Click Windows Start > Settings > and select Control Panel.
Double-click Internet Options and select the Programs tab.
Use the E-mail pull-down menu and change it to the email client of your choice.
When finished selecting, hit Apply.
Now, test your new change on the next email link to see.
New Wallpaper
You've found the funniest image on the Web, but you can't be bothered going to the site every time you need to laugh. Don't have a mirthless day, save that image as wallpaper.
To save an image as wallpaper:.
Right-click on the image you want to save.
Click on Set as Wallpaper.
That's it. Your wallpaper is automatically changed.
Make your computer life easy and add a new toolbar.
Right-click on your existing toolbar.
Click on Toolbars.
Click on Add New Toolbars.
In the pop-up, choose the folder or program you want to add to your toolbar.
The folder automatically opens in your toolbar.
You can add as many new toolbars as you need. Keep a folder for each of your major projects. If you are building a website, keep your graphics, Web browser, and text in one folder. Use this folder to create a new toolbar.
Shortcuts for Windows Key.
The Windows icon key located on the bottom of your PC's keyboard is a little-used treasure. Don't ignore it. It is the shortcut anchor for the following 10 commands.
Windows: Display start menu.
Windows + D: Minimize or restore all Windows.
Windows + E: Display Windows Explorer.
Windows + Tab: Cycle through buttons on taskbar.
Windows + F: Display find: all files.
Windows + Ctrl + F: Display find: computer.
Windows + F1: Display help.
Windows + R: Display Run command.
Windows+ break: Display system properties dialog box.
Windows + shift + M: Undo minimize all windows.
You are planning a trip to Hawaii. You have several browser windows open while you surf for the best hotel and flight fares. You have your email program open to ask friends where to find the best beaches. You also have Word open so you can chart your itinerary. How do you move from window to window, program to program, without using your mouse? .
It's toggle time.
Press Alt.
Press Tab.
When the dialog box appears, continue to press Tab.
Release Alt when you Tab to the window you desire.
Toggling allows you to move from window to window and program to program, without using your mouse. It's a shortcut that will save your wrists.
Windows has a few shortcuts that allow you to compute without the mouse. The Shift key is the gateway to five of these useful shortcuts.
SHIFT+F10: Equivalent of right-click.
SHIFT+DEL: Deletes immediately without removing to the Recycle Bin .
SHIFT+TAB: Moves to previous control in the dialog box (TAB alone goes forward, SHIFT+TAB backward).
Press Shift when inserting a CD-ROM and you can skip auto-run.
Pressing Shift while holding down CTRL and dragging to the desktop or to a folder creates an instant shortcut. (Of course, you can do the same thing by clicking and holding the right mouse button, letting go on the desktop, and choosing "create shortcut.") .
Have you ever wished you could customize your computer to greet you with sounds of your choosing? Whether you choose Windows-preformatted WAV files or ones you've created or downloaded, you have the option to easily switch sound properties for almost any event in Windows.
Follow these steps to customize sound settings for most events within Windows.
Click Windows button.
Open Control Panel.
Click Sounds folder.
Scroll through the menu and notice which events have a speaker next to them.
To preview a sound, highlight an event and click the black triangle.
To change this highlighted event sound, use the pull-down menu and select a new sound option of your choice.
If you'd like to use your own sound for an event, hit the browse button and map the path to where the .wav file is stored on your hard drive.
To help find free WAV files, use this "great directory"(http://www.thefreesite.com/Free_Sounds/Free_WAVs/index.html) service to point you in the right direction.
Have you ever moved your cursor to the bottom of the page only to discover your toolbar is missing? The case of the disappearing toolbar is a mystery no longer. This is an easily fixed problem that often plagues Windows users.
To restore your toolbar, follow these steps:
Move your mouse to the last-known location of the toolbar.
Left-click the mouse as soon as the double arrow appears.
A broken line appears, move it up and release.
Voila-- your toolbar is back.
This technique will change your toolbar to any desired size.
If, for some reason, you want to hide the toolbar or taskbar, right-click on it and select Properties. In the Taskbar Properties dialog that appears, choose the Taskbar Options tab and select the "Auto hide" option. On the other hand, if you want to make sure your Taskbar is always within view, check "Always on top."
Your toolbar doesn't have to stay on the bottom of your computer's screen. It's easy to move it to a new location.
Left-click on the toolbar.
Hold the shift key and move the mouse.
Move the toolbar to the sides or the top of your screen.
Release.
If you want to change the size of your toolbar, move your cursor on the toolbar until you see the double arrow. Left-click the mouse and release when the toolbar is the right size.
Any program that you use often can be added to your Quicklaunch toolbar. Simply click an item on your desktop and drag it to your toolbar.
If the program is not on your desktop, follow these steps:
Open your start menu.
Left-click on the program.
Drag it to the QuickLaunch bar.
Release.
Another option to make your Quicklaunch toolbar work to your advantage is to create a desktop folder of commonly used programs. Drag the entire folder to your toolbar. The programs will be added to the toolbar.
The Cut and Paste Collection
Most people who use Windows are familiar with the terms cut, paste, and copy. Do you know what they do?
The cut and paste collection allows you to cut out, replace, or rearrange any highlighted text or data. If you are writing a family newsletter and want to move the upcoming birthday list from the bottom to the top, highlight the paragraph, copy, cut, and then paste it at the top of your document. Simply click Edit in any Windows application and choose the appropriate command, but it's easier to use one of these shortcuts.
Control + X
This command cuts out any highlighted text or data.
Control + C
This command copies any highlighted text or data.
Control + V
This command pastes any copied text or data from the clipboard to any open application. Position your cursor where you want the text to appear.
You can cut and paste any text or data from one Windows application to another. The copied information is held on the clipboard until you press paste.
Change Desktop Icons
If you're tired of staring at the standard Windows-issue icons on your desktop, don't despair. You can easily swap the icons around. My Briefcase doesn't have to look like a briefcase, change it to look like something else.
Simply follow these steps.
Right-click on the desktop.
Go to Active Desktop option.
Choose Customize My Desktop.
Click the Effects tab.
Click any icon then click the change button.
Browse for an alternative icon.
If you want to create your own icon, read this article.
Queston: On my desktop, I have a square icon with the Windows logo in it for My Computer. How can I change this?
Answer: The My Computer icon is how you access your hard-drive contents, so don't get rid of it. It is simple to change the icon.
Right-click the desktop.
Go to the Active Desktop option.
Choose Customize My Desktop.
Click the Effects tab.
Click the My Computer icon and click the change button.
Choose a standard Windows icon or browse for an alternative.
You also have the option of creating a blank icon. Download Microangelo 98 to create customized icons. You could create a one-pixel dot that will successfully cover the My Computer on your desktop.
It is also possible to hide icons on your desktop. In Active Desktop, check View Desktop as a Webpage and click Hide Icons. Voila! All of your icons will be hidden from view.
Create a Shortcut
You may use the same program every time you compute-- say you use Internet Explorer, for example. Instead of opening the start menu to get to the program, create a shortcut.
You can create a shortcut by right-clicking the program, selecting Create Shortcut, and following the steps. Or create a shortcut by using this shortcut. It's easy if you follow these four steps:
Open Windows Explorer.
Choose the program you want to reach via shortcut.
Hold Control and click the program.
Drag to the desktop.
Change File Association
Double-click on a text file and it will automatically open in Notepad. How can you open the file in Word? You can change the default file associations with these simple steps.
Hold Shift key and right-click the file.
Select "Open With..."
Select the program you want to use to open file.
Click OK.
You can use these steps to open a file in any program.
Disable AutoPlay
Disable the Auto CD Run feature, AutoPlay, if you swap CDs frequently. Disabling AutoPlay is especially convenient if you change from audio CDs to game CDs to programs.
Click Start.
Click Settings.
Click Control Panel.
Double-click System.
On Device Manager tab, double-click the CD-ROM branch.
Double-click the CD-ROM driver entry.
On the Settings tab, uncheck the Auto Insert Notification box.
To enable AutoPlay, follow the instructions to step six and check the Auto Insert Notification box.
As an added bonus, here is a shortcut to suspend AutoPlay. Hold down the Shift key while inserting a CD.
The Windows operating system can seem complicated for both newbies and experienced computer users. Get to know your computer by going to your desktop and right-clicking on My Computer. Then click on Properties.
General Tab
Here you find information about your system, registered users, manufacturer, and support.
Device Manager Tab
You can view all of your drives and connections. It is possible to sort by connection or device type. Here you can remove any devices. Click Properties on the Device Manager Tab for more details.
Hardware Profiles Tab
Most computers use only one hardware profile, but if you wanted to create a new one you do it here.
Performance Tab
Find your system performance here. It lists available memory and systems resources among other performance information. Click File System and check the settings for your hard disk, floppy, CD-ROM, removable disk, and troubleshooting. You can also view your graphics and virtual memory settings.
Folders Options
Tired of the same ole Windows look? You can change the way your files and folders look in Windows. Open your start menu and click on Settings, then click on Folder Options.
General
You can choose to view your folders as a webpage or in the classic Windows style, or you can choose to customize your folders. To change your folder settings, click Customize. You can choose between an Active Desktop, browse for new folders in a new window every time, or select a single-click option to open a new folder.
View
You can choose to make all of your folders look the same. Simply click the Reset All Folders button. This reverts all folders to the default option. If you want some variety, go through the checklist and change the view. Alter the text case for folder names, or check to hide certain files.
File types
If you have always wanted to know what a file extension opens with, go to this tab. Click on a folder and the file association is explained. So is the program in which you can open it.
Display Settings
Have you ever wanted to change the look of your monitor. If you still think wallpaper is only found on walls, you should explore your display settings.
Jazz up your monitor with this tip:
In Start Menu, select Settings.
Click Control Panel.
Click Display.
In Display Properties you can alter the Background, Screen Saver, Effects, Settings, and Appearance. You can also click on Output Device and Display Information to find exactly which type of monitor you have.
Background
Experiment with your pattern and your wallpaper. You can center the wallpaper, which puts the wallpaper in one box in the middle of your screen. Or you can tile the wallpaper which effectively covers the entire screen.
Screen saver
Opt for a scrolling marquee to show off your witticism to co-workers and family members. Click the drop-down menu for screen saver choices. Choose whichever image strikes your fancy, then hit settings to adjust the frequency. If you decide to have a scrolling message, click settings to type it in.
Effects
Change your desktop icons or hide icons when you view your desktop as a webpage. You can also adjust the visual settings. Choose large or small icons, colors, and so forth.
Settings
Choose your color pallette, size of icons, or the size of the display screen on your monitor. Choose Advanced Properties to enhance monitor performance.
Appearance
Change the color scheme and font for different areas of your display. For example, change your desktop to red. Browse the drop-down menu to find what you need to change
Have you ever wanted to remove annoying shortcuts or just wanted to clean up your Start Menu?
Right-click on the Start button and select Explore.
Be careful what you change while investigating the Start Menu, because you're now able to edit it directly.
To add new items to your Start Menu folder, do the following:
Right-click on your desktop and choose New.
Select Shortcut.
Use the Browse button to map a path to where the program is stored.
After you've created a shortcut, drag-and-drop it into the Start Menu folder.
Remember that the Start Menu is built upon folders and shortcuts. If you'd like to make a sub-menu, just add a new folder.
Windows Key Shortcuts
How many times has this happened to you? You have several windows open on your computer, but you need to access a shortcut on your desktop to open another program. You drag the cursor to the top right corner and minimize window after window. You're well on your way to carpal tunnel syndrome.
Try this instead. Press the Windows key (found on your keyboard between CTRL and ALT) and the letter M at the same time. Voila! All windows are minimized and you're looking at your desktop.
You can also press the Windows Key and the letter E at the same time to open Windows Explorer.
Disabling Content Advisor in Internet Explorer
1) Click on Start and choose Run.
2) Type in RegEdit and select OK.
3) Now click on the little plus sign
to the left of H_KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
4) Continue to drill down, always clicking on the plus sign at the left of the named key, through Software, Microsoft,
Windows, Current Version and Policies.
5) Now click on the Ratings folder.
6) In the right pane of the RegEdit window, you'll see an icon called Key. Click on it and press Delete.
7) Next, choose Registry and then Exit to exit RegEdit. You've just deleted your original Content Advisor password.
8) Restart the computer and run Internet Explorer again.
9) Choose View and then Internet Options (or Options for version 3.x)
10) Click on the Content tab and click on Disable. When asked for a password, don't enter anything; just click on OK.
