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Fun Stuff To Do in Windows --
Tips and Tutorials
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<<<THREE GREAT
EBOOKS>>>
(click
on either for more info)
I highly recommend
these for those who want advice and
instruction in plain English!!
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Are you considering
installing Windows Vista
or buying a new computer with it already
installed? I'd recommend you
join this Yahoo group first and
talk to some people who have been
working with Vista for a while now.
Also, if you have Windows Vista
and are having trouble finding where you can change your favorite
Window's settings, I recommend you read the
TweakGuide (there's one for Windows XP also).
Another great site that includes LOTS of info
about Windows Vista is
Windows Vista
Help, Tutorials, and Tricks.
 Are
you tired of the lack of security in Windows 95/98/ME? Tired of worrying that someone else using your
computer will see your private files? Have a
need to put files in a safe place where even a virus
can't find them? Well...have I found what YOU are
looking for. Check out Vic Ferri's new program, Lock&Hide. You
have to see it to believe it. Vic has come up with a
way to make your private files INVISIBLE. I
guarantee you, once you use this, no one but you will be
able to find those files. This is great!
Click here for more info and the
free demo!
Click
here for Windows Keyboard
Shortcuts!
<<click
GeekSpeak Translator from Cap'n
Patt for fun definitions of not-so-fun computer
terms>>
Hal Cardona reviews
the goods and the
bads of Windows XP! Includes screen shots so you
can see how it looks.
Another good site, where you can learn how to
build and/or troubleshoot your own PC is
PC-NUT.com.
And, a site where you can learn how to reinstall your operating
system completely is
InstallOS.com
Want to add even MORE features to
Windows XP?
Click here to download Microsoft's XP Power Tools!!
OR,
Change the whole look of XP
here
another
good link for your XP questions/problems:
XP
Notes
and lots of helpful XP tips at
PC1Stop
or try
Kelly's XP Corner for some great
stuff!
XP DOWNLOADS FROM MICROSOFT
NEW
FIND: Those of you who
use Easy Cleaner to clean up your Registry
may have noticed in some cases it disables
Windows XP Help and Support.
Click here to download the fix.
NOTE:
The tips below are meant for Windows 98,
unless otherwise specified. Most of them will also
work in other versions, but I make no guarantees.
Want
to learn more about how to use DOS? Check
out Vic's
MS-DOS 7 Manual .... lots of great FREE
information.
Are
you a tweaker like me? If so, you need to
download the two most frequently used tweaking
tools!
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TweakUI |
Xteq
X-Setup |
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(caution:
both of these should be used at YOUR
discretion. If they cause you
problems, you should contact their
manufacturers and not me) |
Do
you find too
many programs "running in the
background".
To see what's running, click on your Start
button and select "Run". Type
"msconfig" (without the quotes)....in
this box, click on the Tab at the top that says
"Startup". In here you will see
a list of all the programs that are running
every time you start your computer.
Uncheck the ones you don't need running
CONSTANTLY and reboot your computer. You
should see a noticeable improvement. If
you do not have msconfig in your computer (for
example, Win95 and Win2K don't have it), you can
download a free program called StartUp
Control Panel that does basically the
same thing. find out.
Using Windows
2000
and wondering where your Desktop
Themes
went? Click
here
to find out how to get them back!
-
Trying
to get rid of that Windows
Password box? Click here for some
suggestions that usually work.
-
Clean Up Your Desktop......Here's
a tip for those of you who have too many icons (like me). Click here.
Are
you told you should delete temp
files but don't
know how?........Check out Temp Files
101.
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Instant Screensaver.......Ever get caught
doing something you weren't supposed to be doing? Click here
to learn how to launch and lock your screensaver with one click!
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Customizing your
program sounds......Tired of the same old sounds?
Click here to learn how to change the sounds generated by your
computer or to make your own!
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Missing
your volume control icon
on your taskbar?
Two things to try:
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Go
to Start>Settings>Control Panel>Multimedia and click on the Audio
tab at the top.....In here, put a check beside "Show volume control
on taskbar".
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However,
if this option is greyed out, go back to the Control Panel, but this time
double click on Add/Remove Programs and click on the Windows Setup
tab......Scroll thru this list and find Multimedia and double click on it
and put a check beside "Volume Control"....reboot and try my
first suggestion again.
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IF YOU HAVE WINDOWS
XP, this is different...in XP:
If you have Windows 98, you can
make some fun
screensavers using Wingding
fonts!
Click here for a
quick shortcut to restart
your computer.
Hardware problems or
questions? Sorry, hardware is not my bag. But here are four
great tools that can help you understand your hardware better and/or
diagnose hardware problems.
Registry
tricks.
Click here to learn how to tweak your Windows registry.
Do you have
adequate security
and virus protection on your computer?
Check out SAFE
CYBER.
Having
problems with drivers? Getting error
messages that a dll file is invalid or out of
date? Microsoft's DLL
Help can let you know exactly which version
ships with each version of Windows or any other
Microsoft program. Then you can check the
version you have and see if it's the right one.
DirectX
problems? Ever had DirectX get corrupt on you and you try to reinstall
it and get the message that its already installed? Ever tried to uninstall
it? No can do, eh? Well, now you can, with the
DirectX
Buster.
Getting errors when you try to go to
Microsoft's Windows Update page?......Here's a quick fix that often solves
this nagging problem. Click on your Start button and select
"run".....In this box, type regsvr32
wupdinfo.dll (don't miss the space between the 2 and the w) and
hit OK. Sometimes it's just that simple! OR...if this doesn't
fix it, try typing regsvr32 iuctl.dll or regsvr32
c:\windows\system\wupinfo or regsvr32
c:\windows\system\iuctl.dll or even regsvr32 "c:\windows\system\wupinfo"
or regsvr32 "c:\windows\system\iuctl.dll" ... one of these just
may work for you.
Getting fatal errors with Windows?
Try Bud's
Troubleshooter for errors involving msgsrv32
or kernel32.dll.
Problems with
th
DialUp Networking box? Can't get rid of it? Or can't get Windows to
remember the password? Check out these two Microsoft
Articles: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q137/3/
61.asp
and http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q148/9/
25.asp
Defrag
problems?
I, personally, find Windows defragmenter a tad buggy at best. So, I
have chosen to use a different one called
Power
Defrag. You can download and install it for free. It is simple to
use...just one click.....and it first reboots your computer to turn off all
programs running in the background AND your screensaver....then it
runs....then it reboots again and turns all your programs back on.
What could be simpler? I love this program!
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Problems with Windows
shutting
down/restarting? Here's Microsoft's solutions:
NEW!!
Shutdown Troubleshooter for Windows XP
(Windows
98 SE users, might try installing
Microsoft's
Shutdown Supplement Patch.)
And, if Microsoft's suggestions don't fix your shutdown
problems, try
Windows
Shutdown Troubleshooting: 15 Steps
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New to Windows and afraid you're gonna break
something?.... Go
to the Newbie Club and get
your confidence boosted by learning some great stuff. Subscribe to the
Newbie Club for free and get their free newsletter
which includes my column "Linda's Office
Corner" as well as lots of Newbie Windows tips
and tutorials.
###########################
Need more info on Windows?
10
Ways to Make Windows ME Run Better
###########################
or subscribe to
the best two
newsletters I know of
(besides ABC, that is), which deal with
Windows/Computer Issues....and they are both FREE:
And here's some more good email
groups and forums, where you can get
your questions answered and problems
solved:
WinTips&Tricks
WindowsXPHelp
Computer Help & Discussion |
Background Processes
Clean Desktop
Fight SPAM
GeekSpeak
HowTo Search
IE - OE
Interface
Passwords
Registry
Screensaver
Security
Shutdown/Restart
Sounds
Spyware
Temp Files
Virus or Hoax?
Virus News
Wingdings |
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