Short cuts and other tips

[Sylar]

Should you Okay or Apply? That is the question I would say Apply lol!

[CrowdAds]

[felix8406]

You can easily change your computer sound, e.g. new email, to make it more personal. To do this simply click Start and type Sound on search box, then click Sound. Go to the Sounds tab, in the Program sound list; select the event you want to change the sound to, e.g. Device Disconnected, Exit Windows, Low Battery Alarm, etc. Under Sounds, click the sound that you want to associate with the event. Use the test button to preview the sound. If the sound you want to use is not on the list, click Browse to find it.
Once you made the changes, you may want to save the scheme for future use. Select the scheme, if not already selected, click Save As and type a name. If you don’t want to keep it, just press Delete. Happy computing!

[felix8406]

Can you use a Vista upgrade CD to do a clean install? For starters, if you are running Win 2000 Professional or Win XP Professional x64, you have no choice but to do a clean install, even if you purchase an upgrade copy.

Also, according to MS, if you purchase an upgrade copy of Vista, you have two options: In-place upgrade, meaning you install Vista over your old operating system; or a Clean install. With a clean install, you’ll use Windows Easy Transfer to copy your files and settings to an extra hard drive or other storage device, and then install Windows Vista. After the installation is complete, Windows Easy Transfer will reload your files and settings on your upgraded PC.

However, in those two previous options, Vista should be able to detect your old operating system product key before proceeding with the upgrade. But, how about if you have a Win XP CD, purchase a Vista upgrade CD and are using a new hard drive or the hard drive is cleaned formatted, would you have to install and register Win XP first?

If I remember correctly, a clean install from Win 98 to Win XP was feasible, using an upgrade copy of Win XP, by inserting a valid copy of Win 98 when prompted during the upgrade process. The problem was that many people purchased the Win XP upgrade CD and then borrowed a Win 98 CD to validate the upgrade. However, times have change and I am sure Microsoft is not going to make that same mistake twice.

So, will you be able to install an upgraded copy of Vista on a clean hard drive? Any thoughts?

[crabby]

It's worth note that they will HAVE to allow upgrade via CD validation else the product is liable to become invalid if, for example, your hard drive busts. You are correct felix that this was a huge secuirty loophole for XP, however, will be rectified by validation of BOTH CDs during installation of Vista (note you cant upgrade from any version older than windows 2000). I realise that Windows 2000 can be installed without validation, but to obtain sp4 it required it and it is easy enough for vista to query servers regarding the validity of an old CD key.

My two cents.

crabby

[felix8406]

Although a great number of Win XP programs will run with Vista, there are a few that will run , but with some issues or won’t run at all no matter what you do. What would you do is this situation? Here are some suggestions:
First, don’t go out to purchase an updated version of the program, at least not yet. Remember that we are still dealing with a Beta version of Vista; there’s always a chance that your program will work once the final version rolls around. Another reason not to purchase an updated version is that by the time Vista rolls around, software developers may have already a Vista compatible update. However, do check for updates before proceeding, as there’s a chance you can download a free update.

If you cannot find and update, the next step is to change the compatibility for the program. There are two ways to change the compatibility settings: Manually or using the Program Compatibility Wizard.

To run the wizard, click Start, Help and Support, the type Compatibility Wizard and select Run the Program Compatibility Wizard. Then just follow the instructions in the wizard.

To change compatibility settings manually, simply right-click the program’s icon, click on Properties, then click the Compatibility tab. You can change the compatibility mode by first placing a check mark to the left of “Run this program in compatibility mode for:”, then selecting the compatible Windows operating system for the program.

You can also check mark the following settings:
Run in 256 colors: Uses a limited set of colors in the program. Some older programs are designed to use fewer colors.
Run in 640 × 480 screen resolution: Runs the program in a smaller-sized window. Try this setting if the graphical user interface appears jagged or is rendered improperly.
Disable visual themes: Disables themes on the program. Try this setting if you notice problems with the menus or buttons on the title bar of the program.
Disable desktop composition: Turns off transparency and other advanced display features. Choose this setting if window movement appears erratic or you notice other display problems.
Disable display scaling on high DPI settings: Turns off automatic resizing of programs if large-scale font size is in use. Try this setting if large-scale fonts are interfering with the appearance of the program.
Privilege level: Runs the program as an administrator. Some programs require administrator privileges to run properly. If you are not currently logged on as an administrator, this option is not available.
Show settings for all users: Lets you choose settings that will apply to all users on this computer.

One more thing; Do not ignore the following WARNING that appears when you start the wizard: Do not use the Program Compatibility Wizard on older antivirus programs, disk utilities, or other system programs because it might cause data loss or create a security risk.
Although you might get the program to work, the antivirus program might not protect your PC against viruses for example, or the Register repair program might cause more harm than good, and so forth. There are many antivirus and a few utility programs compatible with Vista, so don’t take a chance. Happy computing!

[felix8406]

Had you used the reading pane on Vista yet? It lets you preview files from Documents, Music or Pictures folders. Give it a try; click Start, then Explore. Click Documents and select one of your documents (one click only). Now click Organize (upper left hand corner), select Layout, and then select Preview Pane. Do the same with music files (songs) and you can preview yours songs without opening the file…just press the play button.

One more thing, have you seen this message when posting a file on Vistababble: “Your file of 68.4 KB bytes exceeds the forum's limit of 58.6 KB for this filetype.” Then, use Microsoft Office Picture Manager to resize your picture. Simply open your picture with Microsoft Office Picture Manager, select Picture from menu, click “Resize and select “Percentage of original width x height:” Use the up or down arrow to increase or decrease the size of your picture. Happy computing!

[felix8406]

Had you tried Vista search? Sure it searches files, documents, emails, etc., however, it does more than just search for your documents. Depending on how many documents you have stored in your PC, using the search feature in Vista can speed up the process of finding and updating information. Are you like most of us that have documents, either all over your PC, or bunched-up in one folder? Well, Vista understands that although some of us don’t take the time to organize our data, we do spend a great deal of time searching for it.
That’s not a problem however; just let Vista do the organizing for you. For example, you are a new secretary for a large firm. The previous secretary was not well organized and let hundreds of documents in your PC that you need to sort out. Instead of looking for each folder and opening each document, simply use the Search tool.
Here’s how:
1. Click Start, and then Search.
2. In search location select “Search Results in Indexed Locations”, if not selected (Tip: Use this option when you don’t know the location of the file).
3. In the Search Box type a keyword(s) for the type of file(s) you are searching for, e.g. sales weekly. Vista will look for the files that have those keywords and bring up a list.
4. Now you can use the Preview Pane to preview the documents (Click Organize, Layout and then Preview Pane).
5. Okay, so now you have a list of documents dealing with “weekly sales”. The next step is to save your search so won’t have to try finding those documents again.
6. Click Save Search, type a name for that search, e.g. Weekly Sales”, and click save.
7. The next time you want to see the Weekly Sales documents, simply click Start, Documents and Searches.
From now on, every new document that you produce with the keywords “weekly sales” automatically will be added to the folder “Weekly Sales”. Note: You can also use this feature for emails, music files, pictures and so forth. Happy computing!

[Davehc]

One good tip is to try the MS help and Support item in the start menu. A huge amount of information, including most of the preceeding in this thread. for example a search for "shortcuts" Unloads a huge amount of info.

[felix8406]

Originally Posted by Davehc

One good tip is to try the MS help and Support item in the start menu. A huge amount of information, including most of the preceeding in this thread. for example a search for "shortcuts" Unloads a huge amount of info.

Davehc, you are so correct. I've been around computers since 1987 and one thing I learned is that I can pretty much run most applications by simply using the help menu. However, not everyone use it, which is why people pay big bucks to attend classes on how to use Word for example.

[felix8406]

Another great way to view your files is by using Stack View. It shows your data in stacks based on the content of a folder. For example, on a previous post, I mentioned that I ripped a bunch of my CDs to the hard drive. I open the folder where my music files are located, right click and select “Stack by” Album”, they are rearranged into stacks organized by albums.
Now, you can click on a stack just like a folder and select a different view. For example, I recorded an album, which includes various artists, 12 to be exact. I open the stack and it shows all 12 songs by titled. Doing a right click and selecting “Stack by” “Artists”, shows a stack of all artists for that particular album. Selecting “Stack by” “Folder”, shows you the location or folder where the file is located.
You can try it with documents as well. Open your Documents, right click and select “Stack by” “Date Modified” for example. The files are stack by according to when they were modified, e.g. yesterday, last week, earlier this year, a long time ago.
Tip: Once you have selected a “Stack by” view, use the menu bar to select a different view; Name, Date Modified, Type, etc. Happy computing.

[felix8406]

The ability to print with Internet Explorer 7 is easier and more practical. For example, you can print a webpage without having the left or right margin cut off.
When printing a webpage, IE7 shrinks it enough to ensure the entire page prints properly, whether you select portrait or landscape. You can also adjust margins, remove headers and footers, and increase or decrease print space.
The Print Preview also lets you print the whole webpage or just the area you selected. For example, if you want to print a webpage without graphics or ads, just select the text and use Print Preview to print just the text you selected.
Try it; go to www.vistababble.com, highlight portion of text and either right click the text or go to the printer icon (upper right hand) and use the down arrow, and select “Print Preview…” Now either use the Shrink to fit to select the size of your print or move the horizontal or vertical handles. You can also choose Custom, and enter a percentage manually.
If you want to print just the text you selected, simply choose “As selected on screen” (center menu). Now only the text you selected is shown on the screen.
Another additional feature allows you to view multiple views, up to 12 views to be exact, depending on size of the webpage. Happy computing!

[felix8406]

What is phishing (fish´ing)? According to Microsoft: Phishing is a technique used to trick computer users into revealing personal or financial information. A common online phishing scam starts with an e mail message that appears to come from a trusted source but actually directs recipients to provide information to a fraudulent website.

Phishing can take place through a pop up window, or being redirected to a bogus website through the web browser. With the increase number of web users doing business and banking transaction through the Internet, this has become a big security concern.

Internet Explorer 7 has a Phishing Filter™ that uses an online service, which is updated several times an hour and warns users about suspicious sites. The filter helps protect PC users from phishing scams in three ways: compares the addresses of websites a user attempts to visit with a list of reported legitimate sites; analyzes sites that users want to visit by checking those sites for characteristics common to phishing sites; and sends the website address that a user attempts to visit to an online service run by Microsoft to be checked immediately against a frequently updated list of reported phishing sites.
If the destination has been confirmed as a known phishing site, Internet Explorer 7 indicates threat level (in red) and automatically navigates user to a neutral page that contains a warning. If a site has not been confirmed as a phishing site but is behaving in a way similar to a phishing site, the Address Bar is flagged as yellow and warns the user of the suspicious behavior. The user can report any phishing sites or false positives to the Microsoft Phishing Filter directly from the browser.
To turn on Phishing Filter simply open IE7, click Tools, click Phishing Filter, and then click Turn On Automatic Website Checking…now click Turn on Phishing Filter and click OK.
Follow the same steps to turn off the Phishing Filter and click Disable Phishing Filter, and then click OK.
Please keep in mind that although this tool may help you to protect yourself against Phishing, you, as the user, must do your part. A good start is making sure the Phishing Filter in IE7 is turn on. Although, be suspicious of emails or pop up windows asking you for personal information, like bank account numbers and password…better yet, call your bank to verify. But most importantly, stay inform, there are numerous places, including local and federal government, that can provide you with information on safeguarding your personal data. Education is your best tool to stay safe. Happy computing!

[felix8406]

Vista includes performance-enhancing features called Windows PC Accelerators to maintain PCs consistent performance. These features are called SuperFetch, ReadyBoost and ReadyDrive.

SuperFetch is enabled in all versions of Vista. It’s designed to maintain optimal memory content based on how you use your PC. It analyzes how you use your PC for several weeks to decide the content that should be present in system memory at any given time. SuperFetch also allows Vista to detect and avoid memory usage patterns that could push higher priority content out of memory.

ReadyBoost uses capable flash devices to extend the disk caching capabilities of Vista’s main memory. You can use USB 2.0 flash drives, Secure Digital (SD) cards, and CompactFlash cards. Using these devices, Vista can access data approximately 8 to 10 times faster than from your hard drive. Before the data is copied to the external device, it’s first copied to the hard drive, allowing you to remove any of the devices without any interruptions of system services or loss of data. Also, for security purposes, the data is encrypted for use only on the PC where the device is connected.

ReadyDrive is a technology that supports the use of hybrid hard disk drives (H HDD). The hybrid HDD combines the low-power consumption and speed of flash media with the large storage and low cost of magnetic drives. This minimizes dependency on the hard drive for frequently accessed sectors and speed up performance. The recommended cache size is at least 128MB; however hard disk manufacturers could easily incorporate 4GB or more cache size. Happy computing!

[felix8406]

With technology advances, using a PC to mage our time has become more important than ever. Windows Calendar allows you to manage your time and coordinate your schedule with relatives, associates and colleagues. It’s simple to use, and can be setup to provide you automatic notifications and reminders about specific tasks or future appointments. For example, you can setup the calendar to alert you minutes, hours, or even days ahead of time, depending on how much advance notice you want. Or you can setup a recurring appointment, e.g. staff meeting every Friday at 3:00 p.m., personal budget every two weeks, monthly health club payment, etc.

Windows Calendar also allows you to organize and manage the things you need to do by creating a personal task list. Additionally, for each task, you can describe what you need to do, set deadline for completion, set priority ranking and keep track of your progress. It even allows you to set reminders so you’ll know when a task is nearly due.

To open Windows Calendar, simply click Start, type Windows Calendar and hit enter.

To create a calendar, click the File menu, and select New Calendar. Type a name for the calendar and then press ENTER.

To view your calendar by day, work week, week, or month simply click the View menu and place a check mark next to the view you want to select.

The Details Pane allows you to see a detail of a task or appointment. To view Details Pane click the View menu and check Details Pane. To close the Details pane, simply uncheck it.

To create appointments click New Appointment on the toolbar, then use the Details Pane to enter any additional information.

To create a task, click New Task on the toolbar. Use the Details Pane to write a description and any other information about your task.

You can even search for appointments or task by using the Search box (upper right hand side) by entering keywords. Happy computing!

[felix8406]

One thing to keep in mind when purchasing Vista is that you are limited to the number of transfers per license. Once you get your copy of Vista, you will be able to transfer your license to one machine other than the one for which you originally installed Vista; Win XP does not have a specific limit for the number of times the license is transferred.
This might be a problem for those power users and games enthusiast who like to upgrade their PCs often. Whether this encourage or discourage people from getting Vista, remain to be seen.
I speak for myself when I say that I’ll still want to get hold of this new OS; seems like I’ve been waiting for ever for it. But, at the same time, I like to keep my PC up-to-date with the latest and fastest gadgets. My decision to upgrade or not to upgrade will have to be based on the number of components that can be upgraded without triggering a new registration.