Cozy Den Archives
WIN TIP OF THE DAY

These are the WinTips for the weeks
of May 3 thru May 14, 1999!

*****************************************
* * T I P   O F   T H E   D A Y     May 3, 1999 * *
Using Notepad

Think there's not much to know about Notepad? Think again. For example, you can insert the current time and date in Notepad just by pressing F5. Or, if you want to log the date and time automatically each time you open a Notepad file, type .LOG on the first line, then save and close the file. Every time you open the file thereafter, the current date and time will be recorded in it.
******************************************

* * T I P   O F   T H E   D A Y     May 4, 1999 * *
Selecting Multiple Files

Sometimes you want to select most, but not all, of the files in a folder. Here's the easiest way to do it: Select all the files you don't want to select, then choose Invert Selection from the Explorer Edit menu.
******************************************

* * T I P   O F   T H E   D A Y     May 5, 1999 * *
Viewing Details by Size

In Explorer, select Details from the View menu, then click on the Size button to see the files listed in file-size order, with the biggest files first. Click on the Size button again to see the smallest files listed first.
******************************************

* * T I P   O F   T H E   D A Y     May 6, 1999 * *
Win Tools

Most of us use the Start menu to find ScanDisk, Disk Defragmenter or Backup. But there's a better way. In My Computer, right-click on a drive and select Properties. Click on the Tools tab. Here you'll get information on the last time you performed each operation, with launch buttons for each.
******************************************

* * T I P   O F   T H E   D A Y     May 7, 1999 * *
Viewing Memory

If you ever want to know what's happening with your system's use of memory, just select Start/Run and type MEM.
******************************************

* * T I P   O F   T H E   D A Y     May 10, 1999 * *
Setting System Time

Double-click on the time in the Taskbar tray to bring up the Data/Time Properties dialog. From there you can change your system's time and date settings.
******************************************

* * T I P   O F   T H E   D A Y     May 11, 1999 * *
Keyboard Shortcuts

Here's a tip for those of you who prefer the keyboard. Sometimes you'd like to select items on the desktop, but the desktop isn't the currently selected "folder." With your desktop visible, Press Ctrl+Esc to bring up the Start menu, hit Esc, then Shift+Tab. Now your arrow keys will let you navigate items on the desktop. .
******************************************

* * T I P   O F   T H E   D A Y     May 12, 1999 * *
Empty Documents Menu

Empty the contents of the Documents item on your Start menu by selecting Start/Settings/Taskbar and clicking on the Start Menu Programs tab. Under Documents menu, click on the Clear button.
******************************************


Let me add some to the above tip of the day! While you are there, click on the ADVANCED button just up above the CLEAR button. It will open an explorer window for the START MENU! You can customize your start menu real easy right there. You can create new folders and organize items in it. For example...I have a folder I named Miscr$oft Office Items and all the shortcuts for Excel, Publisher, etc. are in that folder. I hate having more than one column come up when I click START...PROGRAMS. I want one nice column with folders full of shortcuts. Another folder I named SCAN AND EDIT. The shortcuts to all my programs related to scanning or editing are in there (duh) Like Paint shop pro, Gif animator, IPhoto, Mustek Scanning Console, HTML Font colorizer. If you have more than one browser, you could make an INTERNET folder and stick the shortcuts to both IE and Netscape in one folder. Organizing these folders is easy. You can create new folders, add shortcuts or delete them or reorganize them into new folders and even sub folders. The options are unlimited. Don't be afraid....they are all only shortcuts...nothing bad can happen if you acccidently delete one! You can just go to the program file and create a new shortcut!!! If anyone needs anymore help with this added tip of the day...e-mail me or post questions!!!
******************************************

* * T I P   O F   T H E   D A Y     May 13, 1999 * *
Keeping Taskbar on TOP

If your taskbar is buried under a pile of open windows, there's a permanent fix and a quick but temporary one. The permanent fix is to right-click on the taskbar (find a spot where there are no tray icons or minimized app or folder buttons), select Properties and make sure there's a check mark next to the "Always on Top" item. The quick fix is to select Ctrl+Esc.
******************************************

* * T I P   O F   T H E   D A Y     May 14, 1999 * *
Hiding Files

If you want to keep files-or even folders full of files-hidden from prying eyes, just right-click on each file and select Hidden in the Attributes box at the bottom of the Properties dialog. To see the files you've hidden, double-click on My Computer, select Options from the View menu, click on the View tab and select Show All Files.
******************************************