Tips and Tricks

Tips & Tricks Page

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A Whole New Way to Navigate - Windows 7

Those of us who started using Windows "way back when" had many years to get used to the old way of accessing the programs and files we needed. For programs, we've had the quick launch bar for a while (and before that, the third party toolbars like the PowerDesk toolbar that inspired it), but for those applications we rarely used (and thus didn't put on our toolbars) we generally ended up clicking through menus. Have a need to run an obscure utility like the character map? Your natural tendency might be to click Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools, but there are better ways.

It's no longer necessary to go through all those steps. Probably the one most useful feature introduced in Vista was the "SuperSearch" box on the Start menu, and it carried over to Windows 7. Now you just click Start, type the first few letters in "character map" and there's the clickable link to open it. Doesn't matter if you don't know which Programs folder it's in.

Even better, you can do the same thing with files. Type part of the name or a key word in that same Search box and you'll see a list of files that fit the criteria. No more navigating through layer after layer of folders, trying to remember exactly where you saved that Word document or photo. You can even find email messages this way. Here's a good video that shows you how to use the search tools in Windows 7:

http://www.win7news.net/B3R7OT/091008-Windows7-Demo

Not everything on your computer shows up in these searches, though. The information has to be indexed first, and you might not have your system set to index everything. Or maybe you aren't really sure of the name or words associated with the file you want. Maybe it's a picture, with a numbered name given it by your digital camera. You can search for a certain file type, of course, using wildcards (for example, *.jpg). Or in Windows 7, you might find it more efficient to browser the libraries.

IE 8 - What Are Search Suggestions And Accelerator Previews? - Microsoft

The information in this Help topic applies to Windows Internet Explorer 8.

When you start Internet Explorer for the first time, you are given the option to use two new features—search suggestions and Accelerator previews. Both features can help you find and view information on the web more efficiently. Here's how they work

Search suggestions display a list of other possible search terms as you type your search term into the search box or Address bar. You can continue typing, or use your arrow keys or mouse to choose one of the suggested terms. Search suggestions are offered by many search providers, and can be turned on or off in Manage Add-ons. For more information, see Change or choose a search provider in Internet Explorer.

Accelerators use text that you select on a webpage to perform tasks such as opening a street address in a mapping website or looking up the dictionary definition for a word. Accelerator previews display information in a small window when you rest your mouse pointer on the Accelerator. The Accelerator gets the information by sending the text you've selected to the webpage or web service. In many cases the preview will show you the information you're looking for without requiring you to leave the webpage you're on. Not all Accelerators have previews or provide enough information, however, so you still might have to click the Accelerator to open the webpage or web service where you can perform your task. You can't turn off Accelerator previews separately, but you can choose not to use Accelerators. For more information, see Using Accelerators to find addresses, define words, and do other tasks with selected text.

Accountlogon: Logon To Your Web Accounts with Just One Click!

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Configuring the auto-reply in Microsoft Outlook Express

Start Outlook Express.
Create a new message by clicking on the "New Mail" button and type in the message you would like sent to anyone who emails you while you are away.
Save this message to your hard drive by choosing File ... Save As, and then browse to the location where you wish to save the file, name the file, and click "Save." Remember this information for step 7.
Create a new Rule by choosing Tools ... Message Rules ... Mail.
In box 1, "Select the conditions for your rule," scroll to the bottom of the list and check the box beside "For all messages."
In box 2, "Select the actions for your rule," scroll down and place a check in the box next to "Reply with message."
In box 3, "Rule Description," click on message (it will be blue colored) and then browse to the location of the email message you wish to send to anyone who emails you.
In box 4,"Name of rule," enter the name you wish to call this rule (e.g. Vacation Reply).

To disable auto-reply:
Open the Message Rules window by clicking on Tools ... Message Rules ... Mail.
Uncheck the box next to the rule you want to disable.

Mailing Group In Outlook Express - Diana Huggins

If you want to send a message to a group of people, you could add each email address individually. Although, if you regularly send a message to the same group of people (such as family, relatives, or friends), a more efficient way would be to create a mailing group and add members to it. Then when you want to send your message, all you need to do is select the group and the message is sent to all the group’s members.

To create a new group in Outlook Express:

Within Outlook Express, open the Address Book.
From the File menu, click New Group.
Type in a name for the group.
Click the Select Members button. Highlight the contacts you want to add to the group and click Select. This moves each contact to the Members list. Click OK.
Click OK.
Close the Address Book.

Now you can use the group when sending messages. Within the New Message dialog box, click the To: button. From the list of contacts, locate the group you just created, click To:, and click OK. The message will now be sent to all members of the selected group.

Blank Start Page

By default, Microsoft Internet Explorer starts up by loading your selected start page. Most of us choose a popular start page that is busy and contains a bunch of graphics. Such pages often take a significant time to load.

If you'd like to start Microsoft Internet Explorer with no page at all. Right-click the shortcut you use to open IE and choose Properties. Click in the Target entry box and then use the arrow keys to move to the end of the existing line. To the end of the line add -nohome. Your new Target box should resemble the following:

"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -nohome

Click OK to close the dialog box.

Virus Hoaxes

Sometimes that latest computer virus you hear about via email or listserver isn't really a virus at all. Some people don't write viruses -- they just start rumors about viruses. To find out what's what, take a trip to F-Secure Corporation's site and read the latest list of hoaxes. You can also visit VMyths which has an extensive site of virus and other Internet hoaxes

You'll find F-Secure Corporation here! - http://www.datafellows.com/virus-info/

Anything not worth doing is worth not doing well. Think about it.

Identity Theft
Read this article re Identify Theft - Click Here

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Page last reviewed February 01, 2010