USE SHIFT-DELETE TO BYPASS RECYCLE BIN
More than once, the Recycle Bin will save your life, and you'll kiss the desktop it sits on. However, deleting everything twice can be a real bother, especially things you know you'll never need again in a million years.
If you're sure you want to ditch something the first time around, skip right over the Recycle Bin. Just highlight whatever it is you want to get rid of, hit Shift-Delete, and kiss it goodbye. It's not as dangerous as it sounds, because you'll still get one of those polite messages asking if you're sure. (The danger is in getting so comfortable that you delete this way all the time and get hasty and...D'oh!)
FORCE FILE TO OPEN IN DESIRED PROGRAM
Don't want to open a file in the application with which it's associated (the one that appears if you double-click the file)? As long as you know how to invoke the Open With command, you can open that file in any application you want.
Highlight the file you're about to open, then hold down the Shift key as you right-click it. In the resulting menu, select Open With. Select an application, make sure Always Use This Program To Open This Type Of File is deselected (unless that's what you want), then click OK.
CHANGE DESKTOP RESOLUTION
Need a little more desktop real estate? You can change the size of your Windows 98 desktop on the fly.
Right-click the desktop, select Properties, and click the Settings tab. Under Screen Area, move the lever toward More (or Less, if that's what you want), and you'll see the dimensions change before your eyes.
If you like what you see in the preview and want to go through with the change, click OK, then click OK again. In the Monitor Settings dialog box, click Yes to accept the change or No to go back to were you started.
RIGHT-MOUSE KEYBOARD EQUIVALENT
Tired of having to reach for your mouse? You can do just about anything without it--even "click" something with the right-mouse button.
The next time you need to right-click the desktop, an active window, or a highlighted shortcut, press Shift-F10 instead. Magic.
SHORTCUT TO PROPERTIES
When you want to know all about an icon--file, folder, whatever--you right-click the icon and select Properties. Getting tired of dragging your pointer all the way down to the bottom of that context menu to
the Properties command? Next time, hold down the Alt key as you double-click the icon. Properties dialog box, at your service.
PRINT FROM THE DESKTOP
Need to print a file that's sitting on the desktop (or inside an open window)? Don't waste time opening the file and selecting the application's Print command. Windows 98 will do all of that for you. Simply right-click the item you want to print and select Print in the resulting menu. Done.
(Note: If you don't see the Print command, no go--sorry. Certain file types don't support this feature.)
THE MANY FACES OF PAINT TOOLS
The next time you're creating a work of art in Paint (Start, Programs, Accessories, Paint), keep in mind that there's more to those tools than meets the eye. Many of them can take on multiple personalities.
Take the tool that looks like a paintbrush, for instance. Select this tool, and a palette of 12 tips appears under the toolbar. For a great calligraphy effect, try one from the third or fourth row.
LAUNCH STARTUP APPLICATION MINIMIZED
Is there an application you'd like to launch when Windows 98 starts, without it being a total desktop hog? Instruct the application to open minimized. All it takes is a quick trip to its Properties dialog box.
Right-click the Start button, select Open, double-click Programs, and double-click Startup. Inside the Startup folder, right-click the shortcut of the program you want to open minimized and select
Properties. Click the Shortcut tab, and on the Run line, select Minimized. Click OK. The next time you start Windows 98, that application will open and then shrink to the Taskbar.
SEND FILE OR FOLDER TO FLOPPY DRIVE
Need to copy a file or folder from your hard drive to a floppy? You could go the long route--drag the file or folder to your floppy icon in a My Computer or an Explorer window--or, you could be quick about
it: Right-click the
file or folder, select Send To, and in the resulting menu, select your floppy drive. Done.
PASSWORD-PROTECT YOUR SCREEN SAVER
Don't want nosy neighbors meddling in your business when you step away from your computer? A screen saver will stop the passers-by (unless they can get close enough to bump your mouse), but a
password-protected screen saver is even better.
Right-click the desktop and select Properties to open the Display Properties dialog box. Click the Screen Saver tab, select Password Protected, then click the Change button and enter a password twice.
Click OK and you'll see a dialog box telling you the password has been changed. Click OK two more times.
SWITCH MOUSE TO LEFT HAND
Hey, lefties, want the primary mouse click to be your pointer finger? All you have to do is switch the buttons. Open the Control Panel, double-click Mouse, and in the resulting dialog box, select the
appropriate setting (depending on your mouse). For example, you may see a Left-handed option. Or, if you have an IntelliPoint mouse, click the Basics tab, then select Right or Upper.
Click OK, then try it out. Click the desktop using your middle finger--of your left hand, of course--and there's the context menu.
INCREASE SCROLLBAR SIZE
Do you find the scrollbars in your applications and dialog boxes too small to grab onto? Windows 98 lets you make them as big (or as small) as you want.
Right-click the desktop, select Properties, and click the Appearance tab. Under Item, select Scrollbar, adjust the Size using the up arrow, and watch your change in the preview. When you like what you see,
click OK to keep the change.
UNDO LAST ACTION
Did you just move, copy, rename, or delete something you shouldn't have? Not a problem. Windows allows you to undo your most recent action. Right-click the desktop or window (wherever you made the
mistake) and select the Undo command. Alternatively, press Ctrl-Z, or, from inside a window, select Edit, Undo.
CHANGE SIZE OF EXPLORER PANES
Did you just expand four levels of a folder inside an Explorer window and now you can't see them all? The left pane of that
Explorer window (the one that says All Folders) isn't as narrow as it seems. It can be
any size you want. Just hold the cursor over the dividing line between the two panes, and when the cursor changes to a double-pointed arrow, click and drag to the right. To change the size back, just drag the
line to the left.
EDIT BACKGROUND PATTERNS
Want to make your own background pattern for your desktop? Click the desktop with the right mouse button, choose Properties, and take a look at the Patterns list on the Background tab. Pick one that looks
like it might be fun to change, such as Scottie, and click the Edit Pattern button. Two things first, though: Make sure (None) is selected for Wallpaper, and if your desktop has a black background, you'll need
to switch it to another color by clicking the Display Properties' Appearance tab and changing it in the Color dropdown menu.
The pattern is nothing more than a grid of black or colored boxes. Click a box, and it toggles between black and your desktop's background color. The nice thing is that you get to see your changes right in the Sample box as you work. When you're done, give the pattern a new name (unless you want to overwrite the old one), click Add, then click Done.
Is your favorite dog a Doberman instead of a Scottie? Make the tail and legs longer, and you've got a whole new look!
NOTEPAD LOG FILES
Notepad is a small, can't-even-really-call-it-a-word-processor program that comes with Windows 98. It isn't fancy, but it does have one unique feature: log files.
Type
.LOG
at the top of a Notepad file, and it becomes a log file, just like a journal. From then on, every time you make an entry in the file,
REARRANGE PAINT TOOLS AND COLORS
Not happy with the placement of Paint's tools and colors? Then move them. You can turn them into floating palettes, for placement anywhere on screen, or stick them to the edge of the Paint window.
Open Paint by selecting Start, Programs, Accessories, Paint. Click a blank area around the edge of the tools or colors, and a black box will appear to let you know they're selected. Now just drag the
palette where you want it, along its existing edge or anywhere on screen.
Don't like
floating palettes? Just like the Taskbar, they'll snap into place at the edge of the Paint window. Tools stick to the side edges; colors stick to the top or bottom.
Notepad adds a time and date stamp. You'll see the stamp the next time you open the file.
EXPLORER WINDOWS HAVE TOOLBARS, TOO
The next time you're going about your business in an Explorer window--single or double-paned--take notice of the often-overlooked Toolbar. (If you don't see it, select View, Toolbars, Standard Buttons.) It has buttons for a lot of the commands you might otherwise use your right-mouse button for. Funny thing, too, because a button only takes one click.
See the button with the blue curved arrow? That's Undo. The "X" button mimics Delete. Clicking the hand holding the paper is the same as choosing Properties. On the right, you'll find your View options--Large Icons, Small Icons, List, or Details. Hold the cursor over any button on the Toolbar, and you'll see a box telling you what it does.
CHANGE YOUR MOUSE POINTER
Tired of that same boring arrow you see on screen all the time? Or the hourglass? Then change your mouse pointers. You can choose from things like piano keys, a banana, and even a dinosaur.
Open the Control Panel and double-click Mouse. Select the Pointers tab, highlight the pointer you want to change, and click the Browse button. Select a pointer, click Open, and back at the Pointers list,
click Apply. Repeat these steps for each pointer you'd like to change. To return to a traditional pointer, select any pointer and click the Use Default button.
(Note: You'll need to install the pointers from the installation CD, if you haven't already. Open the Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, and click the Windows Setup tab. In the Components list, double-click Accessories. Select Mouse Pointers, click OK twice, and insert the installation CD when asked.)
CHANGE ICON ASSOCIATED WITH FILE TYPE
Tired of the boring "text-on-a-page" icon next to your *.txt files? Then change it. In most cases, you can assign a new icon to a file type.
>From any Explorer window, select View, Folder Options, and click the File Types tab. Select a type in the Registered File Types
list--in this case, Text Document--click Edit, and in the Edit File Type dialog
box, click Change Icon. (If this command is grayed out, you can't change the icon for this type.) Pick a new icon (or click Browse and find one you like, then click Open), then click OK. Click Close twice.
In our next tip, we'll show you how to always recognize a file type, even if the icon doesn't help much.
CHANGE ICON ASSOCIATED WITH FILE TYPE
Tired of the boring "text-on-a-page" icon next to your *.txt files? Then change it. In most cases, you can assign a new icon to a file type.
>From any Explorer window, select View, Folder Options, and click the File Types tab. Select a type in the Registered File Types list--in this case, Text Document--click Edit, and in the Edit File Type dialog
box, click Change Icon. (If this command is grayed out, you can't change the icon for this type.) Pick a new icon (or click Browse and find one you like, then click Open), then click OK. Click Close twice.
In our next tip, we'll show you how to always recognize a file type, even if the icon doesn't help much.
ALWAYS SHOW EXTENSION FOR A FILE TYPE
In our last tip, we showed you how to change the icon associated with
a file type: From any Explorer window, select View, Folder Options;
click the File Types tab; select a type in the Registered File Types
list; click Edit; click Change Icon; select a new icon; then click OK.
Worried that the icon you chose will keep you from recognizing that
type in the future? No problem. Windows 98 includes a foolproof way to
recognize a file type, regardless of its icon. It's called Always Show
Extension.
In any Explorer window, select View, Folder Options, then click the
File Types tab. Select a file type under Registered File Types, click
Edit, then select Always Show Extension. Click OK twice, and from now
on, every file of that type will display an extension (even if you've
selected the Hide File Extensions For Known File Types option on the
View tab of the Folder Options dialog box).