dialog box is selected, you can turn MouseKeys on or off by pressing left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK

In Vista, Mouse Keys is located with the "Ease of use" icon. Then:

Mouse keys

[Updated entry from 10/8/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:37 AM

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Wednesday, December 03, 2008 – Permalink –

Start Menu List

List programs

Here is an interesting macro, with instructions on how to install it and a template that can be downloaded.

I recommend using the template to avoid the problems that can occur when pasting code.

A Macro to List All Programs in the Windows Start Menu
by Greg Chapman, MVP

"TechTrax is a free, monthly Ezine (online magazine) published the beginning of each month. TechTrax is geared toward anyone who wants to learn more about using computers, with a highlight on Microsoft technologies. TechTrax also makes a point to focus on issues of accessibility. The range of overall subjects and user level articles here in TechTrax are far reaching to cover a wide audience. From newbie to black belt articles."

[Updated entry from 9/10/2004]

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Labels: Windows, Word

<Doug Klippert@ 2:44 AM

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Tuesday, November 18, 2008 – Permalink –

Zip\Compress

I remember PKZip

Compressing files, folders, and programs decreases their size and reduces the amount of space they use on your drives or removable storage devices Drive compression decreases the amount of space used by all of the files and folders stored on that drive.
Windows supports two types of compression: NTFS compression and compression using the Compressed (zipped) Folders feature.

NTFS compression versus Compressed (zipped) Folders

NTFS compression

If you do not have an NTFS drive, this option is not available. To determine whether your drive is formatted with NTFS, open My Computer, right-click a drive, and then click Properties. The file system is indicated on the General tab.

You can compress individual files and folders using NTFS compression, as well as entire NTFS drives.

You can compress a folder without compressing its contents.

You can work with NTFS-compressed files without decompressing them.

You can display NTFS-compressed file and folder names in a different color to make them easier to identify.

You may notice a decrease in performance when working with NTFS-compressed files. When you open a compressed file, Windows automatically decompresses it for you, and when you close the file, Windows compresses it again. This process may decrease your computers performance.

NTFS-compressed files and folders only remain compressed while they are stored on an NTFS drive.

You cannot encrypt an NTFS-compressed file.

NTFS file encryption is not available on Windows XP Home Edition.

Compressed (zipped) Folders

Files and folders that are compressed using the Compressed (zipped) Folders feature remain compressed on both FAT and NTFS drives.

You can run some programs directly from these compressed folders without decompressing them. You can also open files directly from compressed folders.

Zipped compressed files and folders can be moved to any drive or folder on your computer, the Internet, or your network, and they are compatible with other file compression programs.

Folders compressed using this feature are identified by a zipper icon.

You can protect files in a zipped compressed folder with a password.

Compressing folders using Compressed (zipped) Folders will not decrease your computer's performance.

To compress individual files using Compressed (zipped) Folders, create a compressed folder and then move or copy the files to that folder.

This step-by-step article describes how to create and use compressed (or "zipped") folders in Windows XP. You can use compressed folders to store files in a compressed format that uses less space than normal, and if needed, you can protect those files with a password.

How To Use Compressed (Zipped) Folders in Windows XP

Also:
Newbie Guide to NTFS File and Folder Compression
Windows XP's "Compressed Folders" Feature

"In classic Microsoft fashion, a third-party feature—file compression in this case—has become so useful and widely utilized that Microsoft has decided to include it in the operating system.
Also in classic fashion, Microsoft implements this new feature with limited functionality—just enough to tantalize you, but if you want full functionality, you still need to get the third-party product. The new compressed folders feature in Windows Server 2003 provides similar capabilities as third-party add-ons such as PKZip and WinZip. But can it be used as a replacement? If you just want to be able to compress files, yes. However, the Zip programs (particularly WinZip) provide additional features that might make it worth the cost."

Compressed Folders Versus Zip

DonZeigler.com:

"Much like Linus Torvalds, father of the Linux operating system, the name Phil Katz isn't familiar to most home computer users of today. Mention his name to anyone who's been involved with the hobby since the very beginning, however, and you'll likely get a nod of recognition and a grin. Phil's story is fascinating but cut short by tragedy.

On April 14, 2000, Phil Katz was found dead in a Milwaukee motel room. An empty bottle of peppermint schnapps was still clutched in his hand, and five more empties were scattered about the room. It was a miserable, lonely end for a man who had created a product now in use by millions of people; a product that revolutionized computer data storage and made file transfers less complicated and more efficient. He was only 37 years old when he died."

Phil Katz
and
Defending Phil Katz

[Edited entry from 8/10/2005]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:54 AM

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Monday, November 17, 2008 – Permalink –

Path to Control Panel

Browser direction

Instead of leaving the IE browser, to open Control Panel, just type in the address bar
(without quotes).

"control panel\"

followed by whatever feature in the Control Panel you want.
For example,

"control panel\display"

takes you to the display settings.

Also:

How to Open Control Panel Folders from the Command Prompt

[Edited entry from 8/28/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:45 AM

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Monday, November 10, 2008 – Permalink –

WinPatrol Protection

Installation warnings

A favorite trick of spyware programs is to make changes to the Registry. They attempt to do this in the background without your knowledge. WinPatrol is like having a guard dog on duty to warn when intruders are skulking about.

Scotia, New York, August 9th, 2005

"BillP Studios announced today that results of recent tests show WinPatrol PLUS with R.I.D. will detect 100% of the top spyware threats on a Microsoft Windows-based PC. Recent results by independent testers confirmed WinPatrol's "Real-time Infiltration Detection" methodology is effective in alerting users to newly installed software."

"WinPatrol takes snapshot of your critical system resources and alerts you to any changes that may occur without your knowledge. You'll be removing dangerous new programs while others download new reference files.

WinPatrol isn't the only software we recommend for complete safety but with Scotty on Patrol you'll find yourself informed on what's going on inside your computer. WinPatrol puts you back in control of your computer so you'll know what programs are and should be running at all times."

WinPatrol.com

[Edited entry from 8/19/2005]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:49 AM

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Friday, October 24, 2008 – Permalink –

Security and the Net

Is any place safe?

This from PracticallyNetworked.com:

"One of the biggest misconceptions is that hackers will target only large companies. The truth is computers get attacked for a variety of reasons. Some of these include the following:

Snooping: Reading private mail and other personal files.
Destroying or corrupting computer data: Making files unusable, or making a whole computer unusable.
Stealing computer data: Taking credit card numbers, e-mail addresses, company information and so on.
Stopping computers from functioning properly: Blocking incoming traffic so that intended users cannot get access, etc.
Misusing computer resources: Sending spam without you knowing it, etc.
Pranks: practical jokes, breaking in just because it's a challenge.

The bottom line, don't think your network is safe just because you're not that important or well-known. Assuming that you aren't personally targeted, moderately secure networks usually cause hackers to attack elsewhere. Yet attacks can come from many different sources and your computer should be equipped to deal with each of these types of attacks."

CAN YOU EVER BE TRULY SAFE AND SECURE ONLINE

Check out your computers vulnerability at GRC.com.
(Gibson Research Corporation)

Also see:
StaySafeOnline.info

[Edited entry from 7/22/2005]

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Labels: Internet, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:34 AM

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Monday, October 20, 2008 – Permalink –

Stop Program from Appearing

MFU list

To remove items from the Most Frequently Used Programs list, right-click Remove from this list. However, when you run the program again, it may reappear on the list.

You can stop a program from appearing on the Most Frequently Used Programs list. No mater how often you use the program it will never appear on this list.

Click Start and select Run.
Type regedit and click OK.
Look for the registry key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\
Under this key are a series of sub-keys representing the installed applications.
Choose the executable you do not want to appear on the list. (for instance Excel.exe)
Click Edit, point to New, and select String Value.
Type NoStartPage for the value name.
Close the Registry Editor.
Restart the computer.

Microsoft Support:

Prevent a Program from Being Displayed in the Most Frequently Used Programs List in Windows XP

and

Start Menu (MFU) list is empty

[Edited entry from 7/6/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:14 AM

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Friday, October 03, 2008 – Permalink –

Edit Open With

Pruning tips

"When you right click certain files, you'll see a selection to "open with," and when you click it, you'll see a list of programs to choose from. You can remove some of the applications from this list if you will never use them to open this type of file, or you can clear the list completely, by editing the registry.
Open the registry editor.
(Start>Run Regedit will do it)
Go to the following key: HKEY CURRENT USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts
Scroll down the list of file extensions to the one for which you want to edit or clear the list.
Click the + to expand OpenWithList
In the right pane, you should see a list of programs (for example, Word.exe, notepad.exe, etc.).
Click the one(s) you want to remove. Press the Delete key.

If this doesn't remove the program(s) you want to remove,

Go to: HKEY CLASSES ROOT
Scroll to the desired file extension
Click OpenWithList, and remove the program there

(The settings under HKEY CURRENT USER apply only when your user account is logged on. The ones under HKEY CLASSES ROOT apply to all users).

[Edited entry from 6/28/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:33 AM

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Thursday, September 25, 2008 – Permalink –

Free Fonts

More choices

Windows NT + no longer has a maximum number of fonts that can be installed. (Windows Me and before was limited to about 1000 or 64 KB.) The problem is that your machine will slow down if you go overboard. It's better to install the most used typefaces, and then move the fonts into and out of the C:\Windows\Fonts or C:\WINNT\Fonts folder.

Here's one site that provides over 5,000 fonts. You can enter a short piece of text to see what it will look like:

"The fonts presented on this website are their authors' property, and are either freeware, shareware, demo versions or public domain, most of the time for non-commercial use. Look at the readme-files in the archives or check the indicated authors' website for details, and contact him if in doubt."

Dafont.com

6-17-2005 - Bill Reid comments:

"One little known fact about Windows' font handling. You don't necessarily have to move fonts into the Fonts directory to make them usable. If you store extra fonts in another directory, you can double click it, bringing up a dialog that demonstrates the font's usage. If you open your application at this point, it will recognize the font as being installed."

Bill Reid comments:

"One little known fact about Windows' font handling. You don't necessarily have to move fonts into the Fonts directory to make them usable. If you store extra fonts in another directory, you can double click it, bringing up a dialog that demonstrates the font's usage. If you open your application at this point, it will recognize the font as being installed."

[Edited entry from 6/17/2005]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:13 AM

Comments:

Nice collection. Also another free fonts for download at Free Fonts Collection

# posted by

Jatin : 9/25/2008

Post a Comment

Sunday, September 21, 2008 – Permalink –

Window lost!

Open, but hidden

Has this happened to you? You dragged the window over to the far right of the screen it has disappears. When the application is started, the window does not open in the main screen but appears minimized on the Taskbar. Even a right click the window to maximize will not open the app.

Try this.

Hold down the Alt key and tap the Tab Key. When you see the desired window, let go of the Alt key.
Hit Alt+Spacebar
Hit M and then use the arrow keys to get the window to the right spot.
Hit Esc when it's near the right spot.
Now drag on the edges of the window to size it. (do not use the Maximize button)

In the future the window should work correctly.

[Edited entry from 6/12/2005]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:50 AM

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Friday, September 19, 2008 – Permalink –

Mouse Practice

Click quizzers

Unlike the kids today, not all of us were born with a mouse in our pablum glazed paw.

If you have a new user who needs practice using a Mouse, take a look at some of these links. There are some very well done games and some step by step instructions.

Ferry Halim:
Games

Seniornet.org:
Mouse Exercises

Placing the mouse
Clicking the mouse
Drag and drop
Drawing with the mouse

USA Quiz

Paper doll game

Queens Borough Public Library, New York:
How to use the mouse

Click tester

Shambles.net:
(This website is designed to support the international school communities in 17 countries in South East Asia.)
Mouse skills collection

[Edited entry from 6/9/2005]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 7:01 AM

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Friday, September 12, 2008 – Permalink –

Create your own Screensaver

Choose your own images

Windows has a feature that allows you to create a screensaver from images saved in a folder.
You can use pictures you already have or use a PowerPoint slide show.

Open the PowerPoint presentation. If you want to save a specific slide, select it in Normal view.
On the File menu, click Save As.
Select an empty folder or create a new empty folder in which to save your presentation or slide.
In the Save as type box, click Device Independent Bitmap, and then click Save. You can keep the original presentation file name or create a new name.
Click Every Slide or Current Slide Only, and then click OK.
Your presentation or slide is saved to the folder that you selected. After you close your PowerPoint presentation, you will use Windows XP to open the presentation or slide as a screen saver.
(Animations that you may have added to the original presentation will not play when you create the screen saver. )
Close your presentation.

Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Display, or right-click an empty part of the desktop and choose Properties.
On the Screen Saver tab, click My Pictures Slideshow (Photos in Vista).
Under Screen saver, click Settings.
Under How often should pictures change?, set the slider at the interval you want between pictures, or, if you are making a single slide a screen saver, move the slider to Less (three minutes) to avoid a distracting flicker on the screen during the transitions.
Under Use pictures in this folder, browse to the folder in which you saved the presentation or slide.
If you saved a single slide, clear the Use transition effects between pictures and Allow scrolling through pictures with the keyboard check boxes.
(screen saver transition effects in this screen saver option are predesigned and do not include the transitions that you set when you created the presentation.)
Click OK.

To preview your new screen saver, on the Screen Saver tab, click Preview

Create a screen saver from slides

[edited entry from 6/2/2005]

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Labels: PowerPoint, Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 2:29 AM

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Tuesday, September 09, 2008 – Permalink –

Save the Screen

Won't someone please!

"AJ Screensaver is a freeware clock screensaver. This screensaver is based on work of others.

Several very interesting clock shockwave flash files are packed in this screensaver."

A variety of clocks appear. The web site gives links to the original artists.

Freeware: AJScreenSaver

Anne Jan Beeks's site is part of a ring that includes:
Free Screensavers.com

[Edited entry from 5/30/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 2:43 AM

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Sunday, August 31, 2008 – Permalink –

Paint.NET

Cougar Gold

Washington State University was thought of as a primarily agricultural institution in the past. Now they have burst into today's IT scene with an improvement on an old product.

"Paint.NET originated as a Computer Science senior design project during the Spring 2004 semester at Washington State University.

Paint.NET v3+ is image and photo manipulation software designed to be used on computers that run Windows. Paint.NET is jointly developed at Washington State University with additional help from Microsoft, and is meant to be a free replacement for the MS Paint software that comes with all Windows operating systems. The programming language used to create Paint.NET is C#, with GDI+ extensions.

It has been compared to other digital photo editing software packages such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Microsoft Photo Editor, and The GIMP."

Paint.NET free download

Tutorials

To order Cougar Gold Cheddar Cheese see:
The Creamery

[Edited entry from 5/18/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:17 AM

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Monday, August 25, 2008 – Permalink –

MS Groups

Web based Newsreader

We can't forget that, even with blogs and google, there are still news groups out there helping to solve common problems.

Microsoft has a site that organizes a number of groups and makes access easy on the web.

"The Web-based Newsreader allows you to participate in discussion groups directly in your Web browser; you don't need to install or configure anything. You can use the Web-based Newsreader to read, post, search for, and reply to messages in discussion groups from the part of Usenet that concerns Microsoft products and technologies."

Microsoft Discussion Groups

Help for the Web-based Newsreader

[Edited entry from 5/12/2005]

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Labels: Internet, Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:45 AM

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Wednesday, August 20, 2008 – Permalink –

Notepad

Really basic

There are hundreds of freeware substitutes for Windows Notepad, but you can still do some interesting things with the standard version included with Windows.

To create a file that time-dates entries, on the first line of a Notepad document, type the following extension at the left margin, making sure you use all uppercase letters and include the period:

.LOG

After making an entry, save Notepad. When you next open the file, the previous date and time will be displayed.

You can, also insert the date and time by clicking Edit and select Time/Date, or just press F5. The current date and time will automatically be inserted into your file.

You can also change the Font on the Format menu and change the page layout on File>Page Setup.

To work with Headers and Footers,
On the File menu, click Page Setup.
In the Header or Footer box, type the letter and character combination from the following list:

Insert the open file's name or (untitled) if the file has no name.: &f
Insert the date.: &d
Insert the time specified by your computer's clock.: &t
Insert page numbers.: &p
Insert an ampersand (&).: &&
Align the header or footer to the left, center, or right.: &l, &c, or &r

Note

You can use more than one combination in the Header or Footer box. Leaving a space or two between each combination will make the header or footer easier to read.
To align text to the left, center, or right, you must first enter &l, &c, or &r in the Header or Footer box, followed by any other combinations you want to use.
You can also incorporate text with the combinations. For example, Page &p will print out as Page 1, Page 2, and so on.

Product description

Replacing notepad in Windows Vista

Also see:

WebTech University:
Using Windows Notepad as an HTML Editor

[Edited entry from 5/6/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:32 AM

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Sunday, August 03, 2008 – Permalink –

Windows Tips and Hints

Both Desktop and Server

Jim Boyce puts out a newsletter that covers various computer topics.

His web site, Boyce.us, has a long list of topics.

Microsoft Windows XP / 2000 Professional Tips

Here are just a few of the 516 Windows desktop items:

A Better Calculator
Adding Options to the Send To Menu
Avoid reinstalling applications after a clean install
Changing Icons of Desktop Items and Documents
Cloning Your Current Configuration
Defrag a drive when not logged on as Administrator
Fine-tune Internet Explorer’s behavior
Give your middle button a reason to live
Lock your workstation with a keystroke
Locking Down the Registry
Prevent users from shutting down the computer
Sharing a dial-up Internet connection
Take control of Explorer
Taking your notebook home
Test your connection speed
Use Ctrl for opening folders
Use two or more monitors
Using the Last Known Good Configuration
Working with Safe Mode

(This has not been updated in awhile, but there is still good information.)

[Edited entry from 4/13/2005]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 5:09 AM

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Wednesday, July 23, 2008 – Permalink –

Registry Backup

Safe or sorry, your choice

How many times have you seen these words?

"This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs."

The Registry contains information that Windows continually references during operation, such as profiles for each user, the applications installed on the computer and the types of documents that each can create, property sheet settings for folders and application icons, what hardware exists on the system, and the ports that are being used

Here's the Microsoft support article to guide you through the process:
How to back up, edit, and restore the registry
in Windows XP, Vista and Windows Server 2003

Also:
How to backup the Windows Registry

WindowsNetworking.com :
WindowsRegistry Backup 101

[Edited entry from 3/30/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 4:52 AM

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Wednesday, July 16, 2008 – Permalink –

Troubleshooting Windows Shutdown

I said shutdown!

" Have you ever tried to shut down Windows, only to have the shutdown sequence hang, or to have the computer reboot instead of shutting down? Shut down problems are one of the most common types of problems with the Windows operating system. At the same time though, they are also one of the problems that is most seldom resolved because shut down problems tend to take a back seat to more serious issues. Troubleshooting operating system shut down problems is easier than you might think though. In this article, I will share some techniques with you that you can use to resolve shut down problems on machines in your office."

WindowsNetworking.com:
Troubleshooting Windows Shutdown Problems

Also:

Windows Support Center:
Windows Shutdown & Restart Center

The Elder Geek on Windows XP:
Troubleshooting Windows XP Shutdown Issues

LabMice.net
Troubleshooting Windows XP Shutdown Issues

Microsoft Support WebCast:
Microsoft Windows XP: Troubleshooting Startup and Shutdown Problems

Vista Shutdown problems

Make Windows Vista Shut Down Services Quicker

[Edited entry from 3/22/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 5:03 AM

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Friday, July 04, 2008 – Permalink –

Windows Media Encoder

Screen capture plus

You can capture motion and sound or compress existing video files for use on the web/pod or screen.

PC Magazine:
Show and Tell

" Windows Media Encoder can capture the screen as you perform a task such as editing a photo; in fact, almost anything you can do on the screen can be recorded as a video. You can even narrate the demo as you record the steps you're performing. It's surprisingly easy to achieve good results in minutes. Probably the only reason the program isn't more widely used is that few people know it exists."

Microsoft Windows Media:
Windows Media Encoder 9 Series

Microsoft Support:
Support for Windows Media Encoder

Microsoft Media Knowledge Center:
Getting Started with Screen Capture Using Windows Media Encoder.

[Edited entry from 3/8/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 5:13 AM

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Monday, June 23, 2008 – Permalink –

Font Yourself

Make your own

FontStruct

"FontStruct is a free font-building tool brought to you by the world's leading retailer of digital type, FontShop.

FontStruct lets you quickly and easily create fonts constructed out of geometrical shapes, which are arranged in a grid pattern, like tiles or bricks.

You create 'FontStructions' using the 'FontStructor' font editor.

Once you're done building, FontStruct generates high-quality TrueType fonts, ready to use in any Mac or Windows application.

You can keep your creations to yourself, but we encourage users to share their "FontStructions". Explore the Gallery of fonts made by other FontStruct users and download them or even copy them and make your own variations.

You can also use the FontStruct widget to show your FontStructions on your own website or blog."

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 5:07 AM

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Sunday, June 15, 2008 – Permalink –

Server Answers

What they're doing in the back room

Jonathan Maltz, Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) Windows Server, has created a collection of visual, step-by-step guides to Windows Server 2003.

VisualWin.com

The Microsoft Server home page is at:
Microsoft Windows Server

Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools

"The Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools are a set of tools to help administrators streamline management tasks such as troubleshooting operating system issues, managing Active Directory, configuring networking and security features, and automating application deployment:"

Microsoft :
Window Server 2003- latest news

[Edited entry from 2/16/2005]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 7:38 AM

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Wednesday, June 11, 2008 – Permalink –

All Fonts

List maker

Here is a macro that will produce a list of all of the installed fonts.

Open Word.
Use Alt+F11 to open the Visual Basic editor.
Choose Insert>Module from the Menu.
Copy and Paste this code in the module.
Return to Word and go to: Tools>Macro>Macros.

Select and run "InstalledFonts".

Sub InstalledFonts()

Dim F As Integer
Dim InstalledFonts As Table

  'Open a fresh document

Set FreshDoc = Documents.Add

   'Create a table and define the header

Set InstalledFonts = FreshDoc.Tables.Add(Selection.Range, FontNames.Count + 1, 2)
With InstalledFonts
.Borders.Enable = False
.Cell(1, 1).Range.Font.Name = "Arial"
.Cell(1, 1).Range.Font.Bold = 1
.Cell(1, 1).Range.InsertAfter "Font Name"
.Cell(1, 2).Range.Font.Bold = 1
.Cell(1, 2).Range.InsertAfter "Example"
End With

   'Loop through all the fonts and add them to the table

For F = 1 To FontNames.Count
With InstalledFonts
.Cell(F + 1, 1).Range.Font.Name = "Arial"
.Cell(F + 1, 1).Range.Font.Size = 10
.Cell(F + 1, 1).Range.InsertAfter FontNames(F)
.Cell(F + 1, 2).Range.Font.Name = FontNames(F)
.Cell(F + 1, 2).Range.Font.Size = 10
.Cell(F + 1, 2).Range.InsertAfter "ABCDEFG abcdefg 1234567890 &$@"
End With
Next F
   'Sort the names of the fonts

InstalledFonts.Sort SortOrder:=wdSortOrderAscending

End Sub

Also see a more sophisticated macro using Excel from Erlandsen Data Consulting:
Display all installed fonts (Excel)

[Edited entry from 2/12/2005]

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Labels: Excel, Windows, Word

<Doug Klippert@ 7:32 AM

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Monday, June 02, 2008 – Permalink –

Write Help

Help yourself

Joe Welinske put together a company called WritersUA, (formerly WinWriters).
I have attended their sessions in the past and found them to be entertaining and comprehensive.

"WritersUA specializes in providing quality training and publications for the community of user assistance professionals. The world of user assistance comprises a variety of techniques and technologies to make working with software a better experience. This includes online Help, wizards, web sites, printed documentation, and improvements to the application user interface."

Help writing tools
Resources

Also:
Creating "Smart Help" with Conditional Content
By Dave Gash, HyperTrain dot Com

"This article discusses several methods you can use to make Web-based Help systems "smart", by using conditional content to customize the appearance and behavior of your pages to the users' needs. "

Also:
TheFreeCountry.com:
Free Help Authoring Tools

[Edited entry from 1/24/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 8:58 AM

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Saturday, May 24, 2008 – Permalink –

Windows Guides and Links

A collectors collection

"With over 960 pages scattered throughout the domain, something is bound to catch your attention."

BlackViper.com

Operating System Guides include:

Red Hat 8.0
Windows 2000 Professional and Server
Windows 2003 Enterprise Server
Windows Me
Windows Vista
Windows XP Home
Windows XP Professional

[Edited entry from 1/11/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 6:47 AM

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Wednesday, May 14, 2008 – Permalink –

(A:)Drive in Front

Change display

In Microsoft Windows, on mapped drives, the Drive letter may appear last.

My Financial Statements (Alpha1) (D:)
3 1/2 Floppy (A:)

To change the so that the drive letter comes first:
(A:) 3 1/2 Floppy

Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
Locate and then click the following subkey in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
Type ShowDriveLettersFirst, and then press ENTER.
On the Edit menu, click Modify.
Type 4, and then click OK.

Key: ShowDriveLettersFirst
Type: DWORD
Value: 1, 2, or 4
If the value is 1, the drive letter is displayed first for remote drives.
If the value is 2, drive letters are not displayed.
If the value is 4, the drive letter is displayed first for all drives.

Microsoft KB:

The computer description appears before the computer name in Windows XP

"In Windows Vista, you can also use the ShowDriveLettersFirst and the ToggleCommentPosition registry entries to set the display order. However, if you set the ShowDriveLettersFirst entry only under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry key, the setting will not take effect after you change folder options. You must set the ShowDriveLettersFirst entry under both the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry key and the HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry key."

[Edited entry from 1/8/2005]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 7:12 AM

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Monday, April 28, 2008 – Permalink –

Regedits

Plus or minus 32

Microsoft "removed" regedt32.exe from XP.

Regedit.exe's functionality has been merged with regedt32.exe's.

In Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, Regedt32.exe is a small program that just runs Regedit.exe.

Pre XP:

Regedit.exe is the registration editor for 16-bit Windows. It is used to modify the Windows registration database.

Microsoft recommends that you use Regedit.exe only for its search capabilities on a Windows NT 4.0-based or Windows 2000-based computer.

Regedt32.exe is the configuration editor for Windows NT. It is used to modify the Windows NT configuration database, or the Windows NT registry. This editor allows you to view or modify the Windows NT registry.

The editor provides views of windows that represent sections of the registry, named hives. You must use extreme caution when you use it to change registry values.

Missing or incorrect values in the registry can make the Windows NT installation unusable.

Meryl.net:
An explanation with follow-up links.
A Tale of Two Regeds
By Meryl K. Evans

Also:
Editing the Vista Registry

[Edited entry from 11/8/2004]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 6:43 AM

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Saturday, April 26, 2008 – Permalink –

Command the Line

Hands on control

"You can use Command-line reference to familiarize yourself with new and enhanced command-line tools, to configure your command prompt, to learn about the command shell, and to automate command-line tasks by using batch files or scripting tools."

Command-line reference A-Z

Command shell overview

"The command shell is a separate software program that provides direct communication between the user and the operating system. The non-graphical command shell user interface provides the environment in which you run character-based applications and utilities.
The command shell executes programs and displays their output on the screen by using individual characters similar to the MS-DOS command interpreter Command.com.
The Windows XP command shell uses the command interpreter Cmd.exe, which loads applications and directs the flow of information between applications, to translate user input into a form that the operating system understands."

Also:
DOS were the Days

[Edited entry from 12/13/2004]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 6:22 AM

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Thursday, April 24, 2008 – Permalink –

Virus Information

Source list

"A virus is a type of program that can replicate itself by making (possibly modified) copies of itself. The main criterium for classifying a piece of executable code as a virus is that it spreads itself by means of 'hosts'.
A virus can only spread from one computer to another when its host is taken to the uninfected computer, for instance by a user sending it over a network or carrying it on a removable disk. Additionally, viruses can spread to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.

Viruses are sometimes confused with worms. A worm, however, can spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host. Many personal computers are now connected to the Internet and to local-area networks, facilitating their spread.

Today's viruses may also take advantage of network services such as the World Wide Web, e-mail, and file sharing systems to spread, blurring the line between viruses and worms."

(Wikipedia)

Virus Information

Google Directory

Panda Software:

Virus Course

This is a two-hour basic course, through which you will acquire a basic knowledge on viruses and on how to be protected against them.
The course consists of twelve chapters:

The beginning.
Basics.
Viruses and their effects.
Types of virus.
Example of virus.
Example of hoaxes.
Virus entry-points.
What is an antivirus program?
How to combat viruses?
Is my computer protected?
Suspected virus infection?
Some tips.

[Edited entry from 11/22/2004]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 6:12 AM

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Saturday, April 19, 2008 – Permalink –

Explorer Default

Choose your Folder

When you click the Windows Explorer shortcut on your Start Menu, you are probably used to the fact that it always opens in the same folder. For example the My Documents folder. Vista opens to your personal User>Documents folder.

You can arrange for it to open to the folder of your choice by editing the properties of the Explorer shortcut.

Open Windows Explorer and locate your Start Menu folder (if you are using Windows XP, this will be in the c:\Documents and Settings directory under your profile). Right click the shortcut to Windows Explorer and click Properties. From the Shortcut tab, change the target so it reads as follows:

%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e, c:\folder

where c:\folder is the path to the folder that you want Explorer to open.

If you leave off the /e switch, Windows Explorer opens in a single pane view.

Another switch is /n. It opens a new single-pane window for the default selection. This is usually the root of the drive that Windows is installed on. If the window is already open, a duplicate opens.

Explorer.exe Command-Line Options

Click OK. Now when you launch Windows Explorer from the Start Menu, it will open in the folder that you specified.

If Explorer is not one of the shortcuts, Right click the contents pane and choose New>Shortcut.
Enter the same instructions.

You could also Right click the desktop and create a new shortcut.

[Edited entry from 11/30/2004]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 6:49 AM

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 – Permalink –

Alphabetize your Keyboard

Eat your heart out Dvorak

The Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator

Ever wanted to quickly and easily define your own keyboard layout for a language Microsoft doesn't support? Or define your own keyboard layout so you can quickly and easily enter your favorite symbols with a simple keystroke? Well, want no more: the Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator is here!

The Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator (MSKLC) extends the international functionality of Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 or Windows Vista (MSKLC will not run on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME or Windows NT4) by allowing users to:

Create new keyboard layouts from scratch
Base a new layout on an existing one
Modify an existing keyboard layout and build a new layout from it
Multilingual input locales within edit control fields.
Package the resulting keyboard layouts for subsequent delivery and installation.

Global Development and Computing Portal:
Windows Keyboard Layouts
(many different language keyboards)

Belarusian keyboard

Also see:
Dvorak anyone?

[Edited entry from 11/15/2004]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 5:37 AM

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Friday, April 04, 2008 – Permalink –

Organizing Favorites

Order in chaos

Basic stuff that bares repeating.

(IE7 is not that much different)

Microsoft:
Use Favorites to Get Around the Web

Add a Web Page to Your Favorites
Go to a Web Page on Your Favorites List
Alphabetize Your Favorites
Remove a Web Page from the Favorites List
Organize Your Favorite Web Pages in a New Folder
Remove a Web Page from a Folder in the Favorites List

Move Favorites from an earlier version

[Edited entry from 12/10/2004]

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 7:08 AM

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Sunday, March 30, 2008 – Permalink –

100% is not enough

Slow machine

Here are a couple of areas to look at if your machine slows down for no obvious reason.

Do the three finger Vulcan salute (Ctrl+Alt+Delete) to bring up the Windows Task manager.

If you see a level 100% on the performance tab try these possible solutions.

If you see near 100% CPU activity on the Processes tab by an "Image name" of Cisvc.exe, you might want to turn that service off.

Description: Microsoft Index Service Helper, a service that monitors the memory usage of Microsoft Indexing Service (cidaemon.exe) and automatically re-starts cidaemon.exe if it uses more than 40 MB of memory.

It's needed if you've set up any of your drives or directories to be indexed. Without it running, you could potentially invite a memory "hole", as the indexing service would not clear its RAM usage, as it goes.

If you are not indexing anything, there's no need for it to run

1. Go to Control Panel Administrative Tools > Services
2. Click on the "Standard" tab at the bottom of the box
3. Click on the Name label to sort by Name. Locate "Indexing Service". Double click.
4. Change the "Startup type" to 'Disabled'
5. Click on "Apply"
6. click on "Stop"

Another suggestion:

100 Percent CPU Usage Occurs When You Print on an LPT Printer Port

SYMPTOMS

When you print on an LPT printer port, 100 percent CPU usage occurs until the print job is completed. This slows down other programs until the print job is completed. In some case, other programs may slow down enough that they seem completely unresponsive. This behavior affects all power users who have many programs running at one time.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs because Windows 2000/XP does not have interrupt support for LPT printers.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, print to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) printer port. If the printer does not have this capability, use a parallel-USB cable.

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

Also see What Slows Windows Down

Is Vista slow? Ed Bott answers

[Edited entry from 11/1/2004]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 3:06 AM

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Tuesday, March 25, 2008 – Permalink –

Repair Internet/Network connection

Before the service call

Loss of connectivity is usually solved by the big three:

Restarting the computer
Unplugging the router
Unplugging the modem

Vista has a built in feature that you'll usually find on the Task bar.
It indicates current connections, but if you right click you can find Diagnose and repair.

Repair your connection

Network Diagnostics Framework

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Labels: Internet, Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 5:03 AM

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Wednesday, March 05, 2008 – Permalink –

Beep Codes

An IT low point

You know you're in computer doo-doo when you start looking for beep codes.

These are the sounds your machine starts to make when it cries for help.

Such as
1-2-2-3
BIOS ROM
checksum Repair or replace BIOS

Oh yea! Replace the BIOS. That'll start your week out on a high note.

Casey Tech has put together a list of beep codes for the three largest BIOS manufacturers, AMI, Award, and Phoenix that can be folded and set up as a tent card for your desk or used as a pocket guide

Beep Card

Also:

Beep Codes

What are those noises when a PC starts up?

And:

Amptron.com,
Bios Central,
Hardware Central - Tutorial,
PC Guide.com,
PC Hell.com

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 7:24 AM

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Friday, February 29, 2008 – Permalink –

Search for Vista File Nits

Refine the questions

You can use Vista search to locate metadata information. Such as the date on the file:

date:>2/7/05<2/10/05>: Searches for a date in the Date property between the values 2/7/05 and 2/10/05, excluding the end dates.

Or all of the photos on your machine taken with a Canon:

Camera make: cameramake (cameramake:canon)

Advanced Query terms

HowToGeek - Date Search

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 7:07 AM

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Thursday, February 14, 2008 – Permalink –

Taskbar Vanishes

Start menu gone

Even though Windows is close to perfect, there are times when it announces that Windows Explorer has failed. This leaves you with a screen and no way to take action, except to reboot the machine.

Here's how to restart Explorer.exe from the Task Manager.

There is also a short video for demonstration.

Disappearing Taskbar

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 6:36 AM

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Friday, January 25, 2008 – Permalink –

Task Manager

When your machine has the snivels

There's a lot of stuff going on in the background that you might want to know about.

That's where the Task Manager comes in.

"There are a couple of ways to show the Windows Task Manager: hold down the Ctrl and Alt keys and press the Delete key - Task Manager will then open some versions of Windows, in others you will be presented with a small dialog box that has a button you can click to open the Task Manager; alternatively you can right-click on empty space on the Taskbar and select Task Manager from the menu."

Here's Vista's version:

From the BloodyComputer:

Task Manager 1

Task Manager 2

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 6:58 AM

Comments:

Thanks for the links to my site. Feel free to link to any of my other posts that are about Office.

Cheers
Kevin

# posted by

Stepterix : 1/25/2008

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Tuesday, January 15, 2008 – Permalink –

Cleanup Wizard

XP bother

XP has an annoying elf that tries to clean your desktop of unused icons. It pops up every two months.

To stop it:

Right-click a empty space on your desktop and choose Properties.
Click the Desktop tab.
Choose Customize Desktop.
Remove the check mark next to Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days.

Here are the instructions to change the interval between popups

Wizard Frequency

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 6:58 AM

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Thursday, January 10, 2008 – Permalink –

Rename Files

Add Info

When you download pictures from your digital camera, they end up with incomprehensible name such as IMG_0284.JPG, or _MG_2640.CR2.

To make them more useful:

Select all those files from Xmas. You can use Ctrl to group them, or use Ctrl+A to select all the files in that folder.
Right click the selection and choose Rename.
Pick a descriptive title, such as 2007 Xmas Party.
Hit Enter
All of the selected files will be renamed "2007 Xmas Party.JPG”, "2007 Xmas Party.CR2”, "2007 Xmas Party(2).JPG”, "2007 Xmas Party(2).CR2”, "2007 Xmas Party(3).JPG” "2007 Xmas Party(3).CR2”.

The extensions will remain the same.

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 6:26 AM

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Tuesday, December 25, 2007 – Permalink –

Change Info Box

Make up your own

When you press the Windows key + Break, you'll see the properties window with the standard manufactures data/ad.
The How to Geek shows how to change this. There is also a registry file that can be downloaded to make the basic entries.

Customize support info

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 9:54 AM

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Monday, December 03, 2007 – Permalink –

IE Temp Files

Storage area

Every once in awhile when the Berners-Lee pipeline clogs up, you are instructed to delete the temporary files that IE saves.

You can do it with the Click of an IE Options button.

Here's where those files are stored:

As you see, you could move that location if you wanted to.

Ed Bott mentioned this in his Blog:

Finding the Temporary Internet Files folder

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Labels: Internet, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 6:26 AM

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Friday, November 23, 2007 – Permalink –

Product Key Finder

Search machine

You have a legal copy. You installed it and activated the application.

Now your machine blew up and you have to install it again. Where's the Product key? Probably gone sometime in the past 10 years.

"The Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder is a freeware utility that retrieves your Product Key (cd key) used to install windows from your registry.

It has the options to copy the key to clipboard, save it to a text file, or print it for safekeeping.

It works on Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Windows Vista, Office XP, Office 2003, and Office 2007.

Keyfinder

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Labels: Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 5:32 AM

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Sunday, November 18, 2007 – Permalink –

DOS were the days

Take CMD

Here's an introduction to the Command Prompt:
Command Line

Microsoft has provided product documentation on the use of the Command line in Windows.

Hopefully this won't be something you need in an emergency. Use it in good health.

Details for Command line

Cmd
Command-line reference A-Z
Command shell overview
Change the command history settings
Change the size of the command prompt cursor
Change command prompt display option settings
Change the command prompt screen layout
Change command prompt window Edit Options settings
Copy and paste MS-DOS text using the mouse
Change MS-DOS command prompt window fonts
Change colors of command prompt elements

[Edited entry from 10/14/2007]

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Labels: DOS, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 5:22 AM

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Thursday, November 15, 2007 – Permalink –

High-Res Wallpaper

Details apparent

Choose from a broad selection of free pictures to use for wallpaper.

Download sizes from 1920x1200 to 320x240.

Free High-Resolution Widescreen Wallpaper

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 5:45 AM

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Wednesday, November 07, 2007 – Permalink –

Custom Shortcuts

Hands on keys

Ed Bott reminds us how to set up custom keyboard shortcuts to start applications.

Create custom keyboard shortcuts

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 4:56 AM

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Tuesday, October 30, 2007 – Permalink –

Save the Warning

Easy record

It happens. Your machine balks and spits out an obscure warning message.

You grab a pen and scribble out the error code, which typically is 90 characters long.

Too much hassle!

When the warning box appears, just hit Ctrl+C. The contents of the box are now on the Clipboard and can be pasted into Notepad.

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 7:08 AM

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Wednesday, October 24, 2007 – Permalink –

Daylight Savings

Get a little, lose a little

"Beginning in 2007, daylight saving time (DST) will be extended in the United States. DST will start on March 11, 2007, which is three weeks earlier than usual, and it will end on November 4, 2007, which is one week later than usual .This results in a new DST period that is four weeks longer than in previous years.

Unless certain updates are applied to your computer, the time zone settings for your computer's system clock may be incorrect during this four-week period. In particular, you must make sure that both your Windows operating system and your calendar programs are updated.

Home users: If you use Windows Vista or have Automatic Updates turned on, you may not be affected by the change in daylight saving time. If you want to confirm, follow the steps in the Daylight Saving Time Update Guide.

IT professionals and IT managers: The Daylight Saving Time Update Guide will lead you to KB articles and downloads"

Support.Microsoft.com:.
DST Help and Support Center

Also see"
Go Back 23 Hours

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 7:38 AM

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Sunday, October 21, 2007 – Permalink –

Custom System Display

Painless branding

"When you open the System applet (in the Control Panel), you will see some specific information listed on the General tab such as who the type of computer and the registered owner. However, you can edit the information to also have your specific information displayed. For example, if you sell computers, you can have your company information displayed to remind your customers how to access your support information.

Once you perform the steps outlined below, not only will you have your own company information listed but a support information button will also be available from the System Properties window. Users can click the button to get specific support information about your company, such as the URL they should visit to find support. So here is what you have to do:

Open Notepad and create a text file called oeminfo.ini. If you are running Windows NT/2000, save the file in the c:\WINNT\System32 directory. If you are running Windows XP, save the file in the c:\Windows\System32 directory. Add the following information to the text file you just create:


[General]
Manufacturer=Your Company Name
Model=Model of Computer
SupportURL=http://supportWeb site
LocalFile=c:\localhelpfile\file.htm

[Support Information]
Line1=support information users should know
Line2=who users should contact for support
Line3=Phone number users should call
Line4=fourth line

You can create as many lines as you need by incrementing the number for each new line required.

To take this one step further, you can even have your company logo displayed by creating a 172x172 pixel bitmap image. Name the image oemlogo.bmp and save it in your system directory. Now when you open the System properties applet, your company information should appear."

Lockergnome

Also:
Microsoft KB:
How to Alter Logo Information on the System Tool's General Tab

Amset IT Solutions Ltd.:
Branding Your Machines

BeemerWorld.com:
Branding System Properties Panel

OEM in Vista

[Edited entry from 10/6/2004]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 7:18 AM

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Sunday, September 23, 2007 – Permalink –

Windows Explorer

Nee File Manager

A new Windows file management scheme appears to have been put on hold.

The next operating system will probably use a variation of the present method.

Here are a few suggestions and tips to use until we have to learn something new:

Vista Explorer

Explorer in Vista

12 Hidden Tricks

Shell team – Explorer

Microsoft:
7 Tips to Manage Your Files Better

FileXT.com:
Manage Files

While you're at it:
Bremer Communications:
How to Organize your Desk

Also See:
Paperless Office

[Edited entry from 9/20/2004]

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Labels: Vista, Windows

<Doug Klippert@ 7:08 AM

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