Archive for October, 2005
More on defining spyware
I previously commented on the ongoing attempt by some major computer firms to define what spyware is and gave my personal criteria about what is undesirable software. Go here for some more commentary on this issue.
How to alphabetize the Programs and Favorites lists
A surprising number of PC users are unaware of the simple method that is available to keep the Start-All Programs list in alphabetical order. As new programs are installed, they are often tacked onto the end of the list and after a while the list becomes jumbled. To keep things neat, open the All Programs [...]
Enable the Quick Launch bar in Windows XP
The Quick Launch bar is a handy area in the Taskbar where shortcuts to frequently used programs and folders can be kept. However. in many XP systems the default setting does not have the Quick Launch bar enabled. The setting is easily changed by right-clicking on an empty spot in the Taskbar, selecting the entry [...]
Easily add date and time to notes
If you are like me, you may collect snippets of information from Web sites, email newsletters, and other files by copying and pasting into Notepad text files. To help keep track of the information, you can add the date and time when you add an item by placing the cursor where you want the date [...]
Use a router even if you don’t have a network
In my opinion the most important security element on a PC is protection against crackers and Trojans. This requires good firewall defenses. I don’t mean the half-functional Windows XP firewall but a real firewall like ZoneAlarm that monitors outgoing as well as incoming Internet traffic. I also think that the additional protection of a [...]
Right-click mouse drag
The Blake blog has a collection of useful Windows tips. One discusses using the left-click mouse drag:
When using a mouse to move a file, it sometimes surprisingly copies the file, or creates a shortcut instead!
This behavior is why I always recommend the right-click mouse drag instead. When using the right-click to drag, you get a [...]
Washington blunders again
I see that the guardians of our country in Washington are on the verge of yet another diplomatic blunder.
A lot of people around the world are saying that the stewardship of the Internet should no longer be an exclusive American province but should pass to UN control. As reported in a lot of places [...]
How to ask a question
There is a page at Microsoft that might be very useful for anybody needing technical assistance. The title is “How to ask a question”. It is not quite the usual knowledge base article written in MicrosoftSpeak. I think you will find it quite interesting. Here is an excerpt
After posting a question to a professional forum [...]
Another way to exit if the mouse dies
In a previous tip I gave a way to bring up the start menu and to either exit or reboot using keyboard entries. If there are no programs open, there is an even quicker keyboard shortcut. Press Alt+F4 (F4 is a function key) to bring up the Shutdown menu and then enter “u” (no quotes”) [...]
Google cheat sheet
A lot of people use Google as their primary search engine but most do not take full advantage of all the ways that are available to help narrow a search. Google provides a page of shortcuts to help with searching. Have this page at hand when you are searching and you might save some time.
Linksys WRT54Gx router problem
A very commonly used group of routers is the Linksys WRT54Gx series. The recent LangaLetter has an item from a reader about log problems in these routers.
Fred, if your user with the Linksys has a WRT54Gx series router, he might want to make sure he doesn’t have the “log” feature turned on. [...]
