Clear your Firefox download list.

If you have been noticing that Firefox downloads have been getting slower and slower, it's probably because your list of items that Firefox has already downloaded is getting longer as time goes on. So why not clean out the list altogether. Using "Control J" will bring up a drop down menu showing all the items Firefox has previously downloaded. Just click the "Clean and Close" button and they're all gone. Now you can start fresh.

Add A Toolbar To Your Desktop

Windows XP

1. Right click an empty area on the taskbar.
2. Point to "Toolbars", then click the toolbar you want to add.
3. The new Toolbar lets you place a shortcut to a folder on the taskbar.

Note:
You can resize the toolbar or move it to another location on the taskbar by pointing to the vertical bar on the left side of the toolbar and dragging it to the left or right.

You can create a floating toolbar by dragging it from the taskbar to the desktop.

To remove a toolbar, right click on an empty area of the taskbar, Point to "Toolbars" and then remove the check mark from the toolbar you want to remove

Windows Vista

The trick in Vista is to go to the desktop and create a plain folder, then, when you drag it to the top of the desktop, it turns into a toolbar. Here's how you do it: click on the yellow folder on the desktop and now, with the left mouse, drag the folder to the very top border, then let go. Dragging the folder to the side of the desktop did not work for me. A promising sign was when the mouse displayed a plus sign(+). At that point I let go and the toolbar magically appeared.
Once the toolbar is created you can drag shortcuts into it just like any other toolbar.

What a handy way to clean up some of the extra stuff on your desktop!

Create an Emergency Rescue Disc!

Did you create a rescue disk when you installed Windows? If not,
or if you can longer locate it, you may want to make sure that you have
one on hand in case a technical problem (usually a problematic new
program which you just installed) prevents your computer from booting.
Here's how in Windows:

CREATE YOUR RESCUE DISK
1. Insert a blank (empty) formatted floppy disk in your floppy drive.
2. Open your Control Panel, accessing it through My Computer, or
through Start, Settings.
3. Double click on Add/Remove Programs.
4. Open the Startup Disk tab, and click on Create Disk.
5. Allow Windows to create your bootable floppy disk.
6. Also, open your Windows directory, and copy your Windows
registry files -- system.dat and user.dat
7. When done, label it as your bootable floppy disk.
8. For extra security, make TWO bootable rescue disks.
9. Test them out. Turn off your computer, then place your rescue
disk in your floppy drive, wait 30 seconds, then turn on your
computer again. You should be able to boot into Windows.
Enter in the SAFE mode to troubleshoot further.

Use Your Mouse to Resize Icons in Vista

Let us start with a quick, easy, yet flashy Vista tip. We are going to resize the desktop icons by holding down the Ctrl key, and scrolling the mouse wheel. See how icons such as the Recycle Bin enlarge or shrink as you turn the mouse's wheel. By scrolling you can get over 20 different sizes of icon, there is bound to be one that suits you. Incidentally, this a classic for learning a tip once, on the Vista Desktop, and then applying wherever you go, for example try Ctrl + scroll the mouse wheel when you are next in Windows Explorer.

Check PC Health in Vista

If you would like to check your PC’s health:

Open up Control Panel and click on the Performance Information and Tools icon. Than open Advanced tools from the list on the left hand side of the screen. Click on the Generate a system health report option at the bottom of the list. This will provide you with a list of any problems the system may be experiencing and some suggestions on how to correct them.

Time and Time Again (Vista)

This one’s interesting. Open up the Date and Time applet in the Control Panel. Flip to the “Additional Clocks” tab. There, you can configure two more clocks from different time zones. They’ll appear in the tooltip when you hover over the Taskbar clock. No additional software (or silly sidebar widgets) necessary. Cool!

Remember Your Info! (Firefox)

InFormEnter adds a small, clickable icon next to every input field in a web form, from where you can select the item to be inserted - no typing required. You can configure it to display your frequently used information such as name, email, address and whatever else you want to be available from the form menu.

So, if you can't remember all the bits and pieces of your info, InFormEnter is for you. This small program resides on your own computer (nothing is sent out online, for security purposes). You can add as many items to the program as you wish and this download supports multiple profiles for multiple users. To use, you just click on the new icon next any input field and then click on the item you want inserted. Note that this program works with secure sites (such as financial institutions, for example) so you will wish to use caution if your computer has one user account, but is accessible by others. This add-on is for Firefox and is compatible with Windows (up to and including Vista).

Windows Media player for Firefox, XP and/or Vista

Good news for those folks that are using Firefox (XP and/or Vista) and wish also to use Windows Media Player. A new and compatible Windows Media Player Plug-in for Firefox has just been released. Now you don't have to use Internet Explorer for all your Windows Media Player content. The new plug-in is available here or by clicking on the title line of this posting. Enjoy!

Feeling "Compatible" with Vista

One concern for Windows XP users is if their favorite software applications will run once they upgrade to Vista.

Luckily, Windows Vista uses a feature called Compatibility Mode which tells the software application that Vista is actually an older OS, specifically Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, or XP.

Here's how it works:

If your software application won't install, open or work properly, right click on the application's .exe file. Select Properties and then click the Compatibility tab. From there, pick the previous Windows operating system you were on (most likely Windows XP). If you're a system operator, you can set this up as an administrator to make it easier for your staff.

Now, don't you feel better that you know that most of your older programs will run on Vista. Note that this will NOT work on system changes (such as changing your Bootskin.) Stardock say they hope to have a Bootskin changer ready for use soon.

(Information in this tip courtesy of McGraw-Hill)

Here's a little Vista trick you can use in the meantime!

Enable Hidden BootScreen in Windows Vista

The Windows Vista BootScreen is pointless, but Microsoft decided to hide a more visually appealing boot screen that can easily be enabled with very little trouble. I’m not sure why they didn’t make the boot screen better.

1. Press Win+R, type msconfig and press Enter.
2. If User Account Control prompts you to allow the action, click on Continue.
3. In the "System Configuration" window, click on the Boot tab.
4. Select your Windows Vista installation and under "Boot options", check "No GUI boot". Press OK.
5. In the dialog that appears, check "Don’t show this message again", and then click on Restart.
6. Your computer will now reboot, and you will see the Aurora boot screen with text that says "Starting Windows Vista".

Note: You may get a Windows Defender error on the next startup. You can enable the system config utility using the tray icon and this error will go away.

Daylight Savings Time Changes

Just a reminder of the new Daylight Savings Time dates. Daylight Saving Time now begins at 2.00 AM Sunday, March 11th and your computer clock may not be programmed to reflect this new change. If you are running Vista, your system is already programmed for this. If you are running XP AND if you are completely current with your Windows Updates, the small adjustment program will have already been downloaded as an update and installed to correct your clock on the appropriate day.

If either of these situations is not applicable to your operating system, Microsoft is providing a patch which can be obtained here. For Mac users, Apple is providing a similar patch from the download section of their site.

"The times, they are a-changing!"

I've been "Bested"

I've just learned the hard way to not entrust your stuff to a certain well-known computer "big box" store. They trashed the whole thing and even after I took it to a "real" tech person, it couldn't be saved. Just a word to the wise. Big name doesn't mean good quality. That's the end of my rant.

Power Point Viewer 2007

If you don't have Microsoft Power Point installed on your computer, you can still view Power Point Presentations. The new Power Point Viewer 2007 has just been released (replacing the 2003 version). Just download and install it and you will be able to view presentations created using all versions of Power Point from Windows 98 up to and including the soon to be released Windows Vista . You can get the new viewer here.

IE7 Not Working At Some Sites?

I love this application. It is a very cool utility that opens an Internet Explorer 7.0 window which is configured to report its identity to websites as being Internet Explorer 6.0 - an excellent way to work with Web sites that are improperly coded to only recognize IE6 and earlier. Just click here to get it.

This is much easier than messing around with the registry, and most importantly, other instances of Internet Explorer 7 will not be affected. It makes testing Web sites so very much easier.

Back To Top

Photos The Wrong Size? (Windows)

Photo Resizer is a free utility developed for digital-camera owners, Webmasters, or anybody who quickly wants to resize a photo for e-mail or to publish on a Web site. There is no need to open a photo editor or e-mail client. Open the photo in PhotoResizer, resize it, and e-mail it to a friend, colleague, or your office. It also takes the addresses from your e-mail-client's address book. It's an excellent tool for Webmasters. Resize any photo to upload to your Web site. Did I mention that this little item is FREE? Just click on this link!

Back To Top

Do The Kids Push Your "Power" Button?

This is for anyone with small children that like to come along and push the power button on the computer, usually right when you're in the middle of something.

Go to "Control Panel","Power", "Options" and click on the "Advanced" tab. In the drop box called "When I press the power button on my computer" set to either "Do nothing" or "Ask me what to do". The first is self-explanatory, and the second brings up the option window when you click "Turn off computer" on the Start menu.

Now you won't have those little fingers coming along while you are in the middle of something and turning the computer off on you and causing you to lose what you're working on.

I haven't come across something similar for the Reset button (if present) other than to disconnect it from the motherboard. Then again if your computer has frozen to the point that you need to reset, flipping the switch on the power supply will accomplish the same thing.

(Thanks to "Stormy 13" - P.C Pitstop for this tip.)

Back To Top

IE7 & Firefox 2.0 both released.

Recently Microsoft released the latest version of it's browser Internet Explorer 7. At about the same time Mozilla released the latest version of it's browser Firefox 2.0. I have used them both and I find that IE7, while looking a little different than it did in it's earlier versions, essentially functions in the same fashion, albeit with a lot of new security advancements and the addition of "tabbed" browsing capabilities. Firefox 2.0 is a stable version with more security features than ever. It looks and functions much like it's previous versions. I believe Firefox 2.0 to be much more secure than IE7, so it will continue, at present, to be my default browser.

I would recommend that both of these browsers should be tried on for size, and with an open mind, before anyone should make any firm decisions as to their browser of choice.

Back To Top

Reclaim Your Inbox - Thunderbird

I have recently begun using Mozilla Thunderbird to access my POP Mail instead of Outlook Express. I like Thunderbird because of it's included Security Applications, it's ease of use, and also the ability to customize to my preferences by adding "extensions", much as one does in the Mozilla Firefox Browser. All settings and mail are easily imported from OE or other mail programs. In addition, Thunderbird can be configured to access mail from most other POP mail sources including, by the way, GMail.

I've been using Thunderbird for a couple of months now and I'm really pleased with the program as a whole. So, as Mozilla says, "Take Back Your Inbox" with Thunderbird. It is, of course, an absolutely FREE download.

Back To Top

Fetch Your Product Key!

If you need to re-install Windows, you will need the product key. Most of the time, the place this exists is on the CD jacket Windows came with, and if for some reason you can't find that, it can be quite inconvenient. You can search the registry for it, but there is a program to make this task much easier. It’s called Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder.

"The Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder” is a freeware utility that retrieves your Product Key only (CD key) used to install windows from your registry. It has the options to copy the key to clipboard, save it to a text file, or print it for safekeeping. It works on Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Office 97, and Office XP. This version is a quick update to make it work with Windows Server 2003

Go to www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml for more details.

The utility is freeware.

Back To Top

See Who Owns The Sites You Visit - CallingID

Are you sure that the site you are entering is the site you think it is? Maybe it's a "phishing" site trying to get your info. CallingID is a program that will install a toolbar at the top your browser page which indicates the site you are visiting, who really does own it and if it's what it seems to be. CallingID works on both Internet Explorer and Firefox. The good news - it's FREE and free is good! Why not give it a try?

Back to Top

Are you ready for "Vista"?

Windows Vista, the successor to Windows XP, is still being held back so that Microsoft can do some more "tweaking". I have used the Beta version just to see how it functions and have had very few problems. Others, though, report that they have not had the same experience. Many of the programs you may now have will function with Windows Vista, but some will not, at least not yet. Most devices you may now have will work, although some may require downloading new drivers for proper functionality. Microsoft went so far as to have hackers actually try to break the new system and they were successful. Microsoft is again busy altering the program to plug these weaknesses. The final delivery date is still anybody's guess. It is known that Windows Vista will be available as an upgrade to Windows XP and Windows 2000, all others must do a "clean install". When Windows XP was first released, the upgrade proved to be far more problematic than a "clean install" and this may well be the case with the release of Vista. Only time will tell but I would hold off for some time after the release date until most of the bugs are ironed out. Vista also requires a lot of resources to run in its "full" state with all the fancy graphics, etc. It can, however, be run in a simplified mode without these resource heavy items being used, and still operates in a satisfactory manner.

All that being said, how will you know if your machine will even be able to run Windows Vista? Well, Microsoft can at least give you an idea by examining what you already have and what you will need. They are making available the "Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor Beta". When you download this from Microsoft, you can scan your own computer and get a report of what Vista needs in comparison to what you have and with suggestions on what changes have to be made to run Vista and how to make them."Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor Beta" is available for download by clicking on the title of this posting or on the links above. Have fun!

Back to Top