handy hints
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Solutions To 50 Common Problems
HOW DO I...
1. Get Windows 98 to remember my Internet password? Clicking the "Save password" box has no effect.
Visit
www.peakpeak.com/support/win95/passwd98.html for instructions.
2. Quickly shut down those Windows that pop up on the screen when I visit certain Web sites - or stop them from appearing at all?
Pressing and holding the Alt key and the F4 key, or the Ctrl key and the W key, together will make that particular window close. Pop Up Squasher (
www.webattack.com/get/ popsquash.shtml) is a good freeware program that can help you stop pop-ups automatically.
3. Print out a Web page when it doesn't print properly?
Try copying and pasting the text and images you want from the page into Microsoft Word. Then you can change font types and sizes, as well as easily save a copy of the information if you want to.
4. Stop my computer from wasting my time by "logging onto the network" when it connects to the Internet?
Click on Start, then Programs, then Accessories, then Communications and then click on Dial-Up Networking. The Dial-Up Networking window appears. Click with the right mouse button on the icon that has the name of your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Click on Properties with the left mouse button. Click on the Server Types tab. Remove the ticks from everything except "Enable software compression" and "TCP/IP".
5. Restart a download that stopped half way through because I got disconnected from the Net?
Lightning Download (
www.lightningdownload.com) is a program that can help you with this.
6. Set up Outlook Express so two different people can use it?
In Outlook Express, click on File, then Identities, then click Add New Identity. Type in a name for the new identity. You can assign each identity a password. You can click on File and then Switch Identity to switch between one or more identities. This keeps user accounts and emails separate.
7. Keep track of all my passwords?
A good program to keep track of passwords is KeyWallet 1.0 (
www.keywallet.com)
8. Make Google the default search engine when I click on the Search icon in Internet Explorer?
See the instructions at
www.google.com/options/defaults.html
9. Regain control of my browser's start page?
It goes to a site that I don't want. Startpage Guard (
www.pjwalcza.com/spguard/index.php) is a nifty freeware program to help you counter this thr eat. You'll find information at
www.spywareinfo.com/hijacked.html
MOUSE FRUSTRATIONS....
10. Change the speed of the mouse?
Click on Start, then Settings, then Control Panel. Double click on the Mouse icon. Click on the Scrolling tab, and move the slider to make your mouse move faster, or slower, on the screen.
11. Stop my mouse moving erratically all over the screen when I use it?
It's most likely a dirty mouse. Turn your mouse upside down and gently unscrew the circular piece of plastic surrounding the rubber ball. Remove the plastic and the ball. Use ear buds with a little cleaning spirits or something like your fingernail to gently remove the gunk stuck onto the rollers inside. Clean the rubber ball as well, then put everything back together.
12. Turn the mouse trails off?
Click Start, Settings, Control Panel. Double click on the Mouse icon. Click on the Motion tab. In the Pointer Trail section, remove the tick from the "Show pointer trails" setting. Click OK.
13. Get rid of the "Comet Cursor", which automatically downloads at some Web sites?
Click Start, Settings and then Control Panel. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. Scroll down to Comet Cursor 3.0 and click on it. Then click on Add/Remove. Follow the instructions that appear.
14. Change my mouse cursor to something else?
Click Start, Settings, Control Panel. Double click on the Mouse icon. The Mouse Properties box appears. Click on the Pointers tab. From the Scheme menu, choose from one of the options. Click OK.
DESKTOP FRUSTRATIONS....
15. Set the desktop so I can move the icons wherever I want to on the screen?
Click on a blank part of the desktop with the right mouse button. Click on Arrange Icons. Click on Auto Arrange with the left mouse button. Now you should be able to move the icons wherever you want on the page. You can use the same pr ocess to "force" icons to snap into place if you accidentally move them.
16. Change the background picture on the desktop?
Click on Start, Settings, Control Panel. Double click on the Display icon. In the Background tab choose from the list of possible backgrounds. If you have a different image you'd like as a background, click on the Browse button to go to the folder that contains the image you want to use.
17. Stretch the image on my monitor all the way to the edge of the screen?
You'll need to fiddle with the controls on the front of your screen for this one. By pressing the buttons, or turning the knobs, you should be able to either expand the screen size directly, or enter a menu where you can stretch or shrink the image.
START MENU AND TOOLBAR FRUSTRATIONS....
18. Alphabetise all of the programs in my Start menu?
Click on the Start button, then Programs. When the list of programs appears, click anywhere in the list of programs with the right mouse button. Click "Sort by name" with the left mouse button and the entries will organise themselves alphabetically.
19. Get a program from the Start menu to appear on the desktop as a shortcut?
Click Start and then Programs. Click on the program you want with the right mouse button. From the menu that appears, click on Send To with the left mouse button. From the menu that appears, click on Desktop (create shortcut) with the left mouse button.
20. Rename an entry in the programs section of the Start menu?
Follow the instructions above, but this time click Rename with the left mouse button. Type in the new name and click OK.
21. Get my Start button and taskbar back to its original size?
Move your mouse cursor to the top of the toolbar. The mouse cursor will change from an arrow to a vertical line with an arrowhead on each end. When you see this new arrow, click and hold the left mouse button. Now move the mouse up or down to change the size of the toolbar.
22. Get my Start button and taskbar back to the bottom of the screen?
Select a blank part in the middle of the toolbar (not on any icons), then click and hold the left mouse button. Now drag the mouse to the bottom of the screen. You should see that the toolbar (or an outline of the toolbar) moves to the bottom of the screen. When it is there, take your finger off the left mouse button, and the toolbar will remain there.
23. Remove entries from the Start menu?
Click on the Start button with the right mouse button, then Explore with the left mouse button. Windows Explorer now opens. Double click on the Programs folder. Delete, rename, move and file the Start menu shortcuts.
24. Turn on the Quick Launch taskbar next to the Start button?
Click with the right mouse button on a blank part of Click with the right mouse button on a blank part of the toolbar at the bottom of the screen. Click on Toolbars with the left mouse button, then Quick Launch with the left mouse button. The Quick Launch toolbar now appears.
25. Add icons to the Quick Launch taskbar?
Simply drag icons from the desktop, and drop them into the Quick Launch area. You'll see a black dividing line appear on the toolbar, showing you where the icon will appear. If you add a new icon, which pushes others off the edge of the toolbar, move your mouse to the faint grey dividing line that separates the Quick Launch area from the rest of the toolbar.
IE FRUSTRATIONS....
26. Alphabetise my favourites in Internet Explorer?
Click on the word Favorites at the top of the Internet Explorer bar. For this exercise, please don't click on the Favorites icon on the toolbar (where the back and forward buttons are). When you click on the word Favorites, a list of all your Web site favourites appears. In the section after Add to Favorites and Organize Favorites, where the list actually begins, click on one of the entries with the right mouse button. A menu will appear. Click on Sort by Name with the left mouse button.
27. Organise my favourites in Internet Explorer?
Click on the Favorites icon - either at the top of the screen or on the toolbar. You'll see an option called Organize, which lets you organise your favourites by moving them into folders, creating new folders, deleting entries and renaming them. Click on the entry you wish to move, rename or delete.
28. Add or remove icons to the toolbar in Internet Explorer? How do I make them bigger, or smaller, and add or remove thetext labels?
Click on a blank part of the toolbar with the right mouse button. From the menu that appears, click Customise with the left mouse button. Here you can add or remove icons, as well as change text and icon options.
29. Delete the temporary Internet files or the entries in the history list?
Click on Tools and then Internet Options. In the General section, you can delete the temporary Internet files and clear the history.
30. Change the font sizes in Internet Explorer?
Open Internet Explorer and click on View at the top of the screen. Click on Text Size.
GENERAL WINDOWS FRUSTRATIONS....
31. Get the yellow volume control speaker back in the system tray (near the clock)?
Click Start, then Settings, then Control Panel. Double click on the Multimedia icon. Put a tick in the box next to "Show volume control on the taskbar".
32. Make a snapshot of the screen so I can print it out?
Press the Print Scrn key on the keyboard, above the arrow keys on the keyboard. Then open Microsoft Paint (click Start, then Programs, then Accessories, then Paint). Click Edit, then Paste. Click Yes when asked to "enlarge the bitmap". Save and/or print the image.
33. Get Windows to shut down properly? It gets stuck on the final screen.
For Windows 95, 98 and ME visit
www.aumha.org/a/shutdown.htm For Windows 98 SE visit
www.aumha.org/a/shtdwnse.htm
34. Remove programs from the Add/Remove Programs list that won't go away?
If you deleted a program using Windows Explorer without uninstalling it first, you probably won't be able to uninstall it using Add/Remove programs. You can either use Add/Remove Pro (
www.superwin.com/freeware.htm) to remove the entry from the list, or you can reinstall the offending program so that you can uninstall it properly using the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel.
35. Get rid of Microsoft Office paperclip/dog/cat animated helper?
Click on the paperclip/dog/cat when you see it with the right mouse button. A menu appears. Click on Options with the left mouse button. The Office Assistant window appears. Remove the tick from the "Use the Office Assistant" option. Click OK.
36. Stop Windows automatically starting a CD I put into the drive?
Hold down the left shift key after you've put a CD in your computer. Hold it down for at least 10 seconds. This will stop the CD from autostarting.
37. Turn on or turn off CD autostarting permanently?
Click Start, Settings, Control Panel. Double click the System icon. Click on Device Manager. Double click on CD-ROM and your brand of CD will appear. Double click on the CD entry. Click Settings. Add or remove a tick next to "Auto insert notification". Click OK.
38. Get my clock to show AM or PM? Get my clock to show 12- or 24-hour time?
Click on Start, Settings, Control Panel. Double click on the Regional Settings icon. Click on the Time tab. In the Time Style section, you should see something like h
ss In this section, type HH
ss to see 24-hour time (with HH in capitals). Typeh
ss tt to see 12-hour time (with AM and PM). (h is in lower case, and the tt is used to display AM or PM).
39. Make the font sizes that Windows uses on all programs bigger?
Click Start, Settings, Control Panel. Double click on the Display icon. Click on the Settings tab. Then click Advanced. Click on the General tab. Then in the Display section, you'll see Font Size. Change the font size from Small Fonts to Large Fonts, or select your own custom size. It's best to use either small or large and not use the custom setting to change the font sizes any further.
40. How do I get Windows to update itself with the latest bug patches and fixes from Microsoft?
Click on Start, then Windows Update. Make sure you're online, and follow the directions.
WINDOWS XP FRUSTRATIONS....
41. Get Windows XP to stop telling me it wants to send an error report to Microsoft every time a program crashes?
Click on Start, then Control Panel. If you're in the Category View, click on Performance, Maintenance and then click on the System icon. If you're in the Classic View, double click on the System icon.
The System Properties box appears. Click on the Advanced tab at the top of the screen. At the bottom of the screen, click on the button called Error Reporting. Click on "Disable error reporting". You can choose whether or not you still wish to be notified when critical system errors occur. Click OK then OK again.
42. Get the old Start menu from Windows 95/98/ME/2000 back instead of the new one?
Click on the Start icon with the right mouse button. Click on Properties with the left mouse button. Click on Classic Start Menu and click OK.
43. Stop Windows XP from hiding the icons in the system tray next to the clock?
Click on the Start icon with the right mouse button. Click on Properties with the left mouse button. Click on the Taskbar tab. Remove the tick from "Hide inactive icons" and click OK.
44. Get Windows XP to show me the Favourites or Recently Used documents like older versions of Windows?
Click on the Start icon with the right mouse button. Click on Properties with the left mouse button. Click on Customise next to the Start Menu area. Click on the Advanced tab. Make your selections here as to what you do or don't want to see on the Start Menu.
45. Turn on the new "cleartype" technology that makes text easier to read?
Click on Start, then Control Panel. If you're in the Category View, click Appearance and Themes, and then click on the Display icon. If you're in the Classic View, double click on the Display icon. Click on the Appearance tab, and at the bottom right hand corner of the screen, click on the Effects button. In the box that appears, set the "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts" entry to Cleartype. Click OK and OK again.
46. Find the Windows XP version of Tweak UI, the software that was nifty to make changes to stuff in Windows 95 and 98?
Visit
www.annoyances.org/exec/show/tweakui for
more information.
47. Change the picture that appears in the Start Menu of Windows XP, and change other things like my name, or password?
Click Start, then Control Panel. If you're in the Category View, click User Accounts. Click on your account and here you can change your user name, your password, your picture and other things. Click on "Change my picture".
48. Unlock the toolbar in Windows XP? I want to move it but it won't budge.
Click with the right mouse button on a blank part of your toolbar. From the menu that appears, click on "Lock the toolbar" with the left mouse button.
49. Get Windows XP to show me all the windows and programs I have open in separate boxes on the toolbar instead of grouping them all together?
Right click on the toolbar with the right mouse button. Click on Properties with the left mouse button. Remove the tick from "Group similar taskbar buttons" and click OK.
50. Find answers to frustrations you haven't listed here?
Visit
www.annoyances.org for more answers.
Like that would ever happen. I remember a funny scene where the great Ewen Chatfield was bowling and he rapped one into the batsmens pads. He continued with his follow through but everyone behind the wicket appealed and the batsman was given out. Chats was surprised but not half as much as the batsmen. You don't expect to be given out LBW when the bowler doesn't appeal.
