Find answers to everyday computer related problems, along with top tips that allow you to get more from your computer.
Unlock toolbars to work with them
A toolbar is a collection of buttons or icons—usually displayed across the top of the screen—that represents the different tasks you can do within a program. For example, in Microsoft Internet Explorer, there is a toolbar for the standard Internet Explorer command buttons, one for entering an Internet address, and one for quick links you can set up.
When you open a toolbar, it will appear in a particular spot on the screen. If you want to change the location of the toolbar you can move it by dragging it to the new location. You can also resize the toolbar by dragging its edge. If you find a toolbar that cannot be moved or resized, the toolbar may be locked.
To unlock a toolbar
1.Make sure you have only one window open for the program. (You can look at the taskbar at the bottom of your screen to verify this.) Then, right-click the toolbar.
2. If Lock the Toolbars appears on the shortcut menu and is selected (a check mark appears to the left of it), click Lock the Toolbars to unlock the toolbar. If you see Lock the Toolbars, but no check mark appears to the left of it, the toolbar is already unlocked.
Note: If Lock the Toolbars does not appear on the shortcut menu, you may not be able to move or resize the toolbar.
If you are able move the toolbar, once you’ve moved the toolbar to the location where you want it, select Lock the Toolbars so that it isn’t inadvertently moved. To make sure the change is permanent, lock the toolbar, exit the program, and then reopen it. The toolbar should be locked.
Adding Programs To Stay On The Start Menu
Right click on any .exe file in Explorer, My Computer, Desktop and select 'Pin to Start Menu', the program is then displayed on the start menu, above the separator line. To remove it, click the file on the start menu and select 'Unpin from Start Menu'. Below you can check the before and after shots.
Add a shortcut to your desktop
You can create shortcuts on your desktop that enable you to open your favorite files and folders by simply double-clicking your mouse.
To add a shortcut from a file to your desktop
1. Browse through your My Documents folder, and find the file that you want to create a shortcut to.
2. Right-click the file that you want to be able to open from your desktop, click Send To, and then click Desktop.
You’ll see the shortcut on your desktop.
Note: The shortcut icon has an arrow in the lower-left corner to indicate that it’s a shortcut rather than the actual file. You can open a shortcut just like you would any other file by double-clicking it. However, if you delete the shortcut, you won’t remove the file itself.
Can't delete a file in Windows XP? Here's the simple way to delete the file and remove the access denied error.
How to delete a file when:
Windows says 'file access denied'.
'File in use' error.
Can't delete a file (insert cryptic reason).
Rebooting doesn't help delete the file.
Despite all its quirks, Windows does do some things for a good reason. Some files need to be locked down when they are in use, otherwise you risk damaging the file or harming the Operating System. Unfortunately Windows XP seems to be plagued by files that cannot be deleted. These are frequently simple files like videos (AVI), MP3s or other seemingly harmless files. You try to delete the file, Windows waits a few seconds before announcing that access is denied, the file is currently in use and cannot be deleted. However, you know it's not in use and you just want it deleted.
If you have encountered this problem, here is a step-by-step process for trying to purge the files you can't delete. It starts with the basics for Windows XP and moves on to more involved tricks. The process will work for all recent Windows releases, but Windows XP has been causing the most the problems, so we will focus on it. Please note: we are assuming that the file is not crucial to the operation of Windows - deleting important system files can cause havoc.
Is the file in use? It sounds obvious but it happens. If it is being used or open, close the file and the application that opened it. For example, if it is a Word document, close Microsoft Word.
If the file was opened in an application (and subsequently closed), but the program is still running, try quitting the program. Windows will lock a file because the application hasn't yet released it. This is not always Windows fault and can be the fault of the program.
If the file is an AVI, in particular a DivX AVI, try renaming it and then deleting it. DivX files don't get on very well with Windows XP and sometimes renaming the file can trick Windows into releasing it.
Reboot your PC and don't start any programs. Go directly to the file and delete it.
In Windows Explorer, switch to View-Details and then select View-Choose Details. Uncheck everything except the file name. This stops Windows XP trying to read the file - this problem affects many video, audio and graphics files.
Still no luck? OK, here is the best trick of all. Most sites give you cryptic Windows registry and DOS commands to remove a file, but the answer is so much simpler. Get a copy of MoveOnBoot. It's free and this simple tool allows you to Move, Copy or Delete files before Windows can lock or alter the files. The changes are made to your hard drive before Windows starts, hence it requires a restart of your system after you give MoveOnBoot its instructions. There are no messy boot or DOS commands, just a simple 3-step process.
Step 1: Locate the name of the file that is causing your problems.
Step 2: Decide if you want to copy, move or delete the file.
Step 3. Choose a destination for moving the file, or a new file name for the rename option (this option won't appear if you are deleting a file).
Click OK to confirm you want to process. The nice thing is that the program doesn't make you reboot straight away. It's a good idea to reboot ASAP, but if you are in the middle of something and want to wait, the program will simply run next time you start Windows.
If the file reappears again (check its creation date to ensure it is being recreated) and you can't make it budge, you may have trouble with spyware or a virus on your system (don't overlook the possibility it may also be an important system file). In this case you should get a good spyware removal program to scan your system.
Free file recovery software - recover lost files from a CD, DVD, hard drive or memory card.
How to:
'Undelete' and recover files from your hard drive
Recover files from memory cards and USB drives
Check CDs and DVDs for errors
Salvage damaged files from CDs and DVDs
File recovery for all needs
It's something that's happened to everyone. In a brief lapse we've responded to yet another Windows question and sent important files into oblivion. At other times, it's simply not our fault. Software crashes, hardware fails and some CDs/DVDs can have lives shorter than a housefly. It is possible to recover files from these diasters, but you have to act quickly. For hard drives and memory cards, don't write any more files to the media until you can run a recovery program.
If the problem is with a CD or DVD, keep it in a cool, dark place since heat and sunlight can accelerate data loss. Some times a CD can work in another drive without problem, or a gentle clean with a proper CD cleaning kit may dislodge dirty and grit. Also try the local video store - many have CD/DVD polishing systems that can bring back life to a scratched disc.
To get back your lost files, you'll need a recovery tool. These three programs are free and will work for most types of media:
CDCheck 3 (CDs and DVDs)
www.softwarepatch.com/software/cd-recovery.html
File Recovery 3 (Hard drives and some types of removable devices/drives)
www.softwarepatch.com/software/file-recovery.html
Smart Recovery 4.5 (most Memory cards, USB drives/keys and removeable media).
www.softwarepatch.com/software/smart-recovery.html
All three programs are free for personal use and the links above have more details about each. Keep them handy for when disaster strikes.
PC Make your Folders Private
•Open My Computer
•Double-click the drive where Windows is installed (usually drive (C:), unless you have more than one drive on your computer).
•If the contents of the drive are hidden, under System Tasks, click Show the contents of this drive.
•Double-click the Documents and Settings folder.
•Double-click your user folder.
•Right-click any folder in your user profile, and then click Properties.
•On the Sharing tab, select the Make this folder private so that only I have access to it check box.
Note
•To open My Computer, click Start, and then click My Computer.
•This option is only available for folders included in your user profile. Folders in your user profile include My Documents and its subfolders, Desktop, Start Menu, Cookies, and Favorites. If you do not make these folders private, they are available to everyone who uses your computer.
•When you make a folder private, all of its subfolders are private as well. For example, when you make My Documents private, you also make My Music and My Pictures private. When you share a folder, you also share all of its subfolders unless you make them private.
•You cannot make your folders private if your drive is not formatted as NTFS For information about converting your drive to NTFS
Keyboard Shortcuts
When speed counts, the keyboard is still king. Almost all the actions and commands you can perform with a mouse you can perform faster using combinations of keys on your keyboard. These simple keyboard shortcuts can get you where you want to go faster than several clicks of a mouse. You'll work faster on spreadsheets and similar documents, too, because you won't lose your place switching back and forth between mouse and keys.
Here are some of the most useful keyboard shortcuts:
Copy. CTRL+C
Cut. CTRL+X
Paste. CTRL+V
Undo. CTRL+Z
Delete. DELETE
Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin. SHIFT+DELETE
Copy selected item. CTRL while dragging an item
Create shortcut to selected item. CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item
Rename selected item. F2
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word. CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word. CTRL+LEFT ARROW
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph. CTRL+DOWN ARROW
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph. CTRL+UP ARROW
Highlight a block of text. CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys
Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document. SHIFT with any of the arrow keys
Select all. CTRL+A
Search for a file or folder. F3
View properties for the selected item. ALT+ENTER
Close the active item, or quit the active program. ALT+F4
Opens the shortcut menu for the active window. ALT+SPACEBAR
Close the active document in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously. CTRL+F4
Switch between open items. ALT+TAB
Cycle through items in the order they were opened. ALT+ESC
Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop. F6
Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer. F4
Display the shortcut menu for the selected item. SHIFT+F10
Display the System menu for the active window. ALT+SPACEBAR
Display the Start menu. CTRL+ESC
Display the corresponding menu. ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name
Carry out the corresponding command. Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu
Activate the menu bar in the active program. F10
Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu. RIGHT ARROW
Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu. LEFT ARROW
Refresh the active window. F5
View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer. BACKSPACE
Cancel the current task. ESC
SHIFT when you insert a CD into the CD-ROM drive Prevent the CD from automatically playing.
Use these keyboard shortcuts for dialog boxes:
Move forward through tabs. CTRL+TAB
Move backward through tabs. CTRL+SHIFT+TAB
Move forward through options. TAB
Move backward through options. SHIFT+TAB
Carry out the corresponding command or select the corresponding option. ALT+Underlined letter
Carry out the command for the active option or button. ENTER
Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box. SPACEBAR
Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons. Arrow keys
Display Help. F1
Display the items in the active list. F4
Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box. BACKSPACE
If you have a Microsoft Natural Keyboard, or any other compatible keyboard that includes the Windows logo key and the Application key , you can use these keyboard shortcuts:
Display or hide the Start menu.
Display the System Properties dialog box. +BREAK
Show the desktop. +D
Minimize all windows. +M
Restores minimized windows. +Shift+M
Open My Computer. +E
Search for a file or folder. +F
Search for computers. CTRL+ +F
Display Windows Help. +F1
Lock your computer if you are connected to a network domain, or switch users if you are not connected to a network domain. + L
Open the Run dialog box. +R
Display the shortcut menu for the selected item.
Open Utility Manager. +U
‘Virtual memory low message’
Don’t worry too much about this. You probably have several files open at once, or are working with a large image or some other memory-hungry action. Just close down a few programs. If the message appears too regularly, you may need to add some extra RAM.
Erase entries from recent documents menu.
In Windows 98, right-click task bar at the bottom of the screen, select Properties, Start Menu Programs and click on the Clear button in the Documents menu box. In XP, access the Properties – Start menu tab as before, but then you’ll need to click on Customise then the Advanced tab and Clear list.
Take a snap shot of whatever’s on your screen
It’s not always convenient or practical to print what’s on your screen. To capture everything that’s on your current screen – hit the Prnt Scrn button. That put an image of whatever’s on your screen onto a clipboard. You can’t see the clipboard, so you need to now paste (Ctrl-V) the image into a graphics program. An easy way to do this is to launch Paint (Windows, Programs, Accessories, Paint). Just launch the program, Ctrl-V to paste the image (the Paint area will automatically adjust to accommodate the size of your image) and Save the file.
Ctrl-Alt-Delete
This is a useful facility. When your computer gets in a tizzy, sometimes you need to take action. Holding down the three buttons – Ctrl, Alt and Delete – will launch a small box which shows the current active programs. To stop a program, and possibly regain control of your PC, simply select a programme and press the End Task button which will close the program down. Sometimes, you have to repeat the process. (Leave Explorer, Systray and Rnaapp alone).
Deleted files being retained within your system
Yes it’s true. When you Delete a file, it is not permenantly removed – it can be retrieved by you or somebody else in the future – if you or they know how. The file isn’t deleted, it’s simply tagged as erased. So if you want to ensure a file is obliterated once and for all, you need to make more of an effort. You could consider the free Eraser product from www.heidi.ie.
PC on a go slow?
Think carefully before being pursaded to part with money on some web site that promises to ‘speed up your pc’ in exchange for a $15/£20 payment. Typically, these type of services (a) don’t work (b) can actually slow down your PC and (3) can be a nightmare to uninstall when you want to get rid of them. If your PC is running a bit slowly, the most likely answer to your problem (assuming it hasn’t ground to a halt) is that you need more RAM.
Friday 19 November 2010
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