Windows tips
Thursday, February 20, 2003 by MarkMcQ | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
I was just reading IPlural's handy shutdown shortcut tip, and I figured a thread full of such tips would be cool.
I don't know a whole lot, but one handy tip I can pass on is something that I came up with on my old system.
It was very slow, and at that time I had 2050 fonts installed, so it took ages for me to open my fonts folder to install new ones.
I found that if you create a shortcut to it in your 'send to' folder, you could then install fonts, both single and large groups, by simply right-clicking them and choosing that option.
I don't know a whole lot, but one handy tip I can pass on is something that I came up with on my old system.
It was very slow, and at that time I had 2050 fonts installed, so it took ages for me to open my fonts folder to install new ones.
I found that if you create a shortcut to it in your 'send to' folder, you could then install fonts, both single and large groups, by simply right-clicking them and choosing that option.
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JamMeister33
Reply #22 Thursday, February 20, 2003 4:57 PM
Reply #22 Thursday, February 20, 2003 4:57 PM
Thanks for the link S*, my friend found it very helpful indeed..... 
Angel_Wings
Reply #23 Thursday, February 20, 2003 6:17 PM
Angel_Wings is thinking of some more tips...think...think...think
AHA! By jove, I've got it!
I know that if you are running Desktop X this tip is fairly moot but since I don't...I figure this tip might be helpful... SOOOOO Here goes...
I make a folder on my desktop titled 'shortcuts' for all of my more 'clutter-causing' programs and their respective icons that I don't frequently use but like the convenience of having them only a click away on ye olde desktop... That way I have more desktop art to look at and less clutter.
Also, with Outlook Express...you can click create new and just save the blank. Now swim along into your 'draft' where the blank now resides...open up said blank...click save as on and save it on your desktop as a shortcut. Now you have an 'always fresh' blank draft email to click on should the mood strike you. (I also used to use that as a quick spellcheck cheat rather than firing up MS WORD every time).
Oh...and I also keep a shortcut on my desktop for instant access to my Windows clipboard viewer...on XP do a search for clipbrd.exe and once you find it right click to create a shortcut to it and windows will ask you if you want it on your desktop...click yes and vIolA...er I meant voila
Having access to this is handy because if you accidentally leave something HUGE on your clipboard it can slow your puter down HORRIBLY. (Not only that but for security I clear the clipboard if I copy-paste something like my credit card number etc. just to be on the safe side).
That's all I got for now...think I blew a fuse.
Reply #23 Thursday, February 20, 2003 6:17 PM
Angel_Wings is thinking of some more tips...think...think...think
AHA! By jove, I've got it!
I know that if you are running Desktop X this tip is fairly moot but since I don't...I figure this tip might be helpful... SOOOOO Here goes...
I make a folder on my desktop titled 'shortcuts' for all of my more 'clutter-causing' programs and their respective icons that I don't frequently use but like the convenience of having them only a click away on ye olde desktop... That way I have more desktop art to look at and less clutter.
Also, with Outlook Express...you can click create new and just save the blank. Now swim along into your 'draft' where the blank now resides...open up said blank...click save as on and save it on your desktop as a shortcut. Now you have an 'always fresh' blank draft email to click on should the mood strike you. (I also used to use that as a quick spellcheck cheat rather than firing up MS WORD every time).
Oh...and I also keep a shortcut on my desktop for instant access to my Windows clipboard viewer...on XP do a search for clipbrd.exe and once you find it right click to create a shortcut to it and windows will ask you if you want it on your desktop...click yes and vIolA...er I meant voila
Having access to this is handy because if you accidentally leave something HUGE on your clipboard it can slow your puter down HORRIBLY. (Not only that but for security I clear the clipboard if I copy-paste something like my credit card number etc. just to be on the safe side).That's all I got for now...think I blew a fuse.
UBoB
Reply #24 Thursday, February 20, 2003 7:05 PM
Reply #24 Thursday, February 20, 2003 7:05 PM
Ever get a file that just won't let you delete it? Try this. (not for the faint of heart):
Open a Command Prompt window and leave it open. Close all open programs. Click Start, Run and enter TASKMGR.EXE Go to the Processes tab and End Process on Explorer.exe. Leave Task Manager open. Go back to the Command Prompt window and change to the directory the undeletable file is located in. At the command prompt type DEL where is the file you wish to delete. Go back to Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the GUI shell. Close Task Manager.
Works every time for me. Tread carefully...make sure you type in the file name correctly.
Open a Command Prompt window and leave it open. Close all open programs. Click Start, Run and enter TASKMGR.EXE Go to the Processes tab and End Process on Explorer.exe. Leave Task Manager open. Go back to the Command Prompt window and change to the directory the undeletable file is located in. At the command prompt type DEL where is the file you wish to delete. Go back to Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the GUI shell. Close Task Manager.
Works every time for me. Tread carefully...make sure you type in the file name correctly.
Jafo
Reply #25 Thursday, February 20, 2003 7:36 PM
Reply #25 Thursday, February 20, 2003 7:36 PM
motion...that's the sort of thing we manic shell swappers do all the time when updating shell installs...
UBoB
Reply #26 Thursday, February 20, 2003 8:00 PM
Reply #26 Thursday, February 20, 2003 8:00 PM
I figured that Jafo. Posted this for casual swapper who might run into the problem and resort to a complete reboot to remedy it.
.... another one, known by almost everyone I'm sure, but for those that don't...
another use of the WinKey: + L will lock the desktop and send you back to the XP Welcome screen.
.... another one, known by almost everyone I'm sure, but for those that don't...
another use of the WinKey: + L will lock the desktop and send you back to the XP Welcome screen.
UBoB
Reply #27 Thursday, February 20, 2003 8:06 PM
Reply #27 Thursday, February 20, 2003 8:06 PM
Noticed something new about this messageboard. When I type the "" around a word to signify a key on the keyboard, the word and the two symbols disappear.
UBoB
Reply #28 Thursday, February 20, 2003 8:07 PM
Reply #28 Thursday, February 20, 2003 8:07 PM
See, it happened again. In between the quotation marks should be the "greater than" and the "less than" symbols....wierd.
In between the quotation marks should be the "greater than" and the "less than" symbols....wierd.
UBoB
Reply #33 Thursday, February 20, 2003 9:56 PM
Reply #33 Thursday, February 20, 2003 9:56 PM
....but when I reverse them with a work in between like this......" "...the word and the symbols disappear.
UBoB
Reply #34 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:14 PM
Reply #34 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:14 PM
OOps, sorry. Kind of got off track.
Back to tips.... another one is the use of 'alt' in conjunction with the 'tab' key. Works if you have more than one application open. If you've never used it before, press and hold the 'alt' key and then press the tab key to move between the different apps.
Actually, this would be something for the next WB release to support skinning of. Maybe?
Back to tips.... another one is the use of 'alt' in conjunction with the 'tab' key. Works if you have more than one application open. If you've never used it before, press and hold the 'alt' key and then press the tab key to move between the different apps.
Actually, this would be something for the next WB release to support skinning of. Maybe?
citats
Reply #35 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:19 PM
Reply #35 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:19 PM
Ahh that wonderful alt key. alt + f4 will close any open window unless you do not have any open. In that case it brings up the log off / shutdown menu.
JamMeister33
Reply #36 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:22 PM
Reply #36 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:22 PM
Yeah baby, learn something new every day..... gotta love that.....
IPlural
Reply #37 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:29 PM
Reply #37 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:29 PM
Ill never forget back in 1988 when my wife called me at work in a fit of emotions while whispering into the phone " honey what would happen if I wanted to delete everything in the directory I was in and typed in
: Del \*.* and when it asked are you sure I said yes?"
I asked her, where you in one directory above the root when you did this?
yes
after you did this did you do a "dir" and find all the files in the directory you where in were still there?
yes
don't reboot, ok
ah, what if I did?
she did... and they did not have a boot disc to do a sys C: with naturally....
: Del \*.* and when it asked are you sure I said yes?"
I asked her, where you in one directory above the root when you did this?
yes
after you did this did you do a "dir" and find all the files in the directory you where in were still there?
yes
don't reboot, ok
ah, what if I did?
she did... and they did not have a boot disc to do a sys C: with naturally....
citats
Reply #38 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:50 PM
Reply #38 Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:50 PM
Uninstall Windows messenger (xp) in the run dialog box type "RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove" without the quotes and then press ok
ama02
Reply #39 Friday, February 21, 2003 2:05 AM
Reply #39 Friday, February 21, 2003 2:05 AM
Regarding the Outlook Express email archiving...how do you open/view the archived messages? I have a backup disk with several important archive folders...tried to import them back into OE, but cannot find the folders or messages. 
craeonics
Reply #40 Friday, February 21, 2003 7:39 AM
Reply #40 Friday, February 21, 2003 7:39 AM
Motion, the < and > thing (see, I can use 'em) is because those are characters used in html.
As for the fonts thing. There's no need to install a font if you just occasionally use it. Just open up the font (just double click on the file) and it will be loaded into memory for use.
And some hotkeys, you probably already know, which I use a lot:
Alt-F4 > close main window
Ctrl+F4 &g;t close child window
Alt+Esc > Cycle trhough all windows (just like Alt+Tab, but without previews)
Shift+Alt+Esc > the same, but the other way around (like Shift+Alt+Tab)
Ctrl+Esc > Same as the Win key if you don't have one
Alt+Space > bring up the menu you normally get by right clicking on an icon
PrntScn > takes a screendump and copies it to the clipboard
Alt+PrntScn > takes a screenshot of the currently active window only (handy for taking screenshots of skins)
Ctrl+Ins > cut (I think can't check, 'cause I have it mapped to something else)
Shift+Ins > paste. Handy when you're on the right site of the keyboard.
'Nuff for today.
As for the fonts thing. There's no need to install a font if you just occasionally use it. Just open up the font (just double click on the file) and it will be loaded into memory for use.
And some hotkeys, you probably already know, which I use a lot:
Alt-F4 > close main window
Ctrl+F4 &g;t close child window
Alt+Esc > Cycle trhough all windows (just like Alt+Tab, but without previews)
Shift+Alt+Esc > the same, but the other way around (like Shift+Alt+Tab)
Ctrl+Esc > Same as the Win key if you don't have one
Alt+Space > bring up the menu you normally get by right clicking on an icon
PrntScn > takes a screendump and copies it to the clipboard
Alt+PrntScn > takes a screenshot of the currently active window only (handy for taking screenshots of skins)
Ctrl+Ins > cut (I think can't check, 'cause I have it mapped to something else)
Shift+Ins > paste. Handy when you're on the right site of the keyboard.
'Nuff for today.
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Reply #21 Thursday, February 20, 2003 3:00 PM
wk+d = show desktop
wk+e = windows explorer
wk+r = run command
wk+f = find files