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Computer and Technology |
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“Tips and Tricks to Make Your Computer Presented by Dick Curry Dick said that his presentation is aimed at giving us Tips and Tricks for working with the Windows Operating System to improve our computer experience and make it more enjoyable. He started with the basics: Windows Display, Tool Bars; Title Bar is the top bar on the screen. It gives the name of the file and the program (and sizes the active window). Menu Bar is the next bar down . It launches a drop-down box with commands that can be launched. Commands followed by three (…) open a second menu list. Those without dots execute the command directly. Tool Bar is the third bar down (they can also be located along the side and bottom of the computer screen). It contains icons each of which is a command. Task Bar, on the bottom is divided into 4 sections. (1) The Start button is on the left end. (2) It is followed by the Quick Launch space. (3) Next is the Task Bar that displays running windows, and (4) The Notification Area (formerly the Systems tray) is on the right end. It notifies the user of the workings of programs and utilities that are installed Task Bar: to change it right click any open space on the bar and select properties. This brings up a box with a number of choices: 1)” Auto Hide” if checked causes the bar to hide. Pointer held at the bottom brings it back.2)”Unlock” the Task bar and it can be dragged to any edge of the screen. You can drag its edge to change the size. You can also use the mouse to pull the bar down to hide it. 3)”Keep on Top” if checked causes the bar to always be on top and (usually) visible. 4)”Group Similar Taskbar Buttons” if checked combines the icons of multiple running applications. It allows you to close all of them at once. Notifications Area: In the same properties box, Choose: 1)”Show the Clock” Check to enable. 2)”Hide Inactive Icons” Check to enable and reduce clutter. Those shown were put there by some program. The user cannot put one there. Click ‘customize’ button to select how to display current and past items. Note: Dick noted as an aside, that many programs, such as anti-virus, anti-spyware programs, and Microsoft patches by default now check for updates each time a computer is re-booted. This causes delays in startup and some hang-ups. Dick does not generally recommend the fix, which would be to go to manual updates as it is too easy to forget to obtain the critical updates on a timely basis. He also noted that it is sometimes difficult to disable the start up function in some programs, like Quick Time. Use The Ultimate Trouble Shooter. Quick Launch Area: is to the right of the start button. Right clicking an open area of the task bar/selecting Tool Bars/and clicking Quick Launch activates it. Default is an icon each for Internet Explorer, Show Desk Top and Windows Explorer. Lock the Tool Bar at three/four icons to provide more space for the Task Bar. Drag the icons into your preferred order. Start: brings up the Start Menu. Items listed above the line (in the left pane) always appear. Those below are the most recent. To adjust click task bar/properties/select start menu tab. Classic style like Windows 98 is available but not recommended. 1) “Icon size”. Choose large or small (user preference) but large is recommended. 2)” Define the number of programs” to be listed on the start menu. 3)”Links” to Internet and email are available but not really needed on the start menu. Start Menu, Advanced Tab, Settings: 1)” Submenus”. Enable to show submenus. 2)”Highlight Newly Installed Programs”. As a reminder to resort the list in alphabetical order. To do so click an item and select “sort by name” 3)”Start Menu Items” can be displayed as a link or as a menu (good for documents) or don’t display. 4)”Drag and Drop”. Enable for the Start Menu. 5)”Manufacturers Site”. You can disable this item. 6)”Scroll”. As in W98. Not recommended. 7)”System Administrator Tools”. You can access this through the Control Panel. Two tools available of interest (under Computer Management) are Disk Management and Disk Defragmentor. Disk Management is a useable program for managing your hard drive partitions but is not as good as Partition Magic, if you have it. 8)”Control Panel”. Can be a link or a menu. Dick recommended that we go to and check out each of the many items on the control panel. He went to “Mouse” and User Accounts and demonstrated the settings available there. In spite of the additional complication Dick said that he now has his machine Password Protected to protect against a hacker program setting up an administrative account and taking control of an unprotected computer. DESK TOP Customize: In any open area on the desktop, right click/properties. 1)”Theme Tab” sets background design, sounds, icons etc to suit your personal preference. Make your choice from the dropdown menu and see the resulting sample below it. Use “Save as” before making changes. 2)”Screen Saver Tab”. You can change from the original XP to a dozen or more listed choices including using Photos that you have on the hard drive. A slide show of photos is an option. 3)”Appearance Tab”. Dick uses ”clear type” to smooth the edges of the fonts and uses “shadows” under menus to emphasize them. 4)”Settings Tab”. Set screen resolution and color quality as high as your computer is able to handle. WINDOWS EXPLORER File Management Program: Customize: Open Explorer. If it displays information in icon form, Dick recommends the following changes to give a simpler format containing much more information. Open only one Explorer window. Maximize the page (if not already so). Hold shift key down, close window. Reopen in maximized form. Go to View and check Details. This changes the display to tabular form with columns of information regarding each folder/file. Next go to View and check Choose Details. The box offers a long list of possible details. Dick has chosen Name, Size, Type, Date Created, Date Accessed and Attributes. Note that if you click the column heading it arranges the order in ascending or (toggle) descending order. To customize further go to: Tools/Folder Options 1)”Single Click to open a item”. Enable this. 2)”Underline Items Only when I point at Them”. Enable this. Next, go to: Folder Options/View *Deselect” Automatically search for network folders and printers”. *Select ” Show hidden files and folders” (caution is required when hidden files and folders are visible in Windows Explorer). *Deselect “Hide extensions for known file types”. *Select “Display full path in title bar”. *Dick Deselects “Hide protected operating system files”. But caution is required when hidden files and folders are visible in Windows Explorer. Go to View Click: Apply to All Folders Button. This will make the changes apply to all folders on your computer. |