1000 Greatest Xp Tricks

Window

s XP

: The Official M

agazine presents

10

00

Greatest W

indows X

PTips

Future Publishing 2003. Printed in the EU.Microsoft, the Microsoft logo and the Windows XP logo are either registered trademarksor trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries

25 instant troubleshooting solutions 60 suggestions for better digital photos 250 expert hints to boost Windows XP 300 tips for Microsoft Office XP And 450 more PC tricks inside!

148-page book! Essential advice compiledfrom the only official Windows XP magazine

Advice and hints Tricks and tips Expert solutions Official guides 1000 tips!

1000Windows XP TipsGreatest

PLUS! OVER 50 ESSENTIAL KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

1000 Greatest Windows XP Tips

The Official Magazine

Windows XP: The Official Magazine presents

Over 1000 of the most useful tips for Windows XPcompiled and collected in one handy pocket guide

www.windowsxpmagazine.co.uk

WXP32.sup_cover 18/3/2004 1:35 PM Page 1

4 1000 Greatest Windows XP Tips

CREDITSEditor: Dave Bradley

Cover: Tanya Thompson

Production Contributors: Siobhan Kelly, Kate Foley, Mark Wheatley

Art Editor: Sethnam Singh

Production Co-ordinator: Diane Ross

Commercial Buyer: Mike Thorne

Product Manager (circulation): Jamie Malley

International Licensing Executive: Sarah Parton

Group Publisher: Dave Taylor

Publishing Director: John Weir

All contents (c) Future Publishing Ltd, 2003

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored

in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without

the prior permission of the publisher.

Future Publishing Ltd

30 Monmouth Street, Bath BA1 2BW

www.thefuturenetwork.plc.uk

Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either registered trademarks or

trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other

countries. Publication produced in association with Microsoft (UK)

None of the information in this book is intended as legal advice. The

articles are for information purposes only. We recommend that you

always maintain an up-to-date backup of your hard disk data. Future

Publishing does not accept any responsibility for disruption, damage

and/or loss to your data or computer system that may occur while

carrying out procedures described in this publication. The websites

described in this publication are not under the control of Future

Publishing and we do not accept responsibility for their content, or

changes and updates to them.

For more information, to buy back issues or to subscribe to the monthly

Microsoft Windows XP: The Official Magazine please call

+44 (0) 870 444 8475

Future Publishing is part of The Future Network plc.

The Future Network produces carefully targeted specialist magazines and

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WXP32.sup_welcome 18/3/2004 1:34 PM Page 4

More Free eBooks - www.PlentyofeBooks.net


This is the ultimate tips book, compiledfrom a years worth of expert advice

T oo bold a claim perhaps? With 1,000 of the greatestWindows XP hints and tricks, its entirely possible whenyou consider the source. Microsoft Windows XP: TheOfficial Magazine is the fastest growing PC magazine in the UKand its the only home computer magazine to be officiallyendorsed by Microsoft.

Its proved to be so popular since it launched at the end of2001 that almost all our back issues are sold out already! Wereceive regular requests from readers keen to get their hands onprevious features or articles, but the simple fact is that many ofour editions from last year just arent available any more. Sinceissue 16 we have been working in conjunction with Zinio(www.windowsxpmagazine.co.uk/emag.asp) to turn our magazineinto a downloadable digital format, and its possible to buy backissues of those versions from the internet. However, magazinesfrom before then are simply unavailable.

Hence this tips book, a compilation of the essential adviceweve crammed into Microsoft Windows XP: The OfficialMagazine over the last year or so. We feel that even thosereaders who have been with us from the start will benefit fromthis volume. All the best tips have been combined into oneconvenient source, a miniature companion for your PC. It hasbeen organised by category so you can pull it out of your pocketand refer to it whenever you need a quick solution.

Weve enjoyed reliving some of our best moments whilecompiling this collection, and wed like to think that you will get agreat deal of use out of the tips weve selected. Contact us viathe website below to let us know how you get on

David BradleyEditor

Welcome

Never miss an issue! Call +44 (0)870 444 8475 now and quote code OXPTIP tosubscribe to the monthly edition of Windows XP: The Official Magazine!


WXP32.sup_welcome 18/3/2004 1:34 PM Page 5



Contents Your Tips Book Guide

Chapter 19 ............................Getting Started

Originally printed in Issue 13, its your beginners guide!

Chapter 217 ....................................Security

Its important to protect your PC from external threats

Chapter 327 ...........................Troubleshooting

35 common solutions, and tips for fixing problems

Chapter 433...............................Clean-up Tips

A clutter-free PC is a faster PC, as our 50 hints reveal

Chapter 541 ............................Makeover Tips

Customise your PC! 50 tricks from Issue 8

Chapter 649..........................Microsoft Office

A massive 350 tips for using Microsoft Office XP better

Contents

WXP32.sup_cont 18/3/2004 1:33 PM Page 6



Your Tips Book Guide Contents

82

104

91

Chapter 781....................................Tablet PC

Here are 50 tips for the new mobile computing hardware

Chapter 889.................................Camera Tips

From shooting to printing, go further with digital pictures

Chapter 997 ..............................250 Expert Tips

Inspirational tips for Windows XP, originally printed in Issue 11

Chapter 10125..............................100 Top Tips

Essentials! Counting down the best PC tips ever

Chapter 11137..........................80 Expert Tips

Compiled from our popular Expert Tip boxes

WXP32.sup_cont 18/3/2004 1:33 PM Page 7



Introduction Getting Started

Before you buy new software, take a closer look atthe many features built into Windows XP

Issue 13 Christmas 2002SUBSCRIBE +44 (0) 870 444 8475

W indows XP is far more than just anempty platform on which to installa slew of third-party applicationsand multimedia programs. Take a closerlook and youll see that many powerfulfeatures and useful apps are built in, andover the next few pages youll discover whatthese programs do, and how to use themmore successfully. For instance, discoverhow to communicate instantly with yourfriends and colleagues with the versatilechat program Windows Messenger, includinghow to send faxes, text messages and videomail from it.

If youre tired of talking and want to relaxwith your favourite music, brush up onWindows Media Player, the powerful musicand video application thats included inWindows XP. We tell you how to have akaraoke singalong with your favourite songs,how to download visual effects that dancein time to the music and how to improvemusic quality, along with other top tips.

If youre more productivity-minded, youcan learn how to streamline and personaliseWindows XP with our top ten system toolstips. Also, if you havent got around tobuying third-party applications yet, be sureto look at our tips for using word processingand drawing applications within Windows XP.

If youre in need of some time-out after allof that, improve your playtime with salientadvice on how to make Windows XP gamesmore fun, both on your own and in an onlinemultiplayer environment.

Getting Started

WXP32.sup_chap1 18/3/04 11:58 am Page 9



Getting Started 50 Tips

1 Use templates When sending a fax, use existing templatesas a basis from which to create your own.

2 Faxing support Find out how to fax a scanned document bylooking at article number Q306663 on theMicrosoft Support Center website.

3 Hide from viewWhen using Windows Messenger, click onFile > My Status > Appear Offline, to haveuse of the program with no interruptions!

4 Send filesUse Windows Messenger to send filesdirectly to another user. Click on Actions >Send a File or Photo.

5 Check web mail You can check your Hotmail or MSN mailfrom within Windows Messenger. Just clickon File > Email Inbox, and download the add-in first.

In this section, weve got tips on everything frommail, music and Minesweeper to get you started.

50 Getting Started tips

6 Share appsYou can share your open applications withyour Windows Messenger contacts. To dothis, simply click on Actions > StartApplication Sharing.

7 Video talkIf youve got a webcam, you can put it togood use with Windows Messenger and yourcontacts will be able to see exactly who theyare talking to.

8 Texting Ask your contacts to set up their mobilephones with Windows Messenger and youllbe able to send them text messages fromyour computer.

9 Different users You can have up to nine different usersconfigured for MSN Explorer, each with theirown personal preferences. This is aparticularly handy feature when youre usinga shared PC.

10 Filter web mail Spam is a growingproblem for anyonewith an emailaccount. Make useof the filters onyour web mail toreduce the amountof unwanted mail.




50 Tips Getting Started

12 Audio settings Double-click on the speaker icon in yoursystem tray to get quick access to all ofyour PCs audio settings.

13 Karaoke styleIts easy to sing along to your favouritetunes in Windows Media Player. Simply clickon View > Now Playing > Lyrics, and join inwith the song!

14 Moving musicSee what your music actually looks like andget some great special effects by clicking onView > Visualizations, and choosing a themefrom the list.

15 Shuffle tracksBored of listening to songs in the same oldorder? Click on the first round button at thetop of the Windows Media Player window toshuffle CD tracks for a random playlist.

16 Get more stylesGet a more personal look when youreplaying music by clicking on Tools >Download Visualizations. Youll be able toget some great styles to make yourWindows Media Player look even funkier.

17 Choose qualityYou can set the levels for copied music toget a good balance between the soundquality and the saved file size. Do this byclicking on Tools > Options, then select theCopy Music tab and adjust the slider to suityour preferences.

18 Smooth streamsIf your streamed video and audio is jerkyand erratic, you can easily improve thesmoothness by increasing the Networkbuffering. This option is found on thePerformance tab.

19 Adjust volumeThere are some handy keyboard shortcutsthat let you control Windows Media Playereven more easily. For example, you can usethe [F9] and [F10] keys to adjust the volumeof your audio or video.

20 Music typesWindows Media Player features severalpreconfigured graphic equalisers. Byadjusting these, you can get the best audioquality for your favourite type of music.Classical, pop and rock styles arefeatured, among many others.

11 Edit yourown sounds You can mix, playand edit soundswith SoundRecorder. Simplyclick on Start > All Programs >Accessories >Entertainment >Sound Recorder.

To start your music playing without using the mouse, highlight a track or playlist in WindowsMedia Player 9 Series and hit [CTRL] + [P].





22 Check the specClick on Start > All Programs > Accessories> System Tools > System Information, inorder to get a detailed breakdown of yourPCs specifications.

23 Net connection Add a new internet connection the easy wayby selecting the New Connection Wizard.This option can be found under theCommunications menu.

24 Defrag regularly Run Disk Defragmenter about once a monthbecause this is an effective and simple wayof keeping your PC running smoothly.

25 CommandsYou may need to run processes from thecommand prompt. For quick access to this,click on Start > Run, type cmd and thenpress Enter.

26 UpdatesRight-click on My Computer and go toProperties. From there, make sure youselect the Automatic Updates tab to ensureyou dont miss out on any essential updatesand upgrades.

27 Add/Remove Its easy to install new software and driversor remove unwanted or unused items fromWindows XP just click on the Add/Remove Programs option and select thesoftware that youd like to add or removefrom your system.

28 Icon see youChange the picture thats shown for yourindividual user account by going into theUser Accounts control panel. From there,you have the option to replace the imageused for your account.

29 Hard drive spaceIts always a good idea to keep an eye onhow much hard drive space you haveavailable on your computer, especially wheninstalling new software. To check it, right-click on your C: drive in My Computer and goto Properties. From here, youll be able tosee how much space you have available.

30 Backup utilityTheres a handy backup utility included onyour Windows XP CD. To access it, go toVALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP and openNTBACKUP.MSI.

21 TaskManager Press [Ctrl] + [Alt] +[Del] to launch theWindows TaskManager and seedetails of whatsrunning on your PC.

On the Windows XP desktop, hit [Windows] + [F] to open the main search window, whereyou can search for any files you may have lost.





31 Hard sumsThe Calculator is great for simple arithmetic,but it can also cope when your calculationsare getting really technical. You can click onView > Scientific, from within the Calculatorto get some more advanced options thatshould solve your trickiest sums.

32 Find an address Find phone numbers and email addressesquickly and easily by using the AddressBook. In Outlook or Outlook Express, thiscan be found under Accessories on the AllPrograms menu.

33 Offline pages Offline browsing is a great way to get thebest from the internet while avoidingconnection costs. Using the Synchronizetool, found under Accessories, ensures thatyour offline web pages are kept completelyup to date.

34 SymbolsIf you need to type a specialist symbolthats not on your keyboard (for example,many keyboards dont feature the symbolfor the Euro, which is essential for mostbusiness documents today), try accessingthe Character Map, which is found under theSystem Tools menu. Theres a largeselection of useful characters located here.

35 Insert the date When youre using Notepad, an extremelyuseful shortcut is to press F5. This will thenautomatically insert the current date andtime into your document.

36 Small pictures If you intend to email an image that hasbeen created in Microsoft Paint, make sureyou save the file as a JPEG because this willkeep the file size to a minimum.

37 Adding captions Dont forget that theres a handy Text toollocated within Microsoft Paint. This is idealfor easily adding captions and comments toyour images.

38 Launch Explorer A very easy and fast way of launchingWindows Explorer is to click on Start > Run.Then all you have to do is type explorerand press Enter to get Windows Explorer upand running straight away.

39 Send a movie Why keep your film-making talents toyourself? Any movies which you havecreated using Windows Movie Maker 2 canbe sent to friends or business colleagues byemail. To do this is incredibly simple justclick on File > Send Movie To.

40 ImageslideshowIf you save all ofyour images andphotos in the MyPictures folder,youll have thehandy option ofbeing able topreview them all asa slideshow.





41 ReshuffleIf you waste as much time playing Solitaireas most PC users worldwide do, youll wantto customise it to suit your own particularpreferences. You can start by changing thepack design thats being used just click onGame > Deck, and youll be able to select anew card deck.

42 Different optionsBy selecting Options in some of the gamesfeatured in Windows XP, youll be able tochange the game styles and the scoringoptions to suit your style of play.

43 ResigningIf youre in the middle of an online game,finding a new opponent will not count in thesame way as resigning victory.

44 Playing againEven if you resign in an internet game, youstill have the opportunity to play the sameopponent again.

45 Lost connectionsRemember that if youre disconnected in themiddle of a game, you wont be able torejoin it again.

46 Same speed Having a dial-up modem or broadbandconnection makes no difference to thespeed of these types of game (InternetCheckers, Hearts, Spades and so on).

47 OpponentYou cant select the type of opponent for agame this is done automatically.

48 Keyboard shortcuts Each game has its own keyboard shortcuts.Take a look at their Help files for moreinformation on these.

49 Internet Spades In Internet Spades, you work as a pair withanother player and together you have to tryto amass more points than your opponents.Its simple but youll soon get hooked!

Want to quickly hide the game youre playing? Simply hit [Windows] + [D] at any time tominimise every open window on your PC.

50MinesweeperIts tricky yetaddictive and youllbe glad to knowthat everyonesfavourite old game,Minesweeper, isstill available inWindows XP.





Your Notes





Introduction Security

Safeguard your privacy and information by crash-proofing and protecting your Windows XP PC

T here are two types of PC safety, andyou need to ensure that your PC iswell versed in both of them. The firstinvolves hardware or system errors, whichcan lead to the loss of important data. Overthe page, we've compiled 50 of the besttips to prevent your PC and Windows XPfrom going belly-up, as well as somesafeguards and recovery plans in case theworst does happen.

You'll learn, among other things, how torestore your entire system to a previous,stable state, how to update Windows XPwith any new software that improves itssafety features, how to deal with commonhardware problems, how to prevent your PCfrom overheating, how to clean up your harddisk to improve speed and reliability, andeven how to back up your entire system soyou can recover everything in the event ofdisaster. If all that sounds complicated,don't worry simply by being familiar with afew major safeguards, you should easily beable to deal with most PC catastrophes.

Then there's the other type of PC safety,which is all about protecting your systemfrom malicious outside influence. There arefolk out there determined to hack into otherpeople's PCs and steal or destroy data, notto mention the thousands of virusesreleased purely to cause havoc. In thissection, you'll find our 18 most crucial tipsfor safeguarding yourself against this sort ofenemy incursion, enabling you to get yourPC locked up tighter than Fort Knox.

Security

Issue 7 July 2002Issue 12 December 2002SUBSCRIBE + 44 (0) 870 444 8475

WXP32.sup_chap2 18/3/04 12:17 pm Page 17



Security System Settings

1 Get updates Are you using automatic updates? If not, goalong to windowsupdate.microsoft.com keeping your security settings and viruscheckers up to date is essential.

2 Send alerts In Startup and Recovery in the SystemProperties, check Send an administrativealert under System failure.

3 Restore updates If you have declined updates previously thenclick on Restore Declined Updates inSystem Properties.

4 Keep your CD Always keep your Windows XP installationCD handy as youll be able to boot your PCfrom it if all else fails.

5 Use Microsoft Support Search support.microsoft.com for help onspecific error messages or faults.

Windows XP has a host of tools to keep your PCsafe and stable. Here are some of the best

System Settings

6 Back up your data Make sure youve got a backup of all yourimportant data, just in case the worsthappens it only takes a single crash andyou could lose all of your essential work.The File and Settings Transfer Wizard makesan excellent backup tool.

7 Try Safe Mode It is often easier to remove a troublesomeapplication by booting your computer up inSafe Mode.

8 Bin unused apps Old, unused applications are just going toclog up your PC and slow things down.Regular housekeeping is a must to keepthings running smoothly and efficiently.

9 Reallocate space Free up the space that has been allocatedby System Restore on drives that dont useWindows XP. You can then use this space tocreate backups.

10 SystemRestore Go to the SystemRestore settings inSystem Propertiesand make sureyoure using themaximum amountof hard drive spaceavailable to you.



11 Recent drivers Use www.driverguide.com to check for driverupdates, or try your PC manufacturers site.

12 Latest virus info Pay a visit to www.bigfix.com for all of thelatest virus information.

13 Regular upkeep If you have a program like Norton Utilities,make sure you use it regularly to keep yoursystem in top shape.

14 Patch problems If an application is causing problems, checkthe manufacturers website for a patch.

15 Switch slots Problems with conflicting PCI hardwaredevices may be resolved by switching theslots they use on your motherboard.

16 Signed drivers Set your Driver Signing options so thatyoure always alerted during a hardwareinstallation if software hasnt passed theWindows logo testing.

17 Keep it cool Overheating can cause your PC to crash somake sure its not getting too hot. Take alook in your BIOS as some will give youtemperature readouts.

18 The right driver When installing video card drivers, try to usethose on your card manufacturers website,rather than generic ones.

19 Hardware Profiles Use Hardware Profiles to disable aperipheral or component that you suspect iscausing problems.

Printers, CD burners, digital cameras These toptips will get them working happily with your PC

Managing Hardware

To minimize open documents, hit [Windows] + [M], then to restore them all quickly, hit[Windows] + [Shift] + [M].

20 DeviceManager The DeviceManager isincredibly useful inWindows XP. Use itto check the statusof your installedhardware and toidentify anyproblem areas.


Managing Hardware Security




Security Managing Hard Drives

21 Backup utility Prepare for the worst and install theWindows XP backup utility from yourinstallation CD. Its found in \VALUEADD\MSFT\ NTBACKUP\NTBACKUP.MSI

22 Older applications If an older application is crashing yoursystem, try running it in Compatibility Mode.

23 Free up RAM On an older system, freeing up RAM canhelp to make things more stable.

24 Support tools You can get some extra help with diagnosingproblems by using the Windows SupportTools on your installation disc. Browse tosupport\tools\setup.exe to use it.

25 Read the logs If you have a problem, the Application andSystem Logs in Event Viewer may explainwhy your system crashed.

26 Overclock with careExercise caution if youre overclockingessential components like your CPU andvideo card as this is a very risky processthat can cause massive instability and evenpermanent damage to your setup.

27 Is it compatible? Problems can often be caused by hardwarethats not compatible with Windows XP check your devices in case of trouble.

28 Update your BIOS Check your motherboard or your PCmanufacturers website for a BIOS updateas these may iron out recognised bugs thatare causing your systems problems.

29 Floppy boot If necessary, you can boot your PC up fromthe installation CD. If you need to use afloppy disk then make sure you take a lookonline at article Q310994 on the MicrosoftKnowledge Base first.

Find out how to avoid crashes, and how you canrecover your valuable data if the worst happens

Managing Hard Drives

30 SupportCenter onlineTry the Windows XPCenter at support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;en-us;winxp sinceyoull find help andtroubleshooting tipsfrom the experts.




File Stability Security

31 Matching memory Mismatched memory can cause instabilityproblems. Try using memory modules thatare the same speed.

32 Store your drivers Keep all your driver files on a separate discin case you need to reinstall hardware.

33 Display settings If youre trying to run a graphics-intensivegame and it quits back to Windows, checkyour drivers and display settings.

34 Use the Help file Use the troubleshooters in the Windows XPHelp file to sort out specific problems.

35 Scheduled clean Use the Task Scheduler to automatemaintenance and cleanup processes.

36 Check driver If your display appears to be stuck at a lowresolution, this usually points to anincorrectly installed video driver.

37 Get help online If youre having problems finding help on aspecific error, try entering part of the errormessage in a search engine there aremany dedicated sites offering help online.

38 Hard drive status Use the Windows XP error checking utilityand check the status of all the hard drivesinstalled on your PC.

39 Check reinstall Having reinstalled Windows XP, typeupgrade.txt in the run box so you can seethe full details of how successful yourreinstallation has been.

Find out how to avoid problems caused by out-of-date software or driver incompatibility issues

File Stability

You can quickly and easily rename any file simply by selecting it and then hitting [F2] toopen up its title box.

40 Defragment Windows XP has itsown defragmentertool. While this doesprovide you withbasic functionality,for a more fullyfeatured program,you should try outsomething likewww.diskeeper.com.




Security Internet Settings

41 Using ICF If you use multiple dial-up connections,make sure youve set up the InternetConnection Firewall to work with all of them.

42 Firewall stability Dont run different versions of anti-virus orfirewall applications at the same time asthis can lead to instability.

43 Rescue discs Make sure that youve created rescue disksfor your anti-virus applications in case avirus stops your PC from booting.

44 File sharing Along with the obvious copyright issues thatare involved, you should be wary of filesharing services because you cannot be100% sure that what youre downloading issafe and genuine.

45 Stop pop-ups Use a pop-up stopper program to preventmultiple browser windows from opening andoverloading your system.

46 Scan floppies Scan any media with your anti-virus programbefore opening files, even floppies.

47 Unsafe ActiveX Ensure that you have a reasonable level ofsecurity in your browser to avoid runningunsafe ActiveX controls.

48 Virus updates Keep your anti-virus software regularlyupdated to avoid problems.

49 Use an uninstaller Use a specialist program to remove appsthat dont come with their own uninstaller.

[Alt] + [Tab] is your fast task switching shortcut. Press these two keys together to switch to the next open application.

Going online exposes you to viruses, hackers andother perils, but Windows XP can keep you safe

Internet Settings

50 Compactemail foldersFragmented emailfolders can take awhile to open andthis may look like acrash. In OutlookExpress, click File >Folder > CompactAll Folders.




Notes Security

Your Notes





Security 18 Security Tips

51 Dont pick an obviouspassword Dont use your name, your dogs name oryour birthday: hackers use programs whichgenerate random passwords, so obviousones are easier to discover.

52 Pick a good password Make up a word and add a number to it.Take two unrelated words and join them withpunctuation or throw in some capitals. Or,even better, use the handy WinGuidesRandom Password Generator, found at:www.winguides.com/security/password.php.

53 Pick different passwords Dont use the same password foreverything: if one site displays yourpassword in error, or gets hacked byanother user, other accounts will bevulnerable as well.

54 Special offer passwords If a competition asks for your email addressand password, never use a password thatyou use elsewhere people can use fakecompetitions to harvest these details.

55 IE knows Dont let Internet Explorer remember yourpasswords. Go to Tools > Internet Options >Content > AutoComplete and clear the Usernames and passwords on forms option.

56 Is it secure? A headline saying secure site meansnothing, especially if its flashing. Look forhttps:// in the URL, or a closed padlock inthe status bar.

57 Keep it secret Never give out your password: genuinetechnical support people wont need to ask.

In an open folder window, hit [F4] to bring down the list of recently accessed locations, thenyou can skip to one by highlighting it.

From selecting an effective password to avoidingviruses, here are 18 invaluable hints and tips

18 Security Tips

58 Sign outof Passport If you share a PC oruse an Internetcaf, tick theincreased securityoption when using.NET Passport so itdeletes cookiesand cached pages.




18 Security Tips Security

59 Control IE6 cookies Internet Explorer 6 enables you to choosewhether to block or accept cookies, basedon who theyre from and the sites privacypolicy. Choose Tools > Internet Options >Privacy, to select your cookie preferences.

60 Fine-control cookies If you dont like the pre-set cookie schemes,or to find out which sites send cookies, clickAdvanced > Privacy, and create your owncustomised settings.

61 Not OK Never click OK or Yes in a box withoutunderstanding exactly what its asking. Ifyoure not sure, click on No. If the site wontwork, just reload it and try again.

62 Check links To see where a link takes you before youclick it, hover your mouse over it and look atthe status bar above, where the URL shouldbe displayed. If you cant see the URL, clickon View > Status Bar.

63 Beware HTML mail Email messages in HTML have the samepotential problems and hazards as webpages (such as scripts, web bugs and soon), so make sure that youre always carefulwhere you click.

64 Outlook security The Outlook Security Update stops youopening unsafe file types, plus youll get awarning if a script tries to read your addressbook or send emails without permission.Specify which file types can be opened withAttachment Options (www.slovaktech.com/attachmentoptions.htm).

65 Digital signature A digital signature proves the identity of thesender and shows that the email hasntbeen tampered with. Get a free digital IDfrom Thawte (www.thawte.com/certs/personal/contents.html) or a trial fromVeriSign: in Outlook, choose Tools > Options> Security > Get a Digital ID.

66 Types of virusesThere are several virus types. Wormsreplicate themselves, often mailingthemselves to every entry in your addressbook disguised as images, jokes or evenanti-virus software. Trojans pretend to beanother file but dont replicate; someonehas to trick you into downloading them.Trojans often steal passwords.

67 Remove floppies Floppy disks left in your drive when you shutdown or restart can spread boot viruses,so remove floppies once youve used them.

68 Keep up to date Make sure yourealways aware of thelatest viruses. Visita site like dispatch.mcafee.com orwww.sophos.com/virusinfo/notificationsa/ for all thelatest news.




Introduction Troubleshooting

Dont panic! Most common errors can be fixedwith a minimum of hassle we show you how

Issue 9 September 2002SUBSCRIBE + 44 (0) 870 444 8475

T he technical support line for your PCor software should only be a lastresort. Most problems are commonand not too serious, and can be solvedalmost immediately, without spending hoursand a fortune talking to someone who mayor may not be able to help over thetelephone. Once you're relatively familiarwith Windows XP, and with the help of thefollowing six pages of advice and tips, youshould be able to get working on thesolution to most common problems beforeyou can even begin to worry.

As well as 25 of our own fix-it solutionson what to do if your PC or Windows XPstarts behaving badly, we've spoken toexpert Richard Mannion, Partner SupportTechnical Lead at Microsoft, who's sharedhis top 10 support solutions that Microsoftis asked for by Windows XP users. That'sadvice straight from the horse's mouth, andit deals with troubles such as upgradingfrom previous versions of Windows,restoring your PC to a trouble-free state andtransferring settings and files across fromother PCs or operating systems.

We've exhaustively compiled solutions tomost of the common conundrums thatWindows XP users have been faced with,but if the problem you're having with your PCisn't covered by the tips in this section, yourfirst port of call should be the enormouslydetailed Microsoft Knowledge Base, which isavailable for free online. Youll find it athttp://support.microsoft.com.

Troubleshooting




Troubleshooting 35 Fix-it Solutions

1 Automatic updatesBy default, Windows is set to look for anddownload critical updates in the backgroundwhile youre online. To adjust this, right-clickon My Computer and choose Properties >Automatic Updates for options.

2 Manual updatesTo manually check for non-critical updatesand new drivers, click on Start > AllPrograms > Windows Update, to connect tothe internet. Follow the on-screeninstructions to see whats new.

3 Shut it downClose down all other programs beforeinstalling any Windows XP updates as it willalmost certainly need to restart.

4 Hot fixesFor a list of hot fixes, head over to thehttp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=/support/servicepacks/windows/xp/pre-sp1_hotfixes.asp website.

If youve had a problem with your PC, our top tipsshould help you get it back on its feet in no time

35 Fix-it Solutions

5 Stay up to dateRegularly check manufacturers websites fornew drivers and patches, or use a freeprogram like CatchUp (www.catchup.com).

6 Last known good systemIf Windows XP seems to be behavingstrangely after youve loaded it, restart yourPC and press [F8] before Windows XP loads.Choose Last Known Good Configuration tosee if this solves the problem.

7 Registry backupsIts a good idea to back up your Registry incase it corrupts, and prevents Windows XPloading. Try ERUNT from http://home.t-online.de/home/lars.hederer/erunt/.

8 BootloggingIf you cant boot into Windows at all, selectEnable Boot Logging from the start-upmenu. This will record the bootlog in theNtbtlog.txt file in the %systemroot% folder,which you can copy to floppy for analysis.

9 Problemslists onlineFor a collection ofstartup problemswith links to therelevant KnowledgeBase articles, pay avisit to www.aumha.org/kbstrtup.htm.




35 Fix-it Solutions Troubleshooting

10 Knowledge baseThe Windows Recovery Console is essentialfor any PC which is suffering from crashes.For more information on the WindowsRecovery Console, take a look at articlenumber Q314058 in the MicrosoftKnowledge Base.

11 Hardware supportFind out whether your hardware is supported by Windows XP by going towww.microsoft.com/hcl/ and browsingthough the lists.

12 Look for the logo!When buying any new hardware, make sureyou keep a look out for the Designed forWindows XP logo. To find out more aboutthis, head over to the Microsoft website atwww.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/compat.asp.

13 Signed driversWherever possible, always try to usedigitally signed drivers with Windows XP.Most of the problems which occur inWindows XP are simply down to non-signeddrivers because these are drivers thathavent been rigorously tested by Microsoft.

14 Unsigned driversBy default, Windows is set to warn you whenyou attempt to install an unsigned driver.You can prevent it from allowing any non-signed drivers on to your system byright-clicking on My Computer > Properties >Hardware and clicking the Driver Signingbutton. Now click on the Block button,followed by OK.

15 Rolling backTo roll back a driver to its previous version,right-click on My Computer and selectProperties > Hardware. Click on DeviceManager, double-click on the device youwish to roll back and click the Driver tab.Now click Roll Back Driver, followed by Yes.

16 Shut down techniqueNever switch off your PC with the on/offswitch always select Turn off computerfrom the Start menu so Windows can closeitself down properly.

17 STOP errorsIf your PC restarts when you select ShutDown, its probably not shutting downproperly. Windows XP automaticallyrestarts after a STOP error by default.

18 Shutdownadvice onlineFor an excellentsite that offerstroubleshootingadvice on all sortsof shutdownproblems, headover to http://www.aumha.org/a/shtdwnxp.htm.

In any window, hit [F5] to refresh and update the view. This also works with an internet page and will reload any website.




Troubleshooting 35 Fix-it Solutions

20 Stop auto-startsTo stop Windows XP from automaticallyrestarting after a crash, all you have to do isright-click on My Computer and selectProperties. Now you need to switch to theAdvanced tab. Click the Settings buttonunder Startup and Recovery, then untick theAutomatically Restart button. Now click OKtwice for manual control over your PCsrestart options.

21 Use the Task ManagerYou can restart or shut down your computerby using the Task Manager if you need to.To do this, simply hold down [Ctrl] + [Alt] +[Del] and use the Shut Down menu optionswhich appear.

22 Thawing frozen programsIf a program freezes up, the best way tosolve the problem with the minimum ofdisruption is by pressing [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Del]to launch the Windows Task Manager. A listof all of your computers running programswill now appear. If any of these are listed asNot Responding, you can click on thatprogram to highlight it and then click EndTask to close it, without affecting any ofyour other running programs.

23 Help and Support CenterIf you cant get access to Windows XP maybe youre on a different PC, or you cantget your computer working properly thenyou can get access to all of the Help andSupport Centers material online atwww.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/techinfo/productdoc/default.asp. There is a wealthof information here, covering almost everyaspect of Windows XP, to help you getthings running smoothly again.

24 Search the Knowledge BaseThe Microsoft Knowledge Base has a vastamount of information. The quickest way tosearch it and find what you need is throughthe Help and Support menu. Whenever youuse it while online, Windows XP will look atthe Knowledge Base for more help.

25 Finding information onlineStart your online search for Windows XPmaterial at Microsofts dedicated supportsite, which can be found at www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/support/default.asp.This has links to the Knowledge Base andseveral other useful resources which canprovide you with help and advice on keepingyour PC safe, stable and healthy.

19 Experthelp onlinePost a question inthe MicrosoftNewsgroups(http://communities2.microsoft.com)where thousands ofother users andexperts arewatching and areable to assist you.

Most new keyboards have a Windows button on them that will open the Start menu, but[Ctrl] + [Esc] will do the same thing.




10 Support Solutions Troubleshooting

26 Im having trouble upgrading.Most installation problems occur when youare upgrading from an earlier version ofWindows and are down to compatibilityissues. For a guide to Windows XP setupproblems during an upgrade, check out theMicrosoft Knowledge Base article Q310064.

27 Im having modem troubles Most, but not all, modem problems aredriver-related. Article Q308022 will help.

28 How can I restore my PC?If Windows is working (and youre logged onas an administrator), choose Start > AllPrograms > Accessories > System Tools >System Restore. Select Restore mycomputer to an earlier time and click Next.Now click the most recent checkpoint andhit Next. A System Restore message mayappear click OK. Now select Next on theconfirmation page and the last Windows XPconfiguration is restored. If you cant getWindows XP to start, press [F8] at startupand select Last Known Good Configurationto load the last restore point which loadedWindows XP. See article Q306084 too.

29 I cant create audio CDs inWindows Media Player.Check that the CD player is properlyconnected, that a blank CD is in the driveand that no other program is using the CDplayer. Article Q306319 will help too.

30 I cant open a new windowwhen Im in Internet Explorer.This is common when you right-click a linkon an internet page and then click Open in aNew Window. It may occur if the registryvalues that control this function are missingor incorrect, or if the Internet Explorer filesthat control this function are not registeredproperly. See article Q272322 for details.

We asked Microsoft Support Solutions for the 10most common problems, and their fixes

10 Microsoft Solutions

31 I can no longer use theSearch Companion after errors.After you connect to a website, you mayreceive the following message: A file that isrequired to run Search Companion cannotbe found. You may need to run setup. Afteryou receive this, you cannot use SearchCompanion. Article Q319949 solves this.

32 My PC says the System HasRecovered from a Serious Errorevery time I start it.If Windows XP restarts because of a seriouserror, youre prompted to report the problemto Microsoft. Windows may begin promptingyou to report this every time you restart,even if no error occurred. Article Q317277has a step-by-step solution to this problem.

33 My system doesnt power offwhen I shut down.Contact your motherboard manufacturerabout updating the motherboard BIOS andits drivers. Windows XP uses a later versionof Power Management which has to besupported by your PC.

34 Where have all my OutlookExpress settings gone?After you upgrade to Windows XP youll findyour mail folders, address book and emailsare missing because the file structure isdifferent and the files are no longer in thecorrect location. Find and import them usingthe steps outlined in article Q313055.

35 How do I transfer my filesand settings between PCs?You need is a blank floppy disk and the Filesand Settings Transfer Wizard (click on Startand select All Programs > Accessories >System Tools > Files and Settings TransferWizard). Its easy to follow, but if you want aguide, check out article number Q306187.




Introduction 50 Clean-up Tips

Do some spring cleaning to get a faster, morestable PC. Our top tips will help you do the job

Issue 10 October 2002SUBSCRIBE +44 (0) 870 444 8475

A tidy house is a happy house, andthe same applies to your PC. Gettingrid of all the junk and unnecessaryfiles that build up over time will give you amuch more efficient machine.

Everything wants a piece of Windows XP.Every application you install, web page youvisit or email you download leaves pieces ofitself all over your system, all of which takesup valuable hard drive space and can evenslow down your PC's performance. Regularhouse cleans are necessary to clean outthe detritus and they have the added benefitof giving your system that straight-from-the-shop feel all over again.

In issue 10s lead feature we unearthedthe 50 best ways to use Windows XP to giveitself a good old wash behind the ears andget running at full pelt again, without any ofthe accumulated rubbish from months of PCusage slowing it down.

You can discover which files are safe todelete, how to completely remove an oldapplication from your system, how to pickand choose which programs and processesare loaded whenever you boot up your PC,which types of file take up the most spaceand impact most heavily on performanceand how to improve hard drive efficiency.

Nothing's too complicated either. Most ofthese tips can be carried out in just a fewseconds and one decent clean up a monthshould keep your PC running smoothly,leaving you with tons of space to install newprograms and store your documents.

Clean-up Tips




50 Clean-up Tips Spring Clean Your PC

1 Cut the shortcutsYou can easily remove any leftover programshortcuts that are still residing on the Startmenu by right-clicking on them and thenhitting Delete.

2 Customise shortcutsRight-click on the Start button and chooseCustomize. Here you can clear all of theshortcuts that display your most frequentlyused programs.

3 Binning iconsTo delete any unwanted desktop icons, allyou have to do is right-click on the desktopand choose Arrange Icons By > RunDesktop Cleanup Wizard.

4 Instant clarity!Clear your desktop in an instant by hiding allof your icons. Right-click on the desktop,choose Arrange Icons By, and thenuncheck Show Desktop Icons for aperfectly clear working environment.

Bin those unwanted files, folders and shortcuts to increase speed, efficiency and productivity

Spring Clean Your PC

5 Easy accessRight-click on the Start button and chooseOpen for direct access to all the folders andshortcuts that appear on the Start menu.

6 Dont delete these!Some programs are vital like Rundll32 andthe .exe file relating to anti-virus software so dont remove them from Startup.

7 Drive checkingYou can view the status of all your drives atonce. Open My Computer, hold down the[Ctrl] key and click on each drive to select it,then right-click and choose Properties.

8 Defrag your drivesUse Disk Defragmenter about once a month.

9 Automatic tidyingCreate automated clean-up processes usingthe command line: cleanmgr /sagerun:100.Change the 100 to another number in orderto get more processes.

10 Speed upClick on Start > AllPrograms, and thencheck the Startupfolder. The fileshortcuts here maybe slowing yourcomputer down.




Spring Clean Your PC 50 Clean-up Tips

12 Permanent deletionHold down the [Shift] key when deleting filesto ensure that they are deleted permanently,rather than just sent to the Recycle Bin. Thiscan save you quite a lot of space!

13 Check foldersBe careful when youre deleting programfiles and folders take care to make surethat there are no important documents orgame files that you want to keep.

14 Password protectionAlong with key system files, there are otherfiles you shouldnt delete. Always keepthose which have the extension .pwlbecause they contain your password details.

15 Deleting shared filesWhen performing an uninstallation, dontworry if a message appears about sharedfiles. In the majority of cases, deleting thefiles wont have any effect on your system.

16 Clearing fontsOne file type that can take up vast amountsof space is fonts. There are probably dozenson your PC that youll never actually need.Take a look in Windows\Fonts now.

17 Empty the binIts incredibly easy and quick to clear thecontents of your Recycle Bin, yet itssomething that many PC users rarely do. Allyou have to do is right-click on the RecycleBin icon and choose Empty Recycle Bin topermanently delete all of the files andfolders which are stored within it and thatyouve probably forgotten about!

18 Old ISP informationRemove any ISPs that you dont use anymore. Youll be able to find them all storedaway in your Network Connections folderwhere you can simply delete them.

19 Remove user accountsThe more users you have on your PC, themore hard drive space is used up, so youshould make sure that you remove allunused accounts.

20 System Restore settingsSystem Restore may be in effect on anypartitions on your hard drive that dont haveWindows XP. Go into System Properties >System Restore and select a non-Windowsdrive. From here, simply click onSettings and turn off System Restore.

11 Binningfiles in bulkSelect multiple filesfor deletion byholding down [Ctrl]and clicking theindividual files toselect them.

In most applications, as in Windows XP itself, you can hit [F1] at any time to launch theappropriate Help file.





22 A word of cautionRegistry editing is not for the inexperiencedand it can seriously affect the operation ofyour PC, so only make alterations if youresure you know what youre doing.

23 Tiny tunesConvert your MP3 files to WMA format andyoull reduce their size by around 50%. Youcan use Audio Converter LE to do this itspart of the Windows Media Bonus Pack.This is available to download online fromwww.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/bonuspack.asp.

24 Defragmentation processBefore you run the defragmenter tool, closeyour anti-virus software as it can causeproblems with the defragmentation process.

25 Hard drive checkingRun the hard drive error checking tool andmake sure that both disk options arechecked so that system errors and badsectors can be fixed.

26 Switch to NTFSConvert your hard drive to NTFS to improveperformance and security.

27 Organise partitionsYou can use a program like Partition Magicto create different partitions so that all ofyour audio and image files can be moved toa different drive.

28 Registry problems?If you have any problems with your registry,press [F8] when your PC restarts. From themenu that appears, select Last KnownGood Configuration and press Enter to runyour PC from a trouble-free setting.

29 Back up!Weve got a lot of great tips for helping youto fix any problems your computer may behaving, but before you try a repair orreinstallation of Windows XP, you shouldalways make sure you have backed up all ofyour important settings and information,including your emails and Address Book.This will save you a lot of trouble in theevent of things going wrong!

30 Adaware awarenessA word of caution: removing spyware with aprogram like Adaware 6.0 can cause theaffected program not to work correctly, souse it with care.

21 RegistryFavoritesUse the Favoritesoption in theRegistry Editor tobookmark all of theareas of yourregistry that youaccess regularly.

If you cant use the mouse for any reason, simply hold down [Alt] to have access to the filemenus in an application.





31 Activating Windows XPIf you cant remember if youve activatedWindows XP, all you have to do is go toStart > Run and enter oobe/msoobe /a tofind out.

32 Boot info onlineFor some essential information aboutmaking boot disks for Windows XP, headalong to Microsofts support website atsupport.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q310994.

33 Clean installsMake sure you install the Windows InstallerCleanUp utilities from the Windows XP discfor a tidier PC.

34 Start Defrag toolWhile the Windows XP defragmenter toolgives you some basic functionality, for amore fully featured program, you should tryto use something like the Start Defragsoftware instead.

35 Fast displayTheres an easy way to speed up yourdisplay. Go into System Properties, click onthe Advanced tab and then click on theSettings button under Performance. Nowclear the Fade or slide menus into viewcheck box and click OK.

36 Zip itSave space on your hard drive bycompressing files and folders with aprogram such as WinZip.

37 Recall passwordsHave you chosen a completely uniquepassword that no one will ever guess andthen completely forgotten it? It happens tomost PC users! Avoid this problem by goinginto Control Panel, clicking on UserAccounts and then using the ForgottenPassword Wizard to create a password resetdisk for peace of mind.

38 Check your upgradeIf youve reinstalled Windows XP using anupgrade disc, you can type upgrade.txt inthe run box to see how well the installationwent. Any problems will be highlighted hereso you can see if more tweaking is going tobe necessary.

39 Keep up to dateOne of the most helpful pieces of advice wecan give is that you keep Windows XP fullyup-to-date. Not only will this solve potentialcompatibility problems, but you can get newfeatures and upgrades for Windows XP andyour other programs. Go into SystemProperties and set updates to be installedautomatically and then forget all about it.

40 Keep thebar steady!Right-click on thetaskbar and chooseLock the Taskbarto avoid it beingmoved or resizedby accident.





42 Organise your foldersSort your work into separate folders dontmix work and personal items by saving themin the same folder because this can causea lot of confusion.

43 Tidy up!Dont leave old items lying in the RecycleBin, and make sure you regularly clear up allof your temporary files too. While were onthe subject, it wouldnt hurt to tidy up yourdesk once in a while either!

44 Instant karmaCertain items can be distracting, such asangry emails and those containing badnews. Remove them all.

45 Think positiveAt the end of every work period, make sureyou turn off your PC and shut your officedoor. A fresh start provides a much morepositive mental attitude.

46 Desktop designBelieve it or not, your choice of desktopwallpaper is actually very important. Animage of flowing water is said to beparticularly calming.

47 Images to avoidIn Feng Shui, certain images are deemed tobe particularly inauspicious for example,wild animals, churches or any pictures whichshow still or stagnant water. You shouldavoid these at all costs.

48 Screensaver selectionFor your screensaver, pick an image of theglobe or a world map as this is thought tohelp promote opportunities and travel. Younever know, it might just work!

49 Planting ideasPCs generate a lot of electromagneticenergy. To counteract this, you should clearyour working atmosphere by keeping acleansing plant such as a Jade (money tree)or Poinsettia on your desk.

50 Keep it cleanAlways keep your PC and the area around itclean clutter means youre more likely tobe unproductive and can cause a lot offrustration when you cant find thatessential file you need! Also, make surethat your mouse and keyboard are workingcorrectly as, again, defects are bothunproductive and annoying.

41 Keep clearKeep your desk andyour Windows XPdesktop clear ofclutter. Dont justhide your icons move the shortcutsinto folders orcreate a menu andgroup items.

Hitting [Windows] + [L] enables you to quickly lock the desktop and swap out to thestandard log on screen.





Your Notes





Introduction Makeover Tips

Give your computer a fresh new look and feel bycustomising the flexible features of Windows XP

Issue 8 August 2002SUBSCRIBE +44 (0) 870 444 8475

W indows XP may well sport its owndistinctive, stylish look, but it'sonly natural that you'd want tomodify it so it feels more personal.Fortunately, there are tons of tweaks andcustomisations built in to the operatingsystem so you can give it a look tailored toyour own tastes. But it's not just the visualside of Windows XP that you can give amakeover sound, menus, smallperformance preferences, features andsecurity, along with many others, can all becustomised so that using your PC feels likean experience made specifically for you.

Over the next six pages, we've catalogued50 of the best ways to create your own,personalised version of Windows XP,covering everything from choosing adifferent mouse cursor, customising theappearance of menus and text, tweakingpassword security, adding or removing textto title bars, altering logon settings andpictures, installing new screensavers andeven magnifying the screen or turning onspeech control to improve access forvisually impaired users.

It's possible to create an operatingsystem that looks and behaves in a hugelydifferent way to the default settings, and it'sall done without installing any new softwareor hardware, or even having to spend muchtime doing it. Ultimately, as well as thecosmetic differences, you'll end up with aPC that's easier and faster to use becauseit's more in tune with what you need.

Makeover Tips




Makeover Tips Personalise Your PC

1 Change soundsIts easy to download your own WAV filesand have Windows trigger them at variousevents to make your PCs sounds reallyunique and personal. Just open the ControlPanel, click Sounds and Audio Devices,and then hit the Sounds tab.

2 Internet Explorer Kiosk modeIf you want to leave Internet Explorer so thatit completely dominates the desktop, press[F11] to launch the full-screen Kiosk mode.

3 Moving the Start menuDont like where the Start menu is? You caneasily move it to the other three sides of thescreen just by clicking on a blank spot anddragging it to your preferred position.

4 Move toolbarsStop your applications from squashing yourQuick Launch buttons by locking the taskbarin place. Right-click the taskbar and checkthe option.

Customise the way your PC looks, sounds andoperates with our selection of top makeover tips

Personalise Your PC

5 Add an address bar to the toolbarBrowse folders and open websites from thetaskbar by enabling an Internet Explorer-style address bar. Just right-click on thetaskbar, click Toolbars, then click Address.

6 Add your own sign-in photoIn the Control Panels User Accountssection, click Browse for more pictures andselect an image of your own.

7 Turn folders into toolbarsDrag your favourite folders to the edge ofthe screen to display their contents aseasily accessible toolbars. This is extremelyuseful for short periods of time.

8 Google toolbarGoogle is the most popular search engineon the internet and we all use it, whether forbusiness or personal browsing. To access itquickly, you can install the Google Toolbarfrom http://toolbar.google.com.

9 HotbarUse the Hotbarplug-in to skin yourInternet Explorertoolbar withpatterns andpictures. Go towww.hotbar.com.




Personalise Your PC Makeover Tips

11 Alter the colour of yourencrypted filesEncrypted folders can be a different colour.To pick one, find AltEncryptionColor in theregistry and change its value to RR GG BB00, substituting R, G and B for the newcolours RGB value.

12 Delete the Windows MediaPlayer URL history To scrub the history, find and delete theRecentURLList Registry key thats located inKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player.

13 Log in after a screensaverLook in Control Panels Display preferencesto select the option to log in.

14 Different buttonsIf the Maximise and Minimise buttons aretoo large, make them smaller by adjustingthe setting in the Display Settings >Appearances window.

15 ClearType font smoothingTurn on ClearType font smoothing if you usea laptop or flat-panel VDU. Go to the DisplayControl Panel > Advanced options.

16 Enabling menu transitions(fade effect)Also in the Display Panels Advancedoptions are some menu fade effects tospice up your desktop.

17 Menu shadowsThe same screen also enables you to addshadows to your menus.

18 Hide contents when draggingYou can easily disable the viewing of thecontents of dragged windows. Just click onDisable in the Control Panels AdvancedDisplay settings.

19 Windows Media PlayerWindows Media Player protects its files sothat only your PC can play them. To turn thisoption off, head into the Copy Music tab inthe Options and then uncheck the Protectcontent box.

20 Taskbar groupingSimilar application windows are groupedtogether in the Taskbar. If this doesnt suityour style of use, you can turn this off bygoing to the Taskbar and choosing theoption in the Start Menu Control Panel.

10 Changeyour WindowspointersThe Control PanelsMouse section hasloads of alternativecursors that youcan choose from.

In Microsoft Word, hit [Ctrl] + [F] to bring up the Find dialogue box and hit [Ctrl] + [H] toquickly access the Replace options.





22 Turn off balloon tipsRight-click HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced and choose New> DWORD Value. Label it EnableBalloonTips.Right-click on that, choose Modify andchange the Value to 0 (1 re-enables them).

23 Microsoft Narrator Windows XP has a built-in speech program.To turn it on or off, go to the Speech ControlPanel for a range of options.

24 Guest accountsProtect your settings when others use yourPC. Set up a guest account in the Userssection of the Control Panel.

25 Disable error reportingWant to turn off the Error Reporting pop-up?Open the Control Panel, click Performanceand Maintenance, then select System. Inthe Advanced tab, you can now disable theerror-reporting button.

26 Close multiple windowsGot lots of Internet Explorer windows orfolder windows open? Close them all byholding [Shift] as you click to close one.

27 Turn off CD autoplayIf you dont want your CDs to start playingas soon as you pop them into your drive,type GPEDIT.MSC into Run. ChooseComputer Configuration, then AdministrativeTemplates, then System. Now click Turn offautoplay for manual control of CD playing.

28 Stop password expirationTo stop passwords expiring every 42 days,type userpasswords2 into Run. PickAdvanced in User Accounts and press theadvanced button in Advanced UserManagement. Right-click on your usernameand turn off Expiring Passwords.

29 Create your own passwordreset diskGo into User Accounts in the Control Paneland click the Prevent a forgotten passwordlink for a handy password backup in caseyou forget the ones youve chosen.

30 Turn off System RestoreTheres an easy way to instantly save up to1GB of disk space. All you have to do is goto Find System Restore on your Start Menu,load it and then choose to disable it underits options.

21 Change IEtext styleSick of your ISPsInternet Explorerbranding? In theregistry, clickHKEY_CURRENT_USER and findSoftware\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main. Under theWindow Title, youcan changeREG_SZ to suit.

In most applications, including Microsoft Word, hit [Ctrl] + [O] to access the Open Filedialogue box quickly.





31 Make all your folders lookthe sameDo you want to get the same view settingsfor all of your computers folders? Its easyto do. Simply get a folder in the style youlike and then click on the Apply to allfolders option in the View menu and theyllall appear according to your preferences.

32 Stay online when youvelogged offWhen you log off, so does your internetconnection. However, you may want to keepit open for the next user. To do this, justnavigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon in the registry.From here, you need to right-click in the rightpane and point to New and String Value. Thenext step is to name the valueKeepRasConnections and, finally, double-click on the new entry and set the valuedata to 1.

33 Display your PCs volume inthe taskbarTo display the volume control in theWindows XP taskbar, go into Sound >Speech > Audio Devices in the ControlPanel. From here, click Change the speakersettings and then select the checkbox toactivate the icon.

34 Use Narrator to read theinternet for youStart Narrator from Accessories and thenbrowse to a website you want it to read.Press [Ctrl], [Shift] and [Space] and itll readout all of the information thats in thewebsite window.

35 Create a personal logonmessageIn the registry, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon and right-clickon LegalNoticeCaption. Now modify it withthe text you want.

36 Internet time serverTo turn on this option, double-click on theclock and, from the Internet Time tab, checkthe Synchronisation box.

37 Minimise all windowsTo instantly clear your desktop, all you haveto do is press [Windows] + [D] together tominimise all windows.

38 Automatic camerarecognitionTry plugging your camera in withoutlaunching the utility that came with it Windows XP might recognise it and copy offthe pictures itself.

39 Use oldWindows 98screensaversLocate the .SCRfiles in MyComputer, right-click and hit Install.





41 Launch a firewallWorried about hackers when you go online?Use the firewall thats built in to Windows XP. Just right-click your networkconnection and click on the Advanced tab.

42 Windows UpdateDont want to download updates whileyoure online? Turn off Windows Update inthe Control Panels System menu.

43 Instant backgroundHave you seen a picture that you really likewhile youve been browsing the internet?You can set it as your desktop wallpaperreally quickly and easily with Windows XP. All you have to do is right-click on it andchoose the Set as Background option fromthe drop-down menu.

44 Lock upYou can quickly lock your workstation byhitting [Windows] + [L].

45 Undo minimiseIf youve just minimised your windows andthen changed your mind, press [Windows] +[Shift] + [M] to instantly maximise all yourwindows again.

46 Bliss screensaverAah, the Bliss screensaver with its rollingclouds and lush meadows. We love it, andrecommend you try it out! You can downloadit from the Microsoft website.

47 Go greyDont like the new look of Windows XP?Right-click on the desktop, select Propertiesand then choose the Themes tab. Nowselect Windows Classic from the menu andyoull go back to the grey style.

48 Customise the SendTo menuYou can customise the menu that pops upwhen you right-click on files. Find the hiddenfolder c:\Documents and Settings\username\SendTo. Drop shortcuts toprograms and theyll appear in the menu.

49 HibernateAre you sure you need to shut down? Tryhibernating instead. You can then reboot injust five seconds.

50 Make a boot discInsert a blank disc, right click your A:\ driveand format it as a boot disc to help your PCto recover in the event of a bad crash.

40 MicrosoftMagnifierWindows XP comeswith a magnifier inAccessories on theStart Menu to helppeople who haveimpaired eyesight.

In Microsoft Outlook, hit [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [H] to open a new blank email message quickly.Pressing [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [C] will create a fresh contact.





Your Notes





Introduction Microsoft Office

Its brimful of productivity and power and wevegot 300 great tips to help you get more out of it

L ong gone are the days when atypewriter and a calculator couldsupport an entire business, or evenwhen they were adequate for a home user.Microsoft Office (currently on its 2002 or XPedition Office 2003 is due sometime inthe next few months) is surely one of themost detailed programs ever created, whichmeans there's an awful lot in there youmight not even have realised existed. Intribute to its enormity, we've rounded up awhopping 300 tips on how to use it better.That's a sum total of 30 pages, so we'veusefully split these tips into sub-sections,covering each of Office XP's majorapplications. There's a mighty 100 on Word2002, the incredibly powerful wordprocessor that's arguably the heart of theOffice suite, which teach you how to formatyour documents for improved presentation,customise the toolbars, tweak thespellchecker and use tables and keyboardshortcuts, along with more great advice.

Then there's another 100 on thespreadsheet package Excel 2002, a crucialapplication for modern businesses, so thesetips will be invaluable in speeding up yourproductivity and getting your head aroundhow to set up those complicated formulae.Next, brush up on your emailing skills with50 of our favourite pieces of advice on usingOutlook and its slimmer, free sibling,Outlook Express, before getting creative witha final 50 tips on creating presentations andslideshows in Powerpoint 2002.

Microsoft Office

Issue 5 May 2002Issue 6 June 2002Issue 7 July 2002Issue 8 August 2002Issue 11 November 2002SUBSCRIBE +44 (0) 870 444 8475

WXP32.sup_chap6a 18/3/2004 1:32 PM Page 49



Microsoft Office Microsoft Word Tips

1 Type anywhereSelect View > Print Layout and you can typeanywhere on your document simply bydouble-clicking where you wish to write.

2 Reject AutoCorrectionTo reject an AutoCorrection as its insertedinto your document, press [Backspace]. Ifthat doesnt work, try using the shortcut[Ctrl] + [Z] instead.

3 Pasting alternativesYou can use [Insert] to paste text instead of[Ctrl] + [V] just enable it from the Edit tabunder Tools > Options.

4 Find alternative wordsUsed a word one too many times? AccessWords built-in Thesaurus by right-clickingthe word and choosing Synonyms >Thesaurus to find an alternative.

Work faster and smarter with our great advice onusing this immensely powerful word processor

Microsoft Word Tips

5 Change deletion modeIf you want to switch quickly between insertand over-type mode, all you have to do isdouble-click the OVR button at the bottom ofthe screen.

6 Make the most of AutoCorrectYou can type faster by making use of theAutoCorrect option. Its possible to use thisfeature to enter abbreviations for long wordsor even entire phrases for example, typingin addr. could trigger your entire postaladdress, saving you a lot of time.

7 Add formatted textTo add formatted text to an AutoCorrectentry, all you have to do is select and copythe text, then choose Tools > AutoCorrect.Youll see the text that has already beenentered all you need to do is add your ownabbreviation to it.

Need to see all your files? Simply hold down [Windows] and tap the [E] key for instantaccess to the standard Windows Explorer interface.

8 ThemesTo apply a themedstyle to your workquickly, selectFormat > Themesand choose from thevarious options onoffer, such as Artsyor Romanesque.




Microsoft Word Tips Microsoft Office

9 Use AutoTextIts easy to put common phrases on theAutoText toolbar (from the View > Toolbarssub-menu). Highlight the phrase, then clickthe New button on the AutoText toolbar toadd it.

10 Stop hyperlink conversionYou can prevent Word from automaticallyconverting web and email addresses intohyperlinks by selecting Tools > AutoCorrect,switching to the AutoFormat As You Typetab and clicking the Internet and networkpaths with hyperlinks box.

11 Get font factsTo get the font and paragraph format detailsof a block of text, simply hold down [Shift] +[F1] and click the text. Make sure its themain text as opposed to an italicised orsimilarly styled word. Press it again to quitthis mode.

12 Applying formattingFor a faster way to format your text, selectTools > Options and switch to the Edit tab.Make sure the When selecting,automatically select entire word check boxis ticked and youll now be able to applyformatting to a word simply by placing thecursor within it, as opposed to having tohighlight the entire word.

13 Control your fontsReading a document created on anothermachine and dont have the required font toview it properly? Take control of the fontsubstitution process choose Tools >Options > Compatibility and click on theFont Substitution button.

14 Hyphen optionsYou can switch hyphenation on and off, oralter the margin at which it comes into play.To access the hyphenation options, selectTools > Language > Hyphenation.

15 Get some styleYou should try to get in the habit offormatting your text using the Style drop-down list at the top of the page. You canthen easily and accurately make stylisticchanges across your whole document.

16 Define your copyWith the last tip in mind, use or define aBody Text style for your main text, instead ofusing Normal.

17 Change measurement unitsBy default Word measures in centimetres.Change this to inches, picas, millimetres orpoints, depending on your personalpreference, using the General tab under Tools > Options.

18 Styling upYou can quickly andeasily alter a blockof texts styling justby right-clicking itand choosing Font.Select Paragraph toapply a style whichincludes anyjustification and tabs right across theentire paragraph.





20 Table toolsTheres only one button for inserting newrows, columns, cells or tables on theStandard toolbar. Its appearance is definedby how you select part of the table forexample, select a row and click the buttonto insert a new row.

21 Use formulaeYou can place formulae in tables. Justhighlight the cell in question and selectTable > Formula to enter one.

22 Erase gridlinesRemove a gridline when drawing a table withthe Draw Table button by holding down[Shift] to convert the pointer into an eraser.

23 Change cell formatsQuickly alter a cells formatting by right-clicking the cell, then choosing from the CellAlignment sub-menu.

24 Quickly sort textTo sort a list of text quickly, select the text,then choose Tables > Sort. You can chooseto sort by paragraph or by fields (if youreusing tables), text, numbers or dates. Youcan sort in ascending or descending order.

25 Divide tablesYou can split a table in two by moving thecursor to where you wish to split the table.Press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Return] and a linewill be inserted between them.

26 Combine cellsIts easy to combine adjacent cells in atable. Do this by selecting the cells inquestion, right-clicking and then choosingMerge cells.

27 Convert tables and textQuickly convert a table to text, or vice versa,by selecting Table > Convert and then eitherTable to Text, or Text to Table, depending onyour preference.

28 View guidesIf youve hidden the borders on your table,you can still view the guides. Just chooseTables > Show Gridlines.

29 Table toolbarsIf you find yourself working with tables a lot,choose View > Toolbars > Tables andBorders to bring up a floating toolbar. Youcan now attach this to your standard toolbarby dropping the floating toolbar on it.

19 Movingyour tablesTo move or resize atable quickly, makesure youre in Web orPrint Layout view.Click and drag thehandle in the top-leftof the table to moveit. The bottom-righthandle resizes it.

We all know that [Ctrl] + [X] will cut an item, but did you know that you can also cut byholding down [Shift] when you hit [Del].





30 Floating toolbarsThe View > Toolbars sub-menu enables youto display a selection of toolbars, whichgives you access to a range of usefulcommands. To view these toolbars, just tickthe relevant box to put a floating toolbar onthe screen.

31 Move toolbarsWhile these floating toolbars are useful, youmay find theyre getting in the way. If youdo, simply drag them on to the Taskbar atthe top of the screen and theyll betransferred onto there instead.

32 Menu optionsAnnoyed at Words ability to only showrecently used items on its menus? You canswitch the feature off. Choose Tools >Customize and switch to the Options tab.Untick the box called Menus show recentlyused commands first.

33 Custom toolbarsYou can create your own custom toolbarvery easily in Word. Start off by choosingView > Toolbars > Customize. Now switch tothe Toolbars tab and click on New. Give yourtoolbar a name, then switch back to theCommands tab. Finally, just drag and dropyour choice of items from the menus onoffer onto your toolbar.

34 Making menusYou can create your own menu just as easilytoo. Switch back to the Commands tab,choose New Menu from Categories and dragNew Menu from Commands onto the menubar where you wish the menu to go.

35 Add items to menusTo add items to your new menu, just dragand drop whichever ones you want from theCommands list onto the menu. Remove themenu, but this time, drag the menu backonto the dialogue box.

36 Resize listsRecently Used Files list on the File menu toosmall? Adjust it via the General tab underTools > Options to a maximum of nine.

37 Use the Work menuThe Work menu enables you to storefrequently used documents permanently onit for fast access. Add it by selecting Tools >Customize. Click the Commands tab andchoose Built-in Menus from the Categorieslist and Work from Commands.

38 Adding and removing filesTo add a file to the Work menu, open it andchoose Work > Add to Work Menu. Toremove a file, open the Work menu,highlight the file and press [Delete].

39 UncovercomplexformattingUnder the Formatmenu, chooseReveal Formatting toopen a task pane onthe right thatcontains details ofall the formattingthats been appliedto the currentdocument position.





41 Track changesYou can track any changes you make to adocument. Select Tools > Track Changes toswitch the document on, then view yourdocument in Web or Print layout to view allof your additions, deletions and changes.

42 See alterationsIn Word 2000, changes are marked withinthe text itself for example, deleted textremains visible, but is marked as red with aline through it. In Word 2002, changes aremarked in balloons in the page margins.

43 Comment on changesYou can make use of comments with theTrack Changes tool. Just position the cursorwhere you want the comment to refer to,then choose Insert > Comment. The textwhere the comment is placed will bemarked in yellow all you need to do ishover the mouse over it and youll be ableto read the comment.

44 Editing commentsYou can quickly edit or delete comments just hover the mouse over the comment,then right-click and choose the appropriateoption from the menu.

45 Multiple conversionsIf you need to convert a large number ofdocuments to or from Word format quickly,you can save yourself a lot of time andeffort by getting Word to do it all for youautomatically. To use this productivity-enhancing feature, just select File > New >Other Documents and pick the BatchConversion Wizard.

46 Selecting copyIts very simple to highlight a rectangularbox of text within your document. You cando it just by holding down the [Alt] key asyou click and drag to select.

47 Choosing sentencesIf you want to select an entire sentence thequick and easy way, all you have to do ishold down [Ctrl] as you click anywhere withinthat sentence.

48 Selection shortcutsMake use of Words built-in keyboardshortcuts when you need to highlightsections of text. You can use [F8] and thecursors to select a character, word,sentence, paragraph or entire document inan instant.

40 ReviewdocumentsWhen youre finishedwith your document,you can review anychanges using theReviewing toolbar.You can choose toaccept a change, inwhich case the markis removed, or youcan reject it toquickly reinstate theoriginal text.

Highlight everything from the cursor to the end of the line by holding down [Shift] andtapping [End]. This works in many applications.





49 Quitting selection modeHave you had enough of pressing the [F8]key? Just press [Esc] and youll be able toquit the selection mode and return tonormal typing.

50 Personal shortcutsIf you want to use different keyboardshortcuts to those already included in Word,you can define your own. Do this byselecting Tools > Customize, and thenclicking the Keyboard button.

51 Assigning shortcutsWhen youre creating shortcut keys, you canassign them to all or just some of yourdocuments. Use the Save changes inmenu to make your choice. If you selectNormal, your new shortcut keys will affectall documents.

52 Smarter searchingWhen youre searching your documents forspecific words, always make sure you allowfor misspellings too. You can do this byticking Sounds Like (English) in the Findand Replace dialogue box.

53 Finding word formsYou can choose to search for all uses of aword by checking the Find All Word Forms(English) option. For example, if you want tolook for uses of the word go in yourdocument, youll find all the instances ofwent and gone as well.

54 Do sums If you have other Microsoft Office XPcomponents installed on your PC as well asWord, you can insert items such asMicrosoft Excel worksheets into your Worddocuments from the appropriate toolbarbuttons. Use that instead of a table forenhanced calculations.

55 Paint styles Click on the Format Painter button (the littlepaintbrush) and then click anywhere else inyour document to instantly transfer theformatting from the first location to thesecond handy if you need to makedifferent styles match.

Words proofing tools enable you tocheck spelling and grammar

56 Spelling tools

MANUAL SPELL CHECKWord checks spelling as you type. To checkit manually, pick Tools > Options > Spelling& Grammar, and tick the Check spelling asyou type box. Press [F7] to check manually.

EDIT THE DICTIONARY Remove mistaken entries by clickingSpelling & Grammar > Dictionaries. Choosethe dictionary and click Edit. Locate andremove any misspellings, then click Save.

USE THE THESAURUS To find synonyms and antonyms, select aword, then Tools > Language > Thesaurus.For an unrelated word, type it in the boxReplace with Synonym and click Look Up.





57 Cut and paste tipsWord 2002s AutoFormat tag makes cuttingand pasting text easy. Right-click on the iconthat pops up after the text is pasted andchoose the style to app