Internet Fixes Windows XP
And More News Letter!
Issue 3
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1.
Customizing Your Toolbar In Outlook Express.
The Outlook Express toolbar is a wide swath of your screen and the easy way to
quick action. Make it your own, with the tools that fit your needs
1. Right-click the toolbar and choose Buttons from the pop-up menu. The
Customize Toolbar dialog box shows a list of available buttons on the left and
a list of the actual buttons in the bar on the right.
2. From the list on the left, click any buttons you want to add; then click
Add.
3. From the list on the right, click any button you want to remove and click
Remove.
4. To move the buttons around, click a button you want in a different position
on the bar and then click the Move Up or Move Down button.
5. Click Close.
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2. Creating Folders in Outlook Express.
When it comes to e-mail, do you keep all your messages around, just in case?
In itself, message hoarding isn't too much of a problem. But what IS a problem
is keeping all the messages in the same place--most likely your Inbox folder.
The solution? Move the messages out of Inbox and into a well thought-out
system of folders. Number one, your messages will be easier to find. Two,
you'll leave your Inbox free and clear to do its job--receive new messages.
Here's how:
Choose File + Folder + New Folder to open the Create Folder dialog box In the
Folder Name text box, type a Folder name.
Select the folder in which you'd like to create the new folder. (For example,
if you want the folder to be at the same level as Inbox or Sent Items, select
Outlook Express.)
Click OK. Repeat these steps to create new folders and/or folders within new
folders. As you create new folders, they appear in your Folder List.
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3. Change Your
Default Name In The FROM Field.
When you created your e-mail account, you told Outlook Express which name
to attach to outgoing messages. If, in a fit of whimsy, you told it to
identify you as Fred Flintstone, you may want to change it back to your
real name.
1. Click Tools + Accounts.
2. Click the Mail tab.
3. Select the appropriate e-mail account, then click Properties.
4. In the Name Box (under User Information) type the name you want
displayed in the From field in outgoing messages.
5. Click OK.
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4. Switch Users Fast In XP.
It takes at least a few tedious seconds to log one user off and another one
on. Windows XP has an option to speed that up: Fast User Switching (FUS) lets
you switch without logging off. To enable it, open User Accounts in the
Control Panel, click on Change the way users log on or off, and check the Use
Fast User Switching box. Now, when you select Log Off, a Switch User option
appears that lets you quickly change to another account without making any
users close their programs. When FUS is enabled, holding down the Windows key
and typing the letter L zips you to the Welcome screen.
Beware of the trade-offs of Fast User Switching, though. You should avoid
running system-level utilities, such as defraggers or indexing utilities, when
another user is logged on, and if you're looking for the best performance, you
don't want to let idle accounts in the background tie up system resources. The
feature is best for those times when you simply need to get in and out
quickly. Also note that Fast User Switching does not work if your computer is
a member of a network domain.Top |
5. Use The Address Bar To Launch Programs Or Web Pages!
Windows XP Professional enhanced the functionality of the Address bar to make it
easier to launch your favorite programs. You can add the Address bar to the
taskbar on the bottom of your desktop. Then you can launch programs simply by
entering their names in the Address bar. For example, to launch Calculator,
simply enter calc in the Address bar. Anything you would normally enter in the
Run box on the Start menu can be entered in the Address bar. The Address bar
also lets you quickly go to any Web page you specify.
To add the Address bar to the taskbar:
1. Right-click an empty area on the taskbar.
2. Point to Toolbars, and then click Address.
3. Open the Address bar by double-clicking it.
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6. Ways To Delete A File Or Folder In Windows XP!
When folders and files start to clutter up your hard disk, Windows XP gives you
several ways to get rid of the files and folders you don't want.
Within Windows Explorer, you can use any of these methods:
1. Right–click the file or folder, and then click Delete.
2. Select the file or folder, and then press the DELETE key.
3. Select the file or folder, click the File menu, and then click Delete.
4. Drag the file or folder to the Recycle Bin on the desktop.
Note To access Windows Explorer, Right Click On Start, and then click Windows
Explorer.
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7. Creating A Boot Log For Troubleshooting In Windows XP!
Problems that you're troubleshooting in Windows XP often originate in the boot
process. As such, one of your key troubleshooting techniques should be to create
a boot log. Creating such a log is a relatively easy process.
Follow these steps:
1. Restart the system.
2. When the operating system begins to load, press [F8].
3. Select the Enable Boot Logging option from the Windows Advanced menu, and
press [Enter].
After the system restarts, launch Notepad, and open the C:\Windows\Ntbtlog.txt
file. This file contains a list of all of the files that Windows XP attempted to
load during startup.
Every line in the file will begin with either "Loaded driver" or "Did not load
driver," which makes it easy to determine what drivers or services could be
causing the problem. In either case, the path and filename of the driver or
service will follow.
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8. Control Remote Desktops Through A Web Browser!
Remote Desktop is a new feature in Windows XP that allows you to control a
remote computer and see the screen as if you were sitting behind that computer.
Usually, you would use a special client application to connect to the remote
computer.
By default, Windows XP setup installs such an application: Remote Desktop
Connection. You can also access the remote computer without another application,
using instead your Web browser. However, before you can do this, you must first
install certain components on the remote computer. To do this:
1. Open Control Panel.
2. Open the Add/Remove Programs dialog box.
3. Click Add/Remove Windows Components.
4. Select Internet Information Services in the Windows Components Wizard and
then click Details.
5. Select World Wide Web Service and click Details.
6. Make sure Remote Desktop Web Connection and World Wide Web Service are
checked.
7. Click OK.
8. Click OK.
9. Click Next and follow the wizard to complete the installation.
After the setup installs all of the necessary files, you can access the remote
computer by typing http://remote_computer/tsweb in your Web browser. When you
connect to the remote computer for the first time, the computer will download
ActiveX components, which requires you to have administrative privileges on the
local computer.
I have a Tutorial On This Subject at:
http://www.internetfixes.com/remote_desktop/index.htm
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9. Prevent The Autocomplete List Of File Names From Appearing!
To prevent the AutoComplete list from appearing in typical Windows
Explorer-style dialog boxes, turn off the AutoComplete functionality for Windows
and Microsoft Internet Explorer:
1. Start Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
2. Click the Content tab, and then click AutoComplete.
3. Under Use AutoComplete for, click to clear the Web Addresses check box, and
then click OK.
4. Click the Advanced tab, click to clear the Use inline AutoComplete check box
in the Browsing section (if this check box has been selected).
5. Click OK.
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10. Change A Folder's Icon In Windows XP!
Tired of most folders looking like the same drab yellow open file? You can
change a folder's icon in Windows XP to better signify its contents. To change a
folder's icon:
1. Right-click on a folder and choose "Properties".
2. When the "Properties" multi-tabbed dialog box appears, select "Customize".
3. Click the "Change Icon" button.
4. Choose an icon you wish to use and click "OK", or click "Browse" to browse
your system for other icons. Look for .ICO and .EXE files on your system for
more icons. You may even want to download some freeware icons over the Internet.
5. Press "OK" to close the dialog box.
Note that you may need to close and reopen the folder for the icon change
to take effect
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11. Remove The Left Pane Common Tasks In Windows XP!
Normally, Windows XP Explorer folder views contain two panes - the right pane
contains the list of files on your system, and the left pane contains common
tasks. These may be tasks such as copying photos to a CD if you are in a
pictures folder, playing all music songs if you are in a songs folder, or making
a new folder if you are in a default folder. While some users may find these
tasks convenient, others may want to hide these items to use the entire window
to display filenames. To hide these tasks:
1. Open a folder in Windows XP's Explorer.
2. Click "Tools", then "Folder Options".
3. When the multi-tabbed "Folder Options" dialog box appears, click the
"General" tab.
4. Click the radio button "Use Windows Classic Folders".
5. Click "OK" to close the dialog box.
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12. Having A Problem Deleting A File or Folder In XP!
More than likely another software program happens to be using the file or folder
at a particular time, or for some reason another program has a 'lock' on the
file or folder, preventing its access.
If you are SURE the file or folder is not important, you may be able to delete
it by rebooting your system, then trying again. If that still doesn't work,
consider booting Windows XP into 'Safe Mode'. This is a special diagnostic mode
of Windows XP that, among other things, does not run most of Windows XP's
startup jobs. This way, another software program should not get the lock on your
particular file or folder.
To enter Safe Mode:
1. Restart your machine.
2. Once the computer has performed the memory and/or BIOS test (depending on the
manufacturer), hold down the F8 key.
3. The "Windows XP Advanced Options" menu should appear. Select "Safe Mode".
If this doesn't work, or your machine shows a "Keyboard error", reboot your
system and try again. Tap the F8 key a little later in the boot process.
Once you have entered Safe Mode, now try deleting your file or folder.Top |
13. Modify The Send To Menu In Windows XP To Suit You!
When you right-click an icon and choose "Send To", you are given several
options, including the ability to mail the file as an attachment, copy the file
to a floppy disk, send the file to the "My Documents" folder, and others.
You may want to modify this menu. For example, create a Notepad option to easily
view text files that don't have a .TXT extension. Perhaps add the ability to
send files to a specified folder, such as "C:\information". To modify this menu
option:
1. Open the "C:\Documents and Settings" folder from Explorer.
2. Double-click the folder representing your username.
3. Double-click the "Send To" folder.
4. Right-click on the folder, select "New" then "Shortcut".
5. A "Create Shortcut" wizard will appear. Select the program name (use the
"Browse" button if desired) or the folder to which you would like to send files.
6. Click "Next".
7. Type in a name for this shortcut, which will also be the name of the menu
item under "Send To".
8. Click "Finish" to close the dialog box.
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14. Display The Folder Path In Explorer Title Bar In Windows XP!
When you open a subfolder from Explorer in Windows XP, such as
C:\Downloads\Games or C:\Multimedia Files\Graphics, only the name of the
subfolder, such as "Games" or "Graphics", appears in the folder's title bar.
Granted, the full folder name should appear in the Address bar, but what if you
want to quickly glance at a folder's title bar to see exactly where it is
located on your system?
1. Open any folder in Explorer.
2. Choose "Tools" then "Folder Options".
3. When the multi-tabbed dialog box appears, select the "View" tab.
4. Check "Display the full path in the title bar".
5. Click "OK" to close the dialog box.
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15. Select All Files For Moving Or Copying In XP!
Need to copy or move all of the files in one folder to another folder? You can
select all files by clicking in the folder, holding down the mouse button,
creating a bounding rectangle that encompasses all icons, etc.
However, the easiest way to select all of the files and subfolders in a folder
is by using a mouse or keyboard shortcut. Focus on the folder window, then:
1. Select "Edit" - "Select All"
OR
2. Press CONTROL-A.Top |
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