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Computer Tips and Tricks

Top 10 keyboard shortcuts

  
Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert
Copy the highlighted text or selected item.
 
  
Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert
Paste the text or object that's in the clipboard.

Ctrl + Z and Ctrl + Y
Undo any change. For example, if you cut text, pressing this will undo it. This can also often be pressed multiple times to undo multiple changes. Pressing Ctrl + Y would redo the undo.

Ctrl + F
Open the Find in any program. This includes your Internet browser to find text on the current page.

Alt + Tab or Alt + Esc
Quickly switch between open programs moving forward.

Press Ctrl + Tab to switch between tabs in a program.

Adding the Shift key to Alt + Tab or Ctrl + Tab will move backwards. For example, if you are pressing Alt + Tab and pass the program you want to switch to, press Alt + Shift + Tab to move backwards to that program.

Windows Vista and 7 users can also press the Windows Key + Tab to switch through open programs in a full screenshot of the Window.

Ctrl + Back space and Ctrl + Left arrow / Right arrow
Pressing Ctrl + Backspace will delete a full word at a time instead of a single character.

Holding down the Ctrl key while pressing the left or right arrow will move the cursor one word at a time instead of one character at a time. If you wanted to highlight one word at a time you can hold down Ctrl + Shift and then press the left or right arrow key to move one word at a time in that direction while highlighting each word.

Ctrl + S

While working on a document or other file in almost every program pressing Ctrl + S will save that file. This shortcut key should be used frequently anytime you're working on anything important.

Ctrl + Home / End

Move the cursor to the beginning or end of a document.

Ctrl + P

Print the page being viewed. For example, the document in Microsoft Word or the web page in your Internet browser.

Computer tips and tricks

How to moving the taskbar

 
If you want to move your taskbar.  Mostly I leave mine at the bottom, like the rest of the population, but occasionally I feel like going wild and have the taskbar at the top of my computer.  The Taskbar is that thin bar at the bottom where you can see all your open programs, the start menu, the clock, etc.  Now, in WinXP they made it very nice to move it.  This is how:
  1. Right Click on the Taskbar
  2. Click, Lock the Taskbar, until there is no check there
  3. Left Click on the task bar and move it to where you want it...it will always rest up against an edge, so top, left or right.
  4. Then click, Lock the Taskbar, again and it won't move from that spot.
These are the same instructions for Windows 98, ME, 2k, only you don't have to unlock the taskbar, you just left click on it and move...this was easier, but also you sometimes accidentally moved the task bar when you didn't want it to move, ugh.  Well, there you have it, now put your taskbar to the top and see if you like it.

Computer tips and tricks

How to Select Multiple files using the Ctrl Key

 

 
This is a very simple process.  Here's what you do:
  • Click on the first file you want to move
  • Go to the second file you want to select before clicking this file, hold down the ctrl key and then click.  You'll notice that both files are now selected
  • Repeat this process for as many files as you want to select at once
 It's just so simple.

Computer tips and tricks

How to Alphabetizing your Start Menu

 
In fact that if you go to try and find a program its actually becoming really hard because they're not alphabetized, new programs are stuck on the end, so forth and so on, well, this is a really quick, really easy tip to organize your start menu in Windows XP (I think this also works in Win 98, but I'm upgrading my comp that has Win 98 and can't verify it).  Here are the steps:
  1. First click on the start button
  2. Move your mouse to "All Programs"
  3. Move your mouse to any of the folders there
  4. Right Click
  5. A box will open up, scroll to "Sort By Names" and click
Like magic all the folders and programs will be alphabetized.  This is one of those simple but useful things that will help you organize your computer, unless you really like searching around for programs (bet you also used to enjoy Where's Waldo when you were growing up).  That's it for this tip, give it a try.

Computer tips and tricks

How to changing your Mouse Pointer

 
  1. Go to the control panel
  2. Go to Printers and Other Hardware
  3. Go to Mouse
  4. Go to the tab that says "Pointers"
  5. Hit the pull down menu under "Schemes" 
  6. You'll find a large collection of different pointers for you to use or you can browse and pick other graphics to use as pointers
  7. Click Okay
There you have the completely silly hardly important tip of how to change your mouse pointer!  Enjoy.

Computer tips and tricks

Search For Hidden Or System Files In Windows XP

  
The Search companion in Windows XP searches for hidden and system files differently than in earlier versions of Windows. This guide describes how to search for hidden or system files in Windows XP.
Search for Hidden or System Files By default, the Search companion does not search for hidden or system files. Because of this, you may be unable to find files, even though they exist on the drive.
To search for hidden or system files in Windows XP:
Click Start, click Search, click All files and folders, and then click More advanced options.

Click to select the Search system folders and Search hidden files and folders check boxes.

NOTE: You do not need to configure your computer to show hidden files in the Folder Options dialog box in Windows Explorer to find files with either the hidden or system attributes, but you need to configure your computer not to hide protected operating system files to find files with both the hidden and system attributes. Search Companion shares the Hide protected operating system files option (which hides files with both the system and hidden attributes) with the Folder Options dialog box Windows Explorer.

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