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Can't make it run?

If you're having trouble getting an older program to run on Windows XP, try the Program Compatibility Wizard. Click "Start", "All Programs", "Accessories", and then select "Program Compatibility Wizard". It doesn't work with every program, but it can often help.

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Get back!

Been out web surfing and now find yourself lost? Here's a quick way to get back to your home page. Press "Alt" and "Home" at the same to take you right back home.

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Use Photos as Slide Show Screensaver (XP)

First, select the pictures you want to use and set up a special folder with those pictures in it and make a note of where you saved that folder (in what place, on what drive, and so on). You will need this info later.

Next, go to your Desktop, and right-click on the Desktop.

Scroll down to "Properties", click the "Screensaver" tab. Toward the middle of this dialog box there is a drop-down box with the words "Screen Saver". Scroll down that box until you see the "My Pictures Slideshow" and click it. To the right of this drop-down box is a button that says "Settings". Click it.

You should see the words "Use pictures in this folder" and a "Browse" button. Click this button. This is where you look for that file you created earlier with all the digital pictures that you want to use for the screensaver slideshow. After you have found the file folder with with your pictures, click "OK".

You can now adjust how fast you want the pictures to change and so on, Then click "OK" again. This brings you back to the "Display Properties" dialog box and you can see your screensaver pictures. Click "OK" and you're all finished.

(Thanks to: Nedda H. of Palm Harbor, Florida for this tip)

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Attaching files to Email

To attach a file to an Email in Outlook or Outlook Express, click the paper-clip icon, choose the file and click "OK". Repeat to attach additional files.

Remember to let the recipient know you'll be sending an attached file - it's dangerous to open unexpected attachments especially if you don't recognize the sender and, even if you do, exercise some caution. And try to keep the total size below 1MB. If the files are bigger than that, consider sending them over a period of a few days.

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Recycle Bin Confirmation

What if your garbage asked you, "Are you sure?" every time you took it to the curb? So, why should Windows? Here's how to stop it.
1. Right-click the Recycle Bin and choose "Properties".
2. In the Global tab feature of the Recycle Bin Properties, uncheck "Display Confirmation Dialogue Box". You're done!

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Restore Desktop

How many times do you change screen resolution (a lot if you're a gamer) and discover that your neatly placed icons have scattered all over the screen. No more! Restore Desktop magically restores icons' positions after display resolution changes. You can also restore saved icons positions manually by control-click on the desktop.

The utility is very small, works automatically and requires no training at all. Just install it and forget about improperly placed icons on your Desktop. Restore Desktop is freeware.

Click on the title line of this posting to go to the website of Softwarium.

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Murmurings

These are Anne's reflections on her life and times. To visit her site, simply click on the title of this posting.

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The "Old" Computer

This was the computer I used for years. Loved it, but it finally was time to update to something newer and better. Just kept the photo to remind me of the years of service I got from it.

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My "Old" Personal Confuser <>

Log In Automatically

Tired of typing your name every time Windows starts? Teach it to log in automatically.
1. Click, "Start", "Run" and type "controluserpasswords2."
2. Uncheck the "Users must enter a username and password to use this computer" checkbox.
3. Click "Apply".
4. Enter the username and password you want to automatically log on with and then click "OK".
5. Click "OK" again and you're all done.
Remember that by doing this you're giving everyone access to your system.

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Slimbrowser

Some time ago I found an excellent tabbed browser called SlimBrowser. It enables you to browse multiple sites in a single main window. It is based on the "bones" of Internet Explorer but is much faster and uses only one third of the resources of IE. Being IE based, all of your programs will recognize it as IE so no conflicts there. It has a lot of wonderful features including a built-in popup killer, autologin, site groups, quick search, etc. The top toolbars, while mainting the IE style have many, many more functions. SlimBrowser has one-touch cleaning of browser history, cookies and cache. By the way, no adware or spyware. Best of all, it's FREE!!! Visit the website at http://wwwflashpeak.com. or you can use the download link by clicking on the SlimBrowser title at the beginning of this posting. Please note that if you download and install SlimBrowser, DO NOT uninstall Internet Explorer since SlimBrowser uses and needs the "bones" of this program to function. So, just set SlimBrowser as your main browser and enjoy!!

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Easily Copy an Item

Hold the "Control" key while dragging an icon to make a copy of the file instead of moving it. Press "Control" when you double-click on an folder to open it in a new window. Use the "Control" key and the arrows keys to switch between parts of the address in you Internet Explorer browser window. Or move to a better browser than Internet Explorer like "Slimbrowser". More to come on that next time and worth waiting for.

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Open Folders with a Single Click

If you would like to be able to open folders with only a single click (instead of the usual double click) here's how to change your settings to make this happen. First, open any folder on your desktop in the usual way, secondly click on "Tools", then "Folder Options" and finally on the "General" tab. Scroll down and put a checkmark in the item "Single Click to Open" and a checkmark in in the item "Underline Icon Titles Consistent with my Browser". Now click "Apply" and "OK". Now you will notice that every folder item name is underlined and can now be opened with just a single click. It's magic!

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Use a Strong Password

The best way to protect your information is with a strong password. Never use words you can find in the dictionary, or the names of family, friends or pets. Don't use your username as a basis for a password or, for that matter, use the word "password" itself. The best passwords don't make any sense. Ideally, use a combination of at least eight uppercase and lowercase lettrs, numbers and symbols(*,#,!,+, etc). And, for heavens sake, don't write your password on a sticky note glued to your monitor. Make up or use something like a saying or a song line to help you remember it. For example, a line from a children's song "5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, 1 Fell Off and Broke his Head" would help you remember the password "5LMJotB1FO&BhH". Got the idea?

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Refreshing a Page

If a site is too slow to load, stop and try again; it will often load faster. Press the "Esc" key, and then press F5 to refresh the page.

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Change User Picture in Windows XP

To change the user picture in Windows XP, click the "Start" button, and then click the picture at the top of the "Start" menu. Choose from the existing images or click the "Browse for More Pictures" link to use any picture from your hard drive. The picture will be scaled to fit. Square pictures work the best.

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Save Your Search

If there's a search you perform often, you can save it by selecting "Save Search" from the "File" menu. You'll create a .fnd file, which you can double-click to re-create the search.

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Weather On your Desktop

Would you like to have local or worldwide weather available on your desktop? Weather Watcher is a small FREE downloadable program from Singer's Creations which runs as an icon in your system tray, uses very little resources and contains no adware or spyware. Clicking on the tray icon brings up the full page if you require more info than shows in the tray icom. Click on the title line of this posting. It's a live link that will take you to the Weather Watcher website. Enjoy!

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Panda Antivirus

Since I think you all know how I feel about viruses, I have added this link to Panda Antivirus which offers a FREE online virus scan from it's sterile site. Check it out!

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