Custom Windows
You would never take the wheel of a new car without adjusting the seat, mirrors, and radio presets to your liking. So why should your computer be any different? A few quick tweaks here and there in Windows can greatly increase your comfort zone.
Clean Up Toolbars Fast
All Versions Your Explorer and folder windows can quickly become top-heavy with buttons, menus, and other controls if you turn on all the possible toolbars. It's easy to hide some of them by using the View, Toolbars menu. If you find these toolbars useful, however, you can quickly compact or expand them by positioning your pointer along the bottom edge of the bottom toolbar and dragging it up or down.
This is handy if you're only cleaning things up on the fly, but if you're looking for a more permanent solution, drag the handle on the left edge of each toolbar and position it wherever you want to put it. By placing some toolbars side by side, you can save vertical space and still have access to the controls you want. Note: For Windows 95, this tip requires Internet Explorer 4's Desktop Update.
Now Clean Up Your Desktop
Windows 98, 98 SE, 2000, Me If your desktop is cluttered with icons, you could spend hours getting more organized, or you could take the easy way out: Hide all your desktop icons and open a folder window that shows your desktop items. Doing so makes them much easier to sort.
Hiding icons requires the Active Desktop feature (the mode for showing Web content on the desktop): In Windows 98, right-click the desktop and choose Properties. Click the Effects tab and check Hide icons when the desktop is viewed as a Web page. In Windows 2000 and Me, right-click the desktop and choose Active Desktop, Show Web Content. Now you can toggle your icons on and off by simply right-clicking the desktop and choosing Active Desktop, View As Web Page (in Windows 98) or Active Desktop, Show Desktop Icons (in Windows 2000 and Me).
All Roads Lead to the Desktop
All Versions If you've hidden your desktop icons using the previous tip, or just want another way to get to the desktop, try these tricks:
Launch Windows Explorer and use the tree pane or Address bar drop-down list to scroll up to the top (Desktop) level. Or click in the Address bar field of any folder window, type desktop, and press Enter.
Create a shortcut to the Desktop folder: Right-click in a folder or on the desktop and choose New, Shortcut. Type Explorer /root, (including the comma at the end). This method works in Windows 95 and 98, but not in Windows 2000 or Windows Me.
For Windows 2000 and Me, make a shortcut to the Desktop folder (choose Start, Search, For Files or Folders to locate the right Desktop folder for your user profile). The window it opens won't include the built-in system icons (like My Computer and Recycle Bin), but you'll have access to everything else.
Right-click an empty part of the taskbar and choose Toolbars, Desktop. You can keep this toolbar docked within the taskbar, let it float on the screen, or dock it against an edge of the screen (see Figure 4). Customize the toolbar by right-clicking an empty area of the toolbar and choosing Show Text or Show Title to toggle between these items. Choose an icon size from the View menu, and then choose Always on Top if the toolbar is not in the taskbar and you don't want any windows to cover it. Even if you decide to hide the icons' text labels, you can still see what each icon is by positioning the pointer over it (don't click) to see its info tip. (See " Look Before You Double-Click.")
Get the Biggest View Possible
All Versions To get the most spacious, capacious view of your folder or Explorer window, press F11 to enter kiosk mode. This view makes the file pane fill the whole screen. It hides all toolbars next to the menu bar (see "Clean Up Toolbars Fast" above), and makes the file pane even bigger than maximized size (see Figure 5). Even Windows' taskbar is covered by this mode. To pop it back into view, move your pointer to the taskbar's last location.
To make your screen even bigger, right-click a toolbar at the top and choose Auto-Hide. This slides the toolbar out of sight when not in use, but it pops back when you move your pointer to the top of the screen. If you have an Explorer bar showing on the left, you can hide it by clicking the Auto-hide pushpin button at the top of that panel (in some Windows 9x systems you have to slide the pointer away from the Explorer bar). The bar pops back when you move the pointer to the left side of the screen. Click the Auto-Hide button again to make that panel stay in place. To exit kiosk mode, hit F11 again. Note: For Windows 95, this tip requires Internet Explorer 4's Desktop Update.
Preview Sound and Video Files in Web View
Windows 9x Windows 2000's Web View lets you preview Web video and sound formats as well as images. Windows 98, 98 SE, and 95 with Internet Explorer 4's Desktop Update already have this feature, but you need to turn it on first. In a folder window, choose View, Customize this Folder. Make sure 'Create or edit an HTML document' is selected and click Next twice. In Notepad, search for 'var wantMedia' and change '=false' to =true. Save the file, exit Notepad, and click Finish in the Customize this Folder wizard. You should now be able to select .wav, .avi, .mov, and .mpg files in the folder and use the controls in the left panel to see them in miniature or hear them.
Custom Windows
You would never take the wheel of a new car without adjusting the seat, mirrors, and radio presets to your liking. So why should your computer be any different? A few quick tweaks here and there in Windows can greatly increase your comfort zone. Clean Up Toolbars Fast
All Versions Your Explorer and folder windows can quickly become top-heavy with buttons, menus, and other controls if you turn on all the possible toolbars. It's easy to hide some of them by using the View, Toolbars menu. If you find these toolbars useful, however, you can quickly compact or expand them by positioning your pointer along the bottom edge of the bottom toolbar and dragging it up or down.
This is handy if you're only cleaning things up on the fly, but if you're looking for a more permanent solution, drag the handle on the left edge of each toolbar and position it wherever you want to put it. By placing some toolbars side by side, you can save vertical space and still have access to the controls you want. Note: For Windows 95, this tip requires Internet Explorer 4's Desktop Update.
Now Clean Up Your Desktop
Windows 98, 98 SE, 2000, Me If your desktop is cluttered with icons, you could spend hours getting more organized, or you could take the easy way out: Hide all your desktop icons and open a folder window that shows your desktop items. Doing so makes them much easier to sort.
Hiding icons requires the Active Desktop feature (the mode for showing Web content on the desktop): In Windows 98, right-click the desktop and choose Properties. Click the Effects tab and check Hide icons when the desktop is viewed as a Web page. In Windows 2000 and Me, right-click the desktop and choose Active Desktop, Show Web Content. Now you can toggle your icons on and off by simply right-clicking the desktop and choosing Active Desktop, View As Web Page (in Windows 98) or Active Desktop, Show Desktop Icons (in Windows 2000 and Me).
All Roads Lead to the Desktop
All Versions If you've hidden your desktop icons using the previous tip, or just want another way to get to the desktop, try these tricks:
Launch Windows Explorer and use the tree pane or Address bar drop-down list to scroll up to the top (Desktop) level. Or click in the Address bar field of any folder window, type desktop, and press Enter.
Create a shortcut to the Desktop folder: Right-click in a folder or on the desktop and choose New, Shortcut. Type Explorer /root, (including the comma at the end). This method works in Windows 95 and 98, but not in Windows 2000 or Windows Me.
For Windows 2000 and Me, make a shortcut to the Desktop folder (choose Start, Search, For Files or Folders to locate the right Desktop folder for your user profile). The window it opens won't include the built-in system icons (like My Computer and Recycle Bin), but you'll have access to everything else.
Right-click an empty part of the taskbar and choose Toolbars, Desktop. You can keep this toolbar docked within the taskbar, let it float on the screen, or dock it against an edge of the screen (see Figure 4). Customize the toolbar by right-clicking an empty area of the toolbar and choosing Show Text or Show Title to toggle between these items. Choose an icon size from the View menu, and then choose Always on Top if the toolbar is not in the taskbar and you don't want any windows to cover it. Even if you decide to hide the icons' text labels, you can still see what each icon is by positioning the pointer over it (don't click) to see its info tip. (See " Look Before You Double-Click.")
Get the Biggest View Possible
All Versions To get the most spacious, capacious view of your folder or Explorer window, press F11 to enter kiosk mode. This view makes the file pane fill the whole screen. It hides all toolbars next to the menu bar (see "Clean Up Toolbars Fast" above), and makes the file pane even bigger than maximized size (see Figure 5). Even Windows' taskbar is covered by this mode. To pop it back into view, move your pointer to the taskbar's last location.
To make your screen even bigger, right-click a toolbar at the top and choose Auto-Hide. This slides the toolbar out of sight when not in use, but it pops back when you move your pointer to the top of the screen. If you have an Explorer bar showing on the left, you can hide it by clicking the Auto-hide pushpin button at the top of that panel (in some Windows 9x systems you have to slide the pointer away from the Explorer bar). The bar pops back when you move the pointer to the left side of the screen. Click the Auto-Hide button again to make that panel stay in place. To exit kiosk mode, hit F11 again. Note: For Windows 95, this tip requires Internet Explorer 4's Desktop Update.
Preview Sound and Video Files in Web View
Windows 9x Windows 2000's Web View lets you preview Web video and sound formats as well as images. Windows 98, 98 SE, and 95 with Internet Explorer 4's Desktop Update already have this feature, but you need to turn it on first. In a folder window, choose View, Customize this Folder. Make sure 'Create or edit an HTML document' is selected and click Next twice. In Notepad, search for 'var wantMedia' and change '=false' to =true. Save the file, exit Notepad, and click Finish in the Customize this Folder wizard. You should now be able to select .wav, .avi, .mov, and .mpg files in the folder and use the controls in the left panel to see them in miniature or hear them.
Painless File Management
Managing files is the key to organizing all your work and play materials--but such chores can be a pain. Here are some easy ways to make your Windows file-management housekeeping simpler and faster. Size It Up, Part 1
All Versions Wondering how big a file or group of files is? Or how many items are in a folder? The secret is in the status bar, which usually runs along the bottom of your screen (if you don't see it in your Explorer or folder windows, choose View, Status Bar). Click inside an empty area of the folder to make sure nothing is selected. The status bar shows the total number of objects in the folder and the amount of space they use (minus the contents of any subfolders). Select one or more items in a folder to have the status bar provide information just on those items (again, the size and number of items in subfolders isn't included).
Size It Up, Part 2
All Versions The Explorer status bar won't tell you the number of files in one or more selected folders, or tally the disk space those folders consume, but that information is still close at hand. Select one or more folders or files and press Alt-Enter, or right-click the selection and choose Properties. Look on the General tab of the Properties sheet. If you have only a single item selected, Alt-double-click it to display the Properties sheet.
Size It Up, Part 3
All Versions To see how much space remains on your hard drive, double-click My Computer. Make sure the folder is using Web View and then select a drive icon (see Figure 6). In Windows 2000 and Me, you see the same information if the folder window is showing the root of a drive, and no items in the folder are selected (click inside an empty area to deselect everything).
The diagram showing your disk space and capacity rounds figures to the nearest tenth of a megabyte. If you want to know the truth down to the last byte, employ the techniques used in the previous tip to open the Properties sheet for any drive. This is the only method that works in Windows 95.
Do Do the Undo That You Do So Well
All Versions Copying, moving, renaming, deleting, and other file operations can be undone. You can often use the Edit, Undo command in Windows Explorer to reverse file operations performed by other apps. How do you know what choosing Undo will do? Check the status bar (if it isn't visible, choose View, Status Bar). Move your pointer over the Edit, Undo command, the Edit, Undo Copy command, Edit, Undo Delete, or another undo command, but don't click; the status bar will show what file or files will be affected (see Figure 7).
Create Folders in a Flash
All Versions Windows lacks a quick-and-easy way to make a new folder (see " An Open Letter to Mr. Gates"). But you still have these folder-making tools at your disposal:
Windows doesn't have a keyboard shortcut for making a folder, but pressing Alt-F-N-F is the next best thing. This only works in Explorer or a folder window with nothing selected--not on the desktop.
On the desktop or in any folder, right-click and choose New, Folder.
Or use Shift-F10-N-F; that'll work in a folder, in Explorer, or on the desktop.
Many file dialog boxes (such as Open and Save As) have a little button at the top that will make a new folder within the current folder. Just click it.
Copy, Move, or Shortcut?
All Versions When you drag a file to another location, Windows sometimes moves the file and other times copies it. And when you drag an application, Windows only makes a shortcut. Why? There's a method in this madness. Dragging moves a file if it's dropped to a point within a single disk, but copies if it's dragged to a different disk. Dragging an application usually creates a shortcut, because moving an application out of its installed folder may cause it not to function.
If you need to move an app, hold down Shift as you drag to force a move, and hold down Ctrl to force a copy. You can press these keys anytime during the drag as long as you haven't released the mouse button. It may be simpler just to get in the habit of dragging with the right mouse button. When you drop the file, you'll see a pop-up menu that lets you choose to copy, move, or make a shortcut.
Uncover Thumbnail View
All Versions Windows 2000 and Me let you display the contents of any folder as thumbnails--miniature representations of common graphics and Web formats. (For all other file types, you see a large icon in a box.) Just open a folder and select View, Thumbnails (the command doesn't appear for certain system folders, such as My Computer and My Network Places). This feature is also found in Windows 95, 98, and 98 SE, but it's hidden.
To enable thumbnail view, right-click a folder icon and choose Properties. Select the General tab, check Enable thumbnail view, and click OK. Now double-click the folder to open it. You should see a Thumbnails command on the View menu where none existed before. Note: For Windows 95, this tip requires Internet Explorer 4's Desktop Update.
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