- Windows XP Service Pack 2 - With Service
Pack 2, Windows XP contains Pop-up blocking. Some web sites
that you visit use pop-ups as part of their normal flow. If
you want to temporarily allow pop-ups for a particular site, press
the <CTRL> key and then click on the link to allow the pop-up.
- Windows Explorer - Want a quick
way to bring up Windows Explorer? Hold down the
Windows key <
 > and press the <E> key -- and up pops the
Windows Explorer application!
- Lock your computer - If you want to invoke
security when you're leaving your system, or you want to leave it up
overnight but want to save the computer boot up time in the morning,
you may instead lock your system when you leave it. By locking
the system, you can leave applications up and running, so you don't
need to start the again when you return to the computer. To
lock you system, hold down the <Ctrl> and the <Alt> keys, and press
the <Delete> key. The Windows Security window will appear.
Click on Lock Computer, and the system will be locked. To
unlock the system, press <Ctrl> <Alt> and <Delete> again. The
login screen should have your previous login name. Enter your
password (if any) and click OK. Then you're ready to go!
- Moving the Task Bar - Did you accidentally
move the Windows Task Bar to a different location on the screen?
If you do, you can move it back by clicking on it and dragging it to
the original (or desired location). Want to keep it from
moving again? Right click on the Task Bar, then click on Lock
The Task Bar. The selection should now be checked, and the
task bar is locked in place.
- Password Protection - Microsoft Word and
Excel can password protect documents. Within Word and Excel
within Office 2003, select Tools from the menu at the top then
select Options. If you want to password protect the document
when opening, enter a password in the textbox for Password To Open.
You can also protect the document from changes, entering a password
in the textbox for Password To Modify. When you click OK, you
will be prompted to re-enter the password for verification.
Older versions of Word and Excel also support password protection -
the steps may vary from those noted here.
- Recently Opened Files -
Do you find the
file list found under File for Word and Excel handy for opening your
most recently opened files handy? The list can be extended from the
default of four to retain up to the nine most recently opened
files. To increase the list, bring up Word or Excel then select
Tools, then Options. Go to the General tab. Make sure the box to the
left of “Most Recently Used File List” is checked, and then increase
the number to nine (or the desired number) in the box to the right.
Want to change where the program looks first to open files. Go to
the File Locations tab under Word or the General tab under Excel,
and modify Word’s Documents entry or Excel’s Default File Location.
-
Permanently Delete Files or E-mails- Want to bypass the Recycle
Bin and permanently delete your selections in Explorer or your
E-mail in Outlook? Hold the <Shift> key down when you press the
<Delete> key in either Windows Explorer or in Microsoft Outlook and
the selections will be permanently deleted. Note that it’s more
dangerous, but saves a step if you absolutely want to get rid of the
files or E-mail.
- Microsoft
Notification - If
you get tired of being prompted to send notification to Microsoft
when an application crashes, you can turn the notification off.
Right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop and select
Properties. In the System Properties window, select on the Advanced
tab. Then click Error Reporting. If you choose to Disable error
reporting and an application crashes, the program will close and
there will be no prompt to send a notification to Microsoft. You can
select “But Notify Me When Critical Errors Occur”, or you can select
“To Enable Error Reporting and Choose Programs” to exclude
applications that crash frequently.
- Copy,
Paste, Cut and Undo -
If you want to speed up your work a
little at a time, try using the Windows keyboard shortcuts instead
of the mouse for the following quick but frequently used tasks. Hold
down the <Ctrl> (Control) key and the associated letter key to
perform the associated command, which is the same as right-clicking
with the mouse.
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