J.D.'s Handy WebTV Tips

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™ J.D.'s HANDY WEBTV TIPS -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Click Here: Page to print out 'Tips'

WEBTV HANDY TIPS: updated 12-17-2000
Some of these tips may no longer work with the newest upgrade from Feb., 2001. I will update these as soon as I can, and adding others.

NOTE: Your WebTV, (terminal unit box), does not store any of your 'favorites', or 'e-mails' etc. The only info stored in your unit is the 'cache', (temporary memory like: 'recents', C/C/P, 'settings'), and the box I.D. If you have a Plus, the hard drive is only for saving the TV listings and related settings. All of your important information; (account info, favorites, e-mail, sig, and PageBuilder Web-Page), is stored on the WebTV computers, which is accessed by 'your' terminal. Your active terminal, has 'access privleges' to your primary users account. When you 'transfer' from one box to another, all you are doing is, transfering 'access privleges'. (Just be sure that your primary user has a password set, so if you want to transfer a box, you can just plug in the new box, and do the automatic 'transfer' yourself).

a) When writing e-mails or posts; do NOT use a return at the end of a line like a typewriter, (the line will automatically wrap to the next line); do NOT use spaces after a paragraph; use 2 'returns'. No need for indentations.

b) Want to know what an e-mail looks like that you will be sending to someone? Want to check out your new sig? Either send it to yourself first, or add your name to the address line.

c) If you have your name in the address book, then click on the blue 'To:' and choose the name; it will be added to any other name you had used in the 'To:' line.

d) To go to your Page Builder Index, erase the http:// from GoTo box, and type:   wtv-tricks:/pagebuilder

e) To get a live person when calling WebTV @ 1-800-go-webtv (1-800-469-3288): Ignore all of the prompts until you get a live person; or try this; Press 1 after hearing long greeting, then press 1, and then 3 to speak to a live rep.

f) After pressing "GoTo", you don't have to type "www." or ".com" when entering a web address, these are filled in automatically for most sites.

g) When writing to a fellow WebTVer, you don't have to type in the "@webtv.net".

h) To change background music, (if you have a Plus, and the plus keyboard or remote), press "view" twice. It will stop the WebTV background music and force the next midi to come up.

i) You can LEAVE an e-mail while composing one; it will be stored in memory if it is not too long to overwhelm the memory. This includes: 'send', or 'reply, or 'forwarding', or even 'posting to newsgroups' e-mails. You can return to this e-mail, to add to or edit anytime. (Do NOT use 'back' to leave the e-mail). When returning, be sure you 'return' to the same 'write', 'reply', 'forward', 'post', or whatever. If you go to the wrong one, it will appear to be lost. Even powering off or switching users, should not affect this.

j) To see how many total e-mails were 'received', 'saved', 'sent', and 'discarded', use this E-mail counter tool:
http://www.wtv-zone.com/bflo/webtv/emailamtviewer.html

The old method was:
In each of the four 'mail' areas, you could place the cursor over the top most e-mail (or the most recent); press CTRL & CMD together, and see how many total e-mails were 'received', 'saved', 'sent', or 'discarded'.

k) In most pop-up or drop-down menus; type the letter or word you want to go to instead of scrolling with the arrow keys.

l) CMD & W will bring up or remove the PIP, (Picture in Picture), even while trying to initially connect online. (Plus users only)

m) PIP TV channels can be changed using the numbers on the keyboard or remote, except when within a text writing area.

n) CMD & M : moves the WebTV PIP window left or right; or press "enter" on remote.

o) CMD & scroll-up/scroll-down takes you to the top/bottom of the page.

p) CMD & CTRL displays most Web address' URLs of the link that the yellow cursor box is currently on. Does not always show the complete URL.

q) In the 'mail' area, to write an e-mail, you can also press the 'send' key. After writing a message, you can click on the 'send' button at the bottom of the e-mail, or press the 'send' key.

r) For ALL discussion groups, press 'GoTo', then CMD & delete. Finally, type 'news:' and press 'return'. Or Click:    NewsGroups

s) In 'mail' and text-fields; to move around quickly within your message, use CMD & down/up arrow and CMD & left/right arrow.

t) CMD & G : in using C/C/P (cut,copy & paste), cursor goes 'down' to and highlights each next instance of that which you specified in the 'find' box. (same if you use the 'find' key and press return). CMD & B : will highlight the next instance 'above' the last. CMD & F is the same as hitting the 'find' key. This procedure is great for finding multiple instances of the same word or phrase. Searching out your posting in a newsgroup is one such use. You need only use a couple of letters in the 'find' box, but it is best to use the full word or phrase in order to eliminate other words or phrases that begin with the same first letters.

u) CMD & delete key erases entire line in text prompt. (place cursor to left of line to be deleted)

v) CMD & P : goes to 'print' screen

w) CMD & R : reloads one-time, the current page screen information. Reload can also be accessed with 'options' key on the cordless keyboard, or 'options button' on the remote. On a PM Plus remote control you can also use the 'reload' button, (one step). On the wired keyboard, use the 'flag' or 'windows' key in place of the CMD.

x) For Reporting of SPAM and abuse:

Report ALL spam to:
uce@ftc.gov
net-abuse@nocs.insp.irs.gov

Spam from anyone OTHER than WebTV users:
spam@webtv.net
spam@corp.webtv.net

Spam/Abuse from Webtv users:
abuse@webtv.net

If it's a chain letter or pyramid scheme:
pyramid@ftc.gov

If it asks for money through the U.S.Mail:
fraud@uspis.gov

If it offers a "great stock opportunity":
enforcement@sec.gov

If it offers a "snake oil cure":
lrd@cfsan.fda.gov

U.S. Customs - (Reporting Child Porn):
(click on: Enforcement)
http://www.customs.ustreas.gov

Anti-Spamming Tools: Let em' have it....
http://www.spamcop.com/
spamrecycle@chooseyourmail.com
http://www.spamrecycle.com/
http://www.hostedscripts.com/scripts/antispam.html

Spam Tracing & Tracking:
Click on 'more tools and more info on these tools'.
http://www.samspade.org/
http://www.spamcop.com/
http://www.spamrecycle.com/

For More Information:
http://community-2.webtv.net/IOM/0spam/
news:alt.discuss.activist.fighting-spam

y) When using C/C/P to copy long URLs, there maybe a space or break added to the URL during the transfer. Be sure to check that there is no break or space in the URL once you have pasted the URL.

z) CMD & A : Use to highlight a page with text that is hard to read, or if the links are hard to read. It often works; try it now, but be sure that you can 'see' your cursor on a link.

aa) If you want to change your 'primary users' name; make up a new 'secondary user' name the way you want, (if available), and call 1-800-gowebtv and have them 'switch' the names.

bb) WebTV Plus users: When on TV Home, try NOT to 'watch' TV via the 1/2 screen TV (that has the left sidebar), for longer than 10 minutes to prevent screen burn-in. Instead, click on the TV and it will bring up the full screen version. From there, you can use 'view' to go back to the web, or use 'back' to go back to TV HOME, or even 'home' to go back to TV HOME.

cc) Avoid those accidental huge phone bills. Be sure that you have your 'dialing options' setup for 'audible' dialing. This lets you 'see' and 'hear' unscreen, the number your unit dials, allowing you to see if your unit dials a toll number (long distance), or a local number.

dd) E-mail normally is saved in your 'saved' mail storage area. (if you made a storage area by going to 'mail', clicking on 'settings', then on 'extras'.) Each of your users has to set up the storage area.

You can also have a free e-mail service like
http://www.hotmail.com/   and just forward any e-mails that tend to plug up your regular e-mail area. Any e-mail with sounds, and images, and attachments, take up a HUGE amount of your mail storage. In fact, one e-mail can take up to 50% of your allowed 4MB of mail storage. Just forward these to another of your WebTV e-mail users, or to one of the free e-mail services for which you have signed up.

If you are saving any of these e-mails that gobble memory, but don't really need them, just click on 'cleanup' on the left side bar of the mail area, and 'see' which ones take up too much storage memory. Each e-mail will show up as a percentage of your total memory of mail storage. This allows you to discard (delete) the bad ones.......or forward them to your other user, or the free e-mail service.

There are ways you could save e-mail in 'favorites'. The best and easiest way is for you to have a website page with the e-mails on it, which in turn you can 'save' to favorites.

Just sign up for a free website address, and copy all of your e-mails using C/C/P, Best way is to have a separate webpage for each of your friend's or family's e-mail.

On most of my pages, scroll down to the bottom of the page for a link to Angelfire for 'Free WebPages'. There are many free webpage sites out there, and Angelfire is just one of them.

A website allows you to save at least twice as much mail than WebTV allows in their 'saved mail' area.

ee) To save your 'WebTV e-mails' at a free site hosting service:

     1) You first must learn C/C/P. Or be ready for lots of writing. To learn Cut/Copy/Paste, goto 'Home', and click on 'Help'. On the Help page, click on C/C/P under Quick Picks.

     2) Go through each e-mail you want to store at the free e-mail service, one at a time.

     3) E-mails with links; click on the links, use 'GoTo' button and click on 'show current' to get the page URL. Use C/C/P, and copy the URL. There are now two ways to save this URL.

           3a) GoTo 'write' mail, and paste it in an e-mail to yourself at your WebTV addy, and at the free -email addy; but DON'T send it yet. Push 'mail' button again, and go get another URL. (don't use the 'back' button. You will eventually have just one e-mail with lots of URLs. When done, send it to yourself to store at your WebTV mail area, and the free service.

           3b) If you know C/C/P and are confident with it; keep the first URL in cache memory, and get a second one by clicking on the link, using 'GoTo' button, and 'show current'. This second URL should now be showing. You still have the first one you copied in cache memory, so 'paste' the first URL in the same box next to the one now showing. Now highlight and 'copy' this box with both URLs. Get the next URL, and do the same process to add the third to the first two. You can have a lot of URLs kept in memory this way; the process is called 'harvesting URLs'. Now go to the 'write' mail and do as in 1a). It is easy to get confused and mess up this procedure. (don't do this unless comfortable with it.), and be aware that there is a limit to this memory cache. It will hold an awful lot, but if your cache is already full from other things, just do the longer process of 1a).

           3c) Another way to get a URL of a page or even the URL of a sound file, is to copy the information showing when you press the 'Info' key. (you can copy the whole thing and delete unwanted things when you paste the needed info. Or.... you can do partial copying of the info. To grab just the bottom URL:

           3d) Hold down CMD and tap the A key which will highlight all. Next, hold down the Shift key and tap the left arrow key one time. While still holding down the Shift key, tap the down arrow as many times needed to unhighlight the lines you don't want to copy. To unhighlight just a few letters or words, hold down the Shift key and tap the right arrow key once or more. (use up arrow or left arrow along with Shift to correct a mistake). Once done, all you have to do is hold down CMD and tap the C key one time for 'Copy'.

           3e) To reverse the procedure just described, (to unhighlight things from bottom to top instead):
Hold down CMD and tap the right arrow key, then the down arrow key, and the left arrow key. Now while still holding down CMD, you can tap the left arrow key one time for each letter/number or the up arrow key for each line you want to unhighlight. (That means that this procedure is to hold down Shift and tap the three bottom arrow keys, right to left).

           3f) Another way to get the URL of a sound file, is to press 'GoTo' and click on 'Show Last' while the music is playing; (if you clicked on a sound file to listen to it; otherwise use the above procedure for the Info key).

     4) The e-mails with just 'text' you want to save; just forward these to the free e-mail service using your new e-mail address. (Some services require you to access the account after receiving 10 e-mails because they will only hold a limited new e-mails. Just go there each time it is full, and assign them an individual folder. ie; 'Family e-mails', or whatever.)

     5) E-mails with both text and links; just get the URLs first, then forward the e-mail.

     6) Any e-mail with 'photos'; you should see a 'scrapbook' icon in the left sidebar, if you have opened a 'PageBuilder' site at WebTV. Just click on this 'scrapbook' icon, and the photo should be now saved. To open this PageBuilder, GoTo 'Home', click on 'Community', and then on 'PageBuilder', and follow instructions.

     7) Go through all the e-mails, and discard the ones you have now stored elsewhere.

Seems like a long process doesn't it? It is, but worth it to clear up your WebTV mail.

Be aware that these free e-mail services usually require you to visit the site at least once every five to six months, or they will cancel the account. In other words; your forwarded e-mails are not permanently stored if you do not seem to be around.

A more permanent solution to 'saving' e-mails more permanently, is to use C/C/P to put all of the text, and URLs on a webpage. Each site that you have pages, can have 4-11MB of storage rather than the 2MB that WebTV has.

ff) Even if there are 8 local possible dialup access numbers, your unit will never be programmed with more than 3 local possible numbers to call.

Some only have 1 or 2 local access numbers that their unit will call. To get it changed permanently, you can ask at 1-800-gowebtv (1-800-469-3288)

But if the number you like has already been programmed in, there's a trick you can use to make your unit call a particular number:

Watch the screen as your unit dials in on the first number. (must have audible dialing enabled). When the green 'heartbeat' line is about 2/3 of the way over and it says, "Connecting," then;

Lift your phone receiver and hit #5 repeatedly until it says "Preparing to dial" then "Dialing xxxxxxxx" (the 2nd programmed number for your unit will now be dialed).

Repeat until you get to the number you want. Typically, it will dial number 1, then 2, then 1 again, then 2 again, then 3 (assuming you have 3 possible numbers).

It's time consuming, (especially if you want the third number), but if you want in on a number your unit will dial, you can do it this way.

This tip came from a posting of: Saverio (Idyllwild, CA)

An alternate method:  I found that all dialing, and waiting for false connections, can be avoided simply by picking up your phone, and dialing the pound sign (#), (while your unit is trying to connect to WebTV service, but before it actually does). This produces a busy signal that does not stop, (when webtv "hears" it). It doesn't even try to connect - it just goes to the next number. You can get the third number (5 tries) in less than 30 seconds! It may help beginners to slow their "dialing speed" option until they are used to doing this! Hope this helps! from: calicuteguy@webtv.net

gg) To find out what your local access numbers are:    Local Access Numbers
http://vega.webtv.net/products/lookup/local_access.html

hh) The following method will enable anyone to have a one key access to the 'write an e-mail" page with all the addresses you want, already there, (along with a subject). Great for people who e-mail the same relatives, but just want to change the daily message.

First of all, you will need to have a webpage with the HTML on it; then you will need to assign a F-key to that page. Whenever you hit that F-key, the "write an e-mail" page will then automatically come up.

Here is the HTML to put on a webpage:

You just change the e-mail addresses in the HTML code, to the list of the ones you want. (Tip: Don't use mine; I just used mine for the above example). Just be sure to put the comma between each one if using multiple e-mail names, and use no spaces. For the e-mail subject, just substitute your own words with %20 between each word.

Click on this page for an example of the above:
https://www.angelfire.com/mt/jdhardball/quickemailcopies.html

Do NOT click on 'SEND', because doing so, will send 2 blank e-mails to ME. Just use your 'back" key, when you have seen the test page. That test page will be available for just a limited time.........

Another similiar method is as follows. Goto your 'Mail' page, then click on 'addresses', then click on 'add'. In the top box for names, type something like 'My nieces and nephews'. In the lower box for addresses, type each address of the nieces and nephews, with no spaces and add a comma between each one. Now, click on 'Done'.

You can always add more names later, or erase names later. So now, when you goto your 'mail' WRITE area, you can click on the 'TO:' and then click on 'My nieces and nephews'. The whole list will now automatically be added to the e-mail for mailing.

You can now erase any of those addresses, or even add another. Just be sure there is a comma between each one. (You can also go back to 'addresses', and change the list).

This particular address listing, will not automatically put in your subject line greeting as the previous method will do.

ii) CMD & Y will gain access to Instant Messenger, (IM).

jj) Ctrl & M acts like a 'return' when cursor is on a link.

kk) D & J & K together is same as F4 key.

ll) Shift & Y & U is same as channel up button.

mm) Shift & Y & J is same as channel down button.

nn) Ever wonder who and what some of those e-mails are because you can't see all the information on the e-mail list page? Don't open up those 'unknown' e-mails, (most often resulting in spam). 'See' what the full address and title of the e-mails are, by using the C/C/P feature. Highlight the e-mail address line, (before opening), and C/C/P the info into your 'goto' box. If you got the whole line copied and pasted correctly, it should show the full info, letting you decide whether or not you should open the e-mail.

Page2. More Tips

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Be Good, Be Safe, Be Prepared...........

And Web On.......

the Keeper

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