5 cool Windows-7 Keyboard Tips and Tricks

Anyone working professionally with a computer has their hands on the keyboard most of the time. Reaching for the mouse can be an annoying disturbance and personally I often turn over my mouse in such situations. An easy solution is to simply keep the hands on the keyboard and complete as many tasks as possible with keyboard shortcuts only.

Apart from making you work more efficiently and faster, you can also impress your friends or colleagues by being able to work without a mouse. This article describes some cool Windows 7 keyboard tricks to get you started. In the end you might never want to take your hands off the keyboard again.

For your convenience, more keyboard shortcut resources are attached at the bottom.

Note that some of these shortcuts will only work if Windows Aero is enabled. If Aero effects are disabled on your computer, it might not be powerful enough to support resource intensive graphical features. The visual effects may also have been disabled to increase overall performance. If you wish to enable Aero nevertheless, have a look at my recent article explaining


1. Aero Shortcuts
[Windows] + [Spacebar] (Aero Peek)
Make all open windows transparent to view gadgets and icons on desktop.

[Windows] + [D] (Aero Peek)
Show or hide the desktop.

[Windows] + [Home] (Aero Shake)
Minimize all but selected window. Reverse by clicking the key combination again.

[Windows] + left arrow OR [Windows] + right arrow (Aero Snap)
Dock selected window to the left or right half of your screen.

[Windows] + up arrow OR [Windows] + down arrow (Aero Snap)
Maximized and restores the selected window.

[Windows] + [SHIFT] + up arrow OR [Windows] + [SHIFT] + down arrow (Aero Snap)
Maximizes and restores selected window in vertical dimension only.

[Windows] + [Tab] (Aero Flip)
Launch 3D representation of open windows and click [Tab] key again to flip through them.

2. Windows & Taskbar

[Alt] + [Ctrl] + [Tag] + left/right/up/down arrow
Flip window.

[Alt] + [Tab]
Cycle through open windows.

[Windows] + [T] OR [Windows] + [SHIFT] + [T]
Move focus to front or back of taskbar. Press [T] again while holding the [Windows] key to cycle through items in the taskbar from left to right or, with [SHIFT] button held too, from right to left.

[Windows] + [B]
Puts focus on the ‘show hidden icons’ button on the system tray.

[Windows] + [1] THROUGH [Windows] + [9]
Launch first through ninth icon on taskbar, including items pinned to taskbar.

[Windows] + [SHIFT] + [1] THROUGH [Windows] + [SHIFT] + [9]
Starts new instance of respective taskbar icon.

[Windows] + [Ctrl] + [1] THROUGH [Windows] + [Ctrl] + [9]
Cycles through multiple instances of the respective icon.

[Windows] + [Alt] + [1] THROUGH [Windows] + [Alt] + [9]
Opens jump list for respective icon.

3. Multiple Monitors

[Windows] + [SHIFT] + right arrow OR [Windows] + [SHIFT] + left arrow
Move selected window from one monitor to another. They will remain in the same relative location.

[Windows] + [P]
Select presentation display mode.

4. Magnifier
[Windows] + [+] OR [Windows] + [-]
Activates Windows Magnifier to zoom in or out of screen.

[Ctrl] + [Alt] + [D]
Switch to docked mode.

[Ctrl] + [Alt] + [L]
Switch to lense mode.

[Ctrl] + [Alt] + [F]
Switch from docked or lens mode back to full screen mode.

[Ctrl] + [Alt] + [I]
Invert colors.

[Windows] + [Esc]
Exist magnifier views.

5. Other tricks

[Windows] + [G]
Cycle through desktop gadgets.

[Windows] + [X]
Launches Windows Mobility Center. Especially useful if you’re working on a laptop.

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VLC Tips and Tricks

VLC 0.9 has released to widespread acclaim. The media player of choice for many, has packed in a horde of new features and marked changes in the design and interface. There are only two issues we have with the new design, which we will put out of the way first. The playback bar has jazzed up buttons, which won’t appeal to those who went for the minimalist charm of VLC. They have also inverted the direction in which the scroll works with the media, you scroll down to go backward, and scroll up to go forward which is counterintuitive to everyone and irritating to the long term users. Now for the good stuff.

1. Adjust The Colour Of The Video
In the playback bar, click on the icon that looks like the equaliser for lesser media players. This is right next to the playback button. Then select the ‘video effects’ tab. The ‘basic’ tab will be selected by default. Check the ‘image adjust’ checkbox. From here, you can adjust the hue, saturation, contrast, brightness and gamma of the image. There is also a ‘brightness threshold’ slider. The changed take place in real time, an this can be used to enhance dark videos.

2. Take Snapshots Of The Video

a. Play Video then Click on Video>Snapshot 

b. Go to Tools > Preferences > Video. Under video snapshots, enter the directory, a prefix, check ‘sequential numbering’ and choose a format. The default is .png. To take the snapshot while the video is playing, go to Video > Snapshot. Alternatively, you can take a snapshot using the keyboard with the hotkey [Shift] + [S]. To use a button to take a snapshot, go to Tools > Advanced Controls. The snapshot button appears on the playback bar.

3. Stream Video Across A Network

This can be used to broadcast a video over the Net, or to stream videos to everyone’s PC in the office at once, or to everyone’s laptops in a conference room. Click on advanced open file, select ‘show more options’. On the bottom right corner, next to the play and cancel buttons will be a small additional options button. Click on this, and select stream. A stream output dialogue will pop up.

You can select the encapsulation, the video and audio codecs and the bitrate. Remember that not all formats can be converted to all other formats, this is a limitation of the format and not of the player. Under outputs, select a protocol. Selecting multiple protocols will stream the video output in all the protocols. To open a stream, go to ‘Advanced open file’, select the ‘Network’ tab and select the relevant protocol and address.

4. Add A Ticker To The Video

Go to Tools > Preferences, select ‘All’ under ‘Show Settings’

Go to Video > Subtitles/OSD > Marquee. Enter the text in the marquee, and the text will scroll across the screen while the video is playing. You can also tweak the settings to get an RSS feed to scroll across the video. Copy the feed url, then go to Tools > Preferences, select ‘all’ under ‘show settings; Go to Video > Subtitles/OSD tick on “RSS and Atom feed display’ and enter the URL in the bar.

There is an option to display or not display images in the feeds.

5. Add Effects To The Video

We are not sure why this feature is provided, but it is fun and users may discover innovative uses for them.

Click on the effects button. Go to Video Effects > Image Modification.

The gradient effect gives a cartoonish feel to the video. The motion blur has a factor slider. These are the two main effects. The other effects include waves, motion detect, noise, water and psychedelic. You can apply a selection of these effects at once to the video. The changes take place in real time.

6. To Resume Playback From A Specific Time

If you were interrupted while watching a video or a movie, and want to resume from the exact moment you left off, there are two ways to do it. 

While playing the movie, go to Playback > Go to specific time, and enter the time in dialogue that pops up.

The other way to do this is to go to Media > Advanced open file, check ‘Show more options’ and enter the Start Time.

7.Use VLC As A Transcoder

Open a file, then go to Media > Convert/Save. In the file tab, click on the Convert/Save button.

Select the ‘File’ checkbox under ‘Outputs’. Enter a file name. Make sure that draw raw input is unchecked.

Then select an encapsulation, that is basically the format under ‘profile’.

Select a video codec and audio codec under the ‘Video codec’ and ‘Audio codec’ tabs.

You can save files in a format to be played on a portable media device.

Click on Save.

8.Change The Jump Settings

There are hotkeys to jump backwards and forwards through the file (refer to the list of hotkeys). The default values for the ‘Very short’, ‘Short’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Long’ jumps can be changed as per individual preferences.

Go to Tools > Preferences under ‘Show settings’ select ‘All’. Go to Interface > Hotkey Settings and under ‘Jump sizes’ edit the values as per your preferences. You can also use this window to change the default hotkeys, and add hotkeys to functions that have no default hotkeys.

9.Using The Loop Function

VLC can loop a part of a song or a video over and over again. To use this feature, go to Tools > Advanced controls. The loop button should appear on the playback bar. Open the file you want to play, click the button when you come to the part on the media you want to start the loop at. Click on the button again at the part of the file you want the loop to end. VLC will now start playing that portion of a file in an endless loop till you click on the loop button again to stop the loop.

10.Play Image Files In VLC

VLC has the capability to play image files without having to mount the image files on a virtual drive first. Although many formats are supported, many are not. Open an image file directly for the video to start playing.

11. Listen to podcasts.

Go to Playlist > Additional Sources > Configure Podcasts. Add the podcast url, or add multiple urls.

Go to Playlist > Additional sources > Podcasts.

Go to Playlist > Show playlist. The list of podcasts you added should appear in the playlist window now. Double-click on one to start playing.

12. Listen To Online Radio

To listen to online radio, go to Playlist > Shoutcast Radio Listings.

Then go to Playlist > Show Playlist. The Shoutcast radio option should have appeared below the ‘Playlist’ and ‘Media Library’ options. A long list of genres and radio stations will appear. Select one that you want to listen to you. Some of the stations listed don’t work, and some might make the player crash. Some stations are listed under multiple genres.

13. Prevent Screensaver Interruption

This is a highly useful feature that prevents a screensaver from interrupting the movie you are watching.

Go to Tools > Preferences. In the dialogue that pop ups, look at the bottom left corner, and select the ‘All’ radio button under ‘Show settings’. Click on ‘Video’ preferences, and under ‘General Video Settings’ look for the ‘Disable Screensaver’ checkbox.

14. Skins

VLC supports skins. VLC skins can be downloaded from their site, but VLC also supports winamp 2 and xmps skins. Go to Tools > Preferences. In ‘Interface’, select the ‘Skins’ radio button and load the skin file from here.

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How to change Windows XP Boot Screen

How to change Windows XP Boot Screen

MODIFY  THE XP BOOT SCREEN

This is a very simple trick to do if you have done the same for the logon screen and the start button. There are 2 ways to do this trick that I know about one is doing it manually and the other is using a program called bootxp. I am going to tell you the manual way to do it, but if you want to know the other way just let me know, so I can do an update to the guide. Now once you have downloaded your ntoskrnl.exe file save it a general location so that you will have easy access to it, like my folder.

Once you have ntoskrnl.exe file in an easy access folder, restart your pc into safe mode. Once into safe mode go to the folder where your files are located.

Now that you are there copy the file that you want to change your boot screen too. Once you have copied that file, hit the window key + r or type %windir%\system32 in the run command, so that folder as follows.

Once there paste your new file into the folder and overwrite the existing folder.

Now that you have your new file in the folder restart your pc as you normally would and your new boot screen should appear. You can download this bootscreen here.

ALWAYS BACKUP EVERYTHING YOU EDIT OR DELETE. I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU MESS YOUR COMPUTER UP BY DOING THIS TRICK OR ANY TYPE OF MODIFY. DO IT AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Image and ntoskrnl.exe files provided by www.themexp.org

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Great 9 Tips For Speed up your typing speed

9 Position : Choose a comfortable chair and sit straight. Place your fingers correctly on the keyboard. Type using the pads of your fingers, don’t use finger tips or nails. The Keyboard should be at waist level approximately.

8 Placement : Use both your hands for typing. You can check this visual tutorialfor understanding placement of your fingers on the appropriate keys easily. Use the thumb for Space Bar. It is better to memorize the location of the keys.

7.Avoid Seeing : Yes, you should not see the keyboard while you type. You should have military level of discipline. Look at the screen or the source paper. After you are familiar with the finger placements you can try this. While riding bicycle, what will you see? The road or the pedals?

6.Use Emoticons : Emoticons are nothing but textual expressions representing the face of a writer’s mood or facial expression. You can find them in many portals including social networks, forums, IM, blog comments and so on. Emoticons usually have symbols. By using them often you can be familiar with symbols location in keyboard and you can type it without seeing soon.

5.Type Along : Try to type what you hear, like news reports, songs, two people talking around, so on. It will help you to become more familiar with various words.

4 Avoid Typos : While practicing don’t spend time on fixing your typos. Instead carry on typing. Because you are just training your hands and concentrating on typing faster.

3 Get Addicted : I improved my typing speed by using TypeRacer. It is a multiplayer typing game where you race others by typing quotes from popular books, movies, and songs. You can also find TypeRacer applications in Orkut and Facebook.

2. Softwares : You can purchase a typing lesson software or try the free ones available online. But make sure that program is capable of measuring your typing speed. You can also try free Flash typing games.

1. Practice : Last but not least, nothing can be done without practicing. Practice as much as possible. Do it regularly with extreme patience. But don’t practice if your fingers become tired. Leave some gap.

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How to Rename multiple files at once

How to Rename multiple files at once

To change the name of multiple files at once highlight all the files you wish to rename in Windows Explorer and press the F2 key. Type in the new name you wish to use for all files and press enter. Once done all files will be renamed to the name entered followed by a unique number.

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Access Windows Desktop icons without minimizing anything

If you keep your most frequently used files and shortcuts on the Desktop, you can quickly access those icons by adding a Desktop Toolbar to your Windows Taskbar by following the below steps.

• Right-click on the Windows Taskbar.
• Click Properties.
• In the Taskbar and Start menu Properties Window, as shown below, click the Toolbars tab.
• In the Toolbars tab check the Desktop checkbox and click Apply.
• Once the above steps have been completed you should have a Desktop option by the Windows Notification area of your Taskbar, which is also shown at the bottom of the below picture.

After the above steps have been completed, click the chevron arrows next to Desktop will display all shortcuts and files stored on the Desktop.

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Top 10 keyboard shortcuts everyone should know

Top 10 keyboard shortcuts everyone should know

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.

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

Tip: 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.

Tip: 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 or 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 or Ctrl + 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.

Page Up, Space bar, and Page Down
Pressing either the page up or page down key will move that page one page at a time in that direction. When browsing the Internet pressing the space bar will also move the page down one page at a time. If you press Shift and the Space bar the page will go up a page at a time.

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Top 10 online services and applications

1.Google services
   a. Google Docs - Fantastic collection of free services including a word processor, spreadsheet,
   presentation service, online forms, drawings, and more. Each of these services can also be viewed and 
   edited between multiple users.
   b.Google Calendar - One of the best if not the best online calendars available to create appointments and  
   even share events between other users.
   c.Google Translate - Another fantastic free service by Google that allows you to translate any text,
   website, or document into another language with support of over 50 different languages.
   d.Gmail - By far one of the best online free e-mail services with an almost endless list of features and 
   probably the best e-mail spam filter.
   e.Google maps - Excellent maps service that not offers updated maps, directions, satellite views, and even 
   street views of much of the world.
   f.YouTube - The premier location to share and view online videos.

2.RescueTime

RescueTime is an excellent service that can help keep you focused while on the computer and track how much time you spend on each task. This service keeps you focused while on the computer by only allowing you to perform productive tasks and can prevent you from accessing unproductive programs and websites. In addition, the site offers a wealth of graphs and data to see where you spend your time and can even keep track of how much time you spend on each web page you visit.

Download Windows, Linux, or Mac client and visit page

3.WOT

An excellent add-on that can be added to any major Internet browser including Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome that alerts you to any Internet page you are visiting that is not safe. This service works by allowing any user to create a comment and rating on any web site, which WOT uses to alert a user if the site is not safe. WOT protects you from any web page with malware, reported scam sites, sites that invade privacy, or conducts other fraudulent activities.

Visit and download WOT

4.Dropbox

Another great tool that allows you to share and sync any file between your PC, Mac, Linux, and Mobile device. Not only is this a great tool for sharing your files but it is also a great tool for backing up your data online.

Visit Dropbox

5.Grammarly

Fantastic service that checks for misspellings, commonly confused words, plagiarism, grammar errors, punctuation, and will even suggest alternative synonyms. A Microsoft Office add-in can also be installed to check any document you're working on within Office. Finally, with each suggested correction an explanation about the problem, examples, and the ability to ask the community is made available.

Grammarly Grammar Checker

6.Flickr

The most recognized and used services for exploring, sharing, and storing photos online. Thousands of pictures are uploaded to this website every minute, making it a fantastic place for inspiration for any photographer and a great place to store, show, and print your own images.

Flickr

7.Skype

Another great online service and tool that allows anyone to make phone calls and video calls between other Skype users over the Internet.

Visit and download Skype

8.Aviary

A fantastic online suite of tools including an image editor, effects editor, screen capture, vector image editor, image markup, color editor, and even an audio and music creator. Each of these programs is online and can be used through your browser.

Visit the Aviary suite

9.Wikipedia

Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that has been generated using millions of different contributors around the world. Today the site now contains over 3.5 million different English articles on almost every topic imaginable and millions of other topics in dozens of other languages.

Read and edit Wikipedia

10.PayPal

The number one used service for taking and sending payments without using a credit card.

Visit PayPal

Read more »

Top 10 Mozilla Firefox add-ons

Below is a listing of our top 10 favorite Firefox add-ons or extensions. Part of what makes Mozilla Firefox so great is all the available add-ons and installing these add-ons can help improve your abilities and the overall feel of Firefox. Each of these add-ons can be found through the Mozilla Firefox add-ons page or through the links provided below.

1.StumbleUpon

Great add-on that works with StumbleUpon that allows you to browse only the best of what the Internet has to offer. 

StumbleUpon link

2.AnyColor
Another fantastic add-on that allows you to change the color and appearance of Firefox to any color of your choice.
AnyColor link

3.Download Statusbar
Often one of the first add-ons we install after installing Firefox for the first time. This add-on displays the download status on the status bar instead of opening a new download window.
Download Statusbar link


4.TinyURL Generator
Another great add-on that allows you to click a small icon in the bottom corner of the Firefox window to quickly generate a small URL for the page you're looking at. This is fantastic if you find yourself sharing long URL links often.
TinyURL Generator link

5.WOT
Fantastic add-on that helps keep your web surfing secure. The add-on will display a warning screen across a web page if it's deemed insecure. A security warning could be caused when the web page is known to participate in phishing, has Trojans, scams, etc.
WOT link

6.Omnibar
Another great add-on that turns your URL bar into a Google search as well as the address bar. This helps save your browser real-estate space by removing the redundant Google Search box.
Omnibar link


7.AutoCopy
Another great add-on that allows you to quickly copy and paste text. A must for any blogger who finds themselves frequently copying and pasting text. highlighting the text will immediately copy that text, without having to right-click and select copy or using a keyboard shortcut.
Add-on link

8.Adblock Plus
Another add-on that's a must for users who're sick of sites that plaster advertising on their pages. This great add-on allows you to add and remove advertisements from a web page so you don't have to look at them.
Adblock Plus link

9.Read It Later
Another great add-on that helps eliminate the dozens of tabs some users keep open because they haven't finished or started reading that tab.
Read It Later link

10.Time Tracker
Finally, this little gem allows you to keep track of how much time you're spending in Firefox by displaying a little clock in the right portion of the status bar.
Time Tracker link

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Mozilla Firefox full shortcut keys

Below is a listing of all the major shortcut keys in Mozilla Firefox. See the computer shortcut page if you are looking for other shortcut keys used in other programs.

Shortcut Keys	Description
Alt + Home	Go to home page.
Alt + Left Arrow	Back a page.
Backspace	Back a page.
Alt + Right Arrow	Forward a page.
F5	Refresh current page, frame, or tab.
F11	Display the current website in full screen mode. Pressing F11 again will exit this mode.
Esc	Stop page or download from loading.
Ctrl + (- or +)	Increase or decrease the font size, pressing '-' will decrease and '+' will increase.
Ctrl + Enter	Quickly complete an address. For example, type computerhope in the address bar and press CTRL + ENTER to get http://www.computerhope.com.
Shift + Enter	Complete a .net instead of a .com address.
Ctrl + Shift + Enter	Complete a .org address.
Ctrl + Shift + Del	Open the Clear Data window to quickly clear private data.
Ctrl + D	Add a bookmark for the page currently opened.
Ctrl + I	Display available bookmarks.
Ctrl + J	Display the download window.
Ctrl + N	Open New browser window.
Ctrl + P	Print current page or frame.
Ctrl + T	Opens a new tab.
Ctrl + F4 or Ctrl + W	Closes the currently selected tab.
Ctrl + Shift + T	Undo the close of a window.
Ctrl + Tab	Moves through each of the open tabs.
Spacebar	Moves down a page at a time.
Shift + Spacebar	Moves up a page at a time.
Alt + Down arrow	Display all previous text entered in a text box and available options on drop down menu.

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Internet Explorer full shortcut keys

Below is a listing of all the major shortcut keys in Microsoft Internet Explorer. See the computer shortcut pageif you are looking for other shortcut keys used in other programs.

Shortcut Keys	Description
Alt + Left Arrow	Back a page.
Backspace	Back a page.
Alt + Right Arrow	Forward a page.
F5	Refresh current page, frame, or tab.
F11	Display the current website in full screen mode. Pressing F11 again will exit this mode.
Esc	Stop page or download from loading.
Ctrl + (- or +)	Increase or decrease the font size, pressing '-' will decrease and '+' will increase.
Ctrl + Enter	Quickly complete an address. For example, type computerhope in the address bar and press CTRL + ENTER to get http://www.computerhope.com.
Ctrl + D	Add a Favorite for the page currently opened.
Ctrl + I	Display available bookmarks.
Ctrl + N	Open New browser window.
Ctrl + P	Print current page or frame.
Ctrl + T	Opens a new tab.
Ctrl + F4	Closes the currently selected tab.
Ctrl + Tab	Moves through each of the open tabs.
Spacebar	Moves down a page at a time.
Shift + Spacebar	Moves up a page at a time.
Alt + Down arrow	Display all previous text entered in a text box or available options on drop down menu.
Alt + D	Highlights the text in the address bar

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Top 10 Internet Tips and Tricks

1. You don't need the http:// portion of a web page

When typing an Internet address you do not need to type http:// or even www. in the address. For example, if you wanted to visit Computer Hope you could just type computerhope.com and press enter. To make things even quicker, if you're visiting a .com address you can type computerhope and then press Ctrl + Enter to type out the full http://www.computerhope.com address.

2.Quickly move between the fields of a web page

If you're filling out an online form, e-mail, or other text field you can quickly move between each of the fields by pressing the Tab key or Shift + Tab to move back a field. For example, if you're filling out your name and the next field is your e-mail address you can press the Tab key to switch to the e-mail field.

Tip: This tip also applies to the buttons, if you press tab and the web developer has designed correctly the button should be selected and will allow you to press the space bar or enter to push the button.

Tip: If you have a drop-down box that lists every country or every state you can click that box and then press the letter of the state or country you're looking for. For example, is a drop-down box of States in the United States you could press u on the keyboard to quickly scroll to Utah.

3.Use Internet search engines to their full potential

Make sure to get the most out of every search result. If you're not finding what you want try surrounding the text in quotes. For example, if you were searching for 'computer help' this actually searches for pages that contain both computer and help and not necessarily pages that have computer and help next to each other. If you search for "computer help" with the quotes around the search query this will only return pages that actually have computer and help next to each other.

Tip: Many new computer users also don't realize that in every search box you can press enter instead of having to move the mouse button over to the Search button.

4. Protect yourself and avoid bad web sites

Web of Trust (WOT)(IE, Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome): With this installed if you happen upon a potentially dangerous site, WOT covers the screen with a warning and waits for you to decide whether to stay or leave. This is my favorite sort of approach since it leaves the final decision to the user. If you combine this with your own good sense in avoiding untrustworthy sites, then you have a solid and free web shield. Also, if you choose, you can ignore the WOT warning and go to the site anyway. You can even rate the site if you disagree with the current rating.

5. Know your Internet browser shortcuts

There are dozens of different shortcut keys that can be used with Internet browsers. Below are a few of our top suggested Internet browser shortcuts.

- Pressing Alt + D in any major Internet browser will move the cursor into the address bar. This is a great way to quickly enter an Internet address without having to click the mouse cursor in the address bar.

- Hold down the Ctrl key and press the + or - to increase and decrease the size of text.

- Press the backspace key or hold down the Alt key + left arrow to go back a page.

- Press F5 to refresh or reload a web page.

- Press F11 to make the Internet browser screen full screen.

- Press Ctrl + B to open your Internet bookmarks.

- Press Ctrl + F to open the find box in the browser to search for text within the web page you're looking at.

Full Internet Explorer shortcut keys.

Full Mozilla Firefox shortcut keys.

6. Take advantage of tabbed browsing

Take full advantage of tabbed browsing in all Internet browsers today. While reading any web page if you come across a link you may be interested in open that link in a new tab so it can be viewed later. A new tab can be opened by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking the link or if you have a mouse with a wheel click the link with the middle mouse button. 

7. Try alternative browsers

Most computer users use the default browser that comes included with the computer, with Microsoft Windows this is Internet Explorer. There are several great alternative browsers that are all free to download and use and may have features your current browser does not include. Below are a few of our favorites, try one or try them all. 

   a. Google Chrome

   b. Mozilla Firefox

   c. Opera

8.Install plugins and add-ons

Each of the above alternative browsers also have a large community of volunteers who develop add-ons and plugins that can be added into the browser. Each of these browsers have hundreds of thousands of these add-ons that can do such things as giving you live weather in your browser window, changing its color, and adding additional functionality.
   a.Top 10 Firefox add-ons

9.Make sure your browser and its plugins are up-to-date

Each Internet browser can have several additional plugins that give it additional functionality. For example, Adobe Flash is a great way to bring movies and other animated content to the Internet. Keeping these plugins up-to-date is vital for your computer stability and also security. Using the below tool you can quickly verify if your plugins are up-to-date and get links to where to download the latest updates. 

10.Use online services

There are hundreds of free online services that can help make using your computer easier, more productive, and more enjoyable. See our top 10 online services for a listing of our favorites.

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Registry Edits for Windows XP

Registry Edits for Windows XP

"Tweaks and Tips" 

Registry Keys by Kelly's Korner"

To use the Regedits: Save the REG File to your hard disk. Double click it and answer yes to the import prompt. REG files can be viewed in Notepad by right clicking on the file and selecting Edit.

To use the VBS Files: Download .vbs file and save it to your hard drive (you may want to right click and use Save Target As). Double Click the vbs file. You will be prompted when the script is done.

NOTE: If your anti-virus software warns you of a "malicious" script, this is normal if you have "Script Safe" or similar technology enabled. These scripts are not malicious, but they do make changes to the System Registry.

To Continue 

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Windows XP Underlines - Remove

Windows Explorer/Tools/Folder Options/View/Disable Simple Folder View in Explorer's Folder List.

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Windows XP Tool Tips - Disable

Disable Tool Tips - Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced. Modify or create, "ShowInfoTip" and set the Value to 0. To restore set the Value to 1. This edit excludes the Start Button.

Disable Balloon Tips - Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced. Modify or create, "EnableBalloonTips" and set the Value to 0. To restore set the Value to 1.

     How To: Turn off the Balloon Tooltips and Pop-ups

Windows Explorer/Tools/Folder Options/View/Advanced/Uncheck Popup Descriptions for Folder and Desktop Items.

Related Registry entry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
"FolderContentsInfoTip"=dword:00000000

     To turn off Windows Explorer Pop-Ups:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\tips
"Show"=dword:00000001

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
"ShowInfoTip"=dword:00000001

     How To: Turn off Tooltips

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\
StartButtonBalloonTip - values are from "2" to "1" or "0".

For Pro: Start/Run/gpedit.msc. Local Computer/User Configuration/Administrative Templates/Start Menu and Taskbar/Remove Balloon Tips on Start Menu Items/Right Click Properties...

Disable Balloon Tips or Disable All (Row 11)

Disable All includes: Balloon Tips, Folder Contents Info Tips, Explorer Pop-Ups, Show Info Tips, Start Menu and Notification Area.

To use the Regedit: Save the REG File to your hard disk. Double click it and answer yes to the import prompt. REG files can be viewed in Notepad by right clicking on the file and selecting Edit.

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Windows XP Themes - Restrict Desktop Theme Controls

These restrictions control access to the desktop theme settings including the Windows styles, buttons, schemes and fonts.
Go to Start/Run/Regedit:  For each required restriction create a new DWORD value from the list below and set the value to "1" to enable it.

NoVisualStyleChoice - Disable the "Windows and buttons" style control
NoColorChoice - Disable the "Color scheme" control
NoSizeChoice - Disable the "Font size" control

To specify the default style create a new string value called "SetVisualStyle" and set it to the full path and filename of the required .msstyles file. Changes should take effect immediately.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
Value Name: NoColorChoice, NoSizeChoice, NoVisualStyleChoice, SetVisualStyle

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Temporary Internet Files (TIF) in Windows XP

Internet Explorer (IE) can enter a state where it almost immediately hangs and starts to use 100 percent of CPU time. In particular, trying to delete Temporary Internet files via Tools, Internet Options triggers this behavior. Also, all attempts to delete files or folders from %systemdrive%\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files (or wherever the Temporary Internet files folder is located) causes Windows Explorer to hang. This behavior occurs because the Temporary Internet files database is corrupt.

The Temporary Internet files aren't really files but entries in %systemdrive%\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat. Deleting that file solves the problem.

Exit IE and Windows Explorer (iexplore.exe and explorer.exe, respectively, in Task Manager). Use the following command from a command prompt to delete the file:

Type in cd.. enter, cd.. enter then paste this line:
del "%userprofile%\local settings\temporary internet files\content.ie5\

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TCP/IP - Can't Uninstall in windows XP

When viewing the list of components for a network interface, you may notice that the Uninstall button is disabled when Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is selected. In Windows XP, the TCP/IP stack is considered a core component of the operating system; therefore, it is not possible to uninstall TCP/IP in Windows XP. In extreme cases, reinstalling the Internet Protocol stack may be the most appropriate solution. With the NetShell utility, you can now reset the TCP/IP stack back to a pristine state, to the same state as when the operating system was installed.

     Tip:  RWIN: Where is this located to change it manually

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters
In 2K, it is called "TcpWindowSize" and is a DWORD, instead of a String Value. Create a new one, but choose DWORD instead of String Value. Value may be entered in decimal or hex. Note: DRTCP will set all of these very easily.

Description of Windows TCP Features

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System Settings - Edit Hidden System Settings using Group Policy Editor

Windows XP has a great program called Group Policy Editor that allows system administrators to modify the settings to a great number of windows features. TO start the program up follow the directions below.

1. Open the start menu and click Run
2. Type gpedit.msc
3. The Group Policy MMC appears
4. Click through the different nodes of the tree to see all the hidden features of Windows XP that you can edit without
touching the registry.

Examples: Changing IE displays, Clearing the pagefile at shutdown, boot-time defrag settings, and many many more.
Another tip is to add this to your Administrative Tools by adding the shortcut to gpedit.msc

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Windows-XP System Properties - Support Information

This registry file alters the text that appears in the System Properties property sheet. This is the text that appears underneath the OemInfo text.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Hardware\Description\System\CentralProcessor\0]
"VendorIdentifier"=""
"Identifier"=""

There are two files that need to be in C:\Windows\System, OemInfo.ini and OemLogo.bmp.

OemLogo.Bmp works best as a 16 color (but can be higher) bitmap with a maximum size of approximately 100 high x 160 wide pixels. Use MS Paint to create.

You can modify what is listed under the Manufacturer and the Support section. But I haven't found a way to make an URL clickable either on the General Tab nor under Support Information.

Also, if a system is not an OEM, there isn't a Support Information tab. To add one, go to Windows Explorer\Windows\System32. In the right pane scroll down to OEMINFO.INI and open it in Notepad.

Here is an example to copy and paste into the opened Notepad window, modify as you wish:

[General]
Manufacturer=Kellys XP Korner
Model=http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com

[Support Information]
Line1= For Technical Support and information on frequently
Line2= asked questions, issues and fixes for Windows XP visit:
Line3= Troubleshooting Windows XP
Line4= 

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