MoreTtips for PC Users

How can I test my microphone to make sure it's working properly?

When you're ready, click on Start, All Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, Volume Control. The Master Volume box will come up and you will want to go to the Options menu at the top and choose Properties.

Now, choose the radio button that says Recording and click OK. Another window will appear and you'll just want to make sure the Microphone channel is selected. Go ahead and move the mic volume slider to around the middle section, just so it's placed in that general area. Now, just leave that box open.

Next, we're going to need to go into the Control Panel, so click on Start, Control Panel and click on the Sounds , Speech and Audio Devices link. Choose Sounds and Audio Devices and click on the Voice tab. Now, under the Voice recording area, click on the Test Hardware button and the testing will begin.

The Sound Hardware Test Wizard will then come up. Just click on the Next button and wait for the wizard to complete the tests of the sound hardware. This could take a couple minutes or so. When that is done, the Microphone Test window will come up on your screen. Now, go ahead and speak into your mic or you can just tap it lightly if you wish. The Recording Volume slider should move up and down in response to the sound you are making through your microphone. When you're all done testing your mic, just click on Finish and the wizard will close.

Arcane Windows Keyboard Shortcuts
Windows XP Home, Media, and Professional

Note: Some of these shortcuts work in other versions of Windows too! So Try them!

when browsing in Internet Explorer or Firefox that Shift+F10 brings up the right-click menu.

That the Windows Key + Break key brings up "System Properties"

Have you ever been reading a document or Web site whose color makes it difficult to see where the cursor is located? You can use the CTRL key to point out the cursor to you if you enable this feature. How do you do that?

Start--->Control Panel---->Printers and other hardware--->Mouse>Pointer Option--->
Now check "Show location of pointer when I press CTRL key".

Press the Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen keys switches on the High-Contrast mode (basically for visually impaired users). If you attempt this trick and you don't like high contrast mode :-) you can switch it off by pressing the same key sequence again. Don't be using this tip to set all your friends computers in High-Contrast Mode, they won't know how to turn it off and they'll be angry with you. Now don't go blaming us for it!

Windows Key + U brings up the most annoying little voice you've ever heard (you can change it). It's called Windows Narrator and it will read email and Web page text to you.

Press the "ALT" "Space" keys to bring up the Window Size/Move menu in most Windows applications.

Press Windows Key + R and type "calc" without the quotes to bring up the calculator or "Wupdmgr" to go to Windows updates.

for closing those nasty little popup windows that don't have any obvious way to close them and which open one after the other at an alarming rate (or to avoid getting tricked into clicking a "Close This Window" link and downloading spyw@re or adw@re) use the ALT key + the F4 key to close the window in focus (the one "on top"). Keep clicking ALT+F4 to close multiple windows before they get out of hand. If you can't click ALT F4 fast enough to keep up with the multitude of windows opening up, you not only lose at Knock-A-Mole, you'll lose control of your computer. If you ever get to this point, your best bet is to shut your computer off using the power switch and deal with any of the repercussions of doing that later. It's one of the few times we'll ever recommend shutting off your computer using the power switch. (Don't ever use the power switch to shut down your computer unless it is absolutely necessary. Always use the "Start" button (which seems ironic, does it not) and "Turn Off Computer".
the F4 key has another fine use too. Click F4 (not "Alt + F4" just plain, old F4) while your browser is open and the last 25 addresses you have typed out in your address bar will show! Place your cursor in the address bar and hit the F4 key. Now, use your up/down arrow key to scroll to the one you want to go to. Yes, clicking the little arrow to the right of the address bar does the same thing, but sometimes it is nice not to have to leave your keyboard and use your mouse. Keyboards need love too :)

What is safe mode?

Safe Mode has been a part of Windows since Windows 95. The basic concept of "Safe Mode" is to allow a user to access Windows without loading any unnecessary drivers or software. Because Safe Mode only allows basic drivers and only necessary software to load (spyware, adware, Trojans, browser hijackers, etc. are NOT loaded) you might be able to boot your computer into Safe Mode when your computer will not boot normally. Windows XP safe mode provides you with a basic graphics driver (enough to display the user interface), access to your drives and windows configuration, System Restore and very little else. Safe Mode is best thing to try if you are experiencing problems booting your system or if running certain software causes issues with your PC. Using safe mode can let you determine if the problems you are experiencing are hardware malfunctions or software issues and even allow you to use System Restore (Windows XP and ME only) to go back in time to a date when your computer was working properly. To boot into Safe Mode, shut off your computer and restart it. Hold down the F8 key immediately when Windows starts to load and you're safe .